Randi Rhodes

[bookman]

I keep getting mixed messages. I know she was suspended, but I see in some places she quit. Does anyone know for sure her status.

I, for one, will miss her. I think we need her for the general election.

[SharonRB]

1. We definitely need her

As of yesterday, she has parted company with AAR. She was being treated badly, and I don't blame her for quitting. Green960 in California will continue to carry her. I'm not sure who else, and I wouldn't be surprised if something happens with NovaM down the road. If I hear more, I'll post an update.

[bookman]

5. Thanks

Although I'm saddened. She's one of the reasons I have XM radio. (Mike Malloy is the other.)

She and Rachel were the only reason I listened anymore.
I do like Sam as well, but he's been bumped to Sundays only.

I hope Green960 keep posting her shows on Itunes.

[wryter2000]

7. Are they going to carry her live?

They've always played Schultz live. I'd love to have her on the radio.

[toadzilla]

9. I'm hoping for NovaM, then I can get Randi and Mike Malloy with one subscription!

[bookman]

32. Good News!

Randi Rhodes Joines Nova M Radio

For Immediate Release

April 10, 2008

RANDI RHODES JOINS NOVA M RADIO
The Nova M Radio Network is thrilled to announce the addition of “The Randi Rhodes Show” to its nationally syndicated talent offerings beginning this Monday, April 14, 2008.


Randi Rhodes is the #1 rated progressive talk radio host in the nation.


Nova M CEO John Manzo says, “I just can’t stop smiling - Randi is simply the biggest and the best. Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy under one roof – talk about TALENT!”


Randi Rhodes adds, “With Manzo at helm of Nova M, I am truly going to work for the best of the best. He is radio elite…and I am too <laughs>. I’m home, I’m home, I’m home!”


“The Randi Rhodes Show” will air live Mon-Fri from 3-6pm EST on The Nova M Radio Network.

[madaboutharry]

2. AAR now has a statement up that she told them

last night she was terminating her contract. Interestingly, if you try to go to her website therandirhodesshow.com you go to the AAR website.

on edit: Siruis Left should get rid of Alex Bennett and hire her. I can't stand Alex Bennett.

[onehandle]

3. She quit. nt

[wryter2000]

4. She'll be back on Monday

At least, that's what they're saying on my affiliate.

Ooops, on edit. Green 960 is where I heard it.

[gateley]

8. Yeah - I heard the same thing. She'll be up on Green 960.

I'm hoping she addresses it. I really like her (she grew on me). nt

[Saturday]

6. Buh bye. nt

[LisaM]

10. I think the situation is sad all around. I quit listening to her

and I know a lot of other people who did, too, so ratings may have been an issue. I listened to her pretty faithfully until she (and Stephanie Miller) started ranting against Hillary 24/7. This didn't happen until it was a two-person race. I was frustrated that they wouldn't cover John Edwards at all, but the real invectives didn't begin until it got down to two people.

Thom Hartmann has made it fairly clear that he leans towards Obama. I don't agree with him, but I can still listen to him because he is being fair.

Randi Rhodes and Stephanie Miller (whom I haven't listened to in two months, so can't speak to how she is currently behaving) both seem to become unhinged in the Obama/Hillary contest. Their Clinton hatred sounds exactly like how the people at Fox News would act. They both refused to discuss an issue or listen to callers who had anything kind to say about Hillary, and neither would countenance the least criticism of Obama.

They were put on as a liberal alternative. Well, for one, liberals are supposed to be a little more open minded, but their minds were shutting closer than a drum. Worse, you can't build up an audience over the last five years, and then tell half of them to go fuck off because they aren't supporting the same Democratic candidate, which, IMO, is what they both did.

I agree we need liberal voices, and I agree that progressives in this country have much to be angry about. Randi's downfall is that she took a lot of her anger out on fellow progressives.

Hell, she probably wanted to sever her ties. She was frequently absent, and as a professional, must have known that her comments in San Francisco were going to pose a problem.

[gateley]

13. For a while she didn't come out and say she was supporting Obama,

but she hinted at it. At that time, I felt she was being pretty fair and objective about Hillary. She DID get carried away toward the end.

I enjoy listening to her and Rachel to get their perspective on the bigger picture. I don't want to hear them pushing their, and dissing the other, candidate. That's what DU's for! :evilgrin:

[LisaM]

16. She didn't need to come out and say it. It was pretty obvious.

It was just sad to hear her go off on Hillary that way. If nothing else, it proved to me that she was not really an issues person. She's a personality person, and she's clearly come under the sway of one candidates's persona.

I don't really agree that DU should be the place for dissing the other candidate. I wish it could be more constructive.

I also think that it's a little telling that two strong women like Stephanie and Randi ratcheted off so strongly against Hillary Clinton. I guess it's good that women aren't voting in lockstep for someone simply because she's a woman, but they don't seem to see her as a forward candidate in any way. They associate her with her husband, they can't differentiate the campaign from the woman, they don't seem to have done any research into issues that women agree on in general, and so on. I'm not demanding that they support a candidate simply because she is a woman - far from it - but they don't even talk much about women candidates in general, or even women's issues, or even issues that women voters tend to prioritize over other voters. None of this struck me until this primary season.

[gateley]

17. I agree -- she shouldn't have gone off on Hillary like that.

I was trying to relay that in my post, but I always assume people "know" what I'm trying to say, when actually I'm not all that clear.

I was just joking about DU.

[LisaM]

18. Sorry! I guess I'm just sensitve.

I've started wearing a Hillary button, but I half hide it under my coat collar because I don't want people to yell at me. I forget that it doesn't happen in the real world!

[gateley]

19. Understood --

It's gotten to the point where sometimes I automatically knee-jerk assume an innocuous post is a direct attack.

Sadly funny about your pin -- you're right. I'm guessing you wouldn't get the grief Hillary supporters do here on DU. Wear it with pride!

[LisaM]

21. I even ran into someone who said "great pin"

and the only reason I thought he wasn't being sarcastic was because I know him (he's gay and an activist) and I figured he meant it.

It IS funny, actually. I told a couple of non DUers I was afraid people would yell at me if I wore the pin and they looked at me as if I'd lost my marbles (which maybe I have after a few bouts at GD:P!)

Thanks for helping me keep it sane, bud.

[bunny planet]

22. Randi and Stephanie Miller are both friends of Cindy Sheehan. I have a strong

feeling that their loyalty to their friend Cindy, and their compassion for her situation in losing her son in this illegal war and occupation, pushed them both into (unwisely perhaps) going on air against Hillary. In fairness however, Randi spent months not talking about any preference for a candidate. It was Hillary's own actions during the campaign that made Randi angry enough to break her silence on the issue and begin talking about her dissatisfaction with Hillary as a candidate. Not smart politically, not professional of her perhaps, but those of us who love Randi, love her for her passion with all of its flaws, and her honesty. Why don't conservative talk hosts get suspended when they say things on the air just as bad (worse in fact) as what Randi said off air. Do I think it was foolish of Randi to have used those exact words to describe Hillary in her comedy routine, yes as a matter of fact I do.

I think she's been unhappy at AAR for awhile now (hence the on air crankiness in the past year), since Mark Green (a DLC ass, btw, those of us in NYC have disliked him for years) took over and started making changes that were destroying the whole initial idea of a progressive station. Make no mistake, without Randi's passion and commitment, we never would have come close to winning in 2004 (it was stolen after all in Ohio) and she played a big part in helping us win in 2006. The middle of the road Democrats, don't like Randi, she's in their face, and she won't back down. She's what we need to keep them on their toes. Sorry. And to those of you who call her a hatemonger, simply because she is talking on air about very serious problems your candidate has in her campaign, shame on you. She is just Brooklyn through and through, loud, compassionate, passionate, but never a hate monger. She was of course using the political equivalent of the word 'whore' (if the shoe fits) and she was very unwise to have done so but if her station doesn't remember that her hard work is what founded that network in the first place then they don't deserve to have her, and they can go down the tubes now that they've lost her. She has a legion of fans. I for one, remember what it was like before we had her on the radio. I thought I was completely alone and losing my mind with what was happening to my government and my country. Without Randi's strong voice, and Rachel's and Sam's and Thom Hartmann (who was also just removed from the NYC airwaves on AAR, relegated to online only, what did he say that was offensive, hmmm) I would have felt much more alone. I can't spend hours reading the internet, I need progressive talk radio to keep me sane. So, now, I've got to go all over the place and stream some of my favorite hosts, all of whom started out on AAR, and have since been jettisoned. There's a pattern here, and its disturbing. Hopefully NovaM will pick them all up.

I can't wait to tune in to Green960 on Monday and listen to Randi's loveable and obnoxious (I'm from NYC, we can take obnoxious) take. So sad, that a 'progressive' statiion couldn't handle a difference of opinion from its owner (and that's the real reason she was forced out or made uncomfortable enough to leave). Might as well be owned by conservatives.

Btw, Hillary could have been smart and gone on Randi's program from the beginning of her run to talk honestly about why she'd voted for the war, why she wouldn't apologize for her vote, why she felt people should choose her for 'day one'. Instead she chose to go on the attack, behind the scenes, on anyone who dared criticize her. When Randi was first on the air in NYC, she had Hillary on often, and spoke glowingly of her and of Bill Clinton. Something changed, I wonder what it was. I was going to vote for Hillary in my state's primary, I was really torn. Now I'm so glad I didn't, and it isn't because of anything Randi said, it is because of Hillary's own actions, they have turned me off to her candidacy, nothing any talk show host has said, her own words and actions.

[LisaM]

24. Very thoughtful post. I never minded the abrasiveness - I liked it.

I didn't particularly like having it turned on me, though! We're on the same side. I met her in person once and she was lovely to me. She seems like someone I'd want to hang out with.

I do think there is something a little deeper going on. Has Obama been on her show? Haven't heard him. So one would suspect it isn't just that Hillary isn't going on her show.

I used to like Cindy Sheehan a lot, but she seemed to fall into the deep end at one point, too. I agree that the Iraq war is a huge issue (and one I think that Obama really hasn't been tested on) but it's not the only issue - the economy is up there too, when people are losing their jobs.

I would argue that Obama's campaign has not been so squeaky clean either - for example, there is the memo that was circulated about how to frame the Clintons as racists - he just isn't getting hammered for everything the way she has been.

I suspect that she wanted to leave Air American anyway. She has been there five years, and it seems that it's always been a messy kind of a place to work. And, it must rankle with her that Rachel Maddow is suddenly the rising star. I like them both, finding them to be very different from each other, but I can't see Rachel having a meltdown like Randi did. I think Randi's been angling at getting the boot for a while.

I hope that she doesn't come back on the air on Monday and blame Hillary for getting her suspended. That would not help matters any. If there are those that want to push away all HRC supporters from even voting in November, they might want to think about what happens if they succeed.

[bunny planet]

25. Good points. I don't think Obama has been on her show either and he should

have while he had the chance. Randi scares off a lot of people, she is just too messy, and she talks over guests etc., she is neurotic as hell, but with a heart of gold. She just doesn't know how to not be Randi. That's why I love her, but I'm sure she is keeping more careful people in politics and the media from embracing her because it seems risky for them, especially a national candidate or someone in the public eye. Keith Olbermann had never invited her on his show even though he's had many of the other AAR hosts on from time to time, Franken, Rachel of course, and Sam. He likes a dry, measured, intelligent yet well mannered host like Rachel, a formidable intellect, and great on the teevee btw, as opposed to a loose cannon like Randi. I don't think she'll come back on the air Monday and go after Hillary, but you never know, she might. She's predicatable or unpredictable, whichever way you want to look at it. She'll probably have to save her trashing of what AAR has become for when she's picked up by another progressive network, hopefully Nova M.

As far as Obama goes, I've been underwhelmed by what he's done since he's been in the Senate. I didn't really feel strongly about any candidate before it became a two person race. As the mother of a teenage son however, I am a one issue voter this time around (and I think the economy and the war are interlinked parts of the same issue btw). I will vote for whoever I think has the best chance of beating Senator Bomb Bomb McCain, he truly frightens me and I see a draft coming if he's the President and then I'll have to leave the country, which I don't want to do. Its my country and I love it, but I won't sacrifice my son for this war. When Hillary really lost me, it wasn't because of her policies, it was the stupidity of giving the Republicans a club to bludgeon her with in the general if she ever makes it to that point. By lying about Bosnia, she gives them a classic got cha soundbite to play over and over and I simply don't think she can win now. Plus, I resent what seems to be an effort to say, if I can't win, nobody can, and her statements almost announcing McCain is the better more patriotic candidate over Obama were really upsetting to me.

I also just haven't been happy with the methods Hillary has employed, more than I've been unhappy with Obama's missteps. I was especially unhappy with her forcing Samantha Power to resign over her comments. Samantha Power was the best thing Obama's candidacy had going for it in my opinion and I wish he'd not asked for her resignation. If Hillary can't take a little name calling, then she really shouldn't be President. She should be talking about McCain 24/7 at this point, and so should Obama, instead of getting people fired, suspended, smeared, on her own side. These are the things that have ultimately turned me off to her so much that I will have to force myself to vote for her in the general. I feel so saddened because back in February I was so proud to have either of these candidates be my party's choices. The Republicans must be laughing their asses off, they haven't had to fire a shot yet, and we are dismantling everything ourselves and shooting ourselves over and over again in the feet so that we can hardly walk at this point. This last thing with Randi is the icing on the cake. I know, because she did it before, with Kerry (who she couldn't stand), she would have been on board for whomever was the candidate and worked tirelessly to get them elected. We need that. Do I wish she hadn't gone off the deep end about Hillary, to a degree I do, because she did alienate those who still liked Hillary and you might not be able to get that toothpaste back in the tube. I attribute it to her honesty however, not ever to hatemongering. Randi was a fearless voice for the troops, being a veteran herself. I believe she is a deeply good person, and it is unfair and very shortsighted for people here to be calling her a hatemonger. She was and is on our side, whatever she may think of Hillary.

[LisaM]

26. I agree that the war and economy are intertwined, though Bush would have found a way

to wreck the economy without the war though. I would caution against thinking Obama and HRC are that different on the war. I don't think he intends to remove troops any earlier than she, and possibly later.

He completely lost me when he went along with the Clintons being called racist. You can say plenty of things about the Clintons (and people have) but accusing them of being racist went too far, IMHO. They just aren't. He allowed that meme in South Carolina and he allowed it again in the Potomac primaries, and I think it went undetected by the MSM, while everything she did was painted as negative.

I see the Clintons as classic triangulators, pushing an issue around until it works for them, whereas I see Obama as a straddler. He seems to ride the fence on everything, trying to please both sides by not taking a position, rather than running his position around until it turns into a compromise everyone can live (or not!) with. Although I generally disagree with Alexander Cockburn, he made a point in The Nation recently about Obama that made me realize one of the problems I have with him: he allows a person to drown while pretending to reach out a helping hand. This described some of my own disquiet. He SAYS the right things, but does it translate into action?

And, if he had been a Senator in New York State after 9/11, we might have seen a response to those incidents in the form of a vote on the IWR that would be different from remarks he made on the subject. Unfortunately, my take is that he would have not voted at all, or would have voted a qualified yes, hoping, as many Senators including Edwards and Kerry did, that Bush would not abuse his powers.

I generally think anyone who entertains hopes for the presidency tends to vote more power to the executive branch anyway - we've seen it with Edwards, Kerry, Clinton, etc. - but I guess that's a different discussion.

[bunny planet]

27. I mostly agree with you about Obama, In many ways he is another flawed candidate.

However, for whatever reason, he seems to have the best chance of being nominated and the best chance of ultimately beating McCain. That's all I care about at this point, and I know Obama's policies, while they might be negligibly different from Hillary's, are light years different from John McCain's.

[LisaM]

28. I realized after Edwards went out that I cared deeply about seeing a woman president

I didn't even realize I had those feelings! (That's when I changed my signature line from a Clash lyric to what it is now). They bubbled up in me, half unbidden, but I just think it's time.

[bunny planet]

30. It is time, more than time, but unfortunately, I don't agree that Hillary is the one.

I kind of wish Barbara Boxer had run.

[bunny planet]

29. I also agree that the Clintons are of course not rascist, but I believe Obama only

took advantage of unfortunate remarks made by Bill Clinton ahead of the South Carolina primary. I can't remember exactly what they were right now, so much fur has been flying in between, but they did indeed turn me off and could have easily been misconstrued as rascist, I believe they were intended to be ambiguous enough to imply or appeal to people who are inclined to think that way, just like the Harold Ford ads before the 2006 election were. I also have friends very involved in politics in Texas who told me their personal experiences with somewhat shady and rascist Spanish language ads or push calls being made in the state before the primary/caucus there. So, there is evidence of shenanigi on both teams for sure, I just wish we as democrats could go after the real enemy, McCain, a bigger neocon than Jr. could ever hope to be.

[LisaM]

31. Bill said the idea of Obama being consistently against the war was a fairly tale

Which was turned into "Bill Clinton said that Obama's run for President is a fairy tale". There! See how easy it is? She never recovered after that, IMO, because it was right before South Carolina and the numbers were skewed. They then resurrected Ferraro comments made a week or so earlier in the same way, right before a primary.

I love Barbara Boxer, but the fact is, she chose not to run for President and I am supporting the woman who did (at this point - I'll vote for the Democratic nominee).

For those who don't think the pool of women nominees is big enough, I agree. If Obama makes it to the general, he won't need my money, and I'll donate to EMILY's list to try and give more woman candidates help.

[bunny planet]

34. No, I'm not referring to the fairy tale remark, it was something else. I'd have to go look up what

I'm referring to. Plus, just recently Bill implied that Hillary and John McCain were patriots and Obama by omission wasn't. Not very nice, but politics as usual I guess, and yes, Obama's done plenty of inferring himself. His speech on race was brilliant and inspiring however and I think inspirational in these times is very important.

[bookman]

35. Randi and more

I think you made some great points about Randi.

also

>>I've been underwhelmed by what he's done since he's been in the Senate.

Lugar-Obama Bill is his most impressive accomplishment in the Senate. I think it is a major one.

http://www.globalsolutions.org/in_the_beltway/lugar_obama_bill_seeks_secure_weapons



Randi is better than ever now on Nova M. She's back in Florida and away from a situation she was never totally happy about. They never (old management and new) treated her like the radio star she is.

[gateley]

11. I just posted statement from AAR -- here's the link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3138367

[MethuenProgressive]

12. Progressives need to unite against hate speech.

We did against Imus, remember?

[bookman]

14. I'm sorry...

... there is no comparison to Imus. Randi's comments were not on the air, and the terminology she used can be argued to be insulting, but not inaccurate.

[MethuenProgressive]

20. That's the most anti-Progressive post I've ever seen on DU.

"not inaccurate"
That's digusting.

[bookman]

23. Look it Up

Here' the definition that I think fits...


"A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain."


We can disagree, but I think that might just fit.

[TriggerGal]

15. She was suspended ... last night, she QUIT!!

http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=141727&pt=todaysnews

http://themoderatevoice.com/media/talk-radio/stephanie-miller/18886/suspended-talk-show-host-randi-rhodes-quits-air-america


She will be back on the air on MONDAY - on Green960 !!

http://www.green960.com

[amb123]

33. Official: Randi signs with NovaM Radio

http://www.novamradio.com

Yay!

:party: