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TechnoratiThe Verdict at MSNBC: Maddow Gets Own Show
Rachel Maddow has been sounding off about politics on MSNBC so often she might as well have her own show.
And now she does.
The liberal commentator and Air America radio host, who has become a breakout star for the cable channel during the presidential campaign, is taking over the 9 p.m. slot following Keith Olbermann, whom she often subs for on "Countdown." Olbermann broke what he called a "fully authorized leak" yesterday on the left-wing Web site Daily Kos. Dan Abrams, the former MSNBC general manager who had been hosting "Verdict" at that hour, will continue as NBC's chief legal correspondent, become a "Dateline" contributor and serve as a daytime anchor for MSNBC.
With the promotion -- "The Rachel Maddow Show" begins Sept. 8 -- the 35-year-old commentator breaks into what has sometimes been derided as a boys club at the network, led by Olbermann and Chris Matthews. Hillary Clinton's campaign frequently ripped MSNBC for what it called sexist coverage during the Democratic primaries. Maddow, who lives with her girlfriend Susan Mikula in Manhattan and Northampton, Mass., may also be the first openly gay woman to host a prime-time news program.
Her appointment is certain to draw criticism that MSNBC is moving further left in an attempt to compete with Fox News from the opposite end of the spectrum. John McCain's Republican campaign has repeatedly assailed the network's campaign coverage as biased.
Maddow, who leavens her barbs with humor, is something of a heroine on the left. New York magazine recently ran an item headlined "Why We're Gay for Rachel Maddow," and a Nation article said: "Maddow didn't get here by bluster and bravado but with a combination of crisp thinking and galumphing good cheer. Remarkably, this season's discovery isn't a glossy matinee idol or a smooth-talking partisan hack but a PhD Rhodes scholar lesbian policy wonk who started as a prison AIDS activist."
© 2008 The Washington Post
28 Comments so far
Show AllRachael..You go Girl! Say whatever you want, right,left, or inbetween, I know it will have truth and common sense, coupled with humor. Too bad everything has to be about us and them when all we really need is "Just the Facts, Please." Best Wishes and Good Luck.
tetti-tatti-
You seem unable to post anything but inflammatory comments. It is because of posters like yourself ("george w bush," and "moonraven" also come to mind) that so many people were getting turned off by CD and they had to spend time and money to change their website in order to hide the comments section.
Bet you derive a sense of satisfaction from that, don't you? Like you finally accomplished something with your clearly miserable life.
drift obviously my message burst your little Lesser Evilist bubble so you attacked the messenger. You sound like you might work for CD, if so you're naive to think hiding posts will stifle nasty comments. Did you notice that they only got nastier in the last 24 hours?
My comment about Maddow being a General Electric mouthpiece wasn't inflammatory, it was a fact. You can't address facts, can you?
Maddow is a Democratic Party apologist and a media whore. She's a corporate player. You'll never, ever, hear her tell the truth, that Democrats have aided and abetted every Bush crime in the last 7 years and that Obama voted to fund the war, for the FISA bill and that he wants to escalate wars, not end them.
Maddow got this show by talking up the Democrats and dismissing the left. Just another Cokie Roberts as far as I'm concerned.
I'm with Amos. The problem with the Cokies of TV is that they have opinions but in the name of journalism they will say that perhaps one plus one is indeed three. If so many people say it's three, don't they deserve to be respected as much as the ones who say it's two? The first time I watched Keith Olbermann he interviewed a gay activist about the backlash to the MA court decision, and when he finished, the segment was over. I was shocked. But sometimes there's really no need to hear what the insane Right has to say. The Cokies don't get that, but Olbermann and Maddow do.
http://www.politicartoons.com/
Cokie Roberts my ass - You just ain't been paying attention.
I have heard her show on several occasions on the ill-fated Air America venture. While I looked forward with great anticipation to the advent of a liberal radio outlet the product I heard fell short of my expectations. The list of hosts were inadequate, the content was questionable and the tenor of the shows was sophomoric, in my own opinion of course.
With the exception of the terrific Thom Hartmann I felt that the hosts were best characterised as "Limbaugh Left". I find personally that hyperbole, exaggeration, distortion of events and incidents are as bad with a leftist shading as they are when they come from the right. Perhaps ,after such a long monopoly of right wing domination of the airwaves, many might disagree with my perspective. That I understand, though I do not agree of course. I have gone back to National Public Radio for the very best in fairness, accuracy and truthfulness. Ive nothing against Ms. Maddow, in fact I believe her intelligent,perceptive and wish her much success, I just need perspective not a liberal cheerleader.
we see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
I have heard her show on several occasions on the ill-fated Air America venture. While I looked forward with great anticipation to the advent of a liberal radio outlet the product I heard fell short of my expectations. The list of hosts were inadequate, the content was questionable and the tenor of the shows was sophomoric, in my own opinion of course.
With the exception of the terrific Thom Hartmann I felt that the hosts were best characterised as "Limbaugh Left". I find personally that hyperbole, exaggeration, distortion of events and incidents are as bad with a leftist shading as they are when they come from the right. Perhaps ,after such a long monopoly of right wing domination of the airwaves, many might disagree with my perspective. That I understand, though I do not agree of course. I have gone back to National Public Radio for the very best in fairness, accuracy and truthfulness. Ive nothing against Ms. Maddow, in fact I believe her intelligent,perceptive and wish her much success, I just need perspective not a liberal cheerleader.
we see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin
Rachael is a blast. Watch out Keith!
Too bad she replaced Dan Abrams instead of Chris Matthews who waxed enthusiastically about "Mission Accomplished." Rachael will be warmly welcomed for her wit and intelligence, but I'll miss Abrams.
Oh sure, you people with that fancy cable television stuff can crow about Rachel's new show, but what about her loyal radio audience? We're being ditched faster than McCain's first wife. It tears me up just to think about it.
Rachel, how could you?
never fear. she is still doing her radio show.
(and the MSNBC show will not be called "The Rachel Maddow Show" because that's already the name of her radio show.)
Right. She's doing an hour and David Bender is doing the rest. Oh sure, it started with her saying she wanted to be seen by other people, but it wouldn't affect her listeners. Now we see the truth. She got seduced by them bright lights and moving pictures. She can hardly spare us an hour a day. I bet pretty soon she'll be doing guest spots on her own radio show.
And those television audiences is fickle. They might pay attention for a decade or two, but eventually they'll get tired of her and move on to some other bright young starlet. Then she'll come back, sayin it was all a mistake and won't we forgive her.
We'll we won't.
Never.
Unless she's really sincere.
Rachel Maddow will be a terrific counterpoint for Keith Olbermann. I'm looking forward to their different view points.
As for the attacks from the right, many have become so unaccustomed to the truth that it must feel strange--like coming out of the foggy soup of O'Reilly. Or do they deserve the colonel's rage in 'A Few Good Men,' "You can't handle the truth!"?
Welcome, Rachel.
Bob Sauerbrey
Indiana
**OMiller August 20th, 2008 11:13 pm**
**Am I making any sense? I don't mean to disparage her. I agree 100% per cent with her positions, but I just wish she appeared more nuanced.**
More nuanced than whom?? Olbermann?? Hey, he's great, really bright, and I agree with virtually all his positions. But he's become almost as much of a cheap shot artist as Micheal Moore or O'Reilly. Maddow's primary virtue is that she IS more nuanced than almost anyone on the left or right.
'MSNBC is moving further left in an attempt to compete with Fox News from the opposite end of the spectrum'. :
GIVE ME A BREAK,
THEY'RE FOLLOWING THE MONEY
oh look, there's money to be made over here right now, then we can go back to fear & war mongering!!!
Don't get me wrong, congratulations to her. She's smart and talented. But... Maybe I didn't get excited about her when she hosted for Olbermann because she looks and talks like all of my friends. Maybe Olbermann excites me because he looks and sounds like a conservative and then it's great when he actually says things that make sense. But one look at her and you know what her opinions will be.
Am I making any sense? I don't mean to disparage her. I agree 100% per cent with her positions, but I just wish she appeared more nuanced.
I think the issue is whether she can avoid making her show an "another hour, same discussion," which--other than Olbermann--is what MSNBC is about.
http://www.politicartoons.com/
Just what we need: another Democratic Apologist with their own show.
Maddow does a credible and articulate job countering the status quo on a lot of issues and calling out their lies and b.s., while maintaining a sense of humor.
Hey Tetti- instead of just bad mouthing everyone, why don't you try to get a radio show for 3 hours a day, let's see how you do.
hamster you think talking for 3 hours is a tough job? Some people really work for a leaving, did you know?
And you think Maddow counters the status quo? My God, it's really time for CommonDreams to change its name to CommonFools.
Agreed. Rachel is great!
I've been a long-time Olbermann fan, but over the last year or so, he's become Bill O'Reilly with a left perspective. It's not so much that I disagree with Olbermann. (I usually don't.) It just that his apologist approach to Sen. Obama gaffes and sound bite nitpicking of McCain's campaign rhetoric tend to make my skin crawl. Mr. Olbermann has become a root cause for itchy skin complex.
When Dr. Maddow sits in for him, the show seems to jump two levels in intelligence and perception. As a panel member on Verdict and Hardball, she has been insightful and rational.
If her own show carries on with smarts in the fore, cable news may take a step toward the ideals Ted Turner set for genre when he birthed CNN.
Viva Rachel.
Another mouthpiece for General Electric, another fraud who only sees black and white. Republicans are evil, Democrats are great, just spineless.
Maddow's a woman and gay, so different from the scum that dominates Fox and that's why she's prefect for the MSM charade of the two-party system which isn't really two-party but just one big corrupt enterprise, with two phony wings.
Rachael, You go Girl! Love from Maine!!!
Jade - They have to make her TV-friendly I suppose. When you see her on AAR, she's in her usual jeans and tees with no makeup.
And I still think she's damn cute.
Saw Keith announce this last night, and while I was hoping Rachel would get her own MSNBC show, I didn't expect it to happen this quickly.
Maddow is funny, smart, fearless and has the opportunity for a long and respected career, respected at least by those of us on the left. The Repugs will hate her, though she and Buchanan have actually gotten along pretty well and it is obvious that he respects her.
And she's damn cute.
good for rachel and good for us...rachel has been an informative and humorous voice of reason since her humble beginnings as host of a morning show at a 'progressive' radio station in western massachusetts...
no, her personal life really isn't vital imformation and i hope she doesn't become known as the 'lesbian commentator'...as a lesbian myself, i will admit, i do have a certain amount of snickering pride....
damn, she sure does look girly in that photo...
Personally, I like Keith Olbermann very much, but there are times when it's comforting (as well as balancing) to get a woman's point of view on the political news of the day. Women often come at the news differently than men, so we need to hear both. And whatever Maddow does in her personal life is no business of mine or anybody elses. Personal is personal, no matter who you are! Rachael Maddow is an excellent newsperson and that's all that matters when she's commenting on what's happening in the country and the world today. Welcome to MSNBC Rachel!!!