Election Night 2010

In case you weren’t aware, Chris Matthews is an insufferable jackass. Tuesday evening was just a microcosm of that. During MSNBC’s election night coverage, Matthews interviewed Congresswoman Michele Bachmann shortly before she clinched a third term in Congress.

Matthews started right out of the gate misconstruing comments Bachmann made in an interview with him two years earlier.

”(Two years ago) you said on my program to me that you want to see the Democratic members of Congress investigated by the media, you put it that way.”

Actually, no, she didn’t. Read the actual transcript and read what she said. Never once did Congresswoman Bachmann use the word “investigate.”

From said transcript, here is what Congresswoman Bachmann said:

”…….what I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that.”

I saw this particular excerpt of the interview and Bachmann’s insinuation was clear. The media was so hell bent on investigating “Joe the Plumber” as well as the pregnant daughter of GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, it shouldn’t seem totally insignificant that a Presidential candidate had associations with a Pentagon bomber like Bill Ayers.

Matthews’ blithering idiocy continued:

”You wanted (the media) to investigate the Democrats for un-American attitudes. I just want to ask you, do you stick with that plan? Do you want us to do it or will you do it with the subpoena power? Who do you want to investigate the Democratic members of Congress for un-American thinking?”

Ah, but Bachmann was as cool as a cucumber, as she swatted away that stupid question as if it were an annoying housefly. She even took a shot at Matthews himself.

"I think people are thrilling tonight, I imagine that thrill is maybe not quite so tingly on your leg anymore, I'm not sure anymore," Rep. Bachmann told Matthews.

This of course was in reference to Matthews’ comment in 2008 that he gets ”this thrill up my leg” whenever Barack Obama speaks. Matthews was clearly annoyed by that comment as well as a sign in the background which inquired ”How’s the tingle, Chris?”. Classic!

By the way, various MSNBC hosts have taken jabs at the Fox News Channel’s slogan of “Fair and Balanced.” Yet if you watched the election coverage on both networks, one could say that MSNBC’s coverage was about as balanced as Michael Moore and Lindsay Lohan on a teeter tauter. Their panel consisted of Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Eugene Robinson and Matthews. It’s pretty damning when Matthews is probably the most “conservative” of that bunch. Meanwhile, the Fox News coverage included Karl Rove (former George W. Bush Chief of Staff), Joe Trippi (former Howard Dean staffer), Brit Hume (right of center commentator) and Juan Williams (left of center commentator).

Stay classy, MSNBC.

-------------------------------------------