I knew Greta Van Susteren was obnoxious but I didn't expect these details about her

[csziggy]

U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was best man at Greta Van Susteren's parents' wedding.

Her father, Urban Van Susteren, an elected judge, served as a campaign strategist for McCarthy.

Van Susteren married tort lawyer John P. Coale in 1988. Coale, a self-described "ambulance chaser," became known as "Bhopal Coale" for his solicitation of clients among victims of the Bhopal disaster. He has served as an adviser for Sarah Palin.

Van Susteren and her husband are members of the Church of Scientology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Van_Susteren

[Mz Pip]

1. Scientology is still a thing?

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. John Travolta is a long standing member

which explains his movies, maybe.

[WillowTree]

18. And most famously, Tom Cruise.

[HoneyBadger]

2. He was on the right side of Bhopal

I was on the wrong side (Union Carbide) and the settlements that were paid out were heinous., the kind of things that you can only get away with in the 3rd world. Basically the payout for a life was the same as what a lawyer billed at for an hour.

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/why-did-india-accept-a-mere-500-for-every-bhopal-life-420494?site=full

[stevenleser]

33. Yeah, I am not sure trying to advocate for/represent the victims of that is a bad thing at all.

I would hope lawyers would try to do that.

[moondust]

3. Wow.

More tarnish on the reputation of MSNBC and Rachel Maddow.

[Squinch]

4. MSNBC needs to be boycotted hard for this shit, and for Chuck and for Mika and her ventriloquist.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

27. I'm all in!

[greymattermom]

5. so she's not Christian, right?

and that didn't matter to Fox viewers?

[Volaris]

30. Like they knew lol.

And even if someone told them, unless it came from LieNews, Inc. LLC, it certainly wasn't going to be believed, anyway.

[McCamy Taylor]

6. At least they are not fundies. Scientolgist object to psychiatry.

Fundies object to everything.

[m-lekktor]

8. Holy fucking crap, I hope you aren't implying that is the only thing wrong with scientology.

[pnwmom]

11. Scientology is a cult, just as much as a fundamentalist cult.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/hbos-scientology-expose-shows-cult-much-crazier-and-more-ruthless-you-might-imagine

[GReedDiamond]

16. Leah Remini's experience w/the scientology cult...

[uponit7771]

22. +1

[tibbiit]

28. Leah Rmini's show on A&E is really interesting

Back in the 70's as a seeker, I investigated Scientology along with several other alternative paths.
I dodged a big bullet! and I am grateful for that!

tib

[Iggo]

26. A fundie is a fundie, no matter which cult they follow. (n/t)

[Generator]

31. Exactly

I was shocked to learn this. Scientology has ruined so many lives and held children as virtual slaves in their stupid "Sea Org" thing. It's really really awful.

[hatrack]

42. Fundies and Scientologists both have problems with reality . . .

One group, though, has more spaceships than the other, which I guess is something . . .

[sarcasmo]

7. Make no mistake, MSNBC is now Fox news light.

Joy being the exception.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. This is the game plan via Comcast.

It is a demographics game,and Fox News's Demo's are dying off each and every day. Remember,Zucker and Trump are tight.

[sarcasmo]

15. Started awhile back and now the change is almost complete.

[malaise]

23. Precisely

We saw this coming

[MontanaMama]

19. Joy and lawrence. n/t

[left-of-center2012]

20. "MSNBC is now Fox news light"

Well, there is Joy Reid

[Generator]

32. I follow her on twitter

She is the most progressive person to probably be allowed a TV show. Her tweets are amazing-she give info and thought to things so well. It's a travesty she doesn't have a prime time slot.

[Retrograde]

10. The first and possibly the second are not her fault

Slam her all you want for her own beliefs, positions, and actions, but I doubt she invited McCarthy to her parents' wedding.

[csziggy]

12. That connection shows where her core beliefs originated

Her parents obviously held McCarthy in high regard which indicates some agreement they must have had with his policies. And Van Susteren was raised by those people.

That she is also married to a man who advised Sarah Palin indicates that she has not deviated from those core beliefs.

[progressoid]

13. Oddly, her sister is a psychiatrist. A foe of Scientology.

http://gawker.com/5272012/what-does-greta-van-susterens-psychiatrist-sister-think-of-scientology

A tipster passed along something we didn't know: Noted Scientologist Greta van Susteren's sister is a psychiatrist. Or, as Greta's religion would have it, a practitioner of the "industry of death," a "fraud," a drug-peddler, and a "rapist." We asked her what she thought of her sister's curious views.

...

Her sister Greta, on the other hand, is a member and underwriter of an organization whose leader David Miscavige lauds its "campaign for the global obliteration of psychiatry" and uses terms like "lethal assault," "plague," and "virus of abberation" when discussing his aim of "breaking the dark spell cast across earth" by people like Lise van Susteren. As of 1998, Greta had given at least $100,000 to Scientology; Miscavige's mother was the accountant at the law firm Greta ran with her husband John Coale. She and Coale own a home in Clearwater, Fla., Scientology's spiritual headquarters.
Sarah Palin Adviser's Secret Scientology Plot to Take Over Washington

John Coale, currently advising Sarah Palin on running for president in 2012, is a Scientologist.…

We called Lise to ask her about Greta's views. "These are private matters," she said. "I don't ever discuss them. The reality is, I don't know anything about Scientology's current campaigns. I know that in the past there were a few people who were very vocal about psychiatry, but I don't know enough to reasonably comment."

[Greybnk48]

17. Her dad Urban, married my husband and I in 1981.

It was at 1:00, right after lunch and he was pissed to the ears. But he was really nice to us and my 9 year old daughter. I had no idea he was notorious in that way and neither did my husband, and he's lived here since he was born.

From what I"ve heard from older relatives, McCarthy was a screaming alcoholic but had a strong following here in our town. Our entire family are Dems and always have been, but I wonder how the R's that are still alive feel about their Repuke party sucking up to the Russians?

[JI7]

21. I guess that's how she is close to the Palin Family

[Vinca]

24. It's so odd that Rachel Maddow is good buddies with her.

[Stellar]

29. Rachel 'says' that she is good buddies with Greta. Is it true...

or is that what her bosses want her to say. Now I've noticed that MSNBC is running ads with Rachel praising Greta. WTH!

I guess her bosses put Rachel up to it because they feel that Rachel's audience thinks that what ever Rachel says we will just say...duh! Okay Rachel what ever you say. To tell the truth, this is really pissing me off!! What next, Perhaps Bill O'Reilly?

[Volaris]

34. I'm really wondering how much longer Rachel thinks it will take to pad her nestegg

Before she decides it's time to go do something more productive with her talents. She's great and has more than proven shes smart enough to play the game and survive (look how long she's lasted there, and who she's outlasted); I wish she were at a point where she could say to herself 'fuck the money, I have enough now...time to go work for Frontline and do some real, oldschool investigative journalism that makes the right people nervous.'

[Stellar]

39. Frontline!!!

You just made my toes curl! Rachel on Frontline would be fantastic!

[stevenleser]

36. See my #35 below, but honestly, think about it. What good what it do for Rachel or any other Dem

pundit to yell or scream at a Repug pundit or be nasty to them in the green/break room?

How is that going to change anything?

I get how you feel. Before I started I wouldn't have understood it either but if you think about it, it makes sense.

[Stellar]

38. They've made a commercial of Rachel praising Greta...

one that they will play around the clock of Rachel praising Greta. Just Incase her fanbase missed her original pronouncement of Greta....Gotta make Greta fit in, please!

[stevenleser]

40. OK, let me break this down...

1. Rachel likes and is friendly with Greta.

2. Greta has joined Rachel's television network and Rachel's network makes money if more people watch Greta's show which helps everyone at the network including Rachel.

3. The television network made a commercial of Rachel expressing that she likes Greta.

I am not really sure what is upsetting or surprising about any of this.

Help me understand why this should be outrage inducing?

[Stellar]

41. Outrage inducing perhaps to me alone. But for me...

I no longer watch those people that show themselves as 'right-winger' nutjobs like 'morning Joe' , Chuck Todd MTP, now there's Greta Van Susteran and Ms Kelly.

But for ME, it is outrage inducing. For others... That's their business how they feel.
However, I do understand Rachel must do what is required of her on MSNBC, and like Fox 'news' or other so-called news outlets ( they usually lean right) they want to make money.

[stevenleser]

35. Opposing pundits have a similar relation to each other that opposing lawyers do.

We passionately believe in what we talk about and advocate for that on the air, but afterwards we generally get along.

I was as surprised about that as anyone else, but its true.

[Iggo]

25. Trash word: Greta

Trash word: Susteren

Trash word: GVS

Hopefully, that'll do it.

[coco22]

37. Rachel says we should like her..

because she does,I don't think so.I have watched her and Megan Kelly over the years still the same old ----- nothing new here.