Rachel points out that every day Obama announces another appointment the stock market goes up. Rachel asks if he could space these appointments out more. She segues into the $20 billion given to Citigroup without hearings or anything, and contrasts that with the week-long hand-wringing over bailing out the auto industry, which ultimately didn't happen. I then realized she's reading a teleprompter for what sounds like improvised riffing. Her show's young; she'll get better at hiding that.
She interviews Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, and member of Obama's economic advisory board. So why did Citi get a no-questions-asked bailout (a white-collar company) but the auto industry (a blue-collar industry) didn't? Schmidt said Citi's proposal was correct and the auto industry's was not. Rachel asks if he sees a double standard; Eric says no. They conclude amiably.
Rachel then asks how the government can focus on infrastructure if Obama's economic team is comprised of Robert Rubin people; Rubin who neglected infrastructure in favor of reducing the deficit.
Rachel points out Mike Huckabee said in an interview he likes Sarah Palin and says the only difference is she looks better in stilettos and has better hair. I join Rachel in shuddering at the image of a long-haired Huckabee in stilettos. Meanwhile Rachel's upset Obama is doing anything to appease or reach out to the Republicans, saying there's too much Koom-bay-ya going on. Rachel interview Dahlia Lithwick of Slate.com, who wants War Crime Tribunals to be brought up against Bush and Cheney and them. She wants Guantanamo closed on Day 1, and wants Obama's A.G. to probe over torture, and it looks like those won't be priorities for Obama, much to their mutual chagrin.
Back from the break, Rachel revels over the Georgia election between Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin. Elections-news geeks still have something to celebrate! Eventually she gets to her next guest, Ed Rendell, and they discuss the infrastructure needs of America, but how it can't be done if we follow Rubinomics (Rachel's made-up noun for the day). They both argue we need to invest in infrastructure now and deal with the deficit later. Rachel asks him about the Citigroup bailout as well, and he agrees the auto industry needs to have a better proposal in order to be bailed out. But he says banks getting bailouts should be forced to lend 60-70% of it out immediately.
Back from the break, Rachel interviews Robert Redford about Bush's lifting the drilling ban on many of the US's pristine lands, in a segment she calls Lame Duck Watch. She points out 360,000 acres in eastern Utah have been opened up for drilling. Redford, Utah's most famous liberal, points out Bush's "devious" ploy to free it up by bypassing the National Park Service, and says he's been trying to undo many environmental laws, and in his opinion it's criminal. Why rip up the environment for short-term retrieval of non-renewable energy when we now have viable renewable-energy alternatives?
Back from the break, Rachel has Kent Jones to a pop watch, where he mocks Guns N' Roses, Twlight, and Sarah Palin. Lewis Black, you have nothing to fear.
Maddow and KeithO may agree on 95% of things, but Rachel does it in a happy, sociable way where I feel like she could actually abide someone in her presence who doesn't necessariyl agree with her.
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