On Tuesday night, after an important and historic victory in the Wisconsin Presidential Primary by Senator Barack Obama, I appeared on the MSNBC post-election program. “Hardball” host Chris Matthews (who is, it turns out, as ferocious as they say), began grilling me on Senator Obama’s legislative record.
And my mind went blank. I expected to be asked about the primary that night, or the big one coming up in Texas on March 4, or just about anything else in the news. When the subject changed so emphatically, I reached for information that millions of my fellow Obama supporters could recite by heart, and I couldn’t summon it.
My most unfortunate gaffe is not, in any way, a comment on Senator Obama, his substantial record, or the great opportunity we all share to elect him President of the United States.
Had I not lost my mind, here are the accomplishments I would have mentioned:
Senator Obama’s fight for universal children’s health care in Illinois.
His success bringing Republicans and Democrats together (a huge selling point for me in general) on bills such as the one in Illinois requiring police interrogations and confessions to be videotaped.
His leadership on ethics reform in Washington (the bill that lobbyists and special interests are complaining about right now has his name on it).
His bill to make the federal budget far more transparent and accessible to Americans via the Internet – we could use that openness in Texas.
And his vital work with Republicans to lock down nuclear weapons around the world.
Of course, it would have helped to remember all of this last night. I encourage anyone who wants to know more (especially Mr. Matthews) to log onto texas.barackobama.com.
In the meantime, let’s not lose focus on what’s important in this election. It’s not my stunning televised defeat in “Stump the Chump.” Thankfully, it has nothing at all to do with me.
What’s important is the direction our country is headed. What’s important are the priorities, methods, and, yes, accomplishments of those seeking the highest office in the country.
Exactly.
Now, granted, the Obama campaign ought to make sure that in today's "Gotcha!" media environment, their public faces are prepared for any eventuality. But watching Chris Matthews ambush this guy was like watching the episode of Family Guy that ran on CW tonight in which Peter Griffin decides, after beating up a 13-year-old, that bullying is fun.
8 comments:
I'm glad you used the clip showing Olbermann calling Matthews out on what he did. Mr. Watson wasn't on 'Hardball' and didn't deserve to be ambushed like that, especially after the easy questions Tweety asked the 'Hillary Supporter'.
Karma is a bitch, it's just too bad that it has to make a presidential candidate look bad.
In October, Sen. Kirk Watson voted to ignore the public and divert nearly a Billion tax dollars to convert portions of Austin existing freeways (183, 290W, 290E, 71E, and 71W) into tollways.
This is a Gov. Perry scheme to shift freeways to tollways. Why is Watson selling out citizens for special interests?
This double tax, of tolling drivers to use public expressways to drive to work, school and shop, benefits Watson contributors, developers he was hired to lobby for and the City of Austin, who pays Watson $450 an hour to do land deals.
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/
"And his vital work with Republicans to lock down nuclear weapons around the world."
So, in other words, a "yes" vote on a "loose nuclear weapons" bill? Wow, some accomplishment. Let's face it: the guy is a complete hype-case with no qualifications whatsoever.
Since the beginning of the campaign, Tweety has not been able to get five minutes into any show no matter the subject without saying something snide about one or both Clintons. It has been a one man jihad on the candidate. Someone must have taken him to the woodshed. He did a panel show with three women recently without being sarcastic, interrupting or spitting. It was actually informative.
Matthews is an unabashed Clinton hater. I've watched him for years and he has consistantly brought them up over and over ad nauseum.....
I happen to be a Wisconsin democrat and the primary here was a joke. Gov. Doyle also spoke on Hardball and said his kids wanted him to support Obama and he likes Obama--it was embarrassing for a Wisconsinite to see my governor not be able to come up with something better than my kids like him or he's a nice guy.
More embarrassing is the fact that Doyle is dreaded by the progressive/liberal side of the democrats in this state and he backing Obama was a little kow tow to them that he needed at the time he's being heavily criticized for many things. From Doyle's endorsement sprang a slew of other's endorsements for Obama...one couple held a fund raiser which gathered $250,000 for Obama. Not that much long afterwards the wife was appointed to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals Dist II. Now she is running for that office as the incumbant.....sweet coincidence? That family is also notoriously generous to some democratic politicians who all also fell in line with Obama.
Is it any wonder Obama carried WI?
Check out the Democracy for Wisconsin Yahoo group to get a feel for how Doyle ranks with the liberals and check out the judge & hubby raising money for Obama story on racine post.com's blog. Check out the support Obama got from Racine county Mayor and representatives......that should be on the racine journal times.
It's just politics as usual, unfortunately.
I'm happy to see someone-- anyone besides the rightwing nutjobs, question Obama's record on anything.
I called out Chris Matthews is a slightly different way:
http://twitter.com/imjtk/status/3606272400
I have challenged him to a duel.
It can be as simple as 2 men agreeing to a boxing match - he can set the terms - I just want him to answer in person for all of the people he has bullied from the safety of his teevee studio.
I can promise you that he would not speak to me in that manner in person.
Of course I would never harm anyone unless they were aggressing against me me - or unless they agree to some sort of contest...
So come on Chris Matthews, it is put up or shut up time.
Psychiatrists don't treat narcissists. Psychiatrists treat their victims. Psychiatrists can't stand to be in the same room with a narcissist any longer than the rest of us can. They get dry-mouthed, queasy in the belly, develop heart palpitations and sobbing irritability, bite their nails, can't sleep, and start calling in to work in cringing avoidance. Just like we do.
If tweety blathered that it was Tuesday, and it was really still Monday, and his mother opened her peep to softly try and explain it, he'd tear her a new one in front of the world. But only as long as the cameras were rolling so she couldn't bust him in the nose.
How can anything that tiny detect a tingle?
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