Michael Moore goes off the deep end

Oh sweet jesus Michael Moore just killed himself on Countdown. He said Gustav was a sign that there is a God because it's going to make landfall at the start of the RNC.

It's predicted that Gustav will be a Cat 3 hurricane and hit somewhere between Houston and New Orleans... probably closer to NO. So three years after Katrina New Orleans is likely going to have to evacuate again. With reconstruction inching along they're going to suffer a massive setback. Gustav is already responsible for at least 70 deaths.

Thus endeth his career.

This is just indefensible. A deadly hurricane that is going to hit an already devasted city is cited (mockingly) as proof of God's existence. If Keith has a modicum of integrity Moore will be one of Monday's Worst People in the World.

Religous conservatives may forgive men of the cloth who indicate that Katrina destroyed New Orleans because of its "level of sin" but I like to think that we liberals are made of better stuff.

Some of us do. But we don't believe he sends hurricanes to punish cities or political parties.

I know he's making a joke. But if a conservative made the same joke we'd be flaying them from head to toe. It is ridiculously inappropriate.

Why would we attack a conservative that made such a comment? Because it's ridiculously offensive to blame hurricanes and terrorist attacks on homosexuality and the ACLU and feminism and yet they do it.

To even hint that this hurricane is a "good thing," to exploit it for political benefit is not becoming of us.

It's impossible to gauge audiencereaction to that joke but you can tell he felt it was an idiot thing to say immediately upon closing his mouth. He had to explain it. Any joke you have to explain is not a good joke.

There's a little something called the moral high ground and I really like when my side has it

Apropos of nothing, no I didn't.

I am not an easily offended person. And I'm not actually offended by the statement. It's just a dumbass thing to say and I get splashed when Moore gets slapped with the "insensitive liberal asshole" paintbrush.

You're coming awfully close to calling me a liar. Please don't do that.

I am a huge Michael Moore fan. I own Dude Wears My Country and another one of his books. I own Bowling for Columbine and Roger & Me and Farenheit 9/11. There is a MASSIVE difference between using his quasidocumentary techniques to paint those he opposes in a bad light and attempting to score a cheap political point by invoking a deadly hurricane. It's dumbass stupid and indefensible.

Schadenfraude is not an acceptable emotion when innocent people are dying.

Here's the link for the show. I'm not sure if this is permalinked so it may not last before the next episode of countdown:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26462689

And here's what Moores says exactly:

Moore knew he stepped in it as soon as he said it. I repeat Michael Moore knew he said something indefensible and dumbass stupid as soon as it came out of his mouth. Keith Olberman, a man not unfamiliar with saying controversial and provocative things, knew he stepped in it as soon as it came out.

The reasons for bring it up are inescapable. It is likely to hit and greatly influence the Republican Convention three years after what is widely considered to be the death knell for this administration and a crippling blow to the Republican Party. But that incident was not a hurricane, it was the response to that hurricane. The people affected in the real world will not be the members of the GOP in St. Paul, it will be the people in New Orleans. The irony can be noted, but glee should not be taken.

Michael Moore will have to apologize for this. He has never, to the best of my knowledge, been quite so giddy about the prospect of a natural disaster. Never come out and said, "Gee, I wish another terrorist would attack us so that Bush would stop saying we haven't had a terrorist attack in eight years." This is different. And the clip of him saying:

will be run over and over and overlayed with images of destruction it's caused and the people whose life it shattered. I know because that's what I would do if, say, Pat Robertson said something similar about the Democratic Convention. And when that happens, that hurts my cause. And since I'm one of Michael Moore's principle consumers I am damn pissed.

But still not really offended.

Seriously? You mean aside from the 70 people already dead?

It's funny you brought that up. Because Devin does the exact same thing but with like 10000 times less vissibility. Which is why I don't get riled up about it.

Your argument kind of falls apart when there is a mainstream movie intended to poke fun at liberals that uses a Michael Moorish character as the protagonist coming out in just a few months. And, of course, when they use Bill O'Reilly to help them do it.

Those of us on the left may not see Michael Moore as our spokesperson, but those on the right definitely do.

I trust everyone here watched the clip, right? Because if you're still defending it, I can respect that but it would probably be better for everyone if you don't criticize the right for making the same comments in reverse.

Yes, I do understand the difference. But I question the category of this joke as satire. "A Modest Proposal" it ain't. Have you seen the clip?