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False equivalency of Limbaugh and Maher

March 9, 2012

Conservatives and some liberals have been making a lot of hay over a supposed equivalency between Rush Limbaugh and Bill Maher. See, Limbaugh spent three days dumping sexist hate on private citizen Sandra Fluke, and Maher said demeaning things about Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. And occasionally in passing, about others as well. So it’s practically the same thing, amirite?

Sure, it’s the same thing, if you think that words derive no meaning from their context. If striking a match, striking a bargain, striking out in baseball and going on strike are all the same to you. If yelling “fire!” means the same thing at a practice range, or at a beach party as it does in a crowded theater.

Limbaugh is a right-wing kingmaker whom Conservative politicians are careful not to offend. Conservatives take him very, very seriously. Conservative politicians at the national level literally apologize to him if they offend him, a radio host.

Maher has moments of sharp politicial insight, but plenty of dull wit as well. We laugh at his better jokes, but what we don’t do is take him seriously. Can anyone’s imagination stretch far enough to think of any national-level, liberal politician apologizing to Bill Maher? Could Maher make anyone’s candidacy untenable? Does the liberal blogosphere leap to his defense if he is criticized? It’s like comparing a battleship to a rowboat. Sure, both float in water.

We might wish we had a media personality with that kind of power, but there was never a better place to be careful what we wish for. The Democratic party at least makes room for nuance. A Democratic politician can still function even if they don’t tow every fibre of the party line. That is not a thing to be tossed aside lightly.

By the way, Limbaugh seems to have become bored with Sandra Fluke. A couple days ago he spent an hour dishing on “single, overeducated (not to say intelligent) white woman” Tracy McMillan, author of The American Way of Eating. McMillan replies; “I only have a B.A. I don’t have an advanced degree. Maybe he thinks women shouldn’t go to college at all?”

NOTES:

  • This is not to say Maher shouldn’t be more careful what comes out of his pie hole. And it wouldn’t hurt him to read a damn science book now and then.
  • @ktheaney Tweets: “GOP dudes who say liberals don’t attack Bill Maher on his sexism aren’t listening to feminists. Sort of their problem in the first place?”
Categories: Uncategorized
  1. March 9, 2012 at 08:47 | #1

    1. While the target of their language does play into this to some degree, on some basic level some behavior and language is inappropriate to public discourse.

    2. While Ms Fluke is a private citizen, she also intentionally made public testimony before a congressional committee (or some subset thereof). That makes her a legitimate “target” for criticism — though not for defamation.

    3. You are spot on about Maher’s influence. I’d equate him to Dennis Miller. Both have the occasionally witty line, both spout some amazing nonsense, both get invited to occasional partisan events, and nobody pays much serious attention to them.

    The only person arguably on the Left with anything approaching Limbaugh’s influence would be Jon Stewart — and he’s a hell of a lot more careful about what he says, and makes an effort to gore the occasional Democratic ox, too. And I haven’t seen any Democratic pol suddenly back down in the face of Stewart criticizing him or her.

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