As many of you already know, Keith Olbermann is one of the hosts of NBC's Football Night in America in addition to his work on Countdown and other MSNBC programs. With that in mind, it probably comes as no surprise to anyone reading this that the kooky right is mounting an effort to have Olbermann exiled from Football Night in America because of his political beliefs.
The latest attack on Olbermann comes straight from the soiled pages of the New York Daily News. On Friday, hack Bob Raissman decided to take a cheap shot at Keith's knees:
This just in: We are in the final two months of a presidential campaign. Olbermann is in the thick of it. On his nightly MSNBC "Countdown" show, he's marked himself as a player coming from the far left, bashing everything Republican — even John McCain. How darn shocking! Olbermann's not a reporter. Nor is he a traditional news anchor, such as Tom Brokaw or Brian Williams.
That's cool. No matter how anyone cuts it, Olbermann is paid to be a provocateur, an instigator. There are other agenda-driven punks, er, pundits, dealing from the right. They make a grand living eviscerating Democrats — liberal and otherwise. One right-wing gasbag, Rush Limbaugh, once entered the NFL pregame show arena, working on ESPN's Sunday "NFL Countdown." That too was an uncomfortable fit.
And how well did it work out? Limbaugh wound up getting fired after the faculty at Bristol Clown Community College took heat over comments he made about Donovan McNabb.
It seems odd that we should compare the political Limbaugh to the political Olbermann based on the premise that Keith might say something politically uncomfortable on Football Night in America long before he ever did. Limbaugh at least got the opportunity to put his fat foot in his fatter mouth. Apparently, Republicans don't think other people deserve that opportunity. Unless you subscribe to their mindless propaganda, you're guilty until proven innocent.
Raissman also believes that he's qualified to serve as Olbermann's career counselor. Case in point:
Even if you subscribe to Olbermann's political agenda, the following thought might still occur: Doesn't he have something more important to do? Shouldn't Olbermann be preparing for his interview tomorrow night with Barack Obama rather than providing comprehensive analysis on Chad Johnnson changing his name to Chad Ocho Cinco?
Well, Bob, some people have the talent and ability to multitask. Further, some people actually are able to exercise judgment in the performance of their jobs. The fact that Raissmann isn't one of them isn't Olbermann's problem. It's Raissman's.
Near the end of his column, this hack shouts "fire" at a virtual Republican Obama-bashing pep rally by conjuring up this terribly fearful thought:
He has taken on an Anchor Monster persona. If he chooses to, Olbermann probably could get away with putting a verbal hit on McCain in between replays of quarterback sacks.
Or, my goodness, he may also start stripping off his clothes right there on camera. My God! Anything could happen! We must stop him now!
What a fucking asshole.
Look, if Keith turns Football Night in America into some sort of political roundtable, then he probably shouldn't be on the broadcast. But there's no reason whatsoever to simply assume he's going to go all anti-McCain while running through the Browns-Cowboys highlights package. Unlike Bob Raissman (or Rush Limbaugh), Keith Olbermann is a professional. At this point, the criticism -- like far too many Republican philosophies -- has absolutely no basis in fact.
Believe it or not, some of us (myself included) are thrilled that NBC has reunited Olbermann with Dan Patrick, his wonderful ESPN co-host from a few years back (and the host of perhaps the best sports-talk show on the radio today) on Football Night in America. We don't want a gaggle of Republican zealots to ruin this fun for us. Frankly, we're getting a little tired of these zanies ruining other things for us -- like, for instance, democracy and prosperity.
Please support Keith today. Let NBC Sports know how much you appreciate Keith (and Dan) on Football Night in America. Under no circumstances should Olbermann be removed from the show simply because some paranoid conservatives don't want him there. Politely email your appreciation to nbcsportshelp@nbcuni.com, and let them know that Keith's contributions to the show are much appreciated.
UPDATED. So NBC apparently publishes the incorrect email address for NBC Sports on its Web site. Nice. Anyway, the address has been updated to one that (at least so far) hasn't bounced back to me. Spread the word, and please email. I'm watching now (on Tivo-delay, of course), and they remain wonderful together.