On Tuesday night, MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews played the role of charmer in creepily professing how attractive he found new author, friend, guest, and Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer (Calif.) that Matthews repeatedly told the audience she “look great” and expressed concern about the physical toll of traveling between California and Washington for work.
Right off the bat, Matthews rehashed Boxer’s congressional career in both chambers and upon mentioning her book title The Art of Tough: Fearlessly Facing Politics and Life, Matthews proclaimed: “Thank you so much. Senator, you look great by the way if I'm allowed to say that. Unbelievable. Four terms.”
While it wouldn’t surprise readers whenever Matthews knocks Republicans for not kowtowing to the left, he praised Boxer for being liberal and not having “buckled” or “become a middle of the roader.”
“You’ve been an advocate. I think of you as an advocacy politician, not so much a constituency one. You have issues. You care about them and you fight for them and you’ve done it successfully politically — would you tell other progressives how to win four straight elections in the largest state,” he added.
Matthews continued the oozefest by asking a question along the lines of her book plus her outlook on California’s Democratic presidential primary before wondering if the travel for the rather wealthy Senator between Washington, D.C. and the Golden State has taken a toll on her:
It has such dignity to it, such history to it, going all the way back to the beginning of our country and yet, you’ve had to travel back and forth across this continent of ours from east to west almost like every week. What's that like to represent the biggest state in the union and also having to work in Washington, D.C. on the opposite part of the continent. What is that like physically?
In ending the middle segment of Tuesday’s program, Matthews gave Boxer more of the same treatment that he’s shown to everyone from Erin Burnett to Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio) to Hallie Jackson:
Well, I've known you more than 30 years and I have to tell you. The great thing about you is when you look at Barbara Boxer right now on the television set and you do look great, I must say — I don’t know why I said that but I will say that cause you do but I do think people ought to know that you are who you look like. You are the person who — you are the person who was just talking. There's no different person that you meet privately.
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball on May 31 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Hardball
May 31, 2016
7:33 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: She's been a long time proponent of women's rights of progressive politics, everybody knows that, beginning her Senate career in 1993. She's been reelected four times by the State of California, has been a member of Congress through five presidencies spanning from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama and today, Senator Boxer is out with a new book today titled The Art of Tough. That’s a great title. The Art of Tough: Fearlessly Facing Politics and Life. Thank you so much. Senator, you look great by the way if I'm allowed to say that. Unbelievable. Four terms.
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR BARBARA BOXER (Calif.): Yes.
MATTHEWS: And you’re a liberal and you haven't buckled. You haven’t become a middle of the roader. You’ve been an advocate. I think of you as an advocacy politician, not so much a constituency one. You have issues. You care about them and you fight for them and you’ve done it successfully politically — would you tell other progressives how to win four straight elections in the largest state?
(....)
MATTHEWS: You said, Barbara — here you're quoting some right-wing blogger or whatever. “Barbara Boxer is quite possibly the biggest doofus ever to enter the Senate chamber, including janitorial staff, pizza delivery kids, and carpenter ants” Well, first of all, they’re making of un of working people as well as ants there. That was a giveaway. What do you tell us in this book based upon a quarter century really in the Senate and more if you count the House years that we wouldn't know watching from outside?
(....)
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about the difference. I know — I don’t even know where you stand on this one. You’ve got two progressives running. Hillary’s more a centrist, but she’s a progressive against Bernie Sanders in California next Tuesday. What do you think’s going to go into the thinking of the people you’ve represented a long time now, decades, what’s going into that? Cause I think this race could be close. I don’t know right now. What's in their thinking?
(....)
MATTHEWS: Let many ask you about the life of a senator. You know, a lot of people grow up and that's the greatest job in the world, just be a United States Senator. It has such dignity to it, such history to it, going all the way back to the beginning of our country and yet, you’ve had to travel back and forth across this continent of ours from east to west almost like every week. What's that like to represent the biggest state in the union and also having to work in Washington, D.C. on the opposite part of the continent. What is that like physically?
(....)
MATTHEWS: Well, I've known you more than 30 years and I have to tell you. The great thing about you is when you look at Barbara Boxer right now on the television set and you do look great, I must say — I don’t know why I said that but I will say that cause you do but I do think people ought to know that you are who you look like. You are the person who — you are the person who was just talking. There's no different person that you meet privately. You are Barbara Boxer which is a great thing to say about anybody in public life. They are authentic and you are a real liberal. Thank you so much, Barbara Boxer. The book’s called The Art of Tough. Thanks for bringing it to us first.
