MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Tuesday continued the effort to tie the
entire Republican Party to the gaffe-prone Todd Akin, smearing the GOP
as a party that doesn't believe in the concept of rape. Matthews
interrogated former Republican National Chairman Michael Steele: "Is
it true or not true that you've got people in your party so far to the
right that they have a problem with a woman saying she was raped?"
Matthews piled on, hyping, "Your political party has some real
troglodytes in it... Guys right out of the Caveman television ads." The
Hardball anchor ended the segment on the Republican Party by
trashing, "...Our politics is getting more Middle Eastern, where any
rumor, any weird theory becomes the thing you fight over."
On Monday, former Newsweek editor Howard Fineman [1]
appeared and connected the GOP presidential ticket to a Congressman who
talked about what defines "legitimate rape." Fineman attacked, "Because
Todd Akin is the Paul Ryan of Missouri."
A transcript of the August 21 exchange, which aired at 5:09pm EDT, can be found below:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: What I hear is a real condescension to the basic character of women, that they would make up these stories. And only in a few cases, Michael, is there such a thing as legitimate rape. In other words, some guy just forces themselves in some way that is so graphic they can't deny that was rape. I don't know why this guy is- See, what I think's going on here, we're in some strange territory, Michael.
MICHAEL STEELE: Well, Lord knows that's true.
MATTHEWS: Your political party has some real troglodytes in it. As Boehner said the other day, the Speaker, you've got some knuckle draggers in your party. Guys right out of the caveman television ads. You know, the ones on TV with the caveman ads. Your thoughts on that. Is it true or not true that you've got people in your party so far to the right that they have a problem with a woman saying she was raped?
STEELE: I mean, I can't speak to everybody in the party where they stand on that issue. I do think that yeah, there are some folks who have a very strong view and extreme view in that regard in terms of the definition of rape. But as the President said, as Mitt Romney and others have said, rape is rape and for us to have this discussion, for Akin to even begin to even elevate this conversation this way, to me is not only wrong-headed and ignorant, it is harmful to women.
...
5:28
MATTHEWS: With no attack on anybody, but, this, our politics is getting more Middle Eastern, where any rumor, any weird theory becomes the thing you fight over. There's no such thing as checking, Google, even. Check the facts. Nobody checks anything.