Matthews: Hard-working Latino immigrants are "natural Republicans"
SUMMARY: MSNBC's Chris Matthews asserted that Spanish-speaking immigrants "sound like ... natural Republicans to me." Matthews also claimed that "everybody knows" that Puerto Rican, Cuban and Mexican immigrants "don't want a big social democracy" and that "[t]hey want free enterprise and entrepreneurialism," citing examples of opening a flower shop or "a bodega."
On the January 26 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews asserted that Spanish-speaking immigrants "sound like ... natural Republicans to me." Matthews also claimed that "everybody knows" that Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Mexican immigrants "don't want a big social democracy" and that "[t]hey want free enterprise and entrepreneurialism," citing examples of opening a flower shop or "a bodega." Matthews stated that Spanish-speaking immigrants are "[t]he hardest-working people" and concluded, "[t]hey sound like they're natural Republicans to me." Matthews' comments came during an interview with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, in which the two discussed Villaraigosa's planned Spanish-language Democratic response to President Bush's upcoming January 31 State of the Union address.
From the January 26 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
MATTHEWS: When I think of people who have come to this country from other countries where they speak Spanish -- Puerto Rico is not another country, but it's the commonwealth -- hardest-working people, they are extremely entrepreneurial. If it's just owning a flower shop, it's owning a small business, a bodega, right? Puerto Ricans come to this country to start business. Cubans certainly come here to start businesses. The hardest-working people in the United States are people who just got here from Mexico, the first day they get here. Everybody knows -- they don't want a big social democracy. They want free enterprise and entrepreneurialism, don't they?
VILLARAIGOSA: I think what they want --
MATTHEWS: They sound like they're natural Republicans to me.
VILLARAIGOSA: I think what they want is the American dream, and they're willing to work for it.
A natural Republican just like Matthews. So according to him only Republicans own businesses and work hard? Has anyone checked on CM's voters registration latley. I have to e-mail him on this one.
Granted, this was a rather dumb comment for Matthews to make - many hard working immigrants or otherwise are members of both political parties, how can anyone with any brains say differently? They cannot.
But I think Matthews was speaking to a larger point that those that come to this country to live off the public trough through social welfare programs, and it cannot be denied there are some that do, these people will more likely be Democrats considering they are the party that advocates, embraces and supports these programs more vigorously.
However, hard working Latin immigrants would not necessarily be Republicans - their party affiliation would vary, as do many others.
that come to this country to live off the public trough through social welfare programs, and it cannot be denied there are some that do, these people will more likely be Democrats considering they are the party that advocates, embraces and supports these programs more vigorously.
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Tommy this is such a gross mischaracterization of Democratic policy. Be fair, I know you can do it. Advocating for the existence of a system of saftey nets is not encouraging people not work hard or to be goof offs. The fact that a few take advantage of such programs only means the oversight must be as strenous as possible. These programs are temporary assistance to help people get on their feet,like the SBA. I bet you support the SBA as I do. The country isn't obligated to help people get loans for these ventures but it's a good investment, don't you think? I also wanted to add that I social programs are locally administered and if you're state is lax in it's rules, fix it don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Maryland doesn't play around receipints have a very limited time period to get benefits and they must be enrolled in an educational/job trainging program to get benefits.
TOMMY says: I think Matthews was speaking to a larger point that those that come to this country to live off the public trough through social welfare programs, and it cannot be denied there are some that do, these people will more likely be Democrats considering they are the party that advocates, embraces and supports these programs more vigorously.
Well he is partially right> Welfare is a problem:
Corporate welfare that is. And that is a huge problem:
This is just a first pass. It would be possible to fill several pages with the evidence. It is not the poor that get the lions share of "welfare". It is corporations, CEO's, and military contractors that are draining the federal budget. There are legal limits to how much assistance can be received by needy families. On the other hand when the bottom of the pork barrel is reached for the overclass they simply roll out another barrel. But this always works doesn't it? When the stench of corruption emanating from DC has us all gagging roll out the time tested Rovian techniques of distraction and blame. And why not? The corporate owned and controlled (liberal: LOL) media always comes through for them.
Sorry, I'll try one more time.
Here are the links that failed to come through in the above post:
I think what Matthews really said was..
Hard-working latino immigrants make him feel like a NAT-UR-AL woman.
no that would be GW.
girth and that would make him a screaming liberal. What a moron. Besides if they were natural Republicans, why then is the GOP spending all their time and energy to discriminate against them.
What a sellout.
Who cares what this windbag is going on about? I signed on to MMA for your focus on finding and correcting conservative lies. That is what lies at the core of the right's success, and that is why I have been such a supportive fan. It's also the core of your mission statement.
You're losing focus. You're increasingly covering politically incorrect speech like this. Your items are getting softer, unfocused, less impartial. Lame.
Please, get back to great investigation, concise analysis. Your acerbically non-partisan, and wholly factual mode.
Popping Matthews for maintaining Mexicans work hard doesn't meet the standards you set out. Please, lose the whiney lib, easily bruised stance. And get tough again!
MMFA is establishing a pattern of bias on the part of Matthews, who tries to portray himself as "neutral". It's pretty obvious that he has joined the Dark Side. MMFA is performing a public service.
Is that putting out the 'storyline' that is false and frames the argument for people to internalize IS an important function of misinformation
...Hispanics are good Germans, too?
What the hell, Chris????
Overpaid talking heads who like to suck up to power are natural Republicans.
Also...recent evidence suggests Republican politicians are natural born criminals. (How come Bill Bennett didn't suggest the sterilization of Republican politicians?)
Yeah, I'm glad you caught that. I've been keeping away from watching the show as much as possible lately but I do occasionally get a sentence or two of Matthews just before Olbermann comes on.
At this point, I don't think anyone could argue that Matthews is intentionally rubbing salt into the wounds of those who disagree with him.
Lately, he has begun to hold his interviews with three of his colleaques all of them heavily slanted to the right.
There's Big RED Barn Scarborough who seems to know what "middle america" thinks despite often being completely contradicted by polls; there's Rita Crosby, who likes to attend death row executions, and of course Tucker Carlson, the very definition of what an"academic elitist" looks like, squeaks like, and acts like.
Great job MSNBC. Way to go after your critics by increasing the substantial egos of your Talking Heads from the RNC.
So, Latinos and Latinas work hard, as opposed to...?
Please finish your thought, Mr. Matthews.
Maybe once upon a time hardworking people that also wanted to keep their earnings would be natural Republicans, but the way the Republican party spends money nowadays, anyone that wants to work hard and keep that money should flee the Republican Party.
Matthews gets more transparent by the nano-second--the Hillary plantation fest, the Michael Moore terroist take, and now this.
I already asked, "So Latinos and Latinas work hard, as opposed to...?"
And now I'll answer that: natural Republicans would seem to be pasty, rich folks, like Matthews. Since Mr. Matthews considers Hispanic folks to be hardworking and therefore natural Republicans, who does that leave...as an unnatural Republican because they aren't hardworking? Would that be Asian-Americans? Nah. Racial stereotypes don't support that. It's gotta be African-Americans because racial stereotypes do support that.
When will Mr. Matthews pen his racist tome, "White Like Me," in which he invites all those hard-working Hispanics into the party of the white man?
welcome to Racial Stereotype on MSNBC. Latinos hardworking, Republican -- as long as they're legal, otherwise lazy with criminal tendencies and obiviously Democratic -- next segment . But first a discussion of all the other shiftless immigrants that enter the country. And whatever the case don't let them move into the gated community where I live.
"to live off the public trough through social welfare programs"
That is how you characterize Democratic policy? What a joke.
Men and women like Matthews are what keep racism afloat in this country. Last time I remember, we Puerto Ricans were made American citizens in 1952 by the USA. We are NOT immigrants when we travel to the USA mainland. We are called travelers, just like those Hawaains or Alaskans who travel to the mainland. Matthews CANNOT place us in a box with Cubans or Mexicans: although we ARE hispanic, we are NOT immigrants. Hope he reads this Hispanic History PR 101 I just wrote. As a matter of fact, Puerto Ricans are the ONLY latin people in the world who are Americans by birth. We are not a state, only a commonwealth, as of now. Simply a territory of the US. A colonized island.
hey why do you thank tom delay is coming on to the show? the right-wing and mostly karl rove knows matthews show will be easy on them, look at why they go on the today show.
Well of course the GOP is the right home for the new Americans. Why they don't even have to be in the country legally to enjoy the benefits of a free society. So while your here immigrants please feel free to consume and just have to pay retail tax at Walmart and skip any other cumbersome obligations, like say auto insurance, federal income taxes and health care costs. I'm sure you'll remember who your daddy is.Oh yeah the GOP is trying it's best to seat as many Catholics on the Supreme court as possible so you and your church can build a better America. Sounds like a good deal to Whom? So when you get here to take the job no American wants, or doesn't want to do for the pay, let's say there are 20 of you and only 10 jobs what are you going to do ? CRIME. Why does Dallas have the highest crime rate for any city of it's size? Why is 1 in 4 cars in Texas uninsured? It doesn't matter as long as GOP members can get their lawn cut for cheap and Walmart fills the state coffers, they know they'll get a tax cut and share it with the immigrants. Yes the GOP is for the hard working hispanic immigrants. This is why we left Texas.