Chris Matthews: "I Want To Do Everything I Can To Make This New Presidency Work"

Chris Matthews appeared on "Morning Joe" Thursday morning, and in the context of discussing the Obama transition — and Rahm Emanuel's motives for waffling on the chief of staff position — told Joe Scarborough it is not his job to question Emanuel's motives.

"You know what?" Matthews said. "I want to do everything I can to make this thing work, this new Presidency work."

Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski pressed Matthews on his claim, asking if it his his job as a journalist to make the Presidency work.

"Yeah, that's my job. My job is to help this country...to make this work succsesfully, because this country needs a successful Presidency, more than anything right now," Matthews said.

"As Americans, Chris Matthews, we are all rooting for the success of Barack Obama," Scarborough said. "America is at a perilous time. But you just talked about being a journalist, and your job as a journalist is not to question motives. Then, two seconds later, you said your job was to make this Presidency a success. That's curious."

Later, Scarborough said, "We all wish [Obama] well, we just don't think it's our job to make this work anymore than it was a journalist's job to make the Iraq War have a successful launch."

Watch, and enjoy Time Managing Editor Rick Stengel knocking Newsweek's Barack Obama cover, which features a photo that Stengel called "about two years old," below:

Comments

[Whycee54]

Joe, what is your job? Your show is turning into DON IMUS very quickly...

[Repobus]

EEEK! Mika is filling in on the new "1600" show!

her first guests: Zuckerman and ... (drumroll...) JOE!!!

my television has never flipped over to The Food Network that fast... ever...

[kroses98]

I know how you feel. She is just as bad as Joe! I turned on CNN, as I do when David Gregory is on!!!

[cariintexas]

Scarborough, it's not your job or Mika Brzezniski's to constantly be pandering to the right either. Chris is a citizen and voter BEFORE a journalist. Same old bull, "I can say it but you can't'. Don't take yourself so seriously, we don't.

[Pere]

"we just don't think it's our job to make this work anymore than it was a journalist's job to make the Iraq War have a successful launch"

uh... Joe, do you mean like "journalists" ACTUALLY DID?

It is every Americans obligation to help make the country better, Joe is just too dumb to tell Chris his way of doing that is by keeping Obama honest. Dunce.

[GwenElle]

Joe says that by selecting Rahm Emanuel, Barack is breaking a promise to create a non-partisan atmosphere and a new kind of politics in Washington. The irony and hypocrisy of this situation is that it does not occur to Joe that he is himself is poisoning the well by engaging in typical partisan bickering.

To criticize Barack or Rahm Emanuel for engaging in the same old behaviors, when Joe himself is doing the same is absurd. Has anything about his show or his manner or content or quality of discussion changed in any way? If there's been a change, it's so negligible as to be unnoticeable.

One way that Joe can prove that his criticism of Barack is genuine and not merely habitual partisan pettiness, is to save his criticism for important policy issues, things that really matter. That could be one small way in which he can help us become a stronger and better nation.

Joe, hold yourself to the same standard that you are applying to to others.

[bigDUDE]

ok i dont know the context of mathews remarks but as a staunch obama supporter i believe in accountability. Matthews is in a position of influence and I dont want him to sugar coat the obama presidency any more than Fox did with Bush's presidency. I hold Obama to his core principles and would willingly be the first one to speak out against his policies if I felt he went against what he promised to deliver. Matthews MUST keep the integrity of being a straight shooting journalist. Having said that, I am hopeful that Obama will deliver his mantra of "change we can believe in."

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

I learned to live with it when Matthews (someone I rather like for some unexplainable reason) supported the war, so I'm sure I can learn to live with it if he is in the tank for our President. He's not a journalist, he's a chat show host who focuses on news events.

[BigCheese]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

I hate to say it, but I agree with Scarborough. Someone really needs to teach Matthews how to think without talking. It shouldn't be too hard since he has already mastered the art of talking without thinking.

[cornagainstsorcery]

I never questioned the motives of the Bush administration. But damn was I critical of their conduct. Moreover, hardly anything could be seen about the inside of the Bush administration because they were not in the least transparent.

[lieslgee]

I understood that Mr. Mathews was responding to Mr. Scarborough's critical tone against the Obama administration -- is it cool to say that or what -- and not saying anything more than that he was going to give them a chance to get off the ground, at least.

Joe never lets anyone else talk, and he bullies Mika all the time. Unfortunately, when she does talk, I'm not all that impressed.

[kinnycut]

You people misunderstood Mathews here. He was remarking on the transistion, and more or less saying give them the benefit of the doubt until the cabinet is picked.

[SameOldSameOld]

Scarborough said, "We all wish [Obama] well, we just don't think it's our job to make this work anymore than it was a journalist's job to make the Iraq War have a successful launch."

Very good point. I doubt that an Obama administration will be as deceptive as Bush's.

[SeagirlX]

But they had no problem making it their job to sway everyone watching for the last 21 months.

[algomajoker]

It's time for MSNBC to get rid of Scarborough. His only contribution is to remind everyone that he was in congress. Every Day. He even lectured Brokaw on Election Night with his ,"When I was in Congress..." line. They should turn the show over to Mika. She's smarter than him, more stable, and the guests don't get interrupted and bullied by her. Actually the guests seem to respect her a little more.
The final straw has to be Scarborough comparing Rahm Emmanuel to Tom DeLay this morning. He needs to go.

[BevAPlum]

Absolute agreement with your comments. Bye, bye Joe!

[hughbetcha]

Yes by all means, we need an network where ALL the hosts believe EXACTLY as we do!!

[meltingpot101]

They don't have to believe what we do, but how about just respecting them enough to let them speak....u­niterrupte­d??

[zepfan81]

And I think Joe is fair and I think Maddow is fair despite their respective ideologies. I like Joe because he's an honest right-winger. Do we really want him to be the right-wing Colmes of MSNBC?

[TommyJohn]

The only thing worse than the government controlling the media, like in a fascist state, is when the media willing believe it’s their job to support the government.

Matthews is just a lapdog for BO.

[hughbetcha]

Here, here. I have to wonder how MSNBC is going to do its job now that its candidate won the presidency. Can we really expect Olbermann, Matthews, Maddow and their crew of all purpose sock puppet guests (Jesus how many times can you see Richard Wolf?) to truly report on this president in any sort of objective way? That's not even allowing for reporting on him in a critical way? Can they really afford to be like the news shows in developing countries that begin each newscast with a glowing recitation of what the president did today? It will be interesting to see how they toe this line, unless of course they simply become partisans.

[meltingpot101]

Toe the Line??? That's funny.

YOU could just watch Sean Hannity's pitiful witchunt/M­cCarthyism of Obama's scary "ASSOCIATIONS"

Here is a novel idea...How about you let the New President govern before you start your attacks!! Who knows you may be pleasantly suprised. But you need to open your mind for that to happen.

[zepfan81]

What? His job isn't to "help make it work" his job is to hold any politician of any party accountable. Just what we need, a Fox News on the Left. Look how well having Fox News helped the Republicans!

[SoD1]

you know, even with all the criticism here, I am still not seeing any masses of protesters making demands toward the biased Media. Nor do I see them joining STRENGHT with the gays protesting the in California "bought" decision- who are not getting any air-time eiher, and bring the protest right were it belongs, to the Media! Do YOU, hmm???

[Downeast]

Look, for God's sakes, Obama was elected TUESDAY NIGHT. This is FRIDAY.

Forgive me, Joe, you bitter, bitter man, if I'm not going to be all admiring of you trying to figure out new and fabulous ways to criticize the President Elect before he's even had time to take a second breath.

Or if I'm going to clap my little hands together while you try to resurrect Sarah "I'm Ignorant and Darned Proud of It" Palin as some kind of victim and the new savior of the Republican party. (God. Is THAT the best the party can do? Seriously?)

I guess it IS going to be politics as usual because these schmucks are going to whine, kvetch and attack everything until it goes back to being something their little mean spirits are comfortable with.

I won't watch MJ anymore, it's just too annoying.

As someone else said, I'm back to CNN--not Robin Meade, whose twittering makes me nauseous, but the main channel.

Sigh. They couldn't let us just coast on our high for even a second, could they...

[hughbetcha]

At least your not bitter.