Chris Matthews: Serious Senate Run or MSNBC Contract Gambit?

Chris Matthews' Senate Run:
Serious Bid or Contract Contrivance?




What's a Left Wing Talking Head to Do?

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Chris Matthews, the Hardball Boy, is contemplating a run for the U.S. Senate.

Or not.

From Matthews inches closer to Senate run:

Chris Matthews is dead serious about running for the Senate in Pennsylvania — and is shopping for a house in the state and privately discussing quitting MSNBC as proof of his intense interest, according to NBC colleagues, political operatives and friends.

Politico's MICHAEL CALDERONE & JOSH KRAUSHAAR think it might just be a "negotiations ploy to jack up his contract" on the part of Matthews.

Matthews is receiving some pressure to step down from his "Hardball" spot if he truly is committed to making a run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Arlen Specter (R-PA).

If Matthews is serious about running, some within the network hope he commits to the Pennsylvania Senate race sooner rather than later. Otherwise, his nightly presence on “Hardball” provides easy fodder to critics fueling the narrative that MSNBC is in the tank for the Democratic party. After NBC News was stung by criticism during the presidential campaign — charged with bias resulting from the antics of more outspoken personalities on MSNBC — staffers worry the situation will be repeated over the next six months.

Reactions are mostly skeptical.

Sister Toldjah, Chris Matthews sets example other partisan journalists should follow:

I applaud Matthews for taking into serious consideration the possibility he’d need to leave the network in order to run for Senate (of course, he should have left it much, much earlier - but then again he wouldn’t have been able to help his fellow mediots with getting Obama elected, would he?). In fact, I encourage every other journalist out there who has a strong bias for one party or the other - who thinks it’s their “job” to help that party - to please follow Matthews’ example, retire from your profession and start pursuing your dream of officially working to advance that party’s principles - whether it be as a politico, an advisor or aide, or working for an advocacy group, or starting your own. Make your biases known upfront instead of continuing to hide behind a phony banner of “objectivity.”

Alex Paranee--Gawker--Chris Matthews to Hold Breath

Until He Becomes a Senator (or Gets a Raise):
There's no doubt that Chris wants to be a Senator—it's been his dream since he was a little boy, to join that undemocratic and increasingly deadlocked and feeble deliberative body—but the guy is also smart about the realities of politics, if not the realities of reality. Running against a five-term senior Senator would be tough for any Democrat, but "any Democrat" would probably have better luck against Specter than a man who's been on the world's craziest cable news network saying some of the craziest things on that network for years.

Jules Crittenden, Jackass-A-Palooza takes the long view:

Full disclosure: As a professional tabloid newspaperman and frothing rightwing blogger, I have a vested interest in chaotic hilarity, if that is what the American people in their wisdom and through their political processes determine is what will best serve their interests.

Other reactions to the Matthews' bid-maybe-not at Memeorandum.

Is this a serious story? Is this a contract gambit?

Who knows--other than Chris Matthews?

It might be hard slogging it out every night on MSNBC for an audience that approaches the number of people on Friday night at Denny's.

It might be hard playing second banana to the Olberdude.

It might be hard getting anyone outside the DailyKOS to take him seriously.

But it's still easier money than actually having to convince people to vote for him in order to get the job of Chris Matthews' dreams.


by Mondo Frazier
image: jossip