Chris Matthews: Slavery Impacts People's View of the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman Case

NewsBusters ^ | April 20, 2012 | Noel Sheppard

[2ndDivisionVet]

Maybe it's time for MSNBC's Chris Matthews to retire.

On Friday's Hardball, the 66-year-old host actually said that people's view of the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman case is impacted by "so much history ever since the first slave arrived in the United States" (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

(VIDEO AT LINK)

In the middle of a lengthy opening segment about the case gripping the nation, Matthews played a clip of Florida prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda telling a press conference, “You haven’t heard all the evidence. Please be patient and wait for the trial.”

After the clip, Matthews said, “Well, this is so tricky here, Joy-Ann, and I don’t know how we’re going to cover this. I’m going to try to do it with the presumption of innocence as we do in all cases.”

Isn’t that nice of Matthews to "try" to cover this case “with the presumption of innocence?” You'd think that after decades in the business, it wouldn't be too difficult to presume the innocence of the accused when reporting on a murder trial.

For her part, Joy-Ann Reid of The Grio responded, “The bottom line here is that this case has already been litigated and relitigated on Twitter, online, on blogs. Everyone feels that they too are prosecuting this case and people have taken a side. And I think that raises a lot of troubling questions really about jury selection. Is the entire jury pool in the country tainted and can Zimmerman get a fair trial?”

Actually, the taint is on the Left not the Right.

It’s the folks on the left that have already convicted Zimmerman and are just awaiting sentencing. That’s how atrocious the reporting has been by much of the liberal media.

By contrast, the Right’s position is and has been that Zimmerman is innocent until proven guilty and that none of us has seen all the evidence to render a judgment. That will come out in the trial.

With this in mind, I think Reid was projecting the short-comings and failings of her side in this debate onto those that have acted far more responsibly.

But fasten your seatbelts, for Matthews’ response was startling.

“What scares me if we could all watch the picture, like a movie, a tape of everything that happened that night, from the beginning to the end, I think there would be difference of attitudes about guilt and innocence. That’s what scares me about this case, there’s so many different perspectives, so much history ever since the first slave arrived in the United States. The attitude of history here, you can’t push it aside I don’t think.”

What? So whenever a crime is committed against a black person by someone other than a black person, the “history ever since the first slave arrived in the United States” is a factor?

Shouldn't the only factor be the evidence presented by the prosecution and the defense with total disregard to the color of these folks' skin or something that was outlawed centuries ago in this country?

It's been almost 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, and almost 50 years since the last Civil Rights Act, and slavery is still a part of our criminal justice system?

How sad that in the year 2012, a so-called newscaster on a so-called news network thinks this.

It seems a metaphysical certitude racism will never end in this country as long as people like Matthews bring slavery into every mixed race incident.

[Dogbert41]

Show that scumbag these videos and ask him if living in areas like these have anything at all to do with what happened and how people are beginning to feel about these unbridalled murdering sociapathic bastards.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Wcto03dOQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jsX0OYhO0A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfbh9fTjsk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM8gfrxQlMo&feature=BFa&list=UUL1uxjHTP1rpF6DRLrVZjeQ&lf=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e52-Vx5PMCQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvPMv0TKNII&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZABR2ZVIII&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOawlnp6ICA&feature=related

[aruanan]

Well, there are many thousands of slaves right now in the U.S., just not from the era of the slave-holding American South.

How is it possible that they are both in the U.S. now, and still slaves from elsewhere?

Read more carefully. I said there were many thousands of slaves in the U.S. right now, but they are not from the era of slave-holding American South. They are imported from all over the world to do a variety of things. There are also many slaves in many other countries around the world. How do you see any conflict between there being slaves in the U.S. now as well as slaves abroad?

[nolongerademocrat]

LOL I was thinking the same thing.

[Publius6961]

Eliza Moore (1843 - January 21, 1948) was the last proven African-American slave.

And had she not been a maltreated slave, she might have lived to be 135!

[Publius6961]

They are imported from all over the world to do a variety of things.

Really?
I am always open to learning new facts about my country.
Do you have any links or references?

I had no clue. Legal slaves in 2012. Here.

[BerryDingle]

The judge authorizes bond for Zimmerman, it was known they probably would, but not before they film Zimmerman paraded around locked in waist chains. The circus side show at the monkey trial.

[SkyDancer]

Let’s see, Muslims sold Blacks into slavery and Democrats in the South kept them there.

[patriot08]

While the Zimmerman/Martin ‘white’ on black killing is covered 24/7 on the MSM with an outpouring of rage and charges of a racial hate crime, where is the concern- where is the rage about the home invasion, torture, beating, rape and murder of the elderly white couple by a gang of feral blacks in Oklahoma just a few weeks ago?

The 90 year old war veteran husband was beaten and his jaw broken. He was shot in the face numerous times with a BB gun and sent to the hospital in critical condition.

The 85 year old partially blind wife was RAPED and then BEATEN TO DEATH.

Can you just imagine the pain, the humiliation, the horror that dear old lady experienced being gang raped by that pack of feral animals?

(the autopsy states she was raped. Don’t think all of these animals didn’t all participate)

And can you imagine the pain, the horror of that dear old husband having to witness this?

There’s a lot more involved here than a home invasion and robbery.

WHERE ARE THE CHARGES OF A RACIAL HATE CRIME??

90 year old husband’s jaw broken and shot in face with a BB gun numerous times?

85 wife year old semi blind wife RAPED and BEATEN to death??

Why does it take a foreign press to enlighten America as to this henious crime?

WHERE IS THE NATIONAL OUTRAGE?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117695/Brutal-home-invasion-Oklahoma-couple-ends-65-year-romance-meeting-blind-date.html

__________________________

Have they caught the rest of the gang of feral blacks who raped, tortured and murdered this elderly woman? Are they even looking? Not a word about it in the media.

[theBuckwheat]

More honest headline: Matthew’s slavery to liberalism impacts his reporting of the Martin-Zimmerman case

[Westbrook]

FACT:
My parents were born in Italy, where their ancestors were likely enslaved by the same North African Moslems who are 0bama0’s ancestors.

Where are *MY* bloody reparations? !!!

[Caipirabob]

Well, I can claim an indentured servant in my lineage. : )

I suppose I only get 20 acres and a Kia...lol!

[popdonnelly]

Unlike some Muslims, George Zimmerman never had anything to do with slavery. He’s Peruvian.

[Revolting cat!]

OH Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz for the suffering of my ancestors!

[popdonnelly]

Matthews has no guilt over black slavery. After all, it was his party that supported slavery, supported its extension into new territories, and fought a war to preserve slavery. His Democratic Party “ancestors” were loyal to the inferiority of African-Americans and disloyal to the United States.

[ladyjane]

So what about the thousands of blacks who owned slaves? Yes, thousands of black slave owners. The liberals and the blacks don’t want to talk about that.

[Talisker]

Chris Matthews: "That’s what scares me about this case, there’s so many different perspectives, so much history ever since the first slave arrived in the United States. The attitude of history here, you can’t push it aside I don’t think.”

Hey Chris, when are you going to do a show about the slavery of Muslim women? You know, that slavery that's going on in America, today. The spiritual, psychological, emotional and even phsyical slavery that's used to justify murdering Muslim women who try to be free in the American sense of the word.

When, Chris?

[Chode]

i have worked with TWO black Africans FROM Africa and both of them have disdain for American blacks... and both said they should ALL(American blacks) be glad their ancestors were slaves since it saved them from the hell that is west/central Africa of today...

[redshawk]

Just wondering: Anyone know how many African slaves were brought to America?

[GeronL]

Good question.

[zencycler]

“My descendents were probably slaves in Rome. “ “Ancestors” like yours, like mine! I hope your descendants are never slaves.

I’m not a Grammer Nazi, really I’m not! :^}

I, however, am a Grammar (and Spelling) Nazi! :^}