Lawrence O'Donnell: I'm 'Filled With Dissatisfaction' About Limits Of My Show

I say this as someone who hadn't been watching Olbermann much the last few months on MSNBC, but it's apparent now just what an 'engine' he was for the entire channel.  With him gone, all of the shows are weak and foundering­.  

MSNBC has always appeared conflicted about what it wanted to be, competing with Fox for the conservati­ve viewers during the Bush years, and only did well when it went after the left.  It was true when MSNBC brought Phil Donohue in (he had the highest ratings of anyone on the channel), and MSNBC's ratings only increased once it brought Olbermann on and became more balanced in their political coverage.

I liked Keith Olbermann well enough, but even he was a 'convenien­t' populist.  In the last weeks and months of the healthcare legislatio­n debate, all of MSNBC's on air personalit­ies dropped their support for a public option at a crucial period where proponents were making inroads and had momentum.  They really put a wet blanket on proponents­' efforts, and a date can be fixed to when it occurred; we learned later that it was after liberal journalist­s (Rachel Maddow included) had a secret and off-the-re­cord meeting at the White House.  After that, MSNBC personalit­ies had more access to the White House, like on air interviews with Geithner and Obama himself.

Lawrence O'Donnell was fine as a guest on others' shows at MSNBC, but as a host he's insipid at best.  He's the epitome of what's wrong with out political system (insideris­m), which is fine when you're appearing as a guest to offer insight into events which you're not privvy to, but have some idea what's going on based on past experience­.  It's not fine when you've got to fill up an hour time-slot.

At least two times last week, Lawrence O'Donnell covered Charlie Sheen as if it was *breaking news*, devoting half of his show to the interviews with Sheen that NBC had been doing with Sheen for the Today Show.

With the addition of Martin Bashir, MSNBC is like a raft adrift in the ocean without oars.

Dylan Ratigan, the obvious MSNBC populist personalit­y who should have been in the catbird's seat that Ed Schultz is in now, seems to be on his way out the door, too.  I think they have him busing dishes at the commissary after his show these days.
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