The Olbermann Flood

President Clinton to Skip Arkansas Free Clinic, Blames Olbermann for ... - Firedoglake (blog)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:48:07 -0800

President Clinton to Skip Arkansas Free Clinic, Blames Olbermann for ...
Firedoglake (blog)
She's in Arkansas covering the Keith Olbermann's free clinic event, organized by the National Association of Free Clinics. The former President is in town ...
Clinton: I Can't Go To Clinics Because Olbermann Politicized Them Firedoglake (blog)

all 13 news articles »

Olbermann, Huffington Suggest “Teabaggers” Should Be Censored - Prison Planet.com

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:03:10 -0800

Salon

Olbermann, Huffington Suggest “Teabaggers” Should Be Censored
Prison Planet.com
On Thursday, the Mockingbird corporate media operative Keith Olbermann played the race card (again) to demonize the Tea Party movement. ...
Huffington Argues Glenn Beck Should Be Excluded from Constitutionally ... NewsBusters (blog)
Anti-Defamation League calls Glenn Beck 'fearmonger-in-chief' Raw Story

all 5 news articles »

Countdown on the 'Fearmonger in Chief': 'We cannot just dismiss him'

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

DOWNLOADS: (282)

PLAYS: (1406)

Every time we run a Glenn Beck post, someone trolls into the comments and asks, "Why bother with this guy? We should just ignore him! Post more videos on [insert name of preferred progressive figure here]!"

We'd like to refer them to this week's special report from the ADL on the rise of populist anti-government rage, the one that officially dubbed Beck our national "Fearmonger in Chief".

Keith Olbermann invited Arianna Huffington onto Countdown to discuss the report last night:

OLBERMANN: It would be nice to think of Glenn Beck just as a joke, as fodder for this show and the “Daily Show” and others that point out how stupid some of this stuff is. But this report, you know, suggests something else, this is—fearmonger-in-chief term is frightening.

HUFFINGTON: It is frightening. Well, I would say the fearmonger-in-chief title should still be reserved for Dick Cheney, even in retirement. But barring that, there is something that we need to really pay attention to with Glenn Beck. We cannot just dismiss him. Because the truth of the matter is that there is a good reason why we have an exemption to the free speech protection by the first amendment when we say you cannot shout fire in a crowded theater.

And he's doing that every night. He's basically using images of violence to bring together with all that he's accusing the Obama administration of, which varies from racism to communism, Nazism and everything else in between. So, all that has definitely an impact. I believe words matter, language matters and he's using it in incredibly irresponsible ways night after night.

OLBERMANN: What do you say to the argument that this country has always self corrected, that whether Father Coughlin on the radio in the ‘30s or Bo Carter (ph) who was a newscaster who presented literally stuff that was made up on the hour in CBS News in the ‘30s or the columnist Westbook Pegler or Senator Joe McCarthy? All these people a finale in which they exited the stage and suddenly. What is to say that that‘s not going to happen here?

HUFFINGTON: Well, I hope it's going to happen, but it's not going to happen without people pointing out what Glenn Beck is doing.

Indeed, since the report was issued, Beck seems to have turned up the Wingnuttery Dial all the way 11.

We put together a compendium of Beck's finest fearmongering of just the past year on Fox, inspired largely by the instances cited by the ADL -- with a few of our own favorite moments thrown in for good measure.

DOWNLOADS: (320)

PLAYS: (3412)

As Arianna says, confronting the Becks is vital to keeping our discourse healthy -- because he is polluting it daily with the toxic garbage of disinformation, paranoia, and scapegoating.

We discussed this recently in the matter of Lou Dobbs:

[I]t's one thing to hold a contrary opinion ... It's quite another to irresponsibly demagogue and demonize an entire bloc of the American population with provably false information and paranoid conspiracy theories derived in large part from hate groups whose entire purpose is to poison the well of our national discourse.

Dobbs wasn't in trouble with the public merely for attacking Latino immigrants or peddling conspiracy theories -- the public sought his removal because he had become a major conduit for right-wing extremism in the mainstream of our discourse.

The free press, and free speech, are indeed vital to the functioning of our democracy, precisely because they are the only means by which the citizens of a democratic society can obtain the information they need to function effectively.

What this means, however, is that the people in the press who dispense that information have an incredible responsibility not just to their readers, but to democratic society, to report accurately, truthfully, and responsibly.

And when they fail in those responsibilities, the public has not just the right but the obligation to demand accountability. Purveying false information is in itself fundamentally irresponsible; so is reporting with the intent to demonize people and target them for elimination; and the combination of the two is particularly toxic, because it almost inevitably has violent consequences.

Olbermann Furious Palin Reads Newsmax - NewsMax.com

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:39:42 -0800

CBS News

Olbermann Furious Palin Reads Newsmax
NewsMax.com
When Sarah Palin told Fox News Wednesday night that she turns to Newsmax as one of her primary news sources, she ticked off MSNBC host Keith Olbermann. ...
Hannity, Limbaugh, Maddow, Olbermann, Beck, Obama, Palin, Unicorns, Pancakes Gawker
What Sarah Palin Is 'Absorbing' From Newsmax Mediaite.com
Palin-Beck 2012? CBS News

all 154 news articles »

Blanche Lincoln's Balancing Act -- By: David J. Sanders

webmaster@nationalreview.com (David J. Sanders) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:18 -0800

For Sen. Blanche Lincoln, the moderate Arkansas Democrat, the nation’s health-care woes may lead to more headaches than any medicine could alleviate.

Lincoln is a pivotal vote on the motion to begin debate on Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s health-care legislation; if the motion passes, she could be the swing vote on the eventual motion to close debate. Her decision isn’t simply a calculation about winning the right number of concessions, as perhaps President Obama and the Democratic leadership hope; it’s about her political survival.

The pressure in Washington may be significant -- Lincoln has had sit-down meetings with Obama and Senate majority leader Harry Reid -- but so is the pressure back home, where Lincoln is showing clear signs of political weakness heading into her 2010 reelection campaign.

She is unpopular with a wide range of voters, and that unpopularity directly correlates with the hostility many Arkansans feel toward Democratic policies in Washington, health care included. A recent Zogby International poll of likely Arkansas voters showed that 64 percent oppose the Senate health-care plan and only 29 percent support it.

The stacks of survey data show that more voters disapprove than approve of Lincoln. Her approval rating has consistently hovered in the low 40s, while her disapproval rating has edged up into the high 40s.

So far, seven Republicans are vying for an opportunity to challenge her in the general election. Some of her would-be Republican opponents, though relatively unknown statewide, are within the margin of error in most polls.

According to Zogby, in an initial match-up of Lincoln and possible Republican candidate Gilbert Baker, a state senator, Lincoln holds a narrow 41-39 lead. Against another possible GOP contender, State Senator Kim Hendren, Lincoln holds a more substantial 45-29 lead. But when voters were asked how they would vote in a Lincoln-Baker race if Lincoln were to vote in favor of the pending health-care legislation, the incumbent Democrat fell behind her possible GOP challenger 37-49. In all, 48 percent of likely Arkansas voters said they would be less likely to back Lincoln’s reelection if she supported the health-care bill, and 38 percent said they would be much less likely to back her in that event.

The senator received more bad news earlier this week. On Wednesday, Public Policy Polling (PPP), a Democratic-leaning firm based in North Carolina, released the results of a survey of likely voters in Arkansas’s 2nd Congressional District, which showed Lincoln with a shocking 27 percent approval rating. The district includes Little Rock as well as the rest of Central Arkansas, and it has historically been one of the state’s most Democratic-friendly areas. In the same PPP survey, President Obama registered a 42 percent approval rating in the district, and the district’s U.S. congressman, Democrat Vic Snyder -- who has shown recent signs of vulnerability -- came in at 41 percent.

The solution for Lincoln is easy, argue some observers: She should simply come out against health-care-reform efforts.

But Lincoln has trouble within her own party. She hasn’t polled well with Democrats, who in large part support their party’s designs for health care. The PPP poll found that only 43 percent of Democrats give her positive marks, while 37 percent view her negatively. Here is where her balancing act begins: According to the survey, 30 percent of Democrats think she’s too conservative, while 49 percent of independents think she’s too liberal.

Two high-profile Democrats loom as potential primary opponents. Arkansas state senate president Bob Johnson, a 40-something conservative Democrat, has expressed interest in challenging her in a primary. And Lincoln’s supporters worry that Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, whose popularity is high due to his role in establishing the state’s new educational lottery, might forgo reelection next year and challenge the senator from the left.

In a move that has fed suspicions of a Halter primary bid, the lieutenant governor is playing host this weekend in Little Rock to the National Association of Free Clinics. None other than MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann has plugged the clinics (which provide free health-care services to the uninsured) as a way of putting pressure on fence-sitting moderate Democrats such as Lincoln.

So, if she votes with her party -- including on the motion to begin debate -- it could spell electoral doom; but if she bucks Democrats, she could face a primary challenge. Lincoln is clearly caught between a rock and a hard place.

-- David J. Sanders is a columnist with Stephens Media in Little Rock, Ark.

Reform battle more about precedent than progress - FierceHealthcare

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:57:28 -0800

Reform battle more about precedent than progress
FierceHealthcare
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) when quizzed by Keith Olbermann over the status of the public option this week. Whitehouse told Keith that even if states opt out ...

and more »

Huffington Argues Glenn Beck Should Be Excluded from Constitutionally Protected Freedom of Speech

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:23:15 -0800

Want to know how the left really feels about free speech? Look no further than Huffington Post editor and co-founder Arianna Huffington.

Huffington appeared on MSNBC's Nov. 19 "Countdown" to discuss a report by the Anti-Defamation League that alleges Fox News host Glenn Beck is "the most important mainstream media figure who has repeatedly helped to stoke fires of anti-government anger" and therefore endangering society.

"It would be nice to think of Glenn Beck just as a joke, as fodder for this show and the "Daily Show" and others that point out how stupid some of this stuff is," "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann said. "But this report, you know, suggests something else, this is - fear-monger-in-chief term is frightening."

Huffington agreed with Olbermann's assertion, but she took it a step further and suggested Beck's alleged fear-mongering warrants an exemption from the First Amendment, otherwise known as the "shouting fire in a crowded theater" precedent.

"It is frightening," Huffington replied. "Well, I would say the fear-monger-in-chief title should still be reserved for Dick Cheney, even in retirement. But barring that, there is something that we need to really pay attention to with Glenn Beck. We cannot just dismiss him. Because the truth of the matter is that there is a good reason why we have an exemption to the free speech protection by the First Amendment when we say you cannot shout 'fire' in a crowded theater."

Huffington declared that likening Obama's policies to ideologies prominent in Europe during the 20th Century, or anything else with an "-ism" attached to it is "irresponsible."

"And he's doing that every night. He's basically using images of violence to bring together with all that he's accusing the Obama administration of, which varies from racism to communism, Nazism and everything else in between. So, all that has definitely an impact. I believe words matter, language matters and he's using it in incredibly irresponsible ways night after night."

Ratingzzz

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:46:00 -0800

Wednesday November 18th: TVbytheNumbers

FOXNEWS HANNITY/PALIN 4,200,000 (2nd 2009 best)
FOXNEWS O'REILLY 3,868,000
FOXNEWS BECK 2,512,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 2,383,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 2,235,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 1,980,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,041,000
CNNHN GRACE 1,036,000
MSNBC MADDOW 957,000
CNN KING 835,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 625,000
CNN COOPER 611,000

Do you think Bill O'Reilly - who supposedly went batshit when he found out Hannity's Palin interview would air before his - is jealous?

Free clinics tied to health care debate - The Associated Press

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:13:48 -0800

Free clinics tied to health care debate
The Associated Press
... Association of Free Clinics — the Virginia-based association's second free event in the past month under a campaign promoted by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. ...
Free medical clinics staged in states where senators are targeted on health ... WREG

all 205 news articles »

Henrymrx: we've been over this, see talk page

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:26:32 -0800

we've been over this, see talk page

← Previous revision		Revision as of 07:26, 20 November 2009
Line 24:		Line 24:
	\|URL = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/		\|URL = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/
	}}		}}
-	'''Keith Theodore Olbermann''' (born January 27, 1959) is an American [[news presenter\|news anchor]],<ref name="offbio">{{cite web\|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080446/\|title=Keith Olbermann - Countdown with Keith Olbermann\|work=[[MSNBC.com\|MSNBC]]\|date=2007-02-22\|accessdate=2008-10-30}}</ref> [[sportscaster]], [[writer]], and liberal [[political commentator]]. He hosts ''[[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]]'', an hour-long nightly news and commentary program on [[MSNBC]]. Starting with the [[2007 NFL season]], Olbermann also serves as a co-host of [[NBC]]'s ''[[Football Night in America]]''.	+	'''Keith Theodore Olbermann''' (born January 27, 1959) is an American [[news presenter\|news anchor]],<ref name="offbio">{{cite web\|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080446/\|title=Keith Olbermann - Countdown with Keith Olbermann\|work=[[MSNBC.com\|MSNBC]]\|date=2007-02-22\|accessdate=2008-10-30}}</ref> [[sportscaster]], [[writer]], and [[political commentator]]. He hosts ''[[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]]'', an hour-long nightly news and commentary program on [[MSNBC]]. Starting with the [[2007 NFL season]], Olbermann also serves as a co-host of [[NBC]]'s ''[[Football Night in America]]''.

	Olbermann spent the first twenty years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for [[CNN]] in the 1980s, winning the ''Best Sportscaster'' award from the California [[Associated Press]] three times. He later co-hosted [[ESPN]]'s ''[[SportsCenter]]'' from 1992 to 1997. After leaving ESPN amid controversy, Olbermann became a sports anchor and producer for [[Fox Sports Net]] from 1998 to 2001, during which time he hosted [[Major League Baseball on Fox\|Fox's studio coverage of baseball]].		Olbermann spent the first twenty years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for [[CNN]] in the 1980s, winning the ''Best Sportscaster'' award from the California [[Associated Press]] three times. He later co-hosted [[ESPN]]'s ''[[SportsCenter]]'' from 1992 to 1997. After leaving ESPN amid controversy, Olbermann became a sports anchor and producer for [[Fox Sports Net]] from 1998 to 2001, during which time he hosted [[Major League Baseball on Fox\|Fox's studio coverage of baseball]].

Naked Keith Olbermann--You Know You Want It

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:33:00 -0800

The Ego does not think that this is the most flattering representation of himself (or anyone else for that matter) but if you want to purchase this alleged work of art, it's up for bids on Ebay.

Flashback: Year Ago MSNBC Riveted by Palin's Turkey 'Carnage'

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:26:48 -0800

One year ago tonight, Thursday, November 20 -- like today, the Thursday one week before Thanksgiving -- MSNBC ridiculously plastered “BREAKING NEWS” on-screen for video of Sarah Palin at a turkey farm just after pardoning one, running more than three minutes of video of some turkeys being slaughtered by a man in the background behind her. Palin, then just weeks off the presidential campaign trail, was simply answering questions from reporters in her role as Governor of Alaska.

Filling in as host of Countdown, David Shuster scolded Palin: “She neglected to notice what was happening directly behind her -- in clear view of the television cameras. We've blurred out the goriest parts, but here's her interview, from start to finish.”

As the video ran, MSNBC displayed rotating chyrons with hyperbolic declarations, such as:

GOV. SARAH PALIN KEEPS TALKING WHILE TURKEYS GET SLAUGHTERED BEHIND HER

GOV. PALIN APPARENTLY OBLIVIOUS TO TURKEY CARNAGE OVER HER SHOULDER

The November 20, 2008 NewsBusters posting, “MSNBC Turns Palin's Pardoning of Turkey Into Means to Deride Her,” recounted:

MSNBC took denigrating Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to a new low on Thursday night's Countdown. With “BREAKING NEWS” ridiculously on screen, MSNBC ended the show, hosted by David Shuster filling in for Keith Olbermann, with more than three minutes of video of some turkeys being slaughtered by a man behind Palin while rotating chyrons hyperbolically declared:
GOV. PALIN PICKS WORST POSSIBLE BACKDROP FOR TV NEWS INTERVIEW

TURKEYS DIE AS GOVERNOR PALIN TAKES QUESTIONS FROM MEDIA

GOV. SARAH PALIN KEEPS TALKING WHILE TURKEYS GET SLAUGHTERED BEHIND HER

GOV. PALIN APPARENTLY OBLIVIOUS TO TURKEY CARNAGE OVER HER SHOULDER

GOV. PALIN NOT REALIZING INCONGRUITY OF HER WORDS VERSUS HER BACKDROP

TURKEY-KILLING FOWLS PALIN NEWS CONFERENCE
The video aired after MSNBC ran a story on Palin's pre-Thanksgiving pardoning of a turkey at a Wasila poultry farm. Shuster, quite serious, set up the segment with this warning:
We've made every effort to sanitize the video of what happens next, but you still might want to consider getting the kids out of the room right now and anyone who's a little squeamish about where Thanksgiving dinner comes from. Are they gone? Okay, here's what happened next: As Governor Palin stepped outside of the hatchery, to give a post-pardon interview, she neglected to notice what was happening directly behind her -- in clear view of the television cameras. We've blurred out the goriest parts, but here's her interview, from start to finish.
Afterward, Shuster asserted:
And you thought her media outings as a vice presidential candidate were as bad as it gets.
To watch the video in a larger frame -- those interested in the supposed gore, or reading the chyrons, play it on the MRC's Eyeblast site.

John Gibson Takes on MSNBC and Crazy Larry O'Donnell

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:50 -0800

Enjoy Gibby's dissection of the media attacks on Sarah Palin, then get ready to recap another weary Hour of Spin. Comments are open!

The Scoreboard: Wednesday, Nov. 18

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:24:10 -0800

25-54 demographic: (L +SD)

Total day: FNC: 451 | CNN: 119 | MSNBC: 113 | HLN: 150

Prime: FNC: 989 | CNN: 168 | MSNBC: 241 | HLN: 231


	5p:	6p:	7p:	8p:	9p:	10p:	11p:

FNC	Beck:	Baier:	Shep:	O'Reilly:	Hannity:	Greta:	O'Reilly:
	651	472	452	1065	1149	747	599

CNN	Blitzer:	Blitzer:	Tonight:	Brown:	King:	Cooper:	Cooper:
	123	117	135	126	208	171	117

MSNBC	Matthews:	EdShow:	Matthews:	Olbermann:	Maddow:	Olbermann:	Maddow:
	107	118	132	288	273	162	129

HLN	Prime:	Prime:	Issues:	Grace:	Behar:	Grace:	Showbiz:
	86	116	202	355	152	197	149

Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data.

continued...

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Situation Normal: AFU

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:57:00 -0800

It was liberal ThinkProgress that fingered Fox (again) for running the wrong vid. The pictures didn't match Fox anchor Greg Jarrett's copy about Sarah Palin drawing "huge crowds" or her book tour. She is. But the vid was from the 2008 campaign. Last week Sean Hannity apologized after Jon Stewart compared crowd shots Hannity ran and found the smoking gun: clouds.

The quick Fox vows some sort of disciplinary action. Personally, I don't think it is a big deal. I can't imagine Fox deliberately cooking the crowds. What's the point? Just deal with the grunt, producer, or the control room and be done with it.

Fox isn't the first network to fuck up video. But as the front-runner, any mistake Fox makes gets big play. Last week MSNBC used a doctored gun-toting Sarah Palin in a bikini on the air and on the website. Barely a peep. MSNBC also cut off the head of a black guy toting an AR-15 at an Obama rally to suggest white hatred. Did anyone apologize? Did Keith Olbermann apologize for last week's obscene hand gestures after his seven-minute bashing of former Miss California Carrie Prejean?

Honest mistakes are one thing. Deliberate manipulation another.

John Gibson: The Real Reasons Behind the KSM Trial

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:59:39 -0800

Gibby has a theory, and he tries to explain it to callers. And there's even a passing reference to the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann, just to keep it on topic. Listen up, listen uppers, and then recap tonight's Hour of Spin. Comments are open!

Olbermann Names O'Reilly "Worst Person" TWICE! (VIDEO) - Huffington Post (blog)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:57:39 -0800

Olbermann Names O'Reilly "Worst Person" TWICE! (VIDEO)
Huffington Post (blog)
Bill O'Reilly achieved the distinction of being named not just Keith Olbermann's worst person in the world Tuesday night, but also his second-worst. ...

and more »

Olbermann Celebrates 'Teabagger' as Word of the Year Finalist - NewsBusters (blog)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:25:06 -0800

New Zealand Herald

Olbermann Celebrates 'Teabagger' as Word of the Year Finalist
NewsBusters (blog)
Not only did MSNBC's Keith Olbermann seem rather pleased with himself by this announcement, he also used the occasion to present to his tiny "Countdown" ...
'Teabagger' Added To Oxford Dictionary, Finalist For 'Word Of The Year' Huffington Post (blog)
Cue Outrage: “Teabagger” Is An Oxford Word Of The Year Finalist Mediaite.com
"Teabagger" Oxford Dictionary Word-of-the-Year Finalist Huffington Post (blog)

all 802 news articles »

Countdown: Tuesday Recappers Thread

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:58:00 -0800

Comments are open!

Tuesday Cable News Links and Open Thread

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:36:45 -0800

Major news: the war is lost. Q&A: Lou Dobbs.

Futility: challenging KO to debate. Joe plugs service.

CNN's balanced forum. Hotline after dark.

Updated through the day. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your cable news comments in today's open thread. Standard rules apply. fox news cable news

Video: Keith Olbermann gives his take on Sarah Palin's interview with Oprah - Examiner.com

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:58:52 -0800

ABC News

Video: Keith Olbermann gives his take on Sarah Palin's interview with Oprah
Examiner.com
Not surprisingly Keith Olbermann did not have positive reviews of Palin in his coverage. While Olbermann did not provide extensive commentary on the ...
Going Palin Hutchinson News
O'Reilly cites dubious MRC report on alleged anti-Palin bias in the media Media Matters for America
Matthew Continetti discusses Sarah Palin's 'Going Rogue' Washington Post
Alaska Dispatch - Blogcritics.org (blog) - Raw Story
all 5,326 news articles »

The Olbermann Week That Was: By the Numbers

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:26:04 -0800

Once again the Olbermann Watch Research Division poured through the MSNBC online transcripts to see how much attention was paid to key stories and issues over the past week. Here is what our keyword searches found:

Notes: References to Iraq do not include Olbermann's ritual closing mantra.

Congratulations Sarah Palin! You are once again the most important story on Countdown--in fact Sarah Palin was more important than Afghanistan, Iraq, Nidal Hasan, Iran, Pakistan, and unemployment combined! It looks like Keithy has a krush on someone. Awwwwww. Get ready to recap tonight's Hour of Spin. Comments are open!

Cnn Pays Lou Dobbs More To Quit Than Msnbc Pays Olbermann Matthews To Work - Portfolio.com

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:39:16 -0800

China Daily

Cnn Pays Lou Dobbs More To Quit Than Msnbc Pays Olbermann Matthews To Work
Portfolio.com
To put CNN's payout in perspective, Dobbs is getting more money to leave his show than MSNBC's Keith Olbermann gets to host Countdown five nights a week. ...
Time For Lou Dobbs To Run For Elective Office! Post Chronicle
Lou Dobbs Suggests Senate Run "On My Mind" CBS News
I Was Lou Dobbs Last Guest: Witness To a Star Reborn American Spectator
The Daily Athenaeum - Guelph Mercury
all 757 news articles »

The Ego's Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:27:00 -0800

I'm sure you're wondering what Keith Olbermann's Ego was doing this weekend and The Ego is happy to tell you that he was at the Joe Torre Safe at Home annual benefit dinner where The Ego was one of THE featured celebrities in attendance. Sure Joe no longer coaches the Ego's much-beloved Yankees but the Ego is all about helping the ......what the hell is this charity for again? Anywho charity. The Ego is all about the charity. Why the Ego's favorite charity is one Miss Katy Tur who benefits greatly from the Ego's charity. I mean honestly---does she think she'd have those jobs if it weren't for The Ego's charity?

MSNBC Presses Obama on Campaign Promises - New York Times

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:41:05 -0800

Examiner.com

MSNBC Presses Obama on Campaign Promises
New York Times
From left, Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow have plenty to talk about with President Obama in office. Rachel Maddow says, “I don't think ...
MSNBC pressures Obama from left Examiner.com
NY Times Sells MSNBC As 'Progressive But Not Partisan' NewsBusters (blog)
Who needs Fox? WH takes heat from MSNBC Radio Business Report
Mediaite.com - mediabistro.com (blog)
all 20 news articles »

Fox Haters Week in Review

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:31:31 -0800

The truth about FNC's youtube crackdown, plus we expose more falsehoods and lies. In case you haven't guessed, it's today's Fox Haters Week in Review!

Stay the Corpse:
We lead off with a visit to our friends at News Corpse. When a youtube channel that uploaded videos from FNC was suspended for copyright violations, it didn't take long for our pals to charge conspiracy:

Why would Fox do this? It certainly wasn’t because they were upset that their content was being recorded and distributed without their permission. They have not bothered to remove other Fox-owned content posted by sycophantic fans like TheRightScoop, BuckFarack, GlennBeckDailyClips and ConservativeNewMedia. But the liberally-inclined News1news has been shut down.... Clearly this is not a case of protecting intellectual property. The selective nature of Fox’s legal actions prove that they are only interested in squelching liberals.

First, let's get the facts right. Check out the youtube accounts of GlennBeckDailyClips and ConservativeNation. Oops! They're suspended. So much for the "selective nature". Other sites, like ConservativeNewMedia, have removed all Fox videos. Meanwhile, News Corpse wants us all to shed a tear over the closing of the News1news channel:

While Jon’s clips contained no added commentary, they were often segments in which Fox News personnel looked foolish. This was not Jon’s doing. He just posted the unadulterated video and the FoxPods acted naturally.

News1news was not the saintly public service the corpsicles want you to believe. Here's a small inside story. When Shep Smith made a comment about "fair and balanced", websites scrambled to find a video clip. We were contacted by Mediaite and whipped up a clip that segued from the start of the segment with Shannon Bream to the end of the segment with Shep's comment. Mediaite posted that video and properly credited J$P. News1news had been scooped, and didn't care for that at all. So they downloaded our video, slapped their logo on it, and then re-uploaded it to youtube as their own--without any acknowledgment or credit to either Mediaite or J$P.

And then there is the corpse claim that News1news posted "unadulterated video". We're sure they did...sometimes. But the urge to smear FNC is too great for some Fox haters to ignore. Remember the infamous Glenn Beck frog incident? News1news put out a clip that was deliberately cropped. After they show the frog shtick, they continue with Beck saying:

BECK: Forget about the Republicans, because most of them are fake. Forget about the Democrats, because most of them are fake.

At that point the clip abruptly ends. And it was abrupt for a reason. Here's what the News1news "unadulterated video" purposely left out:

BECK: Forget about the Republicans, because most of them are fake. Forget about the Democrats, because most of them are fake. And forget about the frog, because it was fake!

A lot of websites were fooled by this dishonest editing, and we have News1news to thank for it. But the corpsicles overlook all that and proceed to an ignorant diatribe about "free speech":

What Fox is doing here is an unabashed curtailing of speech - THEIR OWN! They are prohibiting the dissemination of information and ideas based solely on political criteria. I wonder if the First Amendment advocates at Fox will now mount a campaign exposing Fox as anti-speech.

Are the news corpse guys really this uninformed about copyright law? Do they actually think owners of property have no say about its use? Here's another bit of inside information. People who post FNC clips to youtube are told that their videos have content owned by a third party. They are given notice that their clips may be challenged or removed. The action taken against News1news shouldn't have surprised anyone. It especially shouldn't have surprised the corpsicles, given that every page on their blog includes a long-winded four-sentence warning about reprinting their copyrighted articles. Funny, they object to Fox News controlling publication of its copyrighted content, but assert the right to control their own.

We would be remiss if we failed to note another bit of brilliance from the News Corpse coffin. They chortled with glee when contributor Marc Lamont Hill was fired by FNC because "they certainly couldn’t tolerate the presence of an intelligent, articulate, black man". (Race card? Check!) But then a funny thing happened...Dr Hill reappeared on Fox as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor. Uh oh, that made the corpse analysis look, um, stupid and wrong. So they concocted a new attack:

So Rupert Murdoch lied when he told his shareholders that Hill was fired. Hmmm. Lies from Fox World? Who woulda thunk it?

How utterly fatuous can they get? Dr Hill himself says he was fired. Is he lying too? Does the Corpse cabal really believe that anyone who appears on FNC instantly becomes a hired contributor? That would make Brian Ross, George Stephanopoulos, and hundreds of other guests all paid empoyees of Fox News. This kind of brainless idiocy isn't unique in the Fox haters echo chamber, but it acquires a special level of lunacy thanks to the Einsteins at News Corpse.

Around the Interwebs
A Reason article on Glenn Beck can't seem to make up its mind whether it is an objective analysis or a slyly worded hit piece. The latter characterization is thanks to another go-round with an old claim:

A week later, he started investigating the rumor that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was building concentration camps around the country. When that didn’t pan out, he set about exposing the secret communist artwork adorning Rockefeller Plaza...He couldn’t sell FEMA death camps because the facts weren’t there to back the story up.

Meanwhile another blog lies that Beck spent "an entire week" of his show discussing the "possibility" of FEMA camps. How many times do we have to explain this? Glenn Beck has done not one, not two, but three segments--not about the "possibility" of FEMA concentration camps, but debunking them as a crazy internet conspiracy theory. You can see all three here. Will this ever die?

The worldwide web also brings us this fascinating claim about Fort Hood coverage from a Pakistani news source:

While Pakistani leading TV channels have voluntarily devised a code of ethics, America lags behind. Fox News's Shepherd Smith just could not resist the temptation to give away the identity of the alleged killer. Throwing journalistic ethics to the winds, Smith did not hold his tongue.... Every American anchor and his guests thereafter latched on like leeches to the name Nidal Malik Hasan.

What a story. And completely backwards. Shepard Smith was anchoring while other news agencies were naming the killer based on leaked information. Fox News and Smith refused for hours to name the killer until the information was confirmed by the military--even though CNN, (MS)NBC, ABC, and the AP had already done so. That made Fox the last major media source to broadcast the information. The truth is the exact opposite of what the Pakistani paper claims.

And a hat-tip to The Random Blog for catching Media Matters in another bit of disinformation. They attack Fox Nation for "promoting" some incendiary comments by Rep Foxx about "Obamacare". But wait. The comments were newsworthy. All Fox Nation did was link to an article by Politico. And in fact the same comments were aired on C-SPAN, and highlighted in a post at Think Progress. But Media Matters ignores them and oddly chooses Fox to single out for criticism. As blogger Chris Golas points out:

[Fox] covers it, they are "promoting" it and if they don't they can be accused of NOT covering it and it shows another example of pro-GOP "bias".

Shaggy Dog Stories:
No FHWiR would be complete without a a visit to the newshounds (another fine product of the Outfoxed syndicate). And there is much to choose from. A "guest blogger" blows the lid off a burning issue on everyone's mind:

Will Fox News Mock Passivity of Fort Hood Soldiers The Way It Did Va Tech Shooting Victims?

Ah, a trip down mammary lane. To back up this claim, gb offers several examples: a piece at National Review Online, a column from Real Clear Politics, and compilation of quotes from Media Matters. Oddly, not one of these is from any Fox News broadcast.

So our "guest blogger" pulls her trump card: a comment from Mark Steyn. But this lone example was simply an opinion from someone being interviewed. Is gb claiming that every comment from an interviewee represents the corporate opinion of Fox News? Even the tail-waggers aren't deluded enough to think that will fly. So they juice up the claim by calling Steyn "Fox News contributor Mark Steyn". But this too is more dog droppings. Steyn is not a "Fox News contributor". Never was. Where did the mongrels get the idea that he is? They made it up! After all this obfuscation and falsification, the actual number of instances gb cites to back up her allegation? Zero.

Ellen Brodsky tells us that Judge Napolitano "stops one step of advocating insurrection": i.e. he wants a constitutional convention, lower taxes, and other legal and political notions. Silly us, we thought that you'd have to do a lot more than that to be "one step" from the violent overthrow of the US government. Another "guest blogger" goes off on a weird tangent and, apropos of nothing, spews that the Shrine of the Little Flower in suburban Detroit is really a shrine dedicated to 1930s radio priest Father Coughlin. And all along we thought "The Little Flower" was actually Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Meanwhile, if it's preposterous HeadLies that interest you, consider Priscilla's "Chickenhawk Brian Kilmeade Won’t Share His Foxhole With A Muslim". It's a baseless smear, recasting Kilmeade's words into something he didn't say. But the real fun here is Prissy's definition of "chickenhawk" (the newspooches are educational haters--they even give etymologies of their name-calling). Yes, by Priscilla's denotation, the leading chickenhawk in the USA is Barack Obama!

But it always seems to come back to Brodsky. There is nothing more humiliating (or amusing, depending on where you stand) than seeing a self-righteous fabulist pile on the scorn over a mistake...that isn't a mistake. Ellen takes this week's cake as she excoriates the "misinforming" on Fox:

[William] Bennett wasn’t done misinforming, “What bothers me is the Army, is the military… General Casey this week said, ‘This was a horrible thing that happened let's hope that diversity is not a casualty. Because if diversity in the military is a casualty, that will be a worse tragedy than this.’” That’s not at all what General Casey said. He said, “I'm concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And I've asked our Army leaders to be on the lookout for that. It would be a shame -- as great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well.” It’s very telling that Bennett would twist Casey’s words to make a desire for diversity sound so terrible. Bennett continued to scorn Casey for what he did not say: “A worse tragedy? The loss of some diversity will be a worse tragedy than the loss of innocent people?” Hannity, who should know better, agreed, “Yeah.”

That's not what Casey said?!? A simple check of the transcript or video turns up the truth:

CASEY: And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse.

Whoops. Looks like it's Brodsky who's doing the misinforming. Considering how widely Casey's actual words were reported (over 1400 citations on Google), do you think Ellen's "mistake" was actually Another Hound Lie? Of course Brodsky may publish a correction and an apology. But if she doesn't, you'll know the answer to that question.

Finally, Priscilla slams Fox for a guest's "homophobic", "bigoted" reference to Barney Frank as "the dancing queen". We don't condone the comment. But then again we don't condone the newshounds' hypocrisy either: slamming Fox for a comment made by a guest, deeming it "bigoted" and "homophobic", all the while allowing such comments on their own site:

Spot something you'd like to see in the next Fox Haters Week in Review? Send us an email! fox news nh mm nc

Flashback: Keith Olbermann's Love/Hate Relationship with Nazis!

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:03:38 -0800

Among the many videos that were purged from youtube when the Olbermann Watch account was nuked was this look at Keith Olbermann, so ready to pompously object to Nazi comparisons, and so eager to use them himself. Here's the post from February 3, 2008, and a freshly uploaded version of the video:

Keith Olbermann is the "journalist" who has compared Fox News to Nazis, who said the Bush administration is an example of facism, and who likened its rise to that of The Third Reich. And how many other news anchors have been censured by the Anti-Defamation League (who are still waiting for their apology)?

This is the same Edward R Olbermann who slammed Condoleeze Rice for suggesting that Saddam might have been like Adolf Hitler. The same Keith Oralmann who sermonized that such comparisons must be stopped: "There's no place for the reference in this culture. Not about the Republican tactics, not about the Democratic tactics, not about Guantanamo Bay."

Keep those words in mind. Because in his latest Special Education Komment, Olby does it again. Yes, he compares the Bush administration to the Third Reich! A more stunning example of Olbypocrisy could not be imagined. This video explores Herr Olbermahn's love/hate relationship with Nazism:

A special Olbermann Watch hat-tip to youtuber ThePenIsMightier2007, whose excellent video on Keith's Nazi hypocrisy inspired our small effort.

Recap the last Hour of Spin of the week. Comments are open!

Countdown: Thursday Recappers Thread

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:36:58 -0800

Edward R Olbermann spent Wednesday's Hour of Spin without reporting on Fort Hood, emails to Al-Qaeda, Hasan, or anything else that didn't fit his talking points. Because on OlbyPlanet, if Olby just decides not to report it, then it didn't happen! Prepare to recap tonight's propagandarama right here. Comments are open!

Thursday Cable News Links and Open Thread

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:11:03 -0800

Maddow's turn to apologize? CNN ends webcasts.

Wednesday's numbers: Bill-Beck-Hannity 1-2-3.

Dobbs departs: reax roundup. A colleague's thoughts. Olby's well wishes. Lou's successor: John King! Dobbs to run for Prez!? Today's dumb idea.

Q&A: John King, Levy, Kurtz. Hotline after dark.

Krugman vs FBN. FBN Live signs sponsors. Sean's sorry.

Videos: Weird Prejean moment, Carrie on Red Eye.

J$P 24-Hour Poll Results: What will Dobbs do?

Votes for other included: book, work on a campaign, don't care, several unprintable vulgarities.

Updated through the day. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your cable news comments in today's open thread. fox news cable

Great Moments in Broadcast Journalism #426

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:46:46 -0800

The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann couldn't be bothered yesterday to report on Malik Hasan or all of his contacts with jihadists and repeated emails to Al Qaeda. He didn't even bother to do a segment on the Fort Hood memorial. Instead, he devoted over seven minutes to grade-school vulgarities directed at Carrie Prejean. More of that OlbyPlanet news judgment. No doubt he'll have something really special for Veterans Day. You can recap it right here. Comments are still open!

Wednesday Cable News Links and Open Thread

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:22:50 -0800

Drop Dobbs victory? Lou leaving CNN! Announcement.

Tuesday's numbers: Bill-Sean-Shep 1-2-3; Ft Hood.

Obama to grant FNC interview to Major Garrett?

D-Rat splits? Weekly ranker. Protest prep.

Stay classy, Keith! Sneaky Sean? Hannity to respond.

CNN's woes. Gibson's grumbles. Alan's hate tweets.

More GOP propaganda from Fox. Hotline after dark.

Updated through the day. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your cable news comments in today's open thread. fox news cable

Will Keith Olbermann Apologize for Smearing Fox's Peter Johnson Jr?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:55:02 -0800

To understand how Keith Olbermann concocts his ritual character assassinations of people on his enemies list, one must appreciate the modus operandi involved. More often than not, Olby spots an attack in a blue blog, preferably a Fox hating one, lifts it without checking, contorts the content even further to suit his own agenda, and then for a big finish tosses in a healthy dose of name calling, ridicule, and personal attacks.

This week brought us an egregious example of OlbyCarthyism, one that appears to have had its genesis at one of David Shuster's favorite sources, Talking Points Memo. They excerpted a few sentences from a four hour program: an exchange the Fox & Friends hosts had with Geraldo Rivera regarding the Fort Hood massacre. The article links to, but does not embed, a snippet of video. But even this skimpy documentation was too much information for Olbermann, who attacked all three hosts by cropping things even further and just quoting their questions and ignoring the answers. Here he cites Gretchen Carlson:

CARLSON: Could it be that the military was exercising political correctness in not approaching him as seriously as they would have had he not been a Muslim?

Why does this question make Ms Carlson a "worst person" nominee? After all, MSNBC's employee Clift van Zandt made a similar point about political correctness, and just today NBC's own David Gregory asked a question that echoed Carlson's about the military missing warning signs. Will they be named "worst persons" by Olbermann? There was a lot more that Gretchen Carlson said--not merely the questions she posed (the job of an interviewer) but her own analysis--that Keith Olbermann neatly avoided telling his viewers about. Before asking that verboten question, she noted:

CARLSON: It puts any Muslim American in a tough situation here because by all accounts most Muslim Americans living here are living here peacefully. I mean, this is the extreme element--potentially--of this religion, and we don't know exactly if the religion was his motivation or not, or if it was the act of war, or that he went nuts. I mean, we don't really know right now.

There's no way Olby is going to let that be heard! Olbermann's distortion of Carlson is pretty bad, but his defamation of Peter Johnson Jr is even worse. Here is the quote as Olby cites it:

JOHNSON: You won't countenance special screenings for Muslim soldiers, will ya?

Olbermann attacks Johnson for this cropped quote as if Johnson were calling for such screenings. Again, neither Olby nor Talking Points Memo (which frames this statement as Johnson "grilling" Geraldo, as if they were disagreeing) bothers to note anything Johnson said before that interview, which just might shed some light on the situation. Here is what he said after a statement from a CAIR spokesman calling for Americans to remain calm because the motives of the attacker are not known:

JOHNSON: Well that's absolutely accurate, and it calls for restraint, and it calls for concern for fellow citizens. And obviously whether an assailant is Christian, or is Muslim, or is Jewish, is irrelevant.

What? How can that be? Olbermann wants you to believe Johnson is some sort of depraved racist! Well Keith did have that one-sentence quote as "proof". But even that one sentence has been falsified--doctored to change its meaning and intent. Here, in context, is precisely how the exchange between Peter Johnson and Geraldo Rivera went down. After Brian Kilmeade asked if there should be special screenings for Muslim soldiers, Geraldo disagreed. After Geraldo rambled a bit away from the question, Peter Johnson jumped in:

JOHNSON: You can't, you won't countenance special screenings for Muslim soldiers, will you?
RIVERA: You know, it's a hard--
JOHNSON: You can't. As a civil libertarian, can you countenance that, Geraldo Rivera?
RIVERA: It's a hard step for me to take, to countenance. This is an American born person.
JOHNSON: Yeah it is!
RIVERA: This is not a naturalized citizen.
JOHNSON: Right!

This is the exact opposite of what Olbermann claimed. Peter Johnson Jr was not supporting "special screenings". He was agreeing with Geraldo Rivera and arguing against them! But that doesn't matter to Olbermann, who slanders him as a "worst person" based on his dishonestly cropped quote. Par for the course on Countdown.

But wait, there's more. We haven't yet dealt with Olbermann's specialty: over-the-top insults and name-calling. In this instance it was to accuse Fox News of, among other things, racism:

OLBERMANN: Since we're asking questions, I have one for Carlson, Johnson, and Kilmeade. You guys ever wonder if you all succeeded inside a company like Fox mostly because you're not Muslim or black or Asian or Hispanic?

We noted above that Olbermann was careful to quote only questions, but not answers. This of course made it easy to strip all context from the discussion, but now we find there was another reason. Because the person the Fox hosts were talking to was Geraldo Rivera. You know, the fellow whose successful Fox News program beats MSNBC and CNN weekend after weekend? Now we're not sure, but we think Geraldo is Hispanic. You know, like Julie Banderas. That's the other reason why Olby avoided even mentioning Rivera. Because if he had, how could he wail that Fox News won't allow Hispanics to succeed? Oh that racist FNC! If only it could be more like MSNBC, where Hispanic anchors are plentiful. Why MSNBC is a veritable haven of Muslims, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics:

Keith Olbermann owes someone an on-air apology. Big time.

Originally posted at johnny dollar's place.

Weekend Cable News Links and Open Thread

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:06:26 -0800

Who's the real news network? Part deux.

The Strategy Room strategy.

Q&A: Julie Banderas!

Sunday talkers: HuffPo recap.

Hill mulling "offers". Beck: master of his domain?

CNN's peers. CNN Fort Hood special. Factor charts.

FNC breaking news sets ratings records.

Candy Crowley in Charlottesville.

Updated 6:27 pm Use our valuable bandwidth to post your cable news comments in today's open thread. fox news cable

Gawker remains on Keith Olbermann's Ego's Hit List

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:40:00 -0800

and by Hit List the Ego is not referring to the top 40 but to those that the Ego has banished and/or exiled due to their failure to get the greatness that is Keith Olbermann's Ego. Although the Ego has to credit Gawker for one thing: name-checking the Ego in their latest attack on moi.

It doesn't help Olbermann's case that he does in fact, have a hugely overgrown ego, regularly put on display.

But why do they say it like it's a bad thing? You can't stop Keith Olbermann's Ego, you can't even hope to contain it and that is as it should be.

Red Eye Gang Plus Ann Coulter Beat Up (Figuratively) Keith Olbermann!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:20:12 -0800

Greg Gutfeld and Andy Levy were filling in for John Gibson on the radio today. They got in some good shots at the infamous, deplorable one, then kicked it up a notch by bringing in Ann Coulter. It's perfect Friday fun listening, so listen up, listen-uppers.

Friday Cable News Links and Open Thread

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:46:46 -0800

Video: Tancredo storms off MSNBC.

MSNBC hacked twitter account a fake?

Thursday's numbers: O'Reilly-Shep-Hannity 1-2-3.
Fox dominates Fort Hood ratings.

White House threatens Dems: stay off Fox, or else!

FNC Saturday changes. Beck to replace Oprah?!?

NY Times corrects headline re Fox News.

Sesame Street censured; FNC visits the set.

Fox fever? Shooting coverage roundup.

Olby's suspect story. Hotline after dark.

Updated through the day. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your cable news comments in today's open thread. fox news cable

Olbermann Election-Night 'Hospital' Excuse Starting to Unravel

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:31:37 -0800

It was an odd moment when the time rolled around for MSNBC's "special live edition" of Countdown on election night at 10:00 pm. Because show host Keith Olbermann wasn't there. A hasty pre-recorded Olby tossed it to Lawrence O'Donnell, who proceeded to update viewers on the elections for about 20 minutes, then a rerun of the 8:00 pm showing of Countdown was joined in progress. The first apparently official explanation from MSNBC or from Olbermann came from mediaite:

We hear Olbermann was visiting his dad in the hospital...

But why did MSNBC promise a live Countdown, if they knew they weren't going to air one? For that matter, why did Olbermann himself claim that he would be back at 10:00 pm?

Lawrence O'Donnell and I will be back with the latest on the votes in New York 23rd, Virginia and New Jersey at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific. Until then, I'm Keith Olbermann...

There was one thing that changed between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm: the Corzine loss in New Jersey. Keith already had to endure the victory of Bob McDonnell in Virginia, whose electoral chances he had previously dismissed with a sneering: "Good-bye, Mr McDonnell". He would then have to report another Republican victory at 10:00 pm. If he stuck around.

Was his father's condition so serious that he had to bail on his responsibilities at MSNBC and skip the 10:00 pm show? If so, there was a miraculous recovery because less than 24 hours later KO was merrily blogging at Yankee Stadium, snapping pics and cracking wise. Remember, Olbermann has a pattern of ducking his job when there's news he doesn't want to report. After all there's a reason he's called "bathtub boy". Just ask John Gibson.

Most telling of all is how flimsy and ephemeral the hospital excuse turns out to be when you look at it more closely. Mediaite's only reference is "we heard"...exactly what you would expect when someone is tossing out a BS excuse but doesn't want to get caught having done so. Why wouldn't Olbermann, or someone from MSNBC, say this on the record? To Mediaite's credit, they did try a second time. And MSNBC's non-response speaks volumes:

Mediaite's Steve Krakauer reported that he "heard that Olbermann was visiting his dad in the hospital, which accounted for his absence." When asked for confirmation of this an MSNBC spokesperson provided no comment.

Isn't it time for MSNBC and/or Olbermann to address this , and do it on the record?

Discuss, resolve, and recap. Comments are open!

Do you know who Mike Murphy is?

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0800

Keith Olbermann's Ego will tell you exactly who Mike Murphy is: a guy who used to have a job providing GOP propaganda on MSNBC. But no more and never again. The Ego has spoken.

Thursday Cable News Links and Open Thre

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:25:45 -0800

Wednesday's numbers: Bill-Judge Nap-Hannity 1-2-3.

FNS top Sunday talker. Olby's absences.

Video: The View w/Shep. A fuller spectrum of news.

Roland Martin: classy guy. CNN sinks: analysis.

No hospital excuse on game night. Hotline after dark.

FNC boosts NewsCorp. Rupert speaks. Beck's book club.

Updated through the day. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your cable news comments in today's open thread. fox news cable news

Where in the World Was Keith Olbermann?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:50:10 -0800

MSNBC boasted that on election night they would present a "special live edition of Countdown" at 10:00 pm. But with bad news for the Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a funny thing happened on the way to the bonus Hour of Spin. Keith wasn't there! After a live update (not from Olby but from Lawrence O'Donnell) A-Mess-NBC ("the place for politics") proceeded to rerun the 8:00 pm showing.

Keith had obviously left the building. But why? Where in the world was Keith Olbermann? We don't know yet, but we think we have a pretty good idea:

Update: Steve Krakauer hears one possible explanation of Olby's whereabouts:

Around 10:15pmET, there was a commercial break, and the repeat 8pmET Countdown kicked in. It aired the rest of the hour. We hear Olbermann was visiting his dad in the hospital, which accounted for his absence. But that doesn't answer why O'Donnell or Matthews didn't fill in during the prime results hour. In the MSNBC release Monday, it was listed as a live edition of Countdown.

Update update: Does anyone really believe what is almost certainly an MSNBC leak, that he was visiting his sick Dad? Especially when nobody is willing to go on the record to say it's true? Keith announced at 8:59 pm that he and Larry O'Donnell would be back at 10:00. So what happened between 9:00 and 10:00 pm that might have sent Olby to the bathtub? Could it have been Corzine losing? Ya think? Will Oralmann show up tonight? Or will he end up at Yankee Stadium? That would be peculiar, if his dad's illness prevented Olby from staying at work past ten o'clock, but allows him to spend all night at a ball game. We'll know a few short minutes from now, and we're counting on you to recap tonight's festivities in this thread.

Update Update Update: Well Keith is just where we thought he'd be: Yankee Stadium, merrily posting one blog entry after another at tonight's game. So either his Dad made a miraculous recovery from just 24 hours ago, or MSNBC's PR line explaining away Keith's sudden disappearance on election night is even shadier than we suspected. Discuss and resolve. Comments are still open!

Great thanks to all the websites that linked to this post, including:

The War Between MSNBC and CNN

noreply@blogger.com (Cable Gamer) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:27:00 -0800

The Cable Gamer realizes that the big news tonight is the elections, but she needs to catch up. And so TCG was struck by this item from TV Newser, detailing the emerging feud between MSNBC and CNN.

And check out that new video wall!

Um, Tell Us Again Who Is a Propaganda Arm of a Political Party...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:17:32 -0800

The Olbermann Watch Research Division chuckles every time it hears someone on A-Mess-NBC attacking Fox for being a partisan operation, since we know there are more opposing views aired on any given hour of Hannity or The O'Reilly Factor than you will hear in a month of Edward R Olbermann. Having just finished one such month, here's the proof. We poured through the MSNBC online transcripts and tallied up the Hour of Spin guest list. Take a gander at the results:

Behind the numbers
Democratic and Republican politicians: these are office-holders invited on Countdown for tough, aggressive grillings. Actually, that was a joke. Since they are all Democrats, they are trademark Olbermann blue-dress interviews. These included Ron Wyden (4 times), Anthony Weiner (3), James Clyburn (3), Alan Grayson (2), and one each for Maria Cantwell, Sheldon Whitehouse, Charles Schumer, and Sherrod Brown. Strangely, not one Republican.

Democratic and Republican strategists: These are partisan "experts" who have toiled in the partisan vineyards to get candidates of their persuasion elected. The big winner here is Democratic strategist "Crazy" Larry O'Donnell: ten appearances, either as a guest or guest-host. Plus we find Chris Kofinis (4), Howard Dean (2), Joe Trippi (1), and Markos "Screw 'em" Moulitsas (1). And then there were the Republicans: zero.

Liberal / Progressive vs Conservative / Traditional: These guests are not officially identified with party activisim but they appeared on OlbyPlanet to promote a political viewpoint. People like Wendel Potter (from the Center for Media and Democracy--two appearances), Shannyn Moore of Huffpo (1), Eric Burns of Media Matters (1), and so forth. We included three appearances from the National Association of Free Clinics, since they were present not to promote a philanthropic effort, but rather to hold free clinic events "in five key cities, in five key states represented by Democratic senators who have not yet said they will oppose a Republican filibuster of the public option." Yes, A-Mess-NBC organizing, promoting, and sponsoring political events to oppose Republicans and promote Democratic legislation. Gee, that sounds a little bit like, what would you call it, acting as the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party? In the interest of fairness, we didn't include the washed-up "comedians" and vulgar "entertainers" who also used their Countdown appearances to further Olby's partisan agenda. We have our limits, even if the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann does not.

Discuss, resolve, and then recap tonight's Hour of Spin. Comments are open!

Monday Cable News Links and Open Thread

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:25:10 -0800

FBN suit broke Madoff story. The new CNBC.

Friday's numbers: Bill-Beck-Hannity 1-2-3.

The Foxcott goes Plouffe! Election preview.

Joe mocks Olby. Cramer's Mad Memory. Q&A.

Comcast deal imminent. Mmm...beer.

Fox's left-fielders. Who's partisan? Kurtz conflict.

Updated through the day. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your cable news comments in today's open thread. Standard rules apply. fox news cable news

Battle of the O's

noreply@blogger.com (Cable Gamer) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:39:00 -0700

Day after day, TV By The Numbers delivers the goods on the ratings, for cable, and everything else. I just happened across this chart, of Bill O'Reilly vs. Keith Olbermann, tonight.

Friday Night Recappers Open Thread

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:22:07 -0700

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Comments are open!

Keith Olbermann's Ego Presents the Many Talents of Katy Tur

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:11:00 -0700

Keith Olbermann's Ego would now like to present to you a photo montage of the many talents of Katy Tur. Too bad she's rapidly aging what with another birthday and all. The Ego of course likes his women to be between the ages of 18-24.

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Katy Tur's Ego!

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:35:00 -0700

So Katy Tur's birthday was last week and it simply slipped The Ego's mind. But you will have to excuse Keith Olbermann's Ego (and that's an order, not a request). The Ego was really, really busy, what with advising the President of the Free World, ~~watching the Yankees go to the World Series~~ working on both Countdown and Football Night in America. How could the Ego be expected to remember that Katy Tur's Ego was having (yet another) birthday. About that Katy: as you know, The Ego likes younger women (just so long as they are legal). And Katy, sadly, is aging. Can you really blame The Ego for wanting to forget she was getting yet another year older? The Ego on the other hand is timeless, like fine merlot.

Katy Tur Lawbreaker?

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:30:00 -0700

So The Ego got a tip recently from someone who said that Katy Tur violated a NY state law when applying for her Voter's registration card. Seems she didn't use the Trump Palace addy where she kicks back in style with Keith Olbermann and the NY state law explicitly states that you must use the address where you currently reside, not the address of a Mail Boxes, Etc. as Tur did on her voter's reg app. The source also informed me that this is the same address that The Ego used as a mailing address on a legal document when buying another property at Trump Palace earlier this year (no word on whether that was illegal or not). For those who care documentation can be found here.

Keith Olbermann's Ego is a Saint

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:06:00 -0700

Yeah, that's right haters out there. Keith Olbermann's Ego is not just one hell of a guy, he's also a saint. Don't believe The Ego? Then just look at this. See how eager The Ego was to let everyone know he's personally raised (in the sense that he got other people to dole out their $$$) towards helping people without health-care.

The President meets Keith Olbermann's Ego

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:01:00 -0700

Yes, it's true. And you know who wasn't invited? That's right. Anyone from Faux news. Ha ha. Eat your heart out Bill-O (that is if you actually had one). Yep, just me and the Prez kicking back in the Oval Office (forget all those other names that were there, we all know that I was the person that the Prez most wanted to talk to.) I'd love to tell you what we chatted about but you know, off-the-record and all. But don't worry, Keith Olbermann's Ego will remind any and everyone of the fact that the greatness that is Keith Olbermann's Ego was called to the White House for a private meeting with the President of the United States (and leader of the free world and Noble Peace Prize Winner) at every single opportunity he gets for say, the next 20 years or so.

Talk about sick puppies.........

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:35:00 -0700

And no, The Ego is not talking about how under-the-weather he's felt lately either. Keith Olbermann's Ego is still ~~secretly thrilled~~ outraged that President Bush (the first one) called The Ego (and oh yeah, Rachel Maddow too), "sick puppies". . Has the ex-Prez ever tuned in to Fox? That network doesn't have sick puppies: they have full-grown rabid dogs.

Happy Anniversary to Bill O'Reilly

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:43:00 -0700

How could this have escaped Keith Olbermann's Ego's attention? It's the fifth anniversary of the sexual harassment lawsuit against Bill O'Reilly. The Ego would like to point out that he has never, ever had a sexual harassment suit filed against him. Not one. Bill O'Reilly can't say that now can he?

Gawker is still on Keith Olbermann's Ego's Enemies List

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:29:00 -0700

Gawker is still on Keith Olbermann's Ego's Enemies List. But at least they name-check the Ego here.

Sure, it was for a good cause, but the fact that Olbermann believed that an hour-long monologue worthy of Fidel Castro was something that people wanted or needed to see, and that his bosses actually let him get away with it, brought to mind Ben Affleck's flawless SNL caricature of Olbermann's mammoth self-regard. It seemed at times last night that he actually took some pointers from Affleck's performance — Olbermann's ego is expansive enough to take such jabs as loving tribute, and incorporate them into his self-image like some ravenous blob that from a sci-fi movie.

Bosses at MSNBC? I got news for you Gawker, Keith Olbermann ~~runs~~ owns MSNBC. If the Ego wants to do something dammit, he does it. And The Ego isn't sure but he thinks Gawker just accused him of devouring Ben Affleck or something. Jennifer Garner, oh yeah, The Ego would devour that but Affleck? No.

If you really want to change the course of the health care debate and change minds, Keith—hell, if you even just want to inform people about the world around them, like your sainted Edward R. Murrow, now and again—try pointing the camera at something other than yourself. And let us know when you conquer death.

But my public demands that Gawker. They want Keith Olbermann 24/7--as it should be.

A Very Special, Special Comment by Keith Olbermann

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:02:00 -0700

Keith Olbermann's Ego is famed for his Very Special, Special Comments. But tomorrow night's Special Comment will be even more special than all the Special Comments that came before. Why you ask? Because Keith Olbermann's Ego has seen fit to make it an hour-long Special Comment! You read right my adoring fans. Keith Olbermann will be devoting the entire 60-minutes of Countdown tomorrow night to a Very Special, Special Comment on Health Care. It'll be just like Glenn Beck but without all the insanity but with intelligence and eloquence--two things that no one on Faux News has but that the Ego has in abundance because as you all know by now, The Ego is a genius.

The Ego agrees with Bill O'Reilly!

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:38:00 -0700

And vice versa. All thanks to David Letterman. Isn't America great?

Of course Keith Olbermann knows David Letterman's Blackmailer

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 07:04:00 -0700

And spills all at the Baseball Nerd. Don't worry Dave! Keith Olbermann's Ego has your back on this one.

First time I've included a non-baseball story in here, I think. You saw the David Letterman extortion/blackmail attempt? Without defending Letterman's forced-to-confess-transgressions, I went slack-jawed went suspect Robert J. Halderman was arrested. He has been a Producer for CBS News 48 Hours, but what you haven't read is that when I made my television debut as the New York correspondent for CNN Sports in 1981, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman was the chief assignment editor in the CNN New York bureau. You know when somebody gets arrested for some horrific or moronic crime (like taking a personal check for two million dollars as a blackmail payment), you hear somebody say "that's not the guy I knew"? Not this time. This is exactly the guy we knew at CNN in 1981.

Keith Olbermann's Ego has some advice for David Letterman

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:14:00 -0700

Keith Olbermann's Ego would like to offer up some advice for my buddy, David Letterman. Dude, next time don't sleep with your staffers. Do as the Ego does and sleep with fans instead. Avoids all those nasty sexual harassment issues.

For the record? Dan Abrams can kiss Keith Olbermann's Ass

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:24:00 -0700

How dare he question the journalistic integrity and ethics of the greatness that is Keith Olbermann's Ego? The Ego has a primetime news show--what does Abrams have? A dinky website. Keith Olbermann's Ego rests his case and as judge and jury, I win, as The Ego always does.

Jenna BUSH Hager on the Today SHOW?

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Tur's Ego) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:02:00 -0700

WTF? How did this happen? Dammit Katy Tur's Ego belongs on the Today show--not some presidential spawn who can't read her way out of a paper bag. Do you people realize the sacrifices that Katy Tur has made to make it in this business? I sleep with Keith Olbermann people--haven't I suffered enough? Do you think that The Weather Channel and WNBC are enough for me? I need to be rewarded for my labor people. And Keith Olbermann's ego promised me he'd make me a star. He said he owned ~~MSNBC~~ NBC. A Star dammit, not a supporting character on the stupid weather channel. All I can say is that Mr. Ego better get off his fat butt and get to work. Or Katy's Ego will be very, very displeased. And you know what that means don't you Keith? No sexytime for Mr. Happy until Katy's Ego is happy again.

Jimmy Fallon does not amuse Keith Olbermann's Ego

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:30:00 -0700

Not at all. No wonder his ratings suck.

It's Labor Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:30:00 -0700

Go out and see a MLB game or something, sure your seats won't be as great as the Ego's but maybe you can catch a glimpse of the greatness that is Keith Olbermann's Ego!

The Christian Science Monitor doesn't like Glenn Beck either

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:35:00 -0700

See?

Now, Glenn Beck is an art critic. Last night on Fox News, Beck launched a lengthy and rambling investigation of the “communist” art splayed across the face of Rockefeller Center in New York City. (Video below.) In short order, he went on to accuse John D. Rockefeller, whose family developed the plaza, of supporting communism and fascism. (Apparently one can believe in both at once.)

Absolutely not, says Christopher Knight, an art critic (a real one) for the Los Angeles Times. Beck was as “nutty as usual,” Knight wrote: He pointed to a portrait of Lenin in Mexican master Diego Rivera’s destroyed Rockefeller lobby mural, “Man at the Crossroads,” but forgot to mention that old John D. had the mural removed because of it. (Facts are stubborn things — even more stubborn than demagoguery.) With comedy stylings like that, Beck is turning out to be the Harold Harby of our day. Who was Harold Harby? A Los Angeles city councilman in the early 1950s, Harby took up propaganda-arms with a paranoid group of right-wing loonies called the Society for Sanity in Art. They made it their patriotic duty to search out Communist symbols they just knew were hidden in that weird, postwar abstract art.

Is Glenn Beck a Murderer and a Rapist?

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:52:00 -0700

Look, I don't know if it's true that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1990, but if it isn't, Glenn Beck, alleged 1990 murderer and rapist, should produce the girl he didn't rape and murder in 1990 so that this matter can be cleared up. All we want is proof. What is he trying to hide? He should produce the girl he allegedly did or did not rape and murder in 1990 and until he takes the five minutes it will take to clear this little matter up then he should be deemed a suspicious character. But I really urge him to come clean on this and answer these important questions. And oh yeah, tell us if she was a communist or knows Van Jones.

And people think Keith Olbermann is crazy?

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:21:00 -0700

I present to you Exhibit A: or as I and Gawker like to call him: a fear-mongering whore.

Back to School

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:22:00 -0700

As you may have noticed, The Ego has been too busy to blog much over the last week or so. That's because school is back in session and the brains behind Keith Olbermann's Ego is gainfully employed by a school district. So The Ego won't be updating quite as much as usual but check back often as updates will be made periodically as Keith Olbermann's Ego continues to make news.

In Memoriam

noreply@blogger.com (Keith Olbermann's Ego) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:09:00 -0700

Rest in Peace Senator Kennedy.

New Revelations In Case of Olbermann v. Twitter - absentee’s blog - RedState

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:41:33 -0700

A devastating critique of Edward R Olbermann's reckless, ignorant smearing of Twitter and Fox News.

Countdown Friday: Action vs. Distraction

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Fun with Numbers: Good Evening from New York. As Boss Limbaugh and the Republicans continue to demand that nothing be done by the government to fix the economy... Advocating instedd, the same failed, hands-off, rich-get-richer, everything else goes into the toilet approach, that got us into this mess in the first place... This morning, a very real reminder of what's at stake... and what is being done by President Obama to fix it. Our fifth story on the Countdown: Following the news that the unemployment rate has jumped -- again -- to its worst rate in a quarter century... The President, attending the graduation ceremony of the 25-Ohio police cadets... whose jobs he helped save... by signing the stimulus plan.

...(read more)

Countdown Thursday: Boss Creeds

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Party Tricks: Boss Limbaugh was the first to declare an open desire for President Obama's failure...Making it safe (if not mandatory) for other Republicans to follow suit. In our fifth story on the Countdown: Doctor Ada Fisher has become -- 34 days after his election -- the first member of the Republican National Committee to call for Michael Steele's resignation as that Party's chairman. The question tonight: How long until others follow her?

...(read more)

Countdown Tuesday: Boss Limbaugh

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Ditto Heads: In the parable of the Scorpion and the Frog, it is only after much pleeding -- and a promise from the Scorpion that he will not sting the Frog -- that the amphibian finally consents to carry his poisonous cargo across a river. The Scorpion, as every child learns, stings the Frog anyway, saying, as they both sink, "it is my nature." Conservative Columnist Jonah Goldberg briefly citing the tale today in his defense of Boss Limbaugh and his open desire for President Obama to fail. Quote: "The Scorpion must sting the Frog." Our fifth story on the Countdown: Mr. Goldberg and the Republicans evidently could not be bothered to read through all 489 words of the parable. The lesson is: the Scorpion and the Frog both die.

...(read more)

Countdown Wednesday: Bobby Knocks

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Non-State of the Union Fallout Hey. How about that Bobby Jindal speech, huh? Our fifth story on the Countdown: Now that he's given a Republican Response slammed by apparently all but one Republican, what's he going to do now? He's going... to Disney World. Seriously. Taking the family to Orlando. At least that's his story. And unfortunately, his story last night -- the lynchpin anecdote...Apparently not true.

...(read more)

Countdown Monday: The Un-American Way

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Citizen Inane: Contrary to the popular idiom: Some things do not have to be seen to be believed. I have never personally witnessed nuclear fission -- yet I believe in its capacity for power and or destruction. I have never personally met Irahnian president Ahmedeenijad -- yet I believe he exists. Nor have I ever met Senator Richard Shelby... who -- in our fifth story on the Countdown -- has perpetuated the treasonous, unsubstantiated rumor that President Obama is not a citizen of the United States. On what grounds? Because the Alabama Republican says he has never seen his birth certificate. To be perfectly clear:

...(read more)

Countdown Fiday: Making No Sense

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Post Racial Politics: The non-apology apology from the New York Post... has, appropriately, had a non-impact impact. Our fifth story on the Countdown: The protests continuing tonight both outside the headquarters of the right wing tabloid's parent company, News Corps... And inside the news room... where even the gossip page is distancing itself from the controversy. All this as right-wing wing-nut Alan Keyes is now warning that President Obama is a "radical communist" and a "usurper" who must be stopped... or... the United States will "cease to exist." No, I am not kidding.

...(read more)

Countdown Thursday: Seeking Justice

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Nigh Crimes and Misdimeanors: While President Obama went to Canada today to get started on the "clean up America's image abroad" part of his to-do list. His bigger problem... And our fifth story...Cleaning up America's image... in America.The President tonight with a new set of provocative quotes from his own party's Speaker of the House about prosecuting the worst abuses, and abusers, of the Bush Administration.

...(read more)

Countodwn Wednesday: Home Improvement

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:59:00 -0800

The Homefront: Only days ago -- when opposing President Obama's stimulus plan -- Republicans in Congress complained that the Stim did not focus sufficient resources... on housing. Tonight, now that President Obama has unveiled his plan to fix the housing crisis... In our fifth story on the Countdown: Congressional Republicans are saying the President has focused too many resources... on housing.

...(read more)

Countdown Tuesday: Signed, Sealed, Delievered

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Now What? Good Evening from New York. Rote complaint number 236 out of the Republican handbook: The Obama Stimulus could not possibly take effect fast enough... In reality, it only took a couple of minutes. Our fifth story on the Countdown: Less than half an hour after the President signed the stimulus package into law this afternoon... Construction crews in Tuscumbia, Missouri... beginning work on a new bridge...The first project in the nation to get started under the $787 Billion dollar plan.

...(read more)

Countdown Monday: Q & O

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:59:00 -0800

Q&O: "With the private sector so weakened by this recession," Barack Obama said in the opening remarks of the first news conference of his presidency, "the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life." Our fifth story on the Countdown: on a day of firsts for the 44th -- first news conference, following first Senate victory, following first Town Hall -- his repeated warning that now could instead be the time of a last... the last chance to ameliorate or reverse the worst economic downturn since the Depression.

...(read more)

Coda

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:31:38 -0800

Thank you all for the kind words. It means a lot to me to know that this place meant a lot to you all. A few things that you may find of interest:

Chicating will be taking over the Tumbleblog, so you’ll still get your Keith Olbermann Headline News.
Someone has already started a new blog, Olbermann are Belong To Us.
Houstonian plans to start one as well. I’ll amend this post when it’s up and running.
I have it on good authority that Drinking With Keith Olbermann may be starting back up. (The operative word here is may, kids. Don’t get excited yet.)

Good Night and Good Luck

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:00:36 -0800

Either Relevant or True is ceasing publication as of today.

I’ve had a fantastic three years running this blog, from the early days when I did all the recaps single-handedly and Countdown was an easily overlooked gem, right up until now. These three years have also brought about many changes for me personally, and I find I no longer have the time or will to keep this a going concern. Rather than let ERT lapse into disrepair from neglect, I’ve chosen to go out with dignity intact.

There are so many people to thank, starting with those whose words have graced our front page. Susan, my co-founder, without whom I never would have started this in the first place. Stef, my bench coach and good right hand after Susan’s departure, who kept me sane in the face of insanity. Hawaii, who shepherded Palaver in its day. Kristina, Maureen, Gilbert, Ashley, Arrow, Lucy, Erin, Chica, all of whom kept you informed and entertained. Vickita and Slodwick, my shadow web design team. Orinenglish, ERT’s very first commenter, who let me know I wasn’t just talking into the void. Not to mention all of ERT’s regular commenters, who kept the conversation going. And thank you to all of you who merely read what we wrote. My web stats tell me you’re out there in no small number!

Last but not least, thank you, Mr. Olbermann. You always gave us something to talk about even if it was just your sartorial choices. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the occasional shout-out. I hope you saw us as the “sane” fans. (Most of the time, anyway.) I remain a loyal viewer, sir.

Becky
Founder and Managing Editor
Either Relevant or True

Gone.

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:58:26 -0800

Well, it’s certainly been something. I wanted to get in here quickly, though I really just echo a lot of what Becky will say up yonder in her post. Contributing to this site has been an experience, indeed. I thank Becky for bringing me on board (if I recall correctly it was after I ranted quite extensively about wanting “shank Joe Buck like a backup punter” that she said “you’re hired!”). Thank you, all of you, for helping with the occasional wrong tie, or missed segue music, and for playing along with us. The little nods from the show - real or perceived - have actually meant a lot to me.

Two of the many things I have loved, since the very onset of my teenagerhood, have been writing and Keith Olbermann. Now, writing and being a Keith fan … they’re not constants. Everyone gets writer’s block, and – sure – there were times when Keith wasn’t on my TV, but the current of fondness for both remained even if there was no outlet. But I have watched too much Countdown in the last few years. I have listened to too much sports radio, watched too much pregame football, and read far too many articles. The outlet’s there, but the current is gone. And at a time in my life when I’ve stopped being able to write anything but my required weekly recap(s), I’m interested to see what happens when that responsibility is gone, too. I suppose I’ll go somewhere else. Blog somewhere else about something else, and how to appreciate Keith again, on my own time.

But this has certainly been something, hasn’t it?

I signed off this way Wednesday night because I thought that might be it, but I’ll say it again here.

This was the blog, and that does it for me. Good bye.

10 Things I Learned While Blogging Olbermann

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:30:43 -0800

10. Idiots do tend to think you respect them when you call them “Sir,”

9. I’m not actually a Luddite. Technologically impaired, but not a Luddite.

8. My mom has very conservative opinions on men’s neckwear (Sir, she’s asked me if you’re color-blind.)

7. Even learning more about baseball doesn’t make me giggle any less when I hear or read “switch-hitter.” Sorry.

6. The first Google is often not the one you’re looking for.

5. There needs to be a database of partial song lyrics.

4.Some of the weirdest things about me have very little to do with my disability. Not to fear, there are fandoms for most of them.

3. You are never too old for a crazy, obsessive crush on a brainy celebrity you’ve never met.

2. I think there could be a drinking game for Countdown, especially every time Keith mentions prep school or Cornell. No, I never did it on recap nights.

1. If you write in a blog, SAVE YOUR DRAFTS. Always.

1a. If you get famous, shooting your mouth off to Playboy will haunt your fans, if not you, for years.

P.S. I am outraged, and my cat is innocent.

See you around the interwebs…we’ll always have “Countdown”,

Chicating

“You, Sirs Or Madams, have too much time on your hands.”

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:15:16 -0800

Tie:dark orange.

Segue: Joe Cocker “You Are So Beautiful”(He’s a “brother”, you know!)

Worst Persons:“Comedian” Rush Limbaugh Still say there should be some sort of lifetime designation for that dude…maybe for the show’s next milestone-a-versary. Think about it, Keith.

BreakingSenator Hillary Rodham Clinton is under consideration for Secretary of State. Keith has Chris Kofinis on to talk about the reasons such a disciplined campaign might start blabbing stuff like that, and confirms that some campaign insiders spoke to Andrea Mitchell.

5. The joke about vapid celebrities is pretty damn funny, but I’d skip it if I didn’t have to hear Sarah Palin ramblin’ on about things above her ken again. That’ll put marzipan in her pie plate, bingo.(Keith, ask Miss K. what this means…I’ll bet she’ll know.) And was that a leather dress? Tell me the hockey mom left the whip at home…oh, that’s okay, never tell me. (But I know one place in Scottsdale where she will probably never have to buy her own drinks.) I think Margaret Carlson gets the same kick out of Keith’s wit that we do, which is kind of charming.

4.The Senate makes a lot of news today as a. Obama resigns his seat, b. Democratic challenger Mark Begich pulls ahead in Alaska, and Chambliss V. Martin shapes up to be Ground Game 2:This Time It’s Not Personal for the Presidential candidates. How much do you think Chambliss wishes McCain said “thanks but no thanks,” to that invite? Maybe just a little.

Oddball Comedian Whoopi Goldberg was born on this date in 1955.

Also, anyone who knows me well knows my…somewhat unwholesome relationship to the Special Comments, but this is still funny, if less likely to cross my mind in the shower.

3. What should be done to bring some accountability to the bailout? Robert Reich confirms that the banks and lobbyists involved have done all the wrong things to get things moving again.Yay, so glad we passed everything so fast. At least Chris Dodd is pissed too, I suppose.

Worse: Steve Douchey, uh, Doocy.
Worser: Hannity and Pawlenty

1. I could watch a whole show that is just “Keith and Rachel Share What’s On Their Minds,” honestly, even though they wandered a bit, topic-wise, from the Biden-Cheney f2f. Not because I doubted that Keith knew what he was talking about…maybe it was journalism school(”If your mama says she loves you, check it out.”) but I googled Aaron Burr and that was just as crazy as KO described.
Mom and I are fine, too, by the way, although Mr. Rocky Perfect is ticked off at me for not taking things on faith. Is there anything more annoying than a cat with a sanctimonious streak?
Have a wonderful Friday, ERT-ers!

You Keep Using That Word…

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:47:20 -0800

Tie: Purple
Music: The Andrews Sisters - “Too Fat Polka”
Worst Person: Mark Foley, who apologized today for his page scandal.

Breaking Alaskan electoral news: Democrat Mark Begich — the candidate not currently a convicted felon, is now up three votes over incumbent Ted Stevens. Three votes! One, two, three votes! Ah, ah, ahhhhh. There may be as many as 47K votes yet to be counted. Man, Alaska is weird.

The Minnesota re-count looms. Norm Coleman is not happy, so his campaign has unleashed the smears (including ACORN! Welcome back, ACORN!) and dozens of their own lawyers to the recount sites.

The runoff election in Georgia will now feature John McCain stumping for Saxby Chambliss, a man whose campaign a few years back reprehensibly smeared competitor Max Cleland — much to then-John-McCain’s shock. Now-John-McCain’s all too happy to help out!

The Obama transition office released information on transition teams for Departments State, Defense, and Treasury, full of people I don’t know but who are probably smart, all now on board to help Barack Obama transition into his role of President. Exciting!

Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright and former Republican congressman Jim Leach will attend the G20 summit as a sort of shadow delegation from the Obama administration, since, as with Highlanders, there can be only one President of the United States at a time, aaaaaaand ours is still W.

As Barack and Michelle met with George and Laura on Monday, so tomorrow will Joe and Jill meet with Dick and Lynne. Our thoughts are prayers are with Vice President Elect Biden as he girds himself (and “his lovely bride”) for this no doubt terrifying journey to center of the Labyrinth to meet the Minotaur himself. Also they will probably have lunch.

Keith tops my Greek mythology joke with an Edgar Allan Poe joke, which is just further proof that I shouldn’t pause the episode to be snarky, as snark will typically be provided for me if I’m just patient. Curse you, Olbermann. Furthermore post-transition? I think I’ll miss Keith’s Cheney/Diesel impression most of all.

A little-noted Clinton-era law may allow President Obama to undo many regulations set in place by the Bush Administration. Many signing statements may be up for nullification, as well.

Ahhhahahahah. APPARENTLY, Keith opened the show by saying “Good evening, this is Tuesday, November eleventh…” NICE. This is why using the format of the script from the night before and just swapping out for relevant information is risky business, people. For the record … today = Wednesday. November the twelfth. No, I’m sure.

Oddball: OH GOD BIGFOOT THE SLUG ** And a little-known but super heated collegiate rivalry has come to light. That’s right, I’m talking about U of Georgia girl vs. Bathroom Stall. GO STALL GO. ** Jeffrey Tambor & David Cross confirm: the Arrested Development movie is a go!!! Get your hopes up, everyone!!

It is quite some time until the next presidential election, but the Republican Governors Association is meeting in Florida this week. Attendees include Bobby Jindal, Charlie Crist, Tim Pawlenty, and Sarah Palin. So, basically — the leading candidates for the oncoming mud-wrassling match to fix the GOP. Margaret Carlson says that most of the guvs in attendance are more interested in talking about the ‘10 election, since any mention of ‘12 is pretty much just code for talking about Palin, and they’re not interested.

John McCain was on Leno last night, and said he was pretty much done running for president, thanks. It was a decent interview. Seeing John McCain now as the John McCain I recognize is kind of bittersweet.

A Sarah Palin exclusive: The Sarah Palin exclusives. So many exclusives, the word has lost all meaning, and I do not think it means what she thinks it means.

That was Countdown, and that does it for me. Good night.

“We had booze with lunch.”

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:02:47 -0800

Gail Shister talks to Our Mr. Olbermann for TVNewser:

As for his not voting, Olbermann calls it “a stupid, symbolic sportscaster thing. ‘Don’t bet on a game you’re covering.’ I just like to distance myself. There’s some place I should be neutral.

“I could conceivably not take a political stance in my work, but that’s not going to happen. My commentary is much more valuable to the process than my vote. On an à la carte basis, I have fulfilled my responsibility on a civic level.”

I was unaware that democracy was à la carte. I was under the impression it was prix fixe.

Speaking of punches, Olbermann says he would crush his nemesis, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, in an arm wrestling match.

“He’d never do it, because every time we’re in the same place, he keeps himself 25 feet away, but I’m ready to go. I do yoga, work out three times a week. I think I could take him if it comes to that.”

Okay. I may pay to see that. Can we get these two in the ring and Wrestlemania 237?

Just Another Day in Fun City

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:08:24 -0800

Monday’s tie: It’s an orange tie of this variety.

Segue music: Conway Twitty - Double Talk Baby

Worst Person in the World: Bill-O wants to know why the ACLU hasn’t jumped to Joe the Plumber’s aid after everybody dug into his personal business. Shhh… nobody tell him.

5. With just over 70 days until the inaguration, President-Elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle met with George and Laura Bush at the White House today. The last time Mr. Obama visited the White House was in September, prior to the Congressional bailout agreement. While Michelle and Laura toured the Executive Mansion, Bush and Obama had an Oval Office meeting, in which they reportedly discussed economic issues and the war in Iraq. (The President-Elect returned to Chicago tonight, while Mrs. Obama remained in Washington to scout out schools for Malia and Sasha.) This as Gallup today released new polling indicating that Mr. Bush’s approval ratings are at an all-time low (27%, lower than Nixon’s at the time of his resignation), while 65% of Americans believe that Mr. Obama has the ability to be a good president. Richard Wolffe suspects Bush and Obama had a constructive conversation, despite their differences of opinion. There is also speculation that the outgoing and incoming administration may work together on another economic stimulus package (and Bush may be willing to do it- considering his unfavorable ratings, he doesn’t really have anything left to lose). And it seems like Mr. Obama might be getting a little bummed out because he’s going to have to make a lot of sacrifices in his private life, so he’s making a lot of personal transitions as well.

Meanwhile, the fallout continues for Joe Lieberman. Following his meeting with Harry Reid last week, Lieberman’s future as head of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee remains in limbo. For now at least, Obama has quietly indicated that he would like to see Lieberman continue caucusing with the Democrats (he’d like to see as little drama surrounding the issue as possible). According to Howard Fineman, any decision regarding his chairmanship is likely to be settled in a vote among Senate Democrats duing the lame duck session (possibly next Tuesday). Certain influential Dems like Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer are pretty pissed, so it could be a contentious vote. There also might be a role for John McCain to play in the new administration; it’s possible he may act as a bi-partisan broker in the Senate. Aaaand… F-Troop.

4. As reported by several news organizations today, the incoming Obama administration has an eye towards closing Guantanamo Bay and seeks to release some prisoners and complete legal proceedings for others. A member of the transition team urged the media not to get ahead of things, pointing out that any reporting is premature until national security and legal teams are in place. And, according to Lt. Cdr. Charles Swift, it’s not as easy as all that. While some prisoners may be tried in normal courts, some detainees have evidence against them that is sensitive to national security, so they will have to be tried in a special court and provisions have to be made for that (Swift thinks it may resemble something like a court martial trial). And while closing Gitmo isn’t a new idea (Colin Powell and Robert Gates have also called for closure), it does signal that the Obama administration will head in a new direction, with a focus on adherence to the rule of law. Obama has a mandate in his favor, as well as a willingness (felt mutually) to work with other countries to ensure this is handled in the best, safest and most legally sound manner possible.

Oddball: Today is the 53rd birthday of one of my grandpa’s favorite baseball players, Jack Clark. Also, Obama doggie accessories are really popular in Paris, Honda released a pair of odd robotic legs and the SKY is falling.

Best Persons: A national holiday for Obama? An $850 chicken? And exactly what does Brent Bozell hate most about Barack Obama?

3. Keith was on The View today. Among other things, they were all very nice (especially Elisabeth) and he doesn’t know why they were all sitting on chairs the same height. Also, Barbara Walters seemed to have been wearing a camel brooch and Elisabeth looked like she was wearing an odd Garanimals-esque shirt (or thermal jammies) under her yellow tunic. I am confused. Perhaps I need to relocate to the psych ward.

Bushed (with new and improved graphics!): Seems we may not have gotten the whole story on what caused the crisis between Georgia and Russia, when they’re not busy fighting pirates, Blackwater Worldwide may be levied with some heavy fines following allegations of improper arms shipments and the banking bailout just keeps getting more convoluted every day.

2. Bill-O promises that he’ll ramp up his watchdog role now that Obama has been elected. And Bill-O is also getting an early start on that War on Christmas.

1. Keith offers up an emotional Special Comment on Prop 8. I think he cried a little bit, which made me cry a little bit. Anyway, video and transcript at the Countdown site. (In California, Gov. Ahhnuld says that they might be able to “undo” the vote - since the State Supreme Court still has to approve it. And the statewide protest continues.)

Need a laugh after all the heavy? Watch this.

KO on The View

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:00:35 -0800

Picture via TVN

Embedding has been disabled by the OP, but you can see it here.

From a comment at Daily Kos: “KO had to sit beside Elizabeth Hasselbeck. She looked terrified. It was priceless.”

I’ll update with an embedded video if one becomes available.

(Just a personal aside here… Goddamn that is one hot mess of a program!)

Long Live the King!

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:37:42 -0800

The King of Cable News, that is:

Keith Olbermann, the anchor of “Countdown,” will remain at MSNBC through the next presidential election season, the cable news channel announced Monday afternoon.

The announcement came less than two years into Mr. Olbermann’s current four-year deal. MSNBC essentially tore up his Feb. 2007 contract (reportedly worth up to $4 million a year) and wrote a new one, according to two employees with knowledge of the agreement. The new contract is valued at about $7.5 million a year, one of the people said.

Via NYT

NBCU press release:

“I’m delighted that we can continue to lock Countdown into the nation’s political dialogue through at least the next election,” said Olbermann. “Personally, I noticed that as of about six weeks ago, I’d been doing this show longer than I did SportsCenter, so it’s delightful to have a true home.”

Alter of Freedom: Olbermann & Mathews diminish Profession and even Woodrow Wilson

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:11:21 -0700

No fact checking, no "vetting" of the truth, just partisan off the cuff hacks against two incredible Americans.

The Moderate Voice: MSNBC Loses It

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:43:07 -0700

They actually had Keith on the air trashing anyone who dared to criticize the address.

Chickaboomer: Olbermann's Ogasms

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:38:14 -0700

Apparently fatigue doesn't deter Keith Olbermann's biased blatherings.

B&M: Olbermann Mocks Canceled Anti-Global Warming Event; Group Fires Back

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:22:14 -0700

Consider the source on this one.

AP sees the future of online news, but misses monetization

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:54:05 -0700

MSNBC HIRES UNOBJECTIVE, PARTISAN, POLITCAL HACK…..BECAUSE THEIR KIDS TOLD THEM TO

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:57:12 -0700

The KOS kids that is…..

Jossip: The Most Solid Evidence Yet That Keith Olbermann Runs MSNBC

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:07:39 -0700

Olbermann will effectively run 4 hours of the network's evening.

WorldNet: Which to trust: Media or vets?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:24:20 -0700

Cowardly Olbermann, who feels the pain for those "stuck in Iraq," has always empathized from MSNBC studios.

Tom D'Antoni: Countdown--Too Much McCain Bashing, Not Enough Obama Reporting

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:46:01 -0700

It is devolving into a McCain bash-fest rather than the only place on cable where we might find out what Obama is doing and saying.

Blog of Bodnar: The Day MSNBC Died

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:35:51 -0700

Before ya know it they'll be the Marxists and Socialists National Broadcasting Company.

Pecanpii's Weblog: MSNBC shows its donkey

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:15:24 -0700

MSNBC wants to fight Obama's battles and protect him

David Shuster: MSNBC's Awkward Kid?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:51:58 -0700

News Corp.'s Richard Johnson Gal Pals Around the Hamptons With MSNBC

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:51:40 -0700

Countdown and Keith Olbermann: Bring Your Popcorn?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:31:36 -0700

Granted, it's been a while since he's done the last one but it seems like it was just yesterday.

Cox Now Thinks He Rules The Internet

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:06:00 -0700

someone out there appears to have wized up to the evil one.

A great site called Making Light has a great roundup on Cox.

Now's Our Chance!

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:17:00 -0700

Olbermann Watch has opened up the comments section and supposedly the evil one will allow pro-KO commenters to register.

I don't know if I have the stomach for becoming a commenter but I am going to think about.

I hate to say it but GO HERE to register if can take it.

Olbermann Watch Shows True Colors with Commenter Ban

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:18:00 -0700

If you listed to the inmates running the asylum over at ow they will well you that they put in their new comment registration system to weed out trolls but the reality is quite obvious - they've only allowed ONE commenter to register who will dare criticize them and even that commenter "MikeH" is so inept at making an argument that it raises the very real possibility that MikeH is not even a real person but just a sock puppet created by ow to create the appearance of a progressive point of view on the site probably taking their cue from Alan Colmes on foxnoise. Here at wow we have REAL freedom of speech where the fascists are free to spout their nonsense, all the better to show just what kind of people these wingnuts really are.

Tip Jar Time: Daily Kos Exposes Olbermann Watch!

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:46:00 -0700

Kevin Holsinger at Daily Kos has a brilliant diary which warns Keith of something we've known for a long time - that Cox is like Captain Ahab stalking Keith like an obsessive maniac. Great piece!

OW Flogs Bogus Tax Story

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:38:00 -0700

The disgraceful Rupert Murdoch has joined forces with the jerks at Olbermann Watch to go after Keith on a ridiculous "tax warrant" story because Keith owes $2,000 for an old tax bill. Give me a break. And they managed to dupe Huffington Post to running the story too. Good grief.

What could NPR be thinking?

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:07:00 -0800

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

I was listening to NPR yesterday as I often do and could hardly believe my ears. For some unfathomable reason NPR put Cox on the air as a so-called "blog expert" on Talk of the Nation. I can only hope that Neil Conan was not aware of just who Cox really is when his producers decided to put Cox on his show otherwise I will have lost all respect for Neil, a man I have come to admire over the years for his insightful, polite yet probing interview style.

Unsurprisingly Cox is gloating about his NPR appearance on OW and being quoted in some online news sites. Pathetic.

NPR's Talk of the Nation
Mac News World
PBS Media Shift

Supposedly PBS and NPR are LIBERAL????? Give me a break!!!

New Colors!

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:22:00 -0800

After Becky at ERT graciously linked us we got two new comments and decided it was time to pay attention to the site again.

We've added some cool elements to the site including a random collection of Keith Special Comments on YouTube and other doo dads. There is a poll where you can vote on the new color. If everyone hates it I might consider green.

I have not looked at Olbermann Watch in a while but reading through the comments it sounds like Cox is back to his fascist ways. He has been banning anyone who criticizes the usual suspects and then bans anyone who complains about the banning. Sound familiar?

I have not lost a wink of sleep deleting over 10,000 troll comments so you can imagine that I won't be terribly bothered to wipe out every comment you ever made on this site and banning any IP addresses you've ever used on this site

.

What has to be really driving the wingnuts at OW crazy is that our beloved Keith is now blogging at Daily Kos and getting more comments in one post then Olbermann Watch gets in a week. Keep it up Keith.

Tip of the Day: Colorado Bob has a link to Countdown Podcasts for PC, iTunes or Zune. Cool!

Thanks to Becky over at BloggingOlbermann

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:08:00 -0800

We noticed a nice surge in traffic the other day thanks to Becky over at bloggingolbermann.com.

Seems she got a bit of notoriety when Playboy asked her to write a letter about Keith's wonderful interview in the magazine a few months ago. Those clowns over at Olbermann Watch are now denying it but there is no doubt they were behind the letter writing campaign to Playboy just to make Keith look bad. Becky called them on it. Good for her. You go girl!!!

Insight into the Mind of Robert Cox

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:56:00 -0700

A reader sent in this copy of an email exchange with Robert Cox. It gives a glimpse into the warped mind of the proprietor of Olbermann Watch.

Cox spams anyone who has the nerve to disagree with him and publishes their emails WITH THEIR EMAIL ADDRESSES on his site. If what is good for the goose is good for the gander then surely Robert Cox will not mind my publishing this exchange WITH THIS PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS here.

Still not convinced that Cox is a sick, twisted individual?

Cox writes:

Monitoring the un-American activities of Keith Olbermann is the highest calling of any patriotic American.

The sad part is that he and his followers actually believe this.

Enjoy the ENTIRE email with the name of my reader redacted to protect the innocent.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: J
Date: Mar 10, 2007 1:26 PM
Subject: Re: poor wittow baby
To: Robert Cox

so... I'm confused, which one of us is the loon?

I have no doubt that you have received a flood of emails supporting your decision to open your site back up, but please keep in mind, it only takes a few seconds to bang out an email, but you're the one dedicating your life to this. I have no doubt that your heart is in the right place, but certainly there are activities that you could be railing against that are truly un-American and not merely the activities of an American whom you disagree with who is exercising his constitutionally protected right to free speech.

A true patriot would support the first amendment, even when it is being used in a way that you disagree with.

suggested reading:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0142437239/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-7858891-2468938#reader-link

Good luck, buddy.

On 3/10/07, Robert Cox < robertcox@optonline.net> wrote:

Monitoring the un-American activities of Keith Olbermann is the highest calling of any patriotic American.

God Bless America

On Mar 9, 2007, at 11:36 AM, J wrote:

> Dude.
>
> You're kidding me right? When you were a kid, and someone asked you what you want to be when you grow up, was this really it? "I want to spend my life rebutting a TV pundit!" "I wanna be a hater!"
>
> I had never even heard of your site till I heard it was shut down. I never watch Olbermann except when he tries to channel Murrow with one of his 'special comments'. So I don't think I qualify as any sort of 'loon'. I just enjoy it when angry right-wingers fail.
>
> So here's to four more years of me not giving a crap about what you do.
>
> Maybe I'll stop by for a visit next time you throw in the towel. Have fun wasting your life, I have a real job to get to.
>
> On 3/8/07, Robert Cox wrote:
>
> Dear OlbyLoon,
>
> Thank you for your concerns about Olbermann Watch. After seeing the
> celebratory reaction to our admittedly hasty decision to shut down
> Olbermann Watch we have reconsidered.
>
> Enjoy the NEW Olbermann Watch! http://www.olbermannwatch.com/
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Robert Cox
> Managing Editor
> OlbermannWatch.com
> http://www.olbermannwatch.com/
>
> Olbermann Watch, STILL the #1 Keith Olbermann blog in the world
>
> On Mar 2, 2007, at 5:06 PM, J wrote:
>
> > hahahahahaha
> >
> > now you can do something useful with your life.
> >
> > theoretically.
> > but I doubt it.

Far-right double standard revealed

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 11:17:00 -0800

In an interview with The Portland Press-Herald, Robert Cox again reveals clear right-wing partisan bias in blogger coverage of the Libby trial.

From the interview:

"There was a concern from the professional journalists that somehow some offhand comment would wind up going up on a blog and go worldwide and embarrass someone," Cox said. "This touches on one of the major issues that got raised for the bloggers, which is: How do we function when part of what we're there to cover is the media's coverage of the event?"

So, which journalists would the far-right Cox be willing to embarrass?

Journalists like MSNBC's Davis Shuster who just so happens to be a correspondent for Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

No surprise from the right-wing Media Bloggers Association.

A Portland Press-Herald reader who has had their own experiences with Cox and his far-right outfit commented on the story with a link to a blog documenting threats Cox has made against innocent people in Maine. Why are we not surprised?

http://coxstuff.blogspot.com

We are going to test commenting by allow comments on this post. If you have your own experiences with Cox please post a comment (with links).

Looks Like We're Back in Business

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:06:00 -0800

In yet another example of irresponsible blogging, Robert Cox has re-launched OlbermannWatch.

As we suspected all along, and as I said last week, Cox could not be trusted to tell the truth.

I'd like to think that Bob Cox and his gang saw the proverbial light - that they realized bullying, misinformation, name-calling, etc. was not only wrong, but a shining example of the most irresponsible misuse of the blogosphere as a conduit of information and creator of community.

Does Cox think he is humorous pretending to quote Winston Churchill. Is it a lame attempt to mock our use of a photo of Winston Churchill in our Victory post?

We have a simple solution. Go right back to what we announced on January 30th when we launched Watching OlbermannWatch:

In a recent article from the American Journalism Review, Mark Lisheron wrote:

It's all right there for everybody to see at olbermannwatch, he says. It certainly appears from examining the site that anything Olbermann has ever said or done is reproduced there. The problem is that no one yet has started a watchingcoxwatcholbermann.com to sift the wheat of his truth from the chaff of his opinion. Like many bloggers, Cox laments the demise of objective journalism while offering up opinion, in this instance right-wing, along with fact.

Bob Cox and his minions do not worry themselves with little details like "facts." They traffic in anti-Olbermann marketing.

It's time that someone stepped up and called them out on it.

That time is now.

All we have to say to Cox and his minions is "Game On!"

Has Robert Cox Finally Lost His Mind?

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:42:00 -0800

First, there was nothing.

Then came a long-winded, tediously arrogant message.

Now there's a picture of a dead animal on the front page of OlbermannWatch.

Here's a screenshot:

And for those curious as to what preceded this most recent example of the right-wing spectacle that was OlbermannWatch, here is Cox's farewell letter to his acolytes:

"There is no disguising the fact that we have been extremely unhappy with the recent decision of NBC Universal to not only retain Keith Olbermann for four more years but to elevate him in an unprecedented fashion. We had held out hope that MSNBC would allow Olbermann's contract to expire even up until the last few weeks. But the deal is done and our Countdown Clock expired at midnight on March 1, 2007.

"Given this, we have come to the conclusion that we have done more harm than good over the past 2+ years in keeping Olbermann in the public eye at a time when few were watching his show and even less cared about his assault on the journalistic standards we hold dear. So, after careful consideration and consultation with the entire staff, we have decided the time has come to retire OlbermannWatch.com.

"It's been a great run. We certainly had a lot of fun running the site but it's just been increasingly difficult to maintain our enthusiasm as Olbermann's ratings have increased and a compliant media has done everything to boost Olbermann and his show.

"We wish all of you the best over the next four, painful years."

Sincerely,
Robert A. Cox
Managing Editor
OlbermannWatch.com

One more thing... Bob, we can't miss you if you don't go away.

remembering OlbermannWatch

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:26:00 -0800

The site may be down, but the memory lives on. For those of you who are wondering about the (now inaccessible) content of OlbermannWatch, here’s a sampling of a few representative posts.

June 2, 2006 on Countdown reporting that the Bush administration boasted of foiling a terror plot against the Brooklyn Bridge, then took the bridge off the official list of national iconic possible terror targets

Get the hint? There was no plot against the Brooklyn Bridge. The guy who was found guilty must have been framed by the evil US government. And just in case that was too subtle for the gullible viewers of Countdown, KO reinforced the insinuation by resuscitating his Krazy Keith Konspiracy: terror threats are phony, and are just for political manipulation. There followed more recycled video from the network mothership about Homeland Security grant allocations.

June 7, 2006 on the resignation of MSNBC President Rick Kaplan

There is no doubt this is a day long pined for at OlbermannWatch. Clinton pal and uber-liberal Kaplan was never going to dump Keith no matter how low his ratings went. Now all those "conditions" KO laid on Kaplan when he was brought back to MSNBC are out the window. I think we are looking at KO going pretty soon. I don't see him staying on air until his contract is up next February.

June 16, 2006

Welcome Michele Malkin readers to OlbermannWatch, where we watch the "obscene, abusive, unhinged jerk" so you don't have to!

June 22, 2006 on reports that the “weapons of mass destruction” found in Iraq were, at worst, likely to give those exposed to the threats a minor skin rash

The infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann (skin a bright orange, hair oddly less gray) was desperate to do damage control. How to paper over John Kerry's humiliating loss in the Senate? Simple. Ridicule the WMD news, attack Rick Santorum, and kill three birds with one stone. Santorum isn't to be believed because he is behind in the polls. Hoekstra didn't announce, he "foamed". The degraded gas is virtually harmless. All it will do is hurt your skin. They're "weapons of minimal discomfort". All this despite the fact that the declassified document plainly states that they remain potentially "lethal".

June 26, 2006 on Rush Limbaugh (currently appearing on Fox’s Half Hour Comedy Hour) being stopped at customs for possessing Viagra without a prescription…

After oddball, a bit about "comedian Rush Limbaugh" being stopped at customs for possessing prescription medicine in someone else's name. Olby made it a point to state that "the office would not identify the prescription drug", but the only report available (filed at 7:52 pm) not only does so, but also includes the caveat that he was detained for "possible" possession of the drug(s). KO then added, "No comment from comedian Rush Limbaugh".

I could go on (and on and on), but I think you get the idea.

I’ve got to wonder… If Bob Cox was so proud of his work there, why is the content gone?

what people are saying about OlbermannWatch's demise

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 14:51:00 -0800

Looks like I'm not the only one who busted out the champagne yesterday - the recent closure of OlbermannWatch appears to be echoing throughout the blogosphere and the celebration is loud.

Here are some highlights from the comment sections.

From The Raw Story...

"his assault on the journalistic standards we hold dear,"

What "journalistic standards?" Mud-slinging, wingnut propaganda, half-truths, full lies and anti-democratic proto-fascist drumbeating?

Keith Olbermann speaks truth to power. The right can try and vilify him as some kind of leftist kook if they wish, but the fact is that he has demonstrated fealty to the Constitution (which neocons seem to disdain), accountability and excels in calling out these cretins on their lies. There is a very good reason why his viewership is up, up, up and that Countdown is the most frequently 'TiVo'ed program of all.

This country is NOT as inherently 'conservative' the the right would have you believe; we never have been.

Congratulations, Keith on your 4 year renewal. To Robert Cox, STFU.

***

"Journalistics standards that we all hold so dear?" That is EXACTLY what Keith - AND ONLY KEITH - has been doing. I am sorry that Mr. Cocks believes that the heads at Fox Noise Channel are journalists but Olbermann is the new and much-needed Edward R. Murrow of our times. Now if we can just get Fox Noise to shut down we can bring back journalistic integrity for good!

***

Olbermann Watch - now that's a laugh - What is with these right wing nut jobs. I mean they really just don't get it.

Olbermann is speaking truth to power like nobodies business. The only reason he's a threat is because he exposes their lies and distortions in the context of reality which they can not stand to have pointed out to them because they are disingenuous retarded snobs.

The "right" thinks they are fighting for something when the very thing they claim to be against is what they are.

The only real explanation for their thuggery is that in their denial they are simply projecting that which about themselves they can not face head on.

What else can account for the tragedy of opposites that seem to flow from their mouths like a river of ineptitude and lack of moral accountability.

Cox closed down his sight because it was irrelevant. His fake crusade to hold up the pillar of journalistic integrity is and always was a huge joke.

***

These are the same morons who think that FOX isn't a propaganda machine. Listening to Olbermann is like getting much needed oxygen.

***

I used to post on the site, but quit after the elections. I felt the site was irrelevant at that point. The analyses by Johnny Dollar and Robert Cox were so moronic, even a three year old could rebut their arguments. No offense to three year olds.

***

Hey Robert Cox...listen up...

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Daily Kos...

And their parting shot is that they take credit for the increase in ratings. Long may their egos wave.

***

I think it was actually one lonely dude in his parents' basement.

In fact, I visited the blog once, and after reading one particularly odious posting, I left a comment that said something like, "I bet your parents are so proud of you. In fact, I bet your mother is upstairs baking you cookies right now."
***

So does this guy live, like, in an alternate reality? One where Olberman's ratings are tanking? One where Bush's approval ratings are 85%, and where the Republicans have routed Congress, due to our breathtaking success in Iraq?

In other words, do he and Dick Cheney share the same dimension?
***

Notice that the OlbermannWatch had nothing to recommend itself, it wasn't sharp and witty, no sense of humor, etc., it fell down trying to fight truth, just the way it should be. I'm pleased that Olbermann's numbers are increasing.

***

screw you guys... Eric Cartman ... webmaster at OlbermannWatch.com ... who knew?

***

***

How I love this kind of transparent shit.

Oh, my, yes!

Some defunct right-wing fucking-nutjob website is ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE for Keith's success, and all hundredfortyleventhousand of the site's contributers (read "one guy") have decided to pull the plug.

This reminds me of every troll who ever got caught being a troll and said "Thank you all who wrote me off-site with your letters of support."

May I reiterate ... HA@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

***

How I will miss jonnydollar and robert cox

I used olbermannwatch as a form of political pornography on occasion.

What will they do with themselves, or each other, now?
***

They (he?) really thinks that this website caused Olbermann's ratings to rise? I don't think I've ever witnessed such blatant self-aggrandizement and delusions of grandeur...

***

Well, for me it's been about 30 seconds - the time it took me to read this diary. Never heard of the site or its "entire staff" (of thousands, no doubt), and to be honest, I'm glad I hadn't.

Perhaps - going out on a limb here - their site wasn't really the driving force behind Olbermann's popularity? It might have been the content of the TV show itself?

What an entire staff of wankers.

Victory!

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:11:00 -0800

At midnight on March 1, 2007, OlbermannWatch shut its doors.

I'd like to think that Bob Cox and his gang saw the proverbial light - that they realized bullying, misinformation, name-calling, etc. was not only wrong, but a shining example of the most irresponsible misuse of the blogosphere as a conduit of information and creator of community.

I'd like to think that, but I'd probably be wrong.

Cox was uncharacteristically brief in his parting post:

We are an hour away from the final ticks off the OlbermannWatch Countdown Clock and we hear at OlbyWatch are still wrestling with our big decision.

I think this may be farewell.

Overlook the misspellings for a moment to consider what was not said.

No thanks. In yet another supreme act of arrogance, there was no expression of appreciation for the regular readers who (sadly) made his blog what it was.

No apologies. No expression of regret or the slightest sign of any acknowledgment that
words, however self-righteously justified, do indeed have an impact.

Bob ended as he began - in a flurry of arrogance and obfuscation.

Are he and his cohorts off to greener pastures? I doubt it. I'm sure that he and his gang would tell you otherwise. I'm sure they would argue that the need for OlbermannWatch is no longer as pressing and, besides, Cox's megalomania is certainly better served elsewhere.

At the moment that Countdown with Keith Olbermann is at its strongest, most powerful, most popular, Cox chooses to close OlbermannWatch.

The timing is telling.

Cox has never been a watchdog. If he were, OlbermannWatch would still exist.

He's a bully - an ad-man who seized upon a marketing opportunity. Not an opportunity to promote a particular brand of truth or policy stance, but an opportunity to traffic in vitriol because it is that sort of poison which he discovered would be the most effective route to his own personal success.

Goodbye, Bob. Don't let the door hit you...

more spin

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:47:00 -0800

From OlbermannWatch:

The following perfectly encapsulates the bias of "Man on Fan" Olbermann. While he has avoided reporting the decrease in killings since the Baghdad crackdown commenced, liberal Olby has eagerly trumpeted every piece of bad news he could scrape up.

From the Mercury News:

Nearly two weeks into the newest Baghdad security plan, the daily count of murder victims dumped on the city's streets has declined significantly, a likely sign that Shiite Muslim militia groups aligned with the Iraqi government have reined in their members or sent them out of the capital.

But deaths from bombings and mortar attacks, after an initial decline, have returned to the levels of the previous two months, suggesting that the plan's initial measures have had little impact on the Sunni insurgent groups believed to be responsible for most of that violence.

Maybe Olbermann isn't reporting on the decrease in deaths in Iraq because there hasn't been a decrease?

OlbermannWatch & Me

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:47:00 -0800

From my inbox:

Has anyone told you lately that you one pathetic loser? I would be willing
to bet you thousands of e-mails like this daily. It is obvious you are
ditching the Habeas Corpus story, what I want to know is why were you all
over it in the weeks and months before the ruling? Truley cowardess, to say
the least. Another thing, the olbermannwatch site won't be closing, you can
get that thought out of your mind. If it does close farther down the road,
bet your ass I will start another one. P.S. Wasn't it great when the Great
Bill O' mispronounced your name last week? That is your new name now,
Ulbermahn, it fits your sorry fat ass much better, Osama Bin Ulbermahn. Do
you look up and down the street before you get out of your car? You
should...............

One word: classy.

can someone re-send the memo?

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:16:00 -0800

The New York Times ran a correction to their story on blogger access to the Libby trial stating that Bob Cox had only negotiated access for his organization. Someone at Cox's right-wing Media Bloggers Association doesn't seem to have gotten the memo.

From the right-wing Media Bloggers Association earlier today:

For blogs, the Libby trial marks a courthouse coming of age. It is the first federal case for which independent bloggers have been given official credentials, said Robert A. Cox, president of the Media Bloggers Association. Cox negotiated access for the bloggers.

That's funny. It's as if the Times correction never existed.

Maybe the right-wing Media Bloggers Association has the same devotion to truth and accuracy that Bob Cox does?

Adios Bob!

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:33:00 -0800

Bob Cox is exploring the possibility of shutting down OlbermannWatch.

Why?

From OlbermannWatch:

With the recent announcement that NBC Universal has signed Keith Olbermann to a new multi-million dollar, multi-year contract, the time has come to consider whether Olbermann Watch continues to serve a valuable role as a watchdog site.

One would think that a multi-million dollar, multi-year contract would only increase the need for a "watchdog" site, but OlbermannWatch has never had a particularly close relationship to the demands of impartial logic.

What's the real reason Bob is considering closing OlbermannWatch?

From Bob's farewell post at the National Debate:

It's clear to me that TND has too much right-of-center baggage to be an effective platform from which to advance the non-partisan agenda of the Media Bloggers Association. I believe I can be a far more effective advocate for the MBA - and establish myself as a thought-leader on blogging and citizen media - by creating an entirely new blog. Maybe folks will see this as somewhat pointless in that I am still the same person and I am still going to have the same opinions. Maybe they're right but I feel that that the time has come to break with my TND-self and start a new chapter in my blogging career. What better way than with a new personal blog with a new more constructive tone; a blog devoted to my work as President of the Media Bloggers Association.

Like the National Debate, OlbermannWatch has become a handicap for Bob's career aspirations.

Bob has a long history of fostering a venomous internet culture based on bullying, intimidation, and irresponsible interpretations of fact. He's attempting to transform that particular brand of poison into a career as an advocate for the blogging community as a whole.

Good luck with that, Bob.

Bob Cox Getting Greedy?

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 13:06:00 -0800

From Fire Dog Lake:

And I'm curious how Shane's article [in the New York Times] made the mistake of saying Robert Cox of Media Bloggers Association had "negotiated access" for all of the bloggers at the trial. I made very clear in my interview that there were two distrinct groups of bloggers, and I'm certain Jane and Marcy were explicit on that point as well. Did Cox make some sort of sweeping (and misleading) claim of credit late in the process that Shane neglected to double-check with Team FDL? Did a confused copyeditor try to "clarify" a poorly worded sentence? Hopefully, Siun or Jane or someone is hounding Shane for an explanation.

From the NY Times:

Correction: February 15, 2007
A front-page article on Thursday about bloggers covering the perjury trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr. referred imprecisely to the role of Robert A. Cox, president of the Media Bloggers Association, in securing credentials. Mr. Cox negotiated access for his association, which was the first blogger group to be granted credentials to cover the trial. He did not negotiate on behalf of firedoglake.com and other blogs that received their credentials later.

Bob Cox's History of Online Terrorism, Example #4

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:54:00 -0800

Following up yesterday’s post detailing Bob Cox’s decision to reveal personal information about one of his critics… it actually gets worse.

What could be worse than publishing the height, weight, phone number, education, etc. of an individual posting comments under a pseudonym?

Bringing in Dad.

M

y purpose in posting as much information as I could find about [name of Cox’s critic] was simply to make the point that she is not as ‘anonymous’ as she thinks and that her behavior may also come with a cost. Just as she made her hate speech about me a part of the ‘permanent’ record of the internet via Google, so to is information about the actual person who wrote all that stuff. My hope is that someday, somehow she will be held accountable for her behavior. In the meantime, that she does not like is reason enough. It's called getting a taste of your own medicine, something [name of Cox’s critic] father knows something about.

Dr. [name of the father of one of Cox’s critics]

BTW, there is no mystery to how I know what I know. My web hosting account comes with some basic web stats software which includes features like displaying where visitors are coming from (so I know what sites/forums have linked to OW) and the IP addresses of visitors/comments (so I can sort by IP address). I can match the IP addresses with what pages were visited including the comment form page; this allows me to do a quick sort and see all the comments coming from one person regardless of what fake name they use. This is how I know when someone is using multiple ‘handles’ to post.”

Bob Cox's History of Online Terrorism, Example #3

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 08:20:00 -0800

The mother of all examples of irresponsible blogging.

The following is a comment Bob Cox made on OlbermannWatch. Note that it not only provides detailed personal information on the OW critic, but an interesting color commentary. I think it says far more about Bob Cox than it does the critic he is responding to.

[Initial of OW critic] is the sad story of a smart girl with way too much time on her hands and a bit of narcissism disorder. She is originally from Northern California. Her father is a doctor and her sister is also [initial]. She is athletic, an avid soccer player who went to high school near [city] and went to college at [university] where she studied history. She was a very good student at [university] and worked part-time as a "TA" in the history department among other things.

She is 5'3", weighs about 110 pounds and wears a size 4. She was married but is now divorced. She drives up a pick up truck and claims to have worked as a detective once. She describes herself as "not so well endowed--big big big fuckin' brains-- and a lot a balls."

[Initial of OW critic] is your classic "professional" student. She has never held a real job but rather spent her last few years jumping from school to internships and back. She was an intern at the [organization] which allowed her to live at home while working for low pay in [city]. While there she wrote an Op-Ed piece lobbying a professional organization. Last summer she again lived at home while she spent time working for the [organization].

Today she is holed up as a graduate student living off daddy's money at the [university]. She was originally pursuing a Masters in [field] and would have graduated this spring but decided to add a degree in [field] and so has put of her graduation plans off until 2006 (see what I mean about "professional" student). In the meantime, she is looking for a summer internship, possibly entailing a move to the East Coast (I won't say where exactly). She is also considering participating in programs in Central America (possibly Guatamala) and maybe even Cuba. Her dream, of course, would be work with/for Keith Olbermann at MSNBC. My money is on her taking a good look at the real world next year, gulping and opting to for a Ph.D. program, preferably someplace warm.

[Initial of OW critic] currently lives about a block off the main [university] campus in [city] where she is at liberty to stroll to class and her part time job in a school office. I have her exact home and work address, phone numbers and a satellite photo but I am not going to publish any of that here. The last four digits of her home phone are [xxxx]; her work phone is [xxxx].

While at [university], [Initial of OW critic] has been very active in a number of campus organizations ranging from a pro-Kerry group to a poker club. She is not very good at cards but the stakes are small so she can't lose too much.

Today [Initial of OW critic] writes "I'm fairly confident that my want for privacy is perfectly valid, not nefarious in the least, and just plain smart." What she fails to mention is that she has posted to OlbermannWatch.com on a variety other names as well (and apparently, even to this day, still believes that I don't know this).

When you compare [Initial of OW critic] public persona to the online incarnation you can begin to understand her reason for not wanting to be associated with her internet alter ego - a horrendously foul-mouthed, bossy, raving loon. If a potential employer were to run a google search and match up her name with her various psuedonyms like [names] and the many others it might be awkward for her.

…

You see, if you put together the pieces – [state], School, [field] - (and Google is pretty good and putting together such pieces) you will find that there are not that many Universities, in [state], that offer graduate degrees in [field] - and even less than have students named [first name of OW critic].

Bob Cox's History of Online Terrorism, Example #2

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 08:14:00 -0800

Let's pick another example of Robert Cox's commitment to the principle that bloggers "act responsibly and with personal integrity."

In a discussion thread on OlbermannWatch, right-wing MBA president Robert Cox stated that he had sent the following email to one of his critics (all caps in the original):

"I DO AND IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO WORK AT NBC OR MSNBC YOU WOULD DO WELL TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. DON'T KID YOURSELF THAT MESSING WITH ME IS A COST-FREE EXERCISE FOR YOU."

Robert Cox attempting to professionalize blogging and create a (right-wing) blogging elite?

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 12:41:00 -0800

In the words of a MBA member:

“… a few days ago, MBA President Robert Cox had a very interesting detailed blog post describing the strategy used [in the lawsuit against a Maine blogger]:

The real story behind the ‘Maine Blogger’ story is that this blogstorm did not just ‘happen’. I personally spent several weeks developing a media strategy which we launched last Thursday morning. The original goal was to get the story in front of 3-4 mm people by Friday night. We easily surpassed that figure and the number continues to grow.

Once we were ready to drop the story, I reached out to the Members of the Media Bloggers Association with an ‘MBA Legal Alert’ and they responded in force. Hundreds of bloggers responded to the MBA’s request to post this story and make their readership aware of what was happening in Maine. We also sent out a traditional press release to our ‘press list’ and added in about 100 Maine/Travel media outlets – that’s how the Globe got the story. Once the ball was rolling lots of other folks got behind the effort and Lance was a full-fledged bloglebrity.

This kind of blog/MSM media strategy is part of the two-pronged approach we take as part of our Legal Defense Initiative. I think the real story is that this strategy can be – and has been – so effective.

And I agree – it can be, and has been, so effective. But… it’s important to realize just how old-school top-down this is structurally. In fact, scarily so. Work with people who have big megaphones, get them to echo the story, then go up the media pyramid. It’s extremely traditional. Now, the powers here were used for good instead of evil. But, still, what if it were the reverse?"

The extreme right requires a culture war. Doesn’t it sound as if the right-wing MBA were providing that culture war against the mainstream media?

The right-wing Media Bloggers Association did not rely on the U.S. justice system alone to prove the legitimacy of its case. It orchestrated a carefully planned media campaign. Is this professional? Is this elitist as only MBA members have access to these legal and PR resources?

What does it mean for bloggers to be professionalized? What does it mean to have an elite tier of bloggers covering national events?

According to the right-wing Media Bloggers Association, “The big day has finally arrived. We have gotten all the members into the new database and are finally ready to begin the long journey towards putting the Media Bloggers Association on a paying basis.”

To become a credentialed member of the MBA, one must now pay membership dues. This sounds pretty professional.

In addition:

“The next MBA Board meeting will take place via teleconference at 8:00 PM ET on Wednesday February 21st. Note: We have yet to schedule the work but we will be developing a blog for the MBA Board which will list all the Board members, provide contact information, provide the public agenda for the meeting, a public summary of the board meeting (as is standard practice for boards, we will not publish minutes of the board meetings so that all members feel comfortable speaking freely).”

The MBA has board meetings. This sounds pretty professional. Much like the board meetings of large corporations, the board meetings provide public records – creating a distinction between those who are “in” the group and those who are “out” of the group.

Isn’t this in-group/out-group mentality a characteristic of fascist/authoritarian social systems?

Further:

“The MBA has created a unique opportunity for MBA members to participate in a fascinating discussion of the upcoming FRONTLINE special "News War". FRONTLINE is hosting an online forum for media bloggers and other electronic journalism professionals, whom they are asking to weigh in on the themes presented in "News War," the four-part FRONTLINE special coming Feb, 13, 20, & 27, and March 27 to PBS. They are most interested in MBA member bloggers answers to the questions, ‘What are the business models of the future?’ and ‘How will we get news?’”

In addition to having two seats reserved for member bloggers at the Libby trial, the MBA also has access to exclusive events reserved for “electronic journalism professionals.” This sounds pretty professional. PBS is apparently interested in the thoughts of MBA bloggers on business models and how those bloggers will be providing the news. This is not how citizen journalists will provide news, but rather how MBA members will provide the news. Elitist?

Is the right-wing Media Bloggers Association elitist? Is it attempting to professionalize a medium that has grown as a direct result of its egalitarian basis?

Bob Cox's History of Online Terrorism, Example #1

noreply@blogger.com (the watcher) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 09:31:00 -0800

According to the Media Bloggers Association's Statement of Principles, "When we blog, each of us is accountable for our own actions, and we own our own words."

The following comments - made by Bob Cox on his website, OlbermannWatch - reflect Bob's commitment to the principle that bloggers "act responsibly and with personal integrity."

Excerpts from an online conversation in April 2006:

"Having already demonstrated what you ... are all about - lying, liberal, loons who all seem to think you might someday be the future Mrs. Olbermann - I don't see any further value in showing you all for the loons you are. You've done that suffeciently [sic.] for yourselves.

If anyone else wants to bother with [the name of a Cox critic] here, she's in New York, she connects to the internet via a cable modem from Cablevision, she has an optonline.net email account and can found most days smoking her hash pipe and starting out the window looking for black helicopters. Drop me a line if you want the details necessary to chase [the name of a Cox critic] down the rabbit hole."

This is abominable behavior. This is online terrorism. This is threatening. This is bullying. This is intimidation.

Cox identifies the location of a person who has commented on OlbermannWatch based on the IP address. He makes a defamatory comment by stating that the individual has a drug problem. He invites OlbermannWatch readers to terrorize the individual by stating he has the requisite information.

More examples from the same online discussion on OlbermannWatch:

"I have been building my career showing up OlbyLoons like you and that is probably not fair - it's like bringing a gun to a knife fight."

Here Cox unambiguously states that he is leveraging the recognition he has gained through OlbermannWatch to promote his "career" - which I assume to mean his career at the Media Bloggers Association.

"If you are going to lie try to cover your tracks a little better or it take the fun out of my favorite sport - showing up Olby Loons for the fools they are."

Cox admits that he thrives on instigating conflict. His "favorite sport" is to insult and belittle those who hold contrary opinions.

Is this the type of person that you would trust to campaign for a code of blogger ethics? Is this the type of person you would trust to be the president of an ostensibly non-partisan organization?