Maddow A Ratings Winner

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:41:58 AM EST
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Keith Olbermann was certainly correct that giving a liberal commentator a show behind his lead-in would be a sure success. Rachel Maddow demonstrates this. But let me state this - Maddow has been surprisingly effective the times I have watched her in presenting the liberal perspective while retaining a sense of fealty to the facts. Facts good for Democrats of course (and what facts are not these days?), but facts nonetheless.

It seems a good thing for Maddow imo that she did not get a show during the Democratic primaries. When she was a guest on Olbermann's show and as part of NBC's election coverage, she demonstrated every tendency of becoming as hackish as Olbermann. I think she has largely avoided that, at least when I have watched her show. Good show, Rachel

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

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Maddow A Ratings Winner | 24 comments (24 topical)

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Most revealing line from the article: (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by andgarden on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:50:21 AM EST

Mr. Olbermann watches Mr. O'Reilly's show on a monitor embedded in his desk,

No comment.

andgarden are they sure it was a (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by CaptainAmerica08 on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:58:58 AM EST

monitor KO was looking at or a mirror? ;)
BTW, Maddow does have a good show and is great as she was before rebutting right-wing talking points.


I dunno how he does it (none / 0) (#3)
by CST on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:54:20 AM EST

I have only been able to sit through about 10 min of that show (5 min on two occasions). Both times he was ranting about "evil rappers" (one of whom was Nas) - clearly the most important issue to Americans today.


I tend to be otherwise occupied (none / 0) (#5)
by andgarden on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:55:58 AM EST

at that time of day now. I watch none of the Cable yappers anymore.


: I don't watch MSNBC for the same reason (none / 0) (#7)
by Exeter on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:57:40 AM EST

I don't watch Fox or listen to Rush Limbaugh.

: It was during the commercials (none / 0) (#8)
by CST on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:58:16 AM EST

Of the Daily Show. I am a notorious commercial channel flipper. Usually it's to Maddow or Anderson Cooper at that time, but if they are on commercial break too, sometimes I like to check out Fox to see what the dark side is saying.

: My "dish"... (none / 0) (#18)
by desertswine on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:45:31 PM EST

doesn't get MSNBC or Fox, unless you pay extra;
which I'm not about to do.

I watch Bill.... (none / 0) (#15)
by kdog on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:24:25 PM EST

when I'm in front of the boob-tube at 8....the unintentional comedy is off the charts CST. Literally laugh out loud.

I don't know if it is the laughter enhancers I imbibe or what, but Bill O'Reilly has me rolling sometimes. If he was doing it intentionally, I'd dare to call him a comedic genius.


I like her (5.00 / 5) (#2)
by Steve M on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:51:10 AM EST

She is a star IMO. And my wife, who is much less interested in the day-to-day of politics than I am, likes her a lot and finds her very accessible.

I sure hope (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by NYShooter on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:55:23 AM EST

she's back as the "prior" Rachel.

I guess pundits are kind of like politicians; swing this way to capture this constituancy, then that way when the situation changes.

Sure would love to have a peek into her heart as to how much the Primary reporting was "Rachel" and how much was her producers telling her what she had to be.

: Really (none / 0) (#22)
by Spamlet on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 03:46:53 PM EST

I liked her so much for her first couple of years on Air America, then during the primaries could not watch or listen to her at all. She is very smart and funny, too. I hope this latest "new" Rachel is the real Rachel (again).

This reminds me (5.00 / 1) (#14)
by lilburro on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:08:32 PM EST

of a humorous little snippet from last weekend's NYT Magazine article on Obama:

"If voters are similarly polarized and if they're seeing two different realities, a Sean Hannity reality and a Keith Olbermann reality, then we're not going to be able to get done the work we need to get done," Obama said.

Heheheh.

Rachel is probably the smartest person on TV, (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by steviez314 on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:29:12 PM EST

but I have no idea how she can stand Pat Buchanan.

Pat is one of those people I'd cross the street to avoid bumping into.

Pat is also very smart and has a superb (5.00 / 1) (#17)
by andgarden on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:31:04 PM EST

political sense.

He is nevertheless a nutter and a racist.


: I'm not so sure about his political sense. (none / 0) (#19)
by steviez314 on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:48:48 PM EST

I think most of the pundits of his generation have missed the shifts going on in the elctorate and it shows in their reviews of the debates, primaries, attack ads, etc.

From everything I've read (none / 0) (#20)
by Socraticsilence on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 01:57:59 PM EST

Buchannan is one of the nicest guys in the "newsertainment" industry, I mean he's basically a paleoconservative John Bircher (but isolationist) but, apparently as a guy he's a perfect gentleman-- plus he seems way smarter than most of the people who go on TV.


Molly Ivins on Buchanan, 1996 (5.00 / 0) (#21)
by wurman on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 02:44:51 PM EST

She wrote:

The good news is that Pat Buchanan -- aside from being a racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic anti-Semite -- is a fairly likable human being. I mean, you'd much rather have a beer with him than Bob Dole or Phil Gramm.

And from 1992:

On conservative presidential candidate Pat Buchanan: "Many people did not care for Pat Buchanan's speech; it probably sounded better in the original German." - published in The Nation, Sept. 14, 1992

Perhaps Buchanan is a gentlemanly foil for Rachel Maddow's wit. For some reason though, I don't like to put up with his "stuff."

At least Maddow doesn't pretend (none / 0) (#6)
by Exeter on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:56:16 AM EST

to be a journalist like that hackiest hack of all times, Keith "The Hack" Olbermann. Man that guy is a hack; )

Speaking of education, Maddow's (none / 0) (#9)
by oculus on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:58:34 AM EST

undergrad degree is from Stanford (public policy) and she used her Rhodes scholarship to obtain a degree from Oxford.

: Elitist (none / 0) (#11)
by CST on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:59:18 AM EST

:)

Rachel and Liz Winstead (none / 0) (#12)
by Lil on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:59:30 AM EST

saved my sanity in '04. I am so happy for her success. Although the primary comments had me in a knot. I think your assessment about the timing of her show is correct. During the primaries would not have been good. I had to laugh at the Times speaking of her "companion". Very 1950's of them.

: Wiki informs me Maddow was the first (none / 0) (#13)
by oculus on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:01:51 PM EST

"openly gay" recipient of a Rhodes scholarship.

Maddow (none / 0) (#23)
by Faust on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 03:57:11 PM EST

often says she is "uncomfortable" with being a pundit. As long as she preserves her discomfort, she should be better than the average pundit.

Truer words never spoken: (none / 0) (#24)
by ChiTownDenny on Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 04:25:39 PM EST

"Maddow has been surprisingly effective the times I have watched her in presenting the liberal perspective while retaining a sense of fealty to the facts." Much to my chagrin during the Dem primaries.