Matthews: Bill Clinton's campaign speech "so un-American"

Summary: On Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough said to Chris Matthews: "Bill Clinton says, though, Chris, that we're naïve for believing that politicians can work together, that we're naïve for believing that Barack Obama." Scarborough added: "But it seems to me it's cynicism versus hope." Matthews said: "Any politician who runs in America on the campaign message of 'don't get your hopes up' deserves to be doomed. What an amazing -- that is so un-American, because Americans believe that the way things are is not the way they have to be."

During the February 19 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough said to MSNBC host Chris Matthews: "Bill Clinton says, though, Chris, that we're naïve for believing that politicians can work together, that we're naïve for believing that Barack Obama." Scarborough added: "But it seems to me it's cynicism versus hope." Matthews said: "Any politician who runs in America on the campaign message of 'don't get your hopes up' deserves to be doomed. What an amazing -- that is so un-American, because Americans believe that the way things are is not the way they have to be."

MSNBC's political blog First Read reported on Clinton's February 15 speech.

After Matthews' "un-American" comment, Scarborough said, "[T]he punch line of that speech was: If you believe that we can work together, if you believe that Republicans and Democrats can get their heads together and make America better, well I've got some land I'd like to sell you," adding, "That's sad and depressing to me."

From the February 19 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

MATTHEWS: It's also that the Democrats have been able to tap into this incredible urge for change, which everybody feels. Everybody feels this. We're in a rut. We're in a rut in Iraq. We're in a rut in the Middle East generally. We're in a rut on energy. We're in a rut on entitlements like Social Security.

We haven't solved a problem since the Voting Rights Act. We don't solve problems anymore. Congress diddles. And they argue about -- and they have a game they play: "Oh, you're 49 percent, we're 51 percent. We can't get anything passed because of your 49 percent." "Oh, you're 51 percent, and if we had 51 percent, we'd get everything passed." They blame it on each other, and they get nothing done. And that's what people are really frustrated by.

And it's the appeal of Barack Obama. He's going to get us out of the ditch. He's going to deliver us to a whole new politics. And I think that's his tremendous appeal. And probably arguing about his speeches is probably a diversion from that, but it's part of politics, too.

SCARBOROUGH: Bill Clinton says, though, Chris, that we're naïve for believing that politicians can work together, that we're naïve for believing that Barack Obama --

MIKA BRZEZINSKI (co-host): And that there won't be fights.

SCAROROUGH: Yeah, that there won't be fights. It seems to me that that is possible. I'm editorializing here.

MATTHEWS: Well, I don't think that's true.

SCARBOROUGH: But it seems to me it's cynicism versus hope.

MATTHEWS: Any politician who runs in America on the campaign message of "don't get your hopes up" deserves to be doomed. What an amazing -- that is so un-American, because Americans believe that the way things are is not the way they have to be. That's in our national religion, that we can change things for the better.

It's why people come here from Vietnam, and from all over Latin America. Everybody comes here with the notion they can improve their lives. Everybody comes here sharing, hopefully, eventually, in the American notion that people voting together can make a better world. That's what our dream is, and it has always worked.

It is so much better than it was 100 years ago in our country, in every way you count it, and it's all based on hope. I mean, the city I'm in right now, Washington, D.C., was merely two guys on horses looking down over a swamp, L'Enfant and Washington. And they said, "Why don't we build a world capital for a world country?" There was nothing there, except the idea.

The guys who met in Philadelphia -- and they were guys -- they said, "Why don't we build a republic, a democracy? Why don't we have a country run by its own people?" That was a dream. I mean, I just know -- we know this. This is our religion. And to come along and say, "Things aren't going to get any better. We can't get along. It's hopeless." That doesn't sound like the Bill Clinton that got elected in '92.

SCARBOROUGH: No, it doesn't.

MATTHEWS: It sounds like a guy playing defense.

SCARBOROUGH: And the punch line of that speech was: If you believe that we can work together, if you believe that Republicans and Democrats can get their heads together and make America better, well I've got some land I'd like to sell you.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: That's sad and depressing to me.

—J.H.