**FILE** Chris Matthews (Associated Press) more >MSNBC host Chris Matthews took to his show Wednesday night to blast the filibuster against John Brennan, led by Sen. Rand Paul.
Mr. Matthews cited a study released this week by the Southern Poverty Law Center, stating that “patriot groups” or hate groups have been on the rise since Barack Obama took office.
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The study by the liberal group states that these groups typically believe “the federal government is conspiring to take Americans’ guns away from them and destroy their liberties as it paves the way for a global one-world government.”
The “Hardball” host said the president has “really been pretty moderate on guns until the horror of Newtown. And I don’t know what they’re so afraid of, except that he happens to be black.”
He then turned the mic over to Brian Levin, of the Center for Study of Hate & Extremism, who said, “The folklore of the far right — and I’m not talking about Mitt Romney supporters. I’m talking about people who have opted out of our political process and that’s what’s problematic. These people see the terra firma under them as shifting. Something that anchored them before, they no longer see as anchoring them.”
“Who do they root for?! Who do they root for?!” Mr. Matthews interjected.
Mr. Levin responded that the groups don’t root for anyone now that they’ve become disenchanted.
“They don’t root for Rand Paul? Pat Buchanan? I mean who?” the MSNBC host asked. “They must like this new guy Ted Cruz. They must love Ted Cruz, come on!”
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Jessica Chasmar is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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