Appearing on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports on Wednesday, Hardball host Chris Matthews sounded the alarm over the left-wing being in disarray: "The Democratic Party is not unified right now. It's coming apart, you can see it, it's devolving. And so everybody – it's every man for himself, every politician for themselves right now."
Matthews made the comments in response to a question by fill-in host Peter Alexander asking about Hillary Clinton's position on the Obama administration's proposed trade deal. Matthews argued: "Intellectually I think she probably is for the trade deal. But the pressure on her from all the Democratic interest groups right now.... does she want to make enemies with organized labor? Probably no."
Continuing to warn of doom for Democrats, Matthews proclaimed:
The Democratic Party, if you care about the party, does well when it's more than the sum of its parts. Under the Clintons, under the Kennedy administration, it was always for something bigger than just a bunch of interest groups. And the minute it becomes just interest groups it gets about 44% and loses the next general election.
It has to be for something commanding, something national, something unifying, something, okay, inspiring. It can't just be protect your rear end. And unfortunately, that's what it's beginning to look like lately as the President fades, you know, the President's fading into his later part of his second term. And they're just doing everything for themselves. It makes sense politically. It's not nice to look at, though.
Here is a transcript of the April 22 exchange:
12:09 PM ET
(...)
PETER ALEXANDER: Hillary Clinton, does she have to pick a side on this [trade deal], be more a little more clear about her position?
CHRIS MATTHEWS: You know, this morning, Al Hunt made the point from Bloomberg that she ought to do a Sister Souljah moment and just say she's for trade. Intellectually I think she probably is for the trade deal. But the pressure on her from all the Democratic interest groups right now – and this goes to the issue of Iran, everything you think about right now, all the usual interest groups, the pro-Israeli hardliners, people like that, are all saying, "What side are you on?"
And the Democratic Party is not unified right now. It's coming apart, you can see it, it's devolving. And so everybody – it's every man for himself, every politician for themselves right now. And that's what's going on. Every issue that comes up now, they're not looking to the leadership at the White House. They're thinking, how do they save their butts politically? And Hillary's, you know, thinking about, does she want to make enemies with organized labor? Probably no.
ALEXANDER: Every man – these days, every man and every woman for themselves.
MATTHEWS: And I wish-
ALEXANDER: So we'll wait and see. We're listening to her right now, she's-
MATTHEWS: A little comment, Thomas [sic]. The Democratic Party, if you care about the party, does well when it's more than the sum of its parts. Under the Clintons, under the Kennedy administration, it was always for something bigger than just a bunch of interest groups. And the minute it becomes just interest groups it gets about 44% and loses the next general election.
It has to be for something commanding, something national, something unifying, something, okay, inspiring. It can't just be protect your rear end. And unfortunately, that's what it's beginning to look like lately as the President fades, you know, the President's fading into his later part of his second term. And they're just doing everything for themselves. It makes sense politically. It's not nice to look at, though.
(...)
