According to Chris Matthews on Tuesday, having Rand Paul or Ted Cruz as opponents would result in an easy win for Hillary Clinton in 2016. The Hardball host, who famously had a "thrill [1]" going up his leg for Barack Obama, plotted the former Secretary of State's path to victory.
Regarding whether she'll run, Matthews gushed, "It's just a question of what kind of campaign and who's going to help her win it?" (Other than MSNBC, one might wonder?)
The cable anchor predicted Clinton would probably be "lucky enough" to have Cruz or Paul as an opponent. Matthews lectured, "And I tell you, that's not going to be a complicated vote for most people." Before offering more campaign advice, the journalist actually insisted, "I'm no Clintonite. I can't put myself in the ring for running her campaign." Yet, a few months ago, Matthews did exactly that.
On February 25, 2013 [2], Matthews and fellow guests David Corn and Joan Walsh offered themselves as campaign operatives: "If you're watching, Madam Secretary, all three of us have brilliant ideas. All of us have great ideas...We know how to do this, we’ll get you in there."
It sure sounds like Matthews wants to put himself "in the ring" for Clinton.
A partial transcript of the May 28 segment is below:
5:12 ET
CHRIS MATTHEWS: It's not how, it's who? Hillary is running for president. It's clear as a bell, with all the dozens of people they've talked to her over the weekend, they all believe she's running. It's just a question of what kind of campaign and who's going to help her win it?
...
5:23
MATTHEWS: She's now got 63 percent in the latest PPP poll. So, she's not probably going to lose the primary. It's the question of how she uses the primaries and caucuses to present herself so she can beat a right-wing Republican, perhaps like a Cruz who ought to be beaten or Christie, who ought to have some competition. But I tell you, she's probably going to be lucky enough if she wins the nomination to face somebody like Cruz or Rand Paul. And I tell you, that's not going to be a complicated vote for most people.
...
MATTHEWS: I'm not a Clintonite. I can't put myself in the ring for running her campaign, but I do recommend Eddie Rendell. He will win in New Jersey for her. He'll win in New York. He'll win all over the northeast and probably all over the midwest. He understands what we used to call lunch bucket Democrats, regular people. He's one with them. He's a big city guy. But he knows how to connect. And I think she does, too, with the right team around her.
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here [3] to follow him on Twitter.