July 10, 2014

Chris Matthews wrapped up this Wednesday's edition of Hardball by insisting that if the next Democratic presidential candidate just does more to chase after those white male voters who did not vote for President Obama the last time around, they'll actually be allowed to govern like they've got a mandate.

MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with that question about white voters, especially men and their vital role in their 2016 presidential election. Let me put it this way: if white men vote the way they`ve done in recent national elections, it will stand in the way of the Democratic Party getting a mandate to actually govern, not just hold office.

Hillary Clinton can win without a majority, even a near majority of male voters. But she cannot win the strong plurality, up there above 54 percent, that will give her a chance to actually carry the Congress into office with her. And if she doesn`t do that, she could be lame duck from day one.

This is the problem, not just for Hillary Clinton, but all for the Democrats. They can`t just keep going to their base of minorities, labor and liberals. They need to reach deep into the American middle. They need to grab back the people who didn`t vote for Obama the second time basically. Without pushing the point too hard, they need to get all those votes back and more.

So, the question of anyone, man or woman, Democrat or Republican in 2016 is, can you win the American people? Can you build a national movement, that will not only put you in office, but give you the mandate to really do something once you`re there. And that`s a huge hurdle, but so is being a great president in the 21st century.

Yeah, that's the ticket. Throw your base under the bus and go for the Bubba' crowd. That's worked out so well for them in the past.

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