The Five Follies of Keith Olbermann
By Paul A. Ibbetson (06/13/08)
For some time now a struggling MSNBC has employed a Bush hating mad hatter by the name of Keith Olbermann. Olbermann appears to be on an endless mission to disparage the president as well as the war on terror, and in doing so has created a very interesting example of the inner workings of the far left liberal. First, in highlighting the five follies of Olbermann it is only fair to give the disclaimer that these failings are not Olbermann’s alone but are general characteristics of the far left. Keith Olbermann is recognized for analysis because he showcases these characteristics beyond what the average angry liberal is capable of due to his platform as a talking head at MSNBC. Secondly, there must be some observance given to the actions of Olbermann that must be placed within the context of the highly competitive environment of the political news world in which Olbermann lives and which he must contend with competitors such as Bill O’Reilly who are consistently besting him in the ratings.
To avoid any misconception that excuses are being made for individuals such as Olbermann, the five follies which make up the angry liberal are submitted:
1. Acts of the demented
2. The jack-in-the-box syndrome
3. The conspiracy theorist
4. The birds of a feather showcase
5. The forked tongue debilitation.
First and foremost Olbermann’s presentation to the public carries a constant appearance of the unhinged, whether it is the anger filled shaking of his body as he rants at President Bush or the wild-eyed glint of the madman when he is in full verbal contortion. Almost every show with Keith Olbermann is akin to a trip to the psycho ward. The jack-in-the-box syndrome; that is, the mindless repetition of the same old scripted performance which usually begins and ends with “Bush lied” is without a doubt a fundamental component of Olbermann’s inability to reach higher echelons of popularity. Now for amusement’s sake, Olbermann’s constant performance as the dysfunctional “Sherlock Holmes”, the man who alone appears to constantly unearth the criminal acts of the President is good for a few laughs but upon continual repetition places his credibility alongside the 911 truthers, code pink, and the Westboro Baptist Church to name a few.
They say that you can know a person by the people they run with and Olbermann’s chummy nature and growing contribution list for the ultra radical Daily Kos has made it abundantly clear who he has made his closest bed fellows. Yes, birds of a feather do flock together and Olbermann and the Daily Kos make for some very dirty birds. Last but not least Olbermann suffers from an extreme case of the forked tongue debilitation, that’s right, he is just plain and simply a liar. Pulling baseless fabrication after fabrication out of the air, Keith Olbermann paints a false picture of the President and the war on terror that the word ‘shameful’ cannot fully describe.
The five follies of Olbermann describe an individual whose actions are not duplicated on any of the other cable news networks regardless of the political slants that may or may not be present to viewers as they turn their television dial. In short, Keith Olbermann is the most overt activist for the left in the media today and his equivalent counterpart on the right is yet to be created, and I hope it never is. I am sure that some birds of a similar feather will come to the defense of Olbermann after reading this article but I challenge them to defend the five follies of Olbermann, for to do so they will have to become Olbermann, and that is truly scary business. MSNBC has made their bed with Olbermann and it is a testament to the direction they appear to want to go with their organization, and that’s fine, it’s a big world and there will always be folks like that out there. Meanwhile, other networks such as FOX will continue to collect the bountiful rewards of MSNBC’s tactical decision to encourage by employment the follies of Keith Olbermann.
Paul A. Ibbetson
Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author and lecturer on the Patriot Act. He is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his PhD. in sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the book “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” and is the host of the award winning radio show the “Conscience of Kansas” on the wildcat 91.9 f.m http://www.wildcat919.com/ http://www.ibbetsonusa.com/ . Paul is a regular writer for the Conservative Crusader as well as 35 other online websites.
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