« Previous | Main | Next »

Limbaugh Caller Says Obama Reminds Daughter of Cartoon Monkey

Share

March 03, 2008 5:54 PM

ABC News' Tahman Bradley Reports: Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh issued an on-air apology to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., today after a caller said her daughter thought the Democratic presidential frontrunner looked like the cartoon character Curious George, a monkey.

Limbaugh, who laughed at the caller's comments, later apologized explaining he didn't know anything about Curious George.

Click HERE for the audio.

"I've got to do something here to open this hour of today's excursion into broadcast excellence. I need to apologize to both Sen. Obama and to Sen. McCain, " said Limbaugh. "I had never heard of Curious George. Only now have staffers sent me little pictures of Curious George," he continued.

"So I wish to apologize to both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain. It was not my intent to bring dishonor and guttural utterances into this campaign. It happened. I laughed about it. It was a 12 year old kid's reaction to Obama, it was told by his mother. I was laughing because I was being polite, but I had never heard of Curious George."

Right before the show went into a commercial break, a caller named Tammy told Limbaugh, "..my 12 year old daughter..she..her statement last week was 'who cares what the guy's middle name is, he looks like Curious George.'"

In familiar Limbaugh fashion, he tried to find humor in the matter. "We have fired the caller Tammy. We're not going to put up with this. We're not going to tolerate this kind of stuff on this program...."

He continued, "Well, Why aren't you apologizing to Hillary? Well, she's probably happy it happened." Not missing a beat, Limbaugh quickly said, "Well, I guess I better apologize for saying that."

Limbaugh made a broader, perhaps more serious observation about political correctness and what can and cannot be said about a black man seeking the presidency of the United States. "I'm doing this as an illustration for you of how really uptight and tense everybody is going to be with any kind of criticism of Barack Obama on the Republican side," he said. "If Obama is the nominee, we may set a record for the number of apologies to him and his campaign by various Republicans and so forth."

There has been much discussion about whether the media is more aggressive with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and a bit more polite and careful in dealing with Obama, which is what Limbaugh was alluding to today. But forty years removed from racist archetypes like Blackface, Limbaugh probably won't get much sympathy by laughing at a child thinking a black man favors a monkey.

March 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (434)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

I am a democrat and dems have long made fun of George Bush comparing him to curious george. It seems disingenous for us to get upset about the Obama comparison.

Posted by: bjorn | Mar 3, 2008 7:36:43 PM

I agree with DCVoter and others with the same perspective. Blaming Senator Clinton is far off base. One wrong doesn't right another.

Posted by: Jennifer | Mar 3, 2008 7:38:53 PM

I agree with Johnny Lawless. Does anybody really believe that Rush doesn't know who Curious George is? That's pretty far fetched. I don't want to blow this out of proportion, but it would have been much more palatable for Rush to just say "in retrospect, I shouldn't have laughed. I'm sorry."

Posted by: Dan | Mar 3, 2008 7:42:19 PM

Actually I think he looks like George Bush.

Posted by: s.b. | Mar 3, 2008 7:46:33 PM

Obama supporters should be ashamed dragging Hillary into this.

But then again, that's what they do...they take the only successful Democratic President in modern times, and demonize him along with his wife, insinuates they're racists with a "leaked 4 point memo" about comments that are clearly not racist pulled from the twisted media...and pile on Hillary.

DISGUSTING.

Oh, and Obama supporters, as far as Hillary being "divisive" you apparently haven't seen or are ignoring Obama's "negatives."
46% and 43% aren't that far apart..his are rising, while Hillary's are set in stone..Who's stronger against McCain? Someone we already know all about, or someone who WILL be attacked with names such as Giannoulias..don't know that name? What else don't you know, that Chicagoans already do? Shame on Dems for crapping on one of their own.

Posted by: Josh | Mar 3, 2008 7:47:50 PM

PC Police -

Obama is running against Clinton and NOT Limbaugh.

This is a free country with many radio stations. If you do not like Limbaugh then don't listen to him. It's that simple.

He has 20 million listeners EACH day - are you going to call all them idiots because of one bad caller?

BTW - Clinton would make a FAR BETTER president than Obama!!!!

You Obama groupies are just drawn to a tall and handsome young man instead of a tired looking, middle-age woman. Shame on you!

Posted by: Clinton Suppoter (NOT Obama Groupie) | Mar 3, 2008 7:47:57 PM

I think the point of the story is show just how the media has treated their reporting about Obama the same way the Bush Administration used the "patriotism" thing with the war ... if you criticized the war you were automatically unpatriotic ... if you criticize Obama or ask him the hard questions,you are a racist or you are attacking him ... what a sad state of affairs.

Posted by: Jackson | Mar 3, 2008 7:52:28 PM

This Is Disgusting! How anyone on here can Connect Hillary to this is Pitiful... Anything to Make Hillary look bad! You Obama Folks Make Me Sick... Rush is a PIG and needs to be Put away For a Very long Time... He needs Redemption.

Posted by: Reflective | Mar 3, 2008 7:52:49 PM

I find it hard to believe that Limbaugh has never heard of Curious George or seen one of those books.

"If Obama is the nominee, we may set a record for the number of apologies to him and his campaign by various Republicans and so forth."

You guys would not have to apologize if you didn't always make some hateful racist remarks.

Posted by: Shawn | Mar 3, 2008 7:53:09 PM

Limbaugh sounds like he's heavily back in to his Oxycontin again. Sad, really. Does he EVER look in the mirror??

Posted by: Janet in Texas | Mar 3, 2008 7:54:53 PM

Rush Limbaugh, the druggie, is a very ignorant and bigoted man. And of course you know he's lying when he says he didn't know who Curious George was. If he didn't know, then why was he laughing? I have never listened to this idiot's show, but based on what I hear about him, he must be a VERY unhappy and unfulfilled person. He seems to hate everybody!

Posted by: Misspp | Mar 3, 2008 7:55:11 PM

Lets all remember someone at ABC News decided this story needed to be published to the American public, I wonder who that person is.

Posted by: J Wilson | Mar 3, 2008 7:56:28 PM

I am not a PC fan but perhaps he needs to go back to doing drugs; it made better headlines. What is ABC News doing showcasing this junk? It certainly isn't news.

Posted by: SE Croft | Mar 3, 2008 7:57:06 PM

You Dems are such uninformed crybabies. Those of us who listen to Rush know that he just sees people, not race. The left is always there to put a label and a victim status on people.After the attacks Bush has taken,grow up!

Posted by: Vance | Mar 3, 2008 8:01:48 PM

Moeen.....
Hello Democrats,

Rush Limbaugh supporting Hillary?...

Even after this, any democrats voting for Hillary has to be ashamed of is/her party affiliation.
*******************
I am a Hillary Clinton supporter and you have a lot of nerve! How dare you try tell me that I should be ashamed of supporting anyone! You should be ashamed that you are supporting a crook who swindles deals illegally, and is ashamed of his own name!

Posted by: NEW | Mar 3, 2008 8:01:51 PM

I don't trust anything the likes of RUSH LIMBAUGH has to say. He, like many of the other conservatives, want you to believe that McCain is NOT conservative enough and will be easy fodder for the democratic candidate. Its a strategy! If he and Ann Coulter are saying to vote for Clinton in the primary it is precisely to get you to believe that they think OBAMA is the stronger candidate. These guys want a McCain versus Obama general election cause that's the best way to carry forth a republican WINNING strategy. For them its a means to an end.
The disparaging comment about OBAMA is more proof.

I say don't listen to this guy and vote your conscious. Let honest votes decide our elections!!!!

Posted by: Anne | Mar 3, 2008 8:02:23 PM

Vance....GIVE ME A FREAKIN BREAK! REPUBLICANS HAVE NEVER BEEN ANYTHING BUT DIRTY, CUT THROAT CRIMINALS WHO WILL SAY AND DO ANYTHING TO THROW AN ELECTION....REMEMBER 2000?

Posted by: Justin | Mar 3, 2008 8:04:01 PM

I'm happy Obama has done as well as he has and hope he get's the Democratic nod. I'm sad however that we'll have to go backwards and revisit some very ugly sentiments in American history as the racists come out of the woodwork to attack (literally and perhaps, before it is all over, figuratively) Mr. Obama.

Posted by: frankiestage | Mar 3, 2008 8:04:34 PM

I am an Obama supporter. I don't find the commment that the Senator and Curious George look a bit similar as offensive. Can't speak for the Senator, but he has two delightful daughters aged 6 and 9 and they probably find the comparison funny. You see children for the most part are innocent and find things humorous. The problem is when adults try to insult each other using the cover of children.
Now the Senator is skinny; has long limbs; and prominent ears. He says so himself. I have a Curious George doll on my daughter's bed and he is skinny, has long limbs and prominent ears. I find both the Senator and the doll both to be quite cute...therefore, I am choosing to think this is just a funny remark and that no apology was necessary for the child's comparision. Senator Obama is a great guy that has had a lot of stuff smeared, slammed, and downright made up about him in this campaign. I am sure he expected it. So being compared to a cute monkey is probably not registering on his "insulto-meter".

Disclaimer: Rush Limbaugh is not someone I make a habit of defending, so don't expect me to do much of that. I am sure his motives were not so pure, but if he prefers me to chalk up his laughter etc. to ignorance, I am quite happy to accomodate him in that defense and I do so on every occasion possible.

Posted by: Chip | Mar 3, 2008 8:06:27 PM

I get tired of the PC tripe the liberals have pushed on the country to censor our speech, if people don't like what they hear, change the channel.

Posted by: Patriot2008 | Mar 3, 2008 8:08:37 PM

Post a comment