Early in Tuesday’s live coverage of the Nebraska and West Virginia primaries, MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews perpetuated the notion that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “is a safe, sort of centrist Democrat” just like Walter Mondale and “not much different from Obama” aside from a more “hawkish” foreign policy.
While it may appear to be quite a mouthful, Matthews squeezed this all in a matter of seconds reacting to a soundbite from a Republican woman who stated in an MSNBC focus group that she won’t vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton even though she could appear to some as “a safe choice.”
Matthews reacted to the woman’s analysis that the country could wether Hillary Clinton in office as opposed to Trump by singing her praises as “so true” and a mirror image of “my analysis of this election with all the other factors that are out there in play.”
“Hillary is a safe, sort of centrist Democrat. She’s typical of most Walter Mondale — go back — they’re all very similar. She's not much different from Obama, a little hawkish whereas Trump, you just — it's a big risk,” Matthews proclaimed.
The chicanery from Matthews in touting Clinton’s supposed ideology marked only the latest instance of this. On January 6, Matthews affirmed that “Hillary doesn’t want to be a socialist” and “is a centrist Democrat in my own thinking” even though she would state she’s “a progressive Democrat.”
Going back to July 1, 2015, then-NewsBusters intern Connor Williams chronicled how Matthews informed everyone that the former secretary of state is “more of a conservative in a sense of more of a traditional politician from the center, center.”
As Williams noted, Matthews appeared on the Meet the Press panel from May 31, 2015 where he offered the “centrist” Clinton unsolicited campaign advice.
An unrelated but nonetheless interesting exchange transpired a few minutes later when Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes admitted that Trump “accomplished what he needed to do” in stating one controversial statement after another to attract the loads of media attention to then secure the GOP nomination.
“Mr. Trump can answer his own words. I wouldn’t necessarily use them. However, he did what he accomplished what he needed to do, which was achieve all of the media draw attention to him,” Hughes told Matthews.
Likely surprised by what he was hearing, Matthews informed her that “the ends do not justify the means” to which Hughes rhetorically shrugged in pointing out that he’s the GOP nominee.
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball on May 10 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Hardball
May 10, 2016
6:29 p.m. Eastern
WOMAN IN KASIE HUNT’s FOCUS GROUP: I will not vote — most likely vote for secretary Clinton. The reason for that is while I think she's a safe choice and I would be okay with her as president. As a woman, I don't think she represents my interests, but as somebody leading this country, I do think she is safe. Donald Trump, to me, is very unpredictable.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: I think that's so true. I mean, that's my analysis of this election with all the other factors that are out there in play. Hillary is a safe, sort of centrist Democrat. She’s typical of most Walter Mondale — go back — they’re all very similar. She's not much different from Obama, a little hawkish whereas Trump, you just — it's a big risk and I want to ask, Scottie, how does Trump satisfy women and men that he's not risking it and not do something really different?
(....)
6:33 p.m. Eastern
MATTHEWS: I agree with everything you just said. I just don't think you gave me a good rebuttal to what Trump says.
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES: I just — Mr. Trump can answer his own words. I wouldn’t necessarily use them. However, he did what he accomplished what he needed to do, which was achieve all of the media draw attention to him.
MATTHEWS: Okay, the ends — the ends do not justify the means.
HUGHES: He’s number one. The nominee.
MATTHEWS: Well, you’ve just said what I don’t agree with. The end doesn’t justify the means.
HUGHES: Sorry.
