Since the 2008 election, Sean Hannity has repeatedly reminded mocked Chris Matthews for his infamous “thrill going up my leg” remarks. But on Thursday, “Hardball” host Matthews returned a jab at Hannity.
According to Matthews, the accusation that the polls have been weighted in favor of Obama over his Republican challenger Mitt Romney is not rooted in reality. Matthews accused Hannity and frequent Fox News guest Dick Morris of trotting out that excuse for Romney trailing in many recent polls.
“What do you do when your candidate is trailing in the polls? Well, you blame the pollsters,” Matthews said. “Over the past several days right-wing radio and television pundits have gone wild with the new Republican talking thought: ‘The polls are wrong. Pay no attention to what you’re seeing or what you’re hearing, that Obama is up.’ According to some on Fox and elsewhere, the pollsters are all in the president’s back pocket and they can’t be trusted, including Fox’s polls apparently.”
Later in the segment, Matthews suggested Hannity is showman who doesn’t believe much of what he says.
“I hate to say it, Ron, but I believe that Sean Hannity is as smart as me or anybody else, but he says stuff on the air that throws red meat out there for that audience to eat up. It’s an act. He can’t be believing this stuff.”