Keith Olbermann Doesn’t Vote So as to Remain Objective
This week on "The View," MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann said he doesn’t vote because "It’s the only thing I can do that suggests even that I don’t have a horse in the race."
"I know it’s very idiosyncratic, but I would feel just a little hesitation, just a little drag on the airflow, if I went to criticize somebody, especially a president, for whom I had voted," Olbermann went on to say in a statement to Portfolio. "It is driven by the same thing that used to make me keep my distance from the athletes I covered. I don’t want anything, even that tiny bit of symbolic connection, to stand in between me and my responsibility to be analytical and critical."
Thoughts?
- jpt

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BS! He doesn’t need to vote, he already works for the DNC in a far more effective manner. But the real threat to Obie is how to remain relevant when he agrees SO MUCH with Obama. It’s bad for ratings. And I hear Obama’s S List is already as long as Bush’s and he hasn’t even taken office. Pace yourself Barky! It’s gonna be a LOONG four years til Hilliary comes after you in ’12!
Posted by: hmn | November 14, 2008, 11:09 am 11:09 am
I agree with Olbermann on lots…
but this is just stupid…
and an excuse.
I have a feeling that he does not vote because he is lazy and/or focused on his one job…and doesn’t have the organization or where with all to put his money where his mouth is.
Posted by: dl | November 14, 2008, 11:17 am 11:17 am
Give me a donkey break. Olbermann talking about objective?
He forfeit his most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution for which millions have and are still fighting for.
He should be ashamed of himself for not voting.
Posted by: Coke2 | November 14, 2008, 11:19 am 11:19 am
Keith
get off yer butt and vote…and exercise…
big guys that don’t take care of their health…end up dying early.
and no more excuses dude.
Posted by: dl | November 14, 2008, 11:24 am 11:24 am
The phrase “objective Olbermann” is an oxymoron, just as “objective O’Reilly” would be. Neither of these guys even approachs objectity or disinterest. They’re all about opinions, and nothing but. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but for Olbermann to pretend to objectivity? Please.
Posted by: AlexK | November 14, 2008, 11:25 am 11:25 am
I think if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to criticize.
He is such a loud mouthed blowhard. Like we can’t tell who he supports? He is so painstakingly liberal/anti-republican it is ridiculous that he says he doesn’t vote to maintain he doesn’t have a horse in the race. He is the guy who hangs out at the horse barn, and taints the hay of all the other horses, so his *horse* wins hands down. he used his show to bash Bush for eight years, and then he turned that hatred towards Hillary, and then McCain/Palin. Yea…he didn’t have a horse in that race. *snort*
And I think people would actually have a little bit of respect for him, if he were to actually vote and then criticize the guy he voted for.
Posted by: sarainitaly | November 14, 2008, 11:26 am 11:26 am
I wonder if he even fools himself.
Or perhaps he is fooling his audience. Perhaps he actually *was* neutral as to who won the election, and just played the part of a fanatic Obama supporter for the ratings.
Posted by: MayBee | November 14, 2008, 11:30 am 11:30 am
Keith is my hero. I watch every night. He was one of the first to report on this corrupt administration.
Let the complainers explain a whole network being in the tank for the Bush admin. I bet most readers can guess that would be FOX.
Posted by: MimiG | November 14, 2008, 11:33 am 11:33 am
Objectivity—give me a break, to quote John Stossel.
Posted by: chris mathews | November 14, 2008, 11:33 am 11:33 am
I love Keith Olbermann.
Posted by: hang | November 14, 2008, 11:37 am 11:37 am
So this is Olbermann’s secret technique to remaining so objective? The man is brilliant!
Of course, the other reason Olbermann didn’t vote is he was caught up in an Obamanism he couldn’t shake off on Election Day. It is never safe and is, in fact, illegal in three states (so far) for a member of the media to drive while in the midst of an Obamanism.
Posted by: OBAMANATION [uh-bom-uh-NEY-shuhn] | November 14, 2008, 11:38 am 11:38 am
The man is delusional if he thinks he is unbiased. This is just an excuse to be lazy and garner more attention. A real journalist could remain objective and still cast a vote for the most important position in this country. Olbermann is one of the reasons I stopped watching MSNBC. He, Chris Matthews and a whole flock of other out-of-control pundits really let their viewers down with their unprofessional behavior during the election. I am an Obama supporter and it was even too much for me.
Posted by: mhhunt | November 14, 2008, 11:43 am 11:43 am
I’m not sure I agree with Keith here, but for the hypocrites here calling out Keith Olbermann, you only need to look at yourselves. Don’t lecture anyone about who is biased when you’re calling Fox News fair. Do you really think anyone’s taking you seriously?
Posted by: D | November 14, 2008, 11:53 am 11:53 am
What I think is journalist oughta keep their personal reponses/opinions out of the election process and actually do objective reporting.
What Mr. Olbermann is doing is just using an excuse to manipulate the process so that he doesn’t have to vote. But he has proven that journalist can’t report on both negative and positive about any candidate ie….walk chew gum at the same time!
Posted by: whyputaname | November 14, 2008, 11:54 am 11:54 am
Come on, people, read the quote. He never said objective, he said analytical and critical. Unlike Fox News, he has never made the claim to be objective.
Posted by: Eric | November 14, 2008, 11:55 am 11:55 am
Uh huh. So now it’s official – Olbermann is a total buffoon!
Posted by: marylou | November 14, 2008, 12:01 pm 12:01 pm
Mr. Olbermann is many things. He is charismatic, astute, humorous, inventive, unorthodox, even irreverent, but no one, not even his fans, will accuse him of being objective.
Love ya Keith.
Posted by: Olbermannater | November 14, 2008, 12:08 pm 12:08 pm
No wonder he wears out his welcome everywhere he goes. I suggest we encourage Keith Olbermann to follow his stated goal of “keeping his distance” by helping him move to an undisclosed location outside the United States so he can remain as “analytical and critical” as he wants. What a perfect “symbolic disconnect” that would be!
Posted by: bkm | November 14, 2008, 12:09 pm 12:09 pm
oh great, like anybody believes you keith. please don’t insult us.
what have you been doing auditioning for a job with the obama administration?
Posted by: krysten | November 14, 2008, 12:09 pm 12:09 pm
I have to say whenever anyone brings up John Stossel
I want someone from ABC to dig up that piece he did like 10 years ago reporting on the “fictional issue of global warming”
as the world falls apart I will never forget this man pitching to America that there was no such thing as global warming…and that people warning of the environmental impacts were all a bunch of looneys…
if there is a hell there is a special place for the man who did that special.
I personally will never forget it.
Posted by: dl | November 14, 2008, 12:10 pm 12:10 pm
You’re right Fox News is biased. Haven’t you seen those far right wingers Bob Beckel, Susan Esterich, Lanny Davis, Alan Colmes, etc. all over their telecast? How Fox could ever put those far right wing nuts on the air is beyond me!
Posted by: jim | November 14, 2008, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm
Who is Keith Olbermann?
Posted by: Jim C | November 14, 2008, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm
marylou: “Uh huh. So now it’s official – Olbermann is a total buffoon!”
Just goes to show how successfully he modeled himself on Bill O’Reily.
Posted by: jhw539 | November 14, 2008, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm
Keith Olbermann’s statement is almost as rediculous as Ayers saying that he doesn’t consider himself to be a terrorist.
Our president elect thinks Ayers is mainstream and respectable.
BO probably thinks Olbermann is honest and unbiased.
Posted by: bailey | November 14, 2008, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm
One who does not vote has no right to voice his thoughts in the first place. So Kieth shut up.
Posted by: Ranger Phx | November 14, 2008, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
Glogal warming? Give me a break–it’s 10 degrees colder today than last year at the same time!!
Posted by: chris mathews | November 14, 2008, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm
Keith Olbermann is my 2008 Election Hero.
Posted by: Jayboz | November 14, 2008, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm
This is similar to the logic used by the media at large when they decided to stop using the word “terrorist.”
They started using a “neutral” term – militant – and then assumed that this somehow BESTOWS neutrality.
(Terrorism is just terrorism; a terrible tactic only justifiable under a few extreme conditions. Not using the word leads to abuse. The media mask slips occasionally such as when the BBC called the London bombers “terrorists” and they looked proper narners when they had to retract. In Canada last summer, CTV forgot the plot and referred to Robert Mugabe as a “freedom fighter.” Oh how we laughed.)
Posted by: Brad Brzezinski | November 14, 2008, 12:30 pm 12:30 pm
I’d bet Keith Olbermann still believes in global warming!
Posted by: cardinal | November 14, 2008, 12:33 pm 12:33 pm
Hilarious. More evidence that Mr. Olbermann is delusional.
Posted by: Judasmac | November 14, 2008, 12:35 pm 12:35 pm
Oh hell no Keith Olbermann is not objective, but I love him anyway!
Posted by: Stacy | November 14, 2008, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
KO is a legend in his own mind, I stopped watching him when he became so biased he made me ill.
He had on occasion used some of my comments then he went beserk and now he is just a big jerk.
Ben Alleck captured him brilliantly on SNL. A caricature of one who has lost all credibility to anyone who follows politics. Now to profess he doe not vote is just a way for him to get the conversation directed to him. He is all hat no cattle.
The day he got mad at Dana Milbank was the final straw.How they renewed his contract is beyond rationale thought.
Posted by: i am so I can! | November 14, 2008, 12:44 pm 12:44 pm
I watch Countdown sometimes and I have to admit Olbermann often reports the truth before CNN or other news channels. However, I find it hypocritical that he does his Special Comments when he doesn’t vote. We all know the saying. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain. Voting is a right, not a privilege, and before you act as a reporter- you’re first a civilian. I don’t care what his reasons are- my faith in him as a citizen has diminished a little. Everyone knows that MSNBC is a little left as compared to Fox’s right-wing propaganda- the two cancel each other out. And even though there are moments where they criticize other so-called “liberals” it all means nothing when the person reporting it seems to be so much above his own message. It’s annoying, you know. When someone doesn’t help contribute to anything suddenly gets up on a pedestal to shout everything you’re doing that’s “Stupid” or “immoral” or whatever-
Yet, it does make a little sense. After all, if the people elected screw up he could say he didn’t help to get them in office so therefore has the capacity to “prosecute” them and whatnot.
I still find it very haughty.
Posted by: matteroffacts | November 14, 2008, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm
Take it from an insider– he suffers from “maddow disease”.
Posted by: Clevelander as in Ohio | November 14, 2008, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
I guess Olberman is analytical and critical in a histrionic kind of way.
Posted by: kat | November 14, 2008, 1:15 pm 1:15 pm
So now you’re doing comedy, Jake?
Is this for real?
The most shameless Obama ass-kisser alive thinks that because he didn’t VOTE we don’t think he’s biased?
This. Is. Sickening.
Posted by: Jackie | November 14, 2008, 1:27 pm 1:27 pm
I have heard that journalists handle this different ways
and besides, Keith doesn’t exactly live in a battleground state
Posted by: phillygirl64 | November 14, 2008, 1:43 pm 1:43 pm
“I know it’s very idiosyncratic, but I would feel just a little hesitation, just a little drag on the airflow, if I went to criticize somebody, especially a president, for whom I had voted,” WHAT!!!!
What are you trying to imply you actually care about these people? Give me a break you moron…you only care about your popularity and that NBC gets ratings…you don’t care about these people and you know it.
Posted by: mona | November 14, 2008, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
Oh right, Objective.. Yeah Sure. And doesn’t Keith live in NY.. where a liberal would win no matter what? What a sacrifice for him to abstain from voting, as if it matters… the liberals always win.
Posted by: a reader in georgia | November 14, 2008, 2:07 pm 2:07 pm
If Fox can get away with claiming to be “fair and blanced,” I guess Keith can claim he’s “objective.” I enjoy him enormously but he’s anything but objective.
Posted by: Brooklyn Democrat | November 14, 2008, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
The guy is a tool.
Posted by: babino | November 14, 2008, 3:12 pm 3:12 pm
If you don’t VOTE
You can’t complain!
Posted by: Elcee | November 14, 2008, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
He needs to get off his high horse. What is up with that BS?
Posted by: r-dub | November 14, 2008, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
Wow. Olbermann is a egomaniac. He has lost all credibility as a political talking head by not exercising his basic right to vote.
Posted by: Cover Girl | November 14, 2008, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
One could only imagine how much more over-the-top biased Olbermann would have been if he actually exercised his civic responsibility to vote. Just kidding, of course.
I am reminded of the NYT reported conversation with Obama Girl when she admitted she failed to vote in the 2008 primary election.
We should, however, feel sorry for Olbermann, since–in view of the election result–he has become quite irrelevant as a self appointed spokesperson for the opposition.
Again I jest.
Posted by: Stephen Gianelli | November 14, 2008, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
Ohlbermann is a terrific guy with the most decent morality I’ve ever seen on TV. His integrity in not voting is commendable, but even if he were to vote, which I think is every American’s duty, he’d still have a right to criticize those who do what is wrong. He just needs to mellow a bit and not be so hamhanded in his style because his preaching sometimes gets annoying. Other than that, I enjoy his show since he’s always so right on about the national debate of the issues.
Posted by: buzziea | November 14, 2008, 4:28 pm 4:28 pm
Olberman is great, though he’s old style Thespian with both the drama and the comedy. I prefer him to Charles Gibson anytime, who looks like he could be the farmer with the pitchfork in the painting, The Establishment. I guess you could say both have a certain classic quality about them.
Posted by: kat | November 14, 2008, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
What a total idiot.
Posted by: Tina From Florida | November 14, 2008, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
Yes, yeah I “watched and was entertained” by his unbiased ‘news’ but became fed up real early.
Kinda like an unbiased Gergan and Murphy, er uh, campbell brown commentary during the RNC
Way ta go KO. You’ve made me a believer… NOT!!
Posted by: JeffPlumber | November 14, 2008, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm
Oh, my lord, could Keith Olbermann get any more ridiculous, self-indulgent and self-serving!
It’s good to know that Olbermann has maintained his journalistic distance from Mr. Obama, so that he will be able to yell “Resign!” or “Shut the hell up, Mr. President!”, should the occasion arise.
I think we’re all fairly aware that the only way Olbermann would actually give his time, energy, and interest to marking any ballot is if it had his own name on it, or if it was a vote to send one of his enemies to hell.
Posted by: Eve | November 14, 2008, 7:57 pm 7:57 pm
Unbelievably idiotic. With reasoning like that, I know never to take him seriously in the future. What, the whole population of journalists in the US should stop exercising the right to vote? Good heavens.
Posted by: Jean | November 14, 2008, 9:26 pm 9:26 pm
Keith Olbermann, haha, what a Tool.
Posted by: aden | November 14, 2008, 11:54 pm 11:54 pm
Overbite Objective thanks for the laugh!!
Posted by: spock | November 15, 2008, 12:42 am 12:42 am
“Keith Olbermann Doesn’t Vote So as to Remain Objective”
Thoughts?
Sure.
MORON. IMBECILE. LIAR.
Mostly, fatally self-absorbed.
And let me thank you also for the giggle.
Posted by: drjohn | November 15, 2008, 9:24 am 9:24 am
Keith you still can vote and stand on your principles and also be objective. That is a lame excuse.
Posted by: Ms. G | November 15, 2008, 11:25 am 11:25 am
I think journalists should probably refrain from donating to political causes, but it’s everyone’s responsibility to vote.
Posted by: Danny | November 15, 2008, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm
Keith: Vote early (and often).
Posted by: Billy Baroo | November 15, 2008, 12:59 pm 12:59 pm
Does anyone actually believe a word that comes out of Olbermann’s mouth?
Keith Olbermann is the most biased, most prejudiced, most unbelievable idiot in the news today. Only Chris Mathews comes close to Olbermann’s inability to think objectively.
I hope if Obama’s buddies bring back the so called “fairness doctrine” that Rush Limbaugh gets equal air time on MSNBC to counter these small-brained blowhards Olbermann and Mathews.
Posted by: Chris | November 15, 2008, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm
There is not a single human being alive more guilty of everyday journalistic malpractice than Keith Olbermann.
Who, in God’s name, does he really think he’s fooling with this ridiculous jibberish? Only, I imagine, himself.
Posted by: Thank God for Karma | November 15, 2008, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
When I first read this I thought: “My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often.”
Oh wait, that’s the other moron… my mistake!
Posted by: Cult Of Personality | November 15, 2008, 6:49 pm 6:49 pm
What a disappointment. I used to get a kick out of Keith Olbermann and his observations. If it is true that he doesn’t vote – I don’t want to hear a word he says. There is “Freedom of the Press” – which affects him directly – because people voted.
I hope he is joking.
Posted by: Erlinda | November 15, 2008, 9:05 pm 9:05 pm
I wrote my own special comment on the matter. I’m disgusted that he doesn’t vote. What a joke.
Posted by: Nico | November 16, 2008, 6:27 am 6:27 am
I am really disgusted by this. I used to set my tivo every night for Countdown but not anymore. He is about as fair and balanced as Fox News! So to hear that he does not vote discounts his opinion completly and I will no longer watch him.
Posted by: Stacey | November 16, 2008, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
I used to watch him every night but stopped after he proudly announced on The View he didnt vote. Lost all his credibility and my respect. What if all his “fans” followed his example!
Posted by: Marilyn | November 18, 2008, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
I used to watch him every night but stopped after he proudly announced on The View he didnt vote. Lost all his credibility and my respect. What if all his “fans” followed his example!
Posted by: Marilyn | November 18, 2008, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
Nobody enters a voting booth with you. Olbermann could vote in private. I find him a blatant liar,
Posted by: Dennis D | November 8, 2010, 8:48 am 8:48 am