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

The Daily Beast:

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.)

Read the whole story: The Daily Beast

Comments

[jeanrenoir]

A yellow dog Dem friend of mine called the recent election, the battle between the "smarts" and the "dumbs." Well, the smarts finally won (Bill and Hillary were way too mixed a bag of smart and dumb in office, and thus way too good at tossing red meat and political power to the Right and the dumb, to count as the outright triumph of the smarts). Maddow, like Obama, is a wonderful sign of the new smart times. The smarts are truly taking over this country, reclaiming it from decades and political and media (Fox-Limbaugh) stupidity. America is clearly way too small not to be still fated to decline relative to both China and India, who will be the dominant powers for the rest of human history (since there are no new Chinas and Indias out there to threaten these uniquely huge behemoths). But it's now looking as if America will at least go down with intelligence, style, and grace, rather than the farcical ineptitude of the dumbs, so perfectly personified by W.

[Beantownbadboy]

Rachel Maddow? No,no,no. She's very smart and does her homework but too perky and tries to be too cutesy. David Gregory or be bold..... Dan Rather. Unless of course Brokaw doesn't want it.

[kissy kai]

HELL NO

[Cogitoe]

Yes on "informed outsiders". Greta could probably pull it off and Katie deserves serious consideration, but please, no Rachel. Yes she is a super smart and articulate lefty, but is that the evolution we need for Meet the Press? Don't we want a less biased forum welcoming to both sides of the aisle? In a red / blue country, a purple moderator can best help viewers sort through competing idealogies and get to common sense political solutions to current issues.

[carex]

Whatever they do, just please get rid of Brokaw asap.

Can NOT stand the marbles, or are they potatoes in his mouth as he mumbles his way through. You can watch him take pleasure in hearing his own voice. The comments below speak of bias in Maddow, but Brokaw is they guy who came up with the line how exit polling is vastly inaccurate on election night 2000.
Exit polling IS a reasonably accurate science. Bush DID NOT WIN in 2000 or in 2004, but Brokaw was there with excuses to cover.

Better to have someone pragmatic and open about potential bias as is Rachel Maddow, than a cloaked conservative like Brokaw. Her openess will keep her honest.

Would like to watch this show again, but putting Laura Bush on yesterday....really? What would she possibly have to contribute? Can't bear to watch. I do agree with Tina Brown. Retire Carville and Mattelyn. David Brooks is interesting, if largely wrong on issues.
Doris Kerns Goodwin is one of the most interesting panelists.

[taddles]

Excellent idea! I love the way Rachael is able to carry an argument without being argumentative and to make a point without being insulting. She is smart, witty and unflappable. Shes also an unabashed and unapologetic liberal who is capable of discussing all sides of an issue without being unduly partisan.

[pgurlatl]

I think this is the best suggestion EVER!!!!

[obamanation31]

i love this idea! she would be fantastic!

[MaxxEliot]

If she didn't wear her very liberal agenda on her sleeve...she would have been a great choice. But she...like most on MSNBC....has been a cheerleader for Obama and thus her objectivity would always be called into question.

[taddles]

So being a liberal is somehow bad but being a conservative is somehow good???

Her objectivity is in the fact that she uses facts that are verifiable. She presents concepts without insulting either the viewer or the guest. Unfortunately the present MSM has had this false attempt to remain "apolitical". In the end, they get lampooned by the left as right wing hacks or by people like you on the right as "in the tank". Either way they loose because they have no political identity so they can be defined by anyone as anything.

Rachael is a liberal, she doesn't hide it and she doesn't shy away from it. Her questions have a decidedly liberal taint but then there's no ambiguity that can be so easily misinterpreted by people with an agenda....like yourself.

[lafrance]

nooooooo. As much as I like Rachel and she's is outstanding I think Meet the Press is more bipartisan and would interupt it's rep as a bipartisan program.
She's great where she is and can do her own thing. At MTP she would have to suppress her own views.

[Meah]

Gwen Ifill would be much better than any of the other people being considered. I don't think they would go with Rachel although she would undoubtedly do well. Todd, Mitchell, and Gregory do not have the stature for such a job. People would snore through MTP. Ifill has energy, chariisma, she is quick, listens to others, and knows how to move things around. I agree with Tina Brown for the Tim Russert "gotcha" style to a thing of the past. NBC needs to really really retire Tom Brokaw.

[Cogitoe]

Excellent idea. Much better than Rachel asd evidenced by her handling of the Obama - McCain debate.

[PC]

Gwen Ifill, MTP is not a good fit for Maddow.

[Aaryck]

Absolutely NOT! I love Rachel Maddow and I'm gay but Meet The Press is not her style. I really believe it should go to Gwen Ifill. I think she will keep the momentum, style and integrity of the show similar to it's predecessor.

[mater]

My choice is Mike Barnicle--smart, knowledgeable on all the issues, and knows many of the interviewees personally, but won't cut them any breaks.

[lafrance]

True. But, I have to confess that Rachel at times gets on my nerves when goes all paranoid like right before the election.
Couldn't watch her for a few days as she took democratic paranoia new meaning. We've been through alot but, that was too much!
She needs to get some seasoning I think.

[PC]

Wow, didn't even see your comment but it appears we are on the same page.

[Maezeppa]

Rachel Maddow is a first-rate commentator. She is so bright and absorbs information seemingly effortlessly. Best, Maddow never loses her critical-thinking edge.

[firewmn]

Rachel would be a fantastic choice for MTP commentor. I love to watch her show and have listened to her for quite a while. She is smart- (I believe has a PHD), and does her homework and is very, very perpared. Courteous to her guests and is respectful. Tim would be proud to have Rachel.

But please, please, please MTP get RID of TOM.. Can't stand watching him. Send him back to Montana. He is only 15 minutes from my place but he is much more interesting to talk and listen too in the local diner or local bookstore than he is on MTP.. can him now!

I would go back to watching MTP if Rachel was there.. certainly not watching with Brokaw or even Gregory.. yuck..

[dotcomonmyface]

Maddow is too Goofy .
She's like the nice person at the office whos "jokes" you are obligated to laugh at.

How about Gergin if he agrees to eliminate the comb over?

And isnt this Brian Williams Gig we are talking about?

PS. New show idea
PUNDIT SURVIVOR : Season 1
lets vote the idiots off the island