Dumbest Liberal in Media: Guess Who Won That Tough Competition?

Posted on | May 15, 2012 | 25 Comments

It was never much of a contest, really. Perennial champion Chris Matthews scored big-time, massively failing on Jeopardy, a show that Noel Sheppard of Newsbusters reminds us Matthews has frequently cited when mocking Sarah Palin’s intelligence:

In case you don’t keep track of “progressive” elite sentiment, know this: They hate Matthews, regarding him as a dimwitted embarrassment who can be counted on to recycle whatever secondhand conventional wisdom he picks up among his clique of D.C. cronies.

Chris Matthews has never had a single thought that was both good and original. Every good idea he’s ever uttered was borrowed (usually without attribution) from someone much smarter than him, and every original idea he has ever had was wrong. Matthews is a perfect example of how to game the D.C. system. He is the Beltway media’s unparalleled master of strategic sycophancy — knowing exactly whose butt to kiss — and manipulative cronyism, so that even the most blatant ineptitude and wrongheadedness are no obstacle to success.

There are probably three dozen liberal journalists — notably including Chris Hayes of The Nation, now host of a weekend show at MSNBC — who could do a better job than Matthews, a living example of the Peter Principle whose strangely extended (and inexplicably overpaid) tenure with NBC is one of the great mysteries of American media.

(Via Memeorandum with further commentary by No More Mister Nice Blog, Billy Hallowell, Jim Treacher and Doug Powers.)

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Comments

25 Responses to “Dumbest Liberal in Media: Guess Who Won That Tough Competition?”

McGehee
May 15th, 2012 @ 2:31 pm

Chrissy’s tingle wasn’t running up his leg during that ordeal.
Saul
May 15th, 2012 @ 2:47 pm

Good style (as usual) but poor reporting. For someone who claims to keep track of the sentiments of a very specific set of people, you should be able to say who they are and how you know they hate Matthews. And you should do that as a reporter, too, of course.

Recycling other people’s opinions. Borrowing other people’s ideas. Syncophancy. Butt kissing. Manipulating people through cronyism. That’s a lot of thesis for zero evidence. Good grade-school writing — never mind good reporting — requires sources for claims.
Adjoran
May 15th, 2012 @ 2:49 pm

The simple fact is Matthews is a Democratic apparatchik, nothing more. He worked for several congressional Democrats as a staffer – including Ed Muskie – before going to work for Jimmy Carter and then Tip O’Neill. It was only after his party opportunities dried up (even Democrats will only tolerate ignorant gasbags if they are the actual officeholders, not mere staff) that he “became a journalist.”

While there have been some occasions where he was not willing to go along with the most outrageous crap the Democrats served up, particularly under Clinton and Gore, who he regarded (as all Southerners) as dirty hicks, for the most part he’s been a dependable liberal drone in the press.

He probably wouldn’t even still be on the air if not for conservatives tuning in to see what stupid thing he will say next. To me, life is too short to waste on losers like him.
JeffS
May 15th, 2012 @ 2:52 pm

Goodness me, someone is feeling touchy today! Did Tingles not meet your expectations last night? Or are you just another D.A.T. trying a new variation of “concern troll”?
eMatters
May 15th, 2012 @ 3:05 pm

“Alex, I’ll take schadenfreude for $1,000.”
Rick
May 15th, 2012 @ 3:07 pm

That was no tingle…it was raining. Really.

Cordially…
Evi L. Bloggerlady
May 15th, 2012 @ 3:16 pm

Our pals at Soylent Green honored Mr. Matthews… Scroll down.
Adobe_Walls
May 15th, 2012 @ 3:29 pm

That mag cover is going to get a thorough workout.
PGlenn
May 15th, 2012 @ 3:58 pm

RSM never implied that the above mini-rant was a reporting piece.

Btw, as political blogs go, RSM does about 50 times more actual reporting than the typical blog.

The readers of this site neither expect, nor want, RSM to wait until he’s been able to consult multiple sources for every interesting, grumpy, or crazy thought that crosses his mind. If he did, we’d only get to read 1-2 of his reports per day, sometimes less.

We do not need to be prompted to know the difference between a rant and a news piece.
Evi L. Bloggerlady
May 15th, 2012 @ 3:59 pm

Saul: If the guys here at TOM wanted to hear whiney bitching like that they would have attended a N.O.W. meeting.
PhillyCon
May 15th, 2012 @ 4:01 pm

Me loves some good, old fashioned liberal/snotty/elitist come uppance!

Karma never tasted so good.
McGehee
May 15th, 2012 @ 4:18 pm

How did you get back in here?
RichFader
May 15th, 2012 @ 4:37 pm

To be completely fair to Chris, we still have two more nights to see if there’s somebody dumber.
Evi L. Bloggerlady
May 15th, 2012 @ 4:50 pm

So many libtards! The competition is fierce!

Elizabeth Warren is of course up there, but Chris Matthews wins on tingly volume!
Christy Waters
May 15th, 2012 @ 5:50 pm

I think Prezbo once had a dog named Karma.
Christy Waters
May 15th, 2012 @ 5:56 pm

I just got a thrill up my leg watching that halfwit crash and burn. Ooooo… that felt nice! “I’ll take ‘The Hindenburg’ for $1000, Alex.”
Saul
May 15th, 2012 @ 6:02 pm

Used your login.
Saul
May 15th, 2012 @ 6:16 pm

RSM does about 50 times more actual reporting than the typical blog.

He does do more than average, which is part of what makes this an interesting blog to read. And he has a very polished style, which goes a long way to making it readable even when I disagree with him.

The readers of this site neither expect, nor want, RSM to…consult multiple sources

I’d guess the majority of readers would agree with you, but as you can see, this reader thinks this particular rant would be more convincing if it contained some facts. The blogosphere is chock full of uninformed rants, which is why I plump for better-informed, more reality-based ranting.
Clark
May 15th, 2012 @ 7:31 pm

Here is a bit of evidence from Lawyers, Guns and Money(http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2012/02/tweety-on-jfk): “The whole thing is a must-read, but essentially Greenberg notes that
Matthews dreams of an uber-masculine Kennedy who keeps those elite
effete liberals at bay. This fits the sexist and misogynist Matthews who
we all know from his moronic television show.”
Evi L. Bloggerlady
May 15th, 2012 @ 7:32 pm

I am surprised he did not do better. Breast fed babies are generally smarter. scroll down
Adobe_Walls
May 15th, 2012 @ 7:41 pm

To be perfectly honest why would anyone want to be “fair” to Tingles?
Wombat_socho
May 15th, 2012 @ 8:20 pm

Ha ha! You think we care about your opinion! How cute!
jwallin
May 15th, 2012 @ 8:36 pm

Matthews was in violation of the Peter Principle as soon as he was hired.

When he walks into a room the average I.Q. goes down 20 points. Him and Wolfe Blitzer.

It’s nice to see one’s suspicions be validated.

And yet the corksoaker still makes more than I ever did/will/could have. %^*# it.
Video: Tingles Tanks on ‘Jeopardy!’ | The Lonely Conservative
May 15th, 2012 @ 8:54 pm

[…] Gay President – and the tingles going up his leg distracted him. Surely he can’t be this dumb! Watch:What’s even funnier is that it appears that Robert Gibbs won by mostly keeping his […]
Charles
May 15th, 2012 @ 9:14 pm

There is nothing inexplicable about Chris Matthews. He is a union hack, from the union hack wing of the Democratic Party. MSNBC probably wants to dump him, but it’s against the union shop rules.