Rachel Maddow Responds To Her Starring Role In Marco Rubio’s Latest Campaign Ad

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by Glynnis MacNicol | 9:19 am, July 20th, 2010

» 27 comments

Something about Rachel Maddow makes her especially attractive to Republican campaign fundraising pleas. You will recall back in March Mass. Senator Scott Brown issued a call to supporters asking them to donate to his fund so he could fight off a Senate run by Maddow. Of course, Maddow had no intention then, or ever, of running for office, said so on her show, and then proceeded to turn the whole incident into an entertaining week-long segment which, as I recall, Brown did not come out the better for.

Be that as it may, this has not stopped Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio from using Maddow as the subject of his latest fundraising spot, though albeit in a much friendlier tone. Using a clip from a past show during which Maddow takes Rubio to task for his “12 simple ideas to grow the economy and create jobs” in beleaguered Florida. “Think Rubio is wrong?” says the ad, “Rachel Maddow comes on at 9pm.” However, if you agree with Rubio, donate here, etc.

Last night, after thanking Rubio for the extra press, and declaring she loves Florida, Maddow proceeded to dismantle Rubio’s plan with her own mock ad. So why the Rubio ad in the first place? One assumes it’s merely a play by Rubio for larger press coverage. While, Scott Brown was clearly attempting to use Maddow as a scare tactic, the tone of Rubio’s ad is far too tame and friendly to enrage and/or motivate voters. Moreover, while Maddow is very popular among media people who pay attention to the cablesphere, I’m not sure her reach (she averages a million viewer a night) is such that her views could influence an election. Or maybe she can! One more campaign spot featuring Maddow would make a trend.

More likely, Rubio is hoping to start some back and forth that results in Maddow taking out a full page ad somewhere….free press is priceless. So far she appears to be playing along. Watch below.

Marco Rubio, Rachel Maddow, Scott Brown

The Real Royal King

Rubio must be getting desperate. Maddow to work up the rabble in Florida. Who’s next? Willie Horton?
The Real Royal King

By the way, Ms. Maddow, congratulations. Demonstrably, you are making an impact.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Thorkil-Kowalski-Vrge/566276352 Thorkil Kowalski Værge

I wonder why no one watches Rachel Maddow…

NOT!!
The Real Royal King

Thorkil Kowalski Værge said:
I wonder why no one watches Rachel Maddow…

NOT!!

That’s not actually true, is it? People watch her show, and they watch her on MTP from time-to-time, don’t they? Why lie about that?
Snipzor

Thorkil Kowalski Værge said:
I wonder why no one watches Rachel Maddow…

NOT!!

Which is exactly why people perceive her as a threat and put her in campaign ads all the time.
Azarkhan

“Something about Rachel Maddow makes her especially attractive to Republican campaign fundraising pleas.”

That “something” might be that most of the electorate view her as a leftwing loon (leftist commenters and staff at Mediaite excluded, of course) .
ImNotBlue

The Real Royal King says:
July 20, 2010 at 10:01 am

That’s not actually true, is it? People watch her show, and they watch her on MTP from time-to-time, don’t they? Why lie about that?

Of course, when you mentioning ratings (specifically about FNC), King is the first person to tell you that it’s only “1%” or “less than 1%.”

I guess that’s just more hypocrisy from the guy with his own crown.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tony-Westover/1496648721 Tony Westover

Snipzor said:
Which is exactly why people perceive her as a threat and put her in campaign ads all the time.

Yeah, and by “all the time” you mean twice.

She was in a Scott Brown print ad for a legitimate concern since Rachel Maddow is a Massachusetts resident and there were rumors that she was thinking about running. With Rubio here, he’s basically just making fun of fringe far leftists like Rachel Maddow who wouldn’t support him no matter what.

Yeah, they’re REALLY scared of her. You wanna see real fear, watch all the Progressive candidate ads that feature Sarah Palin. They’re scared shitless of her and her powerful influence.
writer

King, aren’t you going to go into one of your explanations of how when talking about Rachel’s ratings, we need to look at the entire population and CBS and ABC and how many people watched Lost and how South Park is doing, etc., etc.?
Ninja

I think the real question is why does rachel have such big rabbit ears? The term attention whore comes to mind.
Some_Dude

And the conservatives will make hateful remarks. Then wonder why we presume their ranks to be hateful. News at 11.
The Real Royal King

writer said:
King, aren’t you going to go into one of your explanations of how when talking about Rachel’s ratings, we need to look at the entire population and CBS and ABC and how many people watched Lost and how South Park is doing, etc., etc.?

I needn’t do so. You have finally learned. Whew!
The Real Royal King

Ninja said:
I think the real question is why does rachel have such big rabbit ears? The term attention whore comes to mind.

Goodness knows, no one else in the very small world have cable news has an inflated ego.
writer

Just using your rules when talking about ratings, King. Instead of comparing one cable news outlet to another cable news outlet, ignore that and compare apples and oranges so the outcome serves to sooth a far left ego.
stoogedudes

Thorkil Kowalski Værge said:
I wonder why no one watches Rachel Maddow… NOT!!

You are absolutely right! Nearly a million people each night turn on their televisions to the Rachel Maddow Show, and immediately leave the room, where an hour later, they return and turn off the television!

The fact that ANY Republican has to use Rachel Maddow in their ads shows that she has some influence in the media, whether the righties want to admit it or not.

You can’t say Rachel Maddow doesn’t get any viewers and is insignificant and doesn’t matter when every time an article pops up on Mediaite about her, the righties have to harp about how lesbionic she looks (nothing wrong with that, I guess she does it herself) and how much of a “liar” she is and how she is a “travesty” to journalism and the truth. Funny how such an insignificant nobody can create such ire among the righties on this site and in the political blogosphere.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Jones/1384303476 Chris Jones

Nobody watches Madcow anyway.
writer

stooge, isn’t that what the left always does with Palin? They claim she’s inconsequential, she’ll never hold office again, she’s too ‘dumb’, yet the left gets in an uproar every time her name is mentioned. Why all the uproar over someone so unimportant?
stoogedudes

You’re right. I do think Sarah Palin is important. And I think liberals underestimate her. Do I think she can win the general election against Obama? No, but I do think she has influence. You saw it with Nikki Haley, and I’m sure you’ll see it in November.
Ninja

I do not understand how anyone can actually take this “journalist” seriously. Why is it that she feels the need to laugh while she talks about 80% of her show? Maybe even she realizes how much of a joke she is.
The Real Royal King

stoogedudes said:
You are absolutely right! Nearly a million people each night turn on their televisions to the Rachel Maddow Show, and immediately leave the room, where an hour later, they return and turn off the television!

That’s just weird!
The Real Royal King

stoogedudes said:
The fact that ANY Republican has to use Rachel Maddow in their ads shows that she has some influence in the media, whether the righties want to admit it or not.

You can’t say Rachel Maddow doesn’t get any viewers and is insignificant and doesn’t matter when every time an article pops up on Mediaite about her, the righties have to harp about how lesbionic she looks (nothing wrong with that, I guess she does it herself) and how much of a “liar” she is and how she is a “travesty” to journalism and the truth. Funny how such an insignificant nobody can create such ire among the righties on this site and in the political blogosphere.

The proof in the pudding, as it were.
writer

You mean like the King has to jump in and harp every time Fox News ratings are mentioned, and how he struggles mightily to explain them away?
Sue

You just need to spend five minutes listening to Rachel to understand. If you can’t, then you are on her side. Nuff said.
roxsteady

Ah, I see the fact free are still trapped by their delusions. Now, the statement that Brown was using Maddow in his ads because she was rumored to be running is both stupid and unwise. Maddow stated over and over each night as she blasted this pin up that she was not running. Remember how mad you folks got and still get when Sullivan brings up rumors that Palin’s baby isn’t really hers? Now, as for comparing cable ratings to network ratings, their apples and oranges. Networks’ ratings are still well above that of cables’. We’re talking news, not Lost or American Idol. Those are entertainment programs. Finally, if nobody was watching Maddow your buddy Dan Abrams would likely still have a show! Remember that her show replaced his.

Just go over to Mediabistro and see for yourselves. I’m a little buys right now or I’d link them for you.
writer

rox, could you point out that apples and oranges comparison to the Royal King? He still doesn’t seem to get it.
jrcmi

“I do not understand how anyone can actually take this “journalist” seriously. ”

You OUGHT to take Dr. Rachel Maddow – Ph.D, Oxford, political science, Rhodes scholar – QUITE seriously. Know any right-wing “journalists” with similar credentials?

Even if her academic cred didn’t prove anything, Rachel proves HERSELF every evening with well-researched and factual stories. Righties are reduced to taking cheap shots at her looks or her sexual preferences because they can’t “refudiate” her truthfulness, accuracy or scholarship.
Pablo

The Real Royal King said:
Rubio must be getting desperate.

Yeah, he’s really sweating bullets. Idiot.