Chris Matthews Explains "Oh, God!" Utterance

During today's Hardball, Chris Matthews will address the moment last night when a live mic caught him muttering "Oh, God," as Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal came out to deliver the GOP rebuttal to President Obama's address.

Here's a bit of what Matthews will say, according to an NBC spokesperson:

I was taken aback by that peculiar stagecraft, the walking from somewhere in the back of this narrow hall, this winding staircase looming there, the odd anti-bellum [sic] look of the scene. Was this some mimicking of a president walking along the state floor to the East Room?

Jindal has reportedly declined an invitation to appear on this evening's edition of Hardball.

Comments

[TC-VIP]

Chris just verbalized what everyone was thinking.

[NightArrow]

I thought it was hilarious!

[gretasmom]

MSNBC needs to train commentators in journalism ethics 101. Consumers (viewers like me) need a little more BI-partisa­nship... without the going overboard one way or another. If these guys are going to be reporting their opinions, I will not watch. That goes for the MORNING JOE'S, and the Keith Obermann's­...Chris Matthews is just too opinionated to take him seriously. But with newspapers folding up, we need to have more NEWS and not fluff opinions on TV.

[clsmithj]

If one want fair news, stop watching cable news, or tune in to CNN which seem to be playing it straight lately.

I didn't hear matthew's oh god scream caused I watch the response on regular free NBC that's in HD.

[Tugar]

YOU GUYS HAVE ME LAUGHING SO MUCH THIS AM WITH YOUR "OH GOD" responses, I forgot I have the flu right now, and how bad I was feeling. I can't stop chuckling !

When I saw Bobby J. walk out and made a sudden "STOP," behind the standing flags, then continue with a WALK, that made me say, "OH GOD," I thought I had seen everything. But he then started to explain his own "KATRINA SOB STORY," which the news now tells us all was not true. THIS IS JUST TOO HILARIOUS for someone in my FLU, STOMACH HURTS WHEN I LAUGH TO HARD CONDITION.

[killjoyvanity]

it's the meds

[ebatti]

"I was taken aback by that peculiar stagecraft, the walking from somewhere in the back of this narrow hall, this winding staircase looming there, the odd anti-bellum [sic] look of the scene. Was this some mimicking of a president walking along the state floor to the East Room?"

To quote one of the 80's classic SNL ubiquitous lines, "Yeah, that's the ticket."

[Quaderi]

The irony here is that I missed Matthews saying "Oh God" because I said the exact same thing as he walked from the back...

who ever thought of that choreography was an absolute idiot

[Parrothead]

Was he Channeling Slum Dog Millionaire, Louisiana? Oops, my bad those kids did a good job in the movie he didn't....­.

MB

[poljunkie50]

No matter what Chris Mathews is saying these days, I will always think first of him drooling over GWB in his flying costume during that ridiculous "mission accomplished" stunt. In my opinion what minimal cred Chris had going into that circus was lost forever. He is obviously trying to reinvent himself with a finger in the wind and would be saying the opposite if his network told him to. Anything to keep his place in the corpo media elite.

[teddyr]

I totally disagree. Chris has always been truthful with his thoughts. He has always leaned toward the left in his show. But he will listen to the other side if the person is being forthright. Unfortunately the Republicans do not know how to be honest. They are such hypocrites.
His show is Hardball. It is his job to identify untruthful comments or in this case, a ruse for a stage setting. He did it accidentally, but there is no doubt he brought it up later when he discussed the presentation. Everyone is entitled to an exclamation once in a while. And this extreme scene warranted it. Jindal is a joke. And of course he turned down HardBall. He would be forced to be credible.

[CitizenFarmer]

Regardless of why he said it, he needs to decide if he wants to be a reporter or an editorialist. While I disagree with most of what Frank Rich writes, I'll defend his right to write it and he will probably never state he is a reporter. A reporter provides information and does not editoralize. While Frank can and probably should wax and wane about the Jindal's speech, Matthews should just report.

[A.D. Faried]

Matthews, Olbermann and Maddow are commentators not reporters

[huston3]

And as a commentator, he and KO had no more business hosting a presidential debate than O'Reilly and Hannity. He's not even a commentator; he's an ADVOCATE! He's already said, on air that his job is to "make this thing [the Obama administration] work." If anyone had said that about a Republican administration, he'd be looking for a new job the next day.

As well he should have.

[lefty247]

NO- They are actually real live journalist that are also anchors.
All 3 are excellent - we Dems need 20 more like them with the same exposure.

[Quaderi]

since when is Matthews a reporter? I thought he's always been a commentato­r...

[Zen0469]

Jindal declined an invitation to expand the tale of his central role in the New Orleans hurricane Katrina rescue? On Hardball, you say? Why? A heroic tale needs amplification, nuances, the works ..........

I would have thought such a principal player in the Re.pub. leadership hierarchy would jump at the chance to tell more stories. Do you think he's a trifle too modest??

[huston3]

I think when the host makes his feelings clear on a hot mike, there are better venues of which to avail one's self.

[JeanMerilynSimmons]

Funny, I say the same thing whenever I see him (or that dunce Gibbs, for that matter).

[auramac]

I would've said, "Oh (rhymes with spit)!"

[TamysDMilo]

Jindal, whatever. Palin is my lady. I loved watching her stump on the campaign trail. Sarah Palin--she's got it going on!

[Parrothead]

Now if she could figure out what it is "going on", she is going to end up like Nadia Suleman. So her kid getting married soon was a lie also? Is that what's "going on". Sarah Palin was a stunt pulled by John McCain, do you realy think she would be picked if Hillary Clinton had been?

[ChelseaC]

LOL. Palin thinking she can replace Hillary--now that WAS SO FUNNY!
We all know McSame picked Palin as his running mate for her gender--to attract Hillary voters--didn't work out so well, did it? That didn't fool me for one minuet. At first I thought, "oh no, competition for Obama." The she opened her mouth in the interviews--esp. the Couric interview.­....lol...


I like/don't like Hillary--I'm spilt(I don't like that she gets $$$ from Big Pharma and the insurance companies and then there's the Iraq vote.The likeable side of Hillary is she's smart, has witt, moxy and style.

Palin isn't even in the same class as Hillary--for me-- there's no comparison. Hillary is smarter, more likeable, more dynamic--just over all better!

[crablover]

My wife and I said the same thing when we saw Bobby J. walk out! He showed all of the grace and confidence of a high school boy on prom night. Then he proceeded to lecture us in a totally patronizing tone of voice.

If he Repubs keep using him as a spokesman, we Dems have nothing to worry about.

[mivogo]

Clueless bankers and car execs fly in on private jets to demand federal dollars, than wonder why they are laughing stocks. It's because they only talk to each other, and have no clue how the average person sees them. The same is true with most Republicans (and Washington journalists, for that matter). They belong to a private club who reinforce each others BS.
These Repubs didn't have a clue what a pathetic dufus Bobby J is--they thought he was a "cool kid." Welcome to Earth, aliens!

[bynddrvn5]

So Fox news can joke about shooting Obama and hanging him, but someone from MSNBC can't say "oh, god?"

I am sure Fox News lawyers will rebutt this arguement by saying that I am using the "race card" or some other horseflop.