On Tuesday, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked Hillary Clinton, “What’s the difference between a socialist and a Democrat?” He even preempted her dodge by asking, “Is that a question you want to answer, or would you rather not?”
The leading Democratic presidential candidate didn’t answer.
Matthews began by saying, “I want to try to help you—for this audience, tonight, out audience—locate yourself, politically, in this country. Now we have trumped out there, and we have Bernie out here. Bernie calls himself a socialist—nobody uses a derogatory term anymore. He loves to have that label, he’s never run as a Democrat, he runs against Democrats out there in Vermont. You’re a Democrat. I’d say you’re a pretty typical Democrat in the tradition of the Democratic Party. …What’s the difference between a socialist and a Democrat?
Clinton replied, “you’d have to ask—”
Matthews interjected, “I’m asking you. You’re a Democrat, he’s a socialist. Would you like somebody to call you a socialist? I wouldn’t like someone to call me a socialist.”
Clinton replied, “I’m not one.”
Matthews said, “OK, well what’s the difference between a socialist and a Democrat?”
Clinton dodged again, saying, “Well, I can tell you what I am. I am a progressive Democrat”
Matthews interjected again, asking, “how’s that different than a socialist?”
Clinton replied, “I’m a progressive Democrat who likes to get things done and who believes that we are better off in this country when we’re trying to solve problems together, getting people to work together. There will always be strong feelings, and I respect that, from, you know, the far-right, the far left, libertarians, whoever it might be. We need to get people working together we, gotta get the economy fixed, get all of our problems, you know, really tackled, and that’s what I want.”
Matthews told Clinton that Debbie Wasserman Schultz wouldn’t answer him either.
Watch the full clip here:
