Why Mitch McConnell's 'biggest fear' is that Biden will succeed with the economy: Chris Matthews

One of cable news' biggest bombshells came on March 2, 2020, when Chris Matthews announced that he was resigning from MSNBC after having hosted "Hardball" for decades. Matthews has been largely absent from MSNBC since then, but he made a return to the cable news network this week during an appearance on "Morning Joe" — where the Philadelphia native and centrist Democrat, now 75, weighed in on the January 6 insurrection, Joe Biden's presidency and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's determination to obstruct anything that Biden does.

Matthews had no kind words for the Republican Party of 2021, which he described as radically different from the Reagan-era GOP he encountered during his time working for the late Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill. Back in the early 1980s, Matthews told "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough (a former GOP congressman) and Mika Brzezinski, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill had some intense debates but ultimately viewed one another as the loyal opposition.

"Politics, when it's played right, is fun," Matthews commented. "It's a great way to live."

But Matthews lamented that McConnell's only goal is to "screw" Biden any way he can.

"Mitch McConnell's biggest fear is that Biden will succeed with the economy," the former "Hardball" host commented.

Matthews, who was promoting his new book, "This Country: My Life in Politics and History," made it clear that he was repulsed by McConnell and many other Senate Republicans using the filibuster to kill a bill calling for a commission to study the January 6 insurrection.

"It's a real problem," Matthews said of all the Republicans who have refused to accept Biden's victory in the 2020 election — and he described GOP "opposition to clear-cut democracy" as "scary business."

Asked to describe his reaction to the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol Building, Matthews replied, "That got to my heart. I felt violated…. This is where the best of democracy has come together."

Matthews added, "We have no idea how bad that could have gotten. Suppose they had gotten ahold of one of these members of Congress who had been elected by the people? God knows, these people were on a tear…. And the fact that Republicans don't want to investigate this is maddening."

Watch the video below:

Chris Matthews: The January 6 Insurrection 'Got To My Heart' | MSNBCwww.youtube.com