Matthews again lauded McCain as "a maverick," saying, "he's a solo fighter pilot out there"
SUMMARY: Chris Matthews again characterized Sen. John McCain as "a maverick," without providing any justification, adding that "everyone knows he's a solo fighter pilot out there." Matthews also asked Republican strategist Ed Rogers if Rogers's description of Republicans as "a pretty conservative lot, when it gets down to our activists and our workers," would "exclude John McCain."
On the March 14 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, host Chris Matthews again characterized Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) as "a maverick," adding that "everyone knows he's a solo fighter pilot out there." Matthews also asked Republican strategist Ed Rogers, who served as deputy assistant to former President George H.W. Bush and worked in the Reagan White House in the Office of Political Affairs, if Rogers's description of Republicans as "a pretty conservative lot, when it gets down to our ... activists and our workers," would "exclude John McCain." Media Matters for America has previously noted other examples (here and here), in which Matthews and his guests repeatedly characterized McCain as a "maverick," without providing any justification.
Matthews made his comments during a discussion of the March 9-12 Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC), at which McCain expressed support for President Bush and asked attendees voting in a presidential straw poll to not vote for him but to cast ballots for Bush instead. Matthews's "solo fighter pilot" comment echoed a similar statement made by Cook Political Report editor and publisher Charlie Cook on the March 10 edition of Hardball. In response to Matthews asking if "Republicans don't trust McCain" because of his "lone-gunning," Cook remarked that "the Navy didn't put him in a single-seat fighter for nothing."
From the 7:00 p.m. ET hour of the March 10 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
MATTHEWS: During the 5 o'clock show, a couple of young people here said -- I said, "Well, if your guy [Senate Majority Leader Bill] Frist [R-TN] doesn't win, would you vote for McCain if he won the nomination?" "No."
COOK: Well, the thing is, this is a party that's despondent. Their president is not doing well. He's disappointed them a little bit. They want to be up about something. And the idea of the 2008 race, all these new contenders, they were getting up for something, and now someone snatches the ball away from them and, as you said a few minutes ago, throws it out of bounds. I mean, so it's a little, "Oh, gosh, why did he do that?" This was going to be fun. Why don't we look forward rather than backwards?
MATTHEWS: Is this, Charlie, why Republicans don't trust McCain?
COOK: Yeah. Yeah.
MATTHEWS: This lone-gunning.
COOK: Well, you know -- look, the Navy didn't put him in a single-seat fighter for nothing. I mean --
MATTHEWS: You are cruel.
From the March 14 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, which featured CNBC and MSNBC business and political commentator Hilary Rosen:
MATTHEWS: What was interesting, Ed Rogers, and you're the Republican at this panel here, was that John McCain, who everyone knows is a maverick, and everyone knows he's a solo fighter pilot out there, was the biggest lovey-dovey there was there with the president [Bush did not actually attend the SRLC]. What's the peppermint twins all about here?
ROGERS: In case you didn't notice, that's the maverick position right now. I mean, for better or for worse, everybody running for president right now --
MATTHEWS: -- is running away from (inaudible) --
ROGERS: -- is trying to show their independence and trying to show that they're not just more of the same, but they have some sort of independent bearing and presence. McCain is probably the only person with the self-confidence to not have -- and the credibility to not have -- and the history to not have to do that.
MATTHEWS: You know, a nice big dog comes up against your side and rubs up against you, that's what he was doing this weekend with the president.
[...]
MATTHEWS: You know what I saw, Ed, that might concern Republicans? I saw a lot of fundamentalism on politics, hard line on abortion, hard line on gay rights, gay marriage, hard line on immigration, hard line on taxes. I heard a lot of fundamentalism down there that might exclude a lot of the "middle-of-the-roaders" and independents, even against [Sen.] Hillary [Rodham Clinton] [D-NY]. I mean, your party may be making the tent too small.
ROGERS: Chris, you have to have enough time with Republican primary precinct workers if that was -- if that was news to you, that we're a pretty conservative lot, when it gets down to our -- our activists and our workers, no question about it.
MATTHEWS: Does that exclude [former New York Mayor] Rudy [Giuliani], does that exclude John McCain?
ROGERS: I don't think it excludes anybody at this point in time. We've got about 10 months before a front-runner emerges, and so, we'll see.
From Karl Rove to Members of the Media:
John McCain has show the proper tribute and loyalty to the Boy King, and in His everlasting generosity, His Majesty has seen fit to appoint McCain as His chosen successor.
Whenever McCain is mentioned, the word "maverick" is to be used at all times.
Attempts should also be made to distance McCain from ongoing Republican scandals and general incompetence.
As always, any deviation from these talking points will be met with swift and harsh retribution.
rebel, freedom fighter, renegade... oh yeah, insurgent would be good.
John McCain is anything but a maverick... he has licked Bush's boots from day one.
Did I mention (again) that Chris Mathews is a whore??? Just wondering.
Last time the Repugnicants were pretending Gee Duhbya is a real fighter pilot and even dressed him in a flight outfit that made him look like the first astronaut chimp. Just a few days ago Chrissy called McCain Maverick, but that was too subtle a reference for the beer and right wingnut crowd, now he's called a solo fighter pilot...next they will photoshop an image of McCain's head over a bronze body.
Chrissy is just conflating his man crush on Tom Cruise and Gee Duhbya with his latest love interest from Arizona
He's getting a little too towel snappy again.
........even though McCain is the Senator in charge of Indian Affairs, it is not possible that he ever met with Abramhoff......
McCain is not now, nor has he ever been, anything less than a true through-and-through Republican. On almost every major issue he votes strictly along the party line.
He is not, and has never been a maverick.
Three words - Campaign Finance Reform
you mean a true republican is not for campaign finance reform?
McCain co-authored the bill, it was not a mainstream Republican idea. Pointing out to the above poster that "never" is a long long time. Whether McCain's position has changed or the mainstream position has changed, it is impossible to label him as "never" being other than a mainstream Republican. I guess I could have used three alternate words "Incumbent Protection Act", which is essentially what CFR became.
hook line and sinker
Campaign finance reform got him on the radar and he was promising, and even though I couldn’t support his conservative policies I thought he had integrity. Believe me John McCain is very conservative and before any Progressive supports him they should really study his record. Nevertheless something got to McCain; I think it's called blind ambition. That ambition made him latch on to the ass of the hate machine that eviscerated not only him but his wife and child during the 2000 campaign. That kind of power seeking is dangerous, he wants to be president at any cost. I think he has shown us what he is willing to do to gain and hold on to power. I don’t like it.
McCain is, like, the epitome of a maverick.
I do not quite understand what point MMFA is trying to make here. True, Matthews did not provide any justification, but I have always thought McCain was a maverick as I have been following him on the news for, like, 10 years now.
No, I do not have any quotes for you. But how many of us have watched this man on C-SPAN or seen him at press conferences?
He's a maverick. Perhaps one may say he's a "conservative" (little "c") maverick.
There are some issues he shows integrity on by breaking from the pack. Other times he tows the line and you can virtually see him holding his nose. He has always been a dependable conservative on most issues. I dont see him as a maverick, just a republican that doesnt ALWAYS march lockstep