Opening his show with a joke about trying to cancel his own products lines’ advertising on his show, conservative radio talker Rush Limbaugh went on the airwaves for the time since his online apology on Saturday, this time with a more serious tone.
Limbaugh blamed himself and said he had regretted using pejoratives to describe Georgetown Law student and contraception advocate Sandra Fluke, since his use of the words like “slut” and “prostitute” descended to the level of the left.
“This is the mistake I made — in fighting them on this issue last week I became like them, against my own instincts, against my own knowledge, against everything I know to be right or wrong,” Limbaugh said. “I descended to their level when I used those two words to attack Sandra Fluke. That was my error and I became like them. And I feel very badly about that. I always try to maintain a very high degree of integrity and independence on this program.”
Limbaugh insisted he never actually believe she was a “slut” or “prostitute” and insisted his apology on Saturday was sincere.
“Nevertheless, those two words were inappropriate,” he continued. “They were uncalled for. They distracted from the point that I was actually trying to make. And again I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for using those two words to describe her. I do not think she is either of those two words. I did not think last week she was either of those two words. The apology to her over the weekend was sincere.”
Limbaugh said the use of those two terms he used was too much like his counterparts on the left and insisted he regretted using them. He said he was grateful for his supporters and said it wasn’t about the loss of his advertisers, but his audience.
Appearing Monday morning on the ABC show “The View,” Fluke denied that Limbaugh “saying that his choice of words was not the best changes anything, and especially when that statement is issued when he’s under significant pressure from his sponsors who have begun to pull their support.”