Matthews suggested that in order for Democrats to be "grown-up," they have to "sit in the front seat and drive the car"
On the October 24 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews asserted that Democrats have no plan for Iraq and then asked rhetorically: "Do you know what the difference is between a grown-up and a kid?" Matthews then suggested that to be "grown-up," Democrats have to "sit in the front seat and drive the car." Earlier, when Republican strategist Ed Rogers said that Democrats "don't offer an alternative" to the current strategy in Iraq, Matthews replied, "I agree with you on that." In fact, Democrats do have near-consensus on a strategy in Iraq. In a vote held in June, a strong majority of Senate Democrats supported initiating the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, despite disagreement over how soon that withdrawal should take place. Thirty-seven Democratic senators voted for a nonbinding amendment sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) that called for the "beginning of a phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year" and urged the administration to submit to Congress a plan for continued redeployment beyond 2006. Six Democratic senators voted against the amendment, and one did not vote. Media Matters for America has noted that Democrats have laid out plans for the future of U.S. military involvement in Iraq and other national security issues, and also that many media figures often ignore them or mischaracterize them using Republican talking points.
In addition, more Americans believe that Democrats "have a clear plan to solve the country's problems" than believe that Republicans do, according to a recent public opinion poll by CNN. Citing the poll's results on the October 24 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer said that "[w]hen asked which party has a clear plan for solving the country's problems, 38 percent say the Democrats do," adding that this was a "seven-point edge over Republicans."
According to an October 24 report on CNN.com, the poll also found that "63 percent of poll respondents said they believed Democrats could provide strong leadership, compared to just 49 percent who expressed confidence that the GOP would keep a firm hand on the wheel. And while 50 percent said they doubted the Republicans' leadership capacity, only 35 percent expressed the same doubts about Democrats." The poll's margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.
From the October 24 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, which also featured Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen:
MATTHEWS: OK, let me ask you the question: If you're against the war in Iraq, how do you express it in the voting booth? If you're against the war in Iraq --
ROGERS: If you're against the -- if you're against the war --
MATTHEWS: -- if you think it was a big blunder -- if you think it was a major blunder to go in there, how do you vote?
ROGERS: -- well, then, you have options. You have -- you have options. You have options to cut and run --
MATTHEWS: No. How do you vote?
ROGERS: -- or to manage a bad situation.
[...]
ROGERS: But the Democrats don't offer an alternative. They really don't. They just say, "We hate Bush. We hate what's happening in Iraq."
MATTHEWS: Right. I agree with you on that.
ROGERS: "Vote for us." They don't have an alternative. And when they do, it's -- it's capitulate; it's -- it's cut and run.
[...]
MATTHEWS: I'm amazed at the silence of the Democratic Party. It is still highly silent compared to 1994 when Newt had a plan.
ROSEN: Well, you -- you might be right, but --
ROGERS: Exactly. Exactly.
ROSEN: -- but what is happening now is Republicans are running away from the war faster than the Democrats did and --
ROGERS: But the Democrats --
ROSEN: -- they're not going -- they're not going to succeed with that.
ROGERS: -- the Democrats' only message is: "We hate Bush." Is that enough? Is that enough?
ROSEN: Mike DeWine today wasn't going to say he was for the war anymore.
MATTHEWS: Do you know what the difference is between a grown-up and a kid? You got to sit in the front seat and drive the car.
ROGERS: Thank you.
MATTHEWS: Thank you Ed Rogers and thank you Hilary Rosen.
who drove it very well for eight years, as compared to these clueless idiots who keep driving into a ditch over and over and then say trust me one more time.
... Come on. Is Mathews really this thick or is he just a flat-out liar. Democrats have offered up a plan...have many plans... they just get little play. Then we're led to believe that they are silent. Ask 'em Chris.
What's a bit absurd -- Biden remarked on the Dem plans for Iraq ON MATHEW'S SHOW...
[link to www.msnbc.msn.com]
Mathews just babbles -- like they all do -- in a rapid-fire manner. That's supposed to substitute for substance.
Instead of saying he disagrees with the plan(s) put forward by Democrats to end the occupation of Iraq, Matthews for some reason continues to lie and say that the Democrats don't have plan.
...it is the only logical conclusion = Mathews is a shill and a liar.
Appear to be driving under the influence. They have us sitting in the back seat, with no seat belts on and are driving recklessly. At this stage they've accrued enough points to have their licences suspended. And we'll never be able to pay the increased insurance premiums we'll be charged because of the behavior of the adults in the Bush Administration.
just what are they driving?
Is that Bush & Co. were using an old map from WWII. They figured it was a straight drive from point A to point B and they'd be greeted at the end of the road as liberators with flowers thrown at their feet. Had they taken the time to check out a more recent map they would have seen that a lot more roads had been added. The result has been that they've been doing NOTHING but driving around in circles. And getting shot at to boot.
The Democrats SEEM to have a more up-to-date map. It might not get them to Point B...BUT it might get them the hell out BEFORE too many more innocent lives are lost.
To get out before more innocent lives are lost. I like the map analogy. I think at some point early on, someone must have taken the FDR and Truman era map and substituted LBJ's and Tricky Dick's Vietnam map. The two wars are becoming more alike each day, except that the soudtrack for Vietnam was much better.
Yes... but first you have to be given the opportunity and privilege to drive the car.
and when you take the wheel from that person who's been DUI (Driving with Unreliable Intelligence) , you may have to pull over and check the map before working out the details of your plan.
Especially if the other one driving has taken every wrong turn since they took the wheel.
I say give the kiddies a chance. They can't drive us into any more of ditch than this crew has. I'd say the airbags have exploded and the adults are now incapacitated. The kids have been in the back seat and don't have noxious chemicals all over them and they at least can call the popo and the ambulance to get things sorted out.
- Bush lost the 2000 election but still got to be president, because of his family and his neocon-buddies. - After 9/11 Bush orders the imprisonment of thousands of innocent muslims without a right to a fair trial, just because some Saudi's flew some plains in some buildings. - After 9/11, Bush cuts down on all civil rights: privacy, habeus corpus, free speech, freedom of press. He lies to the public that it will make the USA safer. - Bush first told us Iraq had WMD's, then said Iraq was working with Al-Qaïda. He invades it, everything turned out to be a lie. A war that has cost Americans all the treasury they had thanks to Clinton was based on false claims and the only ones profiting from it are Defence contractors who happen to be Bush-allies (sweet serendipity). - Bush tells us N-Korea and Iran have nuclear power, he DOESN'T invade them but still claims the world to be safer...even by doing nothing. - plenty of reasons to add but if the above don't arouse the fury in you, you may be ignorant, idiot or republican.
"THEY DON'T HAVE A PLAN!" states Rogers with certainty.
Then adds, "OR, if they DO have a plan, it's 'cut and run'."
Hmmm. Can't make up your mind, Ed? Can't decide between the LIE that the Dems have no plan, or the LYING SPIN "characterization" -- now discredited and abandoned by even the White House -- that the Dem's PLAN (that they don't have) is to 'cut and run'?
It can't be BOTH, as much as the rightwing would love to keep making both claims simultaneously.
The Dem's PLAN is to declare we deposed Saddam, put him on trial, set up democracy and held elections, and now it's time for the new Iraq Government to GOVERN. It's time for us to LEAVE.
Sounds like a plan to ME, much better than standing in the middle of a civil war and getting our brave soldiers picked off one by one (to over 2800 and counting) with no end in sight.
Bush is now "driving the car" but he can't see over the dash and can't reach the pedals. The "fact" that he's driving does not automatically assign "adulthood" on him ... he could just be a bratty kid in the process of wrecking the family car.
Yesterday while surfing the T.V I caught Sen Durbin on the show and matthews was trying to give him the third degree on Iraq.WHy did the dems vote for this why did they vote for that.The senator was very cool and informed saying that for one he sits on the intelligence committee and was privy to info others weren't.He was trying to get the senator to buckle but It didn't work.Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.Also before the senator came on they were talking about Limbaugh and his comments on M ichael J.Fox. He closed that segement with " I kinda like him,him meaning Limbaugh.All night there was a debate on the subject and only one station acknowledged that Mr. Fox had did similar ad for Senator Spector of Penna. in 2004 No conterversey on that ad.
As noted above what really burns me about this is how dumb it is by being so simple. You want plans? Get Dems on the show to express them. But by saying they have no plans, at the same time not giving them a forum, highlights the show as partisan. Do some reporting, Tweedy, beyond the faxes for Herr Karl.
Different Democrats have different plans because each of the Democrats can think for themselves. They do not need a Tom Delay or Bill Frist or Rush Limbaugh to tell them what to do and how to vote on issues. Differences of opinions takes place when people think for themselves.
let everyone else drive lightly armored Humvees.
lets you drive a truck with no protection through a hot zone.
That guy sitting in the back seat telling you to stop before you drive off the cliff, he IS a grownup.
This just in....House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), in an interview with Lesley Stahl of CBS News, said impeachment would be "off the table" if Democrats take over the House of Representatives in November, calling it a "waste of time."
I hope that puts to rest any Dem loyalists' dreams of Bush and Cheney being put on trial by a Dem majority. It just ain't gonna happen. So much for accountability.