Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews visited his old workplace to complain about Democrats not doing enough to stand up against President Donald Trump.
On Monday’s episode of Morning Joe, Matthews called out several left-leaning lawmakers by name, asking them what is going on and why they’re dragging their feet when it comes to opposing the president’s agenda.
Watch:
Matthews was addressing Democrat strategist James Carville’s advice to “sit back” and wait for Republicans to screw up, then use it against them in the next election cycle. Scarborough gave a personal example of the Clinton administration allowing the GOP to run roughshod over them while they collected “receipts,” a strategy that won Clinton’s re-election and ended with many Republicans getting the boot.
“Yeah. Well, there’s a lot of rules out there about how to behave when you’re losing. But, you know, the big problem is that Trump came in this time, this second time, with a machine gun, and he fired so many shots,” Matthews explained. “He said, first of all, the people that tried to kill Congress by attacking the U.S. Congress on January 6th—’ I’m going to pardon them all to let you know where I stand. I’m with them.’ That was a pretty clear statement. ‘I’m with Article Two, not Article One. I’m not with the Congress. I’m not looking out for you guys.’”
“And when it came time for advice and consent, which there’s a whole book written about and a whole—it was a big issue—the right of the Congress to say no to a cabinet appointment, he said: ‘You’re not going to do that because I’m going to shut you guys down.’ And he did. So, Tillis and Cassidy and Collins, nobody talked. They shut down the Congress. He said, ‘I’m the boss.’ And he just said the same thing overseas. He said, basically: ‘Let’s see, I’m going to have one of my guys over there is going to say that Germany should go to the right. Germany should move to the right.’
“Now, there’s an interesting foreign policy. I haven’t seen that in the 20th century, certainly—go to the right. And that’s what his vice president said: ‘I want you to accept the AfD, join the right, put up with them—not only put up with them, tolerate and use them, bring them, bring them forth. Go to the right. Get to the right.’ You know, it’s unbelievable,” the former host whined. “And then he treats little countries like Ukraine like they don’t matter, Europe like it doesn’t matter. He’s the big boss at home and the big boss overseas. And nobody stands in his way.”
“And I watched the Democrats in the media too. It’s very hard to take on a firing squad— a lot of bullets coming your way, all aiming at you, and you’ve got to shoot back in all directions at the same time,” he continued. “Nobody in the Democratic Party can say [Senator Chuck] Schumer can’t do it. He’s a good leader. You know, [former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi was a fabulous leader. But the ability to take on all the shots at once—now that’s interesting. You know, Peter Baker can do it in The New York Times. You know, he’s one of the few people who can actually lead a news story and talk about everything that’s going on and attack back. Why can’t a Democratic leader stand up and say what I just said?”
“This guy’s taken down the Congress. He’s taken down the rights of the American people. He’s the big boss overseas. And back here, the big boss. Listen to him. Do what he says. Nobody’s saying that… Chris Murphy’s trying. I keep waiting. Who’s going to stand up? Who’s going to take a shot back at this guy? Why isn’t Cory Booker doing it? He’s got all the talent in the world. I’m a big Cory Booker fan. Do it, Cory. Do it.”
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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