On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, “Hardball” host Chris Matthews took a few jabs at the man that once gave him a thrill up his leg.
Matthews told host Joe Scarborough that President Barack Obama made a mistake by rejecting the Keystone Pipeline, since the decision gave presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney campaign ammunition.
“It’s about the next four years, not the last four. But they have got a track record,” said Matthews. “I think we all agree that the most effective ad that the Romney people have put on the air yet is the one that starts with Keystone because Obama made a mistake on that. OK, there’s an open mistake. I don’t know if he can fix it. It’s probably too late. But that’s a good job creation problem — tangible construction jobs. And what’s the cost? Nobody can even remember what the environmental cost was here. We just know the benefit we kissed goodbye to.”
Matthews suggested that Obama talk about the auto industry and highway construction projects.
“The auto industry is much bigger, much bigger than the idea of the Keystone,” he said. “He should be running on what he’s done and saying, I’m going to do this. How about this? ‘My way is the highway. My way is the highway.’ We’re going to build this country the way Eisenhower did in the ’50s.”
The “Hardball” host said the bottom line message should be the future and not pot shots at Romney’s past.
“We’re going to do what Republicans used to do,” Matthews ranted. “You have an auto industry. Where are you going to run the car? I mean, he has to be big and noisy and loud like me, I guess instead of this pusillanimous talking about Bain, that’s below him. Talking about Massachusetts? Who cares about Massachusetts 20 years ago? I mean, he’s got to focus on the future.”
(h/t The Right Scoop)