Olbermann: Out

So, you probably heard that Keith Olbermann quit/was fired on Friday. Here's the place to talk about it, if you wanna.

If he'd actually been the progressive he was always alleged to be, this would be sad. But he is a fauxgressive whose ideas of justice had boundaries extend only as far as whomever he wants to make fun of, be cruel to, or marginalize as unserious or uncredible. He engaged in misogyny and rape apology on-air, and, for all his rap about accountability and self-reflection, he was rigid in his refusal to address his biases against women.

Olbermann is one of a bunch of straight white guys who became liberal champions during the Bush years just because they publicly hated Bush. That was no small thing, among a media who widely served as uncritical cheerleaders.

But being a progressive is not defined by hating conservatives. And at a time when we need authentic progressives more than ever in this country, that void of affirmative progressive ideals in Bush-era heroes like Olbermann is more glaringly evident than ever.

So the only thing I'm sad about is that his replacement is likely to be even worse.