Bully for Us?

Now, from the number of his clips I've linked to on this blog (more a couple years ago than lately; if I'm going to watch a news/commentary show these days, it's usually Maddow), it's pretty clear that I agree with Kieth Olbermann about a lot of things. The directions that he and I would prefer the country to go in are, by and large, the same place.

And yet, watch this video, that I found at The Daily Intel, from the other day's Morning Joe (also an MSNBC program).After some conversation about Rahm Emanuel, a guest asks the hosts who the liberal Rush Limbaugh would be. And suddenly, the hilariously awkward tiptoeing begins.

Suddenly, it's that shot from The Hurt Locker where the defusion expert discovers he's surrounded by live explosives. Except Joe and the crew want to do nothing but run, far and fast.

As the Intel's Chris Rovzar says, "Sorry, but that is not the behavior of people who are not terrified of pissing off Keith Olbermann."

Rob

One Last Look Back

Rob

The Book of Love

I'd seen this Olbermann "Special Comment" floating around the net for a while now, but never had the time to watch it. Didn't feel any real urgency to, either, since I figured I knew the gist and he wasn't going to change my mind (or even try to). But I've seen it on Kevin's blog, and I've seen it at Geoff's, and the praise it's been getting has prompted me to finally watch it -- which in turn has made me want to share it.

This one stands out for me: For once, Olbermann is not directing righteous fury at our leaders. He's saddened--deeply disappointed--in the results of the Prop 8 vote in California, and instead of railing against the government, he's actually trying to persuade. I find it much more effective than his usual stance during the Special Comments, which are great for catharsis, but I can't see them changing many minds. This is different; he appeals to the heart, not the gut.



I said my piece about equal marriage a while ago, and don't really have much to add. Other than that I have a hard time imagining how someone could stand against love and still think they're one of the good guys.

One more thing: Andrew Sullivan had a great series of posts on November 15, called The View from Your Protest, about the protests that sprang up all over the country (and even elsewhere) in favor of equal marriage. I can't figure out how to link to them all, so I've linked to the Iowa City post, with a photo I really like. Check out all of his Nov. 15 posts... some are just images, some have on-the-scene comments. Taken as a whole, it's downright inspiring.

Rob