Which Of Our Guys Has Guts To Do It?
By Erick Posted in 2008 — Comments (24) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I hope you read Jed Babbin today. He makes the same point I made on Friday.
As Jed puts it
Tomorrow’s debate gives the best opportunity yet to start taking on the media and doing so can put one of the candidates on the path to a real breakout in the polls. It will defy the advice of a hundred million dollars of campaign consultants’ advice. And it’s an opportunity that may not come again soon.Poke fun at Chris Matthews. If any candidate can do even a little of what Jon Stewart did, that’s the only thing anyone will remember from this debate.
Again, I will be sorely disappointed if none of the candidates take on Chris Matthews. This will be Fred Thompson's first debate. If he wants to shine, here's his opportunity. Same with the other guys.
Just remember, the man who will be moderating their debate called the President and his administration "criminals" four days ago. For that, he deserves a challenge from our candidates.
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Which Of Our Guys Has Guts To Do It? 24 Comments (0 topical, 24 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
...in cutting Chris Matthews down to size will score big points with me and a lot of other voters I know. I am a Fred Head, but if Fred fails to do this, and another candidate does succeed, that other candidate will be in the strong running to get my vote away from Fred.
Even if it is Rudy - seriously!
Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("An argument is a sequence of statements aimed at demonstrating the truth of an assertion.); }
If a university president can berate and personally attack President Ahmadinejad, then a Republican presidential candidate ought to be able to backtalk a 'journalist.'
Let's say one of the GOP candidates do take a shot at Matthews (which is more then well deserved IMHO), what will happen? They media will jump to Matthews defense; he'll be given Hillary status - another poor victim of thos thoughtless, rude GOP candidates. Whoever it may be will be villified for two news cycles. Is it still worth it? The people who should be responding to Matthew's "criminal" comment are in the White House; what have any of them said? Why are they not being pressured to respond?
...honestly, I don't.
If anything, having the media jump to Matthews' defense would be the best situation possible for whoever decides to tar and feather the gasbag. Why? Because it means he'll get to go on a whole bunch more media outlets and have open access than his pathetic little MSNBC show that almost nobody watches, save for a handful of pseudo-intellectuals, the NewsBusters staff, and the occasional mental masochist who doesn't mind their IQ drifting off into the bowels of Gehennom for an hour a day.
Personally, I see going after Matthews and giving him a platform in the process would only prove one's point (as it seems to take the former Carter speech-writer no more than fifteen seconds or so to develop all the demeanor and affability of a rabid Chihuahua that has been set on fire), not to mention it's so far out from a general election that anybody whose vote might genuinely be affected by such a brouhaha would have long forgotten about it.
Big payoff? Check.
Minimal lasting fallout, except from a handful of irrelevant people on the opinion scene? Check.
Chance to give an officious oaf his well-deserved comeuppance? Check.
To me, it's go time on it.
"I don't understand why the same newspaper commentators who bemoan the terrible education given to poor people are always so eager to have those poor people get out and vote." - P.J. O'Rourke
after the Zell Miller episode. Miller succeeded in tying Matthews up in knots, the fool being so used to interrupting and insulting people.
The candidates should hire Miller as a coach, maybe have him shake hands with the fool before the program begins and borrow somewhat from Miller's experience.
Republicans are expected to take abuse, anything else is unacceptable, it's part of being an intelligent open minded liberal.
"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville
Candidates, are you listening?
"Who will stand/On either hand/And guard this bridge with me?" (Macaulay)
Where is the White House in all of this? Why are they not being pressured to respond to Matthews' disgraceful comments? It's disheartening to watch a White House that has become comatose when it comes to defending itself against this kind of nonsense. It's fine to challenge the GOP candidates to stick it to Matthews, but I'll be damned if I understand why we accept silence from the White House. Don't we ever get tired of the President playing Mr. Niceguy with the likes of Matthews, Olbermann, Reid and Pelosi?
I'm sure we'd all love to hear about the President and have another round of bashing his communications, but it's not really relevant to this topic, is it?
by a candidate pointing out that Matthews is a self-important, left-wing partisan buffoon masquerading as an intelligent human being,( I thought about saying journalist but journalist has become synonymous with left-wing partisan buffoon), was not going to vote Republican anyway. Consequently, this is a huge opportunity to score big with the R base.
I doubt that Rudy will go after him in that he is probably looking at a talking head career after he loses to Fred for the nomination and will be sensitive to insulting a future colleague.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
not one of the current LGBT Reoublican candidates of the current tier of 2008 POTUS candidates.
Note tense.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
that the intestinal fortitude and leadership of the Republican field is being measured by whether any of the candidates will stand up to . . . Chris Matthews!?!?!
I'm picking my candidate based on which one has the guts and the vision to stand up to foreign dictators, to Islamic extremism, to the Ahmadinejads and the Chavezes of the world . . . not on who'll take a shot at a talking head.
What's next? Should we give bonus points for the Republican candidate brave enough to say -- unequivocally -- that Britney Spears does not deserve to get her kids back?
(As an aside, there may be two in the field of candidates who carry any insignia of courage under fire and the moral certitude to do what's right as Commander in Chief. . .maybe two.)
Good luck to us all if more funding and more support go to the guy who doesn't take s--t from Chris Matthews -- other, more serious criteria of leadership and courage be damned.
...I don't hold out much hope of them standing up to any other vengeful weasel on the world scene.
"I don't understand why the same newspaper commentators who bemoan the terrible education given to poor people are always so eager to have those poor people get out and vote." - P.J. O'Rourke
They have the last word and a more direct channel to the voters.
There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why ... I dream of things that never were and ask why not. - Robert Kennedy
...the more they show themselves as buffoons. Not to mention it seems like anymore even Democrat voters don't even use the mainstream media as a credible source of information (seeming to rely on their own alternative media, The Daily Show, or nothing at all, preferring to operate solely on instinct and emotion).
Their channel may be direct, but all you get from it is static.
"I don't understand why the same newspaper commentators who bemoan the terrible education given to poor people are always so eager to have those poor people get out and vote." - P.J. O'Rourke
I don't really see that dynamic at work much. The politics junkies might see that but the average Joe and Jane usually don't.
There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why ... I dream of things that never were and ask why not. - Robert Kennedy
That "direct channel" isn't doing us a lick of good now. Now there is that chance that somehow the Evil Media will somehow edit the broadcast to portray the GOP candidates as whomping on poor, defenseless little Chrissie, but my guess is that most of the publick will see reality. They'll finally get to see someone stand up to those little twerps who have heads the size of Barry Bonds.
...when they see me they'll say, "There goes Loren Wallace,
the greatest thing to ever climb into a race car."
I agree with the premise that the one who rips Matthews wins, but unfortunately, my guy, McCain, will not take his nose out of Chris's butt long enough to do so.
I would like to see them all really take swings at what cowards the Dems are for pussing out from Fax while the GOP walks right into the Lion's Den for our debate.
What would be even better yet is if they would only let the legitimate contenders participate and the four of them just took turns ripping into Chris Matthews until he cried.
"Life is too short, can't we all just eat pork and kill some terrorists?"
"I thought in listening to the president, I was listening to one of the great neoconservative minds. We were given a rare opportunity to hear the real philosophy of this administration with regard to the war in Iraq." (August 9, 2007)
"I like him. Everybody sort of likes the president, except for the real whack-jobs, maybe on the left." (November 28, 2005)
"Sometimes it glimmers with this man, our president, that kind of sunny nobility." (October 25, 2005)
"We're proud of our president. Americans love having a guy as president, a guy who has a little swagger, who's physical." (May 1, 2003)
"For example, George Allen is a lot like George Bush. He's friendly. He's a jock in a way. He's happy go lucky. He's a good guy to hang out with, kicks back." (May 24, 2006)
"They're very adept politically, this White House. And whatever you think of Karl Rove, he is good and he is tough." (October 29, 2004)
"Tony [Snow] has no regrets, nor do any of us for being his friend. Good guy, he has been, he is, and he will be." (September 4, 2007)
"And as we sign off today, it was the last day on the job for White House press secretary, the very likable, the very good guy, Tony Snow." (September 17, 2007)
"Tom DeLay, you are not in this buisness for the money. You live modestly. You commute back and forth from Washington to Houston, Texas. Why? What drives you every day?" (January 24, 2006)
"We'll be right back with House Majority Leader John Boehner. You can see this man's greatness." (March 6, 2006)
"And Republican Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico - a good guy, by the way - intends to retire from the Senate when his term ends next year." (October 3, 2007)
"I think you beat a good guy [Jim Talent]. I looked at all the Republican candidates running for election in tough elections. I thought he was probably the best of them." To Missouri Senator-elect Claire McCaskill, (November 28, 2006)
"Mike DeWine, a good guy." (February 9, 2007)
"Chris Shays, actually a good guy, we'll see how he deals with this thing." (August 28, 2006)
n/t