Olbermann Slams MRC’s Brent Bozell Over Ed Schultz’s ‘Republicans Want to See You Dead’

January 5th, 2010 2:37 AM

On Monday’s Countdown show, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann picked up on an item posted by the far-left Media Matters for America, and slammed Media Research Center founder and President Brent Bozell as "Worst Person in the World" because the MRC founder recently criticized MSNBC host Ed Schultz for accusing Republicans of wanting people to die. Schultz, from the Ed Show last September: "The Republicans lie! They want to see you dead. They'd rather make money off your dead corpse. They kind of like it when that woman has cancer and they don't have anything for her."

Because Bozell argued in a recent NewsMax article that if "Rush Limbaugh went on the air and said that about a liberal, it would be the end of his career," Media Matters sought to prove him wrong as the group compiled quotes from Limbaugh in which the conservative host had responded to incendiary comments from liberal Democrats like Congressman Alan Grayson, with Limbaugh picking up on the promotion by liberals of abortion and euthanasia, and of liberal support for the kind of socialized medicine plans that in other countries have led to government bureaucracies sometimes denying medical procedures to elderly patients in favor of spending limited tax money treating younger people.

As Olbermann began his attack on Bozell, he incorrectly – or perhaps intentionally – referred to the Media Research Center as the "Media Research Council," and called Bozell "Boze." Olbermann: "But our winner, Brent Bozell, the founder of the Media Research Council. He has given out one of his annual prized-by-the-left, foot-in-his-own-mouth awards to our own Ed Schultz because Ed said, ‘The Republicans lie, they want to see you dead, they’d rather make money off your dead corpse.’"

After reading several quotes from Limbaugh collected by Media Matters, Olbermann mocked the MRC and its founder as he concluded:

So two conclusions about Brent Bozell: A, the word "research" in his group, Media Research Council, that’s a brand name. No actual research is actually done. And, B, apparently he thinks what Rush Limbaugh has said about liberals wanting to kill people, that that should be the end of Limbaugh’s career. Brent Bozell, today’s ‘Worst Person in the World.’"

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Monday, January 4, Countdown show on MSNBC:

KEITH OLBERMANN: But our winner, Brent Bozell, the founder of the Media Research Council. He has given out one of his annual prized-by-the-left, foot-in-his-own-mouth awards to our own Ed Schultz because Ed said, "The Republicans lie, they want to see you dead, they’d rather make money off your dead corpse."

Said Boze: "Ed Schultz, Mister MSNBC, making the most hideous of character assassination attacks, saying we want to kill people, and literally saying it. We want to see them dead. ... Just think what would happen if Rush Limbaugh went on the air and said that about a liberal. It would be the end of his career."

Except Limbaugh says things like that constantly. Last August 13, the President, quote, "wants the White House, he wants the executive branch to be making determinations of who lives and who dies."

Last September 30, "It’s the American left that wants you to die, the party of abortion and euthanasia."

Last October 13, "The Obama administration wants to also get to decide when to dig the grave."

Last October 15, "Democrats would make the elderly face the guillotine."

Last December 8, "This administration, the Democrat party, is totally on board with the elderly passing away."

So two conclusions about Brent Bozell: A, the word "research" in his group, Media Research Council, that’s a brand name. No actual research is actually done. And, B, apparently he thinks what Rush Limbaugh has said about liberals wanting to kill people, that that should be the end of Limbaugh’s career. Brent Bozell, today’s "Worst Person in the World."