Appearing on the 10:00 p.m. edition of MSNBC’s Countdown show on Tuesday to discuss the day’s primary election results, Chris Matthews expressed his delight that Orly Taitz – a prominent member of the birther movement that pushes the bizarre theory that President Obama was not really born in America – won the Republican nomination for secretary of state in California, and expressed his hope that the fringe candidate would drag down the Republican ticket in the state. Matthews celebrated what he termed a “malignancy” within the Republican party as he openly rooted for Taitz to hurt the GOP: Keith, we`ve got good news tonight. And that`s the probable nomination of Orly Taitz in California for secretary of state. This is a true malignancy on the Republican party. She will bring down the other two candidates for high office out there. She`ll probably bring down Carly Fiorina, and may well bring down Meg Whitman because she is unacceptable to any reasonable voter. Matthews went on to advise that California Democrats “tie her up like a witch at the stake”: It is tribalist, it`s malignant, and I believe if I were a Democratic officeholder out there or had anything to do with the Democratic party with Jerry Brown`s campaign, I would tie her to them like a fencepost. I would tie her up, I should say, like a witch at the stake. This is a malignancy. Matthews went on to reiterate that he thought that Taitz’s current success in California’s Republican party was “wonderful news”: CHRIS MATTHEWS: I think that`s wonderful news that she`s been included in the inner sanctum of the Republican ticket out there. KEITH OLBERMANN: Yes. MATTHEWS: She`s been attending their events. OLBERMANN: Karl Rove did not get up and walk out. Let me ask you about Arkansas. MATTHEWS: He should have.
