Michael Moore discussed his new film on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann last week, which excoriates the 2008 financial bailouts, corporate welfare and various other flaws in a system in which the government gives favor to corporations that can afford lobbyists in Washington DC. Moore also calls capitalism “evil,” even when you strip away all the sweetheart deals with the government.
While his initial frustration with crony capitalism may be justified, while on Olbermann’s show, Moore completely failed to mention that General Electric, the company that keeps Olbermann on the air, received billions in bailout money last year. He also neglected to point out that Olbermann received a $3.5 million pay raise around the same time that taxpayers paid to keep General Electric afloat. (Olbermann regularly scolds corporate employees who receive bonuses from bailed out companies.)
Despite calls to put his money where his mouth is and return his own bonus, Olbermann has remained silent. And while Moore is usually so quick to attack anyone benefiting from government-backed corporate profits, he didn’t even mention his host’s own hypocrisy.
You see, to guys like Moore and Olbermann, it’s perfectly okay to make millions from taxpayers and capitalism, so long as it’s their bank account getting filled with the cash.