Limbaugh: "Edwards might be attracted to a woman whose mouth did something other than talk"

[Joanne98]

On the August 12 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh said of former Sen. John Edwards' recent disclosure of an extramarital affair: "I've got a theory about the motivations. Well, I don't know that I could -- I don't know that I can put this one on the air." Discussing his "theory," Limbaugh said, "We know -- we've been told that Elizabeth Edwards is smarter than John Edwards. That's part of the puff pieces on them that we've seen. Ergo, if Elizabeth Edwards is smarter than John Edwards, is it likely that she thinks she knows better than he does what his speeches ought to contain and what kind of things he ought to be doing strategy-wise in the campaign? If she is smarter than he is, could it have been her decision to keep going with the campaign? In other words, could it be that she doesn't shut up? Now, that's as far as I'm going to go." Limbaugh later added, "It just seems to me that Edwards might be attracted to a woman whose mouth did something other than talk." Limbaugh went on to say in a subsequent segment: "my theory that I just explained to you about why -- you know, what could have John Edwards' motivations been to have the affair with Rielle Hunter, given his wife is smarter than he is and probably nagging him a lot about doing this, and he found somebody that did something with her mouth other than talk."

Limbaugh also highlighted his comments on his website, RushLimbaugh.com (subscription required).

From the August 12 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: Back to the phones. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this is James. Nice to have you here, sir. Hello. Is he gone? James, you there? Aw, darn. He wanted to talk about Edwards and who knew and what were the motivations. And I've got a theory about the motivations. Well, I don't know that I could -- I don't know that I can put this one on the air.

JAMES GOLDEN (contributor known on-air as "Bo Snerdley"): Why not?

LIMBAUGH: Well, it's -- I mean, at some point, at some point, you gotta exhibit maturity and restraint. You know, and I do that constantly. But -- well, I don't -- look, let me see if I can run you through this and get you to think what I'm thinking without my actually saying it. That might be a pretty big talent if I could do that -- make you think what I'm going to say without my having to say it, therefore if anybody gets in trouble for saying it, you say it.

We know -- we've been told that Elizabeth Edwards is smarter than John Edwards. That's part of the puff pieces on them that we've seen. Ergo, if Elizabeth Edwards is smarter than John Edwards, is it likely that she thinks she knows better than he does what his speeches ought to contain and what kind of things he ought to be doing strategy-wise in the campaign? If she is smarter than he is, could it have been her decision to keep going with the campaign? In other words, could it be that she doesn't shut up? Now, that's as far as I'm going to go.

Well, you're -- Snerdley says he's missing something. If you're missing it, you're going to have to provide it. What are you missing? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

I can't close the loop on it. I can't close the loop on it. I'm on -- you know, I'm in a little quicksand already today talking about how the chicks are giving us boring pictures of the female athletes from the Olympics. Because I know -- you -- the diversity crowd's going to be upset. They're going to -- "Ooh, do you mean the Olympics are just so you guys can ogle wom--" Yes, because we do not care to watch 'em compete. But back to Elizabeth and the Breck Girl.

I'm sorry, my friends, I just -- I can't. It just seems to me that Edwards might be attracted to a woman whose mouth did something other than talk

http://mediamatters.org/items/200808120009?f=h_top?f=h_top

I guess this means that Ann Coulter will never get a husband.

[BlooInBloo]

1. (facepalm)

[MissWaverly]

2. when are we going to be rid of this nasty man

how can he say this trash on the air, isn't there an ethics code?

[calimary]

13. Not soon enough for me.

[MissWaverly]

15. I miss the "fairness" doctrine

we the majority have been lead around by windbags proclaiming lies as truth for too long.

[calimary]

16. Yeah, that's what really galls.

We ARE the majority. WE should rule. But a loud and bullying minority keeps monopolizing everything.

[MissWaverly]

17. yes, and their only creed is lie, cheat and exploitation

they want to use the US treasury as a feeding trough for their buds, the government is only something to loot, they remind me of the viking raiders and their pet pundits spew hate to distract from their misdeeds.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Calling that idiot a piece of shit is an insult to shit...

[DaLittle Kitty]

9. AGREED! A MF'N POS! When will da mf'er ever come out from behind da safety of his mic?

Pure fucking shit!

[Bluzmann57]

4. limbaugh talks a lot

He never really says anything, but he talks and talks and talks...

[Dukkha]

5. and some women are attrated to guys who don't need a pill to get it up

*sizzle*

[Lint Head]

6. Who's Rusty Limpballs? Is he famous or something?

For a moment there I thought you were just talking about the theory that turds are living things that need to be protected. :dem:

[Berry Cool]

7. "at some point, you gotta exhibit maturity and restraint. You know, and I do that constantly."

It's statements like those that inspire Keith Olbermann to call him "Comedian Rush Limbaugh."

Of course, they also make me throw up, and not just in my mouth.

[ladjf]

8. His comments are pathologically vulgar.

[swimmernsecretsea]

10. Hold my coat. Im-a bitchslap that mo-fo. nt

[thesquanderer]

11. the problem with Media Matters

It's stories like this that bug me about Media Matters, and why I long ago stopped regularly visiting their site. There are genuine issues of bias in "objective" mainstream media, and of deception/lies propagated by the right, and a site to expose these things would be good. But MM so often ends up reporting on these silly kinds of distractions that are neither of those things.

Limbaugh can fairly be taken to task when he lies or misrepresents positions with which he disagrees. But here he's really just making a joke. You can argue about whether or not it's in good taste, and whether or not that even matters (Howard Stern could easily have said the same thing, though he would have been more coarse about it), but this is not an example deception/lies, nor of bias from an ostensibly objective source (Rush doesn't claim to be anything but conservative, and his listeners know it). I don't see why this is a "media story" at all.

[OwnedByFerrets]

12. A JOKE??????

Youve GOT to be fucking kidding??????:puke: :puke:

[swimmernsecretsea]

14. Oh?

There are jokes and there are jokes. If you can't figure out the distinction, I'm afraid it's too big a task for me in this situation. Rush Limbaugh, who has a history of saying something vulgar and hateful, (and often tries to explain it away with a lie or a health excuse when he gets caught and criticized for it) was attempting something less honorable than a joke, and certainly less funny. I have a very broad range of styles of humor I will accept, and am willing to give leeway for all sorts of expression. This wasn't a joke. It was an attempt to diminish both John and Elizabeth, with a side dish of being condescending toward women in general, right in RL's style.

No, the MM isn't wrong about reporting this, nor is the criticism of Limbaugh unjustified.

[thesquanderer]

18. priorities

re: Rush Limbaugh...has a history of saying something vulgar and hateful...No, the MM isn't wrong about reporting this, nor is the criticism of Limbaugh unjustified.

I guess I just don't see the ideal role of a site like MM to be one of pointing out things that are vulgar or hateful... but rather, I'd prefer to see a focus on what I consider the more important issues of bias in ostensibly objective media, and, in the case of people like RL, genuine disinformation. I think those more substantive issues tend to get watered down amidst reports of lame attempts at humor and such.

[number6]

19. what kind of woman is McCain

attracted to, a woman whose wallet is fat, from a big beer company ...