Chris Matthews a Target for Clinton Fans
by David Bauder
He's
become the target for critics who think a backlash against the media played a
part in Hillary Clinton's surprise win in New Hampshire. Chris Matthews laughs off
that idea, and insists he has a lot of respect for her.
The
MSNBC "Hardball" host had more explaining to do after Clinton's victory when he said that the reason Clinton is a candidate
for president "is that her husband messed around."
"I
do like the fact that `Hardball' is a heat-seeker," the rapid-fire
political commentator told The Associated Press. "My job is to provide
excitement and to bring it into the show and have people argue about things
that they would normally argue about."
Matthews
was the focal point for the anger many women felt at how Clinton's
candidacy seemed to be written off with lightning speed following a loss in Iowa and foreboding poll numbers in New Hampshire. He is a man and he is ever
sure of himself.
He
also had a history: The liberal watchdog Media Matters for America counted more than eight negative
remarks Matthews made about Clinton
for every positive one during September, October and November.
Another
study, by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, found that 58 percent of
stories on Clinton
on the main ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News Channel newscasts from the beginning
of October to mid-December were dominated by negative comments. By contrast,
61 percent of the comments about Barack Obama were positive, and so was 67
percent of the John Edwards coverage.
Watching
"ill-disguised hatred and resentment" toward Clinton in the days
before New Hampshire made writer Rebecca Traister feel guilty that she hadn't
stood up for Clinton before.
"Had
I been a New Hampshire voter on Tuesday, I would have pulled a lever for the
former first lady with a song in my heart and a bird flipped at MSNBC's Chris
Matthews," Traister wrote in Salon.
Blogger
Christy Hardin Smith in Firedoglake also seethed.
"Chris
Matthews, it's high time for you to go," she wrote. "None of us
dainty ladies out here who depend on our husbands to get anywhere in life
will pull out our lace hankies, drop into our fainting couches and cry a
single tear when you're gone."
Matthews
said he believe it was a time of great sensitivity in America and
that nerves are rawer now over gender than race. People are looking for ways
to make statements and criticizing him is one way to do it, he said.
"I
will say this about Hillary Clinton, I've said it a thousand times on my
show, when I'm with Hillary Clinton, I like her," he said. "If it
has to do with the two of us getting along or me respecting her intellect,
it's obvious to anyone who has seen us together ... that she is
intellectually stimulating as a human being and is always positive."
Matthews
also said Clinton displayed real courage under
fire the final few days of the New
Hampshire campaign in the way she kept fighting
even though she knew she would probably lose.
Clinton campaign
spokesman Howard Wolfson declined a chance to offer his opinion of Matthews.
Toward
the end of his primary coverage on Tuesday, Matthews remarked that he would
never underestimate Clinton
again.
After
a short night's sleep, Matthews appeared on Joe Scarborough's morning MSNBC
show and said Clinton's
appeal has always been about a mix of toughness and sympathy.
"Let's
not forget, and I'll be brutal, the reason she's a U.S. senator, the reason she's a
candidate for president, the reason she may be a frontrunner, is that her
husband messed around," he said.
Bam!
That quote raced around the Internet and unleashed a fresh round of anger
toward Matthews at a time emotions were already frayed.
Joy
Behar went on the attack on "The View," saying it felt like men
were piling on Clinton.
"I thought it was a patently
ridiculous statement to make after having stated so emphatically the night
before that he would never underestimate Hillary Clinton again," said
Rachel Maddow, a liberal commentator and "Air America" talk show
host who was on the MSNBC set that night.
However, she also said Matthews is the
best political analyst on television for his knowledge, quickness and ability
to be critical while anchoring a broadcast.
"Chris is relatively impervious to
criticism," she said. "I think Chris does what he wants."
Matthews
said his comments referred to the late 1990s, when Clinton made some appearances to support
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and impressed pols with her grace under pressure
during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to run
for the Senate from New York.
He's
surprised more people — particularly the women on "The View" —
don't remember that as the birth of her political career.
"I
thought it was an unexceptional statement," he said.
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