There is not much I agree with on Air America, but when they do something positive, I am glad to acknowledge it. On October 13, 2009's
Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, Mr. Olbermann attacked conservative columnist Michele Malkin for attacking the alleged writer of the now-infamous "
Obama song." In fact, Ms. Malkin identified the wrong person, who, according to Air America, received "death threats and harassment." Mr. Olbermann then proceeded to make fun of Ms. Malkin's voice, Valley-Girl-style, and then said that without her "hatred," she would just be a "mashed-up bag of meat with lipstick." In other words, she would be a victim of domestic violence. (And the left accuses the
right of hatred?) Air America
roundly criticized Mr. Olbermann for these remarks; I applaud them for doing so to a fellow left-winger. It is always good when a political side can criticize one of its own. I also hope that the National Organization for Women (NOW) will be so forthcoming with a critique.
They did so after David Letterman made
outrageous comments about Sarah Palin's daughter being "knocked up" by New York Yankees third-baseman Alex Rodriguez.
Question: If this had been a
conservative comedian, and the targets of the jokes had been Sasha and Malia Obama, does anyone think for a moment that the media would have let the comedian get away with it? Letterman only
apologized after Gov. Palin roundly criticized him for his remarks. There was hardly a peep from the mainstream media (MSM). Why? Because the target was the daughter of a
conservative woman, an unpardonable crime in liberal circles. The MSM have stopped even trying to appear non-biased in their reporting (not editorials, but
reporting).
But back to Air America. I am glad to give them credit for standing up to a fellow liberal, and I hope that others, particularly at MSNBC, will realize that Keith Olbermann is a major liability to their network. He makes a mockery of the concept of the talk show, with his frequent
ad hominem attacks. I liked him when he did sports on ESPN. I wish he would go back to them.
I think the MSM dropped the Letterman issue (they did not ignore it initially) when Letterman apologized. When will public figures learn that this is the best (only?) way to defuse controversy - admit when you made a bone-headed mistake?
ReplyDeleteFair enough, Cyberdov. I appreciate your take. That could very well be the reason why they dropped it.
ReplyDeleteMy gut, however, says that if the tables had been reversed (conservative comedian makes a joke about sexually assaulting one of the Obama girls), he would be run out of the country. You think that all it would take would be an apology. I think that is wishful thinking, and exhibits an ignorance of the current media.