Rachel Maddow, Frank Rich Talk Occupy Wall Street and Fox News (VIDEO)

Rachel Maddow and Frank Rich sat down Wednesday night to discuss Occupy Wall Street and the conservative media's response to the movement.

Maddow also discussed Rich's Sunday column in New York Magazine. Rich compared Occupy Wall Street to the Bonus Army protests of 1932. He drew parallels between the intense police response to the Bonus Army demonstration on Capitol Hill and the harsh police response at Occupy Wall Street Oakland.

Maddow steered the conversation to Glenn Beck — or, as she referred to him, "the former Fox News host" who she guessed is "just on the Internet now" — and his response to Occupy Wall Street protesters. He said during a Wednesday "Today" interview that the protesters were "radicals, revolutionaries, communists, socialists, and Islamists" who sought to destroy "the capitalist system and the Western way of life". Maddow also said that the conservative media like Fox News was trying to "demonize the protesters."

Rich said he didn't think these attacks would be very effective. "I think it's going to backfire," he said. He described Beck and Fox News' response as an "echo chamber" because " they are speaking to people who will feel this way regardless."

When Maddow asked Rich if he believed the "physical manifestation of discontent" was imperative to the movement's cause, Rich said it was "not always that important" since the movement was polling well among Americans.

"This is building beyond the physical presence," Rich said. He recalled that the first poll about Occupy Wall Street had a 37% approval rate, a number that has been steadily growing. The latest CBS News/New York Times poll showed that 43% of Americans agreed with the views of Occupy Wall Street.

"They lit a fire," Rich said of the protesters.

WATCH:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Photos of Occupy Wall Street/Occupy Oakland:

Comments

[Gary Bedard]

09:47 AM on 11/05/2011

The Frank Rich interview on TRMS doesn't work. It just plays an interview with Sarah Silverman

[MamacitaOfLove]

07:22 PM on 10/30/2011

MSMedia has made itself completely irrelevant.

[Mickey Carroll]

10:42 AM on 10/30/2011

Hi Rachel This song /video is dedicated to Corporate America entitled ''You Got To Give Back
if you like it please click Like and tell your friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFQprHo1JoE&feature=share

Onward
Mickey
www.MickeyCarroll.com

[RobH413]

01:52 AM on 10/30/2011

Just watched the John Carpenter movie "They Live" from about 1988. A movie from a generation ago that is proving to be a movie for our times. More relevant today than ever, particularly because of OWS and the 99 percenters. Anyone sympathetic to the cause should watch it or see it again.

It's s a sometimes cheesy script, but if you get past those moments, there's an awful lot that resonates. And although I normally am not attracted to movies with a ton of violence, I love the symbolism of the fight scene between the white and black protagonist that goes on and on and on to the point where they have nearly beat each other to death before they finally realize that their interests are aligned and they should be fighting on the same side.

[valhalladad]

07:51 AM on 10/30/2011

Completely agree about the movie. It is amazing that it was ever filmed in the first place, and even more amazing that it was released to the public.

[RobH413]

12:23 PM on 10/30/2011

Two reasons, I think. One, because the message of the movie was ever so slightly masked by the fact that the villains were space invaders from another planet colonizing the earth. And two, the project had no name actors and was probably pretty inexpensive to make.

[rumple4skin]

12:03 AM on 10/30/2011

The most dangerous, insidious threat to the Republic is a "news" organization.

It is owned by a native-born Australian who took U.S. citizenship in order to qualify to own radio and TV stations here.

The many radio and TV stations owned by this person have, over the years, wielded unbelievable influence in broadcast media. When called out for lying by media watchers the owner won the right to distort and lie in U.S. courts.

This "news" group is now a fine-tuned propaganda machine unparalleled in its ability and effectiveness delivering biased information. It creates crises and reports these ficticious events as "news". The organization edits unrelated events into video stories to create illusions of realities that are creative-editing masterpieces.

This "news" organization is rife with sleaze commentary, dishonest "reporting", and unqualified "news" gatherers. (In my opinion) its existence baffles world media companies except those in Canada, which bans the company from its airways.

This organization must be destroyed and dismantled from the top down.

Joseph Gobbels is cheering from his grave at the success FOX is having using his perfected propaganda principles.

[Katchalater]

06:30 PM on 10/30/2011

When a dictator takes over the first thing they do is control the media. FOX used the media effectively to get us into Iraq and get Republicans elected but their time is gone. Now they are just preaching to the choir. Thank goodness we have choices in America.

[rumple4skin]

09:00 PM on 10/30/2011

Choices are limited, under constant attack, and lack effective (financed) counter-measures. An aggressive counter-strategy against the Murdoch group is necessary.

[Theatrixnyc]

11:28 AM on 10/29/2011

Bill Maher had a great show last night. Full of clips and segments that deserve the 'Explosive' Treatment...Huff-Po Editors...The opening with Grover, just sad...we need to worry about our borders around Canada? Why? Bad ideas like Free Health Care for Citizens? Truth In Media? But the middle to last segment was the "Explosive Part.." you need to watch it and run it in the Headline, the most honest, live reaction to what is happening, seen on a panel show, so far....people on the panel kept getting up out of chairs, and it got down to the "LIAR" stage. Great TV. Great debate.

[MamacitaOfLove]

07:25 PM on 10/30/2011

I miss Maher.

[Farzan]

09:22 AM on 10/29/2011

Has Sarah dated a nonwhite person? (I am just say'n.)

[Taj Snead]

12:18 AM on 10/30/2011

actually she has

[Stan Cunningham]

06:55 AM on 10/29/2011

More conspiracy theories by MSNBC!!

[Davwbaird]

06:10 PM on 10/30/2011

Really, explain in total detail.

[MamacitaOfLove]

07:20 PM on 10/30/2011

Can't wait to read it.

[MichaelMcKLA]

01:33 AM on 10/29/2011

Fox News commentators remind me of Richard Nixon and Co. re: Vietnam War protesters.

[Stopinstigating]

05:29 AM on 10/31/2011

So? Commentators on MSNBC remind me of the same irresponsible counter-culture types who were protesting in the streets in the mid-to-late '60s.

Having the freedom to choose between sources of information is good. Why do liberals seem to think there sources are the only legitimate ones?

Case in point, if MSNBC were the only source of information regarding OWS we would never have been reminded of this tidbit published by Businessinsider.com (hardly a right-wing blog) in March 2011:

"Caught on Tape: Former SEIU Official Reveals Secret Plan To Destroy JP Morgan, Crash The Stock Market, And Redistribute Wealth In America"
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-03-22/news/30073732_1_stock-market-seiu-secret-plan

[Air Vice Marshal Park]

11:09 PM on 10/28/2011

The MSM, including this website, are so far behind the curve with OWS coverage that we might speak of the corporate media as "so 20th century."

[Shukr]

08:55 PM on 10/28/2011

"Communist, socialists, and Islamists" "Communists, socialists, and Islamists" "Communists, socialists, and Islamists"

Repeat 10x. You are now a republican and a patriot.

[Stopinstigating]

05:57 AM on 10/31/2011

Okay. So conservatives know the difference. What does that say about the liberals groups coordinating OWS activities with each of these groups?

And why the "deny any association at all costs" attitude? What's the big deal associating with these groups? Its no different than the organizing and planning groups like Code Pink did in the months prior to the Egyptian uprising.

Seriously. So they collaborate with these groups to affect change? What's the big deal?

[Theatrixnyc]

03:51 PM on 10/28/2011

Seems Rich and Maddow cannot find any type of satisfacti­­on unless the words "Fox News" are rolling off their lips.

Sad and embarassin­­g for them actually.

As for OWS. It has been more than 40 days since they "occupied" and America has shown it has no interest in them.

Snow coming, as early as this weekend.

Should be fun to watch.....­­...
**

Maybe we should do like Ann Coulter was telling us, on Fox, and march up to Rupert Murdoch's apartment again? Or the Fox Studios...­Bill O' Can Do it live on the Air.

[HarpoSnarx]

04:28 PM on 10/28/2011

Quoting Ann Coulter?

Enough said.

[Theatrixnyc]

04:54 PM on 10/28/2011

Hey, I'm quoting a supposed Right Wing pundit, on Fox, Murdoch's own Network. That was the point. I don't watch that garbage, merely pointing out that Ann seems aware (even though she has Right Wing money running thru her pumps) that the Protesters were mad at guys like Murdoch.

[demisfine]

07:14 PM on 10/28/2011

As if.

[Consequence]

02:30 PM on 10/28/2011

Seems Rich and Maddow cannot find any type of satisfaction unless the words "Fox News" are rolling off their lips.

Sad and embarassing for them actually.

As for OWS. It has been more than 40 days since they "occupied" and America has shown it has no interest in them.

Snow coming, as early as this weekend.

Should be fun to watch........

[mynamesyow]

01:30 PM on 10/28/2011

To Agree with the OWS Agenda all you have to do is agree that Money MUST be extracted from Politics our there might soon come a day will it be Illegal to talk to your Elected Representative w/out a Lobbyist Present...

[Freedom Rush]

01:57 PM on 10/28/2011

I know OWS is reticent to make demands but they (we) need to align behind the principle of campaign finance reform. It's the only thing that stands a chance of counterbalancing citizens united.

[Theatrixnyc]

03:51 PM on 10/28/2011

and Term Limits.

[elamatt]

01:23 PM on 10/28/2011

If Fox can't "control" the message, they simply dismiss it (O'Reilly is the king of dismissiveness). Likewise, if FN can't understand an issue on its surface, it becomes some kind of Machiavellian plot, a very sad group of individuals indeed.

[ScottNY]

02:31 PM on 10/28/2011

Or if it goes against the "conservative" narrative of big business can do no wrong, they dismiss it.