Olbermann's Ratings Jump
After five blistering Special Commentaries dismantling the Bush Administration, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann's ratings have jumped an astonishing 69% according to the Denver Post.
After Phil Donohue's liberally leaning show was canned in the run-up to the war, people questioned whether MSNBC was purposely purging liberals from their airwaves. In the end, it's the money that does the talking though.
"People try to ascribe motives to us, that somehow we're trying to keep liberals off the air and it's all about ideology," NBC News senior vice president Phil Griffin said. "If you get ratings, there's no issue."
Donohue claimed at the time to have some of the highest ratings on the network though.
So what changed? The political landscape. When Donohue was on it was nearly impossible to even question the President without being labeled as unpatriotic. Taht's bad for business. As the wars and scandals mounted though, the public became less and less tolerant of the Administration's strong arm tactics. It seems those tactics are what eventually led Olbermann to snap.
"As a critic of the administration, I will be damned if you can get away with calling me the equivalent of a Nazi appeaser," Olbermann told The Associated Press in response to a speech given by Rummy that equated those who question the Administration with appeasers. "No one has the right to say that about any free-speaking American in this country."
It looks like a growing number of Americans agree with him. More media outlets should take note and if Olbermann's ratings continue to climb you can bet they will.
"The purpose of this is to get people to think and supply the marketplace of ideas with something at every fruit stand, something of every variety," he said. "As an industry, only half the fruit stand has been open the last four years."
Previously on POLKUNK: Olbermann Gets Personal,This is a Democracy. Still., Friday Video - Olbermann Smacks Coulter, Friday Video - Olbermann Smacks Down O'Reilly.
