Far-left HBO host Bill Maher joined MSNBC’s Hardball and host Chris Matthews for the entire hour on Wednesday and brought his A-game when it came to trashing America for it’s “original sin” of slavery that “some countries don’t have” and trashed Republicans as being upset at “the idea of a black family eating off the White House china.”
Matthews was not without his comments as he perpetuated his asinine belief that those opposed to President Barack Obama (and especially birthers) hope for an asterisk placed next to his name and have his picture wiped from history books.
Barely a minute into the taped show, Matthews wondered if he could explain to people living overseas the current racial climate in America and Maher responded by, of course, throwing the U.S.A. under the bus:
It depends on which country who I was talking to is from. Some countries don't have a racial problem like we do because they don't have a history of slavery like we do. We never really got race right in this country. It is the original sin of this country. It’s a fault line that we've tried to cover up. Every time something racial happens, people act surprised.
In the minutes leading up to the first commercial break, Maher chided conservatives for being so alarmed about Trump’s candidacy because “[t]hey have spent all these decades pursuing a strategy of race baiting, anti-intellectualism, and conspiracy theories.”
Matthews used this to lead into a birther discussion and mocking the idea of an elaborate plan by the President’s mother to have her son become President and Maher ate it up as a reason to trash the GOP: “I mean, that is racism. I know they hate to hear it. It is the one thing they hate to hear and I would never say all Republicans are racists. But if you're a racist and you're looking for a political party, this is the obvious choice.”
The never-dull Matthews then dropped a mouse joke about the GOP attracting racists like mice: “Well this is the mouse-trap at least. Here, eat this cheese!”
After Maher whined that Republicans “follow this script” that he hinted as disrespectful to the President, Matthews resurrected his claim from the early hours of May 25 that some Americans want Obama censored from U.S. history lessons:
You know, my — my explanation of birtherism if there is one is that he’s playing to people who want the belief that somehow, you could put an asterisk next to Obama’s name. That he wasn’t really — when you show the little book of color pictures of presidents to kids in school when they first learn about civics and you go this all the pictures of John Adams all the way through, and William Henry Harrison and then they all look white and then you get to this guy. They want to be able to say, like, you know, like...he really wasn't president.
While Matthews was spinning that messy web, Maher interjected with the claim that these individuals have been bitter at the sight of African-American family in the White House: “They just don't like the idea of a black family eating off the White House china. They can couch it any way they want, but it just did not go down well with them and — and this is their answer to that.”
Matthews capped off the insanity by gushing that, in his opinion, Obama will be ranked “in the top couple tiers, at least” when presidential rankings are compiled going forward upon leaving office.
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball on July 13 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Hardball
July 13, 2016
7:01 p.m. EasternCHRIS MATTHEWS: If you had to explain this to someone you knew living overseas, what would you explain is going on in this country on racial issues right now? This tenseness
BILL MAHER: It depends on which country who I was talking to is from. Some countries don't have a racial problem like we do because they don't have a history of slavery like we do. We never really got race right in this country. It is the original sin of this country. It’s a fault line that we've tried to cover up. Every time something racial happens, people act surprised. I just watched that recent documentary on O.J. Simpson and it’s hard to believe that back then, every white person in America was like, of course he is guilty and no jury could ever final him anything but guilty and they were shocked when a jury didn’t.
MATTHEWS: I was too. I was on the air.
MAHER: We were all shocked, okay? And black folks were all applauding. Not because I think they thought he was that innocent but because for once, for one time, a black guy beat the system after the system had beaten black folks so many times.
(....)
7:09 p.m. Eastern
MAHER: These Republicans are so alarmed by Donald Trump and many are appalled even though they're sort of getting behind him. What did they think was going to happen? They have spent all these decades pursuing a strategy of race baiting, anti-intellectualism, and conspiracy theories and then when a Donald Trump emerges, they're surprised about it? They shouldn't be surprised. I mean, the one different thing with Donald Trump is his temperament. Certainly we've had people who followed that strategy before in the Republican Party. We've never had anybody with this kind of temperament. If he became president, it would be government by snit. Every day it would be about tweeting and getting even with people who did not do exactly what he wanted.
MATTHEWS: Do you think this call that Obama was somehow the product of a strange personal conspiracy by his mother, that she was a white American woman from Kansas and she went over the Kenya to have her baby and she married an African guy who wasn't exactly the best stand-up guy. He was not going to be around very long. Then she somehow got it posted in the Honolulu newspapers that he was born then and she gave them name Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein and he’s a mixed race kid and she did all this so he could be President in 35 years? I mean, why did he say that? He can’t believe anyone believes that.
MAHER: Of course not. This is why he sued me because this is the issue that I was making fun of him about.
MATTHEWS: Well, it is incredible when you talk it through.
MAHER: Of course it is and he is — I mean, that is racism. I know they hate to hear it. It is the one thing they hate to hear and I would never say all Republicans are racists. But if you're a racist and you're looking for a political party, this is the obvious choice.
MATTHEWS: Well this is the mouse-trap at least. Here, eat this cheese!
MAHER: But it’s not just trump. If you watch the Republican debates, they all follow this script of restore America. I want my country back. It’s — it’s subtle but not that subtle. They talk about Obama and his presidency as if it just never existed. To me, there’s something there. They say things like we got to put America back to work. Yeah. Did that. That actually happened. We put America back. We want to rebuild our depleted military. We didn’t deplete the military. It went up under Obama like it went up under every president.
MATTHEWS: You know, my — my explanation of birtherism if there is one is that he’s playing to people who want the belief that somehow, you could put an asterisk next to Obama’s name.
MAHER: Exactly.
MATTHEWS: That he wasn’t really — when you show the little book of color pictures of presidents to kids in school when they first learn about civics and you go this all the pictures of John Adams all the way through, and William Henry Harrison and then they all look white and then you get to this guy. They want to be able to say, like, you know, like —
MAHER: They just don't like the idea of a black family eating off the White House china. They can couch it any way they want, but it just did not go down well with them and — and this is their answer to that.
MATTHEWS: He really wasn't president.
MAHER: Really wasn’t President and, of course, they were hoping that he would be a terrible failure because then would it never happen again. Bush to his credit, George W. Bush on Obama's first day in office stood there with him and said we want to you succeed. That was not the attitude of most Republicans and I'm sure that they hated that fact that history had judge his presidency as having succeeded.
MATTHEWS: Yeah, I think he’s in the top couple tiers, at least.
MAHER: Yes, absolutely.
