Why I only watch Rachel....

[WCGreen]

Kieth and Ed and everyone else on MSNBC seem to be in Gotcha mode.

It's all about snark and all about finding something to fight back with.

Now I am happy that they are doing that because no one else, except for a little toward the end of this election cycle, ever seems to take the right wing spewed crap to task...

It's just not for me.

Too many times I will hear Ed or Kieth say this is huge and it turns out to be a nothing little jab that doesn't do anyone any harm on the other side.

Again, that's okay. And after living with Rush for over 20 years now, it's good to have someone blow back at the blow hards.

But politics is serious business to me. I have devoted decades worth of my time running for and helping candidates get elected to local offices here in Cuyahoga County Ohio.

I had to give it up early in this decade due to illness and, quite frankly, I was burned out with all the bickering and back and forth crap that is an adult version of king of the play ground.

What I discovered is that there is too much time and energy devoted to the gotcha and not enough on governing.

Rachel, however, is probably one of the only commentators on either side of the aisle who takes her job to the ideological level and leaves, mostly, the daily grind of politics to, on our side, the likes of Ed and Keith.

And again, I am happy to have them out there doing a great job at keeping the base supporters fired up.

But I don't need fire anymore.

I need substance.

And that is why I understand why Jon Stewart poked at Kieth and Ed. They are part of the noise of politics. But that noise is a necessary component of the whole political process. It has been there since Washington and will be there as long as there are competing ideologies and power bases.

Give me Rachel with a clear thought out argument that is so far removed from Gotcha that it's like comparing, well, apples and oranges.

One more thing, the fire will always trump the thoughtful but if we lose the thoughtful, we are toast.

[BootinUp]

1. k&r

[kick-ass-bob]

2. Yes, yes yes.

Couldn't have said it better.

[kstewart33]

3. Totally agree with you.

The only talk show my husband and I watch is Rachel.

The rest, on both sides, is so noisy, emotional, and often downright nasty.

So tired of it all.

[Toucano]

31. +1

[ejpoeta]

4. i don't really watch keith and ed anymore either. partly because my hubby doesn't like when i do th

because i get so upset. when i watch rachel i might be upset, but i feel like i know more than i did. and i don't feel hopeless. yes, i like keith. and sometimes i will watch it. but for the most part i just can't handle it. i have been avoiding it all lately. it gives me a headache.

[AndrewP]

5. Maddow is really great, that is for sure

I'm a big fan of Keith as well, as I do like those that fight back as well.

But I get your point. Rachel does a great service.

[DirkGently]

6. I prefer Rachel's tone too, but she does get down in the political nitty gritty, & I still like KO.

[WCGreen]

18. Yea but she smiles as she slips the knife in....

[pgodbold]

7. Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't. nt

[madmax]

8. Excellent post

I start watching all the shows on MSNBC starting at 5 p.m. until The Last Word. TMI, too much anger, too much!!

Rachel is my favorite because of all the points you made. I would be much better off skipping the rest and perhaps catching up on some good reading. Books that have been rec'd here on DU and maybe for sanity sake a mystery or something to add more balance to my life.

Go Rachel!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. i cant stand olbermanns hysterics. i really do like rachel

[jonnyblitz]

12. same for me but I am also no huge fan of Jon Stewart either.

I do NOT believe he is above the fray as he likes to position himself. I find this discussion here on DU interesting, I see both sides.

I like Rachel the best though I believe she cuts Obama waaay too much slack.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. yeah. i think his criticism applies to him as well, however i dont think

he was equating the left with the right, so i disagree with most of the criticism on du. thats not to say his hands are so clean

[Dappleganger]

25. I admire Jon quite a bit

and watch a number of his clips throughout the week, but don't watch the entire show. We do tend to watch Colbert all the way through each night, however (most in our family).

[deaniac21]

10. I like turtles.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. It's like sizzle vs. steak...

You gotta have that steak, but the sizzle draws you...

Well said!

Recommended.

[RamboLiberal]

14. Sorry I have to unrecommend for this reason

Ok KO & Ed are not your style. However I well remember when Liberals didn't even have a presence on TV or radio. The corporate line is liberals won't watch these shows so they won't attract ratings, they won't attract advertisers. So 90% of radio and 50%+ of TV cable news remains Conservative to Tea Party Whacko.

I watch and enjoy both the radio & the TV liberal shows. And what the hell is wrong if Ed, KO & others point the hypocrisy of the RW in strident tones?

I think many liberals/Dems are too damn wimpy! Oh please don't shout, oh please don't get too strident!

Yep Rachel is a very refreshing voice but she'd have never gotten on the TV if it wasn't for KO letting her host Countdown and acting as her mentor.

Ed is not a favorite with MSNBC management. If we don't support him they are liable to can him. Ed is one of the few speaking up day after day for the 99'ers, the unions, the working persons.

If we don't support them we won't have them. MSNBC is a business, radio is a business & if they can get away with it they would like nothing more than to go more conservative. Do you think GE is really comfortable with KO & Ed & even Rachel or Lawrence? But as long as they get ratings they will probably keep them on. But even that is not a sure thing. Remember how they canned Phil Donahue even though he was getting good ratings cause he wouldn't go along with the rush to the Iraq War or he dared to have on the Jersey Girls wanting a 9-11 investigation?

We've only had even this small presence of liberal talk for the last half of this decade! That's why I support all the MSNBC lineup from 6PM to 11PM. Sure there are nights I think KO or Ed have gone over the top, but at least it is in pointing out the hypocrisy and hatred on the right. Rachel's show cannot survive without the bracket of the other shows in the lineup.

[WCGreen]

16. Which is fine...

But there aren't for me anymore...

Notice I did say there is a place for them but it doesn't mean I have to visit that place anymore.

I'm not urging anyone else to not watch Ed or Keith, as a matter of fact I encourage people to do so.

It's just that type of heightened drama isn't my style anymore.

I use to love Black Sabbath at one time, now I like folk. Tastes change as we grow older.

[JonLP24]

19. I agree with all this

Those were dark days in the media without Rachel/Keith/Ed.

[TheKentuckian]

20. Let me throw a few trillion points of agreement in on this.

[Poboy]

21. 5 star reply RamboLiberal. -nt

[moondust]

22. +1000

[Dappleganger]

26. You're using the unrecc button incorrectly.

Just because you disagree with the OP's premise doesn't mean it deserves to be unrecc'd.

[cascadiance]

15. Also watch Thom Hartmann and Laura Flanders on Free Speech TV if you get satellite...

[WCGreen]

17. Nothing here in Cleveland. And I don't have the satellite.

[mimitabby]

23. all I watch is Rachel too actually!

[Dappleganger]

24. I prefer Ed on the radio as opposed to tv

and tape Rachel's shows and watch them each day. During the health care debate I did watch Keith quite often but honestly his style of reporting is just not my cup of tea. After awhile he really does grate my nerves. I love big Ed although he does jump the shark at times, but nobody (except Thom Hartman) gives the unions a voice like he does. I do listen to Thom for at least an hour several times a week.

Rachel Maddow's show tends to be more scholarly and well-balanced, with a focus on news items which most other shows just outright miss. Her style is easier to watch on tv, IMO (although she's amazing on the radio!).

[GoCubsGo]

27. That's your loss. n/t

[WCGreen]

29. No, it's my decision.

[AnArmyVeteran]

28. I love Rachel Maddow! She's a real journalist.

[Jennicut]

30. I love Rachel and agree with this OP wholeheartedly. She has real, lasting substance

and intelligence and she gives it to me. I don't always agree with her but I respect her the most.