Chris "I felt this thrill going up my leg" Matthews thinks he understands the health care town hall protesters.
Geoffrey Dickens, NewsBusters, reports that Matthews explained his theory on Tuesday's Hardball.
Transcript
STEPHEN MOORE, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Certainly I agree that when, when people go to these kind of town hall meetings and tea parties they should be very respectful and polite. As you know, Chris, I've been on college campuses where I've been shouted down and not able to speak as a conservative and I think it's just ill behavior. But I do think it's important for people like Ed Rendell to understand there is an amazing amount of rage out in this country. It's, it's, it's, now again I think people should keep it under control.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Rage at what?
MOORE: Rage because of the $800 billion obscene fiscal stimulus bill...
MATTHEWS: Are you telling me that these guys were created by this new president? That the people we're watching on television with their guns and their attitudes about the republic weren't around before January 20th?!
MOORE: Well Chris here's the problem with, look I don't agree with that gentleman that you had on before. I think it is absurd to bring a gun to these kinds of meetings. So I agree with you entirely on that. But I think that you all are kind of missing the point of what's going on here. There are hundreds of millions, I mean hundreds of thousands of Americans who are so enraged about what's going on.
MATTHEWS: Okay.
MOORE: This is still a pretty conservative country and people are upset about the policies in Washington and they don't think the politicians are listening.
MATTHEWS: Okay I think, I think some of the people are upset because we have a black president. Let's take a look at Senator Specter's town meeting. Some of these statements people are making.
MOORE: But Chris, c'mon!
MATTHEWS: Listen to what they're saying! Let's listen-
MOORE: This has nothing to do with race. That's, that's an absurd comment.
MATTHEWS: Oh no let's listen to what they're saying. Here's a Specter town meeting. And then Governor react to this.
(Begin clip)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I don't believe this is just about health care. It's not about TARP. It's not about left and right. This is about the systematic dismantling of this country. I'm only 35-years-old. I have never been interested in politics. You have awakened the sleeping giant. We are tired of this. This is why everybody in this room is so ticked off. I don't want this country turning into Russia, turning into a socialized country. My question for you is, what are you going to do to restore this country back to what our Founders created, according to the Constitution!
(End clip)
MATTHEWS: Governor Rendell this is primitive talk.
GOV. ED RENDELL: No question.
MATTHEWS: What do you make of it? Is this about the health care bill or is this about some basic, sort of, almost secessionist movement going on out there against any kind of federal role in anything to do with social welfare?
RENDELL: Well I grant Stephen one point. I think there are people who are legitimately concerned about the amount of debt the country is running up. And, and I think that is a legitimate concern. However to say that these people who come to the rally that, that's foremost on their mind. Stephen let's begin with the fact that many of these people are birthers. The birthers are absolutely nuts. They won't believe the clear and credible evidence that President OBama was born in Hawaii. Hawaii is part of the United States of America. I think the birthers are-
MOORE: Ed, Ed. Governor let me say this. I hope that you all on the left keep calling, calling these people who go to these tea parties and town hall meeting nuts, because you're talking about the broad USA.
RENDELL: I didn't say they were all nuts. I didn't say they were all nuts. No.
MOORE: But look you are! You look at a couple of people like this nut who brings a gun to this rally and say, "These people are just crazy! Why don't they just shut up and go home!" And you know, we, and Chris-
MATTHEWS: Okay.
MOORE: -I have to say it is so outrageous for you to say that these people are angry because we have a black president. I mean it makes me think that you're totally out of touch with...
MATTHEWS: No the reason, the reason-
MOORE: A lot of people voted for Barack Obama.
MATTHEWS: No the reason, the reason, the reason I say it is because I look at the map of the United States and I see where people question his birth. And I see the pattern of race here and it's historic in our nature. And I see it and I don't like it. And you're telling me these people just have, just have idle thoughts. "Well he may not be born here." Could it not be his ethnicity? And you deny that Stephen? You deny that's the issue here?
MOORE: Could it be? I'm sorry, what?
MATTHEWS: His ethnicity? That's not the issue here.
MOORE: I don't believe it is. I believe...
MATTHEWS: You really don't believe that?!
MOORE: I really don't.
MATTHEWS: And you look at the people, the kind of people that have been jumping up and down on this issue.
MOORE: Chris, Chris I think most conservatives, that I know, and I go to a lot of these meetings, they're proud of the fact that we have a black president today. They genuinely are proud of our country for electing a black, black president. They don't agree with his policies but the fact that we have grown beyond racism, I think, is a great thing for this country. I think most conservatives agree.
Chris Matthews' assertion that the people protesting government-run health care are doing so because they're upset that we have a black president is absurd. It's a sick, sick statement.
Matthews is lucky that his ratings are so low and, for the most part, people don't hear what he has to say.
How does he come up with this stuff?
I sincerely question Matthews' mental stability.
Can he really believe that Obama's race is what's upsetting people?
There's something very sinister about Matthews claiming that the concern and anger and fear expressed during this health care debate is really about Obama's skin color.
Matthews wants to turn this into a race war. Perhaps he thinks that strategy will work to shut up voices of dissent, using guilt to get them to agree with Obama's socialized medicine scheme.
Calling an opponent a racist is a frequently used lib tactic. It's a desperate move, but frequently played.
Matthews should be ashamed of himself for painting the protesters as racists. He owes them an apology.
MSNBC/NBC also owes these Americans an apology. The news outlet is responsible for employing the disgraceful Matthews, giving him a forum to spout his ugliness. The buck stops there.
3 comments:
Where does he come up with this stuff Mary? Specter is from PA. You know.... that state with Philadelphia at one end, Pittsburgh at the other, and Alabama in between! Don't you recall that Gov Rendell of PA himself said that he didn't think that the US was ready for a black president. And as much as we hate to admit it, there are some Americans who actually feel this way.
That's where Chris Matthews gets it.
The word racist,and it's an interesting word ,can sometime be hate speech and it generally is,doesn't have to be hateful. In it's original use it basically meant the simple recognition of color among people. The Nazis were the first group to make it totally offensive. They're a great group to cue off. If Matthews finds Obama unique because he is black than it a personal problem that he should reflect on,and hopefully overcome,but he should not suggest that other people have the same problem unless he has some reason or verification for saying it.
Obviously, Matthews is using the term in a negative manner.
The term never was used to mean the "simple recognition of color among people."
That "recognition" was used to highlight alleged inferiority.
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