Air America Radio Host Mugged, Liberals Blame Conservatives

If something bad happens to a liberal anywhere on the face of the planet, should it be assumed a conservative is responsible?

Such appears to be the case according to the blog Talking Radio, which on Tuesday reported the unfortunate mugging of Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes in New York City Sunday evening.

*****Update: The Daily News is reporting that Rhodes wasn't mugged (details at end of post, h/t NBer Gat New York).

In true Joy Behar fashion, the piece, after giving some details of the attack along with Rhodes’s apparent injuries, quickly addressed the possibility that the event was indeed political, and somehow connected to Hillary Clintons vast rightwing conspiracy (emphasis added throughout, h/t NBer lunaticcringeradio):

Pointing out that Rhodes was wearing a jogging suit and displayed no purse or jewelry, [Air America Radio host] Elliott speculated that "this does not appear to me to be a standard grab the money and run mugging."

"Is this an attempt by the right wing hate machine to silence one of our own," he asked. "Are we threatening them. Are they afraid that we're winning. Are they trying to silence intimidate us."

Some of blog posters also expressed concerns that the attack on Rhodes was hate crime.

Amazing, wouldn’t you agree? This network went bankrupt because of its poor ratings. Yet, in these folks’ view, conservatives are so threatened by Randi Rhodes that they would resort to violence in order to silence her.

And this is supposedly the intelligent political party in our nation.

Alas, the stupidity continued:

Attacks on liberal talk radio stations and their hosts are not a new thing. About a month ago a gunman fired a shot through a window at the studios of KPFT, Houston’s, Pacifica station narrowly missing a DJ who was hosting music show at the time. There is currently a $10,000 reward offered to anyone who identifies the shooter.

This is not the first politically motivated attack on KPFT. More than 35 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan blew up the station's transmitters twice within the Houston station's first year on the air.

Also, according to a blogger on Democratic Underground, Thom Hartmann said on his Friday show that his auto repairman, after replacing his windshield, pointed out to him that he had three bullet holes in his car.

Apparently, some right-wing critics of lib talk aren’t happy that conservative talk only accounts for 90% of the programming on talk radio. These whack jobs appear determined to whatever it takes to silence the opposing point of view.

Have you ever read such astounding paranoia?

Regardless of the insanity of her fans, we at NewsBusters wish Randi well, and a speedy recovery.

*****Update: Charles Johnson identified some more absurdity concerning this issue being voiced at the liberal website Think Progress (see his update). Frankly, you won't believe it!

*****Update II: The Daily News is reporting that Rhodes wasn't mugged (emphasis added, h/t NBer Gat New York) --

Air America radio host Randi Rhodes is temporarily off the air, but claims she was brutally attacked near her Manhattan apartment are bogus, her lawyer and a police source said today.

[...]

A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Cops from Manhattan's 17th Precinct called her attorney, who told them Rhodes was not a victim of a crime, the source said.

Rhodes' lawyer told the Daily News she was injured in a fall while walking her dog. He said she's not sure what happened, and only knows that she fell down and is in a lot of pain. The lawyer said Rhodes expects to be back on the air Thursday. He stressed there is no indication she was targeted or that she was the victim of a "hate crime."

[...]

The network released a statement that said Rhodes "experienced an unfortunate incident."

"The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded," the statement read by a receptionist at the network's New York offices said. "Ms. Rhodes is looking forward to being back on the air on Thursday."

How 'bout that? And the folks immediately pointing fingers at conservatives are supposedly the tolerant and open-minded in our nation.

What a crock!