"Open-minded" Matthews: McCain "deserve[s] the presidency"
On the January 22 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews asked commentator Mike Barnicle if asking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) what she had "done to deserve" the presidency was a "tough [question] for her." Barnicle replied: "I think it's a tough question for not just her, for perhaps the entire field." Despite claiming earlier in the show "to be completely open-minded," Matthews responded: "Not so much for" Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and Barnicle agreed: "OK, I'll give you that." Matthews added: "He has deserved the presidency. Whether he should be president or not, it's up to the voters. But he's certainly done a lot."
From the January 22 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
MATTHEWS: I don't want to be critical here, because I've sworn my oath to God that this -- well, at least to the gods of politics -- that I'm going to be completely open-minded. Did she have a good opening?
[...]
HOWARD FINEMAN (Newsweek senior editor and MSNBC analyst): Too much positioning. But it is going to come down to the question -- in a very strong field, by the way, with a lot of very qualified people -- just because she's a survivor, just because she's tough as nails, what has she done that qualifies her to lead the world in the post-9-11 --
MATTHEWS: And you're going to tell me right now the answer to that question.
FINEMAN: I don't know the answer, exactly. I don't know. I want to hear what her answer -- it's going to depend a lot on what she proposes to do, because people think she's an effective person. Since she doesn't have that much of a record, she's going to have to say --
MATTHEWS: You think that question's a tough one for her? What have you done to deserve this job?
BARNICLE: I think it's a tough question for not just her, for perhaps the entire field. But the --
MATTHEWS: Not so much for McCain.
BARNICLE: Not for John McCain. OK, I'll give you that.
MATTHEWS: He has deserved the presidency. Whether he should be president or not, it's up to the voters. But he's certainly done a lot.
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And they talk about Hillary "positioning" herself? In those terms, and for the past 8 years, yes, McCain has spun himself in more direction to more people, taken every and all sides of an issue for political expediency..........and he must be exhausted. So, OK- for fatigue reasons alone, and the fact that he probably hasn't slept much in 8 years either staying up nights figuring out what position to take on an issue the next morning........for all those reasons, let's annoint McCain as President. He certainly wants it bad enough.
nice observation of the hypocrisy, Tommy. Matthews may as well be handing McCain his resume, for all the glorifying he does for him.
Hey Chris, does Rudy Giuliani know you are two-timing him?
Tommy, dude, you hit the nail right on the head. If only a Matthews or someone of that ilk would criticize Johnny M. the way they give it to Hillary (the assumption for her is that she can't do anything right or politically expedient). Meanwhile, although Johnny gets to be on Meet the Press every week, he still can cash in any viability.
I have never seen McCain's schtick described more accurately and concisely.
Tommy wins.
God, Chris, can you just be so transparent in your groupie like worship of the "independent" and "maverick" McCain?
McCain is not going to be President, in my opinion, because he just will not let go of this Iraq disaster no matter how obviouslly it is a disaster.
Let's not even get into the fact that he is a very typical conservative Republican and all that means in the real world and not in some kind of DC punditland bubble.
McCain and Lieberman are in the same bubble of delusion, as Arianna Huffington so aptly noticed. They look to each other to prop up their versions of reality.
Joe-mentum meets John-nertia?
They all fall before GRAVELOCITY.
The best hope for America and the Democratic Party is that the unhinged [anti-American] right nominate St. McCain as their man for the job. The loony righties will stay home in masses in 2008 like they did in 2006. There are too many [anti-American] righties that can't stand St. McCain because he "appears" too independent from the [anti-American] RNC.
Driving back to work just a few minutes ago, I tuned in El Rushbo. A caller was commenting on a Lyn Cheney column, and the Oxymoron mentioned that she was in some sort of mid-east affairs appointed position.
The caler asked how she was qualified for the position (implying that it was connections, I'm assuming) and Rush snapped back "well, what qualifies Obama for his position?"
Elected, I guess? Does that matter.
Rush also told this same caller,in response to his questioning the lack of a draft if this war is of such magnitude that because the country is so affluent, we don't need a draft or to make the sacrifices that we did in WWII.
huh?
I'd advise against trying to understand Bimbo's logic. You could hurt yourself. He does this stuff all the time.
What-Evah, Matthews...McCain the pain is like a vortex, no..no..-a whirlpool! He hasn't been consistent on any points I can think of...
MATTHEWS: He has deserved the presidency. Whether he should be president or not, it's up to the voters. But he's certainly done a lot.
What, exactly, has he done? I know he was a POW, and he has been a senator for a while. Is that it?
I'll tell you what McCain's done...
He's kissed Dobson's a$$, he's kissed Falwell's a$$ and he's kissed Bushs a$$. Now what else does a conservative have to do?
I think Matthews speaks the truth for his jetset corporate media pals. To the GOP controlled media McCain is like Steve Martin on SNL...they love the guy. He might as well be part of the cast., which Martin never was, but you would have thought he was as many times as he appeared.
Matthews and McCain...two wild and crazieeeee guys.
Chris is a little like a wildly volatile stock to me... one minute he's got good earnings, and the next he's bankrupt...
JUNK STATUS
This is one of those wicked downticks to almost nothing... to JUNK STATUS.
Why does Sen. McCain deserve the presidency? Because he has made his political bed with the administration, and more exactly with the DOD?
That kind of alliance is more a disqualification right now, than any just dessert.
Great analogy. JUNK STATUS. Matthews, your stocks are worthless!
Remember, this is the same "man" that claimed herr dubyah should be on Mt. Rushmore. Tweety almost has less credibility than dubyah.
The only thing a candidate can do to "deserve" the Presidency is to convince the greatest number of voters to vote for her/him in the general election. Thus, Matthews is really saying that McCain doesn't have any convincing to do. Election over. See you in 2012.
By the way, since Gore won the popular vote in 2000, Bush failed to convince the greatest number of voters to vote for her/him in the general election, and therefore, did not "deserve" the Presidency, despite Matthews doe-eyed admiration for him.
That is exactly right. No one 'deserves' the presidency any other way.
If we value steadfast, unwavering resolve from people who have distorted and lied to us, wasting the lives of people in this bogus conflict, our system is dead and waiting for rigor mortis to set in.
McCain - Different emporer, same clothes...
Instead of : What have you done to deserve this job?
I would ask: What have you done that qualifies you for this job?
I don't know that anyone deserves the Presidency...other than maybe Al Gore since MANY believe he actually already WON the office.
I've mentioned here before that I like Chris Matthews...however I can't figure why he seems stuck on McCain as "deserving" of anything, let alone the Oval Office. McCain certainly believes he deserves to be President and has whored himself out shamelessly in an attempt to reach that goal.
Chris Matthews? He is perhaps the most blathering of all the blathering media pundits and very very odd. His bias has been skewed right for a long time now.
He's been on a mission to define Hillary Clinton in ways that are so annoying, and sexist to the point of being piggish.
Loved the parody on SNL of Matthews interviewing Hillary this past Sat. nite. We live in the world of the absurd, where the real news can be found on comedy shows that parody the talking heads on cable networks. It's no wonder Hillary just laughs at the absurdity of it all.
McCain has no core of independence anymore, he's done whatever he can with whoever he can to get in a position to become the nominee of the Republican Party. He's lost his credibility, but apparently is playing well with Matthews.
Which is fine if they when off and played together on their own. Matthews needs to stop pretending he's playing "hardball" and that he's a journalist/reporter. He's just another propaganda machine gravitating to who he think may boost his ratings and or worth.
Pathetic.
Please no Hillary in '08, I vote Democratic but if left with Hillary or McCain, I'm writing in Richardson, Edwards, anybody but those two. Not surprised Matthews decided to put his lips on a new arse, Bush's tastes like lame duck.
That was funny!
It wasn't so long ago when Chris was singing Bush's praises rembember? Alas, Bush has lost his luster and now it's McCain that's the shiny one to him. Like spin said same clostes different emporor or a warmonger by any other name....
The Presidency is an entitlement?
Matthews did it again tonight on the MSNBC pre-SOTU show,
telling the viewers how McCain will be the prez in 'o8, not the Republican candidate, but THE President. His mind is only open to the idea of McCain being President and he uses his subliminal-man routine to influence opinion, for those who still value his plummeted stock.
Chris and John, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. Shhhh! here comes Rudy!
tsk, tsk Tweety . . . does George know you've been cheating on him? Shame!
Matthews has been shilling for McCain from day one. This guy has no idea what being open-minded is. He had McCain on his college tour, though he still has to invite Sem Clinton. Has Matthews discussed McCains FLIP, FLOP, and Flop Flip on Cheney, Falwell. Mtthews should give up his MSNBC gig and work for McCain. Then he will have established his homnesty creds.
he may have in 2000... the Republicants had a shot at that and went with Chimpy... since then McC's become a warmonger and religious right panderer-toer...
I know he can't help it, but I wish Matthews would stop kissing McClain's *ss.