What do Glen Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olbermann have in common?
Too much, for my taste.
I don't usually watch K.Os program, for the same reason I don't watch those others I listed. I don't accept that the complexities of life can be reduced to a passion play, divided into those with white hats and those with black ones, the old cowboy movie symbols of good and evil.
It is quite convenient to write this, since the full Special Comment is on Dailykos TV (home page), in both video and text. I could get too comfortable here, since for a change after a couple of months of criticizing the Democratic Health Care Reform effort, I finally have become part of the Dailykos Consensus, with this diarytwo days ago.
I will not write this diary in the same accusational, ridiculing tone that punctuates K.O.s--- and actually the other opinion journalist's style. It would also backfire, since I realize that those who are reading this are generally favorably disposed to Olbermann. He is, after all, a progressive, someone who extols and promotes the values of those on this site, and to illustrate this, had the founder of this site that I personally value as his guest yesterday.
But there is no way to mask my contempt for this "Special Comment" for the very reasons that I suspect many would applaud him for.
His greatest anger, loathing would not be an understatement was for one individual, Senator Joseph Lieberman. If one were to take K.O. seriously, it is this man who has prevented genuine health care from succeeding, and therefor is somewhat responsible for the death and suffering of millions of people.
This is toxic stuff, too much so to go unrebutted on this site, the most respected left wing blog in the country. While K.O. made news by deciding yesterday to oppose the current legislation, others such as myself, have for months seen the illusions of this bill, the direction of control not being Government of the Medical Establishment, but actually the opposite, and have written about it----usually ignored by those who were too busy castigating the other tribe to observe what was really occurring within their own party.
Oblermann's worst travesty last night was the epitome of vainglorious posturing, and places him with the most extreme teabaggers that he loves to ridicule.
And I hereby pledge that I will not buy this perversion of health care reform. Pass this at your peril, Senators, and sign it at yours, Mr. President. I will not buy this insurance. Brand me a lawbreaker, if you choose. Fine me, if you will. Jail me, if you must.
What profound courage to offer to accept jail to challenge a government so wrong headed as to be despotic--if through its elected officials it decides to pass a law that displeases him. It is less courageous since there are no criminal penalties, and he earned the seven hundred and fifty dollar fine that would be his punishment during the course of this very speech.
Mandates are a type of tax, in the case of this HCR bill, the most progressive of tax, since it will be negated by subsidies for those who can't afford it. Yet, K.O. is so enraged---I guess at the person who did this---wait, it's Leiberman whom he despise, not President Obama, who defended the mandates.
Like O'Reilly, Beck and Limbaugh; Keith Olberman is a showman, a huckster, who just happens to be selling what most of us on this site are buying. This is fine, except when he does what he did last night, which was to distort the most difficult challenge our country faces, improving our health care system.
I wrote my first diaryhere that described how it is the insurance companies who would be the winners as far back as June, with about twenty subsequent ones that anyone interested is free to read from my user page. I studied every bill, and even exchanged emails with the Chief Actuary of Medicare---actually he sent appreciation for my attempt to publicize his departments report.
And now, if this bill passes, which I opposed early and do now, I have nothing but remorse for our political system that lives off of powerful patronage; and for our country's growing numbers who thrive on entertainment masquerading as serious journalism.