“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.” - Frederick Douglass
There is a certain genome of bureaucrat that is fond of enforcing rules only when the spirit of them is NOT being upheld, and of course it is risible to say the spirit of this one was upheld by Olbermann's suspension.
What it amounts to is Olbermann got a four-day weekend...AND...the rest of us got a satisfying chuckle.
I'm seeing lots of people in positions of great authority lately, taking silly things seriously and serious things as silly things. If I ever bother to make a list of such things, this is definitely going on it.
What a twit. And no I'm not talking about Olbermann.
Oh, I was in Olbie's corner, too. I mean 1) it's not like anyone was prentending not to be biased ... or if they were, it's not like anyone was taking it seriously, and 2) anyone should be able to donate to whomever.
It now appears that you CAN contribute to whomever according to NBC rules, you just have to disclose it, which he didn't.
So he broke a rule. Maybe it was a stupid rule, but it was NBC's rule. So they had every right to do whatever they wanted to do about it, including nothing.
It was fun to chuckle, but it's even funnier, I think, that the "suspension" amounted to nothing.
Rachel Maddow notes that the NBC News rules forbidding political contributions are part of what distinguishes msnbc from Fox News, whose on-air personalities regularly contribute to political campaigns.
So Keith did it, and I read the guy who went on-air in Keith's slot friday night did it, and apparently I also read that a couple other staffers at MSNBC had donated to some GOP candidates ...
but it's what separates MSNBC from Fox. See, Fox's people do it all the time, and MSNBC ... er ... um... does it too.
Just spitballing here, but... could this be the first glimmer of self-awareness on the left?
I mean, we all know that everything they say comes with a big asterisk, thusly:*
*except for me, and everyone like me.
As in: Americans need to reduce their carbon footprint.*
(*private jets and McMansions)
Conservatives don't know anything about other countries.*
(*"I don't know how to say that in Austrian.")
Conservatives are stupid.*
(*"I've campaigned in all 57 states.")
etc. etc.
Could it be that the 2010 elections finally got them worried that they might be called on some of their more egregious bullshit? Even in a "we'd better slap a token fine on him so as not to upset the rubes" kind of way?
Hey, the idea that there ARE rules against stuff is something the left could stand to learn. And -- which is my point -- they DID actually "punish" a violation of the rules (albeit briefly and farcically). These important lessons -- rules are there for a reason; rule violations should be punished; actions have consequences -- would, if applied consistently, result in the end of leftism in our lifetime.
7 comments:
I was in Olby's corner on this one.
There is a certain genome of bureaucrat that is fond of enforcing rules only when the spirit of them is NOT being upheld, and of course it is risible to say the spirit of this one was upheld by Olbermann's suspension.
What it amounts to is Olbermann got a four-day weekend...AND...the rest of us got a satisfying chuckle.
I'm seeing lots of people in positions of great authority lately, taking silly things seriously and serious things as silly things. If I ever bother to make a list of such things, this is definitely going on it.
What a twit. And no I'm not talking about Olbermann.
Oh, I was in Olbie's corner, too. I mean 1) it's not like anyone was prentending not to be biased ... or if they were, it's not like anyone was taking it seriously, and 2) anyone should be able to donate to whomever.
It now appears that you CAN contribute to whomever according to NBC rules, you just have to disclose it, which he didn't.
So he broke a rule. Maybe it was a stupid rule, but it was NBC's rule. So they had every right to do whatever they wanted to do about it, including nothing.
It was fun to chuckle, but it's even funnier, I think, that the "suspension" amounted to nothing.
Sound and fury, and all that.
Even funnier was this, from Rachel Maddow:
Rachel Maddow notes that the NBC News rules forbidding political contributions are part of what distinguishes msnbc from Fox News, whose on-air personalities regularly contribute to political campaigns.
So Keith did it, and I read the guy who went on-air in Keith's slot friday night did it, and apparently I also read that a couple other staffers at MSNBC had donated to some GOP candidates ...
but it's what separates MSNBC from Fox. See, Fox's people do it all the time, and MSNBC ... er ... um... does it too.
Just spitballing here, but... could this be the first glimmer of self-awareness on the left?
I mean, we all know that everything they say comes with a big asterisk, thusly:*
*except for me, and everyone like me.
As in: Americans need to reduce their carbon footprint.*
(*private jets and McMansions)
Conservatives don't know anything about other countries.*
(*"I don't know how to say that in Austrian.")
Conservatives are stupid.*
(*"I've campaigned in all 57 states.")
etc. etc.
Could it be that the 2010 elections finally got them worried that they might be called on some of their more egregious bullshit? Even in a "we'd better slap a token fine on him so as not to upset the rubes" kind of way?
Nahhhh.... probably not. But still: hope!
"We don't follow them, but at least WE have rules AGAINST it."
[shakes head side to side, eyes closing]
Hey, the idea that there ARE rules against stuff is something the left could stand to learn. And -- which is my point -- they DID actually "punish" a violation of the rules (albeit briefly and farcically). These important lessons -- rules are there for a reason; rule violations should be punished; actions have consequences -- would, if applied consistently, result in the end of leftism in our lifetime.
Dare to dream...
Let the dominoes fall!
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