Keith Olbermann's abrupt and unexpected departure from MSNBC and his Countdown show surprised many, and it has brought out a great deal of response with some stunned and regretful, but most gleefully rejoicing his leaving.
Regardless of Olbermann's apparently huge ego, for those of us who share his ideology, he always managed to impart both intelligence and, as Benedict Declercq noted, in his comment on Barbara Barnett's article on Olbermann, here at BC, he (Olbermann) maintains "erudition, eloquence, [and a] warm humanitarian approach."
I know many find all partisan punditry offensive. It is, nevertheless, a permanent part of the landscape. Opinion has long been a part of the print media and right wing jocks have been chewing the conservative woodwork on radio for several years. Political opinion and commentary are relatively new to television. FOX News is riding high with the Republican gains last November, and the rise of the Tea Party phenomenom, with which they were intimately involved. So much of what they "report" is, shall we say, often found wanting in truth, or at best is wildly distorted, there simply MUST be a counter balance.
The partisan programs airing on both radio and TV are pretty much preaching to the choir, but if one side is allowed to proceed unfettered, unchecked, minorities in particular would suffer diminished access and diminished credibility in the economic and political sphere.
What the right claims as Olbermann's excesses are soft shoe compared to the outrageous and inflammatory nature of accusations and character assassinations coming from the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck in particular. Limbaugh is a blustering gas bag, offense oozing from every pore and is effectively, the de facto leader of the Republican party. They won't crepitate without getting the nod from Rush.
More dangerous is Beck, who some accurately dismiss as looney tunes, but like it or not, he has a huge following of adoring fans who hang on his every word. He has taken demagoguery to new heights.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - NotoriousRambo
I like watching Keith's show it is very informative and is very straight forward unlike Fox News which many of you foolishly watch even though you know you are being lied to makes me think of the war in Iraq a war started basically on lies and was proven so yet we continue to fight there JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
I respect Keith's journalism so much that I got hooked onto his show i was flipping through the channels a year and a half ago seeing what all the major news networks are talking about off course Fox news just made me switch the channel right away then same thing happened with CNN but not as swift as fox I then turned to MSNBC watched the whole episode of "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" and was immediately hooked not only can I see the true sense of journalism from this guy I can also see what he was bringing to the show was the Truth something foxnews is the opposite of.
I am very disappointed with Keith's decision cause hes one of the last few real journalists around that will tell it like it is much less so with Jon Stewart who although chooses the satirical route with his show yet he tell you the news without covering up the truth like foxnews yes foxnews. One thing that comes to mind that may be the reason for his sudden unfortunate departure might be the Gabrielle Gifford's shooting and the not surprising post response from our very patriotic politicians. I couldn't be more disgusted when Sarah Palin and the likes thereof acted like they had no accountability for what happened even though she proudly used terms like RELOAD! I can see why Keith might not want to be any part of such a corrupt and atrocious system of government where blame is passed onto each other instead of claiming accountability like Keith did and surprisingly John McCain. Although they are not directly responsible for the Arizona shooting they stood up and said something out of their hearts instead of their behinds like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, & Rush Limbaugh have been doing.
I wish Keith all the best kind of like how i did the same with Dan Rather who was also a journalist I had huge respects for its a shame how we just keep sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss where the truth is very hard to come by its all up to Jon Stewart Now.
2 - pablo
Keith Olberann and his offspring Mr. Rachel Maddow are nothing more than opposition in the left/right paridigm.
It never ceases to amaze me how utterly naive the so called left is in this country. General Electric, which owns MSNBC, is arguably the world's largest military industrial conglomerate, as well as being for the past forty years the world's largest producer of nuclear power plants. And this corporation leads the way on the MSM for commentary from the left? Give me a fucking break.
What Olbermann and Mr. Maddow will NEVER do is actually strike at the proverbial root of the unspeakable. Here are several examples. The Federal Reserve and 9/11. The FED being the ones that make money out of NOTHING and then lend it out at interest to the taxpayers (YOU), and the 9/11 offical story that is never questioned by Olbermann or his offspring.
Another example that springs to my mind as I am writing this is GMO food. Nope you won't hear a peep out of General Electric's mouthpieces on that god forbidden subject either!
In point of fact virtually every one of the "left's" publications whether brick or mortar, or online have been co-opted for years. You have Amy Goodman, who receives a substantial part of her one million dollar a year salary from the Rockefeller Foundation, hence she won't touch subjects like the FED or 9/11 either.
Then you have the Nation magazine whose editor's whole family has been working for the CIA for years. The same goes for the Daily Kos, whose owner is practically in love with the Agency.
I am no fan of Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity or Savage, they can all kiss my red white and blue ass.
3 - Glenn Contrarian
Looks like pablo's been suckered into the same false equivalency that the Right's been preaching for years, that the left's "just as bad as us". What's worse is that no one on the Right seems to grasp the fact that unlike on the Left, the pundits on the Right exert FAR more influence on Republican politicians.
4 - pablo
Glenn,
I knew you of all people would never be able to grasp such a simple concept. He with the gold rules, in this case its General Electric Corp. Some things never change, particularly ignorance.
5 - roger nowosielski
Glenn always had a problem grasping simple concepts, Pablo. His idea of cogent thinking has always hinged on disproving moral equivalences of all sort and scoring political points. The final result, Democrats 21, Republicans 14 (or is it the Packers v. the Bears, I'm confused now), has always been the sole criterion of what counts as a won argument and moral victory.
And all this time, we had no idea we had another Vince Lombardi in our midst.
6 - Cindy
What is with your sexist depiction of Rachel Maddow, pablo?
7 - pablo
Roger,
Don't think the fact that Glenn was in love with Ronald Reagan escapes me either. hahaha
yeah a real lib that Glenn, you go boy! Great intellect too. :)
8 - pablo
Cindy,
Is it sexist to call a man a woman? Hmmmm, it aint to me, if it is to you and your offended by it my apologies. Now it may be homophobic but certainly it aint sexist, at least not in my book.
9 - pablo
I do admit that I have a visceral dislike of MS/MR Maddow, and I did mean to disparage her in general, that fact that she likes oysters with a pearl too is actually ok with me Cindy. :)
My dislike of Maddow has nothing to do with her sexual orientation.
10 - Cindy
My dislike of Maddow has nothing to do with her sexual orientation.
Yet the worst you can find to say about her is something that categorizes her sexually.
You are suggesting that she is 'manly', you intend this as an insult. It is an insult about her gender and it implies there is some certain acceptable way of being for a woman. That is sexist.
11 - pablo
Heya Glenn I got one for ya pal. You must have heard of course about the new governor of Hawaii, and his quest for the holy grail. I mean Snobama's birth cert.
You may recall several weeks ago Gov Abercrombie said he was gonna produce Snobama's cert to help him. A week later he said he could not find it. Suddenly low and behold! The gov proclaims it aint legal.
Now here it gets cute. First off the sitting governor didn't know that its illegal to produce the cert without Snobama's permission. Yeah sure he didnt. That has only been the crux of the issue for about 3 years!
Secondly the gov says he is a friend of Snobama's since birth. Now was the governor suggesting several weeks ago he was gonna produce the cert without his old pal president's permission? Think about it Glenn. Or better yet don't, as that is not really your forte now is it?
Which is precisely the reason I cant stand most politicians or lovers of Ronald Reagan either. I mean really, whats to like?
12 - pablo
In your book Cindy, not mine, and I have already apologized to you for it since you seem offended, and I certainly was not trying offend you or half of the species.
As to the worst that I can say about go Maddow, I could go on at length, however sh was never personally the thrust of my argument about GE and the co-opted left.
13 - pablo
I do have a question for you though Cindy. In my humble opinion you are one of the more thoughtful commenters on this site, and believe it or not I do on occasion read your writing.
Do you think that the 9/11 commission was accurate? Moreover do you think that our government is telling us the truth about that terrible day? I only ask you because I do not recall you ever opining in a thoughtful way on that subject before. Mostly I am just curious.
14 - pablo
Cindy,
Just as making fun of someones gender is not homophobic, making fun of someones sexual orientation is not sexist. Calling the kettle black does not make it black.
In my world Cindy there are two types of politicos that I can't stand. The first is the wolves, and the second is the wolves in sheep's clothing. The wolves don't pretend, the wolves in sheep's clothing however do, and I have more of a dislike for the latter.
Ms Maddow imho is one such person, so is Amy Goodman, so is Noam Chomsky. All of the formentioned politicos are funded by fasi
15 - Cindy
Okay pablo, I will answer your question. I have not seen anything that would convince me that the gov't 'directly' perpetrated the events of 9-11. However, I also do not think the gov't has revealed the full picture. I personally, at the moment, think the gov't antagonized the events of 9-11.
Okay, perhaps you can answer me this. Why is calling a woman Mr. an insult?
16 - pablo
Continuing, as the puter refreshed too soon.
All of the formentioned are funded by fascists. Chomsky, Goodman, and Maddow. They are not independent beholden to only their own personal philosophy, but are imho prostitutes bought and paid for to present an opposing view. That is my opinion, and I am more than willing to argue it, and present references upon request as to who pays them.
17 - Cindy
I have no problem with that being your opinion, pablo. What I am wondering though is why you would think it is an insult to call a female, Mr.
One definition of sexism is:
"behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex"
Don't you agree that calling a female Mr. reinforces the idea that women are feminine only when they fit a particular stereotype?
18 - Cindy
My point is, you say it isn't a sexist comment, but then what else would make it an insult?
19 - pablo
It was an insult Cindy, but was not meant to denigrate half of the population. I could not argue persuasively that my comment was not homophobic, so I won't even try. If I were to call a gay man Mrs. for instance I dont think you would be calling me sexist, homophobic ok. Sexist? Nah.
I do not recall asking you if you thought that our government was directly responsible for 9/11 as I do Cindy. I simply asked you if you thought they were telling us the truth. How about JFK? RFK? MLK? Did you know for instance that there was a court verdict regarding MLK's death being the result of a conspiracy theory Cindy? Or did you know that there were actually two federally funded government studies on JFK's assassination? The second one found that more than likely JFK was killed as a result of a conspiracy. I just wonder if you actually are aware of stuff like that Cindy.
Again if you would like references to the above truths, I will be happy to provide them for you. I am referring to MLK's trial, and the second report by the federal govt regarding JFK's murder.
20 - pablo
Cindy 18
HOMOPHOBIC
21 - pablo
I do find it interesting as well Cindy that you also failed to address the main point of my argument about the left being co-opted. Instead you are acting as if I insulted you because you are a woman, when I most certainly did not!
22 - Baronius
Baritone - What about CNN, PBS, and NPR? What about the broadcast networks' morning shows? And the Sunday morning talk shows?
23 - Clavos
Baronius, how dare you interrupt pablo's inane and repetitive digression to try to bring the thread back on topic!
You righties are so arrogant...
24 - Cindy
pablo,
The 'left' generally (as in liberal) is not so much co-opted, imo, as it was never independent of the problem to begin with.
Also, I didn't feel you insulted me because I am a woman. I felt your comment is insulting to women, generally. In the same way calling a male a 'girl' or a 'pussy' is sexist and insulting to females, generally.
25 - M
pablo, have you looked into wikileaks for questionable connections?