For at least twenty years conservative hacks have been coming on TV, yelling and screaming with no substance -- and finally Chris Matthews couldn't take it anymore. He just annihilated this right-wing talk show host on national television. Watch it here:
The full seven minute embarrassing interview can be seen here. I have criticized Matthews plenty in the past. I think he's too chummy with power and often buys into Republican talking points without really challenging their core assumptions. But in this one shining moment, he wiped all that way. If he could challenge the assumptions of the right and the left like this night in and night out, then his show would truly be worth watching.
Young Turks on You Tube and Watch the Whole Show Here
PS -- Small note of caution for Matthews. he can't let this develop into a shtick. What he did great here wasn't asking the same question 28 times; it was challenging the underlying talking point. The point isn't to embarrass people on national TV, the point is to get beyond the talking points and get to the substance of what they are saying.
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Chris Matthews Destroys a Right-Wing Hack on National TV
Posted May 17th 2008 1:53PM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Media, Young Turks, Republicans, Video
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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 8)
1. this really was a beautiful moment. I saw it as it aired and couldn't believe the stupidity of James, who could have spared himself national embarrasment had he simply said, "I don't know." Insated, he exposes himself and the right wing for the empty suits they truly are.
Note to Right Wing Mynnah Birds...just being a squawking repeater of fake memos won't cut it any longer.
T.Brough at 2:45PM on May 17th 2008
2. Cenk
Hats off to Chris Matthews who found your equal, Radio show host Kevin James. That must have been quite the task for Matthews to find someone in the USA who is Conservative Radio Show host and as dumb as you are. I guess James's rarings are just as low as the ratings you and the Young Turks had when you were on Air America. We Americans who have seen you, the clown of Liberal Fascist Radio and Kevin James, the loser from Right Wing Radio, are quite lucky to have seen the worst that Radio News Commentary can bring to the public.
robert okane at 3:12PM on May 17th 2008
3. Cenk, you and Matthews are both clowns and cowards. You won't see Matthews taking on Hannity, Rush or O'Reilly, no, he finds some weak nobody and goes off on them. The saddest part is your hero worship of the blowhard.
Robert Byngham at 3:48PM on May 17th 2008
4. I LOVE Chris Matthews and thought he was brilliant that night. It probably is a good thing that guy wasn't sitting across from Chris. Could have been ugly!!! Chris and Keith are my 2 favorites. I look forward to both of their shows each day. I esp. love Keith's commentaries. David Gregory is very good, too, but there is too much crammed into the hour, and they never get to cover anything indepth. I am exhausted when the show is over.
Dottie at 3:49PM on May 17th 2008
5. I am no fan of Chris Matthews, but the Kevin James guy did himself in. Next time the guy might want to have his ducks in a row before he agrees to be on a national show. He came off like a screeching fanatic who could not answer the questions.
David S. at 4:06PM on May 17th 2008
6. To bad only the three viewers of the Mathew's show saw this interview.
reality at 4:20PM on May 17th 2008
7. Matthews comes off looking almost as bad as this Kevin James guy. James substitutes repetition and volume for facts, something Chris is adept at. And Matthews won't interview Hannity, Rush, Neil Bortz, Mark Levin or any of the really successful conservative talk show hosts because he knows those guys can debate, have command of the facts and would never get stuck the way James did.
Chris Matthews, Mr. "Hardball", who has expressed his undying love and admiration for Barrack Obama on at least one occasion, would get his backside kicked in a real debate with just about any prominent conservative radio-host. And I keep waiting for Cenk's little expose' on Al Franken, Mr. Air America, who gets caught in more financial scandals than any politician I can think of.
Dave at 4:34PM on May 17th 2008
8. James obviously doesn't know anything about Chamberlin. Why did Matthews waste 4min 15sec to establish that? Because both are hacks!!! One maybe both of them has a strange feeling run down their leg when they see or hear Obama.
The Ugly American at 4:48PM on May 17th 2008
9. I SAW IT AND COULD NOT BELIEVE THE COMPLETE MORON KEVIN JAMES WAS.... THIS JAMES CLOWN KEPT TRYING TO BLUFF WHEN HE WAS COUGHT.... THIS CONSERVATIVE IDDIOT WAS EXPOSED LIKE ALL THE REST OF THE RIGHT WING ASS HOLES.... RUSH, ARE YOU KIDDING... HE WANTED TO KILL ALL DRUG USERS.... CAN WE START WITH HIM, PLEASE...
ted wilson at 7:05PM on May 17th 2008
10. Chris Matthews "feelings for Obama"
1. Matthews Feels a "Furrowing Up His Leg"??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m9Gbb6NSwM
2. Chris Matthews almost cries at idea of Barack Obama losing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDzcJUIY7DY&feature=related
3. Chris Matthews Gets Wet and Messy about Barack Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE8hcjBFsz4&feature=related
The Ugly American at 4:56PM on May 17th 2008
11. Rush Limbaugh also knows how to substitute volume and catch phrases for substance.Unfortunately most right wingers are so dumb they take what they hear from guys like him and believe it as gospel truth.Maybe if they read a newspaper once in a while they would be harder to manipulate..
Steve at 5:28PM on May 17th 2008
12. Ok Cenk -
I'll give you props for recognizing the Matthews man crush – back in the day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTKNWTHjee8&feature=related
But why waste a post on these losers? This is like trying to promote a Rams v. Dolphins game this past season.
The Ugly American at 5:33PM on May 17th 2008
13. Equally ridiculous as this James fellow thinking he was going to come off as anything less than a complete goofball on Chris Matthews' show is Cenk offering his wise words of caution.
Keep dreaming, buddy.
bob at 5:53PM on May 17th 2008
14. Chris Matthews? The kid who grew up getting the shit kicked out of him at school for 12 years straight? He doesn't have the balls. If he's Cenk's HERO, Cenk is in deep doo-doo. Matthews picture is next to the word "wussy" in the dictionary. lollollololol
POLITICAL SPIT at 7:23PM on May 17th 2008
15. National T.V.? MSNBC is national t.v.? I'm sure all 400 of his listeners were having orgasms at their "Boy" Chris Matthews beating up on a no-name Radio Host. Just like you did Cenk.
audrey at 7:35PM on May 17th 2008