As NewsBusters reported last week, eleven out of twelve regular contributors to the syndicated Chris Matthews Show thought Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won't be able to take control and drive the political debate in the next six months leading to Election Day.
On this weekend's program, only one of the twelve regulars thought President Obama's recent flipflop on same-sex marriage hurts him politically (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well let’s take a look at the Matthews Meter, because I think you've touched already on your position. Twelve of our regulars including Howard, Gloria and Andrew. Is President Obama’s gay marriage position now, which is firmly set, a net plus or a net minus politically? Well seven of you say it's a net plus, which is really positive I think for this group. One says a net minus but four say it's a wash.
For the record, these are the twelve regular contributors:
- David Brooks, New York Times
- Gloria Borger, CNN
- Helene Cooper, New York Times (not pictured)
- Howard Fineman, Huffington Post
- John Heilemann, New York magazine
- Katty Kay, BBC
- Joe Klein, Time magazine
- Andrea Mitchell, NBC News
- Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal (not pictured)
- Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News
- Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune
- Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic
These folks really have a pulse of the American electorate, don't they?
*****Update: Gallup finds twice a many people are less likely than more likely to vote for Obama as a result of his same-sex marriage flipflop.
