Hardball with Chris Matthews
Encyclopedia
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show
on MSNBC
, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews
. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking
(as Politics with Chris Matthews) and later CNBC
. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who Knows the Game. Hardball is a talking-head
style cable news
show where the moderator advances opinions on a wide range of topics, focusing primarily on current political issues. These issues are discussed with a panel of guests that usually consists of political analysts and sometimes include politicians.
It also runs in a "Best of" format Saturday mornings at 5 AM.
, Chuck Todd
, and Michael Smerconish
. Previous guest hosts include Lawrence O'Donnell, Andrea Mitchell
, David Gregory
, Campbell Brown
, Norah O'Donnell
and Pete Williams.
in Europe and the Middle East. This includes Hardball with Chris Matthews.
's office - has tried to "silence" him by pressuring MSNBC executives to put a stop to Matthews' criticism of the Iraq War. The White House
declined to comment.
gave an interview on MSNBC
's Hardball with Chris Matthews in support of the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain
. In speaking of Senator Barack Obama
Bachmann said: "we know that he is the most liberal Senator in the United States Senate and that's just after one year of being there ... [with Nancy Pelosi
and Harry Reid
] you have a Troika
of the most leftist administration in the history of our country." In reference to Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
's comment about "pro-America areas of this great nation", Bachmann was asked which areas are anti-American and responded "I don’t think it's geography. I think it is people who don’t like America, who detest America ... you’ll find them in all walks of life all throughout America." When asked by Matthews about the Democratic Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader, Bachmann said "I am not going to say if they are anti-American or pro-American." When asked "How many people in the Congress of the United States do you suspect as being anti-American?" she replied "What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that."
Bachmann's comments had an immediate impact on her re-election campaign. A campaign urging Congress to officially censure Bachmann was launched with over 35,000 signatures in the first 24 hours after her Hardball appearance. In less than 72 hours, her congressional election opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg
received $740,000 in donations. Tinklenberg said that he heard "in that kind of a call echoes of the House Un-American Activities Committee
." Bachmann went on to defeat Tinklenberg 46.4% to 43.4% in the November 4, 2008 election.
. On August 19, conservative commentator Michelle Malkin
appeared on the show and raised the question of whether Democratic candidate John Kerry's Vietnam War wounds could have been "self-inflicted", saying that such questions were "legitimate". Matthews repeatedly asked Malkin if she thought that Kerry "shot himself on purpose" in order to avoid combat or to gain accolades, noting that such an act would constitute a criminal offense. Matthews challenged Malkin to "say to me right now that you believe he shot himself to get credit for a Purple Heart-- on purpose." Malkin refused to answer, instead referring to allegations made by some of Kerry's former fellow soldiers. Matthews told Malkin that Hardball "is not a show for this kind of talk." Malkin asked if Matthews didn't wonder whether Kerry's wounds may have been self-inflicted, to which the host responded, "No! I don't, it's never occurred to me."
, (D
–Georgia
), a Democrat who supported then-Republican President George W. Bush
, appeared on Hardball. Miller had just given the keynote address at the Republican convention
. Matthews took Miller to task for his statement that soldiers, not reporters, are responsible for freedom of the press, accusing the Senator of making the comment only "to get an applause line against the media at a conservative convention." Miller had also criticized Kerry's record on national defense issues during his speech, prompting Matthews to ask if the Senator believed that Kerry did not want to "defend the country." During a heated exchange in which each man interrupted the other several times, Miller shouted at Matthews to "get out of my face" and angrily stated that he wished "we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel." He also made reference to the Malkin interview, telling Matthews not to "pull that stuff on me like you did that young lady, when you had her there browbeating her to death. I'm not her."
was the guest when Elizabeth Edwards
, wife of then-Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards
, made a surprise (per Coulter afterwards) call to the program. Coulter had made a speech days earlier in which she said, "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot’." Elizabeth Edwards confronted Coulter about the comment, as well as other comments Coulter has made accusing John Edwards of exploiting his son's death for political gain. Edwards asked Coulter to "stop the personal attacks" and accused her of "lowering the political dialogue" in America. Coulter responded that Edwards' complaints were an attempt to raise money for the presidential campaign, and questioned why the candidate himself was not making the call.
when he appeared on the show. At issue was a controversial speech made by President George W. Bush
in Israel, where he appeared to claim that statements made by United States Presidential Candidate Barack Obama
were tantamount to Neville Chamberlain
's actions of "Nazi Appeasement" in 1938. James agreed with the notion that Obama's positions were like Chamberlain's policy of appeasement but was unable to elaborate on what exactly Chamberlain did.
, with Darrell Hammond
portraying Chris Matthews. One of the first instances was during the Florida election recount
following the unclear results of the 2000 United States presidential election
.
Hardball appeared on the October 9, 2005 episode of The West Wing, "Message of the Week
" (which was written by frequent Hardball guest Lawrence O'Donnell), with Chris Matthews playing himself. He interviews fictional Republican Presidential candidate Arnold Vinick
(played by Alan Alda
) and pressures him about his views on immigration. The tough nature of Matthew's questions prompts the character of Josh Lyman
, a strategist for Vinick's opponent, to shout: "Yeah! Welcome to Hardball, Arnie!"
The show was featured in the February 22, 2007, 30 Rock
episode "Hard Ball", in which series character Jenna Maroney
came on the show to explain about how she was misquoted in Maxim magazine about US military troops, but embarrassed herself even further when she confused Barack Obama
with Osama bin Laden
after she mentions whom she would support for US President in 2008.
The 2008 film Swing Vote
contains several segments of Chris Matthews delivering commentary on Hardball that relates to the film's plot line. Matthews received a credited cameo for recording the segments.
Recipients:
first book that led to the creation of the show. The book has been called The Prince
of modern times and has been cited in four books.
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking
America's Talking
America's Talking, a cable television channel created by NBC and spun off from CNBC, was launched on July 4, 1994. The headquarters were based in an office building in Fort Lee, New Jersey, 2 floors below CNBC's original studios, on Fletcher Avenue...
(as Politics with Chris Matthews) and later CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who Knows the Game. Hardball is a talking-head
Talking head
Talking head may refer to:Computers and internet*Computer facial animation, area of computer graphics that animates images of the human head and face*Interactive online charactersFilm and television*Talking Head , 1992 film by Mamoru Oshii...
style cable news
United States cable news
Cable news refers to television channels devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, early networks included CNN in 1980, Financial News Network in 1981, and CNN2 ...
show where the moderator advances opinions on a wide range of topics, focusing primarily on current political issues. These issues are discussed with a panel of guests that usually consists of political analysts and sometimes include politicians.
It also runs in a "Best of" format Saturday mornings at 5 AM.
Guest hosts
Hardball has had a variety of guest hosts when Chris Matthews is unavailable. The most regular guest hosts as of late are Mike BarnicleMike Barnicle
Michael "Mike" Barnicle is an award-winning American print and broadcast journalist as well as a social and political commentator. He is a frequent contributor and occasional guest host on MSNBC's Morning Joe and Hardball with Chris Matthews and is frequently seen on NBC's Today Show with...
, Chuck Todd
Chuck Todd
Charles David “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist, Chief White House Correspondent and political director for NBC News, and contributing editor to Meet the Press...
, and Michael Smerconish
Michael Smerconish
Michael A. Smerconish is an American radio and television personality, newspaper columnist, author and MSNBC Political Analyst. His talk radio show is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Big Talker 1210 AM WPHT. He began his full time radio career in 2002...
. Previous guest hosts include Lawrence O'Donnell, Andrea Mitchell
Andrea Mitchell
Andrea Mitchell is an American television journalist, anchor, reporter, and commentator for NBC News based in Washington, D.C.. She is the NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, and has recently reported on the 2008 Race for the White House for NBC News broadcasts, including NBC Nightly...
, David Gregory
David Gregory (journalist)
David Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
, Campbell Brown
Campbell Brown
Campbell Brown is an American television news reporter and anchor. She previously hosted an eponymous primetime show on CNN and was formerly co-anchor of NBC's Weekend Today...
, Norah O'Donnell
Norah O'Donnell
Norah O'Donnell is an American print and television journalist, currently serving as the Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News in Washington, D.C., a position she has held since June 2011.-Early life:...
and Pete Williams.
Regular guests
The show features many regular guests, including:- MSNBC pundit and former presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan
- Congressional QuarterlyCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
columnist Craig CrawfordCraig CrawfordCraig Crawford is a writer and television political commentator based in Washington, D.C., a columnist for Congressional Quarterly, and the author of Listen Up Mr... - NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
columnist Howard FinemanHoward FinemanHoward Fineman is an American journalist who is senior politics editor at the Huffington Post. Prior to his move to Huffington Post in October 2010, he was Newsweek’s Chief Political Correspondent, Senior Editor and Deputy Washington Bureau Chief. An award-winning writer, Fineman also is an NBC... - Essayist Christopher HitchensChristopher HitchensChristopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
- Hospitality executive and former WJLAWJLA-TVWJLA-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.. It is the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications Company, which also operates local cable station NewsChannel 8. The two stations share broadcast facilities in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia...
news anchor Kathleen MatthewsKathleen MatthewsKathleen Matthews is the chief communications and public affairs officer for Marriott International, the leading global hotel company based in Bethesda, Maryland...
(also Chris MatthewsChris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
's wife) - NBC political director and Chief White House Correspondent Chuck ToddChuck ToddCharles David “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist, Chief White House Correspondent and political director for NBC News, and contributing editor to Meet the Press...
- Author, and co-owner, publisher and editor of The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Katrina vanden HeuvelKatrina vanden HeuvelKatrina vanden Heuvel is the editor, publisher, and part-owner of the magazine The Nation. She has been the magazine's editor since 1995. She is a frequent guest on numerous television programs...
.
International broadcasts
MSNBC and NBC News programming is shown for several hours a day on the 24 hour news network Orbit NewsOrbit News
OSN News is a 24 hour satellite and cable channel offering exclusively American news programming from ABC, NBC, PBS, and MSNBC to U.S. expats and other viewers abroad, primarily geared towards an audience in the Arab countries...
in Europe and the Middle East. This includes Hardball with Chris Matthews.
Notable moments
Matthews caused controversy with remarks made off the air at a celebration of Hardball's 10-year anniversary in October 2007. He claimed that the Bush administration - specifically Vice President CheneyDick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
's office - has tried to "silence" him by pressuring MSNBC executives to put a stop to Matthews' criticism of the Iraq War. The White House
Executive Office of the President of the United States
The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently William M. Daley...
declined to comment.
Michele Bachmann
On October 17, 2008, Michele BachmannMichele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
gave an interview on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
's Hardball with Chris Matthews in support of the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
. In speaking of Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
Bachmann said: "we know that he is the most liberal Senator in the United States Senate and that's just after one year of being there ... [with Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
and Harry Reid
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
] you have a Troika
Troika
The general meaning of the Russian and Bulgarian word troika is three of a kind, a collection of three or simply the number three. It may also mean:-Politics:* Troika of judges or political leaders...
of the most leftist administration in the history of our country." In reference to Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
's comment about "pro-America areas of this great nation", Bachmann was asked which areas are anti-American and responded "I don’t think it's geography. I think it is people who don’t like America, who detest America ... you’ll find them in all walks of life all throughout America." When asked by Matthews about the Democratic Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader, Bachmann said "I am not going to say if they are anti-American or pro-American." When asked "How many people in the Congress of the United States do you suspect as being anti-American?" she replied "What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that."
Bachmann's comments had an immediate impact on her re-election campaign. A campaign urging Congress to officially censure Bachmann was launched with over 35,000 signatures in the first 24 hours after her Hardball appearance. In less than 72 hours, her congressional election opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg
Elwyn Tinklenberg
Elwyn "El" Tinklenberg is an American politician, and was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee and Independence Party of Minnesota endorsee for U.S. Congress in Minnesota's 6th District elections in 2008...
received $740,000 in donations. Tinklenberg said that he heard "in that kind of a call echoes of the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
." Bachmann went on to defeat Tinklenberg 46.4% to 43.4% in the November 4, 2008 election.
Confrontations
Michelle Malkin
The format of the show, and Matthews' interview style, can lead to confrontations. Perhaps the most famous examples came during the 2004 presidential campaignUnited States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
. On August 19, conservative commentator Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, and author. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She is a Fox News Channel contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs...
appeared on the show and raised the question of whether Democratic candidate John Kerry's Vietnam War wounds could have been "self-inflicted", saying that such questions were "legitimate". Matthews repeatedly asked Malkin if she thought that Kerry "shot himself on purpose" in order to avoid combat or to gain accolades, noting that such an act would constitute a criminal offense. Matthews challenged Malkin to "say to me right now that you believe he shot himself to get credit for a Purple Heart-- on purpose." Malkin refused to answer, instead referring to allegations made by some of Kerry's former fellow soldiers. Matthews told Malkin that Hardball "is not a show for this kind of talk." Malkin asked if Matthews didn't wonder whether Kerry's wounds may have been self-inflicted, to which the host responded, "No! I don't, it's never occurred to me."
Zell Miller
Days later, then-U.S. Senator Zell MillerZell Miller
Zell Bryan Miller is an American politician from the US state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senator from 2000 to 2005....
, (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
–Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
), a Democrat who supported then-Republican President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, appeared on Hardball. Miller had just given the keynote address at the Republican convention
2004 Republican National Convention
The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York...
. Matthews took Miller to task for his statement that soldiers, not reporters, are responsible for freedom of the press, accusing the Senator of making the comment only "to get an applause line against the media at a conservative convention." Miller had also criticized Kerry's record on national defense issues during his speech, prompting Matthews to ask if the Senator believed that Kerry did not want to "defend the country." During a heated exchange in which each man interrupted the other several times, Miller shouted at Matthews to "get out of my face" and angrily stated that he wished "we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel." He also made reference to the Malkin interview, telling Matthews not to "pull that stuff on me like you did that young lady, when you had her there browbeating her to death. I'm not her."
Ann Coulter and Elizabeth Edwards
On June 26, 2007, Ann CoulterAnn Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
was the guest when Elizabeth Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards
Elizabeth Anania Edwards was an American attorney, a best-selling author and a health care activist. She was married to John Edwards, the former U.S...
, wife of then-Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
, made a surprise (per Coulter afterwards) call to the program. Coulter had made a speech days earlier in which she said, "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot’." Elizabeth Edwards confronted Coulter about the comment, as well as other comments Coulter has made accusing John Edwards of exploiting his son's death for political gain. Edwards asked Coulter to "stop the personal attacks" and accused her of "lowering the political dialogue" in America. Coulter responded that Edwards' complaints were an attempt to raise money for the presidential campaign, and questioned why the candidate himself was not making the call.
Kevin James
On May 15, 2008, he also had a confrontation with radio broadcaster Kevin JamesKevin James (broadcaster)
Kevin James , is a Los Angeles CA Mayoral Candidate and former Assistant U.S. Attorney for Southern California. Prior to the Mayoral campaign, James was an American radio host and political commentator, focused on local and national politics. The program aired on KRLA AM 870 in Los Angeles between...
when he appeared on the show. At issue was a controversial speech made by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in Israel, where he appeared to claim that statements made by United States Presidential Candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
were tantamount to Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
's actions of "Nazi Appeasement" in 1938. James agreed with the notion that Obama's positions were like Chamberlain's policy of appeasement but was unable to elaborate on what exactly Chamberlain did.
In popular culture
The show has been spoofed by Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, with Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history...
portraying Chris Matthews. One of the first instances was during the Florida election recount
Florida election recount
The Florida election recount of 2000 was a period of vote re-counting that occurred following the unclear results of the 2000 United States presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, specifically the Florida results. The election was ultimately settled in favor of George W. Bush when...
following the unclear results of the 2000 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
.
Hardball appeared on the October 9, 2005 episode of The West Wing, "Message of the Week
Message of the Week
-Plot:It's three weeks into the presidential campaign and Vinick meets with Frost out on the trail. Santos pulls a stunt which leads to higher approval ratings and jolts the Vinick camp...
" (which was written by frequent Hardball guest Lawrence O'Donnell), with Chris Matthews playing himself. He interviews fictional Republican Presidential candidate Arnold Vinick
Arnold Vinick
Arnold Vinick is a fictional character on the television series The West Wing played by Alan Alda.-Biography:A Republican senator from California and Republican presidential nominee, he is narrowly defeated by Democrat Matt Santos in the 2006 presidential election, with Vinick winning the popular...
(played by Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
) and pressures him about his views on immigration. The tough nature of Matthew's questions prompts the character of Josh Lyman
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
, a strategist for Vinick's opponent, to shout: "Yeah! Welcome to Hardball, Arnie!"
The show was featured in the February 22, 2007, 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
episode "Hard Ball", in which series character Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
came on the show to explain about how she was misquoted in Maxim magazine about US military troops, but embarrassed herself even further when she confused Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
with Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
after she mentions whom she would support for US President in 2008.
The 2008 film Swing Vote
Swing Vote (2008 film)
Swing Vote is a 2008 comedy-drama film about an entire U.S. presidential election determined by the vote of one man. It was directed by Joshua Michael Stern and starred Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, George Lopez and Madeline Carroll...
contains several segments of Chris Matthews delivering commentary on Hardball that relates to the film's plot line. Matthews received a credited cameo for recording the segments.
Segments
- "The Hardball Sideshow": This segment shows the lighter side of politics such as gaffes, appearances on other shows, and other humorous moments.
- "The Strategists": A Republican strategist and a Democratic strategist debate certain topics of the day. Democrat Steve McMahon and Republican Todd Harris often are guests in this segments.
- "The Politics Fix": A roundtable discussion about the political news of the day.
- "Let Me Finish": The last segment is reserved for Matthews to give his thoughts on what is usually the main news topic of the day.
The Hardball Award
The Hardball Award is an award created in 2009 that recognized individuals "who displays a combination of guts and political moxie to win not just the day but our fondest admiration." The award is not given on a regular basis; instead, it is given when someone displays character consistent with the award.Recipients:
- Roland BurrisRoland BurrisRoland Wallace Burris is a former United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party....
: Given on January 9, 2009, for his efforts to retain his seat, which was appointed controversially by Rod BlagojevichRod BlagojevichRod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
. - Chesley "Sully" SullenbergerChesley SullenbergerChesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is an American airline transport pilot , safety expert, and accident investigator from Danville, California...
: Given on January 16, 2009, for his courage in his successful emergency water landing of US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
on the Hudson River. - Rep. Gary AckermanGary AckermanGary Leonard Ackerman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 1983. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
: Given on February 6, 2009, for speaking out against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for their failure in regulating and catching Bernard MadoffBernard MadoffBernard Lawrence "Bernie" Madoff is a former American businessman, stockbroker, investment advisor, and financier. He is the former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, and the admitted operator of a Ponzi scheme that is considered to be the largest financial fraud in U.S...
's ponzi scheme. - Hillary Clinton: Given on February 18, 2009, for her service to her country and her historic run at the presidency.
- Rush LimbaughRush LimbaughRush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
: Given on March 5, 2009, for taking a modest mention by the president and turning it into media gold. - Debbie Wasserman SchultzDebbie Wasserman SchultzDebbie Wasserman Schultz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate...
: Given on March 24, 2009, for balancing motherhood, a successful House campaign, continuous voting, and presidential support for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama while undergoing seven surgeries for breast cancer. - Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
: Given on April 2, 2009 for "firing" General Motors CEO Rick WagonerRick WagonerGeorge Richard "Rick" Wagoner, Jr. is an American businessman and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors. Wagoner resigned as Chairman and CEO at General Motors on March 29, 2009, at the request of the White House...
when Wagoner proved ineffective at reorganizing the company.
Hardball: How Politics Is Played
Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who Knows the Game was Chris Matthews'sChris Matthews
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
first book that led to the creation of the show. The book has been called The Prince
The Prince
The Prince is a political treatise by the Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus . But the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after...
of modern times and has been cited in four books.