Keith Olbermann on Thursday mocked the Southern drawl of Alabama's Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James.
Last week, James released a new ad claiming that if he's elected governor, drivers license exams will only be written in English rather than the twelve languages currently available for Alabama residents.
The commercial ended, "Maybe it's the businessman in me, but we'll save money, and it makes sense. Does it to you?"
After playing the ad on Thursday's "Countdown," the MSNBC host mocked, "Thank goodness we don't have an official language or anything. I mean, they, they probably won't allow that guy into Arizona" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
KEITH OLBERMANN, HOST: Um, well, uh, to be, feh, to be. I'm sorry, every once in a while the accent on one of these guys, I just can't penetrate it. Thank goodness we don't have an official language or anything. I mean, they, they probably won't allow that guy into Arizona. I mean, I caught that one part about Ali Baba. Is he going to tell us the story of the forty thieves?
Nice. Don't address any of the ideas expressed by the candidate. Just mock his accent?
And this guy thinks he's Edward R. Murrow.
Of course, this language chauvinism and antipathy towards the Southern drawl is quite common among pompous holier-than-thous like Olbermann.
As Bernie Goldberg told Bill O'Reilly last Tuesday, "I worked with these liberal elites for 28 years at CBS News, and they were always throwing around the term white trash, by which they meant poor Southerners who didn't go to Harvard. I'm not sure why that makes them trash."
Neither am I.
For the record, James is a college educated, highly-successful business owner. As the candidate's bio page describes:
Tim James is 48 years old, and the son of a renowned Alabamian, Fob James, Jr., a former two-term governor of Alabama. He attended Baylor Preparatory in Chattanooga, TN and received his Finance degree from Auburn University in Auburn, AL in 1985.
Tim began his professional career in 1986 working in the construction business. He later worked with his brothers and father in forming Escambia County Environmental Corporation. Tim's achievements in the business world also include owning and operating an asphalt construction business, as well as building and operating an incineration company treating non-hazardous industrial waste.
In 1996 Tim James and a group of partners formed the Baldwin County Bridge Company, LLC and managed all development of the Foley Beach Express in Orange Beach, AL. "We built this project - six miles of four-lane highway and a bridge - at no cost to taxpayers," explains Tim. "Then, we donated the expressway to Baldwin County." A multi-million-dollar gift to the taxpayers.
But the high and mighty Olbermann "just can't penetrate" James's accent.
Isn't that akin to not getting past the color of someone's skin?
