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Recognizing Philadelphia’s Chris Matthews, as a published author and host of the successful talk show, “Hardball,” and for 30 years of significant achievements in the journalism profession and his contributions to the political arena.
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WHEREAS, Chris Matthews grew up in the Somerton Section of Philadelphia with four brothers who taught him to eat fast if he wanted seconds and to talk even faster, and louder, if he wanted to be heard; and
WHEREAS, Chris Matthews graduated from LaSalle College High School in 1963, from Holy Cross College in 1967 and entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a doctoral student in economics. Later, out of a sense of civic duty and in order to expand his already widening, more tolerant vision of the world, he chose to join the Peace Corp, teaching business skills in Swaziland in southern Africa; and
WHEREAS, Chris Matthews began his political career as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Frank Moss (D-Utah), and later became a Senate Budget Committee aide to Senator Edmund Muskie (D-Maine). In 1974, he ran for a seat in Congress to represent his old neighborhood in Philadelphia. As a result of his bid for a Congressional seat, he became a White House aide and speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter, and, later, a senior aide to Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Chris Matthews was Washington Bureau Chief for the San Francisco Examiner from 1987 to 2000, and is currently national columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. His column has been nationally syndicated since 1987. He is the author of two best-selling books, “Hardball: How Politics is Played — Told by One Who Knows the Game” (1988), which is a political handbook that has been assigned reading at high schools and colleges throughout the country, and “Kennedy and Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Post- War America” (1996). He is a frequent commentator on NBC’s “Today Show” and the regular substitute anchor on NBC’s “Weekend Today,” and is currently the host of the MSNBC talk show “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” one of the highest-rated programs on the network; and
WHEREAS, Chris Matthews’ contribution to journalism and politics has been described in these words: “[He] has raised the level of national dialogue, in pitch, in intensity, and in detail, to a point where people are more informed and involved in politics. He helps people connect emotionally, as well as intellectually. He’s quick, smart, has an encyclopedic knowledge of political history, a love of politics, great instinct and abiding curiosity. He adds something intense and real [to the discussion], whether you agree or disagree with him.”; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes Philadelphia’s Chris Matthews, as a published author and host of the successful talk show, “Hardball,” and for 30 years of significant achievements in the journalism profession and his contributions to the political arena.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Chris Matthews as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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