Despite Chris Matthews having worked for former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, his grasp of how the United States government works is tenuous at best.
On Monday's Hardball, the host repeatedly said current Speaker John Boehner (R-Oh.) "lost" on Election Day despite the Congressman winning 99.9 percent of the votes in his district while his Party retained control of the House (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let me start tonight with this. So the Republicans have their plan and it's great news for the rich. Speaker John Boehner just put it out. Those at the top, the two percent, are safe. Your Bush tax cuts are going to keep on giving. One problem, Mr. Boehner, you lost. That was your position before the election, and you lost. Mitt Romney campaigned on keeping the tax cuts for the wealthy, and he lost. And he promised to do what John Boehner is doing right now, and he lost.
Today Boehner said he's willing to raise revenues by the same amount he agreed to back in August of 2011, the last time they had this fight. Again, he's willing to act like the election never happened. No wonder. Again, he lost.
Joining me right now is Joy Reid of the Grio and Howard Fineman of the Huffington Post. Both are MSNBC political analysts. Joy, you're chuckling because it is weirdly true. It's almost like Groundhog Day, this guy, Boehner, he’s not a bad guy, but he's operating on a bad thought here: the election didn't happen.
Exactly what did Boehner lose?
In an uncontested race in Ohio's Eighth District, Boehner received almost 99,9 percent of the votes cast. As Republicans kept control of the House, he will return as Speaker in the next Congress.
As such, irrespective of what Obama-supporting so-called journalists like Matthews have been saying since Election Day, Boehner lost absolutely nothing.
As the second-most powerful person in our political system, Boehner's victory is virtually the same as President Obama's.
You would think someone that worked for a former Speaker for six years would better understand this.
Of course, that would assume he was an impartial observer instead of a liberal shill on a network that proudly trumpets its biases as well.
