Check in here if you think Keith Olbermann was wrongly fired.

[Justice wanted]

(don't know how to do or if we can do polls here so I'm kind of creating my own.)


If you think Keith was wrongly fired Check in and if you have a theory as to why--like Gore being Loyal to the DLC/DNC and concern that Keith was being to critical of Obama

Or

Gore screwed Keith by not fulfilling promises


Or

Whatever.

[Make7]

1. He totally was. ( n/t )

[Hissyspit]

3. Because...?

You were there in the Current offices and studios?

[JI7]

2. Cenk is more critical of Obama than Olbermann so it has nothing to do with that

i don't think it had to do with the content of the show as much as maybe Keith wanted them to spend more on stuff like the set. and maybe some issues with time off etc.

[Warpy]

12. And more consistently over the top, IMO

I still think it was a combination of Olbermann's frequent absenteeism combined with finding a good replacement: Eliot Spitzer.

So yes, it was for cause, but the sort of cause they'd have put up with had they not found a good replacement.

[ellenfl]

4. don't know but ko is still my talking head of choice. eom

[man4allcats]

5. There has been talk of Keith's ego as a factor, and

I've never believed that talent is an excuse for bad behavior (I've known too many people with PhDs in molecular and developmental biology), but then again bad behavior is too frequently defined as that which the status quo disapproves of. Whether that is the case here is an open question. Nevertheless Keith's absence is a genuine loss, and I'm sorry to learn of this.

[pacalo]

6. I stand with Keith, totally.

[bahrbearian]

7. +1

[Justice wanted]

8. AND ME

[Yavapai]

10. you can include me

[trueblue2007]

16. i totally back OLBERMANN TOO

[Zorra]

26. + 1. He speaks truth to power.

I have a tendency to trust folks that speak truth regardless of the consequences.

[bahrbearian]

9. You are not sincere in your posts

[Justice wanted]

11. huh? How is that?

[Speck Tater]

13. He should have been made Emperor of the Universe

and been given a solid gold Cadillac.

(Since like everyone else here on DU I wasn't there and have no real information one way or the other, I'm also free to make up stories, and my stories are as valid as anyone else's.)

[HappyMe]

20. In KO's mind, he is the Emperor of the Universe.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Mr. Olbermann, while a great liberal and truth teller, has a very checkered employment history

A retracing of his life path will make necessary the fording of many rivers to bypass the smoldering wreckage of burned bridges.

[Ikonoklast]

24. KO never burned a bridge behind him.

Without exception, he was standing in the middle of those bridges when he torched them.

[fasttense]

15. Hyatt has a record of firing very sick people.

Joel Hyatt, a son-in-law of Senator Howard M. Metzenbaum, is a founding member of the U.S. Senate Democratic Leadership Circle. He seems to be Vice President Gore's business partner (if you can believe Wikipedia).

I believe Keith was/is ill hence the absences. I think illness is one thing that really bothers Hyatt. I think absences due to illness really bother Hyatt. Hyatt fired Mr. Cain back in 1990 for having Aids. Mr. Cain won a laws suit against Hyatt but died soon afterward.

True Keith is not noted for keeping jobs but it's just strange how Keith was/is ill and then he gets fired by a guy who tends to fire sick people.

[Snake Alchemist]

22. Yep, Joel Hyatt and Al Gore have fired him from 4 networks as of last count. nt

[nobodyspecial]

17. Talk about a biased poll

He spoke out too loudly = good guy

Gore screwed him = good guy

Where's the choice that he might conceivably have something to do with this?

He clearly has issues with management and authority and has gotten fired from four jobs. You can be a truth teller and even be brilliant but still have difficult getting along with others. Rachel is brilliant and speaks out loudly -- perhaps not as stridently -- and she still has a job. Hmmm...

[Fla_Democrat]

18. Which time?

Do you mean this latest one.. the one before that.. the one before that?

[maddezmom]

19. I have no idea at this point

Need a lot more information before I can have an opinion either way. All I know it's a sad situation for all parties and is bad for progressive tv.

[GoCubsGo]

28. Me, too.

I have seen lots of reasons why Keith might be unhappy about the way things are being run there (set lighting, commercials being run during the middle of the conversation, etc.). I also know that Keith can be a pain in the ass on steroids. I don't know enough, either, although, I DO know from what I had been seeing over the past few months that this mess isn't entirely Keith's fault, as some here are insinuating.

[madokie]

21. And who pray tell has enough facts to even form an opinion

hearing it from one side of the story isn't the truth it makes

Maybe I've been missing something here and if I have I'm sure one of my DU brothers or sisters will fill me in.

[Snake Alchemist]

23. I think as soon as he cited Al Gore's lack of eithic in his released statement, that was enough. nt

[arely staircase]

25. so my only choices are its

its not his fault and its not his fault? Did you mean this to be as funny as it is?

[lonestarnot]

27. Don't know what happened but I love them both, so whatever.

[DefenseLawyer]

29. Not enough facts to make a determination

I will say, however, that the argument "well it always ends badly with Olbermann so it must be him" is one I don't buy at all. As an employee he's always going to be subject to "my way or the highway" from his bosses, so it seems that while it may be "him", it's just as likely to me that he's simply a guy who has no problem choosing the highway.

[jzodda]

30. How can we know?

What we are learning is mostly superficial. KO has had a reputation of being difficult in every stop he has made over the years though and that has been well documented. We also know he was making public complaints about technical problems at Current almost the entire year and in late 2011.

In the latest tweets he appears to be throwing Gore under the bus. If he thinks for one second he can win a popularity war with Gore in public then he should think again. He should stop now before he damages himself beyond repair.

[Pisces]

32. He won't stop. Count me as a nay for Olberman. i stand with Gore.

[HopeHoops]

31. Yep

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

33. I have no way of knowing

Keith was with MSNBC for what, about 10 years? That's a long commitment and not the sign of someone who is difficult or flaky. I know Olbermann had health issues during the latter part of his MSNBC tenure but I have no way of knowing if he got healthy and if his absences at Current were health-related. I have no way of knowing what went on on the inside. I do know that MSNBC has a dodgy track record with its performers and fired Donahue, Olbermann, and Cenk under very questionable circumstances.

Again, I have no way of knowing. I don't imagine that Keith is a Saint and he's probably difficult to work with at times, not with his co-workers who seem to like him but with management. Talented people usually are difficult. However, I'm not assuming without facts that he is to blame. Although I voted for Gore, I don't consider him to be the Pope and therefore infallible. Gore and Olbermann are both human beings pursuing their self-interests.