Chris Matthews reaction to Obama SOTU: I forgot he was black

[wndycty]

Run time: 00:32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMxVakssDdI   Posted on YouTube: January 28, 2010 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 28, 2010 By DU Member: wndycty Views on DU: 2004

 

[Quixote1818]

1. That was simply creepy and uncomfortable. Yuck! nt

[CLANG]

2. Fucking "oops"!!

[Bolo Boffin]

3. Somebody lost a bet with Harry Reid! n/t

[Orrex]

4. What the fuck does that even mean?

:wtf::wow::wtf:

[shawcomm]

8. Yeah, WTF?

The only connotations that brings to mind are bad. As in, he was surprised a black man could be so great? WTF?

[Orrex]

9. Oh, I'm sure that he's not racist. I'm sure that some of his best friends are black.

[TheEuclideanOne]

12. Let me try to defend or explain what I thought that he meant

For the last year, we have been so focused on race, that running the country became irrelevant to many. I think that what he meant was that Obama has gotten the country past the racial issue and onto the more important issues of whether this man can run our country or not. Tonight, it was not a matter of race, but more about Barack Obama as a leader. That is my thought, at least.

Another thought that comes to mind is that the country is in crisis and can go in one of two directions. Tonight, the focus was on whether the adminstration can dig us out or dig us deeper. The focus was not on whether the president was black, but on whether he has a plan to save our asses. It was similar to right after 9/11 when we could forget for a second that dubya was a Class a moran and focus on him as our president.

Now, that being said, it would not be my choice of words. Chris Mathews does not come across as a racist to me, so that is why I am interpreting it this way. If Rush said it, I am sure that my explanation would somehow involve a white hood. :)

[Tx4obama]

16. Yep, your 1st paragraph is spot on. That's what he just said in a nutshell on Rachel's Show n/t

[Orrex]

22. That sounds like a reasonable "clarification," but...

even if we stipulate that Matthews himself isn't actually racist, his "gaffe" is identical to the kind of statement that an of a thousand clandestine racists would say. And, when confronted on it, the clandestine racist would offer pretty much that exact same "clarification" in his defense.

The "gaffe" was an inexcusable fuck-up for an allegedly professional political commentator.


Of course, your comments about Rush seem 100% correct IMO.

[cartach]

23. Agreed !

Every time Obama comes to mind no matter what the context, my thoughts include the fact that he is black,that he represents a sea change in American politics i.e.,a black man holding the highest office in the land,and a sense of satisfaction that finally a major step has been made toward full acceptance that we are all created equal. These are not negative thoughts. It is when all of us,black, white and shades in between,are thought of as equals and treated equally that these thoughts that now go through my mind will cease because they are no longer relevant. I think that is what Matthews meant by his statement,that at least for an hour,Obama's blackness was irrelevant or in his words "I forgot he was black".

[Duende azul]

27. I don't know. It seemed creepy.

He was impressed with Obama and even forgot he was black for an hour? Doesn't that imply that, when things don't run that smooth, he is constantly aware Obama is black? It was a complety non-issue til Matthews made it one.

I still think it's creepy. Nobody asked Matthews to make it an issue if the focus wasn't on whether the president was black. It reminds me of those complimenting a woman for an achievement with "just like a man."
Hell, I think someone like Matthews should refrain from any comments on the actions of someone who is so far above his level in any areas imaginable.

Maybe I'm totally wrong and you US inhabitants have a better grasp on the finetune in this.

[mucifer]

5. Windy thanks for posting this.

Sometimes matthews says great things. Other times he reminds us he's batshit crazy and racist. I wonder if he will apologize. I wonder if he cares. I'm Jewish. I can't imagine how angry I'd feel if someone said after an Al Franken speech "For an hour I forgot he was Jewish. Now it doesn't matter that he's Jewish."

[Raschel]

13. Don't know much about Matthews. Could it be possible that his thoughtless comment

meant that he is starting to see President Obama as an individual, as the President, instead of our first Black President?

[murray hill farm]

6. That was just...

soooooooo wierd! And yeah...creepy!

[Turborama]

7. The full clip

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_v_IOCSsQM

-

[Berry Cool]

10. I think he was trying to say in his awkward way that he thinks Obama's race is a non-issue

to most people...but in the klutzy way Tweety has of saying things, it came out sounding like Bill O'Reilly being amazed that he could go to a restaurant in Harlem and everyone there was just ordering food and eating and laughing like in a "regular" (read: white) restaurant" rather than yelling for iced tea, MF'er.

Like "Wow. He sounded so good and so competent, I didn't even find myself thinking about the fact that he's (whisper) black!"

[TankLV]

11. CM is an opportunistic hack - and a proven idiot...

even a fucking inatimate broken non functioning clock can be right twice a day - which is more than I can say for CM...

[Crabby Appleton]

14. I never forget that matthews is a dipshit

[Tx4obama]

15. Chris just expounded on what he meant on the Rachel Maddow Show. n/t

[NOLALady]

17. WTF!

Whenever someone says that to me, I take it as an insult.

[Bustercat]

18. He better not knuckle under and apologise for that!

He made a great point—if you can't understand it, ask anyone of color who's been offended at being referred to as the "black friend" or asked to represent his entire race on a random "black issue." People want to be human beings first, and census categories, or even cultural ambassadors, a distant second.

The Prez shouldn't be a black man, just as he shouldn't be a white man, or anything else. He should be an American, representing Americans. With a loud group of people trying to paint the pres as "different" — as the most foreign, sinister, alien thing under the sun, (since they can't exploit more overt black/white tension like they could 50 years ago), it's important that as president he is able to go beyond that to reach people in every corner of the nation he leads. That's pretty clearly what Chris Matthews was pointing out.

Chris, and any of these shouting heads, usually get on my nerves, but he's right, and people need to leave the racial hypersensitivity to cynical Dittoheads seeking rhetorical leverage... they've made it one of their main angles these days, at least as far as Democrats are concerned.

[Mithreal]

20. I can't stand Matthews at all, but what your wrote makes sense.

It seemed more the way he said it than the actual words.

[Chulanowa]

26. "I forgot he was black for an hour"?

Kinda implies something about the other 23 hours in the day, if you ask me.

[Starry Messenger]

19. Why Tweety, why?

I'm going to try to forget you are Irish. x(

[burning rain]

21. Seems to me Matthews is as much as saying...

I can't picture a black guy really being credible as president, so since Obama seemed credible, I didn't think of him as black. A couple times on Hardball, I've seen Matthews crypticly mention to his bud Pat Buchanan that they agree on some things that he can't mention openly, and I've found that creepy. Somehow that seems relevant here.

[tomm2thumbs]

24. Matthews put the 'oo' in 'stoopid' - and that takes a lot

While on occasion is able to muster his powers for good, he oftentimes sticks that magic wand of his down his pants and starts farting spells out his butt - case in point.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

25. He is an idiot

I am not sure why people want to defend what he said, if someone on Fox said this we would be calling for his head. I was pissed at this and I was pissed that earlier in the evening that he said the Senate could pass the health care bill through reconciliation.

Just a week ago he berated Alan Grayson for suggesting the same thing. Chris Matthews is a douchebag.

[The Backlash Cometh]

28. Jimmy the Greek.

[Tejas]

29. I would've loved to see Oberman's face at that moment. nt

[npk]

33. Here you go

[butterfly77]

30. Chris how about listening..

to what he is saying instead of his skin color,if you can do it for all of the other Presidents' why is this any different. The only thing I can come up with is that he thinks that he is superior..

[Electric Monk]

31. "This guy is one scotch away from being Ron Burgundy" - Jon Stewart

[Patchuli]

32. Still an assclown, huh Tweets?

:puke: