# Chris Matthew's lastest rant **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 23, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618 "2012-10-23T14:39:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/61 "2012-10-23T18:00:52Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > IDemocrats win on [fiscal responsibility](http://www.examiner.com/article/damning-evidence-from-cbpp-lays-responsibility-for-budget-deficit-on-republicans), [job growth](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-08/private-jobs-increase-more-with-democrats-in-white-house.html), [federal government spending](http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/why-obama-is-no-big-spender-20120531) (especially President Obama), and [economic prosperity](http://washingtonexaminer.com/80-year-study-democrats-better-at-economics/article/2505194). Oh, you and your stupid facts and cites. What are you trying to do, bring a logical argument in here or what? ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/62 "2012-10-23T18:04:40Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Oh, you and your stupid facts and cites. What are you trying to do, bring a logical argument in here or what? Pfththth šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/63 "2012-10-23T18:29:22Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > > [@Mid-range Poonovore](#): > > > > ā€œIā€™m assuming thereā€™s some rhythm to Barack Obama that the rest of us donā€™t understand, whether he needs large amounts of rest, whether he needs to go play basketball for a while. I donā€™t, you know, watch ESPN. I mean, I donā€™t quite know what his rhythms are.". But one thing we can be sure of is that he **has** rythm, because, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/64 "2012-10-23T18:42:02Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > In Alabama in 2008, only 10% of whites voted for Obama. In Mississippi it was 11%. > > It will almost certainly be lower this year. > > You may label it whatever you like. To be fair, Iā€™m not sure how many of then would have voted for Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/65 "2012-10-23T18:43:39Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > And to that note, **stevenova** has been banned. Iā€™ll leave the thread open for now in case thereā€™s anything worth discussing here. I believe youā€™re being a bit overly optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/66 "2012-10-23T18:45:10Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > So when Newt says something along the lines of, > > Thatā€™s not a dog whistle? When people donā€™t accept the presidentā€™s birth certificate, and demand an additional government-only version of the form that no president has been required to provide that isnā€™t a little racist? > > When Romney talks about ā€œtaking the work requirement out of welfareā€ even though thatā€™s not remotely what Obama did, heā€™s not trying to suggest, ā€œLetting lazy black people get free moneyā€? > > There is racism in the world. And the Republican base has a lot of it. Donā€™t forget references to ā€œthe food stamp President.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/67 "2012-10-23T18:52:13Z")
I think Chrisā€™ points are valid. The only reason that Romney is getting away with such a sharp shift to the middle is that he knows damn well that he has the right in his pocket. Similarly, Obama can tack rightward, knowing that lefties have no alternative. But it goes beyond simple right-left positioning. There are a ton of people who hate Obama with the fire of a thousand suns. They would walk barefoot over hot coals and broken glass to vote for anybody at all besides Obama. Their hatred for him is pure and absolute. Is it all race-based? Not 100%, but a lot. Would there be demands for a white Democrat to produce a special birth certificate? Would there be questioning of a white Democratā€™s religion? No way. Many of the labels like socialist or radical wouldnā€™t have been pinned on a white guy, they were pinned on Obama because there was a need for a politically acceptable hated group for Obama to be a part of, to serve as a fig leaf over the underlying racial hatred. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/68 "2012-10-23T19:14:22Z")
Actually, Rush Limbaugh and others regularly accused Clinton of being a ā€œcommunistā€ or ā€œsocialistā€ and they hated him at least as much as they hated Obama. That doesnā€™t of course mean that much of the hatred directed at Obama isnā€™t clearly racist. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/69 "2012-10-23T19:23:07Z")
Iā€™m not sure if Rush believes any of his schtick- heā€™s an entertainer. If he could make more money being to the left of Michael Moore, he would switch sides in a heartbeat. Sure, Clinton was villified, but not in my opinion to the extent that Obama has been. Thereā€™s a certain segment of the right that believes that Republicans are entitled to permanent occupancy of the White House and that any Democrat is an illegitimate usurper. But there werenā€™t attacks on Clintonā€™s citizenship or religion. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/70 "2012-10-23T19:38:20Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > To be fair, Iā€™m not sure how many of then would have voted for Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton. Southern whites supported Obama more than they supported Kerry. Not sure about Alabama and Mississippi specifically. Thereā€™s an awesome website for these queries: [http://www.dimpledchad.info](http://www.dimpledchad.info) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/71 "2012-10-23T19:56:23Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > Cite? [http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/11/barack-obama-samuel-l-jackson/](http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/11/barack-obama-samuel-l-jackson/) ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/72 "2012-10-23T20:03:45Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > To be fair, Iā€™m not sure how many of then would have voted for Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton. > [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Southern whites supported Obama more than they supported Kerry. Not sure about Alabama and Mississippi specifically. Thatā€™s exactly my point. **OMG** strongly implies that margins in that range indicate racism, or at least would if whites voted at such margins. But in fact all they indicate is solidarity - both for southern whites and for blacks. What indicates racism is when a group deviates markedly from their typical voting patterns and against the national trend. Blacks voted a bit more strongly for Obama than is typical, but considering Obamaā€™s overall numbers not very far out of line. Conversely, Obama actually did _worse_ with southern whites (at least ā€œDeep Southā€ ones) than Kerry did despite outperforming him substantially overall. Kerry got 19% of the white vote in Alabama and 14% in Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/73 "2012-10-23T20:04:37Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > There is racism in the world. And the Republican base has a lot of it. Iā€™m pretty sure that in another thread we concluded that the Democrat base has a lot of it too. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/74 "2012-10-23T20:49:26Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Iā€™m pretty sure that in another thread we concluded that the Democrat base has a lot of it too. Yeah, thatā€™s why I didnā€™t say \*all \*of it. The Democratic base isnā€™t pushing racist policy though. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/75 "2012-10-23T21:15:28Z")
Hey, HurricaneDitka! Good to see you after you had to rush off from the last debate thread. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/76 "2012-10-23T21:25:58Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Hey, HurricaneDitka! Good to see you after you had to rush off from the last debate thread. Good to see you too. Which one was ā€œthe last debate threadā€? I lose track of them pretty quick. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/77 "2012-10-23T21:30:46Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Iā€™m pretty sure that in another thread we concluded that the Democrat base has a lot of it too. With the Democratic base, itā€™s a bug-with the Republican base, itā€™s a feature. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/78 "2012-10-23T21:32:29Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > Well, black voters typically split 50/50 Republican/Democrat, so the plus 90% support for Obama is a shock. > > Oh, wait ā€¦ Not since civil rights. In presidential elections the majority of African Americans have voted with the Democrats since 1960. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/79 "2012-10-23T22:51:48Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Not since civil rights. In presidential elections the majority of African Americans have voted with the Democrats since 1960. I think that was the ā€œOh waitā€ part of the postā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![babygoat666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@babygoat666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/babygoat666)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618/80 "2012-10-23T23:16:41Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Nice to see the race card get thrown out there. Who inspired your username by the way? Herman Cain? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chris-matthews-lastest-rant/638618.md?page=5)