Matthews: Media Created The "Delusion" That Clinton Could Win
By Logan Murphy Monday Apr 21, 2008 9:00pm
During Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary coverage on MSNBC co-host, Chris Matthews, declares the race between Obama and Clinton to be essentially over before the polls closed in Pennsylvania and blames "the media" for creating a horse race he says doesn't exist.
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Download | play (h/t Heather)
"...But I really do think it's a strange time because we're all watching to see who won, but as Nora pointed out, 4 out of 5 ,or so, of the Hillary voters today believe she's still in the running. That this is still up in the air and I think that was probably a mistake of the media. I think in the effort of the media, to try to keep this game going, we've created the delusion that somehow this race is still open. I don't think it is open. I think if you look at the numbers Barack has to really blow it in the weeks ahead to lose."
Matthews need only look into the archives of his own show and his work on MSNBC's primary coverage for some of the creepiest, most delusional rants and bizarre political hackery to be found anywhere on the tee vee.
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Wow, I actually agree with Mathews. I'm officially scared.
Wow he made somewhat a of an intelligent point
Someone mentioned earlier today that they heard Matthews say that. They should have been saying this for weeks
Wow. I couldn't believe my ears when he said it. Who gave Chris the smart juice.
langx @ 4:
Ha!
he's finally right
Chuck Todd explained this to him six weeks ago. Guess it takes that giant baby head a while to process teh math.
I think that's the first time I've agreed with that blowhard in months.
I think that this was just another swipe that chrissie took the opportunity to make at the expense of the hated clinton woman.
chrissie just can't wait to go after Obama. That's his real story line.
"Clinton Captures Crucial Win" in large font is what I see on the Yahoo! home page right now.
"Clinton Claims Victory in PA Primary" on CNN.
The media just loves a horse race. They're still not going to call it over!
I'm shocked! Too bad I don't expect Tweety to keep telling the truth like he should.
I think the moron meant illusion not delusion. I give you people props for watching him and that silly network.
speaking of hillz:
DEAR AMERICA:
trust the transylvanians w/ your transactions, even when they treat them like trollops?
I thought that the candidate needed 2,025 electorial votes to win. obama doesn't have that many, and he can't get that many. This will have to be a brokered candidacy.
If obama can't carry one big democratic states and only manages to pick up the little republican states full of blacks, how in the devil can he win the general election. The Democrats who see the obama candidacy as a descent into the nether regions of you know where....WILL NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA. They trust McCain much more. WAIT AND SEE. The good old boy's club popping their little blue pills are going to be much much disappointed.
"...we’ve created the delusion that somehow this race is still open.."
Matthews did admit he was part of the problem.
Matthews is looking more and more like Tweety, Maybe it's the receding hair line,
Mathews is an idiot. The fact that Obama could not win as a front runner who spent more than 2x the money Clinton did is showing a huge problem for him in the General. All the states that the Democrats must win he has lost (Ohio, Florida, Michigan). He wins all the states that Democrats will not win (the Bible Belt).
Another mistake he made just happened, he mentioned during election that Thomas Jefferson was the father of the Democratic party. I believe he was president under the Republican ticket and helped form the Republican party. Saying he was a Democrat is like Republicans trying to claim JFK would be a Republican today.
As usual, Mathews is an idiot
Marge @ 15:
What makes you think that Obama can't carry the big Dem states, because he lost them to Clinton? That isn't much of an indicator of how he'll do against McCain there. It seems you think that a lot of Dems are racist. I hope that isn't true.
Something ironic about this McSame lover Matthews saying any form of the word delusion.
One thing is certain: The Dems have got to revise the way primaries work. It is anachronistic that some states have their vote in January while others wait until May and June. With the advent of air travel there is no reason for such a protracted season. We should condense it to a period of three months or less.
Oh shut the F up you blathering idiot......mathews! You are a supreme Hillary and woman hater! You supported the idiot and totally irrelevant goof ball living in the white house as we speak. Just shut the F up .....stuff a sock in your piehole!
What path are we being led down? Where is the money that is stearing this ship? The power of this country wants what?
A McCain presidency will continue to line the pockets of the thieves in Iraq.
A McCain presidency will continue the wholesale theft of public resources to select private industry (coal, nuclear, oil....)
A McCain presidency will maintain the current dicatatorial powers of the presidency -- but this time there will be an angrier nut case with no self control in power...
It doesn't matter who wins - Obama or Clinton - they have to beat McCain.
Where's the music club? Fella gotta relax his whiskers after all this drama.
maybe there's hope for matthews.
some of the most delusional tories turned the eve of the revolution, y'know...
I guess I assume Clinton can still win or she wouldn't be in the race.
E.L. @ 23:
E.L.?
Tweety's leg seems to be behaving tonight. Maybe he can have another moment after North Carolina.
Apparently word on the street (from the DNC) is that Florida and Michigan will count. Now Obamabots can really go nuts.
It's like the million monkeys with a million typewriters and one types out "Hamlet": the sheer number of words coming out of Matthews' mouth meant that he was bound to say something true, eventually.
jmac @ 28:
I sincerely hope that you are wrong. If those delegates are seated as they now stand it will be disastrous for the democratic party.
Marge @ 15:
I just don't buy the idea that the swing states won't vote for Obama. He's a motivator who has got the democratic vote out better than anyone in a long time. It seems to me that they have a candidate who might be able to get the vote out in ADDITIONAL states that could swing. Also, don't forget that a good VP choice can attract more voters.
If
If you stayed tuned to MSNBC, you would have been treated to the Most Bizarre Pundit Exchange of 24/7 election news: Pat Buchanan and Rachel Maddow on Decision '08.
Rachel was discussing some of the day's developments in a completely non-partisan manner, and Buchanan lost it and almost yelled: "Enough with that Maxist rhetoric!" Talk about overreacting. Maybe McSame's notorious temper is rubbing off on some of his supporters.
jmac @ 28:
Link?
jmac @ 28:
I think Florida should count as is since they were both on the ballot. Michigan is another story. Obama wasn't even on the ballot there, it's only fair to re-vote and then count. The DNC or the Michigan State Democratic Party should take out a loan to pay for the election and get it done in May or June. That way whoever the candidate is will be considered legitimate with all states getting their say.
Damn Obama's speech was good!!! He even fixed a camera of an audience member afterwards. Looked like anyway. She was trying to take a picture. He leaned over and flipped the switch for her. She was taking too long. The job got done. Let's elect this. He is inspiring. She is well. old. tired. fear mongering. condescending. etc.
I think the Clintons know something we don't. Another shoe is going to drop -- for instance Florida and Michigan counting. There's a reason she's still in the game and it isn't her tenacity. There will be shenanigans.
I don't doubt Obama's political prowess. But the fact is/was in the last few states, the late deciders are going away from Obama. that is not a good trend in a general election.
In the General, the Democrat nominee (whomever that is) must win 2 of the Michigan/Florida/Ohio combo.
If the nominee is Obama, he is going to be forced to spend money in California because McCain thinks he can compete there and with Arnold as governor he may be right.
Also, the Reagan Democrats are not voting Obama, they are voting Clinton in all the Rust Belt states that Obama is not from. If he loses Indiana too I think he has big general election problems. This race should be a blowout after these 8 years and the fact that it isn't is troubling
seth @ 19:
What is true is that when you put a inexperienced machine politician who has three strikes against him, Wright...Rezko...Auchi, and who has never been to the EU or the ME against 'War Hero' McCain beloved of the MSM you are looking at a McGovern-style blowout.
The only good thing about the upcoming GE disaster for the Dems is that those of us who refused the Kool-Aid won't have to listen to any more Barry Hype.
Be messy cleanin' up after all those exploded heads though.
Not seating Florida is killing the Democratic party. People are asking for and getting their money back. Voters are saying they will sit it out. If Obama could have won the full delegate count, of course they would not have counted. But neither can win the delegate count now without super delegates. Obviously, you have to let Florida and Michigan have more clout than super delegates. Especially Florida.
I was told when I called two days ago they would be counted. Also, Open Left had an article a few days ago that also said they'd be counted.
"I think in the effort of the media, to try to keep this game going, we’ve created the delusion that somehow this race is still open. I don’t think it is open."
Tweety is right for once.
nonbeliever @ 34:
I differ only in that both states require do overs. Senator Obama did not campaign in Florida and deserves a fair shot at those delegates. I might add that the failure to address this issue will cost the democratic party dearly in November.
Dave @ 37:
Please refer to the nominee as the democratic nominee. When you say democrat nominee, you sound repugnantcant.
It's pretty obvious the media and their powerful corporate leaders are the only ones who have anything to gain from letting this "horserace" continue.
Tweety's garnered a lot of eyeballs from this boxing match. Along with ABC, CNN, Fox, etc.
Nobody who's rich and powerful cares what Democrat wins. They want them to be bloodied and drained of energy and resources.
They know the odds are stacked against ANY Republican, and they need to do anything to get McCain elected.
Imagine what a candidate who says he's going to fight the corporate interests might do to interfere with their unfettered corporate greed.
Peter G @ 41:
Hillary didn't campaign in Florida either. Also, I don't think splitting the delegates 50/50 is a viable solution. McSame's camp will definitely make an issue of Michigan's and Florida's voters getting disenfranchised. I do agree that we need to settle this by June. This is a DANGEROUS issue. We can't afford to take any state for granted.
Matthews is a complete idiot. He has been the biggest horse race proponent on cable. He is one of the most guilty for the garbage that passes as news today. He avoids vital stuff to druel over GOP legislators and fellow pundits. He is a hack. He could have been talking about important issues in our country for the last 8 years, but his sophamoric babble has harmed this country dearly. They all deserve our disdain. Soon they will be completely irrelevant. News will be internet based and be completely interactive. The good journalists will adapt, but Matthews is not a journalist.
Chris is a delusion
Peter G - wasn't it Obama who nixed the do-over? I think it's too late now to set up a redo now. Didn't Hillary's camp even offer to pay for the redo in Michigan?
Tweety has been a boor, a jackass, a misogynist, and an Old Spice-smelling senior citizen-lover throughout this campaign. But of all the asinine things he has been saying for over a year, this time, I think he's precisely correct.
nonbeliever @ 44:
I absolutely agree with you. I would not suggest splitting the vote. Awarding votes to candidates who did not earn them is fundamentally undemocratic and a guarantee to lose those states in the election. If the delegates are seated as they stand there will be a wholesale defection by disillusioned Obama supporters. This is an extremely dangerous situation.
Can't watch a clip with this slimey weazels face and stinggy voice in it. What an asshat.
Randi Rhodes was wrong. Hillary aint no whore; she's a winner.
Despite getting outspent 3 to 1 in Pennsylvania she kicked Obama's ass by double digits. Hillary is the most vetted politician in the history of politics. She has absorbed more knockout punches from more opponents than anybody; and she keeps getting up and fighting back. Ken Starr's $80 million investigation could stop her. Relentless attacks from right wing talk radio could not stop her. Twenty biographical books by her enemies could not stop her. Smears by TV right wing tools like Hannity and O'Reilly could not stop her. Chris Matthews and David Shuster could not stop her. Hillary is one tough bird. Hillary is a woman of steel, forged in the crucible of intense public scrutiny. She would make a formidable presidential candidate in the general election. If she continues her current winning streak, the super delegates will support her at the national convention.
jmac @ 47:
No and no. The state Congresses of BOTH Michigan and Florida voted down proposals for revotes, to some extent because both proposals required the states to foot the bill. I hardly think Hillary has the money to back up those words (even if she said them, which she didn't), seeing as her campaign currently holds more debt to lenders than it does cash on hand.
Please take this uninformed tripe elsewhere, and come back when you get the facts straight.
Marge @ 15:
Your ignorance is appalling. It's delegates, not "electorial" votes. And the superdelegates count in that total, and they are falling to Obama in droves.
Hillary CANNOT reach a majority of the delegates. Her last chance to even come close to doing so was to break 70% in the PA race, and she's barely cracked 54%. The next two contests will finish her, aside from which she is out of money and up to her neck in debt.
Her negatives are gigantic and she has long since retreated from her ceiling of support. Obama has just begun to rise from his floor of support. I know you can't do the math but the DNC can and they know what's going to happen next.
And MI and FL are irrelevant and they know it and very few people have been able to find any crying voters from those states to complain that they've been "disenfranchised" so that issue is dead too.
Along with Hillary's campaign. She took a 20-point lead, and her 'inevitability' and sat there while Obama, over a period of six weeks, whittled it down to 8.5%, spewing massively negative attacks which only hurt her and never even touched him.
Obama will be the nominee. It is only a matter of time.
Why do the all the big right wing media whores (Matthews, O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh, etc) talk about 'The Media' and 'The MSM' as if they aren't part of it? These guys ARE the f*cking media. They ARE the mainstream. They are the lowest common denominator.
If they aren't talking about themselves when they refer to the media, they who the f*ck are they talking about??
jmac @ 47:
She can't even pay her campaign bills. How the fuck is she going to pay for an election in MI?
Those who think that a race between two democrats is indicative of the popular election in November is INSANE. Do you REALLY think that New York and California will go for McCain over Obama? Not in my lifetime. Does Hillary really think she can win Texas vs. McCain? HA! I used to respect the Clintons. They have destroyed the Democratic party and turned us against one another. They are responsible for a McCain win in November more than Nader or anybody else they love to BLAME.
Dave @ 37:
Bullshit.
You're making some huge assumptions:
a) that everyone who voted for Clinton is going to vote for McCain and not Obama. The fact is, Obama can lose major states, like New York, California and Pennsylvania, to Clinton and still easily crush McCain in those states.
b) that because Arnold is popular now that Californians will automatically vote Republican. They won't. Anybody can see that Arnold is in complete conflict with mainstream Republican (and McCain) policies.
c) that voters in general are as apathetic as they were in the past two election cycles.
d) that the differences between Republican and Democratic candidates on major issues, like the economy and war, are as indistinct as they've been the past two election cycles.
e) that there's as little enthusiasm for any Democrat as there was for Kerry or Gore. Let's face it, Obama is quite a bit more impressive than either.
f) that there's as little indifference toward Republicans as there was the past two election cycles. Democratic turnout has been TWICE that of the Republican primaries. Republicans are even sick of Republican candidates.
FINALLY!!!
What the fuc* is going on? Hillary still needs 80% of the remaining REGISTERED DEMOCRATIC VOTERS TO TIE!!!!
Christ!!! This is why a money hungry media is no good for America. A race that is over = no rating.
Yes we AMericans are freakin idiots.
drago @ 51:
I agree. As Hillary herself said the other day, why hasn't Obama closed the deal, with his big cash advantage and all his supposed grass-roots support?
If the situation were reversed, and it was Clinton ahead of Obama by the same margin he now has, he sure as hell wouldn't be dropping out. He'd take it all the way to the convention if he had to.
drago @ 51:
8.5 as of 87% of the votes counted. It's more accurate to say that she took a 20-point lead and blew 11.5 of those points getting absolutely nowhere.
This statement is garbage. She has only been active in politics since 2001. Before that she was a bystander.
See above. Her husband weathered those knockout punches. She took her public recognition from his just-completed Presidential term which had a high approval rating throughout and forged her initial Senate career out of that. She has not faced serious political opposition until now.
Except that, like most other DLC-ers, she has ceded most of her policy positions to McCain in an effort to weaken Barack Obama. She's openly stated that McCain would make a good CIC. She's advocated for torture. She's raving about bombing Iran. She's running around like a gun-toting redneck wannabe in an effort to look less liberal than Obama. And nationally, Obama out-polls her by 10 solid points.
She has LOST 30 of 45 primary contests. She is behind by over 100 delegates. She has gained TWO superdelegates since Super Tuesday. Obama has gained dozens. She is falling behind in fundraising and cannot pay her campaign bills. Obama is outraising her by tens of millions of dollars every month. What winning streak are you talking about?
See my above statements -- her last chance to close this deal was tonight and she blew it. She shat her 20-point lead and with it any chance she might have to regain momentum. All of the forward movement in this race has been Obama.
Who will be the nominee in August, and who will kick John McCain's candy ass in November. See you in the new era.
bamboozled @ 57:
Nowhere did Dave say that all HRC supporters will vote for McCain. That is your assumption. It won't take more than a few percent switching to tip the balance however.
So many moving goal posts from the Clinton camp my head is spinning. First it was the total number of pledged delegates that should decide the nominee. Then it was the popular vote. Then it was who is "more electable" (whatever that means, nevermind that the whole "I win, you lose" attitude is the entire problem with American politics these days). Now we're back to the popular vote, EXCEPT if Obama wins the popular vote, in which case the Clintons reserve the right to move the goal posts yet again.
Honestly, all you Clinton supporters out there, if you want any empathy or understanding from me, you're going to have to explain what is so special about Hillary Clinton beyond anything Barack Obama or really pretty much any other Democrat has to offer that would warrant overturning (1) the lead in pledged delegates, (2) the lead in popular vote, (3) the lead in number of contests won, (4) the number of individual campaign donors, and (5) the total amount of money raised (mind you 3, 4, and 5 speak directly to the electability issue which you seem so fond of harping over) in order to coronate Hillary the nominee. I want a serious answer to this, because what she/her campaign/many of you are suggesting is that we overturn every principle by which the Democratic process was conceived to operate in order to make her the nominee.
Annoyed Canuck @ 59:
If iy wasn't for the media he would have closed the deal. You have Faux bringing up false BS about Obama anf the rest of the media repaeating it. Clinton also brought the false issues up. You can't expect the average voter to be able to wade through all of the BS.
drago @ 51:
Yes, Hillary is really a tough, take-no-prisoners fighter!
Except for when it actually matters. The war, the Patriot Act, bankruptcy reform, flag-burning? Give her the kneepads and watch her go to town on those GOP agenda items! You can take the Goldwater Girl out of the GOP, but you can't take the GOP out of the Goldwater Girl.
The point isn't "fighting." It's "achieving." Where are her achievements for the American people? We know she'll fight for herself or Bill. What about when it's a matter of deciding whether or not non-prestigious American lives (and countless Iraqi lives) will be spilled in a war against a country that never did anything to harm America? Will she make the hard decision then? Apparently not.
Instead of "fighting," I'd be happy if Hillary had spent some time "reading" the NIE.
Also: she was SUPPOSED to win PA by 20+ points, remember? She has NEVER been ahead in delegates, popular vote, fundraising, or total states won since Super Tuesday. If she wasn't Bill's Official Wife, the plug would have been pulled a long time ago. She started this race as the putative nominee, with incredible advantages in name recognition, fundraising, the Bubba Network, etc.
And she very quickly started getting her ass kicked by an "empty suit" (to use the Clintonista favorite slur on Obama).
All those advantages, and she still was stupid enough to screw it up.
Yeah. That's the kind of brainiac I want going up against McCain. Or, we could just vote FOR McCain, because Miss "I survived sniper fire!" has already assured us that they are equally good when it comes to that mythical "Commander in Chief" threshold (the one Bill carried her over when they moved into the White House!)
Biggus Diggus @ 36:
She has to save face and actually lose.
Some suspect she's also trying to hobble Obama enough to fuck him over in the GE and give herself another shot in 2012. Which will happen if Hell freezes over. But so far, NONE of the smears she's used on Obama have stuck.
FL and MI cannot count. They were not valid "elections." You can't choose something with an election when one of the choices is not available.
drago @ 51:
Perhaps you didn't hear about Hillary's promise to obliterate Iran if it messes with Israel. Care to re-evaluate Ms Rhodes' comments on Hillary vis a vis AIPAC?
slippy hussein toad @ 65:
I'm sure the voters in those states will be quite comfortable with being disenfranchised. They won't mind a bit will they?
Chris Matthews is merely the secret identity of...Captain Obvious!
I find it astounding that the Clinton campaign has the audacity to re-frame this as a victory for Sen Clinton because Sen Obama hasn’t knocked her out yet! She is still losing the primary race, and she was supposed to be inevitable candidate.
j @ 58:
Corporate Amerika wants to force Hillary into the V.P. slot. They want Obama to have a babysitter.
Sorry gang but Tweety is correct . Hillary having won Pennsylvania can and will certainly stay in the race but fact is Obama would have to have a total melt down for her to come out on top , the realists on the networks and else where are saying Clinton would have to win something like 60 percent in all remaining contests to legitimately ( key word there ) win the nomination , doing the math , they are right . Also the networks are making a killing on this thing and want to prolong the race . Off topic but I saw what for me was a very disturbing poll result shown on MSNBC tonight , asking Cliton supporters if race is important , 75 percent said yes , Obama supporters 25 percent said race was important , understandably ( to me any way ) blacks will support a black but the 25 % number didn't make much sense to me . I don't know if the poll was in PA or nationally ,I think it was PA . Regardless , I was shocked , I thought most people were more intelligent and above that these days but it appears we are still neanderthal simpletons . I wondered why people were accepting the lies , Karl Rove gutter poilitcs and smears from a DEM candidte and the obvious contradictions and conflicts of interest ( being for the people verses for the lobbyists and corporate world , can't have it both ways ) , sadly this is the answer . Some voting by gender but an awful lot of voting by race . The country is in deep crap economically , for most of us our lives are becoming more and more difficult and the future is uncertain , an insane Iraq occupation is still going on ( at 9 billion a week ) deaths still occuring daily , gasoline is up to four dollars and affecting all the neccessities and on and on , but the most important thing to consider when voting is gender or race ? Amazing . Sad Sad Sad . No matter who you support , it should bother any right minded person.
yeah I know , spelling , rattled this out and didn't spell check , please please forgive me ! LOL
Biggus Diggus @ 36:
thier will be blood!
Peter G @ 67:
I said it in the other thread but it's closed. Not resolving Florida and Michigan is a recipe for disaster. People have no idea.
drago @ 51:
How many more times will the "pundits" say Hillary MUST drop out PRIOR to an important primary only to find themselves forced to eat their own words on election nite? What a sad, embarrassing nite for all those "journalists" & talking heads who once again spent all their time trying to bury a legitimate, competitive Democratic candidate for the POTUS. And some of the densest are still trying to recast Hillary's win as a "loss" because it was "only" 10%.
Neither candidate can get the required delegate number. Neither one, not just Hillary. With her substantial wins (despite Obama's massive financial resources & softball treatment by the "press"), she has every right to make her case to the super delegates. It's called the Democratic Party not the Most-money Party. The ones who are tearing the Democratic Party apart are the ones who don't want democracy (voters) to determine the nominee. They've decided: no more debates, no more primaries, no more democracy in action. For a false sense of "party unity," just declare Obama the nominee now so he can start trying to force McCain to concede before the GE because that's now his M.O. for "victory." It'd be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic, the way the so-called "Democratic Party" doesn't want the democratic process to continue democratically. If Obama's such a guaranteed winner with massive resources everywhere he goes, why did he lose another large, important state tonite to Hillary? Or is winning now as irrelevant to the Democratic Party as experience? Who needs a candidate in November who's too afraid to finish out the nomination process thru to the convention?
A "tough-ass-biotch" in the White House who advocates mandated universal health care and the obliteration of Islamic terrorist extremists. That is my wet dream of a future President of the United States. Hillary in 2008!