After Rush Limbaugh referred to Georgetown University Law
Student Sandra Fluke as "a slut" on his radio program last
week, the Obama Administration wasted little time in coming
to her defense.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney
confirmed that President Obama had spoken with Fluke. When
Carney was asked to describe their conversation, he
replied:
They had a very good conversation. I think he, like a lot
of people, feels that the kinds of personal attacks that
she's -- that have been directed her way are
inappropriate. The fact that our political discourse has
become debased in many ways is bad enough. It is worse
when it's directed at a private citizen who was simply
expressing her views on a matter of public policy.
Although Rush would issue an apology the following
day it wasn't enough for longtime Obama adviser David
Axelrod who said, "I think what
Rush Limbaugh said about that young woman was not only
vile and degrading to her, but to women across the
country."
So what do Messrs. Carney, Axelrod and, for that
matter, President Obama have to say for Bill Maher?
It is no secret that Maher despises conservatives
especially of the female variety. Nearly a year ago, Maher
delighted both
himself and his left-wing audiences when he called Sarah Palin
"a dumb twat" and "a c--t" -- words even harsher than the
ones Rush used against Fluke.
Let us remember that Carney lambasted Limbaugh for
being inappropriate towards Fluke because she is a
"private citizen who was simply expressing her views on a
matter of public policy." Well, the last I checked Sarah
Palin is a private citizen who expresses her views on
public policy. Does the Obama Administration believe Palin
should be afforded the same courtesy as Fluke? Do they
believe what Maher said about Palin was inappropriate? Or
does the Obama Administration believe that some points of
view more equal than others?
Let us also remember that Axelrod wasn't satisfied
with Rush's apology because what he said about Fluke "was
not only vile and degrading to her, but to women across
the country." So does Axelrod also believe that Maher said
things about Sarah Palin that "were not only vile and
degrading to her, but to women across the country?"
Or has Bill Maher been granted a waiver by the Obama
Administration for saying degrading things about Sarah
Palin and other conservative women who do not agree with
their policies? Consider how Maher bragged that he could get away with
what he said because he is on HBO
while Rush is at the mercy of commercial sponsors. This
surely sounds like a man who has been granted dispensation
from the highest authority.
After all, it was with great fanfare last month that
Maher donated $1 million to Priorities USA
Action, an Obama Super PAC. As the
large check was being hauled out on stage, Maher said to
his audience at Yahoo headquarters in Silicon Valley, "I
think Mitt Romney's going to get the (Republican)
nomination, and then I hope Obama beats him like a runaway
sister-wife." Well, it's good to know that a joke about
domestic violence (not to mention Mormonism) is such a hit
with liberal audiences. Of course, had Rush joked about
domestic abuse (not to mention Muslims) the very same
audience would rise in unison to accuse him of hate
speech.
Now I, for one, did
not like what Rush said about Fluke. In
one fell swoop, he shifted the issue from the heavy
handedness of government in compelling religious
organizations to provide insurance coverage for
contraceptives to the heavy handedness of Rush Limbaugh in
casting aspersions upon someone for taking a point of view
which differs from his own. His intervention was not
helpful and Rush was ultimately right to make amends to Fluke.
Unlike Axelrod, I accept
both Rush's apology and his reasons for doing so.
As Rush put it:
I ended up descending to their level. It's
important not to be like them, ever, particularly in
fighting them. The old saw, you never descend to the
level of your opponent or they win. That was my error
last week.
Of course, it should come as no surprise that Axelrod
would not accept Rush's apology. The Left has wanted Rush
excised from the airwaves for nearly a quarter century.
Now Rush has stumbled and they see blood in the water. So
at this point, the Obama Administration is about as
willing to accept Rush's apology as Afghan President Hamid
Karzai is willing to accept the Obama Administration's
apology last week for the accidental Koran burnings at
Bagram Air Base. Karzai wants to put American
soldiers on trial while liberals yearn
to do the same with Rush. Both proceedings would be sure
to have all the fairness found in a kangaroo court.
Unfortunately, I suspect that this double standard is
not likely to be raised by the White House Press Corps
(with perhaps the possible exceptions of Jake Tapper at
ABC or Ed Henry at FNC). If I were a member of that scrum,
I would ask Jay Carney the two following questions, "In
light of Rush Limbaugh's apology to Sandra Fluke for his
inappropriate comments, why didn't you call upon Bill
Maher to apologize for his inappropriate comments against
Sarah Palin a year ago? Will President Obama now publicly
call for the Super PAC acting on his behalf to return the
$1 million donated by Maher?"
When it comes to Sarah Palin and other conservative
women being pilloried for expressing their views on public
policy, I don't think the Obama Administration will put
the money where Bill Maher's mouth is. In other words, the
Obama Administration has no waivers for conservative women
like Sarah Palin.
