At issue of course was the difficulty Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is having getting 60 Democrats to sign on to any version of a healthcare reform bill.
Clearly getting frustrated by this, Matthews on Thursday's "Hardball" asked Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) an amazingly absurd question for someone that's reported on politics for several decades (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, relevant section at 3:40, h/t Story Balloon):
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Do you think we should change the Constitution to make the Senate a more democratic body? I mean, I'm serious about this. It's a body that can't operate by majority vote. It doesn't operate that way. You guys do. I'm so impressed by Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. On five big issues: education, cap and trade, the tax bill, I mean, the stimulus bill. Everything she's won on. Health care. Because you have a majority vote system in the House side. You don't have it in the Senate. You have this 60 vote rule.
This 60 vote rule?
Do you remember Matthews complaining about this 60 vote rule when the Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress AND the White House from 2003 through 2006?
In particular, do you remember the "Hardball" host complaining about Democrats filibustering former President Bush's judicial appointees and preventing them from getting up and down votes?
Yes...those are rhetorical questions.
