MSNBC: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Vaulted)

[MulletorHater]

On 1/8/2017 at 10:52 AM, jenrising said:

Ugh, the commercials are so terrible. Especially recently. This morning I caught the one with Rachel praising Greta and the one with her chuckling with Kelly Ann Conway like they're best buddies. One of the reasons I had to leave DC was how many people treated serious political issues like a game. "La la la, we're like coworkers. Isn't it cute how you spread lies and bigotry? I'll be indignant and then we can go have cupcakes."

Barely watching anymore and every single time I do, one of the commercials remind me why. 

I see it as a preemptive move by the idiots in charge at NBC/MSNBC to get us to accept and "like" their newest hires.  It's like, "Gee!  If Rachel likes Greta and can laugh with Kelly Ann Conway, then they can't be half as bad as viewers think, right?"  It's the ultimate form of gaslighting.

Except they are so horribly wrong.  They are determined to normalize what is going on and what we will be facing in the next few years.  Even worse, they want us to be okay with it.  KAC, the Crypt Mistress, is a liar par excellence and will always be one.  There isn't enough heavy-duty pancake makeup and velvety lipstick that will conceal the mercenary soul underneath.  Don't even get me started on Greta and the Faux refugee, Megyn.  No amount of kee-keeing and fan-girling by Rachel will EVER make me forget what these people are and how they have spent years spreading right-wing lies and capitalizing on White anger.

Not doing it.  No way; no how.

[oakville]

It seems to me that MSNBC is turning its back on its loyal viewers by hiring Greta & Megyn.

There are virtually no African Americans left on the network. 

Sharpton & Melissa Harris Perry are gone.

Morning Joe has Harold Ford Jr on as a regular

[jenrising]

1 hour ago, MulletorHater said:

 It's the ultimate form of gaslighting.

It really is. And it pisses me off. I only watch Joy's show and when I see she's sitting it for someone else. I can't imagine there's a lot of middle of the road people who are looking to start watching MSNBC, so it's just stupid. But that seems to be the direction they're going with overall - stupid.

[Kemper]

I just saw a "commercial" on MSNBC showing Chuck Schumer plugging Morning Joe.  I think the gist of it was he hears the news FIRST on Morning Joe..even before he hears it in the Senate gym.  Or something like that.  Ick.  

I would think MSNBC's ratings would go up if they really counter-programmed Fox and Drumpf.  Put all progressive voices on - let them "trash" Drumpf and his agenda, his thieving, grifting kids (and spouses), his conflicts of interest.  Well, it goes on and on.  THAT would bring ratings and maybe a younger demographic.  And I say this as a senior citizen.  I would LOVE that.  Must-see TV.  Put a simulcast of a progressive radio show.  It worked for Don Imus.  Until it didn't.  John Fugelsangg (spelling?) - who is easy on the eyes, to boot.  Smart, intelligent, (and sometimes funny) progressive men and women.  Talk about Mitch McConnell's wife and how her Cabinet position could be a conflict of interest for him.  THIS is what new/continuing viewers might be interested in.  I am sure it would not be that expensive.  Give it 6 months.  Of course, every time Drumpf tweets something childish...that would preempt everything and everyone.  How on earth have we gotten here?

[stormy]

I'm putting MSNBC as #1 in getting us where we're about to be in another two weeks.

Joe and Mika made trump the most important piece of their show, MSNBC gave him millions of dollars of free air time then CNN and the networks followed their lead.

I watch Chris Hayes every night and Lawrence a few times a week.  I usually tune into MJ for the first 15 or 20 minutes to see what Joe's ranting about. He never lets anyone get a word in edgewise unfortunately.

Edited January 9, 2017 by stormy

[Apprentice79]

2 hours ago, MulletorHater said:

I see it as a preemptive move by the idiots in charge at NBC/MSNBC to get us to accept and "like" their newest hires.  It's like, "Gee!  If Rachel likes Greta and can laugh with Kelly Ann Conway, then they can't be half as bad as viewers think, right?"  It's the ultimate form of gaslighting.

Except they are so horribly wrong.  They are determined to normalize what is going on and what we will be facing in the next few years.  Even worse, they want us to be okay with it.  KAC, the Crypt Mistress, is a liar par excellence and will always be one.  There isn't enough heavy-duty pancake makeup and velvety lipstick that will conceal the mercenary soul underneath.  Don't even get me started on Greta and the Faux refugee, Megyn.  No amount of kee-keeing and fan-girling by Rachel will EVER make me forget what these people are and how they have spent years spreading right-wing lies and capitalizing on White anger.

Not doing it.  No way; no how.

I agree wholeheartedly with you. I only watch the network, for Joy Reid, Lawrence and Chris Hayes.   Joy is a gem and she should have gotten the 6pm slot on the Network.  AM Joy, is so great, on the weekend.  MSNBC, should be veering more, to the left and not moderate, by bringing in Greta and Megyn.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Apprentice79

[car54]

I am thoroughly enjoying the series they have Chris Jansing doing today where she is interviewing departing Obama team members about their memories of their time in the White House.    She's getting some great stories out of them.

[NewDigs]

Had MSNBC on this morning. After MJ. 

Is Steve Kornacke now playing a kind of pro-trump devil's advocate? I don't remember seeing this scenario before and saw it at least twice this morning. 

Apparently because Streep's speech did not change votes the panel's conclusion was, Why bother? Geesh, maybe to make a values statement? Is that worth nothing these days? And why is that now a rhetorical question?

And the attempt at normalizing these surrogates and new right-wing hires by proclaiming, We're great friends!, is, imho, disgusting. And a horrible diversion from the debate.

OT 'cuz it was on CNN but Cuomo interrupted his grilling of KAC to joke about what good friends they are. Did Rachel do that too? Hope not. It was disgusting and I thought less of Cuomo because of it. Bad enough with Greta whose countdown clock (gag) is making me nervous.

[NewDigs]

Double post because Greta? No way no fucking how.

She just let Preibus get away with the lie that it was Trump's tweet that got the Repugs to reconsider their "ethics" reversal. No phone calls? Really?

And the McCain tongue bath was, well, I thought I was watching Fox.

I bet MJ has to change his panties.

Edited January 9, 2017 by NewDigs

[stormy]

Not tv, but, I continue to watch The Resistance with Keith Olbermann. It would be great if we had a KO form. I will add, cannot miss Stephanie Miller.

Edited January 9, 2017 by stormy

[izabella]

3 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

I agree wholeheartedly with you. I only watch the network, for Joy Reid, Lawrence and Chris Hayes.   Joy is a gem and she should have gotten the 6pm slot on the Network.  AM Joy, is so great, on the weekend.  MSNBC, should be veering more, to the left and not moderate, by bringing in Greta and Megyn.

If they're trying to lure Fox viewers, that's a losing proposition, ratings-wise, because Fox viewers have no reason to leave Fox - they have exactly what they want right there.  They might splinter off some Fox viewers, but not enough to make a ratings hit. 

If they want counter-points to Maddow, O'Donnell, etc., it makes a little more sense, but not really.  The last thing Hayes/Maddow/O'Donnell fans are interested in is hearing MORE media voices obviously shilling for Trump/Repbulicans or pretending to be objective about Trump/Republicans. 

MSNBC needs to pick a lane.  Objective news is fine, but not Faux objective.

[car54]

Maybe Greta is nervous but she's all over the place in this show--current news, brown-nosing the GOP, cheeseheads.....I hope this gets better.

NewDigs, I wanted to smack Kornake after his Streep nonsense this morning.

[sleekandchic]

OMG.  MSNBC is making me scream!

FOX News had its success because of its crystal-clear, all-encompassing, BURNING hatred for President Obama.  I didn't expect MSNBC to fall completely in line with pure hatred of Trump (we liberals are too soft-hearted) but I did count on the network to be capable and pressing in its loyal opposition.

Now they've added a Greta van Sustern POV, and she's got McCain and Priebus as her first guests, calling President Obama a "high school"-type adversary?  NO!

My opinion of Rachel Maddow plummeted last week in a matter of minutes. Greta's attitudes toward our president and people of color were CRYSTAL CLEAR on her Fox show. Disgusting.

Was it my imagination, or did Lawrence O'Donnell's "illness" last week come over him VERY suddenly?  He was absent from his show three days.  I like Ari Melber VERY much, so his guest-hosting was fine with me, but I wondered if Lawrence wasn't protesting the van Sustern/Megyn Kelly/devil's advocate developments?

I didn't see the Kornacki performance described here, but if MSNBC is directing its people to start playing devil's advocate for Trump, I will stop watching the network completely.

Morning Joe is disgusting, Rachel is a major disappointment.

I will watch Chris Hayes tonight, hope Lawrence is back, continue to support Joy, and hope that Ari Melber gets more exposure.  Chris Matthews can go to hell with his constant fawning over Conway, but, at least, I don't believe he will begin a love affair with Trump.  Let's see.

Right now I am deeply disgusted with MSNBC.

And their commercials!!! OMG, cut it out!!!

Edited January 10, 2017 by sleekandchic

[car54]

Lawrence is not back--Joy Reid tweeted she is hosting The Last Word tonight.

I bet they're mixing the commercial with Barbra Streisand calling into Chris Matthews tonight.   He is in hog heaven because with Meryl Streep's speech his worlds collided--movies meet politics!

[sleekandchic]

Just now, car54 said:

Lawrence is not back--Joy Reid tweeted she is hosting The Last Word tonight.

I bet they're mixing the commercial with Barbra Streisand calling into Chris Matthews tonight.   He is in hog heaven because with Meryl Streep's speech his worlds collided--movies meet politics!

OMG, that's a disturbing development with Lawrence. I want to know what's really going on.

[car54]

He's around--he has re-tweeted about the Meryl Streep speech in the past few hours.

[sleekandchic]

Yes, exactly.  Since his disappearance, Lawrence has retweeted several msgs, from news of the Russian-hacking Intel reports...to tributes to Nat Hentoff... to Streeps speech... to Joys announcement of subbing tonight.  But absolutely no mention of his absence from his show, or his illness.  I think something else is up.

So far, Chris Hayes is still Chris Hayes, thank God.

[Apprentice79]

3 hours ago, sleekandchic said:

OMG.  MSNBC is making me scream!

FOX News had its success because of its crystal-clear, all-encompassing, BURNING hatred for President Obama.  I didn't expect MSNBC to fall completely in line with pure hatred of Trump (we liberals are too soft-hearted) but I did count on the network to be capable and pressing in its loyal opposition.

Now they've added a Greta van Sustern POV, and she's got McCain and Priebus as her first guests, calling President Obama a "high school"-type adversary?  NO!

My opinion of Rachel Maddow plummeted last week in a matter of minutes. Greta's attitudes toward our president and people of color were CRYSTAL CLEAR on her Fox show. Disgusting.

Was it my imagination, or did Lawrence O'Donnell's "illness" last week come over him VERY suddenly?  He was absent from his show three days.  I like Ari Melber VERY much, so his guest-hosting was fine with me, but I wondered if Lawrence wasn't protesting the van Sustern/Megyn Kelly/devil's advocate developments?

I didn't see the Kornacki performance described here, but if MSNBC is directing its people to start playing devil's advocate for Trump, I will stop watching the network completely.

Morning Joe is disgusting, Rachel is a major disappointment.

I will watch Chris Hayes tonight, hope Lawrence is back, continue to support Joy, and hope that Ari Melber gets more exposure.  Chris Matthews can go to hell with his constant fawning over Conway, but, at least, I don't believe he will begin a love affair with Trump.  Let's see.

Right now I am deeply disgusted with MSNBC.

And their commercials!!! OMG, cut it out!!!

Why is MSNBC selling out? I am getting worried here...I will never watch Greta, the fact that she defended Roger Ailes, a sexual predator, spoke volumes to me.  Not even Megyn Kelly did that.  She only sat on the information, of her own sexual harassment, to provide salacious gossip, for sales, on her book. Before you guys throw tomatoes at me, I am not making light of sexual harassment in the workplace. However, I do believe that she is that calculated and ambitious, to stoop that low. That woman has no principles.   She is motivated by greed and her own self-aggrandizement.  That woman is a piece of work.  I saw her doing the rounds, of talk shows, in the mainstream media, as a way, to get out, of the alternate universe, known as, Fox News.  She will become a bleeding heart liberal, for NBC,  to suit her own purposes.  I will never forget that role she played, in feeding, the hatred, against President Obama... NEVER!

Edited January 10, 2017 by Apprentice79

[sleekandchic]

No tomatoes from me, Apprentice79.  I agree with you.

Very quickly, I thought Chris Hayes's show tonight was true to himself. It was a relief to me. (He was on vacation last week.)

Now, I don't know if I'm being hypersensitive and reading something into nothing, but when Hayes threw the reins to Rachel in that split-screen toss-off thing they do, I thought I detected wistfulness from Chris.  Rachel asked, "did you miss us last week, are you happy to be back?"  Chris said, "yes, I'm glad to be back. Last week in California, I didn't think I would be, but now that I'm back, yes, I'm glad and ready to go." (Paraphrasing by me.)

As I said, I could be reading something into nothing, but, to me, Chris seemed uncharacteristically reserved with Rachel in that exchange. I acknowledge, though, that maybe he just didn't want the vacation with his family to end!

Here's the new website and podcast that Chris and the creators discussed tonight:

https://getcrookedmedia.com/?gi=ab4cc0c9c6dc

[Padma]

I can't with Greta either. I saw a few minutes, heard the guests (now have read that she didn't call Priebus on the lies) and ... nope. Hayes, O'Donnell and to some extent Maddow keep value at MSNBC. And the a.m./pm new  s people are fine, including Todd.   I miss Lawrence (my daily dose of open Trump hate), but Joy and Ari are both great on their own. (For example, co-hosting the former Bloomberg hour instead of Greta).

Rachel's gushing over Greta was embarrassing enough last week, but I gave her the doubt that they are genuinely good friends.  Now that MSNBC has turned it into a commercial for "On the Record", Rachel just comes across as fake and OTT.  I believe her, that no one asked her to do it.  But now that they've turned it into a commercial, they did her no favors.

[Jaded]

I wish Current TV hadn't gone belly up. It could have been a refuge for MSNBC employees looking to escape what that channel is turning into.

[MulletorHater]

10 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

Why is MSNBC selling out? I am getting worried here...I will never watch Greta, the fact that she defended Roger Ailes, a sexual predator, spoke volumes to me.  Not even Megyn Kelly did that.  She only sat on the information, of her own sexual harassment, to provide salacious gossip, for sales, on her book. Before you guys throw tomatoes at me, I am not making light of sexual harassment in the workplace. However, I do believe that she is that calculated and ambitious, to stoop that low. That woman has no principles.   She is motivated by greed and her own self-aggrandizement.  That woman is a piece of work.  I saw her doing the rounds, of talk shows, in the mainstream media, as a way, to get out, of the alternate universe, known as, Fox News.  She will become a bleeding heart liberal, for NBC,  to suit her own purposes.  I will never forget that role she played, in feeding, the hatred, against President Obama... NEVER!

So much WORD to this!  Even if Greta hadn't done the other stuff, the fact that she defended Jabba the Hutt , told me everything I needed to know about her.  She and women like her are beyond disgusting.  As Secretary Madeline Albright once said, "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."

I've made my feelings about Megyn Kelly clear elsewhere.  I actually canceled a long-standing subscription to a magazine when she appeared on the cover as someone to emulate.  Evidently, I wasn't the only one and the magazine was barraged with complaints.  She is absolutely vile and despicable.

On a positive note, Media Matters gave Joy Reid kudos for basically conducting a clinic on how to report the impact of defunding Planned Parenthood.  On her January 8 show, she did four key things, which should be the template for covering this and other issues during the next four (Lord, no!) years:  (1)  Hosting diverse guests; (2) discussing the material consequences of policy decisions; (3) including personal testimony about reproductive health; and (4) highlighting the impact of anti-choice laws on marginalized communities.  Joy's Best Practices in Reporting Reproductive Rights

Joy reminds me so much of a young Gwen Ifill with her professionalism.  I love that she doesn't suffer fools gladly and will call out the B.S. in real time.  As much as I miss LOD, I don't mind Joy filling in for him until he (hopefully) returns.

[jjj]

On ‎1‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 0:01 PM, car54 said:

I am thoroughly enjoying the series they have Chris Jansing doing today where she is interviewing departing Obama team members about their memories of their time in the White House.    She's getting some great stories out of them.

So sorry I missed those!  I think she is covering parts of the President's farewell speech today in Chicago, also.  And Chris turns 60 on January 30 -- looks like 40!  Happy Birthday in advance! 

[car54]

So Thomas Roberts is no longer a host as of the end of December--he still has MSNBC and NBC News on his Twitter and Facebook, so maybe he's doing some reporting but he won't be a host according to what he posted there.   They seem to have moved Craig Melvin into his time slot.

[film noire]

12 hours ago, MulletorHater said:

Joy reminds me so much of a young Gwen Ifill with her professionalism.  I love that she doesn't suffer fools gladly and will call out the B.S. in real time.  As much as I miss LOD, I don't mind Joy filling in for him until he (hopefully) returns.

Me neither. I love Joy Reid -- she's charismatic, excellent at interviews (as you say, suffers no fools) and (shallow alert) I love her look; clean but with lots of style.

[Medicine Crow]

I'm a Canadian & watched President Obama's farewell speech.  Man, I love that guy & have since I first heard him speak as a Senator!!!

[car54]

The speech was perfect.   I held it together until he called out Michelle and Joe and then I lost it.

Thank you MSNBC for letting Rachel do the after hour on her own with guests--she struck a perfect note and I really enjoyed it.

[slensam]

Tom Brokaw is a grumpy old asshole.

[navelgazer]

1 hour ago, slensam said:

Tom Brokaw is a grumpy old asshole.

Yeah, I got to the point where he was pontificating about how the Democratic Party was going to have to reconstitute itself, like we didn't get nearly 3M more popular votes than Twitler did, before I switched off the replay in frustration.  Brokenjaw certainly didn't comment that the RePiglickins didn't cheat with rampant voter suppression and Russian hacking either.  

Edited January 11, 2017 by navelgazer

[Padma]

I did not appreciate how Rachel "reported" on the CNN report on Trump and Russia and intell today.  She had NONE of the facts she could have had by looking at the CNN website and at least mentioning that Carl Bernstein was one of the reporters on it, as well as Jake Tapper and 2 other.

Then she treated it like it was a joke, concluding "well, if he IS a spy, that'll be a bombshell, right?" (haha) And if not, it makes you wonder, "why now?""

Maybe if she'd bothered to get the whole story on how they got the info and when Comey had it and when McCain got it (and from whom) etc. etc. it might have made some sense to her.

She covered it the way I'd expect from Greta. Maybe she got the wrong script. It was pretty disgraceful how uber-cautious (and also uninformative and flippant) she was about this EXTREMELY important report.

(She didn't even mention Pt 2  -- the part about Trump insiders working with the Russians to sabotage Hillary and our democratic election.)

[slensam]

30 minutes ago, navelgazer said:

Yeah, I got to the point where he was pontificating about how the Democratic Party was going to have to reconstitute itself, like we didn't get nearly 3M more popular votes than Twitler did, before I switched off the replay in frustration.  Brokenjaw certainly didn't comment that the RePiglickins didn't cheat with rampant voter suppression and Russian hacking either.  

The thing that gets me about Brokaw is that they bring him on for sort of historical knowledge and he brings nothing insightful to the the table. He's no sage, he's a hack. He speaks like Obama was some sort of wrecking ball to the Democratic Party when historically this is nothing unusual. Where were the Republicans after eight years of Eisenhower, the Democrats after eight years of Clinton, and again the Republicans after eight years of W. Bush? Same position the Democrats are in now. Two terms of Executive power exhausts a Party.  But according to Brokaw, Obama shot the Democratic donkey in the head. And still, through all the bullshit. the Democrats received more votes on the presidential and congressional ballot. Obama...what a loser.

[MulletorHater]

9 hours ago, Padma said:

I did not appreciate how Rachel "reported" on the CNN report on Trump and Russia and intell today.  She had NONE of the facts she could have had by looking at the CNN website and at least mentioning that Carl Bernstein was one of the reporters on it, as well as Jake Tapper and 2 other.

Then she treated it like it was a joke, concluding "well, if he IS a spy, that'll be a bombshell, right?" (haha) And if not, it makes you wonder, "why now?""

Maybe if she'd bothered to get the whole story on how they got the info and when Comey had it and when McCain got it (and from whom) etc. etc. it might have made some sense to her.

She covered it the way I'd expect from Greta. Maybe she got the wrong script. It was pretty disgraceful how uber-cautious (and also uninformative and flippant) she was about this EXTREMELY important report.

(She didn't even mention Pt 2  -- the part about Trump insiders working with the Russians to sabotage Hillary and our democratic election.)

I was a little surprised that she gave the story short shrift also.  However, I turned off the television when I heard Andrea Mitchell's voice and saw her face.

But, in fairness to Rachel though, she did a masterful job on her show last week where she connected the dots between how Putin and his party didn't really win their election a few years ago; to the extraordinary measures Putin and his crew took to shit all over the will the people; to voters angrily protesting the outcome; to Hillary offering her opinion that Russia's election was rigged; to Putin bitterly despising her for it; and his formulating a plan for payback.  It was rather chilling and sobering especially when one considers the effort it took to undermine our democracy.  I don't think Rachel ever lost sight of that and I expect she will go into a little more detail this evening.  Rachel even had guests on who were familiar with that history, as well as the unclassified and classified intelligence reports.  

On a more positive note, it was great seeing David Corn, who first reported this mess months ago.  Unfortunately, this mess is pretty fluid and even if the Nectarine Nightmare is sworn in next week, I can easily see years (Lord, help us!) of ongoing threats of hearings and a steady drip-drip-drip of revelations.  Hopefully, we will still have a free press then.  

Note to self:  Call broker TODAY to buy stock in Kimberly-Clark (the maker of Poise products).

[oakville]

On 2017-01-10 at 3:22 PM, car54 said:

So Thomas Roberts is no longer a host as of the end of December--he still has MSNBC and NBC News on his Twitter and Facebook, so maybe he's doing some reporting but he won't be a host according to what he posted there.   They seem to have moved Craig Melvin into his time slot.

Wow!. That is a shame. He used to be on Morning Joe.

[Padma]

I hope that Rachel got a big raise as the new shill for the right. The ad showing her handshake with Nicole Wallace and some corny caption like, "Together" was...okay, but kind of syrupy. Whatever.

But then she spent a huge amount of time with Greta van Susteren pimping promoting her new show (and their friendship). Okay...but then they turned THAT into an ad with Rachel extensively telling the audience how thrilled she is that Greta--so wonderful--is now on MSNBC.  I'm a little less impressed by that commercial. Seems so OTT--then again, I've tried to watch Greta twice and haven't lasted 2 minutes so...perhaps not the best judge. I find her annoying. (And while I was willing to see her interview with Pelosi, hearing she also had the I-can't-get-away-from-her-everywhere-I-look hideous Kellyanne Conway, meant ... nope! No can do.

Now I see that Rachel's interview with KAC is ALSO an MSNBC ad.  Rachel again telling us (to the camera) how she's so glad that KAC can come on her show and they can "have a civil exchange"--then a friendly handoff--smiles, laughter, handshakes...

Just. No. Because imo, KAC is one of those demons they keep telling us are out there. She is despicable. Every word is a lie or disinformation or just mindless blather until she can think of a lie. I'd watch Trump for an hour rather than watch KAC for five minutes.  

So Rachel now is on 3 MSNBC ads promoting Greta, Nicole and KAC and the great friendliness that crosses party lines. (Yes, I know, Nicole's okay. But it's the combination--and the "friendship" vibe with all of them---that's just ind of gross.)

[izabella]

Yes, Rachel also recently interviewed Chuck Schumer.  Was he in the ad?

[slensam]

57 minutes ago, Padma said:

I hope that Rachel got a big raise as the new shill for the right. The ad showing her handshake with Nicole Wallace and some corny caption like, "Together" was...okay, but kind of syrupy. Whatever.

But then she spent a huge amount of time with Greta van Susteren pimping promoting her new show (and their friendship). Okay...but then they turned THAT into an ad with Rachel extensively telling the audience how thrilled she is that Greta--so wonderful--is now on MSNBC.  I'm a little less impressed by that commercial. Seems so OTT--then again, I've tried to watch Greta twice and haven't lasted 2 minutes so...perhaps not the best judge. I find her annoying. (And while I was willing to see her interview with Pelosi, hearing she also had the I-can't-get-away-from-her-everywhere-I-look hideous Kellyanne Conway, meant ... nope! No can do.

Now I see that Rachel's interview with KAC is ALSO an MSNBC ad.  Rachel again telling us (to the camera) how she's so glad that KAC can come on her show and they can "have a civil exchange"--then a friendly handoff--smiles, laughter, handshakes...

Just. No. Because imo, KAC is one of those demons they keep telling us are out there. She is despicable. Every word is a lie or disinformation or just mindless blather until she can think of a lie. I'd watch Trump for an hour rather than watch KAC for five minutes.  

So Rachel now is on 3 MSNBC ads promoting Greta, Nicole and KAC and the great friendliness that crosses party lines. (Yes, I know, Nicole's okay. But it's the combination--and the "friendship" vibe with all of them---that's just ind of gross.)

Very disappointed in her about all of this. I'm not feeling the kumbaya vibe with these people; especially Conway. Do they think liberals are this stupid? What are they trying to accomplish with this stuff? Pissing on my head and telling me it's rain.

[Padma]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

Yes, Rachel also recently interviewed Chuck Schumer.  Was he in the ad?

No. These were three separate ads, just each with a different Republican and Rachel having a laugh, getting along nicely.  Maybe Megyn Kelly can show up soon, too.

[navelgazer]

Brian Williams and Nicole Wallace are doing a pretty good show with The 11th Hour.  Each person gets to finish their sentence without having to shout.  No one is whining or rolling their eyes.  And Nicole is a conservative, not a Trumpster, so that's a relief.  

Whodathunkit?

I'm actually really relieved as well that Nicole found a home on the network where she didn't have to deal with the Mean Girl barrage every single day.  

[oakville]

6 hours ago, Padma said:

I hope that Rachel got a big raise as the new shill for the right. The ad showing her handshake with Nicole Wallace and some corny caption like, "Together" was...okay, but kind of syrupy. Whatever.

But then she spent a huge amount of time with Greta van Susteren pimping promoting her new show (and their friendship). Okay...but then they turned THAT into an ad with Rachel extensively telling the audience how thrilled she is that Greta--so wonderful--is now on MSNBC.  I'm a little less impressed by that commercial. Seems so OTT--then again, I've tried to watch Greta twice and haven't lasted 2 minutes so...perhaps not the best judge. I find her annoying. (And while I was willing to see her interview with Pelosi, hearing she also had the I-can't-get-away-from-her-everywhere-I-look hideous Kellyanne Conway, meant ... nope! No can do.

Now I see that Rachel's interview with KAC is ALSO an MSNBC ad.  Rachel again telling us (to the camera) how she's so glad that KAC can come on her show and they can "have a civil exchange"--then a friendly handoff--smiles, laughter, handshakes...

Just. No. Because imo, KAC is one of those demons they keep telling us are out there. She is despicable. Every word is a lie or disinformation or just mindless blather until she can think of a lie. I'd watch Trump for an hour rather than watch KAC for five minutes.  

So Rachel now is on 3 MSNBC ads promoting Greta, Nicole and KAC and the great friendliness that crosses party lines. (Yes, I know, Nicole's okay. But it's the combination--and the "friendship" vibe with all of them---that's just ind of gross.)

It is very disappointing that Rachel Maddox is becoming a shill for the GOP ladies. The ads should have been her fighting withKAC

[Milburn Stone]

19 hours ago, slensam said:

Pissing on my head and telling me it's rain.

Kudos for the metaphor.

[stormy]

Chuck's little lecture on MTP Daily yesterday on why we shouldn't boycott LL Bean was such nonsense when he said nothing that at the same trump is tweeting why LL Bean is so terrific!  But that's ok, at least seemingly so, to Chuck.

On Meet the Press this Sunday, Chuck has an interview with Congressman John Lewis.  He tells Chuck he thinks trump is an illegitimate president because of Russia's interference in the election.  He will not be attending the inauguration.  I need to see the whole interview because I think he should be just as outraged over trump's trying to delegitimize President Obama and I would hope he would bring that up as a good enough reason not to legitimize this man in any way.

[potatoradio]

On 1/11/2017 at 10:20 PM, Padma said:

So Rachel now is on 3 MSNBC ads promoting Greta, Nicole and KAC and the great friendliness that crosses party lines. (Yes, I know, Nicole's okay. But it's the combination--and the "friendship" vibe with all of them---that's just ind of gross.)

I agree - so repugnant. What's next? A cooking show where they all giggle over who makes the best cookies or fried chicken? Can't have the wimminfolk fighting with each other. Only men are allowed to have strong, forceful opinions. Women are so post-feminism now, so into "uniting" and "friendship" that integrity just gets in the way. Better to be polite and chum it up with the woman who would just as soon grind her nail file into your eye than to try to call her out on her violent, anti-social tendencies. 

So discouraging in an age when we need women, more than ever, to drop this kumbaya bullshit when they are clearly at political odds. These are not the days of fun, fluffy disagreements over a latte or glass of chardonnay. I can see having a drink with Wallace. Dementor Conway? Megyn Kelly? Oh fuck no. Those two are not worth it. There's nothing there except lies and conniving twists of words for their own self interest. They don't want to debate issues. They don't care. That alone should piss Rachel off to the point where she puts her foot down and says no. 

But yeah, rock on, grrrrrrl power. Tee hee. So fun. 

[bluepiano]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 11:26 PM, slensam said:

The thing that gets me about Brokaw is that they bring him on for sort of historical knowledge and he brings nothing insightful to the the table. He's no sage, he's a hack. He speaks like Obama was some sort of wrecking ball to the Democratic Party when historically this is nothing unusual. Where were the Republicans after eight years of Eisenhower, the Democrats after eight years of Clinton, and again the Republicans after eight years of W. Bush? Same position the Democrats are in now.

No, the extent of the decline of the Democratic Party in 8 years is unprecedented for any party, and leaves the Dems in their weakest position since the Depression. From 257 House members down to 188, and from 60 senators down to 46. (48 if you count independents Sanders and King). On the state level it's even far worse. And in the next midterm election, the Democrats have far more seats at stake than the Republicans, so there's more danger ahead.

Nobody can rightly blame Obama for all of this, but the DNC did abandon a 50 state strategy under Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who Obama picked to hear the DNC over Howard Dean. (Despite Dean having done an excellent job). The handwriting was on the wall when the Dems started getting killed in midterm elections. Obama's reelection in 2008 somehow blinded many Dems to what was happening.

I think that the Democratic Party has become a cult of personality. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were charismatic figures and great politicians. They thought that would continue with Hillary. But despite having a household name, and many long-time dedicated supporters, she famously has an inability to connect with people and inspire trust and confidence. Yes, three million more popular votes. But for better or worse, that's not how we decide elections. Just ask Al Gore. And even if she had won, she would've been dealing with a hostile Congress that would've extended the legislative gridlock of the past 6 years.

So it really is time for the Democrats to do some serious strategizing about the future agenda of the party. Talk all you want about the Electoral College, The FBI, the Russians etc. The Dems just lost a national election to probably the worst candidate of any party ever to run for President. And got seriously beaten up and down the ticket in national, state, and local elections. I think pretending that it's "business as usual" after 8 years of having the presidency is not accurate. Or helpful.

Edited January 14, 2017 by bluepiano

[Padma]

3 hours ago, potatoradio said:

I agree - so repugnant. What's next? A cooking show where they all giggle over who makes the best cookies or fried chicken? Can't have the wimminfolk fighting with each other. Only men are allowed to have strong, forceful opinions. Women are so post-feminism now, so into "uniting" and "friendship" that integrity just gets in the way. Better to be polite and chum it up with the woman who would just as soon grind her nail file into your eye than to try to call her out on her violent, anti-social tendencies. 

So discouraging in an age when we need women, more than ever, to drop this kumbaya bullshit when they are clearly at political odds. These are not the days of fun, fluffy disagreements over a latte or glass of chardonnay. I can see having a drink with Wallace. Dementor Conway? Megyn Kelly? Oh fuck no. Those two are not worth it. There's nothing there except lies and conniving twists of words for their own self interest. They don't want to debate issues. They don't care. That alone should piss Rachel off to the point where she puts her foot down and says no. 

But yeah, rock on, grrrrrrl power. Tee hee. So fun. 

Yes, hadn't really thought about the broader feminism part. But considering Rachel is the only primetime female host, all that wimpy "love you, GOP girls!" becomes even more sickening.

I thought maybe I was being too harsh, so forced myself not to mute her ad re: KAC.  Actually, I hated it more. For Pete's sake, she actually gushes out tons of "thanks" to Kellyanne for coming on the show and "having a dialogue"!!!

Psst, Rachel!  Kellyanne is the hackiest of political hacks and she LIES easier than breathing!  Do you think she came on your show as a big favor? To educate us about what's really happening at Trump Tower? Or because, gosh gee, she just wants to be your friend?  No, dammit!  She came on because as long as a camera is running it gives her another chance to spin and outright LIE, brazenly, for her lying boss!  There is no "truth" or "education" coming from her.  Since when do you have to thank people for giving them FREE airtime to LIE to us???? Get. Real! 

2 hours ago, bluepiano said:

No, the extent of the decline of the Democratic Party in 8 years is unprecedented for any party, and leaves the Dems in their weakest position since the Depression. From 257 House members down to 188, and from 60 senators down to 46. (48 if you count independents Sanders and King). On the state level it's even far worse. And in the next midterm election, the Democrats have far more seats at stake than the Republicans, so there's more danger ahead.

Nobody can rightly blame Obama for all of this, but the DNC did abandon a 50 state strategy under Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who Obama picked to hear the DNC over Howard Dean. (Despite Dean having done an excellent job). The handwriting was on the wall when the Dems started getting killed in midterm elections. Obama's reelection in 2008 somehow blinded many Dems to what was happening.

I think that the Democratic Party has become a cult of personality. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were charismatic figures and great politicians. They thought that would continue with Hillary. But despite having a household name, and many long-time dedicated supporters, she famously has an inability to connect with people and inspire trust and confidence. Yes, three million more popular votes. But for better or worse, that's not how we decide elections. Just ask Al Gore. And even if she had won, she would've been dealing with a hostile Congress that would've extended the legislative gridlock of the past 6 years.

So it really is time for the Democrats to do some serious strategizing about the future agenda of the party. Talk all you want about the Electoral College, The FBI, the Russians etc. The Dems just lost a national election to probably the worst candidate of any party ever to run for President. And got seriously beaten up and down the ticket in national, state, and local elections. I think pretending that it's "business as usual" after 8 years of having the presidency is not accurate. Or helpful.

Well, at least Dems gained 6 seats in the House and 2 in the Senate--AND their presidential candidate received  nearly 3 million votes more than the challenger.  If it wasn't for Comey's letter on the 28th (and Trump's use of it in his campaigns along with the Russian-Assange email "issue"), Hillary was being widely predicted to be getting over 330 electoral college votes--even possibly carrying Texas and Georgia.

There's a lot of blame to go around in this particular election---some of it, possibly criminal.

As for Obama, I do blame him and per his 60 Minutes interview he seems to somewhat blame himself. He's right--he didn't get the message out.  Which is astonishing since he had a great prototype to follow in Ronald Reagan and similar personal popularity that he simply didn't utilize to "party build". 

I think he's more "statesman" than "politician" by temperament and part of me admires him exactly for that. But the other part says, "You were president. You had the bully pulpit. You had effective role models to follow.  You--we--needed to put Democrats in state legislatures, esp. because of the 2020 census which will mean more GOP corruption through gerrymandering now."   He is an amazing person, but that part of his leadership skillset was maddening.

[novhappy]

On the other hand to fix the extreme partisanship and hate that is breaking this country maybe we could use people like Rachel and KAC etc to leverage their private friendships to have rational debate that will lead to compromise solutions. Just saying that well they're on opposites sides how can they be friends and really talk just extends the divides and entrenched positions that are breaking this country. 

That said I don't think a lot of these folks ( looking at you KAC) are capable of having rational conversation that include listening and compromising. 

[maraleia]

I'm appalled at Rachel's tacit endorsement of this ideological shift at MSNBC because as a lesbian she should be fighting back not bending over backward to appease her corporate overlords.

[stormy]

Crazy Steve Kornacki was running around in front of his charts yesterday saying it was impossible for Comey to have made a difference in the election. Between Hillary's unfavorable ratings and the fact that she couldn't crack 50% in the polls (except for once in March), she was doomed. His charts prove it.

Good lord. He needs to go. Promote the chart maker, MSNBC!

[NewDigs]

This is all so horrible. All the shit that's going on and "journalists" are relitigating Hillary's loss! 

Hey! Look at Hillary, pay no attention to the int'l. crazy that's raining down! 

Ooowee! That Hillary really blew it! With no mention about her close to 3million votes win.

I've pretty much given up on Fox's newest iteration MSNBC.

How much longer 'til Joy's besties with Greta?  And Chris shares wine with KAC?

Fuck them all! The same way they're fucking this entire country by refusing to actually, you know, REPORT SOMETHING!!

 

::deep breaths::

[stormy]

I still have faith in Chris Hayes although he's lost a lot of his sparkle as Armageddon gets closer.  He never preaches. Plus he has the best guests. He asks the important questions and he lets his guests talk.

[catrox14]

I legit do not understand Rachel's  shift. I mean maybe she really does believe that Greta will be good. But her deal with the completely bereft Kelly Anne Conway has me baffled.