Multi-Millionaire Chris Matthews Mocks Mitt Romney By Singing 'If I Were a Rich Man'

NewsBusters.org ^ | September 18, 2012 | Scott Whitlock

[Kaslin]

In a bizarre display, Chris Matthews began his show on Tuesday by singing "If I Were a Rich Man" as a way of mocking Mitt Romney for being wealthy. [See video below. MP3 audio here.] Chris Matthews makes an annual salary of $5 million dollars.

Matthews opened the program by announcing, "Let me start tonight" by singing a selection from Fiddler on the Roof. Highlighting a leaked video of Romney at a private fund-raiser, he then derided, "It's one thing to be rich and have the majority of voters convinced you're out to help the rich. Is there anything dumber to be caught pandering to your fellow rich?" Later, while talking to journalist Joe Klein, Matthews insulted potential GOP voters, comparing them to the racist TV character Archie Bunker.

Chris Matthews Turns To Song To Slam Romney

The Hardball host slimed, "Will Thurston Howell talk like we've been getting from the elite talking to the other elite, will that sell with Archie Bunker?"

It was "conservative" New York Times columnist David Brooks who on Tuesday began calling Romney Thurston Howell.

Using liberal logic, what does the very rich Matthews know about the working man?

A transcript of the September 18 show open can be found below:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let me start tonight with, [starts singing] 'If I were a rich man.' Dumb. It's one thing to be rich and have the majority of voters convinced you're out to help the rich. Is there anything dumber to be caught pandering to your fellow rich? "Hey, buddy, give me $50,000. I'll give you dinner and tell you what I really think." And what does Mitt Romney really think about that 47 percent out there, that ones who will never-- you will never catch at a party like this? He called them a bunch of free loaders who want breakfast in bed, who want the people at the $50k dinners to foot the bill. Well, tonight the morning after, and yes, we've got more tapes of that infamous dinner to remember. That tony get together where the Republican nominee for president of the United States shared his deepest beliefs about the two kinds of people in this country, those who give, like him, and those who take and loaf and vote for Obama.

5:20

MATTHEWS: Will Thurston Howell talk like we've been getting from the elite talking to the other elite, will that sell with Archie Bunker? Will that sell with a guy making 20 or 30, killing himself with two jobs to get the income. Is he going to like that talk that everybody who isn't making a lot of money is a bum?

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

What about Nancy Pelosi?

[RetroSexual]

Who pays Chris Matthews $5 mil. What a waste of money.

He works for MSNBC, which is owned by NBCUniversal. NBC Universal is 49% owned by GE, which makes most of it's money through contracts with the US Government, and pays virtually no taxes.

So, you do. And so do I.

[nicmarlo]

I forgot about her. Nancy Pelosi’s net worth of $35.5 million.

[pallis]

I remember when Chris stood in for Rush, and he seemed reasonable on occasions. Maybe getting his own TV spin slot was too much for him. The telltale point I look at to see when certain conservative pundits went daffy for the left is the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act. If memory serves, and it seldom does these days, Chrissy had already flaked out before then, so he may not be a fruit, as I suspect. He may just be a vapid ditz with poor character.

[chessplayer]

A day doesn’t go by where Tingles doesn’t accuse anyone opposed to obama of being racist.

[chessplayer]

I think Tingles and other wealthy libs should be taxed at a 99% rate. Then again, Tingles would claim he isn’t wealthy.

[workerbee]

Wow! Chris Matthews was once a sub for RUSH??? Seriously? I’ve listened to Rush for (what I thought was) a long time, but I don’t remember that at all.

[chiefqc]

I had to look twice before I knew who that was as he was not on his knees with mac daddies ********* in his mouth.

[clearcarbon]

I think I’d rather have a president that got rich before taking office than during and after.