Monday, January 24, 2011

Good riddance to Keith Olbermann


Keith Olbermann was never short of pretentiousness. Unfortunately he was very short on objectivity, professional journalism and what real liberal thinking is all about which always starts with the truth.

Olbermann had no problem attacking Fox News, Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly, an exercise that, given his audience was a complete waste of time and accomplished absolutely nothing. But Olbermann, like most faux liberals in the press spent most of his time behaving like the kind of knee jerk cocktail party liberal that populated Lenny Bruce routines on race back in the 1960's, the "Joe Louis sure is a helluva fighter" school of journalism, refusing to admit, acknowledge or even take to task during the Democratic primaries, the relentless lying and reneging of Barrack Obama and his daily demonstrations that he was unfit for the office he was seeking.

Olbermann, like most journalists, wanted to prove his racial bona fides by deciding that Obama's having a black father made him qualified and in so doing threw everything Martin Luther King lived for into a dumpster judging Obama by the color of his skin not the content of his character.

All this went on both during Obama's Democratic primary campaign and during Obama's presidency. And Olbermann was part of a few lunatic fringe members of a faux liberal press as well as some weak kneed congressional Democrats, relentless in criticizing Hillary Clinton for not getting out of the presidential race solely to try and make it easier for Obama, so that they could fill an agenda motivated only by race, the worst reason in the world to support anyone for anything. And in Pelosi's case, motivated by a desire to be the Democratic Party's Queen Bee, something that would never happen with a Hillary Clinton presidency.

The fact that Clinton had landslided Obama at the polls in the 13 biggest states in the country, simply buried him at the voting booth, and that Obama didn't have anywhere close to the 2/3 majority needed to win the nomination meant nothing to Olbermann who decided race, not character was enough.

Olbermann always attacked the easy targets, the ones that Democrats or people on the left who watched his show didn't need attacking. He didn't attack Obama which was the only line of attack that could have accomplished anything, or the Democrats in congress for not standing up to Obama as he sold the Democratic agenda down the river. Because for Olbermann to do so, he would have had to admit he was wrong. About everything. And from the very beginning.

Olbermann made some eloquent pitches for the public option and the need for it while his own father was in the hospital but in the end, kept his mouth shut when Obama sold it down the river and the Democrats went along. Which is what killed the Democrats in the last election.

Olbermann's refusal to take on Obama for his relentless lying, serial reneging on promises, endless capitulation to Republicans and character flaws like having no guts, no convictions, no principles and no real ability and not willing or able to stand up for anything, along with being the most politically dishonest underhanded, president since Nixon made Olbermann useless as a commentator. It is also probably wearing just as thin regarding the other commentators on MSNBC's prime time schedule who arent much different.Olbermann could have just as well showed up every night dressed like a cheerleader with a big "O" on his sweater.

In the end he was nothing more than a propagandist for Obama which made him nothing more than the other side of the same coin you see at Fox News, using bombast, just like the Republicans instead of irrefutable arguments and facts most of which should have been aimed at Obama. But Olbermann had been a guest at the White House, having face to face audiences with Obama and nothing seduces a bad journalist more than proximity to power.

Instead of admitting that it was Obama who was the real enemy of the Democratic agenda, selling out the public option , watering down financial reform, lying outright about his policies, and selling out Democrats, even though he had the biggest congressional majority in 60 years, Olbermann's courage was aimed at a Republican minority who had no power to do anything except for Obama's capitulation and people like Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin and Fox News. Which might not make Olbermann the Worst Person in the World, but certainly one of the world's worst journalists.

1 comment:

Mary Beth613 said...

Thank you Mr. Paine!! I always thought KO was a phony, never believing he stood for anything, except to hear himself speak. Always empty words, always being a follower, never a leader, or even truthful.
Good riddance!!!