Matthews mix-up: falsely suggested censure supporters were only members of Congress questioning legality of warrantless surveillance program
SUMMARY: Chris Matthews falsely conflated those members of Congress who have publicly supported Sen. Russ Feingold's resolution to censure President Bush over his warrantless domestic eavesdropping program and the far larger group who has said that Bush might have acted illegally in authorizing the program.
On the March 31 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews falsely conflated those members of Congress who have publicly supported Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) resolution to censure President Bush over his warrantless domestic eavesdropping program and those -- a far larger group -- who have said that Bush might have acted illegally in authorizing the program. Matthews referred to recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearings to consider Feingold's resolution, and then asked: "Did the president break the law? So far, three Democrats say, 'Yes, he did,' and all Republicans say, 'It's nuts.' " In fact, while only a few Democratic senators have pledged support for Feingold's censure motion, many more Democrats -- and Republicans -- have said that the administration's warrantless surveillance may be illegal.
Media Matters for America noted (here, here, here and here) that numerous media outlets have mischaracterized bipartisan concerns about Bush's domestic spying program by suggesting that only Democrats have questioned its legality. But many Republicans and conservatives have also expressed serious concerns about the legality of the domestic eavesdropping. They include Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA), Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Susan Collins (R-ME), John McCain (R-AZ), John E. Sununu (R-NH), Sam Brownback (R-KS), former Reagan deputy attorney general Bruce Fein, and Norman J. Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
From the March 31 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
MATTHEWS: Good evening. I'm Chris Matthews, and welcome to Hardball. While President Bush wraps up his spring break summit in Cancun, its Congress gone wild back on Capitol Hill. Watergate veteran John Dean testified today in support of Senator Russ Feingold's move to censure the president for authorizing the NSA's [National Security Agency] once-secret domestic wiretapping program. Did the president break the law? So far, three Democrats say, "Yes, he did," and all Republicans say, "It's nuts."
It is certainly depressing to day after day see this complete sell out Chris Mathews. I stopped watching him long ago. Every night he just ho’s himself out to the right. He absolutely knows the stuff he is spewing is bull but to pander to the right wing audience he just goes on and distorts the facts. For him there is no future in playing it straight.
He's following the corporate cash = prostitution to the GOP.
"Fox News Reporting" to MSNBC.
"ALL REPUBLICANS" say "it's nuts".
This is, of course, factually WRONG, and a LIE.
But, why does Matthews feel it necessary to present this issue, along with so many others, as completely PARTISAN?
Because if something is just "partisan", it has no substance by definition. Partisan claims can continue to be dismissed and even ridiculed. If it's "just partisan," it's a trumped up issue with ONLY political gain in mind, and cannot have any deeper substance, meaning, or impact on our nation.
So, despite all evidence to the contrary -- KNOWN evidence that makes Matthews out the LIAR without any research -- Matthews continues to portray the Warrantless Wiretapping issue as something that can only upset those nutty Democrats, while Republicans have the "adult" reaction of just shaking their heads in disbelief at the silliness of those Dems.
At this point, they can shake their heads and continue to act in an insulting, denigrating, smug manner... we must continue to reprimand them in kind, like insolent children...
More and more, I'm insulted by this arrogance that says, "no, it is YOU who should be ashamed to even dare mention the truth!" BS. Keep on fighting.
You watch Matthews for a while and soon realize that he is no longer doing news. He presents false information, not because he got it wrong (the facts are too widely known), and not just to get ratings (those "news commentators" attacking Bush are starting to get good ratings with the national polls running 60% against this Administration), but because he is committed to presenting propaganda on the air to support a failed President.
Why would Matthews keep obviously pushing propaganda in the face of such failures and what looks to be a serious public back-lash? For the money? I just don't know anymore..
One of Matthews' ongoing arguments is that some Democrats are way outside the thinking of heartland America. He's got several stock phrases to describe the guys in flannel shirts who drink sixpacks.
But here's what's funny (and sad): he doesn't realize that here in northern Wisconsin, where nobody hunts more deer, drinks more sixpacks or wears more flannel shirts, we rabidly re-elect Sen. Feingold and Congressperson Obey and send letters to Feingold telling him how proud we are of the censure motion. Feingold's constituents here don't think of him as 'liberal', just someone who's actually read the Constitution and thinks it ought to be taken seriously.