# Rachel Maddow **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 21, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227 "2015-11-21T20:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/43 "2015-11-22T21:59:47Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/33721444/ns/msnbc-rachel\_maddow\_show/](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/33721444/ns/msnbc-rachel_maddow_show/) > > Looks like she said his name 5 times in the first six paragraphs of the show that day. Talk about someone spreading fucking bullshit in service of a political agenda, chappachula. What’s with the lying? But did she call him a _ **TERRORIST!!!** _ ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/44 "2015-11-22T22:08:28Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I can’t watch her show for very long without getting irritated, but I think it’s more the format than her. All of those personality driven shows are, to me at least, too smug and lecturing. The only one I can really watch is Bill Maher, but his show is not in the same genre, really, and he has a bunch of guests on and doesn’t spend a whole lot of time talking to the camera. None of those shows with the host talking to the camera a lot appeals to me. Totally agree with you on all points. Someone made a point about Maddow possibly being condescending; I haven’t seen enough of her to become aware of that, but no one can work condescension and sarcasm like Bill Maher, and it’s hilarious and often a beautifully effective put-down of the intended target when the intended target is an idiot, which it invariably is. God, I love that show. I’m going into withdrawal now that Maher is on holiday break until mid-January. He was on Colbert the other night and all he had to do was say the word “Republicans” and the audience giggled, because in his lexicon it has such wonderfully funny associations that it’s practically synonymous with “deranged lunatic”. The few times I’ve seen Maddow I’ve found here intelligent and informative, but I can see your point that a preachy style can eventually be off-putting. One could contrast it not just with Maher, but with Jon Stewart, whose style was to turn news into fun by exposing hypocrisy and idiocy, and if you wanted to make a political point out of it, that was up to you. Even when Maher does his direct talking-to-the-camera bit in the “New Rules” segment, the intent is to make you laugh with some extremely well-written observational gems, and the moral or political message is in the background, like the lingering aftertaste of a good wine. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/45 "2015-11-22T22:19:17Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Well, come to think on it, she does have this one annoying habit of backing up in mid-stream and repeating some supporting point as she winds up for the bigger point. Yes–good observation. Something I’ve noticed, too. It’s really annoying, and not really necessary. > [@SaharaTea](#): > > This is my main beef with her. Sometimes I wanna shake her and yell, “Get to the freakin’ point!” Her roundabout delivery makes it difficult to sit through an entire show. Contrary to the backtracking–which is sentence-level discourse–I think the “roundabout” delivery is valuable, because she’s usually packing in historical context when she does that, which provides a better understanding of the topic. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/46 "2015-11-22T22:37:26Z")
I like Bill Maher, but I have a hard time getting past the antivax stuff. He is also much more of a polemicist and activist than Maddow. His anti-Muslim stuff makes sense when he keeps it within his anti-religion POV, but it seems like he’s going beyond that at this point. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/47 "2015-11-22T22:48:25Z")
The best thing about Rachel Maddow is not that I agree with her (though I almost always do) but it’s that I trust her. She fact checks herself better than her detractors do. I can recall exactly two instances where someone questioned her veracity online and I had to examine the evidence. Once was in this very forum where in the sprawling [Is Fox News really all that bad?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=667548) thread where Fox News Fanboys liked to come in and contrast her as the opposite of Fox News with regard to bias. They get shouted down that it’s not the bias that makes Fox News bad, it’s the lies. But this was posted: > [@Is Fox News really all that bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/151): > > Rachel Maddow provided a timeline of the Fast and Furious story implying it was manufactured by a rightwing blogger and FOX News only when CBS broke the story and was provided with those documents. > > Rachel Maddow claimed Fast and Furious was a continued Bush program which it wasn’t. The fact was that none of this was true. As **Gerald II** was told by **TonySinclair** (among others), “She didn’t say the blogger made up the fact that Fast and Furious existed, she said he made up the story that the motivation behind it was to undermine the Second Amendment.” and that “She said that it was a continuation of a Bush strategy of selling guns to criminals in the hopes of tracing them to druglords.” All of which is true. This argument was a complaint made by Right Wingers at the time but what Maddow actually reported was in no way erroneous. The other time was more recently on my Facebook page when claimed that Maddow was a liar. I asked for evidence and he linked (without watching, based on my subsequent conversation with him) to a [YouTube video](http://www.infowars.com/report-nbc-edits-video-to-frame-veterans/). The video was made by Infowars - the group of tin-foil-hatted never-met-a-conspiracy-he-didn’t-invent Alex Jones. In it, it showed a report by Maddow did when the Republicans in Congress shut down the government and there was much ado about how veterans were unable to go to closed memorials and a few scuffles between the police and veterans. I watched it. They had no issue with anything she said. They took issue with the video she chose - apparently she used video of protesters being aggressive towards the police because they said that the police started it. I found their argument unpersuasive because Maddow did in fact show a lot of video footage of the police being aggressive and honestly, if we are going to decide which group is more likely to present false or unrepresentative “raw” video footage, Maddow or Alex Jones, past record makes me pretty confident which one is more likely full of shit. Just this past Friday, Maddow gave more mainstream news coverage to what Boko Haram is doing in Nigeria, Mali and other African nations than I have seen to date, and it’s long overdue. So if we’re pitting Rachel Maddow, I will respectfully decline to participate. But the people who don’t like her? Can we pit them instead? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/48 "2015-11-22T23:42:22Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I like Bill Maher, but I have a hard time getting past the antivax stuff. I’ve been watching him for years and the anti-vax stuff only came up once. Maybe twice. I do have to admit the time it came it up I couldn’t believe my ears. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/49 "2015-11-23T00:06:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’ve been watching him for years and the anti-vax stuff only came up once. Maybe twice. I do have to admit the time it came it up I couldn’t believe my ears. Also, one of the many things I really like about Maher is that he’s very frank about admitting when someone has taught him something new or when he’s changed his mind about something. I can see him totally changing his views on this after a good in-depth talk with a credible and informed subject matter expert, and openly admitting it. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/50 "2015-11-23T00:21:09Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Also, one of the many things I really like about Maher is that he’s very frank about admitting when someone has taught him something new or when he’s changed his mind about something. I can see him totally changing his views on this after a good in-depth talk with a credible and informed subject matter expert, and openly admitting it. He’s had that talk. He only fell back as far as weasel words and JAQing off. It’s been very disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/51 "2015-11-23T04:13:09Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Why he would start now? As I recall, this isn’t the first time he’s been told about this. That’s not true. More specifically, you may “recall” that I’ve previously mentioned this incident and been advised of Maddow’s correction, but it’s confabulation on your part: it never happened. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/52 "2015-11-23T08:19:05Z")
The thing that often annoys me about Rachel Madow, the thing that rubs me the wrong way, as in, I just get sick of hearing it and find it soooo tedious, is that she often, as in frequently, l mean really, really much, much, much more likely to happen than not, emphasizes, draws attention to, puts bright colored verbal circles around, what she is trying to say, the point she wants to make, the thing that she is espousing, by using multiple, and by that I mean more than one and not just a single on its lonesome, redundant, as in one would be just fine thank you ma’am, and often hyperbolic, as in over the top, as in most other people’s way of saying things is in Death Valley and her’s is at the top of Mount Everest, little verbal filler phrases… that I find it difficult to maintain my attention to the point where she makes a point. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/53 "2015-11-23T10:34:17Z")
> [@Oly](#): > > The thing that often annoys me about Rachel Madow, the thing that rubs me the wrong way, as in, I just get sick of hearing it and find it soooo tedious, is that she often, as in frequently, l mean really, really much, much, much more likely to happen than not, emphasizes, draws attention to, puts bright colored verbal circles around, what she is trying to say, the point she wants to make, the thing that she is espousing, by using multiple, and by that I mean more than one and not just a single on its lonesome, redundant, as in one would be just fine thank you ma’am, and often hyperbolic, as in over the top, as in most other people’s way of saying things is in Death Valley and her’s is at the top of Mount Everest, little verbal filler phrases… that I find it difficult to maintain my attention to the point where she makes a point. The backtracking (already mentioned in posts #12 and #43) is not redundancy so much as repetition. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/54 "2015-11-23T14:34:42Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I listen to the podcast every morning on my drive in to work. I enjoy the context she gives to stories, finding some interesting historical thread as an introduction. For instance, to discuss the endorsement that Jeb! got from Bob Dole, she went back to talk about the serious hate that Dole and H.W Bush had for each other back in the 70’s. I usually enjoy them as well, especially when she goes back quite a ways in time like she did for Dole and H.W. Bush because it’s pretty much all new information for me and really often does help me to contextualize the story of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/55 "2015-11-23T16:18:43Z")
> [@Oly](#): > > The thing that often annoys me about Rachel Madow, the thing that rubs me the wrong way, as in, I just get sick of hearing it and find it soooo tedious, is that she often, as in frequently, l mean really, really much, much, much more likely to happen than not, emphasizes, draws attention to, puts bright colored verbal circles around, what she is trying to say, the point she wants to make, the thing that she is espousing, by using multiple, and by that I mean more than one and not just a single on its lonesome, redundant, as in one would be just fine thank you ma’am, and often hyperbolic, as in over the top, as in most other people’s way of saying things is in Death Valley and her’s is at the top of Mount Everest, little verbal filler phrases… that I find it difficult to maintain my attention to the point where she makes a point. I think this has been pointed out by mainstream media critics (“mainstream” media critics as opposed to “mainstream media” critics) that she uses the style that has made Fox News and talk radio so successful - pick a story line and hammer it to death. Early every morning Roger Ailes and Rush Limbaugh establish the stories of the day and all day long they get repeated over and over again. She does that all in one show. One thing I’ve noticed is that while Republicans really hate her, if you pin them down as to what she is getting factually wrong in her stories, they have no answer other than “She’s a bitch!” It’s the airtight way she puts her stories together that infuriates the Right. They have no answers. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/56 "2015-11-23T16:58:12Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > I’m not sure it’s a _huge_ stretch to compare requiring Muslims to register as such and carry special identification to Nazi Germany. Yeah, Donald Trump wants to register Muslims. That’s Hitler-esque. One doesn’t have to go full Hitler to do Hitler things. I think the comparison Maddow made is apt ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/57 "2015-11-23T17:02:30Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Yeah, Donald Trump wants to register Muslims. That’s Hitler-esque. One doesn’t have to go full Hitler to do Hitler things. I think the comparison Maddow made is apt Particularly given that she played clips of Trump having the opportunity to clarify his position and to specifically address whether or not his suggestion was akin to the acts of the Nazis regarding Jews. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/58 "2015-11-23T17:16:23Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Yeah, Donald Trump wants to register Muslims. That’s Hitler-esque. One doesn’t have to go full Hitler to do Hitler things. I think the comparison Maddow made is apt Building freeways and parks are also Hitler things. Is wanting to register gun owners also Hitleresque? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/59 "2015-11-23T17:50:38Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Building freeways and parks are also Hitler things. Is wanting to register gun owners also Hitleresque? Golly, what an incisive point. You’re the cleverest. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/60 "2015-11-23T17:57:45Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Building freeways and parks are also Hitler things. Is wanting to register gun owners also Hitleresque? Forgive my lack of historical knowledge: big park builder was he? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/61 "2015-11-23T18:37:37Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Building freeways and parks are also Hitler things. Is wanting to register gun owners also Hitleresque? They are not uniquely Hitler things. Hitler drank water and ate food but I’m not against that. But registering minorities is something that not a lot of people do. Hitler did it and used it to single out groups he didn’t like for violent discrimination. Given what Trump has said, his support of registration is moving in that direction. I don’t plan on letting him ever reaching that goal ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227/62 "2015-11-23T18:54:49Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Forgive my lack of historical knowledge: big park builder was he? Books can be your friend. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rachel-maddow/738227.md?page=4)