Keith Olbermann Hour-Long "Special Comment" on Heathcare

[Mr Bean]

So Keith Olbermann News Commentator on MSNBC decided to devote his entire show to his now famous special comments and here is that result.

Keith Olbermann delivered an hour-long "Special Comment" tonight on the urgent need for health care reform. Drawing on his personal experiences with the system, especially the ordeal of his father falling gravely ill and being hospitalized, Olbermann describes a decaying system that is failing to fulfill one of the most important priorities we have as a nation: taking care of our citizens.

Olbermann particularly targets the insurance companies, illustrating how their business models are more focused on making money than helping people, which leads to very perverse incentives. The insurance companies are concerned about profit, which is why they're fighting against health reform. Olbermann concludes, "The insurance companies are at war with America."

At the end of the show, Olbermann states that he is going to demonstrate his support for reform by donating money to help the establishment of free clinics in the capital cities of each of the states of the six senators who are blocking reform. He will offer further information on how other can participate.

Ok first off he gave a very impassioned appeal. And if we do pass heath care it's something I think we will work back on. It's always hard to judge moments in history when your living them. What is important now seems trivial later and what becomes a symbol later on seems worthless today. But can you think outside of a Beck hour long nut rant the last time any of the news commentator's deliver in effect what was almost a forty five minute appeal for something? Hannity, Beck, Rush and O'Riely all have multi-hour radio shows but by their nature they are rarely impassioned calls for anything even if they often are passionate about things. By their nature they are rambling affairs since most of the shows have so few guests they are normally hour long shows spread over two to three hours. But it's not this, this I think is something new, something unique. In my experience it is, perhaps it has been done before, I have not seen it's like.

[Frank Hipper]

I have no hope for anything substantive being achieved in health care reform, and Olberman's shpiel will no doubt force me to breakfast on my own bile...not due to any negative feelings I have about Olberman, but because I agree with him so much.

My distaste for blinding, impotent rage is why I've never watched Moore's Sicko, and why I don't read the Health Care Rants thread, and why I won't watch this.

I know how fucked up things are, I live how fucked up they are, but I can take having my nose rubbed in a situation I'm absolutely helpless to influence only so much...

[Prannon]

Is there a link to this free clinic that he is planning to help set up?

[JLTucker]

Is there a link to this free clinic that he is planning to help set up?

National Association of Free Clinics

I watched it this past Wednesday and I was greatly moved by his speech. I agree with everything he said and like Frank, I am enraged about our current situation.