Chris Matthews: House GOP's 'Ideological Zealotry Trumps' 'Minimal Loyalty' to U.S.
Extreme liberal Chris Matthews may be losing his 5pm time slot, but he isn't going quietly. On Tuesday's Hardball, Matthews sneered that House Republicans who are attempting to defund ObamaCare have "ideological zealotry" that "trumps" "even the most minimal loyalty to the common national interests." Yet, later in the show, the anchor bemoaned Republicans who, regarding Barack Obama, won't "speak the language we normally speak in civilized political debates."
Matthews highlighted the possibility of connecting the defunding of Obamacare to the debt ceiling. According the host, "Some on the American right are plotting the global explosion of a default on the U.S. national debt this fall." He added, "Do they really dare to sabotage the American economy and much of the world economy in order to defund a program, the Affordable Care Act that is the law of the land?" Questioning the patriotism of such conservatives, Matthews lashed out: "Is this the extreme case where ideological zealotry trumps even the most minimal loyalty to the common national interests? Where anything goes? Where the ends justify whatever means there are to be had, no matter how menacing to the country or the world?" [MP3 audio here.]
Proving that Matthews truly doesn't listen to himself, the left-wing journalist said this in a later discussion of birtherism: "They refer to him as Obama. They don't say the President. They don't say a law. They don't even speak the language we normally speak in civilized political debate. They've changed it so much that he's actually not really supposed to be there."
Civilized political debate? Like, essentially, calling your opponents traitors?
A partial transcript of the August 20 segment is below:
5:01
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Economic sabotage. Let's play Hardball.
...
MATTHEWS: Good evening, I'm Chris Matthews in Washington. There's news tonight that some on the American right are plotting the global explosion of a default on the U.S. national debt this fall. The plot is to tie the regular vote to extend the debt ceiling to the obliteration of the Affordable Care Act. According to the plans, leaked to right-leaning news organizations, any measure to finance the health care act would detonate a refusal to make good on American debt, the first time this has happened in this country's history. And the repercussions of which could explode the world economic order. Well, do the leaders of the Republican Party really intend to go this far? Do they really dare to sabotage the American economy and much of the world economy in order to defund a program, the Affordable Care Act, that is the law of the land? And will they go to this drastic extreme to intimidate the U.S. Congress or the President or both?
And if so, is this the extreme case where ideological zealotry trumps even the most minimal loyalty to the common national interests? Where anything goes? Where the ends justify whatever means there are to be had, no matter how menacing to the country or the world?
....
5:24
MATTHEWS: It seems there's a very interesting, compelling, continuing effort to delegitimize this president. Of course, people on the right say he's a disaster. They love to make that case, which he's clearly not. Historically, look what he's already accomplished in terms of health care and other issues, getting the bad guys and stuff like that. But they, first of all, refer to him not as the president of the United States but as a liberal leader. They refer to the health care act of 2010 as a bill. They refer to him as Obama. They don't say the President. They don't say a law. They don't even speak the language we normally speak in civilized political debate. They've changed it so much that he's actually not really supposed to be there.
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
