Playing Hardball
I developed a serious loathing for screaming-head talkshow host Chris Matthews during the Clinton impeachment, when Matthews was one of the loudest, most self-righteous voices braying for the head of the President. I'm not sure if he's changed or I have, but lately I find Matthews to be the most "fair and balanced" voice in the cable chat-show cosmos. His manner with guests still annoys me, as does his abrasive Philly/Maryland accent, but he's the one guy on the air who refuses to roll over for the pro-Bush line, and he gives his right-wing think tank guests so much crap that it's amazing they agree to go on his show at all. Maybe they owe him for the Whitewater stuff.
Last night, in one enlightening segment, he had on the head of the California Teachers' union, which had just come out against the war, and some Heritage Foundation mouthpiece arguing that the country would come to ruin if teachers dared to offer opinions about anything controversial. Matthews must have realized that the union spokesman needed some help – he had the unfortunate look of the caricature of a middle-aged liberal from California, and his soft-spoken manner didn’t come across very well on TV. After giving this guy his say, Matthews turned to the wingnut and asked her what she had against teachers expressing political views. She gave the stock reply about influencing the tender minds of today’s youth, and then Matthews unleashed this devious line of inquiry (transcribed from memory – transcript apparently not available).
Matthews: Let me ask you this - did you go to public school?
Wingnut: Yes.
Matthews: And when you were in school, did you have any idea what your teacher’s politics were?
Wingnut: Well, no.
Matthews: Then what makes you think any of today’s kids know or care what their teachers think about these issues?
Wingnut: It gets through to them.
Matthews: How?
Wingnut: It does. It has to.
Matthews: OK, tell me how it does.
For the rest of the interview, the think-tank had run dry. The intellectual vacuum behind the talking points had sucked all the air out of this idiot’s so-called position. I’m not sure if Matthews planned his ambush in advance or if he was thinking on his feet, but it was a brilliant bit of rhetorical ju-jitsu that completely decimated and embarrassed a ridiculous position. Whatever else I can say about Matthews, I admire his style.
5:22:33 PM 
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