Year: 2011

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Ed Schultz MSNBC Tid Bits

Is Comcast Behind Keith Olbermann’s Departure From Countdown?

Keith Olbermann 3
Keith Olbermann

One of the most trusted and respected voices on MSNBC sent shockwaves throughout the cable news industry tonight with eight words: “This will be the last episode of Countdown!”

Keith Olbermann’s announcement on tonight’s edition of his show brought a shocking, but not a totally unexpected end to the eight year run of the network show. And after Mr. Olbermann said his goodbyes to the audience, social networks like Twitter and Facebook buzzed with the news.

Olbermann was always one of the balancing voices against the insanity of today’s Republican party, Fox News and the right winged propaganda machine, so speculations about his abrupt removal from the MSNBC line-up are sure to be the topic for quite awhile.

MSNBC’s statement concerning the news:

MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of  “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC’s success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.

In announcing his departure, Olbermann told the viewers;

“I was supposed to fill in for the late Jerry Nachman for exactly three days. 49 days later there was a four-year contract for me to return to this nightly 8 PM time slot which I had fled from four years earlier.”

The program grew thanks entirely to your support with great rewards for me and I hope for you. There were many occasions particularly in the last two and a half years where all that surrounded the show — but never the show itself — was just too much for me. But your support and loyalty and if I may use the word insistence ultimately required that I keep going.”

It should be noted that Comcast recently got the approval to acquire MSNBC, so this decision to end Countdown With Keith Olbermann seems a little more than just a coincidence. Comcast CEO, Brian Roberts was a co-chairman of the host committee at the 2000 Republican Convention, and Steve Burke, who served as Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and President of Comcast Cable for more than five years, raised at least $200,000.00 for Geroge W. Bush’s re-election campaign.

Draw your own conclusions…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Featured Glenn Beck Sarah Palin

Glenn Beck Tells His Followers, “Shoot Them In The Head!”

At what point must a civilized society stand up and say enough is enough? Or is the argument of freedom of speech enough to allow someone of influence to go on television, or radio, or the internet for that matter, and tell his audience, “you are going to have to shoot them in the head!”

Shouldn’t our intellect dictate a more enlightened response to someone you disagree with, rather than advising your followers to “Shoot them in the head?”  Well, Glenn Beck evidently prefers to resort to the his more primitive side in some matters.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to say that the political atmosphere had nothing to do with the shooting in Arizona, where 6 people were killed and 19 more injured. and where congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in her head.

Yes, it is becoming increasingly difficult indeed…

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democrats House of Representatives Politics Pre-existing condition Repeal Republican United States

What Will A Health Care Repeal Mean For You

Senator Harry Reid Democrat  from Nevada

Republicans in the House of Representatives succeeded today in getting enough votes to repeal the Health Care Act, signed into Law by President Obama in March 2010. They are trying to persuade the Senate – which is still controlled by Democrats and led by Harry Reid of Nevada – to continue the repeal process. Senator Reid has signaled no desire to bring the Health Care repeal to a vote in the Senate, thus, the bill is dead on arrival.

But congressional Republicans are not giving up. They have assured their conservative base and the Teaparty that they will do all they can to take away their health care. So the next step for these Congressional Republicans will be to defund the bill to the point that it cannot be properly implemented.

What does this mean for the average American?

Well, the parts of the bill that have  already been implemented, will get rolled back if  funding is no longer there. Some of these benefits that Americans will lose include:

  • Children with pre-existing health conditions will once again be dropped from their parent’s coverage
  • Young adults under the age of 26 will no longer be able to stay on their parent’s policy
  • Seniors will once again have to split the cost of prescription drugs in half, because the additional funds provided by the Health Care reform will no longer be available
  • Insurance companies will use less of the money they collect in premiums for your health care needs. More of your premium will be used for overhead expenses and CEO bonuses
  • You will no longer have the additional  options given under the Health Care reform bill to appeal health insurance decisions regarding your coverage
  • You will have to pay for preventative care.

These are just some of the measures from Obama’s Health Care reform that have already been in effect, and will be lost if the Republicans get their way.

Oh, and let’s not forget the tremendous  financial implications. See the video below for more…

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Newt Gingrich Politics Republican Sarah Palin

Newt Gingrich To Sarah Palin – Think Before You Talk

Newt Gingrich holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first Speaker of the House to be disciplined for ethics violations while serving in that capacity during the Clinton administration. Mr. Gingrich has also been credited for helping the Republicans win back the House of Representative in November of 2010 with his 527 Group, collecting donations from unknown donors and funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates in various districts throughout the country.

Newt Gingrich

Now today  Mr. Gingrich, who many believe is planning to run on the Republican ticket against President Obama in 2012,  will be immortalized for having a few choice words for Sarah Palin: If you have a brain, use it to think before you talk!

Well, that’s not how he put it, but he might as well have…

Gingrich appeared today on ABC’s Good Morning America, and after host George Stephanopoulos suggested that Palin’s favorability was at an all time low according to a new Gallop poll,  he was asked how she can turn things around. He answered;

“I think that she’s got to slow down and be more careful and think through what she’s saying and how’s she’s saying it. There’s no question that she has become more controversial. But she is still a phenomenon. I don’t know anybody else in American politics who can put something on twitter or put something on Facebook and automatically have it become a national story. So she remains a very formidable person in her own right.“

Yeah, right. Sarah Palin has been criticized by many on the left for her reckless incendiary language, and was even mentioned in an interview by congresswomen, Gabrielle Giffords who claimed that Palin used crosshairs to target her. Giffords, you may have heard, was shot in her head by a gunman and in the hospital in critical condition.

Given a chance to create a more civil tone,  Sarah Palin instead went  on to create a video where she blamed everyone from specific media groups to the public-at-large  for actually creating the national negative atmosphere.  She used the phrase “blood libel”, a term used to defame Jews,  then on Monday did an interview on FOX NEWS, where the blaming continued.

She’s a phenomenon alright.

The poll taken after the shooting in Tucson Arizona shows Palin’s favorability rating at an all time low of 38%.

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Featured God Religion shooting Westboro Baptist Church

Church Says “Thank God For The Shooter” In Arizona

You can’t get much lower than this, no matter how  you try. This statement from a “church” in Kansas gives the word “vile” a new  meaning.

Following the shooting in Tucson, Arizona 10 days ago, where 6 people died including a Federal judge and a 9 year old girl, the Westboro Baptiste Church in Topeka, Kansas placed a flier on its website stating, “THANK GOD FOR THE SHOOTER,” then went on to say that they will “picket their funerals,” referring to the six victims killed by the gunman, Jarad Laughner.

The group, who also picketed the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate, John Edwards, did not hold back their hate and extreme disgust for those killed in the shooting. The flier went on to say;

“Your federal judge is dead and your (fag-promoting, baby-killing, proud-sinner) Congresswoman fights for her life. God is avenging Himself on this rebellious house! 

Westboro Baptiste Church (WBC) continued, saying that a federal judge in Baltimore put the church on trial, and that congress “passed three laws against the WBC,” and that this was the  reason for the shooting. It was vengance. The flier states, “God sent the shooter to shoot you! And He’s sitting in Heaven laughing at you!”

When President Obama called for civility in his memorial speech after the shootings, this so-called “church”  turned a deaf ear to the message. They instead chose hate;

“WBC prays for your destruction–more shooters, more dead carcasses piling up, young, old, leader and commoner–all. Your doom is upon you!”

Below is the flier as it appears on their website.

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Barack Obama Politics Pre-existing condition Republican Party (United States) United States

Report Shows 129 Million Americans Have a Pre Existing Condition

HHS Kathleen Sebelius

According to a report to be released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services, there are around 129 million Americans under the age of 65 who have a pre-existing condition that will allow insurance companies to deny them care, or even drop their policy all together.

The report comes at a time when the Republican controlled House of Representatives are introducing legislation to repeal President Obama’s signature Health Care Reform bill, signed into law in March of 2010. The  repeal is mainly to appease the Teaparty and their base supporters, as the measure will not pass the Democratic controlled Senate. And in the unlikely event that the repeal passes the House and Senate, President Obama has said it will be vetoed.

As reported by The Washington Post, the study found that one-fifth to one-half of non-elderly people in the United States have conditions that trigger rejection or higher prices in the individual insurance market. These conditions range from cancer to heart disease, asthma and high blood pressure.

A Republican aide calls the release of the report “political,” suggesting that it is an attempt to influence the repeal vote in the House of Representatives. Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius told the Post, “Americans living with pre-existing conditions are being freed from discrimination in order to get the health coverage they need.”

Not if House Speaker John Boehner and his Republican allies get their way!

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Arizona Chris Matthews MSNBC Politics Sarah Palin United States

Teaparty Says Nothing Wrong with Guns at Political Rallies

Some people just don’t get it, either because they’re ignorant, or they’re uninterested in reality. But in either case, they come across as just plain stupid, and in this case, a liar too!

That was exactly how Jason Phillips, founder of the Teaparty Nation appeared, when he was interviewed today on Chris Matthews show on MSNBC. When Mr. Phillips was asked if he believed guns should be brought to a political rally, Mr. Phillips first claimed ” I haven’t seen any” at the political rallies he’s gone to.

Chris continued questioning and pointing out how stupid Phillips’ argument was, then the question was asked again, “do you believe guns should be brought to a political rally.”  Forgetting what he said a few moments ago Phillips responded;

I was at a political rally in Arizona a few months ago. People openly carry out there and I felt perfectly safe! I wasn’t worried in the least!

Meanwhile, six people died less than 48 hours ago, and a congresswoman is fighting for her life. Someone brought a gun to a political event in a supermarket. Mr. Jason Phillips, founder of the Teaparty Nation, saw nothing wrong this scenario.

[cincopa AAKAVZ6u4erK]

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Arizona MSNBC Politics Sarah Palin shooting twitter

For Sarah Palin, It’s Too Little, Too Late

In an effort to distance themselves from the shootings yesterday in Arizona, where 6 people were innocently killed including a Federal Judge and a nine year old girl, Sarah Palin and her followers have begun a campaign to suggest that all the coincidences surrounding the incident were just that… coincidences.

The we-had-nothing-to-do-with-it campaign began shortly after the shooting. The webmasters of Sarah Palin’s website immediately removed the picture showing the crosshairs over Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords district in Arizona. A feeble attempt, as with today’s technology, archives of the site were already made showing the now forsaken image.

The pitiful campaign is also being waged on Twitter by an employee of Palin’s. Her name is Rebecca Mansour. Mrs Mansour has taken it upon herself to use her Twitter account to defend her boss against all accusations that the crosshairs gesture was  connected to the shooting.  She also appeared on a radio interview to defend Palin’s website and to tell everyone how wrong it was to make the association.

And then there’s Mrs Palin herself. Shortly after the shooting, she offered her “condolences” to the victims, saying;

My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today’s tragic shooting in Arizona.

On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.

In one of her previous tweets after listing the Congresswoman’s district under the crosshairs, Palin advised her supporters to “RELOAD.” Her actual tweet read;

“Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: ‘Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!’ Pls see my Facebook page.”

What Palin, her staff, and her devoted followers don’t want to acknowledge is that when you’re a renown, followed public figure who  negligently uses riotous words and actions to blatantly and willfully arouse the fearful, hateful emotions of your listeners, such as exhibiting crosshairs  over congressional districts on your website suggesting that your opponents be ‘taken out’,  then its to be expected that when a congresswoman  (and excuse my crudeness here) gets shot in the head…then connections will be made.

And this connection was made by none other than the victim herself, when she was interviewed on MSNBC almost a year ago. Asked about whether the political leaders of both parties should condemn the growing divide in this nation, Mrs. Giffords specified that it’s not only the responsibilities of political leaders to tone down the violence. She named Sarah Palin and expressed her concerned about being targeted by Mrs. Palin’s crosshairs depiction. In an eerie conclusion, Mrs Giffords warned Sarah Palin that “words have consequences!”

No one is saying Sarah Palin caused the shooting in Arizona.  But saying that she contributed to the vile political divide in this country is a huge understatement. We will always have  disagreements as a people, but we have to continue to use democratic ways to move on, while respecting our various differences.

Palin’s antics proved that manufacturing lies to maintain fake non-issues, is a profitable way to exist. She is not about solutions, for solutions will mean that  her antics are no longer needed, thus no paycheck. For  Palin and and her fellow commentator associates, saying or doing anything is warranted only if its about  maintaining the cash. As they deposit their checks however, the words of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords should ring in their ears, – “words have consequences!”

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