RUSH: You know, ladies and gentlemen, it’s often said that conservatives like me are sexists and have an objectifying view of women, that we see them as lesser in some way. Yet it seems to me it is always people who are not conservatives who have this attitude. I have an unbelievable audio sound bite. Recently Chris Matthews had on Erin Burnett, known on CNBC as the Street Sweetie. Now, we on this program aired a couple of audio sound bites from the Street Sweetie praising her journalistic credentials and work in various analyses of the economy. It’s always been extremely professional. We have not remarked on her appearance. We have not objectified her in any way. We have treated her here as a consummate, or, as the NBC style manual used require you to say, consummate, professional. Did you know that, Mr. Snerdley, way, way back in the old days, NBC radio days, they had a stylebook, and you were required to pronounce it consummate, as opposed to consummate. It works either way. Regardless, we have treated her as a consummate professional. We haven’t even been reduced to calling her an info babe, and we do that affectionately anyway on this program. But I want you to listen. She’s doing a report on the stock market on Friday night for Chris Matthews on Hardball, and they have this exchange.
MATTHEWS: Can you get a little closer to the camera?
BURNETT: What, is it zooming in strangely?
MATTHEWS: Come in further. Come in closer, really close.
BURNETT: What are you — what are you —
MATTHEWS: Ha-ha, just kidding! You look great. Anyway, thanks. Erin, it’s great to have — look at that look. You’re great.
BURNETT: I don’t even know — I’m gonna have to go look at the tape. I’m in a strange location.
MATTHEWS: Just kidding. You’re a knockout.
RUSH: I guess she’d finished the report and he said just move closer, I want to get a closer look at you, you’re a knockout, and she has no clue. She thinks that something is wrong with the camera shot or camera angle so she’s trying to fix it because she is a consummate professional. I mean, who’s doing the objectifying here? What does this remind you of? Could it be this that happened December 20th, 2003, on ESPN during a televised football game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets?
NAMATH: I want to kiss you. I couldn’t care less about the team struggling. What we know is we can improve. Chad — Chad Pennington, our quarterback, missed the first part of the season, and we struggled. We’re looking to next season. We’re looking to next season, we’re looking to make noise now, and I want to kiss you.
KOLBER: Thanks, Joe. I’ll take that as a huge compliment.
RUSH: Suzy Kolber there, the sideline reporter for ESPN, interviewing Joe Namath. So Matthews had his Joe Namath moment.