Matthews: Obama Getting ‘Lazy,’ ‘Atrophied’ By People Like Jarrett, Mrs. Obama

Chris Matthews: Obama Getting ‘Intellectually Lazy,’ ‘Atrophied’ By People Like Valerie Jarrett, Michelle Obama (RealClearPolitics)

Chris Matthews criticized President Obama for being "intellectually lazy" and "listening to the same voices all the time" on Wednesday's broadcast of MSNBC's Hardball. Matthews singled out close Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett and even First Lady Michelle Obama.

"Let's get tough here," Matthews said. "Is this the problem of a second term that presidents get lazy, intellectually lazy, and cut off from the country and they start picking deputies for jobs instead of looking for the best people?"

"The lazy thing to do is somebody leaves, you promote their deputy. This is, I think, part of the endemic problem of second terms," Matthews observed.

"Presidents should go out and look for people," Matthews said about the lack of fresh blood in the White House. "Or else they get atrophied into that little world of people like Valerie [Jarrett] and Mrs. Obama and you're just listening to the same voices all the time."

Yesterday, Matthews criticized Obama for claiming it was "unlikely" that a case of Ebola would occur in the United States.

"The president said it was unlikely two weeks ago. Well, it's not the unlikely, it has happened. It's here," Matthews said.