Liberal Hardball host Chris Matthews, who has spent the last several days berating Rush Limbaugh for using inappropriate words, on Wednesday mocked the "featureless" young crowds at Mitt Romney's rallies, comparing them to brainwashed "androids" in "North Korea." [MP3 audio here [1].]
Talking to fellow MSNBC journalist Chuck Todd, Matthews spewed, "...Who are these featureless young people waving those placards? I mean, are they, are they androids?... They are all exactly in unison. Is this North Korea? Who are these people?"
The sputtering anchor continued his attack: "They all look like the perfect little kids in school with perfect attendance. Who are these androids?"
Shockingly, Todd, who is supposed to be a straight journalist, seemed to agree, failing to disavow the "North Korean" comment: "Well actually I think that's actually a pretty good description, what you said. These are the perfect kids. I think that's what you get at a rally sometimes."
Later, former Fox News journalist Major Garrett struck back at Matthews's outrageous comments. He retorted, "And they're not androids, Chris. They're real people. They're not androids. You may not like them, but they're real people back there. And they like Romney. Leave them alone."
A partial transcript of the March 7 segment, which aired at 5:04pm EST, follows:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Who are these, Chuck, while I still have you, who are these featureless young people waving those placards? I mean, are they, are they androids? Who are these people that seem thrilled? Look at them. They all go up in unison. They all put their placards up in exactly the same way. They are all exactly in unison. Is this North Korea? Who are these people? There's this kid in the white shirt and glasses. They all look like the perfect little kids in school with perfect attendance. Who are these androids?
CHUCK TODD: Well actually I think that's actually a pretty good description, what you said. These are the perfect kids. I think that's what you get at a rally sometimes. They get behind them. You're right. I mean, you're right. You point out another problem that I have found when I go to Romney events, which is you don't meet people that will crawl across broken glass to vote for Mitt Romney. They're settling, there is no question, it's like the song that's in my head, "if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with." 
MATTHEWS: I know that song. Yeah.
TODD: I think that's what a lot of Republicans have to come to grips with. But again, you got to give Romney his due. He did have a big Super Tuesday night. He won in a bunch of time zones. He won Ohio. Yes by the skin of his teeth but he won it. And he won a majority of the delegates.
...
MAJOR GARRETT: And they're not androids, Chris. They're real people. They're not androids. You may not like them, but they're real people back there. And they like Romney. Leave them alone.
MATTHEWS: What a liberal. You have to be a real liberal to say that.
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here [2] to follow him on Twitter.