Posted on 10/03/2007 8:37:56 PM PDT by xjcsa
See the video here.
Also, see the transcript here.
Now for the main story:
Jon Stewart Dismantles Chris Mathews
If you have ever bemoaned the turn Matthews -- a former newspaperman -- has taken in recent years, you have to check out what happened on "The Daily Show" on Tuesday night. Matthews called it "the worst interview ever."
By Greg Mitchell
(October 03, 2007) -- You may find this hard to believe, but there was a time when TV gasbag Chris Matthews was a respectable hard news reporter. He worked in Washington, D.C. for the San Francisco Examiner from 1987 to around 2000, and also wrote columns for the San Francisco Chronicle and others. But if you have ever bemoaned the turn his career took as an interviewer/talk show host – or if you just hate the inside-the-beltway mentality of many of our leading press and TV pundits – then you would have loved Jon Stewart’s dismantling of Matthews on “The Daily Show” last night.
I have no idea if there is a back story to this epic confrontation beyond Stewart’s known hatred of loudmouth TV bullying (remember his famous attack on “Crossfire” a few years back?). But what was on the screen right in front of our noses was shocking enough, not to mention long overdue. Matthews, growing angry, called it “the book interview from hell” and his "worst interview ever," adding, "You are the worst."
Matthews accused him of "trashing my book." Stewart said he was actually "trashing your philosophy."
The "Hardball" host was there, like so many others before him, simply to hype his new book, “Life’s a Campaign.” Stewart was after him right from the start. He described the book as claiming that “people can use what politicians do in political campaigns to help their lives. ... That strikes me as fundamentally wrong.” Rather than a self-help book it is really a “self-hurt book, if you will," he added. "Aren't campaigns fundamentally contrivances?"
Matthews agreed, but said you could still learn from successful politicians – like them, you sometimes have to “sell yourself” to get a job or manipulate people to get ahead.
"But there has to be some core of soul in there," Stewart replied. "There's nothing in this book about, 'Be good, be competent.'"
Matthews said THAT book had been written before – and it was the Bible. But Stewart, when he is on his game, can be quick and erudite, and now he pointed out that Matthews’ new book had also been written before – and it was Machiavelli’s “The Prince.” Matthews claimed his book was better than "The Prince."
Stewart then twice called Matthews’ book "a recipe for sadness. ... If you live this book, your life will be strategy, and ... you'll be unhappy."
Matthews, finding himself on the receiving end for a change, invited Stewart to “Hardball,” and "we can play this both ways." Stewart replied, “I don't troll," drawing gasps from the audience.
"You are unbelievable," Matthews said. "This is a book interview from hell. This is the worst interview I've ever had in my life. This is the worst. You are the worst." Matthews accused him of being another Zell Miller but Stewart said that, unlike the former senator, he would not challenge Matthew to a duel.
Sputtering for an explanation, Matthews charged that "you are afraid of me" and there must be something in his book “that you fear."
"Like fascism, I fear fascism," Stewart responded.
This was worth waiting a decade for. You can watch the interview here.
Perhaps we should close with a quote from Machiavelli: "Because how one ought to live is so far removed from how one lives....it is necessary for a prince, wanting to maintain himself, to learn how to be able to be not good and to use this and not use it according to necessity." Now, that's playing hardball.
The problem with that is that “The Prince” is *still* true today, and Matthews’ book... well, isn’t.
Me too - Hillary must have gotten to it first.
Nervous laughter. Stewart undoubtedly felt very uncomfortable attacking a fellow lefty in such a way, and laughing helped ease the tension. Kudos to him, though -- he did it.
Thank you. Now that was good TV. Hah, Matthews..
bump
Those are my sentiments exactly. Stewart has had conservatives on his show ranging from Newt Gingrich to Pat Buchanan and he hasn't gone after them as hard as he did with Matthews.
Stewart is incredibly self-righteous.
Just keep putting it up on YouTube like the jihadists do. They can’t delete them all.
Stewart totally trashed Matthews in a “good natured ribbing” which came off better than any hard hitting interview !!
Stewart got his point across, perfectly ....that the book was pure BS !!
Plus Stewart made Matthews look like an idiot ......and got away with calling him a fascist and a troll !!
What more could you have asked for !!
Converted to .avi and parked if anyone wants it.
http://download139.mediafire.com/trwz5nyxxe3g/2rwztqm1zjx/stewartmatthews.avi (15.7MB)
Ambush journalism… or my evening with caveman Chris Matthews
The thread after Zell Miller’s speech...I saved it! Link to read the article might only appear after the first 50 posts...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1205257/posts
OK I have a new respect for Stewart. Never thought he had the guts to say these things to a leftist fascist.
I can’t stand Stewart.
And he seems to be winking at Matthews as he does it, even as Matthews squeezes out the most hideous forced laughter you’ll ever hear.
But this is as close as I’ve ever seen anyone come to unmasking a pillar of the mSM in public.
That day is coming.
actually it doesn’t look like there’s much to the article. But I like re-reading all the posts!
I laughed out loud when the last line of the interview was, “So we all agree that Rush was wrong.”
The hilarity of this statement, aside from the obviously COMMUNIST. traitorous, Reid pinko, complaining that Limbaugh does not support or our brave troops enough, is that it was not at all what was being said. That is, Chrissy summarized the conversation totally out of the reality of what was happening.
If we all lived by time lines and commercials then we could all say at the end of any encounter, “So, what you are saying is that you agree with me!” “Thank you and next up, I have to have to go watch my daughter’s recital.”
The guy is deranged! This is my professional medical evaluation. Refer for evaluation
A Scottish rocker.
Regards
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