1 00:00:04,835 --> 00:00:21,315 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. Yeah, 2 00:00:21,635 --> 00:00:24,475 Speaker 1: get to the I Lived with Olivia Newsy part of 3 00:00:24,515 --> 00:00:28,915 Speaker 1: your day presently. But first, here's the actual news. There 4 00:00:28,955 --> 00:00:32,035 Speaker 1: are heroes among us, and even in politics, and even 5 00:00:32,075 --> 00:00:34,955 Speaker 1: in the Republican Party, there are heroes among us, and 6 00:00:35,035 --> 00:00:37,675 Speaker 1: know their motives do not have to be absolutely pure, 7 00:00:37,875 --> 00:00:39,955 Speaker 1: they don't even have to be a little bit pure. 8 00:00:40,235 --> 00:00:44,835 Speaker 1: And such a man is State Senator Mike McDonald of Nebraska. 9 00:00:45,155 --> 00:00:49,315 Speaker 1: And what he has now done quoting a proponent kind 10 00:00:49,355 --> 00:00:53,995 Speaker 1: of closes the casket, kind of closes the lid on 11 00:00:54,115 --> 00:00:57,795 Speaker 1: the Trump bid to reshape the electoral college just six 12 00:00:57,835 --> 00:01:01,795 Speaker 1: weeks before the election by changing how Nebraska casts its 13 00:01:01,835 --> 00:01:05,275 Speaker 1: five electoral votes from a split them by disc method 14 00:01:05,475 --> 00:01:09,115 Speaker 1: that will probably give Kamala Harris one electoral vote and 15 00:01:09,195 --> 00:01:12,715 Speaker 1: Trump four, changing it from that to winner take all, 16 00:01:12,755 --> 00:01:15,915 Speaker 1: which would give Trump all five. There are many two 17 00:01:15,955 --> 00:01:19,755 Speaker 1: seventy to two sixty eight Harris victories. They all pretty 18 00:01:19,795 --> 00:01:26,075 Speaker 1: much include that one loan vote from Nebraska. McDonell a Republican, 19 00:01:26,675 --> 00:01:29,795 Speaker 1: albeit a new Republican. He was a Democrat until they 20 00:01:29,795 --> 00:01:32,675 Speaker 1: threw him out last spring. Now says in a statement 21 00:01:32,795 --> 00:01:36,235 Speaker 1: quote election should be an opportunity for all voters to 22 00:01:36,275 --> 00:01:38,595 Speaker 1: be heard, no matter who they are, where they live, 23 00:01:38,915 --> 00:01:42,155 Speaker 1: or what party they support. I have taken the time 24 00:01:42,715 --> 00:01:46,115 Speaker 1: to listen carefully to Nebraskans and national leaders on both 25 00:01:46,115 --> 00:01:49,235 Speaker 1: sides of the issue. After deep consideration, it is clear 26 00:01:49,355 --> 00:01:53,035 Speaker 1: to me that right now, forty three days from election 27 00:01:53,195 --> 00:01:59,475 Speaker 1: day is not the moment to make this change. Holy crap, 28 00:02:00,035 --> 00:02:05,235 Speaker 1: I mean seriously, so why the big spiel about impure motives. 29 00:02:06,755 --> 00:02:09,595 Speaker 1: Senator McDonald is not only from the district that will 30 00:02:09,635 --> 00:02:14,195 Speaker 1: likely go Harris, the proverbial blue dot of Big City Omaha, Nebraska, 31 00:02:14,355 --> 00:02:18,195 Speaker 1: but he has long been discussing, toying, tinkering with running 32 00:02:18,275 --> 00:02:22,395 Speaker 1: for mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, and as a conservative Democrat 33 00:02:22,515 --> 00:02:26,995 Speaker 1: or a moderate Republican or whatever. Guess what is not 34 00:02:27,075 --> 00:02:29,755 Speaker 1: going to happen ever in twenty seven lifetimes if you 35 00:02:30,035 --> 00:02:34,675 Speaker 1: are the decisive vote, essentially taking away the electoral vote 36 00:02:35,035 --> 00:02:38,715 Speaker 1: from the citizens of Omaha no matter who they vote for, 37 00:02:39,235 --> 00:02:42,355 Speaker 1: especially when his likely opponent, the incumbent Republican, is pledged 38 00:02:42,635 --> 00:02:47,795 Speaker 1: to take away the electoral vote from Omaha. The last 39 00:02:47,795 --> 00:02:51,115 Speaker 1: minute switcheroo would require thirty three yes votes from forty 40 00:02:51,195 --> 00:02:56,035 Speaker 1: nine senators, There are fifteen Democrats. They're obviously voting against this. 41 00:02:56,235 --> 00:02:59,355 Speaker 1: There is one independent assumed to also be a no, 42 00:03:00,595 --> 00:03:02,995 Speaker 1: and a couple of Republicans who were supposedly waiting for 43 00:03:03,115 --> 00:03:06,155 Speaker 1: McDonald to support the switch and then use him as 44 00:03:06,235 --> 00:03:09,435 Speaker 1: cover for doing so himself. And they thought they might 45 00:03:09,595 --> 00:03:15,035 Speaker 1: get that independent or a couple of the Democrats to 46 00:03:15,155 --> 00:03:18,355 Speaker 1: go over to the side of one vote for Nebraska 47 00:03:19,035 --> 00:03:23,635 Speaker 1: Senator Lauren Lippencott, the guy who said McDonald's statement closes 48 00:03:23,635 --> 00:03:26,355 Speaker 1: the casket, closes the lid, and probably other upbeat life 49 00:03:26,395 --> 00:03:30,275 Speaker 1: affirming phrases like that. He says McDonald is quote an 50 00:03:30,315 --> 00:03:33,595 Speaker 1: absolute no. We're going to have to reintroduce this bill 51 00:03:33,675 --> 00:03:38,115 Speaker 1: in the next session. McDonald doesn't even want that. He 52 00:03:38,235 --> 00:03:42,635 Speaker 1: is suggesting instead a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment. 53 00:03:43,955 --> 00:03:47,435 Speaker 1: Now back to motive. McDonald is a Republican because last 54 00:03:47,475 --> 00:03:50,155 Speaker 1: year he came out as a Democrat and supportive draconian 55 00:03:50,155 --> 00:03:53,715 Speaker 1: abortion restrictions and a ban on transgender care for youths. 56 00:03:54,355 --> 00:03:56,555 Speaker 1: It looked like he was going to fold on this 57 00:03:56,595 --> 00:03:59,635 Speaker 1: one too. A week ago tomorrow, he had two dozen 58 00:03:59,675 --> 00:04:04,075 Speaker 1: Nebraska Republican senators met with Governor Jim Republican tool Pillin 59 00:04:04,755 --> 00:04:08,235 Speaker 1: and Lindsey please help me. They'll do something terrible to 60 00:04:08,275 --> 00:04:12,515 Speaker 1: me if Trump loses. Graham and McDonald was quoted by 61 00:04:12,515 --> 00:04:14,555 Speaker 1: people in that room is saying he was looking for 62 00:04:14,635 --> 00:04:18,835 Speaker 1: a way to get to Yes. Yeah, Well he didn't 63 00:04:18,835 --> 00:04:22,755 Speaker 1: find that way. And from such lack of a GPS 64 00:04:22,875 --> 00:04:32,515 Speaker 1: of courage and ethics comes heroes, profiles, encourage, or maybe, 65 00:04:33,475 --> 00:04:37,755 Speaker 1: as Shakespeare wrote in the unsung single best line in Hamlet, 66 00:04:38,835 --> 00:04:43,595 Speaker 1: assume a virtue if you have it, not assume take on. 67 00:04:43,915 --> 00:04:47,195 Speaker 1: Don you want to be a principled hero, even if 68 00:04:47,235 --> 00:04:52,515 Speaker 1: you're an unprincipled, cowardly politician, do something principled and heroic, 69 00:04:54,475 --> 00:04:59,475 Speaker 1: like you know, Mike McDonald just did. I guess now, 70 00:04:59,515 --> 00:05:01,995 Speaker 1: all Harris has to do is win the Nebraska second. 71 00:05:02,075 --> 00:05:04,955 Speaker 1: As I mentioned yesterday, CBS News estimates that the Hoole 72 00:05:04,995 --> 00:05:08,075 Speaker 1: average there is Harris by four. The last actual polls 73 00:05:08,115 --> 00:05:10,195 Speaker 1: I can find are from the second half of August, 74 00:05:10,355 --> 00:05:13,115 Speaker 1: and they are Harris by five or with the third 75 00:05:13,115 --> 00:05:18,395 Speaker 1: party sock Puppets included Harris by eight. Not many polls. Yesterday, 76 00:05:18,475 --> 00:05:22,115 Speaker 1: mass Ink Polling did Wisconsin has her up by seven. 77 00:05:22,715 --> 00:05:26,595 Speaker 1: The Real Clear Politics average of polls, and that is 78 00:05:26,675 --> 00:05:31,595 Speaker 1: a Republican slanted I don't know, dog and Pony show. 79 00:05:32,195 --> 00:05:35,235 Speaker 1: It would produce a Harris Electoral College victory of two 80 00:05:35,315 --> 00:05:37,075 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy five to two hundred and sixty two. 81 00:05:39,155 --> 00:05:41,355 Speaker 1: And we can say this with certainty. Either there has 82 00:05:41,395 --> 00:05:43,555 Speaker 1: been a sea change that nobody has told any of 83 00:05:43,595 --> 00:05:45,915 Speaker 1: the other posters about, or the New York Times is 84 00:05:45,955 --> 00:05:46,635 Speaker 1: going to need. 85 00:05:46,515 --> 00:05:47,835 Speaker 2: A whole new pole. 86 00:05:48,595 --> 00:05:52,795 Speaker 1: They have Trump forty nine forty five in Georgia, they 87 00:05:52,795 --> 00:05:57,075 Speaker 1: have Trump fifty forty five in Arizona. Redfield Wilton, British 88 00:05:57,075 --> 00:06:01,875 Speaker 1: Posters has Arizona as a tie, and The Times has 89 00:06:01,995 --> 00:06:04,995 Speaker 1: Trump forty nine forty seven in North Carolina. Now that 90 00:06:05,115 --> 00:06:10,315 Speaker 1: is before Mark Robinson's porn Mountain. Its history turned out 91 00:06:10,355 --> 00:06:16,675 Speaker 1: to be engraved on like ten Commandment style stones. More 92 00:06:16,715 --> 00:06:19,795 Speaker 1: on that in a moment. But Times, why do you 93 00:06:19,835 --> 00:06:24,075 Speaker 1: even print that poll? All but three members of the 94 00:06:24,115 --> 00:06:29,355 Speaker 1: Republican candidate's campaign staff have quit since your North Carolina 95 00:06:29,515 --> 00:06:34,835 Speaker 1: poll closed. It's useless. You needed to fill space in 96 00:06:34,875 --> 00:06:38,995 Speaker 1: the paper or something. And the Arizona Times number is 97 00:06:39,035 --> 00:06:43,115 Speaker 1: a ten point swing to Trump in a month a month. 98 00:06:44,115 --> 00:06:46,355 Speaker 1: I wouldn't buy that if it was a ten point 99 00:06:46,395 --> 00:06:51,355 Speaker 1: swing to Harris, and the poll was signed by every 100 00:06:51,395 --> 00:07:18,955 Speaker 1: person who was polled, and they notarized the signatures. So 101 00:07:19,635 --> 00:07:24,275 Speaker 1: as the Republicans are shackled to a corpse in Donald Trump, 102 00:07:25,075 --> 00:07:29,275 Speaker 1: Trump is shackled to a corpse in North Carolina. Mark 103 00:07:29,355 --> 00:07:32,795 Speaker 1: Robinson not only is not apologizing, is not quitting. He 104 00:07:32,835 --> 00:07:36,315 Speaker 1: now says he's suing CNN, or he seemed to say that. 105 00:07:36,355 --> 00:07:39,355 Speaker 1: He was asked, are you suing CNN? And he said, 106 00:07:39,355 --> 00:07:42,395 Speaker 1: we're going after them? Well, hell, when I was at 107 00:07:42,435 --> 00:07:47,195 Speaker 1: Current TV, we quote went after CNN two and look 108 00:07:47,235 --> 00:07:48,235 Speaker 1: how that turned out. 109 00:07:48,555 --> 00:07:52,275 Speaker 3: You've talked about the reporting being salacious, live not true. 110 00:07:52,515 --> 00:07:54,275 Speaker 3: Have you taken steps then. 111 00:07:54,275 --> 00:07:55,315 Speaker 4: To it's you? 112 00:07:55,555 --> 00:07:59,675 Speaker 3: We absolutely are, We absolutely are. We We're in talks 113 00:07:59,755 --> 00:08:03,755 Speaker 3: right now. Everything up to legal counsel to take CNN 114 00:08:03,835 --> 00:08:06,395 Speaker 3: to task for what have done to us. We are 115 00:08:06,435 --> 00:08:08,515 Speaker 3: going after him. Okay, we are going to go after 116 00:08:08,555 --> 00:08:11,155 Speaker 3: him for what they've done, but we have five weeks 117 00:08:11,235 --> 00:08:13,755 Speaker 3: left to this rights folks, and make no mistake about it, 118 00:08:14,075 --> 00:08:16,715 Speaker 3: we are not gonna let CNN throw us off of 119 00:08:16,755 --> 00:08:17,355 Speaker 3: our mission. 120 00:08:17,515 --> 00:08:23,635 Speaker 1: This rocket scientist also announced CNN is going after him 121 00:08:23,675 --> 00:08:26,755 Speaker 1: like CNN did while Reagan was in office, and like 122 00:08:26,875 --> 00:08:34,715 Speaker 1: CNN went after Abraham Lincoln when Abraham Lincoln was in office. Look, 123 00:08:34,755 --> 00:08:37,035 Speaker 1: I got hired by CNN when I was twenty two 124 00:08:37,115 --> 00:08:40,755 Speaker 1: years old and CNN was fourteen months old. And if 125 00:08:40,835 --> 00:08:45,795 Speaker 1: CNN was on when Abraham Lincoln was president, that makes 126 00:08:45,835 --> 00:08:48,075 Speaker 1: me at least one hundred and eighty one years old. 127 00:08:49,395 --> 00:08:54,275 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm old, ask Olivia, but I ain't that old. 128 00:08:55,675 --> 00:08:56,635 Speaker 1: You think I'm making this. 129 00:08:56,715 --> 00:09:02,435 Speaker 5: Up sea rain today and contrasting with their lives for today. 130 00:09:02,955 --> 00:09:06,075 Speaker 5: But every what you said about when he was at all, 131 00:09:08,115 --> 00:09:11,635 Speaker 5: you decided him just as much as you decided all wrong. 132 00:09:12,035 --> 00:09:14,835 Speaker 1: You decided him just as much as you despise they 133 00:09:14,835 --> 00:09:18,635 Speaker 1: were having. Wait, there's more and more. He gave a 134 00:09:18,675 --> 00:09:22,115 Speaker 1: speech at a Canvas Owen's event in twenty twenty uncovered 135 00:09:22,155 --> 00:09:26,595 Speaker 1: by the website The Bulwark, in which he praised Jim Crow. 136 00:09:27,195 --> 00:09:29,595 Speaker 1: Quote during Jim Crow, you can go back and you 137 00:09:29,595 --> 00:09:31,275 Speaker 1: can look at it, and the record will show you. 138 00:09:31,475 --> 00:09:34,235 Speaker 1: That's when black folks weren't their highest in this country, 139 00:09:34,355 --> 00:09:36,875 Speaker 1: when the times were the toughest, that's when they were highest. 140 00:09:36,915 --> 00:09:40,075 Speaker 1: And why because they knew they had to rely on themselves. 141 00:09:42,275 --> 00:09:47,635 Speaker 1: My god. Oh and he praised slavery again, at least 142 00:09:47,795 --> 00:09:53,675 Speaker 1: how the smart slaves accepted whipping, thinking ahead from twenty twenty, 143 00:09:53,755 --> 00:09:57,635 Speaker 1: going for that pro Jim Crow pro slavery, pro whipping 144 00:09:57,755 --> 00:10:00,875 Speaker 1: crowd quote. I can even imagine some of them with 145 00:10:00,995 --> 00:10:04,115 Speaker 1: their slave chains on the rags they had on. They 146 00:10:04,115 --> 00:10:06,115 Speaker 1: made sure those rags were as clean as could be, 147 00:10:06,595 --> 00:10:09,475 Speaker 1: and they stood up and stiffened up their backs. They 148 00:10:09,555 --> 00:10:11,955 Speaker 1: saw what was coming down in the pike, and they 149 00:10:12,035 --> 00:10:14,835 Speaker 1: only knew that it would come if they took those 150 00:10:14,955 --> 00:10:23,515 Speaker 1: stripes and took those beats beats beats by dre beats stripes, 151 00:10:24,035 --> 00:10:30,315 Speaker 1: uh whip marks. He means, are there any references to 152 00:10:30,355 --> 00:10:38,795 Speaker 1: transgender whipping in any of his resume? The Trump response 153 00:10:38,915 --> 00:10:41,755 Speaker 1: to his guy being sent to a living hell radio 154 00:10:41,915 --> 00:10:45,035 Speaker 1: silence about him, but a desperate attempt to get every 155 00:10:45,155 --> 00:10:49,795 Speaker 1: racist and psycho in North Carolina to emerge from every warehouse, farmhouse, 156 00:10:49,875 --> 00:10:53,195 Speaker 1: hen house, outhouse, and dog house and vote for Trump anyway. 157 00:10:53,515 --> 00:10:56,115 Speaker 1: Because Trump now says he's going to send in federal 158 00:10:56,195 --> 00:11:01,195 Speaker 1: law enforcement. An inference here is ice and troops to 159 00:11:01,395 --> 00:11:05,715 Speaker 1: destroy all the sanctuary cities in North care Carolina and 160 00:11:05,835 --> 00:11:10,115 Speaker 1: every other state. Trump will invade your town to get 161 00:11:10,195 --> 00:11:15,035 Speaker 1: the immigrants out, including the ones that are legal. Yes, 162 00:11:15,115 --> 00:11:17,835 Speaker 1: I know there are no sanctuary cities in North Carolina, 163 00:11:17,875 --> 00:11:25,475 Speaker 1: but as the Carolina Journal notes quote, in North Carolina, Wake, Durham, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Forsyth, Orange, 164 00:11:25,515 --> 00:11:30,955 Speaker 1: and Chatham counties do not currently honor ICE detainers, according 165 00:11:30,995 --> 00:11:33,955 Speaker 1: to a June report from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 166 00:11:34,155 --> 00:11:38,035 Speaker 1: On Friday, Democratic Governor Roy Cooper vetoed HB ten, which 167 00:11:38,035 --> 00:11:41,595 Speaker 1: would require sheriffs across the state to cooperate with ICE. 168 00:11:44,035 --> 00:11:53,635 Speaker 1: So this is Trump's guy, Mark tire fire Robinson and no. 169 00:11:53,755 --> 00:11:56,475 Speaker 1: By the way, the Republican Governors Association has now said 170 00:11:56,675 --> 00:11:59,995 Speaker 1: it does not plan any additional ads in North Carolina 171 00:12:00,235 --> 00:12:06,235 Speaker 1: for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson. Rightly, So what with 172 00:12:06,275 --> 00:12:20,075 Speaker 1: all this great free pub I'm beginning to think Trump 173 00:12:20,115 --> 00:12:23,075 Speaker 1: picked J. D. Mantz because he's capable of saying dumber 174 00:12:23,115 --> 00:12:27,435 Speaker 1: things even than Trump does. In North Carolina last night. 175 00:12:27,635 --> 00:12:30,555 Speaker 4: A person who's more worried about missing a birdie pud 176 00:12:30,795 --> 00:12:33,635 Speaker 4: than he isn't about an assassin's attempt on his own life. 177 00:12:33,675 --> 00:12:37,635 Speaker 4: Because that is the definition of courage under fire, and 178 00:12:37,715 --> 00:12:38,675 Speaker 4: Donald Trump has. 179 00:12:38,555 --> 00:12:43,075 Speaker 1: It in space. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, 180 00:12:43,235 --> 00:12:46,155 Speaker 1: you have a golf club. He has a gun. Get 181 00:12:46,195 --> 00:12:49,875 Speaker 1: out of the way. This is what he just described. 182 00:12:49,875 --> 00:12:56,475 Speaker 1: This is actually the definition of an effing idiot. Okay, 183 00:12:56,475 --> 00:12:58,715 Speaker 1: this I like, especially if there is any softening of 184 00:12:58,715 --> 00:13:01,555 Speaker 1: the Harris momentum in the battleground polls. And I think 185 00:13:01,595 --> 00:13:04,155 Speaker 1: she's going to pull sufficiently away in North Carolina going 186 00:13:04,155 --> 00:13:06,835 Speaker 1: out on him there, and there are damn few ways 187 00:13:06,835 --> 00:13:10,555 Speaker 1: Trump can win without North Carolina. Remembering that the Trump 188 00:13:10,595 --> 00:13:12,475 Speaker 1: plan all along was to find a way to back 189 00:13:12,515 --> 00:13:16,115 Speaker 1: out of debates and blame first Biden, then Harris. The 190 00:13:16,195 --> 00:13:19,115 Speaker 1: Harris campaign is going to make damn sure that if 191 00:13:19,115 --> 00:13:22,555 Speaker 1: there is no second debate a month from yesterday, Trump 192 00:13:22,595 --> 00:13:24,915 Speaker 1: is going to hear about him chickening out of that 193 00:13:25,035 --> 00:13:29,595 Speaker 1: debate every day for the next month. From NBC quote. 194 00:13:30,035 --> 00:13:34,795 Speaker 1: The Democratic National Committee will launch static billboards and mobile billboards. 195 00:13:35,795 --> 00:13:38,555 Speaker 1: There were supposedly ones at Trump rallies, like the one 196 00:13:38,555 --> 00:13:42,675 Speaker 1: in Pennsylvania last night. The chicken billboards include a digitally 197 00:13:42,795 --> 00:13:45,955 Speaker 1: altered image of Trump in a chicken suit, alongside the 198 00:13:45,955 --> 00:13:52,435 Speaker 1: words there's no debate, Donald Trump's a chicken unquote. Well, 199 00:13:52,635 --> 00:13:55,195 Speaker 1: I don't get one part of this. Why digitally altered. 200 00:13:56,275 --> 00:13:59,435 Speaker 1: He looks enough like a chicken as it is the 201 00:13:59,475 --> 00:14:03,275 Speaker 1: hair quote. The DNC originally said that they would be 202 00:14:03,275 --> 00:14:06,835 Speaker 1: sending staffers dressed in chicken suits to Trump rallies as 203 00:14:06,915 --> 00:14:10,315 Speaker 1: part of this messaging campaign, but after publication on Monday, 204 00:14:10,355 --> 00:14:12,835 Speaker 1: a spokesperson for the group said that this would no 205 00:14:12,915 --> 00:14:18,075 Speaker 1: longer occur. Instead a pro Harris student group at the 206 00:14:18,315 --> 00:14:23,035 Speaker 1: Indiana University of Pennsylvania College. Don't even try to figure 207 00:14:23,075 --> 00:14:26,435 Speaker 1: that out where Trump is speaking. This was written before 208 00:14:26,435 --> 00:14:29,595 Speaker 1: he spoke would send inflatable chickens to his rally there 209 00:14:29,675 --> 00:14:39,995 Speaker 1: instead again inflatable chickens. I mean that's Trump. Speaking of appearances, 210 00:14:40,195 --> 00:14:42,635 Speaker 1: CNN reports Milania Trump, who has not been on the 211 00:14:42,675 --> 00:14:48,035 Speaker 1: campaign trail in well wait, how long is forever? Quote, 212 00:14:48,075 --> 00:14:51,835 Speaker 1: spoke at two political fundraisers for the Log Cabin Republicans 213 00:14:51,835 --> 00:14:54,075 Speaker 1: this year, and she was paid two hundred and thirty 214 00:14:54,075 --> 00:14:57,475 Speaker 1: seven five hundred dollars for an April event. According to 215 00:14:57,515 --> 00:15:02,395 Speaker 1: former Trump for latest financial disclosure for him, the payment 216 00:15:02,475 --> 00:15:05,755 Speaker 1: was listed as a speaking engagement. The problem is, although 217 00:15:05,795 --> 00:15:10,435 Speaker 1: It's on Trump's financial disclosure form, nobody knows who wrote 218 00:15:10,475 --> 00:15:14,715 Speaker 1: the checks to her. It's not listed anywhere the log cabin. 219 00:15:14,795 --> 00:15:18,275 Speaker 1: Republicans say they did not pay this, so they'll have 220 00:15:18,315 --> 00:15:21,875 Speaker 1: to search for other payments of two hundred and thirty seven, 221 00:15:22,195 --> 00:15:27,435 Speaker 1: five hundred dollars to Milagna. Well, what's her contract with Donald? 222 00:15:27,475 --> 00:15:30,515 Speaker 1: Got in it? Any two hundred and thirty seven five 223 00:15:30,595 --> 00:15:42,155 Speaker 1: hundreds in there? And now things I promised not to 224 00:15:42,235 --> 00:15:46,355 Speaker 1: tell him? Boy? Is that true in this one? Literally, 225 00:15:47,595 --> 00:15:52,635 Speaker 1: when the RFK Junior Olivia Newsy relationship story broke, I thought, uh, 226 00:15:52,675 --> 00:15:56,475 Speaker 1: here we go. Eventually and inevitably, this story will get 227 00:15:56,515 --> 00:16:00,235 Speaker 1: around to me because long ago she and I lived together. 228 00:16:01,395 --> 00:16:05,355 Speaker 1: We had dogs and tattoos and rings, and like all relationships, 229 00:16:05,355 --> 00:16:07,875 Speaker 1: it was very nice at the start. Then things happened 230 00:16:07,915 --> 00:16:11,395 Speaker 1: and we worked on it and it ended. One day 231 00:16:11,435 --> 00:16:14,915 Speaker 1: I said, I think we've exhausted this, and I changed 232 00:16:14,915 --> 00:16:18,115 Speaker 1: my mind. Then like the next day, she left, So 233 00:16:18,235 --> 00:16:21,355 Speaker 1: I guess that makes it a tie. It's a while ago. 234 00:16:22,315 --> 00:16:26,035 Speaker 1: She had a clothes closet in my apartment, and I 235 00:16:26,115 --> 00:16:28,115 Speaker 1: meant what I said here about things I promised not 236 00:16:28,195 --> 00:16:30,395 Speaker 1: to tell. Because when this story broke, I decided, if 237 00:16:30,395 --> 00:16:34,155 Speaker 1: nobody asks, I'm not volunteering this. It's difficult to be 238 00:16:34,235 --> 00:16:37,875 Speaker 1: even the most marginal public figure and keep any part 239 00:16:37,915 --> 00:16:40,875 Speaker 1: of your life private, and nobody knows that better now 240 00:16:40,915 --> 00:16:44,235 Speaker 1: than does Alivia. On the other hand, if I'm asked 241 00:16:44,275 --> 00:16:46,355 Speaker 1: about this by the media, if somebody is going to 242 00:16:46,355 --> 00:16:48,955 Speaker 1: write it, I'm not lying to them. I'm not denying it. 243 00:16:49,595 --> 00:16:53,235 Speaker 1: I'm also not giving them the story, especially not the 244 00:16:53,235 --> 00:16:58,755 Speaker 1: freaking New York Post which reached out yesterday. I confirmed 245 00:16:58,915 --> 00:17:01,675 Speaker 1: we dated. That's what he asked, Did you date her? 246 00:17:01,715 --> 00:17:04,955 Speaker 1: And I said yes, And I said I thought it 247 00:17:04,955 --> 00:17:07,075 Speaker 1: was pretty general knowledge that we had dated, but that 248 00:17:07,155 --> 00:17:11,355 Speaker 1: nobody cared, and that if they didn't know this well 249 00:17:11,475 --> 00:17:14,915 Speaker 1: the paraphrase Arthur Conan Doyle writing Sherlock Holmes's lines for him, 250 00:17:15,115 --> 00:17:18,875 Speaker 1: I am not retained by the gossip columnists to supply 251 00:17:19,235 --> 00:17:24,835 Speaker 1: their deficiencies. In other words, I am not the newsy 252 00:17:25,075 --> 00:17:34,675 Speaker 1: nudes news network over here giving away free stories. Plus Seriously, 253 00:17:35,275 --> 00:17:39,075 Speaker 1: nearly all of the relationship was surprisingly mundane, and it 254 00:17:39,115 --> 00:17:42,835 Speaker 1: doesn't have anything to do with the RFK story except 255 00:17:42,835 --> 00:17:47,235 Speaker 1: in the broadest possible sense. I mean, I'm sure she's 256 00:17:47,235 --> 00:17:50,115 Speaker 1: not a completely different person than she was when we dated, 257 00:17:51,355 --> 00:17:56,075 Speaker 1: but maybe I am left with a couple of overarching thoughts. 258 00:17:56,715 --> 00:17:59,035 Speaker 1: She did some weird things during the three three and 259 00:17:59,075 --> 00:18:01,955 Speaker 1: a half years this lasted. I'm sure I did two. 260 00:18:03,075 --> 00:18:05,915 Speaker 1: She played around at one point, but how to pronounce 261 00:18:05,955 --> 00:18:13,795 Speaker 1: her last name? What sounded best professionally NEWSYUSYNOTSI and her 262 00:18:13,795 --> 00:18:15,715 Speaker 1: parents were not the best role models, And on the 263 00:18:15,755 --> 00:18:18,715 Speaker 1: other hand, after the immediate and understandable astonishment on their part, 264 00:18:18,795 --> 00:18:21,115 Speaker 1: they did a one eighty about me. I went to 265 00:18:21,195 --> 00:18:24,795 Speaker 1: their house for Christmas every year, her mom used to 266 00:18:24,875 --> 00:18:27,755 Speaker 1: dog sit for us, her dad and I went to 267 00:18:27,795 --> 00:18:31,595 Speaker 1: a Stanley Cup final game and had coffee a lot. 268 00:18:33,555 --> 00:18:37,795 Speaker 1: Though sometimes she so missed the mark on the consequences 269 00:18:37,835 --> 00:18:39,835 Speaker 1: of her actions that nobody around her would have said 270 00:18:39,835 --> 00:18:43,595 Speaker 1: anything except how could you not know that? Like the 271 00:18:43,635 --> 00:18:46,035 Speaker 1: time long after we broke up, that she went to 272 00:18:46,075 --> 00:18:48,795 Speaker 1: Corey Lewandowski's house and he didn't answer, so she just 273 00:18:49,315 --> 00:18:51,715 Speaker 1: turned the handle on the front door and it was unlocked, 274 00:18:51,715 --> 00:18:54,035 Speaker 1: and so she just walked in and didn't know that 275 00:18:54,115 --> 00:18:57,875 Speaker 1: was unethical and probably illegal, and then made that story public. 276 00:18:59,235 --> 00:19:02,235 Speaker 1: But nothing I know about her then or now suggests 277 00:19:02,315 --> 00:19:07,555 Speaker 1: Olivia would have kept sending a guy nude photos unless 278 00:19:07,955 --> 00:19:12,435 Speaker 1: he wanted them. I haven't talked with her since we 279 00:19:12,515 --> 00:19:14,995 Speaker 1: broke up because nowadays you're supposed to ghost each other, 280 00:19:15,075 --> 00:19:18,515 Speaker 1: I guess. But for whatever it's worth, I can't defend 281 00:19:18,995 --> 00:19:22,075 Speaker 1: any of her journalistic choices here and I will not. 282 00:19:22,715 --> 00:19:25,475 Speaker 1: But in the metaview of who's right who's wrong here, 283 00:19:26,115 --> 00:19:30,635 Speaker 1: she's not the one who's wrong here. And of course, 284 00:19:30,675 --> 00:19:32,995 Speaker 1: if you are a faithful listener, it will have dawned 285 00:19:33,035 --> 00:19:34,995 Speaker 1: on you that all the times I have talked about 286 00:19:35,035 --> 00:19:39,715 Speaker 1: my beloved dog Stevie, my other dogs, the ex girlfriend 287 00:19:39,755 --> 00:19:41,955 Speaker 1: with whom I walked into the pet shop because her 288 00:19:42,035 --> 00:19:45,195 Speaker 1: family dog was dying and she needed a puppy fix, 289 00:19:46,955 --> 00:19:51,795 Speaker 1: that was Olivia. She took care of me that fateful 290 00:19:51,875 --> 00:19:55,875 Speaker 1: day when we got Stevie, and she and I devoted 291 00:19:55,875 --> 00:19:59,275 Speaker 1: our lives to Stevie. And Olivia largely taught me how 292 00:19:59,275 --> 00:20:04,595 Speaker 1: to successfully be adopted by a dog and all dogs, 293 00:20:05,275 --> 00:20:08,315 Speaker 1: and the anniversary of that is next Monday. And all 294 00:20:08,355 --> 00:20:11,875 Speaker 1: my other dogs, and my late rescues Mishu and Mi Nay, 295 00:20:12,475 --> 00:20:15,395 Speaker 1: and all my work with dogs and animal groups, that 296 00:20:15,435 --> 00:20:19,915 Speaker 1: all comes from her. So that's the bottom line. Whatever 297 00:20:19,955 --> 00:20:22,715 Speaker 1: else this is, Olivier is responsible for me being born 298 00:20:22,795 --> 00:20:26,315 Speaker 1: again in dogs. She will always have my support if 299 00:20:26,355 --> 00:20:33,075 Speaker 1: she needs it, though not the journalistic choices part. Maybe 300 00:20:33,115 --> 00:20:35,475 Speaker 1: that is all I will ever say again about her. 301 00:20:35,555 --> 00:20:38,995 Speaker 1: Maybe developments will warrant more details for now I don't think. 302 00:20:39,155 --> 00:20:42,235 Speaker 1: I don't think they will. But from the department of 303 00:20:42,315 --> 00:20:46,915 Speaker 1: Keith cannot possibly leave well enough alone. That does not 304 00:20:47,075 --> 00:20:48,955 Speaker 1: mean I'm not going to make a couple of jokes 305 00:20:48,995 --> 00:20:52,035 Speaker 1: about this, and maybe not just in this episode. Joke 306 00:20:52,155 --> 00:20:56,715 Speaker 1: number one about the ethics of me dating her at 307 00:20:56,755 --> 00:21:00,795 Speaker 1: my age. I don't want to go out on a 308 00:21:00,835 --> 00:21:04,155 Speaker 1: limb here, but I am beginning to suspect she likes 309 00:21:04,395 --> 00:21:08,835 Speaker 1: all old guys. I mean, she was going to marry 310 00:21:08,915 --> 00:21:15,155 Speaker 1: one who was twenty years older than her. Also, I'm old. 311 00:21:16,715 --> 00:21:21,035 Speaker 1: On the other hand, I'm not as old as Bobby Kennedy. 312 00:21:21,915 --> 00:21:32,995 Speaker 1: I win, son of a Bitch is five years older 313 00:21:32,995 --> 00:21:37,475 Speaker 1: than I am. Clears up a lot of my conscience. 314 00:21:37,595 --> 00:21:40,035 Speaker 1: Also of interest here, well, if there's a Keith story 315 00:21:40,075 --> 00:21:42,195 Speaker 1: about Keith, there also has to be a Keith story 316 00:21:42,235 --> 00:21:45,035 Speaker 1: about Bill O'Reilly that used to be a federal law 317 00:21:45,835 --> 00:21:48,995 Speaker 1: He has stormed out of an interview, threatening to sue 318 00:21:49,035 --> 00:21:52,595 Speaker 1: the interviewer, which leads me in this all new edition 319 00:21:52,635 --> 00:21:55,235 Speaker 1: of Countdown to the story of How I met O'Reilly 320 00:21:55,515 --> 00:21:59,835 Speaker 1: and Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and the faq to O'Reilly 321 00:21:59,835 --> 00:22:02,275 Speaker 1: and the others believe their own poison? Or are they 322 00:22:02,395 --> 00:22:06,275 Speaker 1: just whores coming up? And did you know there is 323 00:22:06,315 --> 00:22:10,435 Speaker 1: an entire left wing industry that exists just to criticize 324 00:22:10,755 --> 00:22:14,715 Speaker 1: Maggie Haberman and her colleagues, she says, So it must 325 00:22:14,755 --> 00:22:19,115 Speaker 1: be true. The most important question here is why aren't 326 00:22:19,115 --> 00:22:26,235 Speaker 1: they paying me? That's next, This is countdown. This is 327 00:22:26,395 --> 00:22:50,075 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olberman still ahead of us on this 328 00:22:50,155 --> 00:22:53,115 Speaker 1: all new edition of Countdown. So Bill O'Reilly is in 329 00:22:53,155 --> 00:22:56,635 Speaker 1: the news again, a decade after he was last actually 330 00:22:56,635 --> 00:22:59,875 Speaker 1: in the news. He has threatened to sue a PBS 331 00:22:59,875 --> 00:23:03,355 Speaker 1: reporter or do something to her because she had the 332 00:23:03,395 --> 00:23:05,435 Speaker 1: nerve to ask him about the rear and he stopped 333 00:23:05,475 --> 00:23:09,555 Speaker 1: being in news. This led me, naturally to think about 334 00:23:09,595 --> 00:23:13,315 Speaker 1: my many encounters with Bill, and especially one question I 335 00:23:13,355 --> 00:23:16,555 Speaker 1: have been asked more often about him, and about Sean Hannity, 336 00:23:16,595 --> 00:23:19,235 Speaker 1: and about Rush Limbaugh and about others of their ilk 337 00:23:20,035 --> 00:23:24,435 Speaker 1: than I have about anything else about them. Do or 338 00:23:24,595 --> 00:23:28,395 Speaker 1: did they actually believe the things they said and still 339 00:23:28,435 --> 00:23:32,155 Speaker 1: say that have actually poisoned this nation's politics and enabled 340 00:23:32,155 --> 00:23:35,275 Speaker 1: a creature like Trump, or if they just did it 341 00:23:35,515 --> 00:23:39,275 Speaker 1: for the money. Some answers ahead next in Things I 342 00:23:39,315 --> 00:23:43,155 Speaker 1: promised not to tell. First, there are still more new 343 00:23:43,195 --> 00:23:45,795 Speaker 1: idiots to talk about, the daily roundup of the miss grants, 344 00:23:45,835 --> 00:23:49,875 Speaker 1: morons and Dunning Krueger effects specimens who constitute today's worse 345 00:23:50,195 --> 00:23:55,795 Speaker 1: persons than the world, Well, the bronze worse. Let's start 346 00:23:55,835 --> 00:24:00,035 Speaker 1: with Bill mister Meyerhoffer. He did an interview with Margaret 347 00:24:00,075 --> 00:24:03,195 Speaker 1: Hoover for the PBS show firing Line. This is what 348 00:24:03,235 --> 00:24:06,435 Speaker 1: I was just referring to. Hoover says, I want to 349 00:24:06,475 --> 00:24:09,795 Speaker 1: go back to twenty seventeen, your top rated talent at 350 00:24:09,835 --> 00:24:12,555 Speaker 1: Fox News. You've just signed a four year deal to 351 00:24:12,635 --> 00:24:15,955 Speaker 1: renew your contract, and The Times publishes a report on 352 00:24:16,075 --> 00:24:19,955 Speaker 1: settlements that you had reached with several women over harassment 353 00:24:20,075 --> 00:24:24,155 Speaker 1: misconduct claims, totaling thirteen million dollars. You're forced out of 354 00:24:24,155 --> 00:24:26,955 Speaker 1: the network. The Times later reveals an additional settlement worth 355 00:24:26,995 --> 00:24:29,955 Speaker 1: thirty two million dollars. I don't expect that you can 356 00:24:29,995 --> 00:24:35,035 Speaker 1: comment on this, you think? She then read from a 357 00:24:35,235 --> 00:24:39,235 Speaker 1: Times op ed that she herself, Margaret Hoover, had written, 358 00:24:40,155 --> 00:24:44,995 Speaker 1: O'Reilly blamed others? She said, quoting herself, embracing the victimization. 359 00:24:45,435 --> 00:24:48,755 Speaker 1: He's so ridiculed of the American left. He claimed his 360 00:24:48,795 --> 00:24:51,155 Speaker 1: departure was no fault of his own, but the cost 361 00:24:51,195 --> 00:24:54,955 Speaker 1: of doing business as a high profile media personality. This 362 00:24:55,115 --> 00:24:58,355 Speaker 1: is an outlandish claim. William F. Buckley and Anderson Cooper 363 00:24:58,555 --> 00:25:01,395 Speaker 1: are high profile media personalities, and yet they have never 364 00:25:01,435 --> 00:25:06,515 Speaker 1: been dogged with repeated sexual harassment entangled. How do you respond, 365 00:25:07,435 --> 00:25:11,635 Speaker 1: Billo replied, I don't. Then, he said Hoover was conducting 366 00:25:11,635 --> 00:25:15,835 Speaker 1: an ambush interview. There's no ambush interview that has lasted 367 00:25:15,915 --> 00:25:18,275 Speaker 1: as long in the history of the world as the 368 00:25:18,355 --> 00:25:20,755 Speaker 1: question I just read you that she asked him. It's 369 00:25:20,795 --> 00:25:23,155 Speaker 1: no longer an ambush. He would have had time to 370 00:25:23,155 --> 00:25:26,515 Speaker 1: get to JFK Airport and fly to Brazil before she 371 00:25:26,635 --> 00:25:30,035 Speaker 1: finished talking. That's no longer an ambush you're involved with 372 00:25:30,435 --> 00:25:33,355 Speaker 1: that's almost your living with her. Oh why did I 373 00:25:33,395 --> 00:25:37,315 Speaker 1: bring that up anyway? As the website Mediaite phrased, what 374 00:25:37,435 --> 00:25:41,235 Speaker 1: happened next? O'Reilly repeatedly then told Hoover that she did 375 00:25:41,315 --> 00:25:43,755 Speaker 1: not know the facts of the allegations against him, and 376 00:25:43,795 --> 00:25:46,555 Speaker 1: claimed he had made no settlements himself, and then he 377 00:25:46,595 --> 00:25:49,835 Speaker 1: was unaware of any actions taken by Fox News. Hoover 378 00:25:50,035 --> 00:25:54,515 Speaker 1: countered that this claim could not possibly be true. O'Reilly 379 00:25:54,595 --> 00:25:58,435 Speaker 1: finally threatened her, quoting O'Reilly, you're gonna use that stuff. 380 00:25:58,435 --> 00:26:00,715 Speaker 1: You're in for a problem. So I'm telling you right 381 00:26:00,755 --> 00:26:03,835 Speaker 1: now because that's just bull. I'm not going to record 382 00:26:03,875 --> 00:26:07,355 Speaker 1: any phony like that. You're going to edit this thing, 383 00:26:07,555 --> 00:26:11,115 Speaker 1: and you know my attorney is going to be watching. 384 00:26:13,315 --> 00:26:15,675 Speaker 1: I thought Bill liked to do the watching himself. Do 385 00:26:15,795 --> 00:26:18,835 Speaker 1: I have this story? Am I misremembering the story? Wasn't 386 00:26:18,835 --> 00:26:22,635 Speaker 1: that the whole thing? AnyWho? Then Bill got up and 387 00:26:22,715 --> 00:26:27,795 Speaker 1: left the interview. He actually turned down camera time. That's 388 00:26:27,835 --> 00:26:31,075 Speaker 1: the story here. I should have led with that. It 389 00:26:31,235 --> 00:26:34,035 Speaker 1: was thirty two million dollars. It cost him his Fox show, 390 00:26:34,475 --> 00:26:36,795 Speaker 1: cost him his career, cost him his only friend in 391 00:26:36,835 --> 00:26:40,115 Speaker 1: the world, Donald Trump, who now who wouldn't and now 392 00:26:40,195 --> 00:26:43,675 Speaker 1: won't touch him. But he's gonna sue or demand they 393 00:26:43,715 --> 00:26:46,035 Speaker 1: not play parts of the interview. I don't know, Hoover 394 00:26:46,115 --> 00:26:49,315 Speaker 1: says his lawyer sent them a legal demand no details. 395 00:26:49,995 --> 00:26:51,995 Speaker 1: Like I've told you before when I used to discuss 396 00:26:52,035 --> 00:26:54,915 Speaker 1: his settlement with Andrew Macris and the other settlements with 397 00:26:54,955 --> 00:26:57,475 Speaker 1: the other women. He decided his best strategy was to 398 00:26:57,475 --> 00:27:03,235 Speaker 1: send his pa, his predessian assistant, Jesse Waters, to stalk 399 00:27:03,275 --> 00:27:06,075 Speaker 1: the chairman of GE. That'd be General Electric. If I'm 400 00:27:06,075 --> 00:27:09,195 Speaker 1: going to explain acronyms here which owned NBC, the National 401 00:27:09,235 --> 00:27:14,195 Speaker 1: Broadcasting Company, which in turned own MSNBC, Microsoft NBC. That 402 00:27:14,235 --> 00:27:18,195 Speaker 1: didn't work either. And this isn't going to work. The 403 00:27:18,275 --> 00:27:21,595 Speaker 1: runner up, Why it's theme nights. We switch from Billow 404 00:27:21,715 --> 00:27:25,515 Speaker 1: to The New York Times. All the both sides is 405 00:27:25,675 --> 00:27:28,515 Speaker 1: that's fit to print. It is amazing. There's no sense 406 00:27:28,555 --> 00:27:32,555 Speaker 1: whatsoever there that they violated every principle they claim and 407 00:27:32,675 --> 00:27:37,915 Speaker 1: claim loudly and incessantly and condescendingly to represent headline number one. 408 00:27:38,875 --> 00:27:45,235 Speaker 1: Controversies erupt as Trump and GOP make critical push to voters, 409 00:27:45,955 --> 00:27:49,835 Speaker 1: and it's push, not push. It's the American English word 410 00:27:49,995 --> 00:27:55,515 Speaker 1: push like sales job as opposed to the push word. 411 00:27:56,075 --> 00:27:59,475 Speaker 1: A Republican who reportedly called himself a block Nazi, a 412 00:27:59,515 --> 00:28:02,275 Speaker 1: false story about migrants eating cats and dogs, and a 413 00:28:02,275 --> 00:28:08,235 Speaker 1: feud with Taylor Swift bring back as chaos. Yes, things 414 00:28:08,315 --> 00:28:15,875 Speaker 1: like this erupt like volcanoes. Controversies erupt force of nature. Clearly, 415 00:28:16,395 --> 00:28:19,195 Speaker 1: not because Trump made them happen, or made them up, 416 00:28:19,315 --> 00:28:21,955 Speaker 1: or employs people like jd. Vance who makes them up, 417 00:28:22,115 --> 00:28:25,395 Speaker 1: or he recruited people like Mark Robinson. And not because 418 00:28:25,395 --> 00:28:29,875 Speaker 1: one political party is rather stumblingly traditionally inept, and it's 419 00:28:29,995 --> 00:28:32,955 Speaker 1: on one set of American politics and the other political party. 420 00:28:32,995 --> 00:28:36,555 Speaker 1: Trump's political party is filled with corrupt, morally bankrupt, fascist 421 00:28:36,595 --> 00:28:38,995 Speaker 1: liars who are in fact not that good at getting 422 00:28:38,995 --> 00:28:41,755 Speaker 1: away with their lies. No, no, no, nobody did that. 423 00:28:42,355 --> 00:28:45,515 Speaker 1: Trump didn't cause this to happen. Trump wasn't the one 424 00:28:45,515 --> 00:28:49,755 Speaker 1: who posted I hate Taylor Swift. Oh yeah he was. No, No, 425 00:28:49,755 --> 00:28:51,835 Speaker 1: none of that, None of that was Trump's fault, of 426 00:28:51,915 --> 00:28:57,355 Speaker 1: the Republican's fault. It just erupted, like Krakatoa east of Java. 427 00:28:59,435 --> 00:29:01,955 Speaker 1: The other Times headline of note over a picture of 428 00:29:02,035 --> 00:29:05,875 Speaker 1: Trump smiling at the vacant Sarah huh could be the 429 00:29:05,915 --> 00:29:12,675 Speaker 1: politics of motherhood become a campaign trail cudgel. The presidential 430 00:29:12,755 --> 00:29:17,235 Speaker 1: race has exposed a fault line in American political culture 431 00:29:17,515 --> 00:29:23,835 Speaker 1: over the deeply personal decision to have children. Yes, this 432 00:29:23,955 --> 00:29:27,995 Speaker 1: problem was always always there. It's a fault line like 433 00:29:28,035 --> 00:29:32,795 Speaker 1: the San Andreas. Once again, things erupt, according to the 434 00:29:32,835 --> 00:29:36,595 Speaker 1: New York Times, like volcanoes, and there are fault lines 435 00:29:37,715 --> 00:29:41,555 Speaker 1: like San Andreas. This was not one party deciding to 436 00:29:41,595 --> 00:29:44,195 Speaker 1: choose as the guy running for vice president a clown 437 00:29:44,435 --> 00:29:46,355 Speaker 1: who insists that the vice president of the United States 438 00:29:46,395 --> 00:29:48,995 Speaker 1: doesn't have any skin in the game because she's a 439 00:29:49,035 --> 00:29:51,995 Speaker 1: step mother, not a birth mother, or that the person 440 00:29:52,035 --> 00:29:53,995 Speaker 1: in the picture under that last headline I read, your 441 00:29:54,035 --> 00:29:57,515 Speaker 1: Governor Huckabee of Arkansas is not a reprehensible, lying fraud 442 00:29:57,795 --> 00:30:01,675 Speaker 1: because she somehow managed to find somebody to procreate with her. 443 00:30:02,675 --> 00:30:07,595 Speaker 1: Oh no, said the New York Times headline editor, polishing 444 00:30:07,635 --> 00:30:09,195 Speaker 1: his top hat as he did so. 445 00:30:09,715 --> 00:30:14,475 Speaker 2: A political fault line and it's just erupted. Maybe this 446 00:30:14,555 --> 00:30:20,355 Speaker 2: is due to climate change. Here, you assistant put our 447 00:30:20,435 --> 00:30:25,555 Speaker 2: best fifty four. Both sidesists on this story. Oh I'm 448 00:30:25,595 --> 00:30:29,155 Speaker 2: going to faint now. A political fault line has just erupted. 449 00:30:29,475 --> 00:30:36,155 Speaker 2: Ooh fuck, but the winner the worst? Why more New 450 00:30:36,235 --> 00:30:41,515 Speaker 2: York Times Maggie Haberman. If you've wondered if she's noticed that, 451 00:30:41,595 --> 00:30:45,435 Speaker 2: we've noticed that she's just a Trumpian stenographer who occasionally 452 00:30:45,435 --> 00:30:48,635 Speaker 2: reveals more than Trump would like her to. Oh, yes 453 00:30:48,755 --> 00:30:54,355 Speaker 2: she has, and well, sir, she knows the real victim 454 00:30:54,355 --> 00:30:57,955 Speaker 2: of her bad journalism. The real victim here is Maggie 455 00:30:57,995 --> 00:31:04,875 Speaker 2: Haberman quote quote to NPR. I think the media does 456 00:31:04,915 --> 00:31:07,675 Speaker 2: a very good job covering Trump. There are always going 457 00:31:07,715 --> 00:31:09,675 Speaker 2: to be specific stories that could have been better, should 458 00:31:09,675 --> 00:31:11,795 Speaker 2: have been better, that are written on deadline, and people 459 00:31:11,835 --> 00:31:13,715 Speaker 2: are not being as precise as they should be. 460 00:31:14,475 --> 00:31:19,995 Speaker 1: I think there is an industry, bluntly dave. My name's Keith, Maggie. 461 00:31:20,715 --> 00:31:23,675 Speaker 1: I think there is an industry, bluntly dave that is 462 00:31:23,715 --> 00:31:26,795 Speaker 1: dedicated toward attacking the media, especially as it relates to 463 00:31:26,835 --> 00:31:29,035 Speaker 1: covering Donald Trump in all coverage of Trump, and I 464 00:31:29,075 --> 00:31:31,155 Speaker 1: think that Trump is a really difficult figure to cover 465 00:31:31,435 --> 00:31:34,955 Speaker 1: because he challenges news media process every day, has for years. 466 00:31:35,555 --> 00:31:38,635 Speaker 1: The systems are just fundamentally they were not built to 467 00:31:38,675 --> 00:31:40,635 Speaker 1: deal with somebody who says things that are not true 468 00:31:40,675 --> 00:31:43,595 Speaker 1: as often as he does, or speaks as incoherently as 469 00:31:43,595 --> 00:31:46,235 Speaker 1: he often does. I think the media has actually done 470 00:31:46,235 --> 00:31:48,315 Speaker 1: a very good job showing people who he is, what 471 00:31:48,395 --> 00:31:50,395 Speaker 1: he says, what he does. I think most of the 472 00:31:50,395 --> 00:31:52,835 Speaker 1: information that the public has about Trump is because of 473 00:31:52,915 --> 00:31:55,955 Speaker 1: reporting by the media, And I guess I don't really 474 00:31:56,075 --> 00:31:59,915 Speaker 1: understand how this industry that literally exists to attack the 475 00:31:59,995 --> 00:32:03,195 Speaker 1: press broadly, and the media is not a monolith, it's 476 00:32:03,195 --> 00:32:06,115 Speaker 1: not a league. But this industry that exists to do that, 477 00:32:06,475 --> 00:32:08,515 Speaker 1: I don't see how they think they are a solution 478 00:32:08,915 --> 00:32:12,715 Speaker 1: by undermining faith in what we do. That's been very 479 00:32:12,715 --> 00:32:17,995 Speaker 1: confusing to me. As an aside, I would suggest to 480 00:32:18,035 --> 00:32:20,915 Speaker 1: this thing that is confusing her, it needs to take 481 00:32:20,955 --> 00:32:23,755 Speaker 1: a number and get behind the line. At the end 482 00:32:23,755 --> 00:32:26,635 Speaker 1: of the line of things that easily confuse Maggie Haberman, 483 00:32:28,195 --> 00:32:32,955 Speaker 1: it's criticism of the media that's undermined faith in the media. 484 00:32:33,315 --> 00:32:34,995 Speaker 1: The interviewer says, yeah, well, I mean part of the 485 00:32:35,035 --> 00:32:38,155 Speaker 1: attacks are clearly partisan. I mean Republicans and Trump supporters 486 00:32:38,195 --> 00:32:42,035 Speaker 1: are going to attack, and Maggie Haberman corrects him, I'm 487 00:32:42,075 --> 00:32:47,315 Speaker 1: not talking about that. I'm talking about now. The interviewer says, well, yeah, well, 488 00:32:47,315 --> 00:32:50,035 Speaker 1: who is the industry you're talking about, and she goes, 489 00:32:50,755 --> 00:32:57,555 Speaker 1: I'm talking about criticism on the left. Uh wait, there's 490 00:32:57,595 --> 00:33:01,915 Speaker 1: an industry on the left that exists to attack the 491 00:33:01,995 --> 00:33:09,075 Speaker 1: press broadly, and Maggie Hay in particular, an entire industry. 492 00:33:09,715 --> 00:33:12,355 Speaker 1: I mean, was somebody gonna tell me at some point 493 00:33:12,395 --> 00:33:14,475 Speaker 1: I've been throwing this stuff out for free on this 494 00:33:14,555 --> 00:33:17,755 Speaker 1: podcast no offense to you. Thanks for listening, But I 495 00:33:17,755 --> 00:33:20,075 Speaker 1: mean I could have been making thirty nine cents a 496 00:33:20,115 --> 00:33:23,115 Speaker 1: shot or something. Here there's an industry. I need to 497 00:33:23,155 --> 00:33:25,075 Speaker 1: talk to the people running this industry. I need to 498 00:33:25,075 --> 00:33:27,315 Speaker 1: talk to the people cutting the checks in this industry. 499 00:33:27,395 --> 00:33:29,755 Speaker 1: I have a quality product over here, and by the way, 500 00:33:29,795 --> 00:33:33,835 Speaker 1: an infinite supply of Maggie Haberman's stuff. They need to 501 00:33:33,835 --> 00:33:39,275 Speaker 1: be recompensing me for it. Maggie. She makes me begin 502 00:33:39,435 --> 00:33:44,235 Speaker 1: to suspect I Keith Overman, am underpaid Haberman two days 503 00:33:44,795 --> 00:34:01,475 Speaker 1: worst person in the world show, the number one story 504 00:34:01,475 --> 00:34:03,635 Speaker 1: on the Countdown, and things I promised not to tell 505 00:34:03,835 --> 00:34:07,715 Speaker 1: and I often asked. I was asked this weekend past 506 00:34:08,515 --> 00:34:13,675 Speaker 1: about this exact question about the relative sincerity of the 507 00:34:13,715 --> 00:34:19,795 Speaker 1: Wall of Fame of the Mount Rushmore of conservative fascist commentators. 508 00:34:19,835 --> 00:34:23,035 Speaker 1: I don't mean the little nebeshy guys who are on now, 509 00:34:23,155 --> 00:34:25,875 Speaker 1: who turns out have been getting money from the Kremlin 510 00:34:25,995 --> 00:34:30,635 Speaker 1: wash through intermediaries, and not even the more recent group 511 00:34:30,795 --> 00:34:35,355 Speaker 1: like Glenn Beck, but the founding fathers of this rush Limbaugh, 512 00:34:35,875 --> 00:34:41,915 Speaker 1: Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity dead, career dead, brain dead. I 513 00:34:41,955 --> 00:34:44,515 Speaker 1: have met them all, and I think the answer about 514 00:34:44,515 --> 00:34:47,155 Speaker 1: whether or not they are being sincere or this is 515 00:34:47,355 --> 00:34:51,235 Speaker 1: just a shtick that they do for money, is different 516 00:34:52,475 --> 00:34:55,515 Speaker 1: in each of them, and yet eventually all becomes the 517 00:34:55,555 --> 00:34:59,715 Speaker 1: same thing. Many of them do not start out believing 518 00:34:59,875 --> 00:35:03,475 Speaker 1: a word they are saying, and then they discover success, 519 00:35:03,955 --> 00:35:06,235 Speaker 1: and suddenly they want to say more of what they 520 00:35:06,275 --> 00:35:08,995 Speaker 1: have been saying because it pays them so well. And 521 00:35:09,035 --> 00:35:11,915 Speaker 1: the next thing, you know, after you say something long enough, 522 00:35:12,195 --> 00:35:14,475 Speaker 1: it's not just the audience that begins to believe it, 523 00:35:14,475 --> 00:35:18,315 Speaker 1: it's you who begins to believe it. One day, and 524 00:35:18,355 --> 00:35:20,235 Speaker 1: I've tried to get the exact date of this, I 525 00:35:20,275 --> 00:35:24,435 Speaker 1: know it was a Sunday, that's all ninety five, ninety six. 526 00:35:24,515 --> 00:35:28,075 Speaker 1: Perhaps based on the memory of what the ESPN SportsCenter 527 00:35:28,155 --> 00:35:31,315 Speaker 1: newsroom looked like before it's remodeling in nineteen ninety six, 528 00:35:31,715 --> 00:35:34,475 Speaker 1: I'm thinking it's nineteen ninety five. I walked in to 529 00:35:34,515 --> 00:35:37,555 Speaker 1: do the Sunday eleven PM Sports Center and in an 530 00:35:37,555 --> 00:35:41,595 Speaker 1: otherwise empty newsroom, a very small room with a bunch 531 00:35:41,675 --> 00:35:45,035 Speaker 1: of cubicles around it, one of which was mine, so 532 00:35:45,155 --> 00:35:50,075 Speaker 1: small that two anchors would share one computer. Standing next 533 00:35:50,075 --> 00:35:53,475 Speaker 1: to my desk, not saying a word, but just looking 534 00:35:53,595 --> 00:35:58,395 Speaker 1: into the newsroom as if he were Charlie visiting Willie 535 00:35:58,435 --> 00:36:03,195 Speaker 1: Wankas chocolate factory. Was Russe Limbaugh, and given his size, 536 00:36:03,235 --> 00:36:07,355 Speaker 1: perhaps that's a good analogy. Rush Limbaugh saw me walk 537 00:36:07,395 --> 00:36:12,955 Speaker 1: in and he almost asked for an autograph. Oh, Keith, Hi, 538 00:36:13,435 --> 00:36:20,835 Speaker 1: I'm Rush Limbaugh. Nothing like the person you heard or saw, restrained, whispering, 539 00:36:21,355 --> 00:36:23,995 Speaker 1: behaving as if he were as he said in church, 540 00:36:25,195 --> 00:36:29,035 Speaker 1: I'm such a fan. Oh my goodness, Oh, I remember 541 00:36:29,035 --> 00:36:30,795 Speaker 1: you from the CNN days. I had to explain to 542 00:36:30,875 --> 00:36:33,275 Speaker 1: him that we had met once. No, it was a 543 00:36:33,355 --> 00:36:35,315 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty World Series when you worked for the Kansas 544 00:36:35,315 --> 00:36:39,515 Speaker 1: City Royals. It's important to remember that rush Limbaugh's career 545 00:36:39,795 --> 00:36:43,035 Speaker 1: path was he thought sports. He was going to be 546 00:36:43,155 --> 00:36:46,835 Speaker 1: a broadcaster, a baseball broadcaster, or a baseball executive, and 547 00:36:46,875 --> 00:36:50,995 Speaker 1: he got no further down that line then, as he 548 00:36:51,035 --> 00:36:55,515 Speaker 1: put it, the assistant Media and Community Affairs director of 549 00:36:55,515 --> 00:36:59,915 Speaker 1: the Kansas City Royals in charge of escorting the first 550 00:36:59,915 --> 00:37:03,515 Speaker 1: pitch thrower and the national anthem singer onto the field. 551 00:37:03,835 --> 00:37:06,755 Speaker 1: That was his job. But when the head of the 552 00:37:06,755 --> 00:37:08,995 Speaker 1: PR department for the Kansas City Royals, whose name was 553 00:37:08,995 --> 00:37:12,155 Speaker 1: Dean Vogelar and how could you forget that name? Introduces 554 00:37:12,195 --> 00:37:13,875 Speaker 1: you to one of his assistants, and the guy's name 555 00:37:13,915 --> 00:37:16,875 Speaker 1: is Rush Limbaugh. You remember that name. I don't remember 556 00:37:16,875 --> 00:37:18,835 Speaker 1: the conversation. I don't know what it was about. I 557 00:37:18,875 --> 00:37:20,795 Speaker 1: think he was just standing there and Dean Volgor was 558 00:37:20,795 --> 00:37:23,395 Speaker 1: being nice to both of us. But we had met, 559 00:37:23,715 --> 00:37:25,835 Speaker 1: and he was when I told him this story, he 560 00:37:25,875 --> 00:37:27,075 Speaker 1: was like, oh my god, I wish we had a 561 00:37:27,075 --> 00:37:30,475 Speaker 1: picture of that. It was almost to the point of embarrassing. 562 00:37:31,675 --> 00:37:34,795 Speaker 1: I'll take praise from anybody, especially in nineteen ninety five, 563 00:37:34,835 --> 00:37:37,075 Speaker 1: before I fully understood what Rush Limbaugh was doing to 564 00:37:37,115 --> 00:37:39,875 Speaker 1: this country. But I will take praise from anybody. But 565 00:37:39,995 --> 00:37:43,035 Speaker 1: Rush Limbaugh went from sports into what he did to 566 00:37:43,115 --> 00:37:47,755 Speaker 1: this country because he failed at sports. His original radio 567 00:37:47,835 --> 00:37:51,875 Speaker 1: work was as a sportscaster and call in show host 568 00:37:51,955 --> 00:37:54,435 Speaker 1: in sports when that was not a very popular thing. 569 00:37:54,635 --> 00:37:58,075 Speaker 1: And simply being good at killing four hours by repeating 570 00:37:58,115 --> 00:38:00,875 Speaker 1: the same argument over who's the greatest player of all 571 00:38:00,915 --> 00:38:03,915 Speaker 1: time this week was not enough to get you a 572 00:38:04,075 --> 00:38:07,195 Speaker 1: thirty one millillion dollar a year contract. He got fired 573 00:38:07,195 --> 00:38:09,195 Speaker 1: from that. He was a disc jockey for a while, 574 00:38:09,435 --> 00:38:11,155 Speaker 1: and then they said we got some time to kill 575 00:38:11,155 --> 00:38:12,795 Speaker 1: Why don't you just go on Limbaugh and do a 576 00:38:12,875 --> 00:38:17,275 Speaker 1: news talk show. Well, he was of conservative leaning, and 577 00:38:17,395 --> 00:38:20,155 Speaker 1: he found out as he began to criticize the liberals 578 00:38:20,195 --> 00:38:23,155 Speaker 1: of California in the various small markets in which he 579 00:38:23,195 --> 00:38:26,475 Speaker 1: worked there around to believe the Sacramento area. The more 580 00:38:26,515 --> 00:38:30,715 Speaker 1: he did that, and the more vituperative he became, the 581 00:38:30,755 --> 00:38:33,875 Speaker 1: more people listened. Soon he had a contract. Soon he 582 00:38:33,955 --> 00:38:37,635 Speaker 1: wasn't about to get fired from another industry, having failed 583 00:38:37,635 --> 00:38:40,635 Speaker 1: in baseball and then failed in sportscasting and failed as 584 00:38:40,675 --> 00:38:43,555 Speaker 1: a disc jockey. Suddenly he had a contract. And then 585 00:38:43,835 --> 00:38:47,995 Speaker 1: somebody said, we should syndicate your show. Other markets would 586 00:38:48,035 --> 00:38:50,515 Speaker 1: love to hear this, and you know where it went 587 00:38:50,555 --> 00:38:55,395 Speaker 1: from there. But in nineteen ninety five, and that's twelve 588 00:38:55,475 --> 00:38:59,555 Speaker 1: thirteen years into the Limbaugh dynasty, Rush Limbaugh was speaking 589 00:38:59,595 --> 00:39:04,355 Speaker 1: in hushed tones, having appeared like a ghost like the 590 00:39:04,395 --> 00:39:07,835 Speaker 1: devil in Bristol, Connecticut. And by the way, I yes, 591 00:39:07,915 --> 00:39:09,915 Speaker 1: I explained, what the hell what are you doing here? 592 00:39:10,355 --> 00:39:13,035 Speaker 1: I asked him that question, and he explained he had 593 00:39:13,035 --> 00:39:17,755 Speaker 1: been invited after years of pestering Chris Berman to sit 594 00:39:17,915 --> 00:39:21,635 Speaker 1: with the football crew from ESPN that did the Sunday 595 00:39:21,715 --> 00:39:24,075 Speaker 1: Night I believe it was called Countdown at that point. 596 00:39:24,315 --> 00:39:28,555 Speaker 1: Ironically enough, football Highlight Show. After the NFL games on Sundays, 597 00:39:29,155 --> 00:39:31,835 Speaker 1: they watched the games in a room upstairs that US 598 00:39:31,875 --> 00:39:35,515 Speaker 1: civilians were never permitted to attend, and they watched in 599 00:39:35,755 --> 00:39:39,515 Speaker 1: low definition all whatever ten twelve NFL games. There were 600 00:39:39,515 --> 00:39:45,115 Speaker 1: a simultaneously and there were options for bringing in your friend. 601 00:39:45,235 --> 00:39:50,235 Speaker 1: They once brought in a back specialist who brought his 602 00:39:50,755 --> 00:39:55,075 Speaker 1: table and was doing acupuncture and was doing everything that 603 00:39:55,115 --> 00:39:58,035 Speaker 1: you could do to try to improve people's If you 604 00:39:58,115 --> 00:40:01,195 Speaker 1: could do something for the crew, you could come in. 605 00:40:01,355 --> 00:40:03,875 Speaker 1: I don't know what Rushlanbaud did for the crew, but 606 00:40:03,955 --> 00:40:05,955 Speaker 1: they finally le him in and he was there early, 607 00:40:06,115 --> 00:40:08,195 Speaker 1: and he was about to go upstairs and join Chris 608 00:40:08,195 --> 00:40:12,435 Speaker 1: Berman in that room. And I asked Berman later, what 609 00:40:12,635 --> 00:40:13,835 Speaker 1: was that like? He went, I don't know. 610 00:40:13,875 --> 00:40:15,995 Speaker 6: The guy didn't say a thing. I mean, he was 611 00:40:16,115 --> 00:40:17,995 Speaker 6: just there. He was just there. He didn't maybe we 612 00:40:18,115 --> 00:40:23,875 Speaker 6: didn't even do any chiropracty. What so, what lim Blas 613 00:40:23,875 --> 00:40:27,355 Speaker 6: said to me that echoes through the years, and it's 614 00:40:27,555 --> 00:40:31,755 Speaker 6: nearly thirty years ago, was that he would at that 615 00:40:31,875 --> 00:40:36,195 Speaker 6: point trade everything he had and he was already successful. 616 00:40:36,235 --> 00:40:38,755 Speaker 6: I mean he was already making I don't know ten 617 00:40:38,795 --> 00:40:41,315 Speaker 6: times what I was making, twenty times what I was making. 618 00:40:42,035 --> 00:40:46,115 Speaker 6: He was successful. He said he'd give it all up 619 00:40:46,155 --> 00:40:48,635 Speaker 6: if he got to be my co host on Sports 620 00:40:48,635 --> 00:40:52,715 Speaker 6: Center instead with the pay cut, or Dan Patrick's co host. 621 00:40:52,795 --> 00:40:54,515 Speaker 6: He was ready to knock off either one of us 622 00:40:54,755 --> 00:40:57,955 Speaker 6: because that was his goal. And much of the fuel 623 00:40:58,115 --> 00:41:02,755 Speaker 6: for these raging, hateful men and women is that they 624 00:41:02,795 --> 00:41:06,875 Speaker 6: have not succeeded in their first My first dream was 625 00:41:06,915 --> 00:41:09,075 Speaker 6: to be play by play announcer for the New York Yankees. 626 00:41:09,195 --> 00:41:13,195 Speaker 6: I never got close to it. Did I become bitter 627 00:41:13,275 --> 00:41:13,715 Speaker 6: or written? Oh? 628 00:41:13,755 --> 00:41:15,555 Speaker 1: I took my second dream and got that one, and 629 00:41:15,595 --> 00:41:17,235 Speaker 1: my third, my fourth, and fifth, and my sixth, and 630 00:41:17,275 --> 00:41:20,795 Speaker 1: myself not for the conservatives. Rush Limbaugh was going to 631 00:41:20,875 --> 00:41:24,395 Speaker 1: be the great sportscaster, and he never got close to it. 632 00:41:24,395 --> 00:41:26,515 Speaker 1: And when he finally got the opportunity to do it 633 00:41:26,555 --> 00:41:29,075 Speaker 1: in two thousand and two, I believe when ESPN finally 634 00:41:29,115 --> 00:41:31,075 Speaker 1: put him on the NFL show, and he did know 635 00:41:31,075 --> 00:41:34,355 Speaker 1: something about football. When they finally put him on, like 636 00:41:34,435 --> 00:41:38,235 Speaker 1: three weeks into it, he existed that Donovan McNabb was 637 00:41:38,315 --> 00:41:41,795 Speaker 1: highly rated by NFL experts simply because he was African 638 00:41:41,835 --> 00:41:44,115 Speaker 1: American and they needed an African American to be a 639 00:41:44,155 --> 00:41:48,275 Speaker 1: top quarterback. Bye, Rush, See, you got another chance after 640 00:41:48,315 --> 00:41:50,595 Speaker 1: all those years, and you blew it in just three weeks. 641 00:41:51,795 --> 00:41:55,515 Speaker 1: So that's where rush Limbaugh came from. And of course, 642 00:41:55,635 --> 00:41:59,635 Speaker 1: if every time you say Bill Clinton is a rapist, 643 00:41:59,955 --> 00:42:03,475 Speaker 1: or you say Nancy Pelosi is a fascist, or you 644 00:42:03,555 --> 00:42:08,715 Speaker 1: say Kamala Harris is a communist, if every time you 645 00:42:08,755 --> 00:42:11,835 Speaker 1: say that, somebody sends you ten thousand dollars, guess what 646 00:42:11,875 --> 00:42:14,995 Speaker 1: you're going to say, and sooner rather than later, because 647 00:42:15,035 --> 00:42:17,915 Speaker 1: it's impossible to go on at that volume of work 648 00:42:19,315 --> 00:42:22,475 Speaker 1: saying things extemporaneously that you don't believe the truth will 649 00:42:22,515 --> 00:42:24,515 Speaker 1: come out. At some point. You have to believe it. 650 00:42:25,395 --> 00:42:28,035 Speaker 1: You have to begin to believe it. You get, as 651 00:42:28,035 --> 00:42:32,275 Speaker 1: the cliche, goes high on your own supply, and each 652 00:42:32,315 --> 00:42:34,475 Speaker 1: time you get a little higher, they send you a 653 00:42:34,515 --> 00:42:37,315 Speaker 1: little bit more money. It is thus not a coincidence 654 00:42:37,555 --> 00:42:40,595 Speaker 1: that rush Limbaugh nearly went to prison because he had 655 00:42:40,635 --> 00:42:45,155 Speaker 1: a housekeeper who used to get him vicoden and other painkillers, 656 00:42:45,435 --> 00:42:49,915 Speaker 1: prescription painkillers by the hundreds. He took high two digits 657 00:42:49,995 --> 00:42:56,635 Speaker 1: in painkillers every day because ultimately he could not believe 658 00:42:57,715 --> 00:43:01,195 Speaker 1: deep in his soul that what he was saying was true, 659 00:43:01,235 --> 00:43:06,075 Speaker 1: even remotely true, but to sell fascism. It is a 660 00:43:06,875 --> 00:43:12,635 Speaker 1: verified and thoroughly documented fact that the entirety of the 661 00:43:12,715 --> 00:43:16,755 Speaker 1: Nazi brass in Germany in the thirties and into the 662 00:43:16,795 --> 00:43:23,315 Speaker 1: war regularly got methamphetamines and other uppers and other prescription 663 00:43:23,395 --> 00:43:26,075 Speaker 1: painkillers of the time. There's an entire book on it 664 00:43:26,715 --> 00:43:32,035 Speaker 1: that is just revealing, and that was Rush Windbaugh. Sean 665 00:43:32,115 --> 00:43:36,395 Speaker 1: Hannity would seemingly have been the exact opposite. In two 666 00:43:36,395 --> 00:43:40,195 Speaker 1: thousand and six, two thousand and five, perhaps I went 667 00:43:40,235 --> 00:43:43,835 Speaker 1: back to ESPN after years of nuclear war at the 668 00:43:43,875 --> 00:43:46,595 Speaker 1: request of the head of ESPN Radio to do an 669 00:43:46,595 --> 00:43:49,235 Speaker 1: hour every day on Dan Patrick's radio show. And we 670 00:43:49,275 --> 00:43:51,675 Speaker 1: had a gas and they paid me an extraordinary amount 671 00:43:51,675 --> 00:43:53,715 Speaker 1: of money, and it was such a nice break. The 672 00:43:53,835 --> 00:43:56,635 Speaker 1: MSNBC show was just coming into prominence and it was 673 00:43:56,715 --> 00:43:59,915 Speaker 1: a lot of work, and an hour with Dan Patrick 674 00:44:00,475 --> 00:44:02,755 Speaker 1: was not a lot of work. I would get there, 675 00:44:02,835 --> 00:44:05,275 Speaker 1: we did the three o'clock to four o'clock hour, remember, correctly, 676 00:44:05,275 --> 00:44:08,075 Speaker 1: I would get there at three o'clock and he'd be 677 00:44:08,195 --> 00:44:11,355 Speaker 1: in his break. They'd have a news update from Dan Davis, 678 00:44:11,915 --> 00:44:13,275 Speaker 1: and I'd say to him on the line, what are 679 00:44:13,275 --> 00:44:15,075 Speaker 1: we talking about ago, Barry? Are you going to talk 680 00:44:15,115 --> 00:44:17,235 Speaker 1: about Barry Bonds? We're gonna talk about this, We're gonna 681 00:44:17,235 --> 00:44:18,995 Speaker 1: tell Okay, great, let me call up a couple of 682 00:44:19,035 --> 00:44:21,875 Speaker 1: stories on the computer and we'd go and then at 683 00:44:21,915 --> 00:44:24,075 Speaker 1: the end of the hour, I'd say, I'll talk to 684 00:44:24,075 --> 00:44:27,755 Speaker 1: you tomorrow. And there's Keith Ollerman, my friend. He has 685 00:44:27,795 --> 00:44:31,995 Speaker 1: to go save the democracy now. But the studio that 686 00:44:32,035 --> 00:44:33,755 Speaker 1: we used often, and I had one in my house, 687 00:44:33,755 --> 00:44:34,995 Speaker 1: so I didn't have to do this, but it was 688 00:44:35,075 --> 00:44:37,675 Speaker 1: nice to get into a big studio a top Madison 689 00:44:37,675 --> 00:44:40,795 Speaker 1: Square Garden was at the ABC Radio network, and it 690 00:44:40,875 --> 00:44:42,475 Speaker 1: helped because every once in a while I had to 691 00:44:42,475 --> 00:44:45,275 Speaker 1: do things for ABC Radio and WABC in New York 692 00:44:45,315 --> 00:44:49,155 Speaker 1: as part of the deal. So I was very happy 693 00:44:49,195 --> 00:44:52,195 Speaker 1: to be there. And one day, as I was leaving, 694 00:44:52,635 --> 00:44:55,235 Speaker 1: I see sitting in a studio, a different studio, a 695 00:44:55,275 --> 00:44:57,355 Speaker 1: couple of studios away from the one i'd just used 696 00:44:57,355 --> 00:45:00,155 Speaker 1: for an hour. To my surprise, there is Sean Hannity 697 00:45:01,275 --> 00:45:04,195 Speaker 1: and he pounds on the inside of the window like 698 00:45:04,235 --> 00:45:08,955 Speaker 1: that and waves me in. And I had already I 699 00:45:08,995 --> 00:45:10,835 Speaker 1: don't know how many times I put Sean Hannity in 700 00:45:10,875 --> 00:45:13,075 Speaker 1: on the Worst Person's List, but there he was in 701 00:45:13,115 --> 00:45:15,195 Speaker 1: the flesh, and we had never met before. So again, 702 00:45:15,315 --> 00:45:18,035 Speaker 1: this is two thousand and five, six, somewhere like that, 703 00:45:19,275 --> 00:45:22,555 Speaker 1: and it's I don't know, three point fifty seven or seven. 704 00:45:22,635 --> 00:45:25,275 Speaker 1: He's going on the air at four and he says, listen, 705 00:45:25,275 --> 00:45:28,355 Speaker 1: I don't understand this. Why do people think I hate you? 706 00:45:28,395 --> 00:45:30,435 Speaker 1: People are assume my wait, we have a fistfight the 707 00:45:30,435 --> 00:45:32,955 Speaker 1: moment we ever met. Every time you put me on 708 00:45:32,955 --> 00:45:36,155 Speaker 1: that worst Person's list, we get another ten thousand viewers. 709 00:45:36,515 --> 00:45:38,755 Speaker 1: Every time I make a reference to MSNBC. I'm sure 710 00:45:38,755 --> 00:45:41,995 Speaker 1: you get another ten thousand viewers. It's just television. And 711 00:45:42,035 --> 00:45:43,835 Speaker 1: I thought, oh my god, I hate this guy more 712 00:45:43,835 --> 00:45:46,555 Speaker 1: than I hate Wimbaugh. He didn't believe a word of it, 713 00:45:47,315 --> 00:45:48,915 Speaker 1: or if he believed it, he didn't think there was 714 00:45:48,955 --> 00:45:51,875 Speaker 1: anything wrong with it or controversial about it. He didn't 715 00:45:51,875 --> 00:45:53,995 Speaker 1: think it was worth standing up for or for somebody 716 00:45:53,995 --> 00:45:57,675 Speaker 1: else to be standing against. He assumed I didn't believe 717 00:45:57,755 --> 00:46:01,595 Speaker 1: what I was saying, that this was just a television act. 718 00:46:02,355 --> 00:46:04,355 Speaker 1: In fact, he said, just stay there, and he signed 719 00:46:04,355 --> 00:46:06,435 Speaker 1: a show on he goes. You know, people think I 720 00:46:06,475 --> 00:46:08,915 Speaker 1: hate all liberals. Well, I don't hate all liberals at all. 721 00:46:09,315 --> 00:46:11,435 Speaker 1: Some of them are really nice guys. There's one standing 722 00:46:11,435 --> 00:46:13,995 Speaker 1: here now. I'm not gonna mention him because you know, 723 00:46:14,155 --> 00:46:16,115 Speaker 1: I get him in trouble if we find out he 724 00:46:16,155 --> 00:46:19,035 Speaker 1: finds we're friendly, and we haven't had a fist fight yet. 725 00:46:19,075 --> 00:46:20,995 Speaker 1: But he's a great guy. He just said something really 726 00:46:20,995 --> 00:46:23,315 Speaker 1: funny about sports, and I'm just gonna quote him, and so, 727 00:46:23,675 --> 00:46:26,435 Speaker 1: you know what, you hate all those liberals, but leave 728 00:46:26,475 --> 00:46:29,115 Speaker 1: a little room for the good ones. And I was 729 00:46:29,155 --> 00:46:33,595 Speaker 1: like crying out loud. I'd rather deal with Rush Limbaugh well. 730 00:46:33,635 --> 00:46:36,395 Speaker 1: And then there was the other, of course, future if 731 00:46:36,395 --> 00:46:40,275 Speaker 1: Sean Hannity was to become a true believer, because once 732 00:46:40,395 --> 00:46:43,675 Speaker 1: again he started that show for Fox in nineteen ninety 733 00:46:43,715 --> 00:46:45,835 Speaker 1: six when they went on the air. The story I 734 00:46:45,875 --> 00:46:49,075 Speaker 1: told Drews from ten years later. Thirteen years later, he 735 00:46:49,115 --> 00:46:52,235 Speaker 1: was seated a couple of boxes behind me at Yankee 736 00:46:52,275 --> 00:46:55,195 Speaker 1: Stadium when the Yankees won the two thousand and nine 737 00:46:55,195 --> 00:46:57,275 Speaker 1: World Series, and we waved and took photos of each 738 00:46:57,275 --> 00:46:59,635 Speaker 1: other and tweeted the photos. We were still kind of friendly, 739 00:46:59,915 --> 00:47:02,635 Speaker 1: and by you know, twenty sixteen, he was advocating for 740 00:47:02,635 --> 00:47:05,635 Speaker 1: a man wants to be the dictator of America, and 741 00:47:05,715 --> 00:47:07,435 Speaker 1: you can't do that if you don't believe it, if 742 00:47:07,435 --> 00:47:10,435 Speaker 1: it's pure opportunism, you can't do what Sean Hannity did. 743 00:47:11,915 --> 00:47:16,395 Speaker 1: So he, again, like Limbaugh, started selling a product and 744 00:47:16,555 --> 00:47:23,275 Speaker 1: ended taking the product. O'Reilly, I believe, at some point 745 00:47:23,635 --> 00:47:27,555 Speaker 1: must have been more moderate than he turned out to be. 746 00:47:27,995 --> 00:47:33,475 Speaker 1: His story is largely different. He was what the exaggerations 747 00:47:33,475 --> 00:47:36,195 Speaker 1: of my own career say I was, but he was 748 00:47:36,235 --> 00:47:38,915 Speaker 1: it for real. He worked in three different local television 749 00:47:38,915 --> 00:47:41,635 Speaker 1: markets in one year. He had to move three times 750 00:47:41,635 --> 00:47:45,395 Speaker 1: in one year. I never did anything like that. I 751 00:47:45,475 --> 00:47:49,435 Speaker 1: never worked in two local markets in one year. In fact, 752 00:47:49,475 --> 00:47:51,515 Speaker 1: I only worked in two local markets in my life 753 00:47:51,875 --> 00:47:55,475 Speaker 1: in television. I haven't had half the jobs that Bill 754 00:47:55,475 --> 00:47:58,235 Speaker 1: O'Reilly did. And he was never successful. But his goal 755 00:47:58,395 --> 00:48:02,315 Speaker 1: was to be I believe he wanted to be Walter Cronkite. 756 00:48:02,515 --> 00:48:07,115 Speaker 1: I'm not kidding Walter kronk And he got to work 757 00:48:07,155 --> 00:48:10,355 Speaker 1: for NBC News and ABC News. He got to be 758 00:48:10,395 --> 00:48:12,795 Speaker 1: an anchor at the same station in Boston that I 759 00:48:12,835 --> 00:48:14,955 Speaker 1: worked at. For a while, we missed each other by 760 00:48:15,035 --> 00:48:17,555 Speaker 1: like three months, and he wanted to be. He wanted 761 00:48:17,555 --> 00:48:19,555 Speaker 1: to be Walter Cronkite. He wanted to be the voice 762 00:48:19,715 --> 00:48:21,715 Speaker 1: of America. He wanted to be the most trusted man 763 00:48:21,755 --> 00:48:26,835 Speaker 1: in America, absolutely devoid of political bias, trusted by everybody. Well, 764 00:48:27,075 --> 00:48:30,995 Speaker 1: that didn't work out because they kept firing him, and 765 00:48:31,075 --> 00:48:35,075 Speaker 1: so he was working on Inside Edition, owned by the 766 00:48:35,115 --> 00:48:38,155 Speaker 1: Fox people when Fox launched the Fox News channel in 767 00:48:38,195 --> 00:48:40,475 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety six, and they said, well, we're going to 768 00:48:40,555 --> 00:48:42,195 Speaker 1: have to kill some time here. What have we got. 769 00:48:42,235 --> 00:48:44,595 Speaker 1: We got this guy O'Reilly under contract for another eight 770 00:48:44,715 --> 00:48:47,155 Speaker 1: ten months here, and he's doing terribly with Inside Edition 771 00:48:47,195 --> 00:48:50,075 Speaker 1: and everybody hates him there. Let's move him into the 772 00:48:50,875 --> 00:48:53,595 Speaker 1: three pm slot or something on his Fox News and 773 00:48:53,595 --> 00:48:55,475 Speaker 1: then when he's contract is up, I mean, you know, 774 00:48:55,475 --> 00:48:57,075 Speaker 1: if he makes some sort of impression, we can offer 775 00:48:57,115 --> 00:48:58,635 Speaker 1: him half what he's making now, and if not, he's 776 00:48:58,675 --> 00:49:03,395 Speaker 1: out the door. Well, Fox's primetime lineup and nobody remembers. 777 00:49:03,435 --> 00:49:07,075 Speaker 1: This began with at eight clock Catherine Cryer, formerly of 778 00:49:07,115 --> 00:49:10,795 Speaker 1: ABC and CNN and a former judge in Texas and 779 00:49:11,155 --> 00:49:14,275 Speaker 1: really pretty much a straight down the middle, slightly leaning 780 00:49:14,315 --> 00:49:19,155 Speaker 1: to the left news anchor and pretty good one. And 781 00:49:19,395 --> 00:49:23,275 Speaker 1: she didn't draw flies at eight o'clock. Instead O'Reilly, who 782 00:49:23,315 --> 00:49:25,155 Speaker 1: I believe was on at two o'clock in the afternoon, 783 00:49:25,395 --> 00:49:31,035 Speaker 1: had an extraordinary spike because he went on expressing his frustration. 784 00:49:31,635 --> 00:49:34,795 Speaker 1: People thought he was talking about the country and right 785 00:49:34,835 --> 00:49:37,155 Speaker 1: wing versus left wing. He was talking about how everybody 786 00:49:37,275 --> 00:49:40,395 Speaker 1: had dumped on Bill O'Reilly. The point of every episode 787 00:49:40,395 --> 00:49:44,235 Speaker 1: of every show Bill O'Reilly ever did. Ultimately you could 788 00:49:44,275 --> 00:49:46,755 Speaker 1: put his name in there when he talked about America 789 00:49:46,915 --> 00:49:49,155 Speaker 1: or values, or this happened to a friend of his, 790 00:49:49,515 --> 00:49:51,915 Speaker 1: or why I was so surprised I went to this 791 00:49:51,955 --> 00:49:54,435 Speaker 1: restaurant in Harlem and they didn't say I want some 792 00:49:54,475 --> 00:49:58,995 Speaker 1: more iced T MF. Or every one of those stories 793 00:49:59,235 --> 00:50:01,395 Speaker 1: is about him and how he did not get to 794 00:50:01,395 --> 00:50:03,475 Speaker 1: be Walter Cronkite and all the people he was now 795 00:50:03,515 --> 00:50:08,715 Speaker 1: going to screw back and they loved it, and he 796 00:50:08,755 --> 00:50:11,075 Speaker 1: became a template and hanned. He looked at that and went, 797 00:50:11,155 --> 00:50:15,115 Speaker 1: I'm going to do that too. Bill O'Reilly, by the 798 00:50:15,155 --> 00:50:20,315 Speaker 1: time I met him, really really believed this. And again, 799 00:50:20,355 --> 00:50:23,515 Speaker 1: if you're expressing your own rage and just dressing it 800 00:50:23,595 --> 00:50:28,675 Speaker 1: up and making it in somehow some fashion generic for everybody. 801 00:50:28,275 --> 00:50:28,795 Speaker 2: In the world. 802 00:50:28,955 --> 00:50:30,955 Speaker 1: Of course you're going to believe it. You are angry. 803 00:50:31,315 --> 00:50:35,315 Speaker 1: Bill O'Reilly will die without ever becoming Walter Cronkite. I 804 00:50:35,395 --> 00:50:37,395 Speaker 1: will die without becoming the play by playman of the 805 00:50:37,395 --> 00:50:40,835 Speaker 1: New York Yankees, and I'll go well. Travel would have 806 00:50:40,875 --> 00:50:46,675 Speaker 1: been terrible crying out loud click in any event. O'Reilly, 807 00:50:46,795 --> 00:50:49,995 Speaker 1: as I've outlined many times in many places, did not 808 00:50:50,075 --> 00:50:53,075 Speaker 1: take well to the criticism that I began to unleash 809 00:50:53,115 --> 00:50:55,715 Speaker 1: on him. Literally the day I returned to MSNBC in 810 00:50:55,715 --> 00:50:57,155 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, when I got a phone call 811 00:50:57,195 --> 00:50:59,315 Speaker 1: from one of my old friends at NBC in Washington, 812 00:50:59,475 --> 00:51:01,915 Speaker 1: Nora O'Donnell, who said, you should do a segment on 813 00:51:01,955 --> 00:51:04,115 Speaker 1: Bill O'Reilly. It's so great to have you back. He 814 00:51:04,235 --> 00:51:07,435 Speaker 1: lies every night. You should do something about O'Reilly, called 815 00:51:07,635 --> 00:51:13,395 Speaker 1: O'Reilly factor fiction, and I went, thank you, Nora, thank 816 00:51:13,395 --> 00:51:16,755 Speaker 1: you for resuscitating my career at MSNBC. And as soon 817 00:51:16,795 --> 00:51:19,675 Speaker 1: as the war began to die down in Iraq, we 818 00:51:19,795 --> 00:51:22,955 Speaker 1: began to go after Bill O'Reilly, And god knows he 819 00:51:22,995 --> 00:51:27,395 Speaker 1: provided all the ammunition I could ever want. The rule 820 00:51:27,635 --> 00:51:30,155 Speaker 1: is never punched down, and all he did was punched down. 821 00:51:30,195 --> 00:51:34,515 Speaker 1: He wanted somebody to stop me. He tried to blackmail 822 00:51:34,635 --> 00:51:37,755 Speaker 1: Jeff mL the GE chairman. I've told that story a 823 00:51:37,755 --> 00:51:42,155 Speaker 1: dozen times. He threatened Jeff Zooker, he threatened to expose 824 00:51:42,235 --> 00:51:45,915 Speaker 1: this and say that he threatened, And finally we ran 825 00:51:45,955 --> 00:51:50,315 Speaker 1: into each other at Yankee Stadium. I went to a 826 00:51:50,395 --> 00:51:52,875 Speaker 1: Yankee Mets game and had a credential because I was 827 00:51:52,875 --> 00:51:55,235 Speaker 1: on the Dan Patrick Show every day. I was actually 828 00:51:55,275 --> 00:51:58,555 Speaker 1: also a sports reporter. Two thousand and five, two thousand 829 00:51:58,555 --> 00:52:01,475 Speaker 1: and six, Yankee Stadium, and there's O'Reilly and I walk 830 00:52:01,515 --> 00:52:03,555 Speaker 1: out onto the field and to my surprise, there's Bill 831 00:52:03,555 --> 00:52:05,875 Speaker 1: O'Reilly and he's got a not a press pass, but 832 00:52:05,955 --> 00:52:08,275 Speaker 1: a pass given to him by the manager of the 833 00:52:08,315 --> 00:52:10,155 Speaker 1: Yankees at the time, Joe Tory. So it was an 834 00:52:10,275 --> 00:52:12,995 Speaker 1: FOJ Friend of Joe pass allows you to get on 835 00:52:13,035 --> 00:52:15,995 Speaker 1: the field you're not allowed in certain areas. And he 836 00:52:16,075 --> 00:52:17,995 Speaker 1: was at one end of the Yankee dugout as I 837 00:52:18,035 --> 00:52:20,155 Speaker 1: came out of the Yankee dugout on the home plate side, 838 00:52:20,155 --> 00:52:22,795 Speaker 1: and the moment he saw me, he moved ten feet 839 00:52:22,835 --> 00:52:26,115 Speaker 1: further away, and every time I would look out onto 840 00:52:26,155 --> 00:52:28,555 Speaker 1: the field, I could feel his eyes burning a hole 841 00:52:28,555 --> 00:52:29,795 Speaker 1: in the side of my head, and I would turn 842 00:52:29,835 --> 00:52:33,755 Speaker 1: my head quickly and he would look away. I would 843 00:52:34,235 --> 00:52:36,875 Speaker 1: edge suddenly one inch closer to him, and I could 844 00:52:36,875 --> 00:52:39,115 Speaker 1: see out of the corner of my eye him edging 845 00:52:39,195 --> 00:52:44,115 Speaker 1: one inch further away from me. This went on for 846 00:52:44,275 --> 00:52:46,315 Speaker 1: ten minutes while I talked to my friends among the 847 00:52:46,355 --> 00:52:50,235 Speaker 1: sports reporters. Later, he tried to get into the met 848 00:52:50,235 --> 00:52:53,995 Speaker 1: clubhouse and his friend of Joe Tory credential did not 849 00:52:54,035 --> 00:52:56,795 Speaker 1: allow him near the clubhouse, and they asked him to leave. 850 00:52:57,955 --> 00:52:59,715 Speaker 1: Two or three days later, I got a call from 851 00:52:59,755 --> 00:53:04,635 Speaker 1: the Yankees. There was an international incident, was the way 852 00:53:04,875 --> 00:53:07,595 Speaker 1: described to me about the fact that I had credentials 853 00:53:07,755 --> 00:53:11,875 Speaker 1: and Bill O'Reilly did not Fox to the point of 854 00:53:11,915 --> 00:53:15,955 Speaker 1: having the president of Fox's operations saying he was calling 855 00:53:15,955 --> 00:53:18,995 Speaker 1: on behalf of Roger Ayle's demanding to know why I 856 00:53:19,315 --> 00:53:22,155 Speaker 1: was given access to the Mets clubhouse, but Bill O'Reilly 857 00:53:22,235 --> 00:53:25,235 Speaker 1: was not, And the head of pr for the Yankees, 858 00:53:25,515 --> 00:53:27,675 Speaker 1: sounding like he was reading from a script, went through 859 00:53:27,795 --> 00:53:31,835 Speaker 1: thirty minutes explaining that the Yankees didn't give credentials to 860 00:53:31,995 --> 00:53:35,555 Speaker 1: celebrities and that these sort of situations won't be tolerated 861 00:53:35,595 --> 00:53:39,315 Speaker 1: and only the working press gets credentials, and you could 862 00:53:39,355 --> 00:53:41,435 Speaker 1: hear that there were other people on the phone call 863 00:53:41,475 --> 00:53:43,835 Speaker 1: who were not talking. You could hear it because every 864 00:53:43,835 --> 00:53:45,555 Speaker 1: once in a while the guy would stop suddenly and 865 00:53:45,595 --> 00:53:51,515 Speaker 1: then you'd hear in the background. I assumed that was O'Reilly. 866 00:53:51,595 --> 00:53:56,075 Speaker 1: The next day, I went to Yankee Stadium with my 867 00:53:56,155 --> 00:53:59,395 Speaker 1: credential and I went to the PR director of the Yankees, 868 00:53:59,395 --> 00:54:01,155 Speaker 1: and I said, what was that? He goes, what do 869 00:54:01,195 --> 00:54:03,275 Speaker 1: you mean? I said, how come I have a credential today? 870 00:54:03,315 --> 00:54:05,915 Speaker 1: Wasn't that about taking away my credit dentials? He goes, 871 00:54:06,275 --> 00:54:08,115 Speaker 1: what did I say at the beginning of that conversation? 872 00:54:09,635 --> 00:54:12,115 Speaker 1: I said, you said you were going to make this 873 00:54:12,235 --> 00:54:13,915 Speaker 1: phone call and talk to me about the fact that 874 00:54:13,955 --> 00:54:17,235 Speaker 1: we did not issue credentials to celebrities. Did we have 875 00:54:17,275 --> 00:54:20,435 Speaker 1: that conversation? Did I do that? Yes? Do we issue 876 00:54:20,475 --> 00:54:22,355 Speaker 1: you a credential because you're on the Dan Patrick shower, 877 00:54:22,355 --> 00:54:24,915 Speaker 1: because you're a celebrity? And I went, I presume the 878 00:54:24,955 --> 00:54:29,915 Speaker 1: former correct have a nice game. And that was It 879 00:54:29,915 --> 00:54:34,835 Speaker 1: never came up again. O'Reilly believed he had somehow sabotaged 880 00:54:34,875 --> 00:54:37,835 Speaker 1: my access to Yankee Stadium, and he tried it many 881 00:54:37,875 --> 00:54:40,195 Speaker 1: other times, and I saw him once at a Joe 882 00:54:40,235 --> 00:54:43,675 Speaker 1: Tory event, a charity event, and he did the same 883 00:54:43,755 --> 00:54:45,995 Speaker 1: thing where he stared at me and then moved an 884 00:54:45,995 --> 00:54:49,835 Speaker 1: inch away if I got too close to him. An 885 00:54:49,835 --> 00:54:54,715 Speaker 1: extraordinarily crazy man and remained such to this day. But 886 00:54:54,955 --> 00:54:58,115 Speaker 1: as I always say, I probably owe him ten percent 887 00:54:58,155 --> 00:55:00,435 Speaker 1: of all of my earnings from MSNBC because he just 888 00:55:00,595 --> 00:55:05,115 Speaker 1: couldn't ignore me. I mean, his ratings were initially at 889 00:55:05,195 --> 00:55:08,795 Speaker 1: least five times mine. Even at the end, when we'd 890 00:55:08,795 --> 00:55:10,795 Speaker 1: grown that thing into making one hundred two hundred million 891 00:55:10,835 --> 00:55:13,875 Speaker 1: dollars a year profit for NBC, his ratings were still 892 00:55:13,995 --> 00:55:19,755 Speaker 1: twice three times mine. He should never have once mentioned me. Instead, 893 00:55:20,715 --> 00:55:23,395 Speaker 1: he put up a petition one day, had them do 894 00:55:23,435 --> 00:55:27,395 Speaker 1: it on the Fox News website too, without mentioning my name, 895 00:55:27,435 --> 00:55:31,195 Speaker 1: because he refused to ever mention my name. He wanted 896 00:55:31,235 --> 00:55:35,435 Speaker 1: Phil Donahue reinstated as the eight pm anchor on MSNBC, 897 00:55:35,755 --> 00:55:37,675 Speaker 1: and he did a whole thing about how Phil Donna, 898 00:55:37,675 --> 00:55:40,115 Speaker 1: who had been treated so badly, so sign up here 899 00:55:40,115 --> 00:55:42,955 Speaker 1: on foxnews dot com the get Phil Donahue the eight 900 00:55:42,995 --> 00:55:46,195 Speaker 1: pm slot that he so richly deserves. And I was like, 901 00:55:46,555 --> 00:55:49,115 Speaker 1: thank you, Bill. So the next thing I did was 902 00:55:49,115 --> 00:55:51,435 Speaker 1: I got my camera, one of my camera crews from 903 00:55:51,515 --> 00:55:57,395 Speaker 1: NBC in Secaucus to record everybody on the MSNBC Countdown 904 00:55:57,435 --> 00:56:01,115 Speaker 1: staff lined up to get to the computer and all 905 00:56:01,115 --> 00:56:03,515 Speaker 1: of them signing up to get me fired and get 906 00:56:03,555 --> 00:56:08,595 Speaker 1: Phil Donahue and stated, because one thing about fascists and 907 00:56:08,635 --> 00:56:11,075 Speaker 1: people who get high on their own supply, but people 908 00:56:11,115 --> 00:56:13,675 Speaker 1: like Bill O'Reilly never understand people like that who believe 909 00:56:13,715 --> 00:56:16,795 Speaker 1: all this, that people are at home taking notes, writing 910 00:56:16,835 --> 00:56:18,715 Speaker 1: down how will I live my life? This is what 911 00:56:18,755 --> 00:56:20,555 Speaker 1: Bill O'Reilly says, This is what Hannity says, this is 912 00:56:20,595 --> 00:56:23,115 Speaker 1: what Limbo says. One thing is they really believe that 913 00:56:23,755 --> 00:56:28,395 Speaker 1: they don't recognize that the job is just too largely 914 00:56:28,515 --> 00:56:31,955 Speaker 1: inform But in many cases, simply reassure people who've already 915 00:56:31,955 --> 00:56:33,995 Speaker 1: reached the opinion you have that they're not crazy, that 916 00:56:34,035 --> 00:56:35,995 Speaker 1: there are other people who've reached that same opinion, and 917 00:56:36,075 --> 00:56:39,155 Speaker 1: to add to their understanding and correct them sometimes or 918 00:56:39,195 --> 00:56:42,515 Speaker 1: to have them correct you. It's illumination with maybe a 919 00:56:42,555 --> 00:56:45,075 Speaker 1: few jokes and an entertaining broadcast of some kind. It 920 00:56:45,115 --> 00:56:47,635 Speaker 1: is not I am writing the New Bible, and you 921 00:56:47,675 --> 00:56:53,195 Speaker 1: will live your life this way. So we got that 922 00:56:53,515 --> 00:56:56,675 Speaker 1: count of how many people wanted to have Phil Donahue 923 00:56:56,715 --> 00:56:59,675 Speaker 1: reinstated like we managed to get it over five thousand. 924 00:57:00,195 --> 00:57:15,275 Speaker 1: That was one of my favorite accomplishments, Right you are, 925 00:57:15,395 --> 00:57:23,595 Speaker 1: mister Mayerhoffer. One of the great great practical jokes ever 926 00:57:24,355 --> 00:57:27,875 Speaker 1: completed in the history of the world, certainly in the 927 00:57:27,915 --> 00:57:31,955 Speaker 1: history of television. Billow used to read emails and texts, 928 00:57:32,515 --> 00:57:36,635 Speaker 1: and somebody asked him a question and signed it mister 929 00:57:37,475 --> 00:57:44,715 Speaker 1: Jack m E H F F E R Jack me Hoffer, 930 00:57:46,195 --> 00:57:49,275 Speaker 1: and he read it. He later said, I knew what 931 00:57:49,315 --> 00:57:50,955 Speaker 1: that meant, but I thought it was a good question. 932 00:57:51,755 --> 00:57:55,435 Speaker 1: Swear to God, I swear to God. I've done all 933 00:57:55,435 --> 00:57:57,795 Speaker 1: the damage I can do here, that not as much 934 00:57:57,835 --> 00:58:00,635 Speaker 1: as Bill Thank you for listening. We're now back to 935 00:58:00,675 --> 00:58:03,555 Speaker 1: five episodes a week, posting nightly just after midnight Eastern 936 00:58:03,635 --> 00:58:05,835 Speaker 1: And as you have heard, you never know what you're 937 00:58:05,875 --> 00:58:08,675 Speaker 1: going to hear here, do you? Once again, there is 938 00:58:08,835 --> 00:58:12,755 Speaker 1: a Monday countdown at least through the election. Please forward 939 00:58:12,835 --> 00:58:15,235 Speaker 1: this to a non listener who should fix being a 940 00:58:15,275 --> 00:58:18,395 Speaker 1: non listener, because this is high quality material right here. 941 00:58:19,635 --> 00:58:22,595 Speaker 1: Brian Ray and John Phillip Schanelle. Speaking of high quality material, 942 00:58:22,635 --> 00:58:25,315 Speaker 1: are the musical directors of countdown, and they have arranged, produced, 943 00:58:25,355 --> 00:58:29,115 Speaker 1: and performed most of our music. Mister Shanelle handled orchestration 944 00:58:29,195 --> 00:58:31,995 Speaker 1: and keyboards. Mister Ray was on the guitars, bass and drums. 945 00:58:32,235 --> 00:58:35,515 Speaker 1: It was produced by Tko Brothers. Our satirical and pithy 946 00:58:35,595 --> 00:58:38,235 Speaker 1: musical comments are by the best baseball stadium organist ever, 947 00:58:38,355 --> 00:58:41,675 Speaker 1: Nancy Faust. The sports music is the Olderman theme from 948 00:58:41,875 --> 00:58:45,675 Speaker 1: ESPN two, written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of ESPN Inc. 949 00:58:46,195 --> 00:58:49,395 Speaker 1: Other music arranged and performed by the group No Horns Allowed. 950 00:58:49,835 --> 00:58:53,835 Speaker 1: My announcer today was my friend John Dee. Everything else 951 00:58:53,875 --> 00:58:57,715 Speaker 1: was pretty much my fault. There's always Solan's countdown for today, 952 00:58:57,755 --> 00:59:01,035 Speaker 1: one month and twelve days until the twenty twenty four 953 00:59:01,115 --> 00:59:06,875 Speaker 1: presidential election, the one hundred No A million, No three 954 00:59:07,155 --> 00:59:10,675 Speaker 1: and fifty eighth day since convicted felon dementia j Trump's 955 00:59:10,675 --> 00:59:14,115 Speaker 1: first attempted coup against the democratically elected government of the 956 00:59:14,195 --> 00:59:17,435 Speaker 1: United States. Use the election, use the mental health system, 957 00:59:17,515 --> 00:59:20,795 Speaker 1: use presidential immunity if we have to to keep him 958 00:59:20,795 --> 00:59:26,875 Speaker 1: from trying to overthrow the government again while we still can. 959 00:59:28,235 --> 00:59:31,115 Speaker 1: The next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. Bulletins as the news 960 00:59:31,115 --> 00:59:34,515 Speaker 1: requires till then on Keith Olderman, good Morning, good afternoon, 961 00:59:34,795 --> 00:59:39,315 Speaker 1: good night, and I'm trying to hit the mark here 962 00:59:39,515 --> 01:00:00,915 Speaker 1: the post good Luck, Yes Countdown with Keith Olderman is 963 01:00:00,955 --> 01:00:05,755 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 964 01:00:05,795 --> 01:00:10,475 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.