Politico Gushes: Lawrence O’Donnell ‘Riding High’ — As Biden’s Favorite Ring-Kisser

Aren’t you funny at how liberal media found close connections to Trump scandalous and seamy (think Sean Hannity), yet close ties that are very good to Biden? Max Tani of Politico is calling Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC’s host, “riding high “…because it’s tick-tight” with Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff. This headline reads “How Lawrence O’Donnell made the White House’s preferred cable news celebrity”

When his contract renewal was in doubt four years ago, Lawrence O’Donnell begged his viewers to help keep him on the air at MSNBC.

Now, as the left-leaning network’s prime-time lineup is at its most unstable point in a decade, the 70-year-old anchor has inadvertently become MSNBC’s most valuable star; or, at least, it’s most dependable one, owing to He enjoys a rare direct line into the Biden White House

O’Donnell is, unlike virtually anyone else in cable these days, riding high.

As other programs have struggled to break out of the post-Trump slump that has tanked ratings and left some shows straining to find the urgency that drove programming during the previous administration, he has found a unique role as the Biden team’s go-to anchor on MSNBC. O’Donnell’s decades-long relationship with President Joe Biden and his chief of staff, Ron Klain, has paid off handsomely, making the MSNBC host one of the White House’s only go-to news anchors and granting him rare on-camera access. 

“News anchor”? That’s hilarious. Hannity is just as good as O’Donnell as a news anchor. Tani admits O’Donnell is NOT riding high in the ratings. Fox’s Laura Ingraham is seen dunking on O’Donnell nightly. The problem is that Brian Williams has left, and Rachel Maddow will try to step aside from her nightly duties so he can win by default. Fox’s primetime ratings don’t matter.

Tani thinks it’s a good thing O’Donnell’s sucking up! 

O’Donnell has been one of Biden’s most unreserved cheerleaders over the past year, repeatedly defending his White House against criticism in the media and making sweeping declarations about the greatness of the administration. He said Biden’s discussion of his own immigrant history was historicThat the president’s Aug. 31 speech on the U.S. military departure from Afghanistan was the smartest and most honest address by a president on the subject, uncritically praised the state of the economy under Biden, and declared that the president’s first 100 days were the most consequential since FDR’s presidency.

Tani brought up an interesting fact: Biden rejected Rachel Maddow. “He was the only candidate who did not appear on her program or her lead-in, Chris Hayes’ show. POLITICO was told by a former campaign official that his absence was because he was afraid they would be attacked from the left. However, other anchors on the network were more friendly to him. Joe preferred Mika…or O’Donnell.

As COVID descended in 2020 ex-“Ebola czar” Klain often appeared on O’Donnell’s program multiple times a week. O’Donnell got access to the program after winning. 

Klain’s first interview after being named White House chief of staff during the transition was with O’Donnell. He also granted his first interview as chief of staff to O’Donnell. On the 100-day anniversary of the administration, he reflected on the White House’s accomplishments with O’Donnell. And after Biden signed the infrastructure bill earlier this year, the first media appearance he participated in was, once again, with O’Donnell.

O’Donnell presented Biden 17 minutes sugar last May in an MSNBC interview Vaccinating AmericaSpecial, asking Beau how his son Beau would welcome him now and about the stubbornness of anti-vax Republicans. They mock Fox’s “firewall “…”