New Liberal host on MSNBC 9pm

Last night I saw Rachel Maddow on MSNBC's on The Rachel Maddow Show for the first time. I think her introduction to 9pm prime time slot on MSNBC during the final stretch of the 2008 Presidential election is a great opportunity for her as well as MSNBC.

For too long, I have seen Fox's conservative hosts like Bill O'reilly with The O'Reilly Factor
and Sean Hannity of Hannity & Colmes bully their liberal guest and even liberal co-hosts like Alan Colmes. They cut them off in the middle or surround them with conservative guests on the same time slot. In extreme case when some liberal guest give them back, I have seen Bill take them off air when the guest is speaking.

The liberal counterparts could be bucketed in 'Good Guy' or 'Comedian' stereotype. There are liberal bullys on radio and internet world, but somehow they don't become a TV host and I for one don't listen to a lot of radio hosts.

My first impression is that she is the answer to the conservative hosts. She is strong minded gal who has a pleasing on screen personality and uses combination of humour (not a comedian) with strong arm tactics to belittle her conservative guest. To add to it, she is openly gay that will needle the conservatives even more.

Disclaimer: I am an independent with liberal social views (pro gun control, pro-choice) and conservative economic views (pro-business, free market,) . I do watch Bill O'Reilly regularly though I don't agree with his views most of the time. Please note liberal and conservatives have different meaning in US and Europe.
According to Girvetz and Minogue writing in Encyclopædia Britannica, "contemporary liberalism has come to represent different things to Americans and Europeans: In the United States it is associated with the welfare-state policies of the New Deal program of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whereas in Europe liberals are more commonly conservative in their political and economic outlook."^[6] Continental Europeans often apply the term "liberal" mainly to an individual's economic liberties, such as free markets and hence they have many positions in common with American conservatives."