Matthews falsely suggested that health care wasn't discussed at Dem debate

Written by Raphael Schweber-Koren & Matt Gertz

Published

On Morning Joe, guest host Chris Matthews complained that, during the January 21 Democratic presidential debate, too much time was spent on “black/white issues,” and too little time was spent discussing the candidates' positions on the Iraq war or on health care. In fact, health care was discussed for more than 13 minutes during the debate, and the Iraq war was discussed for nearly eight minutes. Yet Morning Joe's analysis of the debate, which featured numerous clips from the event, included no video from the exchanges where the candidates “debat[ed] health care” and the current situation in Iraq.

On the January 22 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, guest host Chris Matthews complained that, during the previous night's Democratic presidential debate on CNN, too much time was spent on “black/white issues,” and too little time was spent discussing the candidates' positions on the Iraq war or on health care. After co-host Mika Brzezinski read aloud a New York Times headline about the debate, “Issues Take Back Stage At Debate,” Matthews said, "[T]his is the sad thing in this debate, maybe because I care a lot about the war in Iraq and I've talked about it a lot and been skeptical of it, but why aren't we talking about that?" Matthews continued, “There's a difference between [Sen.] Hillary [Clinton (D-NY)] and [Sen.] Barack [Obama (D-IL)] on the Iraq war, and how they voted on it, how they supported it or didn't. Why aren't we debating that? Why aren't we debating health care, some of the things that -- instead they debated black/white issues. We know there's a race difference, we don't need to get started on that.” During the CNN debate, health care was discussed for more than 13 minutes, and the Iraq war was discussed for nearly eight minutes. Yet Morning Joe's analysis of the debate, which featured numerous clips from the event, included no video from the exchanges where the candidates “debat[ed] health care” and the current situation in Iraq.

The CNN debate discussion about health care lasted 13 minutes and 14 seconds, while the discussion about the current situation in Iraq lasted 7 minutes and 46 seconds.

Morning Joe showed only the following clips from the debate:

  • Obama's comment about Clinton's serving on the board of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Clinton's response about Obama's ties to his now-indicted campaign contributor Antoin Rezko (aired three times).
  • Obama's comment that “sometimes” he “can't tell” whether he's running against Clinton or her husband (aired three times).
  • Edwards' comment that “I also want to know on behalf of voters here in South Carolina, this kind of squabbling, how many children is this going to get health care? How many people are going to get an education from this? How many kids are going to be able to go to college because of this?”
  • Obama and Edwards' back-and-forth over Obama's “present” votes in the Illinois state Senate (aired twice).
  • Obama on whether he thought “Bill Clinton was our first black president?” (aired twice).
  • Edwards on his ability to defeat McCain “everywhere in America.”

From the January 22 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

BRZEZINSKI: And I love this in the Daily News: “Hillary, Barack in South Carolina Insultathon.” And you know what? If you go back to The New York Times, which of course has a more highbrow look at things --

[crosstalk]

MATTHEWS: Of course. Broadsheet.

BRZEZINSKI: -- but they bring up the same thing we were talking about, when we were getting ready for the show: “Issues Take Back Stage At Debate.”

MATTHEWS: You know, this is the sad thing in this debate, and maybe because I care a lot about the war in Iraq and I've talked about it a lot and been skeptical of it, but why aren't we talking about that? Bob Woodward, the great reporter, said the other day on one of my shows, he said this is the backdrop issue. Where are we going to go on foreign policy? There's a difference between Hillary and Barack on the Iraq war, and how they voted on it, how they supported it or didn't. Why aren't we debating that? Why aren't we debating health care, some of the things that -- instead, they debated black/white issues. We know there's a race difference, we don't need to get started on that.

BRZEZINSKI: And they talked a great deal about race, and I feel this is something that's been put out there, quite frankly, by the Clintons and quite brilliantly.

MATTHEWS: Well, the roll of the dice and --

BRZEZINSKI: Fairy tale.

MATTHEWS: -- fairy tale, and the three charges about drugs by three different surrogates. And you have to wonder if they didn't want to place him in the African-American community and almost like [Gen. Norman] Schwarzkopf, put him in there, surround him, and then destroy him.

BRZEZINSKI: Yep.

MATTHEWS: And I wonder about that strategy. It's brilliant, hardball politics --

BRZEZINSKI: It is --

MATTHEWS: -- if that's what they set about to do.