Keith Olbermann comments on passing of Ed Schultz, age 64 today

[hlthe2b]

Last edited Thu Jul 5, 2018, 06:03 PM - Edit history (1)

Link to tweet

I thought Sam Stein's tweet likewise worthy of note and i'm adding the twitter comments of Chris Hayes and Senator Bernie Sanders as well:

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[EricJohnson]

1. RIP Big Ed. A great man of the worker. Too honest for MSNBC.

[stevenleser]

2. Since RT was his next stop, honesty wasn't the issue. nt

[EricJohnson]

5. What was the issue? Big Ed represented the workers, the unions, when many others

have abandoned them.

[stevenleser]

6. The issue was he needed a paycheck and sold out. nt

[EricJohnson]

11. How did he sell out? Do you have something that shows he did that?

I think Ed was an honest man. May he rest in peace.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

19. Or not:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ed-schultz-touts-vladimir-putin-and-himself-in-bonkers-interview

https://newrepublic.com/minutes/140860/ed-schultz-hits-new-low-cpac

Im reminded of when Dick Gregory died and people ignored his constant palling with Alex Jones and pushing rightwing conspiracy theories in the last decade of his life.

There are some actions that can cancel out a previously positive legacy.

See also: Roseanne

[EricJohnson]

21. Sorry but I don't trust your sources and I liked Ed Schultz. He stood up for unions

when no one else did. I am a union member.

[stevenleser]

22. You trust RT and not that person's sources? Talk about having things backwards.

If you wanted to you could verify what is in those articles very easily. RT posts all of their stuff on Youtube.

[EricJohnson]

25. Never said I trusted RT. And it was you that called attention to the DC and

National Review as being untrustworthy sources in another thread? As I said, I liked Ed Schultz, he was honest and stood up for the working people.

[stevenleser]

26. Neither of those sources were in the links by the person you are arguing with. nt

[stevenleser]

27. He was not being honest if 5 seconds later he flipped to the right. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

44. Just review his most recent tweets...Schultz railed against anti-Trumpers.

[stevenleser]

23. P.S. you are talking to someone else who is a fervent union defender. All you need to do is google

my name and "unions".

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

24. Why not just yell "fake news," Donald?

The quotes and his flip to the right are well documented.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

36. Been here since 2001 - aint going anywhere

And there are tons of articles about Ed's descent into Trumpery and Putinism.

Verbatim quotes, video, etc.

It's a fact.

[themaguffin]

35. Sadly this, but then again he was a conversative for much longer than his liberal years

[lapucelle]

53. ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-ed-schultz-transformed-from-msnbc-lefty-to-the-american-face-of-moscow-media/2016/12/20/320713f4-c322-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.12166824acce

http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/23/media/ed-schultz-cpac/index.html

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/04/donald-trump-2016-russia-today-rt-kremlin-media-vladimir-putin-213833

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ed-schultz-touts-vladimir-putin-and-himself-in-bonkers-interview

[EricJohnson]

54. Obviously the Corp-Media and the Right Wing media didn't like him.

[lapucelle]

71. He ended his career as a CPAC hero pushing Trump's talking points at the Kremlin's RT.

I have no idea what the Corp-Media is, so it's hard to assess any assertion that they obviously didn't like him.

[LanternWaste]

28. Does that apply to appearances on Fox News as well?

Or is honesty much less important than rationalizing our own purity at the expense of others?

[stevenleser]

31. Nope. As I am sure Obama, Hillary and Bernie would agree. nt

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

10. The issue was he sold out

And went from being a Putin crtic to a hardcore defender, simply because he got an RT job and a private jet in his contract.
Combine that with his sudden defense of both Trump and Sinclair Broadcasting,and you see he'd do a 180 on anything for a ruble.

Im sorry he's dead, and he may have been a personable guy, but the fact is, he was a mercenary, who would flip from right to left to right again, depending on where the money was.

[regnaD kciN]

61. Since he started out as a Rush-clone...

...I know that many in the left were suspicious of his motives — thinking that he had only embraced progressivism because he realized an opportunity to corner the market rather than having to compete with the flood of right-wing shows. His switch to RT certainly didn’t lessen those suspicions of mercenary intent.

Now, maybe all that was unjustified; it seems he did a lot for leftist causes during his time on radio and MSNBC. And I didn’t like the way the latter pushed him out. But, while I am far from a centrist, and will make no apologies for my support of Bernie Sanders, I have to say that any “progressive” journalist who casts their lot in with RT becomes immediately suspect in my book.

[PufPuf23]

42. Some would opine the same about anyone who would appear on Fox News. nt

[grantcart]

46. And some are grateful for those among us who have the guts

To speak truth to lying idiots.

RT is part of Putin's propaganda machine. Being a full time employee is not the same as being an occasional guest.

[PufPuf23]

49. Appearing on RT or Fox News, occasional or employee, are not virtues.

At best it is being a tool with selfish motive.

Neither a strong history to throw stones at others that have not demeaned themselves and other Democrats in such a fashion.

[grantcart]

51. Says the guy as he heaves a stone.

[stevenleser]

62. Then they would be saying that about Hillary, Bernie and Obama wouldn't they

I’m sure that’s not what you mean to say

[druidity33]

70. Wait, you ran for President?

Because i think mostly that's why Hillary, Bernie and Obama crashed Fox. Also, Bernie has a tendency to appear in contrary settings. You get paid as a Fox contributor, no? I think it's fair to make the comparison between you and Ed.

[stevenleser]

72. Now you are moving the goalposts.

Sorry, you lose

[druidity33]

74. yeah, right...

at my first reply in this thread... i don't think you can accuse me of "moving" anything. I have no "goalposts". I thought i was just stating facts in my last post. Or wasn't I? Are you NOT paid to appear on Fox news? How is it not a relevant comparison? Have you run for President?

again...

[stevenleser]

75. Then pay attention to the top of the thread and you will see you are

moving the goalposts

[druidity33]

76. pfffftt....... whatever. nt.

[BannonsLiver]

9. But just right for RT

Where he spread propaganda to American audiences on behalf of Uncle Vlad.

I don't give two fucks about what he did outside of that.

[JHan]

69. ++++++

[Duppers]

29. Wait, what?

I had not known this earlier...

"August 15, 2011, Schultz used an edited video clip of Texas Governor Rick Perry at a rally talking about the national debt crisis. Governor Perry said "getting America back to work is the most important issue that faces this country, being able to pay off $14.5 trillion or $16 trillion worth of debt. That big black cloud that hangs over America, that debt that is so monstrous." The audio of the clip was cut off after "America", so Schultz's audience did not hear "that debt that is so monstrous". Governor Perry refers to the debt before and after the "big black cloud" statement. Schultz said, "That black cloud Perry is talking about is President Barack Obama." The following day on his TV show Schultz apologized for taking Governor Perry out of context. "We did not present the full context of those statements and we should have ... No doubt about it, it was a mistake and we regret the error ... we should not have included it in our coverage."[25]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Schultz

No wonder he was fired from msnbc.

[Demsrule86]

45. Sorry he died but he was not a great person...and became a right winger...is this the honesty of

which you speak? His entire time at MSNBC was a lie.

[malaise]

3. Nice KO

Humans are complicated. Ed did a lot of good and was pro-union

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

13. Until he flipped

And landed in the Putin/Trump defender camp.

[jodymarie aimee]

39. Mal, he was our hero in WI

he was here every day during our recall and brought us to national attention. He had the 14 Senators that crossed the border to deny quorum for Act 10 Vote on every nite from a secret location. I wrote him a thank you letter from my city. I will always love him.

[malaise]

41. I remember that well

I liked him - he was always pro-union

[Capperdan]

4. A bit shocking

I have his show on my favorites list still. I had noticed the topics become a bit dated and wondered if he was really minding the store. Sixty four is way too young to die of "natural causes". I'm sorry for his family, he seemed like a real likable person.

[RhodeIslandOne]

48. Cancer/heart disease can do that. n/m

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. RIP

[Nanjeanne]

8. This is what I remember most about Ed as well. It's what got me so involved

in advocating for single-payer healthcare. I remember reading and hearing about healthcare clinics in our country and being shocked that we were like a third world country in that regard. Actually seeing them on television - because of Ed Schultz and only Ed - I became a fierce advocate.

RIP Ed.

[PaulX2]

12. Thank you Keith And Thank You Ed - I Donate To The Free Clinics

By the way.

Ed made me....

[Snotcicles]

14. I remember when he gave a whole hour of his Friday shows so small business people could promote

their business. Free of charge. People loved it, no telling how many people were help with his "recession busting" segments.

[blaze]

20. I'd forgotten about that. Thank you. nt

[GoCubsGo]

15. Well said, as usual, Keith.

Ed helped me get through the Bush years, and I am thankful to him for that. I don't know what happened to him after that, but I won't dance on his grave over it. It makes me as sad as his passing does.

[kimbutgar]

16. I used to listen to big Ed on Air America and then on msnbc

Last edited Fri Jul 6, 2018, 01:54 PM - Edit history (1)

I thought it was bs when they took him off msnbc. He went a little over the corporate line I guess. When he left I’d listen to his podcast occasionally but when he went to RT and started pushing twitler I was bitterly disappointed. I think Ed died of stress. I feel sorry for Wendy and his family.

RIP big Ed.

[Caliman73]

17. Well said. People are complex, except for Trump. Trump is simply a narcissist.

Ed Schultz went from conservative, to blue collar liberal, then back to weird righty again. It was an odd cycle. I think that it is fitting that Olbermann, who has had his own difficulties in the media, pay that tribute to Ed, noting the complexities, but pointing out the generous and dedicated advocate underneath.

[gopiscrap]

18. RIP.

[Liberal In Texas]

30. That's sad. I used to listen all the time when he was on AAR

I thought at that time he was a good voice to the blue collar crowd for progressive ideas.

I only know about the RT stuff because it was mentioned here on DU and have never heard him after he left MSNBC.

I know Randi Rhodes never had anything good to say about him, somehow they went crosswise during and after the AAR era.

[Snotcicles]

34. She did like Al Franken either. nt

[PatrickforO]

37. There are a lot of comments on this thread I don't really understand.

RIP Ed. In your liberal years, you were a staunch advocate of unions.

I'm inclined to forgive your lapses to the right, media being what it is. I'm sure you had a good heart, and tried your best. And, hey, hopefully when I go people will be able to say that about me.

Condolences to your family.

[zentrum]

38. He also was a big..

…union and worker defender, I think.

[think4yourself]

40. Ed helped me get through the Bush/Cheney

years and for that I am thankful. Between him and Olbermann’s righteous anger I stayed somewhat sane. I lost track of him after he left MSNBC and that’s OK. I lost track of many bands and styles of music too, but they uplifted me when I needed them.

[mehrrh]

43. R.I.P.

I used to listen to Schultz every day at the office when he was on the radio. When he went to MSNBC I watched him every day. He did some really good things for working people and to advocate for health care.
I don't know what happened to his advocacy in recent years since he went to RT, and now we may never know.

[grantcart]

47. Too bad.

[Raine]

50. I loved Ed

he had a big heart especially for the working guy and gal ... such sad news. R-I-P ED

[bdamomma]

52. I liked Ed

and remembered watching him on MSNBC, rather shocking news about his passing.

[calimary]

55. Now THERE'S somebody I wish had a showcase again.

Keith Olbermann. I yearn for his voice, his rants, and his righteous indignation at all things Asshole/republi-CON.

I wish he were still on MSNBC. Hell, I wish he were on anywhere.

[DAMANgoldberg]

68. He is on TV

...back to sports @ ESPN (for about the 5th time at least).

[czarjak]

56. MSNBC: If you're going to run reruns...

[guss]

57. Thanks Ed

[hlthe2b]

58. For those wondering, NYT is reporting his stepdaught said he had "heart problems" though...

his cause of death is only being reported as natural causes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/obituaries/ed-schultz-blunt-spoken-political-talk-show-host-dies-at-64.html

[hlthe2b]

60. Please back up your statement implying that KO has had wild political swings

I know of no history that he was other than a liberal/progressive/Democrat

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

64. KO is a consistent left

Unlike Ed, who ended up praising Putin and Trump once RT put a private jet in his contract.

Naturally, Sanders would like him, as he wanted Trump to defeat Clinton. How else to explain his insistence on a pointless convention fight, followed by a tepid, at best, endorsement of the nominee, overpowered by notable silence as his top surrogates joined the Bust effort after the. convention?

[bettyellen]

66. Did KO have "wild political swings" like Big ed did?

[oasis]

63. I remember Ed being very pro Union. I admire his tenacity in

addressing their issues.

RIP Ed.

[Lifelong Protester]

65. I liked Ed. He came to WI to broadcast for the union.

[Upthevibe]

67. R.I.P......

..........

[disillusioned73]

73. RIP Big Ed..

takes me back to the days when msnbc was worth watching...