In a posting today on Pam's House Blend, Pam Spaulding wrote the following in regards to Rachel Maddow being put in the number 3 spot of the Most Influential Progressive Media Figures at the website AlterNet.This story caught my eye because Rachel Maddow, who certainly deserves to be at the top of the mountain, is 1) brilliant; 2) is "family" (woohoo), and 3) a relatively "new" media figure compared to the other veteran progressive media types making Alternet's list.
And yet one year, and a day short of a month ago, Spaulding was less than happy with Maddow over her "soft" interview of Mike Huckabee who was out on a book tour promoting his then newly released book "Do The Right Thing: Inside The Movement That's Bringing Common Sense back to America".
In her posting on November 24 2008, Spaulding wrote, I'm starting to think that Rachel Maddow has an issue or professional discomfort with taking on publicly anti-gay figures on her show. It's an oddity, given 1) she's out and has a high-profile; and 2) her fellow MSNBC host, Keith Olbermann, has been extremely forceful as an ally on the issue by comparison. She's spoken at length about the debacle of Prop 8, so one would assume that if given the opportunity, Maddow would address the issue with well-known homophobes.
The reticence to take on agents of intolerance surfaced in a recent interview with former GOP clown car occupant, rapist/murderer-releasing Baptist minister-without-a-theology-degree Mike Huckabee.
Now here comes the interesting part to discuss here in the coffeehouse. Maddow was contacted by ThinkProgress to ask why she avoided LGBT issues with Huck. Her response?
"I weighed whether or not to ask him about his anti-gay views, but I really don't care about them very much. Huckabee is a doctrinaire anti-gay theocratic social conservative whose views are well-known and heartfelt. I also probably wouldn't bother asking Sarah Palin about her anti-gay views if I had the opportunity to interview her -- it's just not the most interesting or newsworthy (or ridiculous) thing about either of them."
Spaulding then continued on, For me that is a problem. High profile figures like Huckabee and Palin too often get a pass for beliefs (ones held by too many Americans) that result in a measure like Prop 8 passing. IMHO, these views must be challenged as often as possible -- and Rachel Maddow has a platform most of us do not have.
That she doesn't find the views interesting is disturbing (a majority of voters in California just removed a civil right granted to a group of tax-paying citizens by the state of California!). Views articulated by Huckabee, a former governor and likely 2012 presidential candidate, on his belief that discrimination should be legal against any group of law-abiding citizens IS A SERIOUS ISSUE.
The fact that the airwaves are bombarded with ignorance and outright lies by the likes of Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Rachel's buddy Pat Buchanan means the scales are seriously out of balance, and you'd think Maddow would recognize that the issue is "newsworthy" for a host of reasons; you obviously don't have to be a lesbian to get the picture.
Perhaps Rachel needs some coaching from KO on the matter.
On December 9 2008, Spaulding had been hyping the fact she would be on Mike Signorile's LGBT talk show on Sirius Radio (audio clips here) along with Rachel Maddow, albeit not at the same time, to discuss Maddow's lack of LGBT backbone when it came to her interview with Huckabee and turning her MSNBC Monday through Friday gig into an LGBT payback hour.
Spaulding wrote, A talented and essential progressive voice on the air, Rachel Maddow's softball interview with Huckabee seemed oddly out of sorts, given he has been touring the country spewing fresh homophobia (see his appearance on The View, where he tried to peddle his bigotry and received more grilling than Maddow gave him), and that as a former governor of the state of Arkansas who supports discrimination against gays and lesbians, it would have been timely and relevant to ask him about the adoption measure that passed on Nov. 4 that bars same-sex couples from adopting.
It would have been good to hear what Mr. Huckabee feels should happen to children in the foster care system and group homes -- he must prefer that they languish there rather than in loving homes where the parents aren't married or are same-sex couples.
What I find most interesting in this whole thing which my friend NG made me aware of was, on the posting linked to above, Autumn Sandeen, the Blender's TG Watchdog piped up with this little ditty ...
UPDATE 3 (From Autumn): When Pam and I were at the Democratic National Convention this year, I specifially sent an email to MSNBC for either Pam, me, or both Pam and me to interview Rachel Maddow for The Blend (Sent: August 19, 2008, 4:15 PM PDT). The point of contact at MSNBC -- Gina Stikes -- was sent Pam's and my email addresses, as well as our cell phone numbers.
At that time, it had been announced that Maddow would have a new show on MSNBC, and that it would begin after the Democatic and Republican National Conventions. Since we all were going to be in Denver at the same time, I thought I'd ask on behalf of PHB for an interview -- I knew our audience here at The Blend would be interested in hearing directly from Maddow about her show. I didn't get a response back from my request directly, but I did get put on an email list with my public, changing[underscore]seasons[at]cox.net email address.
I've again emailed Pam a copy of that email to MSNBC's Gina Stikes requesting a Maddow interview.
So, at least at one point, the Rachel Maddow Show people at MSNBC had Pam's and my direct contact info.
Aha ! says the skeptic within me, could all of this Rachel Maddow teardown have been a result of MSNBC having dared to dis the Blend and not invite Spaulding or Sandeen to interview Rachel Maddow.
One may never know the truth that lurks within Beanville. But remember one thing, all coffee beans are green before they ripen to be picked by Juan Valdez.
And getting back to the change in Spaulding's attitude from November 2008 to today, well, it is the Christmas season and with the spirit of Goodwill Towards All LGBTs.
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