Still Say This Is NOT a Political Issue?  

You don't think his own words regarding Donovan McNabb among other things didn't have a part to play in this?

P.S....remember Imus and his "nappy headed" comment.

That's part of why it IS a political issue.

I believe he was working for ESPN when he insulted McNabb which is why I don't agree that this isn't totally political.

I'm not saying the fact that Limbaugh is a conservative is what sunk the deal but the things he has said through the years. I sure DO remember Imus's comments! The thing with him though is that I really don't believe he's a racist based on what I'd seen and heard of him prior to that controversial moment. I'm not justifying or condoning what he said for one minute but I just don't think Rush and Imus have anywhere close to the same attitude regarding racism.

I'd like to take this time to add something else I've wanted to say. I recently heard or read where someone said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Conservatives in general refuse to acknowledge any racism exists other than reverse racism". I'm not sure who said it and it may well have been some "liberal" commentator or journalist but - note to Taskr - I'm not citing this as a source for "FACTS" but just saying it was an opinion someone else expressed that I happen to agree with. I totally realize there are many here who will disagree and I also know there are some who would say liberals refuse to acknowledge that reverse racism also exists. I'm one liberal who knows both exist from both sides. It's not something one can "prove". No matter what anyone says we can't see what's in their heart and in their mind.

Annie

Taskr, you make it seem like everything that was attributed to him was lies and you know that's not the case. I don't think the media just used blogs, I think they considered the fact that some of the blogs and articles listed their sources. I'm not sure how they could have proven everything in the book that was mentioned was accurate and, right or wrong, I've certainly seen books used as sources for many claims against many people. Heck, look at at least one poster here who uses WND, FreeRepublic and books by hacks like Jerome Corsi as "proof" of just about anything! I'm unsure what you mean by "the media campaigned against his bid". They reported about those who were against it and they discussed it on many news shows with some people for him and some against him. The very first news I heard about this issue was that some of the players had vowed to never play for him.

You close with, "As for Limbaugh, I think he's just glad he can use this debacle for more publicity and to bolster his point about the intolerance of the left wingers in this country." Of course he's going to milk it for all it's worth because all he cares about is attention and money! Heck, he has no children, he sucks at relationships obviously and I doubt if he has anything but very shallow "friendships". I sure don't see any of this as "intolerance of the left-wingers in this country"! I don't think this should be a left and right issue at all.

Annie

The bogus quotes aside, what Rush DID say...on national television about Donovan McNabb when he was a commentator on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown show...was ugly, was racist and gave football fans nationwide such a negative impression of him that it caused a firestorm at ESPN and the result was that he resigned. He followed that up with an additional racially charged comment on his radio show. This kind of attitude, where a man is judged not by his skills but by the color of his skin, is unacceptable and I've heard nothing from Rush to indicate that his views have changed. No one wants to watch a bigoted sports commentator and few professional players want to play for one.

Why would Rush want to be involved in a sport made up of 70% minorities? Because he's not prejudiced against the color green, ie. money.

What he said regarding McNabb was a commentary on the MEDIA's bias. If anyone should have been upset, it should have been the sports commentators to whom he referred. Oh yeah, they were upset.

Racism, by definition, is the making of decisions based on race. That includes decisions that are favorable. I know that you would want someone to point out when someone is being discriminated against because of race, that is definitely wrong and is racism. But, it's also racism if one is praised and lauded simply because of their race. That's the type of racism though that no one must dare point out, because if they do, they are racists.

It's never going to be a post-racial era, because you have to be willing to give up and ban both sides of racism in order for everyone to be truly color blind.

"What he said regarding McNabb was a commentary on the MEDIA's bias. If anyone should have been upset, it should have been the sports commentators to whom he referred. Oh yeah, they were upset."

I disagree. He expressed his opinion that McNabb was overrated and then used the media to express a racially charged conclusion...that they wanted to see a black quarterback succeed. Did he back that opinion up with any facts? Has he ever cited any media outlets that had specifically indicated that they wanted to see a black quarterback succeed? I don't recall him mentioning anyone by name. Whether there was or is media bias when it comes to Donovan McNabb, stating that the critiques of his performance on the field are due to the color of his skin instead of his talent is ugly and many people, not just the media, were offended by that comment.

And, by the way, how do you blame this quote from his radio show on the media?

"RUSH: Look it, let me put it to you this way. The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.

That was an insult to every black player in the NFL in more ways than one. It was also racist. Racism is not simply making decisions based on race...it's also an attitude that one has towards a race as well as making comments about an individual or a group of individuals based on race.

Racism is also having favorable attitudes towards someone or a group because of race or making favorable comments towards someone or a group because of race.

So, because I have favorable attitudes towards the Irish and my husband has favorable attitudes towards Italians, we're guilty of racism? I believe that you have to take it a step farther and believe that one race is superior to another.

Neither the Italians nor the Irish are races. They are ethnic groups within a race.
Belief that a person's abilities or qualities are influenced by his or her race is racism, whether those are good or bad qualities. Rating someone poorly undeservedly because of their race would be racism. Rating someone highly undeservedly because of their race would be racism.

Basically, NONE of you get it. There is only one race: homo sapiens sapiens.
Anyone who takes into account anything other than basic humanity is a racist, whether they praise or overcompensate or fear or hate or discriminate. They are dividing people up into groups based on cosmetic differences.

I'm sticking my neck out on this one...and I will say this up front: I know very little about Rush Limbaugh or the NFL. Despite being placed in the conservative nutcase category by some, I care little for Mr. Limgaugh's style or his delivery. I do, however have an opinion on why he has adopted the style he uses on air. And it has to do with what Rollo has said so eloquently. To praise or promote someone simply for being a minority is just as racist as putting them down or keeping them down because of race. To do so means someone has to suffer. And if we are to ever get PAST racial issues and ideologies...we have to make the playing field even for ALL. Not just minorities. What is behind Rush's attitudes may just be that he, like other white males in this society, is sick of the reverse racism. You do not have to kick white people around to make things fair for black people. And I've heard from many many people I know personally, that they feel there IS such a thing as reverse racism in America. Perhaps this is natural and to be expected....after what minorities went through for all those years. But we really do need to get past it..move on and mature as a society or it will be another nail in our collective coffin as a people.

"Belief that a person's abilities or qualities are influenced by his or her race is racism, whether those are good or bad qualities. Rating someone poorly undeservedly because of their race would be racism. Rating someone highly undeservedly because of their race would be racism."

To state that someone is overrated because the media wanted a black quarterback to succeed, with no factual evidence to back up that accusation, is a racist opinion. Rush interjected race when no one else previously had.

And, by the way, I do get it, Rollo. My parents taught me not to discriminate, to see people for who they were, and that wasn't the easiest way to live when I was a kid growing up in the 50's and 60's. I had black and Asian friends when that caused a problem with some of the other kids I went to school with.

Last comment from me is this: Rush was a sports commentator at the time he made the McNabb comment. Commentators give opinions. Sports commentators don't require proof or backup for their opinions. You would have to prove to me that he never said anything negative about another player or had a low opinion of any other player's abilities unless he was a black athlete to prove to me that he said this out of some kind of racist malice. He felt that McNabb was not as good as they were saying he was and that it was a desire on their part to see a black quarterback succeed that influenced others in their opinions of him. Prove to me he said that he didn't want McNabb to succeed because he was black and then I will agree with you.

Rollo, we don't need to agree and this will be the last from me, too. If Rush hadn't been out of line when he made that comment about McNabb, ESPN wouldn't have fired him. BTW, the follow up Crips and Bloods comment he made on his radio show had nothing to do with athletic ability and everything to do with making a racial slur.

It had nothing to do with athletic ability, you are right. It had nothing to do with race, either. It was about demeanor and discipline and behavior on the field. He was discussing the disrespecting and dancing and general bad behavior of players when he said the comment about the Bloods and the Crips. He then discussed with a caller how this classless behavior all started with Mark Gastineau of the NY Jets who did the first sack dance in a game. Gastineau was white, btw. You can read the whole transcript or you can decide that if he mentioned gangs he must have meant the teams had too many black players. It's ridiculous how many people have quoted this over and over without ever seeking the context.

Sorry, had to break my last comment promise, but it was necessary.

"if anyone dares say anything to hurt his little (?) feelings they end up kissing his feet as they apologize profusely"
OOPS!! Sorry I didn't clarify that I meant if any REPUBLICAN offends him they apologize.

I DO agree that nobody should have lies spread about them! If someone shoed me a lie that was told about Limbaugh I'll absolutely say whoever started it and spread it without checking it out are or were wrong! I've got to do some checking to see what "lies" everyone is talking about because the things I've mentioned are things I've heard him say. If you choose to insist he was "taken out of context" every time, fine, but I don't think he was. And I'm sure as heck not going to waste any sympathy on him for being a "victim" of "reverse racism"!

Annie

Well, I KNOW I'm not going to be trying to buy a football team in the future and the words I saw aren't heard by millions of listeners or viewers but I STILL don't make racist comments because it's wrong and it's not in my heart. Maybe you could clarify for me what you meant; you wrote, "He has already clearly admitted that he made those comments. It is not like he is denying it or trying to hide it," but then you imply that the media lied about them as if he did NOT say them.

I agree that "the clear lack of fact-checking by the media outlets" is a problem but this applies to a lot more than just what they've said about Rush Limbaugh.

Annie

To clarify, the two statements that you mentioned, the McNabb statement and the Blood, Crypt statement are the ones that he did not deny. The rest were still lies. I still think the bigger news story is the lack of fact-checking by those media sources.

I agree, irishidid. In my opinion what he said for sure is MORE than enough, although I know many here don't see it my way, but I see no reason for anyone to have lied or embellished at all. I also agree that he's totally disgusting!

Annie

I know, "poor Rush", he sure does love to play the victim.

Annie

Me too! I think I will even purchase a St. Loius Rams Jersey and start watching their games! Smart move. :-)

Me three...lol!!

Annie

He NEVER said the thing about slavery not being all bad. That was a lie, even some of the media outlets that reported it have apologized.

You can hate anyone you want to, but at least know why you hate them, don't base it on lies told about them.

Wow, even after all the fact checkers who have shown that all these claims were lies we still have people like you rehashing the same old lies. He NEVER made that stupid slavery comment, nor did he ever say McNabb was deserving of his position as QB of the Eagles.

All he said about McNabb is that he is overrated because many people want to see black quarterbacks succeed. While that may not be true about McNabb there have been black QBs that were grossly overrated like Shawn King and Kordell Stewart (who was a better receiver than anything else).

Go to youtubedotcom and type in Rush Limbaugh slavery and see all that comes up. CNN may have been wrong and I did check the fact check web site. So I was wrong about that. But let Rush speak for himself when you check out the video on youtube. My quote may have not been 100% perfect but the meaning and the intent was the same.

We might as well forget it, Bailey, because someone made the mistake of reporting something that couldn't be verified that means that those things that Limbaugh has said right on his own radio show which are available on tape are meaningless. All he had to do was shine and cry that the evil media and nasty left were out to get him and everyone on the right is coming to his defense like he were a damsel in distress...lol! I think it's time he practices what he preaches and takes responsibility for his own actions because he did this to himself, pure and simple.

Annie

"You can hate anyone you want to, but at least know why you hate them, don't base it on lies told about them."
I DO know why I hate him and it's not based on anybody's lies but on what I've heard for myself! Oh, jeesh, didn't I say already say that...lol?

Annie

: http://www.youtube.com/re...

"We might as well forget it, Bailey, because someone made the mistake of reporting something that couldn't be verified........"

No.

Because someone made the mistake of reporting something that didn't exist
Rush is an ASSS, but the statements in question didn't exist.

**BINGO**