Tasteless personal attacks are nothing new on Air America Radio, but some deserve special mentioning. Coming out of a taped skit at the beginning of the second hour of her afternoon show on Friday (January 13, 2005), here's the incomparable Randi Rhodes (emphasis mine / audiotape on file):
"This guy [Judge Alito] just creeps me out. He's quiet. He's not a guy who shoots up stores, he dies in a blaze of glory. No. That's not who he is. He's like one of those guys who goes along for years really quietly ... murdering hookers. You know what I mean? That's more him. He's the kind of guy that you live next door to for 30 years, and then all of a sudden a bulldozer shows up, and there's 31 kids buried underneath. You know what I mean? That's his temperament. He's not a junkyard dog. He's not a barker. He's not like a [UN ambassador John] Bolton; y'know, obviously a big bully. No. He's more like a wolf in sheep's clothing. He looks really 'milk toasty'; you want to pet him, and actually, I want to make boots out of him. Y'know. But, uh. No. He's a hunter. And he's hunting for ways to - y'know - (changing tone) 'Balance of power? Oh. That's so '80's. 1780's!' You know what I mean? This is who he is."
Ugh. In addition to the vulgar and insensitive comparison, Rhodes seems to be complaining that Judge Alito is not a "junkyard dog"; that he's not "a barker'; that he's not "a guy who shoots up stores." I'm - uh - confused. Alito was quiet? Too polite? Too ... classy? I dunno.
Last September, Randi was cited by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for outrageous remarks in which she compared the evacuation of victims of hurricane Katrina to the deportation of Jews during the Holocaust ([link] and [link] and [link]). Although the letter to Randi from the ADL said, "We look forward to your response," there has been no published report of any apology from Rhodes that this writer could find.
Since Newsbusters' launch in August 2005, this writer has reported a number of noteworthy episodes from left-wing voices. Some of these cases would result in a national "uproar" in the MSM (ala Bill Bennett, Bill O'Reilly) if a conservative had said them; don't ya think?
Air America Ugliness: Bush Family, including Laura (!), Are "Killers" (Mike Malloy)
CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Katrina's Victims: "They Are So Black."
Amazon.com Video: Al Franken Skit Uses Violence Against "Right-Wing Jerk"
George Carlin: "Rich White Men Don't Care About Poor Black People"
Bill Maher Outrage: Judge Alito "Must Bomb An Abortion Clinic" (external link w/ image here)
HBO's Bill Maher: Laura Bush is Like "Hitler's Dog"
Air America's Randi Rhodes: Bush "Takes A Lot Of Joy About Losing People"
and, at another site, "Air America Outrage: One of the ugliest remarks you will ever hear" (Sam Seder / from July 2005).
