Chris Matthews: Sarah Palin Is Like Bill Clinton (VIDEO)

Chris Matthews made a surprising comparison between Bill Clinton and Sarah Palin on his Sunday show. After a segment in which he and his guests discussed what a 2012 presidential run by Palin might look like, Matthews said that both she and Clinton were natural politicians with the grit to weather big political storms — and that both had a combative relationship with the press:

"There's one unlikely Democrat you might compare to Sarah Palin when it comes to being a natural: the generally incomparable Bill Clinton. One clear similarity: moxie. While some mortals might have gone away after that humiliating pounding that Sarah Palin took in 2008, she's been something of a comeback kid herself...during this last campaign, it was Bill Clinton who was the Democrats' counter to Sarah Palin."

Watch (via Newsbusters):

Comments

[michellejordan]

07:06 PM on 01/15/2011

Everyone is allowed a slip once in a while, Chris - I'm going to cut you some slack because I like you and find you to be "right on the money, most of the time". I'm a big fan. I'm sure that you've thought better of this statement since saying it. Maybe you were tired, or bored or skipped lunch. Maybe you meant to say something else. Or it's possible that you were kidnapped by aliens for a nanosecond and they hijacked your vocal chords...I'm going with that one. Either way, I'm going to pretend that you never said it, k? K?

[Mantan]

06:32 PM on 12/27/2010

Sweet Jessup!
Is Chris Matthews losing his grip and submitting to the gentle tug of senility?

[lawg01177]

08:54 PM on 12/03/2010

Was does a THRILL up the leg feel like?

[LittleMittens]

12:19 AM on 12/03/2010

Except Clinton is a Rhodes Scholar, really wrote his own books, brought us out of the Bush Depression, helped in creating the entire Internet public sector, got elected President twice, and Sarah quit her only political job of any relevance...yeah, you might say they're freaking twins...

[ratcityreprobate]

10:30 PM on 12/02/2010

Actually it is Mathews that is like Palin. Both open their mouths before thinking. Of course, neither of them is much of a thinker and they both crave attention more than anything else.

[naijaman]

05:00 PM on 12/02/2010

Was Chris drooling when he said this?

[Fattonecat]

01:14 AM on 12/02/2010

You should stop abusing drugs and alcohol Chris.

[myrtle1909]

09:50 PM on 12/01/2010

Bill Clinton was nothing like Sara Palin. Clinton is the best politician we have have had in years. Palin has a long way to go to be as good as Clinton, and I don't think she will ever make it.

[PunKinPai]

05:52 PM on 12/01/2010

I quit watching Chris years ago. Occasionally I wanted to hear one of his guests get more than two words out before being interrupted. Looks like I haven't missed anything.

[Madison Lib]

04:46 PM on 12/01/2010

Well, SP is one blue dress from being the kind of girl Bill would like.

[Eagleman]

04:06 PM on 12/01/2010

Chris has the "thrill going up his leg" while covering President Obama

I wonder where the "thrill going up" while covering Palin ? ;-)

[carmemirandashat]

03:41 PM on 12/01/2010

It seems to me that no politician has or should have a cozy relationship with the press. It is by definition an adversarial relationship. Any politician making the national stage will have to have a very thick skin. Thus based on those two attributes, sp is similar to every other politician out there.
In terms of substantive characteristics, the difference in curiosity, knowledge and intellect is to say the least, enormous.
I hope Matthews didn't hurt himself making that comparison, I don't think he has the flexibility to stretch that far.

[Max Shaw]

03:40 PM on 12/01/2010

Damn it Matthews..Clinton actually did stuff for this country. Palin and her cubs are simply destroying it. Big difference. Try to work on your comparisons beforehand rather than winging them when you show up in the morning for work.

[bascombe]

03:11 PM on 12/01/2010

we'd all have a better time staring at hemhorroids.

[me again]

11:00 AM on 12/01/2010

Matthews is wrong, Clinton offered hope, Palin offers vitriol. Clinton came from a point of knowledge, Palin comes from a sound bite someone fed to her.