Chris Matthews Trashes Mitt Romney PAC’s Attack Ads Against Newt Gingrich: ‘Newt Was Wronged’

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by James Crugnale | 4:27 pm, January 3rd, 2012

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Appearing on MSNBC’s NewsNation with Tamron Hall, Hardball host Chris Matthews called out Mitt Romney for relying on the unaffliated Super PAC Restore Our Future to politically cripple Newt Gingrich in Iowa.

“It’s been a bombing campaign by the Romney people. They destroyed their nationwide competition. Newt Gingrich is lucky to come in fourth or fifth after this relentless ad campaign that is 100% negative and run by the Romney people unofficially. It’s called Restore Our Future. It has relentlessly 24-7 destroyed Newt Gingrich. I can only compare it to the Allied bombing of Dresden in World War II. It left nothing standing.”

Hall asked Matthews why Gingrich didn’t see this attack coming.

“What he’s not used to is under this new court ruling, Citizens United, your opponent can run a terrible campaign and relentlessly destroy your reputation without putting your fingerprints on the ad. You don’t have to say I’m Mitt Romney and I paid for this ad. So now in Iowa, where the people don’t like negative campaigning, you can run the bombing campaign or destroy your opponent without having your face or voice associated with it. That’s what Newt wasn’t aware of. it’s his fault that conservatives like them have gone along with these court decisions, that have allowed big contributors, wealthy people to put unlimited amounts of money into negative campaigns without putting the name of their favorite candidate in the ad. it destroyed gingrich. it’s an amazing thing to watch out here. The destruction of a front-runner by someone in second place and now doesn’t have an opponent because his wealthy friends destroyed that person you are looking at right now.”

“My love is for democracy, Matthews continued. My sympathy is not for Newt. It’s for democracy. Newt was wronged. That’s hard for me to say this, but he was wronged by the system. I’m trying to be fair even to people I don’t normally agree with.”

Watch Matthews surprising heartfelt defense of Newt Gingrich from Mitt Romney-sympathetic PACs

Chris Matthews, Iowa Caucus, Mitt Romney, money and politics, msnbc, Restore Our Future, Super PAC, Tamron Hall

The Real Royal Emperor

Yes, Newt was wronged. And, although I can’t stand him, that doesn’t change that essential fact. We have learned two (2) lessons from this:

#1 Our elections have become shameful.
#2 Willard has ethics every bit as bad as Newton Leroy.
Anonymous

Spot on analysis by Chris here. Too bad for him Newt supported Citizens United…
Anonymous

Spot on analysis by Chris here. Too bad for him Newt supported Citizens United…
Anonymous

Matthews is insane. Gingrich praised the Citizen’s United decision. He also has no problem calling Obama a “Kenyan” and various other bomb throws.

And this is Matthews pathetic way of covering up when he called Newt a “car bomber” a couple weeks ago.

I wish Matthews would just pick a Republican candidate and come back to the GOP.
Anonymous

Matthews is insane. Gingrich praised the Citizen’s United decision. He also has no problem calling Obama a “Kenyan” and various other bomb throws.

And this is Matthews pathetic way of covering up when he called Newt a “car bomber” a couple weeks ago.

I wish Matthews would just pick a Republican candidate and come back to the GOP.
Anonymous

The Citizen United case is back firing all over the Republicans. Newt is just the first casualty.
Anonymous

The Citizen United case is back firing all over the Republicans. Newt is just the first casualty.
Anonymous

Nonsense. Newt was wronged only if the statements in the PAC ads were false. And I haven’t seen Chris Matthews, Newt or anyone else tell us how those ads are false. (Newt’s “waaah Romney is a liar” this morning doesn’t count).
Gloves Lee Donahue

Wait till attack chihuahua Little Debbie Schultz gets into action. Should be comical.

And she was handpicked by Barry O.
Anonymous

Is it just me, or does Newt Gingrich and Chris Mathews look like twins?
Anonymous

Soon the mere threat of a super pac showing up in a congressional campaign will be eough to influence how the legislator will vote on any given matter. They will simply just have the millions in the bank, ready to spend and declare their intentions to do so unless………
Anonymous

I heard Tingles new years resolution was to seek help about that leg problem.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bart-Morgay/100001554351938 Bart Morgay

Hey Chris, they are Republicans. Crawling around in the muck is what they do best.
Anonymous

Free speech is a messy thing.
Anonymous

It wasn’t free that’s for sure.
http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

Lol!! Newt was all for these PAC’s that are now destroying his chances to be President!! Wonder if he regrets that decision now??
Anonymous

I saw the ads…I saw no lies.
Booberry Pah

Matthews, who has said a tremendous amount of terrible personal attacks against Newt Gingrich has no standing commenting on negative attacks against anyone.
Anonymous

Matthews is right. That Supreme Court Decision made a our democratic principles a mockery. Imagine the Founding Fathers knowing that how the Constitution would be twisted to give corporations and unions that kind of power. They’d turn in there graves tenfold. .
Anonymous

Then conventional wisdom would wonder why Romney’s campaign isn’t taking credit.?
Anonymous

exactly
Anonymous

x2!
Anonymous

Couldn’t have been said any better. Something about a Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth is no longer relevant. A Democracy will, if not has been something of the past in America. Shameful and sad.
Anonymous

The unions had few limitations before Citizens United – prior limitations were effective mostly to constrain the political power of individuals, businesses, and corporations.
Anonymous

We all know the big multi-national corporations are going to be the beneficiaries more the the unions ever were now. Somehow that doesn’t sound American to me.
Walt Spicer

When it comes to berating people, and the Republicans he hates, he lives a double standard.
Anonymous

And the new part you are explaining to us is . . . ?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1626768785 Deb Lytle V

I am so sick of people saying, “Newt just wants poor children to be janitors”…. and librarians, and work in the cafeteria at school… in other words, he wants POOR KIDS TO LEARN A WORK ETHIC AND KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO ‘EARN MONEY’. It will keep them in school and not teach them they have to steal to get what they want. They can earn it with pride. What part of that did people miss???

This will catch up to Mittens….
Anonymous

Too bad Matthews concern about democracy can’t see problem w Obama admin owning MSM & wealth of Hollywood propaganda mill.

Matthews says with Citizens United, opponents can destroy reputations without leaving prints.

MSM picks winners & losers every night on 6 o’clock news & with a little help from their 1%’r friends in Hollywood, destroy reputations on a regular basis to the benefit of the President in whose pocket they reside.

How do you calculate the worth of that kind of free propaganda worth untold millions?

Priceless!