In case you still had any questions about the political leaning of Chris Matthews, he proudly admitted on the air Thursday, "I'm a liberal."
In fact, right from the start of Thursday's "Hardball," the MSNBC host defended liberals claiming, "Most of the elected, the vast majority of the elected liberals, want to go for the gold, grab what victory`s attainable and build on it in the future.You know where I stand."
By the end of the program, it was indeed indisputably obvious where Matthews stands when he actually said with cameras rolling:
You know how you know you are going to win if you pass anything [regarding healthcare reform]? The Republicans will know they have lost...Let them keep score and it`s easy. It`s complicated when liberals get to keep score. We`re always arguing. Well, I`m a liberal, too.
Imagine that (videos embedded below the fold with partial transcripts, h/t Tweep insidepitch):
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in Washington. Leading off tonight: To be or not to be? That was Hamlet`s question. And tonight, Hamlet is a Democrat -- to fight for the healthcare bill, or let it die. Some who haven`t been elected to govern would rather go home and pray for next year. Most of the elected, the vast majority of the elected liberals, want to go for the gold, grab what victory`s attainable and build on it in the future.
You know where I stand. If you accept the role of governing this country, you accept the role of doing your best. You don`t quit like Sarah Palin or sit in the back seat and complain, like some are doing today on the left. You drive the damn car.
A few minutes later, Matthews said the following to White House senior advisor David Axelrod:
Why do you think people on the progressive side of things - - that`s the current label used by liberals -- I don`t know what`s wrong with the word "liberal," but if you`re not running for office, I don`t know why you`re afraid of the word. I guess you might be afraid of somebody not voting for you if you`re -- some people won`t even use the word "liberal" when they`re writing columns anymore. I don`t understand it.
Towards the end of the program, Matthews said this to Politics Daily's Melinda Henneberger and Salon's Joan Walsh:
You know how you know you are going to win if you pass anything? The Republicans will know they have lost. We will be back with Melinda Henneberger and Joan Walsh. Let them keep score and it`s easy. It`s complicated when liberals get to keep score. We`re always arguing. Well, I`m a liberal, too. You are watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
Interesting.
So he wants a Republican defeat, and admits that he's a liberal.
Any questions?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Comments Policy
'What's Wrong With The Word Liberal...I'm A Liberal'
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 11:56 ET by allanfWell case closed -- Mr "Tingles" has just proven it is a bad word!!!!
Not much more to say about
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:02 ET by mattmNot much more to say about that... except, that he's not a liberal, he's a commie-lib - (if you want to get technical about it)
What’s wrong with the word
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:03 ET by USA4freedomWhat’s wrong with the word idiot..
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
or...
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 17:33 ET by unkeeafMoron for that matter.
MSM = PR firm for the Democrat Party
Yep....we know........
Sat, 12/19/2009 - 11:59 ET by Patriot IIwe can smell you waaaay over here slimeball!!!!
Uh, it's not Liberal it's ...
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:09 ET by rightwingidiotLibtard.
Matthews, for all his experience and education and what the f__k ever he has done is one of the most idiotic a_swipes on TV.
Just a hack of immense proportions.
Chris Matthews is not a liberal.
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:13 ET by R D HelmHe is a communist.
There are no true liberals anymore, at least not in government and the SCM.
-Dave
Well, I doubt that
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 18:34 ET by Quasi-socialistMatthews really wants to live and farm on a commune. I'm pretty sure he won't want to see the MSNBC cameras "shared" with anybody who wants to put their face on TV. And I doubt that many of these crypto-marxists want to put an end to property.
The Pandercratic party just wants to pander and take bows (and votes) for all they've given to the little guy, and in return receive a competative salary and a job for life.
WOW I am so shocked to find
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:13 ET by ninerdogWOW I am so shocked to find out he is a liberal… Did not see that coming. Who would have thunk it…….. Sarcasm off
The sky is blue
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:14 ET by ParagrouperThe grass is green and tingles is a liberal.
Man, he's got a keen grasp of the obvious. I wonder, why this moment of clarity?
"Beware the fury of the patient man." - John Dryden
Liberal
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:15 ET by adamsmithWell seeing how he's mentally ill, with the leg tingles and drooling and all, being a liberal fits the pattern. They're all mentally ill, and at best just brainwashed lemmings who hate the Constitution. Nothing to see here, move along.....
what Matthews does not-
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:19 ET by JIMMY1660understand. Once the elite liberals have control he is out the door. they will not tolerate any questioning of what the elite are doing and he will be as bad as a Conservative in the elites eyes.Total control and follow without question. sounds like, no it is Communism.
and remember progressives are on both side of the isle.
BHO- is a Progressive Liar and Thief
Progressive Republicans?
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 13:31 ET by Paul GThe other day on Politico I went rounds and rounds with a 'republican' who called himself a 'progressive republican', I asked him what the hell did that mean? I'd never heard of a progressive republican. After about 15 postings he admitted he votes democrat but is fiscally republican but is pro abortion, gay rights and anti-war.
The Governator of California
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 17:56 ET by doug1950claims to be the same thing. Socially liberal and fiscally conservative. That was easy to say when he was not the one being held responsible for how that money was spent. When he found out that all the social programs he supports is paid for by the taxpayers of his State, I think he has since found out the two terms are completely incongruous. Liberals think that money just grows out in the forest or something and never stop to think about the long range ramifications of spending and debt piling up. Their answer is always the same...more taxes. Unfortunately, there is a huge segment of our citizenry that are perfectly content to set back and let the government take care of them while the rest works. Your friend sounds like an imbecile. Those type always try to portray themselves as open minded and superior thinkers than the rest of us trogs. They don't have any answers for life's hard questions or decisions. They usually just make comments like, "The government needs to do something about this!"
Tingles also prides himself on being a "historian"
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:22 ET by SickofLibsYet he is so infatuated with the Camelot myth, he's convinced himself that JFK was a pantywaist liberal like himself.
"CO2 is a dangerous gas, if you don't believe go sit in your running vehicle in the garage for a couple of hours." – Professor Poindexter Q. Enak, PhD, 12-16-09
Matthews meant to say that
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:41 ET by celatorMatthews meant to say that he was a liberal moonbat, not just a run of the mill liberal. Historically speaking, of course.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Wouldn't
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:23 ET by 10ksnookerCommunist or Fascist be more correct?
Nothing wrong with being a
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:25 ET by optimistNothing wrong with being a liberal. However, since this is a conservative country, being viewed as a liberal means that you need to essentially lie to get ahead. You may even need to do something totally stupid, like resort to using euphamisms for everything including your label (ahem-progressive, lol).
All my life I've associated
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 13:46 ET by misterbee241All my life I've associated liberal with socialist and communist.
"I dont need to read a newspaper to know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber."
Walter Brennan, The Colonel, Meet John Doe, 1941
At least he's honest
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:38 ET by Iowa BoyAs I've said here before, I don't care if he's a liberal. Most broadcast and print journalists, columnists, and otherwise are liberal. Just don't lie to me by telling me that you're objective when it's plain that you're not.
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
I don't like a show
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 18:37 ET by Quasi-socialistbeing called "Hardball" when the heat is only thrown in one direction. "Welcome to Hard and Wiffle Ball!"
"grab what victory`s
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 12:41 ET by Kevroy"grab what victory`s attainable and build on it in the future."
In other words, pass something now and then later they can add abortion funding, public option, single payer....
These people are worse than carnies.
Re Grab
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 13:26 ET by slickwillie2001Democratics in a Supermajority are like rioters breaking into a Wal-Mart store, grabbing all they can whether they need it or not. Whatever loot they score will be traded or sold later for what they really want.
It's not about political
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 13:05 ET by rbosqueIt's not about political parties or ideologies you dope, it's about the preservation of our liberties via the Constitution. Dumb-ass.
Mr. Tingles, something must
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 13:07 ET by GlennMr. Tingles, something must be wrong with the word liberal. Thats why liberals are referring to themselves as "Progessives".
One Down
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 13:37 ET by sergeant stogieLiberal-Check
Jerk-Pending
Douchebag-Pending
Never knew
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 13:44 ET by misterbee241I never would have known. Really.
"I dont need to read a newspaper to know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber."
Walter Brennan, The Colonel, Meet John Doe, 1941
Impossible!!
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 14:00 ET by JaneyWait a minute....wait a minute!!
Everybody knows the only bias in the news is the conservative bias of Faux News! This is video is obviously a fake, the work of evil Repukes!
</liberal impersonation>
Yeah I know but...
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 14:20 ET by okiehawk44We can't divide our votes and allow Democrats to continue their ruination of our nation but I'll remind Democrats AND Republicans that we Tea Party folks (or Tea Baggers -- we don't care about your labels) outnumber each of you and it's obvious that we take time out of our lives to give a $h1T -- that includes voting.
What's wrong with the word Liberal? It means if you are one...
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 14:44 ET by jawebster1you are an idiot. That's what's wrong with the word Liberal, Chris...and you are one! Jim Webster
Prissie Chrissie the Progressive Mr. Panty waist
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 14:55 ET by holeinthehullHoleinthehull
Chris Matthews and his ilk are the stain in the underwear of our nation
Matthews is Blind
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 14:58 ET by TenebrousSeriously, Chris? You have to ask "what's wrong with being a liberal"? Do you have any idea what liberalism is and what positions it entails? Do you have the faintest clue why people dislike such interference in their private lives that liberalism entails? Do you get why people despise liberals and their mindless moralless malaise? If you have to ask, doesn't that mean that you are incredibly ignorant and totally underserving of the salary that you get paid? Just go pee down your leg, Matthews. That'll keep the thrill alive.
-----
www.Random-jumbled-thoughts.blogspot.com
Missy Chrissy is a liberal???
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 15:01 ET by yobobbybCrickey, I have been wrong all this time. I thought that she was a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, d*&kless, hopeless, heartless, fat-a$$, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey $hit.
My apologies to Christine.
.........and in other
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 15:05 ET by pcantidote.........and in other news............the Pope has admitted to being Catholic.
Enforce Term Limits if They Won't: Vote Against ALL Incumbents in 2010.
QED*
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 15:18 ET by wnaegele*quod erat demonstrandum, i.e, "completion of the proof."
CONSERVATIVES...DAT HAPPY STATE
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 15:59 ET by reelman46LOUISIANA: I BE SO HAPPY 2
By now you have surely read that a list of Happiest States ranks Louisiana #1 and some other coastal southern states in the Top Ten.
Yeah, I live in #1 happy swamp USA…I am sooo happy…and sooo conservative…
what do these results say about modern liberalism (aka secular socialism)?
A state that is fat, ignorant and 33% black is the most happy? Must be reasons for that.
Is it their faith, their food, their sports, their outdoors, their music, their family traditions or their ingrained common attitude?
Its sort of like Mississippi being so crime free in the stats despite being 38% black and the least educated (aka ignorant).
That must mean poverty does not cause crime, right? Does that not stand modern liberalism on its head?
Maybe there is a hidden counterbalance. Is it just a coincidence that Mississippi has the most Churches per capita?
One must dig deeper for more truth, more causes or potential causes…unless, of course, truth is not your ultimate research goal.
http://conservablogs.com/theconservativecrawfish
Doug Schexnayder, Ph.D. (theconservativecrawfish
Merry
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 16:30 ET by jessieHMerry Christmas! First of all, the only ones that will loose is the people. Second of all, Matthews is a liberal & an idiot. " Go wipe the brown off your nose, Cris, everyone knows what you are."
Pre-Olbermann, when I watched...
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 17:23 ET by StarAZI heard Matthews say he voted for Bush once. So I would have to point out he's a fickle liberal.
Chris Matthews gets it in one.
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 17:51 ET by AvitarChris Matthews should watch his own show. He is a Liberal. The American people are 60 odd % conservative. They do not want to be governed by liberals. The media and many institutions were taken over by Liberals and continue to be controlled by Liberals and the liberal see nothing wrong with an elite minority ruling a majority.
Why isn't it
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 18:45 ET by Quasi-socialistthat Chris Matthews is a liberal is what's wrong with being a liberal? :D
Why isn't it
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 19:28 ET by Quasi-socialistthat Chris Matthews is a liberal is what's wrong with being a liberal? :D
ChickaBOOMer: The 10 Most Frustrating People Of 2009
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 19:36 ET by StewartIIIThe 10 Most Frustrating People Of 2009
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2009/12/10-most-frustrating-people-of-2009.html
liberal
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 23:49 ET by jerhigsay it aint so chris. you cant be a liberal.
synonyms
Sat, 12/19/2009 - 00:00 ET by sudmufI'll tell you what's wrong the term liberal Chris. These days liberal is synonymous with marxist. (and always has been)
chrissie mathews
Sat, 12/19/2009 - 00:53 ET by NotFondOfLibsWell, chrissie, pardon my blushing, but we all know you're a liberal. We're just waiting for you to admit you're a jackass so we can tell you that we agree with you.
back pedal
Sat, 12/19/2009 - 03:20 ET by countmein5050Watch how fast he back pedals when the word becomes synonymous with untrustworthy, biased bully...then look for the word 'enlightened progressive' to take its place. Liberals are about to be the scourge on the planet. And the MSM has already earned the title 'Subjective Cheerleaders For Obama'.
Very true 5050!
Sat, 12/19/2009 - 06:06 ET by TruestarI mean, I already knew Matthews isn't exactly the brightest bulb on the tree, but at least up to now, it was up to viewers to judge his political leanings. Not so anymore. He's outed himself!! I'm sure there will be some sort of back pedaling, which should entertaining viewing---if I can stand to watch for a minutes. After all, Matthews is a trainwreck---you just have to watch this idiot for a few moments to appreciate the disaster---much like his buddies Olbermutt and Madcow.
So Chris is a liberal.
Sat, 12/19/2009 - 12:03 ET by misterbee241So Chris is a liberal. Well, Chris, we've all along known what you are, we are just negotiating a price.
"I dont need to read a newspaper to know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber."
Walter Brennan, The Colonel, Meet John Doe, 1941
Tingles a Liberal?
Sat, 12/19/2009 - 15:41 ET by Jerry MackColor me stupid! I would have never known without his admittance. Thank you Tingles! Now I can sleep better.
''What's Wrong With the Word Liberal?''
Sun, 12/20/2009 - 03:25 ET by DoktorFranken''...I'm a Liberal.''
Well, there you go.
Sarah Palin: The Most Dangerous Conservative In America