It's like Fangirl Christmas.
A few things, though.
Whenever there's a big feature about Rachel, the writer is almost certain to emphasise how nice and friendly she is. Which is true, I'm sure; and it is good to see a cable news host who is civil with her guests even when she disagrees with them.
But just because she doesn't yell or call people names doesn't mean she won't skewer her guests to the wall when the situation requires it, as Rand Paul can tell you:
It bugs me that her abilities as an interviewer are downplayed for the sake of "being nice," as if her main role in cable news is to counterbalance the hard-hitting, confrontational male reporters.
This trend is particularly glaring when we're talking about MSNBC, where Rachel has taken Keith Olbermann's place as the top-rated "rock star" host for the network. No matter how many times she reports from war zones or kicks someone's ass on "Meet the Press," media critics can't talk about her without falling into the "Olbermann's a Jerk / Maddow's a Sweetheart" narrative, which oversimplifies both of them and crosses the line into sexism more often than not.
Which brings me to Phil Griffin's "Rachel personifies our network" thing. Shut up, Phil, no she doesn't.
I may prefer the supposedly-liberal MSNBC to CNN or Fox News, but that doesn't mean I consider myself a fan of the network. Rachel is the bright spot in a primetime lineup that's as desperate for ratings as any other, and they've been struggling to find cohesion or chemistry since KO left. There are a few promising developments here and there, like Chris Hayes's new weekend (obscenely early) morning show and Melissa Harris-Perry's impressive debut as a guest host; but overall MSNBC has a lot to learn about being smart and doing their homework.
That said, I do think Rachel needs to stay where she is for quite a while longer. MSNBC has issues, but they also have the international reach and resources of NBC News at their disposal, and effective use of those resources is what makes "The Rachel Maddow Show" worthy of an Emmy. Don't get me wrong, I miss the banter between Rachel and Keith and I'm all for his new gig at Current TV. But at this point in her career, she needs to get as much experience and name recognition from MSNBC as possible.
Hi! I followed a link from Twitter. I like what you have to say and how you say it, so I'll be back. Enjoying the "fush and chups"?
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