Tangling with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on air today, MSNBC host Chris Matthews accused the Romney campaign of playing the race card in this election.
“You’ve been suggesting that somehow Obama’s been running a negative campaign, Obama, and your guy’s been running a positive campaign. That’s not accurate,” Matthews said. “In fact, if they both stopped all the negative, I’m not sure who would win. But they’re both the negative. That cheap shot about ‘I don’t have a problem with my birth certificate’ was awful. It is an embarrassment to your party to play that card.”
He contended that charging Obama with getting rid of work requirements for welfare was “dishonest” — and racist.
“And you are playing that little ethnic card there. You can you play your games and giggle about it, but the fact is your side is playing that card,” Matthews contended. “You start talking about work requirements, you know what game you’re playing and everybody knows what game you’re playing. It’s a race card. And this thing about a — yeah, if you’re name’s ‘Romney,’ yeah, you were well born, you went to prep school, yeah, brag about it. And this guy has an African name and he’s gotta live with it.”
While other panelists suggested that Mitt Romney was making an attempt at a joke with Friday’s remark that “no one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate,” Matthews said Romney was “absolutely” playing the race card with it.
“The fact of the matter is, is that he’s from Michigan. He was born in Michigan. He’s making the point that, ‘I was born in Michigan.’ And you know what, we’ve gotten to a place in politics that any moment of levity is totally frowned upon by guys like you just so that you can, you know, push your brand. You know what? Good for you. It’s a moment of levity. Everybody gets it,” Priebus retorted.
“Barack Obama came out at the correspondents dinner with his own joke, as you remember…. Every person, myself, starting in February of last year, as soon as I became chairman of the RNC, Mitt Romney continuously has said this president was born in this country. It’s a non-starter. It’s a dumb issue. It’s a distraction. Forget about it.”
“It just seems funny the first joke he’s ever told in his life is about Obama’s birth certificate,” Matthews fired back.
– for the S.F. Comical, which even the other liberal papers look down upon.
Most intrinsically, the guy who became ‘all tingly’ over ‘The One’ is backing the Racialist-in-Chief, yet is deaf, dumb and blind to his/their hypocrisy.
In fact, I doubt he would even get it after reading some of my commentaries on this very aspect of Obama’s regime. Just as a foretaste- ‘http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/07/30/the-racialist-potus-seeks-transformation-via-raced-based-classroom-edicts-say-it-aint-so-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki/.
IF the situation was not so dire the whole subject would be laughable.
In a nutshell, ‘The One’ who is setting the US house on fire-its pyromaniac-is seeking to tar the healer as the firebug.
Insanity run amok.
I thought Preibus got his butt kicked and was really weak at returning fire.
Brokaw took stronger exception to Matthews than Preibus did.
I was a pathetic response to an attack. They shouldn’t let Preibus out without an adult like Sununu or Gingrich.
Matthews wouldn’t pound them into submission.
I agree with you, Mike; with sumbag like Matthews, younhave to fight fire with fire and tell him in no uncertqin way to take a hike. Also, cut him off everytime time he talks, the same way he treats others.
I see this Mathews idiocy as a possible foretaste of the debates. Oh the debate moderators will be more subtle, but their views are right there with the white, blond fat boy.
Romney and Ryan, don’t let your self-confident egos allow you to go it alone against Obama and Biden, who will be fortified with Demunist moderators and audiences. Start working out a deal that will allow for conservative to join the libul moderators.
There’s a reason I personalized my directv listings and excluded MSNBC.
I heard the clip played on Hannity’s radio show. Matthews was raving and foaming at the mouth. That kind of crap has no place in serious journalism anyway, being that out of control, much less being that biased. He was doing everything short of gnawing on Priebus’ leg, and being radio, maybe he was doing that, too, I dunno.
Priebus proper answer to that would be “So what?”
The *real* answer would be, “So, Matthews, by choosing himself an African, Islamic name, you mean that there is NO WAY anybody can criticize Obama? We can see that YOU are terrified of doing so, and it’s driving you crazy, absolutely crazy.”
If Obama is ashamed of his name or race he should go home, and any reporter who trembles at either should get off the stage, go home and drink heavily.
“Matthews was raving and foaming at the mouth. That kind of crap has no place in serious journalism…”
The mask is off completely. Journos like Matthews are no longer even trying to keep a patina of even-handedness. They have gone whole-hog into shill territory. You can see/hear from this exchange that Chris is no longer even trying to hide his fawning worship of everything Dem and Obama and his sneering contempt for the other guys. And that, boys and girls, is what a head exploding live on the TeeVee looks like!
Chris Mathews reminded me of Josh Scholar.
Matthews doesn’t even know what race he is. (He IS one of an exclusive race of retards).
Has he been drafted into the NAACP for his servility? (Never even mentioned).
Can he waltz through Watts with a billboard that says “I hate n****rs?
Matthews is a Reverend Pfleger wannabe. Just one of the many minimum wage ego’s of the progressive media.
Google him and he shows up as “blowhardus gigantus”.
(He IS one of an exclusive race of retards).
Please don’t insult the mentally retarded by comparing them in any way to Chris Mathews. He has no excuse for his ignorance.
Joe Biden’s “Chains” Comment and the Racial Double Standard by Matt Latimer Aug 15, 2012
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/15/joe-biden-s-chains-comment-and-the-racial-double-standard.html
Chris “Tingle Up Leg” Matthews: deluded, desperate– dunno, that “racist” line always worked before?!
What is the point of Chris Matthews? How is he relevant?
Chris Matthews is completely irrelevant. He gave up journalism when his leg first started tingling. Come to think of it, I’m not sure he ever was a real journalist.
I don’t think Matthews was ever a journalist, at least not a real reporter. I thought he came up through Dem party politics, that he was an aide to Tip O’Neill and a few others in the Dem hierarchy. I think he even worked in NY state politics but for several decades he’s been nothing but a Washington insider.
A racist is someone who treats people differently because of their race. The treatment can be more favorable or less favorable. The key thing is that it is different. Chris Matthews is a racist.
I agree with you. Anyone who assumes that criticism of welfare regulations is racist must think only minorities draw welfare. Chris is likely a racist.
Kruiser is gonna have fun with this one! And I can hardly wait!
Thomas jefferson on central banks, and freedom an american founding fathers warning!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAKSDum_biQ
Mathews thinks he’s pretty clever – more clever than all that he speaks to or about. A typical Dem for sure. I’d like to know his tax eturns, what he gives to charities etc. I think we see the diference between what he preaches and what he does.
This guy is totally delusional with the “thrill up his legs” and his opinion counts for nothing!!
Blame It On Bush / The Voters – OFFICIAL VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzHAlwEK7a4&feature=player_embedded
George Romney was born to American Citizen Parents, that makes him an
American no matter where on Earth he was born. Though, George Romney
isn’t a Natural Born Citizen due to his foreign soil birth. btw, John
McCain is a Natural Born Citizen because his parents had no choice in
where they were stationed as McCain’s father worked for the Military.
Obama is NOT a Natural Born Citizen because one parent was not a Citizen
of America. Had America opted for a Monarchy instead of a Republic,
then the idea of soil birth alone making one a Natural Born SUBJECT of a
King would apply. But America was founded to NOT be like the Kingdom
that the Founders fought to free Americans from. That’s why Vattel’s Law
of Nations was used to frame the Constitution instead of blindly
copying the, to this day, Constitutionless England.
of course, the Founders never envisioned the Supreme Court assuming the role of “Be All and End All” when it came to the Constitution.
but…
Minor v. Happersett was a holding that affirmed that which was already known and not needed to be ruled upon by the Court because everyone knew what Natural Born Citizen meant and there was no need for the Court to make it an official definition because they used that which was obviously known by everyone to make their final ruling that was a victory for the right for Citizen women in America to vote because they were Citizens too (though the Court could not grant the right to vote to Virginia Minor because there is no right to vote in the Constitution). That decision avoided the 14th amendment specifically because Virginia Minor was held to be a Natural Born Citizen, not a “14th” Citizen.
Can you tell me of any amendment, decision or even legislation that defines a NEW form of Natural Born Citizen?
There is no other NBC definition other than that which is already beyond the Court’s ability to define, just hold that the actual definition (two citizen parents + soil birth) stands.
Absolute agreement with you about the definition of Natural Born Citizen in Minor -v- Happersett. One slight quibble in re: John McCain. I am not a fan of McCain, because of his willing collaboration with the Democrats throughout his career and his failure to try to defeat Obama in 2008. That said, his birth status as a NBC is even clearer than you say. Yes, he was born in the Panama Canal Zone because his father was stationed there. But the reason he was born there does not matter. Until Jimmy Carter gave it away, the Panama Canal Zone was sovereign US territory the same as Alaska and Hawaii before statehood. Legally it would have been the same as having been born in Arizona when it was a territory. In addition, he was born at the Coco Solo Naval Station Hospital. Even after the cession of the Canal Zone to Panama, the US base there retained what is call “consular status”; it is US soil for citizenship purposes. Not all our military installations worldwide [Germany, for instance] have that status. Questioning his citizenship by the Obama campaign was misdirection to prevent people from looking at his own status.
Subotai Bahadur
Subotai – as usual, your post enlightens and informs. I always appreciate hearing your thoughts. Thank you for contributing your intellect and wisdom.
Don’t worry. As soon as Bobby Jindal runs for President, the Natural born Citizen question will becaome legitimate. (Or is he NBC?)
Maybe somebody should do an “in depth” investigation of Chris Mathews’ background. National Enquirer might be a logical choice since ‘inquiring minds want to know’. Didn’t Saul Alinsky have a commandment about “Personalize, freeze, highlight and destroy” (and what was the other one about making them live up to their own rules?) Sometimes the best defense is a ferocious offense. Surely “the albino one” has some things in his past that even a man with NO SHAME wouldn’t want discussed by the general public.
Oh, fer chrissake, he’s another union shill who worked for that SOB, Tip O’Neill, like that schmuck Beckel.
Say what you likes about Ol’ Tip, but I’d pay big money to have someone with his nasty, scummy attitude (yes, BALLS!)replace that crybaby piece of spineless wimp named Boehner. He’s pathetic! If he’s on my side, I think I need to look for another side!
Go right ahead, John, Bye.
I don’t believe Mr. Obama is “gotta live” with his “African name”. At one time his name was Barry Soetoro. Come to think of it, I have not seen an official piece of paper saving that Obama legally changed his name.
What surprised me the most was brokaw (doesn’t deserve a cap any more) just sitting there and not saying a word!
Of course joe let it go on and didn’t try and stop tingles as he went on and on and on.
I almost threw my shoe threw the tv. They all were so disgusting.
He became more animated and madder and I thought someone might come and put him in a straight jacket.
But there sat brokaw, who everyone is worried about his brand, well his brand is for sure msnbc.
AND NO ONE ASKS ROMNEY FOR HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE!
I wonder why?
There is no hiding Romney’s records! He’s not paying millions to have all his records secured! Ask for a birth certificate and it won’t take 3 years to show it. Ask for his grades, and I bet he will produce them tomorrow.
These people disgust me! How can anyone vote for these people?
watch it again – Joe and Mika were desperate for it to end
Go Mittens!
You’re makin’ all the right people foam at the mouth!
While you’re contemplating why the media are having such a hissy fit (and always do) when the subject of BLACK PEOPLE comes up, it’s because, although you’d never know it from television and politics, there just ain’t that many of them.
And some of us WHITE PEOPLE are fed up with being played by them. When food stamp people get pounds of sliced roast beef at the deli while I’m there to get the discount rolls for my lunch, something is totally rotten in Denmark! I’m PAYING FOR THEIR roast beef, yet can’t afford it, myself, because I’m taxed to frikkin’ DEATH!
If mentioning that way too many blacks and illegals are on welfare pleases whites and makes blacks sad, go for it!
Again, like queers, there just ain’t that many of them. If they didn’t always lie and cheat, they’d never win crap!
There was a joke in the military for someone like Matthews. Reince should have said. “I’m sorry, Chris, I can’t understand you. Could you remove Obama’s…” I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
If O were doing well in polls—as he should be as the incumbent—Matthews would be smug and condescending toward any Republican that came on his program. Instead, like his fellow dems, he’s running scared right now, real scared. I’d like to see more of it. It surprising to see that that Matthews actually has some grasp of reality.
Matthews seems to take himself seriously.
He’s seriously delusional.
First RP should have known he was stepping into a mine field. Why do our guys keep doing the same thing–insanity defined.
Second, RP, I think did not equate himself well with Crissy. His dumb looks gave away the game that he was in over his head. When are we going to get tough and punch back. We need spokesmen with the stones to either stand up and leave a scene like this or punch back even harder. RP did neither.
Third, when are we going to realize that we are NOT dealing with sane people? And, therefore, whatever the outcome of the election, we cannot live with these zombies here in America? And what are we going to do about it? What are you willing to do about it?
I would have just called Mathews a racist.
I find it very annoying and silly to criticize a man because he just isn’t the smoozing, glad-handing type. Romney is reserved. Many people have told of good deds he has done for friends and associates. HE is obviously an honest man who is probably too good to be president. “Quiet” is a book written about being introverted. Many prominent people are the same type as Romney. What a terrible world it would be if everyone were like gladhanding like Clinton and some of the party persons.
This is a huge difference in the 2 men and the 2 parties. This is the kind of man Romney is!
Romney spent 2 1/2 years on a mission for his church $0;
5 years as Bishop of the LDS Church $0; (that includes counseling singles, marrieds with problems, people who lost jobs, people who need help of all kinds, camping and hiking with the youth – and they say he doesn’t understand people’s problems and poor people in particular!);
8 years as Stake President $0; (that includes the above but over 4 – 6 Bishops and their congregations);
Gov of Mass 4 years and took $0;
Saved the Olympics 4 years and took $0.
So I figure that adds up to 15 1/2 years donated. So if we added that up to his hourly salary – just wow!
Then you add 4 + 4 = 8 years in government and Olympics with no remuneration.
So let’s talk about the real difference in the years given freely by Gov Romney and what obama has donated!
Just in case you don’t know what a Stake President does you might want to glance at this article.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765598890/A-look-at-a-volunteer-Mormon-leader-Mitt-Romneys-years-as-a-stake-president.html
All I want to see are the Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard transcripts. There in is the true story of Audacity of Dope and Dreams of My Gigolo Father. The man behind the curtain is not a wizard or messiah. He is a narcissistic, and rather pathetic, punk.
If the birther issue weren’t an actual minefield, Matthews would not become so unhinged about it; all his fuming and foaming is mere aggressive posturing intended to intimidate and silence anyone who questions the facts, such as why the WH website posted a fraudulent long-form birth certificate claiming it was a bona fide document recording Obama’s birth. The Cold Case Posse initiated by Sheriff Joe Arpaio at the behest of certain of his county’s residents has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the LFBC is a fraud. Anyone with enough curiosity and even a little online research skills can see for themselves the several video interviews given by the Cold Case Posse, one in May of this year, and the other I think in July.
Matthew’s head would probably explode if anyone dared start asking questions about that!
Matthews is one of the popular “ringed necked journalists*” that get face time on national TV.
*”Ringed necked journalist”; Anyone of the species of obsequious journalists that have a ring around their neck that indicates a trademark sphincter chafing from pandering to their master. Also identified by the familiar race baiting and disjointed speech when the ringed neck is concealed by a shirt collar.
Everybody would be well served to heed the words of Chris Matthews. He’s an honest and real journalist. This is serious stuff – discounting his point because you don’t like the cut of his political jib shows a lack of intelectual honesty and proper critical thinking. In other words: GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF THE SAND, MATTHEWS IS RIGHT.
You really think Matthews is right in saying that Romney’s joke about his birth certificate is racist? What does a birth certificate have to do with race anyway? It was a light-hearted, throw-away line, and I think you and Matthews are really reaching to assert that this is in any way related to race.
not up front racism – the veiled kind is what Matthews is talking about – He’s totally correct – the right is presenting these issues using language that caters to racist sentiment.
Sorry, I disagree – I can’t see any relation between the joke and racism, veiled or direct.
Matthews’ comment shows his how deep the racism is within him. He cannot hear the words “welfare” and “food stamps” without thinking “Black”.
Aren’t more whites on welfare and foodstamps, anyway?
Matthews came off as very childish. He reminded me of a two-year old throwing a temper tantrum.
Ole Tingles meltdown on television was a sight to see. Foaming and spitting as he ranted and raved may be entertaining for some but I found it a bit unnerving as he passes for a journalist. This charade should stop. Let these so-called “journalists” – many of them former Democrat political operatives – dominate the mainstream media as they shape the narrative and actively campaign for the man they helped put in the White House. The thing I can’t understand is why ANY Republican would go subject themselves to that kind of public thrashing. Hey, even the President himself turned down a request from Matthews for an interview.
Chris can’t hear “welfare” or “food stamps” without thinking “Black”. If I were there, I would have called him a racist to his face.
hey, Einstein – a large number of prominent right-wingers keep using those words – do you have an better explanation than what Matthews has stated?
I suppose you think Republicans are the new “Code Talkers”. Excuse me, but you don’t read minds, hate to break it to you. As James Taranto wrote in yesterday’s WSJ, what is the point of using conservative ‘dog whistles’ if only liberals can interpret their meaning? It’s an idiotic assertion.
But hey, don’t let the facts or rational thought get in the way of casting aspersions on why you’re-just-sure-you-know-what-they-meant-even-though-they-didn’t-say-it-out-loud line on non-thinking. The fact is you suspect that they have attitudes with which you disagree, and that is the only fact upon which your assumptions are based.
It is no longer about what conservatives actually say. At this point they can be accused of anything, words can be ascribed any nefarious connotation that pleases the liberal mind.
In this case, the ugliness is in the eye of the beholder.
I only hold people to account for their actual words. Try it sometime.
OK then – why do a large number of prominent right-wingers keep using those words? They make stuff up just so they can use those words. I think Matthews is 100% correct.
“They make stuff up just so they can use those words.”
Mirror mirror on the wall….
My guess is they use the words, “welfare” and “food stamps” because they want to say something about welfare and food stamps. I’m a conservative and I don’t associate either of those with minorities. As I remember, most people on welfare and food stamps are white, so the connection doesn’t really exist anyway.
Didn’t Obama also attend exclusive schools? Matthews sees an African American and immediately thinks ‘ghetto’. Bigot much, Chrissy?
What does it tell you about people that want to look around every corner and under every rock to try and find the existence of racism. I think we all have to admit that we are all Tribal to one degree or another and that we do identify ourselves into group. But we are also all (or most) civil to one degree or another and recognize that Tribalism has certain negative aspects so we try to ignore, avoid or counter them (those in the KKK and Al Queda withstanding). We have come a long way over the years and now most of us, I think, look at people of other religions and color in a way very similar to how we look at those of the same religion and color. One day, hopefully, there will be no distinction and we will judge people purely by the content of their character. But people like Matthews that want to find racism, that hope to find racism anywhere and everywhere, that can’t help but find racism, slow down and even reverse this course for good.
It’s come to me over the yrs. that if a person WANTS to be offended, they will diligently search and find SOMEthing to get pissy about, not realizing by doing so they tip their hand. As a society, most folks have been so brainwashed they go along with the ‘racism’ thing, for whatever reason, b/c most will do ANYthing to avoid that most pernicious of titles. (What about thief, cheat, liar?) As pointed out in this forum, racism is despicable, but cuts both ways in that treating someone differently, good or bad, JUST b/c of skin color is construed as racism.
Along the same lines: as a mature, returning college student, I was singled out, taunted & flunked for the day’s discussion b/c I rejected a lecture’s thesis that Jo of “Little Women” was a lesbian. Was even asked, “Why do you think that bothers you so much?” That this opinion was based on manners now 150 yrs. obsolete was completely overlooked. Jence my final analysis: if you go looking for something — trouble, racism, sexism, etc. — you’ll find it.
Liberals like Mathews think like middle-school girls. “She said that… but I’m sure just meant this” reading their own insecurities into any statement. Here’s the perfect example: one morning before school, my then thirteen year old daughter charged up to her room crying after something her father said. What did he say? He said: “You look really nice this morning, Honey.” Her stricken response: “You mean I don’t look good EVERY morning????!!”
There are no actual quotes to attribute racist leanings, but that doesn’t stop the average low-brainer from attributing them.
I suspect that the change in welfare rules by Obama was “bait” to snag those “racists” and accuse them of it every time the word “welfare” comes up, because, and-here-is-where-stunted-genius-comes-in, everybody (in their circle) knows “welfare” means ….. black. (???!!!!) Otherwise why did Obama do it? To put some assets behind the race card, that’s why. To get people worried about the economy to talk about race. Every time we talk about something besides the economy, we lose our strongest issue.
Mathews is simply following orders here. No real words available for criticism, they invent brand new hot off the presses meanings to the old words. Presto – Chango – and you’ve got racial controversy.
Even though the numbers of whites on welfare exceeds blacks… go figure.
2 minutes ago you chastised me for ‘reading minds’ and here you go. GOT PRINCIPLES?
was supposed to be reply to Carmelita
Yes, I have principles. And here you go again trying to read something into my words. I am attributing likely motives to ACTIONS, not words. Try it sometime.
I can’t pull your head out of the sand – you have to
Mr. Matthews, methinks, comes across like the TV evangelists of times past who had sinned more than the congregation to whom he was speaking. He displaces his own anger toward those he deems unworthy of his approval, and ascribes to them his own failings.
Methinks, Chris Matthews of the incontinent brain doth protest too much.
I can remember a time when I actually enjoyed watching Mathews, even though i often disagreed with him. He had a sense of humor and I thought integrity. No more! he is the worst of partisan hacks. He has no sense of common decency and obviously no class. I think Tip Oniel would cringe watching his sorry excuse of a show. It certainly shows in his ratings.
Chris Matthews exemplifies the profound racism of the Left perfectly when he says “…[Obama] has an Afircan name and he has to live with that”. Obviously Matthews thinks that having an African name is some sort of awful curse, or that being part-African is a terrible thing. Why isn’t Matthew’s blatant racism being thrown back at him? C’mon, Obama’s real “handicap” is that he was raised by a lily-white radical anti-American Marxist mother, who made sure that he was surrounded exclusively by other radicals throughout his formative years, and who encouraged him to idolize his absentee father, who was another Marxist anti-colonial radical. Obama is the victim of a particularly insidious form of psychological child abuse. He is a red-diaper baby who was carefully brainwashed by his mother. His blackness or African-ness is entirely beside the point. It is Matthew’s racism that prevents him from thinking objectively about it.
Too many liberals have swallowed the meme that connects what they call “people of color” with some negative behavior connected with them. Matthews certainly connects blacks with welfare-he can’t help it. The problem is that when he makes that connection he must blame someone outside himself for it. The nearest Republican will do. Al Gore in his primary campaign against Dukakis use Willie Horton against his opponent. No Democrat complained then that that was racism. BUT when Bush the elder used the same connection, liberals labelled it as racism. Liberal Jim Sleeper wrote a book explaining this phenomenon – Liberal Racism is the title. Liberals will not abandon its use as long as it wins them elections.
Obama: 54.5 Miles per Gallon by 2025 By Alexander George August 28, 2012
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/08/2025-mpg-regulation/