Seriously, Keith? (Olbermann makes veiled threat against Hillary)

The Columbia Journalism Review ^ | April 25, 2008 | Megan Garber

[2ndDivisionVet]

This is getting ridiculous. On Wednesday night’s Countdown, Keith Olbermann and Howard Fineman, discussing Hillary Clinton’s continued presence in the Democratic nominating contest, conducted the following exchange:

Fineman: What this is going to require…is some adults somewhere in the Democratic party to step in and stop this thing, like a referee in a fight that could go on for thirty rounds. That’s what’s going on. Those are the super, super, super delegates who are going to have to really decide this.

Olbermann: Right. Somebody who can take her into a room and only he comes out.

You can watch the exchange here: [Video at link]

There’s been an outcry (though not, tellingly, in the mainstream press) against Olbermann’s comments, most of it crying sexism. Which could be right, to be sure—but I’m not completely convinced. (You could certainly build a case for sexism based on the many other inappropriate things Keith Olbermann has said about Hillary Clinton; in this instance, however, the Olbermannian impropriety seems rooted in its wink-wink suggestion of violence, rather than the fact that that suggestion was directed at a woman.)

Regardless. There’s really no getting around the core problem here: that a prominent newsman suggested, on national television, that a candidate for the presidency of the United States should be beaten up (or worse). Even being generous and leaving aside the sexism/violence stuff…it was a stupid thing for Olbermann to say. Not “stupid” as in “inappropriate”—although it’s that, too—but “stupid” as in “intellectually vapid” and “insipid” and “a waste of everyone’s time.” There’s so much that the press, reporters and commentators alike, could be talking about right now when it comes to the campaign—and when it comes to everything else that’s going on in the world. Instead, here’s one of the most powerful men in the media, a man who can boast an audience of nearly a million viewers each night, vocally amusing himself at the image of the Democratic superdelegates “deciding” the nomination by beating up the second-place candidate. It’s frustrating. It’s insulting. It’s baffling.

Olbermann uses Edward R. Murrow’s famous words—“Good night, and good luck”—as a sign-off in his own Countdown broadcast. That never made sense to me; why call attention to greatness when you yourself are so far from it? But today, the day that would have been Murrow’s 100th birthday, the comparison seems especially ironic. And especially sad.

Update: Per a wonderfully thoughtful piece from Salon’s Joan Walsh: looks like Olbermann has apologized—sort of—for the remark.

“It is a metaphor. I apologize: the generic ‘he’ gender could imply something untoward,” Olbermann said, in a statement MSNBC spokesperson Alana Russo forwarded me a few minutes ago. “It should’ve been ‘only the other comes out — from a political point of view.’”

[jerod]

prominent newsman

Keith Olbermann a newsman? Weather-boy/Sports-guy maybe, but newsman?

He wouldn't know news if it hit him in the head. The man has no clue other than the fictitious ones he creates in his own head.

[SteamShovel]

Isn’t the election process still going on?

Yes. These "Hillary Quit" people want to GIVE the nod to Obama.

Think of it as "ELECTORAL AFFIRMATIVE ACTION"

[ODDITHER]

Trouble with the Democratic party is the only adults have no morals or if they have morals they have no brains.
Who is going to take Al Gore, Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry, or Madam Botox.
They have no one in their party that has brains, character and charisma. The only one is a McCain Supporter.
It is pretty bad when looking at the party elders that Hilary Clinton actually is more moral than some of the others.
Party of Crackpots

[SunkenCiv]

There's really no getting around the core problem here: that a prominent newsman suggested, on national television, that a candidate for the presidency of the United States should be beaten up (or worse). Even being generous and leaving aside the sexism/violence stuff...it was a stupid thing for Olbermann to say... Olbermann uses Edward R. Murrow's famous words -- "Good night, and good luck" -- as a sign-off in his own Countdown broadcast.

Good luck getting me to say good night and mean it. ;')