CNN’s Brianna Keilar cued up Sandra Fluke, Obama’s poster girl for “free” contraception and forcing religious institutions to violate their beliefs, to tar Mitt Romney and all Republicans with a derogatory comment made by Rush Limbaugh: “I’m wondering, do you think that Rush Limbaugh – now he called you, and these are his words, ‘a slut.’ Do you think that his views represent Mitt Romney and the Republican Party?”
Fluke took advantage of the opportunity to deride Romney: “I don’t need Mr. Romney to stand up for me. But I do need to have a President who can stand up to the extreme voices in his party and that’s clearly not Mr. Romney.”
Audio: MP3 clip [1]
Keilar’s other questions, in the exchange on the floor of the convention in Charlotte, hardly challenged Fluke:
> How big do you think social issues are going to play in this election?
> Let me ask you this, because the economy is the number one issue, and when Democrats start talking about these kinds of issues – contraception, abortion – they really tend to shore up their female base. Should these be the issues or should the economy be more the issue that people are focused on?
From CNN just after 8:30 PM EDT on Tuesday night, September 4:
BRIANNA KEILAR: I’m standing here with Sandra Fluke, who of course is the Georgetown law grad who has become quite the insta-celebrity talking about the President’s contraception policy. This happened after you testified on Capitol hill and Rush Limbaugh called you a derogatory name. I’m wondering, do you think that Rush Limbaugh – now he called you, and these are his words, “a slut.” Do you think that his views represent Mitt Romney and the Republican Party?
SANDRA FLUKE: Well, I think what’s more important is what we saw from Mitt Romney in the aftermath of that. We saw that he was either unable or unwilling to stand up to those attacks. The best he could say is those weren’t the words he would have used. Now, I’m a strong woman. I don't need Mr. Romney to stand up for me. But I do need to have a President who can stand up to the extreme voices in his party and that’s clearly not Mr. Romney.
-- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here [2] to follow Brent Baker on Twitter.