How About That? Matthews Objects to Obama's 'Snarky' Slam of GOP Critics of Syrian Refugee Policy

Ken Shepherd
November 18th, 2015 9:33 PM
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When your most worshipful devotee in the liberal media thinks you're acting in an unpresidential manner, you know you've gone too far.

MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews was critical tonight of President Obama's "snarky" – I would say petulant is a far more apt descriptor – language whereby he attacked Republican critics of his plan to house Syrian refugees stateside.

Matthews made his comment tonight after playing a sound bite of Matthews followed by Sen. Ted Cruz's strong comeback wherein he challenged the president to debate the issue at the place of Obama's choosing:

MSNBC
Hardball
Nov. 18, 2015; 7:42 p.m. Eastern

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Now to the political fight over terrorism with our people here. Speaking from the Philippines, by the way, President Obama ripped into Republicans who want to turn away the Syrian refugees from coming to the U.S.

President BARACK OBAMA: These are the same folks often times who suggest that they're so tough that just talking to Putin or staring down ISIL or using some additional rhetoric somehow's going to solve the problems out there, but apparently they're scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America as part of our tradition of compassion.

First they were worried about the press being too tough on them during debates. Now they're worried about 3-year-old orphans. That doesn't sound very tough to me. They've been playing on fear in order to try to score political points or to advance their campaigns. And it's irresponsible. And it's contrary to who we are. And it needs to stop because the world is watching.

MATTHEWS: Well, Republican presidential candidate and Texas Senator Ted Cruz responded to the president earlier today.

Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas): Well, let me suggest something, Mr. President: if you want to insult me, you can do it overseas, you can do it in Turkey, you can do it in foreign countries, but I would encourage you, Mr. President, come back and insult me to my face. Let's have a debate on Syrian refugees right now. We can do it anywhere you want. I'd prefer it in the United States and not overseas where you're making the insults.

MATTHEWS: Well, let's bring in our Hardball round table for our Hardball discussion. Megan Murphy is Washington bureau chief for Bloomberg Business, Jeremy Peters is a reporter for the New York Times, and April Ryan is White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio.

April, thank you for joining us as well. Let me ask you, start with April, I don't think the president should get snarky. Why did he do it there? Why is he making fun of the Republicans? Because he let somebody like Cruz come back on equal terms against him and be equally snarky.