MSNBC host Chris Matthews fumed over Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) performance in the Nevada Caucuses on Saturday, comparing his apparent inevitable victory to Nazi Germany taking over France during World War II.
“It looks like Bernie Sanders is hard to beat right now,” Matthews said. “I’m with Carville all the way in terms of the dangers of what lurks, what lies ahead in November. I’m very much aware that they’re sitting on so much oppo research on Bernie, what he said in the past about world affairs, how far-left he is … they are going to make the most of that in terms of world politics. They’re going to kill him.”
Matthews continued, “I was reading last night, Brian, I know you’re a history guy too, I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940, and the general, Renault, calls up Churchill and says, ‘It’s over.’ And Churchill says ‘How can it be? You’ve got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?’ He said, ‘It’s over.’ So I have that suppressed feeling. I can’t be as wild as Carville, but he is damn smart, and I think he’s damn right on this one.”
WATCH:
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews likens Sanders victory in Nevada to Nazi Germany overrunning France in 1940: “It’s too late to stop him … it’s over” pic.twitter.com/6GJetLoDkq
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 22, 2020
TRANSCRIPT:
WILLIAMS: What is going on here and is this any way to pick a nominee?
MATTHEWS: Well, I don’t think so, but it is the way we are picking this one and it looks like Bernie Sanders is hard to beat right now. I’m with Carville all the way in terms of the dangers of what lurks, what lies ahead in November. I’m very much aware that they’re sitting on so much oppo research on Bernie, what he said in the past about world affairs, how far-left he is … they are going to make the most of that in terms of world politics. They’re going to kill him.
I think it’s a little late to stop him and I think that’s the problem. By the way, if you look at the pattern, its dynamic, Bernie won the popular vote in Iowa, he won it again in New Hampshire, it looks like he’s going to win it here when they finally get a vote [in].
Bernie’s been winning consistently and I think it’s mathematically understandable. Every time we poll, every time Steve and everybody polls, two-thirds of the Democratic vote, two-thirds of people who call themselves Democrats, are either liberal or very liberal. All Bernie ever had to do, and he’s done it beautifully, is get a majority of that and he’s up to the mid-thirties. If you get half of sixty-seven, you’re into the mid-thirties and that’s where he’s gotten and a little better.
Biden, his only prayer, was the consolidate the third of the vote that’s moderate and conservative and he got no where near clearing that field, no where near, that’s split up four ways now. And so with new people coming in, Deval Patrick came in, he didn’t make it; Bloomberg is in and he’s probably going to survive a bit longer because of his money, but that field wasn’t clear. The only way Biden could win in that one-third of the vote that’s either moderate or conservative is to sweep it, he got no where near. Bernie on the other hand, did his job, he got more than the majority, more than a majority of that sixty-seven percent. That is the name of the game, it is pretty much over, unless that changes.
I was reading last night, Brian, I know you’re a history guy too, I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940, and the general, Renault, calls up Churchill and says, ‘It’s over.’ And Churchill says ‘How can it be? You’ve got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?’ He said, ‘It’s over.’
So I have that suppressed feeling. I can’t be as wild as Carville, but he is damn smart and I think he’s damn right on this one.