According to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Monday’s Hardball, the election is already over and Hillary Clinton is the winner. And knowing that going to the polls on Election Day how can a woman possibly vote for Donald Trump and not be a part of making history, he wondered to his all liberal panel. Matthew’s argument sounded more like he was talking down to and trying shame women into vote for Hillary Clinton.
“So, let’s suppose something that’s not impractical, that Hillary is going to win tomorrow night. Right,” he started off his demeaning rant, “So, six month, six year, 60 years from now, do you want to be a mother that said, “I voted against Hillary Clinton when she when she ran for president as the first woman,” when she does win.” But Matthews’ attack on women voting for Trump didn’t end there, it got personal:
When she does win. And say, “I voted for this guy named Donald Trump who I can't quite explain what he said, because he said awful things, but I voted for him. Not Hillary, the first woman president.” How do you explain that to your granddaughter?
The MSNBC host’s argument seemed to be predicated on the belief that women needed to fall in line and support Clinton for president. And not only did they need to vote for Clinton, but they were less of a woman and somehow a disgrace for not doing so.
The lunacy of the conversation didn’t start with Matthews but MSNBC correspondent James Peterson, who claimed Clinton had hardly talked about possibly being the first woman president. “Remember, we haven't talked enough about the fact that this is possibly the first woman president in the history of the United States,” he stated, “We haven't covered it so much because the Clinton campaign hasn't pushed the identity politics issue so much.” He even claimed that most voters were going to be driven by the desire to make history, and vote for the first woman president.
Peterson seemed to have forgotten that being the first woman president was a huge theme of the Democratic National Convention. Clinton even embraced “The Woman Card” when battling Trump early on in the campaign. During their Election Eve coverage, the “Big Three” networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) couldn’t stop prattling on about how Clinton’s victory party was being held in New York City’s Javits Center under a literal glass-ceiling.
Transcript below:
MSNBC
Hardball with Chris Matthews
November 7, 2016
7:47:07 PM Eastern…
JAMES PETERSON: Part of it is—Remember, we haven't talked enough about the fact that this is possibly the first woman president in the history of the United States. So of course there are going to be some women who are going to dislike Trump, but there are going to be some women, even on the Republican side, who acknowledging the history of this moment. We haven't covered it so much because the Clinton campaign hasn't pushed the identity politics issue so much. But the reality is folks when they step into that voting booth tomorrow are going to be thinking about making history, and the reality [inaudible].
CHRIS MATTHEWS: So, let’s suppose something that’s not impractical, that Hillary is going to win tomorrow night. Right? So, six month, six year, 60 years from now, do you want to be a mother that said, “I voted against Hillary Clinton when she when she ran for president as the first woman,” when she does win.
PETERSON: Right.
MATTHEWS: When she does win. And say, “I voted for this guy named Donald Trump who I can't quite explain what he said, because he said awful things, but I voted for him. Not Hillary, the first woman president.” How do you explain that to your granddaughter?
HOWARD FINEMAN: Well, I think history matters a lot here Chris. And I think, as you say, Hillary herself has down played it right now. But if the results go the right way for her tomorrow night, you're going to hear a lot of it. But you're not going to hear crowing from Hillary Clinton. I think Hillary Clinton is-- Let's give her credit not only for experience and a lot tough things she's gone through, but for some wisdom acquired. And I think if she does win, and you already heard this last night from her, she understands that Donald Trump however crudely has raised a lot of really issues and concerns in the country, and his voters are not Donald Trump.
MATTHEWS: And with her. That is a wise bit of knowledge.
FINEMAN: And her first job is going to be not to crow about the history, she’ll do some of that, but to reach out to those people. If, she’s lucky enough to win tomorrow night.
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