Randi Rhodes Staying on Premiere Radio Network

Fun fact: I made this graphic on one of Randi's
returns after an absence. She's since used it on
her own site. So, yay!

Whew! As a fan of liberal radio hostess, Randi Rhodes, I'm breathing a sigh of relief. Randi let slip that she was likely to be terminated from her Premiere Radio contract at the end of December, sending her audience into gallows mode. Those of us who have followed her since the beginning of Air America Radio have had to endure two prior--unexpected--losses of our radio goddess. We know that in the radio business, only so many things can be said aloud, and that due to contracts and whatnot, Randi couldn't tell us where she'd be, when or why. So, we were girding ourselves for a Randi-free future.

Alas, she's been re-signed, and will be around for at least another year. Sure, I'd have survived listening to Thom Hartman (who I do like), but given the choice, I'd pick Randi any time. Already, I have the three-hour lull between The Stephanie Miller Show and Randi's show (yes, Ed Schultz is on then, but I'm not exactly a fan). There's nothing I like to listen to after 3 pm. So, I was gonna be stuck with half of Steph's show, and then kind of a doldrums. What would I do, switch to Sean Hannity? Blecchhh.

Conservative radio fans would say that Randi's near-cancellation is just an indicator that liberal radio doesn't work. Interestingly--though they insist that the media is awash with liberal programming--they claim there is no market for liberal talk radio. Cognitive dissonance of course, has never been an issue for the tea party crowd. But the truth is, when Rush Limbaugh went on his misogynistic, hateful, and completely ignorant rants against Sandra Fluke, advertisers left radio in droves. Rush (and Sean and the odious Mark Levin and Michal Savage, et. al) manage to stay on because of conservative think tank foundation money. And phony colleges. And paranoid, end-of-the-world seeds, and gold, and whatnot. Those options are not available to liberals in this "liberal media."

Anyway, I'm jazzed that I'm not losing my Randi, at least not yet, not this time. And to anyone who would sneer and say that she's just the liberal version of Rush (or any of the also-rans, wannabes and never-weres), I'll tell you this. Randi has always said, "don't believe a word I say." She says, she knows the company she keeps on the radio dial, and that you shouldn't trust anything any of them say, without checking it out yourself from real newspapers.* I've kept her motto here at my blog as well. Where Rush will tell you to trust him as your single information source, Randi is constantly urging engagement, and even assigns homework on her show and website (which includes sources and further reading on her topics, from legitimate news sites). Plus, she's funny as hell.

Congratulations, Randi!

[Excerpt]

I have good news—I’m not going anywhere. I know what you’re thinking—Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is saying the same thing. But in his case it’s probably not true... and in his case that’s not good news. But Premiere is going to renew my contract for another year, so the good news is that I’m staying put. The bad news is that I’m in Florida, but that doesn’t need to affect you. I’m not going to go away, no matter what Republicans might want. In that sense, I’m like Obamacare—I’m just a lot easier to access. That’s because I have a much better website.

Read more: Randi Rhodes


*My one quibble with Randi Rhodes is her disdain for bloggers, which--obviously--is my hobby. I agree with her that no one should take a blogger's or a radio host's word for anything. Most aren't credentialed in any way (not Randi, not me, certainly not Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity), and are just giving their opinion. An informed opinion in her case, but still just opinion. So, I get it, but I don't think bloggers are useless, I think we point people to news, much as she does. Still love her though.

And by the way, I must point out that the only way for me to listen to any liberal talk, I have to actively seek it out online or on my phone, via IHeartRadio.com, DAR.fm or other online source. Again, for all the talk of "liberal media," we have never had a liberal radio station here in blue Clark County/Las Vegas, Nevada.

DNC, Day #2, Take Two

I wrote earlier that I felt disengaged from the speeches on day two of the Democratic National Convention. I blame that on a spectacular first night, and on a bit of a funk on my end. Despite that, things took a turn for the better, at least in my viewing. I was watching MSNBC, and was delighted to see Lawrence O'Donnell interviewing Senator Al Franken. I've been a Franken fan for as long as I've known who he is, but he's kept a low media profile as Senator. Turns out, he's still quick witted and sharp on policy. Too bad he didn't get a speech. [Story continues below]

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Shortly after that mini interview, Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke appeared, giving the best speech I've heard to that point. It helps that there's an emotional response to her, since she was viciously attacked by Rush Limbaugh, an attack that continues in Right Wing World to this day. Fluke has parlayed the uncalled for abuse into something positive, and good for her. May she annoy Rush and his sycophants (almost typed psycho-phants!) for a long time to come. [Story continues below]

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As expected, Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts candidate for Senate, was great. This is a woman I'd be banging on doors for if I lived in her state. She's just amazing, and what have they got on her? Maybe she got a story about her ancestry wrong? Boo hoo, my Grandma always told me I was related to Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and General Patton. I'm sure I've told others that, but who knows if Grandma was right.  So, if that's all they've got, they've got nothing. If there is any complaint from me, it is only that Warren may be a little too soft-spoken for an arena speech. [Story continues below]

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Of course, the really big part of the show--including the official nomination of Barack Obama for President--was the appearance of Bill Clinton on the stage. Still popular after all these years--and despite all of the Clinton Derangement Syndrome over the last 20 years--Clinton just knows how to give a speech, and to hold an audience. As with Fluke before, I'm delighted that he likely still irritates the shit out of them! Hey, I'm ornery that way.

Clinton put to rest any lingering doubts that he supports President Obama and his reelection. I still have to wonder if Hillary might run in four years, but there was certainly no sabotage going on here. This was not a tepid endorsement. And if my Twitter feed was any indication, Bill's speech was blowing the barn doors off, the screen doors off, the bomb shelter doors off. He was smokin', and not strictly off prompter either, there was a heap of ad-libbing going on there. Too long, by half, I'll admit. But stellar, just stellar.

No speaker at the RNC last week matched a quarter of the wattage Clinton displayed. No speaker offered a hundredth of the personal endorsement, nor positive arguments for their candidate. Whatever doldrums I was feeling in the early part of today's coverage has been eclipsed, dwarfed, obliterated by Clinton's speech.  It was the best single political speech I've ever heard in my life. I actually kind of feel sorry for the President that he has to try and top it!

Clinton's speech isn't yet ready for embedding, but it deserves its own post anyway. I'll post it as soon as I can get it!

A Thought on Bill Maher, and the Rush Limbaugh False Equivalence

This is not a post about the whole Sandra Fluke/Rush Limbaugh/Slut-gate affair. Though it can't be pointed out enough, that Limbuagh's 3-day rant bore no resemblance to reality, and was completely out of bounds. It's not really about Bill Maher, his comedic choices, or his potty mouth. And it's not even about the actual false equivalence: Sarah Palin, uber-famous political celebrity vs. Sandra Fluke, student activist; Rush Limbaugh, conservative messiah vs. Bill Maher, libertarian comic.

What this post is about is the mystery of the news cycle. For several days (and it's probably dying down a bit right now), conservatives were pushing the "Oh yeah? Well if you're going to blast Limbaugh, we're going to tear down Bill Maher!" line. As is common when this stuff hits right-wing talk radio and FOX "News," the mainstream (liberally biased, my ass) media picks up on it too. So, the storyline became: If Rush Limbaugh's so bad, what about Bill Maher?

So, I'm not going to argue the false equivalence, I just want to know, why Maher? Do you know how many comedians have used Sarah Palin* for a punchline? Or how many have used the same words Maher used about her? Patton Oswaldt, John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks, and many others have made Palin the butt of their jokes. And don't tell me it's because she's a woman­® either. Lisa Lampanelli, Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin? They're all women. They've all skewered Palin. It's because she's a dolt, not because she's a woman!

So, how did conservatives en masse decide that the issue boiled down to a) sexism, b) Bill Maher and c) Sarah Palin? It would be quite a leap for so many conservatives to go to. It can't be a coincidence, so what is it? Do conservative talkers, pundits, commentators and bloggers get marching orders from headquarters? Do they get a bullet-pointed talking points daily email? Do they have some sort of Star Trek Borg hive-mind? I'd really like to know.


*And back to the sexism angle. It isn't just Palin and Michele Bachmann who get skewered with dirty words. Off the top of my head, I can think of John Boner Boehner, Eric ("bitchface") Cantor, Mitch (Yertle) McConnell, Tom (Tipsy McStagger) DeLay, Dick (Darth) Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Scott (Recall) Walker, and George freakin' Dubya Bush--all men--who comedians have had a field day with. It's not about sexism. It's about comedic potential.

Video Compilation of Limbaugh Attacking Sandra Fluke 70 Times

Image found at Sodahead

When discussing the Rush Limbaugh/Sandra Fluke story, it is always important to point out that Rush wasn't just wrong for treating a private citizen that way. He had the entire story wrong. Nothing he said bore relation to reality. Fluke wasn't talking about her own sex life. She wasn't talking about anyone's sex life. In fact, a major part of what she was talking about was contraception as medicine. It had nothing to do with taxpayer funding.

I've said all of this before, but it doesn't really seem to be sinking in. The Rush fans and FReepers are still calling Fluke a slut, heedless of the fact that it's all in pig boy's fetid mind. Pisses me off. And the ones who feel the need to try to save face have tried to make some sort of point using Bill Maher calling Sarah Palin names. Which is the classic apples-to-oranges comparison.  Aside from the fact that Palin is a public figure, she was used as a punch line. Limbaugh used Fluke as a punching bag. Don't believe me, watch this:

Found at: AmericaBlog.com