Keith Olbermann lashed out at John McCain, Sarah Palin, and other Republicans on his Oct. 20 edition of Countdown, charging that the GOP campaign is attempting to win by sowing seeds of racial and cultural division among Americans. In a "special comment" for his Monday night show, Olbermann took particular issue with GOP attempts to divide citizens into "pro-American" and "anti-American" camps along cultural and even racial lines, arguing that in doing so it is really the GOP itself that is "anti-American."
In recent weeks the McCain/Palin campaign and other Republicans have sought to "divide and conquer" an electorate that is slipping from their hands by repeatedly attempting to position themselves as representatives of some "real America" that includes small towns and conservative, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant values but excludes big cities full of liberal, cosmopolitan "elites." Real Americans, according to Sarah Palin in a recent speech cited by Olbermann, live in those parts of the country Palin calls its "pro-America" parts, which obviously don't include Barack Obama's Chicago or Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco: "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working, very patriotic, very pro-America areas of this great nation."
This is, of course, pandering of the very worst sort, and has been a favorite tactic for generations of far-right demagogues. It's all about exclusion, and if America is supposed to be about inclusion, then Olbermann is right to call these Republican tactics "anti-American." Palin's words suggest to me that, if you are a college-educated, urban liberal as I am, if you are an immigrant, if you are a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist or an atheist, if you are the least bit curious about the world beyond America, if you have read Dostoyevsky or Marx or Foucault, if you speak French or eat arugula, and if you think it's okay for people to have different opinions about things, then you are not a "real American" and your middle name might as well be Hussein.
"Real Americans," according to Sarah Palin's warped version of reality, live exclusively in small towns and have good Anglo-Saxon surnames and attend evangelical churches and vote Republican. "Real Americans" don't carry passports or speak French or consort with foreigners. "Real Americans" know that nothing worthwhile ever came from a book unless it was the Good Book. "Real Americans" get their news from Fox.
Sarah Palin's "real America" is like the "real Virginia" of McCain spokeswoman Nancy Pfotenhauer, with whom Olbermann also takes issue: According to Pfotenhauer in recent comments, the "real Virginia" consists exclusively of its rural southern parts where most people vote Republican, not its urban north where Democrats hold sway. The northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC are not the "real Virginia," according to Pfotenhauer, because "Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into northern Virginia." In other words, Pfotenhauer like Palin suggests, urban Democrats cannot be "real Virginians" any more than they can be "real Americans" (After all, didn't John McCain's brother Joe tell us recently that northern Virginia is "communist country"?).
Olbermann also takes aim at recent comments by Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who likewise suggested that Barack Obama and other liberals are "anti-America" and that members of Congress ought to be subject to investigation to determine how "pro-America" or "anti-America" they are. As Olbermann notes, Bachmann "made her first political bones by keeping the movie Aladdin from being shown at a Minnesota Charter School because she thought it promoted paganism and witchcraft"; and now holds a congressional "seat from which she has spewed the most implausible, hateful, narrow-minded garbage imaginable." Given the backlash against Bachmann's remarks that has paid off handsomely for her Democratic opponent, Bachmann may not hold that seat for long.
Finally, Olbermann jumps on Republican attacks against Colin Powell following Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama, particularly those from Rush Limbaugh and others suggesting that Powell endorsed Obama simply because they are both black. John McCain's failure to repudiate these attacks, Olbermann charges as he concludes, lays a full measure of responsibility for them on McCain's own shoulders: "When Colin Powell endorses your opponent...," Olbermann says, directly accusing McCain, "...you say nothing as your supporters and proxies paint him in this 'anti-America' frame and place him in Governor Palin's 'un-real America'."
Indeed, John McCain has not only failed to repudiate such attacks, but has actively sought to benefit from them as we have heard in his and Palin's speeches and as we have seen in the ugly behavior of McCain/Palin supporters at rallies and elsewhere. John McCain and Sarah Palin are as guilty as any rallygoer of theirs who shouts "Kill Him!" at the mention of Obama's name.
This "special comment" from Keith Olbermann comes as highly recommended viewing.
Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com
Isn't it amazing, anyone who said the 2003 Iraq war was actually waged because of our need and dependency on oil, was labeled unpatriotic or worse UN-AMERICAN. Now today, while into the 6th year of this sick, preempted illegal war, Republican presidential hopeful, JOHN McCAIN, is publicly... touting that same message. The hypocrisy is so palpable you can smell the foul odor of it.
thinkingblue
PS: It wasn't that long ago another sweetheart of the Republican party mentioned this:
Read More »As Keith points out, Rendell's weak statement sends a strong signal to super delegates and perhaps to Sen. Clinton herself.
What continues to escape the awareness of those in the Clinton campaign -- staff change-ups notwithstanding -- is that this is a brand spanking new era in politics, and adaptation is key. Did Obama expect someone to have a tape recorder in her lap at a closed "off the record" fundraiser? No. But you can bet now he is aware that every word he utters is considered fair game in the public realm. After all, there is no journalistic accountability in the blogosphere - no one can be fired and no one cross-checks facts.
Fortunately for him, Obama is a quick study. As he has demonstrated in the days since the release of the transcript from the San Francisco fundraiser, Obama quickly adapts, transforming his nuanced statement perceived as gaffe into opportunity -- giving voice to millions of Americans who've received short shrift in the economic schema of the last 8 years. The instant sound bite has potentially become another tool in Obama's political arsenal. I'm looking forward to this Wednesday's debate.
I just finished watching Keith Olbermann tonight.
His guest was Michael Moore who put it well: THE TOP THREE DEMOCRATS ACCORDING TO MAINSTREAM MEDIA POLLS: (Clinton, Obama and Edwards) all propose healthcare plans that are half measures. EXACTLY MICHAEL! And I have agreed with this viewpoint again and again on my blogs over the past few weeks. The only candidate with a real healthcare plan that does not subsidize health insurance companies is Dennis Kucinich's plan.
If you look at the so-called top three: CLINTON, OBAMA AND EDWARDS, you may find that there is really no large field of ideological difference that separates them. They rather blend together in the same grey bowl of political oatmeal.
From a marketing point of view, their branding could be described thusly:
Read More »Only the most 'PRESIDENTIAL' of candidates could do this schedule: Olbermann, Hannity, & Stewart in one day.... A real man's man
Catch Joe on TV tomorrow night talking about his life and politics:
Wednesday, August 8th (all times ET)
8:00 PM
MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann"
9:00 PM
FOX News' "Hannity & Colmes"
11:00 PM
Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
broadcast Monday, July 30, 2007
Transcript:
Link
[BEGIN QUOTE FROM OLBERMANN TRANSCRIPT - JULY 30, 2007]
In the House, Democratic Congressman Jay Inslee is sponsoring a resolution to the Judiciary Committee to commence impeachment proceedings posthaste.
Republican Congressman Chris Shays of Connecticut saying the attorney general would �do us all a favor if he stepped down.�
And in the Senate, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee there, Arlen Specter, says he was waiting at least until he heard from the White House today to see if Mr. Gonzales lied to Congress. He says the White House will issue a letter by noon tomorrow addressing the discrepancies.
The chairman of that committee, Senator Leahy, giving Gonzales until Friday to clear up discrepancies, inconsistencies in his report, but stopping short of supporting a perjury investigation if he does not correct his testimony.
Four other Democrats on that committee, though, have already asked the solicitor general for such an inquiry into that testimony. A called echoed in and amplified by a New York Times editorial this weekend. Quoting:
�Solicitor General Paul Clement has a last chance to show that the Justice Department is still minimally functional by fulfilling that request. If that does happen,� The Times writes, �Congress should impeach Mr. Gonzales.�
[END QUOTE FROM OLBERMANN TRANSCRIPT - JULY 30, 2007]
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
It is a comment addressed to George Bush in the style of Keith Olbermann. Read More »
(Video is available at link above from "Crooks and Liars")
Finally tonight, as promised, a Special Comment on what is, in everything but name, George Bushâ??s pardon of Scooter Libby. Read More »
Link
He's been doing some great commentary lately, but this is the best yet. He uses words like "impeachable offense" and directly addresses Bush. It was aired right before Bush's speech -- made for a great lead in.
Please pass along this link to everyone you know. More people need to see the one person in the media who really tells it like it is, with no holds barred.
Frank
Check It Out Here
Just a short note, tonight. Just in case you haven't seen these, here are two of the most important videos of the week (weeks?). Both via Olbermann.
Howard Dean and
Rummy.
Be sure to share these links with all your friends and have them share with their friends.
Here is a link for more information on the ABC propaganda scandal.
And, finally, here is a very important blog to watch. Glenn Greenwald on Unclaimed Territory
Cheers and let's keep up the good fight!
Posts
