After leaving his perch at MSNBC in a fit of drama earlier this year, Keith Olbermann has returned to television as chief news officer for Current TV, and host of a new Countdown.
Meh.
I understand Olbermann's appeal to liberals; he's loud, self-assured, and eager to lampoon conservatives for their conservatism. For liberals during the Bush administration, he was a welcome respite from the usual credulousness of cable news personalities, and today, he voices liberal frustration toward Republicans, Tea Partiers and the resurgent right-wing.
But for all of his qualities as a fighter for liberals, Olbermann isn't well-suited as an advocate for liberalism. At best, Olbermann rallies the “troops” and appeals to those who already agree with him. This is great for ideological warriors who want to take the fight to the right-wing, but does little for liberals as they work to move public opinion in their direction. If we want the public to support health care reform or more robust social services, then we need stories and narratives, not self-righteous anger.
I shouldn't forget Olbermann's other, more serious flaws. In particular, there's an ugly strain of misogyny that runs through Olbermann's criticism of female public figures, conservative or otherwise. When discussing Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential run, Olbermann indulged in a little violent imagery when he asked for someone in the Democratic Party to “take her into a room and only he comes out.” Likewise, his segment on former Miss California Carrie Prejean bubbled with sexist attacks on her body, including a riff where he ridiculed her for having breast implants. And while I’m not a fan of conservative provocateur Michelle Malkin, she’s certainly not a “big mashed-up bag of meat with lipstick on it.”
Finally, a minor annoyance: Olbermann's sign-off, “Good night and good luck,” is obnoxious. He is no Edward R. Murrow. To his credit he seems to understand this.
