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Chris Matthews Clowns Steve King, Forces Iowa Congressman To Admit He Doesn’t ‘Trust The Words Of Any Source’

By Faiz Shakir on Jul 13, 2011 at 6:23 pm

Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), and Louie Gohmert (R-TX) introduced a bill today that they claim would help manage a government default if the debt limit is not raised by Aug. 2. The legislation is motivated by the right-wing triumvirate’s view that the default would not have severe repercussions on our economy. “I think we have plenty of money to service our debt,” King said today.

This afternoon on Hardball, host Chris Matthews wondered how King could come to such an aberrant determination that a default is not a threat. “You have some superior knowledge — what basis do you have for your judgement?” Matthews asked. “I do have superior knowledge, thanks for recognizing it,” King jokingly responded.

Over the next few minutes — at the very same moment Moody’s was reporting that it may downgrade the U.S. AAA bond rating — Matthews pressed King on where he gets his knowledge. Hilarity ensued:

MATTHEWS: Who are the people you’re dealing with? [...]

KING: The American citizens. [...]

MATTHEWS: So you’re polling in your district to find out whether the United States goes into default or not at the end of this month. … They know what’s going to happen…

KING: I have an independent judgment as well.

MATTHEWS: Ok tell me where it comes from.

KING: It comes from a long experience of dealing politically, and in business, and raising a family, and being an American citizen…

MATTHEWS: What does raising a family teach you about international finance? [...]

KING: That’s not my only source of information — is raising my children. [...]

MATTHEWS: Do you trust the Wall Street Journal, do you trust the New York Times?

KING: I read the Wall Street Journal. I sometimes read the New York Times. I don’t really trust it. I don’t trust the words of any source.

Matthews continued pressing King on whether he trusts the Chamber of Commerce and other conservative organizations who warn of a crisis if the debt limit isn’t raised. King said he challenges all those sources.

Matthews then asked if King could cite one — just one — international or domestic expert who he trusts on these issues and agrees with his view. King, of course, could not name one. Watch it:

Check out our special coverage of the Debt Ceiling Showdown here.

Politics

Chris Matthews Says Weiner’s Wife Might Be ‘Partly Responsible,’ Later Backtracks

By Judd Legum on Jun 6, 2011 at 6:20 pm

Today, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) admitted that he engaged in inappropriate online relationships with several women, and then lied about them. Shortly thereafter, MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews suggested that Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin (an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), might be responsible for his conduct:

FEEHERY: I think we all feel for his wife right now. You know, Democrats think back to Gerry Studds…

MATTHEWS: He says his wife knew. He laid it out on her.

FEEHERY: Which is terrible. Terrible mistake.

MATTHEWS: But maybe she’s party responsible if she knew about it?

MACMAHON: She’s not responsible.

FEEHERY: She’s not responsible. Come on, that’s ridiculous.

Watch it:

Near the end of the broadcast, Matthews backtracked: “Putting a bit of the blame on her, I don’t think that’s fair. I hope I didn’t give the impression that I agreed with that. I certainly don’t. This is his problem. People love people, they marry them despite their faults.”

For what it’s worth, Weiner did not say that his wife was aware of his recent conduct and only told her that he’d been lying about it this morning.

But in any event, it’s safe to say that his wife is not in any way “responsible” for Weiner’s inappropriate conduct and dishonesty. As Weiner himself noted, “I came here to accept the full responsibility of what I’ve done.”

Climate Progress

Matthews Tells Obama To Kill BP’s Disaster Capitalism

By Brad Johnson on May 24, 2010 at 10:05 am

On Monday, May 17, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews erupted in anger at the oil disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. Matthews expressed his rage at the profits BP continues to reap as it fails to fix the growing environmental apocalypse. He also criticized the behavior of the Obama administration, which has let the foreign oil giant control much of the disaster response. Matthews wondered why President Obama doesn’t “nationalize that industry and get the job done” and noted that in the “brutal society” of China, “they execute people for this”:

It is maddening that our government is — everybody says, “Capitalism is great. Unbridled free enterprise is great.” Look at it!

The moral hazard created by privatized profit and socialized risk has allowed bankers to cripple our economy and energy companies to destroy our planet. Matthews concluded by calling out the “millions of people in the American right” who deny the threats of climate change and other environmental catastrophes from our dependence on fossil fuels:

Millions of people in the American right who sit around and say there’s no such thing as mankind destroying his environment through climate change or whatever — there’s an example of what we’re doing right now. We can destroy our habitat on this planet, and it’s the only one we got.

Watch it:

Rush Limbaugh fired back, saying Matthews is “basically asking for a dictator” with his “delusional, deranged” commentary. Matthews has repeated his criticism of BP and the administration, telling Jay Leno on May 21 that President Obama is acting like “a Vatican observer here.” On May 19, Matthews asked for “Harry Truman to come back and do the job” — making reference to Truman’s seizure of the steel industry in 1952.

Transcript: Read more

Media

Chris Matthews Refuses To Admit He Was Wrong To Ridicule Grayson

By Zaid Jilani on Mar 25, 2010 at 1:30 pm

matthews1 Following the election of Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) to the U.S. Senate last year, many health care advocates suggested that the House pass the Senate’s version of the health reform bill and then pass a reconciliation “fix” with a simple majority in the Senate to make the bill more progressive and acceptable to House members.

One member of Congress who advocated such a path was Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL). During an appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball, Grayson promoted using reconciliation, which prompted host Chris Matthews to ridicule the congressman, telling him that he is “part of the outside world represented by the netroots” and that he doesn’t represent “the real world of Congress.”

Now that Grayson has been vindicated by Congress passing historic health care legislation (and the Senate is on the verge of doing so as well), Matthews nevertheless refuses to admit he was wrong for ridiculing Grayson. In an interview with James Rainey at The Los Angeles Times, Matthews says it’s actually Grayson who was wrong:

When I spoke to Matthews after his show Tuesday evening, he said that he intended to have Grayson back on “Hardball,” probably soon. But don’t set your DVR in anticipation of some Potomac-sized mea culpa.

Matthews told me that, smoldering YouTube clip notwithstanding, it was Grayson who got it wrong back in January. He said the congressman was obviously referring back then to the House passing a new piece of legislation, rather than signing on to the approved Senate health bill and then having differences reconciled.

“He denied the House had to pass the Senate bill and then have reconciliation,” Matthews said at one point. “I never got an answer from him, all I got was a posture. He wasn’t helping me explain it. He was just taking a position.”

Matthews is flat out wrong about his exchange with Grayson. The congressman clearly told the MSNBC host, “I think that there will be an amendment passed by reconciliation. We already have a bill passed.” Despite the fact that Grayson clearly endorsed this course of action and not the introduction of a completely new bill, as Matthews now claims, the host went on to condescendingly demean Grayson as nothing more than a “true believer who believes he can get things done by willing them to get done!” Watch it:

Matthews owes the congressman an apology not only for ridiculing him but for distorting his position.

Related Posts

Politics

Chris Matthews on Obama during SOTU: ‘You know, I forgot he was black tonight for an hour.’

By ThinkProgress on Jan 27, 2010 at 10:52 pm

MSNBC host Chris Matthews praised President Obama after his State of the Union address, saying that he had become “post-racial.” He then said that while watching the speech, he even “forgot he was black”:

MATTHEWS: You know, I was trying to think about who he was tonight, and it’s interesting: He is post-racial by all appearances. You know, I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. You know, he’s gone a long way to become a leader of this country and passed so much history in just a year or two. I mean, it’s something we don’t even think about.

I was watching, I said, Wait a minute, he’s an African-American guy in front of a bunch of other white people. And here he is President of the United States and we’ve completely forgotten that tonight — completely forgotten it. I think it was in the scope of his discussion. It was so broad-ranging, so in tune with so many problems, of aspects, and aspects of American life that you don’t think terms of the old tribalism, the old ethnicity. It was astounding in that regard — a very subtle fact. It’s so hard to even talk about; maybe I shouldn’t talk about it, but I am.

Watch it:

Matthews’ comment seems to imply that a man who is too “black” still can’t become “a leader of this country.”

Update

Matthews cleaned up his remarks later, lauding Obama for “taking us beyond black and white in our politics, wonderfully so, in just a year. … And I’m loving it.”

Media

Matthews: Politico Serves As The Drudge-Like ‘News Conduit’ For Dick Cheney

By Faiz Shakir on Jan 4, 2010 at 6:32 pm

Last month, Politico conducted an “interview” with former Vice President Dick Cheney. As ThinkProgress noted at the time, the paper’s top reporters — Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen — transcribed Cheney’s attacks on Obama without challenge, criticism, or rebuttal.

Indeed, Cheney has been using Politico as his print version of Fox News. In May, Politico’s Allen was leaked an “exclusive” preview of Cheney’s attacks on Obama’s decision to close Guantanamo. Again in October, Allen “broke news” that Cheney was attacking Obama’s Afghanistan policy. And just last week, Allen again reported a Cheney attack on Obama’s handling of the Christmas Day terrorist incident that was released “in a statement to Politico.”

Does Cheney “have a thing with Politico?” MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked Politico’s Jonathan Martin today on Hardball. “He uses you like he’d use Drudge or somebody,” Matthews charged. A stunned Martin had no response for why Cheney has been so willing to give Politico “exclusives.” “You’d have to ask the Vice President, Chris,” Martin responded, “I’m not sure.” Matthews kept pressing the issue:

MATTHEWS: I mean, he’s got his own news conduit.

MARTIN: You know, we aggressively report on both sides.

MATTHEWS: It’s not reporting. He feeds you this stuff. … I do like Politico. He’s feeding you guys this crap. [...]

What’s he call up and say? “I got a hot one for you, Jon. Can you take — what’s your email address?” Is that what he does?

Watch it:

Politics

Matthews: ‘I deeply apologize’ for calling West Point cadets Obama’s ‘enemy camp.’

By Ben Armbruster on Dec 2, 2009 at 5:40 pm

Last night on MSNBC, host Chris Matthews offered a measured apology for calling the U.S. Military Academy at West Point President Obama’s “enemy camp.” He defended himself by arguing that West Point cadets “identify with the Bush strategy.” But today on Hardball, Matthews admitted that his argument “was wrong”:

MATTHEWS: Now I’ve heard too many politicians say things like, “oh that was taken out context” to explain something they wish they hadn’t said let me just say to the cadets, their parents, former cadets and everyone who cares about this country and those who defend it: I used the wrong words and worse than that I said something that is just not right and for that I deeply apologize.

As those who watch me regularly probably got right away, my point was that the military up at West Point was probably a skeptical audience for President Obama given his strong position against the war in Iraq and generally more dovish image. I was wrong to make that conclusion based on the lack of applause or apparent enthusiasm in the ranks of officers and cadets last night.

Watch it:

Transcript: Read more

Media

Matthews Defends Calling West Point Obama’s ‘Enemy Camp’ Because The Cadets ‘Identify’ With Bush

By Ben Armbruster on Dec 2, 2009 at 12:50 pm

Last night on MSNBC, host Chris Matthews discussed President Obama’s decision to deliver his Afghanistan policy address at West Point, calling the military academy an “enemy camp”:

MATTHEWS: I didn’t see much excitement. But among the older people there, I saw, if not resentment, skepticism. I didn’t see a lot of warmth in that crowd out there that the President chose to address tonight and I thought that was interesting. He went to maybe the enemy camp tonight to make his case. I mean, that’s where Paul Wolfowitz used to write speeches for, back in the old Bush days. That’s where he went to rabble rouse the ‘we’re going to democratize the world’ campaign back in ’02. So, I thought it was a strange venue.

Later during the network’s coverage of the speech, Matthews issued a weak apology for the comment. “Maybe earlier tonight I used the wrong phrase — ‘enemy camp,’” he said. But he still defended himself, saying that West Point “identif[ies] with the Bush strategy.” He later added that President Bush made himself out to be a “friend of the military,” and the GOP acts as if the military are the “of partisan forces of the Republican Party.” Watch it:

Matthews seems to be arguing that, because the GOP identifies itself as the sole Party of the military, West Point must be “enemy” ground for a Democratic president. Unfortunately, many Beltway journalists default to this line of thinking.

Republicans have indeed been tried to paint themselves as “pro-military” and Democrats as “weak” on national security or “anti-military.” But it’s unclear just how President Bush succeeded as a “military-friendly” president, considering he left office with an overstretched Army and Marines still engaged in two protracted wars that have cost thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.

If Obama had delivered the speech to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard or at a military base in North Korea, these would perhaps be more accurately described as “enemy” camps. But not an institution that is preparing cadets to “obey the orders of the President of the United States.” Last night, the cadets applauded Obama during his speech. The local police chief even said there was “a palpable buzz” among the cadets before the speech. “People are excited the president’s going to be so close,” he said.

Transcript: Read more

Politics

Chris Matthews: ‘The bloggers don’t fact check.’

By Matt Corley on Aug 23, 2009 at 1:30 pm

During a discussion on the future of newspapers and journalism on the Chris Matthews Show today, Time’s Joe Klein said that “on complicated stories, you can do this stuff on the internet.” Matthews responded by asking “who’s going to fact check?” As CNN’s Gloria Bolger began to answer that online editors would, Matthews interjected, “the bloggers don’t fact check.” “Nobody fact checks” online, added Klein. Watch it:

It’s ironic that a cable news host such as Chris Matthews would attack bloggers for supposedly not checking their facts, considering the amount of falsehoods and factually inaccurate statements he regularly utters on the air — which have all been fact-checked by bloggers.

Politics

Matthews To GOP Rep. Advancing ‘Birther’ Myth: ‘You Are Feeding The Wacko Wing Of Your Party’

By Ben Armbruster on Jul 21, 2009 at 7:30 pm

Over the past several months, the right wing has been advancing the discredited myth that President Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen. These so-called “birthers” claim that Obama hasn’t produced his a valid birth certificate to prove that he is eligible to be president. (He has). CNN’s Lou Dobbs is the latest to traffic in this nonsense, despite the fact that his own guest-host debunked the “birther” claims on Dobbs’s show.

Today on MSNBC, host Chris Matthews interviewed Rep. John Campbell (R-CA), co-sponsor of a bill that would require candidates for president in the future to present a copy of his or her birth certificate “to establish that the candidate meets the qualifications” for president. “The proposal is not crazy,” Campbell said in defense of the measure. “Congressman, nice try,” Matthews replied. “What you’re doing is appeasing the nutcases…you’re verifying the paranoia out there,” he said. Matthews then held up a copy of Obama’s birth certificate and said, “That’s the way to deal with this, mail this birth certificate to the wacko wing of your party.”

Matthews asked Campbell seven times if he believes Obama is a natural born U.S. citizen, and after a series of dodges, Matthews said, “You are feeding the wacko wing of your party.” Campbell finally answered, “As far as I know, Yes.” “As far as you know? I’m showing you his birth certificate!” Matthews exclaimed:

MATTHEWS: It’s on the screen now, take a close look. It says “Barack Hussein Obama.” He was born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, is that a state? Yes it was. His mother was caucasian, his father was African. What more do you want? He’s male. He was born, by the way at 7:20 P.M. in the island of Oahu. What more do you want? I mean, I’m serious, you say “as far as you know?” You are playing to the crazies.

“Was he born in this country?” Matthews asked again. “Yes, I believe so,” Campbell replied. “Ok, finally we’re making progress,” Matthews said. Watch it:

Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) was barraged by birthers at a local town hall meeting in Delaware recently and was forced to inform the crowd — much to their dismay — that Obama is indeed a natural born citizen.

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