Let's keep it simple: Chris Matthews - do you want him running as a democrat for the US Senate

[LynneSin]

Poll question: Let's keep it simple: Chris Matthews - do you want him running as a democrat for the US Senate

Personally, I think Matthews would be another Joe Lieberman who would stab us in the back first chance he gets. His track record from the last 8 years has shown that he sucks up to republicans and even admitted to voting for Bush. Sure, he was pro-Obama up until the election but at a time when it was safe to jump on the democratic bandwagon. Where was he defending democrats prior to the 2008 democratic convention.

He has worked for Democrats in the past back 25-30 years ago. Using those qualifications of being a democrat means Dick Morris, former toe-sucking Clinton employee, would also be a great democratic candidate.

Personally I think there are better democrats in Pennsylvania that should be running and even then it's always an uphill battle with Arlen Specter (who really shouldn't be running)

There are no primaries, Matthews is not the nomination so bash or praise all you want. But I think Matthews is not a safe bet for a democrat senator and is not to be trusted. To me, if he was a senator and suddenly the republicans became the hot party - I think Matthews would be there right with them. We don't need another Joe Lieberman, hell we don't need a Ben Nighthorse Campbell or Richard Shelby either (was it Shelby that switched parties or Sessions - I never remember)

[Venceremos]

1. It's not my state but

I don't want him in the Senate for the same reasons you listed. Plus, he's just so annoying.

[shraby]

2. He'd be terrible..he gets the giggles when he

does stories about dirty politics. Remember he encouraged Hillary to go dirty as well as wanted the Rev. Wright story brought back out. He has no scruples at all.

[AllentownJake]

3. He's probably lose

PA isn't NY. We don't like Carpet Baggers or Celebrities...Even if they are from here originally.

Putting on a Phillies cap when they are winning doesn't make you a Pennsylvanian when you've spent the past 40+ years in Washington.

[LynneSin]

7. It's funny about celebrities - Joe Paterno's son ran for the House in 2004

Tim Holden (PA-17) won an upset a re-drawn district where it was meant to favor the republican who merged into his district. Tim escaped with a victory.

So in 2004 the republican were targetting the seat in hope to return it back to the republicans and recruited the son of Joe Paterno, a long-time supporter of Bush in the Republicans. Mind you, Scott Paterno was a joke - the guy got his education because of his dad, even his law degree came thru Penn State (thru Dickenson which is part of the PSU system). After college his tax returns showed the guy never made more than $20k a year, pretty much he was a loaf-about whose claim to fame was he was Joe Paterno's kid.

So Scott Paterno opts to run and even buys a house in PA-17 (he lived 2 miles outside) so he could run. And everyone assumed that this was the ticket because PA-17 is also near Penn State and filled with Penn State fans.

Paterno had his bum handed to him on election day. Even my mother, a die-hard Penn State fan, said the kid was a bum.

[Gato Moteado]

9. yeah, i think you're right......

....i think he'd gt his ass handed to him on a plate.

they have too many videos of him sucking up to bottom feeders like tom delay and fellating garbae like bush. PA democrats would rather eat vomit than vote for tweety.

[olkaz]

4. I like him.

I'm in the minority on this, I'm sure, but he does appeal to me.

[Billy Burnett]

5. Chris "We're all neocons now" Matthews. eol

[Skittles]

6. no; he would be a guaranteed embarrassment

[H2O Man]

8. Yes, definitely.

I will support him if he runs.

[LynneSin]

10. If he runs in the primaries you support him

or you support him if he wins the primaries?

[H2O Man]

11. Both. n/t

[Cosmocat]

16. I will work AGAINST HIM ...

in the primary - he was a douchebag corporate whore for most of this decade (meaning, he sucked republican rear end and marginalized democrats in a degrading way) until this presidential cycle.

When it served him, he kissed (and in fact STILL DOES) Tom Delays butt, and again, knocked Ds with the rest of them.

F him, I will work for whoever he might face in the primary, if he were to win the primary, I would set it out.

[LynneSin]

18. For the last 8 years I drive to Pennyslvania to help out with the elections

I live 30 minutes away in Delaware and we're solidly blue here.

If Matthews gets the nomination I will not make the drive to Pennsylvania. I won't waste one ounce of gas to help out and I won't spend one dime. And since this is a statewide seat it's not like I would be willing to help out with a house seat or the governors race because ultimately I could help the guy and that's how much he disgusts me. It's not my state so why bother. I could just as easily send money to other candidates and if I need a real fixing for campaigning I'll work at home or help out with a tight race in Maryland or New Jersey.

Clearly I would not endorse Arlen Specter nor would I suggest anyone vote for him or vote 3rd party. But if Specter won again I wouldn't be upset, I wouldn't question what's wrong with Pennsylvania because I figured with Specter you see what you get and more than likely the guy won't survive his next term - if that happens hopefully PA will have a Dem governor and can replace him with a decent democrat.

[tabbycat31]

20. I helped out in PA this year

and would again in a tight election. Anything to see the Democrats make some gains. I've got mixed feelings about him as a candidate. I'd rather help out someone else (I'm not sure who).

[H2O Man]

45. That's fine.

I'll raise more funding and get out more votes than the anti-Matthews people on DU.

[AndrewP]

70. Agree with that. He is just a whore

[countingbluecars]

12. Yes, I like him

and I think he could win.

[LynneSin]

17. But would you want him as your senator

To me, is winning worth it if I end up with a senator that could stab me in the back with the change of the tide?

[countingbluecars]

27. I'm not convinced that he would

stab you in the back. And though it is not right, I think a lot of what he does on his show is for the job. I just get the feeling that he is more progressive than a lot of people here think. I was not thrilled with everything about my senators (Webb and Warner) but I certainly voted for them.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. Oh god no. Just. no.

[SteppingRazor]

14. It was Shelby who was once a Democrat. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III has always been GOP.

On edit: As for the poll question, I honestly can't answer it until I see some position papers from a Chris Matthews campaign. Until then, I've got an open-yet-hesitant mind.

[Vinca]

15. No. For starters you might have to actually listen to him speak

for an extended period of time and there's always the chance he'll drool on the microphone. Secondly, he would be one of the Democrats you couldn't trust to vote Democratic.

[tabbycat31]

19. PA's not my state

but look at the Al Franken campaign (the fate of taht race is still not known). Do you think that a non "celebrity" could have been a better challenger to Norm Coleman?

I had mixed feelings before, but after seeing the Franken/Coleman drama, I'd think we have a better chance at the seat if a non- "celebrity" takes the job.

[AllentownJake]

56. "Celebrities" work in some states

don't work in others.

PA is not the type of state that likes people who haven't lived here in a while or never lived here parachuting in for a job in Washington.

You can be a non-native PA person and run..but you sure as hell better have spent the past 10 years in the state for people to take you seriously and you can be born here and than run off to Washington for 40 years but we aren't going to give you the time of day because you obviously like Washington more than you like Pennsylvania.

[GoneOffShore]

21. NO - We Pennsylvanians have elected too many borderline types

And some who have gone over the line.

Little Ricky springs to mind and actually so does Fast Eddie.

[Birthmark]

22. Matthews should fall through the Earth's crust...

...at his earliest possible convenience.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

30. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jennicut]

24. If he beats Spector then yes.

[AllentownJake]

25. It isn't going to be Specter its going to be Toomey

Look at the 2004 PA primary results for the GOP nomination 2 points...than realize the moderates registered as democrats to vote for Hillary or Barack and you see Specter's position.

[LynneSin]

31. When it's just republicans voting, Toomey is a strong candidate

What some people fail to mention when it comes to Specter is that he has a strong following of moderate democrats who will vote for him each election especially in the one city where we can't afford to lose any democratic votes and that's Philadelphia. That's Specter's hometown which is why he keeps winning general elections even though the republicans are tanking each year. (btw that also includes the Phily suburbs where Specter does even stronger)

But with a primary you lose most of Philly since it's a democrat city which means now you have republicans only voting for their choice to run. This is why Toomey almost won in 2004 - Specter didn't have his strong base of moderates (who are democrat or independant) and Toomey had the fundie base.

If Toomey wins then any democrat will win that senate race in the general election which is why it's even more important that we have someone other than Chris Matthews. I know there are polls out there today, but seriously - how much stake can you put into a poll done at a time when Republicans are not very popular and Democrats are. The polls I want to see and I'll start believing is 9 months before the elections after Obama has put some time in the job. The numbers could get better or we could have another "Contract on America" when the republicans swept into power 2 years after Clinton was first elected. Thing is, you buy the numbers they give you today you could be losing.

And another poster mentions the celebrity factor - I honestly think that is something that won't play well in Pennsylvania. The republicans ran a Hall-of-Fame Wide Receiver who helped win Super Bowls for Pittsburghs and yet Lynn Swann still lost by 19pts to Ed Rendell (and he lost Allegheny County, home of Pittsburgh).

Pennsylvania deserves better than Chris Matthews - this country deserves better than this.

[npincus]

26. OK, beat me hard but I like watching "Hardball" so want the Tweetser to stay put.

When he's bad, he's horrid... when he's good, he's great. Most MSM 'journalists' parrot the same exact shit, but at least Tweety can be spontaneous and unpredictable.

[Bryan]

28. I don't care for Matthews, but I'm fine with him running

He's shallow, tactless, and craven, and I fear for the Republic should he win the seat, but I don't think he will; with all the stupid things he's said on TV recorded for posterity, his opponent(s) will be able to run fresh attack ads all day long, and any debate will be a slaughter. The possibility of David Shuster getting Hardball is icing on the gravy.

[TahitiNut]

29. There's a difference between a "democrat" and a "Democrat."

:shrug:

[rvablue]

32. DUers rant and rave daily about the evil DLC and yet some think it's a fine choice

to nominate someone, not who raised campaign donations, but whose OWN WALLET is lined with MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of $$$$$ from GE????

GE has paid for Matthews million dollar Maryland home. Also a nice cozy cottage on Nantucket. And his kid's college educations....Nahhh, he would be totally independent of that and a great Democrat for the working folk of Pennsylvania. Please.

The double-standard ASTOUNDS.

[musicblind]

33. I would be sad if it meant his show goes away BUT

I would be happy if it meant he got to be senator. Plus, that is one more sure fire seat for the democrats!

[FrenchieCat]

34. Hell.to.the.No!

[MadBadger]

35. Yes, I want him running, and I hope he wins!

I would love to have a democrat with as much passion as he has...and yes, hes a dem

[rvablue]

80. You mean the kind of passion he had in repeating and affirming the RW lies used to smear Gore?

[MadBadger]

87. No

[Lilith Velkor]

36. Part of me thinks it might be worth it to get that bag o' douche off the teevee

The rest of me is just glad I don't live in Pennsylvania so I wouldn't have to face that wretched choice.

[LynneSin]

39. You're just giving the bag o'douche a different channel

:scared:

[Lilith Velkor]

40. Yeah, but C-SPAN doesn't have all those sickening graphics

and Matthews is so used to interrupting people, chances are good that Joe the Biden will be forced to clock him in the noggin with his gavel.

Man, I'd pay to see that. :popcorn:

[LynneSin]

41. Joe the Biden won't be doing that as much as VP

He's not going to run the office the way that Cheney did. But yeah it would be funny

[bridgit]

75. If he goes off your TV will he go off mine too? Cause I'm so down with that!

:headbang:

[polichick]

37. He seems like a decent guy and I like his enthusiasm for politics, but...

He doesn't seem all that bright or diligent ~ hard to see him doing that kind of work.

[Alexander]

38. I don't care for Matthews, but I want a Democrat in that Senate seat.

If that means Matthews, so be it.

[PresidentObama]

42. I don't see why the fuck not n/t

[ecstatic]

43. I voted NO.. He's amusing at times, and every now and then his

populist performance is just right... But I don't trust him to represent us. Is anyone else available? He belongs on TV.

[grantcart]

44. I couldn't vote - this poll sent shivers up my leg

[spiritual_gunfighter]

46. Chris Matthews is an idiot

If you need any further evidence of his douchebaggery tune into Hardball today so you can see him try and try to link Obama to Blago for an entire hour. Fuck that guy.

[Beacool]

47. I'd rather eat rusted nails than see this sexist creep as senator.

Is the senate of such little consequence nowadays that senate seats are being sold, handed to people as gifts for supporting a candidate and where it's even considered feasible for a pundit to run for the senate?????

No wonder we end up with some real beauts in office and then we ask what's wrong with Congress!!!!!

:puke:

[PresidentObama]

50. Beacool, I love ya. But I have to disagree. Matthews isn't sexist.

And he'd be a fine choice for Senator.

[Beacool]

60. Kerry, my dear friend, how can you defend him?

He's the Numero Uno sexist culprit in that network. Don't you remember his many comments? Such as after the NH primary stating that Hillary wouldn't be a senator nor a presidential candidate if Bill hadn't "messed around". On another occasion he called her a "She_Devil", the list is long and I don't have time since I'm on my way out of town for the weekend. We can continue it later.

Hugs!!

:hug:

[AllentownJake]

55. We'll be on the same side in a Primary

:toast:

[Beacool]

61. I see that you're from Allentown.

I campaigned there and in Reading for Hillary for weeks before the primary. As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to Reading right now. I'll wave at you when I get off 78 in Allentown to get to 222 South.

If Tweety chooses to run, I guess I'll be going back to PA just as frequently to campaign for anybody who runs against him.

:hi:

[AllentownJake]

64. See you at democrat who isn't an asshole to be named headquarters

in 2 years :hi:

We used to argue alot in the PA primary on here because neither one of us saw volunteers for the opposing candidate and were accusing each other of both having no ground game and exagerating :rofl:

[ClarkUSA]

48. Yes; recent polls favor Chris Matthews greatly over anyone else. Top PA Dems are sizing him up, too.

To all but the OP, here's a link to reporting from The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder and how this biased push poll was conceived:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7967365&mesg_id=7967365

To the OP: Seems like other than at DU GDP, you're in the minority. It's a bit hypocritical of you to attack Matthews for not
being "a true democrat" given your self-admitted history of pulling the lever for Sen. Arlen Spector and Gov. Tom Ridge. Such
party purity litmus tests are used by freepers and wingnuts all the time but one would think it could be avoided at DU.

[AllentownJake]

54. Polls showed Hillary winning by a landslide in 2006

and I'm sure DU was a minority than.

The world changes when you have an election and you have to address an opponent.

[ClarkUSA]

71. If there was no Barack Obama running, the polls would have been right.

Thank Gawd, there is a Barack Obama. :woohoo: Obama Is 44 :party:

In this case, Chris Matthews is the rock-star and he'll clean up in the Philly burbs and in Pittsburgh, the only two areas Democrats
need in order to carry the state (especially if President Obama does a campaign turn or two). And there's no one else that has better
numbers. Granted, things may change (he may decide against a run, for example) but right now, for the purposes of challenging
this push-poll OP, I will assert, with relevant facts backing me up, that Matthews looks good against Spector.

Rendell's longtime political consultant, Neil Oxman, has been talking with Matthews about running for Specter's
seat and is encouraging him to jump in the race.

His comments come in light of a new poll, conducted by Research 2000, that shows Matthews leading in a Democratic
primary field, and would be just one point behind Specter if an election was held today.

Link: http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1208/Rendell_Matthews_is_the_strongest_Democratic_candidate.html?showall

[rvablue]

81. The polls you cite also show that when Matthews name is in the mix, 50% + of Dems remain undecided.

[ShortnFiery]

49. When he received a ton of negative emails, Tweety referred to the net-roots as "The Pajama Hudeen.

I've said it before, although Chris Matthews is very intelligent he's also spastic, unpredictable and a total ass-kisser to the political royals of both parties.

NO THANK YOU! ... a member of the lowly chattering classes, subdivision: The Pajama Hudeen. :evilgrin:

[Barack_America]

51. Yes. And PA is my state. nt

[AllentownJake]

53. We'll be on different sides in a Primary

:-)

[Barack_America]

58. Not necessarily.

I see no problem with Matthews running, but it remains to be seen if I'll actually end up supporting him. If Specter runs again, I'll end up supporting whoever can beat him in the Philly 'burbs. Matthews has a decent chance at doing that, imo.

But if we are meant to become sworn enemies, so be it. :P

[AllentownJake]

59. I'm hoping for Toomey or Santrorum to challenge the old man

to a Primary race. Make Specter campaign accross the state and possibly beat him.

Than wipe the floor with any dem.

[LynneSin]

65. I think Santorum has his sites on governor

:scared:

I mean he and his family STILL all live in Virginia.

[Douglas Carpenter]

52. I clearly remember Mathews attacking Bill Clinton for being too left-wing

He is hardly a mainstream Democrat and much less in step with the times

[AllentownJake]

57. I aslo want to add that Norm Coleman was once a very liberal democrat

Look how he turned out.

[rvablue]

82. So was Ronald Reagan. n/t

[Sex Pistol]

62. Well, he does like to hear himself talk.

And that is certainly a prerequisite for the job.

[sohndrsmith]

63. "simple" being the operative word here... I don't think he's cut out for it

other than being able to act the part. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's the sense I have. I think he's fairly good at what he does now, even though I personally am not all that thrilled by him. I can still see that he has talent, even if it isn't my cup of tea.

I would think it would be a hard transition to make, but who knows? As long as they don't replace his Hardball hosting spot with Mika B., Joe S. or David G. Then I'd have to vote against him on principle.

Is he a Democrat? I wasn't sure. I know he voted for Obama, but... so did a lot of people. : )

[political_Dem]

66. Matthews didn't turn down McCain's BBQ, did he?

[whistler162]

67. Applying the Caroline Kennedy test......

it is obvious he isn't qualified!

[Dawgs]

73. Caroline Kennedy is a terrible example. At least we know she would be a solid vote for Democrats.

There is no way anyone could convince me that Matthews would consistently vote with the Democrats.

[whistler162]

77. I didn't say she wasn't... but...

using the test applied to Caroline Kennedy by some "members" of DU Chris Matthews isn't even close to qualified. Also if I where in PA instead of NY I would vote 3rd party or even for Sen. Specter before voting for Matthews.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

68. No. Is that simple enough?

[DemBones DemBones]

69. Where's the "HELL, NO" option?

:shrug:

[PufPuf23]

72. Mathews is a tool and

nothing more than a bought and paid for newsclown.

so no!

[bridgit]

76. That came into town & fashioned a M$M format off Bill Clinton's zipper, yes!

[ClarkUSA]

74. Add an "aye" to this push-poll! PA Gov.Rendell: Matthews is the 'strongest Democratic candidate'

I'll wager Fast Eddie knows a helluva lot more about Pennsylvania politics than anyone here, including the overwrought OP:

Politico reports:

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell gave Chris Matthews a glowing endorsement for his potential Senate candidacy
today, calling the MSNBC host the “strongest Democratic candidate without any doubt” in an interview on
Bloomberg TV.

Rendell added that he doesn’t “really know” if Matthews has made a decision to run yet. And he cautioned that Sen.
Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) would be a formidable opponent because of his strong ties to independents and moderate
Democrats.


Rendell's longtime political consultant, Neil Oxman, has been talking with Matthews about running for Specter's seat
and is encouraging him to jump in the race.

His comments come in light of a new poll, conducted by Research 2000, that shows Matthews leading in a Democratic
primary field, and would be just one point behind Specter if an election was held today.

[IndianaGreen]

78. Tweety should sign that new contract with MSNBC

and let someone else run against that worthless piece of shit Specter. Tweety is too hyper for Senate.

[ObamaKerryDem]

79. Like Chris as a pundit/ host but not sure about him as a Senator..

though it would sure be interesting! LOL. I'll be rooting for the Democrat, though, whether it's him or someone else.

[PCIntern]

83. Tweety is a waste of protoplasm...

his at-teee-tood as we say here in his 'hometown' of Philly (Bullshit on that, I say) is now "Obama's guilty of something".

Screw him.

Well, don't.

[saltpoint]

84. Share your concerns but want Specter gone.

[NoPasaran]

85. WHEN DID DICK MORRIS QUIT SUCKING TOES?

There's a steak dinner riding on the answer!

[BlooInBloo]

86. Not just no, but HELL NO!

Far be it for me to disagree with both Digby *and* Atrios. I might disagree with one of them, but both is really just going too far.

[stillcool]

88. I'm not fond of Tweets..

but I can just imagine all the "roll the tapes" that would provide plenty of fodder for any opponent. He'd have to run as a multiple-party candidate. Whatever party you like, Tweets will fit right in.