A story in the Wall Street Journal has a look at the false-quote phenomenon, wherein phrases are seemingly made up out of nowhere, attributed to a famous person and passed along.
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews is apparently guilty of this. Though it’s possibly he, like many people, simply read a fake Winston Churchill somewhere and assumed it were authentic.
[Churchill expert Richard] Langworth says Chris Matthews, a fellow Churchill Centre board member and host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” has misquoted Churchill. Last year Mr. Matthews made a promotional ad for MSNBC in which he recounted Churchill being told during World War II that he should cut government funding for the arts.
“Then what are we fighting for?” Churchill replied, according to Mr. Matthews.
Mr. Langworth says Churchill never said it, though many over the years have used what Mr. Langworth calls “this famous ‘red herring’ nonquote.”
Mr. Matthews, a self-described “Churchill nut,” insists he hasn’t misquoted his hero, but adds, “How can you prove someone never said something?”
Well, in that case, how can you prove that Churchill didn’t also say “Hardball is a terrible show”?
Follow Eddie Scarry on Twitter
Read more stories from TheBlaze
Could Texas Really Secede From The Union? The Answer Is…
Ed Asner to Fox Producer After Confronted About Union Cartoon: ‘Can I Piss on You?’
Filed under News | Comment (0)“The best way to beat the right-wing is to beat them.”
–MSNBC host Chris Matthews offers a winning strategy for President Obama’s reelection.
Follow Meredith Jessup on Twitter
Follow Meredith Jessup on Facebook
Read more stories from TheBlaze
Beck Invites You to Submit Questions for Tonight’s Special BlazeTV Episode on the Mormon Faith
Secret Service: We‘re ’Aware‘ of DNC Delegate’s Threat to ‘Kill’ Romney
Richard Dawkins Echoes Bill Nye: ‘Who Cares About Creationists’ & Their ‘Deep, Profound Ignorance’
Filed under News | Comment (0)Did you catch it?
“The president never changed his views to suit the moment or the audience—and that is also a measure of leadership. Every challenge was different, every choice was difficult, but every time, the leadership was steady,” he said:
See gay marriage stance.
Follow Jonathon M. Seidl on Twitter
Read more stories from TheBlaze
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order
Filed under News | Comment (0)There must be something in the water.
Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Todd Akin (Mo.) said yesterday that in the case of “legitimate rape,“ pregnancy is rare because ”the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
Everyone has pointed out how stupid that is already.
But today on MSNBC, Sean Spicer, Republican National Committee communications director, came pretty close to one-upping Akin. “I think we can all agree [Akin's comment] was reprehensible, just biologically stupid,” Spicer said.
What?
This is a disaster.
[The Hill]
Follow Eddie Scarry on Twitter
Read more stories from TheBlaze
Does This Photo of Elizabeth Warren Remind You of Anything?
‘Why Did They Kill Him?’ Questions Linger After Mich. Police Shoot Homeless Man 46 Times
Whoa: Newsweek’s Latest Cover May Surprise You
Filed under News | Comment (0)
“I need to get 50.1 percent or more and I’m appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people.”
–Mitt Romney commenting Monday on Donald Trump‘s continued belief that President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States. It‘s fine that Romney won’t distance himself from the sideshow Trump has intentionally become of this election, but to essentially come out and say, “Bare with me while I get the minimum number of votes to get elected” is the worst way Romney could possibly respond.
Filed under News | Comment (0)“We’ve said [Romney's faith is] not fair game, and we wish that Governor Romney would stand up as strongly and as resolutely, consistently, to refute these kinds of things on his side. Instead, he’s amplified them in the past and he’s put logs on that fire and that’s not leadership.”
–David Axelrod, strategist for President Barack Obama‘s reelection campaign, on CNN Sunday clearly refusing any attempt by the Mitt Romney campaign to avoid making Rev. Jeremiah Wright‘s association with Obama an issue. The Romney camp said Thursday going forward that it “repudiates” any anti-Obama group who tries making the associations relevant this year. In response, like a bitter and unforgiving sister who wasn’t asked to prom, Axelrod says “that’s not leadership.”
Filed under News | Comment (0)“I’m not familiar with precisely what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was.”
–Mitt Romney responding to whether he believes his campaign has been consistent in refusing to make President Barack Obama‘s association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright an issue this election. Yesterday Romney’s campaign issued a statement urging all supporters to avoid drawing attention to Wright but in February Romney said in an interview “I’m not sure which is worse: [Obama] listening to Rev. Wright or him saying we must be a less-Christian nation.” It‘s probably not the best policy to stand by past statements if you’re not sure what they were. But whatever.
Filed under News | Comment (0)“[W]hen I was 12 years old, I was beaten on the playground. Just like the Mitt Romney thing, I was held down and somebody just punched me in the face while other kids watched. And if I could go back to 1968 and trade that experience for being gently masturbated by [Michael Jackson] I would do it in a second.”
–HBO’s Bill Maher on “Conan” Tuesday night. People laughed and Maher is a comedian, so you have to assume this is a joke; but even the worst dead-baby joke could come half as close to as creepy as that was.
Filed under News | Comment (0)“Call me cynical, but I wasn’t sure his views on marriage could get any gayer.”
–Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) during a speech Friday commenting on President Barack Obama‘s recent remarks on gay marriage. It was supposed to be a joke and it could have been funny if you work from the premise that Obama is kind of gay. And that’s something only Newsweek is ready to do at this time.
Filed under News | Comment (0)“Aren’t there issues of significance you’d like to talk about?”
–Mitt Romney responding to a CBS affiliate reporter in Colorado who asked a slew of questions on gay marriage, in-state tuition for illegal immigrants and medicinal marijuana. There probably are a few issues of significance this reporter would have liked to discuss, perhaps what federal departments Romney would like to shut down. But to date, that is something he won’t specify. In the meantime, maybe he could just answer the questions put in front of him.
Filed under News | Comment (0)
