Don't forget, tonight is special coverage of the Michigan and Arizona Republican primaries, so we're in "live rolling coverage" formation beginning at 8 p.m. ET. That means Rachel leads coverage with Chris Matthews, Rev. Al Sharpton, Ed Schultz, Lawrence O'Donnell, and Steve Schmidt. Plus there will be other guests throughout the night (I just heard Thaddeus McCotter is a possibility, so that should be fun).
We'll be cutting clips of the coverage all night, so while there won't be a podcast, there will at least be video for the web watchers.
PLUS... processing right now as I type this is the Steinbeck Award presentation. If I did it right and the clips come out ok, there will be those to watch as well.
ADDING: Ok, here we are in five parts.
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I really wish Maddow would refer to the GOP as what they really have become: Christian Taliban.
These days, GOP has come to mean "Greedy Old Party."
But you make a good point...they are little better than the Taliban in Afghanistan (at least they aren't killing those who disagree with them).
Ask Dr. Tiller. Oh yea, he got murdered.
yet.
I believe the Michigan voter likes to choose their candidate as they would buy an electrical appliance: First thing we do is look at the sample appliance because we can put our hands on it, we will call this appliance the Barack Obama....hhhmmmm sounds foreign to me, but still it seems like all the buttons work and seems to be well made except for a few scratches and dings, it works, but I want one in the box, so I grab the first box and it is the Mitt Romney model, whoa, the box is amazing, sooo rich looking and intricate and a metal cage on top of it (I wonder what that is!?), heeeyyyy wait a minute this box has been opened and resealed!!! It must be a return!! And sure enough the box rattles like something is loose, it probably doesn't even connect!! So I pick up the next box which is the Rich Santorium model, ohhh man...Look at all the scripture on it, wait a minute these are the complicated instructions, and I need a college education just to read!!! I hate things that dictate to you, how they Must be used!!! Besides, it rattles a lot when you shake it....Forget this!! Now the next model is the Newt Gingrich model, a nice catchy name, but wait, the box is huge and it weighs a ton!! No wonder, it comes with a lot of stuff and a bunch of it is old and outdated!!! Not for me, so I pick up the last model, you guessed it, the Ron Paul Edition, it is in a very small box and weighs very little, and the instructions are very, very simple, but I wonder if there is anything in the box??!!! I could be ripped off buying that one, so I go back and grab the one that works, the Obama model and go to the check out. Heyyy, I may even get a discount because the box is open and it even works to boot!!! That is how we select a candidate, too, unless we just don't care to shop wisely. I hope we all do though....
Great Post!!!!!!
The "trees are the right height" must be some bigot code for something...
I think everyone is in for a surprise in Michigan because people I talk to are all over the place on this one, and please remember, it is real easy to get an absentee ballot in Michigan especially if you are 60 and older. We all remember what Romney said a few years ago and now he is trying to moonwalk out of that comment. He is no Michael Jackson, dancin' or singin'!!
You also have democrats who can vote for whomever they want in a primary such as say a Rick Santorum candidate.....and then still vote for Obama in Nov.
NO PODCAST?!?!?
Bummer!!
gotta fix that map of Michigan -- you've got Lansing way too far to the north.
Also, the deVoss's are NOT moderates.
Mike Dewine "Rick is pro-life and pro gun". Quite a statement from the AG of Ohio especially after the events in Chardon. Makes me want to throw up.
Thanks Will.
I'm watching the coverage of the Michigan and Arizona Primaries and I can't help but make this observation. Why is it that when Al Sharpton makes a very cogent and
valid observation or comment its not discussed? The rest of the panelists, especially Rachel Maddow just goes on to the next thread of discussion. Why have Sharpton on the panel if you're not going to earnestly engage him in discussion. Another token? You guys are really starting to show your true colors.. BRING KEITH BACK!!!!!
I think you're having a selective viewing problem. He gets to make in depth comments all the time and have exchanges w/ people frequently. In fact he has cut both Chris Matthews and Lawrence O'Donnell off several times in order to get his points across and be heard. Not that I mean that as in to imply he's being rude...am just saying I am pretty sure he's getting his words in. Hell they just spent 10 minutes discussing the problem of Romney's electability as it pertains to the 'common man.' Al made a very intuitive statement about how if Romney doesn't see himself as a wealthy person that makes it even harder for Romney to appeal to the average voter. Of which everyone else engaged, primarily in agreement, for about 10 minutes (as I said). Not sure how you missed that.
Although I do miss Keith.
How can you call Arizona when 0% of the delegates are in and the polls just recently closed? That seems really bad to me.
Also I'm pretty sure you can stop calling the election 'Too Close To Call' when Romney is out ahead by more than 12k votes. It was 'too close to call' when they were 200 votes apart. More than 40% of the vote is in and Romney leads by more than 10k votes. It's not close anymore.
Just saying: you're willing to declare Romney the winner w/ 0% of precincts reporting in Arizona, but then you want to hold off declaration of Romney's win until more than 50% of the vote is in. I agree w/ the latter, but if you're going to do the former why not just go full monty? *Shrugs* it just seems strange to me is all.
Criticisms of MSNBC's coverage aside did anyone else catch Santorum's concession speech? He said that when a right is given to you by the government then the government can either take that right away or regulate that right. And then he went on to rant about Obamacare.
Umm....Santorum, you're hypocrisy is showing. You want to do the same thing w/ my rights as a gay person and as a woman.
Seriously do these people EVER think before they speak?
In case anyone is wondering you were supposed to be taking a shot (of alcohol) every time Romney told a lie or otherwise misrepresented his policies or Obama's policies. In case you missed it here are some shots you should've taken:
Obama has decreased oil production. Actually Obama has increased oil production to the highest it has been since Bush's first term in office
Letting us have the Keystone Pipeline would decrease the cost of gas. Actually increased production of oil has very little to do w/ the price of gas. Additionally increased production in one country does not necessarily mean that what savings do occur from the increase in production will go to that host country
Obamacare adds to the debt. Actually it dramatically reduces the debt over 10 years and decreases the deficit
Obama's budget will add to the debt. Actually Obama's budget decreases our debt over 10 years
My (meaning Romney's) budget will decrease the debt and deficit. Actually your plan will increase our long term debt AND explode our short term deficit
Obama has raised taxes; Obama's new budget will raise your taxes. Actually Obama has decreased taxes on every income class group AND his new budget would cut the top marginal tax rate down to 28%
Obama has exploded the size of government. Actually more federal workers have been laid off during Obama's presidency than during Bush's presidency. Additionally Obama is and has consolidated several federal agencies and federal regulations down into one branch or into limited branches, thereby saving the federal government money and requiring less people to run. What is more Obama has cut the size of the military budget and the size of military personnel. Obama has also laid off more than 100,000 US Postal Workers.
Rachael: On your show tonight, several commentators from MSNBC said that Mitt could not produce anyone who has worked for him, done business with him to support his campaign. Not true. Several of the people who have worked for him have praised him, including one employee for whom Mitt shut down the company to find his lost child. He meets annually with his Harvard MBA pals, many of whom have done business with him, all of whom support him. As a "Mormon" bishop he helped numerous people who still praise him. Please encourage your colleagues to do their homework.
Despite the comments by your panel tonight, Mitt has had many customers, colleagues, and former employees praise him. Please encourage them to do their homework.
Provide evidence for your claims
Romney is the quintessential "born on 3rd base" rich conservative, looking like he thinks his "success" amounts to a home run, wondering why the 99% can't just run the few yards and slide into millions like he did. Santorum looks like a cross between Bob Saget and Ned Flanders and sounds like Palin. Self-righteous, annoying, thinks about gay sex more than a gay guy, really believes "every sperm is sacred". Pox on both their houses!
did anyone else's head fill in the words 'for a pimp' when Santorum said 'It's gettin' harder out there'?
Just remember that if we keep America Bottoms Up, the Santorum won't leak out.
When Rachel played the Thurston Howell, III card, I about fell off the treadmill!
Santorum just said, "The men and women that signed the Declaration (of Independence)…)"
What "women" signed the Declaration of Independence?
I just re-wound it… he said, men AND women! What "women"..?
Just heard RicK Santorum mention the men and women who signed the Declaration of Independence. There weren't any women!
Note My Post 11:02 PM [I didn't notice yours] - FYI: They must have been the same WOMEN who in 1789 "VOTED" for our Constitution, & then for George Washington 4 Prez. Now, with the advancement of Home Schooling, Santorum can "Indoctrinate" the next Generation of his Spawn.
What was the voter turnout percentage in Michigan and Arizona?
I'd love to know that too. If Romney's "Let the auto industry die" statement didn't destroy him in freaking Michigan, it's only because most of the state stayed home.
Hey, what happened to the link to the Steinbeck Award Presentation? All it took me to was the website of Internet Corkboard
http://www.internetcorkboard.com/search.php?q=award+presentation&source=campaign48_keyword_award+presentation
Mouzer, not to be argumentative but I have noticed in past coverage of the primaries that Rachel tends to show inordinate deference to the Republican guests on her show.
Now, I realize that its a business decision and appropriate for fair journalism, but I
get the distinct feeling that Maddow is a "closet republican"... Just sayin'.
....but Maddow is usually really nice to all of her guests? She is very rarely ever not polite. The only time she's ever really been bluntly mean is when she told the dude from Koch Bro's Industries that she thought he was a plague on the system and was destroying our democracy. Other than that the way Maddow treats Republicans is by and large the same as she treats Democrats. Now you certainly can complain that you wish she'd ask this question or that question- that's certainly fair game. Or that she'd press this issue or that issue. I complain about that all the time personally. But I complain about that w/ Democrats too. She treats them the same way so when she softballs something it doesn't take a party preference. If your complaint is that you don't want softballs then I am w/ you there. But if your complaint is that she treats Republicans better than she does Democrats....I think you're way off.
If you want to know why Rachel is polite to Republicans, Google up who the new owners of MSNBC are and their political persuasions.
Right now she and Chris Matthews are doing a new "MSNBC Political Survivor" show... Keith Olbermann, David Shuster, and Cenk Uygur were all voted off the island already...
And I'm not condemning either of them, just pointing out some pragmatic realities and wishing them well... Fortunately Rupert Murdoch is going to have to spend a lot of money to avoid being tossed into Old Bailey or possibly the Tower of London.
OK great so now I have to repeat myself *sigh*
Rachel Maddow has always been polite to the people on her show regardless if they have been Republicans or Democrats. On her old Air America show they used to promo Rachel as having boxing gloves and a smile. You are both acting like Rachel just suddenly and magically became polite to Republicans after years of being a jerk to them, yet this is NOT true in the least bit. You are making up a fantasy about who Rachel Maddow is and how she has acted towards other people and then are creating, apparently, a conspiracy about how she's now changed her personality to conform to her corporate overlords. This despite the fact that Maddow has complete autonomy over her show and the news division of MSNBC is kept completely separate from the corporate division. If you want to criticize Maddow do so on the basis of things that she actually does wrong. Don't make up lies about her or misrepresent her as an attack. It's just bad form and it weakens any salient criticism you might otherwise have had.
Maybe you should watch the interview at the Steinbeck Center. Rachel has complete creative control of her show. The owners of MSNBC can't tell her what to talk about, who to book, or how to treat them.
So what I hear Mitt saying is that under his administration, there will essentially be less government "intrusion" into our lives. Then he says he will open land for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Sounds to me like that is More government intrusion. And the Death Tax, he is really talking to his rich friends.
Re: Santorum Michigan Speech: "All the Men & WOMEN who signed Declaration of Independence" (I guess the same [Ivy-League snob] women who must've VOTED 4 our CONSTITUTION in 1789, & then George Washington4 Prez)? So much for [His] HOME Schooling [His own kids], not to mention his desire to INFLICT his Religion on them, & everyone else! What a Dangerous NinScumPoop!
This stuff Romney is talking about is utter carp and the people that support him believes his stuff. Does Romney not understand that the republican guy that supported him, the governor of Michigan, is seeking to raise the gas tax that will take Michigan to the highest in the nation to over $.65 per gallon and he says Obama is going to raise taxes. Does the people truly understand that a 20% cut in taxes for everyone as well the elimination of the death tax is a double tax cut for rich folks like him. The mighty 1% is getting lucky. That plan to cut taxes for the rich to create jobs did not work under Baby Bush, it just led to corporate corruption. His statement on energy his ludicrous. Does he not understand that under Obama we are doing what the repubs want to do and that is drill. We are at a 9 year high in drilling. For Romney and his friends the trees are at the right height, high enough to hang the middle class.
When Rick Santorum gets in front of a mob of tea partiers and extols the virtues of
NOT GOING TO COLLEGE, one can only surmise that he does not want the President
to inadvertently encourage young BLACK people to get an education and become well
informed like he did. This is the fear that resides in the dark hearts of Santorum and his ilk. I'm sure that behind closed doors Santorum is quite adamant about his "true americans" getting a higher education... He just doesn't want any more "OBAMA's" on the horizon. Since when did education become a threat to this country? There are so many veiled messages in every speech that Santorum gives on the stump.