1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser
Advertisement

‘If Not Obama…?’ – Keith Olbermann Discusses George Soros Meeting with Sam Stein

» 28 comments

Wow, that didn’t take long.

Minutes after we predicted that George Soroscomments at a meeting with progressive donors would fuel speculation about a 2012 Democratic primary challenge to President Obama, Countdown host Keith Olbermann interviewed HuffPo’s Sam Stein, and asked him just that. While both Stein and columnist E.J. Dionne successively threw cold water on the  suggestion, Countdown’s producers labeled the segment “If Not Obama…?”

Of course, we thought Glenn Beck and company would be fanning these flames, not Olbermann. Is Keith Olbermann ready to ditch Barack Obama?

Soros reportedly told a private gathering of progressive donors that “We have just lost this election, we need to draw a line, And if this president can’t do what we need, it is time to start looking somewhere else.”

Olbermann interviewed the reporter on that story, Huffington Post’s Sam Stein: (from MSNBC)


Stein is probably right to believe Soros’ explanation that he wants to fund groups like The Center for American Progress, along with outside groups like the ones who dominated the midterms for Republicans, but Olbermann is on to something when he identifies Soros’ wording as something of a “purpose pitch,” a warning to the administration to back up off of the bipartisan home plate.

While it’s hard to believe anyone would seriously consider a primary challenge at this stage, though, Olbermann doesn’t seem all that perturbed by the possibility. Maybe he’s just got a good poker face.

Follow us on Twitter.

Sign up for Mediaite's daily newsletter.

Email Twitter Facebook Digg Reddit Stumble Upon Yahoo Buzz LinkedIn Tumblr Delicious
  • Pablo

    George Soros is meeting with progressive funders and undermining the President of The United States of America? What kind of crazy right wing bullshit are you slinging here, Tommy?

    Truth? The hell you say! Beckerhead!

  • TfT

    Word on the street is that Kieth himself is considering a primary challenge to hehimself, and that he and Griffin have decided (or Keith told Griffin that he decided) that Keith will use his anchor chair to propel himself into the number one candidate to take on Obama because Obama isn’t lefty enough, or something.

  • Just4thefax

    Fact: Liberals bouncing off the walls pointing fingers at each other. Who will take the first shot?

  • SlurpeeSummit

    Soros is a clear and present danger to the United States. The administration should take him out.

  • SmartAlec

    Soros/Olbermann in 2012!
    and in this corner
    Palin/Beck.
    and it’s PB by knockout. A landslide knockout.

  • Pablo

    I’d really like to know what Malik Zulu Shabazz thinks about this Soros fellow.

  • Cancon2

    And why exactly would the POTUS care?

    Oh, because this guy is financing every left wing organization on the planet. hmmm. So?

    Still, if I were the One, I would tell this guy to blow it out his ass. Soros, unless you would like to get in the ring instead of spitballing, then I suggest George would probably back off pretty quick if BO got right into a big Hedge fund investigation and regulation fit…. You see, Presidents can literally crush people, Dems and Republican ones alike.

    He is like a snotty kid, upset and whining. George needs a spanking. Maybe , if he has a couple, BO might just provide it.

  • murf

    Puppet Master, indeed.

    Thanks Glenn ..

  • Helix

    Losing George Soros is a worse blow for BO than losing the House to the Reps. If Soros can make, he can break you. Need an improving economy to help with your re-election? Need a lap-dog media to fawn on your every line as the genius they say you are? A couple of phone calls and this “support” will vanish overnight. Watch an economic crisis appear out of “nowhere”. And that’s just warming up.

    Crossing George Soros can be a very bad move, even for a president. Especially if he happens to have blackmail information regarding your ascent to power in Chicago politics.

  • rickmelk

    Dan, why four stories on Olbermann? In one day. Kind of disparages real news.
    I’m just glad I’m not his cat…

  • nrgetick

    the messiah say SOROS= New World Order. oh yea and hes a jew too,,.theres a red flag right there,.,.

    Teabaggers Unite!!!!

  • nrgetick

    if soros is so all and powerful why is he getting his ass kicked by the Koch bros,.,., eerrr I mean its all apart of the plan, its like 4th dimensional chess, ..,mmmwahahahaha

  • rickmelk

    “Olbermann’s Cat.” Now that’s a great title for a book. Can you imagine?

  • Alz

    Soros = Earnst Stavro Blofeld

    The reality is Soros owns enough of the liberals in power that he is important. Obama is more of a pawn.

    What Soros is saying is that if Obama doesn’t take more drastic measures to undermine the right, they Soros will find someone who will. …and by “undermine”, what I mean is using as much of the government’s power – legal and illegal – to stop the Right. For example, Obama could turn the IRS loose on people and organizations. The media, which is infested with liberals, will either ignore the stories or they’ll make sure the people look bad.

    Remember, these Liberals in power (Modern Liberals/Progressives) really don’t have any morals so breaking the law is not much of an issue to them.

  • BatBoy

    I’ve been predicting this….

    1st Doug Schoen discusses an upcoming article he co-wrote with Pat Caddell that argues that President Obama shouldn’t run for another term.

    Now George Soros….

    The Democrats are starting to destroy themselves….sit back…relax…and let the show begin!

    Here is a preview of Obama’s Speech

    “My job as President is Over!

    “Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.” … A speech to be delivered by Barack Obama on or before March 31, 2012, Original quote from LBJ’s, 3/31/68 speech to the nation!

    Only 719 Days until we get to “Fundamentally change America Back to its Greatness” by electing a conservative. Presid

  • Bill Mahwer

    Shows you what a slime bucket Soros is. Since we have the most intelligent president since IQ was discovered he should realize how this guy is just using him.

    If Obama had any guts he would throw Soros and the lot under the bus and move towards the middle like Clinton did and work with the Repubs now.

    Of course he doesn’t have the guts for this.

  • Moderate

    The person that raises the most money gets to pick the President and George Soros has a bad case of buyers remorse.

  • ChrisNH

    2010 has been a ‘great’ year. No, economically, it wasn’t. But for those of us who wished for Obama to be pounded into essentially a bag of bones, for his legacy as a failure to be cemented, and for Liberalism to be a proven lie…this was a great year.

  • Just4thefax

    Fact: Here’s the analogy. Liberals line up like Deer before Deer season at the corn feeder. Eat up on all the slop. Then the GOP as hunters climbs into their Deer blinds and shoot at the game as they feed on the corn. Results a clean kill but is this hunting? Right wing conspiracy? Liberals bounce of the walls and point at each other’s with their fingers and wait to see who shoots first

  • Just4thefax

    Fact: No it’s the midterm election results? Get it! Can you hear me now!

  • http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

    From Crooks and Liars:
    “It seems we’re not the only ones frustrated with ineffectiveness of the “curl up on the floor in the fetal position” strategy favored so far by the administration. Perhaps these people have a better chance of being heard:

    WASHINGTON — At a private meeting on Tuesday afternoon, George Soros, a longtime supporter of progressive causes, voiced blunt criticism of the Obama administration, going so far as to suggest that Democratic donors direct their support somewhere other than the president.

    The Hungarian-American financier was speaking to a small side gathering of donors who had convened in Washington D.C. for the annual gathering of the Democracy Alliance — a formal community of well-funded, progressive-minded individuals and activists.

    According to multiple sources with knowledge of his remarks, Soros told those in attendance that he is “used to fighting losing battles but doesn’t like to lose without fighting.”

    “We have just lost this election, we need to draw a line,” he said, according to several Democratic sources. “And if this president can’t do what we need, it is time to start looking somewhere else.”

    Michael Vachon, an adviser to Soros, did not dispute the comment, though he stressed that there was no transcript of a private gathering to check. Vachon also clarified that the longtime progressive giver was not referring to a primary challenge to the president.

    “Mr. Soros fully supports the president as the leader of the Democratic Party,” said Vachon. “He was not suggesting that we seek another candidate for 2012. His comments were made in a private, informal conversation that was about the need for progressives to be more forceful in promoting their agenda. He was stressing the importance of being heard by elected officials.”

    Dissatisfaction with the Obama administration was not limited to Soros’s private gathering with donors. On Wednesday morning, Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina received several tough questions during his address to the Democracy Alliance. According to a source in the room, he was pressed multiple times as to why the administration has declined to be more combative with Republicans, both in communication and legislative strategy. Another source in the room said the exchange was not entirely contentious as people were simply expressing frustration about the fact that “we just came out of an election where the right wing and the Republicans distorted what was going on.”

    Also:
    Fact: Anyone who doesn’t know the difference between a fact and an analogy isn’t well educated. This is akin to claiming that Obama “lies” about the future as if one can “lie” about what one wants to do.

  • http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

    BatBoy says:
    “Only 719 Days until we get to “Fundamentally change America Back to….”

    Reactionary nostalgia run amok!

  • Alz

    GlennBeckReview said:
    From Crooks and Liars:
    “It seems we’re not the only ones frustrated with ineffectiveness of the “curl up on the floor in the fetal position” strategy favored so far by the administration. Perhaps these people have a better chance of being heard:

    WASHINGTON — At a private meeting on Tuesday afternoon, George Soros, a longtime supporter of progressive causes, voiced blunt criticism of the Obama administration, going so far as to suggest that Democratic donors direct their support somewhere other than the president.

    The Hungarian-American financier was speaking to a small side gathering of donors who had convened in Washington D.C. for the annual gathering of the Democracy Alliance — a formal community of well-funded, progressive-minded individuals and activists.

    According to multiple sources with knowledge of his remarks, Soros told those in attendance that he is “used to fighting losing battles but doesn’t like to lose without fighting.”

    “We have just lost this election, we need to draw a line,” he said, according to several Democratic sources. “And if this president can’t do what we need, it is time to start looking somewhere else.”

    Michael Vachon, an adviser to Soros, did not dispute the comment, though he stressed that there was no transcript of a private gathering to check. Vachon also clarified that the longtime progressive giver was not referring to a primary challenge to the president.

    “Mr. Soros fully supports the president as the leader of the Democratic Party,” said Vachon. “He was not suggesting that we seek another candidate for 2012. His comments were made in a private, informal conversation that was about the need for progressives to be more forceful in promoting their agenda. He was stressing the importance of being heard by elected officials.”

    Dissatisfaction with the Obama administration was not limited to Soros’s private gathering with donors. On Wednesday morning, Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina received several tough questions during his address to the Democracy Alliance. According to a source in the room, he was pressed multiple times as to why the administration has declined to be more combative with Republicans, both in communication and legislative strategy. Another source in the room said the exchange was not entirely contentious as people were simply expressing frustration about the fact that “we just came out of an election where the right wing and the Republicans distorted what was going on.”

    Also:
    Fact: Anyone who doesn’t know the difference between a fact and an analogy isn’t well educated. This is akin to claiming that Obama “lies” about the future as if one can “lie” about what one wants to do.

    Well, Obama did lie about the future. He promised “hope”. People expected that Obama would be working to make things better. Instead, Obama works to make things “equal” – equally poor and miserable.

    In reality, what he actually meant by hope is that we’re all to hope that things don’t get too bad.

  • Scott_in_MI

    Alz said:
    In reality, what he actually meant by hope is that we’re all to hope that things don’t get too bad.

    Oh come on Alz, don’t stir GBR up. I’m trying to help him with his Beck Derangement Syndrone that has completely occupied his body. The poor guy says he is so obsessed with Beck that he cant watch basketball games nor do any reading (yet he constantly tells those with a different opinion how uneducated they are.)

    So please Alz, consider the guy’s health before responding to him. While I’ve got your attention, I’ve been teaching him yoga techniques to help rid the all-consuming hate which controls him…do you have any other techniques which might help?

    GBR: Breathe, breathe…happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

  • Alz

    Scott_in_MI said:
    Oh come on Alz, don’t stir GBR up. I’m trying to help him with his Beck Derangement Syndrone that has completely occupied his body. The poor guy says he is so obsessed with Beck that he cant watch basketball games nor do any reading (yet he constantly tells those with a different opinion how uneducated they are.)

    So please Alz, consider the guy’s health before responding to him. While I’ve got your attention, I’ve been teaching him yoga techniques to help rid the all-consuming hate which controls him…do you have any other techniques which might help?

    GBR: Breathe, breathe…happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

    Thanks. I would suggest he read the Federalist Papers. There are all sorts of things, but he should take one day at a time.

  • Scott_in_MI

    Alz said:
    Thanks. I would suggest he read the Federalist Papers. There are all sorts of things, but he should take one day at a time.

    Thats a good one, but the F. P. are full of ideas about the correct way to run our country…that would cause his head to explode. Plus, he mentions on his blog that he’s so obsessed w/ Beck that he doesn’t have time to read.

  • Alz

    Scott_in_MI said:
    Thats a good one, but the F. P. are full of ideas about the correct way to run our country…that would cause his head to explode. Plus, he mentions on his blog that he’s so obsessed w/ Beck that he doesn’t have time to read.

    I know. I often think that these libs are like an old Star Trek episode where Kirk uses logic on some computer or “logical” being and causes it to blow up. I soon remember that liberals don’t use logic or reason (just facts that support their preconceived notions) so the Star Trek idea doesn’t quite fit. But it’s funny.

  • stevor

    Soros would NEVER want to be “president”. He, as a puppeteer of presidents, knows that it’s just a figurehead and also he’d have to give a little attention to all the Peasants.

© 2012 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Jobs | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives | RSS RSS
Dan Abrams, Founder | Power Grid by Sound Strategies | Hosting by Datagram