Chris Matthews Admits: "I'm Partial" For Barack Obama, "You Got Me!"

Stop 1 on Chris Matthews' Whirlwind Tour of LA — which will bring him to his reunion with Ellen DeGeneres — was the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Tuesday night Matthews sat down with Leno to discuss the Obama presidency, the possibility of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the bailout of the auto industry,

Matthews admitted to Leno that he has been, and still is, "partial" to Barack Obama.

"Well, I'm partial," he said. "You got me. You nailed me! I've been watching politics since I was a kid and all the way back to the days of Kennedy and Nixon and I've never seen anything like Barack Obama. No one's ever been as inspiring."

Matthews said that Obama's run was "stunning to [him] from the time it started" and described Obama as "a remarkable political reality."

When Leno brought up the topic of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Matthews laughed, saying, "Come on, you're setting me up!" Matthews is a frequent Clinton-antagonist who was recently overheard on a train trashing her as a Cabinet pick.

The always-excited "Hardball" host may was also passionate about the auto industry bailout. Matthews told Leno, a well-known car enthusiast, that if the CEOs of the "Big Three" auto companies are going to become government employees through a bailout, they ought to accept government salaries.

"These auto company CEOs have not had a good year, or a good decade, and they're still making hundreds of millions of dollars," Matthews said. "I think we ought to say, if we're going to be in a bailout situation...stop getting paid like capitalists. You didn't do it," he added, suggesting a $400,000/year cap on their salaries (equivalent to what the President makes).

Watch:

Comments

[Beaupedia]

If Matthews runs for the U.S. Senate I will be the first to donate to his campaign. If I lived in PA, I'd be the first to sign up to volunteer. I believe this man genuinely loves this nation and has legitimate, heartfelt concerns about where we're headed. He's the real deal.

[Grulg]

Matthews' take on all things Hillary is a disgrace though. Gimme a break guy.
He loses whatever credibility he has whenever he starts in about the Clintonistas. Chris-the election? it's over. You will now get to deal with-say it with me: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Makes ya feel Good, doesn't it?!

[smag]

Its amazing how Matthews has on this forum, been castigated, called incompetent, a republican and just about every other insult you can think of and I agree. However, when he comes out of the proverbial journalistic closet of bias and formally (more than a tingle) confirms his affection for Obama he is suddenly an honest, alert, courageous journalist. He is none of these. He is an entertainer and not to be viewed with the respect afforded legitimate journalist afforded constitutional rights that average citizens do not have concerning the burden of proof of the accuracy of a truth (doesn’t have to reveal source).

[Melissa]

Finally he admits he has been in the tank for Obama all this time. I'm shocked! Please PA don't vote this man into the Senate. Maybe Obama will let him carry his bags!

[GirlOutWest]

It's exciting to watch and listen to someone as passionate about politics and history as Chris Mathews. He is well educated, rarely hateful and has a fun way of relating to his audience. I'm enjoying his enthusiasm for Obama. We've been in the dark for a long time under the Bush Administration and it's easy to see why he feels the excitement of an Obama presidency.

BTW...he's a political pundit (a person who give opinion), not a news reporter.

[imsosure]

This means there ought not be any reason for slanderous and malicious remarks about Mathews favoring Obama. He has made it clear to anyone willing to hear.
But those others who lack the moral fiber and professional integrity will always be open, fair game. Not unlike the GOP which is reaping the fruits of it's labor, those journalists who merely put their spin on things leaving out or just misrepresenting the truth have earned their badge of deceit and dishonesty.

[james1989]

Chris Mathews is a biased commentator like all of them. At least he has the guts to proclaim he has a man crush on Obama! The media leans our way...left. The right seems to think that everyone is out to get them. People get their information from sources they choose and Chris is at least honest about how he leans.

[HallStyle]

Chris is honest about his support for Barack. It was obivous from day one. The thing is though when situations arrised that he had to question his campaign on he did. I think he liked what he heard from Barack Obama. More and more Barack Obama proved to Chris and to the whole world that he could do the job.

[munki]

Chris is cool... Obama is inspiring because he understands and can cross gap between many races... I am most impressed with his background and understanding of "differences" and he really is someone...
special? extraordinary...

[tlgeiger62]

I think Chris Matthews is a very honest man and has a great deal of integrity. He's never really hidden his pro-Obama stance.

What he says about the auto industry, I completely agree with. I even wrote to each of the CEOs and told them.

If anyone wants to write to them, here are their addresses. I would suggest an actual hard copy letter and not email.

Rick Wagoner, CEO
General Motors
300 Renaissance Center
Detroit, MI 48243
313-556-5000

Alan Mulally, CEO
Ford Motor Company
1 American Road
Dearborn MI 48126-2798
313-322-3000
800-392-3673

Robert Nardelli, CEO
Chrysler LLC
1000 Chrysler Dr
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
800-334-9200

[munki]

Do they have ears to listen to anyone?

[Frenbar]

Obama is stunning to me too.

I'm stunned that so far, ever member of his administration is pro-war, pro-empire.

[socratiskiss]

Obama's cabinet, Obama's choice. get over it.

[karela]

I like Chris Mathews. Sometimes he gets excitable. Sometimes he talks to loud. But Chris Mathews has a genuine love for this country. He thinks hard about what's happening and who's behind it and he's always looking at it from the perspective of what is best for the country. For him, Pennsylvania is often what he feels in his heart when he thinks of America because it's home to him and for him, America is home. He rings true as an American who truly puts Country First in his heart. He also has a real feeling for all people which was reflected in his choice to serve in the Peace Corps. I don't always agree with Chris Mathews, but I usually find myself willing to consider what he thinks because he does his best and it comes from the heart. Occasionally I get a headache listening to Chris Mathews, but I have never felt heartsick as I have with Bush, Boehner, Cheney, McConnell, Larry Craig, Harold Ickes and others. Whatever Mathews' political affiliations, they never come before the good of his country.

[pilgrim7]

I second that. Chris is wysiwyg. There's no guile in his game. Gotta love it and hate it, all at the same time.

[WowJones]

The dow is around 7500 and unempolyment is at a sixteen year high. Gm couldn't get credit to buy an ink pen. Tr00ls will try to tell you how bad Obama is and it's so funny how they never mention the guy we know they voted for twice. Name never comes up.

[engineer68]

Yes, he likes Obama, but I remember when he had a crush on Rudy, and Fred Thompson as well as as that hero McCain. It is like the flavor of the day with Matthews.

[SoundHuman]

great stuff, just wish Larry the cable guy would have just kept his unfunny mouth shut...man, all the blue collar comedy guys represent everything that I hate about mainstream comedy...

[phredralf]

I like watching Chris enjoy his job.

[BreakfastatTiffanys1]

We already knew this; however, Matthews isn't a journalist and does not have to be impartial.

He also blasted Obama for the Rev. Wright sermons and ran them in a loop continuously.

My response to hater Ohiomark: Hate on, hater.