Not a Good Week to Be a Liberal

[RED DAVE]

Shocker: Keith Olbermann Suspended Indefinitely Without Pay


MSNBC has suspended Keith Olbermann, host of the network's highest-rated show, following revelations that he donated to three Democratic candidates in the midterm election. In a brief statement Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, said: "I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay."http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/?id=319556&t=

Unemployment tops out at about $250/week, so Keith may have some problems.

RED DAVE

[Comrade Marxist Bro]

Unemployment tops out at about $250/week, so Keith may have some problems.

He should try squatting.

[chegitz guevara]

It depends on the state. RI has up to $540 a week, I've read.

[Nolan]

Maybe he'll turn into a leftist.

[RadioRaheem84]

So Keith cannot contribute directly to democratic candidates, but Fox News can employ Republican candidates to be on their shows, even ones that may seek re-election?

[~Spectre]

Apparently this has something to do with the new Comcast merger. http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/what-role-did-comcast-play-keith-olbermanns


Additionally, Comcast Corporation has contributed $125,000 to the Republican Governors' Association in the 2010 cycle (as of 9/30/2010).


A look at campaign finance disclosures for several organizations shows that Phil Anschutz, major shareholder and content partner with Comcast, donated large sums of money to the First Amendment Alliance, one of the largest outside groups targeting Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections. The Anschutz Corporation (http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Anschutz-Corporation-Company-History.html), wholly owned by Phil Anschutz, gave $50,000 on 9/24/2010 to the First Amendment Alliance. The two candidates targeted by the First Amendment Alliance? Jack Conway and Michael Bennet.
Keith Olbermann gave to Jack Conway's campaign along with Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords.
In addition, the Anschutz family donated $169,900 to Republican candidates and committees (http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?name=Anschutz&state=&zip=&employ=&cand=&c2010=Y&sort=N&capcode=895dt&submit=Submit) during the 2010 election cycle, according to Open Secrets.


What's a bit telling is that a growing portion of the far right in America doesn't want to even put up with the fake "democrats v. republicans" dichotomy anymore. They can't even tolerate certain liberals!

We can smirk all we want at Olbermann for being a cheerleader for the democrats, but this sort of thing becoming the norm certainly doesn't bode well for us.

[Comrade Marxist Bro]

What's a bit telling is that a growing portion of the far right in America doesn't want to even put up with the fake "democrats v. republicans" dichotomy anymore. They can't even tolerate certain liberals!

We can smirk all we want at Olbermann for being a cheerleader for the democrats, but this sort of thing becoming the norm certainly doesn't bode well for us.

Actually, no. The American kabuki theater of democracy just isn't about to conclude because a Republican-lite like Olbermann is getting thrown of his comfy chair in the MSNBC's network studio.

[RadioRaheem84]

If I was already in fear of being marginalized in employment opportunities for being Marxist, it scares me even more that liberal views aren't even tolerated much anymore!

They do not want to see the brash liberalism that was seen during the Bush years. They want to see the "rational" discourse that Stewart outlined at shitty rally.

[~Spectre]

Actually, no. The American kabuki theater of democracy just isn't about to conclude because a Republican-lite like Olbermann is getting thrown of his comfy chair in the MSNBC's network studio.

No one said it was. It's simply a small sign, among many that we've had lately, that things are skewing more and more towards the right, day after day.

[Comrade Marxist Bro]

No one said it was. It's simply a small sign, among many that we've had lately, that things are skewing more and more towards the right, day after day.

It's arguable that America has been going more and more to the right since the Nixon era.

Though, for the most part, I don't see it going much further right than this. Our unemployment is massive and we're set fighting imperial wars that never seem to end. The idea of something once called "civil liberties" hardly exists even as a shadow of its former self right now. And Obama isn't about to bring hope and change.

The problem with the present state of affairs is the imperial corporate-capitalist state and political life is a farce in which the voters are kept scared, ignorant, and manipulated. And Republicans-lite -- media liberals like Olbermann -- aren't helping the situation by any means. They're nothing other than part of that problem.

It would be naive to say that things as they currently stand can actually start getting better. They can't. Hopefully, they'll get better after they inevitably get worse.

Exactly what is the fear? Short of an unprecedent catastrophe, the States' descent into actual fascism is unlikely, but if it does sometime appear on the horizon, we'll have better clues than the corporate media's firing of Olbermann.

I don't think you were suggesting something along those lines. And Olbermann's firing is hardly a sign of anything, so I don't really see the urgency of caring about a "shift to the right" like this.

[The Fighting_Crusnik]

Awhile ago on here I said that the tea party was dying along with their movement... well... it appears that not only am I wrong, but it's getting stronger, more threatening and dangerous. As a commentator, I liked Olbermann because he was clear and concise with his viewpoints and he usually had evidence to back it up. Hopefully, someone else will hire him and hell, if he becomes a leftist, that would be amazing :)

[~Spectre]

we'll have better clues than the corporate media's firing of Olbermann.


I'm not sure what the point of any of your posts here have been.

Sure there are better or worse indicators of shift to the right. That much as obvious and has nothing to do with the issue being discussed, which is the previously openly pro-Democrat/liberal network being shifted further right by groups that fund the ever more crazy republican party.

[Comrade Marxist Bro]

I'm not sure what the point of any of your posts here have been.

Sure there are better or worse indicators of shift to the right. That much as obvious and has nothing to do with the issue being discussed, which is the previously openly pro-Democrat/liberal network being shifted further right by groups that fund the ever more crazy republican party.

The point is this: it doesn't truly matter because Olbermann is only one guy and -- more importantly -- the Democrats and the Republicans are two flavors of the same thing.

The pro-Democrat hype that people like Olbermann generate is all theater.

Has the Obama administration proven uncomfortably similar to Bush's on virtually all of the real issues? I don't see the reason to care about liberals like Olbermann. The Democrats aren't our friends.

[~Spectre]

The point is this: it doesn't truly matter because Olbermann is only one guy and -- more importantly -- the Democrats and the Republicans are two flavors of the same thing.


Sure they are. No one has disputed that. But in terms of cable media, the democrats only blatantly had control of 1 network in the United States, and it's now under new ownership that doesn't even feel like tolerating that theater.

You're focusing on the one guy and not focusing on the actual shift in the media outlet itself.

As liberals get painted as more extreme, socialists will be even more ostricized. None of my posts have cared about the democrats one bit. It's simply about the implications this has for us, and how it shifts the range of public opinion further to the right - something no one wants. As others have stated- if brash liberalism is stigmatized like this...

[mlgb]

The point is this: it doesn't truly matter because Olbermann is only one guy and -- more importantly -- the Democrats and the Republicans are two flavors of the same thing.


your gas pedal and your break pedal are both part of your car, but it still matters which one you push when there's a tree just ahead.

[KC]

So Keith cannot contribute directly to democratic candidates, but Fox News can employ Republican candidates to be on their shows, even ones that may seek re-election?

It was a violation of MSNBC's corporate policy, not the law. Fox obviously has different policies.

[Rocky Rococo]

It's been a useful week to hang around the left edge of the liberal blogosphere. While most of them will return to the veal pen, enough of them are disgusted enough to make engaging with them with a genuinely radical critique somewhat productive. Even if nobody is completely swayed, as they search for answers, a cogent left critique seems to be receiving more welcome and consideration than I'm used to seeing, by quite some margin.