Keith Olberman just brought up Chappaquidick.

[DemBones DemBones]

He showed a photo of Ted Kennedy with his dog "Splash," a Portuguese water spaniel.

Then KO did this "Water spaniel? Water spaniel? No, I don't see any jokes here, no jokes, no Chappaquidick jokes.."

Write him and tell him it was a cheap shot right out of the Rove playbook.

Is he becoming another media whore? Will he start doing Monica jokes next?

[CatWoman]

1. I highly doubt it

I think you're overreacting.

*splash* = water = Chappaquidick.

Get it?

[DemBones DemBones]

4. Don't you know that RWers were calling in to CSPAN

attacking Kennedy over Chappaquiddick YESTERDAY???

[CatWoman]

8. I had a right winger attack me about it on another blog yesterday

and I pimp slapped him with Pickles killing her boyfriend.

Tit for Tat.

[adigal]

26. Did they mention Laura Bush

killing her ex-boyfriend with her car?? I didn't think so.

[meow2u3]

74. RWers would attack Democrats

for normal childish tantrums they had when they were 2!

[no_more_rhyming]

52. I agree

Keith was drawing attention from what Teddy did in Chappaquidick and joking about his dogs name. No crime here, just a cute little puppy. See.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Considering how he's poking fun at Alito's non-answers,

it's pretty clear KKKarl hasn't gotten to him.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. sheesh. it was funny. Let it go. facts are facts. or do you want

revisionist history to become the "truth".

KO is honest, intelligent and incisive. His ability to skewer anyone who deserves it is great. Can Kennedy be a pompous, self-important guy? Sure. Did kennedy do good with Alito? We'll see. It depends on how he votes.
If we cannot look at ourselves without a kneejerk protectionist ideologically protective cocoon, we are sure to fail.

[LittleClarkie]

5. True or no, why bring it up now

Not like it happened yesterday.

What did happen yesterday was that Kennedy kicked ass. Think maybe Keith could lead with that.

I can like Keith, and disagree with him on occasion.

[DemBones DemBones]

11. EXACTLY!!! And yesterday RWers were using Chappaquiddick against

Kennedy in calls to C-SPAN! It's been 36 years, IIRC, but the RW will never give him a break.

[LittleClarkie]

13. Just remind them that Laura killed a schoolmate

I heard on Randi Rhodes that a few of those RWers were actually on Kennedy's side though. Thought that was interesting.

[NYCGirl]

62. People are bringing it up because Ted Kennedy has been high profile

the past few days.

[txindy]

17. I tried that a couple of times, posting honestly about a fluffy segment

It just led to mass KOEB outrage. :shrug: He's an excellent reporter, but he's not perfect. Nobody is. Who would want a robot doing the news? Robots aren't nearly as easy on the eyes. ;) They don't have it in for Falafel Boy, either.

[JuniperLea]

24. Exactly

Ted is still around. No story here. He would have been gone had there been anything to that old tale.

If anything, the experience has caused Ted to grow stronger and wiser. Nothing is so bad that something good can't come from it.

[Fridays Child]

15. We probably should bear in mind that...

...it's not funny to the Kopechne family. I'm all for trivializing right wing tactics, which is probably what Keith was up to. But if I were Mary Jo Kopechne's mom or sister, jokes about the circumstances surrounding her death would twist a knife in my gut. :(

[DemonFighterLives]

35. I didn't see anything funny about it and I am easy

Mo loves to get a chance to play to the freeper base.

[AX10]

6. a poor connection between his dog, splash, and the incident.

But Keith has been hacking away at Scalito.

[Jayhawk Lib]

7. Splash

The first time I heard the name of Ted's dog was Splash, I could not believe it. I still can't. I wish KO had not mentioned Chappaquidick. It was a cheap shot at a very honorable senator....

[DemBones DemBones]

9. For those of you not willing to bend over and take whatever is shoved at

us, the e-mail address is [e-mail]. The rest of you can go back to whatever you were doing.

[DemonFighterLives]

60. My Message

Dear Keith,

I love your show, but have to question the judgment of the piece on Kennedy. Actually, maybe it is the timing. Comedy is fine and such, but this came out just as the right wing hate mongers were going after Kennedy for his questioning of Alito.
Mrs. Alito's crying jag was placed at his feet and the right wing immediately went after Teddy.

Do we not believe in forgiveness in this country. It was an accident and Teddy has apologized - move on.

DemonFighterLives

:dem:

[PassingFair]

66. Teddy Kennedy is useful BECAUSE he's damaged goods.

He'll never be able to run for the oval office, so he can tell it like it is and put himself on the line without fear of losing votes.
I think he will be remembered as one of the best senators in the history of our country based on his record, but he will NEVER overcome the scandal of Chappaquiddick.
He was young and stupid and sometimes you get involved in situations, and make decisions, that affect your life in unalterable ways.

Of course, 'pukes have a DIFFERENT standard, as there are "mitigating" circumstances involved in all of their scandalous and evil choices, PLUS they can be "washed clean of their sins" simply by asking "forgiveness" and/or being "born-again".

[fujiyama]

10. Ummm...Keith isn't a RW whore...

Leno made a crack about that too...and while I don't like Leno one bit...

I have to say that Kennedy naming a dog "Splash" in the book after his infamous incident was probably not the best idea. All that said, I think it's about time for the media to get over what happened over twenty years ago.

This is like Clinton writing a book and naming a character in it BJ.

[Gato Moteado]

12. or chimpy writing a book with a character that has a pet goat

nt

[fujiyama]

18. LOL

I was thinking WMD.

But I like the pet goat thing myself.

[Todd B]

19. Jon Stewart pokes fun at Democrats too..

.. is he a "media whore" too? :eyes:

Lighten up - heck, I like Senator Kennedy but even I have to admit it's probably the worst title he could of picked for a book.

[DemBones DemBones]

21. What's wrong with naming a WATER dog Splash? Kennedy has lived

near the sea all his life -- do you think he should not have a water dog, not go sailing, etc., because he was the driver in an accident in which his car went off a bridge and a young woman was drowned?

Leno's still making Monica jokes, of course he'd make a Chappaquiddick joke.

By the way, it was more like 36 years ago, not just "over twenty years ago" -- closer to forty.

[connecticut yankee]

23. "Splash" is the nickname

the right wingers call Teddy.

I believe it was originally coined by Rush Limbaugh.

They use it constantly. Think it's funny, I guess.

[Straight Shooter]

34. Well, there you have it.

Kennedy has taken the power of the name "Splash" away from them by giving the name to his dog. Bravo!

[fujiyama]

29. Kennedy is one of my favorite senators

and as I said it's stupid that many in the media are making these stupid jokes. I don't find them funny either.

But the fact still remains, as unfortunate as it is, that among many the incident at Chappaquiddick is what Kennedy is best known for.

[Poppyseedman]

14. Chappaquiddick

did actually happen, didn't it?

Personally, in my opinion, Ted Kennedy used his family name and political connections to get almost off scot free from this unfortunate incident.

That leaves him open to criticism.

He's a big boy, if he can dish it out, he should be be able to take it.

[4dsc]

16. Rightie been bringing up Ted alot lately

and especially the incident at Chappaquidick..

[MrSlayer]

20. Look, Ted has been a good senator but he has no one to blame but himself.

This will follow him to the end of his days. It's just the way it is.

[DemBones DemBones]

22. I can't believe how many people are defending Keith for using a

RW joke. I like Keith but that was a truly tacky joke.

[RoyGBiv]

38. And I can't believe ...

I can't believe how quick some people are to jump all over a person who has been the one of the very, very few mainstream voices in the nation who doesn't follow the senseless RW talking points religiously because made one joke that some people happen not to like. It's like some people sit there, with their guns half-cocked, getting more and more nervous just waiting for an indiscretion, and the longer the personality goes without committing one, the more nervous they get. Then, a branch moves that wasn't supposed to move .. BANG!!! Kill the bastard!!!!

More seriously, if it were anyone else but Kennedy, I might suggest Olvernman was wrong to let the joke fly. But, it is Kennedy. He's one hell of a Senator. In his personal life, he has very clearly been a bastard and made some very bad decisions for which he has not been held fully accountable because of who he is. We get a lot of play out of "Pickles" and her drunk driving and of Shrub's alcoholism and apparent drug use. I don't think any of this is particularly helpful to our cause, but we use it, and we cheer in the very rare instance someone in the media uses it. If we're going to play with the big dogs, we best be prepared to be bitten because quite frankly, not everyone on our side of the fence is spotless, least of all Kennedy.

If you want to suggest Olberman is a "whore" because of this one incident you seem to perceive as a confirmation of his eventual fall to the dark side, so be it. As long as he's telling the truth on his program, however, I'm not willing to go that far.

[theboss]

53. It's not a right wing joke

My family helped JFK win in the West Virginia primary in 1960. My aunt practically has a shrine to RFK in her home. My dad still has Kennedy '80 buttons on display in our home.

And we make Chappaquidick jokes.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

25. Who Is Keith Olberman?

I know, I know. You were typing so fast, you forgot to spell his name correctly.

[DemonFighterLives]

39. That would be his name.

:shrug:

[Harry S Truman]

27. Jon Stewart drinks kool-aid

Couldn't keep his barely literate hands off Ted the other night, too.
Nice to see the corporate bosses got to everybody.
F*ck the media.

[Ksec]

28. KO occasionally jabs the Dems . Hes fair and balanced IMO

Its in bad taste, I agree but you need to watch him nightly. Hes as fair and balanced as they get.

[Catchawave]

63. The only problem I had with Keith recently.....

..was the air marshall shooting in Miami, and KO started the segment with the "innocent man shot in the back" London police "ooopsie". Which had nothing to do with the Miami incident, but clearly made his viewers suspect that the FAM's were just as sloppy. BTW, the air marshalls' have been exonerated and wondering why this hasn't made the MSM yet?

[Generator]

30. Watch out

You are in danger of losing your sense of humour. It happened to me, I cannot watch The Daily Show anymore. I didn't expect THAT. But I'm just not laughing anymore. ( I can watch the Colbert Report-repeats only, the Daily Show is toooo close to what's going on now)

But I can still crack a few about Cheney being an alien or Alito's sex life here on DU. But TV is too painful sometimes when you realize what's at stake even though I usually share the Olbermann laugh sensibility and his show is the only news I watch. Couldn't watch it tonight though. I'm just sick about this country. It's hard to laugh except bitterly.

[Idioteque]

31. I love Ted Kennedy, but he has a dog named Splash!!

If you don't think that joke writes itself, you are living in denial.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

32. Does anyone else think Mo Rocca's 15 minutes are way...over?

[CatWoman]

37. he has certainly jumped the shark

I liked him better on TDS.

[DemonFighterLives]

40. It was up long ago and then he made a little comeback and

gone again now.
:argh:
They tried to recover with some crap about ma barker bushes dog and impeaching barney at the end. The whole segment was lacking intelligence and comedic value.

[Catchawave]

70. Never did "get" his humor.....

..and I like to believe I "get" serious wit like Stewart/Black/Coney and Letterman?

[DemonFighterLives]

33. Amazing that he and Mo rocka (sp)l Yucking it up

Bashing Ted right on cue.
:argh:
I was looking for a thread on this.
Now back to Kennedy again. Fuck Keith that is terrible.

[Mr_Spock]

36. Yeah, let's be overly sensitive and without humor!!

C'mon! :eyes:

[Berry Cool]

41. Sheesh Louise.

The guy, who does NOT drink the Kool-Aid for either political party, shows he's willing to make fun of both sides, and some people are willing to kick him out the window.

Sorry, but if it's fair game to bring up Laura Bush's past, it's fair to bring up Teddy's. Some people would think that dredging up HER past is just as dirty pool as dredging up Ted's. I guess it depends on which side of the aisle you're on. I'm not on either side and neither is Keith...which is why I like him so much. He tells the truth, no matter who looks bad.

And I don't think he meant any of it as a ha-ha funny joke on people's deaths, either. More like, you have to laugh at a person who doesn't realize that this is just a bad, bad idea.

So kill me. I'm not a Teddy fan. I guess Keith isn't either. But I'll take a million Keiths over anyone who always thinks "my party right, their party wrong."

[mod mom]

42. I hope he brings up Pickles and her run over DEAD boyfriend for equal time

[DemonFighterLives]

45. Boyfriends become hood ornaments all the time

:rofl: Stphanie Miller joke.

[KharmaTrain]

43. Ted Kennedy Then...Ted Kennedy Now

I had the chance to cover a political fundraiser in 1974 where Senator Kennedy attended. Obviously he was a lot younger then, but also quite a partier. He had an ever-full glass all evening and some would call his style "double-fisted". It was obvious as the evening rolled on he was feeling no pain. But this was in a different time and age and drinking was still considered a "man's game"...especially the fine art of tossing 'em down. Nonetheless, the Senator was engaging that night. This was right in the midst of Watergate and the glee in seeing Nixon come down was all over Teddy's face that night.

Today, Kennedy appears to be a far different man...years and a lot of experiences can do that to a person. Many speculated that his drinking was a byproduct of the losses of his brothers and alienation and then illness of his father...or the problems with his marriage...but the man has persevered, survived and has and is one of the most active and businest Senators.

Of course the right wing will turn him into a cartoon figure...it's been part of their MO for most of their meager existances. It's not a hate based on anything more than what has been fed to them over the years by Rushbo and turned into some bizzare character...similar to ones they've created for the Clintons, Al Gore and now Howard Dean.

The Senator has had his troubles over the years and many were self-inflicted. But he's also paid a price few can comprehend...not only with the losses within his family, but the inner toll to himself as he's had to weather so many storms. I'll rue the day he leaves the Senate.

[DemonFighterLives]

44. Thanks Karma

There are very few Senators at his level and the freepers like to take every opportunity to attempt a take down. I think it is jealousy that they have nothing like him on their side of the isle.

I don't want to get into the whole Kopecne(sp) thing, but if it was all Teddy's fault, I consider it an accident. He paid dearly for this when it came up when he was running for Pres...He would be a great President and make dubby look like the fool he is.

Isn't there also a potential tinfoil side to the "accident" ? ?

[KharmaTrain]

47. It's Not Going To Bring Her Back

I have avoided posting about Chappaquiddick cause I think this story is so distorted and so long in the rear-view mirror to get any true perspective.

The facts of the case have never been challenged and the books long closed. Actually there's little to be said about the criminal intent here except in the tin foil realm. What was alarming at the time was how the Senator hesitated to report the accident...and this later became more of a question on his character than the accident.

The whole picture changed in the age of Rushbo and freepers. Now any Democrat or enemy of these goons is painted with some major crime or slime. If Senator Kennedy didn't have his own baggage, he'd be slimed with that of his brothers. Of course it's hypocritical of Oxy-Contin boy or the paid-for pundits who use these tactics, but they lack both standards and need to demonize and move the demons around.

Cheers...

[DemonFighterLives]

48. Mistakes were made - accidents happen

Teddy has apologized.
Still it is amazing that everytime he speaks the entire media goes on a Kennedy bashing spree.
And poor Mrs. Alito's crying jag gets blamed on Teddy.

[KharmaTrain]

49. She Should Only Have Suffered ONE Of His Turmoils

Many forget the plane crash that nearly killed him in 1964. He actually went to work wearing a brace within weeks and no sooner recovered than his other brother was killed.

This pampered poodle has lived in a guilded cage. If a word can upset her, then this reflects on the elitism of not only her but the world she and her whacko hubbie live in. She hasn't had to suffer a lot of the problems and indignities of the people her husband has ruled upon and altered their lives. She probably shared in his glee at some of his exploits. This is beyond pathetic.

Of course the game here is the corporate media is the one who connected the crying jag to Senator Kennedy. The Repugnicans needed a distraction and this surely gave them one. It also threw red meat at their hordes to try to really circle to wagons to push this goon through and create a distraction from the other scandals going on.

[DemonFighterLives]

57. So right--- not to continue on this issue

but Teddy was scheduled to be on Wellstone's plane. He decided in the last minutes to not join him. It seems the guardian angels are watching over Ted.

You would sure thind that Teddy was on trial here. Of course if you take on the racists and sexists and those against people with disabilites (is there an ist name for them) will expect to get the wrath of the neocons/freepers.

[alcibiades_mystery]

46. I think it's pretty funny

I think you should stop obsesing on the supposed "Rove-playbook." It's making your brain mushy.

[ucmike]

50. YEAH! NEVER VOTE FOR KEITH AGAIN!!!!

lighten up. he's not a democratic mouthpiece. if you want all of your media sources to toe the dem line listen to air america. i prefer my media to be fair.

unfortunately for kennedy, the incident did happen, and it was controversial. if someone on the other side had a similar incident in their past then dems would attack it all the time and use it to point out how that person was unfit (see the posts above about the 1st lady).

i can't beleive that someone as savy as kennedy would name his dog "splash" given his past. i thought that was the joke when i first heard this story. he is either totally aloof or uncaring about the connection between the incident and "splash", or he is putting it out there to challenge his critics. in either case, he deserves what would be predictable shots from comedians and pundits.

my second question about the book is, "why the hell is ted kennedy writing a child's book?" i would no sooner give that book to a child than o'reilly's stupid book for kids.

[DemonFighterLives]

58. You're pretty rough on Teddy - putting him in a class with O'reily

I think he is head and shoulders above that fool.
The dogs name according to Olberman was an acronym that stood for 6 words that I can not remember, but it was the dogs description- Spanish something or other.

[ucmike]

64. no comparing o'reilly/kennedy.

kennedy has contributed something. just don't think we need childrens books from either of them.

[kskiska]

65. The book teaches children how a bill becomes a law

and how Washington works. It's not a stupid O'Reilly book. The dog is a device to teach civics to kids who might not otherwise be interested.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

51. His dog is named Splash?

That is just so, so wrong!

[theboss]

54. You have to admit that's funny

It's Clinton having a dog name Monica or Nixon having a dog named Liddy.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DemonFighterLives]

67. Duh

Already gone huh

Nobody was talking about Colbert Report.

[NYCGirl]

71. Huh?

No one is talking about Colbert. The poster is talking about KEITH OLBERMANN.

[Catchawave]

56. I think the serious wit of Olbermann flies over

too many DU heads :)

"Splash", while a cute name for a water spaniel, does make one think "what was he thinking?", Sen. Kennedy's legacy does include an accidental drowning. With hopes, Laura never names a pet "Crash" :(

[DemonFighterLives]

59. Maybe Teddy has moved on

Wow that was some real highbrow. Olberman fell right in line with the righties in bashing Kennedy yesterday.
:argh:

[SharonRB]

69. ..

:rofl:

Very funny, Catch.

:hi:

[DemonFighterLives]

61. Google on Teddy and SPLASH

Michelle Malkin at the top of the list. Oooh boy now that is funny!
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Teddy+and+SPLASH&btnG=Google+Search

[NewJeffCT]

68. RWers define top Democrats with one or two words

Ted Kennedy - "Chappaquidick"

Sen. Byrd - "KKK"

Sen. Kerry - "flip flopper"

Bill Clinton - "Monica"

Hillary - "Hitlery"

[WolverineDG]

72. OH GOD

JeeZUS people! Get a freaking grip! Almost every post on the media pisses & moans on & on about how "unfair" the media is, except for Countdown & Keith Olbermann, who is seen as being "fair." Well, guess what, "fair" doesn't mean "He only puts on the news & views that I agree with," it means he's going to go after BOTH sides. Personally, I think he could have come up with something more ORIGINAL than bringing up Chappaquidick, but that's just me.

dg

[Berry Cool]

73. What I like about Keith is that while he's obviously progressive

he comes a damn sight closer to the "No-Spin Zone" than Bill O'Lielly can ever dream of.

That means if he finds something silly or amusing or stupid about what anyone does from any party, he will snark. That's the way it goes. His lack of "loyalty" to a strictly Democratic concept of political correctness is no excuse for throwing him under the bus..not with all he's done to tell the truth about the current administration and the mess it's made of things.

The way I see it, sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander...if anyone's going to remember Laura Bush's accident, they have to remember Teddy's too. No way around it. You either forget both, or you remember both. Given that real people died in both, it's hard to forget either. I agree, it's sad Ted's is the only one many people know about, but that's not Keith's fault.

Those who distrust all the media will abandon ship the second someone on the news exhibits "disloyalty" (and let's not forget what kind of person values "loyalty above all else" and says "if you're not with us you're against us"). But those who want a well-rounded view of news will ask themselves whether the person is just "blowing hot and cold" because he has no convictions, or whether he's a traitor, or whether he's stupid, or whether he's an intelligent person who assesses things from all angles and has few sacred cows.

In case anyone hasn't yet guessed, Keith is the latter.