In the first few minutes of his return to MSNBC on Wednesday afternoon after his wife Kathleen finished a distant third in her Maryland congressional race, Hardball host Chris Matthews branded himself quite the hypocrite as he repeatedly harped on the fact that Ted Cruz running mate Carly Fiorina “is a three-time loser” in her political career and thus “pathetic.”
Matthews kicked the irony into high gear just two minutes in as he told Cruz campaign correspondent Hallie Jackson that “Carly Fiorina is a three-time loser” who “lost statewide in California” plus “at Hewlett-Packard before that” and “lost running for president.”
Three minutes later, a sense of sudden respect came over Matthews for the late Ronald Reagan as he complimented him for his failed 1976 presidential bid against then-President Gerald Ford that included running mate Richard Schweiker:
You know, and I said that back when Reagan picked Schweiker. I got a hint that Reagan, he’s going down fighting. He’s going to play whatever — I’m going to try to win this damn thing, so he sends Jim Baker to try to poach votes fro Gerry Ford, the more moderate Republicans. He didn't do anything out of it, but he tried.
In contrast to that campaign, Matthews asserted that the Cruz-Fiorina ticket “looks pathetic because,” once again, “she's lost three contests in a row.”
Mother Jones Washington bureau chief David Corn seized on that remark and added: “And the question is, are two losers better than one? I mean, seriously, she had here brief moment in the sun. Like two, three weeks, she did well in the polls. She did well in the debates.”
Matthews did allude to the fact that he was away from MSNBC’s Super Tuesday 4 coverage, but never stated to Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd why he didn’t show up:
MATTHEWS: I got to ask you something you're really good at and you’re good at a lot of things. I'm not putting you down. I am stunned because I was off yesterday, but I — and you took over in all the political coverage. And I thought it was astounding that a guy could run the table and win every county, every CD and five states. Has anyone ever done that except for —
TODD: Usually when it's over. What was amazing —
MATTHEWS: Every county! There's 60-some counties in Pennsylvania.
After the rally in which Cruz officially announced Fiorina has his running mate, Matthews spouted off about how Fiorina somehow “lacked any kind of context” in her speech and doesn’t make for a “strong partner” because “she's lost three contests, one when she was removed as CEO as Hewlett-Packard, when she ran statewide in California, and then really doing nothing in the presidential race.”
“Not to knock, I like people that try, but she's not entering this ring at the end, and it is the end, with strength. She’s not a winner and I think people will notice that,” he concluded.
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s The Place for Politics 2016 on April 27 can be found below.
MSNBC’s The Place for Politics 2016
April 27, 2016
4:02 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Carly Fiorina is a three-time loser. She lost statewide in California. She lost at Hewlett-Packard before that. She lost running for president, but you mentioned the magic word California. She did win a California primary at one point or she wouldn't have been the nominee for statewide office. He has to win in Indiana. He has to win in California, alright? All this talk about Indiana changing the game, I don't buy that at all.
(....)
4:05 p.m. Eastern
MATTHEWS: You know, and I said that back when Reagan picked Schweiker. I got a hint that Reagan, he’s going down fighting. He’s going to play whatever — I’m going to try to win this damn thing, so he sends Jim Baker to try to poach votes fro Gerry Ford, the more moderate Republicans. He didn't do anything out of it, but he tried. This thing looks pathetic because she's lost three contests in a row.
DAVID CORN: And the question is, are two losers better than one? I mean, seriously, she had here brief moment in the sun. Like two, three weeks, she did well in the polls. She did well in the debates.
MATTHEWS: Because Trump was awful in dealing with a woman candidate.
(....)
4:07 p.m. Eastern
MATTHEWS: I got to ask you something you're really good at and you’re good at a lot of things. I'm not putting you down. I am stunned because I was off yesterday, but I — and you took over in all the political coverage. And I thought it was astounding that a guy could run the table and win every county, every CD and five states. Has anyone ever done that except for —
CHUCK TODD: Usually when it's over. What was amazing —
MATTHEWS: Every county! There's 60-some counties in Pennsylvania.
(....)
MTP Daily
April 27, 2016
5:04 p.m. Eastern
MATTHEWS: Well, I thought it was not an attack speech against Hillary Clinton. I thought that was definitely on the way. Maybe that's tomorrow's story. There was some of that but basically, it was very religious, appealing to religious conservatives, of course, evangelicals, if you will, a lot of reference to God. I thought that was important to look at. I thought it lacked any kind of context. I don't think Carly Fiorina is a major national figure. I think everyone knows Ted Cruz is in trouble in terms of winning this nomination, so I didn't see anyone bringing help the way someone would bring help to someone in trouble. I don't know who was the strong partner even at this point. I mean, she's lost three contests, one when she was removed as CEO as Hewlett-Packard, when she ran statewide in California, and then really doing nothing in the presidential race. Not to knock, I like people that try, but she's not entering this ring at the end, and it is the end, with strength. She’s not a winner and I think people will notice that.
