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Semi-psycho, psychedelic, psychotic reaction … or something
So after a nice dinner, we get home where I’ve recorded both Countdown and Rachel Maddow and the Onion News and Portlandia. We play through Countdown, and then Obermann makes his big announcement. And, I’m trying to decide how to react…whimsically seems the best choice.
Like it or not, the left can really get self-absorbed and pompous. Countdown got that way over the years — Keith raised tough questions and demanded tough answers. However, he spent too much time on silly crap and on pursuing idiots like Beck and O’Reilly and Rupert Murdoch. There is a history between O’Reilly and Murdoch and Obermann and Ingram and we all kind of got into the latest phase of that. Everything that Obermann said about the Foxites is true — but, Rupert got a piece of truth when he said, “Keith is crazy.”
So, I look forward to his next incarnation. Maybe he’ll write; maybe he’ll run for office; maybe, probably, he’ll land another TV show. It will be good, fun, cutting edge, exciting —and then it will drift off into the sort of self-centered bedtime story that Countdown was on the verge of becoming. I personally thought that reading a story from Thurber once was sort of touching; every Friday? I’m not that fond of Thurber, but he could have been reading the collected lyrics of Bob Dylan or The Girl Hunters by Mickey Spillane…and, it would not have mattered. It was stupid. Fridays might have been slow newsdays once, but no more.
I had been finding some aspects of the new Lawrence O’Donnell show kind of bothersome but I can see a lot of merit to it. Rachel Maddow brings a level of seriousness along with self-depreciating humour and a willingness to talk to people she doesn’t agree with. Chris Matthews is a fellow Holy Cross alumni, and if they’d spike his coffee with a couple of valium just before each show, he’d be great. Ed Schultz is a nutcase. So, I guess I’ll have some choices about what I want to watch besides NCIS reruns…
If you’ve read my stuff over the years either here or over at The Defeatists, you know that I think the strip Monty is a pretty good allegory for everything. Keith Obermann does better channelling Fleshy the Cat or Moondog; unfortunately, he has a tendency to lapse into Master Sedgwick.
I’ll miss Countdown, but as the poet sings, “I know your leaving’s too long overdue/for far too long I’ve had nothing new to show to you…” Fair winds, following seas and a reasonably quick landfall. And, Keith, the Mariners are still trying to find a broadcasting lineup!
If you’ve read my stuff over the years, you know that I think the strip Monty is a pretty good allegory for everything. Keith Obermann does better channelling Fleshy the Cat or Moondog; unfortunately, he has a tendency to lapse into Master Sedgwick.
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Posted by Michael Farrell on Jan 22 2011, With 0 Reads, Filed under Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Bravo, absolute unity of effect…now how about “The Case of the Gold-Bug” regarding Regis Philbin for daytime viewers? vr j.
I don’t agree with most of the viewpoints stated in this article. I do agree that Keith Olbermann spent too much time on nonsensical topics. His special comments were dynamite and ALWAYS were in favor of the people – not the corporations. We should always remember this. I believe he was not able to air the full truth nor touch certain topics such as 9/11 or fascist Israel because of MSNBC’s policies. The network always keeps tight control on topics that can or cannot be covered. Nobody on television is free to speak candidly about the real issues. Therefore, I give credit to Keith Olbermann for what he was able to convey to his audience.
The only person on MSNBC that speaks strongly against the evils of this government is Dylan Ratigan.
Rachel Maddow is not a liberal or spokesperson for truth. She is the O’Reilly version of the Democratic wing. When has she ever spoken about the atrocities committed by US forces in Iraq? When did she bemoan the deaths of 1.4 million Iraqis? When did she cover the plight of the Palestinians and the seige of Gaza? Recently, in regards to the Arizona shooting, I heard her blame people like Alex Jones for inflaming rhetoric. This was a blatant lie. She attacked a libertarian who is a staunch supporter of the Constitution, the First and Second Amendments, in particular.
Rachel Maddow and MSNBC has jumped on the bandwagon asking for laws to restrict our speech under the guise of ‘preventing’ shootings like this. What does she have to say about the fact that more than 150,000 Americans have been killed since 9/11? They didn’t get killed because of rhetoric. However, she is supporting the drive to slash our civil liberties.
Let’s face it, only a handful of corporations own main stream media outlets. We simply cannot get pertinent information from them. These media owners are not principled and prostitute themselves. They are more guilty of the millions who have been killed by US forces than anyone carrying a gun. Why? Because they have suppressed the truth and they have willfully censored the truth. They have kept the vast majority of Americans in the dark. I find this more evil and powerful.
Thanks to both of you to responding. I try to avoid admitting the existence of Regis Philbin. Sorry. The gold-bug nonsense amazes me. If you bought it low and hoarded it, good for you. If you’re thinking about it now, you really need to think again. Given the costs, consider cooper wire as an investment choice if you have to own precious or semi-precious metals.
As for the comments about Maddow, Ratigan, et al, I think Rachel’s liberal credentials are exceptionally strong. I do enjoy Dylan Ratigan and wish he had gotten the opportunity to move to the Ed Schultz spot in the lineup. Or the earlier spot O’Donnell scarfed up. I am not sure what the O’Reilly of the Democratic wing means –especially since Schultz and Matthews are closer to the O’Reilly style than Maddow can be considered. She’s invariably polite and straight with her guests; I still think that the Rand Paul question that got people so incensed was a softball lobbed at him. Instead of making him look cute and precious like his father, it made it obvious that he’s a right wing ideologue. There’s no distance that I can see between the current libertarian movement, the Tea Parties, and Grover Norquist or the Koch brothers.
The larger issue, and one that I suppose I should write about and may is Olga’s comments concerning the concentration of media outlets in the hands of the few. I don’t know if they’re purposely repressing the truth; rather, the truth doesn’t sell Toyotas and Viagra. Bears on trampolines do…
I was very left leaning at one time and loved Keith’s special comments. That was when Bush was still in office. I knew Obama or any other Democrat that was elected would amount to nothing and that’s when I said goodbye to mainstream media for good. I can barely stand to listen to them. Obama needed to pursue criminal charges against Bush and Cheney and the talking heads on the left should have pushed for that and never stopped. Instead they were cheerleading and supporting the very policies they were against when there was a republican in office. It’s all a scam!! I think Keith has too much integrity and couldn’t take it anymore. Plus, he called Joe Lieberman a liar and you can’t say those things about an Israeli supporter…