Liberal Racism

"Again he [Barack Obama] carries with him the history of tonight. And it's important to point out, as we have not so far, Barack Obama was not given this nomination, he won it. He was not offered a nice title like Secretary of State, like Condoleezza Rice got from the Republicans. He was not offered the title of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as Colin Powell was, or Secretary of State. He won the nomination of a Democratic Party voting together. He defeated all other opponents and took the prize and took the leadership. He is the chosen leader of the Democratic Party."

"He is not some popular appointment or a showcase appointment. He is the victor here tonight. That's why he dictates the agenda. That's why he says, personally, what the Democratic Party will do if he's elected President. He is the leader of the party. He may be the leader of the country through a democratic process. It is so vital to understand the history being made here tonight. This is not something cute or wonderful. It is something compelling and powerful. This country has changed its history."  - Chris Matthews

So according to Mr. Matthews, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell were given their positions. Affirmative Action. Tokens. Showcase. Step and Fetch. Black face. Joint Chiefs, Secretary of State... All because they were "selected, not elected."

Democrats.

Shame on Chris Matthews who used the accomplishments of one American to demean the achievement of others. I really don't understand why Matthews chose to diminish this historical moment by interjecting his own racist bias, but he did.

He is a disgrace to an already disgraceful network.

Comments

[Janir]

Obama "WON"? Gee what was all that flap about super delegates throwing the democratic primary to whatever candidate the party power brokers wanted to win? I think that's been Hillary's point for a few months now?

[abehnke]

But James, how can you possibly diminish the patriotism and professionalism of Chris "it's so inspiring" Matthews. You know that psychotic tingle he has going up his leg has inspired him to read the fututre..... oops I meant psychic. Well, maybe I was right the first time. MSNBC is pitiful in its liberal loon democratic bias towards President Bush & Senator McCain. God help up us if their dream (our nightmare) comes true

[dad29]

This is portentous...

The MSM is now setting up the election as a "race referendum."

What happens if Obama loses?

[BretMichaelsPants]

Sorry wingnuts, I know you love to think of yourselves as persecuted, but Matthews said nothing about the accomplishments of Rice or Powell. They were given their respective postions based on the preference of one person. I don’t see how you could be so offended by someone making the distinction between that and having millions of people select you for a position. Considering the source of the story I’d think the echo chamber was getting a bit loud around here.

I guess if you really want to hate something you can always find a reason if you look hard enough. Usually I hope people like that can find something positive to brighten their day rather than just hating to make themselves feel better.

I wish you all a brighter day,
BMP

[James T]

Thanks BMP,

May your day be filled with happiness and light as well!

[LegioNofZioN]

have to disagree with BMP, though on this site that ain't no surprise. What Matthews said was factually true, but the tone used, and the context was to belittle appointments while biggin up elected official. I get why BMP sees nothing wrong, (s)he is a lib after all. While elections mean a whole lot more, it should not by implication denegrate the qualifications and accomplishemnts of those who have been selected for posts. After all if we could elect all of the government it would be far different than what you have here.

[BretMichaelsPants]

James, if I didn’t know you better I might think you were being sarcastic with your comment.

I guess I’m still missing the accomplishments that were denigrated. When I hear the clip, Matthews is without a doubt touting Obama’s nomination as a break thru event and the tone used is reflective of that. The comment has nothing to do with past accomplishments only the process by which they were selected for their respective positions. Rather than meeting the approval of one person he was approved by millions. That by itself is an accomplishment. The problem with debating tone is that it is so subjective and it is hard to judge the context based on a one minute clip without knowing what lead to the comment in the first place.

BMP

[Tuerqas]

I think both sides are poking too hard here. Chris' actual point, that he was chosen by millions IS significant and historical. There was, however, no need to compare a first, a breakthrough accomplishment, to other people's accomplishments(That is why it is a FIRST). It DID belittle the accomplishments of others. Rice and Powell were chosen because they were qualified, not because they were a popular color and well spoken. So far both have more cred than Obama until/unless he wins the election.