Ronan Farrow Asks Chris Matthews About David Brat & the Tea Party, Then Gets an Answer He Probably Didn’t Expect: ‘Well, First of All…’

MSNBC host Chris Matthews defended the Tea Party and lavished praise on David Brat Wednesday, during a passionate appearance on Ronan Farrow's afternoon program.

Discussing Brat's stunning upset over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Tuesday night, Farrow noted the Tea Party candidate and his Democratic opponent both teach at the same school, before adding that Brat had a lower "rate my professor" score.

He then asked Matthews, "Is it rare to see that kind of brazen intellectualism, particularly in populist candidates like this?”

“Well, first of all, I don’t think you can assume that the liberals are smarter than the conservative professors,” Matthews immediately shot back. “I think that’s crazy talk like that and it’s exactly the kind of attitude conservatives can’t stand. I don't know which professor is more popular, but that doesn't mean it's a better professor, first of all."

"Secondly, I was listening to Brat last night, I listened to him today, I think he's very sophisticated for a politician," he continued. "He's certainly up to the ranks in most politicians I've ever dealt with. He speaks in a speculative manner, in an intellectual manner, he can handle any debate on this program or my program."

"So this looking down our noses at Tea Party people has got to stop," Mathews added. "They have a message, they are as American as any liberal is, and they are really angry at the failure of the system."

[sharequote align="center"]"So this looking down our noses at Tea Party people has got to stop."[/sharequote]

Concluding his passionate argument, Matthews said, "We can't control the deficit, we can't control the debt, we can't control the border. What good is government good at?"

(H/T: Daily Surge)

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