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Rachel Maddow discussed some of the silver linings associated with what she called Rush Limbaugh's latest and "disgusting" scandal surrounding Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke.
Limbaugh sparked outrage last week when he attacked Fluke, who was denied the right to testify at a controversial Republican hearing on contraception, as a "slut" and "prostitute" for arguing for health insurance covered contraception. Limbaugh doubled down on his comments, causing many advertisers to pull their content from his radio program. Limbaugh issues a rare public apology, but advertisers continued to flee and two radio stations have since dropped his show.
Maddow put up a graphic showing all the logos from advertisers who pulled content from Limbaugh's program. "Feast your eyes on that!" Maddow enthusiastically announced. "Now these companies are probably getting 98 percent positive national attention for rejecting their sponsorship of Mr. Limbaugh's program in wake of his comments that horrified just about everyone, even if you agreed with his underlying political position." Maddow then showed each company logo individually and added that these sponsors were now the lucky recipients of "priceless free advertising" for standing up to Limbaugh.
Another silver lining Maddow discussed was the negative impact the scandal could have on Republican candidates who Maddow claimed were "too chicken" to stand up to Limbaugh for fear of his power over Republican voters.
Lastly, Maddow interviewed Limbaugh's latest target, journalist Tracie McMillan, who Limbaugh attacked for a new book she authored about food and the way Americans eat. Limbaugh criticized McMillan for being another "young, single white woman" who was "overeducated," which, according to Limbaugh, "doesn't mean intelligent."
"Sometimes having a universally reviled enemy is more valuable than having the greatest, most valuable allies," Maddow said of Limbaugh in the case of McMillan. She mentioned that McMillan's book would do better now that Limbaugh has publicly attacked both the book and the author. Maddow asked McMillan to respond to Limbaugh's attacks.
McMillan said that she was just doing her job as a journalist — going out, speaking to people in particular circumstances, and telling their stories. "Probably what's most confusing for someone like Rush is that I'm from a working class background," McMillan said. "I think it's really confusing to all of a sudden have someone who is from that part of society and can't just be dismissed on these charges of an elitist problem."
Overall Maddow thought, this scandal has hurt Limbaugh's large bottom line a little bit. "Mostly I don't think he minds this scandal all that much," Maddow said. "It's possible that he may have pulled a Don Imus, pulled a Glenn Beck here, but it's also possible that this is another one of those periodic 'be outraged by me' Rush Limbaugh scandals that just pop up every now and then but mostly have the effect of just making him more famous."
Watch Maddow's interview with McMillan below, and her discussion about advertisers and democrats in the clip above.
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