Back in July, just as he was named president of MSNBC, Phil Griffin said Rachel Maddow was "at the top" of a "very short list" of candidates who would get their own show on the network. And then a few weeks later came the announcement: Rachel would get her own show. Since her debut, the bet has paid off. Ratings for The Rachel Maddow Show are through the roof, beating even her Countdown lead-in and competitor Larry King Live in the adult demo. Griffin's reaction? "I’m pinching myself."
Indeed, Griffin is quite pleased with the performance of Maddow's show. Its success has been on his watch, and he gets to claim credit for the increase in ad dollars that should be pouring in. But it wasn't always this way.
In fact, according to an informant on the ground, back when Maddow started popping up as an analyst on MSNBC, he tried to get rid of her.
"Griffin wants us to believe that he has always wholeheartedly supported Rachel Maddow," says a spy. "However, he was her ardent opponent in the days when MSNBC was in Secaucus, NJ and Rachel was guest appearing on the network, most frequently on Tucker's show. Griffin, and at that time Rick Kaplan [who was then the head of MSNBC before leaving for CBS's The Evening News], wanted her off. They found her completely unappealing. They believed she was too masculine looking for TV and they tried to use others to get Rachel to 'prettify' herself. Extremely awkward."
Leave it, then, to the wisdom of Keith Olbermann, Tucker Carlson, and Bill Wolff (who carries a ridiculous amount of behind-the-scenes power there), who lavished Maddow's laurels.
"But Griffin kept thinking with his balls and didn't want to watch her," our source continues. "She started to appear more on other networks. Ultimately, Keith used his power and influence to bring her back into the MSNBC fold. Rachel knew darn well what was happening over the past few years and who at the network supported her. But she's too smart and confident to have changed herself for someone like Griffin or Kaplan."
And now? "And now Griffin plays the role of her biggest cheerleader. Such a hypocrite. He's an executive because, as the adage goes, he's got a friend (Zucker) in high places. Bottom line, it's great that Rachel succeeded in the end. Let Griffin take the credit he doesn't deserve."
Once again, the liberals were right. It's almost as if liberals should be our key decision-makers for a while.
I never thought there would be someone more painful to watch than Olbermann…then along came Madcow.
I happen to ABSOLUTELY love Rachel Maddow and embrace her intelligence and refreshing candor. Yeah, she's a liberal and in this wonderful country or ours liberals, conservatives, independents and all other political views can exist. Ken Olbermann and Rachel Maddow rocks!!!!
They still try too hard to femme her up. Please stop with the poorly fitting suits. the hairy eyelashes and clown makeup.
And she's still too much of a Keith Olbermann clone.
****SOLUTION TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE IN LONG LINES****
WE SHARE YOUR CONCERNS FOR THE VOTERS STANDING IN LONG LINES FOR HOURS. AND I HAVE A SUGGESTION, THAT ARTIST BE CONTACTED AND ASKED TO VOLUNTEER TO GO OUT TO THE AREAS WHERE PEOPLE ARE IN THE LONG LINES AND SING AND/OR SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE, SO THAT THEY ARE ENCOURAGED NOT BE DISENFRANCHISED.
What the hell are you on?