Jonathan Alter: Republicans Were Too Scared of Rush Limbaugh to Stand Up For Women

Jonathan Alter pointed out on the Today show Friday morning that Republicans, including Mitt Romney, were too afraid of Rush Limbaugh to call him out for calling Sandra Fluke a slut. This failure of character and moral values cost them with the women vote.

Watch here via Media Matters:

Discussing how 55% of women went for Obama, Alter explained that some of this was due to self-inflicted wounds by Republicans.

As an example, Alter reminded the audience of Rush Limbaugh calling a college student, Sandra Fluke, a “slut”, and how Republicans were too afraid of scary Rush to stand up for women. He said, “Republicans, including Mitt Romney, did not denounce Rush Limbaugh because they were afraid of him.”

The party of machismo — as defined by a willingness to be irresponsible with guns and money, while denigrating women and minorities in order to fuel their tenuous sense of entitlement to a superior class — is also full of men who are afraid of Rush Limbaugh. They are terrified of a drug addicted college dropout who doesn’t know much about anything, but plays a great bully on the radio.

Rush Limbaugh drives the “macho” Republican men who like to imagine they are Clint Eastwood, pre-chair talking days. But of course, Dirty Harry wouldn’t have let a smoldering, blustery fool hiding behind a golden microphone run him.

Republicans are afraid to stand up for a college student being attacked by a sick old man, but Clear Channel isn’t too proud to apologize for Rush. Money talks, and with advertisers fleeing the “slut” bully, Clear Channel doesn’t have much of a choice.

The GOP could not afford to alienate such a large segment of the electorate, what with their attacks on minority voting rights and “self-deporting” hijinks, but they were too afraid of Rush to take a stand. Instead, they cowered behind Limbaugh, hoping they wouldn’t have to get down on their knees to beg his forgiveness, Michael Steele style. Rush keeps his boys in line, whipping them when they’re out of order. There is no greater shame than elected officials groveling before this dirty old man, too afraid to speak up for women. That’s some kind of machismo.

Republicans will be left all alone on their little island of bullies, until one day they turn on each other. Oh, wait, that’s already happening.

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