One of the most shameful things I’ve run across this campaign season was the spectacle of Chris Matthews abusing Texas State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin). Tweety DEMANDED that Watson, who has endorsed Barack Obama, provide even one legislative accomplishment of Obama’s. Watson was clearly unprepared for the verbal onslaught, and apparently didn’t have the wherewithal to tell Matthews to get stuffed. Really, you’d think that Matthews would want to take about that evening’s primaries, Obama’s prospects going forward, or anything related to the campaign itself. Who would have expected to be verbally assaulted in the manner that Matthews took on Watson? Not only was it mean-spirited and unfair, but the only point to it appeared to Matthew’s need to collect another scalp.
In the interest of self-disclosure, I should mention that I’ve met Kirk Watson. He’s a thoroughly decent human being and a very capable public servant. Being that he’s a Democrat in a statehouse chock-full of Right-wing wackjobs, Watson has his hands full dodging all the crap that Texas Republicans try to legislate into reality. Stoning adulterers? Turning harlots into salt? Hell, yeah; welcome to Texas!! Kirk Watson is a voice of sanity in the equivalent of a political psych ward- and he certainly didn’t deserve to be abused as he was by Matthews.
At least Watson was able to maintain his sense of humor about being verbally assassinated on national television. Watson responded on his website, saying that his mind just went blank. And who among us wouldn’t have suffered the same fate. Watson isn’t a veteran of national talk shows, and he certainly didn’t expect Matthews’ sneak attack. Who among us would have? I probably would have assumed (mistakenly, as it turns out) that Matthews is a decent human being who was looking to have ah honest discussion of the issues. Boy, would I have been wrong….
I seriously doubt that Watson had ANY idea of what he was going to be subjected to. Frankly, Matthews at the very least owes Watson an apology for being such an unreconstructed dick. Then again, I think most educated observers are by now well aware that Matthews’ ego has a huge appetite…and yes, Matthews really is a dick.
Kirk Watson (and anyone watching the exchange) deserved better.
