KSFO's Rodgers baselessly claimed Pritzker is "throwing a fancy reception" for Ahmadinejad
SUMMARY: Lee Rodgers baselessly claimed that Penny Pritzker, the national finance chair of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, is "throwing a fancy reception" for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "at one of the Hyatt hotels in New York," owned by Pritzker's family. Rodgers offered no evidence for the claim, and Rush Limbaugh has said, "I'm told there's no evidence that Penny Pritzker knew about" the dinner.
On the September 23 edition of KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show, host Lee Rodgers baselessly claimed that Penny Pritzker, the national finance chair of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, is "throwing a fancy reception" for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "at one of the Hyatt hotels in New York," owned by Pritzker's family. Rodgers offered no evidence for the claim, and Rush Limbaugh has said, "I'm told there's no evidence that Penny Pritzker knew about" the dinner.
During the broadcast, Rodgers asserted: "[Pritzker] is the head of Barack Obama's campaign finance committee, and, you know, the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is in New York this week. He's going to make a speech to the U.N. Head of the main terrorist nation in the world. Guess who is throwing a fancy reception for him? I believe it's at one of the Hyatt hotels in New York. Penny Pritzker." Rodgers continued: "Yes, big reception for big terrorist, being thrown, paid for by the chairperson of the Obama campaign's finance committee. No, I'm not making it up. You little lefties, you're gonna -- Ahmadinejad, no, no, it can't be true. Look it up, research it yourself. ... These people are in bed -- they're up to their asses in terrorists and left-wing crazies."
In fact, while the Pritzker family owns the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the location of a September 25 dinner where Ahmadinejad reportedly will be a guest, the charge that she is personally involved with the selection or planning of any "fancy reception" for Ahmadinejad is baseless. A September 17 article in published on the website of the Forward said the event is "sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee, the Quaker United Nations Office, the World Council of Churches, Religions for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee." According to a Hyatt corporate biography, Penny Pritzker serves as the chair of Classic Residence by Hyatt and sits on the board of the Global Hyatt Corp. The site gives no indication that she has any direct involvement in the operations of hotels such as the Grand Hyatt.
Limbaugh, after discussing the same claim at length on his September 19 broadcast, said:
Now, this is the fourth bit of information I've had on this reception for Ahmadinejad at the Grand Hyatt in New York later this month when Ahmadinejad is here for the UN -- now I'm being told there's no evidence that Penny Pritzker knew about this, but she does own the Grand Hyatt. Apparently there's no that evidence Penny Pritzker knew about it. The invitation to this reception is called, "Has not one God created us?" and Quakers and Mennonites are the ones who have invited Ahmadinejad to the meeting, is what I am now hearing. Penny Pritzker did not, or no evidence that she knew about this.
From the September 23 broadcast of KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show:
RODGERS: From the Obama campaign, we have this item: Penny Pritzker is part of a very wealthy, ultra-left-wing Chicago family. I know a little bit about the Pritzker family and their operations from inside, because the lovely Mrs. Rodgers once worked for them -- in the headquarters office, for the Pritzkers themselves.
OFFICER VIC (co-host Tom Benner): Well.
RODGERS: Very wealthy Chicago family. They own, well, Hyatt hotels. That's the Pritzker family. Marmon Industries is -- not Mormon, Marmon Industries -- is another Pritzker family. Penny -- and, oh, the stories I could tell you about what a bunch of a-holes they are, generally speaking, in that family, my God.
OFFICER VIC: Well, we've got around three more hours.
RODGERS: Yeah, well, Penny Pritzker is one of them. She is so knowledgeable about financial matters she was president of a bank the family owned that collapsed.
OFFICER VIC: Yeah. Uh-huh.
RODGERS: She is the head of Barack Obama's campaign finance committee, and, you know, the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is in New York this week. He's going to make a speech to the U.N. Head of the main terrorist nation in the world. Guess who is throwing a fancy reception for him? I believe it's at one of the Hyatt hotels in New York. Penny Pritzker. Yes, big reception for big terrorist, being thrown, paid for by --
OFFICER VIC: Very --
RODGERS: -- the chairperson of the Obama campaign's finance committee. No, I'm not making it up. You little lefties, you're gonna -- Ahmadinejad, no, no, it can't be true. Look it up, research it yourself.
OFFICER VIC: That's very interesting.
RODGERS: These people are in bed -- they're up to their asses in terrorists and left-wing crazies.
Hey! Isn't Jeff Christie a radio name once used by a draft dodging, 3 times divorced, drug addicted, self loathing, homosexual, and suspected pedophile, college dropout (in his first term) who calls himself Rush Limbaugh?
Just wondering. . .
If it weren't so tragic, it would be funny, that right wingers will follow anyone as long as they have that bigotry thing down.
"sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee, the Quaker United Nations Office, the World Council of Churches, Religions for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee."
All terrorist organizations, no doubt... ;>)
BTW, do you think Rodgers would ever issue a retraction or correction? Ha! Yea, right...
I've always been suspicious of those Mennonites. They're just Amish with drivers licenses.
And don't get me started on those damned Quakers. They think they're so great with that oatmeal and all.
Worrie, I think you could take any Quaker in a fight... ;>)
Worrie, I think you could take any Quaker in a fight... ;>)--Irony
Wait! Is the oatmeal cooked, or made into no-bake cookies?
Those Quakers are scary. They even put Barbara Bush on the oatmeal box.
Worrie, I think you could take any Quaker in a fight... ;>) - IRONY 101
I don't know about that. Do you remembe the Grace Kelly character at the end of High Noon?
Or maybe one of our war mongering ex-presidents, Richard Milhous Nixon who was born to Quaker parents and was a Quaker as a kid.
This is most definitely uncharacteristically un-Limbaugh, to not repeat a baseless claim. I bet he is a friend of this Pritzker family, why else would he not push this narrative?
Yes, in fact, Rush Limbaugh has numerous interests with the Pritzker family...including their recent attempt to buy an interest in the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers.
<BTW, I just made all that shet up...just like Limbaugh does.>
Irony, you had me there for a second. I was just going to say, anyone who made Limbaugh look sort of honest in comparison must be really out there. Sounds like Rodgers is the latest contender for worst person in the world.
The right-wing professional liars are having trouble keeping their lies synchronized?
Normally, it's a well-oiled slime machine chanting in unison over a thousand radio stations.
Obama must be throwing them off their game because they're having trouble finding any $*** that will stick to the wall.
"Obama must be throwing them off their game because they're having trouble finding any $*** that will stick to the wall."
Actually....... I think that they are off their well snake-oiled game because they all want to say the 'N' word so bad that they can taste it..... but they can't because of the poop storm it would bring??
Seriously....... just listening to these rightwing phycho's for 30 seconds is enough to realize that that likely is what they are dying to get away with.
Is it me or does Lee Rodgers look like the Prostitute Toe-Sucker Dick Morris only a bit older??
Seems to have the same kind of mentality as well......
The definitions have changed a great deal if the Pritzkers are 'ultra-left.'
If these hotel-chain-owning, Medical-school-building, Architecture-prize-awarding society types are 'ultra-left'--then what must the people be who actually don't like big corporations? What must the people be who go on strike against Hyatt Hotels?
Ultra-super-duper-times-infinity leftists?
Of course, to Rodgers, they look like ultra-leftists. So does most of America.
Every time I read a lie like this, I wonder about slander laws.