Family Forum / Marriage / Divorce / March 2008

Source:Media Matters

Chris Matthews asserted "[t]here's only one way to read" Bill
Clinton's comments on McCain-Hillary Clinton match-up

Summary: Chris Matthews asserted that "[t]here's only one way to read"
Bill Clinton's statement -- "I think it'd be a great thing if we had
an election year where you had two people who loved this country and
were devoted to the interest of this country ... instead of all this
other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics":
"He's saying that if you pick these two people, you get two people who
love their country. If you don't, you don't get two people who love
their country." But others have in fact offered an explanation of
Clinton's comments that differs from Matthews', demonstrating that,
contrary to his claim, there is more than one way "to read that."

On the March 21 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews aired
a video clip of former President Bill Clinton at an event earlier that
day in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Clinton said of a possible
match-up between Sens. Hillary Clinton and John McCain: "I think it'd
be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people
who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this
country and people could actually ask themselves, who's right on these
issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude
itself on our politics." After airing the clip, Matthews asserted:
"There's only one way to read that. He's saying that if you pick these
two people you get two people who love their country. If you don't,
you don't get two people who love their country." Matthews added: "You
get this other guy [Sen. Barack] Obama who has all this other stuff,
as if that other stuff is Obama's problem." But others have in fact
offered an explanation of Clinton's comments that differs from
Matthews', demonstrating that, contrary to his claim, there is more
than one way "to read that." Indeed, Bill Clinton's spokesman, Matt
McKenna, said of the comments: "Actually, as is indicated by the quote
itself, President Clinton was talking about the need to talk about
issues, rather than falsely questioning any candidate's patriotism. He
was lamenting that these kind of distractions 'always seems to
intrude' on political campaigns. This is consistent with his criticism
of the 'politics of personal destruction,' which dates back 16 years."

Sen. Clinton's campaign posted McKenna's statement on its "Fact Hub"
page in an entry headlined, "Fact Check: What Bill Clinton Said In
Charlotte." Bill Clinton's response was also noted in The New York
Times' political blog The Caucus.

Matthews also addressed Bill Clinton's comments later in the show.
After re-airing the video clip of Bill Clinton, Matthews said: "You
know, when he waves that finger at him -- I remember him waving that
finger before. 'I did not have' -- you know, when he starts to wave
that finger, I begin to wonder, what is he talking about? There's only
two patriots running in this race and the other guy has all of these
problems as if it's his fault?" The Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman
disagreed with this interpretation, stating: "I don't believe that
he's trying to suggest that Senator Obama is not a patriot. I think
what he's saying is Senator Clinton and Senator McCain like each other
and they have policy disagreements." Matthews responded: "You have two
people that love the country and don't have all this other stuff.
What's all of this 'other stuff,' and why single these two out as the
patriots?" Zuckman replied: "I think what he's saying is if these two
are in a general election together, it will be a great race. It will
be an uplifting race where people can feel proud of their country."

In addition to Zuckman, Steve Benen stated on his blog, The
Carpetbagger Report:

There's just nothing striking about the comments. He said Clinton and
McCain are patriotic Americans who can face off in a campaign about
issues. It wasn't a shot at Obama; it wasn't about Obama at all. I
suppose one, if they were really anxious to parse the words and raise
a fuss, could make a variety of inferences, but there's really no
rational need to do so. At face value, his comments were harmless.

Also, in a post on National Review Online's blog The Corner, Kathleen
Parker, a syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group,
wrote that she "was present" when Clinton made the remarks. She added,
"In no way did I interpret Clinton's remarks as questioning Obama's
patriotism. Clinton was making the case for his wife's electability
against McCain, who last time I checked is the presumptive Republican
nominee and her challenger should she win the Democratic nomination."
From Parker's blog post:

In no way did I interpret Clinton's remarks as questioning Obama's
patriotism. Clinton was making the case for his wife's electability
against McCain, who last time I checked is the presumptive Republican
nominee and her challenger should she win the Democratic nomination.
He may have intentionally bypassed Obama in his leap to match Hillary
against McCain, but he didn't say anything that could be construed as
questioning Obama's patriotism. The sequence went as follows: He noted
that Hillary polls ahead of McCain in Ohio and Florida and also that
McCain leads "Hillary's opponent" (I quit typing here and don't recall
exactly which states he mentioned in that part of his comment.) His
point, obviously, was that Hillary should be the nominee and, in that
case, she and McCain would face each other in the final contest.

From the March 21 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: But, Mike Allen, like a cartoon character, Mike -- I want to
ask you about -- you know the cartoons we grew up watching of the
cartoon character that runs off the cliff and doesn't look down and
keeps running, in fact, stays there in free space, as if there isn't a
cliff they've just gone over. Hillary and Bill Clinton -- I want you
to look at this. If this isn't a case of that, I don't know what is.
This is Bill Clinton today talking about the situation in this race in
this somewhat unearthly way.

BILL CLINTON [video clip]: John McCain is an honorable man, and as all
of you know, he has paid the highest price you can pay for the United
States short of giving your life. And he and Hillary are friends. They
like and respect each other. They have big disagreements on foreign
policy and economic policy. They have taken reluctant Republican
senators all over the world to prove that global warming is real but
there is a way to deal with it that grows the economy and doesn't
shrink it. And we now have a bipartisan majority in the Senate to do
something about this.

That's the kind of leadership this country needs. And I think it'd be
a great thing if we had an election where you had two people who love
this country and were devoted to the interests of the country, and
people could actually ask themselves, who's right on these issues,
instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on
our politics.

MATTHEWS: There's only one way to read that. He's saying that if you
pick these two people, you get two people that love their country. If
you don't, you don't get two people that love your country. You get
this other guy, Obama, who has all this other stuff, as if that other
stuff is Obama's problem. He's getting pretty tough here, isn't he, in
these last efforts to hold onto reality or something like a Clinton
reality, Mike?

MIKE ALLEN (Politico chief political writer): Well, of course, Chris.
And the Clintons, in fact, really believe that he would be a weak
candidate in the general election. They, of course, for their own
personal reasons, but they also fear, in a campaign like this, you
have to believe this, that they would be much stronger candidates.

Now, Chris, as you suggested in your question, there's two reasons
that the press hasn't -- has sort of been suspending reality here a
little bit or holding off on a verdict in this campaign. And that is,
first of all, because we've been wrong so many times, burned so many
times. Why should this be the first time in this cycle that what we
expect to happen will happen?

But second, as you referenced, it's the Clintons. People think that
somehow, some way, they're going to find a way to get out of this. And
this has to be very emotional time for them. This was such a personal
affront today for Bill Richardson, who had two appointments from
President Clinton, to go ahead and endorse their opponent.

[...]

MATTHEWS: Here's her husband, former President Clinton, what he had to
say, some tough words today. I think he's still in a fighting mood.

BILL CLINTON [video clip]: John McCain is an honorable man, and as all
of you know, he has paid the highest price you can pay for the United
States short of giving your life. And he and Hillary are friends. They
like and respect each other. They have big disagreements on foreign
policy and economic policy. They have taken reluctant Republican
senators all over the world to prove that global warming is real but
there is a way to deal with it that grows the economy and doesn't
shrink it. And we now have a bipartisan majority in the Senate to do
something about this.

That's the kind of leadership this country needs. And I think it'd be
a great thing if we had an election where you had two people who love
this country and were devoted to the interests of the country, and
people could actually ask themselves, who's right on these issues,
instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on
our politics.

MATTHEWS: You know, when he waves that finger at him -- I remember him
waving that finger before. "I did not have" -- you know, when he
starts to wave that finger, I begin to wonder, what is he talking
about? There's only two patriots running in this race and the other
guy has all of these problems as if it's his fault?

ADAM CLYMER (author and former New York Times reporter): Well, when he
waves his finger, reach for your wallet.

[laughter]

MATTHEWS: Jill?

ZUCKMAN: I don't believe that he's trying to suggest that Senator
Obama is not a patriot. I think what he's saying is Senator Clinton
and Senator McCain like each other and they have policy disagreements.

MATTHEWS: You have two people that love the country and don't have all
this other stuff. What's all of this "other stuff," and why single
these two out as the patriots?

ZUCKMAN: I think what he's saying is if these two are in a general
election together, it will be a great race. It will be an uplifting
race where people can feel proud of their country.

MATTHEWS: That's a unique selling point?

ZUCKMAN: Look, Senator McCain talks about it a lot.

MATTHEWS: A unique selling point, so they're paired off more or less
politically.

ZUCKMAN: Exactly.

-- L.K.A.

Posted to the web on Monday, March 24, 2008 at 12:19 PM ET