Posted on March 4, 2020

Chris Matthews and the Fate of White Liberals

Gregory Hood, American Renaissance, March 4, 2020

Chris Matthews is a full-tilt liberal who worked for Democrats Jimmy Carter and Tip O’Neil. Mr. Matthews said President Trump is a racist and called his language “Hitlerian.” He argued that President Trump has made America the international “bad guy” by allegedly siding with President Putin. He said Republicans who defended President Trump should “stay away from the Lincoln Memorial.”

Now, many people are calling Chris Matthews himself racist and sexist. He abruptly “retired” or was forced out at MSNBC. In his final speech, he praised the “younger generation” replacing him.

The catalyst was an article from Laura Basset, who now writes for GQ. Her article began with the complaint that Mr. Matthews’s “long history of sexist comments and behavior have somehow not yet gotten him fired.” She accused Mr. Matthews of complimenting her makeup four years ago when she worked at MSNBC, and saying he could “fall in love with her.” She claims she didn’t name him earlier because she feared “retaliation from the network.” “I’m pretty sure that behavior [of Mr. Matthews’s] doesn’t rise to the level of illegal sexual harassment,” she wrote, though she said it made it harder to do her job.

Miss Basset wrote the article because she wanted Mr. Matthews off the air. After he left, Laura Basset claimed she was a victim of online harassment that “has been invasive, cruel and personal.” However, she said “it’s all worth it if he will never have the platform to demean and objectify us again.”

The “platform” language is revealing. Leftists understand the supposed “marketplace of ideas” is really a war of position. When it comes to changing public opinion, what’s important is who can speak to a mass audience.

Yet why did Miss Basset act now? Four recent events probably explain it.

Mr. Matthews recently questioned Elizabeth Warren about why she believed accusations that Michael Bloomberg told a former employee to have an abortion. Mediaite contrasted “Matthew’s clear skepticism of the woman’s claims” with “a huge landmark victory for the #MeToo movement,” namely, Harvey Weinstein’s conviction. Many people though it was immoral for Mr. Matthews to doubt a woman’s claim.

Mr. Matthews also criticized Democrat frontrunner Bernie Sanders’s socialist ideas. Mr. Matthews said he remembered the Cold War, and said if the Communists won, there would have been “executions in Central Park.” “I have a problem with people who took the other side,” he said. “I don’t know who Bernie has supported over these years,” wondering whether Senator Sanders supported Fidel Castro. Many young progressives either do not remember the Cold War or think the wrong side won.

Finally, after Senator Sanders won the Nevada primary, Mr. Matthews compared his victory to the Fall of France. Mr. Matthews was not making an ideological comparison — he was saying only that the other candidates’ lackluster performances were like the French Army’s unexpected collapse. Nor was he comparing Bernie Sanders to Adolf Hitler; he saves that comparison for Donald Trump. Still, many people said Mr. Matthews had compared Senator Sanders to Nazis and called for him to be fired.

Finally, Mr. Matthews recently confused Democratic Senate candidate Jamie Harrison with Republican Senator Tim Scott. Both are black. All these incidents hastened Mr. Matthews’s “retirement,” if that’s what it was.

However, there seems to be a double standard at MSNBC. On her old blog, MSNBC host Joy Reid confessed she was “homophobic,” though “not exactly proud of it.” There were other anti-gay posts that would probably cost a Beltway Right staffer his job, let alone an MSNBC host.

She could have said that her views had changed. Instead, she claimed she was “hacked” and that the FBI had been called in. The FBI has yet to catch any “hackers.” Glenn Greenwald said liberal reporters ignored the story for the “self-evident” reason that they will “prioritize their ideological and partisan affinity for her over their proclaimed, profound concern for LGBT bigotry, hacking, and journalistic integrity.” However, it’s not just Joy Reid’s “ideological and partisan affinity” that protects her, but her race.

Al Sharpton enjoys similar privilege despite homophobic, anti-Semitic, and anti-Asian insults and past support for Khalid Abdul Muhammad. MSNBC still invites him to explain racial issues and he hosts a weekend show on the network. Both Joy Reid and Rev. Sharpton tweeted support for Chris Matthews, but his departure could mean more airtime for them both. Joy Reid is already being considered as the host for “Hardball.”

Chris Matthews is simply the latest liberal white man to lose his job to #MeToo. On Election Night 2016, Mark Halperin said, “Outside of the Civil War, World War II, and including 9/11, this [Trump’s election] may be the most cataclysmic event the country has ever seen.” This ostentatious position-taking didn’t save him. In October 2017, several women accused him of sexual misconduct, and he lost his job at NBC. He recently attempted a comeback with a book called How to Beat Trump. Even though he interviewed top Democrat strategists, including Donna Brazile, David Axelrod, and James Carville, the book sold just 502 copies in its first week. Recently, he claimed “murderers” get a greater opportunity to “go on with some aspect of their life” than people like him who are “canceled.” Mother Jones wrote a hostile article in response, calling him cynical.

Glenn Thrush was a prominent reporter at the New York Times and Politico. He wrote or co-wrote articles criticizing President Trump, including “Trump Gives White Supremacists an Unequivocal Boost” and “What’s Going on With America’s White People?” “Donald Trump’s appeals to working-class white Americans have no doubt sparked racial tensions,” the second article began. However, some female co-workers accused him of inappropriate behavior. He lost his book deal, but got to keep his advance. He’s quietly resumed work at the New York Times, but his personal brand has been destroyed. He hasn’t tweeted since August 2019.

Finally, there’s Jack Smith IV, who covered the “far right” beat for Mic. Several women accused him of “emotional abuse, manipulation and coercive sex.” An internal investigation cleared him, but Jezebel published a lengthy critical article. Mic fired him the next day. He hasn’t tweeted since 2019.

Mr. Matthews ended his decades-long career by groveling to “the younger generation” that’s “improving the workplace.” “Groveling couldn’t save him; it never does,” said Tucker Carlson about the situation. “I would say his real sin, of course, was being old and unfashionable.”

He forgot to add white. “Progressive” white men — particularly journalists — have targets on their backs. Accusations or innocent mistakes can end their careers. Meanwhile, Joy Reid and Al Sharpton will enjoy prominent platforms even after they make outrageous public statements.

Chris Matthews’s groveling reminded me of former congressman Joe Crowley complaining “I can’t help being born white” during his unsuccessful campaign against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Old white Democrats seem to think having fought “racists” for decades will earn them a pass. It won’t, just as it didn’t for Open Borders libertarian David Koch.

After years of bashing President Donald Trump, Chris Matthews just learned this harsh truth. The “younger generation” that’s “improving the workplace” doesn’t consider him much different than the President. Chris Matthews isn’t the only one who has trouble telling people apart. To many “woke” journalists and online activists, all white men look the same. All are guilty of something.

About Gregory Hood

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Mr. Hood is a staff writer for American Renaissance. He has been active in conservative groups in the US. You can follow him on Gab.