Matthews Foresees 'Howards End' in Wolfson Move to Fox News

You'd think Chris Matthews might wish Howard Wolfson well on the news that the former top aide to Hillary Clinton has joined Fox News as a Dem analyst. Think again.  The Hardball host has ungraciously predicted that the move to Fox could spell the end of Wolfson—and in doing so revealed his own pop-culture roots.

Here was Matthews on this evening's Hardball:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Fox News loves presenting itself as the alternative to the other news networks. Roger Ailes, the guy behind the network, figures that the Hillary campaign needs a new home, now that she's out of the race for president. So, abracadabra, Howard Wolfson, the voice of the Hillary campaign, has just been hired by—you guessed it—Fox News. Wolfson has just signed a contract as a regular contributor. He told the New York Times, quote, "it is important to have a strong progressive voice on the network." Well I think it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship.  Reminds me of a movie: it's called Howards End.

View video here.

Nice.  As for Howards End being a movie, well, yes it is.  A movie based on the famous . . . 1910 novel by E. M. Forster. Imagine Matthews discussing Mario Cuomo's vaunted vacillation about running for president in 1992: "reminds me of a famous movie: Hamlet."

For that matter, just how familiar is Chris with the, er, movie in any case?  Howards End is a reference to a family home, not the demise of a character.  Things actually turn out rather well for most concerned at story's end. So if Howards End is any guide, Wolfson should ultimately get along swimmingly at Fox.

Note: Matthews omitted the first part of Wolfson's statement on his move to Fox News:  "I thought that Fox’s coverage during the primary was comprehensive and fair and evenhanded." No one has accused MSNBC of that.