Brent Budowsky calls Randi a gift to progressive radio -- let's hear it for Randi!

[SharonRB]

He's on with Sam now.

Sign in here if you support Randi.

[bagimin]

1. #1 Supporter here!

[DJ13]

2. K&R!

:toast:

[Cooley Hurd]

3. Kudos to Brent for pointing out the obvious - Randi's done SO much for Progressive causes!

...that she DESERVES a pass on this!!!!

Recommended!!!

[tritsofme]

11. She sits on the radio, screaming and cussing out her callers.

What exactly has she done for progressive causes besides playing directly into the "angry moonbat" stereotype?

[Cooley Hurd]

14. More than you - how many death threats have YOU had?

:eyes:

[tritsofme]

18. I'm not a controversial figure who says crazy things.

That's all gotta be part of the trade. I bet Mike Savage gets death threats too.

Doesn't prove she is some progressive figure we should all respect.

[Rhiannon12866]

22. We should all support progressive media figures.

Exactly how many are there? I can't think of more than I can count on one hand, and Air America is the only progressive radio network. The Michael Weiner Savages, Sean Hannitys and Limbaughs are a dime a dozen...:-(

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I'll give you a CONCRETE EXAMPLE

she is behind a project to get NOLA rebuilt, not that you'd know that

I forget that is not progressive :sarcasm:

Here is gun, safety's off, don't shoot yourself, there is your place in the circular firing squad. Aim within the circle, FIRE!

[JackBeck]

25. How DARE she oversee such a progressive cause.

:sarcasm:

She's always held the corporate feet to the fire. It was only time until they retaliated.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. He is saying that she is a true patriot

and she is because she was one of the only ones talking
about this Bush administration and horrible war for years.


Brent Budowsky

From the mid-1970’s to 1990 Brent Budowsky served in senior Congressional Staff positions including Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and Legislative Director to Representative Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Majority Whip.

With Senator Bentsen Mr. Budowsky was extensively involved with the Intelligence Identities Protection Law and Intelligence Officers Death Benefits Act. During his years with Congressional Leadership he was involved with conflicts ranging from Central America and opposing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to supporting freedom in Eastern Europe and world trade issues.

Mr. Budowsky left politics in 1990 to pursue business interests involving marketing and public affairs ranging from the talent agency that represented Frank Sinatra to a Papal CD to traditional corporate business. Mr. Budowsky reengaged politically after 9-11 and informally advises both Democrats and Republicans. His politics are demonstrated in columns he occasionally writes.

[SharonRB]

6. And that she is!

She and Nancy Skinner were way ahead of the curve in progressive talk and speaking out against the war and the Bush administration.

[Windy]

7. Randi is the BEST and she's being kicked by the Clinton Regime!

Its so sad and frightening!

[LSK]

5. K&R

Its friday ya bastads!

[SalviaBlue]

9. Bounce your boobies!!

[SeattleGirl]

8. Just heard him, and he's right.

The more I think about this whole thing, the angrier I get. Yes, sometimes I get impatient with Randi when she doesn't listen to some of her callers (I think she jumps to conclusions with some of them, and doesn't really HEAR what they are saying), but for the most part, she's a great person to have in the progressive movement.

Given the negative shit being thrown at her, you'd think she had physically attached Hilary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro. I get that a lot of people don't like the word "whore", but there are certainly worse things in the world, like say, STARTING A WAR WITH A COUNTRY THAT DIDN'T ATTACK US!

I don't think this is really about what Randi said; I think this is about a group of people who were just looking for any excuse to go after her.

[Ichingcarpenter]

15. Yep, and you know what?

I can listen to Randi, ten times more than I can listen to Lionel.


Randi sometimes really hits the nail on the head and other times
she pisses me off with interviews and callers. She has had guests
that revealed information on the Bush regime that we wouldn't be
hearing from anywhere else and she was the first to air it.

The whole thing is an attack on free speech at a comedy club.
She didn't say it on the air and many people can't see the difference.

Lenny Bruce was right years ago.

[Cooley Hurd]

23. Lionel... ugh...

...just... ugh.:puke:

[OwnedByFerrets]

17. Thank you for articulating what

was in my head, but I couldn't put into words. :toast:

[orleans]

29. i completely agree with what you said here:

"I don't think this is really about what Randi said; I think this is about a group of people who were just looking for any excuse to go after her."

people have been talking about how she should be fired because she's "shrill" and they don't like how rude she is with the callers.

what a bogus fu*king reason to fire this girl who has kicked republican ass for years, who has intelligence to explain the politics of the day to listeners, and to give a fighting voice to liberals.

i don't always like the way she goes about things (but i don't always like the way my daughter does everything either).

i found her when aar began. i was stunned/amazed/absolutely delighted to hear al franken and her on the radio. it was a great day.

i've loved her ever since.

[tnlefty]

10. I heard him and Garofolo (sp?) before him.

I may not like what Randi said but I defend her right to say it.

She annoys me at times, but she is very informative.

[madrchsod]

12. randi takes a lot to get used to but she`s good

she should be back on the air soon

[fascisthunter]

13. Even Though I Take Issue with Her at Times, Kudos to Randi

I hope she comes back soon. Bless ya, lady!

[Rhiannon12866]

19. K&R. Signing in, my friend...

Rhiannon:hi:

[SharonRB]

21. Thanks, Rhiannon

:hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

27. Anytime, my friend!

:hi::kick:

[Jack Rabbit]

20. Signing in

/s/

My mark placed here with the assistance of
the University of Kansas

[warren pease]

24. If I were offered a wheelbarrow full of dollars...

... in other words, enough to buy a Coke and a candy bar in 2009, it would still be impossible for me to give less of a shit than I already do about this entire made for TV melodrama. How shocking; an outspoken and occasionally over-the-top, really smart and well-informed progressive street fighter comes out and says exactly what everybody else should have been saying about these miserable excuses for Democrats.

But you can see the problem. It's well known that about 62 million Americans had never encountered the word "fuck" before that video hit YouTube. A few more had apparently been exposed, as it were, to the word "whore" but still, millions went immediately to the online version of Websters 10th to look up the definition.

And when you combine these two hot-button words... Well. More aristocratic noses out of joint and a few upper crust jaws got dislocated as well.

Maybe I'll begin to care about about this irrelevant and abysmally stupid garbage the day that fat rat bastard with the synthetic heroin habit gets his lard ass handed to him over one of the several thousand ad hominem slurs and helpful hints on selecting assassination targets he's thrown around for years with zero consequences.

Or maybe I'll begin to care the minute that lying psychopath O'reilly finally gets his nose broken by a progressive who doesn't happen to believe that advocating for peace doesn't mean you can't knock somebody's lights out who has had it coming for many long years.

But there's literally no chance that I'm going to care about the routine that got her suspended. I care that AAR is closer to BushCo in its attitude toward First Amendment free speech rights. I also care that a completely different standard applies to GOPiggies, so that when vice president cyborg told Leahy to "go fuck yourself," the right hooted and hollered and nobody stepped in to suspend the vile bastard.

But this is, after all, America in the 21st century and squashing progressive speech is just part of the game.


wp

[Berry Cool]

26. Here's why I'm signing in.

I don't always like what Randi does. But in this case, I think we need to address whether or not her suspension was justified.

First, here are the things I DON'T believe:

1. I DON'T believe this is a First Amendment issue. Even though she wasn't on air, Randi was appearing as a representative of her employer; thus, her employer can discipline her if it doesn't like something she says or does while representing them in public. The government isn't punishing her, her employer is.

2. I DON'T believe this should be an issue of whose ox gets gored. If it's bad to call public figures (as opposed to, say, the Rutgers women's basketball team) fucking whores, it's bad to call public figures fucking whores--no matter who they are. If it's fair comment, it's fair comment.

3. I DON'T believe this is a sexism issue. Would Randi not just as quickly call John McCain a "whore"? Probably. Or is it supposed to be sexist just because "whore" is a term originally used for females? Kind of weak, if you ask me. OK, fine, what if she called these two women "gigolos"? Would that be OK?

Now, here's what I believe is the issue:

Is it bad, and does her employer have the right to discipline her, for calling two public figures "fucking whores" while representing her employer in a public appearance (as opposed to on the air)?

I think we are all agreed that the word "fucking" is not the issue. (Trust me, I saw Stephanie Miller at a personal appearance in Columbus, and if her saying "fucking" at a personal appearance was a problem, Jones Radio would've fired her long ago.) The issue is "whores." Is it OK to call public figures "whores"?

Do we think it is unacceptable to call public figures "whores"? I see people on DU referring to "media whores" every day. Also, there are people here who believe that there's nothing wrong with buying and selling sex. So why is "whore" a pejorative? (What, should we be calling public figures we don't like "sex workers" instead?)

Yeah, I know, I know. What is meant here is the other definition of "whore," i.e., person who willingly trades away his or her personal integrity in order to obtain some reward. But why do we call people who trade away their personal integrity "whores"? Must be because we think of personal integrity as something of very high value, not to be bought and sold. As high a value as we place on...sex???? Which we also believe should not be for sale...or DO we?

Good question, I think.

[Rhiannon12866]

28. Wow, Berry, this reply deserves its own thread!

I'd K&R it, if I could, LOL. Provocative questions.:yourock:

[Berry Cool]

35. I think there's a HUGE debate to be had over whether liberals/progressives should use the word

"whore" at all. Or "pimp," for that matter.

Personally, I have no problem with it, because I am a person who doesn't believe sex should be a commodity to be bought and sold. I have no problems with using the words "whore" and "pimp" as pejoratives, so long as one is careful about the person one uses them on. (For example, I thought David Shuster questioning whether Chelsea Clinton's parents were "pimping her out" was stupid, because it was obviously going to give them offense, on behalf of her as well as themselves, and it was a kind of offense that was all too easy to justify because it's just not considered the done thing in society to refer to a young woman as a whore in a non-sexual context, nor to refer to her parents as pimps.)

I realize, however, that there are others who disagree with me, who believe all purchase and sale of sexual favors should be legal everywhere. These people like to refer to people who ply the trade as "sex workers" and support their rights. No doubt they find the use of "whore" pejorative in all contexts, but I doubt they would be happier if Randi had referred to Hillary Clinton and Gerry Ferraro as "fucking sex workers."

And, of course, Randi wasn't calling them "fucking sex workers"; she was calling them "fucking sellouts." Right? She was accusing them of having sold something precious that they should not have sold (their integrity) in order to get something else of far lesser value (power).

In this context, "whore" is merely a sexually charged synonym for "sellout," in which no sexual implication is really meant.

Is it sexist to call a woman a "sellout"? I don't think so. I think people saying the term "whore" in this context is sexist are falling for a red herring at best and exhibiting false outrage at worst. They know damn well that if Taylor Marsh appeared at an event and called Barack Obama a "fucking whore," there would not be this kind of outrage. (A "pimp," maybe, but only because that would be a racially charged term as well. "Whore," no.)

It's probably a bad idea to call women "whores" in a context in which one doesn't also call a man a "whore," because it makes it easy for others to paint you a sexist. So, it was probably stupid of Randi to say what she said, just as it was stupid for Shuster to say what he said.

She got suspended. OK. Let her serve out her suspension and come back.

Because I may not like everything she says, but I don't have to in order for her to be on the air.

And if she's going to lose her job over saying something dumb one day, no one is safe.

[Rhiannon12866]

36. I feel exactly as you do, my friend.

And the terms "whore" or "pimp" are pejorative in whatever context they're used. I guess that the issue that I have is also free speech, as others have mentioned. Randi didn't use this word on the air, but as part of a stand-up comedy routine and I'm sure that you've heard the stand-up routines on HBO, or wherever, and they are absolutely blue... If you're offended, leave or don't watch...

And the fact that she was referring to Hillary's campaign, as David Schuster was, makes me suspicious. Would the reaction have been the same if she'd been referring to someone connected to McCain or Obama? David Greene is a blatant Hillary supporter, so his employees have to fall in line, or there's big trouble. Obviously, I didn't hear Randi, but I did hear David Schuster, and it just went right by me. I knew what he meant and it was just a possibly inappropriate expression. I was shocked when such a big deal was made about that. Everybody in all the campaigns, Republican or Democrat, are "fair game," because they're putting themselves out there, and they're going to hear a whole lot of things that they'd rather not...

I agree with you, my friend. In this political climate, no one is safe...:scared:

[liberalla]

30. Listening to the replay and heard Sam & Brent a little while ago.

I hope things get straightened out and Randi doesn't get booted from AirAmerica. Considering the Clinton power, I'm sure there's a lot of arm-twisting going on. It may be rough for awhile. Randi and Rachel are my favorites. I would hate to lose Randi on AAR. Of course, she'd probably end up on NOVA M with Mike Malloy, and her old friend John Manzo...

Do you know if her moving back to Fla. has anything to do with this?

[SharonRB]

31. Randi, Rachel and Thom are my faves

However, I really can't listen to Rachel here, since she's not on our local affiliate and I'm not near a computer when she's on.

I doubt her move to Florida has anything to do with it. I think she announced that on Monday, before this suspension happened. I sure hope they get things resolved -- and soon!

[liberalla]

34. I listen on XM, no AAR local affiliate here at all

Re: suspension, I just figured she probably had an inkling before it became mainstream, and it *might* have had something to do with her decision, or the timing of her decision.

Like you, I also hope it gets resolved soon.

[timtom]

32. In the horrible days following 9/11 I found Randi on our

local radio station, WJNO. I thought, "Yes! Someone making some sense."

I thought every city had a Randi Rhodes or two. I didn't realize just how special she was and is.

First came Randi. Then came DU.

I'm curious about the asshats who know that this particular thread is a cheering section for Randi fans. Why in the F**K would you want to post your negtive thoughts HERE? of all places.

Yes, yes. We know you can't stand her. Go start your own damn thread.

[annabanana]

33. She's still my gal. . . . . . n/t

[SharonRB]

37. Link to a thread with the entire video posted

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5395176&mesg_id=5395176

Larry Johnson seems to have been behind trying to get rid of Randi. I used to like him, but no more.

[liberalla]

38. The Clinton / Obama split is really damaging the party, IMO

I was a Larry Johnson fan also. He supports Hillary, Randi disses Hillary, and now Larry disses Randi... and Randi fans diss Larry Johnson. I hate to say this, but I've had a bad feeling from the beginning about the situation with Randi.

It's become so ugly, and it's a microcosm of the whole problem going on in the Democratic Party. How did we get here? If she is able to get reinstated and somehow patch things up, it may be a sign that the whole party can come together. Her path 'back' into the good graces of her employers may also be the map for the party to unite again. If she pulls it off, it could be transformational, for all of us.

[warren pease]

39. Since when is an employee's behavior off-hours any business of the employer?...

And yes, I know that's all the rage these days, one of the more blatant invasions of privacy being random drug testing. Better yet, the way the nosy bastards use this power: positive results can be helpful in getting rid of employees they otherwise couldn't touch without risking wrongful termination suits.

Same basic idea here. What the hell business is it of AAR that she did a political comedy routine/monologue 3000 miles from corporate headquarters before an apparently receptive audience? Was she there representing the network? Wearing an AAR logo?

Who the hell gave them authority over what she does off the job? Or are we expected to act at all times as idealized representatives of the great corporation that gives us life and work and dignity and the rest of their blathering bullshit?

Nah. I'm not seeing anything here but the usual sleazy, behind-the-scenes tactics wingers use to try to rid the world of lefties and uppity women -- and the two combined must send their testicles all the way back into their abdomens, as horrifyingly emasculating as the experience must be.

Randi has done more for progressive causes -- both on the air and off -- than her employers could accomplish in 10 lifetimes. They're just the usual Wharton MBA bottom-line pricks with no ideology but rampaging capitalism and no allegiance to anything but money.

Tough to pick sides here, eh?


wp

[WolverineDG]

40. Go Randi!

If AAR cans you, head to NovaM with Mike Malloy!

dg