Rush started off by joking that his phone line was so busy he couldn’t cancel advertising on his own show for Two If By Tea, the product he produces and markets.
He then addressed his apology, and his motives.
I’ll post more, but here is a partial portion of Rush’s opening statement on his show today (my quick transcription):
First segment
Second segment
“In fighting them, I became like them…. I descended to their level when I used those two words to describe Sandra Fluke…. Those two words were inappropriate, uncalled for, and actually distracted from the point I was trying to make …. The apology was sincere … And in so doing I became like the people we oppose. It’s important not to be like them in fighting them, the old saw that you never descend to the level of your opponent, or they win.”
“This is not about contraception, that’s what Obama wanted to turn this into, so the Democrats played the game.” Fluke was the last minute witness because Democrats wanted the optics of having her excluded (because there was no prior notice). They staged a press conference to look like a committee hearing. Her testimony was not that of an expert, but of an activist.
“They know what they are doing, they target schools like Georgetown to force them to abandon their religious beliefs” (Bingo! — my word, not his.)
Funny aside — At the first break the first ad was for a product promising hormonal balance for women. Coincidental, I’m sure.
As to advertisers, he said “they did very well due to their access to you, my audience… they have chosen to deny themselves that access … they have decided they don’t want you or your business, so be it.”
“This show is about you, it’s not about the advertisers…. I knew the political implications of these advertisers and I didn’t care … No radio broadcast will succeed by putting its business needs ahead of its audience.”
“I reject millions of dollars of advertising a year, much to the chagrin of my sales force, including General Motors…. I made the decision not to accept that because you the audience come first…. I understand my successes come from you.”
“What we’re going to do is replace those that leave … Only the leftists try to use extortion, pressure, threats to silence opposing voices…. So as you’ve always done, you make your own business decisions as to what products you buy.”
“I’m not going to wait for apologies from the left, they won’t come… They get rewarded for those despicable things … and get to make movies … and patted on the back.”
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