Tag Archives: abraham-lincoln

In today’s “What Fact Did Keith Olbermann Mangle Now” segment, the host of MSNBC’s “Countdown” on Tuesday hysterically mocked Arizona senatorial candidate Sharron Angle for claiming Abraham Lincoln lost “quite a few” elections. “Just for the record, do you know how many elections Abraham Lincoln lost in his lifetime?” Olbermann arrogantly asked. “Seven of eight he won,” answered MSNBC’s hottest property. Just for the record, Olbermann wasn’t even close to being right (video follows with transcript and commentary, h/t The Corner ): KEITH OLBERMANN, HOST: It`s Tea Time. If I asked you which Tea Partier was likeliest to compare themselves to Abraham Lincoln, could you guess? Yes, it`s Sharon obtuse Angle from Nevada, in the middle of a fawning interview with a supporter who confessed to once predicting she would not win the nomination. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL MANDERS, SHARRON ANGLE SUPPORTER: I said you`ve lost; how are you going to win this? I don`t possibly think that you`re going to win it. SHARRON ANGLE (R), TEA PARTY CANDIDATE FOR SENATE: That`s right. MANDERS: And then you surprised everybody and won this nomination. ANGLE: That`s right. MANDERS: This opportunity to run against the beast, Harry Reid. ANGLE: Well, you know, it`s just like Abraham Lincoln. He lost quite a few. But he won the big one. He won the one that mattered for this country. And really that`s what we`re in. MANDERS: Do you think you`re too — (END VIDEO CLIP) OLBERMANN: Oh, now you`re Abraham Lincoln? I`m beginning to doubt you`re even Sue Lowden. Just for the record, do you know how many elections Abraham Lincoln lost in his lifetime? The Illinois state assembly in 1832. He prevailed in four elections for state assembly, one for Congress, two for president. Seven of eight he won. Sharron Angle, I knew Abraham Lincoln`s won-loss record, and you`re no Abraham Lincoln. For those that didn’t catch it, Olbermann was spoofing that infamous moment in the 1988 vice presidential debate between Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quayle. Deliciously, it is the “Countdown” host that was no Jack Kennedy in this instance, for as Jeffrey Lord reported at the American Spectator Friday, Olbermann was 100 percent wrong: Here’s Abraham Lincoln’s actual score with elections. He did indeed win four state assembly elections, and lose in 1832, just as Olbermann says. In fact, Abe ran 8th in a field of 13 candidates back there in 1832. Here’s Lincoln’s record with voters, per [Pulitzer Prize winning Lincoln biographer Carl] Sandburg: 1832 — Lost his first race for the state assembly 1834 — Won a seat in the state assembly 1836 — Won re-election 1838 — Won re-election 1840 — Won re-election 1842 — Lost a race for Congress to John Hardin (per biographer Sandburg. Lincoln actually came in behind a friend, Edward D. Baker — losing his own Sangamon County delegates to Baker. Later, he would name one of his sons for Baker). Lincoln structures deal that Hardin, Baker and finally himself would each serve back-to-back single terms in Congress. 1846 — Wins congressional seat, succeeding his friend Baker, who had succeeded Hardin. As per the Lincoln deal. 1854 — Elected again to the Illinois legislature, but loses a race for the United States Senate to Lyman Trumbull. Writes to a friend: “I regret my defeat moderately, but I am not nervous about it.” Mary Lincoln was so enraged at this loss that she never again spoke to Trumbull’s wife Julia — who had been a bridesmaid at Mary and Abe’s wedding. 1856 — Loses the vice-presidential nomination of the new Republican Party to William L. Dayton, a former U.S. Senator from New Jersey. Dayton received 259 votes to Lincoln’s 115, becoming the running mate of John Charles Fremont. Hearing of his defeat, Lincoln laughs and says, “It must be some other Lincoln.” 1858 — Lincoln loses a race for the United States Senate to legendary rival Senator Stephen A. Douglas. In the course of the campaign, the two travel Illinois in what are known to history as the “Lincoln-Douglas” debates. The debates help make Lincoln — and his pro-union, anti-slavery argument — famous. 1860 and 1864 — Elected and re-elected president. In other words, Keith Olbermann was not only wrong but so wide of the truth and the facts as to give Bill Clinton on Monica a good reputation. Sharron Angle, on the other hand, was right. Making her remark 100 percent factually correct. Lincoln ran 13 times, according to biographer Sandburg, not eight as Olbermann said with such assured smugness. Lincoln lost not once, as Mr. Drama Queen asserted, but, again according to the Pulitzer winning biographer, five times. Once for the state assembly, once for Congress, once for vice-president and twice for U.S. Senator. The latter Senate race famous to this day.  So, on Tuesday evening, Olbermann selectively edited and cherry picked from a Rush Limbaugh radio transcript to make the conservative talk show host look like a racist AND completely misrepresented history to smear a Republican senatorial candidate. All in a day’s work for a liberal shill at MSNBC I guess.  Adding insult to injury, the “Countdown” host Wednesday called former Alaska governor Sarah Palin an idiot. You were saying, Keith? 

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Olbermann Mangles Another Fact, Claims Abe Lincoln Only Lost One Election