Finally, today, as promised, a special comment on the canning of Keith Olbermann. (switch camera, turn chair, adjust glasses). Last night was the final Countdown with Keith Olbermann (switch camera, turn chair, adjust glasses). Apparently, Olbermann was impossible to deal with (switch camera, turn chair, remove and hold glasses).

The prima donna of prime time lost his only ally at MSNBC last year with the departure of Jeff Zucker. Based on Olbermann’s infamous clashes with management, MSNBC’s new parent corporation, Comcast, believed that Olbermann was too big of a headache, according to TMZ:

Keith Olbermann saw the handwriting on the wall with the new owner of NBC and cut a deal for his exit that will give him money and options…

Here’s how it went down. Sources familiar with the situation tell us that Olbermann’s agent recently went to NBC complaining that Keith — who has the most popular show on MSNBC — was underpaid at $7 million per year. NBC execs told Olbermann’s agent they would not cough up anymore money.

Network execs were well aware that Comcast wanted Keith gone because he was “a loose cannon that could not be controlled.” It became clear to both sides that Olbermann’s days were numbered and they began negotiating an exit.

Thankfully, Mark Levin has kept a thorough record of Olbermann’s ‘achievements.’ With that in mind, here is a highlight reel of The self-styled modern day Edward R. Murrow’s greatest hits:

In an interview with Barbara Walters, Governor Palin said that she reads C.S. Lewis for divine inspiration. Lewis was a prolific writer. He is best known for his Christian faith, and his faith’s influence on his work. Among his more famous works are: The Screwtape Letters, The Space Trilogy, and yes, The Chronicles of Narnia. Even his children’s books had a strong Christian message.

With the above in mind, take a look at enlightened and well read member of the media, Richard Wolffe’s analysis of what Governor Palin reads:

To deride C.S. Lewis as merely an author of “a series of kids’ books” would be like remembering Winston Churchill as a hobby bricklayer. Another one of Palin’s critics, in this case one of her most vindictive and vociferous ones, has egg all over his face.

The dirty secret about the ‘enlightened’ Left is that they don’t read. Sure, in college they cracked open Barbara Ehrenreich and Naomi Naomi Klein, but that’s about the extent of it. Most Marxists probably haven’t ever read Marx.

Even Chris Matthews looked embarrassed in that clip. It is entirely possible that Richard Wolffe’s first exposure to C.S. Lewis came with the movie adaptations of Narnia series. But don’t look behind the curtain, remember, Palin is the dumb one and only the brilliant Left can stop hayseed America from supporting her.

(H/T The Blaze)

Hiding under the false pretense of objectivity, NBC News has a rule that forbids alleged journalists from donating to political parties. This rule holds up the façade of impartiality for a media network that is entirely in the tank for the Democratic Party. In place of this ridiculous rule, NBC and MSNBC hosts and analysts should be permitted to make political contributions and be forced to disclose where their money was spent.

Not allowing political contributions allows MSNBC to make outrageous claims. A perfect example of the disingenuous self-righteous attitude at MSNBC came from Rachel Maddow last Friday:

In the video, Maddow documents political endorsements and contributions made by FOX hosts, specifically Sean Hannity. Is it a surprise to viewers that Sean Hannity supports Republicans? No. FOX is honest. On the other hand, MSNBC is still a Potemkin village, with the only Lincoln Steffenss left residing in GE headquarters.

Phil Griffin, the President of MSNBC, still thinks/claims that his network is impartial. In a recent interview, Griffin challenged “Show me an example of us fund-raising.” Griffin’s claim was echoed by Ms. Maddow in the above video. You see, although the entire cast at MSNBC may be  dedicated liberals, they still adhere to strict journalistic standards. Political fund-raising is where the line is drawn between the dastardly FOX News, and the respected home of journalism, MSNBC.

Funny thing about that. Media critic Johhny Dollar took up Griffin’s challenge. His findings may have shocked Pauline Kael, but not too many other people.  Using the very same standards that Griffin and Maddow used to pillory FOX, it turns out MSNBC has made a cottage industry out of fundraising for Democrats. Democrats like Alan Grayson, Michael Dorf, Justin Coussoule, Jack Conway and other regularly took to MSNBC’s airwaves to seek funds. In addition, leftwing groups, like MoveOn.org and others were given free ‘infomercial’ time on MSNBC.

None of this information should surprise you. If you haven’t ever watched MSNBC I highly recommend it. It’s like Comedy Central, only funny. For anyone at MSNBC, or any of the other networks for that matter, to claim to be objective is an insult to their viewers’ intelligence. Politico says that MSNBC is having an “identity crisis.” No, it’s not. MSNBC decided long ago to be the home of the deranged Left. The rule Olbermann broke is nonsensical. The rule is applied subjectively and sparingly. As examined above, MSNBC breaks their own rule quite regularly. The only people Maddow and Griffin may be fooling with their preening and posturing are themselves.

Keith Olbermann was recently suspended “indefinitely” from MSNBC for finally showing his ambiguous political leanings donating to the Democratic Party. The news of Olbermann’s political contributions came only hours before the announcement that he had been let go. According to MSNBC, political contributions are forbidden in accordance with in-house corporate policies, but there have been several cases where these rules have been overlooked.

If Olbermann were a news guy, I would understand his dismissal over this issue. For those strictly non-partisan, unbiased newscasters, donating to a political party would be a big no-no. With Olbermann, this is hardly a guy who leaves viewers guessing about which way he leans politically. One of the things news networks need to succeed is a distinction between news and commentary. Fox News has known this for quite a while; even MSNBC has embraced this philosophy. CNN, on the other hand, is filled with partisan hacks attempting to come across as neutral; so it’s no wonder that they fall behind even HLN and MSNBC in ratings year after year.

If it were revealed that Sean Hannity had contributed to the Republican Party, I wouldn’t think he should be fired. That would be no different. Love him or hate him (with Strictly Right readers presumably falling into the latter category,) I don’t think anyone doubts that his “schtick” is that of a raging left-wing lunatic. Therefore, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that he supports, you know, the party that represents raging left-wing lunatics.

Now, when the news was revealed that Limbaugh was admitted to the hospital, there were a torrent of Tweets from his detractors wishing that he would kick the bucket, saying that they  hoped it was a heart attack, that he died a painful death, etc. I have never seen such hatred when someone from the Left has been through a similar experience. There are going to be a couple of nutjobs on either side of the spectrum no matter what; but I can’t help but laugh at the Left’s chosen way to treat someone they claim is so filled with hate and vitriol. They respond with…well, hate and vitriol. I’ve never heard Rush wish someone were dead — nothing close.

Despite what I think about NPR (which, believe me, is not favorable,) there is still an expectation of civility there. Punditry and polemic aside, media figures on the Left and the Right have [generally] had a level of respect for colleagues on the other side as individuals. Heck, Chris Matthews even guest-hosted the Rush Limbaugh Show once (betcha didn’t know that!)

When the now leaked Journolist database, this is the tip of the iceberg. From admittedly sharing strategies to kill the Jeremiah Wright stories to advocating a government takeover of Fox News, it’s clear the liberal media is…shockingly, liberal.

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Matthews’ point, that Palin is being pragmatic in her endorsements, in an effort to ‘collect chips’ for 2012 is an interesting idea. Many Palin backers have been dismayed with some of her ‘establishment’ endorsements this year (Carly Fiorina was the biggest one (or John McCain)). However, if Palin wishes to have a future in national politics she will need people in power that owe her. The only way to build up this necessary base of support is to pick winners. With  her high success rate (thus far), Palin can claim that her influence matters across the country. By siding with Carly Fiorina in California Palin demonstrated that her endorsement can matter even in the most liberal of states. The Governor’s strategy works on a number of levels. The first two have already been stated: she collects favors and flexes her political muscle. In addition, Palin’s endorsements keep her in the news for political reasons, not tabloid ones. When her candidates keep on winning it is impossible to ignore her power. As well, by endorsing a wide array of candidates, Palin is able to increase her appeal to ‘moderate’ voters – a group she excelled with as Governor of Alaska. The question is: will Palin’s support for a few moderate Republicans cost her support among the party’s base? (Answer: a resounding and overwhelming NO).

Probably not – no one watches MSNBC, and even fewer care about what Chris Matthews has to say. However, it is something to see Mr. “tingle up my leg” take on Obama in such harsh words. To review, Matthews compared O’s handling of the Gulf oil spill to Jimmy Carter’s handling of the Iran hostage crisis. He said it was as big a disaster as what had to be done at Dunkirk.  Chrisy pointed out that Chairman O is “not taking ownership,” “not acting like it’s big time,” “not acting like a commander in chief,” “not a chief executive,” and that the Obama team is no more than an”idiotic cerebral meritocracy.” I don’t think I could have said it any better myself.

The video is worth watching for pure comedic purposes:

(H/T Michelle Malkin)

(H/T Radio Equalizer)