From Chris Matthews - I Hate Her!

This is from an article by Bob Somerby, from The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine 6/3/01:

In 1994, [Roger] Ailes hired Matthews for a show on NBC's "America's Talking" network. Ailes later moved him to CNBC, where Hardball was born.

chris matthews"He had a natural sense of moral outrage," said Ailes, now chairman of Fox News.

The outrage is no put-on. Aboard a recent shuttle flight to Washington, Matthews spotted New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. Earlier in the day, he'd been complaining privately that, as first lady, she'd rejected a health-care plan that would allow nurses to give care to public school students because it was "too narrow-bore."

"In other words, 'I'm not going to get enough credit for this,' " Matthews told a colleague in the cafeteria of MSNBC headquarters in North Jersey. "Madonna won't get flowers brought to her. I hate her. I hate her. All that she stands for."

Tweety Matthews

I'm sure lots of you are aware of the flap surrounding Chris Matthews. There is an excellent chronicling of his offensive comments that lays out how he talks about Hillary Clinton as compared to how he talks about the men she is running against. It turns out the ratio of comparatively favorable and negative things he says about the senator run something like 8 negative for every favorable comment. Anyway if you are interested, check out the details here at Media Matters.

But, that's not what I want to write about. I really want to comment on that half-hearted apology he made, all 5 minutes of it, at the beginning of his show today. I was really turned off by it, because he conveniently skipped right past the dogged way he has hounded her in the past months, totally failing to address the noxious trend that is on record, there for all to see. None of us who support Sen. Clinton want to see her get special treatment, we just don't want her to be dinged at every turn for doing some of the same things that the men have done.

Chris Matthews will never get that. He thinks he is just telling it like it is. Problem is he is only speaking his own truth which can be summed up in the very telling remark he made some time ago about Hillary Clinton - "I hate her, I hate everything about her".

I am so proud for Hillary

So much has been said about Hillary Clinton's victory tonight in New Hampshire, I don't think there is anything I can add that hasn't already been said, and likely much better. It was just in time and has given her supporters a sorely needed shot-in-the arm. I am heartfully pleased for her and also a little more hopeful because I think she has such ability and, yes, even gravitas, I think she would make a great president.

Having said that, for some reason I feel moved to write about something else, because I have been troubled by what has been happening to Hillary, about the hyper-critical atmosphere surrounding her. So many people in the so-called "legitimate media" just excoriate her for the same thing they blow off in the other candidates. When has any presidential candidate ever been dinged for looking old and tired - complete with an unflattering picture - although it is quite true that many other presidential candidates (men) most assuredly have looked both old and tired? And, who has been subject to criticism for their laugh? The smart guys were calling it a "cackle" and discounting the image of a crone that word inevitable conjures up. When Hillary talks, she is characterized as trying to manipulate while other candidates who often are saying the same sort of thing are cast as being resolute.

Certainly some people stand out for the particularly harsh, judgemental negative way in which they have covered her campaign. I am of course thinking of Chris Matthews. He consistently finds a sinister meaning to every move she makes, every word she utters. If you watch his show, "Hardball" you can see for yourself. Watch the words that he uses in reference to her as opposed to others. Its totally clear to me that he holds her in contempt and is using his "lofty" position as a media analyst to lob bombs at her and hopefully ruin her campaign. Watch him, see if he talks about anyone the way he talks about her. See for yourself.