Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews, 2007-10-09
Born	December 17, 1945 (1945-12-17) (age 62) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Notable credit(s)
Official website

Christopher Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is a television talk show host and pundit, known for a nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the Social sciences Hardball with Chris Matthews is a Talk show on MSNBC broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. On weekends he hosts the syndicated NBC News-produced panel discussion program, The Chris Matthews Show. NBC News is the news division of American Television network NBC, a part of NBC Universal, which is majority-owned by General Electric The Chris Matthews Show is a half-hour weekend news and political roundtable program produced by NBC News in Washington D Matthews makes frequent appearances as a political commentator on many NBC and MSNBC programs.

Early life, education and family

Matthews, a Philadelphia native, is a Roman Catholic of Irish descent who attended La Salle College High School. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate La Salle College High School founded in 1858 is an independent Catholic, College preparatory school for boys located in Wyndmoor, a community in He is a 1967 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, and did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The College of the Holy Cross is a prestigious exclusively undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester Massachusetts, Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC, North Carolina, or simply Carolina) is a public, Coeducational Research Matthews served in the Peace Corps in Swaziland from 1968 to 1970 as a trade development advisor. The Peace Corps is an independent United States federal agency. The Kingdom of Swaziland is a country located in Southern Africa centred at approximately 26o49'S 31o38'E In 2005 he was hospitalized with malaria, which he evidently contracted on one of his visits that year to Africa or the Middle East. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

Matthews is married to Kathleen Matthews, who anchored News 7 on WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C, before accepting a position as an Executive Vice President with J.W. Marriott. Kathleen Matthews (born August 9, 1953) is an award-winning producer reporter and news anchor who has covered news in Washington WJLA-TV, channel 7 is the ABC television affiliate in Washington D The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Marriott International Inc ( is a worldwide operator and Franchisor of a range of value and luxury Hotels and related Lodging facilities. The couple has three children: Michael, Thomas and Caroline. His brother Jim Matthews is a County Commissioner in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. James R "Jim" Matthews is an elected public official in Pennsylvania.

Political career and views

As a young man Matthews supported Barry Goldwater, but was inspired to become a Democrat by Eugene McCarthy's anti-Vietnam war platforms. Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy ( March 29, 1916 – December 10, 2005) was an American Politician, Poet, and a The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia When Matthews first arrived in Washington he was given a patronage job as an armed officer with the United States Capitol Police. Patronage is the support encouragement privilege and often financial aid given by a person or an organization The United States Capitol Police ( USCP) is a Police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia ^[1] In Washington Matthews worked for four Democratic politicians. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. He worked in the U.S. Senate for five years on the staffs of Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie before himself campaigning for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, losing his party's nomination to Pennsylvania Congressman Joshua Eilberg in the Democratic primary in 1974. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Frank Edward Moss ( September 23, 1911 &ndash January 29, 2003) was a Moderate Democratic United States Senator Edmund Sixtus "Ed" Muskie ( March 28, 1914 – March 26, 1996) was an American Democratic Politician The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Joshua Eilberg ( February 12, 1921 - March 24, 2004) was a Democratic member of the U Matthews received about 23% of the vote. ^[2] He was a presidential speechwriter for four years during the Carter administration, where he drafted much of Carter's so-called "Malaise" speech. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 Matthews later worked six years as a top aide to long-time Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill, playing a direct role in many key political battles with the Reagan administration^[3]. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives. Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr ( December 9, 1912 &ndash January 5, 1994) was an American politician. Despite having worked for Democrats, Matthews said, "I'm more conservative than people think I am. . . . I voted for George W. Bush in 2000. "^[4] Matthews has been accused of having panels of guests that skew to the right by liberal media watchdogs^[5] and of supporting Republicans in his own questions and comments. ^[6][7] Conversely, he is also often criticized by conservatives for his opposition to the Iraq war among other stances he takes against the Bush administration. Initially a supporter of the war (including asserting early on that "Chicks dig this war!"), he rapidly altered his opinion as the insurgency grew and American casualties mounted. Conservative watchdog groups also accuse Matthews of constantly taking Democratic Party positions. ^[8] Matthews made repeated statements against the Bush administration's decision to go to war in Iraq^[9] (examples include "George W. Bush disappointed a lot of us when he went to war. . . I voted for the guy in 2000. " and "When are we going to get to vote against this damn war?").

Author, journalist, and talk show host

Matthews during a special edition of Hardball

Matthews worked as a print journalist for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief for The San Francisco Examiner (1987 – 2000), and two years as a nationally syndicated columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The San Francisco Examiner is a US daily Newspaper. It has been published continuously in San Francisco, California, since The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H

In 1997, Matthews was given his own talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which originally aired on CNBC but is currently on MSNBC. Hardball with Chris Matthews is a Talk show on MSNBC broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. CNBC (an abbreviation for the " C onsumer N ews and B usiness C hannel" its official name until 1991 is a cable and MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. Hardball features pundits and elected officials as guests whom Matthews will not hesitate to interrupt, often to disagree (i. A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the Social sciences e. , playing "hardball" and forcing them to answer his questions). Matthews has been singled out for negative commentary on Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4 2008 will be the 56th consecutive ^[10] In contrast, conservative watchdog groups accuse Matthews of taking Democratic Party positions,^[8] pointing, for example, to his offering high praise for Bill Clinton. ^[11] Discussing the media's coverage of the Iraq war, Matthews said, "During [the] course of the war, there was a lot of snap-to-it coverage. We're at war. We have to root for the country to some extent. You're not supposed to be too aggressively critical of a country at combat, especially when it's your own. "^[12]

In 2002, The Chris Matthews Show began airing in syndication. The Chris Matthews Show is a half-hour weekend news and political roundtable program produced by NBC News in Washington D The show is formatted as a political roundtable consisting of four journalists and Matthews, who serves as the moderator. He is estimated to earn more than $5 million a year. ^[13]

Matthews is the author of five books on politics and history. The first, Hardball: How Politics is Played, led to the creation of his signature TV show. The second, Kennedy and Nixon, detailed the friendship of the two future political adversaries from the 1940s through the 1960 election.

The third, Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, is the first where he discusses his real political views on various issues. His fourth book, American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions, is a history of famous and/or influential Americans and how they rose from humble and/or immigrant origins. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term His fifth and most recent book, Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success was published in October, 2007 and met with general critical acclaim. He was, however, skewered quite intensely on the book by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show on October 2, 2007. Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28 1962 is an American Comedian, Satirist, Actor, Writer, and The Daily Show (known in its current incarnation as The Daily Show Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[14]

Speaking at the tenth anniversary party of his show, "Hardball", Matthews was critical of the Bush Administration, claiming that the Administration had been "caught in criminality. " He did not specify what such "criminality" consisted of. During the same speech, he stated that the Administration had "pressured" his "bosses" in an attempt to silence him. ^[15]

Hillary Clinton controversy

Matthews has been accused of being highly critical of Hillary Clinton, especially during her 2008 candidacy for President. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from New York junior Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton had expressed interest in the 2008 United States presidential The liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America has chronicled his allegedly negative comments on Clinton from September through November 2007. Media Matters for America (or MMfA) is a 501(c(3 Non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Journalist and Author ^[16] During the primaries, Matthews was openly enthusiastic about Barack Obama's candidacy. On January 8, 2008 Clinton won the New Hampshire primary by 3 points, confounding the predictions of polls which showed her to be trailing Obama by 5 to 13 points. Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Afterwards, political analyst and Air America Radio host Rachel Maddow told Matthews that several blogs were citing him as "a symbol of what the mainstream media has done to Hillary Clinton. Air America Radio (commonly abbreviated to AAR) Rachel Anne Maddow (born April 1 1973 is an American Radio personality, Television host, and progressive Political commentator. " She added that sites such as TalkingPointsMemo.com indicated that some voters felt that the media were "piling on" Clinton, and were "coming to her defense with their votes". Talking Points Memo (or TPM) is a liberal web-based Political journalism organization created and run by Josh Marshall. Matthews replied sarcastically, "My influence in American politics looms over the people. I'm overwhelmed myself. " He added, "I will never underestimate Hillary Clinton again. "^[17].

The next day, Matthews appeared on Joe Scarborough's MSNBC morning show and said, "Let's not forget. Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough (born April 9 1963) is an American cable news host and former Politician. . . the reason she's a U. S. Senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a frontrunner, is that her husband messed around". While this incited more controversy, Matthews noted that Clinton's political career started after she appeared with Senator Chuck Schumer and impressed Democratic leaders with her graceful handling of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is the senior U The Lewinsky scandal was a political Sex scandal emerging from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a then "I thought it was an unexceptional statement," he said. ^[18] This comment led Media Matters to focus on Matthews' history, citing many other instances over several years in which Matthews made remarks they considered sexist. Sexism is the belief or attitude that one Gender or Sex is inferior to or less valuable than the other and can also refer to a Hatred or distrust towards Their research website Matthews Monitor, has an extensive analysis of his comments about Clinton. On January 17, 2008, Matthews responded to the criticism, acknowledging that the comment came across as "nasty". Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common He pledged to be "clearer", "smarter" and more respectful when discussing women in the future. ^[19]

2010 Senate run

On the April 14, 2008, edition of The Colbert Report, Matthews alluded to a possible run for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Colbert Report (/kolˈbɛr rəˈpɔr/&mdashthe t is silent in "Colbert" is a Peabody Award and Emmy Award winning American The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives When directly questioned by Stephen Colbert about his intentions, he stated that there is a difference between celebrities and those who work for the people, and it's a greater thing to work for the people. Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( born May 13 1964 is an American Comedian, satirist, Actor and Writer, known for his ironic style He also said that his boyhood dream was to be a Senator. Four days later, on April 18, 2008, Matthews told Bill Maher that he has "made a commitment to covering politics, starting in 1987, and [he is] honoring that commitment, not getting involved in it. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common William "Bill" Maher Jr, (ˈmɑɹ born January 20 1956) is an American Stand-up comedian, Television host, "^[20] The seat in question would be the one held by Arlen Specter, whose term in the Senate ends in 2010. Arlen Specter (born February 12 1930) is the senior United States Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party

References

External links

• Chris Matthews at the Internet Movie Database
• Hardball with Chris Matthews
• NewsBusters analysis of Chris Matthews
• The Chris Matthews Show
• Motivational quotes from Chris Matthews's graduation speech at Fordham University
• The Matthews Monitor from Media Matters for America
• Profile by the NY Times Magazine