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Hardball with Chris Matthews airs weeknights on MSNBC.



'What did Neville Chamberlin do?'

Posted: Friday, May 16, 2008 6:05 PM by Cathy Finkler

On Thursday's Hardball, Chris Matthews had a discussion about President Bush all but accusing Sen. Barack Obama of appeasement for wanting to talk to enemies of the United States. Conservative radio talk show host Kevin James and Chris Matthews then had a disagreement about what constituted appeasement. Chris Matthews had the following to say on Friday:

"Look, I'm a student of history, especially of the late 1930s when the world didn't stand up to Hitler and my hero Winston Churchill saw all the hell coming and couldn't stop it. The catastrophe of the 1930s was thinking that Hitler would be satisfied with the gift of bite-sized countries. The evidence suggests he wanted war to avenge World War I and to dominate Europe.  He also had his heart set on extermination of the Jewish people.  The horror of appeasement was not in talking to him and letting him yammer. It was giving him countries - like Czechoslavakia in 1938. 

Anyway, perhaps it's little surprise that our Big Number tonight is the number of times my guest - demanding we not repeat the appeasement of the 1930s - failed to tell me what that appeasement actually was. 'What did Neville Chamberlain do?' I kept asking to no avail. The number? 24! 24 times I tried to get an answer out of our guest!

Anyway, we do like Kevin James and hope he’ll be back on Hardball again."

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Dear Mr. Matthews,
As happy as I was last night that you called out Mr. James for the ignorant knucklehead he is, I am so disappointed that today you say you'll invite him back to your show.  He has *nothing* to add to informed, impassioned conversation about the issues that are so important today for our country.
Don't waste time, mine or yours, with Mr. James.
Best,
A regular viewer.

Joe, Portland, OR (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 7:40 PM)

Chris, I'm a regular viewer of Hardball, but I don't know as I've ever enjoyed the show THIS much. Thanks for putting Kevin James in his place.

Meg, Warwick, RI (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 7:44 PM)

Hi Chris,
I am a regular viewer of your show, Hardball and saw it last night as well as today. Your show's segment last night included Kevin James who was simply a loud mouthed Radio host who did not know what he was talking about. The more you probed him, the louder he became without saying anything of substance.

I heard you mention in your show today that you will bring him back because he is a good guy. My question is why would you do that? He did not add anything to your show and wasted at least five to ten valuable minutes before admitting he did not know the answer to your question so please do not appease him by bringing him back. He is better of being not on your show. So, please do not glorify him by bringing him on once again.
Thank you.

Arun Bhatia, Olivenhain, CA. (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 7:56 PM)

The way you handle Kevin James is the reason that I go out of my way daily to watch your show, You are samrt and informed. Watching that guy just shout and spew whatever he thought would cover his lack of knowledge was shameful. Worse than that is that people are listening to him.
I busted you when you interviewed Senator Obama, so it is only fair that I give KUDOS when you did good.

Jon Shutt, Tampa, Fl. (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 7:57 PM)

Chris i'm an African American Woman and a big fan of yours i am learning a lot about Politics from watching your program thank you for exposing that guy yesterday. I think it was devine intervention. You put a stop to some evil propoganda that was about to take place on the internet Thank You again. This is what Hardball is all about.

Yvonne (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 8:01 PM)

Congratulations to Mr. Matthews.  Calling that fraud, Kevin James, on his lack of knowledge and misuse of history was one of the finest moments I've seen on television in quite some time.

Barry Cutler, Palm Desert, CA (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 8:19 PM)

I hope that Kevin James will NOT be back on Hardball.  His ranting and raving and lack of knowledge in favor of name calling and divisiveness is below the dignity of the Hardball show.  We don't need characters like him having access to national audiences !

Tom Bauer, Lincoln, California (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 8:47 PM)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  It's time that SOMEONE had the nerve to ASK if people UNDERSTAND HISTORY before spoutting out opinions.

Please keep up the good work....we need real NEWSMEN/WOMEN!

Pam Ross (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 8:49 PM)

Thank you, Chris.  If this doesn't show the right-wing parrots on talk radio have no clothes, no clue and (most) no soul, then perhaps we are sunk as a country.

Ian Crawford, Austin, Tex. (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 9:01 PM)

Chris, as a former teacher of American History, I was proud that you held Kevin James accountable for his defense of President Bush's statement.  Adults in America have got to understand, to blindly follow our leaders is folly, and to challenge our leaders, holding them accountable, is the essence of a democratic society.  Every one of my students, and I taught 8th graders as well as high school students, had to understand what appeasement meant and how it was implemented.  In matter of fact, my fellow colleagues of United States History made sure our students had a strong foundation of World War II, especially from the stand point of appeasement and the Holocaust.

Dan Holden, New Albany, Indiana (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 9:03 PM)

Dear Chris,

I email you when I think you have gone off the track. But I only have the highest praise for you tonight. Thanks for pointing out the empty headedness of this man's comments who really can only parrot the current talking points he's been given.
Well done!!!!!

Carol Cote, Encinitas, Ca. (Sent Friday, May 16, 2008 9:11 PM)

This Kevin James whats to be another Rush....who is also a idiot. Go Chris Your one of the smartest people in the news business and watch your show everyday.

RDP Ind (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 4:50 AM)

Chris's interview with the honorable Kevin James was perhaps the finest moment in his long television career.   His unrelenting inquisition of James was one of those all-to-rare moments in television in which the veil of superficiality is abruptly lifted, resulting in a moment of stark, unscripted honesty. It reaffirms the very best  of Chris Matthews.

Nick Hamann, South Bend, Indiana (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:22 AM)

Chris, I saw your commentary about the Kevin james episode on Countdown. It was positively an Edward R Murrow moment. My kids came in from the other room to watch. That needs to be said again and again.

Susan , Westchester NY (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 7:48 AM)

Good job Chris Matthews!  Your willingness to take Mr. James to task on appeasement approaches the same league as Adlai Stevenson at the Security Council of the UN during the Cuban Missle Crisis:  Stevenson asked Soviet ambassador Valerian Zorin if there were ballistic missles in Cuba.  At first, Zorin said nothing.  Stevenson said, "Don't wait for the translation, answer 'yes' or 'no'!" He followed with, "I am prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over."  Use the same approach with other neocon guests and I will become a fan for life.

Robert Miya, Evanston, Illinois (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 8:16 AM)

Oh Chris that was wonderful!!!! We need more more of the folks in the media making all sides at the very least know what they are talking about. Ignorance is NOT bliss its just plain dangerous. I totally agree with what you said on Countdown last night about silencing the opposition by vilifing them!  Its time no matter what side of the fence people are on that all voices get heard...Thanks again!

Caroline (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 9:23 AM)

Bravo Chris. Thank you for your persistence.

Janet McMahon, (American voter in) Paris, France (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 9:33 AM)

Dear Mr. Matthews,
Thank God for Hardball!  Right Wing loudmouths whose mission in life is to regurgitate Republican talking points without a scintilla of knowledge of the facts is permeating American radio and television.  You had the courage to challenge this bloviating buffoon and not let him get away with his exhibition of profound stupidity.   In doing so, you struck a blow against one of the primary goals of fascism which is a willful submission of thinking to the Neocon's Fuehrer Principal.  Thanks, Chris.  Keep on giving 'em hell!!

bill davis (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 11:57 AM)

You rocked on this one, Chris.  I WISH all interviewers would challenge their guests like this and not let them just parrot talking points. And I don't think you should have this guy on again -- he was playing us all for fools.

Lois, Saint Paul, MN (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 1:03 PM)

A big shout out to Chris Matthews for holding a guest responsible for their words and actually using his brain and knowledge to question him relentlessly.  If media folks had used the same kind of approach to the current administration post 9/11 and in the lead up to the war in Iraq we probably would not be there today.  We need a media that holds people responsible for what they say and what they say should stand up under scrutiny.  Thank you Chris Matthews for setting an example that I hope will catch on.

Rose, Hereford, AZ (Sent Saturday, May 17, 2008 3:35 PM)

Sen McCain's Hail Mary, of course, last ditch effort to get in touch. But as the President said, when a company makes bad descision it should go out of business, thus the Republican Party should go out of business, and this he had strong feelings about.

sonia, ft.lauderdale,florida. (Sent Wednesday, September 24, 2008 11:26 PM)



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