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http://www.washingtondispatch.com/page2/archives/000491.html

August 17, 2004
Chris Mathews Now a Kerry Spokesman?

Chris Mathews’ cable show “Hardball” has fallen on hard times of late. According to the NY Daily News rumors are swirling “that MSNBC parent Microsoft might pull funding and shutter Hardball.” Hardball’s ratings are indeed iffy (as all of MSNBC ratings are) and rumored in the same NY Daily News gossip column is the fact that Mathews lost a face off with Tim Russert to have Bill O’Reilly and Paul Krugman on his “Hardball” show. Russert landed the two on CNBC.

Is it now the Mathews’ strategy for these uncertain times to become a spokesman for the John Kerry campaign? He literally embarrassed himself last week when he had “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” spokesman John O’Neill on his program. Mathews attempted to browbeat O’Neill with such talking point accusations as, “you’re a Republican from Texas.” Weak stuff, and hardly worthy the title of hardball. This transcript shows how far Mathews is willing to go if he decides he really does want to carry the water for the Kerry campaign.

O‘NEILL: You haven‘t let me talk about most of them. We talked about his first Purple...
MATTHEWS: You talked about each one.
O‘NEILL: His first Purple...
MATTHEWS: One of the oldest tricks on this show is for somebody to come on the show after talking for 20 minutes and say they haven‘t had the chance to talk.
O‘NEILL: Well, the first...
MATTHEWS: I‘ll be glad to clock you, John...
O‘NEILL: OK.
MATTHEWS: ... on how many minutes you spoke on the show. So don‘t try that old trick. It is a particularly conservative trick, OK?

Chris Mathews then ended his show by holding John Kerry up as more of a patriot than President Bush. “Well, I‘ve already heard enough that he‘s done more than I ever did for my country and a lot more than anybody else…and more than the president.”

It was embarrassing.

And now it seems a pattern is emerging. This morning the Kerry campaign actually put out a press release touting Mathews’ questions on Monday night’s Hardball program. In this release he is questioning Bush campaign spokesman Matt Dowd.


MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, Matt, are you going to have the president stop saying that John Kerry, on our show, on "Hardball," because that's what he was referring to, clearly, 220 days ago when he said this, are you going to get him to stop saying that John Kerry declared himself the anti-war candidate, which is clearly not what he said because I used the word anti-war candidate and I referred to a number of them? You say what he said on my show and he didn't say that.

Unfortunately for Mathews, he actually played the clip, and Kerry did say exactly that. Mathews sounded just like he was campaigning for Kerry, ignoring the facts and picking up on the democrat’s talking points. And that’s okay, if Mathews wants to be known as a democratic spokesman.

Is Mathews ready to get back into politics if MSNBC is indeed pulled from the air? Or is he becoming a shill for the democrats? Whatever the case, it’s not hard to see why the show is struggling.

Posted by CK Rairden at August 17, 2004 12:08 PM

[stealthy]

Mathews went headlong into the tank ages ago. I used to watch him when he was less partisan. I watched it twice lately. The show where Mr ONiell was on and the previous night where he called Laura Bush a Suicide Bomber. I was so furious the man would not have been safe to be around me. He sickens me now. I hope they cancel his disgusting act.
_________________
American Conservative

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Well, what changes if he goes on the road with Kerry?

The provider of his paycheck, that's all.

I can't watch that show either - the hatefulness and deliberate obfuscation of facts make me nauseous.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[republicanveteran]

Let us not forget that Mathews was a flack for Tip O'neill, He is a Dim and will always be a leftist (mispelling intenional)

[nickb]

how did russert score THIS interview?

[ArmyWife]

What a cute dog!

If I remember right, Chris Matthews was a long-time aide to Tip O'Neil. Matthews started his career as a partisan, and was a strong partisan when he first started on TV. He then mellowed for a number of years to the point where a lot of Republicans really liked him on TV. Now, he's going back to his roots. It's no big surprise.

[Son Of The Godfather]

Stealthy,

[nickb]