MSNBC, the place for left-wing politics strikes again.
If there ever was a textbook example of what not to do in a TV interview for broadcast journalism students, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews put it on display during his Aug. 10 show. In a segment with Americans For Prosperity President Tim Phillips, Matthews did his dead-level best to discredit the opponent of Obama's health care policy proposals, first by trying to link him to those questioning Obama's presidency on the claims of an invalid birth certificate.
"Tim, where are you from politically? What's your story? Who are you politically?" Matthews said, peppering his free-market conservative guest with questions. "Are you one of the people that question's the president's legitimacy as president?" "You're not a birther or anything like that?"
Matthews then asked Phillips what he wanted politically, as if conservatives had reins of power in Washington, D.C. Phillips began to answer the question by what he didn't want to see, perhaps since the policies he would prefer would have little chance of becoming enacted under the current political climate, before being interrupted by Matthews.
"No! What do you want? No, no, no!" Matthews said. "I will not have that conversation with you. What do you want?"
Phillips said he wanted to see more choices versus mandates, which reward behavior. However, Matthews amped up his bulling tactics after not rattling the Americans for Prosperity president when Matthews tried to analogize health insurance mandates with auto insurance mandates.
MATTHEWS: Do you like the idea of requiring people to have health insurance at a young age?
PHILLIPS: I do not. I don't think it's good for the government to be mandating and requiring that, so I'm opposed to that.
MATTHEWS: Well, they mandate you buy, when you get a driver's license to go out on the road, you have to have insurance to drive a car. You don't like that either? Where are you with that?
PHILLIPS: I don't want government reaching...
MATTHEWS: Wait, wait, wait. Do you want people to have insurance when they drive a car?
PHILLIPS: I think that's a decent mandate, absolutely because...
MATTHEWS: And it's a decent mandate
PHILLIPS: Hold on, hold on.
MATTHEWS: I'm holding on. I'm giving you all the time you want, buddy! Don't do this "hold on" crap with me. OK, I'm letting you talk. I know the tactics. Talk.
PHILLIPS: Thanks Chris.
MATTHEWS: No, you don't have to say "thanks Chris," just talk.
Matthews has taken a different tone in the past with his more left-of-center guests, like HBO's Bill Maher for example, giving them free rein to expound upon their ideas of how the world should operate.
