In general, she is so rude.  Am I wrong in feeling like she didn't used to be?  I remember before he hysterectomy, she was snappy but kind.  I noticed a huge change after that.  She only gets away with it because she's so brilliant and informed.  

Yeah, but unacceptable about Hillary Clinton.  Can we please remember that the enemy are republicans, not each other?

as a "private" affair these days?  Maybe that's the lesson we should take away from this.  Unless its whispered in bed, under the covers, maybe we should not believe that anything we say won't be somehow overheard and repeated.  Back in 2004, Whoopi Goldberg lost several bookings and commercial ventures when she went on such a rant about George Bush at a democratic fundraiser.    If a republican had spoken this way about Hillary, we all know we'd be demanding some sort of similar response.

And I'm sorry...as a woman, I am offended when I see women spoken about in such ways.  We haven't "conquered" sexism, and quite frankly, most of us feel like we have to fight on a regular basis not to be viewed as a set of walking, talking reproductive organs.  You don't like Hillary?  Fine.  Find other ways to criticize or mock her.

What did she say about Dina McGreevey?

IMO, Randi Rhodes has always been over the top, at least on the air.  I never liked her show, ever.  It was just too much for me.

I think your point is right on.  You can say what you want, but there may be consequences.  And when people invoke the First Amendment for every little thing, it only makes it clear that they don't understand what it is.

(BTW, M., I think you do a very good job on here of covering events that are hard to talk about.)

During this administration there have been countless times that I have gone bonkers with the unmitigated EVILLE (meant to say like Montgomery Burns) that Bush and friends turn out every damn day.
I understand the diarrhea of the mouth that happens when one is so ticked off about these injustices.
That being said, when Randy Rhodes is kept within the context of her radio show, I feel like she can more eloquently relay her opinions.  I have found that people turn their ears off to you once you lose focus and just start yelling obscenities.  
I think Randy Rhodes is great in her particular idiom (I think I just said "keep your day job"), and this just sounds like she wanted to get on stage to get all of her "F" words out.
Like MTers, I'm sure Air America was devoted to keeping an intellegent, civil and open platform for all of us to benefit from.
I wouldn't doubt that they weren't, achem, "Feelin' it".

I wondered why Sam was on again yesterday so soon after she just took a vacation.

Man, I love her...but..this was certainly grounds for a suspension. Yes, it was "off air", but it was still an event sponsored by the local AA Affiliate and therefore associated with them directly. Also, she's savvy enough to know that it would be videotaped one way or the other. For her not to think it would end up on you tube is just plain dumb these days.

And when I say I love her..she makes em cringe sometimes, but I generally like how she pushes things and challenges her listeners. I actually love when she goes off on a more comedic type riff - but this was just lazy and crude. She's so much more intelligent than that drivel!! Ugh. Too much Amber Boch in her system that night I guess.

... and that I don't know, either.

First of all, she has given this "cussing" gig several times.  No problem.  Why now?  I think you can guess why.

Secondly, Air America is NOT liberal.  Do they have some liberal talk show hosts?  Yes.  But since they drummed out the ones who thought up and started Air America (The Drobneys), it has gone downhill fast.  They got rid of most of the really funny, cutting ones.  (Marc Maron, Mike Malloy, Thom Hartman, Mark (can't remember his last name -- was the partner of Marin), Sam Seder (not completely out the door yet, but went from a daily show to one day a week).  And there are more I have forgotten.  Say and believe what you will, but Air America is NOT liberal.

Look at your radio talk shows now.  How many are unabashedly LIBERAL?  A handful.  Thousands of right-wing talk shows.  Just this week, Sacramento lost all its liberal talk shows -- and went to gospel music.  Why?  Because they could get no advertisers.  You would think businesses would want to advertise on a station that got super ratings.  Not so.  The liberal talk shows had very high ratings.  Still no advertisers.  You can guess why that is, too.  Cut off your nose to spite your face.  And exactly why CNN went into the dumpster after Ted Turner sold it, along with MSNBC.  Most of their talking heads are GOP, or GOP-Lite.  How long was Tucker Carlson given time on MSNBC?  4 shows?  More?  Finally, they scrapped his show, after years of very poor ratings.  But he will still be on.  And Keith Olbermann, who has great ratings (best of all of them on MSNBC, I think) is still alone in his liberal program.  When Tucker's show was taken off, why didn't they give the slot to Rachel Maddow?  She is sharp, always knows her stuff, and (VERY important to teevee), is young enough not to have gray hair.  (Funny how men aren't required to cover the gray.)  But no -- just like they say about Obama:  "She hasn't paid her dues yet."  EXACTLY!  That is one reason why she is good -- new blood!

It is laughable how, when Fox's numbers drop, the others try to imitate them.

Third, comedians (Randi was doing a comedy schtick) are the ones who can always (through history) speak truth to power.  (Lenny Bruce anyone?)

I swore I would not get into this Hillary vs Obama rap again.  But since it was brought up, through this article, I will.  Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary both have done horrible things.  And then they whine about others doing it to them.  I am an OLD feminist, and I will tell you, as sure as I know anything -- women will NEVER get equal rights if they whine and cry like this.  I don't think Hillary is a racist -- she just wants to win.  But I do think Geraldine is.

Bottom Line -- I hope Randi uses this as grounds to get out of her contract with Air America, the GOP-Lite place.  And I also hope she goes to Nova-M.  Since they canned Bernie Ward, Nova-M is the only place where all liberals can go.

I realize that, after this post, I will be persona non grata (or however you spell it) here.  So be it.  What I said was the truth.

Part of the definition of liberal has to do with being willing to look at things from multiple perspectives.  The old "I'm right and everyone who disagrees is an idiot for not seeing that" doesn't work so well.  So liberals who take a hard line, absolutist position have a hard time holding their audience, even diehard liberals like me.  And there just doesn't seem to be a market at all on the left for Limbaugh-style ranting, so we'll probably never have a Limbaugh-equivalent.

The problem is that people like my brother get a warped view of the political media spectrum. To him, the poles are represented by Limbaugh and Coulter on the right, NPR and the NYTimes on the left.  (NPR and NYTimes are the furthest 'left' he is aware of, so to him they represent the extreme.)  So he figures 'center' is halfway in between.  He consider McCain a centrist.  Seriously, he said that.

In my opinion we need people like Rhodes, even if she offends.  Perhaps when she offends is when we need her most.

Obama supporters who would not vote in November if Hillary got the nom. I just think she's mostly negative and her attempts to be positive seem transparently false, IMO.

HOWEVER, I watched the video of Randi Rhodes and felt it was an unnecessarily hateful rant without the slightest attempt at an intelligent discourse. This is the kind of crap you'd expect from a petulant child. Totally lame and uncalled for.

I don't know that she should be suspended but she should definitely be ignored (at least on this issue).

Air America has a right to suspend her.

This has been a super touchy election cycle.  I've even noticed it here and you guys seem to be a pretty tight group.

was one of the reasons I fell in love with AirAmerica, and one of the reasons I've been searching the dial during the late afternoon.

In the beginning of AA, she was consistently informative and ahead of the curve (sort of "our" Drudge).  When she became more like "our" Hannity - I got tired of it.  I feel like I could tune in any day, any part of the show and hear the same thing.

I love Rachel Maddow, and I hate that she's on after 6 here in NY - by then I'm with  my DS or home, and can't listen as much.

Still miss Franken, too.

Randi Rhodes is the liberal version of Rush Limbaugh.  She rants and rants and rants right out of the facts and straight into hyperbole and pedantics and inflammatory b*LLSH@T.  I gave her show a chance, I really did, I listened almost everyday on the ride home, but she just annoyed me that much.

Sam Seder I LOVED, and they got rid of him.  I even preferred Franken's show, because he let his guests actually TALK.  I love Rachel Maddow, too, but her show isn't on during drive time, and I live in DC and the only way to get the station is on the XM in my car.

There really is very little reason for me to listen to the station any more, which is too bad.  tjb, I loved your comment--liberals read!  How true!

just can't get into it. over the top and to me same as limbaugh..rants.  i hear the argument that liberals have to fight on same playing field, but somehow i just don't buy it.

as for calling women whores..i was absolutely livid with imus and i see no reason to cut randi whatever her name is any slack either.  cut it out for god's sakes...lenny bruce was funny back in the 60's when it WAS provacative. now comedians are just posturing to be..i don't even know what.  it isn't  new, ...it's lowest common denominator and what everyone other lame ass comedian resorts to.