Chris Matthews: 'Palin's Talking to People Who Don't Read Newspapers or Watch Serious TV Shows Like Mine'

It appears Chris Matthews' arrogance knows no bounds.

On Monday's "Hardball," the MSNBCer actually said, "I think [Sarah Palin's] talking to people who don't read newspapers, don't pay attention to serious television broadcasts, whether the Lehrer Hour or anything like it or even this program" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: I want to go back to Beck for a minute, and Palin, because they’re on the same label here. They are on the same, they ought to patent together, she’s trying to get herself patented. It ought to be Palin and Beck. This stuff about these conspiracy theories, she's got the fact that the President of the United States is sitting on these realities. I tell you, I wish I had as much confidence in the State Department as she does, they've got it all figured out who's going to win over there. What’s with the conspiracy theory all the time? Can't she just admit this is tough and they don't seem to know where they're going? That's not a bad critique, and it’s a smart one. I don't think they know where they're going, and I think they do change their minds every two or three days over there. They don't know whether Mubarak is going to last three months, six months, or two weeks, we don’t know. And basically, we’re trying to look at glass, through a glass darkly here. Your thoughts, Shushannah, why is it always the easiest thing to do is to sell a conspiracy theory these days on the Right?

SHUSHANNAH WALSHE, DAILY BEAST: Well, I agree that there are other potential 2012ers which I think that she is have said the president is all over the map. He should be, you know, take a stance, and she did say that, but I think because a lot of people, people that are supporters, the media were looking at what her first comments on Egypt could be, that she should have, as I said before, I think that she should have come out not with a conspiracy, not with what she thinks the president is doing or thinking behind the scenes, but what she would have done if she was in the Oval Office. And I think a lot of her supporters would appreciate that. I think the people that, journalists that cover her and watch her would be interested in that. And I, you know, I think that would have really made her different and distinct from the president especially if she would have come out with a very strong response.

MATTHEWS: Okay, do you know what I think she's doing? Hey Ron…

RON CHRISTIE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yeah.

MATTHEWS: …think about this, because I respect you. Do you know what I think she’s doing? I don't think she is a thoughtful politician. I think she's talking to people who don't read newspapers, don't pay attention to serious television broadcasts, whether the Lehrer Hour or anything like it or even this program, don’t pay attention to anything that’s even in the middle, who don’t have any effort at all to learn anything, believe her when she says they're keeping the truth from us when the people who believe her are making absolutely no effort to find out what the truth is. So they’re willing to believe it’s somebody else’s fault. She’s in an interesting little game she plays with people.

Imagine that. Palin's supporters are basically illiterate nincompoops that don't learn anything and are making absolutely no effort to find out what the truth is by watching folks like Matthews.

It must be quite a thing to believe people are ignorant if they don't watch your show.

As an aside, this is now the sixth day in a row that Matthews attacked his 5PM competitor on Fox News, Glenn Beck.

I'm beginning to think the "Hardball" host is taking after former colleague Keith Olbermann and believe the more he mentions Beck's name, the better his ratings will get.

Of course, Matthews probably thinks the 310 million people that don't watch him are idiots, which is funny for it's the roughly 600,000 nightly "Hardball" viewers that are likely amongst the most poorly informed people in the nation.