Head Scratchers

I Support Members Of “Rush Babes For America,” But Cringe At The Group Title

Though the dust has settled on the Rush Limbaugh/Sandra Fluke debacle that we thought would never end, people everywhere — particularly women — still actively cry misogyny at the conservative radio host, and he has responded to his critics by launching “Rush Babes for America,” which gained more than 12,000 Facebook fans in a 24-hour period.

Limbaugh announced the birth of his new movement during a Tuesday airing of his program, adding that Rush Babes for America is “dedicated to the millions of conservative women who know what they believe in: family, American Values, and not being told by Faux Feminist Groups how to think.”

And of course they have the right to feel that way. Not everyone wanted to join the National Organization for Women (NOW) and protest Limbaugh last month, as one insider told POLITICO: “NOW does not represent millions of women, and would happily harm the huge number of women who choose to listen to Rush.” There remains a community of women who appreciate Limbaugh and took no offense when the political commentator labeled Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” simply for trying to make contraceptives more affordable for fellow females at Georgetown University. Those who found fault with the comment didn’t all write Limbaugh off, and Rush Babes for America is a safe haven for them to celebrate the figure they’ve liked through thick and thin.

That said, the title chafes me in more than one way. For starters, the implication is that gorgeous women are Limbaugh fans and those who don’t particularly care for him are unattractive. A long-time pundit, Limbaugh is more clever than to wade the waters of the “Republican girls are hot, liberal girls are NOT” argument, over which even high school students are too advanced to debate. Let’s not forget about the inherent ugliness of the word, “babe” either, which is barely tolerable in relationships but sounds disgusting when uttered by anyone else. It’s a terrible and degrading term, and Limbaugh did not need to stick it in his group name to make a statement that he has a female following.

TAGS: rush babes for america | Rush Limbaugh | Sandra Fluke

• Top 10 Reasons Why Women Are Better
• 7 Ridiculous Kitchen Gadgets That You Don't Need
• Will Echo Boomers Save the Economy?
• Women VS. Men How Do We Compare on Fiscal Equality?