Chris Matthews Invokes Hitler in Another Rant Against Ted Cruz

The "talk over the teacups" at Berchesgaden on Sept. 24, 1938. Left to right, Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Neville Chamberlain, Adolf Hitler, Paul Schmidt, an interpreter, Sir Neville Henderson, British ambassador to Germany (AFP/Getty Images)

Not only did Matthews on Tuesday accuse Cruz of being “a problem for our republic,” he also invoked Adolf Hitler on Wednesday morning as Cruz's speech continued.

Matthews’ remark was made in reference to Frank Capra’s classic “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and Cruz saying Tuesday that the U.S. doesn’t back away from tough fights, even it involves great evils like Hitler’s Third Reich.

“Everybody wants to be Jimmy Stewart,” Matthews said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," referring to the film's star.

“Hitler even liked Jimmy Stewart, he loved that movie. Everybody wants to be Jimmy Stewart, the man against the millions, the man against the establishment,” Matthews added.

Matthews later invoked Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli while discussing Cruz.

“This is from Chapter 6 of 'The Prince,'” Matthews said before reading the passage on live television:

We must keep in mind that there is nothing more difficult and dangerous or more doubtful of success than an attempt to introduce a new order of things in any state.

For the innovator has for enemies, all those who derived advantages from the old order of things, while those who expect to benefit by the new institutions will be but lukewarm defenders.

This indifference arises in part from fear of their adversaries who are favored in the existing laws, and partly from the incredulity of men who have no faith in anything new that is not the result of well established experience.

“So nobody really thinks, ‘I love this new health care bill, oh my God, the health care bill!’ So this guy is brilliantly playing on this leverage from Machiavelli,” Matthews added. "Maybe he didn’t read it. But it’s implicit.”

“Hold on a second,” "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough interjected. “Of course he read it. Because he didn’t go to a lesser Ivy. He went to Harvard, Princeton, and those are the only people he’s studied with.”

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(H/T: Mediaite). Featured image screen grab.

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