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Here's the difference in my mind:

It was Rush's JOB to give his opinions in public on sports and society. That's what ESPN brought him in for. By bailing on him (and I'm confident there was pressure on him to resign or be fired) ESPN/ABC/Disney is silencing him.

Ms. Maines was paid to be cute and perform music. No one was particularly interested in her political opinions. By voluntering them, she opened herself up to the backlash. By being surprised and offended that there was a backlash, she showed her lack of wisdom.

He is not being silenced; he still has his main job as a successful radio talk show host. And he is was being forced out- why didn't he stand his ground and let them fire him? He should have known he was being used by ESPN when they hired him- this was entirely predictable.

It was Rush's JOB to give his opinions in public on sports and society. That's what ESPN brought him in for. By bailing on him (and I'm confident there was pressure on him to resign or be fired) ESPN/ABC/Disney is silencing him. Ms. Maines was paid to be cute and perform music. No one was particularly interested in her political opinions. By voluntering them, she opened herself up to the backlash. By being surprised and offended that there was a backlash, she showed her lack of wisdom.

The point is, Rush and Ms. Mains are paid, in the end, to entertain the public. If they say something that offends a large segment of their base, then they will suffer economically. ESPN has the same right to not want Rush as radio stations had the right to not air Dixie Chicks songs, and for the exact same reason - both were worried about ratings.