A stunned Chris Matthews struggled to comprehend Hillary Clinton’s loss and the victory of Donald Trump on election night. On MSNBC, Matthews sputtered, “[Clinton] won every debate by all standards. Every debate.... She had the best ad campaign, the best ground game.”
He whined, “This is a shot against meritocracy, I think. Because she merited everything and the normal way you standardize these things, she did what you’re supposed to do to win and Trump came in around the corner.”
Reporter Kasie Hunt mourned, “I don't think we should overlook the human element here either.... I mean it's a devastating end.”
A sullen James Carville compared Clinton’s loss to the Civil War, saying, “There will be a Ken Burns film on this.”
A transcript of the exchange is below:
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MSNBC
11/9/16
2:37CHRIS MATTHEWS: You know, she won every debate by all standards. Every debate.
JAMES CARVILLE: Every debate. Everything.
MATTHEWS: Every debate. She had the best ad campaign, the best ground game. This is a shot against meritocracy, I think. Because she merited everything and the normal way you standardize these things, she did what you’re supposed to do to win and Trump came in around the corner. Well, we’re going to study this for a while.
CARVILLE: For a while? Try the Civil War. There will be a Ken Burns film on this.
KASIE HUNT: First of all, I don’t think we should overlook the human element here either, if Hillary Clinton does [sic] win this. This is potentially, I mean it’s a devastating end. I know, you’ve been so close to them. I wonder what the President is saying to her now as she is trying to process this and deal with it?
RACHEL MADDOW: I’m thinking about President Obama too. I mean, to have the first African American President succeeded by a guy who was endorsed by the KKK is — a guy who has as his campaign manager, his campaign CEO, someone who says ‘I run the website for the alt-right, which defines itself as in white nationalist terms. For them to get that edgy on white racial animus and have that be the succession to the first black president, it’s a big deal.
