Matthews advised to quit MSNBC - serious about run for Senate seat

Matthews advised to quit MSNBC
By: Michael Calderone and Josh Kraushaar
December 4, 2008 07:21 AM EST

Chris Matthews is dead serious about running for the Senate in Pennsylvania - and shopping for a house in the state and privately discussing quitting MSNBC as proof of his intense interest, according to NBC colleagues, political operatives and friends.

Even so, some NBC insiders think it’s all simply a negotiating ploy to jack up his contract.

The garrulous host of the show "Hardball with Chris Matthews" has already picked out a home in Philadelphia to establish residency in the state, according to a Democratic operative in discussions with him about a potential candidacy. Over Thanksgiving weekend, at his vacation house in Nantucket, Matthews’ family gave him their full backing.

As speculation surrounding his potential candidacy heats up, Matthews has also been asking advisers whether to step down from his MSNBC post well before his contract expires in June. At one recent meeting, he was advised that if he truly intends to run, he should resign from the network as soon as possible.

“We talked about the value of doing this now and six months from now. I advocated that he do this as soon as possible,” the operative said. “It’s the MSNBC stuff that’s going to jam him up. I said, 'if you want to be a U.S. senator, step up and get into the race.'”

If Matthews is serious about running, some within the network hope he commits to the Pennsylvania Senate race sooner rather than later. Otherwise, his nightly presence on “Hardball” provides easy fodder to critics fueling the narrative that MSNBC is in the tank for the Democratic party. After NBC News was stung by criticism during the presidential campaign—charged with bias resulting from the antics of more outspoken personalities on MSNBC—staffers worry the situation will be repeated over the next six months.

To those speaking to him, all signs point to a candidate who is gearing up to run for the Senate seat held by Republican Arlen Specter. Either that or the MSNBC host is doing an awfully good job making people think he’s running, perhaps, some say, for use as a bargaining chip in his upcoming contract negotiations.

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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16190.html

Nobody else could do that show. That would leave me with ONE show to watch at night. ONE! :cry: :mad:

if they give it to Barnacle or Mika Mouse... ugh, forget it!

Unlike Gregory, he knows how to conduct an interview. And he's not afraid to ask the tough questions. If they replaced Gregory with Shuster at 6pm and MTP, I'd be dancing in the streets.

Mike or Mika... not so much. I'm with you. ugh.

on edit: oops... I guess we'd still be stuck with Gregory - as Shuster would take over for Tweety. :cry: I'm getting my threads mixed up. lol. More coffee...

showed a clip of his wife Juliana Goldman asking Obama a question at the presser (and Obama called her one of the "originals") yesterday, with the caption "She's not just a Bloomberg reporter- she's my wife!" It was pretty cute.

I didnt see it. :( I hardly ever get to see his 4pm hour due to work. It sucks. I dont understand why he doesnt have his own show. Shuster rocks.

at the end of the hour. He said "someone in the audience got a shoutout at Obama's press conference yesterday" (because Obama noted that she was one of the originals and has been with the campaign from the start when he called on her ), and said "Juliana went on to ask an EXCELLENT question about the auto bailout", and then they had the caption and he said that she's his wife. And then he said "I hope I didn't embarrass you, Juliana!"

Thats one of the things I like about Shuster (and also about Tweety). They both just seem incredibly genuine to me. It seems to be a very rare trait when it comes to news people, sadly.

when he ran for office before. He is a liberal democrat.

:puke:

:banghead:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200505310005

MATTHEWS: I make this president look like -- you don't watch this program, Alexandra. That has never been the case with me. And anybody watching knows right now, we treat this guy with respect. I happen to like him. I voted for him at least once. I'm not going to go any further on that. But the idea that we treat him like a dunce is just inaccurate.

in that case, everyone benefits! He'd be off MSNBC, and trying to recover from a lost Senate race. No more ridiculous interuptions and bombastic absurd "discussions"...what a concept...:D

I would be surprised, actually.

pack it in...:hi:

I think he would win.

I thought he lived in PA already. He's definitely a Philly boy. Wonder if he can beat Arlen?

for some reason I thought it was taped in NYC. Silly me.

Also, his wife used to work for one of the news stations in DC.

Sometimes he and his wife are photographed in the DC mags

who would run in Arlen's spot if he decided to resign, for health reasons.

His name slips me, though.

MSNBC will be about half the network that it is currently without him, and I think he'll lose in Pa. He's just too loose-lipped to make it through the process without crashing and burning.

Sure KO and Rachel, when she isn't sliding into Debbie Downer mode, are often more aligned with our thinking, but Tweety has forgotten more about politics than these two will ever know and, more often than not, his heart is in the right place.

David Schuster is one of my favorite talking heads.

I just don't think he has a chance against Arlen.

Plus he'll have to defend more than a few of the stupid things he's said in the past.

But I think he'd kick Specter's butt.

He should stay on the air as long as possible though. The heck with what MSNBC thinks about its image.

MATTHEWS: I make this president look like -- you don't watch this program, Alexandra. That has never been the case with me. And anybody watching knows right now, we treat this guy with respect. I happen to like him. I voted for him at least once. I'm not going to go any further on that. But the idea that we treat him like a dunce is just inaccurate.

From Hardball. May 27, 2005. http://mediamatters.org/items/200505310005


Hope he gets a challenger in the Democratic primary, because whoever he/she is, is going to have a field day with this clip.

:(

if they lose of its most famous show/host, what they care is throwing opposing views. If Tweety quits, so do I.

The sexist creep would be off the air and with any luck he won't win. If he does run, I'll be spending a lot of time in PA campaigning for anyone who runs against him.

:7

I don't get that advice. If he plans on running wouldn't the exposure help him? Go Tweety!

If he chooses to run for elected office, he would have to hand MSNBC his resignation. If that does come to happen, I'll be opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate the momentous occasion.

:toast:

have duct tape plastered on his mouth at all times except during a filibuster. I mean, he strikes me as being possibly very disruptive and not following the rules the Senators must for debate.