Chris Matthews not running for senate - all I can say is THANK GOD!!!

[LynneSin]

http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE5071K120090108

MSNBC's Chris Matthews won't run for Senate
Thu Jan 8, 2009 3:03am EST Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page <-> Text <+>

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By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - After months of will-he or won't-he speculation, MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews has opted not to run for the U.S. Senate in his native Pennsylvania.

Matthews told his producers during a meeting just before Wednesday's "Hardball" that he isn't seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat occupied by moderate Republican Arlen Specter, who is up for re-election in 2010.

Look, I for one would be happy to see Arlen Specter unseated. Yes, back some 20+ years ago when I was a political naive, I voted for Specter. But as I immersed myself in the democratic party thru countless elections I have worked on several campaigns to help defect Specter including '92 with Lynn Yeakel and 2004 with Joe Hoeffel.

Sure, there was an early poll that said Matthews could beat Specter. But early polls in 2006 said that Hillary Clinton would be running against Mitt Rommey or Rudy Giuliani for president. And yes, Pennsylvania Gov Ed Rendell was all keen to have Matthews run declaring him the front runner, but in 2000 it was Bob Casey Jr that was declared the frontrunner to be elected PA Governor in 2002. Anyone who believes that polls taken 18 months to 2 years before the action election will predict who win might also be interested in buying a bridge in Brooklyn and swampland in Florida.

The point is this whole "Chris Matthews" for governor was a fluke - probably to help raise Matthew's negotiation leverage with MSNBC. But for anyone to say he was a viable candidate simply because he claims he's a 'democrat' is a fool. Sure, some 25+ year ago he worked with such big names as Jimmy Carter and Tip O'Neill. But hell Dick Morris use to work for Bill Clinton - would you want him running as your democratic senator? What I care about is what someone is doing NOW and the fact that Media Matters has tracked 387Lies, exaggerations and trumpeting the horn of the Bush administration makes Chris Matthews rate no better than Joe Lieberman as a democratic senatorial candidate. We have 56* democratic senators in DC and we find an excuse to bitch about all 56* of them - are we so desperate that we would take a man who jumps from bandwagon to bandwagon in search of siding with whomever the popular 'kid' of the day is whether it's George Bush or Barack Obama? Pennsylvanians and democrats deserve better than that.

So Chris, I will still say it was great to see your coverage during the final stretch of the 2008 Presidential election and I hope your contract negotiations go well. But please, you're a media personality NOT a politician. Let someone who can show he/she is a real democrat do the run. Thank you


* - there are 56 Democrats at this time. Franken has not been officially seated. Sanders and Lieberman are not democrats although we adore the one (Sanders) and bitch about the other (Lieberman)

[Lasher]

1. Tweety would have sought the Democratic nomination?

That doesn't square with his 'sunny nobility' cult hero worship that he's hoping we'll all forget.

[FrenchieCat]

2. Amen!

It's not like he's a Democrat anyways. He's more like a gossip Girl.

[zbdent]

5. the righties get so much traction from him being a speechwriter for Carter

decades ago ...

and yet, his slobbering lust for Bush's crotch is ignored?

[orleans]

3. can you imagine him in the senate talking about a tingly sensation

going up his leg?

[JVS]

4. K&R

[Captain Hilts]

6. He's a sexist jerk, but other than that he's a great guy! It's okay to insult 52% of the population

At least a lot of DUers are okay with it.