Posted on 09/02/2004 6:08:42 AM PDT by kattracks
Democratic Sen. Zell Miller, whose speech slamming John Kerry as soft on defense electrified the GOP convention Wednesday night, gave MSNBC's Chris Matthews a much needed on-air upbraiding minutes later for constantly interrupting him during an interview.Miller gave no ground as Matthews deployed his patented rat-a-tat rhetorical style, and even warned the pro-Kerry host that he wouldn't let him get away with the same kind of treatment he gave Michelle Malkin last week, when Matthews tossed her off the show for defending the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. Some highlights:
MILLER: If you are going to ask me a question, step back and let me answer. (LAUGHTER)
MATTHEWS: Senator, please.
MILLER: You know, I wish we...
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MILLER: I wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel.
(LAUGHTER)
MILLER: Now, that would be pretty good. Don‘t ask me—don‘t pull that...
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: Can you can come over? I need you, Senator. Please come over.
MILLER: Wait a minute. Don‘t pull that kind of stuff on me, like you did that young lady when you had her there, browbeating her to death. I am not her. I am not her. . . . . . .
MATTHEWS: Do you believe they want to defend the country?
MILLER: Look, I applaud what John Kerry did as far as volunteering to go to Vietnam. I applaud what he did when he volunteered for combat. I admire that, and I respect that. And I acknowledge that. I have said that many, many times.
MATTHEWS: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: But I think his record is atrocious.
MATTHEWS: Well, let me ask you, when Democrats come out, as they often do, liberal Democrats, and attack conservatives, and say they want to starve little kids, they want to get rid of education, they want to kill the old people...
MILLER: I am not saying that. Wait a minute.
MATTHEWS: That kind of rhetoric is not educational, is it?
MILLER: Wait a minute.
Now, this is your program. And I am a guest on your program.
MATTHEWS: Yes, sir.
MILLER: And so I want to try to be as nice as I possibly can to you. I wish I was over there, where I could get a little closer up into your face.
(LAUGHTER)
MILLER: But I don‘t have to stand here and listen to that kind of stuff. I didn‘t say anything about not feeding poor kids. What are you doing? . . . . .
MATTHEWS: OK. Do you believe now—do you believe, Senator, truthfully, that John Kerry wants to defend the country with spitballs? Do you believe that?
MILLER: That was a metaphor, wasn‘t it? Do you know what a metaphor is?
MATTHEWS: Well, what do you mean by a metaphor?
MILLER: Wait a minute. He certainly does not want to defend the country with the B-1 bomber or the B-2 bomber or the Harrier jet or the Apache helicopter or all those other things that I mentioned. And there were even more of them in here.
You‘ve got to quit taking these Democratic talking points and using what they are saying to you.
MATTHEWS: No, I am using your talking points and asking you if you really believe them.
MILLER: Well, use John Kerry‘s talking points from the—from what he has had to say on the floor of the Senate, where he talked about them being occupiers, where he put out this whenever he was running for the U.S. Senate about what he wanted to cancel. Cancel to me means to do away with.
MATTHEWS: Well, what did you mean by the following.
MILLER: I think we ought to cancel this interview. [END OF EXCERPTS]
Zell's speech can be heard in it's entirety on
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3885253
I missed the thing with Chris Matthews. Is anyone still watching him. He is good when the issues in front of him are obvious, e.g. Clinton's scandel. But he is so clearly liberal left now that I can't stomach him for more than a few minutes. His "hardball" is a joke. He can't play hardball with someone who knows how to play.
Take you ball and bat and go home Chrissy.
nick
My husband is a epee fencer (lefty, too).
You guys are all insane. No right of way, no holds barred, it's just a ding dong brawl out there on the mat.
- sincerely, sabre fencer. < g >
Zell is from Union County GA, mountainy home of some pretty tough customers. He could do like non-fencer Kerry Macfarland in Destiny Bay and just deliver an uppercut with epee in hand - assuming Prissy Chrissy had the nerve to stand up with him.
And the reference to Michelle that Zell made to Matthews, how sweet it is!!!!!
That's the way to treat these liberal shills, get in their face and rip them a new one. Call them to task, expose them for what they are, partisan hacks and mind numbed robots repeating democRAT talking points.
And Millers comments about the democRAT leadership was sorely needed and long overdue. I suspect Rush is gonna have a field day with this material from Zell.
Could you make sure the Chrissy bleeds for a while and is pain? Thanks in advance ;o)
It was gratifying to watch.....now if only that song "I Feel Good" where playing. The last time I saw something this funny in Politics was in 1994 when the Republicans took over the House and Senate!!!!
'sbout time someone stove in his hat.
What? I'm no fan of Mathews, but he laughed through the whole thing and was good natured about it. It was obvious that Zell couldn't hear the questions, and when he did Mathews started asking another question before he could answer and 'ol Zell gave him hell. But Mathews wasn't mean (and he sure can be) about it and seemed to enjoy it. MSNBC will show it every 15 minutes all day long-----it will bring ratings becasue people will tune in tonight to see if there is another train wreck. they don't care how Mathew looks as long as people look.
I've heard Mr. Miller say that he doesn't have politics scheduled for his plate from now on. Damn shame.
If he can't make a presidential run, they should at least offer him his own radio or (Fox) TV show. I'd watch it intently every day.
I saw Zell last night & he was mad. Chrissy got to him at the wrong time. He was still pumped. ha ha!
I wish I had seen this one too. I'll bet they were spouting all their talking points. Can you provide a few details?
That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, better even than his speech. We watched his amazing speech but missed this later. THANK YOU for the link!
"MATTHEWS: Well, what do you mean by a metaphor? "
CHRIStina Matthews really isn't THAT stupid.. one would hope..
Is he?
If he is..
*Evil guffaws*
Someone needs to water him and give him Miracle Grow.
He's done.
IMHO Chris deliberately tried to frame her perhaps because he tried to hit on her and she showed no interest in him.
I had no idea they made cans of whoop ass that big.
Poor Chrissy never knew what hit him. I guess he forgot he was dealing with a former Marine.
I am a big guy and loved to fleche against opponents. When I went by would occasionally give them a shoulder. It worked.
MATTHEWS: Well, what do you mean by a metaphor?
Well, it all depends on what the meaning of is, is.
Oh, I plan to! Many thanks on behalf of all of us lurkers!
Maybe that was why Greenberg was thumbing his notes? Don't know, but Woolf barely had him on for longer than a minute. He probably realized CNN would be better served to get Miller off the air quick.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.