Chris Matthews
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- For the cricketer, see Chris Matthews (cricketer)
Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) hosts a nightly, hour-long talk show called Hardball with Chris Matthews on the American cable television channel MSNBC, formerly on CNBC, and a syndicated NBC News-produced panel program called The Chris Matthews Show on weekends.
Matthews, a Philadelphia native is a Roman Catholic of Irish descent who graduated from La Salle College High School and The College of the Holy Cross, and did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then served in the Peace Corps in Swaziland as a trade development advisor.
Matthews has worked for four Democratic politicians. He was a presidential speechwriter for four years during the administration of Jimmy Carter. He served as a top aide to long-time Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill for six years. He worked in the U.S. Senate for five years on the staffs of Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie before losing to Pennsylvania Congressman Joshua Eilberg in a U.S. House of Representatives Democratic primary in 1974.
Matthews worked as a print journalist for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington, DC Bureau Chief for The San Francisco Examiner (1987–2000), and two years as a nationally syndicated columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle.
Hardball features pundits and elected officials as guests whom Matthews will not hesitate to interrupt, often to disagree (i.e., playing "hardball" and forcing them to answer his questions).
Matthews is married to Kathleen R. Matthews, who anchored News 7 on WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C before accepting a position as a senior Vice President with J.W. Marriott. The couple has three children: Michael, Thomas and Caroline. He was the commencement speaker at the University of South Carolina on May 5, 2006, where his wife was awarded an Honorary Doctorate; the next day his wife was the commencement speaker, and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. On May 20, 2006, Chris Matthews delivered the commencement address at Fordham University in The Bronx where he was also awarded an honorary degree.
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[edit] Political views
Matthews was raised in a conservative Irish Catholic household. As a young man he was a Goldwater Republican who was inspired to become a Democrat by Eugene McCarthy's pro-civil rights and anti-Vietnam war platforms. Matthews would later work for prominent Democrats, such as Jimmy Carter and Tip O'Neil. Despite having worked for Democrats, Matthews has said, "I'm more conservative than people think I am. ... I voted for George W. Bush in 2000."
Matthews has been accused of having panels of guests that skew to the right by liberal media watchdogs([1]) and of supporting the Republicans in his own questions and comments ([2], [3]). Conversely, conservative watchdog groups also accuse Matthews of taking Democratic Party positions ([4]). On the subject of the Iraq War for example, conservatives criticize Matthews for his opposition, and liberals criticize Mathews for comparing Americans who are concerned about the war to Osama bin Laden.
[edit] Author
Matthews is the author of four 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 1940's through the 1960 election and on through Watergate. 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, often immigrant origins.
[edit] SNL impersonation
Comedian Darrell Hammond performs an impersonation of Matthews on Saturday Night Live, portraying Matthews as hyper, aggressive and encouraging of and excited by his guests' most outlandish statements. Matthews has said he finds the impression amusing, and he frequently plays clips from the sketches on his show.
[edit] Trivia
His brother, Jim Matthews, was the losing Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2006 general election, running with gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann.
