Opinion
Count down to Keith Olbermann’s irrelevant exit
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Also by Ryan Masse:
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Keith Olbermann re-upped for four more years with MSNBC Monday, ensuring the liberal flamethrower a primetime platform through at least the next presidential election.
Now he needs to convince his newfound viewers to re-up with him.
There’s no question Barack Obama’s victory last week was bad news for media figures like Jon Stewart, who now need to retool their shtick after years of criticizing and poking fun at the Bush administration. But Olbermann has it particularly rough.
Even by cable news standards, Olbermann has never been much for levelheaded analysis. His abject abhorrence for Bush and the Republican Party, exemplified best by his rabid “Special Comments,” taps into a visceral hatred that has little time for reflection or balance. He is a man who has traded exclusively on the derangement syndrome that surrounds our current president.
Divorced from his Bush crutch, Olbermann’s modus operandi is about to become obsolete.
Olbermann, of course, would tell you he’ll transition. Appearing on “The View” Monday, Olbermann was asked if he would take Obama and congressional Democrats to task if they falter. “Yeah,” Olbermann replied curtly.
Consider me skeptical. If Olbermann is incapable of one thing, it’s criticizing Obama.
Long a cable also-ran, Olbermann’s star began to rise upon the introduction of his scathing “Special Comments” in August 2006. He has delivered nearly 50 of the diatribes since, with a majority excoriating Bush and members of his Cabinet. In more recent entries, Olbermann has directed his ire at John McCain and Sarah Palin. Other political figures, such as Hillary Clinton, have received occasional scorn.
Only one comment, from June of this year, can be said to focus on Obama to any significant degree. In it, Olbermann mildly regretted the Illinois senator’s willingness to take a political posture on the amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (though still mainly using the comment to bash Republicans) — other than that, nothing.
Olbermann’s most recent comment criticized last week’s vote to ban gay marriage in California. While it was a remarkably sober and worthy effort, Olbermann could have easily reserved some condemnation for Obama’s “have it both ways” stance on the issue, wherein the senator opposes Proposition 8 but also opposes gay marriage. He didn’t.
Nor can Olbermann seemingly abide others who dare to question his messiah. On Election Night, Chris Matthews (a man so anti-Obama that he once felt a thrill run up his leg during one of his speeches) briefly sought to criticize the president-elect for reneging on his one-time promise to accept public financing in the election. Olbermann wasn’t having any of it, insisting without explanation that Obama never made such a pledge. Of course there’s no explanation to give — Obama indisputably made a promise and broke it.
Incapable of criticizing Obama, where does Olbermann go from here? Cheerleading the new president, certainly, but with a deep recession in gear highlights will be fleeting. That leaves the same old routine of ripping Republicans — except now they’re a minority party lacking power.
No doubt hardcore partisans will remain loyal to the Olbermann brand. Those more inclined for a bit of balance and sanity in their political commentary will increasingly look elsewhere.
In Chicago’s Grant Park on Election Night, Obama urged the nation to “resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long,” saying the Democratic Party should greet victory with a “measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.”
The next night, Olbermann deliriously mocked Bill Kristol, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly, exclaiming to the conservative triumvirate, “You don’t matter anymore!”
Behold, the healing power of humility!
Election Day itself may have been a hidden harbinger of things to come for Olbermann and MSNBC. One would expect a night that represented a validation of its agenda and coronation of its candidate to be a ratings bonanza for the network. And it did well, of course, but not next to its competition. MSNBC attracted only 65 percent of the primetime viewers its rival Fox News did. It did only slightly better among the coveted 25-54 age demographic, nabbing 68 percent of Fox News’ viewership.
The night’s big winner was CNN, which easily posted the best ratings of the three cable news networks. Unless I’m underestimating the appeal of holograms, there’s a lesson to be gleaned here. Whether or not Obama truly is the bridge-building, bipartisan politician he often purports to be, voters clearly embraced the notion that he could be. And to witness his election, they turned to the network most associated with centrist leanings.
Fox News and O’Reilly have proven that ratings success can be secured even with a favorable occupant in the White House. But O’Reilly’s viewers are fiercely loyal; Olbermann’s largely younger set may be more fickle. And Olbermann’s caustic partisanship is so outlandish it earns no real comparison.
It may be a less than desirable four years, sir.
Ryan Masse (rmasse@badgerherald.com) is a second-year law student.
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Truth. I cannot stand that piece of shit Olbermann dating back to his days at ESPN. I’m not a fan of O’Reilly’s either but I get a huge kick out of it when he brings up how much he kicks Olbermann’s ass in ratings. Owned.
O’Reilly is wildly conservative, but willing to attack both sides for the ratings. It’s the “Ann Coulter” style of commentary. Olbermann will adjust appropriately. They’re all opportunists, no matter how big the grains of truth they leave behind.
O’Reilly and Limbaugh have been fairly steady during the Bush administration, so I don’t see your point. Actually, I think Olbermanm provides nice balance to Bill-o the Clown an his show is structured in a way that he can always fill an hour easily.
In the future, I hope that Olbermann turns his focus onto the 3-semester college flunky, ex-disc jockey, 3-time divorcee Rush Hudson Limbaugh III. Limbaugh could be a permanent member of the Worst Persons list.
Dude, your grapes have become SOUR. Nope, you’re not upset at the election results. Go cry somewhere else crybaby. Or why dont you try ‘splainin the last eight years with the floor that you have here. That is three minutes I’ll never have back listening to your whining.
Olbermann had fans before the election season heated up, and they will remain now that it’s cooling down. Second, if you re-read your own column you’ll hear yourself conceding that the party in power catches the flak for what ails the country — which explains Olbermann’s focus on the Republican administration in his SC’s. Finally, Olbermann has no obligation to criticize the new president if Obama does a good job. What’s he supposed to do, make stuff up? He’d be taking away Rush’s and Limbaugh’s job if he did that!
Most inaccurate, biased article I have ever read…
Is this guy real or is it all an act? I can’t believe he actually believe what he’s saying on his program.
blah, blah, blah, Ryan.
Here’s my favorite part of your neo-con rant:
“And Olbermann’s caustic partisanship is so outlandish it earns no real comparison. “
LOL Two days after the election, Rush pronounced the economic crisis as the “Obama recession,” and his first appointments as ‘thugs.’
Rush is much more outlandish than Olbermann.
Then there is the Fox and Friends host, Doocy, who thinks only taxpayers should be allowed to vote.
Olbermann will be fine, Maddow better and your ilk are destined to be the loyal opposition because your ideas are DOA.
Eight years, this is how long the poor, underpriveledge, and unforgotten american citzens have had to endure this current administration. In the end change came about when the same problems that poor americans have know for years started to affect those that truly thought they were living the american dream. American are facing some real problems! So what Olbermann did not act in the spirit of humility that you though he should have. I do remember there was a time that the Republicans gathered and made a total mockery of the president elect’s job as a Community Organizer. Seems that Bill Kristol, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O’Reilly would mostly likely have reacted the same way if the Republicans had won the election.
I asked that you not get caught up in the spirit of hatered that all of the aboved mentioned talk show host tend to spew. Lets move past all of this and work towards improving the lives of all americans. Good Luck to you in whatever you aspire to do as a Lawyer. Maybe you will give being a Community Organizer a try, who knows where it may lead you!
Great writing!
Submitted previously, forgot to use spell check :)
Eight years, this is how long the poor, underprivileged, and unforgotten American citizens have had to endure under this current administration. In the end change came about when the same problems that poor Americans have know for years started to affect those that truly thought they were living the American dream. Americans are facing some real problems! So what Olbermann did not act in the spirit of humility that you though he should have. I do remember there was a time that the Republicans gathered and made a total mockery of the president elect’s job as a Community Organizer. Seems that Bill Kristol, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O’Reilly would mostly likely have reacted the same way if the Republicans had won the election.
I asked that you not get caught up in the spirit of hatred that all of the aboved mentioned talk show hosts tend to spew. Lets move past all of this and work towards improving the lives of all Americans. Good Luck to you in whatever you aspire to do as a Lawyer. Maybe you will give being a Community Organizer a try, who knows where it may lead you!
AHAHAHAHAHAHA- Olberman is hack, great article. O wait your a hypocritical hack. Olberman has in fact gone after the dems before. On top of that as long as the ^$$ hats at fox keep it up Olberman will more then enough to make fun of
Olbermann will spend the next 4 years blaming the Bush administration for any problem that Obama can’t solve, along with his old sidekick Rachel Maddows, who is also a smug bitch.
Wow, Masse, just go home already. Nobody likes you, why do you still right? I won’t even bother wasting any more time responding to this mess, it’s already been done for me.
I just want to emphasize that Olbermann, while obnoxious at times, is usually right (hell, most of the time he is just refuting O’Reilly). To suggest, however, that he is any more partisan than Hannity, O’Lielly, or anyone else working for FOXNews is just absurd. Maybe in 20 years, you’ll look back on yourself and just laugh.
I hope Olbermann turns his focus on Rush Hudson Limbaugh III. Rush will be pwned nightly for years.
3:02pm said: “Wow, Masse, just go home already. Nobody likes you, why do you still right?”
3:02pm - You should learn to use the word “write” correctly before you make a completely childish argument, like which commentator is the most obnoxious. Furthermore, you criticize Masse by saying irrelevant, juvenile things like “nobody likes you.” Is that the best you can do? Grow up.
I love it when college kids believe people actually care about what they think.
olbermann is too predictable, blame bush, republicans and fox news for everything thats wrong in the world.
true, he is not the only partisan, pontificating blowhard out there, but when it comes to mean spiritited, condensending smugness, he takes a backseat to no one.
he can deliver a punch, but he sure can’t take one. thats why he only brings his merry gang of yes-men on his program.
didn’t even have the guts to show up at the RNC
Typical flyover redneck crybaby rant
Have to say, it’s not a typical redneck crybaby rant. No embarassing or creative misspellings that I could see. No tossing around of the word ‘socialism’, the definition of which rednecks seem incapable of grasping. Well written, actually. Just wrong, as usual.
CNN is a “centrist” news organization? Back in the good old days, we used to call that “reporting the news.”
Is this guy being serious? Sounds like someone’s jellous of Olbermann’s success?