On 2d thought-Was Chris Mathews actually right?

[underpants]

As you surely know (if it matters to you) Chris Mathews compared George W. Bush to Atticus Finch. I will refrain from mentioning that this was in a discussion with Stephen Hayes and that Hayes has to be the more worthless douchebag in all of punditry because that is not what this is about.

Here is the Media Matters account of Mathews statement
http://mediamatters.org/items/200602270010

MATTHEWS: Well, he looks like he's a wise man now and a man of restraint, almost Atticus Finch. You know, almost the guy against the mob outside this -- the police station.


Let's compare.

BOTH are fictional characters
BOTH are icons to one AN America (goodness, purity, and charity (Finch) and evil (Bush))
BOTH shoot dogs (one out of necessity)
BOTH live in a black and white world
BOTH have wives who aren't really there anymore

[acmejack]

1. Tweety correct? Inconceivable!

[truckin]

2. David Brooks also compared * to Atticus Finch on Imus the same

day that Matthews made the comparison. This is an absurd analogy and it makes you wonder if this was a White House talking point that was sent out to their media friends.

[underpants]

4. No it doesn't

it doesn't make me wonder at all. It cements the fact that this was clearly a WH talking point.

I guess they are trying to tie this in with the "racism towards Arabs" bullshit.

[rpannier]

3. I think tweety really meant

he's like Connor Finch who's doing time in Attica prison.

[Orangepeel]

5. People who know who Atticus Finch is are unlikely to be bush supporters

I'm just guessing, but I think a pretty small percentage of the people who actually know who Atticus Finch is are bush supporters.

That's not to say there is anything wrong with not recognizing the name. Certainly, I know fewer fictional characters than I don't know. But people who read and remember classic books about social justice... I'm just saying, likely to be liberal.

(For a mirror example, in my youth, I read both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and all I can remember is that there was a red-headed architect in one of them)

[adigal]

6. Atticus Finch was one of the most honorable

characters ever created in fiction. Bush is one of the most dishonorable public figures ever.

No comparison.

[clarknyc]

7. It's so silly.

Even if Bush's name was Fatticus Inch, there still would be no comparison.

[NoMercy]

8. Tweety is Playing Games -- he is sticking a knife in the Repub Congress