Chris Matthews expressed dismay Thursday afternoon that Hillary Clinton made a "political decision" by opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which she previously championed as the "gold standard" for trade agreements. The PoliticsNation tore into Clinton for what he believes is her attempt to appease labor unions.
"I'm not her political adviser by any means, but I think people respect authenticity—and you don't get authenticity by going on SNL and reading scripts. You get authenticity from standing your ground. If you believe trade is good for America in the long run, despite all the problems on the road, you think it's better to have a free trade regime. Stick to your guns," Matthews said.
"Bill Clinton did it and got elected. He was tough on capital punishment. You don't always have to be with the liberal line to get the liberal voters, which she apparently believes you have to do to beat Bernie Sanders. I think that's a mistake."
The Obama administration is not pleased with Clinton's "short-sighted decision," Andrea Mitchell reported. They said Clinton's challenge will be in the general election, not in the primary against Sanders. With a label as a flip-flopper due to this decision, Clinton may face a tougher time on the debate stage in 2016.
"I think people want—they are tired of transactional politics. They want people to stick to their loyalties," Matthews said. "They want people to say, ‘This is where I stand. This is where I have stood. It may bother you—on other positions we will be together but this one, we disagree.’"
"I wish she would debate Bernie instead of agree with him," Matthews said. "That would be refreshing."