In recent weeks, Chris Matthews has discussed John F. Kennedy on MSNBC’s Hardball as if he were being paid by the word. But in the last few days he’s stopped. This is a strange development given how enthusiastic Matthews was for Kennedy trivia only last week. “Up next,” he announced on February 1, “new audiotapes of the day Jack Kennedy was assassinated. These things are coming out now. I guess it`s anniversary, things are starting to come out.” Since the start of the year, over and over when introducing the topic, he explained that he wanted to talk about things regarding Kennedy because they were “in the news.” Anything that “add[ed] to the story of this elusive hero” is welcome, Matthews noted. His enthusiasm is explicable; Matthews has a book out about the 35th president, Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. But why the sudden silence?
Incidentally, in other, unrelated, news, a new book entitled Once Upon a Secret will be released tomorrow. It’s written by Mimi Alford, a former White House intern who was one of JFK’s many former mistresses, and it contains accounts of how the former president “pimped out” Alford, forced her to take drugs, pressured her to have an (illegal) abortion when he thought she was pregnant, and regularly flew her in to Washington when his wife was away. Over the weekend the story hit the papers, many of which ran previews of the lurid and sensational stories of infidelity that Alford has finally put on paper.
Amazingly, the word “Kennedy” didn’t appear once on last night’s Hardball, nor on last Friday’s. Given how much Matthews likes to talk about “Jack,” this strikes me as odd:
Feb 6: No mention.
(Feb 4-5: Story about Mimi Alford breaks.)
Feb 3: No mention.
Feb 1: Matthews discusses the newly released tapes from the day Kennedy was shot, Kennedy’s relationship with LBJ, and Kennedy’s attitude toward Vietnam.
Jan 30: Nothing on JFK. Matthews mentions Ted Kennedy instead.
Jan 27: Mentions his book and announces that he’ll be signing copies at a Barnes and Noble in Florida
Jan 26: Refers to his JFK book and announces that he’ll be signing copies in Florida the next day.
Jan 25: Discusses the Kennedy tapes from presidential library, then talks about Kennedy and Vietnam.
Jan 23: Mentions Nixon vs. Kennedy.
Jan 20: Mentions that Kennedy was rich and accuses Romney of making up that people dislike him for it. Announces a book event in Tampa, Fla.
Jan 19: Announces an event in New Jersey at which he’ll be discussing his book.
Jan 18: Compares Obama’s naivety in Afghanistan to Kennedy’s with the Bay of Pigs.
Jan 17: Mentions Bobby Kennedy. Mentions his JFK book.
Jan 16: No mention.
Jan 13: Mentions JFK in relation to Romney’s Mormonism. Talks about how great a speaker JFK was. Says this election will be as close as Kennedy and Nixon.
Jan 12: No mention. Mentions Ted Kennedy instead.
Jan 11: Says his book on JFK is better than Jodi Kantor’s book on “The Obamas.”
Can anyone spot a trend?
Speaking of Matthews - everyone should read this review of his book by TNR. B-R-U-T-A-L.
I know TNR ain't exactly popular 'round these parts - but if you can't stand Matthews (like me) you should take a few minutes to read this one. It savages him.
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Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThanks for the link. That was priceless.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAck. I can't believe I took your advice and followed a link to TNR. Yeah, okay it was sweet to read a putdown of Matthews in a TNR book review at first, but then I realized that the reviewer is a far far left author skewering Matthews for being a far left Dino or something. So the reviewer thinks Matthew's book on Kennedy is just a vehicle for a hack pundit to write some easy pop history that masquerades as real history as the 50th Anniversary Year approaches. For bucks no less. No surprise there. All the hair splitting over leftist credentials at TNR reminds me of the daily pogroms here at NRO over which contributor and which candidate is the RINO, Reagan heir, real Conservative etc. I guess the two publications have a lot in common.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBlackhawks:
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThanks for the link.
Ow!..., Chris. I'll bet that smarts.
I recall that a reviewer, for different reasons of course, referred to Carl Sandberg's biography of Lincoln as "The worse thing to happen to Lincoln since John Wilkes Booth."
The way Matthews yaps on and on and on about Jack and Bobby and Teddy, with all the annoying familiarity even though he didn't know first two of them at all, you'd think he grew up in the Kennedy household as the secret hyper blonde brother,
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think it will be interesting to watch how this woman is treated in her press appearances in the coming days. This is one of the rare occasions where I wish Oprah still had a show. Would Oprah do this interview, and if so, how would Oprah - champion of the oppressed woman - treat a woman who is saying the kinds of things that this woman is saying about the patron saint of American liberalism.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWho is this Chris Matthews you speak of?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo we have nearly 50 years of "hero" worship of JFK and, as the fuller history is finally being exposed, we find he was as big a misogynist pig as his father and Teddy. What a surprise.
How does a dedicated liberal get this sludge back into the tube? JFK didn't deserve assassination but his reckless behavior in office (and the risks he witlessly assumed) should be a well understood fact of history by all citizens (if not future presidents).
The Kennedy family legacy is both sad and toxic. Too bad the Mathews of the media don't understand the service they should provide the public by exposing the entire history of this dangerous clan.
Truth to power anyone?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Can anyone spot a trend?"
No.
And by the way, paying so much attention to a TeeVee show that you're tracking how often and in what fashion the host of the TeeVee show discusses a President who's been dead for 49 years is a little weird.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLeft's fav dead president jfk makes left's fav live president wjc look good on the scumbag meter
The press will take her story, report it and hope she goes quietly away. they will not challenge her story as they know it is true. She had special access to jfk, the stories are not new. The degree of scumbag-ness of jfk is the only shocking thing.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"I think it will be interesting to watch how this woman is treated in her press appearances in the coming days"
Other than Fox I can't imagine any of the other networks giving her air time. Their allegiance is to the Dem party and JFK is one of their icons. They will do all they can to protect him.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSomehow, I don't see Meredith Viera of NBC speaking about JFK's being a sexual predator or Dave Powers, former head of the John F. Kennedy School of Government being a sexual procurer for the president. America and the media needs their myths and the biggest myth is Camelot.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHacks gonna hack.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI guess you can't call it a VRWC if someone isn't diligently maintaining an opposition research file on ... Chris Matthews.
Good work, Charles C. W. Cooke! Keep on keeping that file up to date.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm going to suggest a linkage that may or may not be Matthews' reason for dropping JFK, consciously or subconsciously.
Putting aside the hero-worship, the tragedy of the assassination, and the controversies of his brief term in office, what was JFK when he was running for President, bottomline?
A member of a minority, reviled and feared religious group who happened to be very, very rich.
Now who does THAT resemble right now? And maybe because he is preparing to savage that current candidate with the same kind of bigoted and economics-of-envy attacks that were launched against JFK in 1960, Chris just figured out he should stop mentioning his idol so that people won't see the hypocrisy of his antagonism to the man sure to be his main target from now through November?
I think its possible...or even probable. This "lightbulb" moment went off inside his head and distracted him from his tingly leg and said "ooopsy" and that, not the book that says we're shocked, SHOCKED to find out JFK screwed around that's now making its way through the news.
What do you think?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseInteresting theory -- might be true. I would think however that Mathews would simply forge ahead speaking against Romney and ignore these personal points of contrast. Hypocrisy will always find a way, and 1960 was a half century ago. Ancient history in a land of short memories.
Also, JFK's extracurricular activities tend in the eyes of some to burnish his reputation as a manly adventurer, compared to a boring ole family man like Mitt. Remember, the libs thought not so long ago that it was cool what Bill Clinton was up to in the Oval Office -- what a guy's guy, buckling swash and all that.
Yuck.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCould be, cab. There's a great quote from Peter Lawford who, when asked why JFK and Frank Sinatra hit it off so well, replied: "Well, the Kennedy family has always been very interested in the lively arts...and Frank is about the liveliest art of them all."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think that if the 15 people who actually watch Matthews haven't figured out his blatant hypocrisy at this point, they won't pick up on the similarities you have described. You need to dummy your theories down to accomodate his audience.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFinally, hard proof that Chris Matthews belongs to a cabal of disinformation-spreading socialists.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI've often wondered about Matthews' fixation on JFK. In my mind, JFK would today resemble a GW or Mitt Romney much more than he would an Obama. And I don't think GW or Mitt ever have or ever will give Matthrews that tingly feeling that runs up his leg...
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