Keith Olbermann is back and ready to take on Trump

Keith Olbermann spent years lambasting George W. Bush, labeling him a fascist, a war criminal and any number of other not-so-positive things.

Such is the political times that Olbermann is wistful for those bad old days.

"I would vote for George W. Bush for a third term, if possible, rather than Donald Trump," Olbermann said in a phone interview with Mashable. "That's how bad Donald Trump is."

Yup, he's back.

After emerging as one of America's most recognizable political commentators on cable television, Olbermann has launched an online video series with GQ. The Closer with Keith Olbermann debuted on Monday, with Olbermann doing what he does best.

His first hit "176 Shocking Things Donald Trump Has Done This Election," which already has more than 270,000 views on YouTube, was inspired by a log that Olbermann began in April in which he logged every "outrageous" thing Trump did during his campaign.

The log is about 69 pages long, a testament to the near-impossible job that journalists face in trying to cover Trump.

"Perhaps in the history of American presidential politics, the log of similar events in all the other campaigns combined would be 69 pages long," he said. "When it's that much material... it's impossible to see the forrest for the trees."

Olbermann's return ends a relatively quiet period for one of the loudest voices in politics. Having started his career in the very early days of CNN and then becoming a renowned radio broadcaster, Olbermann gained national recognition as an anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter. After ESPN, Olbermann would move to MSNBC, where his fiery rants on Countdown with Keith Olbermann would make him one of the foremost critics of the Bush administration.

Now, he's warning about something that has been brewing for years. Trump, Olbermann said, is the end result of a two-decade propaganda campaign that has weaved conspiracies and fear into the DNA of the Republican party.

"It's really surprising looking, but it's not a surprise. It's been coming for a long time. This is Rush Limbaugh. This is Fox News. This is Michele Bachmann. This is all the other people of questionable motives who have no dedication to democracy," Olbermann said. "Donald Trump has seized this opportunity as they said of [Senator Joseph] McCarthy. He did not create the climate. He exploited it and rather successfully." 

The Closer has already logged more than 1.5 million views for the series, which currently sits at five episodes after its first week. Olbermann said the tentative plan is to release about four videos a week, though that number may fluctuate. He added that the series could feature longform interviews when it makes sense, noting that this being the internet, he doesn't have to conform to any preexisting structure.

Olbermann's return adds a needed dose of levity during an election in which breakthrough commentary has remained elusive. Samthana Bee and John Oliver stand out, but are on weekly shows. With no Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert (old Colbert, obviously) with near daily takedowns, there has been a bit of vacuum.

Can an online-only series have the same kind of impact as the TV pulpit that he and others have used to embed themselves in the national conscience? Olbermann thinks so, arguing that his online audience is already competitive with cable news numbers.

When counting Facebook and Twitter audiences, a GQ spokesperson said the reach of the video series has already hit 5 million. Online vs. cable audience comparisons tend to underestimate TV while overstating cable.

Still, the ability to launch a series and quickly reach millions of people is what makes Olbermann a believer that the internet has and will continue to change how we consume news, much like cable changed news in the 20th century.

"We're at a cable-comes-in point again," Olbermann said.