Oct 18, 2009
Rachel Maddow invites Republican officials to appear on her show "every
day," the popular MSNBC anchor said Saturday, but only about one out of
ten take up her offer.
Those numbers suggest Congressional Republicans are especially wary of
a Maddow interrogation, since most politicians jump at the chance to
appear on prime time news shows with good ratings.
The "incentives" to appear differ for elected officials and operatives,
she said, and the show draws more conservative "lobbyists and P.R.
guys," who are paid to push their clients anywhere they can. (See Phillips, Tim.)
Maddow's comments came during an appearance at The New Yorker Festival on Saturday, in a sold-out session moderated by staff writer Ariel Levy.
The forum also presented an opportunity for Maddow to respond to an unusual attack from George H.W. Bush.
On Friday, the former President said
Maddow and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann were "sick puppies" who dished
out "horrible" treatment to their ideological opponents -- and to
George W. Bush. "When our son was president, they just hammered him
mercilessly and I think obscenely a lot of the time," he told CBS
Radio.
Maddow said she was "flattered" by the response. She said that the comments also drew a one-line note from her father, who asked if the barb meant that the former President watched the show.
Maddow also discussed the book she is writing, which analyzes why the
American foreign policy consensus supports a kind of perpetual war, but
warned that the release date is still "anybody's guess." Queried about
the superficial pressures of a television career, she volunteered that
it was a "great relief" that her appearance does not define her career.
"I don't feel like my job depends on my looks," she said, noting as an
aside that few would mistake her for a "Fox Business anchor."
And in response to the last question from the audience, Maddow said if
she dresses up for Halloween this year, she will be a modified "man in
the moon" -- with a black eye -- to mark NASA's recent program bombing the moon.
Â
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Ari Melber
Ari Melber is The Nation's Net movement correspondent and a writer for
the magazine's blog. (www.arimelber.com amelber at hotmail.com)
Rachel Maddow invites Republican officials to appear on her show "every
day," the popular MSNBC anchor said Saturday, but only about one out of
ten take up her offer.
Those numbers suggest Congressional Republicans are especially wary of
a Maddow interrogation, since most politicians jump at the chance to
appear on prime time news shows with good ratings.
The "incentives" to appear differ for elected officials and operatives,
she said, and the show draws more conservative "lobbyists and P.R.
guys," who are paid to push their clients anywhere they can. (See Phillips, Tim.)
Maddow's comments came during an appearance at The New Yorker Festival on Saturday, in a sold-out session moderated by staff writer Ariel Levy.
The forum also presented an opportunity for Maddow to respond to an unusual attack from George H.W. Bush.
On Friday, the former President said
Maddow and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann were "sick puppies" who dished
out "horrible" treatment to their ideological opponents -- and to
George W. Bush. "When our son was president, they just hammered him
mercilessly and I think obscenely a lot of the time," he told CBS
Radio.
Maddow said she was "flattered" by the response. She said that the comments also drew a one-line note from her father, who asked if the barb meant that the former President watched the show.
Maddow also discussed the book she is writing, which analyzes why the
American foreign policy consensus supports a kind of perpetual war, but
warned that the release date is still "anybody's guess." Queried about
the superficial pressures of a television career, she volunteered that
it was a "great relief" that her appearance does not define her career.
"I don't feel like my job depends on my looks," she said, noting as an
aside that few would mistake her for a "Fox Business anchor."
And in response to the last question from the audience, Maddow said if
she dresses up for Halloween this year, she will be a modified "man in
the moon" -- with a black eye -- to mark NASA's recent program bombing the moon.
Â
Ari Melber
Ari Melber is The Nation's Net movement correspondent and a writer for
the magazine's blog. (www.arimelber.com amelber at hotmail.com)
Rachel Maddow invites Republican officials to appear on her show "every
day," the popular MSNBC anchor said Saturday, but only about one out of
ten take up her offer.
Those numbers suggest Congressional Republicans are especially wary of
a Maddow interrogation, since most politicians jump at the chance to
appear on prime time news shows with good ratings.
The "incentives" to appear differ for elected officials and operatives,
she said, and the show draws more conservative "lobbyists and P.R.
guys," who are paid to push their clients anywhere they can. (See Phillips, Tim.)
Maddow's comments came during an appearance at The New Yorker Festival on Saturday, in a sold-out session moderated by staff writer Ariel Levy.
The forum also presented an opportunity for Maddow to respond to an unusual attack from George H.W. Bush.
On Friday, the former President said
Maddow and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann were "sick puppies" who dished
out "horrible" treatment to their ideological opponents -- and to
George W. Bush. "When our son was president, they just hammered him
mercilessly and I think obscenely a lot of the time," he told CBS
Radio.
Maddow said she was "flattered" by the response. She said that the comments also drew a one-line note from her father, who asked if the barb meant that the former President watched the show.
Maddow also discussed the book she is writing, which analyzes why the
American foreign policy consensus supports a kind of perpetual war, but
warned that the release date is still "anybody's guess." Queried about
the superficial pressures of a television career, she volunteered that
it was a "great relief" that her appearance does not define her career.
"I don't feel like my job depends on my looks," she said, noting as an
aside that few would mistake her for a "Fox Business anchor."
And in response to the last question from the audience, Maddow said if
she dresses up for Halloween this year, she will be a modified "man in
the moon" -- with a black eye -- to mark NASA's recent program bombing the moon.
Â
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