I think Keith knew exactly what he was doing.
I really think that what Keith Olbermann did was a stroke of genius.
I think he made a bet that this would happen, that the would be suspended and that he would get overwhelming support from his fans and his co-workers. Why else would he not say that he is sorry?
Olbermann, who acknowledged the contributions in a statement to POLITICO, made the maximum legal donations of $2,400 apiece to Conway and to Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. He donated to the Arizona pair on Oct. 28 — the same day that Grijalva appeared as a guest on Olbermann’s "Countdown" show.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/...
His disclosure was total. No excuses. He did it. No equivocations. It's all on him.
I think he meant to piss off Phil Griffin in the hope that Mr. Griffin would do something stupid. And he did not disappoint.
Olbermann was playing chess while Griffin was playing checkers. Or perhaps tiddly-winks.
The response was immediate. (In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I did sign the Bold Progressives petition and sent a few e-mails to MSNBC, NBC and Mr. Griffin.) The response was overwhelming. He was supported by millions of people and his good friend, Rachel Maddow. Instead of it being an indefinite suspension, Keith will return to MSNBC on Tuesday. In the words of the not-so-immortal Marv Albert, "Yes!"
Mr. Olbermann threw down the gauntlet by saying, "I dare you to fire me!" and they blinked.
We really needed this. So did MSNBC. This was a nice morale boost.
I hope they also realize that there is money in being the opposite of Fox News. It's okay to be righteous and to quote facts instead of drivel and lies. The 18-34 year old demographic that Keith keeps pointing to when the ratings come out is who MSNBC wants to reach. Keith gets it. Rachel gets it. This group is sick and tired of being lied to. Look at the Rally to Restore Sanity. It was larger than both Beckapalooza and the March to the Left, combined. Most of the crowd was young. They can see bovine scatology a mile away, and most of these people don't watch Fox because Keith, Rachel and Jon Stewart have exposed them for who they really are, used car salespeople.
They need to take a look at CNN. They are starting to become a lighter version of Fox. Their ratings are still tanking.
Mr. Griffin has caved. Comcast will need to consider what just happened before they even think of tinkering with the lineup at MSNBC. If they do, they stand to lose a lot of money.
Nice move, Keith. Nice!