He has, Chris; he has . . .
Chris Matthews claims that for purposes of the 2012 campaign, Barack Obama needs to offer an alternative to capitalism. Along the way, Matthews, on his MSNBC show this evening, offered a completely crazed notion of what capitalism is about. Chris clearly never cracked 'The Wealth of Nations' back at Holy Cross. Does the Invisible Hand ring a bell, Chris? View video after the jump.
Marvel at Matthews entirely misconstruing what capitalism is about--while calling on PBO to come up with an alternative.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: CHRIS MATTHEWS: The Republican candidate will promise that less government is better. Less taxes, less spending, less regulation, less involvement. He or she will say that the smart move is to have Washington pull back into a cocoon of small activity and leave the mighty corporate world, which we've been recently assured is just people like us with all the good intentions of mankind, all the compassion and human concern and of course looking out for one's fellow man, alive and thriving in the executive board room. The live, pending, intriguing unknown is what President Obama will offer. What Obama program? What Obama push? What Obama sweep of action will be showcased for our consideration as we enter the polling booth? What alternative to the compelling argument that government should simply get the heck out of the way so that the lion of capitalism can let loose its mighty roar? What will be the other roar, is my question?
Matthews was presumably riffing off Romney's recent statement that "corporations are people. ... Everything that corporations earn also goes to people." That is an undeniable fact. Chris, even in the law, corporations are known as a fiction. Really, they don't belong to country clubs or smoke cigars. Ultimately, people do.
But where did Matthews get the crazy concept that capitalism is all about compassion and looking out for human concern? Seriously, has he never heard of enlightened self-interest? Capitalism drives people to offer better goods and services at lower prices not out of the goodness of their heart but because that's how you get customers and make money. It's socialism, Chris, that fails because it assumes most people will emulate Mother Teresa.
