# Dan Rather stepping down
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 23, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307 "2004-11-23T17:23:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/1 "2004-11-23T17:23:46Z")
[About freakin’ time!](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6567283/)
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### Author:  [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/2 "2004-11-23T17:27:48Z")
He’s still on the air until March.
I’m waiting to see how TPTB over at Viacom handle the Memogate scandal.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/3 "2004-11-23T17:28:54Z")
Who will the right point to as the journalistic son of Satan? Rather has had a long and distinguished career. I wish him well in his coming retirement. I hope his replacement is equally loathed by the right. May I suggest Al Franken?
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/4 "2004-11-23T17:33:15Z")
We quit watching the CBS national broadcast after the bogus story was run. I wonder what the actual impact that misadventure had on their ratings nationwide.
Who’ll be his successor… Pelly or Roberts?
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### Author:  [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/5 "2004-11-23T17:34:38Z")
> [@lieu](#):
>
> We quit watching the CBS national broadcast after the bogus story was run. I wonder what the actual impact that misadventure had on their ratings nationwide.
I know that several radio stations have dropped CBS news as their source.
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/6 "2004-11-23T17:35:58Z")
What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
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### Author:  [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/7 "2004-11-23T17:41:21Z")
[Courage!](http://www.ratherbiased.com/courage.htm)😃
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/8 "2004-11-23T17:43:03Z")
Setting aside the issue of bias, alleged or real, I’ve long thought it was time for Rather to go, just because he’s gotten so f’n weird… from “What’s the frequency, Kenneth”, to “Courage”, to “Gunga Dan”, to the fake-memos scandal.
A pity, because he was once an excellent reporter.
Rather was never really comfortable in the anchor chair. Whenever he had a chance, he headed for the field, which was where he really belonged.
Roger Mudd could have grown into the avuncular, “Most Trusted Man in America” mantle that Cronkite left behind. Rather never could.
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### Author:  [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/9 "2004-11-23T17:45:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> I hope his replacement is equally loathed by the right. May I suggest Al Franken?
Nah. He’s certainly loathsome enough, but he’d also need at least a modicum of intelligence and facade of impartiality…you know…like Rather.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/10 "2004-11-23T17:46:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> What separated Ed Murrow from the rest of the pack was courage.
What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the
dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk?
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/11 "2004-11-23T17:46:49Z")
In my previous post, I claim that Rather was preferred working in the field to the anchor chair. It appears that Rather agrees. On the MSNBC site, He is quoted as saying:
“I have always been and remain a ‘hard news’ investigative reporter at heart,” he said. “I now look forward to pouring my heart into that kind of reporting full time.”
I think he has the potential to do very good work in the field – as long as he stays away from fake memos.
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-stepping-down/276307/12 "2004-11-23T20:27:14Z")
Great, as if the loony right needed more encouragement…