Chris's 'Concern': Hillary Will Over-Perform in PA

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.
By Mark Finkelstein | April 11, 2008 - 21:01 ET

Not that it comes as a surprise, but should Chris Matthews reveal his pro-Obama rooting interest as blatantly as he did today?

On this evening's Hardball, the man who gets a thrill from Barack expressed "concern" that Hillary might have a stronger-than-expected finish in the Pennsylvania Dem primary. Matthews was reading the tea leaves with two Keystone State pros: Dick Polman of the Philadelphia Inquirer and veteran journalist Larry Kane. After Kane reported that the Obama people are more optimistic than they're letting on, and believe it's going to be a "close finish," Matthews let his Obama slip show in this exchange with Polman.
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CHRIS MATTHEWS: Where are you on this? Can you go, Dick, and say it's about eight points [for Hillary] or you can't do that?

DICK POLMAN: Well, I'm thinking, after New Hampshire, who wants to predict anything? [enough already: NH was three months ago!] But I'm still thinking modest single digits. I think the longer, this is a long campaign here, seven or eight weeks, and I think that helps Obama. It helps him to get known here, like Iowa.
That's when Matthews expressed his pro-Obama angst.
MATTHEWS: I think these undecided votes are undecided Hillary votes. That's my concern and my belief. I think that's what's going on. I think it's going to be a wider spread for Hillary. Because I think these undecided people, I'm looking at all the polls and I can't see the numbers get above 41 for Obama. If I were his people I'd be worried, because people aren't willing to commit publicly, even to pollsters. If 41 is as high as he can get with the polling, he's not going to get much higher on election day.
"If I were his people"? Come on, Chris: you are his people!

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.

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I think these undecided

I think these undecided votes are undecided Hillary votes. That's my concern

His concern? Why is he "concerned" - as in worried - about the undecideds being Hillary votes?

Geez, why even pretend anymore Matthews.

"MSNBC, Where unprofessional journalism is our pledge." 

 

 

His concern is more that

His concern is more that just the loss of a small battle for Obama.

This will be the first vote since Rev. Wright relationship came to light.

The 'story' is that Obama's speech explained all and that the Wright issue has no lasting traction. However if Obama gets beat good, they can't pretend it doesn't matter. It wrecks their attempt to 'peer pressure' people into believing they are alone being concerned about it.

I think Chris is angling

I think Chris is angling for a prime-time NETWORK anchor job. If he shows he's a little to the left of Oberman, he figures he might show that he's qualified.

___________________________________ 

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber

Poor Chris...here is an

Poor Chris...here is an unpaid advisor for Obama, maybe hoping for WH Spokesman in the future...hehehee...he better be worried, since I don't see a story here yet about this, I am quite sure Matthews is worried about these words of wisdom coming from Obama on Sunday in SF no less...which has been played insessantly on his own network today...

Hillary has responded here with a vengeance, now McCain finally has too...this is Huffnpuff but it took me awhile to get to this via other links...anyways...enjoy. 

Just scroll a ways down, you can hear Obama's whole problem with his words about small town America and then scroll just a bit lower in same piece and it has Hill and McCain's response.

This is getting more fun each day... 

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

Say What!?

  Yeah bt, he was talking about me!  He included the Midwest.  I didn't know I was bitter but I am now (LOL).  Why just the other day I went over to my cousin Ed's trailer (i do that a lot since the mill closed down) and while we was shootin' some old cans and discussin' what the preacher had said last Sunday we finally got around to the 'new' folks in town.  They are causing a lot of talk.  Some folk is saying they are foreigners but others claim they's just rich folk with a tannin' bed.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

MA... LMAO! That was

MA...

LMAO!

That was good...by the way doncha' go feelin' alone...our kissin' cousins feel the same and the rumor around town is the majority of folk do too.

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

bt

   And actually I do live in a small town that has lost many thousands of factory jobs and many companies.  They were the economic engine that drove the whole area.  Now they are all gone.  It's been tough but people and businesses are adjusting and reinventing what we do here because the last thing we want to do is leave. 

MA... Hey actually I do

MA...

Hey actually I do too..near many small towns who have lost their whole economies to the greenies...mills are shut down everywhere, I have seen this all take place over the NW in my entire life since about mid twenties....but heck we are the last to be heard, or that the elitist people care about...while they use wood products or some sort everyday of their lives...

Yep, ghost towns and reinventing themselves is the name of the game brought to us by enviro's and city council planners local big-wigs and congress-critters in DC... people who have moved in from liberal states with their views importing them on us with law-suits ect...on and on it goes, it is slow govt. control day by day...still going on...strangulation slowly...you bet.

Agenda is the name of the game for pure socialism...

We pay dearly...and it will get worse with what I see from my view-finder coming down the road. 

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

bt

  I feel sorry for you if you live in a desirable area.  One of the great things about living in corn country in the Midwest is that the kinds of people who like to live in California and Vermont don't move here. 

MA... Do you have a good

MA...

Do you have a good point or what?!

Never thought of that...

Btw..of course nobody minds selling their land for the prices they can get from these people while we all bitch and moan...ahhhh...capitalism at it's best.

Ya' gotta' laugh...it is what makes the world go 'round...

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

Morning bt....I sent a

Morning bt....I sent a story tip on that subject, and got an email response from Tim Graham saying it was "all over" his inbox!! LOL

I checked out the MM story and loved this "explanation" of his talking about "blue-collar" workers:

To give Obama his due, he spoke about working class Pennsylvanians
likely
because he had been thinking about them a great deal.

Oh, yeah, they have been so much on Obama's mind...he just thinks about them all the time...well, at least about how he can get them to vote for him! 

I'm sure that litttle quip helped a lot!! LOL 

Howdy back mb... I see

Howdy back mb...

I see there are now some blog posts on this very subject that I linked to above...these words are going to come back to bite him big time down the road with video clips and all...surely the McCain camp will use this, Hill jumped right on it....then McCain finally pounced somewhat....going to be interesting.

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

Ms. stayed married to keep the last name

Hillery has performed her whole existance -failed the bar, fired for lying in Watergate, stole her records so as not to appear as the low bill in the Rose Law Firm, Tulza, NAFTA...Such a success-- she had to put up with a serial philanderer to grab his resume and run for Senate.
SHAMELESS

Right docb... ...and her

Right docb...

...and her performances now are failing her...

Gotta' love it....her and Obama two peas in a pod, about to devour each other....heheheeee

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

Matthews

The blatant support for Hate America Obamessiah is chilling. Can we rename MessNBC the Obamessiah shill network? Maybe a Che poster in the background would add some coziness to the scene?

 

AzRenegade

The last two times the

The last two times the Chosen One passed the Pantsuit (New Hampshire and Texas) in the closing weeks before a big primary, the Pantsuit had a "comeback"...when in reality she never surrendered the lead.  The inflated expectations created by the Chosen One's late surge made the Pantsuit's victory seem improbable...and thus "impressive".  In truth, she was like the marathon runner who collapsed in a heap just over the finish line just as the runner-up was about to pass her.  With another week or two, the Chosen One would have left the Pantsuit in his dust. 

With that in mind, Chrissie is posturing.  He realizes that the Pantsuit is likely to win Pennsylvania.  The Chosen One can't afford another "Comeback Kid" scenario, so he and his supporters have to poormouth their expectations.  That's all Chrissie is doing...lowering the Chosen One's expectations so that a close loss is looked upon as a victory.  And if, by some miracle, the Chosen One wins Pennsylvania, he'll have effectively put the stake through the Pantsuit's throat. 

Chrissy risking his Senate chances on Obama win

Chris is so open about his support for Obama that he'd have no chance to run for the Senate in Pennsylvania if Hillary somehow pulled out the nomination. 

When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.