Nobody messes with Tingles!
TAMPA, Fla. – A scuffle involving an MSNBC producer and two men who heckled host Chris Matthews was being investigated by security officials Thursday night a few blocks from the Republican National Convention.
Matthews was hosting a show at a makeshift outdoor stage near the Tampa Bay Times Forum after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romneyaccepted his party’s nomination. During a break, two men shouted, “Hey Chris, how’s that tingle up your leg.” The comment was a reference to Matthews’ 2008 comment that a Barack Obama speech sent a “thrill up his leg.”
According to witnesses, a shoving match ensued.
“Then this short dude who works for MSNBC pushed them,” said Toby David, who came to the defense of the two hecklers. “One of them was smiling and didn’t know it was coming, and the guy just shoved him,” added Kim Churchman, another witness.
“He kept pushing them around, so I rolled over there,” continued David, “and the MSNBC guy says, ‘You wanna get in trouble too?’ I said, ‘Who are you? A cop? If not, maybe I should make a call and we’ll see who’s in trouble.’ The MSNBC guy was just talking tough.”