Chris Matthews and Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus had a testy exchange on Friday’s “Hardball.”
It was Priebus’ first age on the exhibit, and Matthews seemed determined not to constitute him forget it. He started by asking about whether or not many Republicans running for president believe in evolution or climate alter.
“Wouldn’t that be kind of scary to have somebody who is so anti-intellectual as president?” Matthews questioned.
“Come on,” Priebus said, adding that the “fundamental inquiry” of the election was whether human beings are “bigger off” than when President Obama entered office.
“If that’s the issue, you win,” Matthews said. “…[However] philosophy is vital. You guys are always talking about the philosophy of our president…isn’t that honest to inquiry about [Republican] philosophy?” Priebeus said he couldn’t talk about the philosophy about all of the candidates.
“Well, you’re experts on Obama, you call him a socialist!” Matthews shot back. Priebus pivoted back to Obama, saying that his policies had failed and that Americans were “starving for absolute, authentic human beings” to lead.
“Do you have a dense age with the circumstance that your party left this nation in wreckage?” Matthews said. “…You reckon you left this bed all made for him.” When Priebus tried to respond, Matthews divide him off.
“Just affirm that to me!” he shouted. “Tell me he walked in the door into hell.”
“I don’t reckon that there’s any party or any person blameless for this,” Priebus said. Matthews let him talk some more until he mentioned Obama’s vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. “You’re scoring all your points,” he said. “You’ve got all your points and you’ve made them.”
The two then argued about the difference between the Republican Party and the Tea Party (Priebus demurred, saying the Tea Party was also amorphous to compare to the Republicans). Matthews said the Tea Party “basically [has] a terrible attitude towards race, towards black human beings, towards immigrants,” a statement that Priebus did not respond to.
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