Former comedian and Air America Radio host and current Senate candidate Al Franken has paid $70,000 in back taxes that he owed to seventeen - count 'em, 17 - states across the U.S. It was all his accountant's doing! Of course, that accountant had been doing his taxes for 18 years and he couldn't be reached for comment... because he was under a bus, or something. Per Stuart, he paid more in NY and MN and less in other states due to "his accountant"
"Franni and I have paid state and federal taxes on every cent of our income... Franni and I believe in paying state and federal taxes on all our income."
And, I'm sure he does and this was just an "accounting error".
Quick: name an English political pundit. If you're like 99.99999999% of Americans, you drew a blank. Unfortunately, our friends across the pond are much keener, and thus the Telegraph UK has no trouble compiling the list of the Top 50 Most Influential U.S. Political Pundits (link).
And, who's there at #50 but Air America Radio's own Rachel Maddow:
One of the most acute minds among the analysts on Democrats’ favourite cable network MSNBC, Maddow seems destined for greater things, having already debuted for Republican-baiter in-chief Keith Olbermann.
At this point you're probably thinking they're playing this for laughs and having a "piss take" on we yanks. And, you'd be right since Paul Krugman weighs in at #48, Fred Barnes is at #45, and the rest are equally ludicrous with Jeffrey Toobin being described as possessing a "Rolls Royce brain".
Good news for Al Franken: he's not sinking as fast as he could have or being trounced as much as he will be. A new Rasmussen telephone poll has Franken behind Senator Norm Coleman by only seven points. The margin of error is 4.5 points, but the same poll had Franken behind by just two points last month. And, in February, Franken was ahead of Coleman.
Two nobodies are joining forces: Air America Radio's Rachel Maddow will now be turning over the first hour of her show to a simulcast with the MSNBC program Race for the White House hosted by David Gregory. I'm going to let a commenter on that post say it for me:
Air America and MSNBC have something in common, very poor ratings. Since they share the same audience, simulcasting the same show can only hurt.
Who knew that Randi Rhodes has her own Rapid Response Team designed to immediately smack down rumors and false statements about her? And, who knew that Rhoads herself was apparently the sole member of the RRT?
No sooner had Dave Kopel, columnist for the Rocky Mountain News, offered "Regrettably, Rhodes returns to radio" (link), then RR's RRT swung into action, offering a vigorous take-down of the apparently factually-challenged article. Unfortunately, she posted it as a comment at Jane Galt's site (link), meaning that even fewer people will see it than will hear her show.
Here's a video of Randi Rhodes explaining why she quit Air America Radio on the Larry King Live. She claims that the real reason she was suspended was because they wanted to re-negotiate her contract to add in the right to fire her at will. She claims they wouldn't allow her to come back on the air unless she agreed to amend her contract. And, she says that AAR releasing the clip was "market research" but, needless to say, Larry King doesn't ask her to explain what she meant.
She might have said something "interesting" after that, but the surreality of watching the clip was getting to me so I'll leave that to you.
Randi Rhodes has either quit, walked away, or been fired from Air America Radio! (AAR is a "liberal" radio network, and Rhoads has been one of their key hosts throughout their turbulent four year history. The network continues broadcasting on some radio stations throughout the U.S.)
She will supposedly be joining San Francisco's Green 960, formerly known as The Quake (KKGN), on Monday.
Mark Green, president, and Charlie Kireker, Chair, have released the following statement:
Last week Air America suspended Randi Rhodes for abusive, obscene language at a recent public appearance in San Francisco which was sponsored by an Air America affiliate station... Air America Media was informed last night by Ms. Rhodes that she has chosen to terminate her employment with the company... We wish her well and thank her for past services to Air America. We will soon announce exciting new talent and programming that will accelerate Air America's growth in the future.
Their "liberal" listeners are restless on the announcement thread (link) and Rhoades' old site (therandirhodesshow.com) has been redirected to Air America's site. Her site contained forums in addition to archives, and it's a bit surprising that she didn't maintain control over it. The DUmmies are also angered (link), as are the other dummies over at HuffPost (link).
UPDATE: An unnamed source says Rhodes will be moving to NovaM, the Sheldon Drobny network. Not only that, but she'll be broadcast over "all" (probably just some) Clear Channel stations.
AAR is supposedly glad to see their star go (per the HuffPost thread), and I'm sure they're right. After all, they've still got Lionel, and Thom Hartmann, and some other people, and I'm sure they'll make out OK! Meanwhile, it's not like being broadcast nationwide over an actual network like Clear Channel means anything.
TWO GREAT TASTES UPDATE: It's officious! Randi has joined the Nova M gang, with CEO John Manzo saying:
"I just can't stop smiling - Randi is simply the biggest and the best. Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy under one roof – talk about TALENT!"
NB: In Arizona, tents are called roofs. And, Randi herself says:
With Manzo at helm of Nova M, I am truly going to work for the best of the best. He is radio elite…and I am too . I'm home, I'm home, I'm home!
Her new show will air 3-6pm weekdays. Tonight, April 10 2008, she will also be appearing on Larry King Live. Man the tape delay!
America's hunkiest supporter of illegal activity, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, will apparently soon be doing a show on Air America Radio, sources say. It will reportedly air on Saturday afternoons, but I strongly suspect that it will only be aired on their Frisco affiliate KKGN Green 960, formerly known as KQKE The Quake.
When not preparing for his media debut, Newsom is currently running advertisements explaining to his residents how federal laws relating to illegal immigration don't apply to his city. He's also one of the leaders of a corrupt scheme that helps banks profit from money that was earned illegally.
Sorry, Stuart! Minnesota's current and future Senator Norm Coleman raised $2 million in the first quarter and has $7 million in cash on hand. Al Franken raised $1.9 million in the last quarter of 2007, and hasn't yet released what he raised in Q1. And, he's only got $3.1 million in cash.
In related news, Jesse Ventura is threatening to enter the race, saying:
"You've got Norm Coleman who's a chicken hawk -- he wouldn't serve in Vietnam, he protested against it, now he's rubber stamped George Bush every vote he wanted for the war in Iraq. Then you've got Al Franken a carpet bagger, he hasn't lived in Minnesota for 30 years he doesn't even have a Minnesota driver's license."
And, in yet more related news, if anyone would like to show just how much of a hack Franken is, ask him tough questions about his immigration position (alfranken.com/pages/immigration) and then upload his stuttering response to Youtube. I strongly suspect that he knows little about the issue, since what's at that page is stock DNC boilerplate. I follow the issue closely and can come up with some questions that would throw him for a loop, so if anyone's in the area and is willing to ask him questions, leave a comment.
Taking a break from getting tattoos and making cameo appearances in D movies, Janeane Garofalo called in to Air America yesterday to speak on the air with her former co-host Sam Seder, who was doing Randi Rhodes' show due to her suspension from the network. A partial transcript is here, and, for those who can stand it, an audio of the event is below.
And, what's even more interesting (not that Janeene isn't completely interesting as it is) is that Air America itself has its own audio of JFo calling in, entitled "Janeane Garofalo sticks up for Randi Rhodes" (link). Not only that, but they have another one: "Stephanie Miller sticks up for Randi Rhodes" (link). On the last link, a commenter says, "what's really pathetic is that the affiliate of air america that is involved, green 960 in SF, is milking this for ratings." While I initially thought the Clintons, or Blackwater thugs, or CACI (just kidding), or shadowy government forces might have been the ones involved in the suspension, perhaps the whole Randi Rhodes thing is just a publicity stunt.
Anywho, returning to the ever-alluring Jeaneane, she called from her alternate universe and stuck up for Rhodes ("Has she not built up enough good credit in the bank of supporting every good Liberal Democratic cause over the years? ...she has the right to do her stand up as she is apt to do") and also blasted AAR ("I was so disenchanted with the corporate ownership of this of this company Air America one after the other bonehead decision after bonehead decision"). In a way she's right: the problem with AAR all along has been that the hosts don't own the means of production.
Then, things take a turn for the even more odd:
Well, maybe they should dump some of those conservative voices that spew their garbage on this network. In the morning, or Cavuto, or the Stockholm Syndrome sufferer Alan Colmes.
Apparently Janine has a "special radio" that causes those non-AAR hosts to appear on the Air America Radio network. While Colmes does appear on New York City's WWRL, every show on that station is "progressive", Colmes is not part of AAR, Neil Cavuto is with Fox, and AAR doesn't have any conservative shows. Blame it on all that tattoo ink.
COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY CONFESSION UPDATE: As it turns out, Janine was not as incorrect as I previously thought. Neil Cavuto does in fact appear on WWRL (link). His minute-long "Money Report" appears every weekday at 5:47pm. I fully understand how JFo could react with rage to a full minute - practically an eternity - of ranting from one of Faux Noise's ReTHUGlican puppets, and I heartily and fully apologize to her for suggesting that she was picking up the station on a "special" antenna when in fact it appears that she was rightthinking about this issue all along.
Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes is under attack by pro-Clintonian forces after calling Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro "whores". She even called Hillary a "big f*cking whore" and said that Ferraro turned out to be a "David Duke in drag". This was during some sort of "comedy" stand-up performace somewhere and not on her radio show. "Liberals" (reportedly under the command of Gen. Lanny Davis) weigh in here.
Whether Rhodes will face any repurcussions from her performance is not yet known. However, let me suggest taking a buddy along the next time she goes to an Irish bar. The Clintons have a history.
UPDATE: Rhodes has been suspended, per AAR chair Charlie Kireker (link):
"Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our Hosts."
The natives are restless on the thread announcing that perennial also ran Sam Seder will be filling in for her, claiming that she did nothing wrong and that the Clintons strongarmed AAR into aquiescence.
Meanwhile, graphic artists have been brought in to temporarily remove her from the site's graphics. She is reportedly jetting to AAR's Morozniy Zhop, Siberia, outlet to fulfill the terms of her rehabilitation agreement.
UPDATE 2: The suspension is indefinite, per this. That will also give them time to "to gauge public reaction". Here's a hint: if they hadn't suspended her, no one would have ever heard of her.
Understandably, Rhodes is stunned and angry. About her employers she told me: "They are in breach of my contract and have damaged my hard won excellent reputation in the broadcast industry..." Rhodes added she received thank you letters from representatives of Air America, the San Francisco affiliate and sponsors praising her for the performance that now has her in hot water.
What is it about Democratic politicians and those linked to them, anyway? Has Howard Dean completely broken the intern system or something?
I ask because in February, Tom Athans - the husband of Senator Debbie Stabenow (a Democrat) and also a co-founder of Democracy Radio and a former Air America Radio executive - was caught by police leaving a Troy, Michigan hotel where an alleged prostitute had set up shop. For those in the area, that would be the the Residence Inn near Big Beaver and Interstate 75. He admitted to paying her $150 for 15 minutes, a higher rate than many Beltway hacks make. He wasn't charged, but should the case against the oppressed lady of the day go to court, he'll have to testify. Bagmen are probably jetting to MI as I type. He was also driving on a suspended license. At least crack wasn't involved, at least as far as we know. On the power to the people side of things, he was a generous gent, apparently giving the painted lady of Troy 50% more than her going rate. He was also driving an American-made Cadillac, so expect union support.
Athans is a radio producer who's spent the past several years trying to launch liberal talk shows that could counter popular conservative radio programming.
Before starting his current firm TalkUSA Radio in 2006, Athans was the head of syndicated programming at Air America, the liberal network that declared bankruptcy that year. TalkUSA launched one syndicated talk show last year.
Athans has strong ties to Democratic Party officials and liberal activists; Sen. Hillary Clinton publicly acknowledged him during her speech in Detroit last month.
According to the Washington Post, Clinton and other senators attended a fund-raiser in 2004 for Athans' previous network, Democracy Radio, which raised $1.8 million to launch the talk show of Ed Schultz. Athans dissolved Democracy Radio in May 2006.
As previously discussed, the Police Departement of Bemidji, Minnesota is attempting to speak with former Air America host and Senate candidate Al Franken in regards to a string of liquor store robberies that have occurred in that community over the last two months. They've now upgraded his status to a "person of interest", and have enlisted the aid of state police. A security cordon has been established around his compound, but officials are still uncertain on whether he's inside or whether he's fled to Canada or another country. Updates as they become available...
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Before I get a TRO from Al Franken's people or something, I want to make it clear that this was an "April Fool's Day Joke". In retrospect, I should have made it more obvious, and I apologize to Mr. Franken, his family, his friends, and the entire population of not just Bemidji but the state of Minnesota.
Our sources inside Air America Radio are reporting shocking news: Air America Radio will soon exit the over-the-air radio business and become a web-only presence. They'll concentrate on streaming audio, video, and text posts, as the Young Turks did just a couple of months ago. Additional income will be obtained through merchandising (such as tote bags) as well as through cruises, endorsements by Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann, and Lionel, and the like.
A look at their web site reveals that they're well on their way to achieving the long-sought-after goal (such as by the Huffington Post) of actually monetizing the internet. The most noteworthy aspect is the color scheme, a veritable cornucopia of shades of blue, green, red, orange, brown, yellow, and on and on. Virtually the entire rainbow is represented there.
But, the most noteworthy feature has to be the new blocks, which include rounded corners, a long desideratum of web developers everywhere. For this scheme, they've used the technique of having a top portion with a background including the rounded corners, then a repeated middle section with the sides, followed by a bottom span with the two lower corners. They do not appear to be using Javascript to perform that, meaning that it will degrade well in older browsers or for those who've disabled that feature.
I completely forgot to celebrate Air America's fourth year on the air as I and thousands did last year, but let this post be a belated "Congratulations!" to America's proudest and most successful progressive radio network. And many more!
