Monday, April 21, 2014

Rush Limbaugh Is Going Down, And It Can't Come Soon Enough

By Ryan Denson

Rush Limbaugh has been around for over twenty years. For twenty years, the misogynistic pig has plagued our airways with outrageous speech, offensive rhetoric, and sheer stupidity to a mass of equally stupid people. However, just two years ago, grassroots groups like BoycottRush and StopRush put their feet down and said enough is enough, and began a massive national boycott movement which took storm to expose Limbaugh for his truly offensive ways, with the goal of destroying his hateful career. Conservatives can pipe up about Limbaugh’s “freedom of speech,” for it is his sponsors who can choose what to do with their money.

Facing possible probes of illegal funding based on political agenda, right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation ended its five-year sponsorship of Limbaugh’s circus act show after paying a total of $9.5 million over the course of the partnership. If someone receives money from an organization like The Heritage Foundation, who pays you to promote their product (in this case a slanted political opinion), without directly telling the audience the source of funding, it may be considered ‘payola,’ which is illegal. It’s like a business paying for positive reviews. So they paid $9,5 million, and when they realized it might be illegal, they pulled out.
So for 25 years Limbaugh has gotten away with his bigotry and wacky conspiracy theories. However, after his grotesque attack on Sandra Fluke, Americans woke up and realized that he was nothing but a fame-seeking moron. Also realizing that neither his radio affiliates, nor the FCC planned to do anything about his hate speech, citing his “first amendment rights,” American consumers decided band together for the common good of the people and their dignity, and organized boycotts via petitions in order to bring Limbaugh down by way of his sponsors. The grassroots organizations prevailed, and it is now reported that 3,100 companies have pulled their ads from Limbaugh’s show.

Rick Ungar, the senior political contributor for the conservative Forbes and regular attendee on Fox, has some tough words when it comes to Limbaugh’s relevance in the conservative movement while being interviewed by MSNBC host Ed Schultz:

“At long last, it appears that Rush Limbaugh has run out of steam. I have to acknowledge that I have sensed Rush getting by on fumes for some time now (yes, I tune into his show from time to time to enjoy his broadcasting skills if not his message). However, it was only recently that the world of Limbaugh crossed that thin red line from partially serious to total self-parody and audience deception—a line crossed from which there is often no return.”



Rush Limbaugh also seems to have a hard time holding onto his sponsors, because as of April 12, 2014, some of the sponsors that haven’t been heard of in months include: Sodastream, Club Glove, Fin Electric Cigarettes, Mannheim Steamroller, Kars4Kids, Sears, Taco Bell, Jewelry Exchange, National Association of Realtors, SweetJack, New Vitality, Greenlight Financial Services, Stanley Steamer, Midas, Income At Home, Verengo Solar, Taste Of Home, Gold Bond, NFL Monday Night Football, Reagan.com, University of Iowa, and Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Things have gotten so bad for Rush Limbaugh, that Cumulus Radio Network also complains of losing millions of dollars due to Limbaugh’s insane and erratic behavior on the air. A representative from the company even said that many companies are reluctant to invest because of Rush, and say that 49 out of 50 advertisers have ‘No-Rush’ clauses when buying air time.

However, some of the more prominent sponsors still remain: U.S. Marine Corps, Advance Auto Parts, Cox, Allegra, Quicken Loans, Menards, ProFlowers, Insperity, Power Swabs, and Lifelock, among others.

Grassroots organizations have the power to shut down hate, and there is nothing Rush Limbaugh can do about it.

If you want to join in on the fight to end the Pig’s career, sign on here:
Boycott Rush Facebook Page
Limbaugh Sponsor-Cumulus Petition
Flush Rush Facebook Page

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