Morgan distorted Olbermann's criticism of her "bull's-eye"-on-Pelosi statement
On the December 1 edition of San Francisco radio station KSFO's The Lee Rodgers & Melanie Morgan Program, co-host Melanie Morgan asserted that Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's Countdown, "seems to have some sort of obsession about me" and claimed: "I'm on his show being discussed every week over something that I've said or not said." Morgan claimed that she "got[] in trouble" with Olbermann for mentioning what co-host Lee Rodgers referred to as "[Rep.] Nancy Pelosi's [D-CA] wide-eyed look" and observed of Olbermann: "I'd say he's just nuts. ... He's just totally bananas." Rodgers then added: "Don't discount the possibility that the guy is in heat for you."
In fact, as Media Matters for America and, subsequently, Olbermann, noted, Morgan did not just talk about "wide-eyed Nancy with the laughing eyes" on the November 14 edition of her program, Morgan also declared: "We've got a bull's-eye painted on her big, wide laughing eyes." On the November 22 edition of Countdown, that comment earned her the top position on Olbermann's nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment.
From the December 1 edition of The Lee Rodgers & Melanie Morgan Program:
RODGERS: Senator [Hillary Rodham] Clinton [D-NY], "The Hildabeast," has been holed up at her house in Chappaqua, New York, and hasn't appeared in public in over two weeks.
TOM BENNER (aka Officer Vic or OV, KSFO morning traffic reporter ): Well, she's had work done.
MORGAN: Oh-ho!
RODGERS: Now, well -- now, see there's OV jumping to a conclusion that would have escaped me.
MORGAN: Well, I was thinking perhaps she was just wanting to spend more time with Bill and Chelsea.
BENNER: Oh yeah, right.
RODGERS: Sure, sure, sure.
MORGAN: I gave her [inaudible] an explanation.
RODGERS: Well, we'll know, OV -- we'll know the next time she does make a public appearance --
BENNER: Hmm-mm.
RODGERS: -- if she has that Nancy Pelosi wide-eyed look.
BENNER: Hmm-mm.
MORGAN: Now, guys, I've gotten in trouble with Keith Olbermann from MSNBC for suggesting that. Now, I really suggest that --
RODGERS: Really?
MORGAN: -- you just watch yourselves because you don't want to get knocked in the --
RODGERS: Well, please, Keith Olbermann start something with me, please. Please!
BENNER: And with me, he'd probably spell the name wrong, but that's all right.
MORGAN: Yeah, that's all right. He's -- that guy has -- seems to have some sort of obsession about me. I'm on his show being discussed every week over something that I've said or not said.
RODGERS: You know what? I'd say that -- that's a sign he probably has the hots for you.
MORGAN: I'd say he's just nuts, that's what I think. He's just totally bananas.
RODGERS: Don't discount the possibility that the guy is in heat for you.
MORGAN: Ugh!
RODGERS: Otherwise, why would he get so upset, you know, in front of the 11 people who watch his silly little cable show or whatever it is.
MORGAN: Well, you know, that's the thing is that he -- he got totally offended because we discussed Nancy Pelosi's possible plastic surgery or lack thereof, and then he pulls out from the Internet one of the ugliest pictures ever of me, and says: "Well, Miss Morgan, if I were you, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't be talking about Nancy's plastic surgery," you know, and there's that picture of me --
RODGERS: Oh, God.
MORGAN: -- with 20 pounds heavier and you know looking pretty raggedy.
RODGERS: Oh, really?
MORGAN: Yeah, so he takes it to a real personal level. This is a guy who deals in the 'realm of ideas.'
RODGERS: He -- he a struck a nerve didn't he, Mel?
MORGAN: Ah, I could care less.
From the November 22 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:
OLBERMANN: But our winner, the ridiculous radio yacker Melanie Morgan, having now twice suggested about Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, quote, "We've got a bull's-eye painted on her big, wide laughing eyes." Given how we've all recently seen that some of the less rational members of the right-wing echo chamber take things like that literally, perhaps Ms. Morgan should consider her culpability if Pelosi is attacked or again threatened by the right.
She also made another reference to Pelosi and plastic surgery. And trust me, Ms. Morgan, the issue of personal appearance is not a battle you should want to join. Melanie Morgan: today's worst person in the world.
Media Matters: The right-wing media's election analysis just ain't that good
The Friday Rush: For conservatives, $400 million buys defeat at the ballot box
The myth of Fox News' ratings spike
as Olbermann joke about knifing O'reilly in the ribs. on Dan Patrick's radio show.
...but at least get your quotes right. Olbermann's joke was about cutting O'Reilly's hamstring should he ever appear on Dancing With the Stars.
I can't possibly think of anyone who could use a "cutting" more than Bill O'Reilly (not that I'm advocating that at all). And if that stopped him from dancing, dang, even better. There are very few folks in the world that cause my stomach to turn over and feel utter disgust and reprehension, Bill O just happens to be one of them.
Is it because without their factual errors, they'd have to come to different conclusions, and because they are emotionally committed to these positions, they can't bring themselves to do it?
Hey, and what ever happened to "Tommy?" Did he get a job, or did he lose the one he had after the election?--
I always got the impression he was a paid shill-- because no one has the time or wherewithal to ALWAYS be the first posting, without getting paid for it.
I tuned in to the Rodgers and Morgan show a couple days ago and the first thing I heard was Morgan calling Barak Obama a "halfrican." Brenner then launched into a racist rant about how "offensive" it was to him that Obama identifies himself as black. Morgan and Rodgers laughed heartily as Brenner explained that since Obama's mother is white he shouldn't be "getting up in front of crowds and pretending that he's from the 'hood." He used the "from the 'hood" line twice, adding that Obama's father is African, so he has no bloodline connection to slavery. These, of course, are all classic white supremacist talking points.
What is also interesting is their clear Anti-Arab comments.
Listen to this interview with an Egyptian, Nonie Darwish Author of “Now they call me Infidel", Lee Rogers asks if she agrees that lying is as natural to Arabs as breathing . “Now they call me Infidel.
[link to s88172659.onlinehome.us]
And if you are a Muslim in Indonesia? Rogers wants to kill Millions of them. [link to s88172659.onlinehome.us]
Remember that Disney is the Owner of this station. And they are very aware this is going out over the air. They have been informed and done nothing. (Morgan's non-apology listed here for her comment about putting the bull's eye on Speaker-Elect Pelosi was her SECOND non-apology. Either she is defying management's insistence she apology or management thinks this will do. And when you think about it, that they even think that an apology is all that is necessary tells you just how little they regard Speaker-elect Pelosi. Would they have allowed this if the host had been talking about the President and used the same words? I think not.)
In this earlier one she pretended again she never said "painted a bull's-eye" on Pelosi. [link to s88172659.onlinehome.us]
By her word choice and actions you can clearly hear she was told to say something, but she refused to acknowledge what this is really about. Morgan used the words of an assassin when talking about the woman soon to be third in line for the presidency. Not once but twice. Not jokingly, but seriously. This talk is not an aberration, but standard at the station. Morgan has a pattern to violent rhetoric toward the media.
This kind of talk is a regular occurrence on Disney station KSFO . Their non-apologies, where they don't acknowledge their violent rhetoric, shows just how much they KNOW the rhetoric is wrong and think that they can avoid any consequences by just NOT acknowledging the reality of their comments.
By the way Clams. if you want to write some advertisers please drop me a line. spockosemail atsign gmail com
But just be aware that you will be threatened if you alert the advertisers.
When I wrote the advertisers the management at KSFO (owned by Disney) posted on my blog " they're going to find you and sue you for everything you've got. slander slander slander libel libel libel. you will go down before they lose an advertiser"
Also threats, "be careful spocko. they're coming for you for lying to their advertisers"
And of course insults to me and their other listeners.
"other than you, no one who hates the radio station listens to it. you can't change their feeble minds. and the time the sales people spend convincing the advertisers that you've hit with your rhetoric only makes you appear to be a whacko trying to censor the station."
Just wanted to alert you. And people wonder why these people stay on the air.
Critics are threatened. Advertisers MUST be kept in the dark because they would not be happy to have their ads run right after one of Rogers famous "I'll do something to their testicle comments." Like this one right before BriteSmile's ad. Notice how Rogers threatens the emailer with "doing something unpleasant to his cojones". Then the jump right to the BriteSmile commercial read by Morgan. [link to s88172659.onlinehome.us]
Such people have the honor of being the ones to have taught another new generation what conservatism really is: a traveling freak show, complete with the dog-faced boy (Ann Coulter), the bearded lady (Michael Weiner), the smallest man in the world (Bill O'Reilly), the fat lady (Rush Limbaugh), the half-man, half-snake (Sean Hannity), the monkey boy (Glenn Beck) and all the barkers (the MSM) shouting across the midway to get the suckers to lay down their nickels to see the freaks.
Every forty years or so this carnival rolls into town and the rubes come out in droves because they've never seen anything like it. But as always happens at any carnival, slowly, one by one, the suckers gradually begin to realize that they're being had.
Conservatives never seem to learn what P. T. Barnum knew instinctively: the reason a carnival travels is because a huckster always needs new suckers. But conservatives try to just keep fooling the same suckers with same old card trick over and over again forever. They never seem to understand why it is that, sooner or later, the suckers get tired of the card trick and go home, and all that's left are the ones who want to be fooled.
I sincerely hope they keep it up for two more years and leave no doubt at all in the minds of all the people who voted against them this year. Keep up the good work, and Happy Holidays.
They can dish it out, but they can't take it. The Fox news gang and other Radical Righties are so immature! They think they are the only ones with pulpits and that they can shout anything. Given that a right-wing nut job has been sending "Anthrax" to lots of non-Radical Right folks, we see what the braying Right can cause with its calls to arms. If you don't want a bulls-eye yourself, Morgan, don't paint it on another. It's called the Golden Rule!
she's really stuck on herself, isn't she?
that she had to stress that KO found a bad picture of her. I've seen her on TV, on a "friendly" show, with industrial grade make-up and lighting, and I feel pretty sure Olbermann or his staff didn't waste too many seconds trying to find an ugly picture of Morgan.
While I think Morgan could use a little less cologen (sp?) in the lips, I don't see what the big deal is. Talking heads (right and left) say things offensive to the other side all of the time. Women, especially, like to tear each others appearance down. What's the big deal?
The headline for this thread is silly. Morgan was obviously talking tongue-in-cheek re: the Olbermann obsession comment. Why get so wound up about it?
Nancy Pelosi didn't criticize Morgan's appearance, I'm sure. But when Morgan talks about assassinating her for, gee I dunno, BEING A DEMOCRAT, someone needs to be put in her place. The plastic surgery bit is just a hypocrisy cherry on the sundae.
Of the screechmonkey appolgists handbook. When caught red handed saying something rude and tawdry, or calling for outright violence its ALWAYS a joke. Of course its pretty hard to see exactly why it was supposed to be funny but c'est la vie
= Too much writing brings forward nothing to act on today, has no play to call on this down, and 'punts away' whatever the issue is, with a '... just wait till oh-eight.'
You and me and several MILLION of us Americans and humankind are very very quite likely to be DEAD before twenty-oh-eight. That seems clearer and clearer the bearing of the Fascists in office, Exec. and Legis. alike and already obvious in the Judic.kangaroo. Clearer, by every petition for redress of grievances that's ignored, and in that, esp. the legislators hating us, who they swear to represent and then break oath of office and do false testify, by legislators' defiance.
So here's an idea, an action plan, a play to call on this down:
File lawsuits against the massmind media which print or air the Fascists's anti-human rights, anti-Geneva Convention-signatory violations and damages -- charging homicidal conspiracies or inhuman depravities, not necessarily libel or defamation or licensing violation in a 'free Press' framing of the charges.
For example, charge and sue KFSO for public disorder and seditious incitement, violating federal statutes as assigned in international treaties and understandings of human rights. Screw station licensing matters, screw Rodgers, screw Morgan -- not even naming them in the legal action.
I don't have the lawyerly polemics for the filing document; the concept occurred in mind after seeing this comment to attention in Thom Hartmann's purview, et cetera, et cetera, blah blah blah NO action.
Just wait till oh-eight, we are really gonna show 'em then.
No, we must show them NOW that one homicidal word in print or on the air shuts. off. that. entire. facility. The 'media property' is toast, unsaleable, dissolved; faggedabowd the personality who said it, the show it was said on, alternative 'interpretations' of the words as, 'just a joke' or something. Too late. Two billion dollars damage to public order and democracy, charges in the papers served HERE and NOW, see you the station/paper ownership and board of directors in court.
Something like this in the Portland market, circa May, 1995, (the court case strung it out for years, and the onset date got made vague), a local fascist AM radio shocktalker, LIARS Larson (real name, his daddy hated him), lobbing leading questions in pseudointerview with two school board members, which begat lawsuit for slander and defamation by the school board chairman -- against LIARS, the 'guests,' the station (KXL 750), the management, the ownership (Paul Allen, co-founder with Bill Gates of a profiteering enterprise you probably heard of), and the sponsorship.
It got some attention. LIARS had (got Paul Allen) to pay $20,000 to remove LIARS Larson's name from the list of defendants. After three years of legal dodgy untruthiness, finally plaintif received $180,000 to settle out, expunge case filing and records, and, I suppose, court costs got covered by Allen, et alii. Plaintif was destroyed in personal life, and moved out of state to try to start life anew, good luck to him.
What should have happened is the media property have been shut and closed down, or burned down.
But see, can a person say that ... ? (It's allowable in the past pluperfect verb tense, as it would have been, doing it right.)
Ever hear of "freedom of speech". You're treading on thin ice there when you start talking about shutting things down because you don't personally (and most likely others) like what they are saying. Even though I don't like most of what spews forth from most media outlets these days, I wouldn't ever think of (only in jest) trying to shut them down. I can write letters, express my outrage over what they're putting out there, call into shows and argue with them, but to shut them down would be putting the proverbial nail into the coffin of free speech. There is also the possibility of litigation (which you mentioned in your writing) against these folks if found to be slandering or libeling someone. To shut them down for being pretentious uninformed windbags, that's bad, very bad.
...but it's apparently necessary to repeat it: Freedom of speech doesn't include hate speech, and neither does it guarantee the freedom to incite violence. There can be a debate about whether or not Morgan and Rodgers have crossed the line into what constitutes hate speech, but obviously the freedom of speech umbrella does not cover all forms of speech.
I understand this completely. But, in the article they posted here, this is not hate speech, or about inciting violence, it was about being petty and unintelligent, but they weren't talking about killing people, or inciting violence. Was it "hateful" speech? Without a doubt.
I know that you can't yell "FIRE!" in a crowded building, and that there are limitations to freedom of speech, but alas, I think that the conservative loudmouths are just smart enough (or have people who work for them that are smart enough) to know when to draw the line. And then if they are talking about inciting violence, most of the time, they try to brush it aside as "just joking" (see just about anything Coulter says for a good example of this deflection).
...meremark's post was responding specifically to the excerpt presented here by MMFA. Rodgers and Morgan have a long history of saying things that could arguably be categorized as hate speech, but obviously this item doesn't qualify. Personally, I wouldn't advocate lawsuits and such, but I definitely am an advocate of spocko's campaign to contact advertisers.
OK, I'm with you on that side of things for sure. For example, in Greensboro near where I live, there is a semi-new FM talk radio station. They played Savage at 7:00PM. Turns out, so many people wrote in, contacted sponsors, they pulled his show, and this is in NC which is pretty much a red state. It does work.
Clam Casino, what day did the show you are talking about occur on?
But it could have been the 5th, as I did tune in briefly yesterday as well. It would have been between 8:30 and 9:00am, just before their program went off the air. They were discussing Obama in relation to Hillary Clinton's plans for a presidential run.
Dizzy and Clams. I'll look for that clip in my educational archive. Drop me a line and I'll send you a link to it.
And to respond a bit to the comment above on "free speech"
Morgan was not joking. In this case it's not hate speech but inciting violence. And this hasn't just happened once. She said and used the word "bull's eye" in connection with Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi not once but twice and on two different occasions. Word choice is important. Target is not the same as bull's-eye and if it was an isolated incident that would be another case as well.
That's not to mention Morgan's earlier suggestion that the editor of the New York Times and 9 other editors be hanged. Hang 'em. That is what she said. She was serious and there were no qualifications (which she conveniently pretended she never said. Morgan seems to think that only what she says on TV or to the reporter from the SF Chronicle 'counts'. Again based on how her co-hosts are quick to throw in qualifiers for her after her violent statements when they catch her making them shows just how clear it is that she regularly calls for the death of people.
The fact that in this case her non-apology doesn't address what she said points out quite clearly that these comments DO fall under the category of inciting violence and that someone at KSFO, ABC, Disney knows it and were trying to contain the damage. (Which also brings up the point. "If she said the same thing about the President could that be smoothed over with a simple apology? Envision a liberal talk radio host on broadcast radio saying the exact same thing.)
They were looking for a way to pretend it didn't happen and that she didn't say it. And of course by NOT acknowledging it, like the dog that didn't bark, they now have clearly acknowledged it.
So just to be clear. Commercially supported broadcast radio IS regulated speech. It always has been. Note what happens when you say the F-word on the radio if you don't believe me. And each station, owner and parent company have even stricter guidelines that have nothing to do with federal regulation. And beyond that, each advertiser has their own internal guidelines about what they will or will accept when it comes to the shows that they advertise on.
One thing that I have found is that the advertisers do NOT want to be too closely connected with this kind of talk, but because they don't often even KNOW it is going on they keep accepting it. The advertisers USE the knowledge that this is a Disney affiliate as a shorthand that this station is "safe". I've been told that specifically by one advertiser. So "hot talk" radio is coming in under the Disney banner.
And the other thing they are counting on? Not hearing from people. The "it's their free speech" argument is NOT the same as when applied to disagreements of politics as when they can call for the death of Kevin Holder and the castration of liberals.
When Morgan and the management gets the mail complaining what do they do with it? Delete it! She bragged about deleting her mail from angry listeners on the air. They don't forward it to the advertisers! They don't send it to Disney. It dies right there.
What is really tragic is that when Disney does finally notice something like this transgression that makes the NATIONAL scene they still do nothing of substance.
The plan is the same as the Bush admin. Ignore. Deny it happened. If caught don't really acknowledge the action. If caught ignoring the action don't really acknowledge the action a second time. Hope that they can gut it out until under new management and before they get caught.
And as I said above. Morgan is only one of a total of four regular offenders. She has been on Television so she gets the PR. Rogers, Sussman and Brennen are just as bad or worse.
Today's "joke" by Rogers and Brenner? A Bono joke about dead people in Darfur! I'm not making that up. Just when you think they have reached the repugnant limit, they go beyond it.
Dizzy and Clams.
After searching my educational archive I found the audio clip of Morgan, Sussman and Brenner calling Barack Obama a "Halfrican"
Drop me an email and I'll send you the whole link. spockosemail atsign gmail . com
Here is that part alone: [link to s88172659.onlinehome.us] ObamaaHalfrican12042006H08M42.wma
They also go on about Senator Clinton's weight and say at the end of the clip sarcastically that liberals NEVER pick on other's weight problems. (Using Al Franken's book as an example of a liberal who picked on Rush Limbaugh). But what is especially interesting is the end of the clip where Morgan talks about how precise THEY are when they are talking about people.
Of course Sussman is all prepared for when someone calls him a racist. I believe he either comes from a family of mixed races or his family has mixed races in it. His producer is also "from the hood" so he considers himself covered if anyone calls him a racist.
Morgan thinks the photo Olbermann used of her was unflattering because she's "20 pounds heavier"? The photo Media Matters used of her isn't much better, she looks 20 years older to me.
This is hilarious. Keith takes it to "real peronal level" Melanie? Um, ok. You say this right after you admit discussing Pelosi's looks.
Countdown has "11 viewers" unknown flunkie radio co-host? Maybe I could remember your name if you were broadcast nationally, like Keith.
I can't decide if these hacks deserve server space on MMFA or not, they're so off the radar screen.
Another Olbermann catfight...refereed by Brock.
Childish on all sides...but really funny.
Glad you think MM putting a bulls-eye on Pelosi is such a knee-slapper . . . no doubt you absolutely fell over when Crazy Annie called for the assassination of a sitting US president and the poisoning of a sitting SC justice . . .
You wingnuts have one WARPED sense of humor . . .
Is this some sort of new slur that they are using instead of half breed or Mandingo? I'm not up on the name calling around the country.
It appears the clip got cut off above. Here it is again from my educational archive. [link to s88172659.onlinehome.us] ObamaaHalfrican12042006H08M42.wma
Oh and of course Morgan and Sussman are white. Sussman, I believe, has a mixed race family so in his mind it's okay for him to use the word (as I'm sure he will be quick to tell you to show his multi-racial cred.)
...and it's always been use in a derogatory way. Obviously here it's being used to suggest that Obama's mixed race disqualifies him from identifying himself as black or from representing black Americans. It's the old racist trope about not being "black enough." The suggestion that Obama can't relate to the African-American experience because his father is Kenyan is also a commonly heard slur in certain circles. I live among a large East African population and a number of times I've heard white people attempt to deny black Africans the right to speak about racial issues because they "don't have any slave blood." And that's a real quote.
[link to s88172659.onlinehome.us]
This was broadcast on Disney station KSFO on 12/04/2006 at 8:42 am
=
I just wanted hearing if we can talk about burning down the station(s), or getting a grappling hook from the sidewalk pulling on the downlink dish(es) -- simple defenses against invasion of our community airwaves, and against attack on our sovereign comity, or public order.
I avoid the stuff (massmind media), myself -- whoever specifically said whatever reductive; yet I am aware of increased community unrest as dangerous and stoppable as if a convoy truck was handing out assault rifles on the corner of Main and First St. To wit, for individual action: Burn the truck, unconcerned who made the rifles, who owns the truck, what's the big idea. Analogously, burn the station or press building, whoever whatever whyever published sedition.
No massmind is better than suicidal massmind.
When it is one's personal mass on the line. I.e., my town.
(P to the S: Temporal media (broadcast) and spatial media (print) define 'Press,' as constituted, and issue under Freedom of Press only, (not Freedom of Speech laws; compare with telephony 'media' defining and defined as (tele-) 'Communications,' and the 'Co-' in it requires two-way mutuality, A can talk back to B can talk back to A, and therein, (thereover?), is Freedom of Speech. The internet is the telephone system, period. Freedom of Speech, here. Not there. Eat your hearts out, one-way celebrities, while area-code locals and homies set plans to rip 'em out. Nationalistic security might seem less important when you job facility is smoked.)
Clams, everyone who helped out with finding the clip, thanks. Since I am also mixed, I find the whole halfrican thing beyond offensive, if not in the least bit shocking. I'll see what I can do with it.
Didn't Melanie Morgan do afternoon news on KGO or something like that. I'd have never guessed she went over to the dark side. She was totally, like, sanitized on the radio when I lived down in the Bay Area.
Wow! What a bitch. Nothing of what I listened to had a thing to do with issues. All of was was personal tear-down. Sad, sad. This is what they do for ratings on KSFO?