Chris Matthews on Monday could barely restrain his excitement at the Democratic National Convention, declaring it a “sluggers row of wonderful sentiment.” Who did the MSNBC host love more? He could barely decide. Matthews cheered, “I think the Democrats's first night may turn out to be more successful than the Republicans's last night. I thought it had a lot of charm and happiness.”
The Hardball host rhapsodized, “I just thought the whole night was a slugger's row of wonderful sentiments.” Matthews hyped the “good sportsmanship and better of Bernie Sanders.” As though he was blurbing a film review, the journalist concluded, “So overall for putting things together for what we call in politics fence mending, a ten strike.”
A few minutes earlier, Brian Williams lauded, “Michelle Obama brought the house down and Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders continued the work.”
In contrast, Matthews last week warned of “bloodthirsty” Republicans ready to “kill” Clinton.
A partial transcript is below:
MSNBC: Democratic National Convention
07/25/16
11:23:01 p.m.
23 secondsBRIAN WILLIAMS: It was a raucous Monday night for the Democrats in Philadelphia, about which it will probably be said that Michelle Obama brought the house down and Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders continued the work. It will be interesting tomorrow to see if people say against a raucous crowd he did the job that was needed.
...
11:26
CHRIS MATTHEWS: I thought the evening really got started Sarah Silverman’s line, sort of taunting the Bernie people about there, Bernie or Bust. I think her line was “You’re being ridiculous” was an amazing line. I also thought Michelle was a show-stopper. I mean, you talk about glamour, charm, class, brains, elevation, family every point, role modeling for the nation, I was watching a lot of people, including a lot of African-American women, young women, the attentiveness that people had for her was so stunning and uplifting tonight. And then, of course, Elizabeth Warren, speaking to the very passionate progressives in the room, especially with a bit of snark and sarcasm, but it’s appropriate when you’re talking about Trump.
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It seems to me an even match at least. Maybe she’s a better match than he is, in terms of that game. She is good at it, and she plays his game very well, which is attack. I think the most important speech tonight was Bernie Sanders. I know there will be the roll call. There will be more rhetoric. But I have to tell you, I think the Democrats's first night may turn out to be more successful than the Republicans's last night. I thought it had a lot of charm and happiness. It had Al Franken's humor, perhaps a bit too sophisticated for some people, but it was brilliant. And I just thought the whole night was a slugger's row of wonderful sentiments from the high esteem the First Lady received to the passion of the progressives to the — I have to say good sportsmanship and better of Bernie Sanders. He really laid it in there for Hillary Clinton tonight and if his followers don't follow him, that's their call. But you can't ask more than what he said tonight. So overall for putting things together for what we call in politics fence mending, a ten strike, ten strike. Back to you guys.
