OK, I concede. Olbermann is totally biased towards Clinton.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

KO is dead to me now.

You were right, Clinton supporters, KO has a clear anti-Clinton, pro-Obama bias.

How do I know?

Just look at the biased leading questions he asked when he moderated the democratic debate:

"Obviously, in the light of what happened in Minnesota (bridge collapse last summer), maintaining infrastructure requires spending, and how tax dollars are spent is a matter of priorities. What should we not build, what should we not be funding to see to it that our highways and our bridges and our tunnels and our mines are all properly maintained?"

"Should state and local and, in some cases by proxy anyway, federal governments subsidize private businesses like sports teams by building them stadiums, when perhaps that choice is being made at the expense of infrastructure and bridges?"

"You expressed some disappointment that NAFTA, in your words, did not realize the benefits that it was promised -- it promised, rather.

How would you fix it?"

"28 percent of those surveyed in the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll perceived China as an ally. More than half this nation views China as an adversary. Which do you think it is, ally or adversary, sir?"

"Congressman Kucinich, what do you do if an Iraq post-America, post-America in a Kucinich administration, is influenced or controlled by al Qaeda."

"(from the audience) My question is, as president, what will you do to improve the health and safety in our coal mines and all of our workplaces across America?"

"(from the audience) I want to know, what would you do to restore the rights of workers like myself who want to form a union?"

"My 21-year-old daughter joined the Army Reserves after high school at the age of 19. She’s currently a sergeant in the Army and is serving her 10th month in Iraq. With all the billions of dollars being spent on the war, I want to know why my daughter was forced to buy some of her own required uniform and other gear the Army didn’t supply her. Also, in every war, active-duty military normally were deployed for six months overseas. Why is the active Reserves required to spend more than double this time in Iraq?"

Those questions are totally unprofessional, and biased, and undemocratic.

Why? Because they're about the issues, and Obama beats Clinton on the issues hands down. Totally unfair.

He should have asked George Stephanopoulos style question, filled truthiness, the ones real americans want to hear. Like:

Why is math so hard?

and do Iraqis love us more for the freedom or the democracy?

And Iran: evil country, or evilest country?

[papau]

1. KO's best behavior is not his nightly smear and lie and snark toward Clinton

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

5. Please provide one example of where Olberman lied about Clinton

What you call "smear and lie and snark" I call "calling Clinton on her bullshit".

[papau]

20. no facts and he asserts "isn't it obvious" is KO standard lie procedure

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

22. Again, please provide an example.

Or is it just "too obvious" to you? :eyes:

[gateley]

2. Has he always been?

I ask because I watched a video where his piece was a criticism of Hillary's campaign tactics. He began the piece by heaping high praise and gratitude (?) on the Clintons. I got the impression that he'd been a Hillary supporter - and it sounded like a strong one at that.

My perception only, of course. :shrug:

I do agree now he's in Obama's camp.

[DAGDA56]

9. That has always been my perception of it as well...

...he seemed genuinely disappointed in HRC's campaign tactics...as if she had walked away from him. If so, I'm sure he's not the only one.

[ellacott]

25. He wasn't always critical of the Clintons

He used to be pretty hard on Obama. Craig Crawford used to be a regular contributor to his show and the both of them were pretty hard on Obama. He's stated that he's always admired the Clintons, especially Pres. Clinton.

He has changed because their campaign tactics have changed and that's what he keeps talking about. When he did his Special Comment he mentioned that they were very supportive of him and would defend him when he got criticism for his Special Comments about the Bush administration.

He's stated that he doesn't take joy in his current position but it's just the way she is campaigning that has caused him to change his mind about them.

[LaurenG]

3. I do think Keith prefers Obama though

I think he wants to be fair but Senator Clinton keeps doing things that upset him. I like him because at least he's true to what he believes, even if I don't always agree with him..

[lisa58]

4. Keith doesn't vote

[gateley]

11. What do you mean, he doesn't vote? Really? nt

[lisa58]

15. That's what he said...

...I believe it was an hour interview on c-span last year. Reason being he doesn't want to be accused of bias when reporting.

[gateley]

17. That sucks.

I'm a big KO fan, but I don't think anyone has the right to criticize our government, elected reps, whatever, unless they vote.

[NJmaverick]

6. KO is also biased against Bush

the question is WHY? If it's because they earned his scorn (like Bush and Hillary) I don't have a problem with that.

[MADem]

7. He supports the candidate Katy tells him to...no fool like an old fool.

That's why he's got that Obama Frenzy working--because he is a fifty year old fool trying to hang on to a kid young enough to be his youngest daughter, and he'll do what it takes, as the aged-but-unwilling-to-admit-it sometimes do.

It's going to be interesting seeing how that thing winds up. Better than a soap opera...


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/21/meet-keith-olbermanns-gi_n_92715.html

[CK dexter]

10. Ad hominem much?

[MADem]

12. His frenzy is correlated with their cohabitation. Cause and effect.

He wasn't so much of a pompous ass/"I gotta be cool with the kids" type before.

Dignity is surprisingly easy to discard.

[Berry Cool]

28. Citation, please, MADem?

I am referring to your claim that Keith Olbermann is: a) supporting Barack Obama and b) that he is doing it because his girlfriend is an Obama supporter.

Please note that I am not asking you to verify that Keith has a 24-year-old girlfriend named Katy Tur; that's been done. I am asking you to verify that a) Olbermann is an Obama supporter; b) Katy Tur is an Obama supporter; c) Olbermann supports Obama because his girlfriend does.

Do you have a source for any of these claims?

If you don't, this appears to be a groundless ad hominem attack, combined with another logical fallacy--that of post hoc ergo propter hoc, i.e., "after this, therefore because of this." In short, you believe that because you, personally, came to believe Olbermann was an Obama supporter, and you did so after he acquired this girlfriend and not before, that he is an Obama supporter because of the girlfriend.

Are you a fly on their walls, that you should know this?

Because if you're not, I would like to know how you would be privy to it, or whether your statement of "fact" is the mere speculation I suspect it is, based on assumptions about Olbermann (that he is an old and desperate fool who will willingly change his political beliefs to please a girlfriend) and young people (they all support Obama).

I would very much appreciate your restricting any reply you might make to this to proven facts--not speculations or ad hominem attacks.

Again, can you provide supporting evidence that:

a) Keith Olbermann supports Barack Obama?
b) Katy Tur supports Barack Obama?
AND
c) that Keith Olbermann supports Barack Obama only because Katy Tur does?

If you can do all three, you will have succeeded in making your point. If not, you will have proven that all you have to back you up is speculation and ad hominem attacks, and anyone who reads what you post will know better than to take you at your word.

Thank you.

[SeaLyons]

21. Oh yes, KO is definitely a case

of a 50 year old fool. I had already lost respect for him before I heard he was living with someone in their 20's. Somehow any since of credibility is lost with that scenario.

[CK dexter]

8. Olberman's biased towards the facts

Olberman is indeed far more critical of Hillary than Obama, but I honestly believe this is simply a case of "the facts are biased." I know that's a tough call to make, and understand some Hilllary supporters' frustration with his show, but I really do think they're mistaken. Olberman's criticisms of Hillary are usually fair, and his reluctance to jump on the OB bashing bandwagon is usually fair, too. Not always, but much more often than other media people.

[goletian]

27. its the same accusations the far right fringe make against the media

they report reality and its biased because they dont make bush out to be a god on earth that can never do any wrong. they want news to show the plus side of iraq, not that it was a stupid war with foreseeable consequences that were not avoided, etc. people with truth against them always argue bias. facts are definitely biased. reality has a liberal bias, and thats why olbermann is a liberal hero. the people who still support clinton are not true liberals.

[mkultra]

13. he stated his bias clearly many moons ago.

[redqueen]

14. Olbermann is fair. It's not his fault she keeps embarrassing herself

and dishing up stories that he'd be accused of bias for NOT reporting... because they are THAT frickin bad.

[anonymous171]

16. Issues!? KO didn't even ask her if she loved America! He's totally pro-Clinton!

[Saturday]

18. It is totally obvious that KO is anti Hillary.

To give us a list of questions he used on a debate is bogus. Watch his show on a daily basis (I don't anymore) and you will see his guests brought on to make anti Hillary comments, he leads them to the water and lets them drink. He's no Edward R. Murrow. Matthews is the same. I don't like the media bias against Obama either.

[FlaGranny]

19. Keith Olberman could pick his

guests from right here on DU. He could pick them on the streets. He could call them on the phone. I believe he would still get the same ratio of people making criticisms of both candidates. Those guests once didn't sound anti-Hillary. They sounded like Hillary was a shoe-in. They are changing their minds, like the rest of us who used to support her have. Believe it or not, she turns more people off every single day - Countdown guests and the rest of us out here. Keith changed at about the same time I made up my mind. I always believed he supported Clinton before then. He was as turned off by her campaign tactics as I and many others were.

[Dr Fate]

23. Good. I'm glad to have at least one media celeb. who is biased in my favor. n/t

n/t

[Buzz Clik]

24. Day to Day (NPR) interviewed an ABC exec about the debate. He stands behind George and Charlie.

He says that voters everywhere want to keep talking about Rev. Wright, Ayres (whoever he is), flag pins, etc. The issues have already been covered. (I guarantee you, this is exactly what the ABC guy told Day to Day).

So there.

[goletian]

26. SARCASM - nt