I know there are a lot of Olbermann fans here, but you may feel differently after reading this.
Here's Keith Olbermann's running debate commentary. He scored each round of questions, adding (or subtracting) points for Kerry, Bush, both, or neither.
At the end, Olbermann had given Kerry 19 net points, and Bush only 2!
Then he pulls this:
Points: Bush--2 during rounds, 10 added supplementally, Total 12;
Kerry--19 during rounds, five subtracted supplementally, one added for overall impact.
Score: Kerry 15, Bush 12-- a statistical draw.
WTF!? Olbermann had a 17-point gap between Bush and Kerry -- with one stroke he eliminated 14 points of that gap. Apparently this has something to do with Bush shaking more hands in the crowd after the debate ended.
He analyzed the debate round-by-round and found Kerry did a massively better job. Then he contradicted his own analysis to gin up a phony "statistical draw" (12-15 is not considered a draw in any sport I'm aware of) between Kerry and Bush.
This is a textbook example of 1) the media's emphasis on utter frivolity over substance, and 2) their continual and bizarre post-9/11 willingness to "carry water" for Great Leader Bush. Oh, and 3) the total bogosity of this kind of punditry. Why did he bother with the round-by-round nonsense if he was going to throw it away afterwards?
If this is typical Olbermann (I don't follow his stuff), he looks like just another worthless media whore to me. He wanted this debate to be a draw, so he trashed his own real-time analysis to declare it one. Pathetic!
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