David Frum Attacks Rachel Maddow for "Tone"

Photo from Rachel Maddow's Facebook Page

OK, I've gotta say something. For eons, conservatives have been squawking about Countdown with Keith Olbermann being a show with no counterpoint. They say Olbermann only gets people on who "agree with him." Then, recently, MSNBC launched The Rachel Maddow Show, often viewed as sort of a spinoff of Countdown.

So now, the right-wing criticises Maddow's show of being simply a clone of Olbermann's. That's certainly not true, though it does often have some overlap in stories. That is true of all political commentary shows. What the shows share is a snarky humor and a liberal bent. But Maddow often features opposing guests, along with those she agrees with. You'd think that would be a welcome thing.

Tonight, conservative writer, David Frum was interviewed, with the subject being a negative write-up Frum wrote about the tone of the John McCain campaign. Frum immediately attacked Maddow, calling her show--and by implication Maddow herself--of being part of the problem. He assailed her humor, sarcasm, and treatment of subject matter. He even seemed to imply that Maddow was not only disrespectful and unserious, but that her material was unintelligent.

Excuse me, but I beg to differ. Maddow (and Olbermann too, by the way) regularly cover stories that you don't find on any other cable news show. They also hit the stories from slightly--or totally different--angles than anybody else. And the very last thing that Rachel Maddow, a Rhodes Scholar, should be accused of is lack of intelligence. Maddow's personality is why she was hired, why she is popular. If Mr. Frum wants serious, let him turn to PBS.

Maddow, for her part, held her own very well, where a lesser host might have faltered, or even fallen apart. If this had occurred on a FOX "News" show, you'd expect the host to either shout Frum down, or shut off his microphone. Maddow at least cannot be accused of lack of class. Good job, Rachel!