Chris Matthews warns the Democrat party will not survive if they let Trump do this

MSNBC host Chris Matthews said Wednesday the fight between Republicans and Democrats over the replacement for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was going to be "the fight of the century." He added the Democratic Party will not survive if they don't press back against the Republicans.

'The fight of the century'

Matthews was opining about the announcement from Kennedy that he would be retiring in July from his seat at the Supreme Court, making way for President Donald Trump to nominate a replacement.

"I think this decision will be seen by progressives and probably Democrats across the board and certainly all labor people as yet another partisan decision," he said of Supreme Court ruling against unions.

Matthews rattled off a list of 5-4 decisions by the Supreme Court along a straight-line conservative vote. He also opined that no one would believe Trump is going to choose a Supreme Court justice that would be considered moderate and a swing vote like Kennedy was.

"The fact is, you can't predict," Matthews explained. "So you look at the party's track record. And you look, they haven't picked many Justice Kennedys, they've largely picked non-Justice Kennedys, people who are hard right on all social issues."

"So I would say I think this is gonna be the fight of the century," he declared.

"I think the Democrats have to say no way," he added, "no one passes this line. I think it's gonna be almost like Spanish Civil War stuff - you watch!"

Party, principle and even survival

Later on his own show, Matthews advocated that the Democrats stall any nomination the president might make, just as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) did to former President Barack Obama's court nominations.

"It's time for Democrats to play Hardball," he said. "I'm Chris Matthews and I'm urging them to do just that. There are times to fight and this is one of them."

"Two years ago Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell mocked the democrats by refusing to even meet with Obama's court nominees," he continued. "In 2018 with just a handful of months before election day, one which will decide which party will control the senate."

"Democrats owe it to their party, their principles, and to their own survival to do to Mitch what Mitch did to them," he warned. "If this strikes anyone as a manifesto from me, so be it, but it is in truth, a political statement of reality."

Here's the comments from Matthews:

Not the best strategy

Contrary to Matthews' fiery advice, Democrats in the minority have little power to block the nominations of the Republican president, unlike the Republicans who were in the majority when Obama was in power.