Legal Commentary

When Will Tweety Have Liddy On Again?

By Big Tent Democrat

Bob Somerby documents Chris "Tweety" Matthews' long history of sexism and misogyny. It is especially acute in what he tolerates from his guests. Somerby recounts Tweety's applauding of G. Gordon Liddy's sexist rants during the Gore campaign:

In November 1999, Matthews had Liddy on the show to recite the press corps’ scripted complaints about Naomi Wolf. (Wolf was advising the Gore campaign, as the press had recently learned.) Gender-nut Matthews popped the question to his crackpot, gender-nut friend: “Can we believe Al Gore growing into this protean new person, this new today's man-woman, whatever the hell he's trying to become?” Gore was becoming the new man-woman! Thus cued, Liddy knew the relevant scripting—scripting which was being repeated all over the mainstream press:

LIDDY (11/4/99): You, you, you can't—you can't lead people with the uncertain trumpet. If you don't know who the hell you are, if you're not comfortable with yourself, if you've got a girl trying to teach you how to be a real man, how in the world—I mean, do we want a person like that for the leader of the free world? I don't think so.

[...]

But a woman like that, whom I have to say that, at its most charitable, is a bit bizarre, to be, being paid more than the vice presidential salary per month to tell this guy how to be a real man, that's—that's scary. That really is—the fact that this guy is actually in contention for president of the United States should disturb people.

Everybody knew they must say it! Al Gore hired a woman (or a “girl”) to teach him how to be a man! Matthews quickly evoked Roseanne Roseannadanna and exulted at the way the press had been able to “catch [Gore] with this girl.” With their lunacy thus further inspired, the boys were soon saying this:

LIDDY: Yeah, but he's obviously—he's obviously listening to her. Look, the next time you meet a real guy from Tennessee, you know—

MATTHEWS: Yeah.

LIDDY: —like Senator Fred Thompson, all right—

MATTHEWS: All right

LIDDY: You ask him if any of the real good old boys in Tennessee go around wearing brown suits with blue shirts.

MATTHEWS: I love the three buttons! Would somebody explain? I thought we were down to one or two—

LIDDY: Yeah.

MATTHEWS: —that you didn't button the second one. He's got all three buttoned up. It says, “My name is Al, and I'm your waiter tonight.” You know, I can't quite figure this out.

What's ironic about all this is Tweety's homerotic love for George W. Bush and other "manly" men is a matter of record. As is his blatant sexism and misogyny. But I wonder if even Liddy went too far for Tweety when he said this:

LIDDY: I understand that they found out today that Miss Sotomayor is a member of La Raza, which means in illegal alien, “the race.” And that should not surprise anyone because she’s already on record with a number of racist comments. . . . Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when she’s menstruating or something, or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then.

If Tweety had any courage, he would have Liddy on and ask him about these comments. But we all know that Tweety is a coward. Always has been. Always will be.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 30, 2009 (boomark / email).