I have kind of cut myself off from politics recently as it was just too stressful and held little if any hope of ending happily. While I was looking the other way, somehow a Democrat lost Ted kennedy’s seat to a Republican, the people of Massachusetts apparently believing that (a) Obama was spending too much time on health care instead of helping people without jobs (hopefully I won’t have to explain how immensely wrong and stupid that idea is), that (b) the correct response would be to scuttle health care which is effectively what they did, and that (c) somehow this was not the fault of the Republicans who have done their best to crap on the people of the United States, and therefore they should be rewarded with a fantastic victory and a vindication of their hateful, lie-filled obstructionism which works to deprive the American people of health and livelihood.

In short, I am glad that I missed all of that.

Had I been around and watching closely, I probably would have become as angry and calloused as Keith Olbermann did, when he called Scott Brown “an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, teabagging supporter of violence against women and against politicians with whom he disagrees.”

Note the slim difference between an accurate description of Republicans (say, at the end of my first paragraph in this post) and the over-the-top description Olbermann offered. They are “hateful,” not a doubt about that; they lie constantly, something that has been well-documented on this blog and in many other places; they are obstructionist, obviously so; they clearly wish to support insurance companies and big pharma at the expense of the people and leave them without adequate health care; and whether they intend to or not, they have made it far more difficult for people to find work at livable wages. All these are substantial facts. But Olbermann stretched way too far with allegations like “supporting violence against women”; I saw that clip, and Brown either didn’t hear the curling iron comment or just ignored it.

John Stewart, in an excellent example of how he makes fun of all people who deserve it and is not just a leftist taking partisan stabs at right-wingers (right-wingers simply provide far more material for him), did a longish segment pillorying Olbermann for that comment and the rationalization he gave in a later broadcast.

Now, had someone like Rush Limbaugh or really any of the gasbags on the right been subjected to this attack, they would either have ignored it or argued with it. Olbermann, however, aired the segment in its entirety on his own show, and then after a bit of lame humor, ended with a refreshingly truthful and humble statement for a political talking head of this day and age: “I have been a little over the top lately. Point taken. Sorry.”

True, he could clarify better that he is being ironic with the “a little” over the top comment, but even if he were serious about the degree, it’s still a lot more humility than any other partisan commenter I can think of. Watch the whole segment:

Maybe I’ll start watching again next week.