Posted on 03/09/2012 2:35:52 AM PST by Libloather
Obama super-PAC head: Maher remarks ‘vulgar,’ but not comparable to Limbaugh
By Justin Sink - 03/08/12 04:39 PM ET
Bill Burton, the head of the super-PAC supporting President Obama’s reelection effort, said Thursday that while some of comedian Bill Maher's comments "were vulgar and inappropriate" he did not believe they were similar in tone to controversial statements last week by radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time," recently announced a $1 million donation to the Priorities USA group helmed by Burton. But conservatives have argued the group should return the donation because some of the comedian's past statements have been as controversial as remarks made by Limbaugh and denounced by the president and leading Democrats.
Limbaugh came under fire for calling Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke, who testified to Congress in favor of mandating coverage for contraception, a "slut" and a "prostitute." But supporters of the conservative talk show host argue Maher has also used derogatory terms — including "bimbo" and "twat" — to describe prominent Republican politicians, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell asked Burton, a former Obama campaign press secretary, if that was a double standard, a charge Burton deflected by arguing that Maher was a comedian, not a political commentator.
“First of all, obviously, some of those things were vulgar and inappropriate and said over the course of years of a comedian’s life. It’s not language I would use or language we would use at Priorities USA," Burton said. “But the notion that there is an equivalence between what a comedian has said over the course of his career and what the de facto leader of the Republican Party said to sexually degrade a woman who led in a political debate of our time, is crazy.”
“There’s no just similarity about what Rush Limbaugh said, lying about the argument that Ms. Fluke was making — a law student at Georgetown — and what a comedian has said in the past,” he added.
Mitchell noted that Burton's tone was remarkably similar to Mitt Romney’s response that Limbaugh's comments were "not the language I would have used." But the former Obama aide responded by noting the GOP presidential hopeful had sought the endorsement of musician Ted Nugent, who has also made controversial remarks.
"If we want to have this debate where we’re stacking up what supporters of candidates have said over time, you know Mitt Romney begged Ted Nugent for his endorsement, and he gave it to him, and he embraced it, and his campaign was bragging about it,” Burton said.
Maher has come to Limbaugh's defense, saying Democrats looked petty by continuing to hammer the radio host over his remarks.
"Hate to defend Rush Limbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pull out," Maher tweeted earlier this week.
Maher's program "Politically Incorrect" was canceled by ABC in the months after the 9/11 attacks when sponsors pulled their commercials. A controversy had developed around remarks Maher made about the hijackers involved in the attacks.
Burton said that, ultimately, the outrage over individual comments wasn't relevant to the presidential campaign.
"This is all distraction between some of the real differences in this race between Mitt Romney and President Obama on key issues. And that’s what’s important here. Where do they stand on contraception? What kind of Supreme Court justice is Mitt Romney going to put in place? An Antonin Scalia or an Elena Kagan? That’s the important [thing] here," Burton said.
They are right that Limbaugh’s remarks are not comparable to Maher’s remarks.
Limbaugh was responding directly to Fluke’s political discourse by pointing out that the logical conclusion of her testimony before Congress was that she was asking the government to pay her for having sex. He should not have used the ‘s’ and ‘w’ words as part of civil discourse, which he has admitted and apologized for, but he was making the point of how ridiculous it was for someone to ask the government to pay the costs of their private recreational activity.
The vile language that Maher has used to describe Sara Palin and other conservative women has no cogent political argument behind it. It is simply intended to denigrate. And after many years, Maher has never apologized for his language.
So there really is no comparison between Maher and Limbaugh. Limbaugh is a satirist that strayed too far into hyperbole and immediately apologized for it. Maher is an unrepentant humorless mysoginist who never had a political point to make and who has never apologized for his vulgar slurs.
You beat me to it. Yes, the difference is that Limbaugh’s comments were meant to enlighten, Maher’s comments were intended to inflict pain. One political, one personal.
Besides, as Rush likes to point out: he’s not the de facto leader, he’s the titular head.
Wow.
I will say it again: Liberalism is a mental disease.
To me, the main difference between Limbaugh’s and Maher’s remarks is that Maher used a grossly inaccurate adjective to describe a mother of five who has been married for over twenty years.
Limbaugh used a couple of accurate descriptions to describe a 30 year old who went on national television and to the highest levels of government to demand payment for accessories to the lifestyle of a loose woman.
IF she had a long term shackup or common-law husband, the s word might not have been accurate. Notice that no man has seen fit to step forward to defend “his girl”.
Pretty much what I expected this punk to say. Burton strikes me as a 1st class a-hole.
Oh no! Of course not.
Why, because he is a liberal and a bigmouth?
In that case, Rush ought to go on air and call Sandra Fucke a “cu*t” and not a slut. That solves that problem now, doesn’t it?
So Fluke wants us to pay for her sexual activity. Well, I’ve decided to replace sex with traveling around the world. Should the government now have to pay for my trips...somethat that I deem a pleasurable activity???
Oh what unmitigated political demagogery!
Both Maher and Limbaugh have the same job description: Entertainer.
The simple truth is Burton won't condemn Maher because he likes what he says, no matter how crude and obnoxious. In other words, Burton agrees with Maher.
While I listen to Rush, I never voted for him. When did he run? What election did we go through to make Rush head of the party? Fill me in Burton...
So, now Rush is NOT “just an entertainer” as libs often describe him, but is NOW an official political commentator.
So “twat” is not as bad? This Rush vs the slut thing will turn out to be another gift from the hapless left. They will overplay their hand as they usually do and it will end up being a plus for us.
Sara Palin and Michelle Bachmann are honorable ladies.
Sandra Fluke is just a functionary of the Democrat Party and a promiscuous slut.
Bill Maher is an atheistic, socialist ass whose only claim to fame was when he played the title roll in the infamous movie ‘Bill Clinton’s Talking Penis.’
ShePAC’s brutal takedown of Obama and Bill Maher
http://www.therightscoop.com/shepacs-brutal-takedown-of-obama-and-bill-maher/
Actually, Maher called her a "cunt". But the writer couldn't include that little tidbit without undermining his entire article.
Why does a 30 yr old lesbian feminazi pro-abortion activist representing herself as a libidinous 24 yr old heterosexual college student need birth control anyway?
Funny since guys like Bill Maher and John Stewart function as leaders and opinion makers on their side. It’s weaselly to say they’re just “comedians”.
And of course Rush, who is just an “entertainer” when it’s convenient, is now the leader of the Republican party. How convenient.
But the Dems are obviously feeling some pressure over being called on their hypocrisy. They’re spending a lot of energy deflecting.
So Bill, what would you and the other dregs of humanity on the left be saying if a prominent radio talk show referred to female members of your family as sluts, tw@ts and c.nts?
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