The old, somewhat hyperbolic criticism of MSNBC: “This so-called news network is so far in the tank for the Biden administration that their show hosts might as well be Biden administration press secretaries.”
The new, accurate criticism of MSNBC: “This so-called news network is so far in the tank for the Biden administration that one of their show hosts actually was a Biden administration press secretary a few weeks ago.”
Politico reports that Vice President Kamala Harris’s former top spokesperson Symone Sanders is “joining the network as the host of both a weekend program and a show airing on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock.” I suppose that’s one way the vice president’s office can ensure the veep gets better coverage.
It’s not unusual for departing administration officials to line up talking-head gigs at news networks. But hosting a show is another step in the wrong direction. If Fox News had announced in January 2018 that it was giving Sean Spicer his own weekend show, they would have gotten endless grief about it, and they would have deserved it. Yes, Kayleigh McEnany is now co-hosting Fox News’ Outnumbered — but at least she started hosting a show after Trump left office. Spicer started hosting a show on Newsmax in March 2020, which seems comparably ridiculous. But it probably doesn’t help MSNBC much to declare, “But Newsmax did it first!”
But perhaps this is just another indicator of what these networks’ true purpose is. They’re not there to inform you, or at least not during certain hours. They’re there to tell you that your preferred side of the aisle is doing great, and the other side of the aisle is, as Keith Olbermann used to put it, the worst people in the world.
No one will ever tune in to shows with Spicer or McEnany expecting either to declare, “Wow, my old boss Donald Trump really screwed up today.” But it is comparably absurd to expect Symone Sanders to ever open her show by declaring, “Wow, my old bosses are doing a terrible job, and here’s why.” You might as well title the shows, Here’s Why My Old Boss Is Still Awesome.