Chris Matthews Accidentally Destroyed The Latest Pro-Hillary Talking Point

Readers of political blogs by now are all too familiar with the scores of bogus pieces that say, in essence, "Bernie Sanders has been a great candidate and we love him, but when is he going to get out of the race and start supporting Hillary?" The author is usually a Hillary Clinton surrogate pretending to be a neutral observer.

The latest variation of this was Joe Conason on AlterNet, who tells us "The time is coming when Bernie Sanders should declare victory" because "[h]e has pushed both Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and her party well to the left of where they were when he entered the race."

Of course, it is patently absurd to claim that Bernie has gone to the enormous effort of running a nationwide presidential campaign simply to get Hillary to talk like a progressive for a couple of months. Bernie Sanders for President is the name of the game, and his millions of supporters want Bernie to make it to the White House. With 14 states yet to go, and the convention not until the end of July, winning is the goal.

Well, this morning on MSNBC Chris Matthews inadvertently shredded the latest Hillary surrogate talking point in an interview with Joy Reid. The whole interview is interesting, but skip ahead to 09:30 for the part I am referencing here.

According to Matthews, if she wins the nomination Hillary owes Bernie nothing more than a prime-time speaking slot at the convention. Asked whether Hillary ought to adopt some of Bernie's progressive policy proposals, Matthews replies that she needs to move to the "middle and center-right" instead. In his view, taking progressive ideas into the general election would amount to "carrying water for Bernie Sanders." Any attempt to pander to Bernie supporters would be "transactional politics" and should be avoided.

That tells me that Hillary surrogates who trot out the talking point that Bernie has somehow won a victory by "pushing Hillary to the left" could not be more full of baloney. She has no intention of going left of center, and I trust Chris Matthews to predict what the Hillary campaign would really do if she gets nominated.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

This is exactly the mentality I am rejecting by vowing not to vote for an establishment candidate. Period. Keep flapping those lips, Chris. Every word is another nail in the coffin.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Bollox Ref's picture

Bernie Sanders isn't part of any upcoming equation.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

And they will be so surprised when Trump runs to the left of her on war, on trade, even on banking if she's the nominee. If necessary, I'll write in Bernie or vote for Jill Stein. A vote is a tacit sign of approval. I will never vote for someone who will consign my children to a world of catastrophic climate change, or think nothing of destroying the lives of children all over the globe.

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Amanda Matthews's picture

to her a few days ago.

***
Kathleen Matthews Trounced In Democratic Primary Under Questions Of Donors’ Ties To Husband’s Show

Kathleen Matthews trounced

***

No doubt he thought she had it in the bag. Obviously both her and the Tweet thought she could pull the same scam with her donors that Clinton does and she'd win her primary.

Hahahaha. WRONG!!

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Matthews was a puke. He confirmed it many times over during this campaign season. That link puts the period at the end of the sentence.

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"The real power is in the hands of small groups of people and I don't think they have titles. -- Bob Dylan"

As are all of the mainstream media anchors, most of the pundits and all of the corporations that own them.

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watching her lose.It will be even better when hrc goes down!

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The establishment pundits such as Matthews think it is necessary to tack to the "center" to win in the general election. What they ignore is the fact that Bernie's proposals - ridiculed as leftist "pie in the sky" - are in fact centrist, because they are supported by the majority of the American people, just like those "radical" policies Social Security and Medicare. That's why Bernie crushes Hillary among Independents.

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Mark F. McCarty

spouse could not capitalize on her hubby or Hillary.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Bollox Ref's picture

is a hint about pragmatic, centerist bullshit, otherwise known as the Democratic Party.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Ravensword's picture

In his view, taking progressive ideas into the general election would amount to "carrying water for Bernie Sanders." Any attempt to pander to Bernie supporters would be "transactional politics" and should be avoided.

There's this whole Bernie or Bust movement going on, and Matthews isn't in the very least suggesting that Hillary should pander to Bernie supporters in an attempt to get them to vote for her in the GE? Seriously? What the fuck?

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jamess's picture

still doesn't get it.

This is gonna be a change a election, one way or another.

Far too many people are angry with Congress
and the money that guides their every move, their every vote, their every lie.

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Lenzabi's picture

And they never had any intention of truly going left, they just want him to concede so they all can avoid the FBI thing before the convention and have her crowned as their nominee. Hillary has only spoken like she moved left to try to wheedle Bernie support fence sitters to her camp. Should be President., I would fully expect to see her allow Fracking/drilling/more wars/wall street breaks, and the TPP also enacted with Keystone Pipeline. Her supporters willingly accept the BS the propaganda machine she has backing her and do not or will not see how Rethuglican she truly is at her core.

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So long, and thanks for all the fish

Once you buy the house/sign the contract/marry the guy/eat the steak/ENDORSE the Hillary ... You've given your power away. Get what you want BEFORE you give away your last chip and you'll never give your power away.

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