For seven straight shows in January of 2014, MSNBC's Chris Matthews hyperbolically compared Chris Christie's Bridgegate scandal to Watergate (with the Republican governor as the new Richard Nixon). The Hardball anchor on Friday took a victory lap while talking about Christie fading as a 2016 contender. Matthews trumpeted, "Does Chris Christie still have a path or a prayer to the presidency?"
The liberal journalist sneered, "It's almost like Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. There's never going to be a middle level for this guy." Matthews added, "He's either going to be up here or down there."
The cable host insisted that "many Republicans doubt that the New Jersey governor can win the GOP nomination in the wake of the bridge scandal." Of course, Matthews played a massive role in tarring Christie with Bridgegate.
On January 8, 2014, the day the story broke, Matthews muttered, "Nixonian. It's so Nixonian." On January 10, he theorized, "I grew up during Watergate. I got to tell you, it follows a certain pattern." On January 15, the cable journalist fixated, "Well, this is not yet a Watergate, but the more we learn about Chris Christie, the more he does look like Richard Nixon."
For seven straight shows, Matthews (or one of his guests) hyped Christie as the new Nixon. Yet, on September 18 and 19 2014, as news broke that the governor had no prior knowledge of the planned traffic backup, the Hardball anchor skipped the revelation.
On Friday, the MSNBC journalist offered shallow criticism, making weight jokes at Christie's expense: "Just skip the French fries. That's the key." On February 11, he referred to the governor as the "fat guy from New Jersey." (Imagine how Matthews would react if someone made a joke about Hillary Clinton's appearance.)
So, when the Hardball host wonders about Christie's fast fall, remember that Matthews did his best to speed it up.
A partial transcript of the February 13 segment is below:
7:37
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, does Chris Christie still have a path or a prayer to the presidency? Many Republicans doubt that the New Jersey governor can win the GOP nomination in the wake of the bridge scandal and his general public demeanor. The conservative Weekly Standard is the latest to cast skepticism over Christie and says he should just pack it in. Andrew Ferguson writes: "A thin skin has been a feature of Chris Christie's public life as well and over the last several weeks it has been much in evidence. In London, he didn't appear a hardworking public servant losing patience with a bleating reporters. He had the air of a plutocrat irked that the little people weren't doing what they were told."
Governor Christie's bad publicity comes as polling shows 52 percent of New Jersey voters disapprove of his job performance. Only 37 percent have a favorable view of him.
Joining the roundtable tonight, Dana Milbank, an opinion writer with "The Washington Post." Michelle Bernard is president of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics and Public Policy. And Danny Vargas is former chair of the Republican National Hispanic National Assembly.
Great. Diversity reigns. Okay, we're a little slow on that in the beginning of the show, but I always like to keep it going here. But, here, Dana, is this guy -- it's almost like Humpty Dumpty "sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall." There's never going to be a middle level for this guy. He's either going to be up here or down there.DANA MILBANK: Yes. No, on the presidential rubber chicken circuit, this guy is just being eaten for lunch. Not enough rubber chicken.
MATTHEWS: Is that what he's eating? Is that what he dines on?
MILBANK: That's your line, not mine.
MATTHEWS: Just skip the French fries. That's the key.
