Keith Olbermann occasionally delivered "special comments", commentaries usually several minutes long and often directed at a political figure, on his 2003-2011 MSNBC news show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The first commentary specifically designated as a special comment was delivered on August 30, 2006.[1] He continued this practice when Countdown transferred to Current TV for the 2011-2012 season.
Olbermann originated and wrote his special comments himself, which he described as a two-day process that began with "[getting] pissed off" and involved a number of rewrites and rehearsals before the show aired. Olbermann delivered a total of 57 Special Comments on MSNBC's Countdown.[2][failed verification] The special comments almost always took the form of criticism of the conservatives, including the Bush administration, Newt Gingrich[3] or Tom DeLay.[4]
He also criticized the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama when they seemed to be catering to the whims of the right wing. His criticism of Hillary Clinton's response to the comments of Geraldine Ferraro about Barack Obama and the comments aftermath was the first time a special comment was "directed exclusively at a Democrat."[5]
Some of his most vehement Special Comments were about the need for universal health care in the United States. He appealed to viewers several times to support the National Association of Free Clinics. On October 6, 2009, Olbermann delivered a one-hour Special Comment devoted entirely to the need for health care reform, detailing history, statistics, and a personal account about what he witnessed while caring for his ailing father.[6]
Olbermann's special comments generated much attention and controversy, especially on the Internet. They have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube. The day after the first special comment, Olbermann's name became the #4 search term on Technorati and the Amazon.com ranking of his book Worst Person in the World jumped from #98 to #19.[7] On at least two instances, excerpts from special comments were entered into the Congressional Record, including a speech by West Virginia Representative Nick Rahall on the House floor.[8]
A book compiling Olbermann's Special Comments, Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values, was released on December 26, 2007, containing all the Special Comments that aired on or before September 4, 2007, including the one on Hurricane Katrina.[9]
Countdown ended in 2012 and Olbermann moved into sports broadcasting for a time. In 2016, he launched The Resistance with Keith Olbermann, a political commentary web series for GQ magazine built around discussions similar to the earlier "special comments."
Origins and parodies
Before Olbermann started designating his commentaries "special comments," he delivered a commentary on what he characterized as the Bush administration's incompetence in handling the Hurricane Katrina relief effort on September 5, 2005.[10] The commentary was widely shared on the Internet and prompted Rolling Stone to name Olbermann a "truth teller" in its 2005 Men of the Year issue.[11]
On December 18, 2006, MSNBC first aired a show dedicated entirely to Olbermann's special comments. The show, which aired during Countdown's normal time slot during Countdown's holiday hiatus featured four Special Comments: "This hole in the ground", "Feeling morally, intellectually confused?", "A special comment about lying", and "Where are the checks, balances?" Olbermann revealed during this show that his first special comment, "Feeling morally, intellectually confused?" was written on the back of a travel itinerary while waiting for a flight in Los Angeles.[12] Later, on August 31, 2007, Olbermann spoofed himself and the special comments with a guest appearance on The Soup. In it, he and host Joel McHale berated Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan for their misbehavior, going so far as to put up a photo of Anna Nicole Smith as an example of what could happen to them if they don't change their ways. [original research?] Olbermann similarly parodied the concept (and his own delivery) during the Keeping Tabs segment of the December 7, 2007 edition of Countdown with a "Special Come On." It was directed at FOX Network executives about the possibility of an Arrested Development movie, and extolled the virtues of the show both in terms of quality and marketability.[13]
In 2008, Saturday Night Live guest host Ben Affleck portrayed Olbermann in a parody of Countdown, which featured a mock special comment against the co-op board that would not allow Olbermann to keep his cat, satirically named "Miss Precious Perfect", in an apartment he shares with his mother.[14] Ironically, Olbermann is allergic to cats.[15]
In January 2010, The Daily Show also parodied the special comment format, with host Jon Stewart criticising Olbermann for 'name-calling' in his attacks on Scott Brown.[16]
The links in this table are to transcripts or videos of the special comments. Special comment titles and summaries are those on the MSNBC website; Olbermann does not mention them on air.
A response to a speech by Donald Rumsfeld in which Rumsfeld characterized those who disagreed with the Iraq War as "morally or intellectually confused." Olbermann compares Rumsfeld's certitude to that of Neville Chamberlain's government.
A response to a presidential press conference in which then-President George W. Bush quoted a purported letter by Osama bin Laden that mentioned "a media campaign to create a wedge between the American people and their government," which Olbermann alleges was an attempt to link the media to terrorists.
From Ground Zero, a comment on the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the slowness to rebuild on Ground Zero. Olbermann goes on to accuse the Bush administration of failing to build on the unity following 9/11 and implies that the Bush administration has committed an "impeachable offense."
In wake of John Kerry's misstated witticism and apology, Olbermann asserts that President Bush is stupid, dishonest, and that Bush owes U.S. troops an apology.
Reaction to statements made by President Bush on a surprise trip to Iraq earlier in the day in light of his previous comments in Robert Draper's book Dead Certain.
Reaction to a September 20 press conference. Asserts that President Bush was the one who interjected Gen. David Petraeus into the political dialogue in the first place.
A reaction to comments by President Bush and Michael Mukasey responding to allegations of waterboarding by the Bush administration. Accuses the Bush administration of conducting a "criminal conspiracy" to protect itself from prosecution for torture.
Reaction to President Bush's past statements toward the nuclear weapons capabilities of Iran compared to the National Intelligence Estimate issued on December 3, 2007.
Keith Olbermann reviews how many times Hillary Clinton has referenced Robert F. Kennedy in her campaign – and how the most recent mention of him and his assassination was inexcusable.[18]
Keith Olbermann takes a look at the context of John McCain's "not too important" comment regarding the urgency of bringing American troops home from the Iraq war.[19]
Keith Olbermann discusses Senator Barack Obama's second chance to vote on the FISA bill and still show voters that he can stand on principle through the advantage of a loophole within the bill.[20]
Keith Olbermann explains how John McCain and company repeatedly politicize the issues they address, especially the Iraq war, and blame the media for every hardship their campaign faces.[21]
Keith Olbermann talks about the politicization of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, especially by the Bush administration and the GOP, who use the event to terrify Americans into thinking the only safe option is to vote Republican "or this will happen again and you will die."[22]
Keith Olbermann points out in a Special Comment that while John McCain might want to use Sarah Palin to hit Barack Obama below the belt and accuse him of terrorist associations, he overlooked the unfortunate fact that "pallin' around with terrorists" is one area in which Palin has more experience.[23]
In a brief Special Comment, Keith Olbermann expresses his disapproval of what he characterizes as the McCain-Palin campaign's "lynch-mob mentality" and what he alleges as their refusal to discourage surrogates and supporters from threatening Barack Obama at GOP campaign rallies.[24]
Keith Olbermann lists examples of hateful, divisive politics from the right that actually do more to undermine America than the bogus accusations of anti-Americanism being leveled against Barack Obama.[25]
Keith Olbermann accuses former Vice President Dick Cheney of using made-up statistics and nonsensical reasoning in an effort to extend the Bush administration's reign of fear over Americans weeks after voters resoundingly rejected Cheney's un-American worldview.
Olbermann expresses outrage at Wall Street over their continuing misuse of federal bailout money; he calls for the firing of bank executives and more stringent bank regulation.
Olbermann makes one more plea to President Obama to prosecute Bush administration officials who allowed the torture of prisoners to occur, to set an example for the future that America does not tolerate torture.
Olbermann marvels at former Vice President Dick Cheney's defense of the Bush administration torture practices while avoiding taking any responsibility for them.
Olbermann criticizes members of Congress for acting more in the interests of donors in the healthcare industry rather than their constituents who favor health care reform.
Keith Olbermann decries former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's "death panel" invention in her criticism of President Barack Obama's health care agenda, pointing out that by peddling frightening lies to her mob of ill-informed followers she puts the safety and security of the nation at risk.
Keith Olbermann calls out South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson not just for his shameful incivility in interrupting President Obama's health care speech before Congress but for being so glaringly, stupidly, publicly wrong.
Keith Olbermann argues that in the face of political and financial opportunism, not to mention outright lies about the war in Afghanistan, and the stark historical warning represented by Vietnam, President Obama should make the change he promised during his campaign and pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
Keith Olbermann envisions a future United States in which today's Supreme Court ruling permitting unbridled corporate campaign spending purchase all the power greed can afford.
Keith Olbermann explores the relationship between fear and racism and encourages Americans who are distressed about the nation's future to avoid political groups that appeal to their less noble inclinations.
Keith Olbermann advises Republicans that clinging to obsolete ideas and resorting to extremist rhetoric will only undermine the party's relevance and America will move on without them.
Keith Olbermann criticizes John McCain for opposing the application of American justice on Times Square terror plot suspect Faisal Shahzad as if America's system of justice is too weak for terrorists.
Keith Olbermann compares the firing of Shirley Sherrod to the Dreyfus affair, criticizing the way the incident was handled in the media and the White House.
Keith Olbermann comments on the need to clarify the statements of both mainstream media outlets of, and opponents against, Park51 (formerly known as the Cordoba House) who dubbed the building as the "Ground Zero Mosque" (although the mosque area is designed as residing inside the larger community center which constitutes the entirety of the site. He also tries to clarify misconceptions regarding the center.
Keith Olbermann discusses how the "false god" of objectivity in news reporting failed America in the lead up to the Iraq War, and points out that some of the most revered named in news were actually attacked in their times for being too partial in speaking truth to power.
Keith Olbermann criticizes the president and his Council of Economic Advisers for not understanding that the rich aren't spending their money and the poor don't have any money to spend.
In the aftermath of the shooting of 19 people in an attempted assassination of Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., Keith Olbermann reminds Americans that "violence, or the threat of violence, has no place in our democracy." Aired on a special Saturday edition of Countdown.
Nine days previously, Keith Olbermann asked every politician and commentator to renounce violent rhetoric and apologize for any use of it. Senator John McCain aside, Keith Olbermann thinks everybody else just got louder.
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June 24, 2011
Pending the decision about legalizing same-sex marriage in New York state, Keith speaks on the moral and political reasons for legalizing same-sex marriage in America, emphasizing his previous point that like heterosexual relationships, gay unions are based on love.
Keith speaks about President Obama's proposed United States debt-ceiling crisis compromise with the Republicans to cut Social Security and Medicare. Keith describes these and other government support programs in simple terms of human beings looking out for one another. He explains why a social safety net is one of America's greatest accomplishments. Speaking directly to Pres. Obama, he reminds him of Jackie Robinson's statement "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
Keith speaks strongly about the resolution of the United States debt-ceiling crisis and the formation of the Supercongress committee. He concludes by reminding the audience that the American people are not powerless to change things. He exhorts them to "be organized and unified and hell-bent" in the spirit of the protests of the 1960s, stand up for their rights and take back the country from politicians and corporations.
Campaign comments
In October 2008, two weeks before the presidential election, Olbermann announced that he would briefly transform his special comments into a nightly feature, claiming that "If [the McCain campaign is] going to pile it on for the next two weeks, I'm going to have to throw it back."[27] After numerous people observed that daily comments would render the term "special" meaningless, Olbermann christened the two weeks' comments as campaign comments.[28] He also noted that the campaign comments would be less formal than his special comments, and "not necessarily just monologues, either. Sound Bites now acceptable."[28]
Keith Olbermann is irate at Sarah Palin's inability to answer correctly a third grader's question about the job of the Vice President of the United States — this being her fourth wrong answer since July.
Keith Olbermann points out the hypocrisy in the McCain campaign's casting Sarah Palin as a hero of the working class while spending $150,000 on her image. The transparency of the ridiculous cynicism of the McCain campaign is further demonstrated by their awkward pandering to local baseball fans.
Keith Olbermann says John McCain needs to speak out against those who would use the Ashley Todd mugging hoax as a means to re-open the racial divide in America.
Keith Olbermann cites yet another example of the McCain campaign accusing Barack Obama of something of which they themselves are guilty. In this case, Sarah Palin is accusing Barack Obama of advocating socialism when she literally used that word to describe the collective wealth sharing in her home state of Alaska.
Keith Olbermann asks "Joe the Plumber" to give up playing the role of McCain-Palin campaign prop because he is either supplying false information or making a fool of himself.
Keith Olbermann points out that not only does John McCain have a closer relationship with Rashid Khalidi than Barack Obama does, that relationship means McCain had a connection to William Ayers as well.
Keith Olbermann invites viewers to imagine how Barack Obama would be fairing in the election if Obama made the mistakes, contradictions, gaffes, Freudian slips, and hypocritical pronouncements that John McCain make throughout the campaign.
Countdown recaps Barack Obama's historic win to become the 44th president of the United States and the first of African descent.
Quick comments
Besides his special comments, Olbermann has, since January 11, 2010, also used "Quick Comments" to discuss news stories. It is usually reserved for topics which are not as impactful on American life as those which are covered in his Special Comments, but it is often used to bring attention to natural disaster crises around the country.
April Fool's Day comment in which Keith has "absolutely nothing to complain about," and instead shows a web video of a boy who cries when told by his father that he is not a "single lady" after singing the such-titled song by Beyoncé Knowles.
Strong criticism of Sarah Palin's comments concerning onshore drilling, "Drill Baby Drill"
Tea Time
Beginning on April 20, 2010, Olbermann devoted many of his Quick Comment segments to the Tea Party movement, which he begins with the sound of a whistling kettle on the boil and the following:
No, that is not your water coming to a boil. That's our nightly checkup on the something-for-nothing crowd. 'It's Tea Time!'
Comment on both Melissa Clouthier's description of Obama's usage of "teabagger" to describe the Tea Party movement and the National Review's comment on the origin of the current political usage.
