RUSH: To the audio sound bites! Last night, over at MSNBC, they’re not happy with Obama. They’re just not happy over there. This is how Chris Matthews opened his show ripping The One.
MATTHEWS: Is this any way to treat an American electorate, an angry electorate, to hold a press conference, announce no new changes, then leave town, the same day that Speaker Pelosi says she’s stayin’? What’s the message here, that the message of the voter lies in the in-box at the White House? We’ll get to it when we get time? We’ll get to it when we get back in the country?
RUSH: Upset, big shellacking, Obama flees. Democrats take it big time and Obama hops on the 747 outta town, goes over there to Asia, to India, to Indonesia. Goes back home. Matthews says, ‘And leave us with Pelosi who says she gonna run again?’ So he sought solace. Matthews sought comfort from Howard Fineman, who left Newsweek and is now at the Huffing and Puffington Post. Matthews said, ‘Howard, aren’t these things the president should appear to be doing, shaking up the cabinet, shaking up the White House, doing things that show, ‘I got it. I see what happened here, my party took it on the chin, I got the message’? He’s gotta show he’s upset about the economy. ‘I’m gonna try to upgrade my effort. I’m gonna enhance my effort. I gotta fix these problems.’ Isn’t it time, Howard, that Obama showed he cared?’
FINEMAN: Well, I spent, uhhh, a good bit of time over at the White House yesterday, and I got the sense that they’re operating on their own schedule. They’re gonna stick to their schedule. Around the White House they’ve literally taken all the carpets out and they’re redoing stuff. But I don’t —
MATTHEWS: Oh, that’ll make us feel better!
FINEMAN: But I don’t sense among the people there who are left behind —
MATTHEWS: See, you make my point.
FINEMAN: — including David Axelrod —
MATTHEWS: (interrupting)
FINEMAN: — well, wait — that they’re thinking of changing things in any dramatic way.
RUSH: So Matthews is looking for some solace. He’s looking for somebody to say, ‘Chris, you got it all wrong. They really care over there.’ So he goes and puts the call out to Howard Fineman. Fineman comes and says, ‘Hey, Chris, I hate to tell you, but I don’t think they even care. The thing at the top of the their agenda is changing the rugs, while most of the White House is out of the country. They’re changing the carpets.’ ‘Oh, that will really help.’ Then Pelosi. This is in Roll Call. It cleared a couple days ago. ‘Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democratic leaders Wednesday afternoon,’ this is after her party, ‘that President Barack Obama has to be ‘perfect’ to win a second term… Pelosi told leaders on a conference call that Obama will have problems running for re-election because of the loss of governorships in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states… The soon-to-be-ex-Speaker also said House Democrats have many opportunities to take back 25 House seats and win back the majority… A leadership aide denied that Pelosi made such a statement.’
Let me ask you a question. In your mind, what does it matter? She said he’s going to ‘have problems running for re-election because of the loss of governorships in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states.’ Why? Why would that matter? Why does it matter who the governor is in these states? Why does it matter? (interruption) (laughing) But why does…? Really, I mean we’re talking about a national election, presidential race, what does it matter who the governor is. (interruption) Well, if they’re complaining about his health care plan, I know it doesn’t help but governors can help you cheat if they’re in your party. They can work with your secretary of state. It’s called vote counting. It’s called redistricting. This is pure, raw politics that Pelosi’s talking about. She’s not talking about ideas at all. She’s not talking about anything but raw numbers, pure and simple. That’s what it comes down to. When Pelosi says Obama’s gotta be ‘perfect,’ what does that mean? In Pelosi’s world, what does it mean, Obama being perfect? More like Hugo Chavez? More like Castro? More like Lenin, Stalin, who? It’s just the things I think about when I hear these things.