Archive for March 2012
Keith Olbermann Has Been Fired by Current TV – Good Bye MF
AL Gore creater of Current TV
Keith Olbermann has been fired by Current TV, the network announced Friday. He will be replaced by former New York governor and CNN host Eliot Spitzer.
Olbermann had hosted “Countdown,” which he brought from MSNBC after his exit there, since June. His short tenure began with fanfare, but ended, as many of Olbermann’s previous jobs have, with deep acrimony on both sides.
Spitzer, who had his own short-lived stint as the host of “Parker Spitzer” (later called “In The Arena”) on CNN, began hosting his show, “Viewpoints,” immediately on Friday night. He made no mention of Olbermann or his somewhat unusual arrival to the post at the top of the show.
The news of Olbermann’s termination was first reported by the New York Times’ Brian Stelter.
A source told Politico that Olbermann was fired for breach of contract, saying that he had “sabotaged” the network. Howard Kurtz reported that Olbermann had begun refusing to toss to other peoples’ shows or appear in advertisements with them.
Another source told the New York Observer that Spitzer had been in talks with Current for months.
The channel released a statement signed by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, the founders of the network, on Friday. The statement made plain that Current’s relationship with Olbermann had devolved to an unsustainable point:
To the Viewers of Current:
We created Current to give voice to those Americans who refuse to rely on corporate-controlled media and are seeking an authentic progressive outlet. We are more committed to those goals today than ever before. Current was also founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.
The statement also called Spitzer “an astute observer of the issues of the day.”
Olbermann also released a statement in 140-character chunks on Twitter, saying that he would be taking legal action:
I’d like to apologize to my viewers and my staff for the failure of Current TV. Editorially, Countdown had never been better. But for more than a year I have been imploring Al Gore and Joel Hyatt to resolve our issues internally, while I’ve been not publicizing my complaints, and keeping the show alive for the sake of its loyal viewers and even more loyal staff. Nevertheless, Mr. Gore and Mr. Hyatt, instead of abiding by their promises and obligations and investing in a quality news program, finally thought it was more economical to try to get out of my contract. It goes almost without saying that the claims against me in Current’s statement are untrue and will be proved so in the legal actions I will be filing against them presently. To understand Mr. Hyatt’s “values of respect, openness, collegiality and loyalty,” I encourage you to read of a previous occasion Mr. Hyatt found himself in court for having unjustly fired an employee. That employee’s name was Clarence B. Cain. In due course, the truth of the ethics of Mr. Gore and Mr. Hyatt will come out. For now, it is important only to again acknowledge that joining them was a sincere and well-intentioned gesture on my part, but in retrospect a foolish one. That lack of judgment is mine and mine alone, and I apologize again for it.
Olbermann’s lawyer, Patricia Glaser, told Deadline he would be suing. “[Current] can expect a bad a result,” she said.
It was also announced Friday that Olbermann will appear on David Letterman’s show on Tuesday to discuss his departure.
Olbermann’s firing leaves what was supposed to be his triumphant return to television in tatters. After his bitter departure from MSNBC, Current sought to make him the centerpiece of its rebranding as a progressive news network. It granted him the title of Chief News Officer, gave him an equity stake in the company, and promised that his uncompromising brand of television would be the cornerstone of its programming. Announcing the beginning of the partnership, Al Gore said that he was “extremely honored and delighted” that Olbermann was joining him, and called it “a great fit in every way.”
It was not long, though, before the tensions between Olbermann and his superiors exploded into the open. In January, his sudden absence from Current’s coverage of the Iowa caucuses led to open warfare between the two sides. Olbermann fired off a statement saying that he was “not given a legitimate opportunity to host under acceptable conditions,” adding, “They know it and we know it. Telling half the story is wrong.”
There were also reports that Olbermann was incensed by repeated technical problems with his show, and miffed that he was not being given a greater say in deciding which shows were going to precede and follow his. (During his time on Current, the network added shows featuring Cenk Uygur at 7 PM and Jennifer Granholm at 9 PM.)
Olbermann, often citing medical issues, also began missing some days of work, something that apparently was used against him in his firing. One of the people who had filled in for him, ironically, was Eliot Spitzer.
As one executive said rather presciently during the height of Olbermann’s conflicts with the network, “Everybody is replaceable.”
Related articles
- Keith Olbermann Fired by Current Tv Replaced With Eliot Spitzer (binsidetv.net)
- Keith Olbermann vs Al Gore and Joel Hyatt: War with current just getting started (nextlevelofnews.com)
- Current TV Fires Keith Olbermann, Replaces Him With Spitzer Immediately, Olbermann to Sue (thinkprogress.org)
- Olbermann Out (Again) (talkingpointsmemo.com)
- Olbermann Out At Current TV (lezgetreal.com)
- Current TV Fires Keith Olbermann, Replaces Him With Eliot Spitzer (kaystreet.wordpress.com)
- Keith Olbermann Fired From Current TV (inquisitr.com)
- Keith Olbermann Fired From Current TV (perezhilton.com)
- Current TV Fires Keith Olbermann (npr.org)
- Keith Olbemann fired yet again this time by Al Gore and Current TV (bonjupatten.com)
Stay Tuned: Sheriff Joe 03/31/12 Press Conference Video Coming Soon!
Posted from Western Journalism:
Last week, we announced that Sheriff Joe Arpaio is having a press conference on the 31st of March (today) at 1:30 pm. Both Sheriff Joe and his Cold Case Posse’s lead investigator Mike Zullo will be present. As many of you know, the mainstream media will give this important event virtually no treatment, so we here at Western Center for Journalism will be at the conference itself and will have a video up later today.
Rock Star Dave Mustaine: Obama not born in U.S.
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth
Megadeth singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine believes Barack Obama was born somewhere outside the United States, and he’s not crazy about GOP candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich either.
The comments came in an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos on the Canadian television show “The Hour.”
Before he closed down, he said he’s concerned about life in America at the moment, as the government takes away more rights.
He said for him, the big issue is the right to freedom of speech: “I’ve got a big mouth.”
He has a lot of questions about Obama but “certainly not where he was born.”
“I know he was born somewhere else than America,” Mustaine said.
When the host brought up Obama’s history, the rocker said, “How come he was invisible until he became … whatever he was in Illinois?”
Stroumboulopoulos concluded Mustaine must be a “birther.”
Mustaine replied, “I don’t want to talk about my president.”
He said his song “We The People,” on his new “13″ album, sums up what is happening in America: “People having their savings stripped away, Wall Street run amok, $500 million given to Solyndra when the Obama administration knew it was going under.”
“I’ll have to do some more homework where Obama came from now,” he said.
Turning to the GOP primaries, Mustaine showed his support for Rick Santorum, who appears to have no chance of overcoming front-runner Romney.
“It’s such a disappointment watching what’s happening right now,” he said. “George Soros came out and said Romney is just like Obama. So you have Obama’s mentor saying Romney’s like him!
“And Gingrich is so completely angry.”
But Santorum, Mustaine said, is “to me, the guy that makes the most sense. … He just looked like he would be a really cool president. Like a JFK-kind of guy.”
Mustaine, with Metallica for a time in the 1980s before launching Megadeth, has gone through several battles with drugs and alcohol. He’s also sustained neck injuries from the “head-banging” of hard rock, as well as an arm injury.
He explained he had been baptized as a Lutheran as a child, but then his mother became a Jehovah’s Witness.
“They don’t celebrate Christmas. That sucked,” he said. “They don’t celebrate birthdays, which sucked. I couldn’t have friends that were normal people, because they were ‘of the world.’
“I felt really empty. The drugs weren’t doing it. The alcohol wasn’t doing it,” he said.
It was like “peeing in your pants on a cold night. It feels good for a little while, but it’s not a long-term solution,” he said.
He sought out friends he knew to be familiar with Christianity.
“I started to make amends to people I had harmed. I am enemy-free right now, which is a great feeling,” he said.
Related articles
- Dave Mustaine Reveals ‘Birther’ Opinions (rollingstone.com)
- Dave Mustaine Is A Birther (buzzfeed.com)
- Megadeth frontman: Obama not born here (politico.com)
- Dave Mustaine Strikes Again: “i Know President Obama Was Born Somewhere Else Than America” (metalsucks.net)
- Rick Santorum looks like he could be a really cool president – kinda like a JFK kind of guy. (culturedsavages.com)
- DAVE MUSTAINE Opposes Gay Marriage (roadrunnerrecords.com)
Sensing Victory, Romney Turns Attention to Obama Fight
By Steve Holland | Reuters – 2 hrs 34 mins ago
- APPLETON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Closing in on the Republican nomination, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney turned his attention on Friday to a general election fight with President Barack Obama over the U.S. economy.
At the start of a five-day blitz in Wisconsin that could prove crucial to the Republican race, Romney ignored his three party rivals and tried to position himself as the presumed nominee to face Obama in the November 6 election.
A new poll put Romney ahead of conservative Rick Santorum in Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary where the front-runner would take a large step toward becoming the nominee if he wins.
Romney, the former head of a private equity firm, said Americans face a stark choice in the November election over which direction to take the country in.
“He (Obama) has spent the last four years laying the foundation for a new government-centered society. I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of our opportunity society, led by free people and free enterprises,” he said.
The prolonged Republican campaign, pitting Romney against a series of conservative challengers who have fallen short, is entering what could be a decisive phase.
A Wisconsin victory on Tuesday, combined with potential wins on that day in Maryland and Washington, D.C., would put more distance between Romney and Santorum and make it nearly impossible to catch him. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are also in the race but not campaigning as heavily.
The White House hopefuls are in a state-by-state battle to accumulate the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination. Romney leads with an estimated 565 delegates, according to Real Clear Politics, followed by Santorum with 256, Gingrich with 141 and Paul with 66.
The next big primary date, April 24, looms as increasingly important with six states to vote and Romney expected to win at least five of them. Santorum’s home state of Pennsylvania is the only question mark and Romney plans to campaign there.
But Tuesday’s vote will be significant as well. Romney got a big boost in Wisconsin with the endorsement of the Midwestern state’s Representative Paul Ryan, the powerful chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee.
Ryan, who introduced Romney in Appleton, is a popular figure among conservatives and a potential vice presidential choice for the Republican nominee. His backing could further help Romney with those conservatives who fear he is too moderate and untrustworthy.
ENTERING KEY PHASE
Speaking to Fox News, Ryan said the Republican race has gone on long enough and that it is time to rally around Romney.
“I think we’re entering a phase where it could become counterproductive if this drags on much longer,” he said.
Romney enters the Wisconsin campaign with a lead in the state’s polls over Santorum.
The former Massachusetts governor won support from 40 percent of likely primary voters while former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum got 33 percent in an NBC/Marist poll on Friday.
Texas Representative Paul was at 11 percent and former House of Representatives Speaker Gingrich had 8 percent.
A Romney victory in Wisconsin, said Republican strategist Rich Galen, would be further evidence of what many Republicans think, “that this is essentially over, that Romney has gone from the front-runner to being the prohibitive nominee.”
Romney’s speech in Appleton was a sign that his campaign believes it is time to begin focusing even harder on Obama, who will have the advantage of incumbency and many millions of dollars to spend on his re-election effort.
Romney made a case that Obama’s economic strategy has been a “bust,” and laid out a number of specific accusations, that 800,000 jobs have been lost under Obama, 46 million people now live in poverty, just as many on food stamps, and 2.8 million homes have been foreclosed upon.
He said Obama has become disconnected with everyday Americans – the same charge Democrats make about the wealthy Romney.
“He (Obama) remains surrounded by true believers who attack anyone who challenges their power. And, as we see each day, they will fight even more fiercely to hold on to that power. All of this is to be expected,” said Romney, reading his speech from a teleprompter.
“That power loves power and never lets go easily is hardly new. And that a White House has lost touch, well, I think we’ve seen that once or twice before,” he said.
To underscore the Romney case against Santorum, his campaign played over the sound system the Kenny Rogers’ song, “The Gambler.” Former President George H.W. Bush had cited a “you have to know when to fold ‘em” line from the song in endorsing Romney on Thursday and urging Romney’s rivals to step aside.
Santorum has vowed to stay in the race and is unlikely to withdraw no matter the Wisconsin outcome, but a loss could impact the amount of money he is able to raise and put further pressure on him.
“At some point reality has to set in and he’s got to realize that there is no path to victory here,” said Jennifer Duffy, political expert at the non-partisan Cook Political Report. “Either come up with a different rationalization for staying in, which I think will be tough, or get out and call it a day.”
(Editing by Alistair Bell and Eric Beech)
Related articles
- Paul Ryan Endorses On Fox & Friends: ‘I Think We Need To Coalesce As Conservatives Around Mitt Romney’ (mediaite.com)
- Poll: Romney leads in Wisconsin, falls against Obama (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
- Romney wins Rep. Paul Ryan’s endorsement (worldviewtonight.com)
- Democrats applaud Paul Ryan’s endorsement of Mitt Romney (dailykos.com)
- Romney edges into mop-up phase of campaign (sfgate.com)
- Election Notes: Who Will Be Romney’s Running Mate? (bigthink.com)
- NBC/Marist Poll: Romney leads in Wisconsin primary (firstread.msnbc.msn.com)
- Romney challengers say they’ll fight on (cnn.com)
- Battle of addition: 150 days until GOP convention (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
- Keith Olbermann Fired From Current TV (perezhilton.com)
- Olbermann Out At Current TV (lezgetreal.com)
- Keith Olbermann fired by Current TV, replaced by Eliot Spitzer (nextlevelofnews.com)
- Olbermann Out (Again) (talkingpointsmemo.com)
- Current TV Terminates Contract With Keith Olbermann, Replaced By Eliot Spitzer Beginning Tonight (mediaite.com)
- Keith Olbermann: Fired By Current TV! (thehollywoodgossip.com)
- Keith Olbermann Fired From Current TV (inquisitr.com)
- Current TV Fires Keith Olbermann, Replaces Him With Eliot Spitzer (kaystreet.wordpress.com)
- Keith Olbermann Fired (theconservativehillbilly.wordpress.com)
- Keith Olbermann FIRED by Current TV (blippitt.com)
Obama Can't Hide Anymore
©2012 drkate
The usurper thought he could hide his true intentions, identity, and idiocy from the American people, but he has failed miserably. When one is so arrogant as to be transparent in his hatred of America, Americans and in particular, white people, one's own shit eventually lands on one's own head. Obama could never have made it without assistance, and those who have enabled this treachery are also…
