Matthews Again, Again
A couple of esteemed correspondents (one of them the congenial blogger Bob Somerby) think I've been unfair to Chris Matthews, who has indeed been criticizing Bush about Iraq for three years.
I did end the first paragraph of my American Prospect piece with this: "As the faith-based bubble of George W. Bush goes on veering away from reality -- even from reality as seen by many conservative politicians -- Matthews, weirdly, is having trouble disengaging, with the one (important) exception of Iraq." I'm adding the italics now, and maybe should have added them before. Iraq is a damned important exception.
I also included Matthews' fierce challenge to the lunatic Zell Miller, and mentioned his respectful treatment of John Murtha.
Wholeheartedly I applaud Matthews when he's in his reportorial mode. Last night (March 23), for example, he brought onto Hardball the woman who played give-us-the-good-news-and-shut-up Spiro Agnew at Bush's Cleveland City Club event, Gayle Taylor, along with her husband, Kent, who did Army National Guard p. r. work in Iraq. Matthews did gently push Kent when he said: "I know, for a fact, that there are members of the media who are bitterly opposed to our president, the Christian values that he believes in, the decisions he makes, and even the party he stands for." Turned out that Kent had never met any such "members of the media."
But Matthews as fact-establishing tough-guy is at odds with Matthews as obsequious gusher before winger power. If he wants to be taken seriously, he has to get a grip on the servility.
Maybe Rush Limbaugh helped him out on this one. After all, they are
best friends:
RUSH: A montage here of Chris Matthews from his show last night talking about -- and he is my friend. Chris Matthews is a friend of mine. I mean, I know him. I've been on his show a couple times. I haven't been invited lately probably because he knows I don't do television.
March 24, 2006 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL
That should be the throw away line we use on media types who fall on their knees to please the GOP.
"Dude, get a grip on the servility"
March 24, 2006 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Limbaugh's testimonials not good evidence. Sorry. Todd Gitlin
March 24, 2006 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Iraq is his most egregious CURRENT problem with truth, but the Valerie Plame situation started his downfall with me. Chris repeatedly stated that her husband claimed Cheney sent him to Africa. He chuckled along with all the republican shills making fun of her "thin cover." He rolled over every time anyone said that the president's people would never do anything like out a real agent.
I am convinced he knew the truth but couldn't stand up to it. He might not get invited to all the parties that he alludes to with many of his right-wing guests. That is one part of the essense of his failure; it is his self-importance and social desires to be in with the in crowd.
The other essential --> have you ever heard him talk about Bill Clinton? About the only descriptor he ever uses is "skirt-chaser," yet he calls Bob Dole, who is now a snake-oil salesman "a great American." I heard that Clinton turned him down when he wanted to be his press secretary and I think it may be true, because I can't think of another reason for such bitterness.
Anyway, I definitely think he should rename his show, "Softball," or "Republicans R Us."
Jan Knaus
March 24, 2006 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know what's gotten into Chris Matthews over the past couple of years. I don't want my political show hosts to share my politics, but I do want them to be fair. Last night or the night before, he met with Harold Ford in a bar. It was a completely contrived scene and looked silly, but I do think Matthews was fair and decent.
Matthews bending over the backwords for such nonsense as the GOP straw poll (really, was live coverage necessary?) is scary for me. It shows a level of coziness with a subject he covers that maybe he shouldn't have.
I think he has it in him to be completely "down the middle," or at least more fair than any other show moderator. I worry that, like too many others, his world view was irrationally warped by 9/11. And to that end, I think he buys into the supposed Bush Doctrine of preemption. It seems like it colors his presentation of Iraq.
So how to square his previous Bush idolatry (emporer for life!) with his recent discomfort with Iraq? I don't know. Maybe he's coming around? Maybe he's representing his audience that's coming around? I don't know. All the same, Matthews is capabale of more.
March 24, 2006 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
So how to square his previous Bush idolatry (emporer for life!) with his recent discomfort with Iraq? I don't know. Maybe he's coming around? Maybe he's representing his audience that's coming around?
Maybe his head will explode? Live, on the air? :-)
I think his problem is that he's in his own little world. Intellectual laziness. Bush's poll numbers have been way down for a long time, but only recently it occured to CM that Bush isn't all that popular. He was "amazed."
Or when Alito was first nominated, the "Scalito" nickname came up, and CM kept insisting it was some Democratic smear, way past the point where the evidence said otherwise.
Coziness, laziness. Poster boy for all that's wrong.
Dissent Protects Democracy
March 24, 2006 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
bluebell
Mathews took a very obvious hard right turn immediately after the 2004 election. I think it's nothing more than selling out to get invited to the right cocktail parties. Edward R. Murrow he ain't.
March 24, 2006 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually what upset Matthews about Alito was that the #1 item on some liberal groups talking points was about how as a prosecuter Alito 20+ years ago lost a case that involved the Mafia.
The implication was clearly there that Alito was somehow sympathetic to the Mob.
March 24, 2006 8:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, thanks, I should have been more clear. But the point was that Matthews kept attributing this to the Democratic Party, not some liberal groups.
Dissent Protects Democracy
March 25, 2006 7:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
You were clear, Alito, was not being called Scalito so much for having lost an organized crime case 20+ years ago, as much as he is deemed to have the same time of legal leanings and opinions constitutionally as Scalia...thus he is being given an italian dimunitive as 'little Scalia'....Scalito
March 25, 2006 11:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Although it is hard to tell by watching Hardball and the pro war stance of a great majority of his guests - Mathews has never really been a supporter of the war. Before the invasion of Iraq a fellow by the name of Phil Donahue had a show on MSNBC and he was against the war as well. The main difference of course was that he was vocal about it and a good number of his guests were also against the war. His show even had higher ratings if I remember correctly. Needless to say the Donahue show was axed shortly before the war began.
Did Tweety get the message and tow the line elst he suffer the same fate as poor Mr. Donahue? Who knows. As they say however... every man has his price.
Hardball is an opinion show, not hard news and for Mathews to only allow pro war guests for the most part and suppress his own views, is/was unconscionable. After 3 years and Bush's catastrophic failure in Iraq, Mathews does seem to be coming out of the ether. But why did he breathe that crap in the first place? Was it the money?
I certainly hope not.
March 25, 2006 12:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Somerby lost his mind years ago! He's worse than Tweety.
March 25, 2006 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
This one nails it on the wall for me...
Thanks for making it short, sweet and on the mark!March 25, 2006 7:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
CVille Dem-
I think a better (re)name would be "Snowball."
March 26, 2006 10:24 AM | Reply | Permalink