I never believed there was such a thing as "Must-See TV"...until Rachel Maddow came along.

[WilliamPitt]

"Must-See TV"? Pfft. There's always something better to do than watch television.

That's what I thought. For a long time.

And now...well...color my dance card filled starting at 9pm every night.

God DAMN, but she is good.

:toast:

[Horse with no Name]

1. She is honestly refreshing.

I like that.:)

[tallahasseedem]

2. You are so right...

She is excellent!!!

[Oceansaway]

3. it should be required viewing...n/t

[RKP5637]

6. So true. There are a lot of people that would clearly benefit, but sadly they are

probably tuned to Fox News.

[RKP5637]

4. +1000, n/t

[bullwinkle428]

5. Can't let this go by without a recommendation!

[Mira]

7. She lights up my life,

aren't we glad she ain't running for the Senate. We need her right where she is.
Recommended

[WilliamPitt]

8. Sez you.

I'm from Massachusetts. The idea made me smile.

;)

[Mira]

25. Clones ? N/T

[HughMoran]

9. I never thought she would surpass her mentor

She is one of the most intelligent people on TV today, yet she's hardly a stuttering egg head. She makes her critics squirm as she repeatedly dares them to come on her show. And boy, can she get to the heart of the matter without raising her voice or appearing to have ambushed her guest. I agree - she is one of the best.

[soleft]

10. She makes the hell that is reality fun

[sellitman]

11. She is very unassuming.

And not full of herself either. A real pleasure to watch. Agreed!

[Atticus]

12. She can "focus like a laser beam" with the best of them and she has more courage than

anyone else on the tube with the possible exceptions of Keith Olberman, Bill Moyers and Amy Goodman.

My only criticism, and it is a matter of preference, perhaps, is that I find the "silly" features of her broadcast sometimes jarringly inappropriate. Maybe I am a humorless wonk, but I have difficulty switching gears from news that I believe will directly impact the viability of our nation to "cocktails of the month" or whatever.

I think she is a national treasure, but I would like a little less giggling.



Go ahead: throw rocks at me!

[immoderate]

39. Think about Mark Twain, HL Mencken, Dorothy Parker and Will Rogers.

Would they be better without the humor? Ben Franklin?

--imm

[malaise]

13. She's first rate

:firstbump:

[Cleita]

14. I hope she watches her back.

I'm sure all the liars she has exposed and will expose will be trying to get rid of her somehow.

[FirstLight]

15. She is a top Journalist in MY book! ;)

Her sense of humor, moments of geekdom and her ability to cut to the chase in connecting the dots - Then really *wanting* to have the conversation with the people she has just ripped to shreds...it is True Art to a writer & news geek like me!

:loveya: Truly I DO loves me some Rachel, If I can be *half* the journalist she is in my career, I will be complete!

[Born_A_Truman]

16. Knows her stuff, does her homework and backs it up with facts!

She's great!!

[annabanana]

17. She personifies "clarity of expression". She distills the mess that

is the daily "news" and pours it out straight.

[DemoTex]

18. 10-4 good buddy.

As my old pappy would say: She is as wise as a tree full of owls.

[stevedeshazer]

19. No doubt about it. Much better on TV than radio.

I think she is a goddess.

[Bumblebee]

20. Sharp as a whip but also charmingly impish

[nenagh]

21. Strange isn't it to derive such pleasure from her clear thinking

and intelligence but I also find Rachel in some manner to be calming at the end of a day of heated rhetoric..

[Jane Austin]

22. She's phenominal - and so good natured.

She also must have a terrific research staff.

[hisownpetard]

23. Brilliant, clever, nice voice, incredibly well informed.

What's not to love?

[Loudmxr]

24. Keith Olbermann will go down in broadcast history as the guy who got her the first contract.

Really Rachel comes along once every 20 years. Perhaps 30. I will not live to see her enshrined in the Broadcast Hall of Fame but there she is in the future. :hi:

BTW April 1. Same as my Mom. Who was a fighter in her own right!!! :party:

[calimary]

26. She's terrific. One of the best connect-the-dots analysts out there.

Hell, she's one of the ONLY connect-the-dots analysts out there.

[depakid]

27. Not just good- but ethical

[grantcart]

31. +1

[GreenTea]

28. I record Rachel every night - I do not miss this lovely sweet hard as rocks intelligent woman.

[Hekate]

29. All the superlatives have already been taken by previous posters, so I shall just KnR

[hfojvt]

30. I have not seen her for a long time

Somerby, however, continues to rail against her

"Maddow is one of the biggest jokes we’ve ever seen on cable—and that claim takes in a lot of spoiled ground. Last Friday, she began her show with a long, two-segment “report” on the federal investigation of Senator Ensign; this report included some of the most ridiculous conduct we’ve ever seen on TV. In our view, the topic is trivial—but the clowning, dissembling and cluelessness seem endemic on this program. For that reason, we plan to discuss Sister’s report on Ensign’s sexy-time conduct before the week is through."

http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh032310.shtml

While also saying this two days later

"For our money, Rachel Maddow has largely done a good job the past two nights focusing on the actual people who have engaged in actual misconduct in reaction to the health reform vote."

Here's a more substantive criticism. See if you think he has a point.

"We don’t think we’ve ever seen anyone who misstates the truth in such matters to quite the extent Maddow does. On Friday, she did help us enjoy a good mordant chuckle. We can’t have civil discussion due to people like Nelson, she complained. To prove her point, she baldly misstated what Nelson had actually said."

http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh031510.shtml

From the way she is quoted here, it often seems like she is helping to gin up the hate and division by telling our team (the Jets) stories that we want to hear - about the perverseness of the other tribe (the Sharks, and sometimes conservadems like Nelson and Stupak are also lumped in with the Sharks.

As she is quoted here, you can see that there are not two sides, both consisting of honorable and decent people who simply have different opinions, values or viewpoints. Instead, there are decent people like those on our team, and then there is the other side which is dishonest or crazy or really stupid, or all three combined.

"And to me, the moral of the story was that sort of meeting Ben Nelson in the middle and cooperating with him on that one would be a bad thing to do because his argument was wrong. It wasn’t even internally consistent.

Is it or would it be un-Coffee Party-ish to call Ben Nelson wrong on that, to say, "No, you can`t participate in these talks. We’re not meeting you halfway. You don’t make sense?”"

[WilliamPitt]

33. She must be doing something right, then n/t

[hfojvt]

35. because Somerby compares her to Hannity?

Because a millionaire TV celebrity is automatically better than a blogger who works for free?

[paulsby]

32. SO good...

i always thought.. and still do... that olberman is a clown

MADDOW is exactly what i was waiting for.

love her

[bigtree]

34. you're right . . . and her competence has opened the teevee door for other internet faves

. . . like the incomparably competent Ezra Klein; and other folks she brings on her show.

[myrna minx]

36. I totally agree.

I absolutely adore her. :loveya:

[Dappleganger]

37. It's like being in college all over again...

sitting in front of my favorite prof!

[spanone]

38. something rare in news/punditry....the truth

[mike_c]

40. is her show mirrored online?

No TeeVee around here.

[hwmnbn]

41. Here's the link...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show


The segments from each night's show go online about an hour after broadcast.

[mike_c]

43. thanks!

:thumbsup:

[democracy1st]

42. agrees

[ThomWV]

44. K&R

[WillyT]

45. Agreed !!! - K & R !!!

:kick:

:hi:

[AnArmyVeteran]

46. Michael Moore called her a "National Treasure" and I agree...

I never heard of her before January of last year. But after her first show I was so impressed I've never missed one of her shows. She has so much integrity, honesty and intelligence. She has compassion and empathy. She has a wonderful sense of humor. And she is an outstanding journalist. I am truly impressed with her depth of knowledge and the command she has of the facts. She truly is a national treasure.