Matthews again cited "terror and taxes" as "Republican strong points," despite polling to the contrary

Summary: Even though polls suggest that Democrats actually hold an advantage over Republicans on both issues, Chris Matthews again asserted that "terror and taxes are the Republican strong points" in the upcoming midterm congressional elections.

On the October 13 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews again asserted that "terror and taxes are the Republican strong points" in the upcoming midterm congressional elections, even though polls suggest that Democrats actually hold an advantage over Republicans on both issues.

As Media Matters for America documented when Matthews similarly stated on October 11 that "Democrats cannot match" Republicans "on the issue of taxes" and that focusing on taxes is "the best Republican strategy," polling shows Americans trust Democrats more on taxes than they do Republicans, a finding that is reaffirmed in the most recent Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll on the subject, which showed a 46-35 Democratic advantage on taxes in February 2006 and a 45-30 advantage in September. Matthews again returned to baselessly claiming the tax issue benefits Republicans despite admitting in March that polling indicated "people trust Democrats more on tax cutting."

Recent polling also indicates that Democrats hold an advantage over Republicans on dealing with the "war on terror." For example, a Gallup/USA Today poll conducted October 6-8 gave Democrats a five-point advantage over Republicans -- 46 percent to 41 percent -- on "who would best handle terrorism," a Newsweek poll conducted October 5-6 gave Democrats a seven-point advantage -- 44 percent to 37 percent -- on the question of "which party is more trusted to fight the war on terror," and an ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted October 5-8 gave Democrats a six-point advantage -- 47 percent to 41 percent -- on the question of "which political party" would "do a better job handling [t]he U.S. campaign against terrorism."

From the October 13 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, which also featured CNBC chief Washington correspondent and Wall Street Journal columnist John Harwood:

MATTHEWS: Yeah, terror and taxes are the Republican strong points. On the other side, somebody put it rather well. They said casualties -- it's a hard way to put it, make it political -- casualties and corruption are the best arguments for the Democrats.

HARWOOD: Exactly.

MATTHEWS: C and C against T and T.

HARWOOD: But the question is -- they got a lot of money in the bank. The question is, can they push those people out to get them to vote like they did in 2004? It's much more difficult to do this year.

—R.C.