Aaron Barnhart: The only thing approaching "self-parody" are these endless attacks on Olbermann

[Berry Cool]

It has been a needlessly bruising week for MSNBC and its most popular anchor, Keith Olbermann. The usual suspects once again screamed about whether it was fair that Olbermann be allowed to attack President Bush on his show. What's different this week is that the screamers drew solace and support from an unlikely corner of the news media establishment: Time Magazine. Its TV critic Jamie Poniewozik, a self-declared Obama supporter, decided that an old-fashioned GOP Keithbash was the perfect time to pile on with his own grievance, and thus, intentionally or not, allow himself to be used as firewood to bring some long-smoldering embers of resentment and partisan hatred roaring back to life.

"Keith Olbermann Blows Last Remaining Gasket" is the headline accompanying Poniewozik's piece on the Tuned In blog this week. Poniewozik observes, as many did, the passion and fury that Olbermann put into his "Special Comment" last week regarding Hillary Clinton's ridiculous referencing of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination in defending her decision to campaign until June.

Poniewozik's critique was followed by a longer observation about the left-of-center media splintering into various camps. Unfortunately, no one cared about that part of his blog post. It was this single observation that jumped off the screen: "Olbermann is edging ever-closer to self-parody, or, worse, predictability."

...Of course, the fact that this criticism comes just as Olbermann devotes only the second of 32 Special Comments delivered over the past three years to something a Democrat said is merely a coincidence. Right?...

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2008/05/it-has-been-a-n.html

[DeepModem Mom]

1. K&R. Thanks for posting Barnhart's thoughtful response...

which I hadn't come across yet in my late-night 'net ramblings. I would disagree maybe only with this aside: "Of course, the fact that this criticism comes just as Olbermann devotes only the second of 32 Special Comments delivered over the past three years to something a Democrat said is merely a coincidence. Right?"

It's not just "a Democrat," it's the hated Hillary, and she has few defenders not only here, but elsewhere in the blogosphere and elsewhere in the press. So I don't think KO's criticism of Hillary has brought this recent scrutiny onto him or onto MSNBC. Hillary and her supporters are, at this point, it appears to me, powerless and the targets of derision from many, many more sources than those at 30 Rock.

My guess is the scrutiny has more to do with the (nonpolitical) proverbial green monster: jealousy. And I'm still wondering what MSNBC "insider" made those "revolting" statements to TV Newser.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Re. my reply #1 -- looks like speculation on the MSNBC "insider"...

may be centering on the possibility that it's David Gregory.