– Keith Olbermann: “I’m Retiring From Political Commentary”:
Keith Olbermann, anti-Trump video blogger, self-proclaimed leader of the ‘Resistance’, and former ESPN, MSNBC, Current TV and Fox Sports host announced on Monday that he is retiring from political commentary. The progressive provocateur made the announcement during the final episode of “The Resistance,” a political show sponsored by GQ that airs on YouTube.
“I am retiring from political commentary in all media venues” Olbermann said. “Thank you for all the kind words and all the support. Have fun storming the castle. My work here is done. Matter of fact, so is Trump’s.”
He framed his departure by stating that “I am confident now even more so than I have been throughout the last year that this nightmare presidency of Donald John Trump will end prematurely and end soon, and I am thus also confident that this is the correct moment to end this series of commentaries.” He added that Trump will either be removed from office or forced to resign by his own party sometime in the next 13 months.
Clarifying his departure, the 58-year-old insisted that he wasn’t being fired and was in good health: “No illness. No scandal. No firing. Just I’ve said what I’ve had to say. It was as obvious as I made it seem. I give my work everything I can, so it’s not like I can dial it back.”
In a twitted preview of his retirement, Olbermann said that “After “Pocahontas,” Trump’s an ex-president waiting to happen – imminently. So this will be the last episode of #TheResistanceGQ. If you’re a political account and I unfollow you it ain’t personal.” Doubling down on the Pocahontas incident, Olbermann then added that “The good news: I’m finishing it because, especially after the “Pocahontas” debacle, I think Trump is unavoidably, inevitably, and in every possible path open to him, FINISHED ”
In the wind-up to his announcement, Olbermann reiterated his running line for the past year, claiming that it is all but inevitable that Trump will either be removed from office or resign from the White House. He asserted that the Republican will be impeached over the Russia investigation or forced by Republicans to leave office.
“I’ve made my point…I’d like to go back and enjoy some of my life again,” said Olbermann, who seemed to take credit for what he predicts will be Trump’s downfall. Olbermann went on to complain about his time on the show, saying that he has “not enjoyed one minute of it.”
“As, I’m certain, it has also been for you, for me it has been unadulterated pain and revulsion and horror. The process has become nearly 24/7,” said Olbermann, who says he produced the show without pay. Olbermann also took one last dig at mainstream television news networks and the “dim-witted world of American political TV reporting, which is still trying to get dim-witted Trump supporters to watch their network.”
Nearly seven years earlier, Olbermann surprised his fans with a similar abrupt exit from media: in Jan. 2011, he announced his departure from MSNBC during the final episode of his show, “The Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” A few months later he joined Current TV, the network founded by Al Gore. That gig lasted just over a year. Olbermann was accused by colleagues of failing to show up to work according to The Daily Caller, which added that in a statement announcing Olbermann’s departure, Gore said that “the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers…are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.