Matthews Mad at Mexicans Who Mocked Miss USA

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Yes he leans left. But MSNBC host Chris Matthews was manifestly offended by the Mexican audience at the Miss Universe pageant that booed Miss USA. The Mexicans were adding insult to injury, since the lovely and gracious Rachel Smith of Tennessee had earlier slipped onto her derrière during the evening gown segment of the competititon.

Discussing the matter on this afternoon's Hardball with his panel of NBC political director Chuck Todd, Howard Fineman of Newsweek, and Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Tribune, Matthews unleashed on the Mexicans:

• That's about the worst PR I can think of for this Mexican immigration bill which is mainly helping Mexicans become legal Americans. . . This young woman smiled right through it. That's class, but [the booing] wasn't very classy.
• What is it about immigration though that bothers Mexicans? I mean there are 12 million here illegally. That's fairly benign, even if it is passive, policy. It's hardly predatory. What other country in the world let's 12 million come in there, live there illegally? How can you be mad at that?
• I'll tell you one thing. If an American audience in New York or Washington or L.A. had booed a Mexican woman after she had made a mistake like that by tripping, and mocked her the whole week, we'd be talking, the PC-dispensers of the major newspapers and the media would be going all over it, saying how terrible a country we are. I'm serious, I don't know why they do it. They want to have good relations with us. This is not Vicente Fox, this is not the PAN politics that gets people elected down there. It must be a minority of elite or angry people. But this is the kind of thing that people do remember. . . They didn't feel much for her, did they? They saw it as a chance to dump on us.

When the producers showed, yet again, the footage of Rachel Smith tripping, a miffed Matthews interjected:

I think MSNBC ran this 4,000 times today. Let's not us do it again. Can we stop this joke? Let's stop now. Let's stop doing that picture. Somebody seems to get a kick out of that, somebody who doesn't like women or something.

ASIDE: During a subsequent panel, Patrick Buchanan described the Mexicans who booed as "a bunch of bums."

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Matthews-mad-at-Mexicans ping to Today show list.

[LdSentinal]

Yes he leans left

Just leans left?

[LouAvul]

I think it's good for metrosexual, new age America to see just what kind of people we're desperate to import from mehico.

These are not good people. Maybe Courtney needs jose to build a patio, but once the job is done jose isn't going home.

Build your own freaking patio.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I do put Matthews in a more moderate category than, say, his fellow MSNBC host, Keith Olbermann.

[Osage Orange]

So far port...he's turtled.

How's that?

[apro]

What I would like to know is where the heck was Matthews and the American news media all last week when Miss USA was being ‘booed’ and given the thumbs down by classless Mexican audiences countless of times at numerous days and in many events? I was waiting to hear something about it on our news outlets but surprisingly not one of them mentioned it.

[LibFreeOrDie]

Miss Mexico’s original gown:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6571061.stm

[keepitreal]

“They saw it as a chance to dump on us.”

Sorry Chris, they dump on us every day to the tune of thousands of folks they send across the border - those their society doesn’t want. And, I guarantee you those in the audience were the “elite” of Mexico. They’re mad because we aren’t taking enough of their unwanted.

[Rastus]

From what I’ve seen, these illegals hate this country. At least, they hate its citizens. They just want to be here for the money, not because they will ever care about 1776 or Pearl Harbor or anything else that defines America. If they can turn it into Mexico North, so much the better. Giving them what they want with horrible legislation doesn’t win them over. It just makes them see the goal is ever more in sight. I can’t believe it took the Miss Universe thing to make Matthews see this, but welcome aboard to anyone who can help derail it. Of course, it sounds like he’s worried that their actions might do just that.

[hunter112]

I do put Matthews in a more moderate category than, say, his fellow MSNBC host, Keith Olbermann.

That's like saying Moe is the smart Stooge...

[nctexan]

What... somebody slipped Chris some testosterone? He’s having very unusual reactions for sure.

[nativist]

I remember after 9-11 was mad and commented how the republicans had been right all the time. I think he lets his inner 50’s Democrat out every once in a while and then gets smacked back into line after the show by his boss.

[EagleUSA]

Since when did Chrissy become so PATRIOTIC AND PRO-AMERICAN?? Is this genuine? Do you believe it?

[Farmer Dean]

Maybe Chrissy has figured out how much respect the Mexicans will show to a twit like him?

[operation clinton cleanup]

That's about the worst PR I can think of for this Mexican immigration bill which is mainly helping Mexicans become legal Americans

Kinda like waving the Mexican flags at the immigration rallies. The Democrats wish the stupid Mexicans would just lay low until the amnesty law passes!

[silentreignofheroes]

Just fell off the Turnip Truch..!!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Actually, I do. Of course we know he was a Tip O’Neill and Jimmy Carter staffer, and is a big opponent of the war, etc. But there’s something kind of old-school about Matthews. I do think he’s a proud and patriotic American, although I obviously disagree with him on most things political.

[HitmanLV]

Being angry or upset about this gives those folks down there too much credit. Just look at it in the interests of clarity: they told us something about themselves, we will note it and file it. That’s all.