Note To Chris Matthews: Give PA Dems A Chance To Win…Don’t Run

December 2, 2008 · Filed Under Media 
News Item: A Pennsylvania Democratic party leader says MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews may be considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2010.

Chris,

Please tell me you’re kidding.  I know you’re a Philly guy, but that doesn’t mean you need to run for public office to prove it. Eat a cheesesteak. Root for the Eagles. March with the Mummers. But run for the Senate? Puh-lezze. Philly loves the Phillies’s Chase Utely but it’s not like voters want him hitting legislation out of the box and that’s not counting how many Democratic Pirates fans would be lining up to join the Specter team.

You run against Arlen Specter and the Right will eat you up alive. The Left will chew up the leftovers. When you have Sean Hannity and The Daily Kos on the same side you know your political foothold is about as solid as quicksand.

Who is your constituency? Hardball fans? Half your audience tunes in so they make sure they don’t miss Countdown. Moderates? When were you ever moderate? The fact that you’ve taken potshots at both Democrats and Republicans doesn’t make you objective and evenhanded any more than what he does makes Bill O’Reilly fair and balanced. Chris, it doesn’t matter where you started, you’re no more a Pennsylvania personality today than Bob Saget.

Arlen’s ad budget would be as small as the bulls eye you’ve painted on your back is big. Do you have any idea of the reams of video and soundbites you’ve produced over the years that your opposition can edit into devastating 30 or 60 second spots that will make you look, well, look like a big mouth talk show host? Think your primary opponent won’t dip into the Hardball archive?

How about the Dems who came out in droves to elect Barack Obama? Think they’ll remember any of these gems?

On Barack Obama’s discomfort with regular, white people.

“(Obama) can’t walk into a diner with five or six guys there, white guys, in some cases.”

On Obama’s patriotism…

“…a gut sense of Americanism is a hard thing for someone like Barack Obama, as sophisticated as he is … to express.” And what seemed to be your belief that Obama’s dearth of patriotism was so low that his VP choice be “[s]omeone who’s palpably patriotic.”

Think Bill C will headline your campaign dinner? Not if he remembers, “We’re stuck in Iraq; 4,000 people are dead now because of decisions made by politicians like the Clintons.”

How about the women voter? They’ll be jumping on the Matthews’ bandwagon, right? Wrong.  Not when the Specter campaign plays your in depth analysis of the depth of the female, political intellect. “[W]omen are low-hanging fruit.”

African Americans? What was that you asked the Washington Posts’ Gene Robinson about Obama’s debate performance? Oh, yeah. “Did it surprise you that (Obama) was so un-ethnic tonight?” Yup. That’ll wrap up North Philly for you.

Sports fans? Arlen shows up every Monday morning on Philly sports radio to analyze the Eagles latest fumble.  You want to dish with Angelo Cataldi every week?

And I’m sure the Republicans will love that you “felt this thrill going up my leg” - or that you “teared up” - when Obama spoke.

Chris, for your own self-esteem and any Democratic hopes of pulling the seat from a pretty popular incumbent. Stick with MSNBC.. Give some other Democrat a chance of losing to Arlen.

Steve

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Comments

4 Responses to “Note To Chris Matthews: Give PA Dems A Chance To Win…Don’t Run”

  1. FromMDwithlove on December 2nd, 2008 12:38 pm

    I agree. Plus, Chris can’t help yelling when he talks, asks a question and then cuts off the person as they start to answer to supply the response that he wants to hear, thereby seeming rude even to the people he agrees with, and he never listens to the other person’s answers. I could cut you a highlight reel with just the times he is halfway through his next question when it clicks that the other person said something unexpected and he has to change his follow up.
    Back when the voters only view of the candidate was through prepared speeches and reporters carried pencils, he might have gotten away with it. Now? No way.

  2. Steve Young on December 2nd, 2008 12:51 pm

    FMD,

    Couldn’t ditto more.

    SY

  3. GG on December 2nd, 2008 3:02 pm

    Absolutely, 100% agree. I will add that as a woman, I find him deeply offensive, narrow minded, and certainly sexist. This article also neglects to mention how well Hillary did in PA and how awful Chris Matthews was to her (and the “Clintons” generally) throughout the election. He has burned so many people - publicly and without an apparent care in the world - he would be very foolish to run.

  4. Steve on December 2nd, 2008 8:50 pm

    2 words genius. Al Franken

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