Countdown with Keith Olbermann is off the air on MSNBC. The demise of one of the bedrock liberal voices on this platform begs the question of the difference in tolerance of voices on the right and left. Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and voices on the right seem to be able to run past all manner of civility without any consequence to their media platform. Liberal voices seem to be placed in time out or checked quite often. An article titled "Keith Olbermann leaving MSNBC's 'Countdown'" written by Chris Grygiel and published on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website details Olbermann’s leaving the network.
Will anyone forget the N-word explosion that Dr. Laura embarked upon during her talk show when she was speaking to an African American caller that was in an interracial marriage? Dr. Laura felt quite put upon by the criticism that came her way. In fact, Dr. Laura felt that her freedom of speech had been violated when in fact she stayed on the air and has now migrated to satellite radio where she said she could exercise her first amendment rights.
The Liberal Leash
Glenn Beck called President Barack Obama a racist that hated white people with no repercussions. David Shuster made a comment about the Clintons pimping their daughter Chelsea when she was campaigning for her mother Hillary during the Democratic primary for President and was severely reprimanded. Rush Limbaugh said he wanted President Obama to fail and played a song titled "Barack The Magic Negro" on his radio broadcast without any consequences.
Olbermann ran afoul of his employers at MSNBC earlier when it was discovered that he had made contributions to several political candidates including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in Arizona by a crazed gunman. Olbermann was suspended for a few days amid a huge outcry from his fans. Obviously the conflicts with his superiors were never fully resolved.
The Liberal Vacuum
The volume of the right wing is on full blast amid a shrinking counterbalancing force. Air America radio ceased operation basically because of a lack of audience support. The difference seems to be that one group is on a mission and the other has a point of view. The right-wing has a mission and the liberals have a point of view. Someone with a mission has an eye on victory and tactics used are secondary. Liberals have a point of view and rules of engagement matter.
Another liberal voice leaves the airwaves and will probably be replaced with a calmer and less opinionated replacement. Olbermann will surface elsewhere and soldier on. We will still hear the almost unrestrained comments from the edge and move along.
