Chris Mathews on Andrea Mitchell: Where Obama Failed

Rush shared a soundbyte of Andrea Mitchell talking to Chris Mathews.

RUSH: Yesterday afternoon on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports -- Andrea Mitchell (NBC News, Washington) -- Chris Matthews was the guest, and during a discussion about the 2010 midterm elections, Andrea Mitchell said (nasal Andrea Mitchell impression), "Why do you think it went off track? Whether or not the health care negotiations went on for long, letting the Tea Party control the dialogue and the summer of 2009. My personal pick, getting involved in this "Skip" Gates deal. Where did it all go wrong?"

MATTHEWS: When he was a campaigner he did nothing but talk about what a great country this was, what an exceptional country it is because a guy like me can make it here and only in a country like it is can I have made it. He was very patriotic, very inclusive, and he was also very interactive in an interesting way. Ever since he's been president he's been elitist and he's come with his teleprompter and he's given his speech. He hasn't listened. He's talked to "at us" rather than "with us."

MITCHELL: Well, at least that's what he's projected.

MATTHEWS: No, he actually does bring the teleprompter with him. I think he is guilty of that elitist charge.

RUSH: Chris Matthews. Andrea Mitchell (NBC News, Washington) attempted to save Obama's bacon by disagreeing with Matthews' comment. But Matthews, insisted, "No, no, no." Well, let's go back. Matthews said, "When he was a campaigner, he did nothing but talk about what a great country this was." Did he? He talked about how great he was and he talked about how great he was for accomplishing what he had accomplished in this (which is nothing), but he was apologizing for America, was he not? He was running around doing international speeches. I'd have to go back and look at transcripts. I don't remember Obama talking about what a great country it was.

If I had heard that, I would not have concluded he was opposed to American exceptionalism. He did not talk about an exceptional country. He did talk about how we're guilty of global warming and destroying the climate. He was gonna lower the sea levels; put all the rotgut back in gear; correct all the racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia. I thought was gonna fix all that. "We're the ones we've been waiting for," and all that kind of stuff. And Matthews says he was very patriotic, very inclusive, very interactive in an interesting way? Ever since he's been president he's been elitist, come with his teleprompter. There's more to this. Andrea Mitchell then said (impression), "You don't think he even interacted at any of the town halls?"

MATTHEWS: If you're gonna spend a $1.6 trillion deficit in one year, you'd better explain to the American people why you did it. He never explained economics the way he was taught it. We were all taught in graduate school you have to run a big deficit during a grand recession. How about explaining that? Everybody didn't go to grad school. How about explaining what you're doing in terms of health care and how that's gonna help us become a better economy in the long run. Economically it will give us something that we can base our lives on: Guaranteed health care. He never sold it as an economic tool, a catalyst to greater growth down the road. Middle-aged people are losing their jobs, and this guy is out doing his pet projects, and they wonder why he isn't it their president, why he's only their own president.