# New host of "Meet the Press" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366 "2008-12-02T17:33:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/1 "2008-12-02T17:33:29Z")
NBC News is expected to [announce David Gregory as the next host of _Meet the Press_:](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16119.html) > [@](#): > > NBC News plans to name David Gregory as moderator of “Meet the Press,” infusing one of television’s most prized franchises with a sharp edge leavened by a youthful style and versatility, according to network executives. > > Gregory, 38, celebrated his 30th birthday — complete with cake — aboard George W. Bush’s presidential campaign plane, the assignment that solidified his stature as a network rising star. Which leads me to: David Gregory is only 38?!? I thought he was in his 50s! Did he spend time in a Turkish prison? Spend his teenage years living on the streets fighting a heroin addiction? Witness his entire family slaughtered and eaten by a laser-beam wielding serial killer? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/2 "2008-12-02T19:08:49Z")
Huh. I come from a family that tends to gray somewhat early, & I spend a lot of time outside–& he still doesn’t look that close to my age. David Gregory has looked craggy for a long time, & I don’t quite think he’s really only 38. But he could have a condition, I guess. Maybe his liver went wonky in his teens & he smokes 17 packs a day? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/3 "2008-12-02T19:22:16Z")
He was a California surfer boy before he met and married his sugar mama, a powerful Washington attorney. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/4 "2008-12-02T19:25:44Z")
This is so bad of me… My husband and I refer to him as “Dog Boy” As in “Did you see that question that Dog Boy asked?” ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/5 "2008-12-02T23:31:58Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Did he spend time in a Turkish prison? Spend his teenage years living on the streets fighting a heroin addiction? Witness his entire family slaughtered and eaten by a laser-beam wielding serial killer? Worse- he dances with Karl Rove. Ugh, I do not look forward to MC Rove’s flygirl every Sunday morning. He does(minimumly) his job one time at a presser and ask Bush a follow up question(not an entirely tough one either), and we are suppose to buy that he is some tough, no nonsense journalist? Please; he is a tool(damn near literally) of the highest order. Not that Brokaw was a whole lot better. Tom Brokaw(and Brit Hume ftm) remind me of an old portable tape player when the batteries are just about done. Is it too much to ask that Rachel Maddow do two shows? Well it maybe obvious that she has liberal leanings, she is undoubtedly fair and even toned in her reporting. She is just as, if not sometimes tougher, on the Dems as she is with the Reps, but at least she doesn’t dance and eat cake with the worst people in this Administration all while pretending to be unbiased. /sorry for the rant. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/6 "2008-12-03T00:59:20Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > This is so bad of me… > > My husband and I refer to him as “Dog Boy” > > As in “Did you see that question that Dog Boy asked?” He’s Monkeyface around my house. Physically. Professionally, he’s a shitface. He talks bullshit to power. That’s what Russert was so good at, catching everyone–Dems, Pubs–on their evasions, lies, inconsistencies. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/7 "2008-12-03T01:38:42Z")
He’s Monkeyface in our house, too. Does anybody, anywhere take David Gregory seriously? Why is NBC News so smitten with him? Why didn’t they give the job to Chuck Todd? Chuck Todd is awesome. He was the highlight of the election coverage for me. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/8 "2008-12-03T03:01:42Z")
> [@tds1273](#): > > Worse- he dances with Karl Rove. This in itself should have forever shamed Mr. Gregory into joining a Trappist monestary or something. Watch, and prepare to hurl: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KdvHwtRdg_I/hqdefault.jpg "Karl Rove raps & dances at correspondents party") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdvHwtRdg_I) ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/9 "2008-12-03T13:13:14Z")
The best interviewer who had been on MSNBC as far as confronted politicians on BS- Don Imus. Seriously. Alas, there is other baggage. But Rachel Maddow? God. Might as well have her & Olbermann 69ing each other. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/10 "2008-12-03T13:31:03Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > But Rachel Maddow? God. Might as well have her & Olbermann 69ing each other. :eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/11 "2008-12-03T17:20:20Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > The best interviewer who had been on MSNBC as far as confronted politicians on BS- > > Don Imus. > > Seriously. > > Alas, there is other baggage. > > But Rachel Maddow? God. Might as well have her & Olbermann 69ing each other. I’d watch that! What a way to start a Sunday! Meanwhile, I strongly dislike this choice. I hope Mr. Gregory proves me wrong, but until this point my impression of him has been that he is in the pocket of the right. If the ‘MC Rove’ isn’t enough to convince, look in the Wayback Machine at his performance during the Race to the White House show on MSNBC. He does a very poor job at disguising his leanings, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/12 "2008-12-03T17:39:37Z")
:smack: _David_ Gregory is not Dick Gregory. I was thinking it was very interesting choice. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/13 "2008-12-03T18:19:14Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > But Rachel Maddow? God. Might as well have her & Olbermann 69ing each other. Have you listened to her since the day after the election or so? I mean, the whole run up to the election was a lot of barely-contained hope, but since then she’s been criticizing Pres.-Elect Obama for his picks and asking her guests if they can talk her down from her concerns. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/14 "2008-12-03T18:27:22Z")
I think Campbell Brown might be a better choice. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/15 "2008-12-03T21:44:41Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > :smack: > > _David_ Gregory is not Dick Gregory. I was thinking it was very interesting choice. Okay, now THAT would have been awesome!!! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/16 "2008-12-07T05:19:44Z")
Actually, I found another picture where I can buy him being in his late thirties. His face just has a lot of superficial damage, probably from the sun. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/17 "2008-12-07T07:53:34Z")
John King would have been a good choice. But personally, I think they should have used the opportunity to go back to the old format, a panel show where politicians sit down and are questioned by a revolving panel of journalists and pundits. I would love to see the President questioned by George Will, and I’ll bet some of you would love to see Republican politicians questioned by someone like Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. It’d be great fun, and you might actually make a politician uncomfortable on occasion. That has to be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/18 "2008-12-07T17:20:15Z")
I was hoping for Andrea Mitchell. She tends to ask more probing questions. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/19 "2008-12-07T18:10:52Z")
Me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366/20 "2008-12-07T20:52:44Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Why didn’t they give the job to Chuck Todd? Chuck Todd is awesome. He was the highlight of the election coverage for me. Chuck Todd would’ve **rocked**! Hey, we got Rachel her own show with a massive letter-writing campaign, maybe we can do the same for Chuck?? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-host-of-meet-the-press/475366.md?page=2)