01/23/2011
The mentality of media executives has always puzzled me, even after almost forty years in the business. Why would MSNBC fire top-rated Countdown host Keith Olbermann — which is what seems to have happened? Sure, he was a loud-mouthed left-wing loony (for a collection of VDARE.com commentary on him, see here; scroll down here to read Steve Sailer’s hilarious discussion of what Olberman’s professsed Unitarianism might mean). And his attack on me two years ago was a farrago of lies (or slapdash research. HuffPo blogger Mitchell Bard’s claim that Olbermann’s shows "were well-researched and relied on facts to make his progressive points" is just another example of a silly liberal falling for his own side’s propaganda, like Hawaii’s hapless Governor Neil Abercrombie).But so what? If we're firing lying left-wing loonies, let’s start with the editorial board of the New York Times, which has attacked VDARE.com in an equally mendacious way. At least Olbermann never claimed to be objective. And at least MSNBC carries Pat Buchanan.
I didn’t think much of MSNBC’s apparent hissy fit last November because Olbermann was found to have contributed to various Democratic campaigns. Did anyone have any doubt where Olbermann stood politically? And he wasn’t hiding anything. All campaign contributions are disclosed — as will be the one I was proud to make (my first ever!) to Tom Tancredo’s heroic gubernatorial campaign in Colorado. It looked to me like a legalistic insistence on ethical form over substance.
In fact, I suspect that this firing wasn’t really about politics at all. After all, the appalling Rachel Maddow is still at MSNBC — indeed, one informed view is that her position has been strengthened by Olbermann’s ouster. The simple human truth is that media bureaucrats are very often jealous of the visible "talent", just as some editors (not — ahem! — me), are jealous of their by-lined writers. And Olbermann doesn’t sound like the type of personality to soothe anyone’s pride.
Maybe the MSNBC munchkins are congratulating themselves on striking an underhanded blow for "civility" in public discourse. But American discourse is already too "civil" — hence the curse of Political Correctness. I would be happy to ignore Olbermann on TV if there was anywhere in the MSM where immigration, or racial IQ patterns, or Affirmative Action, could be honestly discussed. But there isn’t. That’s why we have VDARE.com.
Ironically, I have no doubt that Olbermann himself would like to close us down. But (not for the first time) I turn the other cheek.
And you never know. The similarly-defenestrated Lou Dobbs has apparently changed sides on immigration. Perhaps Olbermann will change sides too! After all, his nationally-syndicated fellow-leftist radio talk show fan Thom Hartmann seems to get the impact on working class wages. How hard can it be?
This is a content archive of VDARE.com, which Letitia James forced off of the Internet using lawfare.