Air America Host Randi Rhodes Suspended For Calling Hillary A "Big F*cking Whore"

Air America host Randi Rhodes called both Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton "whores" in a recent appearance, seen below. Rhodes, who hosts a weekday radio show on Air America, said to the cheering crowd, "What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is! She's such a fucking whore!" She then proceeded to say, "Hillary is a big fucking whore, too" to a mixed audience reaction. "You know why she's a big fucking whore? Because her deal is always, 'Read the fine print, asshole!'"

Watch:

Update: Rhodes has been now been suspended from the network. Air America released the following statement:

Air America has suspended on-air host Randi Rhodes for making inappropriate statements about prominent figures, including Senator Hillary Clinton, at a recent public appearance on behalf of Air America in San Francisco which was sponsored by an Air America affiliate station.

"Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our Hosts," said chair Charlie Kireker.

Comments

[happydayz]

I want my Randi Back. I didn't know she was so good at stand up comedy--who knew? I really miss the time checks, "eighteen aftah"!

[mcnairbo]

You thought that was good comedy. A bunch of friggin swearing and name calling was all it was. The owner of the place she said it as said she was apalled at all the swearing and that Dave Chapell who had played there hadn't even sworn as much as her. I hope they fire her ass and hire someone talented rather than just loud. You can always tune in Howard Stern if you miss your "Ranty" so much.

[NoonDaySun]

Oh please. Jon Stewart has said "f[bleep] you" countless times on the air, as have many others, and nobody cares. This sudden outrage about language seems more than a little convenient.

How about this: "your candidate sucks." Oh wait, does that imply that she's a whore, a slut, a gay man, or a goldfish? That might make me a sexist, homophobic, goldfish hater if I said that. Wow.

It's language, and I am glad real life is not yet mandated to sound like a Disney movie. It rapidly makes it impossible to say anything without the meaning being twisted to say something else that isn't there.

And as far as "whore" being sexist, I can't even remember how many times in politics I've heard that word used to describe male sellouts. Sexist? Nope.

"If I may: would you please remove your knife from my spine, dear madam..." (uh oh, the word "madam" implies she's a...)

[sonomac]

I have the solution, all Randi needs to do is say she was "sleep deprived and misspoke". Then all will be forgiven and we can move on........­.RIGHT????­?????

[AbbieXHoffman]

If you are here, you are obviously interested in finding out the truth. So I suggest you not take the media or the candidates words as gold. Go beyond that. Listen to what those that have benefited from Hillary's work have to say. http://www.thehillaryiknow.com/

She clearly has a life-time of good judgement, trustworthiness and ability to unite people beyond what she did as first lady.

This woman cares about people.

Don't believe the smear campaign against her, that include Ms. Rhodes. Follow your instinct to research for yourself.

[Tejano1]

no thanks. i'm not going down the rabbit hole with you.

[RenStimpy]

What EXACTLY do you have against rabbits?

Is there no one adequate for the progressive tossers?

sincerely
B. Bunny

[AbbieXHoffman]

Than you for proving my point. Too many people aren'nt interested in the truth. They jsut want to hate Hillary.

[wyorange]

Well good for you! Sounds like you and I are somewhat alike. I am not going to drink Obama's kool aid.

[AbbieXHoffman]

So you're not interested in the truth or being educated. Hmm.

If you really want to move the country forward we all need to think critically and always seek the truth. When the truth is seen, anger rarely prevails.

[RenStimpy]

DO NOT FIRE RHANDI RHODES !

Dispatching RR to the sidelines validates the Rights assertions the "radical left" hates free speech and denies Centrists Democrats proof that "progressives" are completely mental.

THE BETTER SANCTION:

Make her change her name to BIG F*CKING WHORE.

[hpinpa]

What did Randi say about Imus - did she say he should be fired or what? How about whatever she said about him gets applied to her? Seems fair to apply the same judgement.­...

[Bulbul]

Pot....Bla­ck..

[wyorange]

Now wait just a minute. It almost sounds like you might be applying logic in this situation. When it comes to Obamamites and logic the two do not compute. Any comment against the Clintons is praiseworthy to Obamamites!

[GravitonX]

What happened to Hillary Clinton being tough? She must have misspoke.

[pinkyboo]

I do not see anywhere in that article - or even in any press reports since this event happened that HRC asked for AAR to suspend Randi - It was their choice- so what exactly are you implying?

[mcnairbo]

Can you imagine if a commentator said something about Barak? You whiners would be flipping your everlovin' lids. There'd be screaming headlines at the Huffington Post about how this person should be fired. YOU KNOW IT WOULD.

[OhMiDog]

Open mouth, insert foot.. over and over again ~ very classy Randi...to quote an earlier post "pot, kettle, black" ~ 'nuff said!

[realwoman]

I can't get over how disloyal so many Democrats, especially the media types, ie Matthews.E­laeanor Clift,Olbermann, Fineman, Alter, etc, have become towards the Clintons. These are the same people who for the past 15 years have been worshipping at the alter that was Clintondom. Republicans don't turn on each other like this. Clinton won' even show up on MSNBC anymore.
Randi Rhodes is just another example. She is a classless, tacky big mouth. Diagree Randi, debate Randi, then go wash your mouth out.

[CharlottesvilleVA]

To paraphrase Lieberman, the party didn't turn it's back on the Clintons, the Clintons turned their back on the party.

[JTyroler]

I would consider this worse than Don Imus' comments that got him fired last year. I'm all for free speech and expression, but this probably was not the best way to get more listeners for Air America.

[Bulbul]

One major difference, Don Imus repented saying such derogatory comment, and went beyond that , apologizing to the ladies to radio and so on, and people actually made money on several talk shows, writing books, just bashing Imus....
All of these latest pig pen ladies, were never sorry ....and should be fired or send to therapy to clean up their act.
Mathews is still around, last time I checked !

[nellie]

Also, the girls on that basketball team were not public figures. Imus's comments were totally gratuitous and just mean. There was an enormous public outrage&md­ash;that's what led to his firing. MSNBC could have cared less, but they were getting pummeled by the public.

In this case, Clinton is a public figure. Rules are different. And AAR wasn't responding to any public outrage. It was their discretion.

[middlevillage]

Used to be a fan, or sorts but Randy has finally 'lost it'. She was getting so 'hateful' of late that I couldn't stand it any longer. She has become 'almost' as annoying as Hannity and Colter, and that would be hard to do. But they don't use horrible curse words.....­.ain't necessary Randy. Makes you sound like a pig. Now Steph Miller is a 'class act' She makes her points in a funny, amusing way.

[jseipp]

I wrote to Air America a couple of years ago begging them to fire Randi Rhodes and replace her with someone else. She constantly interrupts her guests and callers, even Democrats! She often doesn't allow them to even make their point. It's all about Randi and Randi's opinions. She's done this with David Corn for instance and even John Dean. She constantly interrupts them. It's no wonder that many Dems refuse to go on her show. She reminds me of the dizziest of the dizzy girls that went to my high school. She's a motor mouth that just rambles on and on. She makes some good points from time to time but 80% of what she say's is purely mindless. Her attempts at comedy are just awful. Whenever I hear her voice now I immediately switch to NPR. I just can't stand her...

[Marlyn]

It is not even comparable to Don Imus. His remarks were on the air; hers were NOT.

[Foohog]

This woman should be fired.

Having said that... sexist? Sexist?

So a woman calls someone a whore and it's automatically sexist?

It can't be that she honestly sees these other women as fitting her definition of what a whore is? Even if she herself is a jerk for saying so in public?

Or by calling her a jerk am I now the sexist?

I believe in respect and equality for all. But no matter what gender, race or religion you be, if you are going to constantly run to the kindergarten room and make idiotic accusations of bigotry or sexism or racism instead of exercising adult, rational thought then much like Ms. Rhodes, your are not my equal and you deserve no respect.

[Marlyn]

Can a man be a whore? Anyway it is a political comment, not a sexual one. Hillary takes big money from these billionaire corporations (like Rupert Murdoch) to do their bidding.

[Foohog]

Can a man be a whore?

I certainly tried to prove the affirmative when I was in college.

[wyorange]

They all take big money.

Obama takes it from his nuclear power buddies at Exelon and he also takes it from buddies in the oil industry. He is know to have substantial backing from Wall Street and banking.

What I am far more concerned about is whether anything pops up about his getting money from the shady side of Chicago politics.

[nellie]

From reading your post, I conclude that you have never listened to Randi on the radio. This woman is obsessed with primary sources. She digs up information that the mainstream media couldn't find with a flashlight and a bloodhound. She pulls together stories that seem unrelated and does political analysis that others end up repeating. I've often heard television pundits pick up a perspective that I heard on Randi's show a day or two before. She's very smart, very politically astute. And her political pals, like Brent Bodowsky, are the real deal. She gets interviews with everyone. She knows congresspeople, she knows insiders. She's an invaluable resource to progressive broadcasting.

It's a real shame that her stand up routine took this turn. She's funny enough without the insults. I'm looking forward to her return.

[Tejano1]

me too.

[jseipp]

I'm surprised that you'd say she's funny. I don't think she's funny at all. Her attempts at comedy on air are awful. She doesn't have what it takes to be a comedienne. She constantly interrupts her callers and guests. She often doesn't even allow them to make their point. Many of her comments are half baked. You say she gets interviews with everyone but many refuse to go on her show simply because of her rudeness and the fact that she won't allow them to make their point. It's all about Randi and RANDI'S opinions. She often rambles on and on about nothing. I have often thought that I wish she would just cut to the chase as 80% of what she say's is totally mindless. She can be a total airhead. I hope they fire her and replace her with someone more mature.

[tish]

Oh please, Nellie! Anyone with basic research skills and intelligence could do the analytical work she does. She is funny though---but mostly arrogant and obnoxious lately. I've lost all respect for her because of her abuse of Hillary and worshiping of Obama.

[TUSKIEHILL]

As a woman, I am deeply offended that anyone would think it okay to call two women who have worked so hard for all of us, such a derogatory name. I want to know why she was not fired.

Regardless of what you say, Sen. Clinton has been working with democratics and republicans to make this country better for 35 years. Her presence in Washington as first lady and now as Senator, proves that she is all about change. This is vengeful and nasty, and not at all about the unification or education of the country. This woman is a low-life and I wonder why she thinks her attacks are appropriate.

Senator Clinton and her husband has been put under the strongest microscopes and nothing, not one thing, has been found to bring them down. I have great respect for Hillary Clinton because her actions to save her marriage took a strength I would not have been able to muster. It says to me that she will examine the issues before attacking. It says she can weigh the pros and cons and come up with the right solution.

I will go so far as to say had Geraldine Ferraro not changed history by running for vice president, and if Senator Clinton weren't running for President, Barack Obama would not have been considered. You see as a black woman, I clearly see the correlations.

[realwoman]

I agree with you Tuskiehill, 100%. I would never vote for Clinton because I diagree with her positions but to call her those names is really disgusting. Same with Ferraro. They are good women who changed America. What has Rhodes ever done but become the Perez Hilton of talk radio.

[Marlyn]

Randi Rhodes became disillusioned when the Clintons began using Rovian tactics (vicious lies). Yeah, Randi has a mouth, but hey, she's from New York.

[nellie]

Oh good grief. It's not that big a deal. She's an entertainer, for crying out loud.

[tish]

Well put, Tuskiehill!

[nkhogan]

I agree that Randi Rhodes should have been suspended for her behavior and I think she should also be fired.

Her comments were sexist and uncalled for. And as someone pointed out, even though she was doing a comedy gig off air, it was an Air America related event and she was there as an Air America broadcaster.

As an Obama supporter, I denounce and reject her behavior! So all of you don't lump all of us Obama supporters into an unthinking mass. What she did was wrong.

But as Randi is not an Obama surrogate, it is also unthinking of many of you all to suggest that one should not vote for Obama because of her behavior and the boorish behavior of some of his supporters. I know many HRC supporters are similarly boorish and you would not want us to denounce HRC because of it.

I am voting for Obama because he best represents my values, my beliefs, and my hopes and vision for the future of America. I respect the candidacy of Sen. Clinton and as a feminist I do deplore the sexist and misogynist comments she's had to endure. However, that is not enough of a reason for me to vote for her. I choose to vote for the person, irrespective of race or gender, that I think would make for a better president.

[dragonfly142]

Just for the record, when many say there were no wars going on in Bosnia when Hillary visited ..this was found on wikipedia under Bosnia. The War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, commonly known as the Bosnian War, was an international armed conflict that took place between March 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides. According to numerous ICTY judgments the conflict involved Bosnia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (later Serbia and Montenegro­).In 1996 many important events occurred in Bosnia. UN teams have been sent to investigate allegations of genocide. US troops have gone to Bosnia as part of a NATO peacekeeping mission. Elections have taken place. 1996 was a year of great change in Bosnia. In early January 1996, U.S. troops arrived in Bosnia. Although living conditions are uncomfortable, casualties have been light, with only one dead and two wounded. The area was not completely stable.

[Didi47]

dragonfly:
I would go a bit further than wikipedia to get info on the Bosinian war, my friend. The ETHNIC Cleansing that went on was one of the most horrific and savage conflicts in history! Example: Hundreds of villagers locked into buildings, churches - and burned to death. Women and children executed - but first the women were raped, then forced to watch their babies being picked up by the feet and watching them having their head smashed against the wall. The men were starved to death in concentration camps... and no I'm not talking about WWII this was 17 years ago! One woman I KNOW who lives in Canada and was instrumental in creating awareness of what was going on in Bosnia at that time... lost 21 members of her family, including her parents - who were in their 70's. To this day she has no idea what happened to them. Hundreds of thousands of people - children, mothers, grandparents entire towns... were wiped out in the most barbaric - brutal ways possible.
So for you to call it uncomfortable is pathetic. Grow up and get educated. And just to let you know... It was Bill Clinton that stepped in and ended that barbarism while the rest of the world sat back and did bugger all!

[greenwitch]

The Balkans region was important to American self-interests. Rwanda...e­h, not so much.

[drbala]

I have been listening to Randi Rhodes for a long time and I've always thought that she was a loose cannon and lacked professionalism. She calls W all kinds of names. Yes, he is a dimwit, but I never agreed with using abusive unparliamentary language against the POTUS. We can attack his policies, his nonchalance toward black people (Katrina), his indifference to the risk our soldiers are facing ("bring it on"), etc. But what good is it if we attack W personally--it will only turn off the other side, only the choir will be happy. She would never change anyone's opinion by her talk or debates. Randi can only talk to the choir like she was doing in San Francisco in front of the Kool-aid drinkers.

Reading many of the Obama followers' comments, I see that they are not out to change the opinion of any Hillary supporters, they are content attacking Hillary's supporters. Just like Randi Rhodes. It comes from the top. Of course, when November rolls around and when the dems lose big in states like PA, OH, MI, and FL with Obama in the ticket, I don't think the kool-aiders would realize that their messiah couldn't deliver. They'd still complain about voting machines, diebold, disenfranchisement, Hillary's voters, and let's not forget .... race.

I never thought I'd say this: You, Ms. Randi, are the real f***ing wh*re.

[JohnTalbutt]

Hey sparky, have you ever noticed how some people talk about people who think differently as kool aide drinkers, and use a lot of other cliches like messiah and almost always bring up race. Then they forcast a disaster.

Well, the first part is just an insult and the second part aint gonna happen. We're appealing to the rational, stable, non racist majority, That's the key to victory.

[PiratePrentiss]

yes these Clinton trolls all are working off the same script. I guess untold millions buys a lot of troll support, too bad its so banal. Go ahead and say what you REALLY mean about Obama, I dare you. Call him uppity or something

Sore losers they are, with a heavy emphasis on LOSER

[StillAmused]

If you read down a little, you'll see I mostly agree with your comments..­. except two.

George W. Bush is a certifiable WAR CRIMINAL and, if you're an innocent Iraqi with a round of .223 plowing through your brain tissue -- or an American G.I. taken down by a 7.62 or an IED -- the notion of "parliamentary" language directed toward the criminal author of their senseless deaths is somehow inadequate to the task.

Second, referring to Rhodes as "the real f***ing wh*re" puts you in the same class a those you decry. Her lapse in judgement and surrender to mania may have offended many, but it didn't KILL anyone.

[BuckeyeNut]

You are exactly correct!

[Bajagirl]

Hey, Zelduh, I challenge you to tell us where you got your despicable "quotes": The Clintons have admitted that they are playing "gutter politics." They are always espousing that "Politics is a dirty game. If you don't like it, get out of politics."

I've known both Clintons for decades and never heard a word like that. They do say that politics is a tough game, a difficult game, and not for the faint of heart, but nothing like what you wrote, that I believe you made up. Shame!

As for dirty politics, try this one on: Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights hero, has been a friend of both Clintons for 25 years. A year ago he pledged to support Hillary. In early 2008 he was threatened by the Obama campaign - switch to support Barak or we will find someone to run against you in your primary and support him. I am disgusted by the Obama campaign.

[StillAmused]

Zelduh, like the rest of the nearly-informed, gets her(?) "quotes" from the same place: she pulls them out of her cloaca, then "quotes" herself.

It's a specialty increasingly perfected by the MSM.

[JohnTalbutt]

You have no source for the John Lewis B.S. It is hard to lie on a man who makes clear and articulate statements.

Try reading the piece on the visit to Dean from the big cat DNC contributors. There you will find the Clinton supporter make statement very close to what Zelduh stated.

Too bad playing on racism doesn't disgust you. How about calling people "Judas" Oh and don't forget only Hillary and John McCain are patriotic candidates.

[StillAmused]

"playing on racism"

"and don't forget only Hillary and John McCain are patriotic candidates­."

Invention is the refuge of the uninformed and the fanatic.

See below.

[tish]

J Talbutt--As a Chicana who witnessed closely Gov Richardson's rise and prominence in the Clinton administration in the 1990's, the Judas characterization of him is very apt. Also, from a cultural context his abandonment of the Clintons is not only treacherous, but disrespectful. Loyalty and respect are highly valued in our culture. He really should have kept his mouth shut. I think this was a stupid political move, because it made him look very bad in the Hispanic community. Also, how could he not think that his BO endorsement would be anything but controversial?

[Bajagirl]

Sorry to tell you there's a difference (huge difference) between a candidate saying something, which is what Zelduh accused them of, and a "supporter" saying something. When you get a little older (and smarter) you'll understand that. She shoulda been more careful. It's dishonest to put words into someone's mouth they did not speak.

My source for the Cg. Lewis story was Bill Clinton who told me himself. That's good enough for me, although apparently not for you.

I've known the Clintons for many years and have seen them both work tirelessly for racial justice - social and economic - for African Americans. I also am a grown up who checks out the ENTIRE remarks before judging them. I did not hear any racist comments from either of them - and neither did you. You just believe you did because the MSM and Obamatons told you so. THEY are the only ones playing the race card. I guess because they couldn't win on experience or policies..­. it will be very bad for America if Obama is the candidate. We will lose not only the White House, but the House and Senate as well. Then, God help us.