Chris Matthews Overheard Trashing Hillary Clinton: "She's Just A Soap Opera"

Chris Matthews, whose negative feelings for Hillary Clinton were made very clear during the primary season Matthews (and who was ultimately forced to apologize for what many perceived as sexist comments he made about her), was overheard trashing the idea of Clinton as Barack Obama's Secretary of State. The MSNBC host "didn't take a good look around on the Acela train from Philadelphia to Washington Saturday before he started bad-mouthing the New York senator," Page Six reports Tuesday:

An avowed Clinton lover who was sitting next to Matthews reports: "He was in business class wearing a red baseball hat that said Penn on the back, and the fat [bleep] fell asleep on the train and snored with his mouth open."

During the ride to DC, Matthews awoke from his nap. A fellow passenger asked him, "What's the news tomorrow?" - to which Matthews loudly started talking about President-elect Barack Obama possibly picking Hillary as his secretary of state.

"I don't understand it," Matthews bellowed. "Why would he pick her? I thought we were done with the Clintons. She'll just use it to build her power base. It's Machiavellian. And then we'll have Bill Clinton, too. I thought Obama didn't want drama. He's already got [chief of staff Rahm] Emanuel and [transition team leader John] Podesta. He'll have even more drama with her.

"She's just a soap opera. If he doesn't pick her, everyone will say she's been dissed again, we'll have to live through that again."

As Page Six points out, Matthews is singing a different tune publicly. On his show Friday, he praised Hillary Clinton's support for Obama in the general election, calling her "illustrious" and "admirable."

Watch Matthews and guests discuss the Clinton as Secretary of State possibility on "Hardball" Thursday:

Watch Christopher Hitchens trash Hillary Clinton on Monday's "Hardball" here.

Comments

[SOLERSO68]

This sounds like more clinton dirty tricks.slick willie is slicker than tricky dick was.

[SOLERSO68]

I just hope hes prepared to put the old girl down If she "goes rouge"

[TrueThis]

I'm disappointed too Chris. Enough with the Clintons. Why Obama doing this I don't know. I'm just wondering about Richardson and Kerry who really been there for him.

[WritusMaximus]

It's unfair. Hillary can run on her own, no need for Bill.

[campgranata]

if she could have, she would have. Bill had a resume; she is his wife.

[sueno]

Why is it "sexist" if you don't like Hillary?
Her resume has lots of "holes" in it-
She lacks a lot of "actual" experience and has not accomplished very much as Senator of NY.
I don't think that Clinton is the best choice, but she can help in the new administration.
Her "celebrity" can help in foreign policy, but she isn't the best pick.
Matthews makes a good point and "many problems" comes with her nomination-

[MorpheusXNYC]

Unsourced, unrecorded gossip like this SHOULD BE beneath the Huffington Post.

I'm not even disputing he said it. Hell, he makes a salient point, and it even sounds like him, but still, without some verifiable, reputable source this sort of thing should have been dismissed as hearsay.

Shame on HuffPo for this. This reeks of PUMA/Clintonista sulking.

Which plays right into the point Matthews was supposedly making: Clintons & Clintonistas = DRAMA .

[nativesun]

agreed on ALL points.

sounds like matthews....all salient points that i agree with - but
nonetheless this is hearsay and rumor - not sourced reporting.

as you said,
this reeks of PUMA/Clintonista sulking & rumor mongering.

which, once again, is DRAMA. and over 60 million people voted
to say they were sick of drama. tired of it.. and didn't want that
clintonesque BS in their white house.

[sueno]

I agree also-
This is propaganda to help Clinton-

[bobbysgurl]

So, what if Matthews said what is being alledged in the post? What part of what he said is untrue? He wasn't on television. He was speaking as a private citizen on his commute home from his job.

[radgrad63]

Matthews is a mysoginist plain and simple. He cannot stand to see a woman in charge.

[nativesun]

As I said a few posts down -
and I see you've chosen to DUCK the challenge:

"I openly challenge the NEXT Huffington Poster who
wants to repeat the "Chris Matthews is a sexist" charge....

PROVE IT.

Supply the quote....Recall the instance...Prove your baseless charge.

I'm tired of it already.

Chris Matthews doesn't like Hillary Clinton. Big deal.

He's not that big a fan of Bill either.

Because he's outspoken, opinionated (surprise, surprise. he's only PAID
to speak..his..opinion) and doesn't like YOUR CANDIDATE....all of a
sudden he's a sexist...because your candidate's a woman. save it.

unless you can prove the very serious allegation that this man is a
sexist.....stop embarrassing yourselves and leave the man alone.

he's entitled to his opinion the same way you are yours. "

[sanywhere]

preach it!

[ladyrefined2000]

he hates powerfull women............he is a sexist.....one must excuse him, for he is like 67 years old.

he should just go away.

hey chris , why dont you just quit tv. write some stupid memorablia about your life ....lol...........that no one shall read......

you are a charicature of yourself now......................

so pathetic

[Whinger]

Sarah will fade away like the mornin' dew, and Chris comes across like Mr Disingenuous!

[lastcallmd]

Matthews is a parody of himself--no small trick.

[frost12]

MAKES SENSE:CHRISSY-BOY IS A TWO-FACED, SEXIST, GOOD OLE PRETTY BOY.

[sanywhere]

is anytime you don't like a specific woman sexist. no. stop putting that easy, wrong answer out there. it is a great charge and not one to be made lightly. go, do your homework, then prove it to me that he is a sexist.

[cartach]

"avowed Clinton lover" ????? The last person that I'd support would be Tweety,however this article represents another new low for Huffington. Who is the source? Give us a name. Were Tweety's comments recorded? This seems to be another dreamed up story similar to those from the National Enquirer and typical of the ever increasing number of garbage articles appearing in Huffington. Too many writers with nothing much to do after the elections. Time for a layoff.

[daisydukes]

Agree with this dude, although I don't know who he is. Whichever way I think about it, we do not need Clinton along for the ride anymore. I really wish O considered someone else for this job, we need to turn a page. Hillary and Bill would not have given O a thought if the tables were turned. They just need to go and retire..... we need young blood now.

[Katherineo]

President Elect Obama is a very intelligent man.
I hope this continue to carry through in his staff selection.

[Forest]

You wonder why msnbc is so fearful of Hillary.

[bobbysgurl]

MSNBC is not fearful of Clinton, but I am. HRC started the Ayers mess during the primaries, never once mentioning that her husband pardoned The Weather Underground members. Who is more at fault--Clinton or Obama?

Obama does not need Clinton promoting her own agenda under his auspices. I didn't trust her when she was the first lady, and I don't trust her now.

Before you get all crazy on me--I'm a life-long Democrat. I vote for the party ideology and not for any one person.

[RAVEN13]

It is Chris who is "heavy with hypocrisy" when it comes to the Clintons. He'll call her admirable, her
actions illustrious, only to seek out known "haters" to come-on his show and spew their biased
views. It is Chris who can't seem to "let go" of the Republican inspired, often paid for Clinton
"tales" that he willingly passes on as gospel. Yet, when he has former Speaker of the House Tom
Delay, he NEVER refers to his trial for corruption, involvement with Abramoff scandal or any such
references. Point being, Chris is selective in what he wants to promote. He is promoting the
drama hoping to derail a possible nomination!!! That's why his audience is so small.

[Jjc2006]

Standing and applauding. Calling out the hypocrisy of Matthews is great. This should be tagged as one of the "outstanding posts" but it won't be. WHY? Because Arianna and friends' hypocrisy is in line with Matthews hypocrisy. She LOVED her some Reagan, was friends with Newt and cheered on the personal trashing of the Clintons all through the 90s. Never mind that Ronald Reagan's supported Pinochet, propped the brutal, murderous dictator; never mind that the Reagan administration supported the thugs who murdered thousands of native peoples of Guatemala and Nicaragua.
Bill Clinton had an affair and his wife did not leave him. In the minds of the wingnuts here, and the friends of Arianna, these two are evil..........how dare that damn Hillary think she had the right to push for health care back when no one else even noticed how the insurance industry's greed and unethical practices were happening.
But Reagan. People like Arianna still swoon over his name, while cheering on people like Hitchen's to trash the Clintons. HItchens, who openly supported W and his war is a hero of new left at Huffpo because he trashes the Clintons.

Wow the sanctimonious hypocrisy here amazes.

[nativesun]

I openly challenge the NEXT Huffington Poster who
wants to repeat the "Chris Matthews is a sexist" charge....

PROVE IT.

Supply the quote....Recall the instance...Prove your baseless charge.

I'm tired of it already.

Chris Matthews doesn't like Hillary Clinton. Big deal.

He's not that big a fan of Bill either.

Because he's outspoken, opinionated (surprise, surprise. he's only PAID
to speak..his..opinion) and doesn't like YOUR CANDIDATE....all of a
sudden he's a sexist...because your candidate's a woman. save it.

unless you can prove the very serious allegation that this man is a
sexist.....stop embarrassing yourselves and leave the man alone.

he's entitled to his opinion the same way you are yours.

[Forest]

When he rants nightly about Hillary Clinton, his "opinion" morfs into obsession.

[nativesun]

come on Forest..be fair. that's what he does. he RANTS. he rants about everything.

NOT just hillary. most of his rants are entertaining. and they're ALL well-informed.

say what you want about chris matthews...the man knows his sh*t.

honestly, I wouldn't even call what he does ranting....he gives his opinion, bluntly. but it's an opinion based on a lot of first hand knowledge of D.C. and its inner workings.

[Jjc2006]

Matthews and Delay, thinking the mic was off, (in 2007) while going to break, were giggling and tittering like two middle school boys, about how "no man could ever listen to that shrill voice" for four years.....I KNOW, I was watching. I heard.

His treatment of younger women on his show..."move closer, Erin, move closer to the camera..." Erin Burnette being teased ON AIR about being young and attractive.

He has trashed women over their looks on air. And oh yea, " The only reason Hillary got elected to the senate was because her husband cheated one her..." is what he said on air. There is a litany of sexist statements documented by Media Matters. Chris and many of his friend are sexist pigs. You don't get that speaks more about you than about Matthews.

[campgranata]

THANK YOU. The only reason she lasted as long as she did was because of her gender; no white man could have beaten her; and none did. I am especially thankful for the brilliant campaign Obama waged for if not for him MRS Clinton would be Madame President. whew