Mr. wOw | 10/20/2009 4:00 am
In Defense of My Favorite 'Sick Puppy' – Rachel Maddow, by Mr. wOw
© AP
Last week, the former president of the United States, George Bush I, weighed in on opinionated cable yakkers. He allowed that there was a "lack of civility" all around, and was generous enough to concede that President Obama was "entitled to civil treatment." (This is quite a lot coming a man married to Marie Antoinette, aka Barbara Bush. Who can ever forget BB’s pronouncement that the devastated Americans corralled into the Astrodome, to escape Hurricane Katrina, were actually living better than they usually did? "This is working out very well for them.")
But of course, the one-time, one-term president had to single out the talking heads on the left, referring to MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow as "sick puppies."
While I wouldn’t go so far as to call Olbermann a sick puppy, he has definitely worn thin. I once found him smart and not too over-the-top to irritate, but during last year’s campaign, he went off the rails – as did all the males on MSNBC – over the possibility that Hillary Clinton might win the Democratic nomination. And when she wouldn’t just fold up her tent and leave the campaigning field open to Obama, his head and his ego exploded, and it has been a swollen mess ever since.
Olbermann has become a parody of himself, preaching to the converted every night. He has his fans, for sure, but what he generally induces in Mr. wOw is a series of cringes. I’m on his side, but want him to shut up most of the time. And I detest that bit of business at the end: "This is the whatever day since George W. Bush declared mission accomplished in Iraq." What does that have to do with anything now? Enough. And Olbermann’s paper crunching and tossing it at the camera (his audience?) – showy and nastily aggressive.
Which brings us to Ms. Maddow. She began popping up on MSNBC as a guest, often sparring, quite enjoyably, with Pat Buchanan (and infamously, with Joe Scarborough, who did not enjoy the experience). She seemed to have been brought up through the auspices of Olbermann, they were friends. Olbermann clearly respected her. And what was not to respect? She was a breath of fresh air on cable: intelligent, prepared, reasonable, amusing, blessedly devoid of the self-activated intolerant scream button that afflicts so many.
Maddow’s star was rising, and just so we knew it, MSNBC tried to slap on a bit of eyeliner on and femme her up slightly. Not only was this unnecessary, it looked unattractive. For one brief, terrible moment Mr. wOw feared her boyish haircut was going to be poofed into some sort of faux "do." Tailored simplicity shouldn’t be messed with.
Clearly, Maddow was being groomed for her own show, and finally, it happened. Initially, however, it looked as if she was too much a creature of, and too influenced stylistically, by Olbermann. She was suddenly "cute." She made funny faces, she used funny voices. Once I turned her on to find her wearing a funny hat! She was also relentlessly snarky. That becomes tiring. And then there was that guy at the end of her show, the "pop culture" maven, or whatever he was (still is) to riff on something insubstantial. As if anything insubstantial is wanted from Rachel Maddow. She was no less intelligent, prepared and reasonable, but she was losing something valuable and unique in what appeared to be an attempt to be one of MSNBC’s frat boys. Mr. wOw was distressed.
But of course, the one-time, one-term president had to single out the talking heads on the left, referring to MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow as "sick puppies."
While I wouldn’t go so far as to call Olbermann a sick puppy, he has definitely worn thin. I once found him smart and not too over-the-top to irritate, but during last year’s campaign, he went off the rails – as did all the males on MSNBC – over the possibility that Hillary Clinton might win the Democratic nomination. And when she wouldn’t just fold up her tent and leave the campaigning field open to Obama, his head and his ego exploded, and it has been a swollen mess ever since.
Olbermann has become a parody of himself, preaching to the converted every night. He has his fans, for sure, but what he generally induces in Mr. wOw is a series of cringes. I’m on his side, but want him to shut up most of the time. And I detest that bit of business at the end: "This is the whatever day since George W. Bush declared mission accomplished in Iraq." What does that have to do with anything now? Enough. And Olbermann’s paper crunching and tossing it at the camera (his audience?) – showy and nastily aggressive.
Which brings us to Ms. Maddow. She began popping up on MSNBC as a guest, often sparring, quite enjoyably, with Pat Buchanan (and infamously, with Joe Scarborough, who did not enjoy the experience). She seemed to have been brought up through the auspices of Olbermann, they were friends. Olbermann clearly respected her. And what was not to respect? She was a breath of fresh air on cable: intelligent, prepared, reasonable, amusing, blessedly devoid of the self-activated intolerant scream button that afflicts so many.
Maddow’s star was rising, and just so we knew it, MSNBC tried to slap on a bit of eyeliner on and femme her up slightly. Not only was this unnecessary, it looked unattractive. For one brief, terrible moment Mr. wOw feared her boyish haircut was going to be poofed into some sort of faux "do." Tailored simplicity shouldn’t be messed with.
Clearly, Maddow was being groomed for her own show, and finally, it happened. Initially, however, it looked as if she was too much a creature of, and too influenced stylistically, by Olbermann. She was suddenly "cute." She made funny faces, she used funny voices. Once I turned her on to find her wearing a funny hat! She was also relentlessly snarky. That becomes tiring. And then there was that guy at the end of her show, the "pop culture" maven, or whatever he was (still is) to riff on something insubstantial. As if anything insubstantial is wanted from Rachel Maddow. She was no less intelligent, prepared and reasonable, but she was losing something valuable and unique in what appeared to be an attempt to be one of MSNBC’s frat boys. Mr. wOw was distressed.
Read more about: Barack Obama, Fox News, George H.W. Bush, Keith Olbermann, Mr. Wow, Rachel Maddow, U.S.
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408 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
Agreed…Olbermann is now the lefts version of Hannity (Chris Matthews being O’Reilly but with actual street cred and experience politically) and is also wearing thin in my book. Maddow reps on several fronts; She very smart obviously, very articulate and can distill a topic with back story more clearly than I have ever seen reported other than on PBS frontline, She’s obviously gay too which represents the female gay community in the best light since who…Billy Jean King maybe? She may be the first real prime-time female news commentator for the left. Don’t count Andrea Mitchell…she’s married to the guy who was asleep at the swtich when this all went down and to have her on TV is a horrible joke…but I digress…
She is obviously a new generation of commentators that isn’t about hyberbol and does want to be cut from the same molds as the male commentators. She’s had a fine line to walk as a smart, articulate, funny gay women to be accepted as she does and has done so very well. She has been an excellent addition to MSNBC as Olbermann and Matthews are getting tiresome to watch.
Hey there Mr. Wow…that guy Ed (maybe they should have named the show it that) reminds me of a common scenario where someone says, "Yeah, I remember seeing that at the movies…But who did I see it with? I just can’t remember, oh well, anyway…. And the other person goes, "It was me! You saw that movie with me!!! How can you not remember you saw it with me!" He seems just that memorable. So I think mercy wasn’t involved mainly because he isn’t in a coveted time slot (3pm here on the left coast.) and gets very little play. Or maybe still…he can’t escape the gravitional pull of previously mentioned personalities as Matthews and Olbermann. And now with the fast rising star of Rachel Maddow…The Ed Show now reminds me of the planet Pluto…is it really a news talk show or space filler?
During thye last election, I too, also loved watching Rachel and Keith until
they both started villifying Hillary Clinton endlessly and cruelly. I now watch CNN in Keith’s spot and still believe Rachel is one smart cookie who has changed and I have gone back to watching her. Keep it up Rachel, you know what you are talking about. Keep raiaing the bar for your other cohorts. Mary B
I don’t watch cable news, only C Span and Jim Lehrer and Frontline - but I love it when they have Rachel on the Jim Lehrer News Hour - she is fantastic, non sensationalistic and I think she’s pretty centrist in her perspectives -
though I have happily drunk the Obama Kool-Aid it’s important that journalists do not and have the ethical responsibility to tell us what is going on in the world and to keep their personal opinions to the coffee shop and bars…
"Sherrie - your post above - so basically your saying nothing has changed…..I am sure you tune in to something that millions of others tune into."
By C Hardy on 10/20/2009 11:58 am
Changed as a species? No, but some of us do seem to have evolved a bit further than others.
You probably are sure, but just like other times that you’ve said you were sure, you’re wrong.
I watch very, very little TV and none of what little I do watch is on Fox. I get my news from the internet because I like to read the printed information rather that sift through the spin, vocal inflections and facial expressions offered by the "infopinionators" that call themselves news anchors and reporters these days for the facts. If I’m curious about a performance (or "exhibition" in the case of Beck) that I read about I’ll watch a video clip of it on the web so I’ll know what the article is about.
Like the song says:
If you trust your television what you get is what you got,
‘Cause when they own the information they can spin how they want.
I really enjoyed the coverage of American politics during the leadup to the past election.All of the pundits were entertaining even though it was apparant that the Democrats treated the general public as if they were smarter than they actually are(youtube "Talking to Americans")and the Republicans treated the general public as if they were stupid.
Since the election however we discovered that the lack of regulation and oversight in the US banking system very nearly caused a world wide Depression and its not funny anymore.
I live in Canada where we do have banking regulation so there were no banking failures and while we did slip into deficit it was the least of any G8 country.We have universal healthcare and a social safety net that means you dont lose your house if you get sick and if you move you dont lose your healthcare.And dont believe that malarky about dying in line etc,my 85 year old step Mom just got a pacemaker.And please remember "insulin"..Canadian discovery..there are lots more but start there.
Our military is fully integrated and as our former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau said "the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation" so the gay thing not an issue.
Pundits always say the US is special,founded by revolution etc well so was modern France but they have healthcare.
My point is just that all of the pundits have finally lost their point and now it just sounds silly on both sides.