Ex-MSNBC host Keith Olbermann was slammed Monday after he railed against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for no longer being a “legit progressive” — while boasting that he had dated the lawmaker more than a decade ago.
Olbermann, a longtime “SportsCenter” host turned liberal political commentator, took aim at the Arizona Democrat in response to GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who referred to Sinema as “the most effective first-term senator” he has ever seen.
“When we dated, in 2010-11, Kyrsten was a legit progressive, far to my left,” Olbermann tweeted. “Now she has embraced the Political Industry [trademark] where there is only process, not policy, and never people.”
Olbermann, who was fired from MSNBC over a decade ago, added that the “perfect solution” would be for Sinema to be the next host of NBC’s “Meet The Press.”
The backlash was swift, with some on Twitter joking that Sinema — who is openly bisexual — had modified her political and personal tastes after her relationship with Olbermann.
When we dated, in 2010-11, Kyrsten was a legit progressive, far to my left.
Now she has embraced the Political Industry™️ where there is only process, not policy, and never people.
Perfect solution: she can be the next host of @MeetThePress https://t.co/lSvKDDykjZ
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 26, 2022
“No wonder Sinema became a moderate, she must have concluded that progressives such as Keith Olbermann are completely insufferable,” the Political Election Projections account tweeted.
“All it took was dating Keith Olbermann for Krysten Sinema to stop being a progressive, spend the rest of her career making Democrats angry, and become bisexual. Makes sense,” GOP strategist Greg Price wrote.
Another chimed in: “It’s not at all shocking to learn that Keith Olbermann’s exes wanna get so far away from him that they cross political aisles.”
“Keith Olbermann dating Krysten Sinema a decade ago AND still being hung up over is a plot twist I didn’t see coming,” another said. “Move on man, this is embarrassing.”
“…and now we know why she’s not into men anymore,” cracked attorney and podcast host Jeff Blehar, who ranted in a second tweet: “The idea of telling tales on a person I’ve ever had a personal relationship with (I mean real personal, you understand)? I’d rather shoot myself in the god—n head. I was born with at least some sense of shame, however, which distinguishes me from this guy.”
Others pointed to Olbermann’s history of dating prominent media women, including MSNBC anchor Katy Tur and Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“I think I’m beginning to see your problem, Keith,” tweeted Spectator USA contributing editor Stephen L. Miller, who added: “Keith seems to have a knack for dating women who all go on to be more successful than him.”
“Soft launching the fact that you dated Kyrsten Sinema,” Boston journalist Sam Mintz added, alongside screenshots of past tweets from Olbermann attacking Sinema.
Sinema has become notorious for standing firm against her left-wing Democratic Party colleagues since President Biden took office.
In January of this year, she was slammed by her members of her own party after voting against Senate Democrats’ effort to pass two pieces of sweeping election reform legislation by altering or eliminating the the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster.
Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) went so far as to say she couldn’t see a “compelling case” for why Sinema should continue representing Arizona in the Senate.
“She has proven herself an obstacle to the right to vote in the United States,” the New York rep told MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan after the vote.