Guest: Professor Juan Cole
via AVANT —The Majority Report is back after an eventful weekend. Sam starts off the show discussing Keith Olbermann’s abrupt departure from MSNBC. Keith’s progressive legacy at MSNBC includes Rachel Maddow, Ed Shultz, Cenk Uygur – hosts that may have never gotten a chance on television if Keith didn’t blazon the way. For that, we all thank Mr. Olbermann. Sam also finds a correlation with the way that Randi Rhodes left AAR and Keith. Both were suspended for silly reasons for management to agitate. And that suspension pretty much was the last straw in a long line of management headbutts. Listen to Sam discuss Keith’s legacy on MSNBC.
Update: Keith Olbermann said he will issue an official Tweet tonight at 8:00pm EST
Next, Professor Juan Cole shares his insight into the Tunisia revolution and the history leading to the rise up. Sam also asked Professor Cole about the roughly 1600 documents leaked on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Professor Cole had a great explanation when Sam asked why TV news didn’t seem to pay much attention to the problems in Tunisia:
It wasn’t covered on television or radio because the corporations that own news in the United States and use news for profit have decided that they want big profits… and they’ve closed all the bureaus. So there used to be a Cairo Bureau for CBS News or NBC News and you could fly over from Cairo to Tunis very easily. But now they’ve closed all the bureaus and some of them report on the Middle East from Europe… So it is just a corporate decision that they are going to make money on news and they’re not going to spend a lot of money gathering the news… The producers decided this is not a story – Professor Juan Cole
Listen to Juan Cole on The Majority Report about Tunisia’s Revolution.
Listen to Juan Cole on The Majority Report about the Palestine Papers.
Professor Juan Cole’s writing on Middle Eastern and American politics can be found at Informed Comment (juancole.com).
His book Engaging the Muslim World has been revised and updated recently.
Finally, in the soon to be sequestered MRPS, Sam talks more about Keith Olbermann and Lawrence O’Donnell, Glenn Beck inspires more death threats, and takes listener IM’s. Check out the new social networking toolbar on Majority.fm and the new chat room. Spread the Majority Report Word across the internets to support the show!
Tomorrow is a primer on the State of the Union -all in preparation of Sam’s analysis on Wednesday’s show!
10:07 am
Excited!!!
11:17 am
Hey Dar!
11:42 am
eya Dar!
hows yer gang?
10:21 am
Nice, Juan Cole is a stud! I am curious to see what he has in common with Obama and what they disagree about. I think Obama is actually pretty good on foreign policy…just imagine what McCain would have looked like.
10:27 am
Last Tuesday’s show was great. I just listened to the podcast. Internet service was curtailed in our little village in Panama last week, so we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Re. An earlier Social Security retirement age—I am all for it. I know someone would like to have my job and at 59, I would love to get out of their way right now! If I lived in France, of course I’d be less than six months away from eligibility…..
11:47 am
eya Nancy Cadet,
welcome to the blog.
glad to have your insight on Panama.
10:33 am
Great get sammy. Prof. Cole is one smart, well-informed SOB when it comes to the M.E…. looking forward to it.
10:39 am
Sam, now’s the time to ask Olbermann to call in to the show. Think of all the major news outlets that will plug the show.
10:41 am
In fact, you should ask Keith to do a segment whenever he wants. Or guest host. He owes you.
11:06 am
hell yeah, get Olbermann! I wonder what the silver fox is up to?
11:10 am
Can Olbermann say anything yet? I thought he was battling with the legalities of his msnbc contract?
11:12 am
hmmmm….a good old fashioned gag order, eh?! typical, them corporate lawyers gots to get paid!
11:17 am
I don’t think he’d have to say anything significant for it to be newsworthy he was on… “majorityreport.fm 11:30AM M-F, downloads available from iTunes”.
11:19 am
he will be quiet for a while I suppose.
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11:22 am
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/olbermann-tv-69-months-discuss-departure-msnbc/?utm_source=Raw+Story+Daily+Update&utm_campaign=73f7d3383a-1_24_111_24_2011&utm_medium=email
Don’t expect Keith Olbermann to be on television anytime soon, or spill any dirt about his abrupt departure from MSNBC.
As part of an exit deal he struck with MSNBC, the former star of the channel’s evening lineup is prohibited from appearing on television for six to nine months and can’t discuss his departure, according to the New York Times.
Olbermann announced his immediate departure from MSNBC at the end of his Friday evening show, shortly after which the organization released a statement confirming that the two have “ended their contract.”
An NBC executive told the Times that he was allowed to work on the Internet and radio.
————————-
So he is not restricted from podcasts and radio…cool
11:26 am
Not as far as we know. He could appear under a thinly veiled sudonym or synonym, cinnamon.
11:23 am
Now if I were producing the show…. I’d ask Janeane if she’d go on with Olbermann, then contact Olbermann and say Janeane will be on the show and ask if he’d like to call in to shoot the shit with Sam and Janeane for a few minutes (unfortunately Sam doesn’t have the telephonics to pull this off). Assuming I got that far I’d call a few media people and let them know Keith is going to be interviewed by Sam and Janeane and they should listen on because…. Anything might happen….
11:37 am
Sam’s ability to get into trouble exceeds his ability to get himself out?
11:40 am
you gotta factor in that keith has made enough money to be comfortable the rest of his life. more importantly, there comes a point where the bs just isn’t worth it anymore.
11:43 am
U should watch the discuss Good Morning America – it was the intellectual chilling effect – they want someone “nicer” – I guess like BoBo the Dog helping make his own organic treats that no one can afford?
I think the crazed tone of the Right is being pushed in our direction, taking righteous angry and painting it as THEIR racist/sexist (insert ur Repub def. here) frenzy. The false equivalence pointed out by Keith seems to be adopted by the main stream media. I am very disappointed in MSNBC – we need more good people on air – not less. 🙁
11:44 am
anger – sorry I guess I can’t type in the MORNing.. LOL
11:53 am
no biggie, glad to have ya here contributing.
11:55 am
lol, thanx – I think I need more coffee but I am out of cream now
11:49 am
They replaced Keith with an establishment democrat (Lawrence O’donnell). This is sad and a setback for progressives.
12:20 pm
O’donnell doesn’t replace Kieth. He just takes the time slot….I think he has a good show even though he is an “insider”. I love it when he blows his Irish cool!!
3:11 pm
Me too :] I gave up MSNBC though.
11:50 am
morning gang!
12:22 pm
She’s 78 not 72
12:24 pm
EricBoehlert Eric Boehlert
Beck thinks death threats to Piven, posted ON HIS SITE, are funny; http://bit.ly/igbAoo #FoxNews #GlennBeck
12:25 pm
It is my understanding that Frances Fox Piven is 78. Not 72. She spoke to our tenants organization many years ago and was phenomenally knowledgeable and nice, if boring.
12:26 pm
mmfa Media Matters
MMFA’s @Will_Bunch takes a look back at @KeithOlbermann and what his prime time show meant http://mm4a.org/enXrtu #p2
Good read, but read the comment. Wingers are out there spewing.
12:28 pm
Hello again . Panama is as varied and beautiful as Costa Rica but with better paved roads. My husband is a surfer and the Pacific coast used to be a place where random backpackers , Peace Corps volunteers, and a few sports fisher types were the only foreigners around, aside from hard core surfistas. Now it is being priced out of reach for Panamanians with the influx of US retirees (tea party alert!) and resort vacationers.
On a different topic, Frances Fox Piven teaches at my university, and she is a stalwart old Lefty (no pun intended)—pro union, anti war, pro poor people and working class issues, etc. It is a crime that she is being persecuted by that huckster/maniac.
12:41 pm
she has our sympathy and understanding,
give her our best wishes.
2:58 pm
We had to go to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to find a less expensive more laid back atmosphere. I want to see Panama next.
7:43 pm
Check out Bocas del Toro in Panama also the Kuna Indians of the San Blas Islands. Forget the Pacific side of PTY, San Juan del Sur is a nice area in Nicaragua or better yet the Corn Islands on the Carib side . I’m a travel agent by the way that specializes in off the beaten track in Cent and So America. Enjoy your travels
12:41 pm
amnesty AmnestyInternational
by thenation
US must end inhumane treatment of #WikiLeaks soldier Bradley Manning http://ow.ly/3J3PJ
12:47 pm
eya T!
thanks for your news posts.
12:52 pm
Hay SJ.
No one asked Sam about Jane Hamsher and David House’s visit to Quantico to see Bradley Manning and how they were held until visiting hours were over, plus they were harassed the MPs.
1:06 pm
poor kid, the mil/corp types want him to be permanently punished.
1:30 pm
Can you smellellellell what the Reefercake is cooking? Listen for free!
http://allthehypocrisy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Pre-existing-conditions.mp3
For more info on how an IM message to Sammy about someone whose parent had Huntington’s disease helped inspire the song….among other things see
http://allthehypocrisy.com/
2:27 pm
Hey, had to miss the livestream of today’s show and now the podcast isn’t working. I need my Sammy fix. Will it be fixed and posted soon, I hope I hope.
2:58 pm
podcast takes a while for the crew to post and they’re still chasing glitches.
2:47 pm
Hey Sunshine Jim! Hi Toni. I made it back in time YAY!!
2:56 pm
heh!
i’m waiting to hear about your most recent adventures.
2:59 pm
I’m just teaching an ESL class for something to do. The kids are all grown and busy with their lives.
2:55 pm
Its working for me.
3:02 pm
btw Dar, lots of the gang here if you did’nt know…
http://bluerootsradio.com/?p=5313#comments
3:06 pm
Yes thanks Jim I have it in favorites. Went in there a few times I am just so busy lately. Tommy just got back from Afghanistan. WHOO HOO!!
6:33 pm
Hey Dar! That’s great news! For how long?
(just a drive-by, I’ll be back later)
Hey Sam, I like how we can reply directly to someone’s post. Your new site has awesome powers.
9:41 pm
“Tommy just got back from Afghanistan. WHOO HOO!!”
Double wOOt! Say Hi for me!
we were wondering how he was just recently.
Eya C Sea!
delighted to see you as well )
4:18 pm
In terms of your discussion of the Ed show format, Ed’s guests lean heavily to Congressmen and Senators on the way to and from votes. This will not happen at 10 P.M. So he definitely will have to change what he is doing.
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