MSNBC's Chris Matthews speculates Democrats may be better off with Trump as president than Sanders

MSNBC host Chris Matthews wondered if the Democratic Party would be better off if President Trump wins reelection rather than if Sen. Bernie Sanders takes over the White House.

Matthews, 74, brought up the possibility that centrist Democrats may prefer Trump over the socialist Sanders during the network's Saturday afternoon coverage of the Nevada caucuses. The host of Hardball with Chris Matthews was leading a conversation about how centrist candidates were splitting the vote, likely a detriment to one another but a benefit for Sanders.

"I’m wondering whether the Democratic moderates want Bernie Sanders to be president," he said. "That’s maybe too exciting a question to raise. They don’t like Trump at all. Do they want Bernie Sanders to take over the Democratic Party in perpetuity? I mean, he takes it over, he sets the direction of the future of the party — maybe they’d rather wait four years and put in a Democrat that they like."

"I mean, that’s the big question, right?" Adrienne Elrod, a former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton, responded. "And you know, the narrative that you’re starting to see play out, Chris, is that there are people that are concerned, strategists that are concerned that Bernie Sanders being at the top of the ticket will force us to lose the House. I don’t necessarily think that’s the case."

Matthews has frequently disparaged the Vermont senator in recent days, accusing Sanders of being "full of it" and arguing that he'd be a "miserable president" if he got elected. He has also predicted that Sanders would lose 49 states if he went up against Trump in the general election.

The network host also warned his viewers about candidates who support socialism.

Little Chrissie Everett isn’t feeling the thrill up his leg on this one. I don’t see why, he thought Comrade Hussein was the greatest thing ever. I’m sure this is more about a DemonRat being able to win than who would be the better president (hint, Trump is the only one with a record that is worth a crap).

The thing about Bernie is that, unlike Trump, he’s never run or managed anything in his life, which means that a Bernie presidency would just be another example of the usual Democratic corruption, ineptitude and incompetence. Of course, if he ever made good on his promises it would be a disaster for the country, but there’s little chance of that happening under a Bernie presidency because he doesn’t have the skills to make it happen.

Bernie would have to rely on others to get his agenda passed, which means he would need some ability in the art of persuasion as well as the competence required to actually implement an agenda through good management. Unlike Trump, Bernie has no talent for either. He speaks in idealistic, pie in the sky generalities. When it comes down to the specifics of implementing his unworkable solutions, he’ll be lost. Bernie’s not a detail man. When he tells his cabinet to come up with a plan to implement plan x, they’ll do what the deep state always does. Come up with a solution that looks good on paper but which serves only to enrich themselves on the tax payer’s dime. And Bernie will either be part of the corruption himself or be clueless about how to stop it.

With regards to legislation, it’s amazing to watch how much Trump has accomplished despite the forces of obstruction he’s had to deal with in Congress. Bernie lacks Trump’s negotiating skills to work with Congress to get his agenda passed. Nobody likes the guy, and he’s too stupid to fear. So, a Bernie presidency would just be your typical leftist screw-up, with Bernie blaming everyone but himself for its failure when it’s all over.

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