SUPPORT KEITH OLBERMANN

[RUAWHACKO]

He is the first main stream media person to shed any light on the 2004 Voter Fraud story and he deserves our support.
All of the other "serious" and "long time" journalists & reporters seem to be guzzling from the Repug Kool Aid dispenser located in Karl Rove's office.

Check out Olbermann's Blog
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/


Also.... any web savvy person feel like creating a Keith Olbermann fan page? The brass at MSNBC needs to know that we support ETHICAL media!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Anyway- don't miss Keith Olbermann's Countdown on MSNBC M-F at 8.
Sadly this week he is on vacation but he's back next week.

He is the sane voice on mainstream cable news right now.

[bain_sidhe]

1. I was just wondering where to put a thread on this!

Yes, we MUST support Keith!

MSNBC. 8 PM Monday through Friday. BE THERE or beware! (Beware of me, that is... I'll have issues with any liberal/progressive that CAN watch who DOESN'T watch!)

[idiosyncratic]

2. Definitely . . . and a web site for him would be great!

Welcome to DU, RUAWHACKO. :hi:

[RUAWHACKO]

3. Hey

apolitical no more- glad to be here!!!!!!

[dbonds]

4. TiVo

I have already set that up for TiVo. But I am not monitorred by any of the ratings organizations unless Cox Cable gets feedback info on what I'm watching from their settop box.

[RUAWHACKO]

5. I think

the more people that watch keith the better.
I love him, watched him every weeknight during the entire election.
He was SOOOO much better than Scarbrough or Hardball. Not to mention being eons ahead of anything on Faux News!!!
The only other voice I looked forward to hearing from on TV during the campaign was Ron Reagan. Why can't he come back?

Anyway- Olbermann is our man. Not to mention- in her interview with him Elizabeth Edwards told him how much she likes him! She said she is a big fan- and so was Wade when he was alive.

Perhaps people like Keith because he doesnt have the darth vader-itis that most of the other reporters have?!?!?!

[Olbie Fan]

40. Oh, I SOOOO agree!!

I 'used' to be a big fan of Chris Matthews and "Hardball", but somewhere along the way either I got 'smart' or Chris has gotten a political lobotomy and become wayyyy too RIGHT-brained!!! He has always interrupted everyone, but now his voice and his interruptions just grate on me so annoyingly, and he seems to have abandoned the more liberal agenda that I 'thought' he was so aligned to after working with Tip all those years ... silly me!!

I've also found myself not able to listen to "Country Joe & The Fish" either anymore ... a/k/a Scarborough and Buchanan. Their ultra-conservation views give me a real pain in the LEFT side of my brain, and the ONLY reason I EVER watched was for the progressive sanity of Larry O'Donnell ...

Ron Reagan, Jr ... another beacon of liberal light in the dark caverns of neo-con world ... Yes, where IS Ron? Come back, come back, wherever you are!!

And then there's Keith ... a cut above ALL the rest and appreciatively wedged between "Hardball Chris" and Scarborough, et al. And for this one hour, I am nestled snugly with a trusted, honest, sincere, genuine, openly liberal (YAY!!!!!) 'defender' of the progressive, forward-thinking agenda, and "HOW SWEET IT IS!!"

It's everything about him, and I am so drawn to his intellect, his mind and his dry sense of humor! What a package, not to mention that he 'ain't bad on the eyes either', but I digress! There has always been something about the 'way' he delivers his nightly 'Sermon on Mt. St. NBC' that has intrigued me from the beginning, and then when he 'outed' himself as a true, unabashed liberal, I cheered wildly at what I had been suspecting all along ... and it felt so good to 'be home' ... and now that Phil D has been banished, Keith IS home, and I cling to that familiar 'warmth' ever so delicately.

And then Keith started blogging ... and I started reading his "Debate Scorecard" following each of the political debates, and I was howling with laughter and admiration and respect for this man's incredible writing talents ... he writes JUST like he talks on air ... all the great humor and wit is still there, and he's great ... absolutely great! Needless to say, I loved his scorecards ... all three for Kerry and the 'one' for John Edwards in the Edwards/Cheney shootout. And I just loved his term "Hooey in St. Louie", but let's not forget that Keith is also an accomplished sportscaster, who I also enjoyed watching so often on ESPN ... a true well-rounded individual is 'My Man, Keith!'

So, now I find myself hopelessly devoted and addicted to "The Big O" ... draw your own conclusions from that!! I will be having major withdrawals all this week until his return, but, just in time, I have found this wonderful "Olbie Support Group" and I just know that I will get through it all "With a little help from my (new) friends" here at DU ...

So, "Let's Stay Together" because "there's a place for us ... somewhere a place for us" and it's called "Countdown w/Keith Olbermann!!"

And so as I wad up a piece of paper "ala Keith" and gingerly toss it at my monitor ...

"Good Night, Good Luck and Aloha!!" God I love this man!!

Y - E - A - H!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pallas180]

6. Keith was shocked when he first received 6000 emails, he now has 27 thous

and we just keep on talking and nudging him forward.

Good goin' guys.

Metthews must be so jealous.!

[RUAWHACKO]

7. Pallas180

In all probablility "Tweety Bird" Matthews is curled up on his pillow in a corner of Condi Rice's office.

[Clark2008]

10. I'm trying to picture the look on Tweety's face

as he realizes he's being 'harballed' by the new kid on the block.

Oh, and I have a link to Countdown on my personal webpage. Does that count?

[savetheuniverse]

19. jeez for you know it,

he's gonna need a clean up crew.

You know, I never knew DATA could be this much fun!

[Triana]

8. Olbermann seems to have his head screwed on straight...

...as opposed to other 'journalists' or 'news' people out there. He deserves our support. It's no secret who owns MSNBC and where their loyalties lie. Guys like Olbermann and Lou Dobbs are rare - too rare.

[papau]

9. Things I did not know until I read the blog - and thanks for the smile!

MSM's dismissive of vote fraud because of hauteur rather than censorship. And some cable and some print is getting out, such as:

Hardball
David Shuster conversation
discussion with Joe Trippi and Susan Molinari

CNN
the mechanics of possible tampering and/or machine failure on "Next"

PAPER
Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Los Angeles Times, Salt Lake Tribune, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer with the New York Times editorials running a series of "Making Vote Counts"

NPR RADIO
a segment of its “On The Media” with Keith as guest

NEXT WEEK NEWS IMPROVES BECAUSE FOLKS LEARN
Nader has gotten his recount in New Hampshire
Greens and Libertarians get their Ohio recount and MSM learns that 70% of Ohio’s votes were done with punch cards

Write to Keith at [email protected]

[Clark2008]

11. Never has a scrappier story fought so hard

for so long to get out.

This is excellent news.

I wonder, how do we go about putting Keith's name in for a Pulizer. I know that's chosen by committee, but they must get their ideas from somewhere.

Shoot - I'm the former reporter, here. I'll go do some research. A groundswell of support for Olbermann's reporting prowess and a petition to the Pulizer folks just as the vote count fraud breaks nationally would be one sure-fire way of getting the bean-counters at the conservative "news" corporations to notice that the void of real reporting needs to be filled. We're not all addicted to The National Enqurier and The Star.

[RUAWHACKO]

12. Clark2008

Good idea!

We need to show Corporate America that it really IS time for a change.
And with Olbermann...... say it with me.....

HOPE IS ON THE WAY!!!!!


O8) :party: :bounce: :toast: :thumbsup:

[Clark2008]

16. OK... here's what needs to be done

We need to lobby MSNBC to submit Keith's voting stories (they would have access to all the archieves needed to submit the entire package in clear form) for a Pulizer.

According to the website: http://www.pulitzer.org/ , there are specific guidelines potential nominees must follow in order to be considered and it looks as though MSNBC would need to be the entity to make the submission.

Our goal would be to contact them: [email protected] and, most importantly would be to let THIS man know how much we love Keith and how vitally important this story is:

Erik Sorenson
[email protected]
President and General Manager
MSNBC
One MSNBC Plaza
Secaucus, NJ 07094
[phone] (General)
[phone] (GM Line)
[phone](FX)

Be NICE... OK? ;)

[RUAWHACKO]

17. Clark2008

You are THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yes yes yes.

Everyone write to the President and General Manager of MSNBC and show big time support for Keith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Clark2008]

22. Actually...

I'm the WOMAN... but I'll still take the compliment. ;)

I hope some people write paper letters. Those tend to carry more weight in these sorts of decisions because the writer obviously cared to make a special effort to write it/print it out, address an envelope, put a stamp on it and send it.

Believe me, that's important. I get more positive responses back on issues when I send hard copies.

[Helga Scow Stern]

42. Thanks! I just wrote. n/t

[Helga Scow Stern]

67. Sorenson was fired in February...

per Olbermann or whoever is answering his e-mails. Rick Kaplan is the new boss.

[bluetrain]

24. While you're at it, don't forget Bev for The Nobel Peace Prize.

[RUAWHACKO]

25. Yes!

Right on Today!!

Bev is definately on the big list of people to thank.
We're not worthy!!


:silly:

[Chimpanzee]

49. If this election is turned on it's head

I say he get's promoted for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Olbermann saves humanity! (with a little help from Democratic Underground and friends)

[savetheuniverse]

21. Well, I tell you what

If I were a professor of computer science or something like that, I'd be using that hack thevote thing to teach my STUDENTs just how easy it is to pull off

People there *is an excellent bushism somewhere out there bush talking about the internet as a learning tool.....I was reading the bushisms fast and furious while I was writing my letters during the final days of bush and I just lost track of it

http://www.chuckherrin.com/hackthevote.htm

[RUAWHACKO]

26. Yep

I agree Catastrophic.


I was getting money from an ATM in a Rite Aid today- saw the machine was a Diebold and cancelled the transaction

[renate]

32. you mean the internetS

...right? ;)

[Hailtothechimp]

13. Olbermann on MSNBC is an all or nothing proposition now.

If they keep him, I'll watch (but only Countdown). If they dump him (a la Phil Donahue) I'm done. I'm already done with CNN (and was never started with Fox News), so he's about it in the whole cable news genre now.

[chomskysright]

28. I sent an e mail: [email protected]

Marsha Hammond, PhD: Licensed Psychologist: GA & NC

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM OLBERMANN: WHERE IS HE?

We want recounts of the vote; we want to hear his voice: he is the LAST REPORTER STANDING.

We're sick of the media control; we're sick of Sinclair, etc.



Marsha Hammond, PhD: Licensed Psychologist


HERE IS THE GENERAL E MAIL ADDRESS:
[email protected]

[restorefreedom]

47. I agree.

Keith and Dan Abrams' legal show are the only things I turn to MSNBC for anymore (plus their website, Keith's blog, and Schuster's posts on hardblogger).

I did watch their election coverage, but got beyond frustrated with all the Bush cheerleading going on. Matthews, Mitchell, Scarborough - the deck was totally stacked for Bush. Poor Ron Reagan was the only moderate/liberal on the panel until they brought Dee Dee Myers in later. Keith was at another location crunching results, and David Schuster was (I think) reporting sporadically from location.

I used to watch Lou Dobbs but he seems to have backed off a bit on his message.

These days, it's Countdown, TDS, Air America, NPR, and dKos.

And of course, DU.

[Olbie Fan]

55. Boy, did YOU hit the nail right on the head ....

I felt EXACTLY the same as you as I watched the anchor Desk every night ... that Ron Reagan was the 'lone wolf' out there on 'our' side who was left 'twisting in the wind' for the most part, except for the appearances by Dee Dee, Larry O'Donnell and a few others now and then. It was ALWAYS Ron who took up our cause, and I applauded him night after night after night. As you say, they always had Keith at another desk doing some number crunching and other analyses, and I never really had a 'bead' before now as to exactly where Keith stood, politically speaking. But I quickly learned as he started to 'test the waters' with his own opinions and slate, especially in his blog, and then it was "O Happy Day" for me!!!

And speaking of "Ron" ... after watching Ron SILVER each night for a week, I made a vow to NEVER, EVER AGAIN see a movie or TV program with him in it! Oh, I couldn't STAND this man with his obnoxious, domineering, belligerent ways, and there was Ron Reagan, always maintaining his complete 'cool' and yet always making his case in such an understated way. And I always loved him for being exactly who he was ... a true believer in himself and his convictions. He deserves heralding, too, in my opinion. I'd love to see a program with Ron as the anchor or co-anchor.

And isn't it amazing how the liberal/progressive 'bunch' are much more easy-going and collected by nature ... Keith, Ron Reagan, Dee Dee ... and then there are the 'fighters' whose voices I just can't tolerate anymore ... Chris, Joe S, Pat B and, of course, my all-time favorite guests ... William Donohue of the Catholic League and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach!!!! OMG, when I saw these two pontificate their beliefs on "Scarborough Country" one night in such acerbic, acrid tones of voice, I thought that even ol Joe was embarrassed to be on the 'right'. And talk about giving 'religion' a bad name? These two men (Donohue and Boteach) did MORE for the regression of organized religion in 15 minutes than a slew of agnostic and aetheists could in a lifetime! I shudder to think of it, and when I do, I literally 'shake' for the people who are influencing and running our country these days. It's downright 'diabolical', pardon the very intentional pun!!

[restorefreedom]

63. I had forgotten about Ron Silver...

I guess that's because I don't consider actors to be credible political spokespeople (although Ben Stein cracks me up even though he's a repub). They really don't even belong on the panel, imo.

Also, I think Ben Ginsberg was on the panel, too. Another Bush-boy if I ever saw one.

So, yeah. It was Ron and Dee Dee. Good thing Dee Dee's a tough fighter. She didn't take any crap from any of those guys.

[Olbie Fan]

82. Ah, yes, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ....

that's a great one, too, when I remember to watch it ... but no mention of "Real Time with Bill Maher" ... I LOVE BILL, and I don't even get HBO to watch it but someone tapes the episodes for me and then I watch them. It's a shame that his 'season' is over already ... he'll be very missed!!

[City Lights]

14. Anybody see his ratings this week?

I've gotta believe we made an impact, especially since I watched only his show and Jon Stewart's. I'm not a Nielson household, but I know I'm not the only who's been doing this.

[RUAWHACKO]

15. I hope so, I really really do

I want keith to stay right where he is.
If they were to let him go.......

I'd lose it!

We need more level voices in the crowd!!!

Jon Stewart is another- your right.
I especially loved his apperance on Crossfire.

:headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:
:headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

[Kellis]

18. Keith Olberman

is a True American.

:toast: :pals:

[RUAWHACKO]

20. Linx

http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a177.asp

The above is an old interview with Keith.


This is copied from
http://www.opednews.com/wade_110904_olbermann.htm





Keith Olbermann Plays Hardball, Breaks Votergate Story on National, Mainstream Media

By Anthony Wade

November 8, 2004

Kudos to Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. Finally, someone in the mainstream media took the story about the rampant evidence of election fraud to prime time. Following the tepid journalism from Chris Matthews, Olbermann reported tonight about the two major stories we have been following since election night.

Olbermann first reported on the events in Warren County, Ohio on election night. Warren was one of the last counties to report and as such, directly contributed to the state being called for Bush. What makes Warren County newsworthy is that election officials decided to lock down the vote count and excluded any observation of the tallying process. The lame excuse given was “homeland security” concerns. Olbermann reported tonight that those concerns actually stemmed from the Department of Homeland Security, who informed them that on a scale of 1-10, Warren represented a 10 in terms of security concerns. Warren County represents a mostly rural district between Dayton and Cincinnati. I would be very interested to hear about the source Tom Ridge used to determine that this small portion of a Midwest state had suddenly become a security threat.

While that is beyond suspicious, Olbermann went on to report on the startling results from 29 Florida counties which had all flipped their vote from their registration. In each of these counties we saw statistically improbable results favoring George W. Bush every time. This story had been on the internet for a week now, but had been all but ignored by all mainstream media until Keith Olbermann finally proved there can be honesty in journalism. Keith’s guest was the Honorable John Conyers, Congressman from Michigan. Mr. Conyers has led the charge for the GAO to investigate the mounting reports of “irregularities”. Mr. Olbermann tried his best to ask pointed questions, referring to the possibility of the election being “rigged” or “fixed”. Conyers tried his best to stay above the political fray but in the end the cold fact remained that something has gone wrong in this election.

Prior to the Olbermann show, we saw Chris Matthews, playing softball as only he can. After the obligatory shock and awe Iraq coverage, Matthews had a segment on “where the Democrats went wrong” and had on Bush Campaign 04 Senior Advisor, Tucker Eskew. Quite the moment of impartial journalism. The only thing separating Matthews from being a Fox host is the “fair and balanced” tag line. The intent is again, quite clear. Pay no attention to the fact that there is mounting evidence of fraud. Ignore the clamoring from the people on the Internet, who are starting to put the pieces together and hold out for the elections to be certified. Chris Matthews should be ashamed.

Today on Democratic Underground, Bev Harris of Blackboxvoting.com posted the following:

“I was tipped off by a person very high up in TV that the news has been locked down tight, and there will be no TV coverage of the real problems with voting on Nov. 2. Even the journalists are pretty horrified. My source said they've also been forbidden to talk about it even on their own time, and he was calling from somewhere else. He was trying to figure out how to get the real news out on vote fraud.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2636130

This is what is happening in America folks. They are waiting it out, hoping we all go away like we did in 2000. This election was stolen and now mainstream media is in lockdown, denying you the truth. Keith Olbermann should be commended for breaking this open. Please send him thanks and encourage him to continue to be the sole voice of real journalism in a media that has all but abandoned us:

[email protected]

We are not going anywhere this time. We have all fought hard for over a week now to try and get this into the mainstream media and finally it has happened. It cannot stop here though. We need to continue the barrage. Email all mainstream media personalities (except Fox). Demand from your representatives that they get on board with John Conyers in demanding an investigation BEFORE the elections are certified.

Thank you Keith Olbermann, you can teach Chris Matthews a thing or two about playing hardball. The truth must come out and we are not going anywhere this time.

[RUAWHACKO]

23. We need to

Keep Keiths Name at the top of our DU list.
As this story expands it is vitally important that Keith be watched!
I have a strong feeling that if the story gets more interesting Keiths vaca will quickly become a thing of the past. He says it himself in his blog- he'll be back sooner if developments warrant.

Well I say as the story blows up- Olbermann should be the ONLY reporter we're watching. The rest of them were asleep at the wheel and if it werent for Keith we wouldnt have sh*t right now!!


:kick: Bush's lame ass!

[Shopaholic]

27. Someone in another thread posted an e-mail from him,

it basically said that all the e-mail had not translated into larger ratings. Sigh. I do know that he has been improving in the ratings though over the last several months. Still, MSNBC cancelled Donahue and he had better ratings than Keith ever has. The thing that annoys me is that MSNBC seems to spend its entire advertising budget on Chris Matthews.

[City Lights]

29. Thanks for the info., and in light of it, I second your sigh.

I was hoping that interest in this story would have boosted his ratings. :-(

I remember being so ticked when MSNBC dumped Donahue, and their decision to cancel Donahue proves that high ratings don't automatically translate into job security.

Matthews, for the time being, is definitely the head cheese at MSNBC. I would love nothing more than to see Countdown's ratings beat Hardball's on a regular basis. Matthews would have a meltdown.

[angrydemocrat]

31. You Got That Right!!!.....

Tweety would have total heart failure if Keith started getting higher ratings than him! I can imagine Tweety it would be so funny because he would make a bigger A$$ out of himself than he already is. I would LMAO because it would be worse than meltdown. We have to get Keith's rating's up somehow. Everyone here should only watch C-SPAN, Keith, and Stewert. If everyone did that I know we could boost his ratings.

[Olbie Fan]

46. I don't know how true this is, but I heard that

Chris Matthews was partially responsible for Phil D getting the ax from Mt. St. NBC. Supposedly Chris said that Phil was either "too" liberal or "not" liberal enough. I know, that's opposite ends of the spectrum, but I can't remember which. Anyone else hear this?

And, does anyone remember what time slot Phil had and who took his 'place?' ... thanks!!

[City Lights]

48. Welcome to DU, Olbie Fan!

:hi:

I heard the same rumor, but don't know if it's true. :shrug: It's interesting that the main reason - at least admitted in public - that Donahue was cancelled is because he was the only show on television not cheerleading for the war, and now Chris Matthews is bitching that the media didn't take a hard enough look at the war before it started. :eyes: STFU, Matthews!

I think Countdown is in the same time slot that Donahue held. (Is Countdown on at the same time as _O'really?)

[Olbie Fan]

53. Hi again ... well, now that you mention it ...

I vaguely recall hearing something about Phil and his anti-war stand ... maybe that's what Chris meant by his being 'too liberal' in the McGovern vein ...

I can't recall if Phil was on at 8 or 9, or maybe even 7???? I've always loved Phil, too ... another man who took a stand and wasn't afraid to 'buck the establishment' when he followed his own deeply-held convictions! Bring back Phil and deep-six Scarborough Country!!!!!

Why can't we have an all-liberal agenda network ... I mean, they've been 'catering' to the right ALL THESE YEARS ... what about US!!

[restorefreedom]

76. About Donahue...

I think Donahue's days were numbered from the beginning. Several MSM people, including Chris Matthews and Pat Buchanan, were very critical of the war and they are still working.

And Donahue had higher ratings than even KO has at this time slot (hoping that will change for Keith though). So something else did Donahue in - sponsor pressure maybe, I don't know. And it's just my opinion. But somebody with influence didn't like him.

"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell.

[Olbie Fan]

83. You're probably right, but I can't imagine

anyone NOT liking Phil Donahue ... yes, he was very liberal and tough and had strong resolve in what he believed in, but it's not as if we didn't 'know' who Phil was BEFORE he was hired at Mt. St. NBC ... so yes, someONE did do him in, and I do think it was Chris Matthews. At least, I did hear that he was influential in getting Phil 'kicked off' ... and if that IS the case, then that gives me just one MORE reason to really dislike Chris or Tweety or ...!

Phil had a great big liberal heart, and he deeply cared ... deeply. He was impassioned and intensely 'loyal' to what he believed in ... not too many of those 'bleeding heart liberals' around anymore, but I think this is a compliment to Phil and not an insult by any means.

I would LOVE to see Phil back on TV ... somewhere .... and I know just the slot, too ... 9 PM ... I really think that Deborah Norville is the 'weakest link' on MSNBC ... in my opinion, she's just too 'lightweight' for me and I can't get into her or her program. But I'd love to see Phil duel it out with Larry King ... I'd be in Phil's corner EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!

So, come on Mt. St NBC ... get some Keith cojones of your own ... bring back Phil or give Ron Reagan a show of his own ... Deborah Norville just doesn't cut it for me ...

[crispini]

87. Deborah Norville -- YAWN.

Totally agree with you there. What a snoozer that show is! It's like entertainment news or something.

[LSparkle]

60. Effing Tweety!

MSNBC has obviously decided it prefers to promote its version of Bill O'Reilly over a journalist in the tradition of Woodward/Bernstein.

[Chimpanzee]

51. He said that his ratings hadn't changed much last week in

his blog. How many people on DU are tied into the Nielsen ratings?

[idiosyncratic]

30. Great minds think alike or Keith posts to DU.

Did you guys see the post of a few days ago where someone basically said the very same thing Keith says in today's blog?

Oh and by the way: how come the “Kerry’s winning” part of the election night exit polling is presumed to have been wrong, or tampered with, but the “Moral Values” part of the same polling is graded flawless, and marks the dawn of a new American century?

I love Keith Olbermann. :loveya:

[illuminaughty]

33. I've e-mailed everyday

and thanked him. I said that this story will grow and in the end we'll have more than just a blow job and a cigar.
Also told him that the people at Democratic Underground had taken up a collection and got him a high dollar hooker, but added I was kidding. Not a bad idea...whatever it takes.

[machiado]

34. Rate Keith up at this site

I don't know if this has any real impact, but it can't hurt!

http://www.rateitall.com/i-13706-keith-olbermann.aspx

[snot]

35. Duh, Ode to Joy

I just realized, Countdown opening theme is borrowed from opening of first movement of Beethoven's 9th.

[snot]

36. Oops, make that the 2d movement

A call to arms in a joyful cause.

[republikkkon]

37. kieth is the man!

i hope his ratings improve because of this. i know he's getting lots of emails... from me :dunce:

[Olbie Fan]

38. MY MAN, KEITH!!!

Hi All! This is my very first post here at DU, and nothing gets me more energized than KEITH O ... hence my 'moniker', Olbie Fan.

Put simply, I ADORE Keith ... always have, even long before his meteoric rise to fame ... THINK BIG, BIG, BIG!!!

Keith had the cojones to pick up the gauntlet on this whole "VoterGate" issue and go 'where no man has gone before', and it made me and a whole lot of other people take notice, too.

Like many of you, I have also emailed Keith almost on a daily basis since he 'broke the mold' on "VoterGate", encouraging, supporting and showing my appreciation for all his efforts. I have urged everyone else I know to do the same, and to my knowledge, they have!!

Keith hasn't emailed me personally to date ... Boo Hoo Hoo!! ... but I'm still hopeful!!!! But ... I DID receive an email from some other reporter who wrote an article about Keith ... NOT a nice article ... and that REALLY got my blood boiling, and so I responded to him and he wrote me back.

Here's the text to this article that this guy wrote, followed by my succinct, terse response and then his response back to me:

Here's the text of the article that made me see RED:

By Bill Steigerwald
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, November 14, 2004 So, America, what's sloppier? Our shaky elections system or the jayvee journalism practiced on Keith Olbermann's fake MSNBC news show "Countdown With keith Olbermann"? I cast all of my votes for Olbermann. The recovering sportscaster is openly liberal and his irreverent, run-and-quip offense is easy to detest. But I kind of like him and his fast-paced infotainment show, which has the fatal misfortune to occupy the 8 p.m. time slot opposite Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor."

Olbermann, however, really made a Dan Rather of himself last week. He never directly charged that Republicans stole the election or demanded that Karl Rove should be picked up for questioning by the U.N. But for 15 minutes on Monday, Olbermann pointed to a "small but blood-curdling group of reports of voting irregularities and possible fraud" from across the country, topped it with some vague partisan innuendo from Democrat Congressman John Conyers, and acted like he deserved a Peabody Award for Civic Journalism.

On Tuesday I checked out some of Olbermann's claims. Using a high-tech personal communication device professional journalists refer to as a "telephone," I called an elections bureau person in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (greater Cleveland), where, as Olbermann pointed out, 93,000 extra votes had been inexplicably cast Nov. 2. It turns out the votes were "a computer anomaly" that didn't affect or reflect the official vote count. And those 18,472 votes Olbermann said were counted in Fairview Park, a Cleveland suburb that had only 13,342 registered voters? Absentee ballots from many precincts had been grouped together by the computer and credited to Fairview Park, where 8,421 voted.

But what about Florida, the Vote-Fraud State? Olbermann had made a big sinister deal about 29 counties whose registered voters were predominantly Democrat "suddenly" voting "overwhelmingly for Mr. Bush." He slyly left the impression that massive vote-stealing could have been perpetrated by ballot tabulating companies like Diebold, whose bosses were known Bush allies. I called Baker County, Fla., Olbermann's first example. Yes, twanged the cheery election lady, 69 percent of voters in her rural county on the Georgia border are registered Democrat. Yes, "Mr. Boosh" got 78 percent of the vote and trounced Kerry, 7,738 to 2,180. This was nothing new or untoward, she said. Folks in Florida's Panhandle are conservative, especially on social and moral issues. They mostly register as Democrats and vote that way on local issues, but in national and state elections, they go Republican. Been doing so for years. I heard the same explanation from election ladies in the tiny and large counties of Calhoun, Lafayette, Escambia, Highland and Liberty, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by as much as 9 to 1. Yet Bush beat Kerry in every one. If they had cared, Olbermann and the producers of "Countdown" could have discovered these facts before they began flogging their sloppy Internet-spawned conspiracy Monday and Tueday nights.

Non-Republican journalists on Salon.com and Slate.com. had no trouble explaining/debunking it. Nor did bloggers. By Wednesday, Olbermann's fever had cooled. But he had abandoned the Florida conspiracy angle, explained Cleveland's oddities and mostly was yukking it up about a Unilect computer that ate 4,000 votes in North Carolina. Still, he and his guest enabler from the grownup world of journalism, Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, were concerned about the wussiness of the news media. Why had no major print or electronic outlet pursued this shameful story? I don't know, boys. Maybe it's because before they start making wild charges of "vote fraud," real journalists pick up a telephone. Bill Steigerwald can be reached at [phone] or [email protected].

Hence, my subject line and retort to this facsimile of a man ... I think ...

SO, AMERICA, WHAT'S SLOPPIER?

Simply ...YOU!!!

Keith Olbermann is a 'role model' for truth and uncovering the facts .... something that must be 'anathema' to you ...

He has the 'fatal misfortune of appearing opposite Bill O'Reilly in the 8 PM time slot' ... PUH-LEEZ!!!!

Are you out of your freakin' mind, man ... I would choose Keith Olbermann over that 'slut' O'Reilly any day of the week, month or year ... how can you even COMPARE these two? You must be delusional ...

Keith Olbermann IS what respectable, responsible journalism is all about, and he manages to do it with a great sense of humor and dry wit.

Try it sometime YOURSELF!!

Sincerely,

A "Diehard Olbie" ... Olbermann fan!!!



Thanks for the note. keep laughin’.



Bill Steigerwald
412 320 7983
Associate editor/columnist
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
503 Martindale St.
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15212

So, I guess we can all make an impact by emailing this Steigerwald and telling him what we think of his article and how much we support Keith ... in fact, the more of us that do email him, the greater influence we will have and the more our voices will be heard.

Anyway, it's great to be here at DU ... I have so much more to say, but one post at a time ... I just hope you don't get tired of my opinions and comments, because I have plenty of them.

KEITH ROCKS ...

[Chimpanzee]

52. Olbermann 'is openly liberal' ??

Off with his head! How dare he!!! Is this 'reporter' criticizing Fox New's complete cast for being 'openly neo-nazi trash'???

[Coltrane]

39. Keith's "Voter Fraud" segments -Video clips available

Thanks Keith. All of his "Voter Irregularity" segments are on a site called http://www.crooksandliars.com/ If you missed any, just scroll down. I think their are four entries and most of them are on the initial homepage.

[crispini]

41. Hi Coltrane and Olbie Fan!

welcome to DU! :hi:

[Coltrane]

73. Hi Coltrane and Olbie Fan!"

Thanks for the welcome! It's good to be here.

[idiosyncratic]

43. Welcome to DU, coltrane!

:hi: :toast:

And thanks for the link.

[Coltrane]

74. "Welcome to DU, coltrane!"

You are very welcome!!!:)

[rodeodance]

44. Oh and by the way: how come the “Kerry’s winning” part of the election

"Oh and by the way: how come the “Kerry’s winning” part of the election night exit polling is presumed to have been wrong, or tampered with, but the “Moral Values” part of the same polling is graded flawless, and marks the dawn of a new American century?

On Vaco but still reading your e-mails. Write to me at [email protected]"


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240
November 14, 2004 | 3:05 p.m. ET

I swear: I'm on vacation (Keith Olbermann)



SECURE UNDISCLOSED LOCATION— Golly, I’ve never been the subject of a conspiracy theory before.

Yet, there it is, flying around the Internet under the byline of a Peter Coyote: that when I attempted to break the “lock-down” of coverage of the voting irregularities story in the media during Friday night’s edition of Countdown, I was fired, and left the studio in the middle of the program.

Um, no, actually.

I’m on vacation— it’s been scheduled since August; I’ll be blogging in the interim; Countdown will continue to cover the story in my absence; I not only wasn’t fired for ‘mentioning’ the story - but we covered it five nights in a row; and, I’ll be back on television on the 22nd (earlier, if developments warrant).

[newyawker99]

88. Hi Coltrane!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[restorefreedom]

45. just remember there is a big difference between Chris and Keith

Some people here are concerned with Matthew's perceived dominance at MSNBC and have expressed a desire for Keith to clobber him in the ratings. A few things to remember:

Obviously, they do not compete for the same time slot, so the ratings comparison between them isn't as important as either compared to CNN.

Also, remember that Matthews is a political anchor. As we all know, he used to work in politics and lives and works in the DC beltway. He lives for this stuff. It's pretty much all he does. It doesn't hurt a network to have a political anchor, just as they have a legal anchor (Dan Abrams), and so on. And it doesn't preclude Keith from covering the political news. So let Matthews have his political show.

Because when OBL is captured/killed, as things continue to be FUBAR in Iraq, or God forbid we have another terrorist attack, Keith is the one everyone is going to want at the anchor desk telling them what the hell is going on. And I have no doubt that he's the one MSNBC will put there. They have consistently and increasingly depended on him for anchoring of major news stories.

They are not in competition. There's no way Matthews can ever eclipse Keith's rising success. There's enough room at MSNBC for both of them.

Besides, I still cut Matthews a lot of slack ever since he cleaned Michelle Malkin's clock.

[Olbie Fan]

50. You've made some excellent points here ...

and you're absolutely right, in my opinion ... there is no competition whatsoever between Chris and Keith; they both work for the same network and occupy different time slots. The real competition is against Paula Zahn on CNN and O'Reilly on Fox, both also in the 8 PM hour. I know that O'Reilly's ratings and audience 'share' are 'through the roof', so Keith's 'real' competition is probably just Paula.

Having said this, though, I do detect a difference in Chris Matthews' politicial 'on air' slant, and that may very well be due to the fact that because the network and Keith, himself, wants to be positioned as more progressive/liberal, the network and Chris shifted themselves to a more 'central' position. Scarborough, Buchanan and that 'gang of thieves' are definitely on the right, and Keith is showing us more and more 'left' of his own agenda, so maybe Chris does need to be 'the man in the middle' .... don't know, just a guess??

Again, I used to be a big fan of Chris, but during the campaign, I felt he was really taking Kerry to task, and I also believe that his very overt and continual 'bashing' of the man that was MY first choice for Presidential candidate - John Edwards - was unrelentless, unnecessary and downright 'rude' and 'cruel' at times. I almost felt as if Matthews was 'jealous' of John Edwards for some reason because he never, ever let up on him. When he started doing that, it was the 'death knell' for Chris Matthews from my viewpoint.

But I will give Chris points on one thing ... he definitely DID clean Michelle Malkin's clock ... and I say "Bravo, Chris" for that!!

But what's with the "Tweety Bird" nickname for Chris from some of you here? I'm a late comer, so please fill me in on all the details.

[crispini]

56. He looks like Tweety.

He just does. :D

[Olbie Fan]

57. Well, now that you mention it ...

I guess he 'could' be equated to Tweety. I only find it amusing because I call my best friend, Tweety Bird, because she is little and cute, just like the 'real' Tweety. Somehow, I don't put Chris in that category, but from a different viewpoint, I can see the resemblance ... LOL.

Thanks ...

[Chimpanzee]

54. I have to admit, that was PRICELESS!!

"Besides, I still cut Matthews a lot of slack ever since he cleaned Michelle Malkin's clock."

[restorefreedom]

65. Not to mention the blog war...

that took place afterwards.

Michelle boo-hooed on her blog (Keith and Chris are mean to me boo hoo), and Keith picked up where Chris left off. On hardblogger, he correctly pointed out that Malkin wanted to put forward a theory "that people said" about Kerry intentionally shooting himself. But, as many attack dogs on the right, she did not have the guts to come out and own those words herself:

from Hardblogger, August 19 (Keith Olbermann):

snip--

"Michelle Malkin, the unfortunate and overmatched author of a self-loathing book that attempts to justify our World War II internment and robbery of Americans of Japanese heritage, became the harbinger of the next mucky smell of low tide. She raised the story— heretofore consigned largely to Robert Novak and everybody to his right— in that delightful, Teflon way of modern politics: ‘I’m not saying that John Kerry shot himself. But in the Swift Boat Veterans’ book, they ask whether or not his wounds were self-inflicted.’

If Ms. Malkin isn’t seen on television, or moving on her own power, in the next few days, it’s understandable. My colleague Mr. Matthews forced her to hang herself out to dry ten or eleven times (never prouder of you, Chris). He may have directed the momentum, but her wounds were ultimately, uh, self-inflicted.

As Chris rightly pointed out, nobody has produced an iota of evidence that John Kerry’s wounds were anything other than the result of combat. Even in the book, the references to it are speculative and without provenance. Ms. Malkin wouldn’t even go so far as to attribute the suspicion to herself. It was in the book."

end snip--

So as Chris and Keith both pointed out, Malkin is just another radical, lying, right wing chickensh*t.

[Olbie Fan]

68. Thanks! I hadn't read this before ...

very enlightening, indeed ... and now I'll let Chris step up just one more rung on the ladder ... he's been 'demoted' to bottom rung as of late ...

I saw that whole segment with MM, and I was cheering Chris too that night, but I did NOT know that Keith was so strongly in his corner too.

GO, KEITH, GO ...!!!

[City Lights]

66. I want to see Countdown beat Hardball in the ratings game for

one reason. Matthew's ego. It has nothing to do with wanting Hardball to be canceled. I see Matthews as a media whore in the truest sense of the word. When he hits the pukes hard, they whine and threaten to boycott his show. Then there is an absence of pukes on his show for a couple of days while they let Chris think about how a puke boycott on a long-term basis will affect his ratings. Then for weeks on end he goes back to hitting Dems hard, while soft-balling pukes. Every now and then he displays some integrity, but I can honestly only remember two shinning moments for Chris during the entire campaign - the Michelle Malkin interview, and the Larry Thurlow interview where Thurlow denied he was trying to influence a presidential election. Most of the time though, Chris' main goal seems to be staying on the A-list for Beltway parties. I am disgusted that he is now jabbing the media for not asking the tough questions before the war. I wonder if he still gets turned on when he thinks of _chimpy in his flight suit. :puke:

[restorefreedom]

70. I hear what you're saying...

Although in defense of Chris (not a role I take too often these days), he was one of the few vigorously outspoken critics of this war among MSM. Most of them (especially at Faux News) were jumping up and down. Matthews and, believe it or not, Pat Buchanan were out there almost daily speaking out against the impending war. Bill Press, too (Olbermann didn't get on air until after the war had started).

So as much as I get pissed at Matthews for what seems to be placating the radical right, I try and remember that every day for about a year he was lambasting this regime for their drum-beating.

And I agree with him on one thing - maybe if more in the MSM had been willing to take these bastards to task BEFORE January 2003, things may have been different.

I disagree with Matthews on a lot of things these days, but I understand his frustration with many of his colleagues on this point.

[City Lights]

77. I remember Phil Donahue as the most outspoken critic of the war,

and he got canned because of it.

I am aware that Chris has always been against the war, but I wouldn't list him as a vigorously outspoken critic - at least not pre-invasion. If he had been as outspoken as Donahue, he probably would have been fired.

He's definitely gotten more outspoken lately, but my recollection is that he jumped in the anti-war water only after others tested it first to make sure he wouldn't get burned. I don't entirely blame Chris for this though. I realize it's coming from higher up the ladder. He wants to be able to put food on his family (;-)), so he does as he's told. Maybe once public opinion turned, MSNBC felt more comfortable letting their hosts speak their minds.

I saw him on Bill Maher during the summer and was surprised to hear his opinions. He pretty much endorsed Kerry without naming names. Unfortunately, he is forced to toe a tighter line on MSNBC. (Maher also got canned for speaking his mind.)

I also want to say that my lack of recollection about Chris' attempt to forcefully speak out against the war prior to the invasion may be wrong. Just because I don't remember it, doesn't mean it didn't happen.

How's that for a wish-washy post! :-)

[restorefreedom]

78. Of course you are right about Phil

But he got squashed so handily that I almost forget to think of him when I think of the pre-war MSM.

Sad, that is.

And as far as Chris goes, I remember him being anti-war for pretty much the whole time. I really believe that he believed that it was a mistake from the beginning. I don't remember any "water-testing" on his part, although it could have occurred before I started watching him regularly. But to my recollection, he was against it right off.

I remember in the year before the war, Hardball was like an hour every night of why we shouldn't go to war. I don't understand why Phil got axed and Chris didn't. But I think other forces were in play in the Donahue situation.

"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell.

[Olbie Fan]

84. Well, if what you're saying is, in fact, true ....

and I have no reason to disbelieve you, then the 'fickle finger of fate' points even more directly at Chris Matthews for icing Phil D.

Think of it this way ... IF both Phil and Chris were 'anti-war' in their stances ... AND ... Mt. St. NBC wanted more of a cultural 'mix' in their program line-up, then wouldn't it (and COULDN'T it) be a logical deduction that, maybe, just maybe, Chris did a little self-lobbying of his own ... because of 'fear of the marketplace' and was instrumental at having the network view Phil with a jaundiced eye? I mean, if we're talking 'food on the table' here and 'survival of the fittest', then Chris 'could' have had an agenda to move Phil out of the stable.

I'm not even saying that it was with malicious intent, but if he is like 'most' people, he's looking out for Numero Uno and just wanted to guild his only lily, and the only way he could have done that was to pour a little 'vinegar' on someone else's. Just what I see of Chris on air, this wouldn't surprise me one bit, nor do I think it would be 'against type'. Since we all know that he 'was' and still 'is' part of the Washington Beltway, then we know what kind of 'cloak and dagger games' they all play from time to time and how their mindset evolves ... I just wish we could find out the truth about this, but Phil's too damned 'nice a guy' to spill the 'real' beans about what happened, but guaranteed ... he knows!!

[LSparkle]

58. What's the deal with him going on vacation?

Just when this story was picking up steam, thanks to his relentless coverage? I'm hoping he really is on holiday and wasn't told to take a "leave" by MSNBC ... ????

[restorefreedom]

61. it really is just a vacation

There was a major discussion over here the other day. Several people wrote to Keith and he wrote back and said he was just on vacation and it was planned in August.

He also addressed the whole matter in his latest blog post:

http://bloggermann.msnbc.com

[LSparkle]

62. Thanks -- Bloggermann was my next stop

[Olbie Fan]

59. I know this thread is supposed to be 'for' and about Keith ... but

I hope you'll indulge me while I go 'off topic' for one post. I'm too 'lazy' to find the right forum here to ask this question ...

I don't consider myself either a 'talking head' or a 'policy wonk' by any means, so I've been hearing and reading a term that's being used a lot here and on other forums ... 'tin foil hats', and I still don't understand the definition/analogy, etc. I had asked on another political forum for the meaning, and the response I received was so technical, con-volluted and straight-out-of-some-dictionary that I got lost in the maze.

So, now I'm asking again if one (or more) of you kind people here at DU will just give me the 'bare bones', down-to-earth, meaning in real simple 'lay' terms of what 'tin foil hats' refers to when it's attached to a group of people or ideology ... in other words, I need the Tin Foil Hats 101 crash course ... real easy-like.

Thanks so much again ...

[Ithuilwen]

64. Here ya go:

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin-foil_hat

[Olbie Fan]

69. Thank you, and please forgive me for being so 'truthful' because I

really do appreciate your efforts, but this is exactly the same 'explanation' I was given the other day, and it's just too 'detached' for my thinking.

What I really want to know is this ... if someone can give me a 'scenario' where this term is used and how/where/when why ...

I don't really want a textbook definition or description ... I just want someone to explain it to me in 'their' terms on a more simplistic basis. Are Bushies tin foil hat wearers? Are we? Who actually wear these hats and why? What do these people believe and why are they, then, called "Tin Foil Hats."

Maybe I'm just 'dense', but I don't get this definition as it relates to 'day-to-day' posts on forums and blogs, so someone, please just reduce it to 'real life usage' ...

Thanks again ... I really do appreciate it.

[crispini]

71. Tinfoil hat = conspiracy theorists.

Use in a sentence: "That theory's just way too tinfoil hat for my taste." Too wild and over the top.

[Olbie Fan]

72. Well, that's about as simplistic as you can get ... AND ...

it's EXACTLY what I was looking for ... so, in essence, either 'side' can be either 'accused' of or propelling forward a tinfoil hat theory. It's anything (and everything) that 'smells' of conspiracy theory.

So, just to be sure that I've 'got it down', then all those 'wonkers' who followed a conspiracy theory in the JKF assasination would also be 'considered' tin foil hatters???

[crispini]

75. Yep. The ultimate tinfoil hat.

Not to say, mind you, that they might not be RIGHT. Because, after all, just because you're paranoid... doesn't mean They're not after you. :evilgrin:

The Jeff Fisher thread elsewhere on this board, IMO, is heading off to tinfoilhat land... on the other hand, Rove and crew have been known for using marginal people and doing things so wild that no one would ever believe them, i.e. bugging own office. :D

[TexanDem]

81. A video for us Tin-Foil Hat wearers! :)

I think maybe this video might be on to something!

http://www.boomchicago.nl/Section/Videos/BoomChicagoVot...


And while you're there, be sure to see "Attack Ad." It might help explain how the Repubs were so successful in convincing voters out there that Bush was really their man after all! lol

http://www.boomchicago.nl/Section/Videos/AttackAd


I would have put this in a separate thread but I'm too new to start one. So, if somebody wants to, help yourself.

[ClassWarrior]

80. Yup. Now we need a name for the "coincidence theorists"...

...who believe the Magic Bullet zigzagged thru space and paused for a moment before doing backflips.

NGU.

[Name removed]

79. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[indy_azcat]

85. Bloggermann still kickin'

http://www.bloggermann.com/
lastupdated: November 16, 2004 | 8:30 p.m. ET
:kick:

[New Earth]

86. me too

i also used to be a Hardball/Chris Matthews fan, but not since this past election, and especially not after i started watching Keith Olbermann.

the minute that did it for me with Chris was on election night, when he and Imus were on together, and CHris was being a complete dick to him for no reason, the only reason i could think of is because they disagreed on something about who was going to win - i dont' remember. but whatever it was, turned me off entirely - and even his coverage of the vote fraud the other night was weak - he compared it to conspiracy theories that Arafat was assassinated! whatever dude, bye bye - i'm sure he's lost (and will keep losing) viewers to Keith Olbermann.

KEITH RULES! and he yes, he is kind of cute too. lol

[Shopaholic]

89. Air America was giving him props today--

first Lizz and Rachel on Unfiltered and Randi Rhodes as well. Randi made some great comments-asking why the Repug right-wing thugs were attacking him for ASKING QUESTIONS. She said, "Isn't that what journalists are supposed to do?" Amen Randi and God bless Keith!

[kayleybeth]

90. This seems like a good thread to announce new site for Keith

http://www.keithrocks.com

Just went up on Monday so there's not a lot there yet. Feel free to jump in.