Hardball host Chris Matthews slammed Sarah Palin's upcoming book during two segments this evening on his Hardball program.
(NEWSCOM/FILE)Photos (1 of 1)
What a surprise! Chris Matthews slams Sarah Palin’s new book
By Jimmy Orr | 05.13.09
Chris Matthews making fun of Sarah Palin?
Believe it or not, the Hardball host is ridiculing Palin’s upcoming book — even before she starts writing it. Or collaborating on it, as he said on his program tonight.
“Sarah Palin – now don’t laugh – is writing a book. Not just reading a book, writing a book,” he said.
“She’s got this book deal, she obviously is not gonna write it,” he said later in the show. “They’ve already announced … she’s gonna collaborate on it. What an embarrassment! It’s one of these “I told you,” books that jocks do. … Why they do it like this? ‘She can’t write, we got a collaborator for her.’”
January
Sound familiar? It’s reminiscent of what he said in January when news first broke of a Palin book. We told you about it here.
“If she can read, if she can write, she’ll make some money,” he said. “The big question is who’s going to actually write the Palin book.”
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Reading and/or writing is not a prerequisite to following us on Twitter!
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2. Jimmy Montague | 05.13.09
I can see Sarah Palin writing a book at least as well as Sarah Palin can see Russia from her upstairs window. Matthews was right: a Palin book was inevitable. The question is: Who could stand to read it?
4. greg | 05.13.09
It’s no wonder few people bother to watch Mr. Tingling Leg. He’s just jealous that Palin is going to get paid big bucks, and huge numbers of people will read it, and few people would bother to even open any book that he “writes.”
5. thomas young | 05.13.09
She’s got a journalism degree, so what’s the problem? Liberals just cannot accept the fact that there’s still a lot of people interested about her. She will make some money and that’s good. Her family is not well off. What if her book sells more than Obama’s first book, would you report that? Or spin the news like you always do when it comes to Sarah Palin?
6. Don from Iowa | 05.13.09
Sarah has a degree in journalism so why shouldn’t she consider writing a book?
7. John Latta | 05.13.09
Mathews when you write or state **** like the news release above, it just signifies to me and others how desperate you and your show have become.
9. frosty | 05.14.09
Ya betcha she is going to write a humm dinger of a book.
If she uses a computer I betcha that she won’t use a fact checker as much as a spell checker.
Sea can tweet Russia from her front porch.
You fools in the lower 48 will follow anyone.
11. mon | 05.14.09
Don’t get me wrong - I am far from a Sarah Palin fan. And I have severely questioned her political credentials on numerous occasions. However, I do not feel Chris Matthews is in any position to judge someone’s integrity within their respective field. Seeing as though he’s whittled his journalistic credibility to a mere nub with years of blatantly displayed bias - I take anything he opines with a grain of salt.
12. Sam | 05.14.09
Are you guys serious? Matthews is one of the only talking heads with the stones to call BS on everybody, including a lot of left-wingers.
I’m pretty centrist, and it’s clear to me that Palin is the best thing that’s happened for the Dems in quite some time. You people just can’t let it die.
The Right seems to be terrified of the truth in a lot of instances, including this one. Just because you want something to be true doesn’t make it so. Arguments based on facts and careful thought will always be more convincing.
13. Carolyn | 05.14.09
Poor Chris, so easily intimidated by an Alaskan woman who dances on the proverbial glass ceiling!
14. tom | 05.14.09
If her book contains a chapter including all the same information as her grasp of international diplomacy she exhibited through her entire campaign, it will read “this page intentionally left blank”
15. Jane | 05.14.09
As the years roll by …2010-11..NOV 2011
The rise of Palin ….( CHRIS M –sniff.. sniff ..I…I cc..cc..cant
believe…wails loudly… Oh dear!!..Its THAT PALIN AGAIN …OMG )
News Flash …MSNBC ….OMG PALIN is declared winner & our next president …..& because we have gone bankrupt and will be shutting MSNBC ONCE AND FOR ALL ..this is our LAST newsflash ..cries inconsolably !!
16. Stephanie | 05.14.09
Chris hasn’t learned anything and neither have a lot of other people. Disagree with Sarah Palin. I do. Express your concern that she should not be the future of the Republican Party. I think that is valid.
But don’t call her stupid. You don’t get elected to be Governor by being stupid. She may not be an intellectual equal to the Clintons or the Obamas. She wasn’t ivy league material. She didn’t spend her life preparing to be President like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. But she isn’t stupid. This kind of talk has no place in the press or in political discussion in general.
17. Neft | 05.14.09
That will be a good comedy script . I can’t way for the movie from SNL . Coming to a theater near you.
18. Ward Kelly | 05.14.09
That pic of Chris Matthews brings back memories of Nick Nolte’s DUI mug shot a few years ago. Even if the pundits were right about “clueless” Palin, I would rather have her….especially now that we have witnessed how absolutely radical Obama is. $1.8 Trillion in spending, 50 cents borrowed for every dollar spent and he’s not even close to being done in destroying the means of production in the auto industry. His “Long March” during the campaign set the stage for America’s “Great Leap Forward”. Also, he wants to expand government welfare “care” on top of Medicare’s upcoming insolvency. Let’s replicate the model and the process of failure and expand it!
Palin or Obama? I would defer to Buckley’s wisdom of leftist intellects vs. average americans. “I would rather be governed by the first three hundred names in the Boston telephone book than by the Faculty of Harvard University.” Never has than wisdom rang so loud than the last 120 days.
19. Cassy | 05.14.09
@Ward - Another person playing hard and loose with the facts. Obama destroyed the auto industry? Didn’t they come hat in hand to Washington saying they were going to go bankrupt before he was even sworn in as President? But why blame the executives and unions who bled the company dry when it’s easy to blame it on the black guy whose been in office for just over three months.
And don’t get me started on spending. Bush/Cheney bled this country dry for 8 straight years fighting illegal wars off the books, giving tax breaks to ‘his base’ and letting Wall Street run rampant then giving them a bailout. Who started the Medicare prescription drug program? Remember that ever escalating cost?
And then we get back to healthcare, one of the PRIMARY reasons the auto industry is going under and good ole boy Ward thinks we should just bury our heads in the sand and just let the costs spiral out of control.
Your hatred is so deep that it causes you to distort and lie to justify it. But don’t worry, we can all see through you.
21. Ward Kelly | 05.14.09
Cassy- Where is the hatred? And why did you bring up the race card? Your assumption that I am not of “color” is somewhat surprising as well “blame it on the black guy”. Maybe it’s because you can decipher skin color from my writing? You have no idea how much Bush let Republicans down with his out-of-control spending. In fact, the Republicans got blasted because they acted like Democrats. Obama didn’t destroy the auto-industry. The largest auto, GM, was already on the way out even before Bush’s 2nd term. Now Obama is going to fix it? If you look at the latest restructuring, you have the UAW (I consider that an arm of the governing democratic party) and the Feds now hold management control over both GM and Chrysler. I can only wait for them to manufacture a car I don’t want that I can’t afford.
Regarding healthcare cost. Please tell me you are not one of those that believes that healthcare is a right or that the government can “fix” the cost. If you want to pay lip service to the “cost” look no further than the wonderful Medicare program. If you are suggesting that we mimic one of GM’s largest liabilities (Healthcare benefits) with the associated financial debacle and apply it to 50 million Americans, I can’t even argue with you. Those that are for Obama & Co taking my property/money so they can give it in the form of healthcare entitlements to others, they are my enemy.
If you disagreed with Bush’s spending (I certainly did), you really have to open your eyes and see the massive debt Obama/Pelosi is piling up right now. The last time I looked, Obama is the current President and he just signed Pelosi’s checkbook for 4X of what Bush did and there is more to come. If you are upset at the fact that Bush played with matches, you should recognize that Obama is a full blown arsonist. Remember, one fact that is not “loose”. Obama is spending 4X (50 cents borrowed for every dollar spent) of what George W. Bush spent in his last year.
22. Foxux | 05.14.09
Who knew she was smart enough to write a book.
But then, it is only a book for Republicans so it doesn’t need to be intellectually stimulating.
I stopped watching Chris Matthews way back when he was a cheerleader for Bush.
23. Doug Lawrence | 05.14.09
Don’t you people get sick of name calling and party line talking points (and I’m addressing both sides)? It is the same argument set across every political board, without a fact in sight. I like that she is pro business and pro small government. I don’t like the evangelical side. She isn’t a cartoonish moron, and shes not the second coming either. Intense challenges are before us, and smart people have major disgreements about how to face them. I think all this name calling and posturing is pretty conterproductive, and before I get slammed, I admit Palin is one of the worst participants in this activity. But so is Pelosi. Notice that the most popular guy, Obama, generally avoids this sort of thing. I’m praying the Republicans will produce a leader of their own who can talk about grown up issues like a grown up.
24. jack | 05.14.09
Chris Matthews is no different that the entire staff of the Fox propaganda channel. They are all comedy and unfortunately some people actually believe what they say. If you care to learn about our leaders and potential leaders what better way than to read about them. I can’t imagine Sarah changing anyones mind, but at least those of us who find a need to learn more, can. If we let the press control the information, we may end up with Bush?Cheney again.
26. willegge | 05.14.09
Chris Matthews is nothing but an closed minded anti conservative. He is a total sell out and nothing but a liberal, Obama propagandist. He cares nothing about truth. So who gives a what he thinks.
27. Cassy | 05.14.09
@Ward - Why does using the word ‘black’ equate to playing the race card? I’m sure you would have blamed all of this on Hillary had she have been our current POTUS. If I said blame it on the ‘woman’ in that circumstance would I be playing the ‘woman’ card?
No Obama can’t fix GM. They and Chrysler are marching towards a slow death. IMO, he’s just trying to let the air out that balloon slowly rather than just popping it. Everybody can see the writing on the wall. Maybe they can survive, but the odds are against them. But why throw hundreds of thousands of people on the unemployment rolls all at once just to prove a point?
I for one am in a wait and see mode on the health care debate. But AT LEAST they are trying to do something. It is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. The current minority party won’t (can’t) even try. I won’t vilify the outcome before I know what it is. The bottom line is the TAXPAYERS will pay for health care, period. Hospitals have no choice but to provide life saving care regardless of the patients ability to pay. Uninsured Americans may avoid regular visits, but they will go to hospitals and emergency rooms and we WILL pay for their treatment. You’re not deciding whether or not you WILL pay, you’re just deciding what you are willing to pay for. The expensive stuff that’s preventable or the inexpensive regular visits. It’s your call.
I haven’t fallen for the argument that the government can “fix” anything. But I do know that government can “fix” somethings. Check out the Interstate system. Government does not automatically equal bad any more than one political party automatically equals good. But you lose credibility when you insist on simplifying every situation to be “right” v/s “left”. Real life is just more complicated.
And I’m not angry. I’m just tired of self righteous right wingers preaching as if they are omniscient and infallible and wanting to ignore everything that happened between 2000 and 2008.
28. Justin | 05.14.09
Who listens to Chris Matthews? Take a look at the cable news ratings and see where MSNBC is. Right next to CNN - on the bottom.
If you’re objective and like politics, chances are good you’re going to watch Fox News because they have the most objective, most informative, and most debatable subject matter on the airwaves. Nobody comes close.
Why would you watch MSNBC? Why? It’s right from the DNC playbook! To put it quite simply, they suck.
29. Cassy | 05.14.09
Now CS doesn’t want to publish my response to Ward. It contained no name calling and no vulgarities but apparently had too many truths to be aired on this site.
30. Jerry | 05.14.09
There is already an ethics complaint against Sarah Palin. It is against the law in Alaska for Governors to make money doing other work while in office. Gov. Palin disagrees with this law. This happens to be the 12th or 13th ethics complaint against the Governor. What, her, worry? What is one more illegal or unethical act? She’s working to become a national Republican politician. After the Bush/Cheney administration, she has a long way to go to match their record on ethics breaches and criminal convictions.
31. Galen Manapat | 05.14.09
Is there anyone intelligent out there? This is an attack, by an ibecile, and simply an attempt to put her down. The implication is that she is not very bright; then how did she earn her degrees?
How on earth can you simply denigrate someone and try and simply get away with insulting someone’s intelligence and implying that a governor of one of America’s largest states is incapable of writing a book?
32. Andy | 05.15.09
Meena, your answer is every one. The GOP because they love her, and the Dems because they fear her. And the money will roll in ..
33. Rob | 05.15.09
Chris Matthews is an embarrassment to watch-which I may do once a year and only to see if they have replaced him
34. John | 05.15.09
What Rob said.
Chris Matthews is a Pennsylvania embarrasment while Sarah Palin is a National Treasure.
35. Ward Kelly | 05.15.09
Government does work for somethings generally like highways, currency, and military. But it has overreached and now it is going bankrupt. Madison and Jefferson used to write each other about the role of government. The problem is that most journalists haven’t the education to understand those letters and god forbid Obama/McCain tried to reach out with any message that our founders grappled with. I went to U.C. Berkeley back in the late 80’s and most leftists I debagted *** ***’d the founders as a bunch of old white guys with outdated ideas. Now the leftist are spewing that **** on mainstream news channels. We need to go back to debating what is the real role of government. It’s pathetic that the current argument is ….will granny get her social security check taken away from her by the big bad wolf?
So far, I don’t see any benefit of the Fed’s taking over 50 million American’s health care. That was not government’s role. George Bush was left of JFK. The whole country has lost it’s way. A good example of not seeing the forest through the trees –the partisan disease… is when people go after a Governor (average American) of a small populated state, give a radical leftist (he is extremely left) a pass w/ no experience whatsoever (President is a little more important than VP) and not one peep about Pelosi’s lunacy (she is actually way more powerful than Palin and doing significant permanent damage to the American way of life ala spending).
Why isn’t anyone pointing out Pelosi? If people out there are more scared of Palin than Pelosi, they need to get their head examined. The fact that the left is giving Pelosi a pass and focusing on Palin gets me crazy as a tax-payer. If you take a look at some of the chairman/chairwomen of committees in Congress and what they are doing, you might see how much government will grow over the next 2 years. It is mindboggling. They actually want to tax air. CO2???
36. ilovepalin | 05.15.09
this guy is absolutely ridiculous, her book will be amazing. he should not pick on her, she is extrememly intelligent, unlike him and everyone else at msnbc, thats why their ratings are through the floor.
37. Joshua | 05.16.09
No offence to those loyal to the Republican party’s attempt to win over the female vote, but I do not believe Sarah Palin has what is necessary to do well at being a good President. I consider her to be more of a publicity stunt than a reliable political voice.
38. Homunculis | 05.16.09
Chris Matthews is an utter embarrassment. How much longer is MSNBC going to finance that waste of airtime. A fat bloviating leftist is as appealing on TV as it was on radio (Air America). Ratings hovering around zero, I would think the shareholders would be clamoring for some change they can believe in.
40. PalinSteele2012 | 05.18.09
Sarah isn’t writing anything. She’s having her “memoirs” ghost-written. Maybe Bristol, newly graduated from the Wasilla Institute of Advanced Studies, can take time away from her boys (and upcoming real estate career) to read it to her mom.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Claire | 05.13.09
There is a SMALL possibility that by mentioning Sarah Palin MSNBC’s ratings went up from zero. When do we put Matthews out of his misery and pull the plug?