In a clash with Rachel Maddow on this past Sunday’s Meet the Press, Republican pundit Alex Castellanos said there are reasons why women make less than men, but even while saying that he denied they actually made less. Because in Castellanos’ mind, women aren’t making less when his “reasons” are taken into account.

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Michael Cooper writes in The New York Times: Concern in G.O.P. Over State Focus on Social Issues. In this otherwise fine article covering the potential political pitfalls for Republicans focusing on social issues instead of the economy, Cooper falls into the false equivalence trap when he says:

It is not only Republican-led states that have turned to social issues as some of the immediate pressures of the fiscal crisis have begun to ease: Washington and Maryland, which are controlled by Democrats, both enacted laws legalizing same-sex marriage this year, and Connecticut voted this month to repeal its death penalty.

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Rush Limbaugh will be leaving a prominent radio station in Philadelphia, WPHT (Talk Radio 1210 AM). Limbaugh’s show will be replaced with The Michael Smerconish Show which currently airs on WPHT during the evening rush-hour (5pm) time slot.

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Mathew Ingram wrote a piece on GigaOM called Why Bob Woodward is wrong about the internet and journalism. In this piece Ingram says that “journalism needs more than just shoe leather now.” I will offer my take on traditional investigative reporters like Bob Woodward, as well as the role that the internet plays with modern journalism.

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Current TV is trying to transform itself into a independent, liberal news commentary network. Countdown with Keith Olbermann at 8pm was the centerpiece to this plan and it was to serve as a springboard to launch a full primetime lineup of progressive commentary (just like MSNBC did over the past decade). During the past six months Current has debuted 7pm and 9pm shows (The Young Turks, The War Room with Jennifer Granholm) to surround ‘Countdown’. Just last week Current debuted a 6 hour block of programming from 6am to 12pm each weekday morning. Full Court Press with Bill Press from 6am to 9am and Talking Liberally with Stephanie Miller from 9am to 12pm. Both shows are simulcasts of existing liberal radio shows.

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Today Current TV fired Keith Olbermann and immediately replaced ‘Countdown’ with a new show hosted by former New York governor Eliot Spitzer called ‘Viewpoint‘. Current TV released the following statement:

To the Viewers of Current:

We created Current to give voice to those Americans who refuse to rely on corporate-controlled media and are seeking an authentic progressive outlet. We are more committed to those goals today than ever before.

Current was also founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.

The letter is signed by Current TV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt.

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In the article – Biden Calls Republicans Party Of ‘Privilege’, Priebus Offers Bombastic Rebuttal - I mentioned the Alexandra Pelosi / Mississippi video that aired on the March 9th episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. In the video Pelosi asks Mississippi residents about why they vote Republican and why the poorest state in the country is so conservative.

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I’m sure you’ve heard about Rush Limbaugh’s hateful comments towards Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student who was unable to testify before congress at a hearing on contraception coverage. Republicans blocked her testimony in favor of an all male panel, you know, the people best qualified to talk about women’s reproductive health. Rush Limbaugh has been relentless on this issue, going as far as to call Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute”. This is representative of the ugly side of humans, for which Limbaugh has the market cornered.

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On tonight’s TRMS, Rachel Maddow continued her mission against PolitiFact’s nonsense.

Rachel critiqued PolitiFact’s “mostly false” rating of Lawrence O’Donnell’s statement – in one of MSNBC’s Lean Forward ads – that the critics of the G.I. Bill called it welfare. PolitiFact was specifically fact-checking whether or not the G.I. Bill had been referred to as welfare.

Watch the full segment below.

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Conservative columnist Cal Thomas says of Rachel Maddow, “she is the best argument in favor of her parents using contraception“. He says it with a look of bravado on his face knowing he just said something provocative.

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