NBC’s Matthews Won’t Run for Senate

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

Chris Matthews, the host of the MSNBC program “Hardball,” told his staff on Wednesday night that he would not run for the Senate in 2010 from Pennsylvania.

For much of the last year, Mr. Matthews had been considering entering the Senate race as a Democrat in his home state at the same time he was renegotiating his contract with NBC News. He had attended several meetings that had included Pennsylvania representatives as well as some major fund-raisers in the Democratic Party.

But Mr. Matthews, who was once a top aide to the House speaker, Tip O’Neill of Massachusetts, and ran for Congress as a Democrat in 1974, never formally declared himself a candidate, a decision which would have forced him out of his position at MSNBC.

In an interview in October, Mr. Matthews said, “People have asked me about it. I’ve never told anyone that I’m running.”

There has been speculation that Mr. Matthews, 63, was flirting with a Senate run as a way to give him some leverage in his contract talks. According to at least one earlier report, NBC was planning to ask Mr. Matthews to return but wanted him to take a drastic pay cut — from $5 million a year to an amount closer to $1 million.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/business/media/08matt...

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As a Pennsylvania resident - thank you! I would've hated it if it had come down to voting for Tweety!

[tekisui]

1. Good!

[scarletwoman]

2. Wheeeeew! Maybe there is a god...

[EconomicLiberal]

3. Thank goodness.

[depakid]

4. Damn- I was looking forward to the campaign commercials...

[LuckyLib]

5. Good! All we need is one more gasbag in Congress.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. What a shame. He'd be a great senator. But would miss him on TV. Man,

had no idea he made that much - $5 million. wow.

[EconomicLiberal]

7. MSNBC might as well flush $5 million down the toilet.

I doubt more than 5 people watch his show.

[sniffa]

10. *snort*

That's just stupid.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. lol

[Wetzelbill]

18. ....

[Gman]

8. Decided not to quit his day job

good choice.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. The local radio news station had his brother on

and he essentially confirmed it. His brother is a repuke county commissioner in Montgomery County just outside of Philly.

We need serious Senatorial candidates in order to break the Specter machine. This is no play since Specter normally has a huge war chest.

[UTUSN]

11. K&R #2 for, YAY YAY YAY!1 It's worth 5M to keep him away!1

[PittPoliSci]

12. that's a shame. i really like him.

i think if anyone could bring down arlen spector it would've been him.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. Me 2. I love the way he has such a wealth of knowledge of history - so

few do - I mean to actually be able to immediately call upon a historical event that mimics a subject
from today. I also love his excitement and the way he drills people who don't know what they are
talking about. Sure, he's got the checkered past about Iraq - but at least he is man enough now
to realize it was a fucking lie. Most just parrot the meme - well everyone thought the intelligence
was right and that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.

[Bette Noir]

13. I like Chris Matthews.

Since I don't live in Pennsylvania, I'm glad he'll stay on TV.

[Wetzelbill]

16. I think I'd like him as a senator more than I like some of his opinions on air

He's a passionate guy, I think he'd be much more of an idealist and a fighter as a senator than many Dems have been all of these years. Sure he had his moments of Bush worship, but that's because Matthews is a sucker for emotional stuff. Bush on that aircraft carrier was a moment like that, just the same as his "up the leg" comments about Obama speaking was. I think Matthews would have been a solid Dem ally in office.

[seafan]

17. He and Jeb can just settle for the thrill that crept up a leg. n/t

[bdamomma]

19. he would probably be very good if he did consider being Senator.