Are they finally 'starving the beast?' Limbaugh advertisers pulling plug since slut slur

Rush Limbaugh's "slut slur" and other offensive rhetoric directed at a private citizen whose only "crime" was speaking her mind about birth control and employee insurance on Capitol Hill was one of his worst. I know he is simply a toxic buffoon who spews poison daily, preying on the ignorant to make millions, but the danger is they don't know that, and inflammatory rhetoric to ignorance is like gasoline to a lit match and therein lies the danger.

This time around the talk radio resident bully did not like what Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke had to say so he proceeded to do what he does best and what he is paid megamillions to do. He was vile and insulting as he thought his dollar amount required him to be. I say require, for this is not the first repulsive thing he has said, yet millions tune in to hear him, the Republican party fears him and advertisers and his syndicated handlers keep him on the air.

Now news of up to 12 of these same advertisers pulling their ads from Limbaugh's show opens the way for an intriguing debate. What's different about this verbal attack? Is it the word slut? Is it the request for the young woman to post her sex tapes on-line so that he could watch or is it bigger than this? is it the sense that there is a "war on women" in this country lately?

Then again it may be a combination of all of the above and years of an endless stream of offensive language and divisive partisan pandering. Limbaugh has been left unchecked for so long that he now thinks he is untouchable. He thinks he is some sort of rainmaker and the GOP's loud silence on his many borderline biased, bigoted and hateful speech has bolstered his daily rabble-babble.

Even on this latest rant which made many gape in shocked disbelief, the Republican top players seemed downright scared to denounce the crazed rant. Some gave monosyllabic answers to what they though of Limbaugh's slut slur, others avoided the question or gave generic non-answers. None of the final four GOP presidential hopefuls was immediately willing to use strong, decisive language to slam the radio host on his character assassination of Fluke.

Therein lies a big part of the GOP's clear non-cohesive message and rattled ranks, for they repeatedly avoid dealing with important issues. They are too busy boxing themselves into that narrow, non-inclusive, extreme base they seem beholden to.

While they are fearfully, desperately trying to pander to the extreme Right, ripe with antiquated ideology that simply does not and will not work in our society, the rest of America is frustrated and turned off. When Mitt Romney dared to give one of the most sensible, intelligent, politically sound answers on birth control among all the candidates, he was vilified for it. He said he didn't want to get into a woman reproductive life where birth control was concerned and he was right.

But because he has to pander to that myopic far Right minority crowd, he cannot embrace that answer and elaborate on it. Ron Paul dances around the birth control issue as well. Why can't they see that we are a nation of many women who do not take lightly being controlled, especially when it came to our private lives? Our reproductive and sex lives?

Could it be that what is really transpiring here is that advertisers are pulling their ads because they finally want to "starve the beast?" Put that dangerous radio forum out of business? Or is it the same song and dance: Pull out until the furor dies down?

As for the GOP, their continued silence on offensive and divisive rhetoric on arms of their party because they are scared to run off the "extreme" flock--take a look around you: We are not over-populated like China and straining our resources means birth control is used by many in this country, Republicans and Catholics and other church folks alike.

Moreover, it is counter-productive, for the Republican party when they don't reign in the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, for this alienates Independents, some Republicans and anyone who may be tired of the Obama administration and is looking for an alternative. They also hand Democrats a prettily bow-tied gift in this election year. Pound on women and Dems appear like the saviors and valiant defenders. It's a no-brainer, and you would think the Grand Ole Party would have gotten it by now.

But just to reign in the partisan outrage, personalities leaning to the Left have also spewed sexist and offensive vitriol. Granted, he is a comedian and the rules are different than a radio personality who has some serious political weight--but HBO's Bill Maher, host of "Real Time," has said some controversial things about Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell and Michelle Bachmann and there wasn't any collective outrage on the left.

To dim the stark partisan line dividing this country on important issues, we must condemn all offensive speech regardless of which side fired it. As Malcolm X once said, and I paraphrase loosely, "I am on the side of justice whichever side it's on."