Olbermann "Special Comment" On Violent Rhetoric At McCain-Palin Rallies (VIDEO)

Tonight Keith Olbermann, on his show Countdown, offered a "Special Comment" on the violent rhetoric being heard at some McCain-Palin rallies.

[WATCH]

1:25 PM Eastern Time, today, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. During the warm-up act by a Red Meat Congressional Candidate aptly named Chris Hackett, Hackett mentions Obama and a Palin audience member shouts "Kill Him."

And Gov. Palin, as usual, does nothing about it says nothing to these thugs and psychos. She may not have heard this one. It is impossible to believe that by now she has not heard about the other ones. Her silence is deafening. Just as, Sen. McCain, you have done nothing when violence has been asserted. Correction. You have done one thing.

Asked why in real time you do not repudiate this hatefulness you act as if you are the victim. Speaking today to our NBC Station in Washington.

McCain: "Sure and I repudiated it as I have on several occasions. Unfortunately, Congressman John Lewis is an American hero who I admire who made the worst, most unacceptable statement a couple days ago that I have ever heard. He accused me and Sarah Palin of being involved in segregation, George Wallace and even made reference to a church bombing where children were killed. Senator Obama has not repudiated that statement. Senator Obama should do so immediately. Its the most outrageous thing that I have heard since in politics...it is disgraceful."

Disgraceful?

Obviously, Senator, you haven't heard your own speeches, and Gov. Palin's, and what people shout during them. And you haven't heard your state GOP Chair in Virginia, Jeffrey Frederick, giving talking points to 30 of your field-operatives heading out to canvass voters in Gainesville, Virginia. With a reporter present, telling them to try to forge a connection between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden to emphasize bombings and terrorism. And you haven't heard those volunteers, your volunteers Sen. McCain, shout back "and he won't salute the flag" and "we don't even know where Sen. Obama was really born."

Sen. McCain, these people are speaking for you! And how dare you try to claim Congressman Lewis was linking you to Gov. George Wallace's segregation. He was linking you, aptly, to Gov. George Wallace's lynch-mob mentality.

"As public figures with the power to influence and persuade," said Congressman Lewis, "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all."

Sen. McCain, your supporters, at your events, are calling Obama a terrorist and traitor and are calling for him to be killed. And yet you keep bringing back these same rabid Right Wing nuts to deliberately stir these crowds into frenzies. And then you take offense when somebody who remembers the violence in our political past, calls you on it. You, sir, are responsible for a phalanx of individuals who are shouting fire in a crowded theatre. There are some things to respect and honor about you, Sen. McCain.

But on this, you're not only a fraud, Senator but you are tacitly inciting lunatics to violence. If you want to again grand-stand and suspend your campaign here's your big chance. Suspend your campaign now, until you, or somebody else, gets some control over it and it ceases to be a clear and present danger to the peace of this nation.

Comments

[wmafoune]

i love keith

[palinsnohillary]

Hey HuffPost, why is this so low in the features! It is awesome and newer than some of the stories above it. Way to go Keith! thank you for doing what the MSM should be doing...shame on McPalin.

[ofcoursejesusisblack]

I agree. KO should be further up on the page!

[Mainer36]

The MSM is like penguins standing at the edge of an iceberg. They all wait to see who will jump in first. Thankfully, Keith is almost always the first one to jump in. Olbermann is a water carrier...FOR THE TRUTH!!

[justamazed]

Funny how BATHTUB boy becomes the leaders of the Penguins at waters edge.

[Mainer36]

explain

[searchingforzen]

I am 'just amazed' at how freely you shout (all caps) names. Is that why you so vehemently attack someone who calls an inciter of name calling and violence to task? Mr. Olbermann gives those of us who abhor the language of such broadcasters as Rush Limbaugh a voice. Thankfully, Mr. Olbermann's voice is one of reason and truth. I appreciate his passion and his courage to say what so many of us are thinking. Since you are fortunate enough to get a large array of channels to choose from, why don't you just change the channel and resume your viewing of the Fox News Channel, where everything is "fair and balanced"!

[Jinxykb]

I like KO, but I have not been enjoying his special comments lately. They are to Evangelical Preacher-ish for my taste.

[helgathewitch]

Unfortunately he needs to be very forceful like that to get people's attention! This is subject matter that can not be spoken softly.

[demjustice]

Jinxykb, for just one example of why Keith O is justified in his statements and the tone of them, read what ralph10 is telling you below. It is time for John McCain to face the music, and I don't mean "Rocky".

Sarah Palin has lied to us over and over again, so she calls Barack Obama a liar. John McCain is dangerous and is purposefully inciting violence, so he calls Barack Obama dangerous.

All Americans can see the truth, Keith O is the only one who will say it aloud.

[Titus Pullo]

Agree with OP. It's become shtick and stale. I'm harmony with what he says, and he gives voice to the frustration and anger people feel (which I suppose is a good thing), but it's harder and harder to listen to.

I think the fact that the show is putting the comment section on in the middle of the show may have something to do with people tuning out before it airs at its usual spot, the last segment. That only hurts Maddow's show, so perhaps it's a nod to her to move it within the hour.

[ralph10]

What class!!! the Sacremento, California RNC has a billboard up that says to waterboard Obama. These people will stop at nothing to show their ignorance.

[thatgirlinnewyork]

where did you see this? more people should know about outrageous moves like this!

[justamazed]

I am outraged. Let's see a piture or something and then demand they take it down. Otherwise let's go after the person that made the false claim, if proven false.

[ralph10]

Think Progress.

[GoCards1978]

Thanks again, Keith, for eloquently stating the god's honest truth. The neocons, with their hate/fear mongering, need to follow the path of their closest relatives, the neanderthals, into extinction.

[justobserve]

Thank you Olbermann! You are right to be outraged with McCain's and Palin's behavior. Do they really think they are campaigning in the Jim Crow era where such behavior was acceptable? REALLY DISGUSTING! McCAIN-2008 AND SARAH & TODD PALIN: ETHICS VIOLATORS, POWER ABUSERS, PATHOLOGICAL LIARS, CRONYISM.

[19061899]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Keep 'em coming, Keith!

[dynagirl7371]

I love Keith. Although, he does get me fired up, making it impossible to sleep! I'm glad Keith cozies up to the fact that he is still entitled to the first ammendment and makes the most of it.

[helgathewitch]

This speech should be printed on the front page of every newpaper!

[DragonFly]

Thank you for addressing this issue with the righteous indignation it deserves.

[foygreenwood]

Thank you, sir. I have been waiting, as numerous posts attest, for someone with a national voice to address this issue with force and sense. The behavior at these fascist hate rallies posing as republican town hall meetings is unacceptable and illegal.

[burgerific]

Olberrman is becoming a force to be reckoned with in this election.

[justamazed]

So he actually is part of the BO campaign? With the full and complete backing of NBC and MSNBC. But you all claim no media bias. KO never criticizes the BO campaign. Never challenges their ideas or proposals. Never fact checks BO. Facts matter. Just not to you or KO.

[alenaspoppa]

Uh, this doesn't address the content of Olbermann's "Special Comment" at all. Which facts are you disagreeing with? There has been violent rhetoric at McCain and Palin's rallies, and McCain has only recently said anything at all about it.

[ralph10]

Just like Hannity always criticizes the McCaim campaign.

[bogues]

Keith does do fact checks for Obama it just turns out that Obama is right with his ideas and proposals. As for media bias, why is it that most of the media talk incessently about all the lies that McCain throws out about Obama but that same media never talks about Palin's legal troubles in Alaska, her abuse of power and her ties to the anti-american Alaska Independence Party. You don't hear them talking about all those things. When McCain was ahead in the polls, the media talked about it all the time, now you rarely hear them mention it. John McCain knows he has insighted violence in his rallies, so as usual he says, hey don't blame me I am the victim here. I feel fairly certain that your conscience is telling you that Mccain is wrong but the loyalty to him is hard to over-come.

[Jinxykb]

how the eff do you know he doesn't fact check? You want it to be true so you type it. What a patriot.

[gretcheno]

Oh well Hannity, Van Sustern and Fox news has McCain backing.

So now what?

[mergina]

I could not agree with him more. I would go so far as to say that those attacks were deliberate, with an underlying message that it is ok if you take Obama out. Had they NOT been stopped, i do believe they would have spawned more than 1 nutcase serious enough to try and attempt an assassination. They JUST DON'T CARE. There is an inherent lack of value for human life among republicans that is not white and rich.

[lede3957]

Mr. Olberman....thank you for stating so eloquently what I have been thinking and feeling.