My colleague Matthew Balan pointed out that just above CNN anchor Rick Sanchez’s “our bad” Twitter apology was another Tweet that tried to spread the blame by noting Fox could be dragged in to the fake-quote mix, too: “here’s same rush quote in fox family newspaper:”
It’s a columnist named Phillip Adams from The Australian of Sydney, which is a Rupert Murdoch property, and he’s clearly not a fan of Limbaugh, calling him the usual names. Curiously, Adams claims all of Limbaugh’s listeners hate him, no footnote required: “Limbaugh’s popularity is, in fact, unpopularity. Surveys show that the great majority of Limbaugh’s 20 million listeners loathe him. Energised by hatred, he spreads it around, with comments like this,” which set up the fraudulent ”slavery had its merits” gunk.
What makes this funny here in America is that Adams starts talking about Tasers. Why would Sanchez, who so famously had himself Tasered as a publicity stunt, invite the reminder? Adams ends his piece by wishing Limbaugh dead:
At best, at worst, Limbaugh’s Australian imitators manage a mild Taser tingle whereas he’s the full electric chair. Which, needless to say, is a piece of technology he greatly admires. And so thoroughly deserves.