Chris Matthews Thinks Sarah Palin Is Stupid
Chris Matthews said Sarah Palin is stupid. Ok, he didn't say that. He said she's "profoundly stupid". Matthews is known for saying what's on his mind, and isn't known for self-censorship for the sake of... well, anything. Knowing this, it's amusing to consider that anyone is getting upset over this statement in the first place.
First of all, it is obvious pandering. Matthews knows his audience, and is aware that they would either agree with his contention completely, or at the very least, be amused by his statement. Either way, it protects his bottom line - his viewers are happy, so that means they will watch him again, ratings will either remain stable or go up, advertisers will want to fill the spaces between his pearls of wisdom, and his network will love him. (You know, that whole equation that got screwed up over at FoxNews, when considering the Glenn Beck show.)
The second point to consider is the likelihood that Palin will care. If it gives her the spotlight when she wants or needs it, maybe. But using Matthews to get attention is not the same thing as believing or caring about what he has to say. There's even a chance that Palin thinks Matthews is profoundly stupid - she just isn't currently running around saying it publicly (to my knowledge.)
Finally, we have the tree argument. We all know this one, I hope! "If a tree falls in the forest when no one is around, does it make a sound?" Laws of physics hold the answer to that query. In this case, we have a similar question, however the answer is different. "If Chris Matthews says something, does that automatically make it newsworthy?" Unlike the previous question, the answer to this one is a resounding "no!" Sorry to deflate anyone's ego here, but this whole situation shouldn't have merited a headline anywhere. I'm annoyed at the fact that I have to bother pointing this out in the first place. It is part of a vicious cycle that Matthews starts by saying something he knows will be objectionable to at least a few people in the media. He baits them, and invariably, they bite.
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