MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews isn't one for subtlety. On Tuesday's show he summarized the problems with the 2012 GOP presidential field as this: "They hate....They hate so much they are not in the mood to fall in love with a candidate or even fall in behind someone."
The Hardball host continued to smear: "Their brains racked as they are by hatred, they lack the like mode. They are in no mood looking around for a politician they like. The hating is so much more satisfying." Matthews even used a typical liberal journalist move: Complimenting a deceased Republican as a way of attacking current GOP members. In this case, Richard Nixon.
Matthews compared, "Say what you will about Richard Nixon when he and Jack Kennedy debated back in 1960, the American people were proud of what they were watching. They were proud of the choice they would have to make, were allowed to make."
Matthews should know a thing or two about "hate." On June 22, 2011 [1], he trashed Rush Limbaugh as "evil."
On June 10, 2011 [2], he foamed that Newt Gingrich "looks like the devil" and is "evil."
A transcript of the November 15 segment, which aired at 5:59pm EST, is found below:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with this: The utter confusion in the Republican presidential nominating process results from two discernible facts. One: they hate. That's the simplest explanation of the disastrous course of this selection process. They hate so much they are not in the mood to fall in love with a candidate or even fall in behind someone. Their brains racked as they are by hatred, they lack the like mode. They are in no mood looking around for a politician they like. The hating is so much more satisfying. Second factor: They aren't respecting experience. Each candidate has his or her time in the limelight yet out there in the audition stage, one after another, has showed they don't have the stuff.
Embarrassed by the exposure, they have slunk back into the shadows. And so, the Republicans have a problem. They are consumed by hate, so consumed they can't think positively of whom they may want to lead them. They just can't change the subject from opposition to government, and they can't get over the fact that to govern this country requires some experience in government, some knowledge of how you lead a government.
I'm reminded often these days of how superior the competition was once for the American presidency. Say what you will about Richard Nixon when he and Jack Kennedy debated back in 1960, the American people were proud of what they were watching. They were proud of the choice they would have to make, were allowed to make. What the heck has happened to our country we're now being asked to consider the presidential credentials of political walk-ons like Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann. The best question the next moderator could ask now looms. Are you people serious? Is the Republican party serious? Are we really going to get down for the entire season of the presidential selection of the two most memorable phrases being 9-9-9 and oops?
— Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here [3] to follow him on Twitter.