Al Sharpton: GOP worse than apartheid supporters; Gasbag Chris Matthews agrees [video]

Indeed he did.

As Twitchy reported the president “came amongst” Tingles Matthews yesterday in a Very Special Interview. But while yesterday’s shenanigans sparked plenty of mockery, today’s should lead to outright disgust.

Appearing this morning on “Now With Alex Wagner,” Sharpton compared the presidential election of Nelson Mandela with that of President Obama — in his trademark coherent style, of course:

“Well, I think there’s a lot of differences between how Mandela became the first black president of South Africa and the United States, President Obama. But I think one of the differences, in addressing directly your point, is that at whatever point, we don’t know, de Klerk and his allies decided it was in their interest to make Mandela’s presidency successful for the good of South Africa. They didn’t like it, they ran against him, but for the good of the nation, to have this great reconciliation, we need to make this work. I don’t think that has happened with President Obama. There are those who have said that no matter what, he can do whatever it is miraculous, we are determined to have his demise. And we don’t care if the country suffers. Shut down the government, whatever. And I think that’s the big difference in the opposition they faced is, is there a commitment to the country over your partisan positioning.”

“I haven’t heard anything as smart as what I heard Reverend Sharpton say a couple of minutes ago in five years. That is the most perceptive thing I’ve seen. It just rocks me. The difference between the way F.W. de Klerk handled the need for change and the inevitable election — democratic election — of Nelson Mandela — legitimate election, truly legitimate for the first time — he was never legitimately elected — for him to recognize his role in history, which was to be a patriot, at that point, is so different than the way Mitch McConnell handled the election of Obama. So different. To set it up that way, the juxtaposition, the McConnell people on to the far Right, were willing to destroy the country in order to destroy Obama, whereas to succeed in a country he loved, F.W. de Klerk was willing to see it transformed to black rule, so that it could be done successfully. So that he would have his country have a better future. Reverend, I just, I owe it to you. I think that is the key statement about what happened yesterday, the loss of Mandela, and what his history was about, and the key statement of why this has been so poisonous the last five years. We have real people in this country, with real power, and status, who have used that status and power to hurt the country so that they can hurt the president. That’s the most damning assessment I’ve heard, and I think the truest.”

So, according to Sharpton and Matthews, Republicans are more racist than proponents of government-sanctioned racism. Got it.

Watch the exchange here, if you’re feeling masochistic: