MSNCB'S MATTHEWS "FORGOT OBAMA WAS BLACK" FOR JUST AWHILE!

By KATE PHILLIPS

After President Obama’s address Wednesday night, Chris Matthews, the host of “Hardball” on MSNBC, began reviewing the speech in almost completely racial terms. First he called the president truly “post-racial,” adding, “I forgot he was black” during the hour-plus of the speech.

The comments are already whipping around the Internet, drawing a storm of criticism.

Here’s a transcript of what he said:

I was trying to think about who he was tonight. It’s interesting; he is post-racial, by all appearances. I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. He’s gone a long way to become a leader of this country and past so much history in just a year or two. I mean it’s something we don’t even think about. I was watching and I said, wait a minute, he’s an African-American guy in front of a bunch of other white people and there he is, president of the United States, and we’ve completely forgotten that tonight — completely forgotten it. I think it was in the scope of the discussion, it was so broad ranging, so in tune with so many problems and aspects and aspects of American life. That you don’t think in terms of the old tribalism and the old ethnicity. It was astounding in that regard, a very subtle fact. It’s so hard to even talk about it. Maybe I shouldn’t talk about it.

And yes, Mr. Matthews is the same TV personality who once said Mr. Obama’s speeches gave him a thrill up his leg.

13 Readers' Comments

»

1 .

MIKE H.

Madison, WI

January 28th, 2010

8:35 am

Big deal. He's saying what a lot of people feel. Maybe it's sort of weird and not very PC, but that sentiment is not uncommon for a lot of white folks. Is it racist? Probably, but this is a racist country with a lot of racist people in it. And frankly this is a lot better than what a TV commentator might have said 40yrs ago about a prestigious black leader.

2 .

TR

Planet Earth

January 28th, 2010

8:35 am

The only logical question is why is this guy still on the air

3 .

Dave

New York City

January 28th, 2010

8:35 am

Not newsworthy

4 .

bobert68

cambodia

January 28th, 2010

8:35 am

Yes, we all forgot Barack Obama was black. And then Chris Matthews reminded us.

5 .

muskiemelaw

portland, maine

January 28th, 2010

8:36 am

evidently, this is just coming online...this seems to be a news/blog hot potato in the making...i "get" matthews...irishman, philadelphia, born in the 40's, catholic, went to holy cross, raised in a very race-conscious environment-i.e., white philadelphia, irish catholic...but i think he was having a conversation that he might have wanted to have with some college buddies over coffee in his living room, rather than having it on live tv...sometimes, in what i would have to say is his innocence, not belligerence or bigotry, he "lets it fly" without considering where he is, or to whom he is speaking, and i think he fails to consider the depth and breadth of his listeners, their sensibilities and his potentially crass, and unwittingly racist tone...i think he stumbled tonight...let's see where the dust settles...

6 .

mhabegger

Shamokin Dam, PA

January 28th, 2010

8:36 am

Matthews is kind of right, it is amazing, but this fact pales in comparison to what Obama was trying to accomplish in the speech / what his plans are for this country.

7 .

melsisson

Washington

January 28th, 2010

8:42 am

Poor Chris. He tries hard, and stumbles on his tongue every time. He did better when he tried again on Rachel Maddow's show.

It must be an important fact to him, or he wouldn't keep bringing it up. The 60's must have been traumatic. Chris is clumsily overjoyed in this fact that a black guy can be President, and that it can go unnoticed by him for a period of time.

Maybe he's happy in a change in himself.

8 .

MJ Napier

Washington

January 28th, 2010

8:43 am

Let's hope people respect the progressive point Chris was trying to make about racial progress and not sacrifice him to radical sensi-nistas bent on punishing a legitimate, and prideful moment in American progress.

9 .

Sam

New York, NY

January 28th, 2010

8:43 am

Yaaaawn. I mean seriously--is it so amazing that some white guy of his generation is inarticulate about racial issues? Who cares about that story. If there is a story, it is that white people, such as Matthews, are starting to not view him as a black president, but simply as a president.

10 .

Jo

NYC

January 28th, 2010

8:44 am

I don't see why what C. Matthews said is so objectionable. He is making an observation. I know what he means, and when read with his prior statements and viewpoints, in context, this statement does not make him a racist.

11 .

mab

sf

January 28th, 2010

8:44 am

When i listened to the tape it sounded like he was expressing his sense of the
profound change in attitudes in this century, not disparaging people of another
ethnic group. So listen, and see what you think thanks, from man of the plains.

12 .

Jane

Scandia

January 28th, 2010

8:44 am

It's a good thing Limbaugh never says anything this insensitive, or he'd really be in trouble.

13 .

A Soto

Passaic NJ

January 28th, 2010

8:44 am

And we forgot that you were still on TV Tim...