Exclusive: Rachel Maddow's Anxiety Dream (and More Video Highlights From Her MoJo Gala)

Talk about MoJo rising! Rachel Maddow did us a huge solid and came to San Francisco to appear at a jam- and star-packed fundraiser for Mother Jones on Saturday, March 28. Before a sold-out crowd at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, she talked with Monika and me about everything from why women are closeted about being smart, to her impending interview with Colin Powell, what she'd ask Dick Cheney, Tweeting vs. blogging, her David Petraeus work anxiety dream, and why America needs to do more to ensure the future of serious investigative reporting and editing. Special props to Rachel for recognizing how newscasters depend on print reporting for the building blocks of their shows; "without the [MoJo DC bureau chief] David Corns of the world, there's no show. David Corn can do his job without me, but I can't do my job without him."

And if all that weren't fun and ego boosting enough, it was officially "Mother Jones Day" in San Francisco on Saturday (see proclamation after the jump)—whereby, according to SF Supervisor Bevan Dufty and California State Senator Mark Leno, nobody on staff could get arrested. Good thing, because at a reception before the big show, local mixologist extraordinaire Thad Vogler was making a killer signature cocktail, "The Maddow," and even those of us who had to get on stage and talk serious policy had a hard time saying no.

Rachel mixed it up with her adoring fans after the show, and everybody had an awesome time. Check out our exclusive videos, and (after the jump) the recipe to The Maddow and the Mother Jones Day proclamation.

10 Video Clips of Rachel Maddow in Conversation With MoJo Editors Clara Jeffery and Monika Bauerlein

1) The Venn diagram of Rachel: Entertainer, journalist, self-indulgent dork.

2) The show on Afghanistan, ratings be damned.

3) The reason America needs full time reporters and editors, not hobbyists.

4) Why she's not closeted about being smart.

5) The lowdown on Tweeting vs. blogging.

6) The David Petraeus work anxiety dream.

7) The drink she would have fixed Lincoln.

8) The reporters she trusts on the bailout.

9) The state of the 4th Estate.

10) The reason she's optimistic about the country's future.

Click Here to Launch a Photo Slideshow of the Evening.

Then mix yourself a Maddow* and go watch Rachel's show tonight.

• Rachel Maddow's Star Power

  Hipsterdom's favorite politico talks about perfect cocktails and imperfect hair.

• Ms. Behavior

  Two live shows a day, writing a weighty poli-sci book—what does Rachel Maddow do to relax?

• The People vs. Dick Cheney

  Will Obama bring the Bushies to account? Will Congress? Some local DA? A judge in Europe? Anyone...?

The official Mother Jones Day proclamation from Mayor Gavin Newsom:

Whereas, Mother Jones has been headquartered in San Francisco for more than thirty years; and

Whereas, Mother Jones continues to be a magazine of news and information covering politics, current affairs, health, the environment, media, and popular culture that offers its readership a perspective that reflects a hard-hitting and in-depth reporting source for provocative contemporary issues that often define the world around us; and

Whereas, The Foundation for National Progress, Mother Jones' nonprofit parent organization, continues to support and advance award-winning reporting, investigations, and penned opinions; and

Whereas, the magazine has been honored with many national and regional awards, and continues to be a vibrant and important part of our nation's journalism community and our City;

Therefore be it resolved, that I, Gavin Newsom, Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, do hereby proclaim March 28, 2009 as...

Mother Jones Day in San Francisco.

Want to help us celebrate?

*THE MADDOW

2 oz Tanqueray 10 gin

.25 oz grenadine by Small Hands Foods (San Francisco)

.5 oz Dolin Blanc vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

Stir well and strain into 5 oz cocktail glass

Garnish with broad lemon zest

—Recipe compliments of Thad Vogler