Why do you think Rachel is ruling prime time?

[malaise]

Rational people are fed up of the lies and the circus, the racism the divide and rule, the ignorance and the misogyny.
They want the truth.

Vote them the fuck out old people, young people and those in between.

[JaneQPublic]

1. Her fashion sense.

[malaise]

2. Bwaaaaaaaah

Not.

[NurseJackie]

10. Oh, good Lord!

[Sneederbunk]

3. She connects the dots.

[malaise]

4. And people want them connected

[Hortensis]

19. THIS, and as Bigbrother and Riverbend say.

People want to understand and have information to reach their own conclusions. The historical context they provide (when she isn't forced to lists to cover events incoming like a barrage of missiles) is unique among all shows. Plus, they're pretty hooked in and if it's happening someone's likely to be channeling it to them.

[Adrahil]

44. Some folks get annoyed by her long lead-ins.

But I think they elevate her to greatness.

[riverbendviewgal]

5. She reports the truth

With facts to back up what she reports. She explains the who, why, where, when and what so that I can understand it. Plus she throws in a bit of humour at times. She is respectful to those she interviews and who are on her panels.

Just today I told a friend about her. I told her if you dont want to hear the truth then dont watch Rachel Maddow.

I have watched Rachel for so long. She is smart.

[malaise]

8. All true but for her to be ruling prime time suggests that people want the truth

That is very good news.

[lunatica]

21. She treats her audience like we're intelligent

Like a professor treats grad students. With respect, assuming we’re as smart as she is, just needing to have her connect the dots.

It does take intelligence to understand historical context. She talks to her audience with big words too.

And because we’re smart we have the ability to know she doesn’t delve into alternate facts. We would have caught her doing it long ago if she did.

[malaise]

22. Unlike Fux

Correct

[lunatica]

23. FUX dumbs their followers down to their level

Rachel smarts her followers up.

I swear I can feel my IQ straining to go up sometimes when I listen to her.

On the other hand when I listen to FUX I can feel my brain explode again and again and again and aga....

[ailsagirl]

53. Yes-- she is very, VERY smart

Rhodes scholar and has a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford

[bettyellen]

60. She doesn't do panels- she hates them and I agree. One of her rare exceptions was having the SDHS

kids on, and she mentioned a few times how she has a rule against them. I agree, they’re often the mechanism for the both sides, let one republican yap on about whatever talking points endlessly waste of time on most news shows. I hadn’t really thought about it before, but it’s why she is in control and has the chance to do incisive follow up questions.

[Blue_playwright]

62. Smart and thorough.

And she really loves politics - she gets giddy!

[bigbrother05]

6. She lays out an argument during the beginning of each show

Then backs it with clips/quotes to support the premise she's posing.

Usually pulls various threads in current news together with others across a wider spectrum to build a picture that can help to understand the deeper connections to explain how we have been and will be affected by the latest news.

She doesn't just say "I think ....", it's "This is what we can see ...."

edit for grammar

[LiberalFighter]

45. She puts the puzzle together.

[The Blue Flower]

7. People are hungry for truth

I became aware of her when she was on Air America radio. I listened to her every afternoon on the bus ride home from work. No one pulls a story together--context, history, key players--like she does.

[malaise]

9. Yes that's where I first heard her

more and more people want the truth.
That is bad news for the Con and his fux hacks.

[underthematrix]

11. I watch Rachel every day of the week

because her program (it's not a show) is FACT-BASED and she does something really interesting that other programs on MSNBC are starting to do. She uses her opening segment to provide historical FACT-BASED context for reporting on current events.

[GemDigger]

12. Because she is a political genius.

Is thorough. Woman enough to admit when she is wrong (which is pretty rare). And I love her humor but that is just frosting on the cake.

[FakeNoose]

41. Yes and also her researchers and show runners are the best

They all work together as an awesome team, and that's why she stands above the rest. She has awesome guests and relevant experts, and her interviewing is very good. I think everyone wants to be interviewed by Rachel, for the exposure and for the fairness.

Rachel has said many times that she couldn't have a show without the great people on her team.

[GemDigger]

49. That's another thing, she is humble. She gives credit to where credit is due.

[meadowlander]

13. No panels. One interview at a time with people worth interviewing.

Just the facts... no false equivalences and ding-bat "equal timers".

[Boomer]

54. Exactly! No talking heads!

There's so much to love about what Maddow does to provide insights into history and politics, but one of my favorites is that she focuses on one guest, with direct questions and then she sits back and LISTENS to what they say. Because they wouldn't be on her show if she didn't want them to speak.

I'm so tired of a gaggle of so-called pundits jostling for their two-second sound bite while the show host runs rough-shod over them (hello Chris Matthews).

[Corgigal]

14. Because we need facts,

to make family decisions. I have a few to make after the mid-terms, or when Mueller wraps up.
No matter what non voters think, this effects us all.

[malaise]

15. But that means more folks want these facts

And that is great news

[lagomorph777]

17. I think the plural is "more fowl" but I don't think chickens are all that smart.

Smarter than Trumpies though.

[malaise]

18. ROFL

Folks

[lagomorph777]

20. Hee!

[magicarpet]

16. Rachel speaks the truth. Her listeners are well informed.

At work, out in public, at gatherings when current event discussions open up, Rachel's listener are days ahead in knowledge because Rachel has her finger on the pulse and conveys that knowledge to her listening audience. Her listeners can contribute much to the dialog when current events coming.r up for discussion. Other people ask for the source where the information originated. Her listeners are proud to respond "The Rachel Maddow Show'. More people go home and tune in to be better informed, consequently Rachel's view ratings are on an upward curve and peaking above other broadcasting slots.

[ecstatic]

24. A lot of reasons, 1) you actually learn something new,

2) it's not sensationalized garbage with a rethug nutcase getting "equal time" to spew lie after lie.

That being said, there are times when it's just a little too much reality and info and I can't deal with it. In the opening minutes of one of her shows last week, I almost had a panic attack had to shut it off.

[malaise]

26. You made me laugh

Rachel and Jeopardy - my only must see TV.

[uponit7771]

25. People feel threatened by Benedict Donald & The Kremlin KKKlan, go to her for official updates that

... have solid verified info behind them.

[malaise]

27. +1,000

There we have it

[malaise]

29. Well I don't fit that demographic and I know many others who don't either

And I'm not upset.

[redstatebluegirl]

30. It isn't just old people, of which I am one.

It is the Bernie or bust people and the young ones who scream at the top of their lungs and then don't vote.

[stonecutter357]

31. She is a well educated and decent person .

and a

[Mike Nelson]

32. Her show...

… knows how to present Rachel to best advantage.

Trump is good for the ratings news shows.

Rachel tries to present a unique and sometimes mysterious "angle" that other news shows miss.

And, when things happen in the news, people want some accuracy - progressives/liberals, of course, but also right wingers who want to know what they're up against.

[KT2000]

34. conservatives such as Bannon

have said they watch the show. That may have opened her show up to newbies - liberal and conservative.

[dewsgirl]

43. While watching I often will also be reading Twitter #maddow, there are quite a few closet RW Maddow

fans. I remember in the book "Devil's Bargain", the part about Bannon watching Maddow. Roger Ailes and others at Fox really supported her, I often wonder if maybe this is reason Trump has never ever tweeted/dissed her.

[oasis]

35. As Sgt. Joe Friday would say, "Just the facts ".

No back and forth crosstalk with GOP shills.

[gibraltar72]

36. She's addictive

Once you go through one of her masterpieces of words and it all makes sense you want more. Even my cat knows when it's Rachel time. Perhaps because he get's a treat at 9 but he turns up when he hears her voice. Being a freaking genius doesn't hurt either.

[Midnight Writer]

37. And Hannity's audience is falling off.

[malaise]

39. I'd like to know how many switched to Rachel

That would be interesting

[PoliticAverse]

56. Is it? He had more viewers yesterday than Maddow with Hillary Clinton on even...

according to adweek: https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/scoreboard-tuesday-sept-18/377631

Hannity also apparently won the head to head matchup in August:
https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/august-2018-ratings-fox-news-is-the-no-1-cable-news-network-for-200-straight-months/375243

[sandensea]

38. That, plus her own personality.

She combines articulateness, wit, deadpan humor, and a high-voltage persona that's very engaging to see in anyone - anchorperson or not.

We're lucky she's there.

[dewsgirl]

50. She can be really funny at times, I absolutely love when she reads the court transcripts.

She had a blast with the Manafort trial transcripts, mainly the parts that included the judge.

[elmac]

40. because rUsSiA is starved for real news reporting. nt

[mikehiggins]

42. because she doesn't insult her viewers intelligence

Rachel seems to belief her audience is smart enough to understand what she is telling them. Compare that with Faux or even CNN. Or even some of the talking heads on MSNBC.
Chuck Todd? Chris Matthews? Brian Williams? Forgettabout it.
The only people I watch on MSNBC are Rachel, Katty Tur and that guy on the Last Word. (Sorry. Forgot his name. Senior moment)

I do watch Shep on Fox though. Listening to him is like watching a star fullback carrying the ball to the goal no matter how many obstacles are in his way. Its amazing.

[VOX]

46. Rachel is REAL. She deals in documented facts in a time when reality is under attack.

She doesn’t posture, or fling any bullshit; she does her homework, and it shows. She has a trustworthy, open attitude, and possesses that rare quality of being able to connect with viewers in a personal, professional manner. Her self-deprecating humor peeks through just often enough to underscore her humanity.

And she has been WAY out in front with the Russia collusion/internet attack stories, connecting names to events and places, identifying financial entities with a reputation of money laundering, and so on. All of her work is researched and presented coolly and with insight.

Am I a fan? Hell yes!

[kydo]

47. Easy question. She tells the truth. And when wrong she admits it.

People like that.

[OnDoutside]

48. Because she stands for truth and decency, and is damn good.

[ailsagirl]

51. It took people long enough!!!!!!!!!

[TomVilmer]

52. This is quite good for an analysis of her work

Link to tweet

- and yes, I see her every night if possible. Fact based, but she is not afraid to do some wild guessing when she tries to connect the dots.

[GentryDixon]

55. She is very articulate and gives viewers the facts.

Quite like Joe Friday. "Just the facts, ma'am."

Although the depiction of women on this series was quite misogynistic, it still hold true. We just need the facts. Not the paid for bullshit from the Breitbart, Fox News, Drudge Report & all the Russian trolls adding their input to Facebook & YouTube

[steve2470]

57. she reports facts, is logical, has a heart, etc nt

[Honeycombe8]

58. She's informative, clear, easy to understand, she breaks down complex issues...

so that we ordinary people can understand them, she connects the dots, she's likable, she has a good voice, she has good guests & she asks good questions.

[mucifer]

59. Anyone else remember hearing her Air America Radio Show? I remember when

she said that no one who looked like her could host a prime time cable show. Well, I guess you could say she doesn't look exactly like herself when the makeup people get done with her and she has those goofy false eyelashes.

But, she really proved herself totally wrong about that theory!

[ehrnst]

61. She has no fucks left to give about what white straight men think of her.(nt)

[TimeToGo]

63. Yes, but

Also because it's summer. Prime time will come back and change that.

What we hope is that she will continue to rule cable news. And I think that will happen.