Chris Matthews: Whites Hold African American Politicians to ‘Higher Standard’ Than ‘White Politicians’

MSNBC's Chris Matthews never seems to miss an opportunity to play the race card and engage his guests on the topic of white Americans' perception of President Barack Obama. This time he used one of his segments to suggest that "some white voters" hold black politicians to a more "rigorous standard" than they do white politicians.

Mathews also came to the conclusion that whites will "vote for an African-American" once, then "dump" that person if he or she has not done an exceedingly "good" job.

Speaking to author Michael Eric Dyson and Director of Africana Studies at Lehigh University James Peterson on Thursday, the Hardball host asked:

Do you have a sense as you've looked at politics in America that there are some white voters who will vote for an African-American say once? And they will hold that person to a very rigorous standard.Perhaps a much higher standard than they would a white politician.

And they'll give them one shot and then they'll dump them the next time.

I look at this, I look at the Ed Brooke. I look at the senator from Illinois. I think about this...

To which Dyson simply replied, "Carol Moseley Braun."

"Yeah, Carol Moseley Braun," Matthews agreed.

"I wonder if this is a phenomenon you professors have looked at analytically at all, this sense of, okay, you've got your shot, but let's see you do it, if it isn't really, really good, you know, you're out of there."

(h/t: NewsBusters)

Bold emphasis added by The Blaze.