Wow, I just watched a few clips of the Democratic National Convention on MSNBC and the anchors are at each other throats. There’s Keith Olbermann trying to cut off Chris Matthews who shouts back mid-thought “I’ll wrap in a second, I’ll wrap in a second.”
More video and commentary is at Gawker.com: MSNBC Anchors At Each Other’s Throats Again
Then there’s Keith Olbermann interrupting Joe Scarbourgh during his report on upbeat news from the McCain campaign with some under his breath comments about a shovel causing Scarbourgh to scoff, “A shovel?” Olberman then cites some USA Today poll (not any that I have seen) that it is John McCain tanking in the polls, not Barack Obama and then goes on to tell Scarbourgh “Jesus, Joe, why don’t you get a shovel?” to which Joe Scarborough tells him to get his own shovel. After Joe Scarborough finishes, Chris Matthews asks him “Are you done?” To which Joe Scarborough replies “Do you want me to get another shovel?” Shovel to shovel coverage on MSNBC. Fun to watch the network implode.
There are more video clips are on Gawker with commentary:
Three Way Convention Hatefest on MSNBC
But the above is nothing compared to the David Schuster-Joe Scarborough feud which is open warfare or just pure comedy, take your pick. Joe Scarborough calls Shuster “Rip Van Shuster” and then the fireworks really get going. On national television. Live.
The entire seven-minute exchange is worth watching, but the highlight is Joe Scarborough’s challenge to political hack David Shuster and MSNBC at large over their partisanship and their lack of political objectivity in their reporting. The fireworks start at the 2:15 minute mark of the video.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: I will let you know that “my party,” my party, loathes me, much more than your party, the Democratic party, loathes me.
DAVID SHUSTER: Well that’s a whole ‘nother issue, but the fact of the matter is –
SCARBOROUGH: No, it’s not another issue, because you said –
SHUSTER: The party you served with in Congress have repeatedly suggested, they have ridiculed –
SCARBOROUGH: What about your party? What’s your party? David Shuster, David: what’s your party?
SHUSTER: I have no party. I’m a complete independent.
SCARBOROUGH: Oh, you’re independent. Just like all –
SHUSTER: I’ll show you my voting card. I’ll show you how I’m registered later.
SCARBOROUGH: Oh, I feel so comforted by the fact that you’re an independent. I bet everyone at MSNBC has “independent” on their voting cards. “Oh, we’re down the middle now.” Go ahead, David. No, no, go ahead. You’re an independent David. Go ahead. Talk about my party. Go ahead.
SHUSTER: Are you done?
SCARBOROUGH: No, I’m not done, when the fact is that I’m about as down-the-middle as anybody on television on any network, and you come in with a cheap shot, calling up “your party.”
A bit later, Scarborough jabbed Shuster over his tardiness.
SCARBOROUGH: Do you never watch this show?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: He’s on this show!
SCARBOROUGH: You must be asleep. Oh, that’s right. You usually sleep through the show.
BRZEZINSKI: Sto-o-p-p-p.
SCARBOROUGH: Because you didn’t show up three times in a row! Three times you slept through your alarm and didn’t come on this show.
SHUSTER [to fellow panelists]: That’s how the argument works.
Testy, aren’t they? A joy to watch to see MSNBC implode. Watching that clip literally caused me to fall out of my chair rolling in laughter causing the dog to go beserk. I could not believe it. I had to watch twice just to see if I had seen what I had seen. It is to die for.
The cause of all this brawling on television, live, with cameras rolling is simple. MSNBC and NBC lost their journalistic integrity. It’s not called the Obama network for nothing. At a forum on Sunday, when Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell called MSNBC “the official network of the Obama campaign,” Brokaw said, “I think Keith has gone too far. I think Chris has gone too far.” Keith went too far months ago with special commentaries on Geraldine Ferraro and Senator Clinton. He should have been fired then. He should be fired now. MSNBC and NBC isn’t news, it is an editorial page with op-eds. It’s opinion. And it’s become a national joke.
Meanwhile there’s this report that Tom Brokaw, Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews are simply fed up with the antics of Keith Olbermann who in turn wants to ban Tom Brokaw from the network. Unreal. What illusions of grandeur must Mr. Olbermann have to attempt to block the respected nightly new anchor for NBC since the late 1970s. Then again Mr. Olbermann is an Obamaphile, maybe illusions of grandeur is a contagion.
With the ratings plummeting since January, I am sure some changes will be made at MSNBC. Rachel Maddow takes over a slot for Dan Abrams who returns to his Executive Producer for MSNBC and Legal Affairs correspondent for NBC roles. His problem is that he isn’t Greta Van Sustern. Mr. Olbermann’s problem is that he thinks he is Edward R. Murrow. All of them except for Joe Scarborough have a partisanship problem. At least Joe Scarborough flat out admits that he was in the tank for Senator Clinton calling her my gal. The others pretend they are being objective and above it all. No wonder the ratings are tanking. Then again if they are going to act like children, I may just have to watch.