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Chris Matthews Biography |
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: For the cricketer, see Chris Matthews (cricketer)
Christopher John Matthews (born December 17 1945) hosts a nightly, hour-long talk show called Hardball with Chris Matthews on the United States cable television channel MSNBC, formerly on CNBC, and a syndicated NBC News-produced panel program called The Chris Matthews Show on weekends.
Matthews, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native is a Roman Catholic of Irish decsent who graduated from La Salle College High School and The College of the Holy Cross, and did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then served in the United States Peace Corps in Swaziland as a trade development advisor.
Matthews has worked for four Democratic Party (United States) politicians. He was a President of the United States speechwriter for four years during the administration of Jimmy Carter. He served as a top aide to long-time Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Tip O'Neill for six years. He worked in the United States Senate for five years on the staffs of Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie before running for U. S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Matthews worked as a print journalist for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington, DC Bureau Chief for San Francisco Examiner (1987–2000), and two years as a nationally syndicated columnist for San Francisco Chronicle.
Hardball features Pundit (politics) and elected officials as guests whom Matthews will not hesitate to interrupt, often to disagree (i.e., playing "hardball" and forcing them to answer his questions).
Matthews is married to Kathleen Matthews, who anchors News 7 on WJLA-TV, the American Broadcasting Company affiliate in Washington, D.C. The couple has three children: Michael, Thomas and Caroline. He was the commencement speaker at the University of South Carolina on May 5, 2006, where his wife was awarded an Honorary Doctorate; the next day his wife was the commencement speaker, and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. On May 20, 2006, Chris Matthews delivered the commencement address at Fordham University in The Bronx where he was also awarded an honorary degree.
Despite having worked for Democratic Party (United States), Matthews has said, "I'm more conservative than people think I am. ... I voted for George W. Bush in 2000." Matthews has been accused of having panels of guests that skew to the right by liberal media watchdogs(http://mediamatters.org/items/200505310005) and of supporting Republican Party (United States) in his own questions and comments (http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=11345, http://mediamatters.org/items/200601070003). Conversely, he is also often criticized by conservatives for his opposition to the Iraq War among other stances he takes against the current administration. Conservative watchdog groups also accuse Matthews of constantly taking Democratic Party positions (http://newsbusters.org/taxonomy/term/206?from=90). "George W. Bush disappointed a lot of us when he went to war...I voted for the guy in 2000." This may be consistent with his claim in his third book, Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, that he was a libertarian in his youth, perhaps drifting toward the center with age. Author Matthews is the author of four books on politics and history. The first, Hardball: How Politics is Played, led to the creation of his signature TV show. The second, Kennedy and Nixon, detailed the friendship of the two future political adversaries from the 1940's through the 1960 election and on through Watergate. The third, Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, is the first where he discusses his real political views on various issues. His fourth book, American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions, is a history of famous and/or influential Americans and how they rose from humble, often immigrant origins. SNL Comedian Darrell Hammond performs an impersonation of Matthews on Saturday Night Live, portraying Matthews as hyper, aggressive and encouraging of and excited by his guests' most outlandish statements. Matthews has said he finds the impression amusing, and he frequently plays clips from the sketches on his show. Trivia His brother, Jim Matthews, is the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2006 elections. 
Courtesy of: http://www.wikipedia.org/ |
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