Olbermann's ratings pass his nemesis

As we Kossacks are well aware, Keith Olbermann's show Countdown has been increasing steadily in ratings for over a year. He slowly sneaked past Paula Zahn on CNN and now regularly surpasses her ratings. Who can resist his combination of hard hitting headlines combined with snark and silliness?

Guess who Olbermann finally surpassed in the key demographics on Friday?

Bill O'Reilly O'Falafel!

Olbermann's Countdown on MSNBC had 244,000 viewers age 25-54 from 8:45 - 9:00pm while Bill O'Reilly O'Falafel's show had only 240,000. Loofa Boy's ratings steadily dropped thoughout his Friday show while Keith's increased every 15 minutes.

TVNewser has the scoop as always:

So, with that said, a tipster writes: "Call it a fluke, say it means nothing, but for 15 minutes on Friday night, Keith Olbermann beat Bill O'Reilly in the 25-54 demo."
SNIP
"They used to call it a fluke when Countdown started taking 15 minute chunks from Paula Zahn too," the tipster added...

It isn't only the ratings of O'Falafal that have taken a hit. Ratings at FNC have dropped so much that Roger Ailes took out a 'help wanted' ad in a trade magazine that was a cattle call for new talent, but some employees felt it was a job threat to everyone at the network for the ratings drop.

I guess neither Ailes or O'Reilly realize that when you tie your entire show and network to a president, you become as popular or unpopular as Bush has. Or as Nickolas D. Kristof said in the NYTimes:

"The real victims of Fox News weren't the liberals it attacked, but the conservatives who believed it....."

PS:For those of you who maybe unfamiliar with the reason we call BORe "O'Falafel" and "Loofa Boy", here is the victim's complaint that you may want to pass around to any of your O'Reilly watching family and friends.

•  Tip Jar

  Come on in the water's fine!

  Drink shade grown coffee!

  by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 07:36:48 AM PDT

  •  Ohhhh, thank you!

    This is a very good thing to wake up to this morning!

    A bit of good news to begin my day!

    To think people are not only being amused BUT they are getting so much REAL news!

    Go Keith!

    by Wary on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 07:46:51 AM PDT

    •  Be cautious

      While it is true that Olbermann keeps climbing in the ratings, TVNewser, the same site that reported this story, also said that the episode of Factor was a re-run, while Olbermann's was live.

      by jmorris724 on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 01:37:23 PM PDT

      •  olbermann's book

        perhaps O'Reilly was a rerun, but because he says the same thing every night, i don't really see what the difference is.

        here's some more proof that olbermann's star is rising.  he has a book coming out in september called the "worst person in the world."  his amazon rating just went from 455,000 to 129,000, which seems pretty significant.

        by angry young man on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 05:54:11 PM PDT

  •  The only thing O'Reilly is good for now is...

    ...providing material for Stephen Colbert.  In fact, I predict that O'Reilly will soon become the new Robert Southey.  You don't know who Robert Southey is?  That's the point.  Southey was the author of a painfully didactic poem called "The Old Man's Comforts."  The few who know of it today know of it only because it was parodied by Lewis Carroll in the light verse "You are Old Father William" -- which is so much more famous than Southey's original that most people don't realize "Father William" is a parody at all.

    So it will be with O'Reilly -- I think there is a reasonable chance that the Colbert report will outlast the show it is sending up. and the time will come when, if you mention that that Colbert is doing a parody of O'Reilly, the response will be "O'Reilly who?"

    by richter on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 07:50:12 AM PDT

    •  Well, I learned something today!

      I'm a big Lewis Carroll fan, and the "Father William" poem had always struck me as a parody of something.  Thanks for the info!

      by snazzzybird on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:15:29 AM PDT

      •  Here;s Southey -- and Caroll

        The Old Man's Comforts and how he gained them
         
        You are old, Father William, the young man cried,
        The few locks which are left you are grey;
        You are hale, Father William, a hearty old man,
        Now tell me the reason I pray.

        In the days of my youth, Father William replied,
        I remember'd that youth would fly fast,
        And abused not my health and my vigour at first
        That I never might need them at last.

        You are old, Father William, the young man cried,
        And pleasures with youth pass away,
        And yet you lament not the days that are gone,
        Now tell me the reason I pray.

        In the days of my youth, Father William replied,
        I remember'd that youth could not last;
        I thought of the future whatever I did,
        That I never might grieve for the past.

        You are old, Father William, the young man cried,
        And life must be hastening away;
        You are chearful, and love to converse upon death!
        Now tell me the reason I pray.

        I am chearful, young man, Father William replied,
        Let the cause thy attention engage;
        In the days of my youth I remember'd my God!
        And He hath not forgotten my age.

        Robert Southey

        And here's Caroll's hilarious parody -- like Colbert, Caroll has no patience for pomposity.

        You Are Old Father William
         
        "You are old, father William," the young man said,
        "And your hair has become very white;
        And yet you incessantly stand on your head --
        Do you think, at your age, it is right?

        "In my youth," father William replied to his son,
        "I feared it might injure the brain;
        But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
        Why, I do it again and again."

        "You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
        And you have grown most uncommonly fat;
        Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door --
        Pray what is the reason for that?"

        "In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
        "I kept all my limbs very supple
        By the use of this ointment -- one shilling a box --
        Allow me to sell you a couple?"

        "You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
        For anything tougher than suet;
        Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak --
        Pray, how did you mange to do it?"

        "In my youth," said his fater, "I took to the law,
        And argued each case with my wife;
        And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
        Has lasted the rest of my life."

        "You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
        That your eye was as steady as every;
        Yet you balanced an eel on the tend of your nose --
        What made you so awfully clever?"

        "I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
        Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs!
        Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
        Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs.

        Lewis Carroll

        by richter on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:43:08 AM PDT

        •  My parents taught me the Carroll version

          when I was a kid - I had no idea it was a parody.

          by mkfarkus on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 01:16:59 PM PDT

        •  The name rattled something in my brain

          and I started reciting the Lewis Carroll parody.  I believe that I learned both poems in a class in Junior High, which would be about 15 years ago.  Amazing what you can remember. :D

          by pgm 01 on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 03:36:30 PM PDT

          •  a few years ago when I got my wisdom teeth pulled

            they gave my needle-phobic ass a shot of some amnesiac drug. Afterward, the dentist told me that as I was going under I was mumbling a jumbled-up, confabulated  version of Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

            I was massively proud of my brain that day.

            by overturned turtle on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 07:04:00 PM PDT

  •  Good news...

    thanks for spreading it!

    by victoria2dc on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:28:54 AM PDT

  •  Battles are being won

    Let's visualize Olbermann beating Falafel Boy in overall viewers. Can you see it? I CAN!

    How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

    by Rockydog on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:45:21 AM PDT

  •  Heh.

    I read the subject line as "Olbermann's RANTINGS pass his nemesis"

    Anyway.  Congrats, Keith.  Excellent work.

    by Mehitabel9 on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:34:00 AM PDT

  •  Grain of salt...

    This is indeed a small victory, but you might have wanted to mention that O'Reilly was not live/new on Friday - they ran a repeat of his show from a few months ago.  

    I don't believe it takes anything away from Countdown, but this is not really the victory it may appear to be.  As this information was in the same article as some of your other quotes, I think it is misleading not to mention it.  

    I believe Keith will eventually take O'Reilly down in the head-to-head match-up, and given Fox's taking ratings, it shouldn't be much longer.

    by Pennsylvanian on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:40:48 AM PDT

    •  A win is a win

      We will take a victory, no matter how small.

      Drink shade grown coffee!

      by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:48:12 AM PDT

    •  It MAY Be a Repeat

      but most of O'Falafel's audience would not notice.

      These are peple you can get to bet on a replay of the Preakness because who knows how it will come out the next time?

      by Deep Dark on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 07:15:43 PM PDT

    •  Yes, but

      When I worked in TV for Telemundo, a lowly rated #2 Spanish network (back then there were only 2), we would stay away from "officially" positioning this type of win (one quarter-hour on one night, first run vs re-run).  

      But "unofficially" we would spread it like wildfire!  The point we would get across to advertisers is that in order to get to #1, you have to be #1 for a first time somehow.  

      by perky mcjuggs on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:29:17 PM PDT

  •  dang

    not sure I really wanted to read that loofah/falafel business....TMI....

    by Buffalo Girl on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:33:21 AM PDT

    •  I agree! I had heard the basic story,

      but not the word-for-word! Wouldn't most of us women have hung up on that conversation?  Yuck!  Just yuck, especially by that unattractive perpetrator.

      by mjd in florida on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:35:21 PM PDT

      •  {shudder}

        yeah, really early in that conversation, long before the loofah part... bleah....

        by Buffalo Girl on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:54:23 PM PDT

      •  She was worried

        About losing her job. She also recorded some, for evidence, so that may have had some bearing on why she didn't hang up.

        by splashy on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:49:50 PM PDT

•  MSNBC must be thrilled.

  That's like David and Goliath.

  by ablington on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 07:40:35 AM PDT

  •  I am getting the impression that they are

    planning more "liberal" programming now too.  Finally, someone was smart enough to realize that about 50% of the country actually DID vote for John Kerry and might want to watch programs that were not littered with the bottom feeders like Ann Coulter and that humaneventsonline asshole.

    by inclusiveheart on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:01:50 AM PDT

    •  Rita Cosby got the boot too!

      Now if they would only replace Tucker with Rachel Maddow, I would be thrilled....

      Drink shade grown coffee!

      by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:04:23 AM PDT

      •  I'd love to see Tucker get the boot.

        Hi show is so lame it's embarrassing to watch.

        by MariaSquared on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:08:47 AM PDT

        •  Tucker has been moved

          As of this coming Monday, Tucker will be on at 4pm and 6pm, which means he goes up against Wolf Blitzer and Lou Dobbs on CNN. As for Fox, have no clue since I refuse to watch that network.  Looks like Abrams is giving Tucker one last chance.

          by AnneElizabeth on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:26:16 AM PDT

          •  He Won't Last!

            Jon Stewart said it all--he's just a dick wearing a bowtie....

            by serrano on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:40:20 AM PDT

            •  He has terminal Ralph Reed syndrome.

              It's that whole obnoxious frat boy thing. They just ooze patrician sense of entitlement from every pore. I hope we hear a big splash when Tucker's ratings go down the toilet.

              by homogenius on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:12:21 AM PDT

            •  MSNBC's re-runs of old crime documentaries

              actually do better in the ratings than his show. They had him at 4:00 on Monday and he didn't do any better than his usual time slot.

              by jmorris724 on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:07:28 PM PDT

          •  naw, he knows better. it is called 'here is the

            rope, tucker."

            by stodghie on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:46:58 AM PDT

          •  The problem with Tucker

            My sense, from having seen Tucker appear elsewhere is that the guy is not of the same blowhard ilk of O'reilley.  I sense that's he's more intellectually honest than your average right winger.  The problem is that, to sell himself on TV he's had to play up the blowhard bit and he's not good at it.  The cocky young dick routine works well when it appears you're on the winning side, but when you're not, people just go, "why is that guy wearing a bow tie?" and then switch channels.

            by sterno on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:54:13 AM PDT

            •  But my god, how the hell did he ever get a show?

              He literally has nothing going for him as far as I can see.  Nothing.  Complete mystery.

              by vigilant meerkat on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:18:36 AM PDT

              •  It's the bow tie

                If I was a pundit and I found some easily identifable way of separating myself from the pack I could probably get a pop political commentary show.

                by john in seattle on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:51:41 AM PDT

                •  I thought he quit the bowtie

                  Last time I saw his show (rare occasion) he wasn't wearing the bowtie.  I thought, uh oh, something's up with Tucker.  And I hoped he was out the door so they could give his show to Rachel.

                  by joanneleon on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 06:48:07 PM PDT

              •  Tucker is a pro

                Whenever the conversation/debate strays into reality, Tucker quickly launches into some digression or asks a question that entirely changes the subject.  He is a master distractor.  The result is that viewers can watch 1 hour of news, think they're learning something, but in reality are turning their brains to mush for an hour a day (or however long that fucktard is on every day).

                I think this is the goal of news channels:  make viewers think they are watching real news, but make sure the "news" has nothing to do with reality.  The end result is an ignorant populace that thinks it's very smart and worldly, much like America is today.

                by Subterranean on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:08:05 AM PDT

                •  Well, speaking for the not-so-easily-distracted

                  it ain't working.  

                  by vigilant meerkat on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:26:50 AM PDT

              •  Crony

                His father is a big TV player. (forgot what.)

                by fugue on Fri Jul 07, 2006 at 05:16:09 AM PDT

            •  LOL! :p

              Why IS that guy wearing a bow tie, anyway?

              by Pandoras Box on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:20:49 AM PDT

            •  See Hunter's diaries on Tucker Carlson

              from the 2004 Presidential campaign (if you can find them. I had no luck with a search through the archives).

              Hunter did a three-(or four)-part rant on Tucker Carlson which documented in great depth that Carlson knew exactly the details of the case he was talking about when he was dismissing John Edwards as someone who takes "jacuzzi cases".

              The case in question involved a little girl who was hydraulically disembowelled in a public wading pool due to the lack of a $1.00 part in manufacture. Her intestines were in fact sucked out through her anus into the pool drain due to the extreme suction. I believe she was only five years old. The manufacturer had previously had several hundred(?) complaints of problems due to the flaw, but they did not resolve the problem.

              Lil' Tucker apparently strongly believes that hydraulic disembowelment of a little girl is just fine if it can save a corporation a dollar, and that hydraulically-disembowelled little girls should have no legal recourse for damages.

              Tucker Carlson is a despicable little shit. The only reason he has a TV job is because of his daddy.

              If anyone has pointers to Hunter's diaries, please post them here.

              by DavidW in SF on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:25:22 AM PDT

              •  Linkiness: hydraulic disembowelment

                Hunter Goes Postal

                Hunter Goes Postal II: Tucker's "Jacuzzi Case"

                Hunter Goes Postal III: Aftermath and Denouement

                Cheers.

                by Yellow Canary on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:44:17 AM PDT

              •  Who's his Daddy? <n/t>

                by gsbadj on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:48:16 AM PDT

                •  Heh. I'd say after his appearance

                  on Crossfire, Jon Stewart is.

                  by YukonJack on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:19:53 AM PDT

                •  Tucker's daddy CEO of Corp for Public B'cast

                  From Wikipedia

                  Biography
                  Carlson is the son of Richard W. Carlson, who was president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 1992 to 1997 and former U.S. Ambassador to the Seychelles. His stepmother is Patricia Carlson, heiress to the Swanson frozen-food fortune.

                  by DavidW in SF on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:19:58 PM PDT

                  •  Gotcha

                    Thanks.

                    by gsbadj on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 06:59:18 PM PDT

              •  whose

                his daddy? It makes sense that his status was handed to him, being a country club Republican and all.

                by john in seattle on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:14:19 AM PDT

                •  Here ya go

                  Tucker

                  I had to put this part in, it just makes me giggle.

                  AKA Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson
                  Father: Richard W. Carlson (Los Angeles news anchorman, later VOA Director)
                  Mother: Patricia Caroline Swanson (stepmother, heir to the Swanson frozen-food fortune)
                  Brother: Buckley Carlson (Executive VP, right-wing PR firm McCarthy Communications)

                  by paddykraska on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:38:02 AM PDT

                  •  See below

                    and his father

                    Richard W. Carlson, who was president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 1992 to 1997 and former U.S. Ambassador to the Seychelles.

                    ..... under Bush I.

                    by paddykraska on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:43:26 AM PDT

                    •  Thanks

                      Haven't been really paying attention to TC since Stewart smacked (figuratively, that is) him on Crossfire. Now I see his right-wing credentials, yup a country club repug, exactly.

                      by fumie on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 12:03:22 PM PDT

                    •  Um, sweetie

                      Clinton got elected in 1992.  I was just boggling wondering what the hell people were thinking appointing some right-wing numbnuts to a job like that.

                      If he was the former head of VOA, he was probably a career gummint type.  Least I hope so.  Otherwise somebody screwed up bigtime over in the White House resume factory.

                      by Eleanor A on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 06:26:52 PM PDT

                      •  Awww. you called me sweetie!!!

                        LOL, I screwed up in lay out of the comment- from what I saw on either NMD or Wiki he has Ambass during Bush I, the head of VOA during the years listed.

                        by paddykraska on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 06:34:42 PM PDT

                        •  :)

                          I usually call people 'sweetie' or somefin'.  Y'all are great Americans for the most part.  And most of you are whip-smart, to boot.

                          by Eleanor A on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 06:51:51 PM PDT

                      •  Looks like he was hired, not appointed

                        http://www.current.org/...

                        by Eleanor A on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 06:47:59 PM PDT

            •  I agree somewhat

              I always liked Tucker for his intellectualism - he always struck me as the smarter guy and on Crossfire he was the more reasonable between him and Novak (thats not saying much) but having watched his show a few times I am apalled at some of the topics and things said.  However, I have found myself agreeing with him on some things so he gets a thumb up in my book on those - which puts him above Rita, Tweety and the Faux Snooze crew.  Of course nobody tops Keith....also, I have to admit that on SOME things, Joe Scarborough has also been making sense recently.....I guess he saw the light after stumping for Bush and realized that he backed the wrong horse....Still, I avoid his show like the plague, especially after the whole Schaivo thing....nowhere near as bad as Hannity though.

              by Webslinger on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:44:26 AM PDT

              •  Tucker is no intellectual

                It takes more than a bow tie to make an intellectual.

                Actually I've been involved with the University for over a decade, and I've yet to see a single professor wearing a bow tie.  In fact it is difficult to find any who wear suits on a regular basis.  This whole bow tie = intellectual thing has no basis in reality.

                by Subterranean on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:14:39 AM PDT

                •  the same way

                  Americans apparently equate a British accent with authority figures and intellectual types.

                  See every reality TV show judge.

                  by john in seattle on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:16:17 AM PDT

                •  I am one of those professors

                  I've only been one for a year, and don't wear a bowtie, but I have seen some who do....Its not his poor fashion sense that gave me reason to say what I said - I was comparing him to Robert Novak on Crossfire - he was the more articulate, reasonable guy on the right and SOME things he says do make sense....others are total BS though and make my skill crawl.  but one can be naked and be an intellectual - the clothes do not make the man.

                  by Webslinger on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 12:27:41 PM PDT

              •  Scarborough

                stands for nothing. He blows whichever way the wind does and he was unbearable as a ranting conservative back when that type of bullshit, Macho Man Patriotism was good enough to get Dubya reelected.

                It's a little too soon to forgive his sins. He just knows his party is starting to smell like a rotting corpse so he has to keep moving.

                At least O'Reilly is consistently a conservative scum bag.

                by john in seattle on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:19:36 AM PDT

                •  not supporting Joe

                  I never said I liked the guy or that he was forgiven - far from it in my book, just that I have respected SOME of the things he has said.  The same with Tucker - especially when he was talking about Enron.  Still, there is no forgiving their love afair with the Wicked Witch or the topics that push the Christian Right's agenda....I make no excuses for them and would not miss either if their shows were cancelled.  I will however miss Loofah Boy - I live for Factor Fiction and The Worst Person in the World segments.

                  by Webslinger on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 12:25:20 PM PDT

                  •  I will say Scarborough

                    did good things during Katrina and really did ream Bush and FEMA on that one (and he was far from lagging the pack there) and he did make some very insightful comments on the 2004 election. His book wasn't that bad a conservative rip piece on Bush BEFORE the country started to turn.

                    Has he been willing to sleep with the enemy? Yes, but I do ask if he was the one who booked those guests or is he just less willing than Keith to dis his producers?

                    I give Joe a pass as a right-winger I can at least disagree with - rather than requiring a plastic lined wastebasket and a bottle of Gatorade for rehydration to watch. He at least tells you where the other side is - I would keep him.

                    by tjlord on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 03:17:48 PM PDT

            •  I Don't Think So

              As to the intellectual honesty.  

              Carlson is a self-identified Episcopalian and makes some of the most boneheaded remarks about the denomination.  And then there was his interview with The Rt. Rev. William Swing, Bishop of California (incidentally my Bishop and a personal friend) in which Carlson made a complete and total ass of himself.  

              by SFLady on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:20:48 AM PDT

            •  He's much more of a Libertarian

              Then the others on the right. He's actually not to fond of the war and other Bush policies.

              by auapplemac on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:17:53 PM PDT

            •  Agreed

              There were times on Crossfire and this show where I've seen him be very fair to Dems on his show.
              He's not a total dick...but he plays one on TV.

              But something about your comments hit me; You're right  - to succeed at the primetime news/talk radio thing, you pretty much have to be a polemicist and polarizer.

              This is another reason why liberal radio doesn't have the force that right wing windbags do. When looking for people to do shows, they look for actors first, journalism or current affairs knowledge second.

              Al Franken, bless his heart is not exactly mr. charisma, although he is miles improved from when he first started. This is why Olbermann has been able to stake a claim in the prime time wars. He is funny, he is personable and he can hit you with the full force of what he's saying in a way that you absolutely believe it.

              by Jank2112 on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:45:04 PM PDT

              •  I think the word you want is 'gravitas'

                n/t

                by Eleanor A on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 06:53:29 PM PDT

        •  asdf

          and Scarborough too, but that might be too much to ask.

          Actually, Joe has been spending much of his programming hour discussing the trials and tribulations of Star Jones and the controversy over who won American Idol.  His guests for the first 20 minutes of his show last night were "reporters" from US Weekly, InTouch, and Star Magazine.

          No enough new "Purple Finger" moments to talk about, I guess.

          by Granite on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:28:14 AM PDT

          •  Coulter

            Last night he spent a minute or two on the Coulter  story as well.

            by Brother Maynard on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:35:23 AM PDT

          •  I missed the American Idol controversy....

            Don't tell me Diebold was involved in that too.

            by MariaSquared on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:36:19 AM PDT

          •  Does anyone else despise Scarborough

            like I do? There is way too much shadow to that guy's past. Total slimeball.

            by Pandoras Box on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:22:32 AM PDT

            •  That's not fair

              Lot's of US Congressmen have dead interns show up in their offices.  It means NOTHING.  Hell, I bet Clinton had at least one dead intern show up in the Oval Office every week!

              by Subterranean on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:25:24 AM PDT

              •  I think Clinton preferred live interns,

                I don't think necrophila was Clinton's thing....;)

                Drink shade grown coffee!

                by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:06:50 AM PDT

                •  Ah yes

                  Clinton is definitely pro-life in that regard.  :)

                  by LihTox on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 07:35:27 PM PDT

            •  Didn't a girl end up dead in his office?

              I remember hearing that a right before he "decided" to not run for re-election to the house a dead intern was found in his office.  

              by strengthof10kmen on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:30:13 AM PDT

              •  Lori Klausutis n/t

                by Pandoras Box on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:33:52 AM PDT

              •  oh, picky

                picky picky.

                by annalivia on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:47:49 AM PDT

              •  dead girl

                WHAT!! Musta been hard to explain.

                by slouching on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:36:54 PM PDT

            •  Scarborough is the guy who ratted out Newt

              Gingrich's affair to reporters forcing him to resign. So it's hard to totally hate him.

              by jhecht on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:51:00 AM PDT

              •  dang, I wanted my contempt to be pure!

                by Pandoras Box on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:55:11 AM PDT

              •  Well, when Kremlin insiders

                knifed each other for the top slot, could it really be said we liked any of them?

                by Benito on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 11:15:03 AM PDT

        •  Also, duplication with KO

          Many of the subjects Tucker covers especially the lighter ones are also covered by KO in the same manner.

          I usually watch both 10 - 12 CDT and it's really redundant. Don't the programmers check with each other?

          by auapplemac on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:14:41 PM PDT

      •  link?

        Is there a link?  Google had some links but they all seem to be speculation.

        Is there an announcement from MSNBC?

        by dad2jac on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:21:13 AM PDT

        •  Right here

          No actually...right here.

          Drink shade grown coffee!

          by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:29:49 AM PDT

          •  Danger, Will Robinson

            Throaty McHuskington isn't completely gone:

            Instead she'll be the "primary anchor" of "MSNBC Investigates," a taped documentary program that will air at 10 and 11 p.m. She'll also lead a "Rita Cosby Specials" documentary unit, according to an MSNBC press release.

            [snip]

            "I'm thrilled," Cosby told me as she traveled to last night's surprise birthday party for her boyfriend, Tomaczek Bednarek.

            "This is an exciting opportunity, and now you're going to see even more of me at 10 and 11, on MSNBC and also on NBC."

            But I hear that many of the yet-to-air "MSNBC Investigates" tapes are already in the can, and that Cosby might not be on the air for a week or more after her program ends.

            by litigatormom on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:51:46 AM PDT

      •  Isn't Rachel amazing!

        She chews Tucker up and spits him out every time he has her on his show.

        I think every progressive who goes on TV to debate needs to watch reruns of Rachel's performances.  THAT'S how it's done.

        by edwardssl on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:37:47 AM PDT

      •  Katrina Van den Heuvel Gets My Vote!!! n/t

        by serrano on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:41:21 AM PDT

        •  yeah...

          I hadn't thought of her.  I love the way she puts forward her argument.  She does it in such a Meryl Streep kinda way

          by Cat4everrr on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:03:58 AM PDT

        •  She is one of the best and most articulate

          political thinkers on the liberal side.  She was great against Rep. Peter King last week I think it was.  

          by inclusiveheart on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:26:05 AM PDT

          •  And She Purrs

            w/that voice like honey even as she sticks the shiv in between the ribs!!--not hard on the eyes, either.  I could see her as a tv star!!!  And she takes no crap from nobody!!!

            by serrano on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:36:30 AM PDT

        •  She's terrible!!!

          She always sounds like she's reading from a script and can't react when the debate moves in a direction she wasn't prepared for. Terrible.

          by jhecht on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:53:09 AM PDT

          •  Rachel us sassy, but

            Van den Heuvel can put me to sleep and she comes across as a bit too smug and without any wit or humor.

            by auapplemac on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 02:33:39 PM PDT

      •  Rita got the boot?

        Thank you, Dan Abrams.  But what is replacing her?

        by litigatormom on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 08:48:42 AM PDT

        •  Pre-canned reporting

          I guess thier friday night lineup of "prison of the week" stories did better than Rita.

          by God loves goats on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 09:52:05 AM PDT

          •  unfortunately, it replaced actual reporting

            MSNBC better be more careful about its use of pre-canned reporting though - they got nailed with criticism when they continued to air "MSNBC Investigates" when North Korea started firing missles.

            http://www.mediabistro.com/...

            I happened to be watching the news at the time and since MSNBC is my favorite, clicked over to them for reporting and they had NOTHING. So, I ended up watching CNN.

            by meowmissy on Thu Jul 06, 2006 at 10:04:18 AM PDT

          •  prsion documentries

            are getting really old. How about some reporting on endangered animals or toxic river water or something new?

            Hell a good meth documentary is about due.