I could almost give Tea Party guy a pass on how there haven't been many assassinations in the past 20 years, except that has more to do with the Secret Service than a peaceful society.
This is not to say the Son of Jud did well with the questions that followed.
Re-watch the clip carefully. The tea party guy brought up the topics that Matthews skewers him with. The only thing that seems to have been set-up ahead of time was that Matthews thoroughly prepared for the interview, while the Tea Party guy was thoroughly ignorant.