Since you’re all watching football, I’ll keep this short. Many things happened this weekend that deserve attention: GE, Obama and the NFL, Keith Olbermann. . . you get the picture. Try to leave a few comments during the timeouts!! Hey, was that a touchdown?1. Ding Dong The Witch Is Gone
Keith Olbermann, famous for his heartwarming “worst person in the world” award, has left MSNBC abruptly amidst an ongoing civil war between Olbermann and everyone at NBC. Olbermann was known for such obnoxious behavior as making his staff leave notes on his door rather than speaking to him and refusing to talk with management. When the donation scandal hit on November 4th, where Olbermann was caught donating money to various Democrats -- something Olbermann savagely attacked Fox News for doing -- things got even worse. Staffers described his conduct after being criticized by NBC brass as “scorched-earth policy” and “totally narcissistic response.” They also blasted him for embarrassing the network.
Now he's gone. Olbermann's departure was so rapid MSNBC didn’t even have time to pull the promos for his upcoming interviews. No word on what Olbermann plans to do next, but no doubt it will involve a good deal of hate. Indeed, Olbermann has been a problem wherever he’s been. Said one former colleague at ESPN, when Olbermann left ESPN, “he didn't burn bridges here; he napalmed them.”
An old saying comes to mind, “if you go to bed with the worst person in the world, you wake up with the worst person in the world.”
2. Are Ancient Astronauts Threatening Jerry Brown?
Graffiti found in Southern California predicts that Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown will be killed on Valentines Day. It’s not clear who is responsible for this prediction, but police suspect the Mayans.
3. GE: Lord Vader To Obama’s Emperor
“GM” may stand for “Government Motors” but “GE” stands for “Government Everything-else,” and they proved that again this weekend as Sith Lord Darth Jeffrey Immelt accepted Emperor Obama's appointment as President of Obama’s President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. This follows a couple years in which:
(1) GE subsidiary NBC allowed MSNBC to spew leftist hate-speech on behalf of the Democrats, while Immelt told CNBC not to criticize Obama;
(2) GE spent $32,050,000 lobbying in 2010, mostly on Democrats;
(3) GE worked hard to bring about cap and trade so companies would be forced to purchase GE industrial gear;
(4) GE received money under TARP, which was somehow kept secret from the public; and
(5) GE made obscene profits shipping your job to China.
"The power to destroy an economy is insignificant next to the power of GE!"
Immelt promises to get to the bottom of why America is producing no jobs. Maybe he’ll start with the 25,000 jobs GE shipped overseas during the past two years? Or maybe not.
4. NFL Honored As Obama Picks A Favorite
Finally, our Kenyan Overlord has selected a team to win the NFL playoffs. Reliable sources inform us this was no easy decision for Obama.
Obama initially wanted to support the Kenyan team, until he was reminded that he was “born” in Hawaii. . . (how goes the search for that elusive birth certificate Governor Abercrombie?). But Hawaii has no team, so Obama considered the Green Bay Packers, who are located in strategic Wisconsin. But he wasn't sure what they were packing, so he ruled them out. The New York Jets represent more voters than anyone else in the playoffs, and critically, richer voters than anyone else in the playoffs, but it's not like New York will ever vote Republican. Pittsburgh is a union town and they have an NAACP approved coach, but so does Chicago. Hmm. Ultimately, Obama decided that economics would drive this decision, so he chose the Bears for their association with stock market symbology. . . with one minor change. Accordingly, Obama has chosen to support the Chicago Bulls in the American Footballs Tournament, and has thereby demonstrated that he is indeed a true American male. . . the skinny jeans notwithstanding.
Who you got today? I’m thinking Packers and Jets.
By the way, in case you're wondering, Obama picking the Bears IS an impeachable offense. . . it's in the Constitution!
ReplyDeleteOlbermann - nah nah na nah; na na nah nah; hey hey hey, goodbye. Unfortunately, his snarky ass will probably surface elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe Mark Penn effect still in evidence locally. Sunday edotorial (the 7,000 on "civility") drew moral equivalence between Rep. Cohen and Palin. Good grief!
Go Pack - see my earlier post for rationale.
Jed, That's why I'm not super excited about Olbermann leaving, I suspect he'll be back somewhere.
ReplyDeleteBut I did see an interesting point on that. Someone (can't remember who) said that this could be very bad for the left. For while Olbermann was a total ass, he was also a creative ass and was a much better showman than Rachael Maddow or the other also-rans at MSNBC. So this may hurt the left.
I'd like to believe something good will come of this, so I'll buy that!
On the moral equivalency, the left will always try to equate their crimes with someone on the right, no matter how big of a stretch it is. And the media will play along because it's really easy to write articles when you play the equivalence game.
In terms of the Pack, I see them winning this all. Their thrashing of Atlanta was stunning, and I think they're easily the best team in the league right now.
Pack-ers-Pack-ers-Pack-ers!!! I don't want the Bears to win because Chicago doesn't deserve it. The city, not the team.
ReplyDeleteBTW - TJ I just read your comment on the other thread. No offense taken. I'm a diehard Cowboys fan goin' waaaaay back. And I don't like the Jets' uniforms. They look cheap...green...ugh.
ReplyDeleteOkay, okay, the Packers have green uniforms too, but it's a better shade of green. And the gold with it is lovely....
ReplyDeleteBev, You get your wish... the Bears are done!
ReplyDeleteYou don't like the Jet's uniforms? I prefer them to the 1980s Jets uniforms, but I agree.
P.S. I love the Cowboy's uniforms. America's team indeed!
Bev, Are you cheering for the Jets despite the cheap green uniforms?
ReplyDeleteNormally, I wouldn't cheer for the Jets, but Rex Ryan has won me over this year -- I love his attitude. He's a guy who makes football fun, as compared to so many of the boring coaches you see these days. Speak your minds NFL coaches!
Sorry, I'm kinda on a role - Isn't Gov. Abercombie kind of the stupidest politician on the planet right now? One of his campaign promises was to put to rest the whole "birther" birth certificate issue. Now, one would think that he would have checked to make sure that there really WAS a b.c. before making such a promise. Oops, it's supposed to be there, but it isn't. And double oops, now he finds out that it would be (conveniently) against the law to release it even if he did have it. Why, oh why, didn't he check first? FYI, I think this is a non-issue, but why give the birthers more ammunition? Oops, I said "ammunition"... But you know? They have every right to run with this...
ReplyDeleteYes, Andrew, I will root for the Jets. I don't like the Steelers more and I really don't like Roethslinger (whatever), but the Steelers have great uniforms! Gold and black - very classy. Too bad their players are not.
ReplyDeleteBev, When you're on a roll, you're on a roll.... feel free to speak your mind! :-)
ReplyDeleteThe birther issue is a complete non-issue. Even if Obama came out tomorrow and said, "Ha ha, I was born in Kenya," the Supreme Court still would not throw him out of office. It's up to the Electoral College to decide whether or not he meets the minimum qualifications. They decided, and made him President -- the issue was over at that point and cannot be reopened. At this point, I just see it as a bit of fun to have at Obama's expense.
And I think you're right, Abercrombie is a fool. All he's managed to do is to stoke the issue and get all the birthers all excited. So unless his plan was to keep this issue alive and embarrass Obama, then he's failed. Not to mention, he looks like an idiot for not knowing the law before he made his promise. Oh well, nobody ever said politicians were all that smart!
Andrew, having read some of the opinion-makers over the weekend, it's very possible that Olbermann's undoing was not so much his boorish behavior--though that didn't help--as when Larry "I'm a socialist" O'Donnell subbed for him for a week or so and the ratings went up. You can be a jackass as long as you appear to be indispensable, but when someone else proves otherwise--not so good.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Obama's Bears pick is impeachable. You can find it in Article IX, Section 4, Clause 13, Paragraph 7b, "Powers of the Executive Concerning NFC Championship Selections." If you don't believe me, you clearly need to read your pocket copy of that sacred document.
Bev, On the Steelers, I agree, I do like the uniforms. Very attractive... very old school.
ReplyDeleteBut, as you say, their players are jerks -- like Hines "Cheap Shot" Ward and Big "Rapey" Ben Roethlesberger.
And no, the Dallas Cowboys are not America's team. Unless we want the U.S. to be represented by a bunch of blowhards who melt down five minutes into the season (sorry, Bev).
ReplyDeleteT_Rav, That's how I read the Constitution too! LOL!
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, the Onion the other day had a story about the Supreme Court having to redo several decisions because they mistakenly thought the Belgian Constitution was the US Constitution.... it was pretty funny. (LINK)
I hadn't heard that about Olbermann, but it doesn't surprise me in the least. Guys like him start to wear thin and when that happens, they lose their influence. And that's when the chickens come home to roost for guys like Olbermann. Because when everyone you work with hates you, it doesn't take much before they decide to get rid of you. And if they figure out that they can replace you, then they will do it in a heartbeat.
I am somewhat curious what he's planning to do next? I've seen several people leave institutions like MSNBC or ESPN with the idea that their audience will follow them to some obscure place, and almost without exception, their fame all but vanishes -- at least with the general public.
If that happens to Olbermann, I can't say I'll be too upset.
T-Rav, When I think of the Cowboys, I still think in the Tom Landry era -- those are the guys I grew up with.... Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, and the rest (at one point, I could name the whole team from 1978). But you're right, the modern Cowboys ain't what they used to be. So sad.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I've seen some gossip to the effect that he may be teaming up with HuffPo for some kind of web program, which if true would preserve some kind of audience for him on the Left. At least he'd no longer have to worry about any pretense of objectivity--if in fact he was ever worrying about that in the first place. Oh, and I also saw someone, I forget who, half-seriously suggest that Fox News hire him as a commentator--which would be sure to unite the country by exploding the heads of both liberals and conservatives.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I don't really have anything against the Cowboys, I just think they get overblown a little.
T_Rav, I have disappointment in the Cowboys. I always pull for them, but they always fall apart. At least now they've gotten rid of Wade Phillips -- who I like as a human, but not as a head coach (his teams always fall apart from lack of discipline).
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine if Fox did hire Olbermann? On the one hand, it would be a genius move because they could attract a whole new audience. BUT... on the other, I suspect Olbermann and the Fox brass would probably kill each other within days.
I suspect he'll work with Huffpo for now. He has enough money that he doesn't have to worry about where to earn a living, PLUS... it would be a great move for him:
1. If he keeps his audience, then he becomes the new power at Huffpo and he can name his price (and terms) if another network comes calling -- especially if MSNBC starts faltering.
2. Even if he doesn't keep his audience, he's not hurt because no one expects him to be able to keep his audience. So if that fails, he can still move on to somewhere else.
So the worst that happens is that he can wait around for the next opportunity. But if things go right, he can gain a lot of power.
There are two words that sum up the Cowboys' problem - Jerry Jones. I mean, he fired Tom Landry. He is evil.
ReplyDeleteHuffPo IS Olbermann's base, so I am sure that Arianne has already said he can do something with them. I think he should start his own cable network. All Olbermann All the Time. He can compete with Oprah.
I guess we've seen yet again Obama's inability to pick a winner. (Creigh Deeds, Jon Corzine, Chicago Olympics, and... Chicago Bears.) Heh heh heh.
ReplyDeleteNote conspicuous lack of personal preference for any NFL team winning anything, especially Pittsburgh. I just don't care! :-D
Bev, Isn't Jerry Jones from Arkansas? That should have been the tip off about his evilness. But firing Tom Landry certainly proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine The Olbermann Network? 24 hours of Olbermann would rip a hole in the fabric of space-time and allow an alternate reality to start seeping in. Yikes!
Andrew: The Constitution is a living document, and we wrote the Bears into it about three decades ago. You must be running behind on your Supreme Court Reports. So there!
ReplyDeletePitts, What can we say? The man is a loser! It is a pretty impressive streak though. I'm starting to think we could build a pretty good betting strategy around Obama's picks! :-)
ReplyDeleteOn the NFL... yeah, I noticed that you aren't cheering for the Steelers. Is that legal?
Lawhawk, It must be in the penumbras!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: And a couple of the emanations. LOL
ReplyDeleteObermann should lend his talents to a foreign market. He could speak truth to power on Mars!
ReplyDeleteThe Jets was ROBBED! We was ROBBED, I say!
ReplyDeleteBev, LOL! That's how I saw it! ;-)
ReplyDeleteEd, Mars is still a little close.
ReplyDeleteLawhawk, Sounds about right.
OMG! It was just reported that Jack LaLanne just died at 96! I really thought he would live forever. I remember exercising with my mother and grandmother to his show when I was really little...RIP Mr. LaLanne.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I thought we were already living in an alternate reality. How else do you explain what we hear from the news?
ReplyDeleteBev, I only saw him once or twice, but he was remarkably spry whenever I saw him on television.
ReplyDeleteT_Rav, Yeah, I think we're getting some of our news from the alternate reality senders. . . MSNBC definitely, and probably a couple of the networks.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, speaking of Olbermann, I wonder if all the news in the other reality is secretly coordinated by Miss Precious Perfect. (Greatest thing Ben Affleck did or will ever do as an actor.)
ReplyDeleteT_Rav, I'm thinking Pelosi is probably the person coordinating all the news in the other dimension. At the very least, that's where she gets all of her news!
ReplyDelete