Video: Olby breaks big scoop on Palin’s books
posted at 8:48 am on February 3, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
Darn it, and I didn’t even get named Worst Person in the World for writing at the “one of the greatest sources for sophistry on the web,” according to Keith Olbermann. Olby picks up on ABC’s non-scoop from Sarah Palin’s use of her book as a donor incentive by getting enraged over Palin’s supposed collection of $6300 in royalties from purchasing $63,000 books from donations to her PAC. Does Olbermann actually know that Palin collected $6300 in royalties, or any other amount? Of course not. What do you expect from an MS-NBC news broadcast – actual news?
First, let’s just mull over the accusation that Hot Air publishes sophistry from the man who called Scott Brown “racist” and “homophobic” and declared pickup trucks “racist.” This prompted Jon Stewart to rip his strident desperation, and his boss had to protect him from his own colleagues in a memo imposing a gag order on other MS-NBC hosts:
But there are also more subjective signs that Olbermann’s stridency and lack of proportion are alienating some of his natural allies. Quite a few eyebrows elevated last week when Jon Stewart, in a parody of one of Olbermann’s “Special Comment” segments, called out the newsman for going way over the top in his denunciations of Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts. The criticism was all the more remarkable, given that Stewart and Olbermann usually take the same side on most issues, especially when it comes to Fox News and the Republicans.
Olbermann’s overheated rhetoric also drew a sharp response from Joe Scarborough, MSNBC’s house conservative, who called his fellow host’s attack on Brown “reckless” and “sad.” The exchange (and a few earlier, similar incidents) inspired network president Phil Griffin to issue a stern memo admonishing his charges: “We do not publicly criticize our colleagues. This kind of behavior is unprofessional and will not be tolerated.”
The royalties issue is really a red herring, but even had she taken normal royalties, she’s a private citizen and not an officeholder. It’s not any sort of a conflict of interest for an author to collect royalties on her own books. But that’s assuming she did, and as Kevin McCullough explained, it’s more likely she didn’t in order to get more books to give to bigger donors:
If Palin has a somewhat traditional deal, she would receive royalties on copies purchased (even by her) up to a certain percentage of that list price. It is also likely that there is a drop off point at which she can (or her PAC) pay for books at even a greater reduction and automatically forfeit her royalties.
In fairness she probably paid somewhere between $4-$7 per book. Likely without royalties received and that would have purchased some 10-15,000 books.
Palin’s book has sold over 2 million copies. I don’t think she’s scrounging for an extra $6300, although with Olbermann’s ratings falling as low as his “journalistic” ethics, it wouldn’t surprise me if Olby starts scrounging sometime soon.
Update: Andrew Malcolm wonders if the writing is on the wall for Olby.










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Definitions of douchebag on the Web:
A jerk; a mean or rude person; An idiot, a dim-witted person; An individual who has an over-inflated sense of self worth, compounded by a low …
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/douchebag
An insult similar to “asshole” or “jerk”.
http://www.sexoteric.com/dix/D
Keith Olbermann
http://firstfriday.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/douchebag-of-the-week-keith-olbermann/
OmahaConservative on February 3, 2010 at 12:11 PM
“Whaddayou want fuh nothin’. A rrrrrubber biscuit?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYyBZE0kBtE
mrt721 on February 3, 2010 at 12:12 PM
Not to worry, Mr. Griffin. You can issue these memos all you want, but nobody is watching your channel and no one cares.
Most people are getting their news from FOX these days. FOX will probably pick up the ball and make an even bigger joke out of you and Olberman than you already have made of yourselves.
UltimateBob on February 3, 2010 at 12:18 PM
I would call Olbermann a bulls#!t artist but there is nothing even remotely creative or artistic about his particular brand of bulls#!t.
Hellrider on February 3, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Is this Olbermann guy drunk?
He no makey no sensey.
PappyD61 on February 3, 2010 at 12:37 PM
So, according to Phil Griffin, the genius at the helm of MSNBC, permitting a raving fool like Olbermann to smear anyone who disagrees with his spittle-laced lies on a nightly basis is professional. Calling the buffoon out on his soggy lies and calumnies is unprofessional.
Personally, I hope Griffin and Olbermann keep their jobs until MSNBC shrinks into nothingness, a point it is rapidly approaching.
novaculus on February 3, 2010 at 12:47 PM
I hope they keep the sniveling puke. What an ally!
LarryG on February 3, 2010 at 12:52 PM
Bow bow bow…
cannonball on February 3, 2010 at 12:56 PM
Keith Olbermann????
Didn’t there used to be somebody with that name?
JohnGalt23 on February 3, 2010 at 1:03 PM
What else is an idiot leftest going to do when his liberal Messiah is failing as much as Obama is…..
….he has to make up scandals…distractions…..anything to domonize their political opponents and to provide cover for their own failures.
Olberman is the quintessential loser that was picked on in school,scared to death of any women who showed intelligence or strength,and probably spent many teenage nights watching the Carol Burnett show with mommy instead of out with girlfriends or, any friends for that matter.
It is well documented how insecure olbermann is and his frequent hissy fits that accompany his faux ego trips.
It is also well documented that this probably comes from the fact he is so terrible with women…socially….professionally….and sexually.
Olbermann is nothing but a spineless,di#kless,liberal loser that would be nothing more than an ex-sportscaster trying to get the host role of family feud if it wasn’t for his outlandish rants and the idiot liberals that love them.
KEITH GETS LOW RATINGS IN BED
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10092006/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm
….To bad mommy could not have been there to walk him through this….
….is it any wonder why this loser is yelling and screaming all the time……he is pathetic and he knows that all the money and TV exposer he gets is not going to change this.
From:
Now mommy dearest can’t even help her loser son….
Anybody who watches sports and is familiar with Olbermann and Kolber knows that she runs absolute circles around Mr. Ego and his plastic courage……
….that is why he had to scream at her and demean her….
…he can’t compete with her.
Olbermann is nothing but a thesaurus wrapped in faux self adoration who has a few sheep that follow him and a last place network that has it’s ownership’s lips pressed to Obama’s a$$ so tight that they can’t see the reality of their failure staring them right in the face.
Typical liberal…….
Baxter Greene on February 3, 2010 at 1:05 PM
This guy is a dumb ass, why would she pay $63000 retail for $6300 in royalties?
liquidflorian on February 3, 2010 at 1:10 PM
Uberdolt lost it when Booooosh was no longer in office and he had to find a new target. He’s been all over the map trying to get something to stick with. He’s a loser and deep down he knows it.
belad on February 3, 2010 at 1:15 PM
Infants are indignant.
Schadenfreude on February 3, 2010 at 1:21 PM
Most book deals give the author an advance against royalties. In Palin’s case, I’ll bet the advance more than covered the possibility of future royalties above and beyond the advance.
bluesman on February 3, 2010 at 1:21 PM
That’s Liberal Economics for ya! :-)
BlueStateBilly on February 3, 2010 at 1:25 PM
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=blotard
Blotard:
Bloviating Retard
Keith Olbermann is a Blotard
Bob Mc on February 3, 2010 at 1:47 PM
You gotta admit, he got pretty far along in life with a degree in animal husbandry and working as a “Simpons”-like dweeb selling used baseball cards.
kens on February 3, 2010 at 1:49 PM
KO has become a caricature of himself. Sad, really.
spmat on February 3, 2010 at 2:53 PM
http://www.justice.gov/
Rush Limbaugh says they are seeking to hire more mentally retarded lawyers. Also some that suffer mental illness. Need to get that diversity balanced.
How about hiring one new conservative? That paid his taxes.
seven on February 3, 2010 at 2:55 PM
That’s sort of what I’m wondering… He’s sitting there with this smug grin on his face, but he’s talking to about a half dozen stoned Kos Kids. The numbers just came in the other day showing first that Fox is far and away the most trusted, and then the devastating numbers showing how down CNN and MSNBC’s viewership is both in total and in key demo. And this guy has the nuts to keep up this act still? It was one thing during the year or so of Obamamania… He sort of had an adrenaline rush. But this continued behavior seems to confirm our suspicions – he’s quite imbalanced.
RightWinged on February 3, 2010 at 3:32 PM
Well that is change worth hoping for! It could not happen to a nicer guy.
rukiddingme on February 3, 2010 at 4:13 PM
lol. It’s like the screaming little brat at Macy’s, tugging on his Mommy’s skirt.
oakpack on February 3, 2010 at 5:14 PM
Could the Scott Brown rant be Olbermann’s strawberry incident? All he was lacking were the ball bearings shifting about in his greasy little hand.
joedoe on February 3, 2010 at 5:30 PM
Circling the drain… some folks can’t help but lick the bowl on the way down… G’nite Keithy.
-
RalphyBoy on February 3, 2010 at 5:42 PM
I kid you not!
OMFG
(Progressive Book Club)
And the book?
And the cost?
Drum roll please……………………………..
Yes! As an “incentive” for Progressive Book Club!
Even better!
From newsbusters
BTW Uberidiots book is rated at #85084 in Books at Amazon.
He’s only 85,083 behind Palin in sales!
Oh you can get Uberidiots book for $0.80 cents new and $0.02 used
(how bad does a book have to be that people sent it back to the publisher?)
DSchoen on February 3, 2010 at 5:56 PM
Yep!
Kinda like Obama citing 600K government “tax payer” jobs as an increase in the private “tax payer” base.
DSchoen on February 3, 2010 at 6:04 PM
Thanks for the link to Andrew’s piece. Very funny.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, KO.
dissent555 on February 3, 2010 at 8:35 PM
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