Chris Matthews: Republicans Have Become Party of the Confederacy

Chris Matthews on Tuesday claimed the Republicans have gone from being the Party of Lincoln to the Party of the Confederacy.

Amazing, isn't it?

During a "Hardball" discussion about Tuesday's surprise defection of Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.) to the GOP, Matthews asked Republican strategist Todd Harris: "[A]re you building the right kind of Republican Party, or are you building a party off the discards of the Democrats? Are you going to keep building your party with Dixiecrats?"

That led to the following disgusting remark (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, h/t Story Balloon):

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: So he didn`t vote for Pelosi? He didn`t even vote for Pelosi, you`re saying?

STEVE MCMAHON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No.

(CROSSTALK)

MCMAHON: ... Speaker Pelosi next time.

MATTHEWS: Oh, next time.

MCMAHON: Yes, next time.

MATTHEWS: But you didn`t, Nah, nah, nah like this when he voted for her the first time, did you?

MCMAHON: No, I didn`t, Chris. You`re right.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: So you didn`t mind that vote, did you. OK, Todd, so he liked the vote when he got one for Pelosi. He doesn`t like it now that the guy`s gone. Your thought -- are you building the right kind of Republican Party, or are you building a party off the discards of the Democrats? Are you going to keep building your party with Dixiecrats, ex-Democrats who think the Democratic Party`s too mainstream?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: ... since the `60s. Since the `60s...

TODD HARRIS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, we`re happy to take...

MATTHEWS: ... you`ve built a political party -- the party of Lincoln`s become the party of, I don`t know, probably the party of the Confederacy. Go ahead.

HARRIS: Oh, please.

Oh, please is right!