Chris Matthews: Mitt Romney Is 'Exterminator' For Negative Ads Against Gingrich (VIDEO)

Chris Matthews titled Mitt Romney "the exterminator" for taking down Newt Gingrich with negative ads on Monday's "Morning Joe."

The MSNBC host was speaking to co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski in Florida in the lead-up to the state primary on Tuesday. Scarborough marveled that Newt Gingrich was still in the race after losing in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Matthews said that the "real devastation" for Gingrich came from Romney's negative ads. He noted that Romney had spent $16 million in ads in Florida -- where the GOP candidate is expected to win -- and credited Romney's ads for Gingrich's loss in Iowa. He seemed to lament the negative barrage, wondering whether voters "are happy with the system that allows one candidate to annihilate the other one with negative ads."

He also speculated that the ads had a negative implication for Romney: that his campaign has been built on the weaknesses of other candidates, rather than support for himself. "There's no demand for Romney," Matthews said. "He's just the last man standing after this extermination campaign." Watch the segment in the clip above.

One ad attacking Gingrich has been particularly controversial because it uses archived NBC footage of Tom Brokaw reporting on Gingrich's ethics violations. Brokaw said that he was "extremely uncomfortable" with being featured in political ads, and Romney's campaign is slated to discuss the matter with NBC.

Comments

[holyghostie]

08:57 AM on 02/01/2012

If Mitt gets to be President the first thing he is going to do is outlaw his own healthplan. Hilarious.

The second thing he is going to do is defund the successful auto industry bailout.

He's not going to say Republicans had 8 years to cause all the economic problems and Obama only had 3 to get us out of the mess. Its the same script the last 40 years. The GOP gets the nation in huge trouble and than they turn it over to the DEMS for 4 years and than they say....omg look at what the DEMS did....you better elect us. The shame of it is so many people fall for it.

[zlohcuc]

08:56 AM on 02/01/2012

It seems that everyone has something derogatory to say about Romney...and yet he is likely to be the GOP candidate for POTUS. Make you wonder just who is planning to actually vote for this pretender come November.

[holyghostie]

08:03 PM on 01/31/2012

Romney may be the antichrist

[LMKay66]

03:32 PM on 01/31/2012

Romney is the "last man standing."  He will be the nominee because it's his turn.  He's next in line.  Just as McCain was in 2008.  

They all say Romney has the best chance of defeating Obama.

Really?

The guy who lost to the guy who lost to Obama in 2008 has the best chance of defeating Obama?  I don't think so.

[JoeHilley]

02:30 PM on 01/31/2012

Blasts Mitt for his strategy - the only strategy I've seen is "I'm next."

[AustrianSpeaker]

01:22 PM on 01/31/2012

MSNBC thought "food stamps" was racist, has no problem calling FL panhandle "cracker counties."

[nevernot]

03:09 PM on 01/31/2012

Please remember that for when MSNBC runs for president. As a Florida resident I assure you, the panhandle is "cracker counties" and a candidate for president calling our sitting president a "food stamp president" is racist

[anniesez455]

11:58 AM on 02/01/2012

The fact is...More people are at the poverty level under this President than ANY other President! More people are collecting more food stamps..White people too! You are the r-ac-ist!

[BocaMom]

11:27 AM on 01/31/2012

No matter how hard he tries, Chris Matthews is no Keith Olbermann. He tries to imitate Keith to boost his dismal audience, but he is not even half as intelligent. MSNBC needs to move Matthews to the afternoon instead prime time.

[JoeHilley]

02:31 PM on 01/31/2012

Thank You

[1Troubles]

09:22 AM on 01/31/2012

I love seeing Matthews get upset over Romney, 3 months ago he was in love with him, along with Daniels from In.!

[slack027]

08:37 AM on 01/31/2012

It's a fact in the 2008 election OBAMA ran more nagative adds then anyone on American history, most of Obama's Ads by far were all attack Ads against McCain...you crictis should study.

[1Troubles]

09:22 AM on 01/31/2012

he's caleed "President Obama"

[media4meisback]

03:47 PM on 01/31/2012

1/2 cracker Obama?

[datenutloaf]

11:44 AM on 01/31/2012

.......You've been rendered incapable of thinking outside the Fox.......

[handsomeinnc]

08:28 AM on 01/31/2012

Obama you have been warned.

[LisaO8]

08:25 AM on 01/31/2012

Lawrence OD had an interesting segment on last night about Mittens great grandfather and Mexico - ooohhhh this will be very interesting how he down-plays his family's polygamist past, their sect still in Mexico and how they left the US because their practices were outlawed here!!

[slack027]

08:34 AM on 01/31/2012

And what does his grandfathers passed have to do with Romney ? No more then Obamas polygamist father, why haven't you mention Obamas fathers many wifes?

[LisaO8]

08:46 AM on 01/31/2012

Obama's grandfather lived in Africa!! He did not live here and then leave the US because he did not want to follow it's laws!! There is a big difference! The righties claims to be such great Americans, so patriotic, blah, blah, blah - except when they don't want to abide by it's laws, with their multiple wives, they leave to practice an illegal act...yeah, it's quite different. Mittens religion is an issue, many in your own party thinks he belongs to a "cult."

[media4meisback]

03:48 PM on 01/31/2012

WHo cares. We still don't know where prez Obie came from.

[99er2049er]

08:07 AM on 01/31/2012

When all Americans watch television every day and night, negative ads will program them. Florida you will vote Mitt and eventually he will face Obama and then he will lose.

[Stan DaMann]

12:06 AM on 01/31/2012

Mitt, we need to see more tax returns.

Your father, George Romney, gave us 12 years of tax returns, when he ran for President in 1968. Obama, coincidentally, has also released 12 years of tax returns.

How about it Mitt? Are you as much a man as your father was?

TAX RETURNS NOW TAX RETURNS NOW TAX RETURNS NOW TAX RETURNS NOW

[99er2049er]

08:08 AM on 01/31/2012

How come the media is no longer talking about this story? It's all about him winning Florida, but we need media pressure to come out about this. Perhaps we are waiting until he wins the primary, then we attack him hard with showing his tax returns. I am betting he has several years or more where he paid zero taxes.

[JustAnObserverII]

08:36 AM on 01/31/2012

Why? Unless you are a tax attorney will you be reading 500 plus pages of tax documents?

[JoeHilley]

02:34 PM on 01/31/2012

I think he was reluctant to release his returns because of the amount of income they showed and concern over the way it would play with the "wealth gap" issue.

[Zandra61]

10:17 PM on 01/30/2012

In an age where young people are committing suicide due to bullying I feel Gov. Romney is a bad influence. He is being nothing but a Bully. Newt asked for a truce and Mitt ignored him. Now it seems Mitt cannot go anywhere without badmouthing Newt. He is an adult. An adult running for President. Should our President be seen as a bully? He proves that in order to get ahead one must have lots of money in which one can utilize for their bullying? Nice guys finish last. That is why our country is in the state that it is. No common sense. Out of touch with the real world and worst of all Bullying. Mitt is supposed to be a dad? A Grandparent? A leader? He is a Bully. He can dish it out, but cannot take it. Think about it, if he were in school would his attitude be tolerated? How do we stop bullying when adults are bullies? I don't know who I will vote for as of yet but I do know I will not vote for a Bully. Mitt, if you see this (doubtful), think about it.

[MFMG]

10:04 PM on 01/30/2012

Chris makes a point that his electability is because of the weaknesses of his opponent and not for what he has to offer. He is just the best of the worst.

[slack027]

08:40 AM on 01/31/2012

And Obama won because of slogans that meant nothing , hope, change, wow..

[1Troubles]

09:25 AM on 01/31/2012

and if you'd take you blinder off, you'd see he accomplished much working with an obstructionist congress!!!