So MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews stated that he is 'glad' superstorm Sandy happened because it helped Obama win last night. Here is the last paragraph of his statement....
"I'm so glad we had that storm last week because I think the storm was one of those things. No, politically I should say. Not in terms of hurting people. The storm brought in possibilities for good politics."
So he followed it up with an apology. It doesn't matter. Yes, we all make mistakes, but the bar was set long ago. Howard Cosell wasn't let go from Monday Night Football for his "little monkey" statement and he used that term affectionately for his grandchildren and for athletes both black and white so no harm was meant there, but he was vilified endlessly for it and retired after that football season. Imus was fired for making very inappropriate racist statements about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Al Campanis, who once brought Jackie Robinson to school for his son's show and tell, made some remarks on "Nightline" that certainly came across as a bit racist, thus ending a 44-year relationship with his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers - though contrary to popular belief, he wasn't fired...he resigned. And in December of 1978 as a 15-year-old, I watched in complete disbelief as the legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes punched Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman in the throat after Bauman intercepted Art Schlichter's pass late in the 4th quarter thus securing a Gator Bowl victory for the Tigers. Hayes was gone the next morning - ending a 28-year OSU coaching stint and his career.
The thing is, public figures have to be held up to a certain standard. And there are lines they just can't cross. When they do cross those lines - right or wrong...the very wrong being Imus and Matthews and Hayes...once it's crossed even an apology can't bring it back and should not save their jobs.
What if someone said that it was a 'good' thing that Mark David Chapman gunned down John Lennon on a rainy December night in New York in 1980 because it helped the sales of Lennon's "Double Fantasy" album? Did "Double Fantasy" sell more for Lennon and Yoko posthumously? Almost certainly. Was it a good thing that Chapman did what he did? Absolutely not.
There is no question that Chris Matthews should either step down from MSNBC or be let go. 111 people have lost their lives so far from that storm. It doesn't matter who you voted for or what your political beliefs are. That storm was definitely not a 'good' thing...politically or otherwise.
MSNBC - do the right thing.
"I'm so glad we had that storm last week because I think the storm was one of those things. No, politically I should say. Not in terms of hurting people. The storm brought in possibilities for good politics."
So he followed it up with an apology. It doesn't matter. Yes, we all make mistakes, but the bar was set long ago. Howard Cosell wasn't let go from Monday Night Football for his "little monkey" statement and he used that term affectionately for his grandchildren and for athletes both black and white so no harm was meant there, but he was vilified endlessly for it and retired after that football season. Imus was fired for making very inappropriate racist statements about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Al Campanis, who once brought Jackie Robinson to school for his son's show and tell, made some remarks on "Nightline" that certainly came across as a bit racist, thus ending a 44-year relationship with his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers - though contrary to popular belief, he wasn't fired...he resigned. And in December of 1978 as a 15-year-old, I watched in complete disbelief as the legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes punched Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman in the throat after Bauman intercepted Art Schlichter's pass late in the 4th quarter thus securing a Gator Bowl victory for the Tigers. Hayes was gone the next morning - ending a 28-year OSU coaching stint and his career.
The thing is, public figures have to be held up to a certain standard. And there are lines they just can't cross. When they do cross those lines - right or wrong...the very wrong being Imus and Matthews and Hayes...once it's crossed even an apology can't bring it back and should not save their jobs.
What if someone said that it was a 'good' thing that Mark David Chapman gunned down John Lennon on a rainy December night in New York in 1980 because it helped the sales of Lennon's "Double Fantasy" album? Did "Double Fantasy" sell more for Lennon and Yoko posthumously? Almost certainly. Was it a good thing that Chapman did what he did? Absolutely not.
There is no question that Chris Matthews should either step down from MSNBC or be let go. 111 people have lost their lives so far from that storm. It doesn't matter who you voted for or what your political beliefs are. That storm was definitely not a 'good' thing...politically or otherwise.
MSNBC - do the right thing.
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