Air America radio has suspended talk show host Randi Rhodes for what has been described as an appalling rant against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Clinton supporter Geraldine Ferraro.
Rhodes used obscene language in her choice remarks during a March 22 appearance in San Francisco, sponsored by an Air America affiliate station. In a statement issued on the liberal radio network’s Web site, Air America chairman Charlie Kireker said that kind of salty talk has no place in the political dialogue.“Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our hosts,” reads the statement by Kireker, issued on Thursday.Calls to Air America for comment were not immediately returned.During what was an apparent stand-up routine, Rhodes attacked Ferraro, the former vice presidential candidate, for saying that Clinton rival Barack Obama has benefited in the Democratic presidential race because he is black.”Geraldine Ferraro turned out to be the David Duke in drag. Who knew?” Rhodes said to laughter. “What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is, she’s such a f*****g whore.”A few minutes later, Rhodes said”Hillary is a big f*****g whore too.” She then suggested Clinton was trying to force her way into the Democratic nomination by manipulating pledged delegates. “Oh, f**k you, okay, f**k you,” she said.Ferraro said Rhodes should be fired.“What did they do with Don Imus when he went after the young black team who was playing basketball with kind of the same language? Treat them both the same,” Ferraro told FOX News. “She’s coming at me and Hillary in a … sexist way”Ferraro added that her comments about Obama were blown out of proportion and taken out of context so that the race card could be played, which was apparently effective since she has received a considerable amount of hate mail.“To incite people with language like this young woman just did on radio is very, very dangerous because … some people take this stuff so seriously that it can affect your security,” she said.At the performance, Rhodes also joked that if Clinton doesn’t get her way, “she’s going all Lieberman on you.” Joe Lieberman won re-election to his Senate seat in 2006 after losing the Connecticut Democratic primary. Though he still caucuses with Democrats, he identifies himself as an “independent Democrat” and offered his endorsement to expected Republican nominee John McCain.Rhodes went on a rant about having “an anti-Semite racist in the White House like Nixon or Ronald Reagan or Dick Cheney.” Recently scandalized New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer also faced Rhodes’ wrath.The manager of the venue that hosted Rhodes recalls that the audience loved her act, but she and her business partner were shocked by Rhodes’ language.Broadway Studios manager Francesca Valdez confirmed that video posted to YouTube was the show held at her venue, and that the booking had been contracted through Clear Channel Communications. She said that she sat in the audience for Rhodes’ 45-minute performance, which was chock full of “a lot of F-words.”“I was actually amazed that she used the F-word so many times,” said Valdez, reached by phone in San Francisco.“When I was hearing her say those things, I was like, somehow, you know, appalled. And my partner was really offended,” Valdez said, noting that Rhodes’ dirty language topped that of comedian Dave Chappelle, who appeared at her place in 1997.“He was not as bad,” she said of Chappelle, adding that Rhodes performed for a “mature,” over-21 audience that she suspected was generally an over-40 crowd.“We promote culture, music, art,” Valdez said of her showplace. She said colorful language isn’t shunned, but “it’s got to be tasteful.”Though the stand-up routine was 45 minutes long, a YouTube clip floating around the internet is five minutes and 38 seconds. During that length of time, Rhodes was heard uttering several crass words, most of which would be banned from her show by the Federal Communications Commission. A careful listening of the clip revealed seven utterances of the word “whore”, seven “f***ing”s, four “f***”s, three “s***”s and one each of “f***ed,” “a**hole” and “bitch.”Last October, Rhodes, whose program airs on Air America weekdays from 3-6 p.m. ET, was beaten in an apparent mugging while walking her dog near her home in New York City.At the time, another Air America anchor, Joe Elliott, blamed “the right-wing hate machine” but was forced to retract the statement.Air America also issued a statement at the time, saying Rhodes “experienced an unfortunate incident hindering her from hosting the show. The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded.”
Click here to watch the video of Randi Rhodes. (Warning: Graphic Language)
