Hillary refuses Chris Matthews bait to attack Bernie as a socialist

[kpete]

Transcript courtesy of DKos member elenacarlena. Thank you!

C: I'm trying to help you for this audience tonight, our audience, locate yourself politically in this country. Now we have Trump out there and we have Bernie out here. Now Bernie calls himself a socialist, nobody uses it as a derogatory term any more, he loves to have that label, he has never run as a Democrat, he runs against Democrats up there in Vermont. You're a Democrat, I'd say you're a pretty typical Democrat in the traditional Democratic party. And [can't hear] I'd say Mondale, you're somewhere in there. What's the difference between a socialist and a Democrat? Is that a question you want to answer or would you rather not?

H: Well, you know, you'd have to ask...

C: Well see, I'm asking you. You're a Democrat, he's a socialist. Would you like somebody to call you a socialist? I wouldn't like somebody calling me a socialist.

H: But I'm not one.

C: OK, what's the difference between a socialist and a Democrat?

H: Well, I can tell you what I am. I am a progressive Democrat. I am a progressive Democrat...

C: How is that different than a socialist?

H: Who likes to get things done, and who believes that we are better off in this country when we are trying to solve problems together, getting people to work together. There will always be strong feelings and I respect that, from the far right, the far left, libertarians, whoever it might be. We need to get people working together, we have to get the economy fixed, we have to get all of our problems really tackled, and that's what I want...

C: I think what the difference is, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz would not answer the question either that I asked her. Because I know politically you have to keep together the center left and the left has still to work together, I know all that. Let me ask you about working together. You gave a nice speech here today, a message about the need to work, I wrote a book about Tip and Reagan. When it comes to an urgent issue, they can find a solution. Obama, and I have always supported the President, his philosophy and his general approach to a lot of things. But he does not seem to like the company of fellow politicians, he just doesn't. He doesn't want to hang out with them and play cards with them, maybe they did it in Springfield, but for some reason he doesn't want to do it, uh. You seem to like the company of people like Lindsay Graham and John McCain, that you can find a way [can't hear] and getting along with them. It seems to me that is an important part of life, that you have to find, you were talking about Tom Delay here, and I get along with Tom Delay. Even though you disagree 180 on something, but you have to find how to be... Congress means coming together.

H: Ronald Reagan is a perfect example of...

C: Tip and the Gipper. [Chris' book]

H: Exactly. And look, there may be...

C: You read it.

H: I did. I do want you to know that.

C: Yes, you just told me that.

H: Because I am always looking for ways that we work together. It used to be easier in the past, I think the polarization has gotten so acute now and so you have to work even harder. But relationships are the beginning of everything.

MORE:
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/1/5/1466497/-Hillary-refuses-Chris-Matthews-bait-to-attack-Bernie-as-a-socialist

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. Hillary Clinton, always classy./nt

[Green Forest]

22. This time, yes. Always? I think not.

i have a long memory.

[CharlotteVale]

2. WTF did she mean about Reagan? It sounded like she was saying he was

a perfect example of people coming together.

Shudder.

[emulatorloo]

8. Matthews worked as a top aide for dem speaker of the house, Tip O'Neill, during Reagan era

Tip O'Neill and Reagan had massive political differences but they had a cordial personal relationship and worked together to avoid things like government shut-down. I.e. They didn't personally demonize one other.

Basically Matthews is reminiscing about working for Tip O'Neill and his admiration for his old boss.

Matthews wrote a book about O'Neill and Reagan in 2013, summary here:

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/chris-matthews-book-tip-and-the-gipper-when-politics-worked-097585

So of course he's doing some self promotion as well.

That's the context. I wouldn't read to much into it.

[CharlotteVale]

20. I know all that. I also know they worked together to cut SS benefits.

They raised the retirement age. Screw that kind of "working together." Democrats always get hurt -- Republicans never do.

[boobooday]

3. This transcript really brings home

How much Chris Matthews likes to invite guests on and then prevent them from talking by flogging them with his own words.

[BlueMTexpat]

15. That is so true. eom

[Agschmid]

18. Yup.

[Protalker]

4. Softball

I admire her homework she read his book it was match game set

[BeyondGeography]

5. Hey, Chris, I read your damn book!

Shows you she understands him pretty well actually.

[Segami]

6. Progressive Democrat??....Hey Hill, I think you meant to say..

that you're a 'Moderate-Centrist'........didn't you?.....

[tavernier]

7. Interesting to see a CM interview written out.

It really is all about him, isn't it? His questions are run on sentences. The answers are interrupted and often end up with a ... because he is either looking for a different answer, or he wants to move on. And at some point the conversation turns to something that is about CM, in this case, his book.

He really didn't need to waste her time for this interview since he wasn't the least bit interested in anything she had to say, other than to verify that she had read his stupid book.

[NorthCarolina]

9. She's back to the "I'm a Progressive Democrat" schtik again?

I thought she bagged on that after the first attempt fell flat.

[BlueMTexpat]

16. Fell flat?

[NorthCarolina]

23. Yep, flat enough that within less than

a week or so she went from "I'm a progressive" to "I'm a Progressive who likes to get things done" to "Some folks claim I'm a moderate, I plead guilty". Thats a lot of political spectrum to traverse for such a short time, and now it's back to "I'm a progressive"! LOL

Kind of like she's riding a Liberal__Moderate teeter totter.

[Nyan]

10. Chris Matthews is partisan hack

And he's so out of touch. He's getting too old for this.

[emulatorloo]

11. He's done very positive interviews w Bernie.

[Nyan]

13. I've seen some of those.

I think he's actually drawn to Bernie especially when it comes to his strong stance on citizens united and money in politics.
But his partisan hackery and subservience to power seem to override his concerns for actual policy issues. Just IMO.
And it bothers me when people on this side of the aisle resort to redbaiting.

[restorefreedom]

12. i used to respect matthews

but he seems to be too enamored with the sound of his own voice. he spends too much time lecturing and not enough time letting his guests answer the questions HE ASKED THEM!

and he is obsessed with goading someone, anyone, into calling bernie a "socialist". someone needs to tell him the pink bogeyman is dead.

the press is constantly trying to pick a fight between bernie and hillary, and they won't. good for both of them.

[stonecutter357]

14. K&R!

[Beacool]

17. Matthews has always been a sexist creep.

I can't stand the sight of the lisping jerk.

Good for Hillary for not taking his bait.

[NurseJackie]

19. She's a smart one, she is.

[Green Forest]

21. Will Hillary's supporters on DU and her DNC surrogates follow suit? Or is this a PR move?

Time will tell.