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Wash. Post's Kornblut: "[C]ertainly Chris Matthews has taken [Clinton] on quite aggressively over the last few weeks"

January 10, 2008 1:11 pm ET
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SUMMARY: Responding to an online commenter who said that a lot of women are "getting incredibly angry about the progressively dismissive way" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "gets treated by the [New York Times columnist Maureen] Dowds and [MSNBC host Chris] Matthews of the world," The Washington Post's Anne E. Kornblut asserted, "I think there is something to that" and "certainly Chris Matthews has taken her on quite aggressively over the last few weeks."

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During the January 9 "Post Politics Hour" discussion on washingtonpost.com with Washington Post national political reporter Anne Kornblut, a commenter wrote, "I know a lot of woman [sic] who may not like [Sen.] Hillary [Rodham Clinton (D-NY)] but respect her and identify with her, and they're getting incredibly angry about the progressively dismissive way she gets treated by the Dowds and Matthews of the world." Citing the headline of New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd's January 9 column -- "Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?" -- the commenter asked Kornblut, "What do you think?" As the Poynter Institute's Romenesko blog noted, Kornblut replied, "I think there is something to that" and "certainly [MSNBC host] Chris Matthews has taken her on quite aggressively over the last few weeks." Media Matters for America has documented Matthews' recent remarks about Clinton.

From the January 9 edition of The Post Politics Hour on washingtonpost.com:

ROSELAND, NJ: You know why I think Hillary got such a huge surge in support? Columns like Maureen Dowd's today, written with headlines like, "Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?" I know a lot of woman who may not like Hillary but respect her and identify with her, and they're getting incredibly angry about the progressively dismissive way she gets treated by the Dowds and Matthews of the world. What do you think?

ANNE E. KORNBLUT: I think there is something to that. There is no way for me to quantify it, but women on the campaign trail over the last couple of days expressed feeling empathy toward Clinton, especially after the debate. And certainly Chris Matthews has taken her on quite aggressively over the last few weeks (though I did hear him tell Howard Wolfson on air last night that he would never underestimate Sen. Clinton again). All that said, it is true: When Sen.Clinton shows her human side -- or plays the victim, depending on how you want to characterize it -- the tides tend to turn in her favor. The question is how she handles it.

— K.E.
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    • Author by dexteritas0071418 (January 10, 2008 1:16 pm ET)
         
      So do you guys think Roger Clemens took steroids?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by snoopy (January 10, 2008 1:56 pm ET)
           
        Probably did. Since this particular thread is OT, I think this is a good place to post this link. It will surely be good for more than a few laughs! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/09/glenn-beck-i-had-surger_n_80800.html
        Report Abuse
        • Author by SFnomad (January 10, 2008 3:08 pm ET)
             
          Doesn't look like the surgery was a success, he's still a hemorrhoid.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by tommy (January 10, 2008 1:25 pm ET)
         
      And apparently, according to the near life size glossy of Chris on the homepage here, he now "hates her". There you have it, if it's true that he admits it and everyone knows where he stands, then his coverage or opinions of her should be construed in that context. He is entitled to "hate" her, or anyone. He should be honest about it, maybe now he finally is.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by thomp.steve9098 (January 10, 2008 1:31 pm ET)
           
        Tommy, Is there a link to where he actually says he hates her? No doubt he does, but I'd like to see him confronted by his own words.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by tommy (January 10, 2008 1:33 pm ET)
             
          Steve, I have no idea, I just went by what was on the homepage here? As I said, apparently, perhaps he never said it?
          Report Abuse
          • Author by Clevenative (January 10, 2008 1:39 pm ET)
               
            I have a feeling you put a link to your "here" and it's not showing up. Media Mtters is gong through some bugs in their login and text posting areas. Notice no paragraphs in the posts - it's as if all carriage returns (enter key) is being stripped before posted. I suspect their is a similar problem with URL links. I'll email them again.
            Report Abuse
          • Author by Clevenative (January 10, 2008 1:43 pm ET)
               
            I have a feeling you put a link to your "here" and it's not showing up. Media Mtters is gong through some bugs in their login and text posting areas. Notice no paragraphs in the posts - it's as if all carriage returns (enter key) is being stripped before posted. I suspect their is a similar problem with URL links or they've removed the use of URL's in the posts? . I'll email them again. Test URL... http://mediamatters.org/ meida matters
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          • Author by jeter2 (January 10, 2008 2:31 pm ET)
               
            Tommy & PJ, Guess Matthews said it in 2001, MMFA left no link but this was in the article on this thread: The picture painted by this list is clear. Indeed, the Philadelphia Inquirer magazine reported in June 2001 that Matthews told an MSNBC colleague, "I hate her. I hate her. All that she stands for."
            Report Abuse
            • Author by tommy (January 10, 2008 2:38 pm ET)
                 
              Thanks J, now that we've established that - can we implore MMFA to reduce the size of that mug of Chris on their homepage, whoosh - everytime I bring up this website I am confronted with that, and I gotta tell ya, it ain't pretty....
              Report Abuse
        • Author by snoopy (January 10, 2008 1:51 pm ET)
             
          Did you check the link out on the MMFA home page to the philadelphia enquirer article? Perhaps Chris can start a call for a recount in NH. He apparently thinks Obama won. http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5535
          Report Abuse
      • Author by Clevenative (January 10, 2008 1:53 pm ET)
           
        OK Tommy, now I see the page – it’s the MMFA home page – I wasn’t quite sure what You meant by “here”.

        The picture painted by this list is clear. Indeed, the Philadelphia Inquirer magazine reported in June 2001 that Matthews told an MSNBC colleague, "I hate her. I hate her. All that she stands for."

        Well it's a she said he said thing – sounds like hearsay to me. Not that I doubt for a second he hasn’t admitted it to someone, I just wish I could hear it directly from his smug lips.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by tommy (January 10, 2008 1:57 pm ET)
             
          Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear - I thought it was some new revelation, or admission on his part. If it's true, he should just admit to it.
          Report Abuse
        • Author by Governor (January 10, 2008 1:59 pm ET)
             
          http://www.oliverwillis.com/archives/2007/11/16/chris-matthews-on-hillary-clin/
          Report Abuse
    • Author by atheist (January 10, 2008 2:04 pm ET)
         
      Gloria Steinem's opinion piece in the New York Times is rather amazing. Excerpts below, bolding is mine: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/opinion/08steinem.html?ex=1215493200&en=07809ff6a3077b3b&ei=5087&excamp=GGOPsteinemhillary&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_id=OP-S-E-GG-NA-S-steinem_hillary ... why is the sex barrier not taken as seriously as the racial one? The reasons are as pervasive as the air we breathe: because sexism is still confused with nature as racism once was; because anything that affects males is seen as more serious than anything that affects “only” the female half of the human race; because children are still raised mostly by women (to put it mildly) so men especially tend to feel they are regressing to childhood when dealing with a powerful woman; because racism stereotyped black men as more “masculine” for so long that some white men find their presence to be masculinity-affirming (as long as there aren’t too many of them); and because there is still no “right” way to be a woman in public power without being considered a you-know-what. ... But what worries me is that [Obama] is seen as unifying by his race while [Clinton] is seen as divisive by her sex. What worries me is that she is accused of “playing the gender card” when citing the old boys’ club, while he is seen as unifying by citing civil rights confrontations. What worries me is that male Iowa voters were seen as gender-free when supporting their own, while female voters were seen as biased if they did and disloyal if they didn’t. What worries me is that reporters ignore Mr. Obama’s dependence on the old — for instance, the frequent campaign comparisons to John F. Kennedy — while not challenging the slander that her progressive policies are part of the Washington status quo. What worries me is that some women, perhaps especially younger ones, hope to deny or escape the sexual caste system; thus Iowa women over 50 and 60, who disproportionately supported Senator Clinton, proved once again that women are the one group that grows more radical with age.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by johnny_nyc8351 (January 10, 2008 5:00 pm ET)
           
        Steinem's piece was very interesting and almost totally ignored by the talking heads because it doesn't fit their narrative.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by jeter2 (January 10, 2008 2:09 pm ET)
         
      Eleven posts here? I can only see one :-( Come on MMFA fix this problem...please :-) Should this ever get posted [and seen] It's my opinion that in the past few weeks it appears Chris Matthews has lost his mind & any semblance of professionalism he may have once had.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by thomp.steve9098 (January 10, 2008 2:22 pm ET)
           
        I agree Jeter. He's always been overbearing (to put it kindly), but recently it seems like he's on "uppers" or something. Even some of his guests and colleagues look like they're beginning to feel uneasy with him. I'd love to know if anything ever happened, behind the scenes, between the Clintons and matthews. I mean, simply not liking her is one thing, but he dislikes her with such a frenetic passion that it really does seem demented
        Report Abuse
      • Author by therick (January 10, 2008 6:15 pm ET)
           
        "... it appears Chris Matthews has lost his mind"--Jeter Just to add to that thought, how would one ever find something so small?
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    • Author by barbrajeanne3947 (January 10, 2008 2:51 pm ET)
         
      My own mother in Florida will no longer watch Chris Matthews. She is a Hillary Supporter and has been from the beginning. She now changes over to the Women's Channel when Matthews even begins to bash Hillary. After N.H. voted, I had tell myself that polticially, with women in this country, this movement is going to gather steam.
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    • Author by momodo (January 10, 2008 3:36 pm ET)
         
      And how is what Maureen Dowd any different from what Kornblutt and dozens of others said? Hillary's Emotional Moment (a euphemism bound to rival Wardrobe Malfunction) was a clear turning point in her victory in NH. Hillary performs best when she can convincingly appear to be an unfairly attacked underdog.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mcjohnsjr8966 (January 10, 2008 7:25 pm ET)
         
      How can you lose something you never had?
      Report Abuse

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