Keith Olbermann Heads to Al Gore's Current TV | Fancast News

Breaking news!!!!

KO to "get Current".

A very interesting move. More news to come.

Keith Olbermann Heads to Al Gore's Current TV | Fancast News

Sarah Palin, Sputnik and a REAL "WTF" Moment

On MORNING JOE (on MSNBC) Joe, Mika, Willie and guests watched a clip of Greta Van Susteren's interview of Sarah Palin critiquing President Obama's State of the Union Address, complete with her use of the acronym "WTF" to describe areas of his speech. I'm pretty sure she knows what it means- and it's not "Winning The Future". Surely Palin probably got some yucks from the knuckleheads who think she should run for president in 2012. But what was really interesting was Palin's response to the term "Sputnik Moment", meaning that event that challenges America to get up, be more competitive, excel, and win, just like the US did after the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957 and America entered and eventually won the space race.



Hmmmm. That answer kind of reminded me of something I saw years ago. From another former pageant contestant.



Anyway....back to the original subject.

Wouldn't it have been merciful to all who still care about Sarah Palin to have Greta Van Susteren just stop Palin in the middle of her gibberish and say....."Governor Palin, you really have no idea what a 'Sputnik Moment' refers to, do you?".

But I guess the Fox News audience would have turned on Van Susteren, called her a "RINO", and demand her firing.

I guess Uncle Pat Buchanan deserves some high marks, however. At least he had the good sense as not to try to spin her words.....and the reaction from the MORNING JOE regulars was priceless.

One more time......this woman knows NOTHING.

Keith Olbermann Exits- A "Special Comment" of My Own

Commentary

This morning I watched Johnny Cash's America, a two hour biographical film on A&E. It traced the highs and lows, the demons and triumphs of the life of this American original. Many of us old enough can remember the zenith of Cash's career in the early 1970's when he had a weekly TV show that appealed not only to his country music base, but to the Baby Boomer generation; on any given JOHNNY CASH SHOW you could find Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, or Stevie Wonder, often jamming with Cash and Carl Perkins and the Tennessee Three.

But ten years later Cash's career spiraled downward. By the early 1980's Columbia Records, Cash's label for nearly 30 years, unceremoniously dropped him. Some friends said that the money Cash generated in record sales built Columbia's Nashville headquarters, and the suits showed their gratitude by giving him the boot.

I'm telling this little story because I couldn't help but think of the departure of Keith Olbermann from MSNBC last Friday, and the similarities it had to that of Johnny Cash being tossed by Columbia three decades ago. In my eyes, time should be marked at MSNBC as "BKO" for the years before Olbermann took over COUNTDOWN, and call whatever follows the "Left Turn Era". Keith Olbermann was THAT important to the branding of MSNBC, which before the emergence of Olbermann and COUNTDOWN was deeply mired in third place among the three cable news networks.

To be frank about it, MSNBC had no identity before COUNTDOWN. The Right had Fox News, and CNN was "the Original Recipe", the first cable news station, the one for the rest of us. Yes, MSNBC did have Don Imus in those days; many have now forgotten in the wake of the flap of his remarks about the Rutgers Women's Basketball team is that Imus would have left leaning guests on his show, not because Imus was a liberal (he was a registered Republican), but he only had guests on his show that he liked. And that included members of all political ideologies.

But it was Keith Olbermann's emergence as the most prominent liberal.....if not the only....voice in cable news that began the re-branding of MSNBC as a progressive alternative to the FOX NEWS juggernaut, and the bland neutrality of CNN. At a time when it was still fashionable for The Right to use the word "liberal" as a pejorative, Olbermann was unapologetic for his progressive views. While war raged in Iraq and Afghanistan, and any criticism of the wars was deemed as unpatriotic by the Right, Olbermann showed that dissent from popular opinion at risk to one's own position may be in itself the highest form of patriotism. The emergence of his progressive voice began a process that saw more liberal voices coming out of the woodwork and seeking a platform. Not only did Keith Olbermann set a tone for what came to follow at MSNBC, but his voice may have been responsible for spawning hundreds or even thousands of others in the media or in the blogesphere.

And for that, we owe him a collective "thank you".

We may never know all of the reasons for Olbermann's departure from MSNBC. Some conspiracy theorists say that COMCAST was behind the termination...I don't buy that, and yes, I am aware of the situation involving Bill O'Reilly, COMCAST, and former COMCAST broadcaster Barry Nolan. You don't show your biggest star the door when you depend on ratings for advertising dollars. It's business, and it's still always about money.

Keith is rich, and will return to TV even richer. And maybe this is a good time for him to step back and take some time for himself. In the past two years he had to bury both of his parents, and saw a politician he financially supported (resulting in his suspension) shot in the head. And maybe in this time when media and politicians are being asked to tone it down and heed the call of the "new civility" Keith Olbermann just decided to step away, and just watch what will happen next.

Olbermann Leaves MSNBC

In a surprising turn of events, tonight Keith Olbermann announced that this would be his last night hosting COUNTDOWN on MSNBC.

It wasn't a gag, or a publicity stunt. NBC News said on TWITTER that MSNBC has decided Olbermann's contract would not be renewed. Friends such as Luke Russert and Shannyn Moore immediately tweeted goodbyes and goodlucks to Olbermann.

Below, his short farewell and thank you to his audience.

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Well...what's next?

It's just my opinion, but don't be surprised if Keith ends up on CNN. Their ratings are in the tank, their Parker/Spitzer is a disaster and is a poor lead in to the new Piers Morgan Show. The entire evening lineup needs a makeover, and fast.

I think after Olbermann's non-compete is completed he ends up at 8:00PM Eastern and Pacific on CNN.

One thing you can bank on...he's not in line to replace Regis.

Rudy Giuliani To Chris Christie- "They Elected You Governor.....They Expect You To Be There".

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on Friday's edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe with hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, and guests Lesley Stahl and Donny Deutsch, and the onetime Republican presidential candidate had a constructive critique of his successor's handling of last week's blizzard, and also of the governor of New Jersey's disappearing act during the weather emergency.

Giuliani said that overall New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has done a good job as mayor, and shouldn't be judged by the poor snow removal performance in the city last week. A Marist poll has said that only 21% of New Yorkers thought that the mayor handled the situation well, while more than 70% thought he did a poor job.


But Giuliani's most pointed criticism was directed towards New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who went to Disney World on the day the blizzard hit, while his lieutenant governor was also vacationing. State Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat and third in command, was in charge while the Republican governor was in Florida. Rudy joins Republican stalwarts Pat Buchanan, Ed Rollins, and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman in tweaking the YouTube star Christie for his no show during a statewide emergency.

In the interview Mika Brzezinski asked.... "Was it (taking a vacation during an emergency) a mistake on Chris Christie's part?"

Giuliani- "Yeah. Chris should have come back. If he would have asked my advice I would have said, 'They elected you governor, they've got an emergency, they expect you to be there. You've got to be there if you are a governor, a mayor, or even a president if it's important'".

There's a famous YouTube video that might be responsible for putting Chris Christie in the public eye. In it, Christie tells a teacher at a town hall meeting that if she doesn't like the conditions in schools that she doesn't have to teach.

And turnaround being fair, if Chris Christie doesn't want to govern during a weather emergency, then he doesn't have to be governor.

But it is the business he has chosen.

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Joe Scarborough Hits Sarah Palin In Op-Ed

Yes, I'm back after taking a few very needed days off for Thanksgiving to spend with friends and family.....and then some extra time to clean up the mess we created, and take a day or so to recover....and stretch it out as long as possible. My fellow bloggers have been doing their stellar job and covered most of the bases, but I just came across this article, and ready or not, here's my two cents.

In Politico, former GOP congressman and current MSNBC host Joe Scarborough takes Sarah Palin to task for being Sarah Palin; that is, being a reality show personality by choice, and one who has practically no chance at all of ever being elected President of the United States. In a recent interview with Barbara Walters, Palin said that she believed she could defeat Barack Obama in 2012.

Also in in Walters interview Plain seemed to downplay Ronald Reagan, a figure close to sainthood in the Republican pantheon of heroes, as well as her referring to President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush as "blue bloods".

Scarborough says the following about the young Sarah Palin and her contrast to the young George Bush, a naval pilot during World War II.

I suppose Palin's harsh dismissal of this great man is more understandable after one reads her biography and realizes that, like Bush, she accomplished a great deal in her early 20s. Who wouldn't agree that finishing third in the Miss Alaska beauty contest is every bit as treacherous as risking your life in military combat? Maybe the beauty contestant who would one day be a reality star and former governor didn't win the Distinguished Flying Cross, but the half-termer was selected as Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.

To anyone who's ever read my blog you know that I'm a lifelong Democrat, but one who did a 180 in my assessment of the first President Bush after reading the book Flyboys by James Bradley several years ago. I may not agree with George HW's politics, but I never questioned his commitment to his country or his patriotism. He left Yale at age 18 and was at the time the youngest aviator in the US Navy. His father, Senator Prescott Bush, told George he could get him a deferment from the draft- George wouldn't hear of it. He believed it was his duty to serve when so many with less advantage then he were being drafted to fight the Nazis and Imperial Japan. He was shot down near Chichi Jima, near the more famous island of Iwo Jima in September 1944. Though his plane was burning, and most of crew was killed, Bush completed his mission before ending up ain the ocean; Bush barely avoided capture by the Japanese, who at that time were executing mots of their allied prisoners.

Some blue blood.

And Sarah Palin?

A reality show star, former beauty queen.....and a governor who quit her job in the middle of the worst recession in 80 years to get rich through book deals and speaking engagements.

Below, more from THE HUFFINGTON POST on Scarborough's verbal evisceration of the famous Half Term (former) Governor of Alaska.....you betcha.





READ MORE.....Joe Scarborough Hits Sarah Palin In Op-Ed

First Read - N.J. court rules citizens cannot recall U.S. senators

Chalk one up for the Constitution of the United States of America, and a loss for the Tea Party in New Jersey.

In a 4-2 decision today the New Jersey Supreme Court struck down a provision added to the New Jersey Constitution  in 1993 that gave New Jersey citizens the power to recall US Senators. New Jersey Tea Party members had been trying to recall New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez. The following passage is from MSNBC.

The only way to end a Senate term early, the court said, is clearly spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, which empowers each house of Congress to "determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member." As far back as 1906, the New Jersey Court said, the U.S. Supreme Court noted that a senator's seat "could only become vacant by his death, or by expiration of his term of office, or by some direct action on the part of the Senate in the exercise of its constitutional powers."

I find it continually amazing, fascinating, and sometimes amusing that Tea Partiers, who claim to be so concerned about about preserving and "restoring" the US Constitution, seem to have such selective memory about it's provisions.


Below, the link to full story as reported by MSNBC's Pete Williams.

First Read - N.J. court rules citizens cannot recall U.S. senators

Now....Where Were We? Olbermann's Return

Caricature above from THE NEW YORKER, June 2008

It only took a petition with 300,000 plus names attached demanding the reinstatement of Keith Olbermann by his bosses at MSNBC, but he did return on Tuesday night, first disclaiming that the suspension was a publicity stunt, and closed the show talking about the events, and offering both thanks and apologies where he saw fit.






One of the more interesting aspects of Olbermann Suspension Affair was the demand by many petitioners  that Keith's boss, Phil Griffin, be fired for suspending Olbermann because of his contributions to the campaigns of three Democratic candidates in last week's midterms. On further review, it should be said that Phil Griffin and Keith Olbermann go back a long, long way, nearly thirty years. Griffin and Olbermann first worked together at CNN in the early days of the first 24 hour news channel. Griffin, it seems, was an early supporter of Olbermann in those days, a producer who saw his talent when others had doubts about the young eccentric sportscaster turned newsman.

An interesting portrait of Olbermann and his relationship with Griffin, and others in the world of broadcast news, was published by The New Yorker on June 23, 2008. Titled One Angry Man; Is Keith Olbermann Changing TV News? the piece by Peter J. Boyer gives a warts and all look at Keith Olbermann and his brutal honesty that some might find over the top and even hurtful- co-worker at ESPN Suzy Kolber was said to have locked herself in the ladies room to cry on occasion after run ins with Olbermann.

Years later, Olbermann's brief tenure at Fox Sports was ended by none other than Rupert Murdoch himself. A few years ago Murdoch was heard to say "He's crazy", regarding Olbermann.

It's an interesting but lengthy read; and it's fairly objective. It won't change your opinion of "KO" if you're a friend or fan, but it will give you a clear portrait of a very complex guy, maybe even a slightly mad genius.

To progressives like me Keith Olbermann is one of the good guys fighting the good fight. Having said that, one can be one of the "good guys" without necessarily being a "nice guy" in the true sense of the word. And to be candid, after reading the New Yorker piece it's clear that KO has moments when he is not a nice guy. And in today's political climate that's not necessarily a bad thing.

For too long progressives whined after they were slapped around by the Righties. Olbermann punches back, and hard. And maybe that's why the Right detests.... and even fears him.....as much as they do.

Olbermann Apologizes to Viewers, But Not to MSNBC - NYTimes.com

Keith Olbermann responded to his suspension in an open letter on Monday, and credited the uproar created by his supporters to his return to the airwaves on Tuesday.

Below, a link from The New York Times for the full article.

Olbermann Apologizes to Viewers, But Not to MSNBC - NYTimes.com

Olbermann Returns To MSNBC On Tuesday

Welcome Home!

After suspending Keith Olbermann for making contributions to three Democratic candidates, and breaking MSNBC's ethics policy, the cable news network's chief Phil Griffin said that Olbermann will return to his show this Tuesday.

Griffin released the following statement.

“After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night.”

Almost 300,000 people signed an online petition presented by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee to urge Olbermann's reinstatement by Mr. Griffin. Senator Bernie Sanders and others across the spectrum of politics and political commentary have also made statements regarding Olbermann's suspension and have asked for his return to MSNBC.

Surely, a very memorable Special Comment will follow.

Maybe This Is What Keith Olbermann Planned- Do You Think?

I'm going to just go and ask my progressive brethren- and all others who might of had the same thought- the question I'm sure all of asked sometime in the past 24 hours.

"Do you really think Keith Olbermann was so dumb he didn't think he would be caught for contributing to the campaigns of three Democrats, violating MSNBC's ethics policy?".

My answer is.....no, he is not that stupid, or arrogant enough to think he would not be discovered, and not dealt with by management.

Yesterday POLITICO reported that Olbermann made the contributions of $2,400 each for three Democratic candidates. Keith Olbermann has said on air many times that he doesn't vote in elections, implying that by voting he might compromise his credibility as an on air commentator.

That being the case.....why did he contribute to three campaigns, in states where he didn't live and had no obvious connection other than political sympathy, and leave a trail that could very easily be traced?

I can think of no other reason other than he wanted the contributions traced back to him. He's a smart guy; he knows that what he did violated MSNBC's ethical standards. He knew that management would have to come down on him. But Keith Olbermann is also well aware that he is the biggest star of the left leaning cable network, and is the person who might be most responsible from rescuing what was in the early part of the decade the perennial bottom feeder of the cable news networks. Olbermann is the first person to give MSNBC an identity, a presence, and a voice.

Keith knew he would be disciplined, but not shown the door. Hence, he was suspended indefinitely.

I believe he was setting himself up for this confrontation, and he did so knowing the outcome. By doing this Keith Olbermann made his statement not about his actions, but about the role FOX NEWS and right wing media has as a money making machine for Republicans and right leaning candidates and causes.

Below, Keith's colleague and friend Rachel Maddow talks about Keith's suspension.



Here's a quick rundown about some of the contributions made by FOX NEWS hosts and contributors to various candidates and contributors, taken from MEDIAMATTERS.

Sean Hannity- gave $5,000 to Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) PAC. He also gave $4,800 to Republican candidate John Gomez, a childhood friend. Hannity has hosted GOP fundraisers, and was to tape a show at a Tea Party event in Cincinnati where admission was to be charged. FOX pulled the show.

Mike Huckabee- the former governor of Arkansas and presidential candidate is a weekend host at FOX. He's contributed to the campaigns of Daniel Webster (FL), Doug Matayo (AK), and Beth Ann Rankin (AK). More information here.

Sarah Palin-regularly gives money to the GOP through her Sarah PAC.

A more detailed accounting of contributions and possible conflict of interest at FOX can be found here, with the names Dick Morris, Oliver North, Andrew Napolitano, and Neil Cavuto being prominent.

And this from POLITICO.....The following have offered support to Republican candidates during the 2010 election cycle.

* Fred Barnes, Fox News contributor
* Glenn Beck, host of Fox News' Glenn Beck
* Eric Bolling, host of Fox Business' Follow the Money
* John Bolton, Fox News contributor
* Tammy Bruce, Fox News contributor
* Elaine Chao, Fox News contributor
* Monica Crowley, Fox News contributor
* Mike Gallagher, Fox News contributor
* Newt Gingrich, Fox News contributor
* Sean Hannity, host of Fox News' Hannity
* Mike Huckabee, host of Fox News' Huckabee and Twentieth Television's The Huckabee Show
* David Hunt, Fox News contributor
* Laura Ingraham, Fox News contributor
* John Kasich, former host and contributor
* Brian Kilmeade, co-host of Fox News' Fox & Friends and host of Fox News Radio's Kilmeade & Friends
* William Kristol, Fox News contributor
* Michelle Malkin, Fox News contributor
* KT McFarland, Fox News national security analyst and host of FoxNews.com's DEFCON 3
* Angela McGlowan, Fox News contributor
* Dennis Miller, Fox News contributor
* Dick Morris, Fox News contributor
* Rupert Murdoch, CEO and chairman of News Corp., parent company of Fox News
* Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst and host of Fox Business' Freedom Watch
* Sarah Palin, Fox News contributor and host of Fox News' Real American Stories
* Dana Perino, Fox News contributor
* Dave Ramsey, listed Fox Business personality and former host of Fox Business' The Dave Ramsey Show (through June)
* Sandy Rios, Fox News contributor
* Karl Rove, Fox News contributor
* Rick Santorum, Fox News contributor
* Doug Schoen, Fox News contributor
* Andrea Tantaros, Fox News contributor
* Stuart Varney, Fox News contributor and host of Fox Business' Varney & Co.

In his way, Keith Olbermann is now putting the spotlight on FOX and contrasting how MSNBC conducts business, and how FOX is the business of Republican fund raising. The GOP has their own "news" organization that shapes its message and raises cash at the same time.

As of this writing 183,314 people have signed a petition to have Olbermann reinstated.

Just maybe, in his own mad genius kind of way, this whole situation was set into motion willingly by Keith.

If this was the case, it might be a brilliant and galvanizing move.

Sen Bernie Sanders- "Keith Olbermann Should Be Reinstated Immediately "

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) issued the following press release regarding the suspension of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann for contributing $2,400 to each of three candidates in the recent midterm congressional elections. Each of the candidates was a Democrat. MSNBC has a policy of not allowing news anchors to make political contributions.

“It is outrageous that General Electric/MSNBC would suspend Keith Olbermann for exercising his constitutional rights to contribute to a candidate of his choice. This is a real threat to political discourse in America and will have a chilling impact on every commentator for MSNBC.

“We live in a time when 90 percent of talk radio is dominated by right-wing extremists, when the Republican Party has its own cable network (Fox) and when progressive voices are few and far between.

“At a time when the ownership of Fox news contributed millions of dollars to the Republican Party, when a number of Fox commentators are using the network as a launching pad for their presidential campaigns and are raising money right off the air, it is absolutely unacceptable that MSNBC suspended one of the most popular progressive commentators in the country.

“Is Rachel Maddow or Ed Schultz next? Is this simply a ‘personality conflict’ within MSNBC or is one of America’s major corporations cracking down on a viewpoint they may not like? Whatever the answer may be, Keith Olbermann should be reinstated immediately and allowed to present his point of view.”

The passage above first appeared in the blog Senatus on Friday November 5, 2010.

UPDATE: Olbermann suspended for Dem contributions – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

Very briefly.

Corporations are guaranteed the same rights as individuals because the Supreme Court says so, and they proceed to fill Republican war chests before the midterms.

Fox News acts as a 24/7 infomercial for the GOP and Tea Party.

Keith Olbermann contributed $2,400 to three Democrats this year, and now he's been suspended indefinitely by MSNBC for ethical violations.

And just how much did parent companies MSN and GE contribute to political campaigns, and to whom?

It's official...the world really has gone mad. This really, really, really sucks.

A new FACEBOOK page called Let's Bring Keith Back has been established.

I'll be back with more after I calm down.



UPDATE: Olbermann suspended for Dem contributions – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

The Citizen's United Case- The Nightmare Scenario May Be Coming True

“The difference between selling a vote and selling access is a matter of degree, not kind,” Justice Stevens wrote. “And selling access is not qualitatively different from giving special preference to those who spent money on one’s behalf.” ......from Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Steven's dissent in the Citizen's United v Federal Election Commission, printed in The New York Times, January 21, 2010.

This blog first mentioned the Citizens United case on February 5, 2010. It was a case that slipped through the cracks of media scrutiny in those weeks preceding the Super Bowl. To bottomline it, the conservative wing of the United States Supreme Court ruled for the majority, 5-4, that the government may not ban spending by corporations on political campaigns. Essentially the court said that corporations had the same constitutional rights as private citizens, and to try to regulate corporate spending and activities in political campaigns was a violation of their First Amendment Rights.

Dissenters, like Justice Stevens, saw the ruling as a danger to subvert democracy.

Few listened in January- most media ignored the story or put it on a back burner. But Keith Olbermann didn't. I posted this entry about Olbermann's Special Comment on the Citizen's United ruling in February

Below, please watch his Special Comment.....a prophecy that appears to have come true, with tens of thousands of dollars, some of which come from foreign multi-national corporations by way of the US Chamber of Commerce, finding their way to finance dozens of ads attacking Democrats nationwide.

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Now let's fast forward to the present. Think Progress broke the news of the possibility of the US Chamber of Commerce funneling foreign money to produce ads designed to defeat Democratic House and Senate candidates in this November's mid-term elections.

Denial is all around, but there seems to be more evidence of possible wrong doing. US election laws say that if campaign contributions are used to produce political ads, the donors must be named.....and they must adhere to laws governing campaign contributions.

Below, Olbermann leads with the story on his October 13 show, with Think Progress' Faiz Shakir.

Chris Matthews Explains Why Taking Foreign Money In Political Campaigns is Bad.......So Why Can't The Democratic Leadership Make A Better Case Against It?

The issue of the possibility of foreign donations funneled by the US Chamber of Commerce to the war chests of Republicans for attack ads is an issue that the Democratic leadership- including the President of the United States- should be presenting to the American people. But in doing this- so far- they are doing a pretty poor job.

On Sunday presidential adviser David Axelrod was on Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer. When Axelrod brought up the subject of foreign campaign contributions to US elections, Schieffer answered with a "Is that all you've got?".

Clearly, Democrats need to explain why this is a bad situation....foreign money goes into an American political campaign from a multinational based in another country with the possibility of damage it could do to the American labor force.

One man who "gets it" is MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who talked about it on Tuesday's edition of Hardball. Below, Matthews discusses foreign campaign contributions in the most simple yet logical terms I've heard from a talking head- or any member of the Democratic leadership, and how the American worker will probably get screwed by the usual suspects. Also on the table is a look at the relative lameness of Democratic response to Republican attacks, and the failure of Democrats to sell their accomplishments to the American voter.

Appearing with Matthews are MSNBC analysts Richard Wolffe and Mark Halperin




I'm trying to stay optimistic about November.....but it ain't easy anymore, ladies and gents.

No $75 ? Let It Burn; A Preview of "Tea Party America"?

As most readers know by now, Gene Cranick lost all his possessions, including three dogs and a cat, because his mobile home is Western Tennessee was allowed to burn to the ground because he failed to pay a $75 municipal fee that would have given him fire protection. Cranick called to report the fire last week and offered to pay the $75 to the South Fulton fire department, who refused to respond because doing so would only encourage others not to pay the fee.

South Fulton Mayor David Crocker said the following (from The Huffington Post)....

""Anybody that's not in the city of South Fulton, it's a service we offer, either they accept it or they don't."

This is a story that has resonated through America, and well it should. And it should be a cautionary tale to all of those who may have been seduced by the call of "government should be run like a business", that "government is always the problem, never the solution", and "smaller government now!". What is on display in this case is a possible preview of what life in Tea Party America could look like.....lower taxes, but "user fees" for governmental services.

User fees- remember that term. Because Republicans and their Tea Party buddies always talk about lowering taxes. But one of the ways they get money into the public coffers is increase user fees for government run entities. When Christine Todd Whitman became was elected governor of New Jersey in 1993 she ran on a platform to lower the state income tax by 10% each year for three years. The state income tax was lowered....but tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway rose, and new toll booths were constructed in areas where previously there were none. New and higher user fees.

Call it a GOP shell game.

So let's examine some possible scenarios in "Ala Carte Tea Party America".

Do you want to send your kids to a public school? Pay a fee. But remember, since not everyone is paying property or income taxes to support the school system, the citizen could be shelling out a lot more money in fees than in property taxes.

What about law enforcement, garbage pickup, libraries, snow removal, senior services, unemployment compensation....and fire protection? Do we offer it "ala carte"? And when the next flood hits in Wayne, NJ or Alton, IL or Nashville, TN does the 911 operator have to punch in your ID and check the computer program to see which government services you've paid for?

Boat and watercraft sales should be healthy in this not so brave new world.

Here in New Jersey families are starting to pay fees if their kids want to play interscholastic sports, and other school systems are imposing fees for students to take field trips. We already have teachers who routinely shell hundreds of dollars of their own money for school supplies because state aid has been cut to a trickle thanks to the New Jersey Mouth That Roared, Governor Chris Christie, now with his road show at a GOP event near you.

This tragedy to Gene Cranick is something that never, ever should have happened in the United States of America. Period and end of story. The lack of response to the burning of Cranick's home, where firefighters did show up to protect his neighbor's home, was a scenario similar to America of the 19th century, where fire protection was done by subscription, and often fires went out of control because the occupiers of the burning buildings didn't pay for fire protection.

The Grand Poobah of The Tea Party, Mr. Glenn Beck, the man who invoked God from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in August for a new nation under God, said the following about the incident (from Newser)....

The argument about Cranick’s case will go “nowhere if you go onto ‘compassion, compassion, compassion, compassion’ or well, ‘they should’ve put it out, what is the fire department for?’” Beck said. “No, what is the $75 for?”

After all, he points out, “if they did put the fire out and make an exception for your house and you didn’t pay,” then “would anyone pay their $75?” (His producer helped Beck along in his explanation by mimicking Cranick’s accent for nearly the entire segment.) The fee is “to pay for the fire department to have people employed to put the fire out,” Beck continued, and to use fire services without paying the fee “would be sponging off of your neighbor’s $75.”

My question to Glenn Beck regarding this matter is very simple. If told another person's home was on fire and helped was asked for......what would Jesus do?

If you don't think He'd call for a thunderstorm to douse the flames, He's at least find a way to help...for free.

And if it were too late and the home was lost, He'd comfort the person who lost his home instead of ridiculing and trashing him.

Below, Gene Cranick talks to Keith Olbermann on COUNTDOWN.



In closing, I just watched the interview Olbermann had with Gene Cranick a second time, and I'm torn between profound sadness and outright rage. How can this be allowed to occur in our country? Lincoln spoke of "our better angels"....and thank goodness there are those good people of compassion and justice who are willing and able to speak up for those who have been wronged.

And as for those who say Cranick got what he deserved....quite frankly, they make me sick. This should be beyond politics or ideology. These are individuals who say human evolution is only a theory, yet they adhere and practice social and economic Darwinism.....survival of the fittest.

As for Glenn Beck....I can only say that this self appointed God fearing Christian and savior of America might be the the biggest hypocrite walking the earth. A man who lacks the basic compassion of Christ, and is nothing more than a cheap carnival huckster playing the role of American Messiah.

But the truly delusional are those who believe his gibberish. And PT Barnum is sitting up in his grave, winking at the poor suckers....and there are a lot of them.

September 11, 2001 Plus Nine; Some Thoughts

Commentary

This morning MSNBC is showing a rebroadcast of the Today show's coverage of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in real time. The "living history" event began at 8:53am this morning. I only made it through to 9:22am when I had to change the channel and put on local memorial coverage on WCBS TV.

I was prepared to see the plane crash into the South Tower at 9:03am, and even to see a repeat of the event several times. What I wasn't ready for emotionally, even nine years later, was the sight of the little black specks falling from the windows of the inferno that was the Twin Towers; they were people jumping to their deaths to escape the flames, going out the windows while Katie Couric and Matt Lauer tried to piece together what was happening, unaware at that stage of coverage of what was happening on screen.

There are certain days in one's life that we can remember in vivid detail; usually because something wonderful happened, or an event so horrific it sticks with you forever. Early in the afternoon of September 11, 2001 I needed to get out and just walk around- it was unusually warm in the Northeast that day, in the low 80's and humid. In the air you could smell the faint odor of smoke, like a fire had occurred recently; the bodies of some the victims in the WTC were now reduced to carbon atoms floating into the sky. I remember pausing and watching a white butterfly land on a blooming hosta, posing and spreading his wings.

And I thought; in a world that is still so abundant with so much beauty and tranquility, why does man try to wantonly destroy that which is good, all too often in the name of God?

Because in doing so they are committing the most unforgivable sin of all, and perhaps the ultimate sacrilege.

The "Ground Zero Mosque"; Four Video Comments

I've made my position on the so called "Ground Zero" mosque clear in my past two entries; the Muslim group that wishes build a community center/mosque on the site has a constitutional right to do so.

Also....any responsible elected official must support that First Amendment right. And that for any elected official, no matter who it may be, to comment further on the propriety and wisdom of building at that site, is in itself inappropriate. It's about the separation of church and state.

And to create a wedge issue on the matter, as some are trying to do, is a slap at one of our most basic freedoms. Either you support the first amendment, or you don't.

Below, some opinions from on air personalities and guests on MSNBC.



Michael Smerconish Subbing for Chris Matthews on Hardball

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Chris Hayes subbing for Rachel Maddow on The Rachel Maddow Show

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Rudi Odeh-Ramadan A 9/11 first responder and guest on Countdown

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Keith Olbermann a "Special Comment" on Countdown

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One last comment regarding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his wishy washy support for the right to build the Islamic center, just not at that site....Senator, you're a Mormon by choice. In the 1830's and 1840's members of your faith were run out of Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri, and then forced to leave the United States for what was still officially Mexican territory- Mormon pioneers called their new home "Deseret", now the state of Utah.

They left to practice their religion freely.....their former neighbors believed they had that right......just not in their backyards.

Yes, Senator....you're in a tough re-election race. But since when is an election more important than defending the constitutional rights of others?

The GOP vs The Working Man; NEWT GINGRICH

COUNTDOWN with Keith Olbermann once again gave us a few moments of "must see TV" on Thursday. In a recent interview at humanevents.com, former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich wrote that extension of unemployment benefits gives the incentive to stay on unemployment instead of looking for another job. He went on....

"The Wall Street Journal quotes an engineer who admits he turned down more than a dozen jobs because the salary would have been less then he made on welfare.This story encapsulates the problem of the long-termed unemployed. The depth and length of this recession is at risk of creating a permanent pool of unemployed Americans, who get so used to being unproductive that they are willing to accept welfare indefinitely instead of taking a job."

You would think the former Speaker, who was at one time third in line to the presidency during the Clinton administration, would know the difference between "welfare" and "unemployment insurance".

But he knows the difference. It was just Newt's way of scoring points with his political base.

And by the way....the jobs being offered in the paragraph above would require the hired person to move to Dubai.

In the video below the man referenced by Gingrich, Mike Hatchell of Lumberton, NC- with his wife Sarah- talk about their history, and the truth about why he turned down the job offers. The bottom line is, Mr. Hatchell payed into the unemployment insurance pool for more than 30 years.....it was money he was entitled to, and the depiction of him being on welfare by Gingrich was simply a bold face lie.

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Anthony Weiner ; The Day After The Tirade

Anthony Weiner, Democratic Congressman from New York's Ninth District, went on a tirade on the House floor after a bill that would have set aside a multi billion dollar fund for 9/11 responders and others affected failed to proceed through the House.

Much of his wrath was directed against his co-sponsor on the bill, Long Island Republican Peter King. In this interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, sitting in for Chris Matthews on HARDBALL, Weiner admits that his once cordial working relationship with King has, to say the least, reached a snag.

And he calls out the GOP as "The Party of No!"......only 12 Republicans voted in support of the bill. Twelve Republicans, that's all, voted to help fund the medical expenses of those who responded to a city's and a nation's cry for help on that tragic day, September 11, 2001. Remember, these responders were not only from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut....they came from all over the country. The "no" votes from Red State Republicans probably affected some of that Congressperson's very own constituents.

Weiner makes a point about the Democratic approach in legislating ...."Sometimes we as Democrats bring library books to a knife fight".

The ghost of Lyndon Johnson is probably smiling because of this guy, telling it like it is.

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