Matthews Compares Boehner to Palestine’s Mahmoud Abbas: ‘Worried About the Terrorists Behind Him’

Matthews Compares Boehner to Palestine’s Mahmoud Abbas: ‘Worried About the Terrorists Behind Him’ (Mediaite)

On Monday evening’s edition of Hardball, Chris Matthews employed an elaborate analogy that cast Democrats as Israel and Republicans as Palestine in stalemate that resembled the decades long stand-off in the Middle East. In Matthews’ formulation, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He wants to compromise but he’s “worried about the terrorists behind him.”

Matthews asked Chuck Todd to weigh in on Boehner’s decision-making process up until now, which Todd said that the whole thing has become less about the House Speaker and more about the GOP 'fighting for the soul of the Republican Party.' He said if the Republican leadership 'look like they’re capitulating to any demand the president is making,' they grassroots, tea party faction will 'light the party on fire.'