Chris Matthews' big, fat hypocrisy
November 04, 2009 2:28 pm ET by Jamison Foser
Here's MSNBC's Chris Matthews last night, talking about the claims that New Jersey governor John Corzine's campaign emphasized the weight of his Republican opponent:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, you're out there campaigning like mad for Chris Christie. What do you make of the fat charge?
CHRISTIE TODD WHITMAN, FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: Oh, it's ridiculous. And it's a -- it's a diversionary tactic to try to get people not to look at Corzine's record. And I think it's pretty clear, pretty apparent.
MATTHEWS: Well, let's take a look at it, because I have never seen anything this lowbrow, but here it is. I enjoy these, because it shows how stinky-poo politics can get.
And here are several examples of Matthews talking about Al Gore over the years:
MATTHEWS: Yes. Let me go to John for an always interesting analysis by John Heilemann. John, Al Gore, he appears to us so irregularly. We notice how he gains weight, loses weight, has a beard. He ought to stick around more frequently so people don't notice these things. He's a big guy. He's back. And he's not really a politician, I wouldn't say. Is he a plus? [6/17/08]
MATTHEWS: Express your -- Mike Allen, express your thoughts more clearly. Three questions. Will he jump in this fall? Will she -- will he be ready to jump if in if there's something going wrong with the Clintons by next November? Or will he hold his fire, lose some weight and go back in 2012? [10/12/07]
MATTHEWS: I hear he's made a commitment to a friend for a crash course to lose 40 pounds right away. [4/8/07]
MATTHEWS: And Patrick, before, when we were in the green room a while ago and you were saying that you think he's lost some weight. I know this is so cosmetic, but people are watching the weight here. [3/25/07]
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. We're joined now by Eugene Robinson of "The Washington Post" and Michael Feldman, a former adviser to Al Gore. By the way, is Al Gore sharpening up his political blade now? He's up there on the Hill. Is he going to lose some weight and make his move, or...
MICHAEL FELDMAN, FORMER GORE ADVISER: You're obsessed with his weight, Chris!
MATTHEWS: Because he weighs -- he's Raymond Burr! [3/22/07]
MATTHEWS: Well, you haven't gotten fat like a lot of ex-politicians. I'll give you that. I saw Gore the other night. I couldn't believe it. I thought I was seeing the Hindenburg coming by. And there you are; you're looking great. [11/7/06]
HOWARD FINEMAN: Al Gore is so invisible that a large foot is not required to obscure him. OK? I mean, I was just told today that he's having Camp Al down in Tennessee in a couple of weeks.
MATTHEWS: Right.
Mr. FINEMAN: Twenty-five young activists are going to come down to lectured in political activism by Al Gore and...
MATTHEWS: I mean, do you know what this reminds me of? In the back of The New York Times magazine when they have camp for the fat kids. Please send your fat kid to this camp.
Mr. FINEMAN: And instructions in Palm Pilot use. No, but...
MATTHEWS: You know, Chester will come back 20 pounds lighter in the Happy Camp. [8/1/01]
MATTHEWS: When is he allowed to show some cuff, or when is he--first of all, he has to lose about 40 pounds. That'll be the first sign he's running. We all agree on that, right? The minute he loses weight, somebody will say, 'Have you seen the trim, new Al Gore?' That'll be the first sign. You'll probably do that, Julia. You'll--Lawrence, he loses weight. How soon can he lose weight and run? [6/25/01]
And a bonus: Chris Matthews interviewing Al Sharpton:
MATTHEWS: Reverend Sharpton, sir, thanks for joining us. First of all, a human interest question: How many pounds did you lose? [9/6/01]
Media Matters: The Palin chronicles
The Friday Rush: A series of conflicts
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http://clips.mediamatters.org/research/200708090006
Obviously Matthews was too blinded by O'Neill's size to pay any attention to his words and policies.
Sorry Chris, but talking about someone's weight is OFF LIMITS!
That being said, I don't know anyone in television who spends more time "casually noting" the physical attributes of the men he talks about. He has issues.
A more accurate take on Thompson's appearance was displayed in the "Wrong Said Fred" segment of Bill Maher's New Rules (9/5/2008): "You also can't criticize someone for being a 'celebrity' if you yourself have acted in movies, been on TV, and modeled for a major shoe company," displaying a photo of Thompson next to one of a basset hound. The resemblance was remarkable!
MMFA's got a h@rd on for Chris Matthews which is nothing if not petty.
As usual, MMFA comparing apples and oranges.
And the larger point -- in a strange irony -- MMFA HATES Chris because he LOVES Obama and had it in for Clinton in the primary.
Of course Hillary just happens to be the main benefactor of MMFA and they must bow to her.
MMFA is of course tacitly approving of the Corzine sliminess. Anything a thieving Liberal from Goldman Sachs (The DNC's finance pipeline) does is fine with them.
No, he wasn't. He was referring to politics in general. Here, read his quote again: "I have never seen anything this lowbrow, but here it is. I enjoy these, because it shows how stinky-poo politics can get." (my emphasis)
In other words, Matthews, who claimed to have "never seen anything this lowbrow," made such lowbrow comments himself many times. That's a textbook example of hypocrisy, whether you're willing to see it or not.
Isn't that a little too obvious?
It's a little too obvious that you are dead wrong again, the idiot Cheney2012's drivel above notwithstanding.
So yet again, your inability to comprehend and analyze the obvious before you speak (or write) makes you look foolish. If Matthews and Whitman were talking about this outside the context of the campaign, race, and election of a govenor, you would have a point, but alas, you simply seem unable to grasp the obvious.
I leave it to any honest reader to ascertain which one of us has a reading comprehension problem, or who has ended up looking foolish.
A Corzine ad accused Christie of "throwing his weight around" by using his position as US Attorney to escape charges after a vehicle accident in which he was at fault.
"Throwing your weight around" is a common expression to describe someone who's misusing his authority.
Christie CHOSE to claim that Corzine was making fat jokes about Christie's physique. It's a standard tactic for Republican candidates -- look for an opportunity to express faux outrage and then pretend to be a victim.
Think "lipstick on a pig" and Sarah Palin. Barack Obama said "lipstick on a pig," a common expression that means to try to make something unappealing seem appealing. Palin once used the word "lipstick" in a speech. Palin then made the leap of associating her use of "lipstick" with Obama's use of a common expression to generate fake anger and phony victimhood.
Matthews claims to condemn "lowbrow" politics and cites specific examples to prove his supposed point.
MMFA shows that he REGULARLY has said the same and worse as part of his daily commentary on politics and current events.
That's a TEXTBOOK example of hypocrisy.