I’ve often wondered what is a professional talking head does all day. For example, what’s Chris Matthews’ schedule like? He’s on the air, arguing and pontificating, quite a bit, but what about when he’s not in front of the camera? As a media professional covering a presidential race, Congress, a war, and various political controversies, Matthews presumably has to spend an enormous amount of time reading about complex policy issues. In turn, he’s able to share his expertise with a national television audience. That is, presumably, what he’s paid (handsomely) to do.<\/p>\n
But it’s worth remembering from time to time that Matthews, like too many pundits, apparently have only the most superficial knowledge<\/a> of what’s actually going on.<\/p>\n During the March 11 edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, guest Chris Matthews asserted that in order to “get something done in this country,” politicians need to “do the surprising move that grabs the center” and that “if a Democrat were smart, who gets elected president, they wouldn’t go back to the old Canadian model … single-payer model.” <\/p>\n In fact, neither Sen. Barack Obama nor Sen. Hillary Clinton has proposed a health-care plan that resembles the Canadian health-care system or a “single-payer model.” Matthews also suggested that the Democratic candidates should “take something that looks practical out of Massachusetts with [former Gov.] Mitt Romney [R] … and put [their] name on it” and “try some kind of mandated benefit.” However, Obama’s and Clinton’s health-care proposals both include “mandated benefit[s],” and Clinton’s plan has drawn comparisons to the plan Romney implemented in Massachusetts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n