In the midst of analyzing and celebrating President Obama’s reelection last night, Chris “thrill up my leg” Matthews issued an odd and insensitive statement in which he expressed gratefulness for last week’s devastating storm. “I’m so glad we had that storm last week because I think the storm was one of those things,” the liberal MSNBC talking head said. “No, politically I should say. Not in terms of hurting people. The storm brought in possibilities for good politics.”
While he clarified that he didn’t mean he appreciated the storm “in terms of hurting people,” his qualifier doesn’t change the fact that his statement was politically motivated and grossly insensitive. Viewers could hear co-host Rachel Maddow off screen issue an “ooooh” when Matthews said he was glad for the storm.
Hurricane Sandy is responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people, leaving more than one million still without power, and untold amounts of property damage. But Matthews looked past this life-changing event for millions of Americans and saw the “good” it brought the country, somehow equating the storm with the reelection of President Obama.
When Matthews said “good politics,” perhaps he meant that the storm brought forth the possibility to display camaraderie and genuine bipartisanship between opposing political forces. Yes, the nation witnessed Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie work well with Democratic president Barack Obama to help restore the lives of New Jersey citizens and get them vital resources in the wake of this storm.
But no one in their right mind would wish to see such encouraging compromise at the hand of a deadly natural disaster.
That is no one, unless you’re Chris Matthews.
