This is interesting.
Instead of simply thanking her for her time there and moving on, Air America Radio appears to have gone out of its way to slam Randi Rhodes, to the point in which it appears they are claiming she is entirely overrated, and they're glad she's gone.
I can't say that I blame them. Last year, I started listening to her show, in part after hearing that she was named the most influential woman talker by Talk Magazine.
However, the more I listened to her show, the less I liked it. The entire show, day in and day out, seemed to be a less-than-well-informed bitch-fest against George W. Bush. Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the guy, but attacking him is cherry-picking. Where's the sport in pointing out how dishonest Bush is? Also, she could never complete a cogent thought. She'd always get halfway through a sentence, and be unable to hold back her emotions, saying stuff like "And President Bush, I mean, this is unbelievable. I mean it is just absolutely mindboggling", etc. etc. etc. - without actually saying anything. And when she was done, I realized that she was like two days behind the news, and only understood half of everything that I already knew. Basically, she added nothing to my intelligence, all while making me listen to her over and over saying "I mean... this is ridiculous.... I mean... this boggles my mind....I mean... this is crazy... I mean..." blah, blah, blah, hyperbole, hyperbole, hyperbole - but no facts.
As a Thom Hartmann fan, she was an utter turnoff. Each and every time I listened to the Thom Hartmann show, I actually learned several new things. In contrast, each and every time I listened to Randi Rhodes, all I got was an emotional rant based on old facts.
Through all of it, I could still stomach her show, because I hate George W. Bush, too, and you know what they say about the enemy of your enemy. But then she shifted her ranting and raving emotional breakdowns from the Republican, George W. Bush, to a quality liberal Democrat in Hillary Clinton, and even her husband, two time POTUS. And day after day, she got more aggressive, more insulting, and more obnoxious towards the Clintons, to the point where she was calling them liars, whores and much more on the air day in and day out before she lost her job. Every day, her rant against Hillary and/or Bill would get more emotional, more charged, more hyperbolic, and less grounded in reality. Near the end, I started tuning out other Air America shows, because I was upset with the way she was treating Democrats.
Well, it looks like I wasn't alone. Apparently, Air America thought she was overrated and unnecessary, and is glad she's gone.
From The Huffington Post:
Randi Rhodes Quits Air America Rather Than Apologize For Hillary Clinton "F*cking Whore" Remark; "There's Relief And Joy" At The Station(snip)
A source at Air America, who asked to remain anonymous, said, "Many people screw up and then apologize and move on. Like Imus. Like David Shuster. Like Jay Rockefeller on McCain. Like Obama on Rezko. Like Hillary on Bosnia. Randi Rhodes refused to apologize for her obscene comments and has chosen instead to terminate her relationship with Air America."
The source also said that there is no love lost between Rhodes and her colleagues at the network. "No one is upset. She made the move but there's relief and joy."
Dismissing claims that Rhodes was just doing stand-up comedy in San Francisco when she made the remarks, the source confirmed that Air America paid her way to California, that she was advertised as "Air America's Randi Rhodes," and that the Air America website urged people to go for "an evening of politics and pop culture." The source said, "Air America pays people to be talk show hosts, not stand-up comics, or else we'd hire Chris Rock."
It remains unclear who will substitute for Rhodes' time slot in both the short- and long-term, but the source said the network is looking at Rhodes' departure as an opportunity to rebuild. "Sometimes it's for the best that the leading player leaves so you can rebuild with better talent."
Not too subtle, huh?
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