Keith Olbermann’s New Target: Glenn Beck

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by Steve Krakauer | 8:22 am, September 1st, 2009

» 7 comments

beck_9-1 It wasn’t overly personal, and it wasn’t relegated to just a “Worst Persons” snarky segment – but MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann turned his attention to Fox News’ newest star, Glenn Beck, for a lengthy take-down based on several days of shows last week.

There’s the whole “Oligarhy” thing – and also a famous misquote we missed.

“Every day he gives away the essential truth that he is an idiot,” says Beck, which could certainly turn into a right-wing re-quote for the next time Olbermann plays fast and loose with facts.

For the purpose of analogy, Olbermann employed Paul Revere and a notable Twilight Zone episode, “To Serve Man,” to illustrate his points. He said Beck went into the “Oligarhy” segment with “the zeal of Paul Revere the panic of Mr. Chambers’ assistant cryptographer Pat and the spelling ability of a third grader.”

Then there was a Teddy Roosevelt misquote: when Beck told his viewers to “walk softly and carry a big stick.”

It was less vitriolic but more pointed than Olbermann’s usual Bill O’Reilly attack pieces. Beck has not shied away from answering Olbermann in the past, but in this particular case there’s not much he can say. With his ratings at an all-time high, Beck really doesn’t need to.

Here’s the segment:

fnc, fox news, Glenn Beck, keith olbermann, msnbc

http://www.facebook.com/people/Joe-Callan/100000200979966 Joe Callan

Keith wants so bad to be like Beck and O’Reilly…unfortunately, the audience he developed in the back 9 of the Bush Administration (yes, count me in there,) had a few more functioning neurons than the followers of FOX News Pundits. That’s why he’s losing viewers.

Upon the election of the Democrats, Mr. Olbermann stopped talking about stupidity in Washington (where stupidity continuously needs to be exposed) and started focusing full-time on stupidity at FOX News (where stupidity is self-evident and requires no comment).

Keith lost his independent viewers as soon as it became clear that he would be spending his time on poking FOX News instead of focusing on the early-blooming faults of the current administration. I was hoping he’d continue to expose big government failures in a bipartisan way, but silly me. Once that “big government” wasn’t Bush’s big government, he lost interest.

Bill O’ recently proved he could tangle Keith up in his idiotic games when the parent company exec’s had to be brought in to make the boys shake hands. As a result, Bill O’ won by default, dragging Mr. Olbermann unmistakably down into the dregs with the Sean Hannitys and Ed Schultzs of the world. I was naive for thinking any different, but that’s what the Bush administration did to people: we were looking to anyone willing to criticize the government at that point. For the time being, Olbermann’s pointed assaults on the Bush cronies were our mental salvation. Those days are gone.

No one needs Keith Olbermann to illustrate Glenn Beck’s idiocy. Those of us that used to watch Olbermann did so because we wanted to get AWAY from Bill O’Reilly-style chicanery. We stopped watching him when he effectively became Bill O’s left hand.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Jones/1384303476 Chris Jones

Glenn Beck has the best show on cable news.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Anthony-De-Rosa/503357744 Anthony De Rosa

Well said Joe. If Olbermann wants to be taken seriously, he needs to prove he’s not as much as a mouth piece for the left as Beck is for right wing loons.

There is effectively nowhere on cable news for people who want to be spoken to like adults.
nfrankl

Countdown is like a re-run of a bad movie.
http://mikechimeriblog.com Mike C.

Just call him Lonesome Olbermann.
StewartIII

ChickaBOOMer: Keith Olbermann Serving Man Since 2003
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2009/09/keith-olbermann-serving-man-since-2003.html
sarainitaly

Olbermann is mocking Beck for his small viewership? Beck leaves out a portion of his bit (Czar), by accident, during a live broadcast, and Olby jumps at the chance to mock? Slow news day?

Did Olby attack them:

Sen. John Kerry: “More than a century ago,” the Democratic candidate told a rally in Seattle, “Teddy Roosevelt defined American leadership in foreign policy. He said America should `walk softly and carry a big stick.’”

Bill Clinton, campaigning for president in 1992, told a cheering audience: “Teddy Roosevelt once said that we should walk softly and carry a big stick. Today I want to talk softly and carry Ohio.”

President Gerald Ford’s comment in 1981 about reacting to the Soviet arms buildup: “The United States should walk softly and carry a big stick.”

New York Times Fact Check:
But he also, on two occasions, referred to his hero Teddy Roosevelt, citing his famous statement about the need to “speak softly and carry a big stick” — Roosevelt actually said “walk softly and carry a big stick.”
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/check-point-the-second-presidential-debate/