MSNBC's Chris Matthews routinely lobs softballs at his right-wing panelists, hurls hardballs at progressives, tells outrageous whoppers and maybe, just maybe, takes big money from conservative groups on the side. What a guy.
A new report advanced to RAWSTORY Thursday suggests that Chris Matthews, the star of the MSNBC's daily talk show Hardball, has accepted hefty speaking fees from an array of conservative trade associations.
Matthews has given speeches to at least ten major conservative trade associations since 2001. The report's author, Dave Johnson, who blogs at Seeing The Forest and is also a fellow at the progressive Commonweal Institute, could find no records indicating that Matthews has spoken before any Democratic-leaning organizations. The report is not a product of the Commonweal Institute.
"Why is Matthews speaking at so many events with Republican-associated trade organizations?" Johnson asks. "What is NBC policy on speaking engagements and why does NBC keep it hidden? Are these trade associations paying Matthews to purchase influence?"
Matthews is listed at a speaking bureau known to command hefty fees. While it can't be proven whether Matthews has taken money from the groups, speaking fees are a regular practice for large trade organizations who invite big-name media stars to speak to their memberships. Such fees typically run in the five-figure range, and occasionally exceed $50,000 per engagement....
Right-wingers love to position Matthews as liberal. That's what they want people to think. But Matthews is no liberal. He's a suck-up to power, an embarrassment even to the flabby standards of broadcast journalism and has earned Media Matters for America's 2005 award as "misinformer of the year."
On Hardball, Matthews is a reliable flack for Republican talking points, not only favoring and loading up his show with right-wing panelists, but doing flattering, softball interviews with most while chiming in with lines calculated to gain winger applause.
Bush "glimmers" with "sunny nobility," says Matthews.
"Everybody sort of likes the president, except for the real whack-jobs," said Matthews long after Bush's poll numbers had tanked.
Matthews once praised a Bush speech as "brilliant" before Bush delivered it.
Matthews gushed that Bush "belongs on Mount Rushmore" and called warrantless wiretaps a "winner" for the President.
Recently Matthews slobbered affectionately over the indicted Tom DeLay, downplayed the Abramoff scandal, kissed up to wingnut fans of Sen Joe McCarthy and sucked up to new House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) in an on-air interview.
Matthews said of the congressman, "You can see this man's greatness." Pardon me while I puke. Naturally, Matthews did not remind viewers that Boehner once passed out cash on the floor of the House to influence members on behalf of a bill flavorable to the tobacco industry.
Chris Matthews. The other Bill O'Reilly. And worse.
National Debunker