Appearing on Jay Leno this week, Chris Matthews offered his expertise on a few of the potential Republican presidential nominees. I was really looking forward to some top-notch analysis from MSNBC’s first chair clarinet. Sadly, the “Hardball” pundit merely went on the offensive against a few of his favorites on the GOP side. Here’s what happened:
Mitt Romney is dismissed out of hand. I was hoping for some comments about how Romney Care might adversely affect him or how some Christians may oppose him due to his faith, but nope… Matthews brushes him off as unelectable. Sir Hardball claims Romney is the front runner, so you can imagine how much all those under him must suck. Check. We’re off to a good start, but let’s not waste time on Romney. There are bigger fish to go ad hominem on.
Mike Huckabee fares a little better. He at least receives a substantive (yes, sarcasm) analysis from Matthews. That’s right: Matthews accuses Huckabee of playing a “racist” game regarding Huckabee’s erroneous comment on President Obama’s childhood “in Kenya.” Huckabee later defended himself stating that he was merely tired and made a mental gaffe. In my estimation, Huckabee seems generally pretty fair and level-headed. but Matthews quickly skewers that idea: Huckabee is really not a nice guy and is exploiting racism in America. Huckabee is not afforded the benefit of the doubt–he may run for president on the GOP ticket, after all, so dedicated Democrat he is, Matthews must play up the race angle… no matter how unfounded.
My question is this: what excuse does Matthews have for his absurd accusation? Was it a mental gaffe? Of course not; it was just the usual pathetic “that’s racist!” strategy used by far too many people who should know better. If someone opposes President Obama, it doesn’t automatically equate racism or a racial strategy. Forget the fact that Huckabee has denounced the birther angle. Why let a “gotcha” quote go to waste? Pounce on him immediately and brand him with a capital “R”. It’s only fair. It’s better to paint 99 innocent people as racists than to let one get away with it, right?
The birther controversy could just as easily revolve around England, Germany, or Ireland, the three backgrounds Obama’s mother possessed. If some of Obama’s critics felt that Obama was born in England, the birther issue would still be there. Matthews is merely extrapolating racism into the birther issue, a cheap and lazy strategy. How about an analysis of Huckabee’s policy positions? Would that be asking too much?
Chris Matthews apparently studied under Uncle Leo.
If Bill Clinton were black, Matthews would have been bleating the same old race angle over the Lewinsky affair. One race card fits all.
Matthews is a perfect example of the “go with anything” strategy used by both sides in our partisan psychosis. I completely agree with Bill Maher that the obsession with ‘”gotcha” moments in our political debate is a joke, although I’d guess Maher does the same thing, being in the game and all. I can’t say for certain because the only reason I watched him the other day was because our fearless leader here at Big J made an appearance on his show. The truth is that the unfortunate racial history of America affects all Americans in the present… a theme promoted by social justice advocates to get everyone to unify under the Leftist banner of victimhood. As sneaky as that approach sounds, at least there is some talk of healing involved.
Matthews, on the other hand, seems perfectly content to be a lefty race drone who aggravates America’s most divisive wound. This problem is all too common in America. Candidate Obama himself stoked the racial fires during his campaign when he stated that people might not like him because of the way he looks, and talked of racism in the tea party and in America in general… as the President of the United States.
Exploiting race merely for its impact does not make one a racist… it makes one an a**hole, and a lazy one at that–sadly, many Americans seem to be simply obsessed with the practice. At this point, race hustling should be looked upon with great suspicion. The ‘who’ doing the hustling is irrelevant; they should be called out.
Furthermore, Mike Huckabee stands to gain absolutely nothing from making a statement with a racial slant on it… not one thing. So much for logical reasoning. Well done, Sir Hardball.
Conclusion: Mike Huckabee is a birther, a fake, and quite possibly a racist. Check; on to the esteemed Representative from Minnesota’s 6th district…
Michele Bachmann (R-MN) made a gaffe this week regarding where the American Revolutionary War began; Politico then accused Bachmann of playing the victim card after she merely responded to the controversy–two juicy “gotcha” moments from which broad brush judgments can be made: “AHA! She’s stupid!” followed by “AHA! She’s playing the victim card!” Is this really what our media has become, a bunch of jerks–and vapid ones at that? Sadly, I think so. How about an analysis of Bachmann’s policy positions? Is that too much to ask from the media?
Michele Bachmann is apparently uneducated. Check. Good job, American university system, letting such a dolt graduate law school. Bachmann even holds not just a J.D. from Oral Roberts University but also an L.L.M (an advanced law degree) from the oldest law school in the United States, Thomas Jefferson’s baby, William & Mary Law School. How did she fall through the cracks? Raise that flag high, academia: “We Graduate Morons!” your banner might read. Thanks for bringing this to light, Sir Hardball. We thought you were overly impressed by academia, but we were wrong. Thanks for speaking truth to power.
I’m curious why incorrectly stating a factoid about American history is now some sort of sin. Haven’t we been told that the tea party movement is absurd for being interested in the founding of America? I’d think Matthews would applaud Bachmann for focusing on other things to the point where that gaffe was possible in the first place. I’m more impressed that Bachmann knows why the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired more than I’d be if she could regurgitate small facts that would be valuable at a trivia night.
Do either of the above statements by Huckabee or Bachmann mean anything at all concerning how well those people might operate if elected president? Is there any reason to focus on cherry-picked sound bites in a serious political discussion? Would Bachmann’s factual error prevent her from making the right decisions? Would Huckabee’s statement affect his judgment when dealing with foreign affairs? I suppose Matthews and the other members of the American punditry would have you believe so. Forget Bachmann’s “putting your money where your mouth is” inclusion of nearly two dozen foster children (along with her own five children) into her home over the last several decades. Forget Huckabee’s wealth of executive experience as governor of Arkansas. None of that is important… what’s important is catching them misspeaking and using it to define them. It’s odd that the Left will gladly use this logic against its political opponents when its alleged world view promotes the exact opposite approach.
There is no better evidence for why many Americans have turned to the Internet to get their information. Much of the American media has simply turned into a catty gossip mill more suited for an 8th grade cheerleading squad than the political system of the most powerful nation on earth. Sure, it’s an interesting irony and we’re all entertained by it, but the fact that Chris Matthews’s schtick on Jay Leno is no different than his schtick on “Hardball” really says something about the mainstream media, and it ain’t good.
Thanks, Chris Matthews, you’ve really made your case. All 57 states applaud you.
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