In the middle of gathering Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s reaction to Thursday’s MSNBC Presidential Candidates Debate, Hardball host Chris Matthews inquired which political party has “better people” and specifically if Democrats are “better human beings than Republicans.”
Matthews’s bizarre foray into judging whether half the American people are “better” than the other comes, of course, as his wife Kathleen is running as a Democrat for Congress in Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District.
As Wasserman Schultz was praising how Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders conducted themselves compared to Republicans, Matthews interjected with this proposition: “Madame Chairman, who are better people? Are Democrats as individuals men and women, better people — better human beings than Republicans?”
Wasserman Schultz awkwardly laughed off the question and responded by noting how she’s friends with many Republicans: “Oh come on. I — some of my best friends are Republicans.”
>> Full coverage of the both Democratic and Republicand debates on NewsBusters can be found here <<
A few minutes earlier in the aftermath of the sixth Democratic debate, Matthews remarked to NBC News Clinton correspondent and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell that Clinton was “the best she had ever been because I thought she was so prepped” for the two-hour event with the help of super-attorney/Washington socialite Bob Barnett ensuring that she was “well prepared.”
Mitchell agreed and explained that she was supposed to have “several small events” in New Hampshire leading into the debate but her campaign “cancelled them” and had her “in debate prep all day” along with the hunch that “she's fighting a cold like all of us are.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s Democratic Candidates Debate: Post-Debate Analysis on February 4 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Democratic Candidates Debate: Post-Debate Analysis
February 4, 2016
11:11 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: But I mean, the stature of being together, Andrea, the stature. By the way, I don’t know why he resisted this debate. My personal view is she is the best she had ever been because I thought she was so prepped on the cherry picking line, on the definition of a progressive and by the way, I think I saw Bob Barnett here yesterday. I think they were working on this all today. I think she was really well prepared.
MITCHELL: She cancelled — she was supposed to do several small events. James, you know this as well and they cancelled them. She has been in debate prep all day. I think she's fighting a cold like all of us are.
(....)
11:17 p.m. Eastern
MATTHEWS: Madame Chairman, who are better people? Are Democrats as individuals men and women, better people — better human beings than Republicans?
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRWOMAN DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Oh come on. I — some of my best friends are Republicans.
MATTHEWS: Okay, good, cause that's all I wanted to hear on that.
