Keith Olbermann has Jumped the Shark

[One Sweet World]

Keith Olbermann's increasingly frequent and increasingly bizarre "Special Comment" rants aren't so special anymore.

I mean, what was up with his attack on Katie Couric the other night? I'm no Couric fan, but it seemed extremely unnecessary and unprovoked. Rachel Sklar at Huffington Post agrees:

I find it a bit rich that Keith Olbermann would chastise anyone on the subject of "separating the hype from the news" or "the nonsense that Senator Clinton was a victim of pronounced sexism." And yet he did just that last night in naming Katie Couric his "Worst Person in the World" for speaking out about the sexism evidenced in some of the media coverage of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Nonsense? Really? It took a while but geez, even Howard Dean has figured it out. To sit there on MSNBC and say that it's nonsense is a bit rich, considering that some of the higher-profile episodes of embarrassing sexist-or-perceived-as-sexist commentary has come from that network.

<...>

Look, it was fair for Olbermann to defend Lee Cowan... but if Olbermann is going to chide Couric for her poor research skills, perhaps he might try a little bit of the Google himself.

Tom Brokaw, maybe you could have a word with him about this, too.

[Clovis Sangrail]

1. it was funny to watch Olberman go from darling to pariah

when he started firing away at sacred cows

[papau]

5. sacred cows? - nope - just when his sexism - and amusing denial of sexism - made the show Fox-like

[Buzz Clik]

14. Fox-like? Apparently not. Hillary and her clan spent hours courting Fox.

[Buzz Clik]

13. Pariah? Someone writes and blog for HuffPo, and turns Olbermann into a pariah?

Olbermann's declaration that Couric was the Worst Person in the World for a day was a bit harsh, but so was Couric's comment that brought on Olbermann's ire.

[Clovis Sangrail]

17. I'm not basing that just on this story

just look on this thread.. or look around DU at the various other threads involving KO.

Look at the comments from the last 4 months vs. the comments of a year ago.

[Buzz Clik]

21. Again, I think "pariah" is far too strong.

[One Sweet World]

31. No, I think "pariah" is accurate

He's taken it way too far.

[TheWraith]

33. Only in the imaginations of a few angry partisans. nt

[Clovis Sangrail]

34. I guess I should have said

"pariah in the eyes of some"

I don't think of him that way either, but I think it's apparent that some do.

[TheWraith]

2. No, Keith is as good as he's ever been. Some people just don't like honesty.

They'd rather have a liberal Fox News, that caters to their preconceptions rather than tells the truth. God forbid anyone should point out that sexism was not a significant factor in Clinton's downfall. That's apparently forbidden, even for some people who didn't support Clinton.

So, Keith must be attacked and viciously smeared as a sexist, as a crazy person, and all the same things that the right attacked him with when he criticized Bush. A pity, but those of us who appreciate honest commentary still know where to tune.

[hisownpetard]

6. Word! Boo-ya-ka-shah!

[cbc5g]

3. Like Chuck Todd said this morning, "The losers always blame the officiating."

[papau]

8. Love the sexist ones excusing themselves.by saying "never happen" - shades of the 50's & AA's

[TheWraith]

29. Care to provide some proof of your claim of sexism?

Or would you rather apologize?

[eleny]

4. Linking his Special Comments to a Worst Person designation is a leap

[Lerkfish]

7. when a good sniper takes out your favorite target, you like him

when he shoots someone you like, you don't like him.

but in both cases, he's being a good sniper.

[papau]

10. When the sniper choses his target based on sexism - you call him out.

[TheWraith]

30. You can't name a single sexist thing Keith has ever done, because he HASN'T.

Which makes your assertions an absolute lie.

[Cheap_Trick]

32. you want PROOF? from poopoo?

never gonna happen....

Keith didn't worship at the altar of Saint Hill, that was his sin.

[papau]

38. LOL - close your eyes and ears children because Howard Dean says I'm right

[Cheap_Trick]

41. link? or did you pull that out of your ass too?

[Lerkfish]

35. wow! I never expected to see you.

[papau]

39. I pop in once in a while :-)

[Clovis Sangrail]

20. ding ding ding /nt

[Saturday]

9. How anyone can't see that KO has turned his show into self promotion

is beyond me. The 3 worst people in the world the night he did the attack on Couric were media people. Chastising them for this or that as if everything he does on his show is straight and honest. It's all about Keith and his ratings.

[Buzz Clik]

15. Olbermann has been very consistent. His show has not "turned" into anything.

It remains what it always has been: 20 minutes of "news" on politics dictated by Olbermann's personal slant and interpretations followed by 40 minutes of fluff and filler.

He was doing just fine with the Hillary crowd until it was clear that Obama couldn't lose; Olbermann said as much and suddenly was labeled "sexist." The trouble with bitching about sexism every day for four months is that no one gives shit after a while.

[Saturday]

19. He was doing fine with this one "Hillary crowd" until his show turned

into IT'S ALL ABOUT ME. When his nostrils flare dissing on Couric or OReiley he looses anyone who prefers that his nostrils flare talking about the bush cabal and their crimes. Remember them KO?

[Buzz Clik]

22. I think we'd all prefer that he'd leave all the rhetoric from the primaries behind.

I think he's making the transition, but a bit too slowly.

By the way, I need no convincing that Olbermann's ego is one of the biggest on the tube, and it's always been that way.

[Lerkfish]

37. He still attacks bush and the bushco crowd.

I"m seeing that. Maybe you have a different television signal than I do.

[MindMatter]

24. He hung with her a lot longer than she could have expected

KO only bacame consistently critical of HC after she had effectively lost, and then insisted on going over the top saying that McCain was more qualified than Obama, losing her mind about Bosnia, and dividing the contest along racial lines (poor uneducated whites versus the black guy).

When it was still an open contest being fought on the issues and real qualifications, KO was very even-handed.

I don't know anything about Katie Couric. Why should I? What has she ever done? Why should I expect to learn anything from her? Same for all the male anchors. I can't name any of them. The whole lot is a waste of time.

[Buzz Clik]

25. *snicker* I know Couric's name, but I've never seen her on the tube.

I believe she's blonde. :shrug:

[Lerkfish]

36. because no other journalist is about ratings.

:shrug:

[pacalo]

11. If Keith were a network news anchor, I'd agree that he "jumped the shark", but he's a commentator.

Commentator = A broadcaster or writer who reports and analyzes events in the news.

[Greyskye]

12. So you disagree with his special comment last night on McCain?

First, he didn't do a Special Comment on Katie Couric. As it says in the article you quote, that was in a "Worst Persons" segment.

And if you think the following "aren't so special", maybe you're in the wrong place. :eyes:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTyRdK3BWs0
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Ou8yvithY

Sorry, if anyone has jumped the shark, it's you.

[Warpy]

16. Sexism?

Pointing out Couric's rather glaring deficiencies isn't sexist, nor is pointing out the unsuitability of her morning, perky-coffee persona to the evening news.

Sexism is trying to tell people that because Couric is unsuitable to the job, all women are.

I didn't hear that part.

[Sinistrous]

18. I see the ususal suspects are still spouting their "poor HRC was a victem"

crap.

I really hoped they would grow up, but I see such is not to be.

Sinistrous

[papau]

40. racism ?

[skooooo]

23. Google for research?

I'm sure Keith has better sources than that.

[stillcool]

26. Keith hasn't jumped the shark...

he was thrown under the bus a long time ago. The good thing is he has a lot of company. It's the place to be.

[bowens43]

27. He's right, the claim of blatent sexism is bullshit.

[bain_sidhe]

28. Kick for later

:kick: