Well, I AM a Respiratory Therapist, who works in a hospital and have done so for over 20 years. This scenario, that Keith describes with his Dad, has played out over and over and over in my career, with TOO MANY patients. This is the reality of it, folks. Thank you to Keith for sharing this painful experience. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
KEITH THANK YOU, YOU ARE THE MOST INTELLIGENT KINDNEST LOVING SON HELPING HIS FATHER AT THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME OF HIS LIFE! TEARS FOR YOU AND YOUR FATHER, RESPECT FOR YOU BOTH IN SHARING THIS VERY PRIVATE EVENT WITH YOUR COUNTRYMAN. YOU ARE TRULY AN AMERICAN WHO LOVES YOUR FELLOW MAN.
Damn, I nearly started crying towards the end. It's sad to know what was happening then and it seems like little (or probably a lot) was done to fix it. Well said Mr. Olbermann. In addition, this entire segment was published in 'Pitchforks and Torches' pp. 249-255. It felt real when reading the section while listening to Keith.
As always, when unabashed truth matters, I turn to Keith. Thank god he returns to address our country during its deepest peril. Thus during this indictment season, Keith has given me the facts to slog my way through the seesaw emotions coming everyday. Will trump be held accountable? Will it all end in a way I can live with? My RUclips feed sent me this old piece. It was heart wrenching, but reminded me that keith
Been through that also and I both sympathize and agree. I also have written Congress not once but many times on health care reform. Well spoken Mr Olbermann. Thank you.
For all future people who see this and happen to read this comment. Shortly after this aired, his father died. At his dying request, from then on, Keith Olbermann read James Thurber stories every Friday until the day he was fired off of MSNBC.
@@djwilson1993 indeed he does, sir. I hope I can honor my own father in such a way. But that's probably many years down the line. We share a deep love and appreciation of Looney Tunes, so it's probably going to be related to that. That too, was something that gravitated me toward Mr. Olbermann all those years ago. I'm glad he has found his niche in the podcast pipeline.
I applaud you for your comments.... we all have to deal with death, suffering etc... However, healthcare is the last hurdle many of us have to over come before passing away. Unfortunately many in America can not afford health care and have to suffer in such an awful manner. I am glad to live in Canada where we care for one another enough to ensure all get the care they need regardless of cost.
This SC helped me talk to my dad after an argument. I credit Keith & his story about his dad in encouraging me to make peace with my dad until his death in 2011.
Kieth, I am so sorry for you and yours, I respect you so much for your ideals and the life you have chosen. Stay strong ng seems so lame. Made me cry because mortality is in sight for me too. You are a good son.
It is in a way good to know that the people of fame and wealth such as Keith Oberman are experiencing the first hand difficulties and seeing the fault in the Health Care System. It gives the feeling of unity in the classes where it's not only the middle and lower income citizens that have problems, but also the wealthy. This is a powerful speech that needs to be heard by everyone. I hope a new and better health care system comes soon
I wish Keith's father the best in whatever way it leads. My mom died of cancer and the end was extremely painful for her and the doctors were kind to her.
This should be shown to every person who ever used the word 'death panel' with a straight face. Keith is the most courageous man in news, not only for his decisions with his father, but to make it so public. Glen Beck gets teary-eyed for menial crap. Keith runs the risk of losing his father and keeps amazingly dry eyes.
I am Canadian. And i know we do not have to wait any longer. My point is that in Canada we do not go by a monetary system in which whoever has the most money gets to go first. We have a social system in which whoever needs treatment the most goes first.
I was lucky; my parents died together in an auto accident 16 years ago. But then, I was cheated out of being able to tell them goodbye and that I loved them, one more time. I am old enough to remember when America had a heart, not only for those abroad, but also for you our citizens. The anger, fear mongering, and stated hatred MUST stop - NOW! It serves no one well, especially politians. We are the only wealthy nation that does NOT have government health care. What a shame - and what a sham.
I'm a fan of the show, but this was especially good. I don't doubt that even if Keith did not have this personal angle, he would still be on the right side of this issue. This is, BTW, about that most basic human right --- human dignity. We all deserve it. It's The Golden Rule. Do unto others as we would want done unto ourselves.
Just got word on the deaths of Keith Olbermann's father. Peace to your father and strength to Keith in your time of loss. He could have turned his back on the rest of us comforted by the fact that his position and his money would insulate him from this criminal health care system. He did the right thing by speaking the truth in the face of snarling bare fanged racist and flat out insane people. Be strong Keith I wait to once again fight by your side for health care.
He had a great life and was a great father.They stopped the Kidney machine on a monday, I was going to go tuesday and see him, but I left the office and it was like God said go tonight, he was still awake and could not speak, from mini strokes they thought. I told him he was the best dad in the world and i loved him very much. I know he heard me, because he raised his head off the pillow and tried to talk, I said rest dad. I got him some crushed ice and placed it in his mouth, he liked that.
The only thing Richard Nixon ever did was to make dialysis free of charge to all Americans. You were not blessed with this treatment. It was done with the stroke of a pen. It's a shame that more healthcare isn't free with the stroke of a pen.
It never ceases to amaze me - as a Canadian that I do enjoy the right to the best health care possible guaranteed to every citizen of Canada. Why is health in America still controlled by insurance companies? Remember this pro private health care yea sayers - ( and this is in YOUR constitution) - The right to LIFE, LIBERTY and FREEDOM. Why should some health insurance company be your Judge, Jury and executioner when you are sick and need medical help? My sympathy to Keith Olbermann et al.
You are right, he has done that. My dad went though the same kind of stuff Keith's dad has. I feel for both of them and I hope Keith's dad gets though this and have many more years with his son. Keith is under a great deal and wish him only the best.
Ironic how this cuts to the core of the debate, how much "care" does anyone dying really want. How much does the family want ? How much can the govt afford? There are no answers....
No wonder Keith Olbermann is so good,, His Dad is listening...Now if other talking heads had someone that they loved sooo much that they would speak as if their loved one was watching..Keep up the good work Keith Olbermann..you are definitely among the critical few.
Hearing this story makes it so clear to me. To not let a patient die even when the patient asks for it is all money. If they can bill the patient and the family to the last drop why let the sick die and then end up with a corpse in need of disposal. and why taking money from the ones you are supposed to regulate is not bribery and illegal? They all should be in jail.
Wow. just wow. Powerful message. Hope they hear him and bring the USA into the 21st century like other countries who take care of their sick with dignity and compassion, not profiting from it.
I agree, what is going to happen is that a person as sick as Keith dad is, this sad to say. It going to come a point, where they say, we cannot go on keeping him alive unless it starts coming out of the patients family. My dad reached this point and he left us a gift that if he got so bad that there is not chance then stop everything. We were blessed because he had been on a Kidney machine for 3 years and the doctor said it may be a slow death and he would swell. Thank God that did not.
When I was in California, I really disliked Olberman, and lately, I have done a turn-around. I really love his "perspectives " on issues. He says things that others don't or won't say, and he has earned my respect.
As of 2007 (latest statistics I could find quickly) 62.1% of all bankruptcies in the United States were caused by health care costs. 78% of those people HAD INSURANCE when the crisis causing the bankruptcy occured. The issue is far beyond "relying on government," but even so, just because someone is poor, that doesn't mean we should let them die for want of insurance. We don't let that happen to senior citizens, whether they were good people or not, we shouldn't let it occur at all.
The public option IS a compromise. Here in Australia it was tried, and quickly supplanted by single payer for all. We still have the public option for private insurance, but if you don't have either, you are still covered.
"...what is this country FOR, if not to take care of it's people?" (emphasis his) I very much hope that all our countries' governments could be reminded of the reason for their existence.
shortage of nurses and it is going to get worse. my wife loves her patients and she comes home worn out and says I don't have time to talk or try to cheer up a patient who is having a bad day. My wife loves what she does, I told her to stop working, we did not have to have her paycheck, but she does it not just for the paycheck. She loves her patients and has won award and been nurse of the year. I am proud of her, but I don't know if I could do it. So when you see a nurse thank them.
He's trying to save lives. In his October 6, 2009 show-length Special Comment, he put aside the politics and got to the real issue: death. You can see that at the start of the comment.
i know this is an old vid. Mr. O. i weep for you and so much for you pops. Your dad didn't need to go through this. i hope i never have to go through this.
Why can't my country have people like that. I am not an expert on American politics and policies but i saw Michael Moore's films and understand that this guy must be telling the truth.
For those wondering, 6 liters is about 12.5 pints and since a pint's a pound the world around, Mr. Olbermann Sr had 12.5 pounds of infection drained out.
There are capitalists that are completely aware that their employees are the ones whose spending drives the economy. However, these are few and far between and becoming rarer. These days, the MBAs out there are simply paring away expenses and cutting costs without realising that these "expenses" and "costs" are peoples livelihoods and they can make a profit without cutting back on these. Hell the economy benefits when the poorest are well paid.
in my country regardless of income all of those treatments that Keith's father got anyone can get without any out of pocket expenses on the public system because healthcare is guaranteed as a right under law indeed because we have UHC instead of my grandmother succumbing to cancer in 18 months we managed with the help of chemotherapy which she could get on the public system we got an extra 8 and a half years on top of those 18 months.
@f0rTyLeGz I agree!!! This Special Comment helped me talk to my father soon after we had a huge argument. Now my father Norris and Keith's father Ted if the other side exsists, are talking about their wonderful sons.
@reckingmachine Why are you so heartless?? This isn't "clap trap drama." How dare you!! I lost my Dad in 2005 to a slow and painful death from cancer. I was forced to watch him waste away to nearly nothing knowing that there was nothing I could do to help him or stop the disease. I can understand very well where Keith is coming from. What politicians do in DC effect the lives of every individual. They should be thinking about individuals not corporations. That is what Keith is talking about.
Yes exactly! Because if history taught us anything, it's government doesn't "give" anything without taking something. It's either money or freedom, usually both. Sadly, Big Brother doesn't have to use the threat of rats feeding on your face to get you to step in line. He just has to offer you healthcare.
Thank you this is complicated information which is an essential part of healing. You’re dealing with two separate issues broken medical protocol and medical care. And the right of life and the standards .
You are the one that is insulting him while he and his father are going through an amazingly painful time in their lives and he shares a particularly painful story to the world. Besides regardless if you believe in his opinions or not he really is doing what he thinks is best for the country, and in relation you.
RIP Theodore Olbermann. Regardless of your political views, two things are irrefutable: The current Health Care system needs reform/fixing. Also...Walk a mile in this guy's shoes. If you don't like the guy or his politics, at least have respect for the guy as a human being and be civil.
im not a fan of olbermann at all but i do have respect for this segment he made about his father.. left or right, this video is not about that it is about a father
It is not respect, but sheer awe and admiration I have for Kieth at this point. To whore your own father and his situation for your personal political affinity is a bold, bold move. Like I said. I do not respect Keith at all. But I am completely floored by his commitment to his political religion, twisted and corrupt though it may be.
It is about death. This comment was from February 24, 2010. Less than a month later, his dad was dead. So it was about illness and death. He was saying that what Republicans call death panels actually save lives.
You're more than entitled to oppose health care reform. But Keith is talking about health, life and death, not politics. From his October 6, 2009, Special Comment: "Everybody is screaming that this is about rights or freedom or socialism or the president or the past or the future or political failure or political success. ... But ultimately, when we are screaming about health care reform, pro or con, we are screaming about death."
Keith, No one can tell truth to power as you do. Keep up the good work. It's a shame that this video is 14 years old and still very relevant. BTW, I watch all of your Countdown podcasts. I like it that the format is a cartoon version of you on the screen with your words in the background. I can listen to Countdown like it is a radio news program. I have the benefit of listening to you whilst cooking up Jacques Pepin's latest culinary dish.
Subject changing in the middle of a discussion? That's fine, but your missing the point again. We pay the government our taxes does that mean it works for us? The answer should be yes, but what if the doctors decided to get payed from the government and privately many of them do already, with the Veteran and Congress. So why shouldn't we get the same treatment as your elected officials in congress. Capitalism and liberalism are two different subjects. i never called myself liberal you did.
What can you say about that... They should play this when they open the summit, and then let people stand there and say they won't vote to help people like that.
I saw my PCP dr on Friday and we talked about healthcare, medicare etc. My doc told me less than 2% of med students are chosing to be PCP doctors. Medicare wants to cut another 21% on what they pay the doctors. It takes about a month before a doctor even get a check from medicare. My doctor is not talking any new medicare patients unless they also have private ins. They cannot make a living like that. The problem is everybody thinks doctors get rich, so do well in a specialty field.
And in doing so we have only succeeded in dividing ourselves. Please look at the power behind the government, namely corporate power and how it thrives on dividing the common people.
No one questions the quality of the healthcare in America. It the best you can get. Our hospitals, doctors nurses etc. are superlative. The problem is that despite its awesomeness, not everyone has access to it and those who do have access to it are watching their insurance premiums skyrocket. The weight of healthcare costs is crushing us. Our insurance system is what is broken. It simply unsustainable and has to change. Olbermann may be a bat crap crazy lefty, but his plea is right on.
I heard Republican leader Boehner declare at the Blair House Summit today that America has the best healthcare system in the world. However, that is only true if you have lots of money or the right connections or both. 47 million without health care and millions more with inadequate care is NOT the best healthcare system in the world.
Well, I AM a Respiratory Therapist, who works in a hospital and have done so for over 20 years. This scenario, that Keith describes with his Dad, has played out over and over and over in my career, with TOO MANY patients. This is the reality of it, folks. Thank you to Keith for sharing this painful experience. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
My mother and identical twin sister both begged me to end their suffering. Thanks Keith and Michael for sharing this.
God Bless Keith and warmest, kindest wishes to all your loved ones.
I cried, this was one of the strongest statements thus far.
This video haven't abed well
I have gone through this with my two best friends, my father, my brother and my wife; there is no one left to advocate for me. HELP!
KEITH THANK YOU, YOU ARE THE MOST INTELLIGENT KINDNEST LOVING SON HELPING HIS FATHER AT THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME OF HIS LIFE! TEARS FOR YOU AND YOUR FATHER, RESPECT FOR YOU BOTH IN SHARING THIS VERY PRIVATE EVENT WITH YOUR COUNTRYMAN. YOU ARE TRULY AN AMERICAN WHO LOVES YOUR FELLOW MAN.
Damn, I nearly started crying towards the end. It's sad to know what was happening then and it seems like little (or probably a lot) was done to fix it. Well said Mr. Olbermann.
In addition, this entire segment was published in 'Pitchforks and Torches' pp. 249-255. It felt real when reading the section while listening to Keith.
As always, when unabashed truth matters, I turn to Keith. Thank god he returns to address our country during its deepest peril. Thus during this indictment season, Keith has given me the facts to slog my way through the seesaw emotions coming everyday. Will trump be held accountable? Will it all end in a way I can live with? My RUclips feed sent me this old piece. It was heart wrenching, but reminded me that keith
Amendment… is there and always will be when it matters. The Paul Harvey of the 21st century. Thank you Keith.
I agree. ❤
I am so glad I went, he did not ever wake up on tuesday and passed away that night. Thanks for letting me share that, I miss him.
Been through that also and I both sympathize and agree. I also have written Congress not once but many times on health care reform.
Well spoken Mr Olbermann. Thank you.
For all future people who see this and happen to read this comment. Shortly after this aired, his father died. At his dying request, from then on, Keith Olbermann read James Thurber stories every Friday until the day he was fired off of MSNBC.
And he continued it at Current TV.
And he continues to do so with Countdown now in iHeart Radio podcast form
@@djwilson1993 indeed he does, sir. I hope I can honor my own father in such a way. But that's probably many years down the line. We share a deep love and appreciation of Looney Tunes, so it's probably going to be related to that. That too, was something that gravitated me toward Mr. Olbermann all those years ago. I'm glad he has found his niche in the podcast pipeline.
@@ZerglingOne1I love Looney Toons!!!
It's one of my favorite sections of his Countdown Podcast - when he reads Thurber. Thank you, Keith's dad for introducing us to this storytime
I applaud you for your comments.... we all have to deal with death, suffering etc... However, healthcare is the last hurdle many of us have to over come before passing away. Unfortunately many in America can not afford health care and have to suffer in such an awful manner. I am glad to live in Canada where we care for one another enough to ensure all get the care they need regardless of cost.
Very moving. God bless you and your family Keith.
Still touching everytime I see this...
This SC helped me talk to my dad after an argument. I credit Keith & his story about his dad in encouraging me to make peace with my dad until his death in 2011.
A very powerful and emotional story.
MSNBC was wrong. How ever difficult Keith may have been to work with, his voice was needed and is sorely missed.
Countdown continues as podcast. Good stuff!
Beautiful Keith
Wonderful you and your father had such a warm relationship
Kieth, I am so sorry for you and yours, I respect you so much for your ideals and the life you have chosen. Stay strong ng seems so lame. Made me cry because mortality is in sight for me too. You are a good son.
It is in a way good to know that the people of fame and wealth such as Keith Oberman are experiencing the first hand difficulties and seeing the fault in the Health Care System. It gives the feeling of unity in the classes where it's not only the middle and lower income citizens that have problems, but also the wealthy. This is a powerful speech that needs to be heard by everyone. I hope a new and better health care system comes soon
I wish Keith's father the best in whatever way it leads. My mom died of cancer and the end was extremely painful for her and the doctors were kind to her.
That trickle down effect thing has never trickled down... EVER
This should be shown to every person who ever used the word 'death panel' with a straight face.
Keith is the most courageous man in news, not only for his decisions with his father, but to make it so public.
Glen Beck gets teary-eyed for menial crap. Keith runs the risk of losing his father and keeps amazingly dry eyes.
This is probably the most intense Live TV since 911.
Keith Olbermann is a wonderful man. America's best!
I am Canadian. And i know we do not have to wait any longer. My point is that in Canada we do not go by a monetary system in which whoever has the most money gets to go first. We have a social system in which whoever needs treatment the most goes first.
One of the most moving moments I've seen on tv. We are with you, Keith.
I was lucky; my parents died together in an auto accident 16 years ago. But then, I was cheated out of being able to tell them goodbye and that I loved them, one more time. I am old enough to remember when America had a heart, not only for those abroad, but also for you our citizens. The anger, fear mongering, and stated hatred MUST stop - NOW! It serves no one well, especially politians. We are the only wealthy nation that does NOT have government health care. What a shame - and what a sham.
...I want to hug this man so much I can't breathe.
I'm a fan of the show, but this was especially good.
I don't doubt that even if Keith did not have this personal angle, he would still be on the right side of this issue.
This is, BTW, about that most basic human right --- human dignity. We all deserve it. It's The Golden Rule.
Do unto others as we would want done unto ourselves.
I am continually inspired by you Mr. Olbermann!
Just got word on the deaths of Keith Olbermann's father. Peace to your father and strength to Keith in your time of loss. He could have turned his back on the rest of us comforted by the fact that his position and his money would insulate him from this criminal health care system.
He did the right thing by speaking the truth in the face of snarling bare fanged racist and flat out insane people. Be strong Keith I wait to once again fight by your side for health care.
Canada health care is suicide
This is the first time I get to see this video, God Bless you Mr.Olbermann.
He had a great life and was a great father.They stopped the Kidney machine on a monday, I was going to go tuesday and see him, but I left the office and it was like God said go tonight, he was still awake and could not speak, from mini strokes they thought. I told him he was the best dad in the world and i loved him very much. I know he heard me, because he raised his head off the pillow and tried to talk, I said rest dad. I got him some crushed ice and placed it in his mouth, he liked that.
The only thing Richard Nixon ever did was to make dialysis free of charge to all Americans. You were not blessed with this treatment. It was done with the stroke of a pen. It's a shame that more healthcare isn't free with the stroke of a pen.
It never ceases to amaze me - as a Canadian that I do enjoy the right to the best health care possible guaranteed to every citizen of Canada. Why is health in America still controlled by insurance companies? Remember this pro private health care yea sayers - ( and this is in YOUR constitution) - The right to LIFE, LIBERTY and FREEDOM. Why should some health insurance company be your Judge, Jury and executioner when you are sick and need medical help?
My sympathy to Keith Olbermann et al.
You are right, he has done that. My dad went though the same kind of stuff Keith's dad has. I feel for both of them and I hope Keith's dad gets though this and have many more years with his son. Keith is under a great deal and wish him only the best.
Ironic how this cuts to the core of the debate, how much "care" does anyone dying really want. How much does the family want ? How much can the govt afford? There are no answers....
No wonder Keith Olbermann is so good,, His Dad is listening...Now if other talking heads had someone that they loved sooo much that they would speak as if their loved one was watching..Keep up the good work Keith Olbermann..you are definitely among the critical few.
Hearing this story makes it so clear to me. To not let a patient die even when the patient asks for it is all money. If they can bill the patient and the family to the last drop why let the sick die and then end up with a corpse in need of disposal. and why taking money from the ones you are supposed to regulate is not bribery and illegal? They all should be in jail.
His father WANTED this story to be told. He was not dragged into it.
Wow. just wow. Powerful message. Hope they hear him and bring the USA into the 21st century like other countries who take care of their sick with dignity and compassion, not profiting from it.
Boy are you one lovely piece of humanity.
Lets hope you never get seriously ill and lack insurance.
This man is great
I agree, what is going to happen is that a person as sick as Keith dad is, this sad to say. It going to come a point, where they say, we cannot go on keeping him alive unless it starts coming out of the patients family. My dad reached this point and he left us a gift that if he got so bad that there is not chance then stop everything. We were blessed because he had been on a Kidney machine for 3 years and the doctor said it may be a slow death and he would swell. Thank God that did not.
My heart and prayers is with you keith , great guy true American Hero :(. Thank you for speaking truth.
He wants suicide to to mainstream health care. Like in Canada
When I was in California, I really disliked Olberman, and lately, I have done a turn-around. I really love his "perspectives " on issues. He says things that others don't or won't say, and he has earned my respect.
As of 2007 (latest statistics I could find quickly) 62.1% of all bankruptcies in the United States were caused by health care costs. 78% of those people HAD INSURANCE when the crisis causing the bankruptcy occured.
The issue is far beyond "relying on government," but even so, just because someone is poor, that doesn't mean we should let them die for want of insurance.
We don't let that happen to senior citizens, whether they were good people or not, we shouldn't let it occur at all.
god we need some one in congress who has common sense like you please recommend come that is like you
Best...Special...Comment....EVER!!! Shameful that Olbermann left, especially with all of what's going on here and abroad.
The public option IS a compromise. Here in Australia it was tried, and quickly supplanted by single payer for all. We still have the public option for private insurance, but if you don't have either, you are still covered.
"...what is this country FOR, if not to take care of it's people?" (emphasis his)
I very much hope that all our countries' governments could be reminded of the reason for their existence.
shortage of nurses and it is going to get worse. my wife loves her patients and she comes home worn out and says I don't have time to talk or try to cheer up a patient who is having a bad day. My wife loves what she does, I told her to stop working, we did not have to have her paycheck, but she does it not just for the paycheck. She loves her patients and has won award and been nurse of the year. I am proud of her, but I don't know if I could do it. So when you see a nurse thank them.
@NathanMosaic I share the same sentiment with nathan and grieve for you keith, thank you for your powerful thoughts!
He's trying to save lives. In his October 6, 2009 show-length Special Comment, he put aside the politics and got to the real issue: death. You can see that at the start of the comment.
i know this is an old vid. Mr. O. i weep for you and so much for you pops. Your dad didn't need to go through this. i hope i never have to go through this.
Why can't my country have people like that. I am not an expert on American politics and policies but i saw Michael Moore's films and understand that this guy must be telling the truth.
Keith, well said.
For those wondering, 6 liters is about 12.5 pints and since a pint's a pound the world around, Mr. Olbermann Sr had 12.5 pounds of infection drained out.
Damn right Keith!
There are capitalists that are completely aware that their employees are the ones whose spending drives the economy. However, these are few and far between and becoming rarer. These days, the MBAs out there are simply paring away expenses and cutting costs without realising that these "expenses" and "costs" are peoples livelihoods and they can make a profit without cutting back on these.
Hell the economy benefits when the poorest are well paid.
Anyone not touched by this has no soul.
in my country regardless of income all of those treatments that Keith's father got anyone can get without any out of pocket expenses on the public system because healthcare is guaranteed as a right under law indeed because we have UHC instead of my grandmother succumbing to cancer in 18 months we managed with the help of chemotherapy which she could get on the public system we got an extra 8 and a half years on top of those 18 months.
Aww Keith... I wanna hug him.
@f0rTyLeGz I agree!!! This Special Comment helped me talk to my father soon after we had a huge argument. Now my father Norris and Keith's father Ted if the other side exsists, are talking about their wonderful sons.
@reckingmachine Why are you so heartless?? This isn't "clap trap drama." How dare you!! I lost my Dad in 2005 to a slow and painful death from cancer. I was forced to watch him waste away to nearly nothing knowing that there was nothing I could do to help him or stop the disease. I can understand very well where Keith is coming from. What politicians do in DC effect the lives of every individual. They should be thinking about individuals not corporations. That is what Keith is talking about.
Christ, why isn't this guy a politician?
Yes exactly! Because if history taught us anything, it's government doesn't "give" anything without taking something. It's either money or freedom, usually both. Sadly, Big Brother doesn't have to use the threat of rats feeding on your face to get you to step in line. He just has to offer you healthcare.
I've more often than not agreed with Keith on political matters, but this I think was his most moving and truest-speaking comment ever.
Thank you this is complicated information which is an essential part of healing. You’re dealing with two separate issues broken medical protocol and medical care. And the right of life and the standards .
How can you argue with this video...
Meanwhile an insurance company's decision to cut off any kind of care like cancer treatments is just fine.
Very, very moving.
I love and respect Keith Olbermann so much
You are the one that is insulting him while he and his father are going through an amazingly painful time in their lives and he shares a particularly painful story to the world.
Besides regardless if you believe in his opinions or not he really is doing what he thinks is best for the country, and in relation you.
Damn Well said Keith!
keith has some great points.
RIP Theodore Olbermann.
Regardless of your political views, two things are irrefutable: The current Health Care system needs reform/fixing.
Also...Walk a mile in this guy's shoes. If you don't like the guy or his politics, at least have respect for the guy as a human being and be civil.
im not a fan of olbermann at all but i do have respect for this segment he made about his father..
left or right, this video is not about that it is about a father
It is not respect, but sheer awe and admiration I have for Kieth at this point.
To whore your own father and his situation for your personal political affinity is a bold, bold move. Like I said. I do not respect Keith at all. But I am completely floored by his commitment to his political religion, twisted and corrupt though it may be.
Very touching
It is about death. This comment was from February 24, 2010. Less than a month later, his dad was dead. So it was about illness and death. He was saying that what Republicans call death panels actually save lives.
this was not easy to watch.
You're more than entitled to oppose health care reform. But Keith is talking about health, life and death, not politics. From his October 6, 2009, Special Comment:
"Everybody is screaming that this is about rights or freedom or socialism or the president or the past or the future or political failure or political success. ... But ultimately, when we are screaming about health care reform, pro or con, we are screaming about death."
FIRST!!! I caught this last night. pretty powerful stuff
"Sometimes dead is better" Fred Gwynne, "Pet Semetery".
shit, Keith's story brought tears and the comments that follow brought vomit....
Keith, No one can tell truth to power as you do. Keep up the good work. It's a shame that this video is 14 years old and still very relevant. BTW, I watch all of your Countdown podcasts. I like it that the format is a cartoon version of you on the screen with your words in the background. I can listen to Countdown like it is a radio news program. I have the benefit of listening to you whilst cooking up Jacques Pepin's latest culinary dish.
Subject changing in the middle of a discussion? That's fine, but your missing the point again. We pay the government our taxes does that mean it works for us? The answer should be yes, but what if the doctors decided to get payed from the government and privately many of them do already, with the Veteran and Congress.
So why shouldn't we get the same treatment as your elected officials in congress.
Capitalism and liberalism are two different subjects.
i never called myself liberal you did.
Even just limiting their profit margins (and marketing budgets) is a vast improvement on what the US has now.
4:00 Keith does indeed read Thurbur stories on his show now. Every friday on his Countdown podcast, they're great.
we are a pathetic, decaying society...
oh wow... that uh.... that made me cry...
What can you say about that...
They should play this when they open the summit, and then let people stand there and say they won't vote to help people like that.
I saw my PCP dr on Friday and we talked about healthcare, medicare etc. My doc told me less than 2% of med students are chosing to be PCP doctors. Medicare wants to cut another 21% on what they pay the doctors. It takes about a month before a doctor even get a check from medicare. My doctor is not talking any new medicare patients unless they also have private ins. They cannot make a living like that. The problem is everybody thinks doctors get rich, so do well in a specialty field.
@Jallandhara And a thumbs up for you.
That's a good point.
Your courage.
And in doing so we have only succeeded in dividing ourselves. Please look at the power behind the government, namely corporate power and how it thrives on dividing the common people.
No one questions the quality of the healthcare in America. It the best you can get. Our hospitals, doctors nurses etc. are superlative.
The problem is that despite its awesomeness, not everyone has access to it and those who do have access to it are watching their insurance premiums skyrocket. The weight of healthcare costs is crushing us. Our insurance system is what is broken. It simply unsustainable and has to change. Olbermann may be a bat crap crazy lefty, but his plea is right on.
I heard Republican leader Boehner declare at the Blair House Summit today that America has the best healthcare system in the world. However, that is only true if you have lots of money or the right connections or both.
47 million without health care and millions more with inadequate care is NOT the best healthcare system in the world.
No, shame on the American's that stand in the way of families getting the help they need.
whoah it gave me a lump in my throat