I love Randi but...

[cooolandrew]

I am just confused with this vendetta she has with Franken. It seems to be based on very little you would of thought something really terrible had happened. The Franken we have all known universally when he said suppport the troops he went over and supported the troops. The Franken we witnessed has taken O'Really head on time after time and kept on rolling. The Franken we have all seen fought with everything he had for every last vote. So when Randi says MN can do better erm I'd say they could probably do sonsiderably worse. Sometimes you just let the past go I just can't imagine he has done anything deserving of this much animosity. Anyways all the same, all the best to senator Al Franken.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Did his show bump hers at some point or something?

[cooolandrew]

I don't know the detail but all know is there is work to do and 59 senator is a comfortable number.

[Pab Sungenis]

2. It started the first day at AAR.

If you watch "Left Of The Dial" you get some idea. He bumped her out of the big studio, he got all the staffers, he got all the promotion. She never got over it.

Then, considering that they're both abrasive personalities, it only got worse.

[cooolandrew]

4. Well if that is his part of character all the better the senates going to need some bite right now.

[FormerDittoHead]

35. I don't like Rhodes, but I understand. Franken came in and called the shots at AAR.

Yes, the HBO documentary is revealing. I especially 'liked' the part about the investor screwing everyone over because it wasn't an overnight success.

Rhodes worked her way up in the radio business. Franken walks in knowing NOTHING about radio (and I was listening that first, amateurish day - It made college radio sound professional) and to this day, I credit Franken for having Mike Malloy fired. I still listened to him, however, and supported him in his Senatorial race.

Franken was to AAR what Marlon Brando was to the first Superman movie. They both brought respectability and name recognition for their new projects, and charged out the nose for it. Franken made 10 times what Malloy was making while at AAR.

[NYCGirl]

36. I may be mistaken, but wasn't Franken gone from AAR when Malloy was let go?

[FormerDittoHead]

37. Yes you are mistaken. Franken was still there.

Franken hadn't even declared his candidacy yet - he was still in the "committee" phase of whatever they call it. Everyone knew he was going to run, but there's this big rumor time before, etc.

But Franken was there. I remember the day very well. Mike Malloy had done an all-night 9/11 conspiracy show. He had on the guys who wrote books, websites, etc. Anyway, Malloy got the call en-route and was told it was because of budgetary reasons (again, he made 1/TENTH what Franken was making) and I instantly hooked it up my head that Franken caught wind of the show on the night prior, and realized that it would hurt his future campaign to be "colleagues" with one of those 9/11 kooks and gave the word that, seeing that he WASN'T BEING PAID (every one was working for accounts receivable at the time) gave an ultimatum, and the new AAR management made their choice. Again, this is ALL conjecture, but it puts the pieces together very well in my head, and I haven't seen anything that contradicts that theory.

[NYCGirl]

38. That was when they didn't play Malloy in NYC because the station made more money

from ads by running Satellite Sisters instead.

[cali]

3. Can't stand her

she's just not very bright and she's just all about Randi.

[hlthe2b]

5. I can't but help be a bit amused...

this issue has been posted by astonished DUers several times now--astonished that Randi would let her ego drive her feelings and attitude towards Al Franken, rather than celebrate another Dem victory.... I still listen to her occasionally because when she's feeling "good" about herself she can be very funny and witty, but her insecurities cause her to behave very very poorly--towards callers, guests, other hosts, etc. It gets old...


Here's one of those similar recent posts, FYI

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4784511

[cooolandrew]

Yeah, I guess I looked passed that for a while as she fought so valiantly for Barack. I think she >

trys to hold herself back at times but we all have something to learn from other people, she probably doesn't serve herself well to be too harsh with the people who in some part pay her wages as listeners do buy ad products or podcasts. I mean in the end the customer is always right, treat them all well they keep coming back.

[Mika]

10. If you think the customer is always right, then you've never worked with customers.

I doubt that you mean that, and are just using the cliche to make a point.

In the end, most customers take the easiest/cheapest route - Walmart is an example of that.

Doing the right thing is a hard uphill and expensive battle.

[cooolandrew]

7. ...

...

[phleshdef]

6. Randi is a smart woman with a disgustingly huge ego and a serious attitude problem.

And Al Franken probably wasn't one to kiss her ass when they were both working for AAR.

[Hieronymus]

11. A huge ego, yes. Smart? I don't buy that part. Randi attacked Rachel

Maddow over an interview Rachel did when she was very new to Air America. We can see who made it big ... :eyes:
Randi was obviously jealous of Franken at Air America, because he was the "star" ... again, Randi can't handle not being on top.

[phleshdef]

21. Well by smart I mean she can comprehend issues enough to not sound like a jackass...

She certainly is no Rachel though.

[Hieronymus]

25. You're right .. she does have a grasp of issues ... usually.

[gmoney]

31. Randi can be smart, Randi can be dumb, like the rest of us.

At times, Randi just doesn't seem to "get" things, and then gets all pissy and outraged and vindictive about it.

I vaguely recall Paul McCartney's name coming up in some context, so she tears into him because Beatles music isn't on iTunes, so she thinks that means she can't play it on her iPod. Randi, if you're such a big fan, you have the CDs... just import them into iTunes and transfer them onto your iPod. NBD.

This has happened on real issues, too, but my memory is so bad, I can't cite examples.

[CreekDog]

47. Odd considering McCartney didn't even own rights to his Beatles' music

Michael Jackson did :wtf:

[Kahuna]

8. Franken apparently not knowing that she is the self-proclaimed, "Godess"

didn't acknowledge that and bow down before her.

[jobycom]

9. Franken supported the invasion of Iraq, which rankled Dems at the time

He was also wishy-washy on his show at times on several topics, and it was hard to tell if he was trying to appeal to conservatives by being nicer to them, or if he was really just uniformed and flaky on some issues. He used to run a segment where he would allow a Rush Limbaugh supporter to voice his opinion on the show, for instance, without really contradicting him.

He got a lot of flack around here when he was on the air. Although no one really questioned whether he was a liberal, people questioned his understanding of the issues, and his choices on individual issues. Often his show was just a mess of jokes and simplistic opinions that showed less knowledge of the details and less understanding of the depth of issues than any of the other Air America hosts.

I'm glad he beat Coleman, and I hope he's a good senator, but he wouldn't have been on my top five list of Democrats I wanted up there. Probably not on my top fifty list. If his commentary and his career so far are any indication, he's not likely to be a strong senator, and he is likely to oppose us out of the blue on some issues.

When he was on AA, he got a lot of criticism from around here. I don't know what Randi's beef with him is now, but maybe that's it. A lot of the Air America hosts at the time, and other liberal radio hosts, criticised him, sometimes without naming him. Odd that she's choosing to trash him now, though. I haven't listened to her in a while, so I don't know what she's up to.

[tpsbmam]

15. ITA with everything you said and add in his dismissal of voting fraud issues....

When he was on AAR I listened to his show in the beginning but found him frustratingly ill-informed. After the early shows I only listened to him periodically and didn't really see much improvement over time. I have very mixed reactions to Randi but do think her ability to recall LOTS of information and tie bits of information together to create a big picture is a strength. And she was always far more informed than Franken (though she isn't always 100% accurate and goes overboard sometimes, she's pretty damn well informed).

[jobycom]

20. ITA with your assessment of Randi, too. nt

[kstewart33]

12. And a she has a huge feud going with Ed Schultz.

I don't know why. This lady takes names and no prisoners.

[ellacott]

14. He called her a slut on the air

She appeared on his show during the Dem covention and they made peace with each other. Because Randi holds grudges she has made a couple of digs at him on her show.

[mucifer]

26. just to make things clear shultz did not Franken.

[ellacott]

28. I'm sorry, thank you

Thanks for clearing that up. I could have phrased that better. :)

[PBS Poll-435]

13. I like Randi and listen to her when I can, but....

Sometimes she is just as abrasive and nasty (for no good reason) as some of the RW hosts.

She treats some of her callers like shit and I will never *love* her like I did before her comments in San Francisco.

(And then there is that whole fake mugging thing.)

[ellacott]

16. The mugging wasn't a fake on her part

She never put that story out there. They corrected thed story and when she came back on the air she also corrected it.

[Occam Bandage]

43. No, it was just her getting fall-down drunk in the middle of the day

and then lying about it.

[ellacott]

45. She never lied about it

It's funny that you are the one lying. One of the AAR personalities speculated that she was attacked and the story took off. While she was still out she released a statement saying she was not assaulted. When she came back on the air she reiterated that she was not assaulted and never claimed that she was.

Dislike her if you want but you don't have to lie about her.

[Occam Bandage]

52. Yes, she did. She claimed repeatedly that she was not drunk at the time. nt

[otohara]

58. Depending on The Meaning of "Lie" Is.

she admitted she e-mailed the station and wrote she got mugged.

When one of their top personalities writes an e-mail saying she got mugged - it spreads like wildfire and all sorts of rumors get started. Not malicious mind you, I think they were worried about her, because she "wrote" she was "mugged".

What were they supposed to believe?

Here's a short audio clip of what she says on her show the first day she got back to work. Not heard in the next rambling hour, she goes on to explain away in a million different ways, she was only kidding. In the end, she blames the staff for not recognizing "I got mugged" as a joke when it's written. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGdR3iEGSMQ

[otohara]

57. Listen to This

you heard wrong - she admitted she e-mailed the station and wrote she got mugged.

Now there's this saying in radio - telephone, telegraph, tell-a-radio person. When one of their top personalities writes an e-mail saying she got mugged - it spreads like wildfire and all sorts of rumors get started.

This particular statement is cut short - but she went on to explain in a million different ways, she was only kidding, ha, ha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGdR3iEGSMQ

[zulchzulu]

17. She's just not very entertaining to me anymore...

She USED to be funny. She USED to treat her callers with respect and not try to cut down even people who agree with her. And her vindictiveness on Franken is just too transparent to even believe.

I think she has some health issues that has made one pissed, angry woman. I hope she gets better. Then maybe I'll start listening again...

[Yukari Yakumo]

40. I think her condition is called deranged narcissism. {nt}

[Puglover]

18. I pretty much agree with the tone in this thread.

I was a faithful Randi fan but this Franken baloney along with having to deal with her enormous and neverending ego pretty much was a deal breaker for me. I'll listen to Thom Hartmann from now on.

[ShortnFiery]

19. I love Randi. I don't always agree with her but she's highly talented and intelligent.

Randi Rhodes :loveyou:

[a kennedy]

22. Sorry, but I turned Randi off a long time ago.....she is just mean to

her callers, and I don't listen to her anymore. :thumbsdown:

[Iwillnevergiveup]

23. I had to turn her off the other day on the car radio

while she was going on and on about her new boyfriend. Who cares?

How she treats callers (even those she agrees with)is a real turnoff, too.

[Bluenorthwest]

24. I used to love Randi

but that was long ago. What she is serving up, I do not wish to have in my car most of the time. She is mean to callers, mean to anyone who disagrees with her.
Her story is as old as showbiz. This cycle was a chance for pundits to move up in the world. Randi spent her time calling Hillary 'vermin' and alienating what was at the time about half the Party. Now Hillary is Obama's choice for Sec of State. Vermin. Obama picked vermin?
She sat by and watched Rachel get her own TV show with a fantastic slot. And up comes the bitter. Franken, he's a Senator! More bitter! And of course Al had accomplished more in his life prior to AAR than Randi will in her entire career. Where is her best seller, her film, her Senate Seat? Nowhere. And she's bitter about it all.
What pisses Randi off is that she made all the wrong choices, wound up where she started. Others moved to high places, and the others were not 'radio people'. Al and Rachel got spots Randi thinks she has claim to.
What Randi forgets is that the audience has to enjoy listening to her. Her ego gets in the way of her talent, in the way of her upward mobility. Frankly, she went from being my favorite radio talk show to being like an old bitter drunk I avoid at all costs. That energy is just a drag, it is dull, it is not good radio. Not good radio. The bottom line, not good radio.

[JuniperLea]

34. "old bitter drunk I avoid at all costs"

Thanks for saying that out loud.

She could have been a major player, and yes, her ego got in the way... her talent isn't that strong and was easily overcome.

[AndrewP]

39. You hit the nail right on the head with that post.

She is so angry about everything it's hard to listen to. If she was just angry about the Bush administration and right wing shills like Malloy is, I would love her. But she constantly is dragging her personal mud into her show. I just quit listening to her. I just turn it to POTUS on XM radio.

[kstewart33]

44. Well said.

The other day she was going on about Larry Flynt and pornography, saying how she'll miss pornography if something happens to Flynt. Just talking trash. Way too much personal stuff, like listening to someone's description of their personal habits that are cringing to hear about. Enjoy pornography? Fine. Just don't give me the details.

I don't know what her problem is. But she's become just very hard to listen to.

[busymom]

27. I used to really like Al Franken

personally....but then...I met him IRL here. He was really rude which I found shocking. I still voted for him though...but I don't care much for him anymore.

[CreekDog]

48. having met him, i don't know if he's rude or just deadpan sarcastic

i remember when he was touring for his book, "Lies..." and a local whacko radio host, Ray Taliaferro introduced him by saying something along the lines of (while pretending to quote Franken), "When I was a child I spoke as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things and became a Democrat" or something like that.

Al Franken comes up on stage and says, "Thank you Ray for that ridiculous introduction." :rofl:

it was funny.

the other thing is Al usually speaks in a monotone. this makes him come off rude because he doesn't usually display any warmth or emotion when he talks. if he laughs maybe, but that's about it. people take that as rude, but he's almost like a savant in his delivery sometimes.

he said thank you to me while signing his book but was so dour you would think he didn't mean it, but that's just his tone.

and no criticism of Al Franken regarding Randi Rhodes has any right to call him rude. she's the queen of rude. she is yelling and screaming, even though she agrees with you, rude.

[mucifer]

29. I listened to bits and pieces of Randi when she was on the radio in Chicago

Hard to listen for too long. She treats people who agree with her like crap because she is too impatient to listen. But, I thought it was very funny that she claimed Keith Olbermann would steal all her material. Gee isn't the news the same everywhere? She used to say that she was angry Keith wouldn't put her on his show. I wonder how she's feeling about that now with Rachel doing so well. I also think her comedy regarding Hillary was really a stupid move. If she wanted to support Obama that wasn't the way to do it.

But, I understand many people love her and her show and that's fine. I'm glad she has a place where people who like her can listen to her.

Franken does have the ability to admit when he is wrong. He is well read. He is one of the few media people who reads the book of the person he interviews before the interview. (Actually, I think most of the AAR personalities do this.) He asks intelligent questions. He criticizes the bush administration in intelligent ways. And I miss the Oy Oy Oy show. :)

[CreekDog]

49. if you want to go on TV you need to have good hair

she has...

well, she's not ready for tv. :eyes:

[Sebastian Doyle]

30. Franken was a complete asshat at Air America

The only actual professional radio people at the network at the time they launched were Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy. Maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe it isn't, that those two were the ones targeted by Franken and all the right wing shitheads who infiltrated that network, up to and including the fake "liberal" Mark Green.

I don't know if Franken specifically had a beef with Randi or not, but he definitely DID target Malloy, because of his outspoken opposition to the PNAC agenda and the Iraq war. Some of the Likudist right wingers that frequented Al's radio show were no doubt telling him and the AAR execs that Mike was "anti-semitic" which is ridiculous. Franken refused to allow AAR to run any promotions for Malloy's show when he was on the air. Kind of a lame thing to do to the experienced professionals when you're the new guy in the industry.

I hope Franken makes a decent senator, but that doesn't change the fact that he treated his colleagues like shit in his previous job. Not to mention the tone of his radio show was often anything BUT Liberal, with the string of neocons and DLC'ers who were his regular guests. What a snoozefest of a show. Never should have been on in the mornings.

[Beacool]

32. I can't stand the "big fuc**** whore"...............

:shrug:

[Sebastian Doyle]

55. You never let anything go, do you?

Same old PUMA shit in every thread. Doesn't matter if it even remotely concerns Hillary or not, you'll find a way to throw it in there.

Get some help, please. Before you hurt yourself. :evilfrown:

[Beacool]

56. Oh, please..............

This PUMA obsession of some of you is very amusing.

:7

[JuniperLea]

33. She is far too self-absorbed

Her show is more about her than it is about any progressive issues. Her 15 minutes must surely be up soon... please... I'm begging! Let it be over!

[GreenTea]

41. Because Franken was # 1 at AAR and Randi hated it, now he will be a senator, she very jealous and

man does it show!

[Occam Bandage]

42. She's a bitter, petty, hateful, booze-addled moron.

I don't know how anyone can stand her.

[PM Martin]

59. As you said.

[Forkboy]

46. She has all the charm of a fried lobster.

And an ego the size of Utah (that's pretty big).

[otohara]

50. She's A Bridge Burner

and vindictive.

She hates AAR and many other people too - makes no bones about it on her show. There's a reason why she doesn't have that many guests on her show.

[Berry Cool]

51. You know, that made something hit me.

She hates Keith as a person, but he used to be much like her in his earlier days in terms of being a "bridge burner." He'd just get angry and insult people he worked with and not give a damn, until he realized it was hurting him more than it was anyone else.

Maybe Randi has yet to learn that particular lesson.

[baldguy]

53. Ah, the daily Randi bashing thread. What would DU do without it?

[Cleita]

54. From what information I was able to get, her beef with him is actually

pretty petty and rather personal. She needs to sort it out with him in private not on the air waves. Her "I know something" innuendos could keep him from being seated and then Minnesotans would get Coleman again.