DU Keith Olbermann Fans...why the hell do you like him so much?

[KoKo]

I see MSNBC giving all the "scoop" to "Tweety" Matthews...I've tried to watch Keith this week...but he leaves me cold. (I realize I'm not a "sports fan" seeing all of them as druggie/steroid loosers, but giving that I'm wacked out about sports and WRONG in my assessment of "today's Sports Figures" I still don't get the KEITH FAN CLUB?

Help me on this. I know that many folks just love that man...and I can't stant "Tweety" but he is actually mentioning "IMPEACHMENT" while he sit with some very wierd outfit..(red, white and blue) and so I'm totally confused.

Shouldn't Keith have EXPOSED THE BUSHIES with what Matthews did?

Is it some kind of "topsy turvey table" here? :shrug:

[Ignacio Upton]

1. Keith has done a lot of good in being fiar

He is the only Mainsteam Media person to mention that Bush's has been manipulating terror alerts for political gain, and was one of the only officials to give a decent amount of time to the issue of Jeff Gannon getting into the White House, not to mention his coverage of the Ohio ballots and about Verifiable Ballot

[KoKo]

7. Did "THEY" clamp down on him then? Or, is Keith concerned he's dragged

back into a "Monica Scenario" when he Left his MSNBC Contract..saying he wouldn't do this anymore.

He comes back to MSNBC and ends up with ANOTHER IMPEACHMENT?

I guess the guy could have problems with that..since he was always a "sports writer." :eyes:

[FreedomAngel82]

32. Exactly

Keith is always ahead of those like Matthews.

[Wordie]

2. NO! KO talked about the investigation going HIGHER than Rove, Libby!

I almost missed it! It's just that his style is so laid-back that sometimes it doesn't hit you right away!

This is what I wrote a few minutes ago, but I edited it with the above:
Matthews is coming out stonger, while KO's tepid about the broader implications of Fitzgerald's investigation. I don't know why; generally KO has been ahead of the game.

Added:
While it's true that KO didn't talk about the broader scope of the investigation as far as looking at it involving the reasons for war, he DID talk about it perhaps going higher than Rove and Libby, and who, exactly, is it who is higher than Rove and Libby? This guy is the master of understatement. LOL

[Child_Of_Isis]

3. Keith tells the truth when others don't dare.

Tweety tells the truth when he is given permission to do so. Tweety is a wank and Keith is not.

[roguevalley]

10. Keith also kept this story going in the mainstream media when no

one else would.

[laugle]

43. What's a "wank"?

[henslee]

4. Keith has covered stories that no one would touch. Ohio election

voting irregularites is one that comes to mind. He lays things out clearly. Mostly, he is obviously a decent guy. His outrage is always in the right place. Keith is the man.

[Vickers]

5. After he pretty much called Bush a terrorist last week...

...I would've gone down on him.

:spank:

Initially I didn't like him, but he won me over with his almost-British sense of humor and unfailing dislike of all things George.

[win_in_06]

8. Wow, What would you do for a call for impeachment?

[Vickers]

9. I think saying he was guilty of terrorism is bolder

Any old fuckstick can call for impeachment. :eyes:

[FreedomAngel82]

33. He's always great

And yes as others have said he's always out there with his reporting. I'm personally surprised he still has a job. Isn't his show the most watched on MSNBC?

[LiberalArkie]

6. And don't forget KO does no see himself as the Greatest

Man in the world. He defaces himself, but also thinks like most of us think.

[blitzen]

13. KO's perspective is consistently to the Left

If you watch him some more, you'll see that he and his staff definitely read DU, and they're often the first or only MSM show to present some of the stuff we know about.

[William769]

11. Keiths the man!

Just watch him for awhile & you will see.

[longship]

12. Keith doesn't spin.

Actually, the reason is quite simple.

[Kahuna]

14. Olberman is the only place to get the news spin free. He covers

stories that the other "news" <sic> outlet won't report because they are too wedded to bushco.

[Darknyte7]

15. Only newscast I have a Season Pass for on my Tivo...

He really does do a lot of stories the the rest of the MSM won't touch. He was on the election fraud story within days of the election last fall.

[AtomicKitten]

16. Well Mr. Olbermann.

I like you because you are funny and sarcastic, and you make great faces. I like "Oddball" because for a tiny moment it makes my life seem normal.

[Der Blaue Engel]

17. You're not going to hear from many of the real fans right now

We're all watching Keith!!!

There's a thread in the Keith Olbermann Group going on right now that may help you understand.

Me? I am not a sports fan. I don't see any conflict. I love Keith because he's the only one who has had the guts to cover stories about election fraud, the Boxer Rebellion, Katrina failures, Plamegate, etc., whether it was politically expedient to do so or not (i.e., whatever it was that was stuffing the rest of the MSM's mouths for the past five years). He listens to the blogosphere...he's part of the blogosphere.

Plus...snark! :loveya:

[Darknyte7]

18. You can't forget the snark... n/t

[KoKo]

20. Thanks...if he listens to the "blogosphere"

then he's a good guy. Maybe sometimes he has to go "quiet" and let MSNBC (his BOSS) decide who goes first.

Keith can clean up after Tweety...I guess. I wondered why Tweety got the LEAD (lede) to expose the Bushies when Keith was ONTO IT WAY BEFORE MATTHEWS."

Corporate Politics? :shrug:

[bunny planet]

45. KO also really goes after Limbaugh and especially O'Leilly and Fox.

[katty]

19. KO can get away with alot, he's a sports guy...and then some!

[Lancer]

21. I'm watching KO while I type…

in addition to all the meaty stuff said before, Keith is wonk like me -- he will mention some obscure date or person in history that no one else in the MSM would know or care about. I always get a kick from knowing that I'm not the only person in the world who remembers this is the day H.L. Mencken died, for example.

His frames of reference are huge, and not just about sports and politics. I'd never have known about him except that 12-13 years ago my brothers ordered me to start watching "SportsCenter" with KO and Dan Patrick. Hooked for life.

Plus, I think he's just adorable. :loveya:

"AMAZING! DING! EXCITED! DING!"

[Birthmark]

22. I think that we're all just duped...

...by his intelligence, humor, and honesty.

[adigal]

23. Keith has been on board with the truth

since the election last year, and maybe before too. Tweety is just jumping on the bandwagon when it is safe for him to do so.

Besides, I love the one guy in the background on Keith's show who cracks up at all the funny parts.

[SheilaT]

24. I only discovered Olbermann

because people here kept on talking about him, and even then it took me a while to figure out which network and what time to find him. He's funny, doesn't hesitate to make fun of folks in high places, reports weird stuff I don't see anywhere else. But most importantly, he asks follow up questions. Real follow up questions. He listens to what people tell him, or he knows the core of a story, and doesn't get lost in trivial hype.

And I love it when he claims his producers make him do stories like the one tonight about Katie and Tom.

And during the worst of the Katrina crisis he had the good taste not to do the fluffier bits, such as Worst Person in the World.

He seems like a decent, honorable person with a great sense of humor.

[betterdeadthanred]

31. I found out about his show the same way.

I signed up for Direct TV just to watch him. My only gripe is that I wish his producers would not make him do the Tom & Kate (We Are So Happier Than YOU) barf saga. I hate that crap and Keith is above it.

He seems to be one of very few people I see on the news programs that actually cares about what he reports on. As long as he stays true to that aspect of himself, I'll stay a loyal viewer.

[Catchawave]

25. Quite simply....

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[distantearlywarning]

26. He's sarcastic and smart

Only newscaster out there that feels like he comes from my planet. And he has the balls to cover stories other wimpy news people won't touch. I love Keith Olbermann. I watch him almost every night, and I don't watch any other cable news at all.

What's funny is that I liked him way before I ever really got into politics. I just ran across his show late at night one time and thought he was really funny and intellectual and entertaining and REAL (unlike all the other fakey corporate whores covering the so-called "news"), so I started watching him. Then he was the only person covering real news after the election, so I liked him even more.

[Cosmocat]

27. As noted ...

Olberman is the only liberal news guy on mainstream TV ... He is the guy you can count on to call it straight on these thugs every time, not to mention enjoy it ...

Mathews is a whore ... He gets more scoop, but he gets it because he is a whore ... As noted, he will float one way or another, however it serves him ...

[NCarolinawoman]

28. Keith respects his audience. Doesn't talk down to us.

Actually, he knows that his audience is pretty high IQ.

If there's a joke, Keith lets us in on it. Tweety seems to bring up a lot of "inside stuff" that's just between him and his reporter guests.

(Pssst... I have been enjoying Tweety lately. He's as obsessed as I am with Fitzgerald's investigation).

[renate]

29. well, there's the way he's smart, and the way he covered election fraud

... and other stories important to us when nobody else did, and all that yada yada yada, but a big reason I like watching him is that, although he treats serious stories seriously, he seems so danged cheerful. He just has a nice positive vibe; it makes me feel good to watch him.

[snowbear]

30. You've gotta be kidding KoKo !?!?!

:headbang: Keith Olbermann ROCKS !!! :headbang:

[Chicago Democrat]

34. He's sexy!

Woof woof

[amitten]

35. He's a-marchin' to the beat of his own drummer, he is.

His show is good because:

1. He travels off the beaten path--covering stories others might see as taboo.
2. He digs deep into said stories. He asks the questions that are pertinent (and usually obvious)instead of dancing around them like most newscasters. AND he never interrupts his guests.
3. He's a laff riot. That's right--I said a laff riot.
4. Sometimes he sings/dances/acts like a kook (see #3).
5. He's left of center, mostly, and fairly irreverent, which goes a long way for me these days...

His show MIGHT be better if:

1. He was less sports-obsessed. I guess he can't help it, but good Lord already, enough is enough sometimes, right? Though it is often about baseball, which is of course the most bearable of sports. I mean, the only one that doesn't make me want to scratch my eyes out from boredom. Usually.

Anyway, you should watch Countdown on more a regular basis. I think for some it's an acquired taste, much like booze.

[CC]

36. He calls stupid, stupid

he lets his guest speak, even if he doesn't agree and does not try to shout them down. He tries to be balanced, though when you don't do stupid it gets kind of hard appear balanced. He digs into things and refuses to ask questions the WH sends him, and tells us he was sent the questions and refuses to ask them. Then tells the WH to ask their questions on their time, he won't so don't bother. (Can't remember if that one was Wilson, Clark or another that left the WH and talked) He uses snark and subtle humor to make his point. If it is his opinion you know it and if it isn't you know it too. He won't talk a story to death for ratings, but he is the first there when there is some real new news about it. And he ask the questions that need asked with out being demeaning to anyone. He is the anti hate tv/radio. And that is just the beginning. Take the time to watch for a while and he will win you over too.

[npincus]

37. watch Olbermann's "Nexus of Politics"

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/10/12.html

then see what you think (re: the nexus between dowturn's for B*shco and TERRA alerts).

WATCH this, and you will understand why DUers like him.

[hippiechick]

38. I don't understand ANY media adoration --

-- including here at DU -- these folks are talking heads for the most part: blow dried, designer suit Barbie and Ken Dolls who sometimes inject their own personal thoughts (when they have them) ... they weren't hired for their investigative or journalistic credentials but for how 'photogenic' they are and what kind of ratings demogaphics they'll bring in.

[Catchawave]

41. How many anchors fake "barfing in a trash can"

when they have to cover Tom and Katie ? Or in the middle of another tabloidy story, breaks into loud snores and snorts? Who else covers the Saddam trial with popsicle stick puppets?

And who else does a better Howard Beale ?



Courtesy of www.moveleft.com

Also, Keith has admitted not to have a political preference, but then admits he prefers the liberal playbook. He's animal friendly and bashes O'Reilly on a regular basis. If you (generic) don't like the show, at least read the transcripts, they're even more powerful :)

We need to support Keith, as he needs us almost as much as we need him:hi:

[MaineDem]

39. Are you serious?

Keith is telling the truth in a way none of the other "news people" are.

Maybe it's the intelligence, the humor, the oddball stuff. Whatever it is, he's got it. Watch him more and I think you'll understand.

I think comparing him to Chris Matthews is wrong. Compare him to some earlier journos...Good night and good luck.

[crispini]

40. He's funny.

And not stupid-funny, but smart-funny. He makes Monty Python allusions and other intelligent jokes.

He lets his guests talk-- he doesn't do that oh-so-irritating interrupting trick that a lot of them do.

He has engaging dialogs and asks interesting questions. A lot of the time he asks the question that *I* always wanted to ask. He had the guts to keep following the election fraud story when nobody else would.

And he is enough of a stand-up guy to actually wear a tie on-air that some of his dedicated fans sent to him for his birthday. ;)Extremely extremely cool.

With regards to your original point, I think you've misunderstood the nature of the two shows. Matthews has a talking-head show. Olbermann's show is a newscast. So Matthews can devote an hour to Treasongate. Keith can't.

[RevCheesehead]

42. My only complaint:

Keith's producers force him to do tabloid stories. Imagine how great the show would be if Keith were also the pooducer (or at least had final editing decisions).

Why do I love him so?

[Serial Mom]

44. Hey Rev... I agree,

did you know that Edward R. Murrow had EXACTLY the same problem and hated it too! Heard Clooney state that and I think he put it in the movie. I guess that shows KO is in good company!

He truly looks are stories and questions what may be spin and SAYS SO.

:hi:

[RevCheesehead]

51. Hey there!

You must have gone to the movie. Was it everything you hoped it would be? I'm hoping to see it soon (after church annual meeting is over).

Nice to see ya! :hi:

[MidnightWind]

52. He IS Managing Editor of Countdown

and he does have final say-so on what airs and what doesn't air. He protests a little bit too much when he "has" to do tabloid stories--a little jab at his staff in a teasing kind of way. The Keeping Tabs section is not one that he writes himself, most of the serious stories are. The whole premise of the show is that it mixes the serious with the not-so-serious--another reason I like it.

[area51]

53. my only complaint

Is that I wish he were on regular TV, for those of us who can't afford cable. :evilgrin:

[Botany]

46. Because I am very afraid of the KOEB.

Those EDVs can make you do anything! :scared:


KO quote:
"So what the al Qaeda wanted to take over King's Island?" KO last november
King's Island is an amusement park in Warren County, OH ...... that county
locked down and let no one watch the vote count last fall.

KO was the ONLY NATIONAL TELEVISION MEDIA PERSON TO CALL OUT
THIS BULLSHIT.

[CatWoman]

47. you ever try WATCHING him?

[zann725]

48. And I thought with a user name like "KoKo" that YOU were KeithO!

Had me fooled!

[Neil Lisst]

49. Keith is intelligent, humorous, and accurate.

He cracks on O'Reilly.

What's not to like?



http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst/

[blueblitzkrieg]

50. He tells the truth.

That's why I like him.

[Muffstser]

54. Because he blends both comedy and serious stuff so well.

At the end of the day, I want to know what's gone on while I've been at work, but I'm also ready for a laugh. Countdown totally gives you both. Their nexus between politics and terror was wonderful, and I love "Puppet Theatre". It's hands down the best written show on the air.

As for Keith Olbermann: adore him. Simple as that.

[McCamy Taylor]

55. Here is one reason, "Olberman Watch" Because The RW Fears Him

http://www.olbermannwatch.com/

Tweety has been taking the Plame Affair seriously for about the last twenty minutes. Olbermann has been giving top of the hour coverage all summer. Olbermann was the ONLY national journalist to cover Ohio, even when his own network would not release its exit polls. I am guessing that Ebersol had to back him up, a bit of the old "If you want NBC Sports you better let my boy Keith do his job." When Teddy Ebersol died in a plane crash that turned out to 100% accident from ice on the wings there were probably some very scared people at NBC. But Olberman kept doing his thing.

I especially liked this blog from 5-16-2005 which you can read if you scroll down the page of the Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/16/204525/390

I immortalized this moment at Grand Theft Election Ohio in a little piece I call "Epiphany" because I sort of had a feeling from the tone of the article that Keith had thrown down the gauntlet. From the way his show has evolved this summer and fall, looks like I was correct.

http://www.grandtheftelectionohio.com/050518.htm

OMG Forgot floaty hearts!

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[sepia_steel]

56. He speaks the truth and he's funny.

and i could care less about sports.

he is also pretty dern sexy if you ask me.