Chris Matthews: Romney Was Arrogant for Thinking 'I Can Beat' Obama, He's No 'First-Rate Politician' Like Obama

September 15th, 2012 2:18 PM

It's fun to joke that the Obama-worshippers in the liberal press are frustrated daily that Mitt Romney has so far failed to concede the general election and get out. Then you watch Chris Matthews. On Friday, he marched on to the set at MSNBC and ranted that it was "arrogant" for Romney to run against Obama like he thought he was a "first-rate politician" like MSNBC's conquering hero.

He was furious that Romney would consider running again in 2012 even before Obama was inaugurated, blaming him for "arrogance" for thinking he was a "first-rate politician" that could beat Obama where McCain failed. (Does Chris think Obama wasn't thinking about running for president in 2008 even before Bush was inaugurated for a second term? The Democrats at Newsweek certainly were already going there at the end of 2004, lauding their "Skywalker.") The show they call Hardball looked like DNC-TV: 

Matthews was showing clips of the ceremony honoring the four Americans who lost their lives in Libya this week. There was zero reflection on the notion that this was a moment to mark Obama's policy failures. No, for Matthews, it was yet another triumphant moment in the history of the United States of Obama: "That was President Obama today, of course, at the ceremony to mark the transfer of remains for the four Americans killed in Libya this week. It ended a week in which the eyes of the world were on the president. Well, let`s listen to more of that amazing ceremony this afternoon."

After another Obama clip, Matthews oozed, "Well, there was a moment in American history right there. Last week, when Obama spoke at the Democratic National Committee (sic) down in Charlotte, he said, 'I am the president.' Well, this week, he showed what it means to be president."

They just never stop being thrilled that he's the president. They certainly can't imagine that he won't be president next year.

Then Matthews lauded both Obama and Hillary to Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco: "I was so proud of this country right then, Mayor, because there you saw two people that had been political adversaries. The wonderful moment when the secretary of state reached over to grab his hand after those remarks, it is something else. I am a sentimentalist, I will admit it, but I can`t think of a better way to celebrate our Americanism than the way we did it just then."

Erin McPike of Real Clear Politics followed up like another Dem-bot: "This might be the moment that Hillary Clinton crossed the threshold of looking like a potential commander in chief."

Then came Matthews lecturing Romney:

I thought the decision by Romney  to run for president, even as the president hadn`t been inaugurated, Mayor, showed disdain. I don`t want to get into this too much on this head on this, I don`t like the look of it, but he seemed to think this guy can be beat by me. I am going to beat him even though I am not a first rate politician, I can beat this guy. There`s certain, struck me as -- well, an arrogant point of view, already gearing up his campaign. Do you have any thoughts on that? I thought Romney still has that arrogance.

Why is it shocking or offensive that a poltiician thinks he could win the presidency? How would Matthews have reacted if a Republican said it was "arrogant" for Obama to think he could win the presidency when he was not a "first-rate politician"? Obviously, Matthews would have tagged him as a fringe birther racist.

That's the notion with which Matthews started his hour on Friday: "I remember when George Wallace said there`s not a dime's worth of difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. Well, today, for those paying attention, there's not a dime's worth of difference between Mitt Romney and the Republican fringe."