Chris Matthews Mocks Rush Limbaugh as the 'Guy From Deliverance'

November 1st, 2012 6:17 PM

MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Thursday lashed out at Rush Limbaugh and his criticism of Chris Christie, deriding the conservative radio host as "the guy from Deliverance." Matthews played a clip of Limbaugh joking, "New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has decided to play the role of a Greek column today for President Obama."

Matthews fumed, "He reminds me more of the guy from Deliverance– 'Squeal like a pig,'" a reference to the sodomy scene in the 1972 film. Matthews followed up, "...It just seems like he's squealing like a pig essentially here."

The Hardball anchor introduced the clip by ridiculously asserting, "On another side of the planet, and on the side of the Manichean division between good and evil, here is Rush Limbaugh going after Chris Christie's kind words for the President."

Matthews previously smeared Ann Coulter's audience as straight out of Deliverance.

 The host mocked, "Let's listen to the walrus underwater," an attack he's also used before.

A transcript of the November 1 exchange follows:


5:20

CHRIS MATTHEWS: On another side of the planet, and on the side of the Manichean division between good and evil, here is Rush Limbaugh going after Chris Christie's kind words for the President. Let's listen to the walrus under water. [Makes walrus sound.] Let's listen to him right now. Here is Rush Limbaugh.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: New Jersey governor Chris Christie has decided to play the role of a Greek column today for President Obama. Obama and Chris Christie will tour the Jersey Shore. Chris Christie is the only Republican-- I mean not just praising Obama. I mean it's-- it's-- let's just put it this way. Is it wrong for one man to love another man? But that man love out there it's isolated to the state of New Jersey. Well, just tell you what I have observed casually with my busy broadcast eyes and my cochlear implant-aided ears.

MATTHEWS: He reminds me more of the guy from Deliverance– "Squeal like a pig." –than anybody. Anyway, this whole thought here, without getting too much into the movie references, Jeff and Howard, it just seems like he's squealing like a pig essentially here. He knows he lost the day and he just wants to complain about it, this bromance, suggestions of gay behaviors. It's absurd. It's high school.

HOWARD FINEMAN: Rush is sort of the kind of air raid siren for the Republicans. When he's creaming like that, you know something has happened, something significant has happened.