Olbermann's Rant

[DeepModem Mom]

San Francisco Chronicle: Olbermann's Rant
Mick LaSalle

....Anyway, I love Keith's reasoning on the experience issue. FDR had six years in elective office . . . therefore Obama has the requisite experience to be president. Olbermann does kind of leave out FDR's seven years as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the run for Vice President in 1920, not to mention fighting polio and founding Warm Springs.

By the way, the rant about how if you're qualified to be Vice President you're qualified to be president . . . well, yes, in a perfect world. But Vice Presidents are chosen for lots of reasons, sometimes for bad reasons. Olbermann knows as well as anyone that it is not truly a logical inconsistency that Hillary should consider Obama for VP, even if she believes him to be not quite ready for the top job. She'd be doing what a lot of presidential candidates have done, gambling that she won't be dead on Day One. In any case, what does this line of argument have to do with Geraldine Ferraro? Not much, really. Keith is just throwing everything at Clinton but the water bucket.

But wait, then comes the water bucket:

I couldn't believe this. (No I could believe this.) Olbermann actually has the nerve to cram in the talking point "false or true" that Hillary's "3 am phone call" campaign ad had racial "undertones." Then he goes that one better: In a truly graceful touch, he goes on to say that Hillary should repudiate Ferraro as a way of repudiating racial undertones that aren't there in other aspects of her campaign, because some people happen to see them.

Am I following this right? Is Olbermann actually saying that if Hillary launches any line of argument against Obama, IF someone on the Obama team SEES racial undertones, Hillary should find ways to distance herself from the racial undertones of her line of argument even if they aren't there? Isn't this really close to saying either that Hillary should make no case against Obama at all -- or that all arguments against Obama constitute either racism or the possible perception of racism, by definition, and must be repudiated?

If this is the case, then hasn't Olbermann just described the same state of affairs as Geraldine Ferraro, with the difference being only that he thinks this is a good thing?

I'm not defending Ferraro here. I'm just looking at Olbermann's argument, and it's not making much sense to me. What am I missing?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=38&entry_id=24951

[MethuenProgressive]

1. self delete

incorrect assumption! :hi:

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I post articles on a neutral basis, and have pretty much stopped posting in GDP.

If you'd like to repost it there, please feel free.

I think it's allowed here, however -- I've posted other articles here in the Media forum that are basically more about the media than about the primaries.

[MethuenProgressive]

4. OK, I understand where you're coming from, DMM.

:hi:

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Good day to ya, MP!

:hi:

[Mojorabbit]

3. I don't care for either of

our candidates but Keith was spot on in his rant. We are going to lose this election before all is said and done if this keeps up. People who are in financial trouble or those worried about how things are going are going to have little patience for this sniping. They are going to be looking for a mature candidate who offers them something positive. While both of ours are at each other's throats, McCain is laying back above the fray.

[swimmernsecretsea]

6. Oh, please. Mick La Salle?

Residents in San Francisco who subscribed to the Chronicle, or read his columns know better than to listen to him. I wouldn't get a recommendation of a cartoon, let alone a movie. And a discussion of a political commentary by Olbermann? Yeah, right.

La Salle, go stick to what you're good at. Reviewing boxed sets of DVDs and promoting the careers of long-dead Film Noir Actresses.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. I just happened on the piece, and didn't know the writer. It was, I think, the only...

commentary I've seen in the press in disagreement with KO, and I thought I'd post it here in Media just as a point of interest and a different view.

[BobTheSubgenius]

8. Did Olbermann overstate?

If, IF he was wrong, he gets a lot of slack from me. Even based solely on his courage, back when it wasn't yet fashionable to criticize * et al, he gets the occasional do-over, IMO.

I don't think he was wrong, though. If he felt he had to get the attention of Democrats to get the hell with the program and ELECT one, I'll accept that.