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Reince Priebus
65th Chairman of the Republican National Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2011
Preceded by	Michael Steele
Personal details
Born	Reinhold Reince Priebus (1972-03-18) March 18, 1972 (age 40) Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.[1]
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sally Priebus; two children
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Whitewater University of Miami School of Law
Occupation	Lawyer
Religion	Greek Orthodox
Website	Reince Priebus' blogsite

Reinhold Reince Priebus ( /raɪns ˈpriːbəs/; born March 18, 1972)^[2][3][4] is the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is also a previous chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

Family and education[link]

Priebus is of Greek and German descent, the son of Richard and Dimitra Priebus. His father is a former electrician and his mother deals in real estate.^[5][6]

Raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin by age 16 he was volunteering for political campaigns.^[7] He graduated from George Nelson Tremper High School in 1990. He graduated cum laude from University of Wisconsin–Whitewater in 1994, where he was elected student body president and earned his bachelor's degree in political science and English.^[6]

After college, he worked as a committee clerk in the Wisconsin Legislature and then went to law school at the University of Miami School of Law where he was president of the student bar association and where he received his Juris Doctorate cum laude in 1998.^[6][8][9] During law school, he interned for the NAACP legal defense fund in Los Angeles.^[10]

Priebus met his wife Sally in high school, where the two attended prom together. They married in 1999 and have two children.^[6]

Early career[link]

Priebus joined Michael Best & Friedrich in Milwaukee, where he became a partner in the litigation practice group and co-chair of the government and public policy group.^[6]

In 2008 Milwaukee's Business Journal named him one of Milwaukee's "40 Under 40".^[6] Super Lawyers in Wisconsin named him a "Rising Star".

In 2004, in his first bid for public office, Priebus unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Robert Wirch for a seat in the Wisconsin Senate.^[11][12]

In 2007, Priebus was elected Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party. As Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, Priebus presided over a historic shake up of the political landscape in 2010 as Republicans won the Governor's race, picked up a US Senate seat and took control of both houses of the Wisconsin legislature. This was the first time since 1998 that Republicans controlled both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature and the Governors office.

Campaign for RNC Chairman[link]

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Priebus was elected as Chairman of the Republican National Committee on January 14, 2011. He was elected in an unprecedented seventh ballot. Following Ann Wagner's withdrawal from the race, Priebus received the votes of 97 of the 168 committee members. In his race for chairman, Reince Priebus joined a myriad of candidates including Maria Cino, Ann Wagner, Saul Anuzis and incumbent Chairman Michael Steele. In declaring his candidacy, he said, "I'm not running for Chairman because I think I'm better than anyone or because I think I have all the answers. I'm running for chairman for only one reason: I believe our country is in a time of great peril and we have to do something about it."^[13] To turn around the RNC, Priebus said, "I will keep expenses low. I will put in strong and serious controls. We will raise the necessary funds to make sure we are successful. We will work to regain the confidence of our donor base and I will personally call our major donors to ask them to rejoin our efforts at the RNC." The race centered around whether the direction that Steele was taking the committee should be continued. It became clear that a change was desired, so the race turned into who would be best to turn things around at the RNC. Issues involving the RNC's get-out-the-vote operation, along with its relationship with the Tea Party and the grassroots and the committee's $21 million in debt were front and center in the race. In the December 1, 2010 RNC candidate forum, Priebus provided a few details about his politics. He stated he believes the RNC is "part of" the Tea Party movement; he believes it is the Republican Party's mission to "save our country, to save our party and to take back the White House"; believes someone who is "pro-abortion, pro-stimulus, pro-AIG ... might not be a Republican" and believes that being pro-life is "paramount" to the Republican Party platform. ^[14]

Chairman of the RNC[link]

Priebus speaking at a conference in October 2011.

When Priebus took over as Chairman, the RNC had over $24 million in debt. Right away, he moved to establish himself as a “workhorse political operative – in sharp contrast to Steele, a telegenic figure whose verbal gaffes and spending fueled controversy”. Priebus started luring back many of the major donors that had left the committee during Michael Steele's rocky tenure. ^[15] The RNC has raised over $30 million since Priebus became Chairman. In May, the RNC raised $6.2 million and reported $6.1 million cash on hand. After releasing the May fundraising numbers Priebus said, "We will have the resources to turn back the failed leadership of Barack Obama and return a Republican majority to the U.S. Senate in 2012."^{[citation needed]}

In an April 5, 2011 interview with Meredith Viera on The Today Show, Preibus stated, "Under [President Barack Obama], he’s promised millions and millions of jobs. We've lost 26 million jobs, Meredith, since he’s been president. He promised under an $850 billion stimulus program that we'd be on a path to recovery. Well, none of that has come true.... I think that pointing out a snail's pace in the job (growth) numbers is not going to be enough to undo 26 million jobs that are lost, Meredith." The non-partisan watchdog group PolitiFact rated the 26 million job figure as 'Pants On Fire'. Priebus responded by stating that he simply misspoke, and later clarified his mistake. ^[16]

According to NBC's Mark Murray, Chairman Priebus has restored faith in the RNC and raised much needed money for the organization^[17] by working long hours and by establishing and maintaining personal relationships with donors.^[18][19]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile at Michael Best law firm
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Reince Priebus at WhoRunsGov at The Washington Post
• Reince Priebus collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• File at PolitiFact Wisconsin
• Chairman at GOP.com
• Reince Priebus for RNC Chair campaign site
• (http://www.newsmax.com/RonaldKessler/RNC-record-fundraising-priebus/2011/09/13/id/410874)
• Template:Http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/211051-priebus-rnc-revival-from-23m-in-the-red-to-7m-in-the-black

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Chris Matthews
Matthews at the 2011 Time 100 Gala.
Born	Christopher John Matthews (1945-12-17) December 17, 1945 (age 66) Somerton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Ethnicity	Irish
Education	College of the Holy Cross
Occupation	News anchor and political commentator
Notable credit(s)	Hardball with Chris Matthews The Chris Matthews Show
Religion	Roman Catholic
Spouse	Kathleen Matthews
Relatives	Montgomery County, PA County Commissioner Jim Matthews (brother)

Christopher John "Chris" Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American news anchor and political commentator known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC. On weekends he hosts the syndicated NBC News–produced panel discussion program The Chris Matthews Show. Matthews makes frequent appearances on many other NBC and MSNBC programs. On March 22, 2009, Matthews renewed the contract for Hardball with Chris Matthews through 2012.^[1]

Early life and education[link]

Matthews was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Irish American parents and is a Roman Catholic.^[2] He attended La Salle College High School. He is a 1967 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.^[3][4]

Matthews served in the United States Peace Corps in Swaziland from 1968 to 1970^[5] as a trade development adviser.

Career[link]

Political career and views[link]

When Matthews first arrived in Washington, D.C., he worked as a police officer with the United States Capitol Police.^[6] Subsequently, he served on the staffs of four Democratic members of Congress, including Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie. In 1974, he mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in which he received about 24% of the vote in the primary.^[7] Matthews was a presidential speechwriter during the Carter administration and later worked for six years as a top aide to longtime Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill, playing a direct role in many key political battles with the Reagan administration.

Matthews in October 2007

Despite having worked for Democrats, Matthews has said, "I'm more conservative than people think I am.... I voted for George W. in 2000."^[8] Salon.com has called him the "most conservative voice" on MSNBC's primetime lineup.^[9] Matthews has been accused by media watchdogs^[10] of having panels of guests that skew to the right and of supporting Republicans in his own questions and comments.^[11][12] Conversely, he is also often criticized by conservatives for his opposition to the Iraq War among other stances he took against the Bush administration.

On the April 14, 2008, edition of The Colbert Report, Matthews alluded to a possible run for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania. When directly questioned by Stephen Colbert about his intentions, he stated that there is a difference between celebrities and those who work for the people, and it's a greater thing to work for the people. He also said that his boyhood dream was to be a senator. Four days later, on April 18, 2008, Matthews told Bill Maher that he has "made a commitment to covering politics in a liberal way, starting in 1987, and [he is] honoring that commitment, not getting involved in it."^[13] The seat in question was the one held by Sen. Arlen Specter, whose term in the Senate ended in January 2011. On November 28, 2008, Fivethirtyeight.com and The Politico reported that Matthews had been in contact with senior staffers of Barack Obama's campaign about a possible run.^[14][15] On January 7, 2009, The New York Times reported that Matthews told his staffers that he would not run for the Senate.^[16] On May 25, 2009 Chris Matthews appeared on Charlie Rose where he stated that he was intending to run for Specter's Senate seat in 2010, stating, "I could see myself winning the Democratic primary and I could see myself going on to face Arlen in the general [election]," but that he felt he had to decide between being a journalist and being a politician once Specter became a national figure by supporting the stimulus.

While discussing proposed healthcare reform on the December 17, 2009, edition of Hardball, Matthews stated, "The Republicans will know they have lost.... Let them keep score and it's easy. It's complicated when liberals get to keep score. We're always arguing. Well, I'm a liberal, too."^[17][18]

Author and talk show host[link]

Matthews during a special edition of Hardball

Matthews worked in print media for 15 years, spending 13 years as Washington, D.C. bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner (1987–2000) and two years as a nationally syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Matthews covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa, and the Good Friday Peace Talks in Northern Ireland. In 1997 and 1998, his research in the National Archives produced a series of exclusives on the Nixon presidential tapes. Matthews has covered American presidential election campaigns since 1988.

In 1997, Matthews began his own talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which originally aired on CNBC but is currently on MSNBC. Hardball features pundits and elected officials as guests.

In 2002, The Chris Matthews Show began airing in syndication. The show is formatted as a political roundtable consisting of four journalists and Matthews, who serves as the moderator. He is estimated to earn more than $5 million a year. He also wrote a book called Hardball.^[19]

Personal life[link]

Matthews has been married since 1980 to Kathleen Matthews, who anchored News 7 on WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., before accepting a position as an executive vice president with J.W. Marriott. The couple have three children: Michael, Thomas, and Caroline. His brother Jim Matthews, a Republican, is a county commissioner in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

In 2002, Matthews was hospitalized with malaria, which he evidently contracted on one of his visits that year to Africa.^{[citation needed]} He has also had other health problems, including diabetes (which he acknowledged having on the Hardball broadcast of December 7, 2009) and pneumonia.^[20]

Criticisms and controversy[link]

Matthews and his wife Kathleen at the 2010 Time 100 Gala.

Liberal blogger Glenn Greenwald has called Matthews "the most vivid example of all that is wrong with political coverage," saying "[H]e’s endlessly obsessed with personality-based politics and likes to promote the strong, masculine tough guy who you can have a beer with, versus the nerdy loser. And he has a cast of characters who go on his show, like Newsweek’s Howard Fineman, who gush over the maleness of the Republican candidates and warn Democrats about how that has real appeal to American voters. Most political reporters judge candidates on the basis of the likeability factor—Matthews is just more explicit about it."^[21]

Others have criticized Matthews for talking too much on air, not letting his guests talk, and often talking over and interrupting them. One who also worked in the Carter Administration has written: "Generally in those days Chris was a relatively quiet person around the White House, and in meetings or briefings would frequently say very little, or nothing at all. I guess he's making up for lost time—or 'lost talk'—now. Nevertheless, I'm a big fan of his show, always fascinating without fail—at least if you're a political junkie."^[22]

The progressive media watchdog group Media Matters for America named Matthews its 2005 "Misinformer of the Year," citing statements he made in support of President George W. Bush.^[23]

On January 9, 2008, the morning after Hillary Clinton's surprise victory in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, Matthews appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe program and said of Clinton,

The comments were criticized by such media figures as Bill O'Reilly, Joy Behar, and Gloria Steinem.^[24][26][27] They also resulted in protests outside NBC's Washington, D.C., studios as well as a joint letter of complaint to NBC from the National Organization for Women, Feminist Majority, and the National Women's Political Caucus. Matthews apologized for the comments on the January 17, 2008, edition of Hardball.^[27]

After Matthews and Keith Olbermann made controversial on-air comments during the 2008 Republican National Convention, NBC News correspondent David Gregory replaced them, but Matthews and Olbermann continued working as analysts.^[28] On November 4–5, he teamed with Rachel Maddow, Eugene Robinson, David Gregory, and Keith Olbermann to cover the presidential election.

On February 12, 2008, during MSNBC's coverage of the Potomac primary, Matthews had this to say about then presidential candidate Barack Obama:

This led some on the political right to assert that both he and MSNBC were biased toward Obama.^[30]

On November 6, 2008, he was a guest on the MSNBC television program Morning Joe, wherein he stated, "I want to do everything I can to make this thing work, this new presidency work." Host Joe Scarborough asked if that was his job as a journalist. "Yeah, that’s my job. My job is to help this country," Matthews replied.^[31]

On December 1, 2009, preceding Obama's speech announcing a troop increase in Afghanistan, Matthews criticized the president for choosing the United States Military Academy as his venue, referring to it as "the enemy camp."^[32] Soon after, Matthews apologized for his remarks, saying, "[To] the cadets, their parents, former cadets, and everyone who cares about this country and those who defend it: I used the wrong words and worse than that I said something that is just not right and for that I deeply apologize."^[33]

In January 2010, in Matthews's comments after President Obama's first State of the Union Address, he said, "You know, I forgot he was black tonight for an hour."^{[34][35][36][37][38]} The next day, on the Rachel Maddow show, Matthews clarified his remarks, saying, "I think he’s taken us beyond black and white in our politics, wonderfully so, in just a year."^[39]

Bibliography[link]

• Matthews, Christopher (2011). Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4516-3508-9. 
• Matthews, Christopher (2007). Life’s a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success (1st ed. ed.). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6528-8. 
• Matthews, Christopher (2002). American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-4086-3. 
• Matthews, Christopher (2001). Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (1st ed. ed.). New York: Free Press. ISBN 0-684-86236-0. 
• Matthews, Christopher (1999). Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told By One Who Knows the Game (1st Touchstone ed. ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84559-8. 
• Matthews, Christopher (1996). Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81030-1. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chris Matthews

• Hardball with Chris Matthews
• The Chris Matthews Show
• Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Booknotes interview with Matthews on Kennedy and Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America, June 9, 1996.
• Chris Matthews on Charlie Rose
• Chris Matthews at the Internet Movie Database
• Chris Matthews collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Works by or about Chris Matthews in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Chris Matthews at the Notable Names Database