Brutally honest and passionate liberals get derided, chastized, and fired

[CatWoman]

OR -- banished to purgatory. while lying, deceitful, hate/war mongering righties get praised, adoring media access and attention, and raises.

Howard Dean
Mike Malloy
Randi Rhodes
Phil Donohue
Keith Olbermann

to name a few.......................

[Odin2005]

1. Shuster.

[EFerrari]

2. Dan Rather, Bill Moyers, Greg Palast, Chris Hedges.

[butterfly77]

48. I don't know about...

Dan Rather I have seen him jump on the bandwagon with rightwingers.

[Capitalocracy]

49. Yeah, it's not so much about being progressive

Rather got caught telling the truth.

[EFerrari]

52. 'Xactly. n/t

[valerief]

3. +666 trillion

[grasswire]

4. Robert Parry, Gene Lyons....

...and if you really want to back, there are more: Danny Casolaro (found in his blood in a bathtub), Steven Kangas ("suicided" in a bathroom outside Richard Mellon Scaife's office), James A Hatfield ("suicided" while working on George W. scandals)....and more.

[stevedeshazer]

5. You're right.

You can add Alan Grayson to that group.

[Hannah Bell]

6. kr. wingers can tell their followers to shoot liberals in the head & no one bats an eyebrow.

they just talk about how beck supports peace.

so orwellian.

beck's a fascist.

[pacalo]

7. What's "brutal" about their honesty is that they dare to tell the truth, which is anomaly

in today's low standards of "news": propaganda, spin, & downright lies.

[Kablooie]

8. If any conservative broadcaster was brutally honest, they'd be fired too.

[CatWoman]

11. i beg to differ

when are they "brutally honest"?

all they do is lie

[Kablooie]

14. That's why they are still working. Lies are the coin of the realm in conservatoria.

[tavalon]

42. That's actually the poster's point

Made me laugh out loud. Bad thing to do while a cookie is being masticated. Trust me. Trust my keyboard, my poor, poor, crumbed keyboard.

[Sinistrous]

15. If they were "brutally honest"

they'd be liberals.

[annabanana]

23. +1 . . . .n/t

[Enthusiast]

39. Yeah, good point, they're never honest

brutal or otherwise, lol.

[Kievan Rus]

46. If they were brutally honest, they wouldn't be conservative in the first place

[cascadiance]

64. A Republican County Clerk in Utah got fired for trying to fight Diebold voting machines...

... when he felt that they weren't working honestly.

Like you said, it isn't that they are kept for being controversial, but for being honest and working contrary to what the Republicans want.

Bruce Funk was an admirable guy who I met a few years ago when he was speaking at a electronic voting forum in San Diego. And he was a Republican too. And he was forced out for trying to stand up for what was right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwHX7zDVkuc

Scott Ritter was also a Republican, and they went after him like they've gone after Julian Assange for trumped up sex charges too, when he was trying to give us the straight story on WMD's in Iran and Iraq. I also know Ritter a little too since he went to school with classmates of mine when I lived overseas in high school.

The problem we have now is that we have a government filled with, and controlled by a mob of crooks, and others that are trying to just "deal" with them, but don't have power to throw them out even if they want to do the right thing. How to get rid of these crooks is the ultimate question.

[steve2470]

9. k and r nt

[slay]

10. It's like

posting a passionate liberal thread in GD-P - duck and cover! ahem. :hide:

[KharmaTrain]

12. Difficult People Do As Well...

I enjoyed watching Countdown and have always had high respect for Keith's talents. Hopefully he'll find a new outlet where he can go and do as he pleases. The story as its been developing indicates a "personnell" problem that had been festering for a long time and where the two parties can no longer work together. I still haven't seen any proof that KO was fired but walked away, again, from the network. Keith has been known to be difficult to work with...especially for management and it was more office politics than his own beliefs that led to this situation. As usual people like to jump to a political reason for everything around here...but this one is personal and thus I don't equate what's happening here with the others on your list. It's a teevee show...nothing more or less...while nice to watch, the sun will rise tomorrow and we'll soon be on to the next "big thing".


Cheers...

[EFerrari]

13. The story that's "developing" is one side of the story because Olbermann is gagged. nt

[KharmaTrain]

16. He Walked Away...Again...

From most accounts I've seen they indicate that indicate that he walked away and wasn't fired. He wasn't "gagged"...it appears that as part of his departure (to continue to collect the $14 million owed him) he has agreed not to speak about what led to his leaving. He can speak his mind if he chooses to give up the money. There are many here who were quick to draw political conclusions here where there's no evidence that happened. It's the usual feeding frenzy that happens when there's a void of solid information and where conjecture feeds speculation. This story happened fast and is still "developing"...from all parties, thus why I chose the word.

The fact he is the one walking away indicates internal politics that made it impossible to continue. I've been in a similar position...unfortunately not worth $14 million...more like 14,000 at the time where I had to leave a company due to the internal power plays that were more about ego and power than about talent or politics. I felt the headgames and office poltics were hampering my ability to perform at a level I expected of myself and the company. One can imagine that a lot of damage that was done during his suspension continued to fester and that KO may have felt he was too constrained in dealing with the current management.

This isn't the first time KO's has walked out on MSNBC and it's been known within the "biz" for a long time that Keith is difficult to work with...has high expectations of himself and those who work around him. I'm sure in time many of the details will come out...and under his "severance" he will be able to blog and do radio, so we'll see if he chooses to use those forums to speak out.

:hi:

[EFerrari]

17. Yes, he is gagged and yes, the story taking shape is from his detractors.

[KharmaTrain]

18. And How Is He Gagged?

He can speak freely...but then he has to forfeit the money owed him...he breaches the agreement. He's the one chosing to leave and its also his choice not to speak. If his "detractors" are lying then he definitely should be out on his Twitter or surely DKos or another site would gladly give him the forum. He's chosing to be silent. The people I'm paying attention to are folks like David Schuster...surely not a "detractors". I know there are those who want to build some political conspiracy at play...but there's no evidence to indicate that.

[TicketyBoo]

24. I can't imagine anyone

giving up $7 million to speak before the gag agreement is up. I would have someone wire my mouth shut and put me in a straitjacket to keep me away from Twitter before I'd give up $7 million; but that's just me.

[DesertFlower]

40. i agree. nt

[EFerrari]

35. It's not a "conspiracy", it is a term of the separation. n/t

[havbrush]

58. KO

I'nm sure it's no coincidence that Comcast just took over MSNBC.

[whathehell]

36. He is forbidden from talking about the terms of his departure, per the "negotiations".

edited for spelling.

[jtuck004]

62. LOL. That's the definition of gagged. What else would they hold over his head but $$$? n/t

[sufrommich]

26. If so, the gag is mutually agreed upon and negotiated

through his new talent agency and MSNBC.

[EFerrari]

30. The point is we're hearing one side of the story. n/t

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

19. Anyone who knows Keith's history knows that eight years in one place was like infinity for him

I think he got antsy, yes....about the new management, and got out......

[CatWoman]

21. but.....but......but.....

[xchrom]

20. recommend

[glinda]

22. If you hire even half of them for one station, it would be amazing.

[warrior1]

25. Guess the tell

will be if Rachel, Ed, Lawrence, etc., sound like they are muted.

[Kurovski]

27. Best post.

simple truth.

War and crime pay. Hatred and bias pay. Supporting those things pays.

K&R

[Jakes Progress]

28. Given the new slate of economic advisers

that Obama has picked, we can anticipate Elizabeth Warren being offered up soon.

[w4rma]

34. Volcker already was... (nt)

[A wise Man]

29. Truth hurts......

so they have to destroy it BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. We the people have to acknowledge the fact that we are under attack from corporate media and crazies on the right."HEIL HITLER"!!!!!!!!!!

[devilgrrl]

31. or they get killed

Paul Wellstone
RFK
JFK
MLK
etc...

[bobbolink]

55. They are more sophisticated now. Murder is not so commonly required now.

[samsingh]

32. unfortunately you are correct.

[Uncle Joe]

33. Kicked and recommended, I believe the commonality is emotion.

Their emotion projects disgust with Republicans or corporate supremacists and this emotion is what the corporate media fears most, righteous, progressive, liberal moral outrage.

As for the corporate media; emotional moral outrage is reserved for the right; because they can't stand on reason and if they lose both, they're shit out of luck.

Thanks for the thread, CatWoman.

[katty]

37. of course they do-yet certifiable insanity on air is king at Faux News

networks cannot bear the pressure of 'truth coming out on the airwaves'.

[Enthusiast]

38. K&R This is quite a contrast with

the lying asshole violent Republicans that get huge salaries for pushing the corporate/racist agenda.

[bertman]

41. REC AND kick. nt

[Octafish]

43. It's OK for pukes to call for violence against liberals...

But if a liberal compares a puke to a NAZI, all hell breaks loose.

[TNLib]

44. I think this has more to do with the Comcast merger than anything

I expect MSNBC to turn into another Fox News any day now.

Thats ok by me the Networks are for old conservative farts that aren't connected with technology. The real news isn't shown on the boob tube.

One day (soon) cable news and networks in general will be quaint and old fashioned and completely irrelevant.

[susu369]

59. Totally agree

*nt*

[8 track mind]

45. That's what happened to me

Let go over BS reasons. Asshole boss didn't like the fact that I was a proud liberal and it completely pissed him off when Obama won. He found a way to get rid of me. It all worked out for the better though. Found a more challenging job for better money, so fuck him.

[butterfly77]

47. kick

[chillspike]

50. I refuse to believe Keith was fired because he was Left

He wasn't. Please everyone stop with the conspiracy theories. It's far more likely, as a news organization, MSNBC was afraid being pegged as a purveyor of hate talk. Not that Keith was that but, unfortunately thanks to Jon Stewart, there was a growing misguided mindset of an equivalency between Olbermann and his Fox News counterparts.

Michael Savage was fired from MSNBC. Rush Limbaugh was fired from ESPN. John Gibson was fired. The thing about TV, it's not like radio, if you say one thing the public doesn't like or is too controversial they are going to have to let you go. Doesn't matter who you are. As further evidence here is Phil Griffin (President of MSNBC) speaking of Ed Shultz long before the comcast deal was even a thought:

"MSNBC boss Phil Griffin weighs in on Schultz as well, and says there are times he has to tone his 6PM host down.
"There are times I tell him he goes over the top and that TV is different than radio," Griffin told Kurtz. "A couple of times he's crossed the line. I said, 'Ed, you ran down the field 100 yards and you spiked the ball. Don't spike the ball!'""

I just think MSNBC is being wary and maybe too careful, admittedly, of turning into talk radio hate speech. They don't want to turn into that. Plus, you can't dismiss that there was a clash of titanic egos at MSNBC.

[newtothegame]

51. Why are people complaining? If we want to be Fox News, let's be Fox News.

And we'll praise, adore and give raises to anchors like Olbermann.

We hate Fox News, we think they're evil, but yet we're whining that MSNBC doesn't act the same way? :shrug:

[EFerrari]

53. That doesn't even make sense.

Olbermann may be a champion for liberal issues but he regularly criticizes Democrats, too.

[chillspike]

54. I agree

This is a win/win for both Keith Olbermann, who has enough of a name now to have his own show under his control somewhere else, and for MSNBC (so-called left leaning news by the Right) who the Right wing accusations of left leaning bias won't be able to stick to anymore.

Double win.

[RaleighNCDUer]

63. Yeah? Who will have him?

Where is the liberal network that will give him a show? MSNBC evening was about as liberal as they go. Where's he going to go?

He loses. We lose. The right wins.

[chillspike]

67. Wallow in negativity if you want.

But I won't follow you down that road. There's nothing wrong with MSNBC not wanting to become Fox News Left. There's nothing negative about Keith being free to do his own thing, whether it's on the internet or his own HBO show like Bill Maher or whatever. Would you rather have Keith still at MSNBC in perpetual conflict with the image goals the MSNBC execs have for the channel? It' s not that MSNBC doesn't like left leaning commentators...Lawrence O'Donnell is an admitted socialist and they just gave him Keith Olbermann's time slot! It's just that people, like Jon Stewart, were starting to see no difference between the angry voices at Fox and Keith. Television, whether we like it or not, is image conscious and MSNBC didn't want the kind of image that Fox News has created for themselves. They didn't want to get into a shouting match with another "news organization" and I don't blame them.

[BrklynLiberal]

56. It's that damn librul bias in the media that does them in .....

[malaise]

57. Great post

K & R

[opihimoimoi]

60. Its the VAST RIGHT WING FEAR MONGERS....THOSE GOPers and their Brown Shirts

[abelenkpe]

61. If we ever want it to be different

then the big media conglomerates need to be broken up. Media today represents the view of the owners. Employees just look out for their paycheck.

[hulka38]

65. Not to mention that liberals like Dean and Donahue were correct

on all of the big stuff even when it was unpopular and were unafraid to stand in the shit storm that resulted. Not only are they honest and courageous but they were completely correct on what they were telling America. That they're ridiculed instead of held in high esteem further proves that the left is not represented in Washington or in the media.

[Rex]

66. +1

Wish we had some kind of fairness in journalism, but I have no idea at this point how.