Rachel Maddow Urges NBC News to 'Reverse' Ronna McDaniel Hire

[Celerity]

The host called out her own network for its "inexplicable" decision to hire the former RNC Chair

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rachel-maddow-nbc-ronna-mcdaniel-hiring-reverse-1234994316/



MSNBC primetime host Rachel Maddow criticized her own network over its hiring of former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and called on NBC News to reverse its decision. Maddow, MSNBC’s highest-rated anchor, began her show with a nearly 30-minute monologue blasting the network’s decision as “inexplicable.” “I want to associate myself with all my colleagues, both at MSNBC and NBC News, who have voiced loud and principled objections to our company putting on the payroll someone who hasn’t just attacked us as journalists, but someone who is part of an ongoing project to get rid of our system of government,” she said.

“Someone who still is trying to convince Americans that this election stuff, it doesn’t really work.” “If you care what I think about this, the fact that McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News, to me that is inexplicable,” Maddow said during her show on Monday evening. “You wouldn’t hire a wise guy … a made man, like a mobster, to work in a DA’s office. You wouldn’t hire a pickpocket to work as a TA screener. And so, I find the decision to put her on the payroll inexplicable, and and I hope they will reverse their decision.”

Link to tweet

On Friday, news broke that McDaniel would join NBC News as a conservative political correspondent on a nearly $300,000-a-year contract. The hire triggered a backlash of harsh criticism from within the network as some of the country’s top hosts and anchors lambasted their employer on its own airwaves. Sunday’s broadcast began with an interview with the ex-RNC Chair by host Kristen Welker — prior to the interview, Welker gave a brief disclaimer, saying: “This will be a news interview, and I was not involved in her hiring.”

After the segment wrapped, while seated across from Welker, NBC’s Chuck Todd blasted network executives. “Let me deal with the elephant in the room: I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation,” the former Meet the Press moderator told the host. On Monday’s show, Maddow implored NBC News to “take a minute, acknowledge that maybe it wasn’t the right call,” adding, “It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to acknowledge when you are wrong.”

snip

[malaise]

1. She was excellent

Rec

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Another article from NJ Star Ledger

https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/03/msnbc-star-host-rachel-maddow-puts-ronna-mcdaniel-in-her-crosshairs-reverse-the-decision.html

[Evolve Dammit]

3. Solidarity on this one from all the hosts. See if they blink

[lindysalsagal]

4. She started to flush in the middle, and become emotional

But the caught herself and kept going. Masterful. As always, but so personal. She loves our country so deeply. Instead of most anchors who love the sound of their own voice.

[Ford_Prefect]

5. McDaniel wasn't hired on a whim nor because she will represent the majority of traditional GOP voters. She was bought

and paid for to attack Constitutional Democracy and Joe Biden. She has no other purpose. So we can conclude this was a decision made by the highest powers at NBC. They will not get rid of her without a fight. NBC news and infotainment has been headed this way for awhile. When you wonder why I and others state that the MSM is being steered to normalize fascism McDaniel is the proof.

[wolfie001]

8. Yep! The billionaires installed her

Normalize disinformation and the lying Fat Don.

[Joinfortmill]

6. She was both righteous and scathing. Love this woman.

[sop]

7. The McDaniel hiring proves that what we see and hear on network and cable tv news every day is completely

controlled by corporate management and ownership. NBC's own Chief Political Analyst had no say in McDaniel's hiring and is opposed to it. The Anchor of their top Sunday news program was apparently ordered by management to interview someone against her will. Many others are outraged by the decision.

How many times have we heard these "journalists" brag that "no one" in corporate management and ownership "tells them what to report," and they have "complete independence" in how they cover the news? That's bullshit. Our free and independent press doesn't exist. It's all a myth.

[Blue Idaho]

9. The MSNBC heavy hitters

Have drawn a line in the sand. Now it’s time for the mother company to eat crow and apologize to their viewers for such a patently biased political move.

Personally, I think Rachel was great, but my vote goes to Lawrence O’Donnell for asking the most clear eyed and painful questions about Ronna’s gutless performance since swearing obedience to TFG. After all she literally changed her name to make that gutless wonder happy. How does she explain that to her dad? Her kids? There is no way that woman can convince me she’s an impartial political observer.

[maxsolomon]

10. Took her a while to get to the point, but the context was essential.

She's a national treasure. 1 hour a week is all I need of MSNBC.

[MerrilyMerrily]

11. Guess who went out of his way to criticize Rachel Maddow - again

Keith Olbermann.

KO adds "extras" to a daily podcast late at night, on weekends, etc., if something happens worth noting, but in this case he waited until Tuesday morning to weigh in so he could claim that her comments on Monday night weren't good enough and -since she is considered a star "for some reason" - she should have come out blasting on Friday night. (He also he implied strongly that she was lying about what Rashida Jones told the MSNBC people on Saturday. I doubt that.)

Of course, each anchor who spoke out took their proper turn, on their own program, beginning with Kristen Welker because she was the first to be directly damaged by NBC's decision. All she could say was that she had thought she was simply doing an interview until getting the hiring news belatedly. But she was followed by Chuck Todd, who was more free to be blunt, on the same MTP program. And then everyone followed in turn.

No point in explaining that to KO. I try to listen to all of his podcasts, but for the last few months I have turned him off mid-sentence when he finds another lame excuse to bash Rachel Maddow. It happens far too often.

His obsession seems to be two parts resentment that she did not think he would be a good replacement for her show T-F (and I agree with her - he's good at what he does but it isn't reliable news commentary, it is (often) deliciously vicious, below-the-belt remarks about people I think are scum, like Jordan, Gaetz, Greene, Boebert and of course Trump).

I should not get too far into how annoying it is that he also targets less scum-like persons and screams they should be fired or jailed or both, except to say - far too often, and not a good thing for the T-F anchor of a primetime MSNBC primetime show.

And I think the rest of his obsession with Rachel is three parts just plain jealousy. Rachel is not the only focus of KO's sense of grievance that some people are more admired than KO. Jon Stewart has been another one for more than ten years.

Sorry for the long post from a newbie (very, VERY long-time reader). I needed to get that off my chest.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. Roona is gone

Link to tweet

Link to tweet