Randi Rhodes Suspended for . . . What!?!

Randi Rhodes has hosted her own three-hour talk show on Air America since its inception a little over three years ago. Anyone who has listened to her knows that she is politically astute, always prepared on the issues, extremely opinionated, and very passionate about what she does and the message she wants to deliver. On occasion, she can also be rude, abrasive and doesn't hesitate to cut off a caller that she has tired of trying to bring around to her point of view. She has never used inappropriate language on the air. So it was something of a surprise to learn that she has been suspended indefinitely for language unbecoming a talk show host. It was an even bigger surprise to learn that she was not on the air when she used the inappropriate language.

Say what?

Here's the story. Rhodes was invited by Air America to attend an event in San Francisco on March 22nd, hosted by progressive talk radio station KKGN, or Green960, as it is known (New York Times, 4/3/2008). Today, April 3rd, Air America chairman Charlie Kireker posted a notice on the Air America home page announcing that Rhodes had been suspended, and stated: "Air America . . . does not condone such abusive and ad hominem language by our Hosts." (www.airamerica.com). All well and good, perhaps, if she was on the air when she made the comments. If you weren't there, as most of us were not, but had an opportunity to see the YouTube recording of Rhodes' remarks (YouTube.com/Randi Rhodes), she was very clearly doing a stand-up comedy routine. Her monologue skewered a broad range of politicos, from Hillary Clinton to Elliot Spitzer. In the course of her routine, Rhodes did indeed refer to both Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro as "a f****** whore" more than once.(YouTube, New York Times 4/3/2008). And, despite criticism that her audience was not amused by her comments, on the YouTube video the audience very definitely was laughing throughout the routine and at one point even trading humorous quips with Rhodes. Almost certainly, not everyone in the audience agreed with Rhodes' observations but they at least seemed to have maintained their sense of humor.