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[H/t Heather]

Al Franken doesn't have to crack another joke for the rest of his life, and he'll still be providing us with a bottomless parade of high comedy -- inadvertently, as it were, in the form of right-wing pundits pitching themselves into a downright frenzy over his election to the Senate.

Especially Bill O'Reilly.

He was on vacation last week when the news came down, so last night he had the chance to finally weigh in, and he did:

O'Reilly: Check one: In a sad day for America, Al Franken is now a U.S. senator. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled he won the election by about 300 votes. Franken is a blatantly dishonest individual, a far-left zealot who is not qualified to hold any office, a man who trafficked in hate on his failed Air America radio program. If you want proof, check out Page 96 in my book Culture Warrior. With people like Franken on the Hill, this country is in deep trouble.

Stephen Colbert needn't parodize this one. It's already self-parody.

Of course, all this stirs up fond memories. Like the 2003 BookWorld Expo in Los Angeles:

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And who can forget Fox v. Franken? Ah, good times, good times.

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Former Air America Radio talk show host, Randi Rhodes, appeared on Larry King Live to talk about the controversy surrounding statements she made about Geraldine Ferraro and Senator Hillary Clinton, and her subsequent departure from Air America.

Rhodes was unapologetic as she took a few swipes at AAR management and claims they wanted her to amend her contract and that's why she left.

<Correction>

The final lines of Logan's piece were originally edited, but the changes didn't take in Word Press after it was uploaded and then published. CNN's behavior was fine. Thanks for the emails. JA

C&L received confirmation from Air America:

STATEMENT OF CHARLIE KIREKER, CHAIR & MARK GREEN, PRESIDENT, FOR AIR AMERICA MEDIA

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.

Apparently, Randi will be heading back to Green 960 AM.

UPDATE: John Scott, Program Director of Green960, speaks out:

"We have been very frustrated the past few days in our efforts to rectify the Randi Rhodes Situation (her suspension by her network, Air America Radio). It is our understanding that today (April 9th) she is no longer an employee of Air America. So we are bringing her back."

Monday, April 14th at 4pm... it will be our pleasure to announce the return of Randi Rhodes to the Green 960 family.

I, like many, think that Sam Seder deserves his own show again. Write to pcollin@airamerica.com and let them know you want Sam back full time. We wish Randi all the best in the future.

UPDATE: Looks like Richard Belzer will be filling in at least temporarily.

TV Newser:

Insiders tell TVNewser Tucker Carlson's 6pmET show Tucker is getting the axe, but Carlson stays on as a political contributor to all MSNBC shows at least through the 2008 election. The official announcement, expected tomorrow, will include details about who will replace Tucker at 6pmET as well as other political programming additions. Sources say the network is going to beef up its schedule with more NBC News talent.

In recent days, Jossip, as well as other blogs, ratcheted up the talk that Tucker would be replaced "for a new project." In its 33-month run, Carlson's show has had two names, four time slots and multiple formats. At 6pmET, it builds on its Harbdall lead-in on some days, but loses audience on others.

Carlson is expected to host the show through next week, with his new role and title to take effect March 17. We're told he'll also be reporting from the campaign trail. Read on...

Finally! We have documented many of Tucker's atrocities during his time at MSNBC and have been asking for this for years. Carlson will remain at MSNBC as a contributor for the time being, but at last, there's a chance we'll see a reality based, progressive show in that time slot. Rumor has it Air America Radio's Rachel Maddow is working on a show for the network -- we can only hope she gets her shot. She's earned it.

dKos:

It was announced on Air America Radio, Jon Elliot's show tonight, that Randi Rhodes was attacked in a park in NYC walking her dog.[..]

A fellow blogger's account from the UK:

Sideshow - Uk

Get well soon, Randi Rhodes. I don't usually have time to listen to her show but I tend to leave AAR on when I'm in front of my computer - but when I heard Lionel sitting in for her, I just turned it off. Sorry, I just can't listen to him. But right now I'm listening to John Elliot and he says Randi was attacked last night while she was walking her dog. She wasn't carrying a bag and was just in sweats, and she was beaten up pretty badly and had some teeth knocked out. Elliot is saying it sounds like it was neither a sexual assault nor a robbery and he suspects it was political. The way things are going, he could be right.

Without any information (or confirmation) I think we should be careful about assuming motivations behind the attack. I'll only say on behalf of C&L that we wish Randi a speedy recovery.

Joe Gandelman has more...

UPDATE: Thom Hartmann just read the official AAR statement on his program:

October 16-NEW YORK-On Sunday evening, October 14, Air America host Randi Rhodes experienced an unfortunate incident hindering her from hosting her show. The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded. Ms. Rhodes looks forward to being back on the air on Thursday.

UPDATE #2: We're getting conflicting reports on exactly how Randi got hurt. So without Randi Rhodes's own statement clearing up the speculation, we'll stick with just wishing her a speedy recovery.

In the latest installment of her Campaign Asylum video series, Air America Radio talk show host Rachel Maddow hands out her "Most Improved Candidate" awards.

Air America Radio talk show host Rachel Maddow is now posting weekly videos called Rachel Maddow's Campaign Asylum. I was very excited to see this, 'cuz you know I can't get enough of the Rachel. In this clip. she talks about GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and among other things, his disdain for mini skirts and how they draw attention to a woman's private parts. Hmm, a dress code for women in America?

Campaign for America's Future:

Every Friday in our Weekend Watchdog feature, we post suggested questions for scheduled Sunday guests. You can add your own questions in the comment thread. We'll also include contact information for the shows, so we can let them know what their viewers want asked.

And on Sunday at 4 PM ET, tune in to Air America Radio's "Seder on Sundays" program, where I'll offer the Weekend Watchdog Wrap-Up.

There are some good questions up already as well as contact information to send your questions to the networks.

Air America Radio talk show host Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks joined Crystal McCrary Anthony and Niger Innis on tonight's "Paula Zahn Now" to discuss the hysteria surrounding a lawsuit being filed by Pastor O'Neal Dozier and others to keep a mosque from being built in a predominately black neighborhood in Pompano Beach, Florida. Cenk points out the absurdity of the lawsuit and how it is driven by fear, hatred and ignorance.

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Zahn: "Are you at all sensitive to their fears about safety?"

Uygur:"No. Okay, because then it's the same argument they would have made back in the civil rights era. I don't know, you know there are some blacks who are violent, and so we gotta be wary of all blacks. And it's a terrible argument."

Mark Green at HuffPo:

Today my family formally purchases and takes over Air America Radio. Why? Because if progressive values were a stock, now is the time to buy.

That hasn't always been true, as the cycle of politics demonstrates. In recent decades, politics seems to have been governed by physics - for every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction.
William F. Buckley Jr. started The National Review in the 1950s to rebut what he saw as the dominance of liberalism in the academy and opinion journals like The Nation and The New Republic. From 1970-72, Public Citizen, Common Cause and the NRDC were all created in reaction to Nixon's depredations. Similarly, People For the American Way grew out of the rise of the Religious Right under Reagan in the mid-80s.
New progressive think tanks over the past 10 years, most recently and prominently the Center for American Progress, were created to counter AEI and Heritage. And, of course, the Huffington Post and Air America were born in reaction to the electronic propaganda of Drudge and Limbaugh et. al.

Air America was a large, smart idea to counter the near-monopoly on talk radio by the far (f)right. But like most start-ups, the business plan collided with reality. Six CEOs over its first three years - and various missteps and misspending - sent it into Chapter 11.
It's now ready to go from The Perils of Pauline to The Little Engine that Could.