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Air America's Sweetheart
From The Advocate  July 15, 2008
Air America's Sweetheart

Since Rachel Maddow hit airwaves with her eponymous show on Air America in 2004, the former Rhodes Scholar has become one busy politico. Listeners can hear the 35-year-old California native play part logician and part devil’s advocate in the plum listening hours of 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Monday through Friday on XM Satellite Radio. We called up Maddow, who now lives with her partner, artist Susan Mikula, in New York City and Massachusetts, to get the newswoman’s take on the recent spate of gay headlines.

A lot of folks are calling you progressive media’s next big star. How does that feel?
I’m still trying to figure out who progressive media’s last big star was.

Would you move to TV?
I would love to be hosting a show in each media and I haven’t made a secret of that, and I think that’s maybe not the etiquette. Remember that book for girls on how to get a man called The Rules? Somebody told me that I’m not following the rules. Just like trying to get a man, you never admit that that’s what you’re doing. I’m not supposed to admit that I want a TV show.

Not following the rules seems to work for you.
I made a decision to stop doing what I was doing before—which was activism—and start doing media. I don’t see being in the media as doing activism. Producing in the corporate world can be very blunt. That’s the downside. The upside is getting paid to speak your mind.

Rachel, you don’t exactly emanate “corporate.”
 Air America is corporate writ small and NBC is corporate writ large. It’s easy to demonize the corporate world. It’s been a very positive experience on a personal level.

Let’s talk about gay marriage.
For me, it’s kind of like the right to serve as a gay person in the military. I don’t know whether I would want to do that. I value military service. I also value marriage. If people want to do that, they damn well better have the right to.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Niel Rishoi
    Date posted: 2008-07-15 9:26 AM
    Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI

    Comment:

    I think Rachel Maddow deserves a cover story. I have been enjoying her immensely as a political analyst on MSNBC, and she is succeeding quite admirably as Keith Olbermann's guest host on "Countdown." She not only speaks eloquently on whatever the topic is, but she has wit, humor, and is a congenial, thoughtful presence. Most significant of all, though, she has true camera presence and an ability to communicate.


  • Name: PDX'er
    Date posted: 2008-06-22 9:23 AM
    Hometown: Boqueron, PR

    Comment:

    Rachel is the only decent host left on Air America from when it started in 2004. Even though I've never been addicted to her show like I was to Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy and The Majority Report (Sam Seder & Janeane Garofalo), I've always enjoyed Rachel's show. She is a consummate professional and is always respectful of other people, even if she doesn't agree with their ideology. I hope she DOES get her own TV show, because she is EXCELLENT at the work she does and she's a FANTASTIC example what a "news" host can accomplish with a positive attitude and professional, respectful behavior.


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