Tina Brown: Give "Meet The Press" To Rachel Maddow

The Meet the Press panel needs fewer David Broders and more Christopher Hitchenses--irresponsible wits who can challenge the B-list senators and warhorse commentators who trundle on and download all that sonorous received wisdom. And for the top spot, how about going way outside the box? How about bringing in the cool forensic skills of a David Boies? Or the fresh intelligence of a web star like Josh Marshall or Glenn Greenwald? Or the political/policy smarts of a journalistic intellectual like the Guardian's Michael Tomasky?

Or how about... a woman? Since NBC has not heeded my last suggestion to appoint either the unsung cable Rottweiler Greta Van Susteren or a reinvented Katie Couric, I say give Meet the Press to Rachel Maddow. She's smart. She's quick. She's witty. She does her homework. And she listens to what the person she's talking to is saying. She doesn't just go to the next question on her list.

If Obama is post-racial, Maddow is post-gender--divested of hair-frosted femininity in the anchor genre and more appealing because of it. Like him, she's a calm, unflappable new era phenomenon. Sure, she's a lefty, and in the past week she's been swinging away at Obama's cabinet choices, but I suspect she's ambitious enough to dial it back if she had to. (She also has that weird TV gene that's so hungry for air time she'd probably insist on keeping her five-day job at MSNBC. Russert himself was on every show except Project Runway.)

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Comments

[yhgtup]

I like Rachel, but not for MTP. For some reason, I don't watch her show as much as I did when she first came on. I wouldn't miss it, then. Now, for instance, last night, after KO, I turned to Law & Order. She's losing me, for some reason. Maybe it's her format, or the recycled news, by the time she comes on. Haven't figured it out, yet???????

[HallStyle]

If David is to going to be the Moderator of MTP, Rachel Maddow should take his time slot.

http://www.hallstyle.blogspot.com

[majorteddy]

Really, she can be insistent and provocative without being obnoxiously antagonistic. A 99% perfect fit, as close as I think you'll find.

[caremore]

agreed!!!!

[jaydeedub]

Rachel does her homework in prepping for her show. I DVR her show every night. She was very insightful when she did Countdown. Looks like she will not host MTP. She should be considered for a MTP panelist slot.

[mi]

Rachael Maddow is dead serious about her work.
She is a Goliath next to little David.

[wolverine442]

I'm all for Rachel Maddow taking over the post at MTP, but why is there all this talk of either/or, left/right, liberal/conservative surrounding the driving force of MTP? Isn't that type of era hopefully over? Didn't a clear majority of americans just outright dismiss that mentality as 'failed'? If NBC wants to continue using old and flawed formulations for a show that should be ever changing, so be it.

I rather enjoy watching Rachel every night and i get my daily dose of information and intelligent debate. Why would i want her restricted to 1 Hour on sunday in the early morning? The debate on our future needs to be discussed and debated on a daily basis, not crammed into a 'spiffy' one hour, easily missed, designed for the 'after church' crowd on sunday mornings.

No offense to the 'church crowd' or early sunday risers, but i don't know a whole lot of people aching to get up sunday morning to watch MTP, I do know a lot of people that watch Rachel on a nightly basis and we are better off for it.

[jalowe1957]

Trust me, Rachel Maddow could eat David Gregory for breakfast and pick her teeth with Gwen Iffel.

Need I say more?

[whit4brains]

Rachel would have been a much better choice than David Gregory!

[lizziekw]

I wouldn't take a suggestion on where to find a restroom from Tina Brown.

I like Rachel Maddow but she doesn't have the experience to take on hosting a major network Sunday talking heads program. My pick was Gwen Ifill so I'm disappointed with Gregory getting the nod. But Rachel's great and after she's had the show on MSNBC for a few years, I expect her to move up the political broadcast ladder.

[majorteddy]

Isn't Gwen Ifill with PBS?

[UsofA]

Sorry to double-post, but I left the following comment on the HuffPo news story that David Gregory is taking over MTP. Does this Tina Brown story mean I can hope?

And so ends my interest in Meet The Press which is, let's face it, only as interesting as it's moderator. NBC had a chance at Rachel Maddow and let the opportunity slip by. Pity. She was the only potential equal of Russert, whom I missed the moment he was gone and continue to miss to this day.

[Klimb]

Rachel Maddow is "spot on" for MTP...she would definitely carry on the "baton" from Tim Russerts.

[lmvd3]

YES! Fantastic idea! Smart, hard-hitting, intellectually curious...she would continue Russert's hard-earned legacy.

[Michael7843853]

Rachel is too independent and left leaning for MTP and that is a good thing. She is dangerous to the center-right perspective. They will try to tone her down by buying her off. Another talking head, we don't need.

[mooph]

Yeah...no. Even though I enjoy her snarky show -- much more than the pre-taped, non-call-in radio broadcasts -- MTP isn't her venue. She's very good at what she does, but it's not MTP material.

Suggesting Maddow is tantamount to suggesting Olbermann.

[Dunworkin]

This should have been their only choice, no one will live up to what Tim was on this program,so now is the time to change the format and Rachel could do this in a very good way,she is a very smart woman and very quick on her answers,i think David will sit there and let the guest ramble on and not challange any answers they give unless maybe they are Dems, he was to passive while on the election programs. DAVID not a good choice.

[ebanks84]

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. MY SUGGESTION FROM THE GIDDYUP!

Rachel is the perfect MTP host and the only one to pick up from Tim Russert. She will do a terrific job and will make the show a SUPER HIT!