By Frank Sullivan
In 1973, my political aspirations induced me to leave Rhode Island and move to Washington, D.C. One of the first persons I met was another political junkie named Chris Matthews. We shared a similar background.
Both of us had been educated by the DeLasalle Christian Brothers and had graduated from all-male Catholic colleges, his being Holy Cross and mine being Providence College.
In the beginning, we were both aiming for the same goal. We wanted to get jobs on Capitol Hill and achieve our dreams of doing something “pro bono publico.” We polished our resumés and roamed the corridors of the House and Senate , attempting to get job interviews.
As time went on Matthews succeeded and climbed his way up the career ladder working for various members of both the House and the Senate. He eventually became a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and a top aide to the legendary House Speaker Tip O’Neill.
My political hopes and dreams never materialized. But Matthews remained a friend. In August 1974 we watched together when President Nixon delivered his resignation speech. We did all the things baby boomers did in the ’70s and ’80s. We attended each other’s weddings.
Our common parochial educations taught us the difference between right and wrong. But it was a different time. Our teachers practiced corporal punishment and issued stinging verbal reprimands to induce correct behavior in the classroom.
When we attended high school and college mixers, we were told, “Leave room for the Holy Ghost,” if we got too close to our female dance partners. It was a different time. Verbal exchanges with members of the opposite sex were often awkward and stilted because of our lack of experience with girls.
Fast forward to today’s cancel culture and the #MeToo movement. It is a new world for old fogies like Matthews and me. Today the workplace for the young and restless is entirely different. Things have changed.
Comments that were once tolerated as flirtatious are now considered to be abusive or harassment. Combine that with Matthews’ tendency to ask hard questions to both the male and female politicians on his “Hardball” show and you have the makings for the sad scenario that culminated in his resignation last week.
Forget all the corporal works of mercy that Chris Matthews has undertaken over the years, such as raising funds for orphanages in Africa and for his alma mater Holy Cross College. In 2020, males should refrain from even telling their female co-workers that they are wearing a nice dress today.
“Hardball” with Matthews as its host is done for now. But those of us who have known him for many years know that we have not heard the last from Chris Matthews.
Frank Sullivan writes from North Kingstown.