Rachel on Hillary
August 14th, 2008 | Uncategorized
Hey, if you can tear yourself away from Olympic volleyball for long enough, check out who’s filling in for Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. Air America’s Rachel Maddow has put on makeup and what looks like one of Keith’s pinstriped suits (minus the shirt) to give us her blindingly brilliant take on the day’s news.
It’s very heartening to see such a big, smart dyke on the air. Also here’s an effusive profile The Nation just did on Rachel.
38 Responses to “Rachel on Hillary”
Oh, she’s been subbing for him everytime he goes away for weeks now. And she’s a guest constantly. I think she’s a great choice.
o yay. thanks for sharing!
yayayayayayay!!!!! not having tv to speak of, i only heard of her through the Nation article – which is SO fine!!!
thanks for letting me see her in action xoxoxo
When I used to go to the gym regularly, I would work out to podcasts of her radio show. Rachel getting her own Tv show might be the only thing that would have me own a television again. Downloading YouTube clips one-by-one is no way to get my fix.
I’ve caught podcast episodes of her radio show and an occasional episode of Countdown with her as guest/sub-host, and I love when she provides color-commentary for election-coverage. She’s brilliant, funny, warm, engaging, and — have to say it — gorgeous.
Dr. Maddow almost makes me wish that I had a television so that I could watch her brilliance live.
Here is another link to her on the tv machine tonight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih-F0ZcbIDo
On the BBC we have an out (married?) dyke who is the lead presenter Clare Balding, who is the Olympic horse-riding events as well as the horse racing stuff. It all just happened, nothing unusual and it came out quite slowly and no big fuss was made.
I get really confused about the acceptability of gay people in Britain. There’ve been two homophobic murders in my home town in the past 6 to 8 months yet we have out dykes and screaming queens presenting mainstream national tv shows. Go figure.
Oops – that should read “who covers the Olympic horse-riding” not “who is the Olympic horse-riding”!
Great stuff! Except for the makeup…
Unrelated (except that everything is interconnected), our women’s bookstore announced it was closing today. Word Is Out, owned and run by Louise Knapp, has served Boulder for the last 14 years. It was the last women’s bookstore in Colorado. I don’t know if New Mexico still has one going.
The store lasted so long in part because Louise sold textbooks for women’s studies, GLBT studies, sociology, and literature classes held at the University of Colorado (CU/Boulder) During the last few years, the CU administration pressured instructors to only have the Barnes and Noble-owned store on campus (which is now competing with on-line book services) carry the titles.
All the other usual financial pressures, including sky-rocketing rent, on-line competition, and the discount book stores, added to her decision to close.
Louise sent out a balanced letter, which included these words, “On the positive side, we have seen many gains for the feminist and LGBT communites over the years we have been in business, and there are lots more activities and organizations serving Boulder. Technology has [also] been a force… for networking, socializing, and creating community. So, we find that our presence as a resource and community gathering place has become less urgent and necessary. As we close the bookstore, we can truly celebrate these successes.”
Still, Word is Out was the only queer retail spot in town. We have the lesbian-owned Walnut Cafe, but it is filled with straight people. “Boulder Pride” has more of a social service orientation and never felt like a place where you drop in and hang out.
If you live in Colorado’s front range, drop by the store in the next few weeks to say good-bye and thanks.
Ha! Love her “dramatic music!” sound effects. She seems awesome. I never watch TV news because I never have enough Sanity Watchers points saved up for that, but maybe I’ll get the TiVo to look for her name.
Take a deep breath, AB, and stand back.
“I have no interest in New England, hate winter, don’t like the country, not fond of animals.” Those are her own words.
It’ll end in tears.
Now go give Holly a hug and be thankful for whatcha got.
Last I saw her, she was calling Pat Buchanan on some racist bullshit he was trying to inject into the public debate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFXJzLciV2M&feature=related
Really getting into shooting photos of that humongous TV, aren’t ya Alison?
How sweet of Louise Knapp to frame it that way but the closing of yet another independent feminist/queer bookstore is so sad. Time to open a new gathering place for queers in Boulder, doncha think?
I’m contemplating creating a space in my town for homos, artists, musicians, queers and sundry urban wannabes drowning in suburbia. Don’t know if I can rustle up enough characters (or benjamins) but I’ll keep you posted.
I love Rachel Maddow totally, but now when she’s on I truly can’t tear my dear partner away from the TV–she’s riveted! We will both be nervous wrecks on election night, but I’m sure Rachel will make the evening more bearable.
And speaking of election night, as an aside, I’m probably one of the few people in the world who didn’t read Obama’s “Dreams From My Father” years ago…but I’m reading it now and it is wondeful! Very, very well written!
I’m a pushover for big, smart dykes, so I’d love to watch MSNBC, but my local cable provider seems to be scrambling the signal. They don’t do that to Fox News Channel, however… I guess that’s what they call a coincidence. Talking about blocking a signal, earlier this year my church* (First Congregationalist Church of Christ – yeah, that was Obama’s denomination in Chicago) produced a commercial advertising their LGBT – friendly nature. They could NOT get it aired!
* – Actually one of my two local churches, the Unitarians being the other. But some of their older members object to the Unitarian FELLOWSHIP being called a church! 🙂
I admit I hadn’t heard of Rachel until seeing her sub for Keith Olbermann — and I’m so impressed! She rocks.
I’d never heard of Rachel either; I only get two TV channels,NBC and PBS(only have rabbit ears,refuse to get roof antenna). But she sounds great.
OMG she is wearing make up. Now there’s a choice: plain hot or made up hot.
Indeed, DW.
Wow. Rachel Maddow is truly awesome. I love seeing a big butch dyke out there in front of god and everyone, not afraid to exist and speak her mind. I’m also really impressed by, and thankful for, those who can consistently speak clearly and skillfully in the face of ideological attack.
I love Rachel on Air America, but she really kicks booty on TV. I hope she gets her own show soon.
Sorry about the bookstore, Ellen. I used to work at the Walnut. It was quite the hangout for the community back then.
According to MSNBC, Rachel is next in line for her own show when a slot “opens up” (read, they fire some loser).
Meanwhile, Ellen D. got married this weekend.
I like her playful “dun dun DUN” overture in her report. Wit is so rare.
I think the makeup looks just fine.
Ellen, I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of the bookstore. I wonder what the queer folk in Boulder are going to do now. Maybe it’s time to get out of Dodge, or do you love it there nonetheless?
I absolutely adore her… back when Air America first came on and she was on Unfiltered with Liz Winstead and Chuck D, I immediately sat up and took notice of her. She was so funny and smart, and when I saw her picture it set my little straight-girl heart aflutter (makeup or no).
I hope MSNBC finds a spot for her soon. Honestly, why not give her “Meet the Press” ? She’s not afraid to ask tough questions, and it would be awesome to give her a show that has some established cred so that she’s not trying to swim against the tide in establishing herself.
After a brief arguement, I have to agree she was always impeccably made up but the new glam stuff is cool in its own way. And why wasn’t she in the Hot 100?
Meet the Press would be great for her,and for us; and by us I mean humans around the globe. She’s got Russert’s knowledge, gravitas and sense of humor. Unfortunately, NBC doesn’t have what it takes.
Thanks Allison for sharing!
I’m maddly in love with Rachel Maddow now!
I live in France and don’t get 3/4 of what she talks about, but she talks so fine that I don’t mind. I’m hypnotized !!!
I wish we had big beautiful dykes like her back here…
Rachel just announced that MSNBC is giving her a show at 9pm Eastern starting after the Repuglican convention.
I saw her in Seattle this last weekend!
More info:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/19/rachel-maddow-replacing-d_n_119929.html
Magnolia, you may not have Rachel Maddow, but you have Juliette Binoche.
Ian – Clare Balding. Ugh. I know she represents a landmark in equality and so on but she’s still annoying.
She did marry Alice Arnold of Radio 4, ex of Sandi Toksvig – turns out we actually do have quite a few out lesbian broadcasters in the UK at the moment.
I recently saw a video of Ellen D and Melissa Etherige sing a song about ‘all’ the out famous lesbians in the US (I think this was Puppy Episode credit music) they get to about 3 and then come to the conclusion that ‘that’s about it’.
Oh, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgtlxymIfxM
And just so you Amurricans don’t come to the conclusion that the media is all lesbian-fluffy in the UK. Check out the Daily Mail’s (conservative voice of middle England – guaranteed to bring your blood pressure to near fatal levels) coverage of the Clare Balding outing. How many offensive horse puns could you fit into one article? Find out here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-405769/Balding-finally-steps-lesbian-lover.html
OMG! Have you SEEN this?
http://www.kittywigs.com/
Femme cats!!!!!
http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2008/8/rachelmaddow
Thanks to you all for posting links that have let me see some of what is on MSNBC, including Dr. Maddow. Wow – beauty and brains! 🙂 Whenever I try to tune this network in on my cable it seems to be blocked, just like the premium channels I don’t subscribe to. However, CNN, CNN Headline News (home of Glenn Beck, the right-wing radio host who gets four hours a night from CNN Headline News to do things like imply that Obama is a communist), and (of course) Fox News all come in clear as a bell for some reason.
I love that you have pointed out a dyke and suggested we watch out for her.
And now the incredible Rachel M is getting HER OWN SHOW on MSNBC at 9pm (ET) after Keith Olbermann. That can only mean, There is a Goddess and she does love us
[…] 18/25 August- Rebecca Traister celebrates the rise of TV newswoman Rachel Maddow. At about the same time, Alison Bechdel wrote a fan letter to Maddow and put it on the “Dykes to Watch Out For” homepage. Elvis Costello’s latest album provides David Yaffe with an opportunity to review Costello’s career. […]