Despite having been exposed for at least twice calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme, MSNBC's Chris Matthews continues to pound Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry for saying the same thing.
Here's what the "Hardball" host hypocritically said on Tuesday's program (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHRIS MATTHEWS: And now for the "Big Number." GOP candidate Rick Perry may be making headlines for clarifying or classifying Social Security as a -- quote -- "monstrous lie and a Ponzi scheme," but that doesn`t mean people agree with him. In a new CNN poll -- catch this number -- people were asked about whether they agreed with that "monstrous lie" description of Social Security.
How many of those who identified themselves as Republican answered no? Sixty-nine percent. Not quite rallying the troops with that one. Sixty- nine percent don`t like that call on Social Security, a monstrous lie.
I guess Matthews has forgotten what he said on his own program just last Thursday:
MATTHEWS: The genius of Franklin Roosevelt, who was a great president, maybe one of the greatest two or three, I think, was that he figured out that Social Security had to be for everybody, no; means test, you pay for it while you work. When you retired and have no other form of income, this will help you out. In fact, a lot were impoverished in the old days without Social Security. It's a great anti-poverty program.
Then people started to live past 65. Even the great Franklin Roosevelt didn't make it to 65. In those days, if you made it to 65, you were lucky. You got a few bucks on Social Security.
Today, lots of people fortunately make it past 65. They live into their 80s and 90s. They're still getting checks.
TODD HARRIS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: OK.
So, how's the Republican deal with the fact it is a Ponzi scheme in the sense that the money that's paid out every day is coming from people who have paid in that day. It's not being made somewhere --
HARRIS: That's absolutely right.
And here's what he said on November 5, 2007:
THE LATE TIM RUSSERT: Everyone knows Social Security, as it’s constructed, is not going to be in the same place it’s going to be for the next generation, Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives.
MATTHEWS: It’s a bad Ponzi scheme at this point. Yeah.
You would think someone that's been in the "news" business for as long as Matthews has would know that he can't ridicule people for saying what he's on the record as saying himself.
Maybe someone over at MSNBC ought to clue him in that he's already been exposed and needs to stop attacking Perry on this issue.
Or would that be too much like journalism for these shills?
