My favorite part was when David Axelrod corrects his Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde literary analogy to Wright and Obama. I laughed when Axelrod had to tell him that his analogy didn't work because Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde was really the same person in Robert Louis Stevenson's book. Chris Matthews, not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

Chris Mathews must have lost the tingle in his leg for Obama, because he was basically putting out a philosophy of "they all look the same" racism.

I agree strongly with this post, and artappraiser.

The editorials and blogosphere have to help Obama move the narrative past this. Shouty shows live for this shit, and it's sick.

It also turns Matthews, one of Obama's biggest fans, into a malign force, because he's a big fan of whatever makes people watch, especially shouting about race and gender. It's gross.

I saw this too and am not too ashamed to admit that I spent a majority of the segment swearing at the television.

For me, this was compounded by First Read's comment that "Because of Jeremiah Wright remaining in the news, not that much attention has been paid to Clinton’s recent comments regarding Iran and the Middle East."

The complete lack of recognition, or media metacognition, that the MSM creates the narrative makes my blood boil. Hello IDIOTS, you are the people keeping Jeremiah Wright in the news. YOU are the ones not disseminating that Hillary advocates nuking Iran if they threaten Israel. YOU are the ones not disseminating McCain's advocacy for reinstating the Cold War.

I guess I'm not old enough to know if this is politics and press as usual, but, as an information literacy librarian (for those who do not do library speak this is a librarian who teaches - or tries to teach - students to be savvy consumers of information) it is EXTREMELY distressing!

...even Johnathan Capeheart.

You sound almost disappointed about Capeheart. I have noticed for some time that Capeheart rarely calls for Obama and usually calls for Clinton.

That Postie is sooo in the bag for Clinton.

Great post! I stopped watching Matthews a few weeks ago for the same reason.

The best thing you can do is exactly what you did. Write a letter explaining why you are not watching anymore, and actually stop watching.

Which is exactly what Jon Stewart was trying to tell Matthews when Matthews went on the Daily Show to promote his book.

Hardball was awful last night, I wanted to scream every time I heard Matthews call Wright Obama's "albatross", and I felt sorry for Chris Lizza as he tried to do his part for journalistic ethics (good luck). I also agree Axelrod put Matthews in his place a bit, and even had him agreeing that he has spent too much time on the Wright issue earlier in the show....I also had the misfortune to turn on Morning Joe today, and catch Scarborough in a monologue asking "who is Barack Obama, and how does he really feel about America?....Because we really just don't know.".

Seriously. Are you fucking kidding me?

The guy has been campaigning for months, he has written two books about his life and his ideas, and you are asking who he is??? This is so shameless and absurd, it makes me crazy. Scarborough's racism/xenophobia/nastiness is thinly veiled, at best. I try and tune out these idiots, but I just have to know what they will say next, it is like watching a car wreck.

Thank you for this post!!! I too have a Hardball habit that I'm about to break and I watched that show thinking, when Lizza began stating his very important moral case, that the murky MSM tide was about to turn (on one show, anyway.)
For a moment, Matthews actually listened,-- a miracle in itself. Lizza's call for fairness and moderation and journalistic responsibility was sufficiently compelling and novel that all Matthew could do was nod.
He was saved by his other guests -- Jill Suckman and Jonathan Capeheart -- who require Matthews good graces to get their oh-so-valuable air time. (To wit: Chris mentioned that Jill had been telling him about the slew emails and attention she gets from being on television.)
So the newly famous Jill chimed in with her "it's politics" remark and the relief on the set was palpable.
Whew!you could hear them thinking, thank God we don't have to let ethics or decency mitigate the fun we're having with this Wright thing.
As for Scarborough and the egregiously stupid Mika -- it's McCarthyism all over again. I agree with Dorn 76 -- it is like watching a car wreck -- only problem is that the car they're driving off the cliff is our car ...

Cable news has lost me as well. They aren't a news program at all anymore, they are now mostly commentary with perhaps a minute or two of (stale)news at the top of the hour. Who wants to passively watch commentary when you can go on line and participate as well?

I have two comments, ABC is a dying network, especially the news, I saw part of the view to day and they had NEWT of all people on, the man who left his dying wife for another woman, and the reasons they are bring on all of FOX NEWS people because their rating are falling fast, and this is the only place they have to go to get viewers, now, why is everyone afraid to ask JOE SCARBOROUGH and the dead intern found in his congressional office, and why he left office right after that, we need to start asking hard questions to those MSM messangers bring US all this BS.

"He thinks supposedly abstractly discussing how effectively lies and misinformation work on their victims is a valuable contribution to the society."

This is exactly right. And by discussing them seriously, he gives credence to the fluff as being a substantive issue. You can't discuss anything in politics without giving it subjective truth value.

you rock

Thank you for posting this. I caught a brief segment of this exchange yesterday and was encouraged that there are actual REAL journalists out there who believe in facts and truth rather than spin, propaganda and Clinton talking points.

Alas, how sad that Ryan Lizza is in the minority, a lone wolf actually, and what passes for journalism today are the voices of tweety, Buchanan et al.

*sigh*

I am beginning to think that this entire Wright controversy is the Clinton's doing. Huckabee said it last night that Wright's behavior now with this PR blitz is such that he could be on Hillary's expense account.

I reflected on that and recalled how the Clintons had been trying to break the Wright story for awhile with hints in Feb 2008 (Bob Novak) and they could not get the press to bite. Then back in March there was this article.. money quote:
"Opponents of Obama have constantly pushed reporters to write about the minister, which these critics considered a ticking time bomb for his campaign.
On Feb. 20, after a fiery guest sermon by Wright in Little Rock, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran an article that said: “On Tuesday, Wright criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq and likened the insurgents to the Israelites under Babylonian rule.”
At 9:20 that morning, Obama opponents were already trying to get Politico to link to the story"

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9051.html

I recall that when I read that I thought..hmmm, how coincidental is it that Rev Wright had a speaking engagement in Little Rock and that Gazette lead with a story about how controversial he was. LITTLE ROCK?...c'mon....the Clintons had to go so far as to hook up a speakin engagement and get the ARK paper to write it up in order to put WRight on the NATIONAL press RADAR. More importantly...Wright had to agree to go.

.

I also recalled that Obama is credited with registering 100K voters in IL in 92 to win the state for Bill Clinton and send Mosely Braun to the Senate. I asked myself, given the prominence of Wright's church in Chicago and Obama beng a member of the church, how likely is it that the Clintons sat in the pews at Wrights church right along with the Obamas? Based on Obama' registration drive I believe it was highly likely.More importantly, the Clinons were well aware of Wright' fiery and sometimes controversial oratory.

Then I recalled how the Clintons knew Wright well enough to have invited him to the WH when Bill needed the black ministers to stand behind him during the Lewinsky story. Wright agreed to go.

Then I recalled that the Clintons have 100s of black ministers in their back pockets given their need to court the black vote

Given all these dots...I think that Wright is on the Clinton's payroll just like Calvin O Butts is in Harlem.

This entire Wright controversy is the doing of the Clintons...his having access like he has had to the press these past 3 days is the doing of the Clintons.

In fact, I beleive we are witnessing a confluence of political forces raining down on Obama's candidacy as he is upsetting the national power structure of Democratic presidential politics.

Typically, politicians have to pander to the clergy to get the black vote. Obama does not do that. Typically politicians have to pander to the big money donors to fund their campaign. Obama does not do that. Typically national politicians have to pander to special interests to fund their campaigns. Obama does not do that.

Obama has upset the entire applecart, he is not making any promises to these traditional power groups, not special interests, black clergy nor big money donors. These forces are reigning down and trying to unseat his candidacy.

Obama is not playing by the old washigton textbook rules he is blazing an entire new trail and those powers that be are not going down without a fight.

It is a new politics and he is doing an awesome job and the Clintons have used all their political power, even the black church, in an attempt to take Obama down.

Wright is on their payroll or Bill is responsible for his book deal.

I firmly beleive Wright is a Clinton surrogate.

You know ... I saw that yesterday and was very disappointed in Matthews. The guy goes with the wind ... one moment Obama is Jesus ... the next Hillary Clinton is a genius political campaigner who looks destined to beat Obama.

I initially started watching him after I thought John Stewart treated him badly on his show (ardent Daily Show fan). but now I understand.

Can someone recommend a decent news show other than matthews. I watch the two Russert shows both those are weekly only. I started watching "News Hour with Jim Lehrer" and that seems really good so far.