It has been interesting to read everyone's comments here about the 5-year anniversary of MSNBC's Countdown. As someone who rarely -- if ever -- watches television, I surprisingly found myself celebrating as well.
Much has happened over the past five years about which readers here will need no reminding – the invasion and occupation of Iraq, where more than 4,000 young Americans have lost their lives; the almost daily assault on American civil liberties; the rise of secret prisons into which people disappear not to be heard from in years, if at all; and bone-chilling discussions about what kinds of torture the U.S. government sanctions (and those it only practices behind closed doors). Oh yes, and then there was the flooding of New Orleans that briefly threatened to disrupt our president’s lengthy summer vacation.
What a long, strange half a decade it has been.
During those same five years, many of us, even those of us in places like Montana, have turned off our television in exchange for doing our part as American citizens to push back against the frightening direction our country has taken. We have stood on street corners to protest the invasion and on-going occupation of Iraq. We have written letters to our Congressional representatives, to our local newspaper, and to national papers like the New York Times. We have volunteered to register new voters and then worked to get out the vote in each election.
There came a point this past winter, however, when I began to feel that, at least for me, it had all been for naught, believing that the Bush administration had finally won. For no matter how hard we all tried – even electing a slew of new Democrats into Congress – it was not enough to change the country's direction. Congress continued to play a deadly game of chess with our troops, and Democratic leaders still seem willing to let the Clinton campaign wage its own war on the party without an exit strategy in sight.
As for the Republicans ... well, one only has to look to Dick Cheney’s response to Martha Raddatz when she noted that two-thirds of Americans no longer believe the war on Iraq is worth fighting. "So?" our so-called elected leader replied with a smile.
Where was the national outrage? What ever happened to the idea of a loyal opposition? I genuinely had lost hope that any of our voices would ever be heard.
Then I discovered Keith Olbermann. It was love at first sight.
Part wry comedian, part sharp-nosed newshound, and one hundred percent patriot, Olbermann is one of the more astute social and political commentator I have ever had the pleasure of reading – much less watch on television. I admire how he highlights the best and the worst in America, from his poignant tribute to his former teacher, Walter Schneller, to his relentless pillorying of Walmart’s decision to sue a disabled former employee for the medical benefits she received.
I also appreciate that as both a citizen and a journalist, Olbermann responds with appropriate anger and searing accuracy when he sees an inequity or abuse of power, like when the news broke that the Bush administration had fired Daniel Levin for defining waterboarding as torture or when Hillary Clinton failed to speak out against Geraldine Ferraro’s comments about race. As Olbermann commented about Levin, there are those "who believe in the United States of America as true freedom, where we are better, not because of schemes and wars, but because of dreams and morals."
But there’s much more to love about Keith Olbermann than his widely circulated and understandably furious commentaries.
What keeps me tuning in is his seemingly endless knowledge of popular culture, from his reference to the brilliant Cold War send up, "The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming," to his clear passion for old-time radio comedians like Bob and Ray. Olbermann’s erudite asides make the show worth watching even as he gamely plods through some sort of homage – if you can call it that – to American Idol or whatever else his producer happens to push onto his desk to wrap up an evening’s show.
Most importantly, though, Olbermann has the rare ability to engage in intelligent discussions about the state of the nation with knowledgeable commentators like Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter and Richard Wolffe, and the clearly brilliant and articulate Rachel Maddow of Air America. Unlike other nightly news hosts, Olbermann encourages and challenges these analysts to actually analyze the news rather than make leaden pronouncements about it, or try to shout one another down as is common on other shows.
These are the kinds of meaningful conversations, if you are fortunate, you might engage in from time to time around your dinner table or at your local watering hole, but I, for one, never thought I would find on television. It gives one hope that at least some Americans are informed about current events and are paying attention to what is happening in this country.
In short, Keith Olbermann gives voice to all of us who believe, in Olbermann’s words, that "dissent and disagreement with government is the life’s blood of human freedom." He makes me feel that my own voice, and others like mine, have not gone unheeded. And that we may indeed yet live long enough to see our leaky ship of state turn in a new, more positive direction.
Being able to laugh again in spite of the terrible state of the nation has encouraged me to reengage with politics. While Obama was in town (yes, in Montana!) I registered 70 new voters, with a commitment to register at least 30 more.
So to Keith Olbermann I say: Congratulations on your anniversary! Here’s to five more years of independent thinking, loyal opposition and moral outrage, with a few much-needed laughs along the way. To paraphrase two great American journalists, have many more good nights. And good luck.
UPDATE:
Mission accomplished as our president likes to say. I registered my 100th voter on Saturday, May 3.