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.

Bill Maher- NEW RULES For June 11, 2010

REAL TIME with Bill Maher (HBO 10pm Eastern) is going on break until September....but before going Bill left us with some New Rules regarding McDonalds, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, the Former Half Term Governor of Alaska, and the oil industry.

Panelists include Oliver Stone, Bill Frist, Rachel Maddow,and Jon Meacham.

Deepwater Horizon Fiasco; "It's The Other Guy's Fault"

On Day Two of Congressional hearings with principles involved in the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico and the subsequent oil spill that is polluting the waters and threatening the shorelines of the Gulf States, we've managed to learn one thing; it was the fault of the guy sitting to the other guy's right.

So said the representatives of the companies involved in this environmental and economic disaster. Except for the the guy at the end of the table- he started blaming the guys on his left. The representatives and speakers at the hearing included Lamar McKay of British Petroleum (BP), Tim Probert of Halliburton, and Steven Newman of Transocean.

And the situation gets even more interesting because the Swiss rig was flagged not by the United States or Great Britain or Switzerland (offshore drilling in Switzerland?), but by the Marshall Islands, which has less stringent safety standards than do the US or the UK.

Click here for an in depth report from the Los Angeles Times.

Below, videos from Keith Olbermann of COUNTDOWN and from Rachel Maddow, both on MSNBC>

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

For an account of Day One of the Congressional hearings on the oil spill, click here.

Joe Lieberman and The Most Un-American Law of the Last 70 Years

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Al Gore's running mate for the Vice-Presidency in Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, has proposed a law that would strip the citizenship of anyone suspected of terrorism against the United States, according to POLITICO. In doing so, there wouldn't be a need for the reading of Miranda rights to any suspect.

The key word here is suspect.

Lieberman's proposal comes in the wake of the arrest of Faisal Shahzad, the man arrested for allegedly parking a vehicle full of explosives in Times Square last Saturday. Shahzad is a native of Pakistan but a naturalized American citizen.

Below, an excerpt of a statement by Sen Lieberman, from POLITICO.

“I’m now putting together legislation to amend that to [specify that] any individual American citizen who is found to be involved in a foreign terrorist organization, as defined by the Department of State, would be deprived of their citizenship rights,” Lieberman said Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36741.html#ixzz0n6miWJee

There's a few problems with the Senator's logic....besides the fact that it tramples on the United States Constitution, as that it probably violates the Fourth, Fifth, and most importantly the Fourteenth Amendments. The Fourteenth Amendment reads in part....

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

So what about those lawmakers- like Lieberman, John McCain, and Congressman Peter King, for example- who are constantly wringing their hands about "activist judges", and want a "strict interpretation" of the United States Constitution? What is so hard to interpret in ....no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws ?





Look....I despise those who want to do us harm, cowardly terrorists, those simply bent on cold blooded murder. But do we alter our Constitution out of fear, or to score political points? Because that's the bottom line. That's what this is all about.

Consider this fictional scenario....we'll call the man Hamid Khan. He works in New York City, and is a computer systems analyst. He is a naturalized American citizen, born in Lebanon. One day he emails his cousin Ibrihim in Beiruit. They haven't spoken since childhood. Ibrihim asks Hamid about Madison Square Garden; he tells Hamid he he plays semi-pro basketball in Lebanon....Hamid emails some pictures of the MSG to his cousin, unaware that that Ibrihim is a member of a terrorist organization; they are collecting potential targets for an attack in New York City.

Under the law proposed by Joe Lieberman, an innocent man could potentially be arrested as a conspirator, have his citizenship stripped, not given his Miranda rights, sent to confinement in Guantanamo, where he would be questioned and imprisoned indefinitely until a military tribunal would decide what to do with him.

And do we apply this to suspected "homegrown" terrorists, like Timothy McVeigh, or Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold clones- when does mass murder graduate to terrorism? Do we just apply the law on Muslim extremists and ship them to Gitmo, and let the blond blue eyed mass murderers face the music in civilian courts?

History always repeats itself; in the 1940's American citizens of Japanese decent were rounded up by the tens of thousands without due process and herded into interment camps for the duration of World War II. This never happened to German Americans or Italian Americans....yes, resident German and Italian aliens were interred in the United States, but the Japanese-Americans were given "special handling". Due process was trampled on then, as would due process be trampled on now if this proposal by Joe Lieberman, this subjugation of out Constitution, is allowed to pass.

Lieberman's proposed law is meant to send any suspected terrorist to a military tribunal. Its that simple. Frankly, that is a slap in the face of our civil courts. Our judicial system did manage to do a pretty good job of dealing with McVeigh, who got the needle he so richly deserved.

And by the way...where are the Tea Partiers now with their selective love of the Constitution and its heart and soul, our Bill of Rights?

I guess "due process" and the definition of citizenship must take a permanent back seat to gun rights and freedom of assembly with those guys.

Below, two videos from Rachel Maddow on the Faisal Shahzad case, and the reaction to his arrest, and to due process from "the usual suspects". Pay attention to the second video featuring Constitutional attorney Jonathan Turley of the George Washington University Law School regarding the probable unconstitutionality of Leiberman's proposed law.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And for even more on this subject, here's more from Rachel Weiner of THE WASHINGTON POST.

Quick Hits 4/21/10 Video Edition- Gun Guys Gone Wild, NJ Guv Hits The Big Time, and Stewart vs. Goldberg

There were several topics I made a mental note of yesterday that I wanted to touch on a bit later. So Im modifying the "Quick Hits" format for a video presentation, with some comments thrown in as well

(1)Yesterday I was about to do some political commentary regrading the news of the day, and I had the RACHEL MADDOW SHOW on in the background, just catching up on the people, places, and things that were relevant on the day. All was well until she presented her third segment, which consisted of the concurrent Pro Second Amendment rallies in Virginia and Washington DC. I have no problem with these pro gun advocates showing up in mass in a peaceful demonstration, though I am an advocate of gun control. They have a right to freedom of assembly, as guaranteed in the Constitution. I do have a problem with the timing of the rallies, held on the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh. Though organizers contend that it was in remembrance of Patriot's Day (when the first shots of the American Revolution were fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775), the failure of these gun rights advocates to recognize that holding rallies on the day a fanatic- and fellow Second Amendment zealot- decided to wage war on his own country and murder innocent men, women, and children was to say the least problematic to me, and probably to many other Americans.

Even more disturbing were some of the voices on the Right who refuse to see that actions and words do have dire consequences- among them Limbaugh, Hannity, Bachmann, and The NEW YORK POST- some of whom suggest that President Bill Clinton was responsible the Oklahoma City bombing because of the handling of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians at Waco in 1993 by the Feds. And to see Congressman Paul Broun addressing a Second Amendment rally attacking the federal government- of which he is part- I found more than disturbing and incredibly hypocritical. Mr. Broun might want to take a look at the city he lives and works in, Washington DC, where hundreds of thousands of Americans are denied equal representation in the House and in the Senate because of an oversight by our Founding Fathers- further proof that not even they were infallible. Perhaps Paul Broun, Michelle Bachmann, Steve King, and all others on the Right turning over stones to find misuse of the federal government should start looking under their noses.

By the time the Limbaugh segment of this video came around, I was so angry I turned the TV off....but I took a look at it this morning. Here it is, ladies and gents...a segment of the RACHEL MADDOW SHOW that made me want to blow my brains out.

And by the way....I am a gun owner, but never a gun nut.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(2) It only took New Jersey Governor Chris Christie a couple of months in office to make Keith Olbermann's WORST PERSONS list. And from the adversarial posturing this formal federal prosecutor has done in his first few months in office, somebody should remind him- he's a governor now, not arguing a case before a jury trying to show that the Other Guy deserves to be punished with a lengthy prison term.

While Christie continues to attack the spending practices of cities, towns, and boards of education.....not to mention the Federal Government and the previous Corzine administration...it seems that the staff payroll under this "cost cutting" Republican fiscal conservative has actually increased under his watch.

For all of his bluster of "shared sacrifice" his payroll has increased from the Corzine administration by $600,000.

From The Home News Tribune- a publication that endorsed Christie's election in 2009- is part of the response of his administration.

They accused Corzine of planting staff in other departments so his own staff's payroll would look smaller. They noted the need to staff the new lieutenant governor's office. And since Christie is married, his wife receives two aides as well.

Fair enough, perhaps. But in the end, even using the administration's own numbers, Christie has still increased the payroll of the governor's staff by about $600,000, with a higher average salary and more six-figure salaries among the employees.

That doesn't sound like shared sacrifice to us.

Also, when Christie was confronted by reporters after voting in yesterday's school budget vote, one of his counter attacks was "shoddy reporting" by the ASSOCIATED PRESS.

Below....Chris Christie makes his entry as #3 on the WORST PERSONS list.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(3) And finally....after all of this heavy lifting, its time for a laugh. Last week Jon Stewart told Fox News to "go f%#k themselves". And on THE O'REILLY FACTOR Fox mouthpiece Bernard Goldberg got mad, and then decided to get even. Bernie called out Jon, more or less calling him a no talent Jay Leno clone who gets away with using the "F Bomb".

But of course....Goldberg only provided more material for Jon, who gave us this classic counter attack; be patient the last couple of minutes are set to music.



A quick edit.... I removed the video because of a problem with the html; BLOGGER wouldn't save it. But if you want to see Jon Stewart at his best, check out Bernie Goldberg Strikes Back on COMEDY CENTRAL"s Daily Show page


That's all folks! I'll be back later.


Just one more edit.... While on COMEDY CENTRAL I checked out Stewart's interview with John O'Hara, one of the founders of the Tea Party movement....and it was an eye opener. O'Hara came across as an articulate and fiscally responsible concerned citizen- and a conservative libertarian- who seems to be as disaffected by most Republicans as well Democrats, and was able to state his case minus the angry rhetoric and finger pointing.

THE DAILY SHOW is far from being a news program, but there are many times when it can be of more benefit than the 24 hour news machines. Both Stewart and O'Hara were able to sit, talk, and laugh while O'Hara stateed his case about his movement being more than just about angry middle aged Obama hating white guys and assorted wingnuts.

Maybe their movement should showcase him more often and ask Bachmann, Palin, Broun, and all of the assorted other loudmouths to stay home and watch the proceedings from the friendly confines of their rec room couch.

One last edit....no, I really mean it this time.....The usual suspects at Fox are going bonkers about Jon Stewart mocking them. To get a feel for what is being said (and comments by Fox news supporters), take a look at the latest YouTube videos tagged "Jon Stewart". He certainly struck a nerve.

A job well done Jon!

The Goldman Sachs Debacle Explained In A Way Even A Financial Idiot (Like Me) Can Understand

For months now Main Street has been railing against Wall Street. The little guys who saw their life savings and stock portfolios tank in the Crash of '08 know how it happened.

The big questions were (1) Who was going to be held accountable? (2) Will the government step in and do something to force accountability? (3)And finally, why has it taken so darn long?

Yesterday something did happen. The Security and Exchange Commission sued Goldman Sachs and VP Fabrice Tourre alleging fraud in the marketing of the ABACUS 2007-AC1 securities.

To get a a chronological snapshot of what happened, here's a time line, taken from the business section of The Los Angeles Times.

May 2006 -- Henry M. Paulson resigns as Goldman chairman to become Treasury secretary.

April 2007 -- Goldman Vice President Fabrice Tourre creates ABACUS 2007-AC1, a security based on high-risk subprime mortgages.

2007 -- Goldman traders begin betting against the mortgage market.

2007 -- Goldman Chairman Lloyd Blankfein receives a $68-million compensation package.

September 2008 -- Hit by the financial downturn, Goldman becomes a bank holding company so it can access federal funds more easily.

October 2008 -- Goldman receives a $10-billion taxpayer bailout from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.

June 2009 -- Goldman pays back the TARP money plus 23% interest.

November -- Blankfein says in an interview that he is doing "God's work."

January -- Goldman announces a record quarterly profit of

$4.9 billion.

April -- The Securities and Exchange Commission sues Goldman and Tourre, alleging fraud in the marketing of the firm's ABACUS 2007-AC1 securities.

Now to explain it in terms even a five year old could understand- but apparently at least one United States Senator doesn't- here's Rachel Maddow with guest Eugene Robinson.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Are you still a little fuzzy as to why this is important?

OK....check out this video, from the CBS EVENING NEWS with Katie Couric.



We've seen action taken by the SEC in this matter, and as shown in the first video with Rachel Maddow, no matter how serious the situation is, and how injurious such activities such as those Goldman Sachs is accused of were to investors in the United States and worldwide, the Republican leadership in the Senate is against further regulation of Wall Street. As shown all 41 Senate Republicans have lined up against reform.

While the GOP'ers in the Senate were galvanizing against reform on the very day the SEC brought action against Goldman Sachs, the President of the United States sent the following email to millions of voters across the United States.

It has now been well over a year since the near collapse of our entire financial system that cost the nation more than 8 million jobs. To this day, hard-working families struggle to make ends meet.

We've made strides -- businesses are starting to hire, Americans are finding jobs, and neighbors who had given up looking are returning to the job market with new hope. But the flaws in our financial system that led to this crisis remain unresolved.

Wall Street titans still recklessly speculate with borrowed money. Big banks and credit card companies stack the deck to earn millions while far too many middle-class families, who have done everything right, can barely pay their bills or save for a better future.

We cannot delay action any longer. It is time to hold the big banks accountable to the people they serve, establish the strongest consumer protections in our nation's history -- and ensure that taxpayers will never again be forced to bail out big banks because they are "too big to fail."

That is what Wall Street reform will achieve, why I am so committed to making it happen, and why I'm asking for your help today.

Please stand with me to show your support for Wall Street reform.

We know that without enforceable, commonsense rules to check abuse and protect families, markets are not truly free. Wall Street reform will foster a strong and vibrant financial sector so that businesses can get loans; families can afford mortgages; entrepreneurs can find the capital to start a new company, sell a new product, or offer a new service.

Consumer financial protections are currently spread across seven different government agencies. Wall Street reform will create one single Consumer Financial Protection Agency -- tasked with preventing predatory practices and making sure you get the clear information, not fine print, needed to avoid ballooning mortgage payments or credit card rate hikes.

Reform will provide crucial new oversight, give shareholders a say on salaries and bonuses, and create new tools to break up failing financial firms so that taxpayers aren't forced into another unfair bailout. And reform will keep our economy secure by ensuring that no single firm can bring down the whole financial system.

With so much at stake, it is not surprising that allies of the big banks and Wall Street lenders have already launched a multi-million-dollar ad campaign to fight these changes. Arm-twisting lobbyists are already storming Capitol Hill, seeking to undermine the strong bipartisan foundation of reform with loopholes and exemptions for the most egregious abusers of consumers.

I won't accept anything short of the full protection that our citizens deserve and our economy needs. It's a fight worth having, and it is a fight we can win -- if we stand up and speak out together.

So I'm asking you to join me, starting today, by adding your name as a strong supporter of Wall Street reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/StandForWallStreetReform

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

There is a new ( but familiar) question that each Republican Senator has to ask themselves. Twenty years from now when history looks back on the cries from Main Street America for Wall Street Reform, where will you be remembered; siding with the fat cats , or doing right for the little guys who lost everything but their today and probably their future as well?

Right Wing Blogger Calls On Supporters To Vandalize Democratic Party Offices

Above- Rachel Maddow

Mike Vanderboegh, an Alabama based blogger, survivalist, and militia leader, has called on his readers to throw bricks through the windows of local Democratic Party headquarters throughout America to send a message to the Democratic elected officials, voters and supporters.

At least five incidents of windows or doors being smashed by bricks, some with messages attached, have been reported by Democratic field offices from New York to Arizona in recent days.

Vanderboegh, who writes an anti government blog called Sipsey Street Irregulars, has been reported to be on Social Security disability.

Below, a report from Rachel Maddow on The Rachel Maddow Show.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy