...which is simply a genuine concern for those who haven't been as fortunate as he has been. I put "traditional" in quotes because modern, midwestern pols have strayed so far from that.

His fondness of Rachel stems from this, I believe.

I honestly think Dave & so many others are so fond of Rachel because she is a genuine person who is extremely likable regardless of who you are. Well, pig headed Christians who HATE would never even give her a chance but for most others Rachel is a wonderful person even if folks don't agree with her on politics.

She even introduced herself with, "Hi, I'm Rachel."

I had to suppress a strong desire to answer, "gee, I never would have guessed." Instead, I just smiled, and said, "yes, I know."

I saw this tall woman approaching me, and I thought, "look at those glasses! She must think she's Rachel Maddow or something.

Or something, indeed!

You are having fun, hope you know that.

Last edited Mon Aug 27, 2012, 09:16 AM - Edit history (1)

It was in the tiny waiting room at the Provincetown, MA airport.

Rachel was staying there (or near there--I didn't ask) on vacation, and her parents were visiting. She had driven them to the airport when they were on their way home. They are, by the way, lovely people--I can see where Rachel gets her upbeat personality. I had driven my daughter there, as she had to fly back to New York to be at work the next day.

This one was pure coincidence. I was going to meet her at some point, as I had made Howard Dean promise me to introduce us some day. Howard had agreed (this was maybe four months earlier), but I told Rachel at the airport that the chance meeting had freed Howard from his obligation.

I got stationed overseas (at my request--wife-to-be didn't want to live in the USA) many years ago, and my "circles" over here are either work-related, or strictly low-key, i.e. normal mortals like you and me. Back home, well, my Dad was a member of the Washington print press for five decades, a member of the Gridiron Club for over two of them, and my best friend Stateside got me into Renaissance Weekend (for which I have been roundly slammed on DU) about 12 years ago. Most of my "best circles" acquaintances are because of one or the other of those two.

It IS fun, no two ways about that, but it's not like I won any prizes (Nobel or Pulitzer) to get there.

Sometimes, I do get the occasional kick. A few years ago, my younger daughter was visiting us here in Germany, on a break from law school in the States. She had brought one of her classmates with her, as he had never been to Europe. He said he was doing some paper on a subject having to do with the military and the law, and did I know anyone with such knowledge? I said well, I knew Adrian Cronauer (not Robin Williams, but the real one), and that he had gotten a law degree after his (now famous) stint in the military. My daughter's classmate thought I was joking, of course. I offered to call Adrian at home and let him talk to him directly. The kid still thought I was joking. I called Adrian up at his home, asked if it was OK. Adrian said sure, so I put the kid on the line. He was suddenly a lot less cocky when I gave him the phone. "Mr. Cronauer?" he said tentatively. I wish I could have gotten a photo of the look on his face when Adrian said something like, "what can I do for you?" Now THAT was fun! LOL!!

She's smart and funny and cute.

Dave has praised her even when she has not been on the show. He name dropped Rachel's name when Brian Williams or Tom Brokaw was on recently and spoke about how she was like the old journalist in the same league as Cronkite and Murrow. Yeah,you can tell Dave has a lot of respect for her.

Dave is a classy guy. Look how he acts when he has some like Rachel on vs. Bill O'reilly. Rachel does not snap at the audience if her applause is not loud enough like Bill has done.

Still kicks ass.

As does Rachel!!

A graduate of Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California, she attended Stanford University... Maddow earned a degree in public policy from Stanford in 1994. At graduation she was awarded the John Gardner Fellowship. She was also the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship and began her postgraduate study in 1995 at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 2001, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in politics from Oxford University. Her thesis is titled HIV/AIDS and Health Care Reform in British and American Prisons (supervisor: Dr Lucia Zedner). She was the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes scholarship.

From wikipedia

And it shows.

And, I noticed, she's moved up to "first guest" status. Great interview, love them both!