Keith will be providing a Special Comment tonight. Not sure of the subject.
About The Author
Books Alive
Retired, mother of three, grandmother of three. Have followed politics since days of Truman, when my Dad and I listened to conventions on the car radio so as not to disturb the rest of the family! News junkie, voracious reader.
17 Comments
Recent Posts
- Day 14: Louisiana Senator Approvingly Compares Trump to Stalin
- Day 13: Elon Musk Flexes His Muscles
- Day 12: While Elon Musk Takes Over, We Podcast With Driftglass and Blue Gal
- Day 11: Harm of Fascist Regime’s Foreign Aid Freeze Comes Into View
- Day 10: The Fascist Regime Blames a Plane Crash on Nonwhite People
on the DVR soon — I’m actually willing to forgo Monday Night Football for it, but not sure if the spouse is…
The transcript is on Keith’s page on MSNBC; here are the opening paragraphs:
Tonight, a special comment on the advertising of terrorism – the commercial you have already seen.
It is a distillation of everything this administration and the party in power have tried to do these last five years and six weeks.
It is from the Republican National Committee;
It shows images of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri;
It offers quotes from them–all as a clock ticks ominously in the background.
It concludes with what Zawahiri may or may not have said to a Pakistani journalist as long ago as 2001: His dubious claim that he had purchased “suitcase bombs.”
The quotation is followed (by sheer coincidence no doubt) by an image of a massive explosion.
“These are the stakes,” appears on the screen, quoting exactly from Lyndon Johnson’s infamous nuclear scare commercial from 1964.
“Vote–November 7th.”
There is a cheap “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” quality to the whole thing, and it also serves to immediately call to mind the occasions when President Bush dismissed Osama bin Laden as somebody he didn’t think about–except, obviously, when elections were near.
Frankly, a lot of people seeing that commercial for the first time, have laughed out loud.
But–not everyone.
And therein lies the true threat to this country.
Olbermann goes on to explain how this ad — and by extension, the politics of fear — fits the textbook definition of terrorism: “To fill or overpower with terror; terrify. To coerce by intimidation or fear.”
Can’t wait to see him deliver the latest beatdown — I’ll keep an eye on Crooks and Liars for the video…
He was on fire. Glad I caught it.
Sometime soon, I have a feeling Keith is going to tell us what he really thinks! 🙂 A bit long winded, but he sure was in rare form this evening!
Now up at Crooks and Liars
Got distracted at the Orange Empire by two good diaries; one on the Olbermann comment, the other on Rust Limpbough’s proclamation that Michael J. Fox was “acting” or off his meds in this commercial for Claire McCaskill:
(BTW, Limpbough was named “Worst Person in the World” for his comments…)
Thanks for posting this Cali. Rush is an imbecile. But we always knew that didn’t we?
This Ad was made specifically for the McCaskill campaign so is only being shown on TV in Missouri. And it’s available on the internet.
Ironically, now that Rush has made it an issue AND it involves a celebrity — it may get more national airing as the media picks up the story.
that I slipped the McCaskill campaign some green over the weekend through the BooTrib ActBlue page (don’t have the link at hand, sorry), since I have Missouri roots (my dad was from there, still got some assorted cousins on their umpteenth marriages lol).
(I also contributed to the two California candidates — McNerney and Brown — and to PA’s Patrick Murphy to counteract the bad taste in the mouth of Casey for Senate…)
the other day. Thank you! I was so pleased that BooMan picked Claire to be one of his candidates. She’s running a great campaign and has a real shot at beating Talent.
I just wish that all elections in Missouri weren’t so nerve wrackingly close. I guess that’s why we’re a swing state.
And I love that Boo set up an Act Blue page to support good candidates. I gave a little bit to all his candidates too.
family ties, or should I say, “Family Ties”?
In the ’80’s, Michael J. Fox did at least as much as Rush Limbaugh, probably more, to present Reagan-style conservatism as brash, young, rebellious … “cool” (despicable word) … his television character recruited and/or inspired many “Young Republicans.”
Now, apparently, he’s either “off his meds” (bad phrase for Limbaugh to use) or he’s “acting”.
Acting. Unlike before, apparently.
Interesting.
If Fox had made an ad in support of Parkinson’s research while Reagan was still alive, Limbaugh would likely be praising him as “a courageous young man”…
It’s straight out of the Republican playbook: demonize your opponents, smear their supporters…they don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire…
wow…that was hard to watch. What a loathsome cretin to mock that message. Ugh.
he was almost crying he was so spitting mad. Go Keith Go!!!
KO is one of the most favorite ppl in my book of great ppl. I trully think he has a great way of putting things out to the public. I really hope he does not come to any harm from the white house…..that was a snark, btw, just in case the fbi is reading this…..;o)…but actually I really mean it….
When I see any clue as to him saying anything that will be a treasure, I call my friends and tell them to watch him; however, we always watch KO. He is one of the greatest Americans ever.
I think MJFox needs to make a public statement as to rush limpballs statements and might even state a lawsuit for something. Limpballs needs to get what is due him this time around. Send his ass to jail for a very long time. Maybe someone can really check out his cyst on his ass…..;o)
in the media right now. BRAVO! and Thank you Keith!!
Speaking as a longtime KO supporter, it’s a damn shame that he’s so exceptional. An absolute gem.
This just proves how corrupt the media has become. Even ten years ago the idea of portraying Americans who happen to vote for a different party as terrorists and traitors would have been ludicrous and utterly unthinkable. But the media are corporate shills who will do anything for a buck, and the Republican Party has completely lost its moral compass and will do anything to stay in power. Sad, sad, sad, sad.
What he said was impassioned, devoid of euphemism, and abandoned deference to unvarnished untruth. He drew the proverbial line in the sand telling the Republican Party — and by extension, the president — that it had crossed the line of decency, normalcy, and good taste, marching in step with so-called alien terrorists, as reflected in the RNC ad about which he spoke. Against the sound and fury, Olberman spoke reality.
It seems to me, that the unreal noise machine’s volume spouted by nearly every other talking head without exception has steadily cranked louder and louder the last six years. So, when the truth is spoken by one man in unminced words, listeners’ ears may suffer shock.
If that’s the case, I have the solution. All listeners who might be “worried” about Olbermann’s strong language need do is to maintain a grasp on reality. Like he has.