When I was in high school, I listened to Rush Limbaugh's radio program frequently, and also watched his daily television show. I make no secret regarding my conservative political views, and I got a thrill watching him dissect people like Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and other prominent Democrats in the mid 90s.
Over the last decade or so, I haven't listened to his show or kept up with his comments very much. I still occasionally read what I can of what he has to say regarding political topics of the day, but not nearly to the extent to which I did in high school and early in college. Of course, I did see his infamous comments about Donovan McNabb on ESPN, and I was shocked at the reaction given by the general public. His comments about McNabb were taken completely out of context, and he was accused of being a racist for making such statements. The great irony to that entire incident was that Limbaugh was ultimately proven right about McNabb's talents as a quarterback, and he certainly didn't step out of line in his comments.
That brings me to last week. By now, you've probably read about Rush Limbaugh calling Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a slut after she went before Congress and testified that universities and colleges nationwide need to provide health insurance coverage in order for her and other women on college campuses across the country to obtain the contraceptives they need. A national controversy has sprung thanks to both the original testimony and Limbaugh's reactions.
Limbaugh has always enjoyed bringing attention upon himself and his agenda. He makes no secret of that, and I don't think I'm offering any new insight into his methods or intent. I actually agreed with his original idea, that the American public shouldn't have to pay for Fluke and other in taxes in order for them to obtain birth control. If college women want to have sex, that's their business, but I'm not in favor of having my taxes raised so their insurance will cover their contraceptive costs.
It was about there where I drew the line with Limbaugh's comments. He then went on to call Fluke a slut and a prostitute asking for the American public to, by extension, pay for her to obtain birth control. He also said that if the rest of America did ultimately contribute to health insurance premiums via taxes, we should be entitled to watch these college girls use their birth control in action.
Limbaugh claimed his comments were meant to be funny, but I don't see where the humor in such a statement is. He failed to raise the hypocrisy of Fluke's statement; most college students are still provided with health insurance coverage via their parents' insurance, but Fluke wants her own coverage so Mommy and Daddy don't get the bill. If an 18-year-old woman wants to have sex, that's her decision to make. But if she wants to get a birth control pill prescription, it will likely show up on her parents' insurance. How many 18-year-old girls are going to be okay with that? Answer: Not many.
The other major issue with Fluke's original statement was her claim that a woman's birth control totals over $3000 every year. I can't pretend to know much about how much birth control pills or the Nuva ring cost, but I know what the price of condoms is. The amount of money Fluke mentioned would buy several years' worth of condoms, depending on how often she needs to use them. Where did she get such a number from? And once again, why should she expect the general American public to foot the bill for her own personal needs? (I know she's speaking on behalf of women in colleges all across the country, but you get my point)
There's something to be said about Fluke wanting to be a responsible adult woman and not run the risk of an unexpected pregnancy. She also had to expect some negative backlash for openly talking about needing access to birth control, which is hypocritical of the other side to do so. I see no reason why a young adult woman can't openly discuss her needs for birth control. Other people who criticize her and expect her and other college-aged women to be completely chaste and celibate are simply naive. She may have a legitimate issue with having to find a way to pay for her birth control, but that's her problem. It shouldn't be mine.
And so I come back full circle to Limbaugh's comments. He had the right idea, but he went about it in the completely wrong direction. His cynical sense of humor got in the way of a much larger point, and he ended up insulting Fluke and other women in the process. He then issued an "apology" a day later on his show, but after I had read the text of his statements, he clearly didn't have any remorse or regret over much of what he said. I'm sure he doesn't really care about his public image given that people's opinions of him, both positive and negative, won't change much after this incident. In fact, he only issued the apology on air because advertisers were pulling from his show, and so he stood to lose revenue as a result of his words. He'll still continue his methods of being a polarizing figure, which is probably just how he likes it.
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