The Worst Person In the World: And 202 Strong Contenders
by Keith Olbermann
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Book Summary Information
Author: Keith OlbermannEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-10
ISBN: 0470173696
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of The Worst Person In the World: And 202 Strong Contenders
Book Review: A favorite segment on Keith's Countdown on MSNBC
Summary: 4 Stars
Take humor, sarcasm, news, refinement, intelligence on one side (that's Keith) and mix with human error, egoism, sheer stupidity, crass acts, outright evil, corruption on the other side. What you have is Keith Olberman's jugular approach to people in the news for the wrong reasons, or Keith puts them in the news for the right reasons--to skewer their audacious acts. He selects three per newscast (Keith Olberman's Countdown on MSNBC) each evening as the Worst Persons in the World. This book is a collection of 202 worst persons from July 1, 2005, through June 1, 2006.
To give just a hint of style, here is my favorite nominated "worst person in the world" from the collection: July 6, silver, O.J. Simpson, whose girlfriend attacked him and he just stood there and took it. He did nothing wrong so why was he nominated? "Because our panel holds a grudge" (13). Yes, my favorite!
*Jason Brahim, bronze, charged with disorderly conduct for beating a goose to death on a golf course. "And he lied about how many strokes it took him" (29).
*Austin Community College in Texas, silver, for denying residency to Carl Basham, charging him $2,600 a semester instead of $500. He spent too much time living out of state. "Well, it's true. Carl has been away, serving, he says, two tours in Iraq" (32).
*Rush Limbaugh, Worst Person, for his comments about Cindy Sheehan, who lost a son in Iraq. Said Limbaugh, "I'm weary of even having to express sympathy. We all lose things." Keith has this to say: "Like your career, Rush. You're finished. Credibility spent. Get lost."
*FEMA spokesperson Mary Hudak. She defended the agency for assigning 1400 firefighters from around the country to handing out fliers with toll-free FEMA numbers to residents, most of whom didn't have working phones. Fifty of the volunteers were sent to Louisiana to stand next to the president during his tour of the area. Worst Person in the World! (45).
*FEMA! $100 million worth of ice was trucked to victims of Hurricane Katrina, but they had enough ice. This ice was routed and rerouted for days and weeks, some ending up in Nebraska (63). Tax payer dollars at work.
*Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, for making a deal with Wal-Mart, giving 15 days' notice before checking for child labor violations. Bronze. (93)
*Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, for owning $5-25 million in Gilead Sciences, the company which will get one billion for its bird flu vaccine, a deal the president signed (93).
*Sharita Williams, Homa, Louisiana, bronze for calling 911 to report cold onion rings and demanding hot ones from a restaurant (106).
*Bill O'Reilly, for claiming to be the cause of lowered gas prices. "I have guys inside five major oil companies...they got scared because of my reporting...." (122) Bronze.
*Bill O'Reilly, Worst Person. Concerning the anti-Christmas campaign: Bill said, "I'm going to use all the power that I have on radio and television to bring horror into the world of people who are trying to do that." (125)
*Judge Edward Cashman in Burlington, Vermont, Bronze. Mark Hulett was found guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl over four years beginning when she was 6. The judge sentenced him to only 60 days in jail because Hulett is a "low risk for commiting a similar crime" (142).
*Bill O'Reilly. Worst Person. Mike Farrell, a guest on Bill's show told him he lost credibility when he used personal attacks. "I don't do personal attacks here, mister," he told Farrell. Keith lists these "personal attacks": Neal Gabler, "rabid dog," Ralph Nader, "a loon," Bill Moyers, "a fanatic," Jimmy Carter, "a fool," and John Kerry, "a sissy."
I wish I could include more, but space is out. You could read this book or watch Keith Olbermann nightly on Countdown on MSNBC. Keith is like jazz to me, he is better, richer, more personable, more potent with more riffs on television than on paper.
But if you want to savor Keith's incisive wit and zestful jabs, then this book will certainly do.
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