I’ve watched Countdown for years, and in my opinion, Olbermann’s gotten far more correct than not. But his batting average seems to be sinking fast…
I have been ever more disappointed as I see his apparently terminal Foxsession disorder repeatedly ruining his judgment and his show.
The particular vapidity that has me hot and up in arms right now is his apparently new-found obsession with judging a a factual issue based on where the funding comes from – “following the money” (as if he’s an actual investigative journalist) – rather than the factual/scientific merits of the issue.
First, there’s this – and a big FUCK YOU, KEITH! from me on this one: Brian Deer responds to Keith Olbermann, which needs no further elaboration, just more contempt heaped upon Olbermann for that calumny. (And my best wishes go out to the heroic Orac and his family, whose mother-in-law passed away yesterday).
Then, tonight he attacked the right-wing bullshit machine for making blatantly ludicrous claims about how Obama’s snuck some provision into the stimulus bill to let him overrule your own doctor’s decisions “right at your bedside” from Washington. But does he present it that way? No, he mostly just indulges in his new-found obsession with deciding factual matters based much more on the financial backing of those making the claims than on the actual facts!
Instead of simply and effectively debunking the bullshit by simply showing what the bill actually says, he went into conspiracy crackpot mode and argued most vociferously of all that we can be certain it’s crap because the cheerleader is associated with “Big Pharma” (interesting parallel with item one, eh?)
What an ass!
Grow up, Olbermann. I’m no fan of either Fox or the pharmaceutical lobby either, but you can’t discover truth by simply inverting everything Newscorp or the pharmaceutical companies say, idiot!
I have connected the dots, and they spell out O-L-B-E-R-M-A-N-N-I-S-A-N A-S-S.
At least on the Brian Deer/Keith getting led around by the nose by antivaxers thing.
Dunno about the Big Pharma conspiracy deal - is there a link or such?
I do find it telling that as he goes off the deep end, Olberman is losing credibility with his fan base. That never seems to happen with O’Reilly – his viewers are all the more loyal the more full of shit he gets. I remember the 90’s all too well to suppose that liberals are somehow more rational. And yet a trend does seem to be emerging that defies the pattern I had previously perceived – that the people in power tend to let their wingnuts off the leash, and the ones struggling to emerge from the shadows put forth their moderate, rational voices. So far, less than a month into an Obama administration, we’re not seeing a new rash of Political Correctness from the left, but we are seeing a lot of desperate histrionics from the right.
But I suppose I should give it time. In the meantime, somebody needs to get Olberman a puppy, and possibly some medication.
This Deer thing is hard to figure out. To that end, here are the relevant bits from Olbermann (Wednesday Countdown transcript) and Deer (link in the OP):
Looks to me like Deer is overreacting. I think all we have here is quibbling over what constitutes a “complaint”.
I’ll readily agree that Olbermann’s snarky style and vendetta against all things Fox (just what happened when he worked for them, anyway?) sometimes get in the way of the story. But since it is usually someone else’s ox who is getting gored, it doesn’t usually bother me.
Oh, one other thing about the Deer item on Countdown: after the paragraph cited above he says, “The paper is owned by Rupert Murdoch. It‘s my bad for forgetting that. Incidentally, a correction on Murdoch. . . .” He then explains that the transcript of a NewsCorp conference call that has Murdoch saying, “we have never been a company that tolerates facts”, which Olbermann has quoted gleefully and often, should have read “tolerates fat”. While it must have been obviously to Keith that the transcript was questionable, it is to his credit that he issues a correction as soon as the facts become known to him. If he is, in fact, wrong about Deer, he doubtless will correct himself.
This is why I love Rachel Maddow. She can cut someone down to size better with a look and a giggle than Kieth can do with a full-on flaming rant.
Elvis Costello progressed from: “I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.” Kieth is stuck in disgusted, Rachel tries very hard, and usually succeeds, to be amused.
I find it interesting that on each of her shows lately she’s almost always had at least two Senators, Governors, senior Congressmen, or other heavies, while Keith has a whole lot of Richard Wolfe. Also, when she picks up the rare Republican, she treats them very respectfully, even when she disagrees, and they seem to leave happy to have been there.
It’ll be interesting to see where their respective ratings go long term.
If they switch the timeslots, Olbermann will be history in short order. As it is, he steals some of her thunder, but she’s much better at what she does than he is, and is actually educated in the world of political science.
In my job, I have to play host to a lot of important world leaders and their dogs. You don’t expect me to tell Stephen Harper his dog’s going to have to do without her rub down and her bubble bath, do you? Why do you hate America?
And to top it all off, Richard Wolfe is a whore. He says whatever the sitting host wants to hear. He seems to cue off the question. Typical day for Richard Wolfe on MSNBC:
Morning Joe, 9:00 AM
Mika: Don’t you think, Richard, and you chime in here too, Joe, and you, Mike, and Pat, you too, what I’m saying is about the whole, you know, there’s something amiss that I don’t believe we’ve all discussed enough.
Joe: Shut the fuck up, Mika. Damn. Take another valium and drink some more liquor. What’s she’s trying to say, Richard, is given George W. Bush’s stated mission in Iraq before all the Democrats twisted it into some sort of anti-American bumper sticker about WMDs. I mean, who said anything about WMDs before the Democrats started harping on them?
Mika: That’s what I was […unintelligible mumbling…]
Richard: Uh, yes Joe and Mika. I think President Obama feels a close kinship to the former president, having spent a good deal of his transition time more or less courting the Bushes along with his wife, Michelle. There were several visits, and I’m sure Americans were wondering at the time the same things you are.
Andrea Mitchell Reports, 1:00 PM
Andrea: And my next guess. T. Is. Richard Wolfe. The associate editor of the […unintelligible slurring…] or something, I can’t pronounce it. But Richard…
Richard: The Daily Rhoedenshire
Andrea: The. Daily. Roto. Shear. But. What. I mean. The president said he was going to appoint Republicans. As you know. But. Did. Was. Do you think? Is the president doing what he said? Or. What about the polls? I don’t know if you’ve seen this morning’s poll. I can’t remember what it was. But. Oh well.
Richard: The Gallup poll
Andrea: M. Right. A gallup poll. But. What. This. What do you make of it?
Richard: I think you’ve raised an important point, Andrea. It’s very clear that this is a popular president. But we all know how fickle the American people can be. And I think you’ve put your finger right on the problem.
Hardball with Chris Matthews, 5:00 PM
Chris: Richard, I know you’re an expert on the Inside the Beltway kind of stuff and I didn’t grow up here but I grew up in a town called Scranton Pee A and we didn’t know about any of this kind of stuff but my grandfather! Ha! You didn’t know my grandfather! He coulda jacked you up and spit you out just like he could both of us I mean I’m not saying anything about you personally I think you’re a great guy. You’re what we call one o’ the good guys, Richard. Ha! But here’s my question and I honestly can’t think of anyone else I’d rather ask it to than you, okay hang on Senator Shrum, I’m gonna let you speak if there’s time, but Richard? Whadda ya think?
Richard: […dumbfounded stare…]
Chris: I mean whadda ya think about all these goings on with the Obama cabinet? Huh?
Richard: Well, Chris…
Chris: Why is he having so much trouble? Is it just me or this how America sees it?
Richard: I think it’s how we…
Chris: 'Cause I don’t get out a lot. Which I think is a lot of the problem here in Washington. We reporters don’t really get out a lot except to hang out together in local pubs. I know I see you there a lot. Ha! But it really isn’t all pall-sy wall-sy, is it?
Richard: […opens mouth…]
Chris: It’s not just some mutual admiration society, is it?
Richard: […lengthy pause…] Um, you’re right, Chris. We do become out of touch, and start talking about one thing while the American public is talking about something else altogether. Like the stimulus package…
Chris: Senator, what’s your take? I mean, is Richard crazy? Or what?
Countdown with Keith Olberman, 8:00 PM
Keith: Richard, many thanks for joining us.
Richard: My pleasure, Keith.
Keith: Richard, just giving the Republicans the benefit of the doubt, despite their rather dubious reputation, how are we to read this … political intransigence … that they’ve displayed in the House and perhaps to a slightly lesser degree in the Senate? Doesn’t it take two to Tango, as they say? Isn’t partisanship a two way street?
Richard: Yes, Keith. You make an excellent point. The Republicans are not only shameless, but remorseless in what appears to be some sort of irrational hatred of this very inoffensive president.
Keith: He really has bent over backwards, to use a cliche, hasn’t he? I mean, what’s he supposed to do, shine their shoes? Do you think it’s possible that all but three Republicans in the Senate and all of them in the House are racist bigots?
Richard: […momentary shock…] Well, I do think it’s a fair question, Keith. It’s certainly one we could ask them.
Keith: Yeah. Next time one of those troglodytes musters up the grit and courage to come on this show, I’ll ask the question. It hasn’t happened yet, but hope springs eternal, I guess. Maybe someone will accidentally give a Republican this address mistakenly instead of the address for False News.
Richard: Hm… I see your point, Keith. One can’t really argue with that.
Keith: Many thanks, Richard.
Richard: Happy as always to oblige, Keith.
Keith: And now tonight’s Worst Person.
Comedian Rush Limbaugh comes in with the Bronze tonight for announcing today that he has documented evidence of an Obama love child. The drug-addled commentator did not supply the extra information that the Obama love child in question is the child of Suhapra Longhorne Obama of Cheddar Grove, Oregon and Sepistia May Horstense-Obama of Niahoke, Kansas. The Jackass.
Tonight’s silver is awarded to… Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House. Her praise today of President Obama and his leadership with respect to the Recovery legislation was tepid at best. She referred to him as “a great leader” which is a quality shared by practically any tyrant in history. I won’t Godwinize my own segment, but you get the drift.
And coming in at number one! Taking home the Gold: Rachel Maddow, whose annoying cheerfulness is exceeded only by her shameless ingratitude. It is I who gave the bitch her start by inviting her on my show, and then introducing her to all the bigwigs, enouraging her, recommending her to other hosts, practically single handedly interrogating her… rather, integrating her into the MSNBC community until the time came that I gave her the ultimate hand-up: a personal recommendation that she host her own show. My magnanimity was tied to the hope that I would have a kindred spirit carrying the torch for our Lord and Savior an extra hour of prime time. Instead, she has become an independent thinker and, from time to time, even mildly criticizes him as though she had standing to do so. For her treason, Rachel Maddow is our Worst. Person. In the WORLD!
Good evening Rachel.
Rachel: Hi, Keith! And thanks for that honor. And thank YOU for staying with us tonight. I’ll be having an exclusive interview with President Obama and Michelle.
