MSNBC’s Chris Matthews went apoplectic on Wednesday after Justice Anthony Kennedy’s bombshell announcement that he is retiring, a decision that has handed Donald Trump another Supreme Court nominee and resulted in literal wailing and gnashing of teeth over at the Democratic National Committee. Matthews spent the rest of the day shouting from the rooftops at MSNBC that it’s “time for vengeance”: the Democrats must try to shut down the nomination of the next justice using any means possible.
At one point comparing what he believes will happen in the Senate to “the Spanish Civil War,” Matthews warned Senate Democrats that they’ll all be ousted by their progressive base if they fail to get “vengeance” for Republicans blocking Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016.
“I don’t think the Democrats should allow even meetings to occur for Trump’s nominee to fill this vacancy by Justice Kennedy,” Matthews said on MSNBC’s Hardball Wednesday. “I think they have to fight eye for an eye for what happened in ’16, where the Republicans led by Mitch McConnell refused to even consider or meet with Merrick Garland. I think if the Democratic leadership under Schumer allows this to go forward, they’re going to have a huge problem with the Democratic base.”
But pressed by fellow MSNBC host Steve Kornacki what procedural “tool” exactly he is advising the Senate Democrats, who only have 49 votes, to employ, Matthews lost it, taking a contentious tone with Kornacki about who would eventually be proven right, while Kornacki repeatedly assured his colleague that he was on his side.
“I’m not a parliamentarian!” yelled Matthews in frustration after Kornacki again asked his simple question.
WATCH (h/t John Sexton):
And here’s the clip of Matthews calling for “vengeance”:
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