Chris Matthews Repeatedly Interrupted Elizabeth Warren, Who Was Not Having It

MSNBC host and professional loud talker Chris Matthews was part of the team covering last night’s democratic debates. Matthews scored an interview with Senator Elizabeth Warren, where he used his time to repeatedly badger her over her Medicare for All policy. In watching the interview above, you can see Matthews demand to know whether or not taxes would go up to fund the program, while Warren calmly explained that medical costs would be lowered.

It’s an awkward interview to watch, as Warren makes the case again and again for M4A while Matthews talks over her and interrupts her over and over again. Warren remains cool and level-headed as Matthews gets more flustered and agitated. Clearly he was looking for a sound bite or a gotcha moment, which Warren was unwilling to give him. Many on social media took Matthews to task for his behavior:

But this isn’t an isolated incident: Matthews has always been aggressively sexist when it comes to female candidates. He came under fire after 2016 footage was released of him joking about slipping then-candidate Hillary Clinton “a Bill Cosby pill“.

This is hardly the first time Matthews has gone after Clinton, whom he accused of only winning her Senate seat because “her husband messed around” and saying that her criticism of a Bush-era policy made her “look more witchy“.

Matthews has also been called out for running a sexist and demeaning newsroom, and has made gross comments about nearly every woman in the political sphere, from Sally Yates to Melania Trump.

Matthews’ behavior reminds me of an excellent segment on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, where Bee skewers “shitty media men” like Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer for harassing and demeaning women. But their behavior isn’t limited to these gross incidents.

These men, like Matthews, make their sexism a part of the national conversation, using their platform to damage a woman’s chances of being elected. Look at how these men gave plenty of airtime to Clinton’s emails while avoiding the host of scandals plaguing Donald Trump.

As long as men like Matthews get to steer the news coverage of female candidates, women running for office will always be at a disadvantage. It’s time for Matthews to retire and take his dated Mad Men ideas about women with him.

(via MSNBC, image: MSNBC)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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