“Maddow is the Rush Limbaugh of the left, a joyous warrior for her cause,” the Republican political consultant Alex Castellanos said in an email, adding that she shares Limbaugh’s “joie de guerre.”

“She is somewhat more limited than Rush since she is wrong about almost everything, but she’s a happy warrior nevertheless,” he said. “Maddow is quite different than the joyless Lawrence O’Donnell, whose demeanor suggests he hasn’t had a bowel movement in months.” …

“It’s impossible not to be wowed by Rachel’s intellectual bona fides – and although she’s obviously blessed in the intelligence category, she must be one of the hardest working hosts in news because she knows the issues inside and out,” said Elise Jordan, a former speechwriter for Condi Rice and frequent contributor on the cable news circuit. “Even though I may disagree with her politically, I really respect how she’s fearless in putting herself out there. She’s engages you on a human to human level — her criteria is intellectual honesty, not partisan politics.”