Media Matters: Matthews for Senate (?)
by Jamison Foser
Chris Matthews' interest in the Pennsylvania Senate seat currently held by Republican Arlen Specter raises the possibility of something that is all too rare among the nation's media elite: accountability.
It has long been clear that if we applied to journalists who cover politics the standards they purport to apply to politicians -- truthfulness, judgment, being in touch with regular Americans, and so on -- many of them would fare quite poorly.
Few journalists are as aggressive as Chris Matthews in purporting to speak for average voters -- or as quick to declare (liberal) politicians to be out of touch with those voters. And few have his track record of failing to live up to the standards he sets for politicians, particularly Democrats. But there is no real accountability in cable news -- no matter how often Matthews is wrong on the facts, or how frequently he offends the concepts of fairness and rational thought, there are rarely consequences.
True, Matthews did have to apologize after a particularly offensive string of commentary about Hillary Clinton earlier this year, though given his long track record of misogynistic comments, it is clear he got off easy even then -- particularly in comparison to his colleague David Shuster, who was suspended after an inappropriate comment of his own. Shuster likely paid the price not only for his own nasty remark about Clinton, but for his more famous colleague's long string of sexist commentary as well. As long as Matthews stops short of Imus-level offensiveness, MSNBC seems quite happy to continue broadcasting his false claims and inane commentary.
Should he run for the Senate, however, Matthews might finally have to answer for his dubious track record. And he'll have to do so outside of his comfortable cocoon of fellow Beltway journalists and political insiders who are too eager to get invited back to ever truly challenge him on his cable program. Indeed, he'll have to do so while facing the very "regular Americans" he has caricatured so grotesquely over the years.
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Hosting Ann Coulter in July 2006, Matthews told her, "You write beautifully," adding, "You have a brilliant brain." He described her as "the picture of heaven." Then Coulter called former Vice President Al Gore a "total fag," and Matthews ended the interview by saying of Coulter, "We'd love to have her back."
This is what we want for a US Senator calling himself a democrat? This is acceptable? What, Ed Rendell does a poll saying Matthews could win - a poll done 18 months before there is an election - and we're suppose to say "OK" (which if those polls are correct then Bob Casey Jr. should be the Pennsylvania Governor because polls in 2000 said Casey was a shoo-in. I guess Rendell ignored those).
I for one think Pennsylvania can do a hell of alot better when it comes to candidates - democrats who actually support the democratic party and it's ideas - not suck up to republicans and their ilk. I've heard that Joe Sestak might run. I've also heard Allyson Schwartz might run - but whomever runs in the primaries you better believe I will campaign tirelessly to get that person elected (I hope that Allyson and Joe don't both run - they might cancel each other out).
But anyone who is so desperate to have Chris Matthews as their senator well I hope you think Joe Lieberman is a good sort of fellow because that's what you'll get as a senator. Someone who jumps on the bandwagon of whomever is popular at that time whether or not it's good for our country. Chris should stick with what he knows best and that's being a vocal shrill for M$NBC.
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