Title: “Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure”

Authors: Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe

Rank: 3

Blurb: “You’ll see how everything you thought you knew about the political parties is a lie, how Democrats and Republicans alike used to fight for minimum government and maximum freedom, and how both parties have been taken over by a cancer called ‘progressivism.'”

Review: “I havent had a chance to read it yet because I just got it but I did look though it. It looks great. The pages are water marked and glossy. It even feels good in the hand. Looking forward to reading it.”

Customers Also Bought: “Life After Death: The Evidence”, by Dinesh D’Souza

Footnote: We think that review is legit. But if not, it’s even better.

Broke [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon kickback link]

We’ve enjoyed Countdown, nightly, for about two years now. As our esteemed apocalyptic vulgarian FlyingChainSaw observes, it’s like watching Crooks & Liars live. Although unlike our esteemed apocalyptic vulgarian, we think that’s a good thing.

So we don’t come to this mess from the perspective of an Olbermann-basher. We like Keith. He’s fun. He’s the only reason we even turn on the tube at 5pm Pacific. San Diego has a 24-hour jazz station. We have options.

That said, we agree with MSNBC management: Olbermann violated a clearly stated ethics policiy, and his suspension is not unwarranted. Olbermann did the same thing with Richard Wolffe, after all.

What disappointed us after the news broke Friday is that we’re in the minority. At least among progressive bloggers — the progressive bloggers we also read daily as we scrape the Internets for story tips. They’ve ignored entirely the facts of Olbermann’s suspension, and the principles behind it.

And in so doing, they’ve shown themselves to be hacks.

Let’s take a tour…

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We’ve long said that Countdown is fine Left Coast dinnertime entertainment: We enjoy a good rant with our supper, and Keith Olbermann can deliver a stemwinder when he’s moved.

We also certainly don’t mind when a couple of our graphics show up on his program. Based on past performance, we should see another in 2012 or so.

But despite the slant of its primetime hosts, and its new slogan, MSNBC still styles itself a news organization, with certain ethical standards required of all journalists: You shouldn’t kick bucks to a political campaign you’re covering. And if you do, you should disclose it — preferably to your audience, but at the very least to your management.

Olbermann crossed that last line with three campaign contributions, and it seems that his boss learned the news from a Politico reporter. This is not, shall we say, A Good Thing. Said boss promptly “suspended indefinitely” the title character from “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.”

And unleashed a shitstorm.

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Last time around, he quit Daily Kos but kept his show. Maybe this time he’ll have more incentive.

Keith Olbermann suspended after donating to Democrats [Politico]

Dear Deconfuser:

Sometimes you hear two completely opposite opinions about the same person. For example, just the other day Sarah Palin said this about Ronald Reagan:

“Wasn’t Ronald Reagan an actor? Wasn’t he in ‘Bedtime for Bonzo,’ Bozo, something? Ronald Reagan was an actor.”

But then I read Peggy Noonan say the following:

Excuse me, but this was ignorant even for Mrs. Palin. Reagan people quietly flipped their lids, but I’ll voice their consternation to make a larger point. Ronald Reagan was an artist who willed himself into leadership as president of a major American labor union (Screen Actors Guild, seven terms, 1947-59.) He led that union successfully through major upheavals (the Hollywood communist wars, labor-management struggles); discovered and honed his ability to speak persuasively by talking to workers on the line at General Electric for eight years; was elected to and completed two full terms as governor of California; challenged and almost unseated an incumbent president of his own party; and went on to popularize modern conservative political philosophy without the help of a conservative infrastructure. Then he was elected president.

I’d always heard that Reagan was an actor, but now I’m not sure sure. So who’s right?

-Confused in Topeka Read more »

Oklahoma mom complains about son’s homework assignment: “‘English is our language… and I just feel it’s wrong that he would have to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America in Spanish. It’s just wrong,’ a frustrated Taggart told KFOR.” [Fox]

So: Talibunny puts out a stroke job that would get her banned from Chatroulette and shunned by Christine O’Donnell, and the lamestream media responds like a litter of Cubby Grizzlies in a suckling frenzy.

We understand that Will She Or Won’t She has a practical consequence for her potential primary opponents: If you’re gaming a race, you can’t count her out until she definitively rules herself out. You also have to prepare for the possibility that she sucks all the money out of the room. If we were a political consultant, it would be dereliction of duty to arbitrarily remove her from the board.

But we are, instead, merely a Humble Citizen of These United States, and we think the chatter about her running is, and has long been, utter bullshit.

Sarah Palin is not running for President. She is building her fortune. And doing quite well at it.

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