DAN GAINOR: Five ridiculous moments to remember MSNBC as it transitions to MS NOW

We clasp eulogies erstwhile idiosyncratic important passes. But MSNBC is dying and that calls for a antithetic benignant of tribute. MSNBC is going done what marketers telephone a rebranding process arsenic the outlet changes a mates initials and becomes MS NOW Nov. 15. It’s similar a sex modulation and it is costing them $20 million, according to The New York Times, but their marque of leftist lunacy isn’t going away. Anchor Rachel Maddow told the audience, "We are not going anyplace and we are not changing thing different than our name."

That’s the claim, though they effort to shroud themselves successful patriotism successful their archetypal rebranding commercial, the precise 1 Maddow introduced. It features her speechmaking the Preamble to the Constitution similar she was doing a propaganda mentation of "Schoolhouse Rock." As Maddow work each word, images flashed by, galore of them protesters, immoderate of them masked, and each interspersed with snippets of the MS NOW team.

The Times quoted soon-to-be MS NOW (Stands for: "My Source for News, Opinion and the World.") web President Rebecca Kutler, saying hopey/changey things: "When I ticker the ads, I consciousness each the feels of hope, of community, of unity, of what I deliberation astir what it means to beryllium an American national successful this moment." And if that’s not leftwing gibberish enough, they are adjacent readying an advertisement featuring unreal president Martin Sheen, who played President Jed Bartlet connected "The West Wing."

MSNBC STAFFERS DIVIDED OVER NEW NAME BUT 'CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC' ABOUT LIBERAL NETWORK'S POST-NBC FUTURE

Now, with each that said, the web turns 30 adjacent year, to afloat clasp its midlife crisis. Let’s bespeak connected what MSNBC has been — a web devoted to hating the right. Hitler comparisons to Trump, claims of dictatorship and a upland of atrocious that this file hardly touches. We’re talking astir the web of Keith Olbermann, Joy Reid, Jim Acosta and more. This is the spot wherever disgraced NBC anchor Brian Williams was sent aft helium admitted to lying astir coming nether sniper fire, benignant of a mini-Siberia.

No database of the galore insane things the web has done successful those astir 3 decades of TV could ever bash it justice. So present are 5 peculiar moments I couldn’t forget.

1. Hunka hunka Obama love: There was an astir infinite magnitude of emotion successful the property for archetypal campaigner and past President Barack Obama. But, MSNBC big Chris Matthews had the punctuation that defined the full presidency. He was discussing Obama’s speechmaking and helium told viewers, "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't person that excessively often."

That "thrill up my leg" was the cleanable summary of the emotion that journalists gave the archetypal Black president. News outlets were filled with pictures cautiously created to amusement Obama with his caput successful beforehand of airy sources to springiness him a halo effect. The "thrill" punctuation was the verbal mentation of that emotion affair. The punctuation followed Matthews astir for years, getting cited similar it had travel from "Blazing Saddles" oregon possibly "Network."

2. How tin we hide Keith Olbermann?: OK, we tried, but helium was a large indicator of however atrocious MSTHEN was arsenic big of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." He was famously vicious to his enemies, which included astir fractional the nation. One memorable slam of Scott Brown adjacent offended radical astatine the network.

But, that wasn’t his worst. That came successful an onslaught connected speech vigor icon Rush Limbaugh connected April 19, 2010. He blamed "talk radio" for the Oklahoma City bombing, "specifically, Rush Limbaugh’s hatred radio." He continued, "Frankly, Rush, you person that humor connected your hands present and you person had it for 15 years." He declared him the "Worst Person successful the World," a instrumentality wherever helium picked connected 3 radical each broadcast. (Alas, I lone came successful 3rd connected my appearance.) Years later, Rush is known arsenic 1 of the large Americans. Olbermann is amended known for a Ben Affleck impersonation of him that was 1 of the large moments of "Saturday Night Live."

3. And past there’s "Morning Joe": Just arsenic the thrill up the limb remark defined the Obama era, Joe Scarborough, the big of "Morning Joe" served up the garbage that defined the Biden presidency. We had a president who radical knew was incapable to talk coherently and incapable to tally the country. We each saw it. Biden held an embarrassing February property league and was fond of saying helium had talked to overseas leaders who were already deceased.

None of that mattered to Scarborough. It wasn’t agelong aft that presser erstwhile helium was defending Biden. On "Morning Joe" successful March 2024, Scarborough said of Biden, "I've said it for years now, he's cogent. But I undersold it erstwhile I said helium was cogent, he's acold beyond cogent. In fact, I deliberation he's amended than he's ever been, intellectually, analytically, due to the fact that he's been astir for 50 years."

Then helium enactment the cherry connected apical of the prevarication sundae: "Start your portion close present due to the fact that I’m astir to archer you the truth. And f--- you if you can’t grip the truth. This mentation of Biden, intellectually, analytically, is the champion Biden ever." He ended up apologizing, but the harm to his estimation was toast.

4. Hating Charlie Kirk: The fig of atrocious things said by the near and media astir Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk’s decease is hard to count. One of them was truthful bad, it outgo an MSNBC worker his job. The web fired governmental expert Matthew Dowd for his comments astir Kirk. Dowd, a rhetorical weaponry thrower, said Kirk has been "one of the astir divisive, particularly divisive younger figures successful this, who is perpetually benignant of pushing this benignant of hatred code oregon benignant of aimed astatine definite groups. And I ever spell backmost to, hateful thoughts pb to hateful words, which past pb to hateful actions."

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It was truthful awful, that Kutler had to contented an apology: When you’ve mislaid MSNBC…

5. Then there’s Joy Reid: I had considered making the file each astir her, but determination was excessively overmuch else. Reid, who MSNBC besides fto go, compared the "American evangelical right-wing movement" to "an American Taliban." She said she didn’t privation to spell retired connected July 4th due to the fact that America is "awash with guns" and bashed the "myth" of Thanksgiving.

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But, she outdid herself successful 2024 by comparing Trump to crazed cult leaders. "What Donald Trump is doing is adjacent parts the powerfulness of affirmative thinking, which is the church, to the grade that it’s the religion that helium grew up in, but it’s besides it’s benignant of David Koresh. It’s benignant of Jim Jones. Because those 2 men started by saying, ‘You request to travel to Jesus.’ They started arsenic Christian evangelizers. But, eventually, their evangelism said, ‘No, I get to person your wife. No actually, I get to archer you to termination these national agents that are outside. I’m asking you to prime up a instrumentality weapon and sprout them due to the fact that I don’t privation to spell to jail.’" She added by comparing him to Charles Manson.

Boy, MSNBC, we aren’t going to miss you, but for drama relief. And we’ll person MS NOW for that.