MSNBC "Lean Forward" Campaign Publicly Declares Progressive Base

The slick campaign that started last fall has the network finally coming out of its progressive closet.  Since I've embarked on my journey at the start of 2011, comparing Morning Joe with Fox and Friends, I've occasionally seen MSNBC's current campaign of "Lean Forward."  For example:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I decided to get the scoop on the network's campaign, and it turns out that they're going after FoxNews' #1 slot.  From MSNBC's own website (emphasis added):

Msnbc to ‘lean forward’ in two-year brand campaign

Cable television network hopes to boost ratings, audience awareness 

Cable news network msnbc said Tuesday it is launching a two-year, multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, embracing its politically progressive identity with the new tagline “Lean Forward.” 

The network hopes the campaign, featuring television ads directed by Spike Lee, will lift brand awareness and boost ratings, building on recent audience gains that have lifted it to the No. 2 news channel, ahead of CNN and behind industry leader Fox News. 

“We’ve taken on CNN and we beat them,” msnbc President Phil Griffin told employees at a series of celebratory “town hall” meetings Monday. “Now it’s time to take on Fox.”

[Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.  Msnbc cable is a wholly owned division of NBC Universal.]

The network has struggled to define itself with its audience since it launched in 1996. In the runup to the 2008 presidential election, network programming began to coalesce around primetime anchors Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. It branded itself as “The Place for Politics” — a description given by Tim Russert, then NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and "Meet the Press" moderator.

With the addition of left-leaning anchors including Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz, the network increasingly became identified with a rising tide of progressive political sentiment. The new branding campaign, while not overtly political, implicitly embraces the network’s progressive identity.
...

The campaign, which also includes print and online components, takes a swipe at the nation’s strident and divisive political culture with lines like, "Celebrate the best ideas, no matter where they come from," and "One nation, in progress." 
...

So, with its slick ads MSNBC is finally publicly acknowledging its leftist leanings.  I wonder why they just didn't fess up even more and simply make the campaign "Lean Left."