As NewsBusters reported, MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Wednesday took some poorly-researched cheap shots at conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh responded Thursday explaining that this is borne of frustration over the failure of Barack Obama noting, "The Chris Matthewses and the media are very close to the rioters in London in terms of anger, disappointment" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
RUSH LIMBAUGH: Snerdley, I think it's a sign of effectiveness. Snerdley is all upset because last night on MSNBC Chris Matthews... (sigh) You know, I don't know if he's lost his mind and it would be insensitive to mock him and make fun of him until he goes through some rigorous therapy. I'm not a psychiatrist; I'm a radio guy. [...]
LIMBAUGH: There's an unsettledness out there, a disquietedness, a general sense of panic. This is not how it's supposed to be. You know what? The Chris Matthewses and the media are very close to the rioters in London in terms of anger, disappointment. This is not how it was supposed to be! We were supposed to have utopia. This was a new kind of politician, and the politics of old was supposed to vanish, and there really wasn't supposed to be any more opposition to a president.
Everybody was supposed to sign up, and there was gonna be this massive, nationwide love affair -- worldwide love affair -- not only for Obama, but for our country again. We were supposed to have an economic rebound. None of this was supposed to happen, and they have no choice but than to look at themselves when trying to explain why all this has happened. They have held near supermajorities for much of the last four years in the House of Representatives, then in the Senate, and now they add the White House to it. Every day they wake up and look out over the country, and they see the consequences of what they believe, and in those rare moments where the reality permeates and they admit the truth to themselves, they realize it's their policies that have done all this.
As it was pointed out the other day, these people all have 401(k)s as well. They all have retirement accounts, and they've all got kids, and they've all got futures to be concerned about -- and, you know, at some point they start saying, is my kids' future worth supporting this guy? Now, they not ever gonna voice that, so when these moments of panic and disquiet set in, you go out -- just like the rioters in London -- and you attack who you think is responsible for foiling all this, and it's clear that in the case of many on the left Obama would have been a stunning, overwhelming, resounding success...if it weren't for me. So now I become the focal point of blame, I become the target. [...]
LIMBAUGH: You have to say: Where was the staff? Did they bother in the commercial break to say, "You know, Chris, that didn't happen?" But, you know, of all the shortcomings at MSNBC, not seeking help for the troubled Chris Matthews, that's about as low as they can get. Clearly he's in need of serious assistance over there.
Not surprisingly, Limbaugh was spot on.
The reality is that folks like Matthews and his colleagues abdicated their journalistic responsibilities in 2007 and 2008 by assisting a presidential candidate into the White House rather than vetting and thoroughly analyzing him for their readers and viewers.
Their expectation was this "messiah" would solve all that ailed the nation, the world would be a better place, and their media malpractice would be vindicated and therefore forgiven.
Years later with the country still facing stubbornly high unemployment and a possible double-dip recession in the wake of the nation's first ever credit rating downgrade, these same folks are frustrated by all they see.
Of course, when in front of the camera or a keyboard, they're still largely blaming all our troubles on George W. Bush and the Tea Party. But privately, they know this isn't the case, and they're concerned their dreams of a socialist utopia in the United States are fading away.
So they're angry just like the rioters in London.
Unfortunately, they're not mad enough - or at least not yet - to jump off the Obama bandwagon, fully admit their mistakes as well as his shortcomings, and tell the American people that this man isn't and never was qualified to be President of the United States.
Quite the contrary, they will for the next roughly fifteen months attack every Republican candidate as they do all in their power to get the current White House resident four more years.
This raises a question: Which is worse - the so-called journalist that blindly supports an individual out of hope that he represents something truly special or the media shill that continues to do so after he's realized the object of his affection has no clothes?
Video courtesy Daily Rushbo.