wrong about so many things (via jskaroff)
Yesterday on Hardball, Chris Matthews argued that a public option would be impossible to pass the Senate:
CHARLES BLOW: The public, by far, wants a public option. The president has said it‘s a good idea to have a public option.
MATTHEWS: How come—I don‘t want to argue with you all night. Only 30 senators support that position. You talk it up. Ed Schultz talks it up every night. Fair enough. It‘s a good position. It‘s a progressive decision. I just saw as recently as a couple days ago, only 30 Democrat, Melinda—only 30 Democrats of the 60 Democrats in Senate support it. Why do we keep talking about something that half the Democrats don‘t support? Do you think Evan Bayh is for it? Do you think Blanche Lincoln is for it?
Ken Conrad? Max Baucus? No, they‘re not.
First of all, notice how Matthews cleverly claims that only 30 Democrats in the Senate support a public option. He’s referring to a letter signed by 30 Democrats demanding that Harry Reid include a public option in any bill that comes to the Senate floor. Harry Reid didn’t sign it because, um, it was ADDRESSED to him. But he’s on the record supporting it. The rest of the Senate leadership didn’t sign the letter either. But Chuck Schumer supports it, as does Dick Durbin. Schumer even challenged Reid to put the public option in the final Senate bill, which is the exact message of the letter.
In fact, public whip counts show at least 51 votes from the Democratic caucus in support.
In addition, this is the wrong question. The proper question is whether any Democrat would vote to join a Republican filibuster on a bill with a public option. And though Holy Joe Lieberman has flirted with that, no member of the Democratic caucus has publicly stated they would. That’s the key question, but expecting Matthews to understand that is like expecting a giraffe to do long division.
Related posts:
- Schumer Raises the Stakes: If Final Bill Has No Public Option, Blame Harry Reid
- Hey, Harry Reid, Stop Protecting Democrats Who Want to Filibuster the Public Option
- Colorado Senators Udall and Bennet Call for Up-or-Down Vote on Public Option
- FDL Action Launches 40,000 Call Phone Bank to Nevada Democrats Targeting Harry Reid and the Public Option
- Burris: Health Care Reform Must Have a Public Option
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You’re assuming that Tweety would shut the fuck up long enough to engage in something called “Research”. Na ga happen.
Tweety loves him some Tweety, alright. The guy is insufferable, to say nothing of his inside-the-beltway command of the issues. What a joke.
This is absolutely wrong that Chris Matthews, who is supposed to have a responsibility to say, inform people, is paying less attention than I am.
Also, why was Charles Blow on? Charles Blow is a graphics columnist.
Everyone would be better off giving up TV.
Being giraffes, they hardly could be expected to do short division.
I think a bigger question is why a few thousand crazy people teabagging in public is presented by people like Matthews as ‘big problems’ for whatever sensible policy is being considered, or Democrats, or representing some Popular Will that is important to recognize.
But polls consistently say that between 65% and 75% of the population wants a public option, and this has nothing to do with ‘viability’, and does not even seem to exist as a fact in the Village mind.
I think that some of the ornate political Kabuki gyrations we see in Congress show that lawmakers are beginning to understand that the persistent and high popularity of the public option among the mere voters may have implications for their electoral viability. They are uncertain which to follow, lobby money or votes, and they must weasel through a rock and a hard place in order to do business as usual using their own wits (which must be scary to them).
This odd dissonance just more evidence of how far out of it the Village has become.
Good one VJB!
I simply can’t bring myself to watch tweety. He is in love with the sound of his voice, he does no research, and he doesn’t listen if he doesn’t want to agree with his guest. In other words, because he is reputed to be liberal (I have never figured out why), he is perfect to mislead, misconstrue, and misstate on any subject that jack welch wants muddled.
Who cares what Matthews says? If we all ignore him maybe he will just go away?
Tweety’s argument has all the fact check he requires … a tingle up his Leg !
Haven’t you heard … all talking heads are fond of Blow !
I second wesgpc’s oft-cited stat that
Like his pals in D.C./the Beltway, that son-of-a-bitch never has to worry about his health plan. He, like Congress, actually has one.
But he’ll sit there, whine, plump his plumage and pontificate about matters of which he knows nothing. I’m sure this evening he’ll blather on about the Dow and 10,000 points and that, therefore, the public has clearly demonstrated its support in escalating troop levels in Afghanistan.
To bastardize Rod Serling, “It is the middle ground between stupidity and idiocy, between decency and immorality, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his rather reasonable demands. This is the dimension of the Beltway. It is an area which we call “The Twilight Zone”.
Who in the Senate will join a GOP filibuster when health care ‘reform’ comes to the Senate floor without any Public Option? Both sides can play this game — why not ours?
No one ever said Chris Matthews was SMART – just loud… Hell, his brother is a REPUB County Commissioner here in PA – you think Chrissie is very different from Brother Jim?
Great post.
Thank you!
Why on earth is Christ Matthews on tv?
Does anyone know what his “numbers” are? Are his viewers the same folks who watch the geriatric Sunday programs?
Chris is a blathering idiot who thinks he’s a genius. He mistakes his hyper, never-shut-up MO for intelligence and “interest.” If he had either, he’d shut up, do some studying, and realize that other folks have more interesting and intelligent things to say, and his job is to get them to do so.
He reminds me of a kid who’s just eaten his entire bag of Halloween candy and is bouncing off the walls. Amusing, perhaps, but not worthy of a tv program.
And today he interviews Snowe and Collins with bated breath — as if either of their votes are needed for anything.
I think you have to remember who owns tweety. The jack welch GE execs. He was put on yesterday morning to continue his meme about ‘the left’, and the prioritizing of the public option. He devoted way too much time opining on which one of the liberal ‘whiners’ would vote no giving his drama for the afternoon. It was continued by mrs. greenspan, chuck todd and harwood. It was even worse on cnbc. tweety’s antipathy with the progressives and their determination to fight for the public option, is flagrant. mrs. greenspan, david gregory and chuck todd all have their knives sharpened to demonize the net roots. Oddly enough, a few weeks ago it was Roger Simon from politico who tried to illustrate that the public option is really more mainstream than the beltway villagers were allowing, and he hasn’t been on hardball for a while.
Misleads no the word you are looking for is Lie
The downside of Christopher Matthews bolting as the San Francisco Examiner DC correspondent is that he has now been unleashed as the conservative voice on MSNBC.
Mathews is the same dipshit that was enthralled by GWB in both of his campaigns, brazenly licking his ass at every turn. His fitness for the presidency he drooled was that Junior was manly, the low life buffoon kept repeating like a lovestruck teen age miss.
This fool should not merit discussion but rather complete contempt. To make a bald faced lie and misrepresent the actual number of Dem Senators in support of the PO is in keeping with this idiot’s cluelessness. But to the extent that he has a forum, the spreading of these lies may have an effect. They are able to have some credence when the whip count of the Senators in favor of the PO is not openly and repeatedly made known to the public.
You are spot on.
Don’t reward his show folks,don’t watch for chrissakes!It will do your sanity good.
I would say boycott his show but apparently no one watches it anyway. MSNBC is only good for two things: Ed and Rachel. Keith is bearable when he has decaf.