August 2, 2015

Chris Matthews wants infighting in the Democratic Party, naturally because it's good for ratings to have more melodrama. He wants a drastic distinction between Hillary Clinton, who is not far enough to the right for Tweety, and Bernie Sanders, who he'd like to portray as a radical Socialist. Unfortunately for him, the Democratic candidates largely agree on matters of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Equal Rights and Immigration Reform. They are markedly different from the GOP clown car which would like to privatize absolutely everything with disastrous consequences.

On Meet The Press, Chuck Todd played a Hardball interview with DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, where Matthews desperately tried to evoke Debbie's opinion on the difference between Bernie vs. Hillary which he labels as Democrats vs.Democratic Socialists. The DNC Chair refused to comment, stating that the vast difference lies between the GOP and the Democratic Party.

CHUCK TODD: All right, the panel is back. Chris, she doesn't want to answer that question. Why do you think that?

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, I think there's a big difference. I mean, socialists traditionally believe in government control of the economy, and Democrats believe in modifying the economy to help people at the bottom, a safety net, modification but clearly believe in the market.

CHUCK TODD: Why do you think she didn't say that?

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, politically, she doesn't want to offend the Bernie people.

CHUCK TODD: You think that's the issue?

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, I think so. Maybe there's an intellectual problem, but I would give her the benefit of the doubt and say it was her political problem she faced. Because I think Hillary Clinton hasn't staked out the difference, and she better. I mean, it's not the Democratic-Socialist party. You've got to run as a Democrat, which is always harder to explain being a progressive or a liberal.

It's a lot harder just being a right wing or a left winger. You're actually somewhere center-left. And it's a little harder to define. But clearly, Democrats have had a record in this country for 200-some years of being for social security, Medicare, civil rights, interventions in the market, but not getting rid of the market. Clearly, they accept the power and the efficiency of a capitalist system. Socialists do not. This is a fundamental difference.

Unfortunately, that is really not the case. Matthews is obsessed with keeping Hillary from veering too far to the Left. He wants to call out how fringe he thinks Sanders is, even if most Americans, once they're informed, agree with Bernie's 'radical' ideas. Plus, the Hardball host lacks accuracy in his definition of Democratic Socialism.

Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our government and economy must be radically transformed through greater economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives.

Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But we do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, we believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect.

Tweety wants to make it a dogfight, and if he really wanted to be an impartial pundit, he'd point out the obvious distinctions between Democrats and the circus side show that is today's GOP. There's so much insanity on the right, compelling TV would be made by simply juxtaposing sound bites from candidates from either party, no need to create drama where there isn't any.

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