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Matthews Calls Palin Stupid Moments After Erring On Churchill Quote

By Noel Sheppard | December 07, 2010 | 21:31

A  A
Noel Sheppard's picture

Chris Matthews on Tuesday once again claimed former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is not very knowledgable about politics.

This deliciously came moments after he wrongly challenged Pat Buchanan about a Winston Churchill quote (video follows with transcript and commentary):

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Look, I know people in our business, Pat, who I do, I mean on television, who I don't think they know hardly anything about America's political history or politics today. They can express left-wing or right-wing opinions easy. That’s easy. That’s gut stuff. But I would like to see a lot of people that I work with around this business, and I'd like to ask them, “Just name the presidents in your lifetime?” I think they would falter. I think Sarah Palin might have a serious problem with some basic information.

Exactly two minutes earlier:

PAT BUCHANAN: Winston Churchill said it very well: “Anybody who thinks democracy is the best form of government ought to spend five minutes with the average voter."

MATTHEWS: No, he said, he said, “The worst form of government except for all the others…

BUCHANAN: No, he said that, too.

MATTHEWS: …that have been tried from time to time.” Don’t challenge me on Churchill. I’m the Churchillian, you're the guy with Chamberlain.

Actually, Buchanan was right.

According to QuoteDB.com, Churchill said, "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."

According to the Quotations Page, Churchill also said, "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

It appears Matthews should be careful who he throws stones at in his glass house.

Furthering the matter, the words "It has been said" imply that Churchill was actually quoting someone else. As Richard M. Langworth observed:

Churchill said it (House of Com­mons, 11 Novem­ber 1947)—but he was quot­ing an unknown pre­de­ces­sor. From Churchill by Him­self, page 574:

Many forms of Gov­ern­ment have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pre­tends that democ­racy is per­fect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democ­racy is the worst form of Gov­ern­ment except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…

As such, Matthews was really wrong - but Palin's the dope.

About the Author

Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Click here to follow Noel Sheppard on Twitter.
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Comments

Looks like government "education" strikes yet again

Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 9:39pm.

...but that puts Prissy Tingles in pretty good company with most all of his fellow-traveling lefty ignoramuses. 

LOL - And I just love that pic of Prissy, as he has the facial expression of a man who has just been caught with his pants down.

-Dave

Vote for the American in November

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That pic

Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 9:43pm.

That explains the messed up hair.....I think.  Hm.

-Jon

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jon,

Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 10:27pm.

Yeah, just who did the hands belong to that mussed up his hair?  

:-^)

-Dave

Vote for the American in November

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The way the Leghumper is hung

Submitted by killa37 on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 1:38am.

The way the Leghumper is hung up on Palin leads me to believe that he is either a latent homosexual with a deep hatred towards women, or he is hung like a Pez dispenser and is depressed about his nonexistant chances of EVER hooking up with her!!!!

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Matthews should refrain from challenging . . .

Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 9:53pm.

. . . anyone's knowledge.  He's had some whoppers.

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Couldn't list the Presidents?

Submitted by Blonde on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 9:59pm.

OMO!  I bet Chrissy got tripped up on that one to have mentioned it.

DDE, JFK, LBJ, RMN, GRF, JEC, RWR, GHWB, WJC, GWB, BHO.

For cryin' out loud, it's not that hard (although I must admit, it took me a second to remember RR's middle name).

<edit>  11!  I just realized, I really am old!

Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)

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Presidents in my lifetime

Submitted by wingnut55 on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 10:03pm.

Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama.  I guess this makes me smarter than his friends in the media. An easy test.

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Matthews on meth.......

Submitted by Herbster on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 10:18pm.

Chrissy-babe must be on something.  He babbles on a mile a minute - saying nothing.  Pat Buchanan is an historian.  Chrissy is a,,,,,,,, let's see......best description would be a ratings bottom feeder.  Does his show even register a blip anymore?  Reruns of Mr. Ed gets better Nielsens.  Perhaps when Comcast takes over NBC they will get rid of the Shep, Moe and Curly of the airwaves - Olberman, Chrissy and Maddow.

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Presidents in Matthews' Lifetime

Submitted by stratman on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 10:42pm.

Chrissy's list:

  • Boris Yeltsin
  • Viktor Chernomyrdin
  • Vladimir Putin
  • Dmitry Medvedev
  • Obama

His favorite of all is Comrade Premier Uncle Joe, but he wasn't technically "president".

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Can count on 'ol Chris making

Submitted by Cowboy on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 11:13pm.

Can count on 'ol Chris making a fool of himself at least twice a week...

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Righto

Submitted by needle on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 11:28pm.

Hence  his projecting on Sarah Palin.

- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.

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Matthews really does need to

Submitted by kg on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 11:44pm.

Matthews really does need to get a life. Think of Palin sends tingles all over his body. He cannot get her our of his mind. For some strange reason he thinks bashing Palin each and every day will help stop his tingles.

Hey Chris, Sarah is NOT interested in you!

 

"DumbAssity of Dope"

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Typical Liberal Crap

Submitted by pbthinker on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 11:58pm.

So Matthews says it, his whole audience (what is it down to 20 or 30) hear it and the only ones who know it's not true are reading this.  He'll never admit it so all of those people who believe Palin is stupid will continue to believe it, based on Matthews who's wrong.

Vote Republican - Then you'll only be called a racist one more time.
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Radicals

Submitted by grammajane on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 12:39am.

Wonder if any of the radicals on nbc  have passed their GED yet

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Is it Me or...

Submitted by Indie Dude on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 1:03am.

...does Chris look like he's just seen one too many talking heads in his life time?  Kind of like, Uhm, like an old ABA basketball trainer seeing one too many 360 behind the back, one-handed dunks. No reaction, he just sits on the bench and has that forever "glazed" look.  He's just not impressed anymore.

sorry, just an observation.  BTW, Matthews...bite me!

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Palin;'s Pipeline Deal with Canada Puts her Ahead of DNC

Submitted by Avitar on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 2:26am.

It is strange how part of America evaluates people on their accomplishments and part disregards accomplishments at all.   Palin as Governor of Alaska cut deals with Canada to piggyback Alaska gas and oil into a Canadian pipeline project.  The Alaskan pipeline will in months be a double pipeline its full length.  Sarah Palin had a lot to do with that too. 

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Never hold discussions with the monkey

Submitted by Injest on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 4:32am.

It appears Matthews should be careful who he throws stones at in his glass house.

Or Pat should remember

“Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Or ask that super Brain Tingles

Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

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Dope

Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 6:12am.

So Matthews quotes Winston Churchill to prove he knows his American history? How brilliant! NOT!

Americans keeping their own earnings is a Civil Right! Demand your Civil Rights!
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Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter,

Submitted by WarEagle66 on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 10:51am.

Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama.....

 

Remember when the subject of a "crazy aunt who lived in your basement" came up in a presidential campaign...I think by Perot. Well, Matthews is now the "crazy uncle who lives in our basements".

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We all make mistakes with memory. It doesn't make us stupid.

Submitted by VanPastorMan on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 11:13am.

To say or imply Sarah Palin is stupid is well....stupid. She is a former Mayor and Governor. She has led people. She is in a sense leading many on the right today even though she has no political power. How can she do this?  It is by the power of her arguments. She believes freedom is a good thing. She believes small government will lead to more freedom whereas more government means a loss of freedom. I believe she is a wonderful example of what true feminists should try to emulate. She is a self made woman who didn't need a man to help her. Her husband Todd seems like the kind of a man who supports her and is smart enough to listen to what she has to say. It amazes me how feminists do not support her and they support Hillary Clinton who never did anything without Bill's help. Seriously, would Hillary Clinton have won in NY if she had not been the First Lady?  You are smoking crack if you say yes.

Whenever Palin gets in a situation where she doesn't know the answer, the mistake she makes like all of us at times, is to try to bluff her way out of it. When she was interviewed by Curic and fumbled with her answer, I see her flub as an honest one. Obviously Couric asked a left field question to trick her.Think about it. She is on the world stage after being the governor of Alaska. She was doing her job of running the state not getting ready for the next big move. So when Katie asks her a question she was not prepared for her mind went blank. Mistakes with memory happen all the time. It doesn't mean Sarah Palin is stupid. It means she is real. The people you have to watch out for are the ones who are so polished they don't need a slip and slide to go fast down a grassy hill. I submit to everyone here that I would rather have an honest, hard working Sarah Palin than a teleprompter slick talkin dude named Barak Obama.

Liberals are funny when they aren't in power.  But when they have power they become dangerous. Rush Limbaugh
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