Liberal emotion is dangerous. Anti-American. Threatening.

[DirkGently]

And that's what Keith provided. In the rightwing paradigm for America, conservatives are the wise, fatherly elders, temples streaked with gray, sternly keeping to the wisdom of the Old Ways. They are Not To Be Questioned. Their claims to privilege are divine right, derived from the Founding Fathers and Jesus. They wave guns, but only in the interests of Justice. It's not fascism, or stealing, or torture, or bigotry, or extortion, when THEY do it. Nevermind what Daddy does, no matter how crazy or stupid or greedy it may appear.

In their eyes, Keith went too far. Liberals, the right asserts, are unruly children to be tolerated, notwithstanding every social, cultural, or economic improvement made in this country has, by definition, been liberal and progressive. Unruly children may mouth off occasionally, or throw water balloons, but they will not be heard to raise their voices, wag their fingers, or throw stones, no matter how well aimed.

Thus the double standard. Beck states, as fact, that outdoor statuary is a liberal plot to destroy America. That FEMA "may" be preparing deathcamps for American citizens. That the President of the United States "hates white people." Sharron Angle calls, without a trace of hyperbole, for armed violence in the event conservatives don't get their way. Michele Bachmann wants an investigation into "anti-Americans" in Congress.

So, from the right, ludicrous fantasies, lies, and blunt threats of violence are "robust debate."

From the left, a young liberal woman with a sign is so outrageous that she earns a kick in the head, with no apology. Keith Olbermann is out of control for pointing out that Bill O'Reilly, who once suggested a rape victim had mostly her halter to blame for her attack, might not be a good speaker for a women's group.

The problem with Keith is not that his "How dare you sir" tone was too "vituperative and mercurial," which we will hear repeatedly in coming days. It was not that he was somehow the equivalent of screaming rightwing liars chumming the waters with darkly gleeful talk of bullets and insurrection and pretending shock when an endless stream of "lone nuts" take them at their word and kill for them.

The problem with Keith was that he spoke to conservative miscreants like the unruly, dangerous children that THEY often are. Presumptious. Self-righteous. Effective. And, as Nashville says, "uppity."

Don't stay away too long Keith. The absence of your voice is something "up with which we dare not put."


edited for linkage and speling.

[Paladin]

1. Nicely Put As Usual, DG....... (n/t)

[DirkGently]

7. Thanks, Paladin.

[grasswire]

2. exactly

And for that, liberals were kicked squarely in the gut. We'll have none of this, the suits said. None of this. Respect your elders.

Keith's blunt firing was an attack on liberals. A trifecta. Keith gone, liberal-leaning newscasters intimidated, liberals kicked in the gut. Trifecta.

[DirkGently]

4. And Keith's suit was part of the problem. The RW prefers liberals in tie-dye and sandals.

He looked too much like the Authority the rightwing claims as birthright. Took a stern tone. Spoke too sonorously and took his cues from Morrow and Thurber. Was too hard to write off as extreme or "out there." He played in their sandbox and often beat them. Keith berated those who believe shaming and scolding -- and yes, sometimes talking down or sounding angry -- was their province exclusively.

[nashville_brook]

5. i like this observation...

there's something about these behavioral limitations that remind me of how women have been treated historically...and, all minorities, really.

[bobbolink]

13. Yes, exactly... and that brings us dangerously close to.....

SENSITIVITY.

There you have it.... Calvinists don't believe in sensitivity.

[white_wolf]

22. Hell no they don't

Calvin taught that wealth was a sign that you were one of the elect. I don't know how that works in context of the whole "rich men and the camel passing through the eye of a needle" though. Of course it is Calvinism if we begin to question it it all just falls apart.

[nashville_brook]

3. Keith, your absence is something "up with which we dare not put!"

[DirkGently]

6. Ms. Precious Purrfect would like that bit, eh? 8)

[felix_numinous]

8. The only thing that matters is if we belong to the club

-then we can be an idiot with a gun and be as outraged as we please.

Free expression is for club members only, them's the corporate ROoo0OLES.

[DirkGently]

10. Precisely.

[myrna minx]

9. K&R. Exactly. n/t

[jp11]

11. Correct, and the country buys it, PTB all go along with it, there isn't

honest recognition of the disparity between 'both sides' one lies and is bombastic in the fervor of their 'message' to inspire fear and hate while making money and the other fights those lies to bring the truth and facts to peoples eyes. The moral high ground is claimed by those least fit to step foot on it and seemingly no one will honestly acknowledge it without taking a swing at the left cause 'both sides' are wrong and exactly equal.

[DirkGently]

12. As much as they tried to equate KO with rightwing blowhards, it simply isn't possible.

Someone here on DU, I believe pointed out that Keith, for example, corrected his factual errors. His "counterparts" made false statements into centerpieces.

I love that Rachel Maddow represents intelligent, calm, reasoning liberals. But liberals are also often justly outraged, and Keith manages to express that with intelligence and reasoning as well. A question of tone; but we need both.

[DumbBassRepublicans]

24. I think the bottom line was that.....

KEITH TOLD THE TRUTH....!!!
Not the republican version of the truth, but
the REAL truth....
He had to be silenced, at all costs...!!!
But, to paraphrase Gov. Arnie....
"HE'LL BE BACK...!!!"
:patriot:

[Mosaic]

14. Okay but

We said much the same things about conservatives/republicans the last 8 years. Projection is the main quality of the "right", don't let them tell you who you are. No more weakness, banish it.

[DirkGently]

16. Not sure what you mean.

[Mosaic]

21. I agree with you mostly

We've been calling them children, which they most often act like, for a long time. Keith treated them as they should be treated, but we must all treat them this way. We hold the moral high ground. Their warped thinking, the so called "right" which is wrong, must never be allowed to dominate. We must do all we can to keep corporate media in check, as it will get ugly before it gets better.

[blackspade]

15. Kick!

[DesertFlower]

17. K&R. nt

[Poboy]

18. Too late to rec, but kick.

[DirkGently]

19. Gracias, Poboy.

[jdadd]

20. Very well said!!!!

Kick....:kick:

[socialist_n_TN]

23. Kick. I've said the same thing myself on here................

several times both before and after KO's departure. The RW's problem with Keith stemmed from his PASSION. Lying about the truth they can handle. They do it all the time. But truth delivered with PASSION is a BIG problem for them. Because passion is what sells positions in this country today. And passion backed by truth is like a sunlight to a vampire. A killer.

They can win the battle over truth a lot of the time. But they can't win when the truth is backed with passion.

[Truth2Tell]

25. logged in to kick

superb post