Chris Matthews attempted to clarify a statement he made Tuesday night that he was “so glad” Superstorm Sandy hit, because he believes it helped Obama win the presidential election.
Matthews participated on a panel of pro-Obama pundits during Tuesday night’s election that also included Rachel Maddow, reports Fox News . He ended his coverage of election night by commenting:
“I’m so glad we had that storm last week. No, politically I should say — not in terms of hurting people. The storm brought in possibilities for good politics.”
The massive storm caused billions of dollars in damage and has killed at least 100 people. Many in New Jersey, New York, and other affected states have lost their homes or cars or are otherwise affected.
Some analysts have said that the storm helped Obama’s image by allowing him to show a bipartisan role when working with Republican Governor Chris Christie.
Exit polls also showed that roughly four in 10 voters said Obama’s response to Sandy was important when casting their vote. These people backed the president by more than a two-to-one margin.
The Huffington Post notes that Chris Matthews took to Twitter to try and explain his statements, saying:
Obviously I wasn’t talking about the horror of the storm. I grew up on the Jersey shore.
— Chris Matthews (@hardball_chris) November 7, 2012
To clarify – I was thrilled at the cooperation between the President and state officials that made the country proud. Great bipartisanship.
— Chris Matthews (@hardball_chris) November 7, 2012
Despite the clarification statements, conservatives are still criticizing the MSNBC host for his comments about Superstorm Sandy that were not very well though-out.
What do you think of Chris Matthews remark that he is “so glad we had that storm last week”?
