Well my friends, every once in a while on Amped Up, we get a guest who reminds me how fell into politics, history and political media—and buried myself in campaign politics long before I ever thought I’d host a show of my own about it.
Today was that day.
David Shuster and I welcomed the legendary Chris Matthews on Amped Up—yes, that Chris Matthews—one of the original cable news political hosts and pundits. When facts were things that didn’t have “alternative” in front of them and someone was forced to answer a question they tried to avoid while playing Hardball.
Before Chris even appeared on screen, we were buzzing—and no, not in a Don Jr, eyes-half-closed live stream kinda way. David worked under Chris as a Hardball correspondent. Chris was a mentor, a teacher, the kind of newsroom leader who didn’t just shape segments, but careers.
Was Chris’ show perfect? Nope. Did I have criticisms at times? Of course I did. Sometimes a lot.
There were times that Chris’ love for the game of politics could lead you to forget about the stakes. There was more of a bro atmosphere in cable news in that period (not to say it isn’t still there, but was much more pervasive then), and he was certainly a part of that. But I also believe in looking at things in the context of their times.
But, he deeply loved the topic, was a political historian who would educate you, and has forgotten more about politics than the entire Trump Administration ever knew. He imparted knowledge on those who worked with him and those who watched him.
He had been in the trenches fighting the political battles he discussed. Find me more than two or three cable-news anchors today who have a clue what actually takes place in the rooms where decisions are made (which never stops them from talking about it like they’ve been there).
I grew up watching Hardball, as someone who cares deeply about American democracy. Which is why I can no longer stomach a minute, much less a full hour of cable political coverage by those who lack what we might call a clue.
Chris brought something to political broadcasting that we almost completely lack today: a combo of toughness, storytelling, humor, institutional memory, and love of the game. He knew it because he lived it.
Which, again, was the point I made to him about why I loved his show: He was one of two anchors when on MSNBC who’d worked on campaigns and/or in Congress—he knew what he was talking about, not from reading it in a book, from making the decisions that defined campaigns.
He walked the halls of Congress as an aide to famous House Speaker Tip O’Neill and wrote speeches for President Jimmy Carter. That was his training for sitting behind a desk. And it showed—night after night, when the rest of cable news was still trying to figuring what it would even be, Hardball had set the standard.
Again, it wasn’t perfect, and there were many times I wished more airtime was given to policy, and those it would effect. But he also helped draw those in who otherwise never would’ve paid attention—shaping how millions of Americans understand politics, democracy, winning, losing, power, values. He brought that same history, that voice, that fire right into our studio.
We talked with him about a number of topics, including the Miami mayoral earthquake, affordability, and the political realignment happening right under our feet. Chris went straight to the gut-level reality of how voters think, how memory works, how short-term economic pain shifts entire electoral maps.
He described the price of Philly Cream Cheese (always loyal to his home) going from $2 to $7, and how that could be Trump’s waterloo. And that is honestly getting how voters think—taking the 50,000-foot issue and dropping it right down onto the kitchen table.
On a side note: damn did this example make me hungry for a good raisin bagel with chive cream cheese. But I digress 😉.
We also dove into the Caribbean boat strikes story and the #DeleteGate revelations Melissa Corrigan and David have broken wide open. Chris instantly jumped into the stakes—legally, morally, politically.
He said Trump might not pay a political price for these killings because of how communities ravaged by drugs perceive the crisis. This wasn’t an endorsement, this was honesty—he was diagnosing what the real-world outcome would likely be, which is, back in the day, what made Hardball essential viewing for me.
But what I really enjoyed most was out discussion about Bobby Kennedy, the subject of Chris’s new book: Lessons from Bobby: Ten Reasons Robert F. Kennedy Still Matters.
When he talked about who Bobby Kennedy was; his toughness, his compassion, his ability to unite white working-class voters and Black Americans with a singular political vision. You could tell he revered him—like how Stephen Miller feels about violent deportations or Pete Hegseth about his eighth Dewar’s—but also feel that twinge of why can’t Democrats still be tough like that. Fully. Endorsed.
In his book and in voice on Amped Up, you could find a political roadmap for Democrats; moral clarity, mental toughness, clear messaging. The kind of leadership we had with Bobby Kennedy, LBJ, and other “take no sh*t Democrats” of that era. The ones the Democratic Party has some of, but desperately needs in leadership.
That time Chris Matthews kept pushing for an answer, so turncoat former Democrat, Zell Miller, challenged him to…a duel!
It reminded me why Hardball mattered. And how far political media has fallen. Why we still need voices who understand politics not as an abstract chess match or scholarly paper, but as a human, bruising, consequential fight for the soul of the country and lives of our people.
So for me, it wasn’t just a show. It was a reminder of lineage and legacy. Of what political storytelling can loos like when done by someone who helped invent its form in cable media. There is so much more, so you definitely must watch the video—and we will be share clips!
But I’m grateful we got to speak with Chris Matthews and share his thoughts with all of you. And it was a kick talking to him in general. What an exciting show.
