On The Silencing Of Olbermann

[Hissyspit]

From a friend: "When Ernst Lubitsch died, Billy Wilder said, 'No more Lubitsch.' And William Wyler replied, 'Even worse. No more Lubitsch movies.'"

The cancellation of Countdown: Is not about Keith Olbermann's personality, it's not about his perceived "partisanship." It's not about the nonsense over a segment meant to hold people accountable for their bigotry and corruption being called 'Worst Persons.'

It's about the stories they don't want exposed. It's about the spin they don't want unspun. It's about the logic they don't want heard. It's about the advocacy (for the Constitution and for the powerless) that they don't want advocated.

It's about the truth being suppressed.

If you do not believe this to be true, I respond with a quote from Edward R. Murrow: "Anyone who isn't confused doesn't really understand the situation." My friend is a big Smothers Brothers fan, too.

Good night and good luck, indeed.

"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men — not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular."

- Edward R. Murrow

[emulatorloo]

1. Keith isn't dead n/t

[Hissyspit]

2. That would be

why I said "The Cancellation of Countdown."

[emulatorloo]

3. "Son of Countdown" will probably be even better.

He's free of MSNBC, there is no doubt somebody else will snap him up.

The rumors I read this morning is that he will be on the Web in a relatively short period of time.

So while there are still no Ernst Lubitsch movies, KO will be back stronger than ever.

[Hissyspit]

7. I agree.

But that doesn't change the point of the OP.

The Lubitsch quote is about the silence of a voice, not about death, per se. Death is only one way this can be achieved. The attacks on Olbermann's WORK through his person will continue no matter where he ends up.

Sorry about the 'no duh,' btw.

[emulatorloo]

10. Yes, I understand what you are saying

We have lost a lot with COUNTDOWN.

I think i was beginning to stress over the amount of apocalyptic rhetoric today, and I kept coming back to how totally -calm- and -relaxed- KO seemed last night.

So in terms of the personal, I feel like this is a door opening for him.

So I think had a bad reaction to the Wilder quote (big Ernst Lubitsch and Wilder fan btw)

"Sorry about the 'no duh,' btw." Ah, thanks how nice of you! (Actually it made me laugh, I got a kick out of it.)

[Wednesdays]

11. Keith isn't dead, true. But neither are the Smothers Brothers.

Heard some political satire by them lately? Me neither.

[eleny]

4. K&R for your excellent analysis

This cancellation was a roadblock that will take precious time to move out of the way.

[EFerrari]

5. A big "fuck you" to his audience.

Also, conditioning them to accept the imposition of power and to limit their attachment to figures like Keith. That's pre-cognitive, I think.

[KaoriMitsubishi]

6. Everything I'm hearing about KO seems a little too conspiratorial...

... but this one takes the cake. Let's not be like the wing-nuts who bet the farm on paranoid conspiracy theories.

[Hissyspit]

9. What conspiracy would that be?

[Wednesdays]

12. The consipracy of crickets.

*chirp, chirp*

[KaoriMitsubishi]

13. I said "conspiratorial"

"It's about the stories they don't want exposed. It's about the spin they don't want unspun. It's about the logic they don't want heard. It's about the advocacy (for the Constitution and for the powerless) that they don't want advocated."

Who are "they"?

"It's about the truth being suppressed."

By whom and for what reason?

Sorry but I spend a lot of time in right-wingnut conspiracy theorist forums debunking their lunacy. I see the same sort of vague conspiratorial language used there about "them", whoever "they" are. "TPWB", they say.

Now if you have - shhhh! - secret videos and other documentation of "them" admitting all of this which would hold up in a court of law then more power to you but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for it.

[EFerrari]

14. You'd have a point except for the fact that the media in this country

really is owned by a few corporations and it really does skew to the right and it really doesn't serve the public first. That's not conspiratorial, that's the situation. It's not a secret, it's public record.

See "Orwell Rolls in his Grave" if you haven't already. I believe the whole thing is up on youtube.

[Hissyspit]

16. See here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x253639

It's not a conspiracy. It's a dynamic.

[WillyT]

8. Most Excellent !!! - K & R !!!

:patriot:

:kick:

:hi:

[Swamp Rat]

15. k&r

[Major Hogwash]

17. Right on!!

Great piece.
I feel like I have lost my voice.
I feel like my best friend just told me his parents are moving to a different state!

This summer is going to suck like no summer ever has!
That's all I have to say about it.
Without Keith coming on the boob tube every once in awhile, I don't need the damned thing!

[TBF]

18. Thank you hissyspit for pointing out that it's not just Olbermann personally -

it is the silencing of a strong liberal voice. Keith wasn't nearly as left as some would think, but at least he gave an alternate point of view. Now we are left with FOX wingnuts and CNN corporate stooges.

[justiceischeap]

19. I predict a Sirius radio show in his future or maybe his own show on TBS

Isn't it TBS who picked up Conan?

[pintobean]

20. "We must remember always that accusation is not proof

and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law."

Let's wait and see what the facts are. MSNBC's new line up seems to debunk your theory.

[Hissyspit]

23. Robert Parry:

The troubling message to progressives is that they remain essentially orphans when it comes to having their political interests addressed by any corporate news outlet. While the Right has built its own vast media infrastructure – reaching from newspapers, magazines and books to radio, TV and the Internet – the Left generally has treated media as a low priority.

[mmonk]

21. Fitting for the man that evoked Murrow in his special comment

when he spoke truth to power on Rumsfeld's legion speech. That night really started the push back Americans wanted to hear. That's why I included it http://americancommentary.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/on-the-occasion-of-olbermanns-departure-good-night-and-good-luck/">here.

[mmonk]

22. And thanks for reminding me of the Smothers Brothers.