I am boycotting Chris Matthews' shows

The following is a letter that I just sent to the editor at NBC ([e-mail]):

Dear Editor,

I am writing to inform you that, based on Chris Matthews' performance over the past few days, I have decided never again to watch any show in which he appears.  The statements he made about Hillary Clinton last night and this morning reflect very poorly on NBC.

I will break my boycott if the following conditions are met:

1. Chris Matthews apologizes to the nation generally, as well as to Hillary Clinton specifically, for his sexist comments.

2.  Mr. Matthews' behavior changes drastically, and for an extended period of time.    

Thank you for taking my decision into account when considering your employee review of Mr. Matthews.

Sincerely,

Seabrook Armstrong
Chicago, IL

I hope that you will join me in boycotting Chris Matthews.  

•  tips...

  by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:07:27 PM PDT

  •  welcome aboard!

    "Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom"

    by Dood Abides on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:12:38 PM PDT

    •  Ah, the Love Boat

      Tweety is at it again today.  He is totally and utterly obsessed with making the case against Hillary.  He's also suggesting there was some racism going on.  I didn't listen closely enough to get his drift on this one.  Next we're going to discuss how the polls got it so wrong.  Obsession can be an ugly thing.

      by vigilant meerkat on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:19:42 PM PDT

•  re

  Me too. (But some of us have seen thru this behavior for years and have been boycotting him since then ;)

  by cookiesandmilk on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:08:56 PM PDT

  •  I've seen it before, but

    yesterday pushed me over the edge.

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:11:03 PM PDT

    •  He's over the edge

      The worst I've ever seen him.  Unhinged is the word that comes to mind.  Who knows why, but it seems to be getting worse.  

      by vigilant meerkat on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:13:14 PM PDT

      •  yeah....

        he is letting the lid off of his misogyny... its very bad

        by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:17:45 PM PDT

        •  Not only that

          But he's trying to convince his guests to follow his lead.  Fortunately, no one seems to be moved by his arguments and pleas.  I think he gets that he's just a teeny bit in trouble and he's trying to create some cover.  It's almost fascinating to watch.  He's destroying himself from the inside.

          by vigilant meerkat on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:21:58 PM PDT

•  hard for me to cutr down on TV - -

  by Abra Crabcakeya on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:09:26 PM PDT

•  Welcome to my world . . .

  I stopped watching during impeachment.

  I've felt smarter and happier ever since. :)

  by raatz on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:09:46 PM PDT

  •  I wasn't watching news/political shows then

    but, UGH, i can imagine what it must have been like.

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:11:42 PM PDT

•  Is it a boycott if I just never watch

  because it would be a waste of my time?

  by beagledad on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:10:25 PM PDT

  •  sure, why not :-)

    if you want it to be...

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:12:18 PM PDT

    •  OK, then, I'll vote "yes." /nt

      by beagledad on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:20:17 PM PDT

  •  It is for me

    ours is just a boycott of a little longer duration. Hardly anything irritates me more than to turn on Countdown and find Tweety still bloviating.

    by carolita on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:28:36 PM PDT

•  Damn ! Comment escaped again. - - -

  Hard for me to cutr down on TV - I watch election returns every Prez-elect(???) year ; Weather Channel, when spectacular crap, going on , and that's about it. I have seen CM a couple of times for a couple of minutes - will be glad to punch him around if you like.

  by Abra Crabcakeya on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:12:07 PM PDT

  •  If you wanna send a letter....

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:13:23 PM PDT

•  What took you so long?

  I stopped watching him in 2004 with that Michelle Malkin interview.

  by kredwyn on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:13:50 PM PDT

  •  I didn't watch political shows until this year

    if i would have seen it, i imagine i would have been done with him in 2004.

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:19:23 PM PDT

    •  Matthew is a complete waste

      of your time...

      by kredwyn on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:20:46 PM PDT

•  He talks too much

  for starters, I think he would be more succesful if he could just do the show without any guests, he seems to know everything and rarely stops talking long enough for any guests to get a word in edgewise.

  by ohcanada on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:14:23 PM PDT

  •  yeah, he is especially eager to

    talk over his female guests.  

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:20:00 PM PDT

    •  He is especially eager to

      hear the sound of his own voice. He can't imagine anyone he would rather hear.

      by carolita on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:29:43 PM PDT

•  Tweety is a loudmouthed, sexist a-hole.

  But he's like a drug peddler. Every time I think I've broken free, he offers me a little something that brings me crawling back.

  And when he's not overly excited, demeaning his guests or peddling his own books, he can be quite entertaining.

  I mean, who can forget his smackdown of Michelle Malkin in 2004 or his fantasy duel with Zell Miller?

  by jeepdad on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:15:56 PM PDT

  •  Break. The. Habit. :-)

    just kidding (mostly)... but seriously, would you consider writing a letter so that maybe you would get more of the CM you like, and less of the CM you don't like?

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:22:34 PM PDT

  •  GIGO -- that crap will rot your brain

    Save yourself. If anything good should accidentally happen, it will show up on YouTube. Don't expose yourself to Tweety's toxic drool for a year for one glimpse of humor. It isn't worth it. Even crack is better for you than that.

    by carolita on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:26:30 PM PDT

•  What? You just started NOT watching Tweety?

  I applaud your ability to take punishment!

  That SOB is personna non grata at my home.

  by funluvn1 on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:23:07 PM PDT

  •  I know, I know...

    maybe it took the new year so i could make a clean break... :-)

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:25:43 PM PDT

    •  I know. It's hard to be a political animal

      and let the information flow by without checking it out.  

      Tweety is just too much of an ass to deal with.

      Congratulations!

      by funluvn1 on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:35:32 PM PDT

•  It was worth

  suffering through Tweety this evening just to watch Pat Buchanan - of all people - kick the shit out of him.

  by SingularExistence on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:24:23 PM PDT

•  Overreact much?

  I'm a woman and I enjoy Chris Matthews, over-the-top and all. That's part of the fun. And, come on, Hillary does set a lot of teeth on edge (including mine) and maybe Chris should be less honest and dissemble more - to appease certain elements. But it would be a loss to many of us out here.

  by ccr4nine on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:28:29 PM PDT

  •  i respect your opinion,

    but i think that there is a difference between analyzing how some people feel about Clinton and letting your own feelings (of aversion) get in the way of reporting in an informative and non-biased way about the race.  CM crossed that line big-time last night.

    furthermore, from a purely strategic perspective, if you don't want Clinton to be our nominee, it would help your cause were Tweety to check his feelings a bit....

    i loved it when Rachel Maddow told him that TPM was saying that Tweety's rants had put Clinton over the top...  

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:41:17 PM PDT

•  I always feel bad when I can't not do

  something I'm already not doing.  Hope somebody can do it for me.

  by hannah on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:31:39 PM PDT

•  Switch to Rachel Maddow

  Try streaming Rachel Maddow instead.  She's on from 6 to 8 and is a great antidote to the boys' club.  First comment after years of lurking.

  by janmtairy on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:49:23 PM PDT

  •  I was a lurker for months too :-)

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:58:47 PM PDT

•  We also need to write to the network and

  express our extreme dissatisfaction at CM's filth.

  This needs to move beyond the blogosphere.

  by santamonicadem on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:57:12 PM PDT

  •  I couldn't agree more.

    by seabrook on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 04:58:12 PM PDT

•  Yes, I'll join you...about two years ago!

  What took you so long, I stopped personally at least that long ago? He's been delusional and schizoid for years, one show ranting that Bush is Cheney's puppet then turning around and gushing over a Bush State of the Union speech as brilliant theater? On the Jon Stewart show trying to hawk his book he was amazed that Stewart thought his paen to power worship in politics was immoral, he stammered that Stewart was thge worst interviewer he could have imagined. He's an utter gushing fool and it's an utter disgrace MSNBC keeps him on and with Keith Olberman no less, that's absurd!  

  by Arctor on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 05:14:25 PM PDT

  •  The only reason I've stuck around is

    the dearth of news magazines and to be aware of what's going on with COM coverage of my candidate and issues I care about.  It's so frustrating, but necessary to be aware of what's being covered, otherwise we can't debunk it.

    But I acknowledge the Internet has made a huge difference, but the majority of Americans are tuning in to COM newscasts, and we need to keep an eye out.

    by santamonicadem on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 05:36:15 PM PDT

•  Abso"f"inglutely! Matthews should have to

  register as an anti-Clinton lobbyist.

  by Eirik Raude on Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 09:04:10 PM PDT