Rachel Maddow Hammers Mitt Romney For Being Like Rick Lazio (VIDEO)

Rachel Maddow hammered Mitt Romney on her show Friday night for, according to her, being like former New York Republican congressman Rick Lazio. Maddow likened Romney to Lazio for inspiring what she called "not much enthusiasm" among voters.

"America, meet Mitt Romney. I mean Rick Lazio," Maddow said. Lazio campaigned against Hillary Clinton in the year 2000 for the United States senate. Maddow described Lazio's campaign as "creepy" and "awkward," but said that there was "nothing technically wrong with the candidate on paper."

Maddow said that Romney was similar to Lazio in that "there's really nothing wrong with him," but "there's a sort of awkwardness about him at times." She also described both Lazio and Romney as "next in line guys." She said that both candidates were seen as though they "worked [their] way up to...the next political job."

Maddow pointed out that despite Lazio being seen as the "sober" and "next in line" candidate, he lost both his run for the U.S. Senate and his later 2010 run in New York's GOP gubernatorial primary. "It's hard to escape the fact that Mitt Romney is the Rick Lazio of 2012," Maddow said. She added, "when Mitt Romney talks, people don't believe him. Everything works on paper but the parts don't add up to the sum of anything."

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Comments

[tiji]

08:27 PM on 12/19/2011

For the presidential election in 2024, Romney should pick Rick Lazio as his running mate.

[Katherine Wolfe]

06:20 PM on 12/19/2011

I think it's the darting eye thing he does whenever someone asks him a question.

[BEATRIX KIDDO]

05:41 PM on 12/19/2011

I think Rachel summed Romney up pretty well, I know I don't believe a word out of his mouth.He reminds me of a slick used car salesman, will tell you anything you want to hear to make his sell.

[Willie12345]

05:34 PM on 12/19/2011

?

[luisroman]

05:02 PM on 12/19/2011

Little Ricky? Man, Rachel, that's hitting below the belt! I can't remember a more "blah" candidate in my 45 years on earth than Little Ricky, but Romney is certainly giving it his best shot.

[BEATRIX KIDDO]

05:43 PM on 12/19/2011

@#$%$ ^&%$* E&*% F()#$@ F&%^$# U&^%$)!!!!!!

[Randy Hauser]

06:16 PM on 12/19/2011

Chaz Bono is a man. Rachel Maddow is a lesbian. You may be the worst insulter I ave ever seen.

[pigeonca]

04:18 PM on 12/19/2011

I travel a lot and find it interesting how prevalent Fox Noise is compared to CNN and MSNBC in hotels, airports and restaurants. Also, recently I changed from cable to dish, and suddenly Fox was available on the basic service whereas I had to pay extra for the other two. That is why more people watch, and are brainwashed, by Fox. There is no other reason for the ratings disparity other than the ubiquity of Fox Noise.

[somearelost]

04:52 PM on 12/19/2011

Loony liberal myth # 23

[themiddleistheproblem]

05:19 PM on 12/19/2011

Naa, that's just a fact. Like it or not, facts are facts. I'm sorry.

[Just a passerby]

07:31 PM on 12/19/2011

you know less about the world than someone who watches no news at all. At all.

Sad.

[BEATRIX KIDDO]

05:54 PM on 12/19/2011

I find that most airports have either a sports channel, cnn or the weather channel displayed. Dish is the cheapest of all carriers and also Fox is designated as an entertainment channel so that might have something to do with their placement.
I don't mind paying a little extra for the middle package on Comcasts bundled digital service so I can watch CNN along with msnbc, hln, pbs and I watch Fox daily.It's really funny to watch how Fox reports the same story but with an obvious conservative slant or if it's a democrat friendly story Fox will not cover it at all.

[senator11]

03:41 PM on 12/19/2011

Maddow is quite a lady...

[aHorsewithNoname]

03:40 PM on 12/19/2011

HuffPo, I see your Harsh and Raise you a Harsher..Much harsher. In or Out?

http://www.examiner.com/democrat-in-national/california-politician-advocates-assassination-of-obama-and-family

[Randy Hauser]

06:17 PM on 12/19/2011

In defense of that guy, he is willing to let Michelle live.

[NRMLUNIT]

02:54 PM on 12/19/2011

Rachel is right of course but, low hanging fruit is easy to pick. It's hard to be serious when any member of the insane clown posse does one of their hilarious routine's. Willard is like a glass house. It's easy to do damage by throwing rocks. However, it's is even easier to just sit back and watch him self destruct.

[kaluk8]

02:24 PM on 12/19/2011

I'm pretty sure it's Maddow who is creepy and awkward.

[ultrawiz]

04:35 PM on 12/19/2011

Because she uses words with more than 2 syllables that you don't understand?

[jmmoore27]

01:23 PM on 12/19/2011

she's a drama queen

[ultrawiz]

04:34 PM on 12/19/2011

But right on the money.

[Biochemist she]

02:51 AM on 12/20/2011

Who gets paid large sums of money. To talk. On a daily basis.

[BassguyGG]

12:02 PM on 12/19/2011

Rick Lazio was my congressman here in NY. Rachel is right that Mitt Romney has the same problem as Rick Lasio but it's what I call the "Weasel Factor." He is a guy who doesn't have his own point of view on a lot of things - he goes with the flow and takes whatever position on issues he calculates to be most advantageous. Like Mitt Romney, he's a guy who doesn't project or define any core values. Lazio ran for Senate here against Hillary Clinton a few years ago, or I should say he was thrust into the candidacy when Rudy Guiliani folded his tent. He always struck me as an "aparatchik;" someone more suited as a back-bencher and getting things done behind the scenes than a guy ready for prime time. Like Romney, he is a lackluster guy with no personal charisma.

[JohnDewey]

01:21 PM on 12/19/2011

Mitt Romney was my Governor here in Massachusetts, and I wholeheartedly endorse your characterization of him.

Although, I suspect that the empty suit also known as Rick Lazio is more sincere and substantive than either Romney or Gingrich.

[Willie12345]

04:52 PM on 12/19/2011

Yep. Compared to Rep. Weiner, no one seems to meet your standards.

[SallyMaclennane]

11:50 AM on 12/19/2011

For somebody not creating much enthusiasm, he sure seems to have ruffled her feathers.

[NRMLUNIT]

02:59 PM on 12/19/2011

Nah. Willard is a plastic bobble head.

[SallyMaclennane]

11:50 AM on 12/19/2011

I wonder who pays Rachel the bigger paycheck.....MSNBC or the DNC?

[jmmoore27]

01:23 PM on 12/19/2011

or AOL/Huffington Post...there is a section about her show EVERYDAY on Huff Post!

[enfant terrible]

03:23 PM on 12/19/2011

AOL/Huffin­gton Post do not pay their writers/bloggers.

That's how Arianna became a 1%percenter.

[TORAHTID]

01:34 PM on 12/19/2011

Heres a challenge for you sallypoo, try to stick to the topic at hand.............stop focussing onthe messenger. Ask yourself: is her point about romney valid? If you dont think it is, then tell us what your point of view is.

At the rate youre going, trying to attack rachel, it tells us that what she said about romney is the truth and you just cant handle the truth.

Prove me wrong, sallypoo.

[kaluk8]

02:25 PM on 12/19/2011

You're wrong....BOOM!

[Liberalbydefault]

03:26 PM on 12/19/2011

Save your typing strokes TORAHTID, whenever Rached Maddow appears on here, there are lots of people waiting to attack her.
It is a right wing tactic. Attacking the messenger. They look funny, they talk funny, etc.
It's a simple way to appeal to the lower forms of life in America.