KO for KO?
Posted: November 5, 2010 Filed under: Elections, Main Stream Media, The DNC, The Media SUCKS | Tags: Olbermann suspended, Pelosi runs for minority leader, Van Hollen resigns DCCC 67 CommentsTwo breaking news stories worth front paging are sweeping blog headlines.
First, Keith Olbermann has been suspended indefinitely without pay at MSNBC for donationg to three Democratic candidates during the last election. This is from Politico.
Olbermann made campaign contributions to two Arizona members of Congress and failed Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Olbermann, who acknowledged the contributions in a statement to POLITICO, made the maximum legal donations of $2,400 apiece to Conway and to Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. He donated to the Arizona pair on Oct. 28 — the same day that Grijalva appeared as a guest on Olbermann’s “Countdown” show.
NBC has a rule against employees contributing to political campaigns, and a wide range of news organizations prohibit political contributions — considering it a breach of journalistic independence to contribute to the candidates they cover.
Other links:
The second breaking news story of interest is that Nancy Pelosi will run for Minority Leader. This is from Ryan Griffin 
at Huffpo. Pelosi Tweeted the announcement.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will make a bid to be Democratic minority leader, she announced Friday via Twitter. “Driven by the urgency of creating jobs & protecting #hcr, #wsr, Social Security & Medicare, I am running for Dem Leader,” she tweeted.
Other Links:
In related news, Rep. Van Hollen is leaving his chairmanship at the DCCC.
peej
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Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Some how I have the feeling that Olberman handed his management the knife they wanted. Would like to see a replay of Dylan Radigan take that slot.
Dak – I found the Bernanke session with the students today on C-Span to be very informative regarding history of the Financiial Crisis, Quantitative Easing and rollback controls in the event of Inflation. Nothing was said about Currency Wars which would have been appropriate. We know a lot of what he said, but to hear it in his own words was constructive. That said, I think we are on new turf with the QE stuff.
Great!! I’ll have to take a look at CSPAN. I’m still loading up drivers and such so hopefully, I’ll get a true breather tonight and can concentrate on some mind candy.
Wow, KO breaks the rules and gets caught. I guess he either thought it really important (like he didn’t donate to Obama either, yea right) or he thought the rules didn’t matter where he was concerned. Hasn’t he learned yet? The Powers that Be keep track of all our rule breaking and when they need us nailed, they nail us with those broken rules!
I got an email from Chris Bowers about Pelosi. Supposedly the Blue Dog Dems are out to get her and sell what’s left of the party to the highest bidder. I don’t know how I came to be on Bowers DK email list. I’ve been absent from DK for almost 3 years now. Anyway, Bowers wants to rally the troops to protect Pelosi. I’d say go for it, but the impeachment is off the table thing really stuck, and sticks, in my craw.
yeah, I got the Bowers email this morning. Did you do anything with ACT Blue? I can actually still post on DKos so maybe that’s how I still get it. I was surprised I still could. It was my top link on old bookmarks in my old computer.
Yea, I did donate through Act Blue a few times, early on in 2008.
I probably can still log into DKos. I never deleted myself or anything, I just left. I thought I would leave slowly, still lurk, etc. But actually it took about 2 nights and I was gone. Funny how stuff happens that way.
So Keith broke the rules, but this particular rule is bad. Everyone has a right to participate in the political process and no manner of contractual servitude should be allowed to nullify our natural rights.
I’m not so sure. There’s some places where partiality is called for and the press and government offices are usually the one places where you get a job there fully knowing your activities will be curtailed. The only civil servants with an out at the state level are usually professors because they have academic freedom.
He thinks what he thinks.
I don’t see how giving money to him or her or anyone changes that one way or the other.
The way he presents his analysis on air, IMO, should be the measure of how he handles partiality.
My gut says they’ve been looking for an out on his contract for some time and this was just an excuse
Really? That gives me hope.
Why do you think they’ve wanted to get rid of him? I mean what about his performance don’t they like?
He doesn’t have a large viewership (i.e. ad revenue) and the real NBC newsroom hates him.
Is that a fact? That he has low viewership? That’d be a reason.
Also — I don’t know this but I bet it’s true — if he’s a diva, if he has an attitude, that doesn’t play well in obot media today. You can be a player but you have to be likable, not a diva who acts like you’re better than. No one will protect you if they don’t like you.
The press should appear impartial, or better yet, be made impartial by equal air time laws, like back in the old days. So I think what KO did was bad. However, I bet a lot of other reporters and talking heads do the same thing. What we need is truth in reporting. The reporters and anchors have a label on their foreheads, put on the screen by computers of course, that says for example, ‘Supported Republicans 20 times, Democrats 2, Greens 0, known right-wing windbag’ or, ‘He’s talking about how bad it is to divorce, yet he’s been divorced 4 times!’.
Obots on blogs and Facebook are going nuts about Olbermann.
Okay I have to admit I think it’s hilarious.
I’m so completely out of step. Couldn’t care less who he gives money to and can’t understand why it matters to MSNBC (to put it in his contract to begin with), but I would love to see him suspended without pay because, like the fair and balanced crowd he ridicules, he’s a ridiculously biased pundit who pretends he’s Edward R. Murrow.
What the hell is this?
Isn’t Olberman outside the TV studio and free individual who is allowed to donate to a mainstream politician like everyone else?
This is NBC bending over backwards to please the Rightwing.
Why do they want to please the rightwing? They’re certainly not MSNBC’s audience.
Don’t they always try to show the Rightwing how “not Liberal” they are.
They fear the accusation “Liberal Media” far more than anything else.
Nah. The only thing MSNBC fears is revenue loss or being perceived as not cool.
Their audience, and therefore their revenue source, doesn’t give a hoot about the accusation “liberal media.”
Re: Olbermann/MSNBC, It is interesting that an employer can tell you who you can and cannot send money to, at the same time, I agree with dak’s point that “journalists” should display a certain amount of impartiality. But then again, he’s not really a journalist and it is cable.
Back in the fifties & sixties, my aunt worked for a bank, and they required their employees to be registered Republicans. She said it wasn’t a written rule, but the bosses made it a point to ask you every now and then.
Olbermann was a sports announcer before MSNBC. I agree with you he isn’t really a journalist.
What wasklwy wickets we weave! Siwwy Wabbits!
This is a tight question.
~On the one hand, I believe in Freedom of Speech and Press for every citizen, which extends to political contributions.
~On the other hand, I am viscerally opposed to Citizens United as a textbook example of Orwellian Newspeak. I could almost cite the chapter in the book “1984”.
~Yet on the back hand I believe in Contractual Obligation. Don’t sign and whine.
The Constitution protects KO if he wants his own press. But he signed a contract with NBC, which I assume he read. It’s pretty clear cut.
We have an FEC to protect citizens, not deny them their free speech rights.
That said, I lost faith in NBC as any sort of arbitrator of integrity way back when they started neutering Saturday Night Live during the Reagan regime.
Furthermore, NBC was the first of the Big 3 to self-censor coverage, and a prominent backer of the buildup to the war in Iraq.
I just can’t see where NBC is coming from with this “journalistic integrity” thing. KO is a pundit, an opinionator, an editorialist. NBC’s stance here is akin to the NFL fining linebackers for playing the way they were trained from birth: hit hard, make the play and kill the quarterback.
However, NBC has been fine with KO’s ratings as he ranted from left of center. I’ve never had a problem with him, indeed enjoyed his rants, as he always backs it up with sources, something Fox finds challenging. Usually the market place weeds out the idiots and liars, to wit: if he was full of shit then his ratings drop and MSNBC can put in another pundit.
Yet, since the Citizens United ruling, Fox Corporate can (and has) given liberally without limit –something neither NBC or KO did. KO obeyed The Law, yet violated his signed contract.
So now he needs his own Press.
I guess we’ll see if he can hang with the likes of Benjamin Franklin.
My money will be on Keith Olberman.
Thank you.
I’m glad you’ve added your voice here! You’ve got great things to say and you’ve got the added benefit of being a New Orleanian! Yay!!!
Well thanks youz, Mz Dakinikat —but I stand corrected.
It turns out that Joe Scarborough has given to Repugnican candidates whom he has pushed on his own show WITHOUT ANY DISCIPLINARY ACTION!
Grrrrrrr
This from Think Progress:
“Shortly After Major Bush Donor Takes Over MSNBC, Network Selectively Applies Rules To Suspend Olbermann”
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/11/05/burke-comcast-msnbc/
I doubt that Joe signed a contract that different from Keith Olberman.
There is a difference between hypocrisy and lying and the Business of DoubleThink.
WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Doesn’t that sound familiar? Like the past year of Tea Bagging?
Our job is to counter this Marketing Meme.
~War is the first refuge of the ignorant.
~Freedom is an inalienable right.
~Ignorance is Slavery and Stupidity is Inexcusable
~Evolution is the race between Habit and Novelty
I’d proffer the 4 Noble Truths… but I’ve had a real problem with Burma and Tibet for a long time. Indeed, on the eve of Burma’s “elections” I’m particularly bothered. There is an inherent dysfunction there that I find galling.
All the Saffron is Red now in Burma and we’ll never see Tibet again.
That’s karma and it ain’t my call.
Compassion is the butter that greases the razor’s edge.
Om Ah Hum Hri Om Mani Padme Hum
There’s some kind of discussion going on about getting permission before you donate now. Who knows.
Degenerate times indeed!
If he were back in Japan in the old days, he’d be instructed to commit seppuku about now.
From reading the NYT article, I’m guessing Phil Griffin wanted to get rid of Olbermann for some reason–or at least wanted to cut him down to size–and this gave him an excuse. After all, it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that Olbermann supported Democrats.
yup, that was my take away
I think there have been some tensions between those 2 before.
Maybe GE/NBC is doing some housekeeping before Comcast takes over majority share.
I bet they’re gearing up for the new Republican Congress too.
Kat,
I think you’r on to something there. Republicans are pretty good at playing hardball when the have power. I think it would go something lik this “so long that guy KO is on the air, we’re not givning any interview to your network”.
The funny thing in this episode is that many Fox TV personalities do campaign events for Republican candidate, when they are not outright grooming them, the corporation has given $$$$$$$ to Republicans and MessNBC gets in a fit for this?
yup, the new world of corporate media …
Two good interviews on Democracy Now today (transcripts are available):
1) Alan Grayson gives hard numbers on Dem. turnout, and how all but one congressperson who won by less than 10% of the vote last time was returned to office.
2)Michael Hudson, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of MO, KC, discusses the currency crisis, and how O is still playing extend and pretend to help the banks, only this time he’s allowing the banks to use currency arbitrage to claw their way out from under bad mortgages instead of forcing the banks to just write the loans down to market value and take the hit now. Would be interested in your take, dakini.
From the interview:
hmmm, let me go look. I don’t think I necessarily agree with the last statement … where’s the Euro in that equation? and the Yen?
Well, he’s saying that China is already trying to cut its own deals with Thailand and other Asian countries–presumably to begin some sort of squeeze play on the West. He probably associates the Euro, the Yen and the dollar with a different basket of currencies that he lumps together as “the dollar bloc”. I’d be interested in your take on where you see the loyalties dividing.
“Alan Grayson gives hard numbers on Dem. turnout, and how all but one congressperson who won by less than 10% of the vote last time was returned to office.”
I think he said the opposite — only one congressperson who won by less than 10% of the vote last time was returned to office. Grayson himself won by less than 10% last time and was defeated.
On the Pelosi front, my hope is she will lose…..
On the Olbermann suspension, that’s what happens when you give corporations too much power.
Hillary 2012
Who would you like to see replace Pelosi?
Not sure yet. I think my criteria for the next House leader are long standing democrat with a track record of service that supported Hillary in ’08. Kucinich comes to mind (even though he voted for Obumbles care), but some new blood may also be in the offings…..
Kucinich supported Hillary in 2008? Are you sure?
*****A
Nancy did her job on behalf of Democrats. She should keep her job. Its the WH and the Senate that failed.
I think she’s less like to carry water for some of them now, but I could be mistaken.
I totally agree with Dee.
I never understood the vitriol some people of the Left were throwing ar Nancy Pelosi. Her job was to get the Party’s agenda through the house. The fact that it was in part crappy, in part poorly “sold” to the public is not entirely her fault.
Well, at some point you would think your basic values would come into play, but she sure pulled in the votes whichever way she could and she did know how to use the rules which is what a speaker is supposed to do.
Yep – She managed to get like 240 bills through the House that are currently gathering dust on Harry’s desk.
And, she did it in spite of Rahm’s Blue Dawg obstructionists.
What got me really mad at her was the Stupakistan deal but I’m sure she was giving marching orders to make it pass at all costs
Giving or given?
Freudian slip?
Did I say something wrong?
no, Branjor, it’s fine
Thanx…
She lost me in the courage department when she unilaterally surrendered by taking impeachment off the table. And her comments about Hillary during the Primary were downright cruel. Perhaps she was an able Speaker. Just not a very good person.
*****A
Nancy Pelosi has Big OVA.
I didn’t feel that way until after watching her a lot on CSPAN, putting those little penis heads in their place and then even zipping it up for them. She is a formidable woman, like a grandmother that nicely don’t take no shit.
That said…
I think she should step aside. I say this as a strategic point. It’s time to shuffle the team. Necessity may be the Mother of Invention but Camouflage is the Art of Survival, thus I see her as more effective without a “Kick Me” on her back. Quickness, versatility and guts are the order of the day now.
Pelosi has plenty of guts, but I’m with “TheRock” on Dennis Kucinich. I fell in love with him when he ran for President. That boy has more Progressive Cred under his pinky fingernail than Obama Emmanuel could muster on any court handball or basketball.
Jus’sayin…it’s time we got back to The Rock and The Roll
I’m rooting for her just because everyone wants her gone. As if these pundits can wring their hands and solemnly shake their heads and snap their fingers enough to be granted the power to tell her what to do. It’s not like anyone else would do any better.
The Two Underlying Reasons Keith Olbermann Was Suspended Today
by Steve Krakauer
snip
“Two years ago Keith Olbermann was MSNBC. In many ways, he was untouchable, and knew it. In a New Yorker profile in June 2008, he joked that his boss, Phil Griffin, “thinks he’s my boss.” Around the same time, a high level MSNBC source told me, “He is not central to MSNBC, he is the center of the MSNBC ratings strategy. We hang the entire schedule on him.”
But that’s changed. Now, Rachel Maddow is getting better ratings than Olbermann in the key A25-54 demographic, and Lawrence O’Donnell isn’t far behind. Olbermann is no longer the center of the strategy either – as the network has unveiled a vibrant, massive new campaign “Lean Forward” which focuses on half a dozen members of the MSNBC talent pool.
MSNBC executives – and executives even higher up the ladder – have to feel secure in their position in the cable news battle, even if Olbermann never returns to the line-up. Which brings us to reason number two: Comcast. The imminent merger and ultimate takeover is a tricky business maneuver, that both GE and Comcast have to be aware of. It has the attention of the government, and it has the attention of the competition. The company doesn’t need bad press right now – especially not one that’s political in nature. It also doesn’t help when Olbermann has previously tweeted things like Comcast wanting “to go more liberal” (a claim that doesn’t seem to be backed up anywhere). And on top of all that, this comes as NBC News appears to want to distance themselves from their more partisan cable channel.”
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/the-two-underlying-reasons-keith-olbermann-was-suspended-now/
Do I remember something about the 2008 election coverage and KO and Tweety being removed for the general because some of the NBC news folks refused to work with them?
If I recall correctly it was Tom Brokaw that didn’t like them. Or maybe Tom just got the blame.
KO’s replacement this evening is Thomas Roberts. I can’t put a face on him right now. Below is Roberts wiki entry. I do like the fact he is open gay.
So here is MSNBCs lineup as I see it:
Tweety – Totally mental
Roberts – Openly gay
Maddow – Openly gay
O’Donnell – Closeted Gay
Lockup – Totally mental
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Roberts_%28news_anchor%29
O’Donnell – closeted?
I recall in 08 watching Lawrence LOSE IT LARGE with Hillary-hate during one of those 4-pundits-in-a-box segments cable is famous for – he was positively venomous, to the point Rachel Maddow gave him the WTF? side-eye and asked him to calm the fuck down.
Not so crazy about him.
Too bad KO wasn’t suspended years ago for being a sexist asshat.
They’d have to remove Tweety under that rule too.
Yep – they need to send Shuster, Keith and Tweety into a room and none of them come out.
High-five!
Remember how Jon Stewart was the catalyst to the end of Cross Fire? Is it possible his recent mockery (albeit subtle) of Olbermann is the real reason for the let-go? A last straw sort of thing?
Don’t doubt he crossed that fine-print contractual no-no re donations (do doubt it was the first time), but, really, unless Open Secrets published it and someone yelled from the rooftops that in was in breach of his contract, would NBC give a shit?
No, imo, it was falling ratings, his embarrassing-to-liberals behaviour on election night (once again)….and the diss by Stewart.
Olbermann, the on-air-talent-not-a-journalist, was a “truth-to-power” staple during the Bush years…when he just attacked the Repubs. When he waded over to the woodshedding of Hillary, well….
Tweet from Glenn Greenwald:
So I guess MSNBC thought Hayes would do it, and that’s why they announced it.
Interesting. The more this unfolds the more it looks like just an excuse to get rid of him.
Hoisted with his own petard.
Did you see that William Kristol stuck up for him?
God, if Hayes really wanted to support Keith, he should have paid homage by going on, talking about women’s breasts, threatening candidates, picking fights with colleagues, and using MSNBC’s on-air email system to troll for dates. We could have all been awed by recognizing what a credit to the profession Keith is. 🙂