Entertainment

‘Rush Babes’ surpasses Media Matters on Facebook in under a week

Font Size:

In less than a week, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s “Rush Babes for America” Facebook page has accumulated more “likes” than the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America’s (MMFA) Facebook page has accumulated in just under four years.

MMFA is currently waging a campaign to get Rush Limbaugh off the air for his comments pertaining to contraception activist Sandra Fluke. On Monday evening, MMFA’s Facebook had 57,687 “likes,” accumulated since the organization launched its Facebook page on August 8, 2008.

Also on Monday evening, Limbaugh’s jab at those who have demonized his rhetorical treatment of women — his “Rush Babes for America” Facebook page — had topped 60,483 “likes.” Limbaugh’s group was open for public viewing just prior to the beginning of his radio program on Tuesday, May 8, 2012.

In addition to the $100,000 MMFA has spent on anti-Limbaugh radio ads, the group has teamed up with the National Organization for Women to campaign, protest and convince local advertisers and Limbaugh affiliates to drop the show.

Last month MMFA decried that Limbaugh has called more than 61 women “babes.”

“[S]exism has been part of Limbaugh’s show for decades. While (comparatively) not as overt as his attacks on Fluke, for years Limbaugh has labeled various women in politics and media with dismissive, sexist terms,” Ben Dimiero wrote at MMFA. “Female professors are ‘professorettes.’ Sen. Claire McCaskill is a ‘senatorette.’ Female reporters and news anchors are ‘anchorettes’ and, much more frequently, ‘infobabes.’ In fact, calling women ‘babe’ has become something of a calling card for Limbaugh. Not only does he use the term to describe countless women in media and politics, but he also uses it for female listeners; his online store sells ‘Rush Babe On Board’ stickers for cars.”

Limbaugh launched “Rush Babes for America” in order to show that women hold a diverse range of viewpoints, including conservative. (RELATED: More on Rush Limbaugh)

“I happen to know the women in this audience in total number dwarf the membership of the National Organization for Women, and yet there they are teaming up with Media Matters, a combined program designed to convince everybody I should be taken off the air,” Limbaugh said at the launch of his new Facebook Page. “Well, what about the women who listen to this program? What about the women who like this program? What about the women who believe in this program? What about the women who agree with the political concepts, the values, the objectives as stated by your host on this program?”

Limbaugh’s main Facebook page has been up since June 16, 2010. It currently has more than 1,056,800 “likes.”

MMFA did not respond to request for comment.

Follow Caroline on Twitter