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Download | Play (h/t Bill)
Chris Matthews has always puzzled me as a talking head. There’s always been this strange disconnect between his embarrassingly slavish adulation of political figures (please, don’t make me repeat the glimmering GWB, the manly-smelling Fred Thompson, etc. We’ve groaned through them enough) and their actions.
But the always brilliant Jon Stewart–after reading Matthews’ new book “Life’s a Campaign“–calls it for me: for Tweety, it’s all strategy. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing right or good. It doesn’t matter if you are sincere…all that matters is that you play the game. As Stewart has said, that book has been written already. How unintentionally revealing of Chris Matthews.
MATTHEWS: I’m listening to you…
STEWART: No, you’re not…
MATTHEWS: Of course I am, you’re trashing my book.
STEWART: I’m not trashing your book, I’m trashing your philosophy of life.
Kudos for the best interview from The Daily Show in a long, long time.
8 Trackbacks To “The Daily Show: Chris Matthew’s “Book about Sadness”“
8)
Wish there were transcripts posted with these for those of us stuck at work with no sound…
when he talks about how hillary got to the top.
my money says that if the media were to stop repeating how popular hillary was, she would drop in the polls. they are so focused on the horse race and on creating this idea of Clinton’s inevitability.
First let me thank you, Nicole. :-P
Now I’ll watch and enjoy!
“I don’t troll”.
ROFL!!!!
Matthews was pissed. GOOD. lol.
I have had a very confusing opinion of Matthews. When he talks to someone like Tom DeLay and beams at him I get grossed out! But, he also targets the right wing loonies enough time to confuse me. He really should stop talking about Hillary’s “cackle”, when he has one that sounds like a baboon with bowel problems. I think Jon Stewart did a stunning job on Chris. Chris can do that to people on his show, but when it’s aimed at him he’s so hurt! I really love Jon Stewart and his ability to use his intellect as well as humor to point out the clay feet of some of his guests (like John McCain).
Cythraul @ 2:
The sound of Chris Matthews adds to the irritation. You need the sound, watch it when you get home (where you won’t get fired!:)
ever since he sat and fawned over Ann Cultergiest and sandbagged Elizabeth-should-be-1st-lady Edwards…I have hoped and prayed for some comeuppance…whelp..thank you Jon…FINALLY..
I could not possibly enjoy this more…
I don’t like Chris Mathews, but Jon Stewart was a total asshole here. He ranted and didn’t allow Mathews to defend himself. I expect tactics like this from the likes of the right wing pundits, but Jon was over the top. Let Mathews answer the damn questions and bury himself.
I kind of felt bad for Matthews……………………But I still wont buy his books.
Dang, on a computer w/o sound. Still, I always thought Chris sadly confused rather than a outright player. He really does have a raging stiffy for the authoritarian right, but I think he honestly views himself as a centrist, maybe even socially liberal. Certainly he’ll come out with a completely non-left/non-right statement every once and a while. Just plain, non-bias crazy statements, really.
A sad, lonely man. I guess that maybe he even fails to live up to the philosophy in his own book — in this case that would be a (admittedly small) plus.
I wonder if him being “hurt” from Stewart’s honesty will “radicalize” him? I bet it does (just like Timmeh!). Look for an even further right Hardball this year…
CROSS-LINK:
DAILY KOS discussion thread on the impact of Jon’s interview:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/2/232611/164
Really well worth it. Some really nice insights. This one in particular:
http://www.dailykos.com/commen.....4/264#c264
Lots of people including me can not understand what appear to be in Matthews, from show to show, radical mood swings… Some days he is so goofy and giggly and gosh-darn in awe of GWB, next day he might be on fire calling out a young Republican chickenhawk.
It may be both — there are times when it surely seems he’s bi-polar. But I shed not a single tear for matthews… he represents the soulless Beltway coterie, and deserves every ounce of his hot air balloon deflated.
WOW! That’s pulling no punches and still being funny. Matthews had to really force his smile at the end.
Anyone who has ever seen Chris’ show knows it’s ironic as hell that he is lecturing on “listening”. I had to post about it today. Yesterday morning he was on Morning Joe saying these same things. Ya think chris will show this on his show tonight the way he showed his appearance on Martha Stewart’s show yesterday? Doubt it.
Too much fake laughter on Chris’ part. He must have been nervous.
i saw that interview last night and wow… talk about two diametrically opposing perspectives on life… one of a deeply curious intellect and the other a shallow, insecure, ladder-climbing-based intellect… that was indeed one of Jon’s best interviews… i actually felt sorry for mathews in this one…
On a more serious note, Jon’s right. Even politics shouldn’t be a campaign all the time; there ought to be at least some concept of public service involved. And yet Matthews urges us to make our everyday lives more like the shallow amoral pap we see on shows like his. Ugh.
Hmmmm… Machiavelli. That reminds me of different philosophers’ responses to the joke: “Why did the chicken cross the road?” My favorites are:
Machiavelli: “It does not matter why the chicken crossed the road, for the end justifies the means.”
Einstein: “Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed under the chicken depends on your frame of reference.”
Buddha: “If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken-nature.”
All the problems of the world and corpmedia fills up pages/air/video with cult of personality stuff - and people mindlessly go along.
By Tweety’s philosophy, anything is justifiable, there are no boundaries, there are no limits. Anything or act can be excused; it’s all just a matter of degrees. This is the thinking of a souless sociopath. I am astonished that he would admit to his philosophy in a book. Doing so means that he is so far gone down this particular path that it doesn’t even occur to him to try and conceal himself. He is without shame. The lack transforms the underlying thinking from that of a mere sociopath into that of the borderline psychopath. Good for Stewart for handling him as he did.
Equating Matthew’s book with Machiavelli’s The Prince was the clincher for me. I’m going to buy the book!
man, it hurt to watch Tweety force that dorky laugh.
on that note, maybe he does need to bs like a politician to get what he wants.
painful!
The problem is that society defines a successful life using materialistic benchmarks. So, yeah, politicians are ‘richer’(but is it really because they listen, or that they win the ‘being born in a rich family’ lottery), if you ignore their personal lives and creative impact on history.
But what do I know, I’m just a silly leftist…
AntiFed1791 @ 21:
Which book? Why not buy the original, “The Prince,” instead of this shallow pretender’s ripoff?
It was great but a little uncomfortable at the same time. Jon was relentless in his criticism of Chris’ philosophy. Usually, Jon nails the @$$holes (like the loser who wrote the Cheney bio) directly. He tends to have some neutrality to others. And I think he likes McCain and treats him remarkably well. So I wasn’t expecting the direct and sharp criticism. But Tweety (love that name!) deserves it!
Pundits like Tweety expect an easy ride when shilling extra income-making books around. Everyone writes these things, makes a few bucks, etc. So when you’re in the club they just gladhand you and let you talk, talk, talk. Jon Stewart obviously isn’t in the club. And that’s good. We need more interviews where the whole thing isn’t just some glad handing charade. The only book I’d rather read LESS than Tweety’s is Pumkinhead Russert’s “Big Russ” book. Oh God, that was shameful and embarrasing when he went around hawking that.
So his bottom line is you can lie and be as insincere as you want in a campaign, just as long as you win. Jon’s right, that is sad for so damned many reasons.
I am not sure it was intentional or not but that was a fucking hilarious interview. i was tearin’ up bad it had me laughing so hard.
Anais @ 24:
I read it already?
Reference: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/irony
Brilliant interview.
have had a very confusing opinion of Matthews. When he talks to someone like Tom DeLay and beams at him I get grossed out! But, he also targets the right wing loonies enough time to confuse me.
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high paid prostitutes make every customer feel like the one when in fact they just love the money.
Don’t buy this tools book.
Great and sad. Great interview as far as Stewart putting Mathews’ feet to the fire. But sad because Chris Mathews has no idea of the difference between being an optimist and a cynic.
I would imagine Chris’ book will hit the reduced pile in the bookstores real soon. We already know that politicians will lie at times, we don’t need to pay to read about it.
Methinks Plato’s Republic, the Allegory of the Cave perfectly describes his thinking. Enlightened to the world of light and yet choosing a manipulative life in the dark.
He… invited Jon onto his show? What a short memory Matthews has.
Last time Jon was invited onto a smoke-and-mirrors show, he tore it the fuck down.
Chris, is that really what you want? Because if it is, I support your decision.
This is the first time I noticed how loud his voice and how damn irritating his laughter is.
Plain and simple: Jon Stewart was way too mean to Matthews last night. Yeah, the premise of Matthews’ book is on the cynical side, and I don’t necessarily agree with it, but why couldn’t Stewart let Chris defend it properly? He was essentially shouting Chris down the entire interview. Sure, Jon did it with a self-effacing smile on his face, but it was positively O’Reilly-esque in its aggressiveness. I was a little taken aback by it, especially considering that Matthews is by no means a thoughtless right-wing ideologue. I thought the interview was rude and uncalled for.
Chris Matthew’s perspective is exactly what is wrong with this country right now.
The Bushites and the Republicks have made EVERYTHING political, there is no governing, only gaining advantage.
This book sounds like a series of lessons in how NOT to live.
Chris Matthews is a talentless, humorless hack.
I’m supposed to believe that he wrote this book himself?
Yeah, right.
Biggus Diggus @ 26:
Absolutely right. Matthews thought he’d get the “gladhand” treatment and you could see the disbelief in his face. “Its called the Prince”…that was awesome but I doubt Matthews has ever read Il Principe so I’m sure it was lost on him…Da twit.
Tweety: Clinton banged so many chicks in college because he listened to them.
He just can’t let loose of the Clenis!
In a very funny, masterfully played display of polite mercilessness, Jon eviscerated the Braying Big Bird and trashed his little book. What with Clarence Thomas’ warped, bitter screed coming out in the same week, the bargain bins will be full this month.
Matthews laugh is far scarier than Hillary’s any day.
It’s great when Stewart takes on any Reslug with the truth and has their devilish heads spinning with anger.
That was great, disagreement for sure, but humor and civility ruled. Both came out smelling like a rose. It was fun to watch.
The Celestial Teapot @ 44:
Agreed! It is like a zealous sports fan’s air horn. HA! Very disturbing.
The Celestial Teapot @ 44:
At least he will never be elected POTUS. Oooooo…(I just got a shiver thinkin bout Hill and the Big Dog back at 1600.) Ok, ok…I’m better now. That was icky.
Peter Feldstein @ 10:
Jon Stewart is NOT a political pundit but a satrical newsman, it is a COMEDY and whoever shows up on these shows should know that and learn to find humor in order to survive here. Tucker Carlson got similar treatment here in the past.
Brian @ 39:
Such is the problem of this country, people call calling a spade a spade as being “mean.”
Anyhow, isn’t this twit the host of a show called “hardball”? What were you expecting a reach around by Stewart?
Matthews and his ilk are the main enablers of the predicament we find ourselves in — remember his man crush over Bush when he landed on the aircraft carrier with the cod piece? — And there are idiots who still think that he deserves normal treatment? Fuck that…