You probably already know what a very courageous Keith Olbermann said last night on his MsNBC show Countdown, in an unusual and very poignant response to the speech given by Donald Rumsfeld at the American Legion Convention. If you haven’t watched Keith’s commentary yet or read the transcript, here’s a link to Crooks and Liars which has the video. A transcript of the most brilliant on air broadcast political essay since the days of Edward R. Murrow can be found at Keith’s blog HERE.
After reading or listening I’m sure most of this community will agree with me that this was a seminal event in broadcast journalism history. However I was curious about how the rightwing side of the blogosphere was reacting to Keith remarks. At this hour the only major right wing site that had a story up about Olbermann’s commentary was at Free Republic (Sorry, no link provided. You can find it on your own if you wish). Here’s a few representative comments from the posters there, unedited and unabridged:
To: governsleastgovernsbest
Come the next Islamofascist attack on America can we start a real war against the real enemy?
8 posted on 08/30/2006 7:35:24 PM PDT by muawiyah
To: governsleastgovernsbest
The variations of it have faced our forfathers when men like Nixon and McCarthy and Curtis Lemay have darkened our skies and obscured our flag.
Curtis LeMay? He was a great hero and did a lot to win the war against the Japanese. Olbermann probably lost half his viewers tonight- i.e. two! None of the four even got the LeMay reference either.
Olbermann is a truly contemptible little man.
GLGB, you have a lot more patience than I!
24 posted on 08/30/2006 7:45:20 PM PDT by Rummyfan
(cont.)
To: dirtboy
Olbermann is a crapless feckweasel….no lessfeck weaselcrap…….no feckless crapweasel…that’s it. He is stoned or something and is nothing but a useful idiot of the enemies of our nation.
14 posted on 08/30/2006 7:41:08 PM PDT by shankbear
To: governsleastgovernsbest
Keith Olbermann is morally and intellectually bankrupt, he was scolding and blaming America. Basically he said, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” = The jihadists against Bush and America are his friends.
42 posted on 08/30/2006 7:58:48 PM PDT by FreeRep
To: governsleastgovernsbest
The closer a critic gets to the truth of these people; the more vitriolic. . .inauthentic; pathetic and extreme, their response.
Rumsfeld has hit a ‘truth nerve’. . .and they are bloody screaming. . .
. .
47 posted on 08/30/2006 8:02:45 PM PDT by cricket (Live Liberal free. . .or suffer their consequences. . .)
To: governsleastgovernsbest
The “peace and love” crowd seem to get hostile when the truth is hinted at. I’d love to see their reaction to my view that THEY caused the war in Iraq by giving Saddam a false sense of security. That they encouraged 9-11 by being vocal wimps when we were in Somalia. That they encourage the terrorists to fight on by dividing us, and making it look like we are 50/50 on this war when we are not.
48 posted on 08/30/2006 8:07:53 PM PDT by logic101.net (Support OUR troops, NOT their’s!)
To: governsleastgovernsbest
I wonder if oberman has children;or nephews/nieces etc. All of these idiots that refuse to allow the front loading of a looming confrontation will be directly responsible for the fact that in all likelihood OUR children will absolutely be involved in a life or death struggle to preserve OUR nation.
The very same elitist , do nothing but babble , morons that decry every use of force , every vengeful indiscretion, every PERCIEVED slight, of a murdering Islamofacists rights, will be the very same people that squall like stuck pigs , when all of our children are fighting and dying because of the aformentioned idiocy.
I just hope the marksmanship I taught my children can keep them alive when it becomes the difference between those that make out alive and those that don’t .
The really terrifying aspect of all this is the open borders issue and how it darn near grandee’s that 5th columnist are or will be in place to harm us in a much more personal way than Hitler ever did.
56 posted on 08/30/2006 8:16:31 PM PDT by ping jockey (radical islam; the great evil of all times.)
To: okie01
Well, at least if it comes to civil war, it will be the first civil war in recorded history where one of the parties is fighting for gun control. Which should make the battle mercifully swift and decisive.
67 posted on 08/30/2006 8:25:32 PM PDT by dirtboy (This tagline has been photoshopped)
No editorial comments from me. I think what they post speaks for itself, don’t you?
Kudos to Keith, and to you, Steven, for having the fortitude to read through all of that.
Now posted at Daily Kos
Thank you Steven.
Your email to msnbc said it all!
Steven, thanks for sampling the bilge tanks out there so the rest of us don’t have to endure the experience.
I would have expected as much from the freepers as you excerpted for us, and it’s sad testimony that these cretins probably didn’t even actually watch Keith’s piece, not to mention that they surely were incapable of understanding the arguments he put forth in it. I just re-read it again, and I certainly agree with you that this may well be (as I hope) a watershed moment in the current political climate. There’s no denying Keith’s courage and eloquence by calling truth to bullshit in this particular piece. We need his voice and perspective to bleed over into the rest of the MSM, if we are to truly hope to end what he so aptly termed the “fog of fear.”
I knew he was up to something powerful with his teaser lead-ins early in the show, and I was not disappointed. Let’s hope this starts a trend … and with FauxNews’ratings down, I wouldn’t even mind seeing MSNBC take over (yeah, right) predominance. But as long as we have Keith, there is some hope, no matter how horrifying any given day may be.
Seems to me that such angry, people going on about guns and how they are ready to use them should be enlisting to go to Iraq!
Oh, wait, let me guess: they have other priorities!
I just hope the marksmanship I taught my children can keep them alive when it becomes the difference between those that make out alive and those that don’t .
As a well trained veteran of our fine armed services I really don’t like the thought of having to use that training on wingnut or his kids. However I take what they say as a threat, and would not hesitate to defend myself or my family.
Pretty sure it was Madman who said something to the effect of the repubs appear to be pushing for social unrest. And, if that is the case, it is going to be ugly.
I actually saw that little speech on TV.
I suppose I have made it clear here that I do not watch much TV, and that when I do it is usually a total surf through the wreckage that is the culture of the U.S., at least as far as the Corpse Corps would like us to have it. I pull a mental and spiritual condom over each foot of my being and then jump from polluted puddle to polluted puddle, with quick stops to ponder a certain piece of particularly nasty shit or perhaps to admire the rare flower of sanity and beauty that has so far escaped the Grim Corporate Raper’s violent attentions.
So here I am up in Maine visiting my family…what is left of it after the tender ministrations of this sick society in general and Dr. Big Brother in particular have had their way with it…surfing around through the egregiously bad basic cable that is provided by the (convicted in a court of law) felonious Adelphia cable system, and here is Keith Olbermann, just launching into his spiel.
Now make no mistake…I think that Mr. Olbermann is serious, attentive, and honest in his efforts. And overall, pretty near correct in his positions as well. As correct (as far as I am concerned, anyway) as he can possibly be and still manage to regularly appear in any mass media capacity on the public mediaspace.
Towards the end of this speech, he gave the patented owlish Olbermann look and said:
But never in the trial of a thousand years of writing could I come close to matching how he phrased a warning to an earlier generation of us, at a time when other politicians thought they (and they alone) knew everything, and branded those who disagreed: “confused” or “immoral.”
Thus, forgive me, for reading Murrow, in full:
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty,” he said, in 1954. “We must remember always that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.
“We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.”
And so good night, and good luck.
And it struck me that he was telling the absolute truth when he said “Although I presumptuously use his sign-off each night, in feeble tribute, I have utterly no claim to the words of the exemplary journalist Edward R. Murrow.”
“But never in the trial of a thousand years of writing could I come close to matching how he phrased a warning to an earlier generation of us…”
We have NO journalists on TV who can match the sheer gravitas of Mr. Murrow.
Including Mr. Olbermann.
This is not his fault…Lord knows he has been consistent in his efforts.
He is just not heavy enough…and/or he is not in a “heavy” enough position. In this case, the chicken and the egg are mutually dependent. You cannot GAIN that kind of weight while stuck in a dependent, marginalized position, and you know damned well that Mr. Olbermann is not presently in the running to overthrow Baby Doll Couric and most likely never WILL be in that position. Not so long as the PermaGov runs things. The Corpserate Media simply will not ALLOW someone like Murrow to gain commanding position over a career. Not today they won’t. And the balkanization of TV…5000 stations instead of 7, innumerable networks instead of 3…makes that sort of commanding position almost impossible to attain anyway.
Just thought I’d mention this…
Go here far a transcript of Olbermann’s statement. But do not expect it to have the same sort of effect as Edward R. Murrow’s attempts to shine a light on the dark underbelly of Joe McCathy’s machinations.
Murrows had a searchlight at his disposal. One of 3 dominant networks.
MSNBC is a little penlight in comparison.
Bet on it.
AG
Olbermann And The Marginalization of Effective Dissent
Please go there if you wish to comment.
Thanks…
AG
You cannot GAIN that kind of weight while stuck in a dependent, marginalized position, and you know damned well that Mr. Olbermann is not presently in the running to overthrow Baby Doll Couric and most likely never WILL be in that position. Not so long as the PermaGov runs things. The Corpserate Media simply will not ALLOW someone like Murrow to gain commanding position over a career. Not today they won’t.
BTW, this is also true for the many dedicated bureaucrats and other system workers who have socially beneficial, long-term beliefs and desires, but have learned the hard way in many cases that in current conservative America, you cannot go against the boss/owner and come out ahead!!!!! I also have hope, however, that the internet will become the next media of free minds if only allowed to continue to do so uncensored by powerful BOSSES.
Well as long as his ratings are going up and O’Reilly’s are going down they’ll probably keep him around. It’s cheap insurance in case the Dems ever take power again. Just like the NYT has Krugman and Herbert, as well as 100 or more Judy Millers.
We have to settle for the penlight rather than the spotlight currently. I’m glad, though, Olberman spoke out where he could.
On the down side, Air America has apparently fired their most outspoken personality — Mike Malloy.
Mike was too impassioned for what our society called gravitas, but he was fearless. His voice will be missed.
The “peace and love” crowd seem to get hostile when the truth is hinted at. I’d love to see their reaction to my view that THEY caused the war in Iraq etc. etc.
My reaction: The “dumb and dumber” crowd seem to stay hostile all the time, at everyone and everything. What a horrible way to go through life. As much as I want to be angry at seeing so much hatred aimed in my general direction, mostly I just feel incredibly sorry for them.
Into the next ‘species’, some much quicker than others!!
The second one is telling, no attempt at descriptive text of Nixon and McCarthy and wrong on Lemay!
Than signs it ‘Rummyfan’ thus sladering it’s Hero!!
Go Figure!
I think you may have nailed it, jim. Take a look at one visionary’s thoughts on the future evolution of the species.
How can right-wingers justify continued confidence in Rumsfeld? They clearly still see the US as a superpower of unprecedented proportions. How can anyone square that view with the obvious facts on the ground in Iraq, where our military is barely able to deal with militias and guerillas?
Either we aren’t as wonderful as they think we are, or someone in leadership is fucking up on a massive scale. It doesn’t make sense that we’re a great power, our leadership is doing a great job, AND we’re going to be bogged down in an insignificant country like Iraq for another decade. It’s already been three years, one of the those things clearly isn’t true, and Rumsfeld seems like the obvious scapegoat.
THEY caused the war in Iraq by giving Saddam a false sense of security.
This seems like a good time to point out that Saddam didn’t attack us, he had no weapons with which he could attack us, and there was absolutely no chance that he was going to attack us in the foreseeable future. Violently defending yourself from a threat that doesn’t exist is an obvious symptom of insanity.
I think that one should read the Olbermann commentary and then they should read the hannity puke to see just how insane this country has become. If the hannity puke is not a call for suicide attacks on members of the Democratic party and if this is not illegal then I guess that I just simply don’t understand what is happening anymore!
billjpa@aol.com
Olbermann And The Marginalization of Effective Dissent
Please go there if you wish to comment.
Thanks…
AG
This belongs above.
AG
My first reaction to reading the freeper comments is revulsion. My second is anger. But right now I have settled into confusion and sorrow.
I cannot fathom the mindsets of the people who wrote these comments. I cannot. Presumably they grew up in the same country as I did. Attended schools. Had puppies. Walked in parks. Loved their parents. Watched baseball. Even attended church. But they seem like aliens to me. How did hatred and fear take them over so completely? They are sure they have the correct view of things. We, liberals, may question a bit more, but we are sure our view is correct. The dissonence is painful. How do we heal?
Kahli, their reaction is visceral and psychological. They have bought into the notion that America is perfect, that we are always right, always virtuous, always victorious.
Their sense of self-worth and of community is based on that belief.
Therefore, when something comes along to refute those notions, they must fight back with all their (feeble) might, and the actions of the Bush White House have been so heinous that they’re reduced to denial and projection. It’s pathological, really.
Counseling and meds might help, but those are for wimps anyway.
I love this country more than I can say. I love its purpose, its people, its practicality. But when this country is led down the wrong road, it’s our responsibility to right it again. These guys can’t admit that there’s a wrong road.
Write to MSNBC and cover Olbermann’s back:
letters@msnbc.com
KOlbermann@msnbc.com
Did that right away last night after listening to his commentary.
I checked the freerepublic website and couldn’t find the source material you quoted. Thanks. –M
Just for you:
LINK
boasts about “bringing democracy to Iraq”…but seems to hate it when we have democracy in America…
I don’t take these people lightly. They’re dangerous to be sure. They talk a lot about guns, civil war, and us being the enemy. But they underestimate who they might be effing with because, at least for me, I would have no misgivings about defending my people against the real fascists and the mental morons in those comments who emulate the ignorance of their dear leader so well. I’m no pascifist, nor am I reluctant to express my anger at what this country is becoming and what it’s supporters are doing in our names. They disturb me, but only insofar as I am forced to share ground with them. But there’s no common ground to be had with these people and if they ever choose to put their threats into action they’ll find there will be hell to pay. Violence isn’t always the wrong choice when freaks like these are waving their guns around. I’m aware that sharing sentiments like mine may be out of place in an environment like this blog and others. But I’m fed up. I’m sick of being labeled an enemy. I’m sick of being called unpatriotic. I’m sick of threats. They’re punks, plain and simple. It’s one thing to threaten women at antiwar rallys. It’s another thing when they have a man in thier face. I’ve seen it at marches and rallys. That’s not a sexist remark. It’s a fact. And I’m not ashamed to say it. If you fuck with my sisters, my Mothers, my children and my brothers, you’re gonna have to fuck with me, and I’m not the most gentle person in the world. Especially when I’m being threatened.
“I’m a warrior for peace, and not a gentle man”
Steve Mason
your sentiments align perfectly with mine. If those assholes’ rights and way of life were truly threatened, I would go fight to protect them. But if they come after me and my way of life, I will fight them.
And since I have to assume my electronic communications are monitored, thanks to their political support for such things, I already am in a foul mood.
Foul mood is right.
I was thinking about trying to make the Chicago meetup the last few days and beside the cost, the one thing that makes me reluctant to go is the inevitable hassle I’d have to deal with at the airports. It happens every time I fly. I’m treated as a threat because of the policies those idiots support. So I have to assume that my communications are being taken into account when I’m flagged every time I fly. And yet they can openly speak about weaponized violence against Americans and suffer no inconvenience.
I don’t fly much, but like you, everytime I am selected for special treatment.
I haven’t flown in YEARS, but I remember reading posts and a diary about crossing the Detroit/Windsor border recently–think it was written by Kidspeak(?) about how a student (who regularly crossed the Detroit/Windsor border)was “selected for special treatment”. (I’m being mild in my description here.)
Bear with me: my family had a small summer place in Canada, near Pointe Pelee. We spent weeks, months, practically the whole damn summer there. We’d come back to Detroit every couple of weeks/as needed just to take care of stuff around the house, go to doctors appointments, bullshit that we couldn’t do while we were in Canada and then we’d would go back. (Scheduling and cramming everything that had to be done in a few days, and heading back to Canada was an art.)
My Dad used to commute from Canada to work at Chrysler’s every day, over an hour [and a half drive(?)] may have been longer. Sometimes he’d stay over a few nites at the house in Detroit, as it was a long drive–other times he’d drive back to Canada (sometimes unexpectedly.)
All of the customs agents knew him (by name and he knew them by name) and the rest of my family. We never had any problems crossing the border. It was mostly a “Hi, how are you?” thing. Sometimes there’d be some formalities, othertimes not. Actually, the one time where there was a almost a problem was once a customs agent asked my Dad if he had any oranges in his lunch.
Dad said, “No, you want to see?” and grabbed his lunch. Customs agent basically said screw it, I know your going to work. Dad went on his way. When he opened his lunch (that my mother packed), he found a big orange sitting on top!
And I am still furious!!! I’ve been walking everywhere lately, as my car desperately needs a repair (strut) that I can’t afford. Checked out the price at the auto parts store–guy who works there has never said anything to me like that, even when I have been wearing summer clothes!
Then walked to 2 grocery stores. Walking across the parking lot to the second, that same remark about my anatonomy was made again by some loser who was driving a new SUV and had gwb bumper stickers on it.
I gave him a piece of my mind w/o mincing words. WTF is it w/these creatures? (After that, I refuse to call them people!)
Fair warning: if anyone makes a crude remark or says that type of remark is meant as a compliment, I will troll rate!
All I need now is Booman’s Philly neighbor, Lou Christie, the rock and roll legend to sing for us….
“I saw Olberman on the TV”
“He set us right about Rummy”
“I looked over at the wingnuts”
“And this is what the wingnuts said….”
“The wingnuts cri-iii-iii-ed boo hoo”
“The wingnuts Cri-iii-iii-ed”
“Listen to the wingnuts cry”
“Oh no, no no, oh no, no, no”
With apologies to Lou for rearranging his song “The Gypsy Cried.”
“I just hope the marksmanship I taught my children can keep them alive when it becomes the difference between those that make out alive and those that don’t .”
Why is it that right wingers are so afraid of everything?