http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/12461.html#more-12461Matthews decries poll results he doesn’t like
Posted 2:16 pm
Late last week, an NBC/WSJ poll (pdf) showed Democrats with huge advantages over the GOP on a variety of domestic issues. Yesterday on Hardball, Chris Matthews and CNBC’s Jim Cramer whined bitterly about the results.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about politics. I just looked at The Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. And I have been watching these polls for years. And I have never seen numbers like this. And I don’t think it is fair but it is public opinion right now. The people now think the Democrats are better at balancing the budget.
The Democrats are better at reducing government spending. The Democrats are better at lowering taxes. Give me a break. I mean, the best Democrat could be sitting right here now and he would say, what we have got to do is get back some of that revenue from the rich people so we could have some decent social programs in health, for example, and education.
They will admit they want to spend more money, the best of the Democrats. And yet the public is so down on this war and the Republicans, they are willing to give the Democrats advantages politically they wouldn’t even claim themselves.
CRAMER: It is nuts.
It’s not “nuts.” Matthews just doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
First, Matthews is outraged that Dems enjoy a big lead on deficit reduction. Is this a mystery? Clinton eliminated the deficit and produced the largest surpluses in history. Bush has run the largest deficits in history. Which party has more credibility on deficit reduction?
Second, Matthews is equally outraged that Dems enjoy a big lead on “reducing government spending.” Actually, the poll question was which party was better at “controlling government spending.” With a Republican-led White House working with a Republican-led Congress, spending went up dramatically, but the nation doesn’t have much to show for it. Why wouldn’t Americans trust Dems more?
Third, Matthews decried the Dem advantage on “lowering taxes.” Again, the poll question was which party was better at “dealing with taxes.” Americans probably realize that the GOP is delivering huge windfalls for millionaires, but they’re not seeing any real changes in their paychecks. Of course they’re more inclined to back Democrats.
Matthews was incredulous and shocked. The poor guy apparently hasn’t been paying much attention.