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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Keith Olbermann: The end of an era

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As usual, I recorded Countdown with Keith Olbermann, so I was surprised  last night when I heard Bill Maher say that Keith Olbermann had completed his last show for MSNBC. A good friend of Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, confirmed the abrupt departure of MSNBC's star attraction. Keith Olbermann's relationship with management was shaky at best. The new owners of NBC, Comcast, might have weighed the option of keeping their star attraction with all the negatives that go with it or pursue a different course. It's all speculations for now, but I'm sure Howard Kurtz host of CNN's Reliable Sources will get to the bottom of it before Sunday.

I used to watch Keith Olbermann every night because he was funny, intelligent, emotional, and he never got into a screaming match with his guest because he only invited guest to support his opinion. I don't like screaming matches because you can't really hear the rebuttals.I admit I loved his “ Worse person in the world” segment especially when he featured Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly. MSNBC will fill his time slot with someone less controversial and less knowledgeable but life goes on...MSNBC fired Don Imus and Michael Savage because of controversial statements they made on the air. They even fired Phil Donahue, for supposedly low ratings but a memo leaked out that stated "Donahue should be fired because he would be a "difficult public face for NBC in a time of war". Phil Donahue was anti Iraq war and not afraid to say so.

I have to go completely off this topic because a local poster got under my skin as I was preparing this blog. You see every time I get a comment on the blog I post at the Victoria Advocate on line forum, my Blackberry is programmed to alarm. It's not a low pitch. It is very loud. I checked the phone to see who the message was from. I saw it was from waywardwind, so I read it. I thought since our last two comments to one another were civil, his post would be an interesting read. I was surprised when he posted “With the question of health care being such a controversy and the fact that the congress critters exempted themselves from obamacare, I've been wondering about the out of pocket costs Rep. Giffords Arizona can expect in her treatment and rehabilitation after being shot. Fourteen people were wounded in the shooting spree that injured Gif fords. Anyone want to guess who's going to get the best care? I wonder if her congressional insurance paid for the chartered jet to take her to Houston or if she and her husband just put it on a credit card. “A human being is struggling for her life and he's worried about preferential treatment! With his reputation (his printed words) he would have blown a gasket if Arizona would have paid for an injured illegal immigrant. The advocate boards would still be lit up. Am I missing something? I have been seeing a little more civility in Washington since the Giffords tragedy and I always thought that people were hoping that congresswoman Giffords would make it through her ordeal. I never imagine people were counting pennies. I never thought of it as a classic US vs. THEM scenario. On cue, jbj and rollingstone chimeined in supporting waywardwind in a" birds of a feather, flock together" fashion. I can see why one poster invites others to another venue to continue the topic as adults. I think it' time for the three posters, I mentioned to take up the torch for their cause and start posting some blogs of their own instead of just taking cheap shots.

http://tinyurl.com/68rhtru

I might have overreacted a little bit, and I should've gone with my first instinct, by ignoring the post. It just reminded me of some my family members that said some cruel things while another family member was still fighting for their life in ICU. There's a time and a place for the righteous to say what should've and couldn't happened. I remember a long time ago when our daughter asked us to accompanying her to attend her boss's funeral. Her boss was gay and catholic. The priest who presided over the rosary did not offer kind words for the deceased but rather used the platform to talk about the sins of homosexuality. I don't know if the family members were embarrassed, angered, or surprised, but it was uncomfortable for all those that attended. It doesn't matter if it's my family members, religion, or others that I love and respect, I still think there's a time and a place.

It's getting easier and easier to make the transition.

Liberals lost a champion for their cause when Keith Olbermann left because he could go toe-to-toe with the Fox bomb throwers and as a member of the "professional left" he made the administration know when they veered too far to the right.He had the audience to make his voice heard.

According to the Huffington Post, Keith Olbermann will be replaced in his time slot by one of my favorites, Lawrence O'Donnell...  Lawrence is known for his outbursts but he does have guest of both parties , so he can't humiliate them and expect them to return....  It leaves me wondering why Chris Matthews is not given a Primetime slot.

5 comments:

Edith Ann said...

Didn't we hear a rumor that Olbermann was leaving? I really thought I heard that. I didn't watch but once in a blue moon, so maybe I am hallucinating again...

As to the nabobs over on the Advocate--I know they think you get up every morning with your plan for the day to piss off all the republicans, but I know for a fact that a couple of those folks just sit and wait to pounce on anything they even remotely perceive as anti-right! rollingstone has a long history of that. They crack me up. They are such good and faithful parrots of FOX talking points. I am so glad I can still think for myself!

As to the context of their comments--Mike, are you truly surprised? Really?

Mike said...

EA
That's a great question.... As I've tried to explain I like to think that human beings know that there's a time and place for everything. I've had a chance to calm down and reflect but I guess I just got caught up in a moment of us trying to come together as a nation.

I remember when the editor wrote a blog about the passing of Walter Cronkite, every comment was positive except rollingstone. He blamed Walter Cronkite for the Tet Offensive and just about everything else that went wrong in America,at that time.

Again, many thanks, I took all of your advice, and I'm beginning to see the difference... You're a genius..:-)

Edith Ann said...

I would like to think that folks have the decency to be polite when necessary, but so often I am disappointed.

I am rather intrigued by the who 'Prom' theme of the SOTU address! There is just something funny about folks being paired up for this. What are they calling it---Date Night? I think it's a hoot. But who knows--when you're sitting next to someone and having to make chit-chat, you often find you have things in common.

I try to not pay a lot of attention to rollingstone. I think SHE has been in a bad mood since Kennedy won election!

Thanks for the compliment, but alas, it's not so. I just gave you all at once what I learned over time. Glad it is working for you. I did notice your page counter seemed stuck. That happens, it'll will unstick and jump up to the right number.

Edith Ann said...

Here's something you might enjoy...

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/446948/a_visual_history_of_koch_conservatism,_from_john_birch_to_cato/

Mike said...

Thanks,that goes into a Word file called Blog info....For future use.

It was an interesting read.