Rush Limbaugh Insults His Own Sponsor McDonalds By Calling McNuggets Poor People Food

While attacking the poor today, Rush Limbaugh self destructed and insinuated that his own sponsor McDonalds is poor people food.

Here is the audio from Media Matters:

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Transcript:

The percentage owning refrigerators? 97.8%. Gas or electric stoves? 96.6%. Microwaves? 93.2%. Air conditioning? Over 83%.”

Over 83% of people who live in poverty have air-conditioning. I wonder what the number is for people who not in poverty. Well, the reason I say that is there are a lot of people in certain parts of the country who don’t have air-conditioning but they can afford it because of the climate, and there are people who are not in poverty who can’t afford it and don’t have it. But 83% of Americans in poverty have air-conditioning. The percentage of Americans living in poverty who have a clothes washer, is 68.7%.

The percentage of Americans living in poverty who have a dryer, 65.3%. The percentage of Americans who live in poverty who use their washer, I don’t know. (I just thought I would throw that in.) Only 44.9% had a dishwasher. So they’re sacrificing there. People in poverty are washing their own dishes, or almost half of ’em are. So poverty in this country isn’t poverty. Everything’s relative, but that’s not bad. As we say here, you get 99 weeks of unemployment. Ninety million Americans are not working, but they’re eating. Ninety million Americans are not working, but they’ve got their flat screens and they’ve got their cell phones. (interruption)

Well, that’s a good point. That is an excellent point.

The reason why only 45% have a dishwasher is because things like Chicken McNuggets don’t come with dishes. How many people do you think take their McNuggets home and put ’em on a plate and grab a knife and a fork, maybe a bottle of wine and a napkin, and sit down? It’s not happening. So if you’re eating McNuggets or what have you, you don’t need plates — and let’s not leave it at McNuggets. Let’s include Big Macs in there just to avoid any of the leftist trolls out there.

According to StopRush, McDonalds sponsors Limbaugh’s radio show. I’m pretty sure that they won’t like how Rush has described their food as meal of choice for the poor. As usual, Limbaugh was living in a fantasy world and making up his own facts. The most recent research found that most McDonalds customers are middle class, “The researchers found that people visited fast-food restaurants more often as their household income increased — at least up to a point. Fast-food visits rose along with annual income up to $60,000; beyond that, visits started to drop back down, replaced by full-service, sit-down dining at slightly higher prices. Based on the data, the researchers described the typical fast-food consumer as a lower-middle income head of household, who is budget-conscious and harried and likes the convenience and low price of fast food, compared with other restaurants.”

This was the perfect moment of Rush self destruction. Not only did Limbaugh insult a sponsor, but he insulted a sponsor with completely inaccurate information. Limbaugh’s argument that the poor aren’t really poor is one of the Republicans’ favorite talking points to use to justify taking from the poor in order to give to the rich. Republicanism thrives on class warfare. Conservatives hope that you won’t notice that they are making the rich richer if they can divert your attention towards the “undeserving” poor.

McDonalds shouldn’t be left off the hook either. I have reached out to McDonalds for comment on Limbaugh’s remarks, but the corporate giant should answer for sponsoring Limbaugh’s radio show. Rush Limbaugh continues to implode, and McDonalds needs to know that they can’t escape the fallout.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association