By
Scott Whitlock
September 15, 2011 - 6:29pm
The Hardball host wondered if the "GOP [has] become a party that celebrates ignorance." He continued, " Look at how the presidential candidates in the field proudly oppose mainstream scientific thought like, well, global warming, evolution."
Later, while talking to MSNBC contributors Michael Steele and Alex Wagner, Matthews introduced a clip of GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry by condescendingly explaining, "Here's Perry speaking at Liberty University, a real seat of intellectualism, in Virginia yesterday."
After playing snippets of Michele Bachmann talking about the HPV vaccination, the cable anchor sneered, "Is it a qualification that you can claim this lack of knowledge as some strength? Bachmann does it. [Perry] does it. They all do it. It's a clamoring attempt to identify with regular people by acting like you're stupider than they are."
A partial transcript of the September 15 segment, which aired at 5:35pm EDT, follows:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: This is going to rip the scab off with all the conservatives watching. Is there room in the modern Republican Party any longer for someone who's even slightly an intellectual? Or has the GOP become a party that celebrates ignorance? Look at how the presidential candidates in the field proudly oppose mainstream scientific thought like, well, global warming, evolution. Look at how they grow defensive when they get facts thrown about history.— Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here [1] to follow him on Twitter.
...
MATTHEWS: Here's Perry speaking at Liberty University, a real seat of intellectualism, in Virginia yesterday. That's the college founded by Jerry Falwell. And here's some self-deprecating comments to try and make the point we're trying to make unsuccessfully to Michael. The theme is, "I'm no intellectual." It's like, "You know he's a redneck if-"
RICK PERRY: So I got my Webster's out and I just looked up the word convocation so I would make sure I kind of understood what I was walking into here. I actually went to college to be a veterinarian and the dean of the veterinary school advised me that I actually wanted to be an animal science major. He said, "Son, I'm looking at your transcript. You want to be an animal science major." So, you know, the fact of the matter is, four semesters of organic chemistry made a pilot out of me.
...
MATTHEWS: Is it a qualification that you can claim this lack of knowledge as some strength? Bachmann does it. He does it, they all do it. It's a clamoring attempt to identify with regular people by acting like you're stupider than they are.