Leave it to MSNBC to see Thanksgiving as a time to be thankful for ObamaCare, Wendy Davis, same-sex marriage, and John Kerry hammering out an interim nuclear deal with Iran.
"In a year where Congress’ approval rating has reached an all time low, an embattled President Obama faces the healthcare challenge that could define his legacy, and the timetable for US troops in Afghanistan remains murky, it is all too easy to become cynical about the public sphere," MSNBC.com writers Johnny Simon and Farra Kober confessed in a piece published this morning. "But when members of the msnbc family paused to reflect, what they recalled was a year full of triumph and spirit," they noted in the lead paragraph of their November 26 "Why I'm thankful" slideshow feature.
By "triumph and spirit," MSNBC envisions the liberal policy advances achieved in 2013 as well as new left-wing heroes it helped to mold. Of the 19 on-air MSNBC personalities Simon and Kober turned to, most expressed gratitude for such things, although anchors Tamron Hall and Andrea Mitchell were notable exceptions (emphases mine):
- Tamron Hall: “I’m thankful for my supportive colleagues, friends and family, and for the continued sacrifice of the men and women serving in our military.”
- Rev. Al Sharpton: “I’m thankful that more than 200,000 people are still committed to the dream of Dr. King and willing to travel from all over the country to march on Washington again.”
- Thomas Roberts: “I’m thankful I get to cover the social justice trend of marriage equality domestically and internationally”
- Chris Jansing: “I’m thankful for the people who turn personal tragedy into public advocacy – Malala, the Newtown families and Elizabeth Smart, to name a few.”
- Craig Melvin: “I’m thankful for the solution-finders and idea-generators.”
- Martin Bashir: “I’m thankful for the resilience and courage that we see in those who daily fight chronic illness and disease–a spirit that I witnessed firsthand in my late brother Tommy and his battle with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy—a disease that took his life but never diminished his ability to inspire love and kindness in others.”
- Chuck Todd: “I’m thankful for the privilege to help people navigate the complex and sometimes messy process that is Washington politics, and for the opportunity to make it easier for others to understand and digest.”
- Ed Schultz: “After what my wife Wendy went through the past year and a half, I’m thankful for a healthy body and a healthy family.”
- Alex Witt: “I’m thankful for those who won’t give up on a bipartisan pursuit of background checks on all commercial gun sales.”
- Abby Huntsman: “I’m thankful SCOTUS is advancing gay rights”
- Andrea Mitchell: “I’m thankful for the Fisher House Foundation coming to the rescue of military families who were denied the death gratuity benefit during the government shutdown.”
- Krystal Ball: “I’m thankful that my home state of Virginia IS NOT going to have to suffer through 4 years of Ken Cuccinelli as Governor!”
- Veronica De La Cruz: “I am thankful for the ACA & the Democrats who refuse to play politics with people’s lives by continuing to stand behind it.”
- Chris Matthews: “I’m thankful for John Kerry’s effort to avert war with Iran.”
- Chris Hayes: “I’m thankful for the bravery of the fast food workers who risked their livelihoods to demand a better future.”
- Melissa Harris Perry: “I’m thankful for the women who stood up in Texas, for brave North Carolinians arrested on Moral Mondays, and everyone who stays in the struggle.“
- Lawrence O’Donnell: “I’m thankful for donations to the K.I.N.D. fund.”
- Ari Melber: “I’m thankful for Kerry Washington.”
- Steve Kornacki: “I’m thankful I finally get to host my own game show.”
Oddly enough, God was missing entirely with the Almighty failing to receive one mention -- not even from the clergyman on the payroll -- even as Democrats, the Supreme Court, John Kerry, and the voters of Virginia were all stated (or inferred) objects of gratitude.
