Not Your Sweetie

Randi Rhodes vs Patty Smith yesterday - best account:

QUOTE (heinrich @ Sep 30 2004, 01:22 AM)
My impressions of Randi's and Patti's "discussion" -- after listening to it three times -- favors Randi. But let's let the facts guide us by looking at the timing of the dialogue in the first nine minutes or so:
First 30 seconds: Patti's music is played
Next 40: Randi praises Patti
Next 20: Randi starts to make a case that the music should have improved after W's war
Next 65: Patti interrupts before Randi can finish her point, and has misinterpreted Randi's point
Next 157: Randi riffs on W selling fear and the takeover of media by corporations
Next 96: Patti makes the point how Iraq infrastructure has been destroyed
Next 29: Randi amplifies Patti's point with specific detail
Next 19: Patti's notes that people are not asking questions.
Next 29: Rand and Patti go back and forth on corporate influence; Patti praises Nader; Randi criticizes Nader
Next 12: Patti rebuts Randi with "That's not true" and "That's a very glib statement"
Next 58: Randi gives her Prada shoe analogy, says Nader had done some great things, but that he's changed.
Next 10: Patti says she doesn't agree and "I don't want to argue with you on your show," to which Randi good-naturedly say's "Oh, come on (giggle)"
At this point, Patti says to Randi "Your point is narrow," accuses Randi of talking 90% of the time, and dismisses Randi with "If you really want to talk to me about Ralph Nader in any meaningful way, we can do it afterwards."
If you add up the amount of time each spoke during the first nine minutes or so, counting 29 seconds where it was going back and forth evenly, you get 261 seconds for Patti and 333 seconds for Randi, which means Patti (and her song) had 44% of the air time and Randi had 56%. This is actually a pretty even balance up to the point Patti accuses Randi of monopolizing 90% of the air time.
Also, the conversation was very civil until Patti said "That's a very glib statement," which is a putdown of Randi. Even then, Randi remained polite.
After Randi, in all good humor, encouraged Patti to argue the facts, Patti returns with "Your point is narrow," which is again an insulting putdown to Randi, and then the "If you really .. . in any meaningful way .. ." which is downright rude and condescending to Randi.
Up to this point, Randi had been very agreeable and very open in allowing Patti to make her point.
After this, the gloves were off and I think Patti's stonewalling and refusal to engage in the debate reflects poorly on her. Yes, Randi got passionate and probably stayed on the Nader point too long. But she had every justification. Patti should have done her homework before coming on the show, and should have been more polite.
http://forum.therandirhodesshow.com/index.php?s=8de9daab1ceecdf0f890b44b8caa4ab2&act=ST&f=22&t=25672&st=225&