You know, this is a very volatile period of time in America. The markets are in shambles. We're a nation at war. There's all kinds of tension on the campaign trail. And we're arriving at the end of one campaign season - it's way too soon to start contemplating the next. Most of all, we are a fragile nation. Now's not the time to lay some heavy, disturbing news on the people. But Michael Calderone's going to do it to us, anyway:
According to Politico's Ken Vogel, the MSNBC host not only schmoozed the crowds but gave a couple bear hugs to Gov. Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter outside a diner in the northeastern part of the city.
Such glad-handing begs the question: Is Matthews doing work this weekend for MSNBC or laying the groundwork for that much-rumored 2010 Senate run?
Oh, man. Like I said: WAY TOO SOON FOR THIS. Way too soon to contemplate watching Matthews on the stump in the Keystone State, insisting that he invented the middle-class, sharing anecdotes about old comedies, and how they speak to electoral reality. But it figures he'd be out there, endearing himself to Nutter and Rendell, paving over all the ill will from a season of not being the nicest person in the world to Hillary Clinton. Of course, Matthews embrace of Rendell is probably more about fashioning Matthews into a delicious ham-on-rye sandwich.
Anyway, we'll watch Matthews in any televised political debate in which he chooses to participate. Just...please. Give us a year to recover.