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

[jetmonkey]

i too LOATHED matthews during his despicable run of out-right bush cheerleading. remember his love affair with tom delay? puke. it's all in the dark ages now. but matthews does seem like a legitimate wonk with a love of politics; politics as an art (his book actually sounds kind of interesting). it must be admitted that his enthusiasm and of-the-moment, all most unedited sincerity is what makes him compelling. (see the excellent cover story of matthews in a not too distant nytimes magazine)

his infatuation with winners (a troubling trait perhaps) may have betrayed a better judgement in the past (putting it mildly), but in this case it seems to be properly placed, and for the right reasons.

[Decipherer]

Where does Joe Scarborough get off calling out somebody over principles of journalism, he being a guy who spouts off at will with views of the kind that for which he criticized Chris Matthews?

What a hypocrite, and a smug, obnoxious one at that.

Incidentally, who declared what any of these media talking heads do and talk about is "journalism?" These people are purveyors of opinion, which is fine, but not to be confused with journalism.

[jugiebeans]

Kudos to you Chris!! I watch you every night! I can't stand Joe..Wish they would take him off the air! As a President elect Barack Obama supporter, I will stand behind him and you to make sure I can help him have a successful Presidency too! Thanks for your kind words...Joe is just jealous because he WISHES he could have the attention President Elect Barack Obama is getting. Wait..next you'll see Joe on Faux news!!!

[Bepragmatic]

The real Scarborough is coming out and it will be the death of "Morning Joe". In its birth, he was able to present him self as an objective conservative. Maintaining that illusion forever was not in the cards
and Fox and Friends has the audience he is now appealing to. Despite his bullying, I no longer feel sorry for Mika. I'm tired of her trying do make up calls to appear objective. There is no consistency in this cup of joe and any coffee that doesn't have that familiarity in the morning gets spit out. I enjoyed it for a while, but back to CNN.

[PiscesGirl24]

Agreed. I've gone back to CNN too...

[kenlog]

They're both failed Americans,

Their TV time needs to evaporate, at once !!

[mdmpo]

Good job Chris. It's a new day. That old negative c.r.a.p is so two days ago.

[Lucious]

To give the devil his due, Joe was correct to mention it was not the medias job to blindly help george launch his illegal war in Iraq. Other wise I don't have much for him. Mika is a babe, and she used to take Joe to school but lately she has become more and more his enabler. It's a real psychodrama to watch them. When Joe blows his top and starts tearing into someone Mika does everything but wipe his brow. This morning they were excusing every ignorant thing Palin ever did. Mika was sympathizing with her because her "handlers" kept putting her out there when she was not prepared. Can anyone imagine why they spent the morning salivating over the Alaskan Queen? Could it be they really want her on the show? Shameless.

[josephebacon]

Thank you, Chris!

[Lotus19]

This is what they consider "holding his feet to the fire", and asking the "tough questions"? LOL

[greyseal in tampa]

Not that I'm crazy about tweety-bird, but morning joe is as much of a j ournalist as I am a supermodel. Pappantonio should have given Joe a terminal wedgie back when they were roomies.

[greyseal in tampa]

Not that I'm crazy about tweety-bird, but morning joe is as much of a journalist as I am a supermodel. Papantonio should have given Joe a terminal wedgie back when they were roomies.

[bob8788]

You can tell Chris does not like Joe

http://www.barackobamacans.blogspot.com/

[aubrey8]

Chris doesn't like Joe or Keith and they don't like him. That's obvious.

[bonchesva]

Joe appeared to be looking for an argument.

[Nikola Tesla]

Joe is a TERRIBLE sport.

Ever scene his political philosophy has been exposed as a fraud, all he can do is bit ch and cry like a baby.

I used to like watching his show, but I can't stand his petulance.

Its American Morning only now.

[guajiro]

Looks like Joe is having a hard time eatin' crow!!! Ha! Ha! Ha!!!!!!

[319]

Petulance is right! He's a bully. He always was and I wish he were back in Fla. bullying his way to retirement.

[guajiro]

Matthews does what he must do in order to keep his show alive. It's what Faux News has done these last 8 yrs or so. The main media these last 40 or so years has been nothing but a pawn of those in power, be they GOP or DEM. The main media, to get the crumbs those in power hand out, have played their game and reported only what those in power wanted reported. Our ability to keep ourselves informed (A requisite responsibility of the people when they are being governed) lays only in the Internet now and is why representatives of the main media, such as Matthews, are so open about their bias; because through the Internet we now know facts on which they should have reported on but never did. It is as if time itself has reversed so that we now exist in the times of Washington, Jefferson, Paine, Madison, Voltaire, wherein we herald the news to each other, clean of any corrupt influence of corporate power, and slowly (8 yrs) come to a realization of the truths we could never see on any tv screen or Corporate controlled media.