MSNBC host Chris Matthews asked panelists Michael Steele and Bob Shrum why the president is not pushing infrastructure harder in Congress Tuesday on "Hardball."
Matthews neglected to mention President Obama's first stimulus, which is slated to spend $105 billion on infrastructure before 2019.
Steele reminded Matthews that many of the stimulus based infrastructure projects were not so "shovel ready," leaving conservatives reluctant to embrace a new round of government spending.
Undaunted, Matthews ignored Steele's critique before turning to Shrum and further extolling the virtues of federally financed infrastructure:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Would a Republican president be doing it? Would he be doing infrastructure?
MICHAEL STEELE: I don't know if he would be doing infrastructure. That's where it begins. There's legitimate concern about where you start. I think that's one of the areas you can start. When you go back to the shovel-ready projects the president promoted back in 2011, turns out those projects weren't so shovel ready. That's been part of the problem here. The fits and starts have gotten people to the point where they don't know what it all means anymore.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Bob, every time we see a crew out there on the road on a nice day working hard, I feel good about this country. A lot of these people are minorities, Hispanic guys make a good wage, they're doing something we need done. We love it when the road looks good and the car's not butching around and losing tires and into pot holes. We love new bridges. We love anything that's new in terms of infrastructure. We may bitch about the price but love it's getting done and it's real government in action. Why no action? Why no bill?
Matthews' comments are also perplexing considering the proximity of MSNBC's Washington Bureau to the construction of the D.C. metro area's forthcoming Silver Line Dulles Transit Extension:
The federal government is financing $975 million of the $1.1-1.3 billion project, making it one of the largest infrastructure projects in the entire country.
The Washington Free Beacon has not confirmed whether Matthews is aware of the Dulles Transit Extension, or the traffic it has generated.