Limbaugh (Update, Update II, Update III)

I'm sure you've read more than enough about Rush Limbaugh's latest outrage. There are reports and updates all over the place. In fact, the shitstorm is bad enough that Limbaugh actually "apologized" -- after losing half a dozen advertisers. (I've seen no indication that he actually called Sandra Fluke and apologized to her personally -- he just issued a "statement.")

Karoli over at C&L has a good update on the whole thing, including the full text of his apology, which I am not going to reproduce here. She, like I, did zero in on what I consider the key part of this text. Limbaugh:

I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities.

Limbaugh is trying desperately to reframe the whole discussion as the Democrats bending over backward to accommodate a loose, hedonistic lifestyle. It's a variation on Daryl Issa's attempt to reframe it as an assault on religious freedom by holding a congressional hearing with seven witnesses -- all male, all religious.

Oh, and might be expected, Limbaugh is lying -- no one is asking "American citizens" to pay for "these activities" -- except the citizens who are making use of the benefit. This is preventive care included in insurance paid for by the insured (ultimately; even if the companies they work for are paying the actual premiums, the participants are taking lower wages in return for the benefit).

Karoli:

On to the second paragraph, which is where he shows plainly that he did not intend a real, true apology. By framing contraception as something for a "social activity," he endeavors to minimize and trivialize women's health needs. Yes, contraception is used to prevent pregnancy, for married and single women. But Sandra Fluke's testimony very specifically pointed to other uses for it, including treatment of PCOS (an incredibly debilitating condition), endometriosis, pelvic inflammation, ovarian cysts, and other conditions specific to women. Further, some women use it to actually regulate their cycles so they can become pregnant. Some young women use it to treat acne!

These are not social. These are not recreational. These are serious health issues. They matter, and they should be covered as part of health insurance that provides basic benefits. Rush Limbaugh intentionally tried to frame this as a debate about sex when it was never a debate about sex. He did it, and Fox News picked up the banner and marched forward with it to the point where now the "slut" meme has been echoed all over the Internet by the far-right wing.

It's the conservative mindset, and Limbaugh played right into it with no discernible effort -- probably because he's one of the people who created it. Listen to Rick Santorum, the darling of the social conservative set: it's all about sex, especially when it's about women.

That's the whole focus of "conservative" morality. Morality has nothing to do with ethics, integrity, social responsibility, standards of behavior, the social contract. Morality is purely and simply about sex, specifically about engaging in sex outside the bounds of whatever these "guardians of decency" deem appropriate. In its essentials, its about making babies -- humanity as glorified breeding stock. And it's all derived from a warped focus on Leviticus, or any other book of the Bible that forbids something. (If you're unsure of my reaction to something like that, read the quotes at the top of this blog.)

And in point of fact, Ms. Fluke never mentioned sex. Here's her testimony:

The mantra's all over the place at this point -- see this post by John Cole on Ed Morrisey's comments. Mission accomplished.

Update: Maha has an on-the-nose (and scathing) post on the contraception/sex mantra.

Update II: David Atkins does a point by point dissection of Limbaugh's "apology."

Update III: One last update: Adam Serwer seems to be under the impression that Rush Limbaugh doesn't know how the Pill works, as evidenced by the header in his post: Dear Rush Limbaugh: Birth Control Doesn't Work Like Viagra. Clue: Limbaugh doesn't care how birth control works. It's irrelevant. He's relying, not necessarily on the ignorance of his listeners (well-attested by the fact that they are his listeners), but on their willingness to believe whatever he says. It's part of the social conservative hymnal: women who have sex without paying the consequences, i.e., getting pregnant, are dirty whores. That's the message. It's not about contraception -- for him, it never was.