Reid's slam on Limbaugh fetches $2.1 million
The top bidder paid over $2 million for a Senate letter slamming Limbaugh.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – What’s the going price for a letter signed by 41 Senate Democrats officially condemning conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh’s recent controversial 'phony soldiers' comments?
$2.1 million, apparently.
That was the winning eBay.com bid Friday for a letter sent to Clear Channel CEO Mark Mays officially calling on him to condemn the comments in question. The letter was written by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and signed by 40 Democratic senators, including White House hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Mays refused to condemn the remarks and Limbaugh placed Reid's letter on the popular auction Web site last Friday, pledging to match whatever it fetched and donate it all to The Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation.
When the Ticker first checked in Tuesday, the bidding stood at $50,000 - already a significant price for a standard Senate letter, but ultimately more than $2 million short of what the letter finally fetched Friday.
“The government tried to take away my living, by sending this letter to Mark Mays at Clear Channel and asking him to confer with me about my remarks,” Limbaugh said on his show Friday announcing the winning bid. “Private citizens, of their own accord - without a government mandate, without an Al Gore pledge - responded with creativity, and charity, and a sense of fun.”
Limbaugh identified the winning bidder as Betty Casey, a philanthropist and trustee of the Eugene B. Casey Foundation
“We cannot thank her enough for her support in this, and I am honored, and proud, and happy to be matching her,” Limbaugh said of Casey.
And in a unique twist of fate, Reid took to the Senate floor Friday complimenting Limbaugh for his use of the letter. (Watch Reid on the Senate floor)
“Now, everyone knows that Rush Limbaugh and I don't agree on everything in life and maybe that is kind of an understatement,” Reid said. “But without qualification, Mark Mays, the owner of the network that has Rush Limbaugh, and Rush Limbaugh should know that this letter that they're auctioning is going to be something that raises money for a worthwhile cause.”
Though Limbaugh made clear he wasn’t ready to bury the hatchet with the Senate’s top Democrat.
“I asked Senator Reid to go on the program and discuss his discussion of me as ‘unpatriotic,’” Limbaugh said on his show Friday after Reid’s speech. “He did not accept my offer to do that, and now has the audacity to climb aboard this, praising the effort, saying that ‘he’ never knew that it would get this kind of money. It got this kind of money because it represents one of the most outrageous abuses of federal power in modern American history, and that is what makes it a collector's item.”
Reid's spokesman Jim Manley later told CNN, "The irony of the situation is that this charity managed to benefit from [Limbaugh's] completely outrageous and offensive comments."
- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
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Wayne in TX- full of hate, are we? And if you keep pointing to Media Matters as a source of "facts", you'll never, ever convince anyone of anything.
And that's where the difference is: you rely on a middleman to tell you what Rush "said", while others actually listen to him consistently. Not just for one sound bite, not for just for 3 minutes, but consistently. That's how we know what the true context was. We don't need a Hillary-founded group (by her admission) to give us 3 minutes of a show that's on for 900 minutes a week.
But keep it up with the drug references and the admitted parodies about Rush. It's fun to see you grasp at unrelated straws on this.
Posted By DT Wisconsin : October 20, 2007 12:53 pm
Nope – full of facts. Facts that were verified by a third party – Media Matters. Everything on their web site has been verified and can be proved accurate, which is more than can be said about Rush.
And not everyone can listen to Limbaugh's complete show. I can't because where I work we can't have radios and we're not allowed to audio stream over the company's computer system. The only time I hear Rush is going home at lunchtime to care for my disabled wife. And I happened to hear that portion of his show on September 26 when he made the "phony soldiers" comment and I know for a FACT that re was not referring to Jesse MacBeth in particular, but all soldiers who oppose the war in general. Why do you think he said "soldiers", if he was referring to only one person?
You dittoheads are the ones who are grasping at straws defending this scumbag. The only parody around here is Rush himself – he's a parody of a human being.
In closing, here's one more fact that you'll never hear Rush talk about. When he was working as a DJ in Pittsburgh in teh /70s under the pseudonym "Jeff Christie", he was arrested one night in an area known for homosexual activity, in the company of a known male prostitute. I think that says a lot about why Rush has been married and divorced three times, and is childless. He is obviously a closeted homosexual who used his ex-wives to cover up his true sexual identity.
It got this kind of money because it represents one of the most outrageous abuses of federal power in modern American history, and that is what makes it a PRICELESS collector's item.
Finally! Somebody gets something good from this pitiful 110th Congress, THE worst in history. And it turns out to be Rush, a rich old lady and injured Marines!
Ha Ha!!
If he can get 2.1 mill for the looney Senate's signed letter, just think how easily he could use the whole dubious Harry and Nancy show..
Rush for President, 08
Were there no such real "Phony Soldiers", as first mentioned in an earlier ABC program about them, that were propped up by the left then Rush's remarks could be taken as Media Matters wrongly contends. In the context it was made,the remark was correct for the conversation that was at hand. I understood what Rush was referring to and I had not yet heard of that Jesse guy. Even if he had said "All Those phony soldiers" I would still understand to what he was referring. Media Matters took two words and tried to smear Limbaugh. Reid and the others abused their power and tried to "Imus" Rush. Rush turned to tables on all of them. You liberals should bone up on all the facts before you trot out your lies, petty insults and mal-informed comments.
It got this kind of money because it represents one of the most outrageous abuses of federal power in modern American history, and that is what makes it a PRICELESS collector's item.
Finally! Somebody gets something good from this pitiful 110th Congress, THE worst in history. And it turns out to be Rush, a rich old lady and injured Marines!
Ha Ha!!
Posted By RightyTighty : October 22, 2007 10:09 am
Wrong. it got that much money because there are stupid people out there with deep pockets. Such as Betty Casey.
And it's not priceless. It's worthless, just like Rush.
For someone who calls himself "RightTighty", you don't seem to be wrapped too tight.....
You liberals should bone up on all the facts before you trot out your lies, petty insults and mal-informed comments.
Posted By Mike, RR, VA : October 22, 2007 11:13 am
Everything Rush SAYS is lies, petty insults, and mal-informed comments. You should go somewhere and get a life, if you think defending a scumbag like Rush Limbaugh is a good use of your time.
And based on the pro-Rush comments I've read connected to this article, I'm PROUD to be a life-long Liberal Democrat.
Wayne, it looks as though you are more preoccupied with Rush than anyone else on this thread. Perhaps it is you sir that should "get a life".
Wayne, it looks as though you are more preoccupied with Rush than anyone else on this thread. Perhaps it is you sir that should "get a life".
Posted By Mike : October 22, 2007 11:51 am
Oh, I have a life, thank you. I just for the life of me cannot understand how so many allegedly intelligent adults can be SO convinced that Rush is right, when the evidence on Media Matters clearly shows that Rush doctored the audio and the transcript of his show, changed his story several times, and the dittoheads accept his story as gospel truth.
It's the dittoheads who need to get a life. A life in which they inderstand what the rest of us know – that Rush Limbaugh is a lying scumbag pill-popping sorry excuse for a human being.
And Sean Hannity and Mark Levin are just as bad. Except for the pills.
Rush Limbaugh has support our brave volunteers for 20 years, with his words and actions. To bad the liberals in our pitiful 110th Congress can't say the same.. WORST EVER!!
Wayne, 14 or so posts repeating the liberal lies, your petty insults and mal-informed comments (along with the name calling) doesn't do much for your alledged intelligence. Get an argument man.
Children of Marines and Law Enforement killed in the line of duty win!
Reid and you lose!
See you on the article about the matching donations Reid and the rest of the 40 Senators make....
I can't believe it – 300+ comments of 'you are, too' 'no, I'm not – you are!'
Didn't your parents teach you name callers any better?
Don't you have anything better to talk about than drawing a line in the dirt with your toe and spitting over it?
Are all the adult voters in this country in the 1st grade? Where are the comments on healthcare, the war, inflation, outsourcing...what's the matter with you people??? American and Iraqi civilians are dying every day in Iraq and you guys play who can come up with the worst name to call the 'other side'.
Wayne, 14 or so posts repeating the liberal lies, your petty insults and mal-informed comments (along with the name calling) doesn't do much for your alledged intelligence. Get an argument man.
Children of Marines and Law Enforement killed in the line of duty win!
Reid and you lose!
See you on the article about the matching donations Reid and the rest of the 40 Senators make….
Posted By Mike, RR, VA : October 22, 2007 3:16 pm
As Jack Nicholson said in "A Few Good Men, you can't handle the truth, Mike. And the truth is that Rush Limbaugh is lying about what he saiud, and is taking all you dittoheads for a ride. I'm finished with this thread – you people are too brainwashed to facec facts.
And I'll see you on the article next November that talks about President-Elect Hillary Rodham Clinton. 🙂
And I'll see you on the article next November that talks about President-Elect Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Posted By Wayne, Greenville TX : October 22, 2007 4:11 pm
Sweet dreams, Wayne. Hillary Rodham Clinton will lose to a Republican come general elections. Just watch and see.
That's 15 Wayne....
Why is this creature, rush, not in prison for life? Any citizen caught with as many narcotics as this creature would be doing life. As far as I'm concerned he is a criminal and should be living and working in prison until he croaks. Anyone who believes his ravings should die for the good of civilized humanity.