WAS THE HARDBALL SEGMENT WITH O'NEILL A SETUP

[BushisTheMan]

Matthews son campaigned for has-been Dean

[cyncooper]

Sheehy has always creeped me out, big time.

ick

[philman_36]

All I've got to say is that if more people just got up after one of those tirades, threw down the mike and left more often stuff like this wouldn't happen as often.
It's kind of hard to produce a show when your guests all leave in disgust.

[cyncooper]

Can it get any more absurd?

Just when I think we've seen it all, they top themselves. You watch, it WILL get more absurd.

LOL

[BushisTheMan]

Here's what I liked about the Hardball show:

-- O'Neill got in several times that John Kerry shot the guy in the back.
-- O'Neill said several times "Yes, I'm calling John Kerry a liar."
-- O'Neill proved that Kerry lied about Cambodia and got in a very good dig.
-- He knocked Christine over when he said he had voted both Democrat and Republican - twice for Perot and once for Gore. He never admitted to voting for Clinton thank heaven!
-- Asked Christine if 9 men's remberances override 60? which put spitting-Chrissie on the defensive.
-- Christine looked like the a$$ he was - a RAT shrill.
-- Got in that Christine was accusing the 2nd in line in the Navy advocate's office a liar (not sure if I got the title right)
-- Got in that Leyman signed one of the medals 14 years after the fact.

Bad things:
-- The RATs are insisting EVERYONE on the boat (never ever mention Gardner opposes Kerry)
-- The RATS keep reading the medals record. This needs to be countered by sworn statements of Zumwalt/others saying they took Kerry's word for the incidents.
-- Keep saying Republican sponsored
-- Keep bringing in Corsi
-- Keep saying 60 men are liars! (This one really ticks me off!)
-- Keep getting in a dig that Bush never fought in combat. (Bush served; Clinton didn't)

My overall assessment: Chrissy looked like a partisan. John O'Neill has my undying admiration! Sign up for the SwiftVets forum and tell them all we admire them and support them.

[section9]

Torie put it best in a post yesterday

Actually it was good. Matthews degraded his own credibility. It started when he shot from the hip, and said O'Neill was Texas Republican, when Matthews really had no clue, and turned out to be wrong. O'Neill said he voted for Gore, amazingly enough, as well as that nutter Perot, less amazingly. Neither Matthews nor that other Dem spinning guest, could really offer any specifics to refute O'Neill's specifics about Kerry's proactive fraud to obtain medals he did not deserve, until the Dem spinner quoted the inconstant and unfortunate Elliot fellow, or whatever his name is, who has a new story about every week it seems. Other than that, it was a blowout. These guys do a fine job in impeaching themselves. Plus Matthews is a rude asshole. But then, that is old news, and he not atypical in that department.

The whole thing cheered me up. I want more, much more

Matthews, Carville, and Lanny Davis gave the entire game away to Karl Rove last night. Torie just figured it out while the rest of us were enraged by Matthews petulant outrage and Carville's histrionics.

The folks at the DNC have tried to fisk the book. They can't punch holes in O'Neill or the rest of the officers of Coastal Division 13. They tried to kill the story but it has grown enough legs to start to harm Kerry in the runup to the Republican National Convention. Any momentum he had has been stalled out. And their internal polling has to show that this book is starting to hurt them on the margins, sort of like a reverse Michael Moore effect.

They've blown it. Big time.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

He flat out says as if it is fact that GWB joined the guard to avoid Vietnam "everbody knows that" he'll say

He is condemning an entire generation of National Guard with that statement. I remember the days of the draft. Honey, when your number came up, you number came up. The lucky ones got into the Guard. I did not know anyone who wanted to go to Viet Nam.

Many, many young men tried to get into the Guard so they would not have to go to Viet Nam. That was the way it was back then.

Why? Because every night at the dinner hour the lead story on each of the Big 3 would be how many troops died that day. There was no call to let the military fight that war to win. The call was for us to cut and run like cowards.

An entire generation of young men faced the draft lottery with death and failure as their only frame of reference.

Being in the Guard was not a cakewalk. Ask those young men at Kent State. The Guard was called up whenever the SDS or VVAW sponsored their "peace marches" or "sit-ins"

So, for those of you still wet behind the ears, to young to remember, the next time you hear someone calledless than brave for going into the guard instead of Viet Nam--remember the history lesson I just gave you. Put it in the context of the times. RANT over

[carl in alaska]

"Keep getting in a dig that Bush never fought in combat."

I know, that combat dig is just rediculous. Bush went through jet fighter pilot training, which is difficult and dangerous, and he knew he could have been sent to Vietnam. A number of trainees and veteran military pilots die in crashes every year. Flying fighter jets is dangerous and is not the occupation of a "chicken hawk." I had a friend from high school who flew F-14 Tomcat fighters in the Navy. One day his jet malfunctioned and began crashing on takeoff. My friend ejected just four seconds before the plane hit the ground and exploded. He only flew a couple more times after that accident, just to prove he wasn't a coward. Then he went to the Navy medical college and became a physician. Chrissie Matthews would probably pass out from fear if he went up in a fighter jet.

[cyncooper]

He is condemning an entire generation of National Guard with that statement.

I know that and it is the very reason my boycott went into effect in the first place months ago.

You are absolutely correct. In addition, Matthews never acknowledges the skill required to be a pilot, as George W. Bush managed to do, much less does Matthews concede that flying involves a bit of risk. Last night he upped the rhetoric to new heights. As I said earlier, the only reason I put on his sick and pathetic show was in order to see John O'Neill.

Matthews gets more vile with each passing day.

And to think I used to like him.

[hchutch]

Yup. Seems like someone on the Kerry-Edwards side failed to remember the parable of the old bull and the young bull.

[cyncooper]

That's because the left has only lies and deceit on their side in this matter. Not the wholesome laws of nature.

They can't take a measured tone because to do so would be to let the voices of O'Neill and the rest of the over 200 anti-Kerry Swift Vets' voices be heard. That way lies the ruin of John Kerry.

The only option is to shout it down and hope to intimidate and cow (lol) these men into silence. Which is not going to happen.

[BlueHorseShoe]

My hubby and I watched that show and our mouths were hanging open (while simultaneously flipping him off every two minutes...lol). Even for the Pantywaste Mathews he was outta control. He makes me crazy but I have to admit I chuckle over his utter lack of ability to control his temper.

He kept making the argument that Kerry is far more worthy of being elected President based on his going to war. Well, does that mean that he now believes that Bob Dole and George HW Bush also should have been elected over Clinton. Hmmmm...makes me wonder. :o)

He also ripped into him about his political leanings shouting for him to make known who he has voted for in the past accusing him of being Republican. Also, dismissing his remarks about Kerry's commanding officers in the war stating "we all know those guys were all Republicans" was insulting and showed Mathews' bias against hearing what was being told him.

Does this now mean that Mathews must discount everything any Democrat believes because they are so slanted they cannot tell the truth except to shade it in their own political light? Or, wait, that is only the test for someone who opposes Chrissy's "my way or the highway" beliefs.

Chrissy, come on. You embarrassed yourself and you think we're too stupid to see that. Grow up and wake up and smell the cockadoodie coffee!

One more note. O'Neill handles himself extremely well staying calm and telling the facts. He's pretty darn credible.

[txrangerette]

I'm talking Chrissy's childish,
needy, hero-worship of McCain,
plus his convenient USE of him
to dis Bush & real Repubs. NOT
that word "lover" in romantic
or physical terms! LOL

The photos of McCain hugging W
at these monster rallies evoked
STRONG responses from several
quarters, including here & DU.

Childish, needy, worshipful,
DEMOCRAT Chrissy had to be just
beside hims widdle self

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

McCain is the only GOP Matthews has any use for. Matthews probably was orgasmic when McCain condemned the SwiftBoat ad on the basis of ZERO facts.

Maybe Matthews is privy to the internal polling which suggests all is not well for Kerry.

[cyncooper]

You are right. We can't forget that the left was hoping McCain would join Kerry on the ticket!

LOL

Let's simmer in that for a minute and I guess their psychosis is explained, at least in part.

[Texaspeptoman]

Wow! What a show. I really want to thank you for being real last night. PLEASE keep it up. We need for people to see exactly WHO you are. I wonder when I see someone like you react as you did when questioning/confronting/abusing John O'Neill. Then I try to imagine the epistemology involved. I'm sorry but I can't twist my mind into a Gordian knot.

One of the best psychology teachers I had taught me the ANGER-FEAR dyad (pair). You see, whenever someone exhibits anger (you-last night - a lot of anger), the action required is not to address the anger but to examine the FEAR that motivates and give energy to the ANGER. And Chris, you have a lot of fear. Why, because if O'Neill can prove one thing to be true, you know deep down that all aspects of his actions and statements are thus open to examination. And how can I say this, it is exactly what you guys in the anti-Bush crowd (i.e. media/m.moore/nyt/w.post/alphabet networks/dnc/etc.) have been attempting to do since the Supreme Court, in 2000, told you to shut up and that you have to play by the rules.

Cheers,
XXXXX

PS: you really were an asshole last night!

[Saundra Duffy]

I saw some of this show. I'm NEVER WATCHING CHRIS MATHEWS AGAIN! Sheeeeesh. Yes, it was a contrived set up.

[Texaspeptoman]

his actions = Kerry"s actions

sorry

[Common Tator]

The Democrats, largely on the advice of Carville, take the tactic of shouting over the opposition when they can't win an argument. I agree section9.. torie has it right on the money.

The problem Mathews fails to consider is nothing that could be said on that show would change the minds of the left or right. It is the centrists in the audience that are up for grabs.

Tons of research shows a large number of independents vote for the candidates they like. Candidates are judged on their own behavior and the the behavior of their supporters. The centrists watching that show got nothing from the shouting match except there was something the Kerry supporters did not want them to know. And they do not like Kerry's obnoxious supporters.

The inference drawn by the viewers is the Kerry people must be keeping them from knowing bad stuff about Kerry. That is they will draw the conclusion that there is very harmful information about Kerry that his supporter feel must be suppressed at all costs.

The viewers who are swing voters draw the conclusion that Matthews knows that they will come to a negative conclusion about Kerry. They reason the bad news about Kerry is worse than they think it is.

It is a stupid thing for Matthews to do. It is most counter productive to his cause. It is also costly in terms of audience. The viewing public does not like that kind of display and will turn it off.

Matthews is a not very smart broadcaster. Has their ever been a smart Broadcaster at MSNBC? Chrissy shoots himself in the foot. His ratings are way less than half his competition on Fox.. Chrissy is clueless. He plays to the media. He is a fool.

Chrissy is extremely good for our side. He just does not know it.

[nyconse]

On a different note, I have watch Scarborough Country and think Pat Buchannon is doing a terific job. I wish he was on all the time.