On the January 15 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews compared Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) to former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis when he asked former White House adviser and frequent Hardball contributor Ron Christie: “Is she Dukakis in a dress?” Matthews, who has made this comparison before, has a history of leveling baseless smears against Clinton, as Media Matters for America has noted.

From the January 15 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

CHRISTIE: That's exactly right. But if you look at [former Vice President] Al Gore, if you look at [Sen.] John Kerry [D-MA], they did not do very well in the interior of the country. They played very well to the coasts. The question will be: "Will Senator Clinton be able to overcome some very difficult --

MATTHEWS: Is she Dukakis in a dress?

CHRISTIE: I'm not going to go there. She will be difficult to win a general election because I think there are a lot of people who have had Clinton fatigue. You and I have talked about this before.

MATTHEWS: I know. I know. I think we've gone around this block.