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 3 of 8)
31. Marcia - What are you talking about? Is "name-dropping" illegal or immoral? And let's see: they've had a book and a movie about the assassination of GW Bush, a late-night (Democrat) talk show guy runs a photo of the President with the caption "Snipers wanted". And Democrats yawn.
Bill Maher talks about how great it would be if Dick Cheney were dead and Democrats yawn some more. Then suddenly all you lefties get on your high horses when Mike Huckabbee makes a bad joke about Obama, who isn't even the President. What's that favorite liberal word, let me think, oh yeah...hypocrite.
Dave at 5:18AM on May 18th 2008
32. Cenk : Kevin James reminds of me of the old saying "God, please protect me from my friends. I can protect myself from my enemies." If Kevin James or any of his friends are reading this, remember the saying "If you find yourself in a hole, quit digging." Score one for Cenk.
longwalker at 5:45AM on May 18th 2008
33. Mathews is an idiot and a moron. Pulled his guts out...I dont think so. Matthews never let the guy talk. Chamberlain thought Hitler was going to give them peace in their time...we all know what happened. Matthews is a left wing socialist Clinton stumping punk. If anyone belongs to taken off the aie it's him. It's funny how they call the Repubs empty suits blah blah blah. Matthews WISHES he had the ratings of the conservative talk show hosts.dave
dave at 6:40AM on May 18th 2008
34. Who is this idiot Cenk Uygur. Was he even watching the same video? This guy needs a check up from the neck up. Talk about a no talent hack
dave at 6:41AM on May 18th 2008
35. Many of the comments here are nothing more than Kevin James in print. Two things continue to amaze me: the sheer ignorance of many americans, and their belief that they can "convince" others of the superiority of their positions just by yelling loud enough.
GB at 7:35AM on May 18th 2008
36. Kevin James , the jerk of the moment.
Tony at 7:53AM on May 18th 2008
37. Wow, look at all the right wing-nuts threatened on this board. Chris Matthews shows up an obvious moron, and the conservative spin begins!
Kevin James is an idiot. It appears that he is no better than the Limbaugh ditto-heads or the Hannity and O'Reilly lemmings. They hear a talking point, then spew it back like a parrot, without knowing the substance (or lack thereof) of their argument.
Of course, unable to accept the deserved humiliation, the right wing loons try and shoot the messenger.
Here's word of advice to the right wing spinners on here: get used to humiliation and defeat. You'll be experiencing it in droves come November.
Dawn at 8:20AM on May 18th 2008
38. Kevin James should have just sucked it up and said "I have no idea what he did", instead of just shouting he was an appeaser repeatedly. He only made himself look ignorant.
If he's going to argue politics, he should at least know his history though. He wasn't being asked an obscure question that almost nobody could answer.
That being said, you can't blame any party, organization, or people in general with similar beliefs for the ignorance of ONE person. Yes, KJ made himself look stupid, but he doesn't represent the entire Republican base. I may disagree with many of the ideologically, but I know for a fact that many of them are quite intelligent and knowledgable.
zatheus at 9:28AM on May 18th 2008
39. Cenk is concerned that it might become shtick. It's been shtick since day one. Matthews was once marketed by his own network as "the biggest mouth in the business". The only reason this guy has any credibility whatsoever is that he's been around longer than most and he's quickly pi**ng that away with his man-crush on Obama.
Once again a "News Blogger" commenting on some "news network" common-'tater.
And not an ounce of "news" in any of it.
bob at 10:05AM on May 18th 2008
40. I never really cared much for Chris Matthews, I found him to be an intelligent man that dumb himself down and kissed up to too many unsavory guests to his show.
It was indeed a pleasure as well as a surprise to see Chris Matthews make a complete jackass out of the talking head for the right wing inferior machine.
Furthermore, as we all know much to the contrary from one of the bloggers here, this young man was one of many loud, annoying and extremely ill-informed right-wing talking heads.
Substituting volume and yelling at his guest is usually Bill O’Reily’s method of operating because he is crude, rude and many times has no clue what he is discussing, much like this James fellow. It is no wonder Chris Matthews has to raise his voice, so the guest could Chris asking him a simple question, which, this man could not possibly answer, because he only knew the talking point and not the subject or the definition of the subject.
Lastly, this reminded me of many who continue to use terms to describe those of different political ideologies, when in reality they should be saving these terms to describe their own ideologies.
Remember, fellow Democrats and all those who find the right-wing to be as distasteful and dishonest and just plain dirty as I do, Appeasement will indeed be the “new talking point”.
Patty at 10:35AM on May 18th 2008
41. Well geez, it only took MSNBC, what 10 years to discover FOX's formula.
Get the weakest person possible on the other side. FOX has been doing it for years putting lightweight lefites up against O'Reilly and Hannity (even Hannity's co-host can't hold a candle to him). So finally they got smart and put Matthews up against someone who they knew was all mouth and they could trip up.
I'm afraid it's too late for MSNBC, the joke of the "news" media.
Davidg at 10:44AM on May 18th 2008
42. I just looked up the word "wussy" in the dictionary. It wasn't Chris Matthews picture I found. It was Political Spit's picture. And boy, is he ugly.
lee at 10:58AM on May 18th 2008
43. Let's not forget where this entire "appeasers" issue came from.
The issue of appeasement and appeasers came up in the president's speech in Israel.
The Obama camp, which has become so accustomed to everything, everywhere, all-the-time being about their candidate (thanks in great part to the fawning general media), jumped to the conclusion that the comments were a direct assault on Mr. Obama's integrity.
The scrum that followed was predictable.
Stay tuned for plenty more just like it.
bob at 10:58AM on May 18th 2008
44. Dawn - You're making even less sense than Ted and Marcia. No one is screaming (except for this Kevin James guy, who has about as many listeners as Chris Matthews has viewers - three) and no one is shooting anyone.
And you're right about the next election. Republicans are probably going to get hammered. And that's partly because there are no real
conservatives left in the Presidential race.
But it won't be just Republicans that lose.
It will be America that loses as we return to the 1970's and the Carter years with stagflation, a weak national defense, ever-more confiscatory income and property taxes, and fascistic economic
policies, as we effectively nationalize some industries identifying them as "Patriotic". Barrack Obama has already talked about this.
Obama will catastrophically demonstrate his lack of economic savvy and foreign policy expertise and it will be a nightmare for one and all in America. Like Hillary said, "Be careful what you wish for."
Dave at 11:03AM on May 18th 2008
45. Why doesn't Chris Matthews debate Dennis Prager or Michael Medved? Those two conservative radio hosts have more listeners than Matthews has viewers.
CJ at 11:08AM on May 18th 2008