Matthews discussed “grumpy old men” who hang around diners “because they don't want to be at home with their wives”

Written by Lauren Auerbach

Published

On Real Time, Bill Maher said to Chris Matthews: “I heard you say on your show, you were talking about Barack Obama and you said -- and I know you like him. But you said when he goes into a diner, he can't ask the average guy, you know, how the Phillies doing and all that stuff. And you said he was -- at one point, he was offered coffee and he turned it down and asked if he could have orange juice instead.” After Matthews said, “Yeah,” Maher continued: “First of all, Chris, you don't understand black people. They like juice. Preferably gin and juice.” In response, Matthews replied: “No, no. Not true. Let me, you know, it's -- you walk into a diner, one of these things where grumpy old men are hanging around because they don't want to be at home with their wives for an hour a morning and they're hanging around there.”

On the April 18 edition of HBO's Real Time, host Bill Maher interviewed Chris Matthews and, referencing recent comments that Matthews had made about Sen. Barack Obama on MSNBC's Hardball, stated: “I heard you say on your show, you were talking about Barack Obama and you said -- and I know you like him. But you said when he goes into a diner, he can't ask the average guy, you know, how the Phillies doing and all that stuff. And you said he was -- at one point, he was offered coffee and he turned it down and asked if he could have orange juice instead.” After Matthews said, “Yeah,” Maher continued: “First of all, Chris, you don't understand black people. They like juice. Preferably gin and juice.” In response, Matthews replied: “No, no. Not true. Let me, you know, it's -- you walk into a diner, one of these things where grumpy old men are hanging around because they don't want to be at home with their wives for an hour a morning and they're hanging around there.”

Responding to Matthews' assertion that “grumpy old men” hang around diners in order to avoid their wives, Maher claimed: “Oh, I think you've just caused yourself a problem at home. Talking about causing problems, I wonder what your wife is going to say about that. Speaking of which, Chris, I mean, you have been criticized about being a little sexist about [Sen.] Hillary [Clinton].” Matthews responded: “Oh, thank you for that. Why don't you put that in the bloodstream again. Get that out there in the water. Give it a little propaganda out there.”

As Media Matters for America noted, on the April 16 edition of Hardball, Matthews asserted that Obama “can't walk into a dinette [sic] with five or six guys there, white guys, in some cases.” Matthews continued: “He can't just shake hands and hang out. He doesn't seem to, 'Hey, you know, how are the Eagles doing?' Or 'How are the Phils doing?' ” Similarly, on the April 10 edition of Hardball, Matthews and MSNBC correspondent David Shuster critiqued Obama's reported request for orange juice after being offered coffee at an Indiana diner.

From the April 18 edition of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher:

MAHER: All right, but I heard you say on your show, you were talking about Barack Obama and you said -- and I know you like him. But you said when he goes into a diner, he can't ask the average guy, you know, how the Phillies doing and all that stuff. And you said he was -- at one point, he was offered coffee and he turned it down and asked if he could have orange juice instead.

MATTHEWS: Yeah.

MAHER: First of all, Chris, you don't understand black people. They like juice. Preferably gin and juice. I know this --

MATTHEWS: No, no. Not true. Let me, you know, it's -- you walk into a diner, one of these things where grumpy old men are hanging around because they don't want to be at home with their wives for an hour a morning and they're hanging around there -- you know. And they want that hour away and that third place, we call it, some place between work and home. And they're hanging around there having their cup of coffee, and I noticed he couldn't go up to people and just sort of say, how are you doing, what do you hear? He didn't seem to know how to do that, and I think that's gonna cause him a problem in this election.

MAHER: Oh, I think you've just caused yourself a problem at home. Talking about causing problems, I wonder what your wife is going to say about that. Speaking of which, Chris, I mean, you have been criticized about being a little sexist about Hillary.

MATTHEWS: Oh, thank you for that. Why don't you put that in the bloodstream again. Get that out there in the water. Give it a little propaganda out there.

MAHER: Well, no, but it seems like you --

MATTHEWS: Who's criticized me? Hillary? Who's done this? Help me out.

MAHER: Yes, Hillary Clinton thinks that you're sexist.

MATTHEWS: Well, you know, she's got a problem with a lot of us.

MAHER: A lot -- who -- and who are you meaning “us”? Media? Men?

MATTHEWS: No, I mean -- well, not Media Matters; they're on her side. No, media people, I think. I think she's been tough on the media. I think she's run a terrible campaign. She's better than her campaign. I think her press people have caused more trouble than their worth. I think the guy running her operation, Mark Penn -- she's out yesterday saying, “Tell people when you go door-to-door I'm not as bad as you think.”

MAHER: Right.

MATTHEWS: I mean, and after all this billions of dollars she's spent on the campaign and we got a worse impression of her than she is? That's not a campaign; that's an assassination.

MAHER: But don't you think she has a point that gender has actually been a bigger factor in this campaign than race?

MATTHEWS: No, actually there are more women Democrats than there are male Democrats. It should help her.

MAHER: OK.

MATTHEWS: Shouldn't it?

MAHER: Why is she doing better with Catholics?