(image via salon)
Chris Matthews, who, depending on your position, is either a lovable and gritty Pennsylvanian commentator and wanna-be Senate candidate or -- on the other side of the spectrum of thought -- a vicious Clinton-hater. Never one to pass on an opportunity to comment on the grittiness of the Pennsylvania working class, Matthews extolled the virtues of Joe Biden, a son of Scranton.
Chris talked about how Biden was elected at the tender age of 29, always trying to be one of the elitists (as dictated, to be sure, by the principle of American upward mobility), but he could never quite pull it off and -- God bless 'im -- late in the game, Joe simply settled in on being, as Michelle Cottle put it on the show "Joey (from Scranton).
Matthews also noted that Biden -- who went to school in Delaware and became Senator in that mid-Atlantic neighboring state -- has never been seen at "Sally Quinn's parties." Quinn's parties, at least in generations past, represented the gladiatorial fundament of DC ambition. From WashingtonLifeMagzine:
"'Nobody’s perfect,' (Ben Bradlee) barked. Sally went on to fame as a seriously edgy Style writer who was nicknamed 'Salty' Quinn. No one was more deft in getting well-known subjects to reveal their foibles. Who was it? Henry Kissinger, who said that being interviewed by gossip columnist Maxine Cheshire made you want to kill her. Being interviewed by Sally Quinn made you want to kill yourself.
"Jason Robards played Ben in 'All The President’s Men.' Stockard Channing played her in 'Heartburn.' Yes, they were best friends with Carl Bernstein and Nora Ephron and it was in Sally and Ben’s kitchen that Nora either dumped a bottle of wine over her philandering husband’s head, or a fruit pie. Details, details.
"That was the '70s. If you were invited to Ben and Sally's you were annointed. They never entertained all that much but when they did, it was perfect. Their New Year’s Eve parties were legendary for the eclectic mix of media, celebrity and political types. During the 80’s, they proved the adage that living well is the best revenge, buying a home in St. Mary’s County and continuing their various writing projects while raising son Quinn and quietly doing work for The Lab School and Children’s Hospital.
"Somehow the spotlight was never very far from Ben and Sally, although they never courted it. Perhaps by this very casual approach to life and living, and the loyalty of friends and family, they have remained on most everyone’s A list. They are fun to be around. They know where the bodies are buried. They have staying power, and wicked senses of humor."
And where, pray tell, are a;; the bodies are buried, "Salty"?
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