Worst Persons In The World

Some weeks ago I expressed my thanks to the Tea Party for their presence which would enable the Democratic Party to retain control in November. Well, as we now know, the Republicans took control of the House, but the Democratic Party retained control of the Senate - and for that, I continue to thank the Tea Party. Were it not for some of the absolute worst possible candidates ever running under the banner of the Tea Party, the Republicans might very well have taken the Senate as well - which would not have been cool.

I mean, bottom line is that if you don't have a working knowledge of the Constitution...and have to go on television - as Christine O'Donnell did - to explain that you are not a witch, you should not be elected to the Senate. If you imply that violent action might be needed if you are not satisfied with electoral outcomes...and then say you'll make your positions on the issues known once you're elected - as Sharron Angle did - you should not be elected to the Senate. Unless they're producing a 2011 version of "Hogan's Heroes," if you dress up as a Naxi as a "bonding" activity with your son - as congressional candidate Rich Iott did - you should not be elected to the House. If you have questions about the validity of the Civil Rights Act - as Rand Paul does - you should not be elected to the Senate from Kentucky.

Obviously Kentucky needs a do-over...and really for both Senate seats. We're at war in Afghanistan, got thousands of troops yet in Iraq, unemployment is over nine percent, BP has yet to make the Gulf region whole, and so on and so on - yet Mitch McConnell publicly says that "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

Of course, some of us learned of the madness and lunacy of these Tea Party clowns through the efforts of Keith Olbermann, the host of "Countdown" who has been "suspended indefinitely" by MSNBC for violating NBC policy by donating to three Democratic candidates. Naturally there are people that are envisioning the possibility of MSNBC ultimately letting Keith go, which would really make as much sense - both in terms of practicality as well as public relations - as the New York Yankees choosing not to re-sign Derek Jeter due to the dip of his batting average to .270 this year. True, the Bronx Bombers have A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, the brilliant young superstar Robinson Cano and other stars, but Derek Jeter has been the face of the franchise during its' entire run of excellence since 1996. And while I believe Jeter has several good years left - although there will come a point in time when a position switch might need to be addressed -I also believe that there are some people that deserve to complete their careers with their one team...and retire when they want to, not pushed out the door as was Bernie Williams by these same Yankees some years back.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson was a Laker. Larry Bird and Bill Russell were Celtics. Derek Jeter is a Yankee and The Captain should be afforded the opportunity to complete his career on his own terms.

Not unlike the situation with the Yankees and their talent, MSNBC has other capable hosts on its' air - including, of course, the truly outstanding Rachel Maddow - but Keith Olbermann is clearly the face of that franchise, the network's highest rated host and the main reason many people - myself included - have gotten turned on to MSNBC. If I could speak to MSNBC president Phil Griffin, I would want to ask what it is that makes a suspension "indefinite."

For instance, if the always-in-control Mr. Jeter were to have an uncharacteristic run-in with an umpire which led to a suspension, the suspension would be for a specific length of time, a certain number of days or games. What does Keith have to do in order to make his NBC suspension of a finite nature?

Furthermore, there are some offenses that don't require the maximum punishment for the crime. In a basketball game, a player may mouth off to the referee and wind up getting a "technical foul." As a result of receiving the technical, he or she is neither ejected from the game at hand nor suspended from future games; it basically serves as a warning to chill - and don't let it happen again. Shouldn't giving $2400 to three candidates really be more like a technical foul kind of offense? Like "dude, we don't do that here...unlike at FOX...so don't do that again...and have a great show tonight!" But to take your main guy off the air for that...that's like Pat Riley suspending D-Wade and LeBron James - the people everyone wants to see in order to cheer or boo - for wearing the wrong color shoes. Handle your business internally and keep it moving.

I know that rules are rules and there is no point in having them if they are not to be followed, but considering the fact that FOX "News" serves as a publicity and fund-raising sub-committee for the Republican and Tea Parties, the suspension of Keith Olbermann for this petty offense makes Phil Griffin...along with Ms. Angle, Ms. O'Donnell, Ms. Palin, Senator-elect Paul, Rich Iott, and Senator Mitch McConnell...one of my own Worst People in the World.

So my suggestion is this: If Keith is not back on the air by Monday evening, shut down the MSNBC phone lines with your calls until he is restored to his position. And to Keith, one thing directly from me but probably the sentiments of many:

Come on, man. Bring back the Worst Persons segment!

Good night, and good luck.