Chris Matthews: Nader Unqualifed b/c Never Been Married

[Lauren2882]

Did anyone catch Ralph Nader on Hardball?

I did -- most of it was Chris Matthews criticizing Nader for running ... which is fine ... but at point point he started saying that because Nader hasn't lived a "normal" American life (i.e. gotten married, had kids) he isn't qualified to run for President. He went on to compare Nader to Bush, who shows maturity by being a "family man."

Ok, let me start off by saying that I'm not defending Ralph Nader's decision to run for President in 2004. I was as die-hard a supporter as they came back in 2000, but this time around I can't see any good that a Nader candidacy could serve, and I will absolutely support whoever the Democratic nominee is.

However, that Chris Matthews stuff really pissed me off. You aren't qualified to run for President if you've never been MARRIED? It's probably the most absurd argument I've ever heard him make. Plenty of responsible people make the decision to never get married, or to not get married until late in life, and plenty of people CAN'T get married because they're gay aren't provided with the freedom to marry their life partners! Is Chris Matthews really saying that all of such individuals don't have the qualifications to run for President? It's unbelievable.

Ok, and maybe some of you are saying "so?" That is, while you would agree with me that this is stupid, there's no reason to get upset about because it's stupidity directed at Ralph Nader, and Ralph Nader really shouldn't be running for President -- for other reasons (and I agree; he shouldn't be). But this made me really mad because it seems possible that if enough of this STUPID mudslinging goes on, people might actually decide to vote for Nader BECAUSE they're so fed up with the "system." The bottom line: I hope that the Democrats can avoid taking the low road in competing against Nader (and so far I think John Kerry and John Edwards have handled the situation well) and I hope that all of the crap that the media throws out proves to be consequential.

For those of you who saw the interview: what did you think?

[Rowdyboy]

1. Matthews is a blowhard without an original thought

in his brain. Just too hard to take anything he says seriously. I agree, marriage should not be a qualifier for the presidency.

[Touchdown]

3. I agree, but...

An ego trip should be a disqualifier. He'll get less than his 3% he got last time, so I'm not worried about his vanity race.

[tishaLA]

2. I mentioned this in GD2004 and I agree

to call Nader "immature" for not marrying is the most absurd thing to enter our political discourse since we worried about Gore's earth tones. Way to go Tweets....we thought you'd hit bottom, but you found hell's subdivision.

[Deja Q]

4. What a crock of cattle cack...

WTF does marriage have to do with anything? We need jobs. We need confidence. We need intelligence.

Many couples get divorced because of money issues (which harks back to JOBS, you know - the repuke thing where they don't want workers to have liveable wages).

Sigh... what a fucked up country.


Also,

Presidents who were never married:
James Buchanan
Grover Cleveland (okay, he did marry but it happened well AFTER he was elected - he was a bachelor beforehand...)

Presidents who had more than one marriage, clearly showing they are not good family men:

Theodore Roosevelt
RONALD REAGAN
John Tyler
Millard Fillmore
Woodrow Wilson
Benjamin Harrison

[nixonwasbetterthanW]

17. unfair

With the exception of Reagan, the multimarried prezes whom you cite all remarried but only after they were widowed.

[Bronco69]

5. Wasn't President Buchanan

a bachelor?

[DuctapeFatwa]

6. Is he saying Ralph is not an adulterer?

I'm surprised at Chris. He is underestimating the proud American tabloid tradition.

They thrive on challenges like this.

[Demobrat]

7. Kucinich is a bachelor too, isn't he?

Or is he divorced? As a straight 50 year old woman who never married, by choice, I'm not surprised at all. There is a lot of resentment out there towards those of us who refuse to put our necks in the yoke.

[joycep]

8. That man must be insane as far as I'm concerned

I'm pissed about Nader running again but I sure wouldn't think marriage would be a qualification for being the president.

[caledesi]

15. Kucinich has been married twice. nt

[kayell]

9. How bizzarre. NPR had a bit on gay marriage this afternoon, and they

mentioned that there is a tradional view that marriage and having children proves maturity, and that people who do not marry are not mature.

Believe it or not, I seem to have missed that entire message for the last 46 years. Is this really a common belief, or a new meme in the making?

[saltpoint]

10. Franklin Pierce's wife refused to live in the --

-- White House and spent most of her life after 1852 living in isolation & writing letters to her dead son Benjamin.

I think Pierce was a weak president because of his support of slavery and not because his wife was not in Washington.

Didn't hear the Matthews piece with Nader, but I'm passing on Nader's candidacy because I'm comfortable with our Democratic candidates and not because of Nader's marriage status.

[mike1963]

11. I saw it. Wondered if Tweety had his gaydar operating...

:evilgrin:

[ewagner]

12. That wasn't the only stupid thing

Disclaimer first: I'm pissed that Nadar decided to run for whatever reason he chose to do so. (I won't go so far as to ascribe motives to him) I'm voting for the ham sandwich vs Bush* option.

But Matthews came up with the most ridiculous arguments I 've ever heard a journalist mouth. for example:

Why won't you release you tax forms?

Who did you vote for in Presidential races during your lifetime? (Nader bent a little and allowed that he voted for himself in 2000)

These were dumb questions. Chris should be ashamed of himself.

The larger question is why did he have to go through such lengths to attack Nadar? Does he think Nadar is a threat to his beloved Chimp?

[ComerPerro]

13. Here is what it takes to be "qualified", apparently, according to Rethugs

You have to be dumber than shit

You have to be the most arrogant fucking asshole on the planet.

You have to be a complete whore to the religious right.

You have to be a complete whore to you corporate donors.

You have to be a complete whore to the PNAC.

You have to be a complete failure at everything you have ever done.

You have to be a lazy SOB who has never held a real job.

You have to be a spineless coward who likes to play dress-up.

You have to be relatively inexperienced in politics.

And, most importantly, you have to be a former cociane user and a recovering alcoholic.


I guess that is why they like Bush so damn much. These are the qualities they are looking for in a leader that they can blindly worship.

[Cocoa]

14. even worse, he doesn't have a car!

and he lives in an apartment!

What does anyone care about how Nader moves himself around, or what kind of dwelling he lives in?

Tweety was especially clownish tonight, including when he was lusting after Jennifer Granholm. That was just weird.

[Catherine Vincent]

16. Actually, I'd like to know if Nader has had any love interest

in his entire life? Female or male, or is he just stuck on himself thinking he's too perfect for anybody.