MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews issued a rambling paean to the American spirit on Wednesday, praising "underdog" Americans who are not "a bunch of crazy capitalists or cruel people."
Matthews, 69, was brought on-air as a guest to discuss Pope Francis’s first visit to the United States.
"We are not a bunch of crazy capitalists or cruel people who don't care about the underdog. This is a country of the underdog, and I hope he [Francis] picks up on that in the few days he is here," Matthews said.
Matthews’s 90-second stream-of-consciousness monologue was indulged with warm understanding by host Brian Williams, even if it was indecipherable to MSNBC’s modest audience.
Matthews said he often encourages people to visit him in D.C. because it offers a number of free attractions.
"I always tell people, come to Washington, you already pay for it. And they did. Everything is free here. And so, I—it's a city of museums and monuments," Matthews said.
Matthews, who came of age during the Kennedy administration and is known for wistful monologues about Camelot and the golden age of American politics, then began to talk about monuments.
"We never get tired of looking at the Lincoln Memorial when we drive by or look across at the Kennedy grave when we drive by the Potomac late at night. We always look for that flicker. I always do. I know you do, too," Matthews said to Williams, who lives 282 miles away from D.C. in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Matthews then resumed his cryptic comments about D.C. architecture and city planning.
"What he [Francis] sees is a beautiful little city of sort of humble pretensions, a symbol of the 1850s, early 19th century, that was really built by a very small group of colonies—13 of them—that said, you know, we’re going to be a big country, a continental power, world power some day so let's build something appropriate to that. And we did. But we also kept the little White House that Hoban—the Irish guy that built the White House—a nice little house compared to the power of the man within it. The capitol is obviously European but we’re so proud of the replica we made of it in this country," Matthews said.
Matthews showered praise on his hometown of Philadelphia, which Pope Francis will visit later in the week.
"The city of Rocky," Matthews said. "It is the city of the working class underdog in that city."
"Chris Matthews, whose patriotism is matched only by his exuberance on this topic," Williams said at the end of the segment.