As New Hampshire’s election returns continued to come in, Chris Matthews grew more frustrated. After comparing some Democratic primary voters to drunks who “want a ride home,” the Hardball host on Tuesday admitted to being “frustrated” and not having the answers on how to beat Donald Trump.
After Brian Williams turned to Matthews for answers, the MSNBC host lamented, “I'm a bit frustrated, and I'm not the answer to all questions.... I'm just not tonight. I'm a little frustrated because I don't know what this” all means.
Insisting that not all Democratic voters are hard-left socialists, Matthews blurted, “They just want to be secure in their own economy, in their own lives and see their kids once in a while. If that’s the case, Trump is going to be tough to beat. So I don't know. I think in either case, it’s going to be tough to beat Trump.”
He predicted, “I don't know whether the Democratic Party has ideologically shifted as far to the progressive side as Bernie believes.” Considering (former) Republican Mike Bloomberg and socialist Sanders, the Hardball host returned to his idea of Democrats as drunks looking for a “designated driver”:
And then again, they can't outsource the nomination to Mike Bloomberg. That's an outsourcing. That's getting a designated driver, getting somebody to get you home but not one of your own. This is going to be tricky. You take a Democratic socialist or a Republican to be the designated driver.
A transcript is below:
MSNBC New Hampshire coverage
2/11/2020
11:38
CHRIS MATTHEWS [On Democratic primary voters]: They are not against the rich. They don't really know how Bernie — how any of these wealthy people live. They've never been to the homes of the very wealthy people. They don't have the envy of the British Labour Party has always been based on. They're not like Jeremy Corbyn. They're not like that. But they may have changed. They may feel they're getting screwed. They hear Bernie talking — they hear Elizabeth Warren very effectively and very articulately talking about the unfairness of our society, the rigged nature of our economy. That may get to them. I'm skeptical, but it might get them. If doesn't get to them and they're regular center left Democrat who's are not angry about the rich, they just want to be secure in their own economy, in their own lives and see their kids once in a while, if that’s the case, Trump is going to be tough to beat. So I don't know. I think in either case, it’s going to be tough to beat Trump. I don't know whether the Democratic Party has ideologically shifted as far to the progressive side as Bernie believes, I think, it will. I think that's the big question. Are we happy to see — Is anybody happy to see a very polarized election coming up and thinks that their side's going to win? I am skeptical of just the left beating just the Trump — whatever Trump is, I’m not sure he’s conservative. Whatever he is on the right. I'm not sure it can do that.
And if it can't, why are we doing that? Why is the Democratic Party doing that? And then again, they can't outsource the nomination to Mike Bloomberg. That's an outsourcing. That's getting a designated driver, getting somebody to get you home but not one of your own. This is going to be tricky. You take a Democratic socialist or a Republican to be the designated driver. It's unusual, this situation. So I'm a bit frustrated, and I'm not the answer to all questions. Brian and Rachel, I'm just not tonight. I'm a little frustrated because I don't know what this -- it was a victory. A win's a win as you say with the New York football Giants. But it wasn't a victory of a guy that got 60 percent last time. And Buttigieg and Klobuchar together trounced Bernie tonight. By the way just for statistics, the last time there was a primary in New Hampshire this close, it was 1996 on the Republican side. And the winner was — excuse me, hold your breath, everybody, including Rachel — Pat Buchanan. He won with 27 percent.
