Video: Noted leg thriller warns about the dangers of charismatic politicians

Has to be seen to be believed. It comes at the end of last night’s Hardball, and within minutes my friend John Ziegler tipped me off to it. Chris Matthews talks with Eugene Robinson and Susan Page about Sarah Palin’s speech and hyperventilates about “secession”, which is where Robinson picks this up, attempting to keep up with Matthews’ paranoia. At the end, Matthews actually warns Robinson that “Charismatic leaders have done this country and this world a lot of harm,” apparently oblivious to his own track record over the last two years in being Barack Obama’s number-one fanboy.

Of course, we don’t forget it, and I’ve mashed this up with a couple of highlights from Matthews’ career as a journalist in the Age of Obama:

Actual mentions of secession in Palin’s speech: zero. Actual mentions of “states’ rights”: zero. Actual mentions of the Tenth Amendment: one, in describing how Washington bribes states with money to get them to ignore it:

When Washington passed a $787 billion stimulus bill, we were nervous because they just spent $700 billion to bailout Wall Street. On the state level, as a governor, we knew a lot of that money came with fat strings attached. The federal government was going to have more control over our states. They were going to disrespect the Tenth Amendment of our Constitution by essentially bribing with us. Take this federal money and then we going to be able to mandate a few more things on you though. I joined with other conservative governors around the nation in rejecting some of those dollars.

Actual mentions of “revolution”: two, and neither in a context of armed rebellion against the US:

Very good to be here in Tennessee, the volunteer state. It’s the home of good country music and good southern barbecue, and great to be at the tea party convention. I guess down here that’s some southern sweet tea. In Alaska, we have a smaller version of tea party up there. And we call it iced tea. And I am a big supporter of this movement. I believe in this movement. Got lots of friends and family in the lower 48 attending these events across the country, and just knowing that this is the movement, and America is ready for another revolution, and you are a part of this. …

Now in many ways Scott Brown represents what this beautiful movement is all about. He was just a guy with a truck and a passion to serve our country. He looked around and he saw that things weren’t quite right in Washington, so he stood up and he decided he was going do his part to put our government back on the side of the people. And it took guts and it took a lot of hard work, but with grassroots support, Scott Brown carried the day. It has been so interesting now to watch the aftermath of the Massachusetts shout-out revolution.

A “shout-out revolution” ain’t exactly Lexington and Concord; it’s 1994, not 1776.  Palin certainly never called for secession or the overthrow of the government, regardless of Chris’ hissy fit last night on MS-NBC. Instead of getting thrills up his leg, Palin apparently sends something down his leg, but it’s not based on reality — it’s based on Matthews’ animosity towards anyone who opposes the man to whom he pledged allegiance.

Addendum: On another subject, John Ziegler responds to Nate Silver.

Update: The Right Scoop has another clip from the same segment in which Matthews calls Palin a fascist.  Which is it — fascism, secession, “balloon-headism,” or what?

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