Levin calls upon MSNBC to suspend Olbermann

[raccoonradio]

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/05/17/mark-levin-calls-msnbc-suspend-keith-olbermann

Olbermann's rant against the President ("SHUT the HELL UP!") hasn't sat well with conservative talk hosts like
Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin. Levin is calling upon MSNBC to suspend Olbermann because he feels that
in the process of criticizing the President, he slandered American soldiers and gave aid and comfort to the
enemy. (Ingraham btw is wondering if K.O. is upset that he didn't get the gig to replace Conan and
is taking it out on the Prez...and the military.)

Levin: "Cold-blooded killers who will kill people to achieve their political objectives." That's how you view the uniform? You're a disgrace. Why are on you on MSNBC? I ask General Electric, "What is this man doing on your network?" [...]"

He's calling not for government sanctioned censorship but a pressure campaign against a private broadcaster
(who, by the way, is owned by G.E. which does make some materials for the military.)

 

[oldschooltv]

I used to like Keith Oger-man, I mean Olbermann.

But there's something disheartening about the host of a program who spends his time bashing other programs and cable news stations, be it CNN or FOX. I thought this was supposed to be the news? It's more like watching a cat fight every night. It portrays a total lack of professionalism on his part. Dan Abrams isn't a stranger to this kind of sleeze either. Who lets this happen? I can't speak for others, but in my eyes, MSNBC is slowly losing credibility for this.

One last thing. MSNBC needs a little more diversity. It's like watching the German (or WASPY) news, with names like Olbermann, Shuster, Brzezinski, Maddow, Geist, Brewer, Fletcher, Seigenthaler, Wolfe, etc. Then there's Russert, Matthews, Buchanan, etc. I mean can you get any whiter?

Where are all the people with ethnic names like Fernandes, Ortiz, Garcia, Ciccarelli, Bartolini, Di Gennaro, Carvalho, Nanopolous, Fahmadi, Saadeddin, Fung, Lin, etc.?

Sometimes I feel like some of the people at MSNBC are out of touch with reality.

 

[kyscott]

Sometimes I feel like some of the people at MSNBC are out of touch with reality.

That extends to NBC as a whole. Did anyone get a load of the "green out" broadcast they did for Sunday night football? They turned off the studio lights trying to "do their part". I love football and all, but when it starts getting political, I'm outta there. I have not watched NBC's coverage of the NFL since.

 

[raccoonradio]

They did briefly have a Sat afternoon show hosted by a Jewish-American and a conservative at that
(though not everyone on the Right agrees with him), Michael Savage. That ended after he railed at
a caller (who turned out to be prankster East Coast Bob), "Oh, so you're one of those sodomites;
why don't you just get AIDS and die, how's that?" Didn't last too long.

Olbermann may get fairly good ratings for MSNBC but I think Fox and CNN have higher rated shows (at
night, esp., as Drudge has mentioned). Ingraham was saying she knew K.O. and he wasn't a bad guy
but maybe he's just going a bit far these days, or making a play for ratings (as a comment on the
Newsbusters piece said, he may not really have these opinions--just playing for a certain audience).

I thought Olby was being petty years ago when he ripped apart inaccuracies on Ken Burns' "Baseball".
But I did get a kick out of a remark he made in hosting a candidates' debate when he said that
if the candidates didn't co-operate with him, he'd turn the A.C. off, and after that he'd turn the heat
on. Made in jest...I think. (Ha, Laura was a bit disappointed that she hasn't been his "worst person
in the world" lately )

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

I think that Keith Olbermann is the best journalist on TV today. He has the guts to say that the Emporer has no clothes and not back down. He reminds me of Edward R. Murrow. As a hard-core Liberal, it is really refreshing to have someone on my side after the long night of Limbaughs , O'Reilly's and their ilk. But why not shut down critics of the government? Our trading partner Communist China still does it. Excuse me, but why did Americans die to defeat Fascism? Are we going to disrespect those troops from WWII by adopting the tactics of repressive regimes in our own country? How did John Stewart seem to jump from a comedian to a Serious newscaster of sorts------BECAUSE LIBERALS AND MODERATES HAD NOTHING FOR SO LONG. Ya'all get a grip. You have FOX, some of CNN, 99% of talk radio , and the entire Rupert Murdoch Empire. So I have some of MSNBC and NPR. WOW-------almost a media coup.

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

I'm not done . Why do those who seem so intent on yammering about "freedom" seem to want less of it right here? Didn't McCarthy claim that his critics were giving aid to the enemy? One risk of FREEDOM is open dissent------even when there an enemy at the gates. If we stifle FREEDOM in the US------we are no better than North Korea, China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, or any country with state run media. Why not make FOX the only legal news outlet allowed-----Then I guess you 'big government conservative"------a real oxymoron---would have won. Ya know Merle Haggard is a Democrat now.

 

[murcuryvapor]

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/05/17/mark-levin-calls-msnbc-suspend-keith-olbermann

Olbermann's rant against the President ("SHUT the HELL UP!") hasn't sat well with conservative talk hosts like
Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin. Levin is calling upon MSNBC to suspend Olbermann because he feels that
in the process of criticizing the President, he slandered American soldiers and gave aid and comfort to the
enemy. (Ingraham btw is wondering if K.O. is upset that he didn't get the gig to replace Conan and
is taking it out on the Prez...and the military.)

That's the first I'm hearing of the Conan thing-quite a leap.

These two are still on the air?

 

[landtuna]

But there's something disheartening about the host of a program who spends his time bashing other programs and cable news stations, be it CNN or FOX. I thought this was supposed to be the news?

I assume you haven't watched his show in awhile. Most of it is spent reporting/commenting upon the stories of the day. Where KO is at his best is dissecting the self-serving and hypocritical politicos who present one image in public and quite the opposite in private. Although casual watchers would say he is a flaming liberal I have found over the long haul he will expose members of any organization (political, broadcast and otherwise) who lie, cheat, steal or otherwise don't live up to the Golden Rule (consider his daily attacks on Wal-Mart before they finally relented on that injured ex-employee's medical benefits).

I'm not sure you should consider this 'news' in the strict interpretation of that term. He doesn't claim to be a reporter or talking head.

It's more like watching a cat fight every night. It portrays a total lack of professionalism on his part.

I will admit some of his attacks on Limbaugh and O'Reilly et al get somewhat tiresome but considering their almost constant buffoonery who could ignore all that material?

As far as portraying the president and members of Congress as fools and idiots - again, who could ignore such a rich harvest of fools and idiots? Leno has done virtually the same thing nightly for years and never been called on it. The difference is KO is deadly serious in his diatribes whereas Leno just goes for the cheap laughs without any depth.

One last thing. MSNBC needs a little more diversity. It's like watching the German (or WASPY) news, with names like Olbermann, Shuster, Brzezinski, Maddow, Geist, Brewer, Fletcher, Seigenthaler, Wolfe, etc. Then there's Russert, Matthews, Buchanan, etc. I mean can you get any whiter?

You're kidding, right? Look at the number of guests appearing almost daily on Countdown (and other MSNBC shows like Hardball). A significant number of them are Black and most occupy high positions in their respective areas. His infrequently-appearing guests tend to be names from areas under discussion (like VoteVets.org etc.).

And what about Allison Stewart, a Black woman who was his most popular substitute until she became pregnant.

With over 44% of living Americans claiming full or partial Germanic heritage I can understand why the ratio is represented as it is. After all, O'Reilly and Limbaugh are hardly in the ethnic camp to which you aspire.

But the most important thing IMHO is that whoever is on-air they are doing a credible job of presenting their information, be it real news or commentary/opinion. I have found KO, and the other MSNBC commentators, far better at this than those on Fox and/or hate radio/TV. I have no problem with Olbermann the muckraker. Given our current administration's ability to spin, lie and outright deceive their constituents I think it most important there is someone on the other side providing truth and balance.

Sometimes I feel like some of the people at MSNBC are out of touch with reality.

Or possibly the viewer. You're going to tell me that Fox and it's associated hate radio hosts paint a more diverse picture than MSNBC?

 

[formeraa]

I hope that MS/NBC brings Allison Stewart back. I thought that she made an excellent anchor and interviewer. She should be anchoring at least two hours a day on MSNBC and possibly be the weekend Today news anchor.

 

[oldschooltv]

I don't disagree that Olbermann could be an excellent journalist. I just don't want to hear the all the media drama. It's like any kind of business, the customer doesn't want to hear you talking about how bad the product is somewhere else. We don't care, that's why we're watching you. Just stick to what you're good at and leave the other networks to themselves. I'm a positive person (at least I try to be). I just don't want to hear it some nights. Just report the news and what's going on with our country, not what's happening at CNN, FOX, ABC or CBS. Can you at least see where I'm coming from?

By the way, nice to meet you, OldSchoolWoman!

 

[oldschooltv]

I assume you haven't watched his show in awhile.

Actually I watch him every night. Note: Friday they had Rachel in his place.

I will admit some of his attacks on Limbaugh and O'Reilly et al get somewhat tiresome.

Thankyou, that's how I feel. Once in a while it's welcomed, but not every night. For example, Friday Rachel had an altered clip of O'Reilly's Inside Edition outburst. Someone was pretending to be the producer going at it with O'Reilly. Now that was good.

You're kidding, right? Look at the number of guests appearing almost daily on Countdown (and other MSNBC shows like Hardball). A significant number of them are Black...

I'm not black. Again, you're jumping to conclusions. When was the last time you saw a Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Indian or Asian on there?

After all, O'Reilly and Limbaugh are hardly in the ethnic camp to which you aspire.

Seriously? I watch MSNBC! What does this have to do with O'Reilly or Limbaugh? You lost me.

Or possibly the viewer. You're going to tell me that Fox and it's associated hate radio hosts paint a more diverse picture than MSNBC?

Again, I don't know what this has to do with FOX or associated radio hosts. I've been watching MSNBC since it was put on my cable system in 1999. My whole point of this was that, it's turning me off, having to listen to the constant negativity. These kinds of segments may appeal to you, but they don't appeal to me. And I'm sure there are other MSNBC viewers out there who would agree.

 

[Ultimajock]

...Alison Stewart has a morning drive program on NPR now, so it's unlikely she'll be back on MSNBC anytime soon, even if she is married to MSNBC programming vice-president Bill Wolff...

...and Olbermann is doing nothing a true journalist wouldn't do anyway. If Lyndon Johnson were pulling the same crap that GWB has been, Chet Huntley would have gone on NBC and called for LBJ's head on a pike in front of the White House gate...and check out http://youtube.com/watch?v=AX7BChan-xg for what Huntley DID say on NBC about the Limbaughs and Levins of his day...

 

[TexasTom]

It isn't what he said but the way. But now everyone is so upset about everything, I'm no fan of Bush but if you tear him apart calmly and factually it goes much farther.

Ah, yes -- like all of the dispassionate, unemotional analysis of the Clinton presidency that we got from conservative talk shows in the nineties?

And that's precisely the problem. All of those conservative ranters demonstrated that there is a healthy profit to be made by putting foaming-at-the mouth partisans on the air. We're going to keep seeing this type of programming as long as it remains profitable. And while I think that is unfortunate, I can't say that I feel a whole lot of sympathy for conservatives who complain about this sort of stuff from Olbermann while staying silent about the constant screeching coming from his multitude of conservative counterparts. Levin and Ingraham's calls to have Olbermann suspended have exactly zero credibility for exactly that reason...

 

[Nate Wesley]

That extends to NBC as a whole. Did anyone get a load of the "green out" broadcast they did for Sunday night football? They turned off the studio lights trying to "do their part". I love football and all, but when it starts getting political, I'm outta there. I have not watched NBC's coverage of the NFL since.

I remember the telecast that night. That was for one segment (with the studio lights off and several candles lit), and they were clearly being facetious about it. Costas, Olbermann, and the other studio analysts gave their final thoughts in relative darkness before pitching it back to Michaels & Madden.

You'd have to be a real humorless [EDIT] to get 'offended' by such a harmless stunt. There was nothing political about it at all.


[EDIT-namecalling]

 

[FightingIrish]

That extends to NBC as a whole. Did anyone get a load of the "green out" broadcast they did for Sunday night football? They turned off the studio lights trying to "do their part". I love football and all, but when it starts getting political, I'm outta there. I have not watched NBC's coverage of the NFL since.

I remember the telecast that night. That was for one segment (with the studio lights off and several candles lit), and they were clearly being facetious about it. Costas, Olbermann, and the other studio analysts gave their final thoughts in relative darkness before pitching it back to Michaels & Madden.

You'd have to be a real humorless [EDIT] to get 'offended' by such a harmless stunt. There was nothing political about it at all.
[EDIT-namecalling]

It was part of NBC's "Green Week" promotion. Most programming had an eco-conscious theme to it. Nothing political at all. "Today" spent more time on the 'green' theme than any other show. Why doesn't anyone bash them about it. Oh, I forgot - Olbermann isn't on that show.

As for Football Night In America, they were keeping with the theme. Nothing political in it - when Olbermann does sports, he keeps it on sports.

They actually had a lot of fun with the lights-out theme that night.

All in all, I find it rather amusing that Olbermann is being ripped to shreds by even more-opinionated media personalities, one (Hannity hanger-on Mark Levin) is even calling for his suspension, all because he doesn't like what he says. Does anyone see the hypocrisy here?

 

[Evangelist]

I saw Olbermann's meltdown and he has taken way out of context many of the comments that were made. He whines about other cable channel hosts getting wound up about issues, but it's OK when he does it. Olbermann said the President was a "know-it-all," etc.--classic example of projecting.

I do not think Olbermann should be suspended. I do, however, think he needs professional help. Seriously. His meltdowns are becoming all too frequent. It is one thing to be passionate and angry on the air--hosts of all stripes do that and have for years. His latest meltdown was off the charts, though.

If anyone else had behaved that way on the air, he or she would've been taken off. Olbermann seems to get away with stuff and the sad part is that his fawners at MSNBC and hate groups like Media Matters and MoveOn.org don't seem to see that this guy has serious issues that need to be addressed. They don't seem to care about him as a human being.

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

Keith Olbermann is telling it 'Like it is". I feel he is absolutely on the mark. His "meltdowns" come across to me as journalistic courage. I don't hear anybody saying Lou Dobbs need to go because of his strong criticism of government immigration policies and his opposition to staying in Iraq. Did anybody call for the previous Pope to quit because he opposed the American invasion of Iraq ? If the 'conservative" extremists on TV and Radio finally begot an opposition who uses a similiar format, I say they need to suck it up and live with it. It's about time. What about Rush's comments about riots in Denver? Is that responsible journalism ? It's a sad state when the news on Comedy Central is seen as the voice of moderation. How did John Stewart become a serious journalist? Because of the extreme right -wing slant of the major media outlets that gave the party in power a free pass for too many years. Barry Goldwater became a voice of of the anti-Bush movement when he realized that the neocons did not understand what limited government actually means. Keith Olbermann is a voice of fresh air in a world where Ari Fleischer once told Americans to watch what they say.

 

[landtuna]

+1

 

[DToTheJ]

I saw Olbermann's meltdown and he has taken way out of context many of the comments that were made. He whines about other cable channel hosts getting wound up about issues, but it's OK when he does it. Olbermann said the President was a "know-it-all," etc.--classic example of projecting.

I particularly liked it when Keith addressed our President as, "Sir??"

 

[landtuna]

He always uses that term when he is bashing the prez. They won't let him cuss on-air. ;D