Posted on 10/02/2008 11:47:51 PM PDT by acsuc99
After the vice presidential debate Chris Matthews criticized Sarah Palin for, of all things, looking into the camera because it made her look like a "dolt." In fact, the "Hardball," host took several stylistic shots at Palin that implied the Alaska Governor wasn't very intelligent. Audio here
When guest panelist Roger Simon noted Palin looked directly into the camera, Matthews observed:
You know what I think of people when they come on "Hardball," and they look at the camera, I think they're dolts.
In addition to the "dolt," remark Matthews viewed Palin's performance as "so reciting," and "automatic," "like a spelling bee," and charged:
The dangerous thing about these debates is that you can really recite your way to victory. You can memorize an awful lot of material and get away with it as intelligence, when in fact, it's just really good preparation.
The following exchanges occurred during MSNBC's October 2, post vice presidential debate coverage and then later on a special midnight [EDT] edition of "Hardball:"
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MATTHEWS: But for a while there I thought I was listening to a person recite to the point and I mean recite speech parts, to the point I thought I was watching a spelling-bee. It was so reciting. So automatic. It sounded like a spelling-bee where you read each word out, you recite the word, give the spelling, give the word back again, exactly the way you were taught. I think it sounded a bit automatic, but let's leave it to the viewers. Some people might find that bracing.
...
MATTHEWS: David [Gregory] I think the dangerous thing about these debates is that you can really recite your way to victory. You can memorize an awful lot of material and get away with it as intelligence, when in fact, it's just really good preparation.
...
ROGER SIMON, POLITICO: When she faced the audience, she always looked directly into the camera, always directly at America. Joe Biden was turned for most of it.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: He was looking at Gwen.
SIMON: At Gwen Ifill, exactly! Which came across better?
MATTHEWS: Well apparently according to all the polling, talking to, answering the questions of the moderator, not ignoring those questions, not doing what every, every first year candidate does is go right to the camera. You know what I think of people when they come on "Hardball," and they look at the camera, I think they're dolts. I think that's the one thing people don't like, because when you're looking at me right now, that's real. You're looking at me that's real. You start looking in the camera right now and answer my question and see how you look. Okay just see how you look.
SIMON: Joe Biden went through-
MATTHEWS: Go ahead talk to the camera, don't talk, don't talk to me, see what you looked like. You look like a dolt!
Matthews is an embarassment.
I guess Matthews just admitted he’s a DOLT! He always plays to the camera, he could give Palin and Biden lessons.
sarah palin just solidified her position tonite as the #1 position on the ticket
for 3 election cycles to come...
go F yourselves.
That was my first thought, exactly.
You beat me to it.
Chrissy, the correct English for that would be:
"It was like a recitation."
But then nobody ever accused you of being fair, accurate, or particularly articulate. You even look into the camera. You Dolt!
This coming from a guy who leans into the camera, spits, and shouts in monotone.
They were especially vicious tonight at MSNBC— the snippets I caught—the dolt comment was one. CNN was almost as bad. CNN trys to act like they are seriously analyzing the events—ha, ha. MSNBC is just venom, venom, venom.
Gee, Christopher, when I looked at her, I felt a tingle running up my leg. You didn’t, huh?
Did it occur to that dolt (Matthews) that Governor Palin was looking the American people in the eye, not the camera?
I’m feeling quite content tonight. I think Palin did a great job, and as we all anticipate, the bottomfeeders will scour the insides of their own toilets for muck to fling at her yet again. Palin can withstand that scumminess.
If anyone’s statements are “prepped” or scripted it is Christingle’s.
Also, this coming from a guy who can look into the camera and admit to the 10 people that watch MSNBC that he’s tingly for another man.
Matthews is the New Democrat definition of a feminist--he's a bitch when dealing with a Republican woman, and a total Alan Alda/Phil Donahue eunuch with a Dem woman.
Of course people on his show, on a panel, speaking to people present with them probably shouldn't look directly into the camera. Someone speaking directly to the American people behind the camera should.
Chrissy knows that.
And here he is in:
Proof positive that Palin kicked Biden’s arse. The poofs on the left get bitchy when their candidate is beaten up, especially by a girl.
They were so utterly desperate and despondent.
Good thing his tingler, Obama, never prepares material in advance or recites from a script.
A pity about Matthews, he has lost his mind.
Seriously, when Obama loses, he may need counseling.
No, Chrissy, they're just not that into you.
Poor thing, I guess he didn’t get that thrill going up his leg tonight!
Since when did being well-prepared get such a bad rap?
If Palin had made the slightest stumble, they would have been all over her “poor preparation.”
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