What's the difference in calling someone a whore?

California Governor’s Race! Jerry Brown doesn’t hang up his cell phone, and one of his aides is heard calling Meg Whitman a whore.
Jerry apologized.
Meg is upset, and said it is hurtful towards women to use that term.
Jerry points out that Pete Wilson, who heads her campaign, called our state congress a bunch of whores, and Jerry asked if Meg directed him to apologize.
Meg said that is a completely different issue.
Huh?
What is the difference here? What is the shading that makes this different?