A shrieking Chris Matthews on Thursday smeared the Republican Party, comparing the abortion stances of candidates such as Paul Ryan and Richard Mourdock to those found under Sharia law.
The hyperbolic Hardball anchor snarled, "I don't like to comparing anything to Sharia, but there's something about this theocratic notion that we're going to apply all our philosophical beliefs, our metaphysics, our religious training and turn it into law and turn it into criminalization." [MP3 audio here [1].]
Matthews continued, "And it's not quite like stoning, but it has that same sort of impulse which is we're going to punish women." Terry O'Neil, the president of the National Organization for Women appeared on the show and screeched, "I think that it's kind of the creeping Talibanization of American policy." Speaking of Mitt Romney, she insisted that the Republican is in the "thick of this very fringe but very dangerous line of thought."
The liberals on the program competed with each other as they tossed out
insults. Matthews wondered in Romney wants women to be like "The Stepford Wives [2]."
Guest Alex Wagner mocked, "It's the Stone Ages! Chris, it's the Stone Ages!"
On Monday, Matthews lashed out at conservative birth control "Nazis [3]."
In July of 2011, the host berated the "scary" GOP, deriding them as the "Wahhabis of American government. [4]"
Remember, this is the same man who assailed Sarah Palin for merely suggesting the President is "shucking and jiving [5]."
A transcript of the October 24 segment, which aired at 5:08pm EDT, follows:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: I don't know where to start except I don't like to comparing anything to Sharia but there's something about this theocratic notion that we're going to apply all our philosophical beliefs, our metaphysics, our religious training and turn it into law and turn it into criminalization. And it's not quite like stoning, but it has that same sort of impulse which is we're going to punish women.
TERRY Right. I don't think you're wrong. I think that it's kind of the creeping Talibanization of American policy. It is deeply, deeply dangerous for women, and I have to tell you the truth, I think Mitt Romney is in the thick of this very fringe but very dangerous line of thought. Look, when he was in Massachusetts, a woman in his own church, he tried to stop her from having an abortion. Her pregnancy was threatening her health and then she developed blood clots that were threatening her life. He couldn't talk her into stopping the abortion. She had permission from the Mormon hierarchy to terminate this life threatening pregnancy. He went to her parents. What he said to this woman, and this is key, cameras not rolling and what Mitt Romney says to this woman, why should you get off easy? Why should you get off easy? Why should you get off easy? Other women don't get off so easy. Talking about getting off easy to terminate the pregnancy. I think that Mitt Romney absolutely does not want any exceptions to criminalization of all abortion.
MATTHEWS: What is this, the Stepford Wives?
ALEX WAGNER: It's the stone age. Chris, it's the stone ages.