Rachel's appearance on Meet the Press reminds me why she is such a great ally.
This is not a detailed diary. Instead it is a bit of public praise for Rachel Maddow, following her repeat visit to Meet the Press.
Not only is she unabashedly liberal (love that!), but she is also highly reasoned, rational, calm and throughly prepared.
She has a great way of cutting through Republican talking points, BS and hypocrisy. And she always comes armed with facts:
First she pointed out the points of fact and law regarding the reading of Miranda rights to prisoners (she knows the law, she knows the facts. No-one ever complained about Miranda until President Obama came into power).
Then she pointed out the facts regarding the stimulus bill (tax cuts - put in only to appease Republicans - are the least stimulative part of the recovery act), and yet again the hypocrisy of the Republican party (claiming benefits of the stimulative parts of the act while having voted against it). Showing again her depth of preparation, she calls out Rep. Aaron Schock with facts on his own personal hypocrisy - taking credit for a community college grant in his district, that he credited with bring jobs, while having voted against the bill that made the grant possible. She knew who her fellow panelist would be, and did the necessary background research.
And she does so in a scholarly efficient way – she points out the issues of fact, separating it from common wisdom, propaganda and talking points.
Last week, MTP won its time slot. I hope that it does so again, and that more people get to see her and her eloquent, incisive, effective analysis of public policy and debunking of right-wing lies.