August 2007 - Posts

Future looks gloomy for Bush and friends

Posted: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 4:52 PM by Chris Matthews

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top five political headlines. 

Bad week for Bush
Tonight, President Bush resides in a political bunker, the downfall of his party driven by every movement of the body politic.  Just 48 hours ago, he gave up his pal Alberto Gonzalez to the political wolves.  

Yesterday, he watched in awe as yet another warrior of the cultural right was caught in the spotlight of public, illegal sexual misconduct -- misconduct against which his party has mounted a chest-thumping, full-throated campaign, a campaign of words that once again has not been underwritten by actions. Even their holiest colleagues are now forced to acknowledge that the public indecency of Senator Craig has exposed the subprime Republican morality of those who have dared to rate themselves as culturally conservative. Christian Conservatives have stood by Republicans in good times and bad.  But will social conservatives desert the party in 2008? 

Fidel’s endorsement
Communist dictator Fidel Castro, who will die before he allows free elections in his own country, is offering himself up as a political pundit on elections here. Calling the 2008 horserace more than a year in advance, the Havana handicapper rates a Hillary-Obama ticket as "unbeatable." That's his word for a ticket nobody on the planet thinks will ever exist.

No more SUVs says Edwards
John Edwards, the dude with the hot-ticket haircuts, now wants the rest of us to cool it on expensive cars. "No more SUVs," he says, the minute he chugs into the presidency. Based on the latest polls, you won't have to hide your Suburban in the garage.

True ambition
Governor Bill Richardson is setting a high bar for himself in Iowa, saying, "I think that in order for me to do well, I have to beat one of the three major contenders." So let's get this straight: a third place finish and this guy's on fire!

 

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Dirty politics all around

Posted: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 6:18 PM by Chris Matthews

by Chris Matthews, on Tuesday's broadcast

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, the cultural warrior of the right stands naked tonight exposed as both a sexual deviant and a world-class hypocrite.  A crusader against gay marriage, gay civil unions and gays in the military, he faces his country, his party and his people as having solicited sex in an airport men’s bathroom.

Sen. Craig is also not just a representative of a conservative state but he’s a strong voice for the conservative presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Craig appeared in a video for his role as a Mitt Romney campaign leader. The campaign yanked that video off their Web site after Craig stepped down from his campaign role. Is Craig a problem for Romney?

Click here for video of David Shuster's report on Craig's arrest.

Click here for Chris Matthews' interview with The Idaho Stateman's Dan Popkey.

Click here for the 1999 'Meet the Press' appearance where Craig called then-President Clinton a "'bad,' 'nasty' " for his Oval Office actions.

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Hillary Clinton reacts to Gonzales' resignation

Posted: Monday, August 27, 2007 1:04 PM by

Exclusive: At today's LiveStrong Presidential Cancer Forum, Chris Matthews asked Hillary Clinton about her reaction to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  Here's the senator's response:

"I think we should set a standard that the next Attorney General cares about the rule of law more than he cares about protecting the president. That the next attorney general….when he takes an oath to uphold the constitution, he actually means it, understands it, and will protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. When it comes to issues like torture and surveillance, the military commissions, the firing of U.S. attorneys because they wouldn't pursue a partisan political agenda, we need to be especially vigilant and strong in making sure whoever the president appoints will work with the congress to bring us back from this precipice that this administration has put us on.

 

"We have lost our moral standing in the world, we have seen contempt for the separation of powers and checks and balances, and yes, I think we can keep our country safe and strong and follow the constitution and the law and have an Attorney General once again we can be proud of,  and that will be my standard."

 

Click here to watch the video.

 

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How much time did Giuliani actually spend at Ground Zero?

Posted: Friday, August 17, 2007 5:13 PM by

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top political headlines.

Rudy’s time at Ground Zero under scrutiny
Rudy Giuliani is facing tough scrutiny for equating his 9/11 experience to those of the 9/11 rescuer workers. On at least three occasions, Giuliani has said that he faced comparable risk and similar hours. His mayoral archive [courtesy of the New York Times] tells a different story: from mid-September to December of 2001, he spent roughly 29 hours at the site. Rescue workers at the time were regularly putting in 12 hours a day.

Jenna Bush gets engaged
Jenna Bush is tying the knot to 29-year-old Henry Hager. So who is this guy? He's a former White House aide, who went to Wake Forest University and just got his MBA at the University of Virginia. Hager's Dad is John Hager, Chairman of Virginia's Republican Party and a former Education Department official. No word yet on whether we'll be seeing the first Rose Garden wedding since Tricia Nixon married Edward Cox.

Obama fires back
Barack Obama continues to face questions in Iowa about whether he has the experience to be president. Though initially reluctant to take shots at Hillary, Obama has taken to regularly drawing a sharp contrast. In response to Hillary's purported experience, he said, "Nobody had more experience in Washington than Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, and what they lacked was good judgment. I'm running on my judgment and I will tell the American people where I stand."

Gonzales controversy heats up
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller says that John Ashcroft was "barely articulate" when Alberto Gonzales came to him in the hospital in 2004 to get him to sign the president's secret, warrantless wiretapping program. Did the president and his guy manipulate a sick man into handing over power?

Faces of the fallen
The Washington Post today remembered some of the more than 3,600 American troops killed in Iraq since 2003. U.S. troops are still there fighting, this war is still going on. Who's going to end it?

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McCain receives death threats over his approach to illegal immigration

Posted: Thursday, August 16, 2007 5:04 PM by

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top political headlines. 

McCain getting death threats
John McCain says he's getting death threats from people who don't like his liberal approach to illegal immigration. "I have never seen an issue that has inflamed the passions of the American people the way the issue of immigration reform has ever  including Iraq. I have never heard such rhetoric. We have never received death threats before ... like I received," McCain said.

Rudy’s illegal immigration solution
Rudy Giuliani is saying he can wipe out "illegal immigration." His plan, which I support, is to make people carry checkable, uncheatable ID cards. Problem is, he wilts on who has to carry them. He says only people in the country from somewhere else. My question: How in the world does Joe Sixpack decide whether some guy who wants a job is from somewhere else? I am sure the Supreme Court would rule that we either all carry IDs or nobody does. I say I'm right, Rudy's wrong.

Rudy’s family values
Today a New Hampshire woman asked Rudy Giuliani why voters should be loyal to him if his own children aren't. Rudy gave the same response he gave to questions about his religion, to mind their own business! "Leave my family alone, just like I'll leave your family alone." Not bad.

Cheney’s change up
Finally, an old piece of video has become a new hit on YouTube. Today's most viewed clip is this 1994 interview with Dick Cheney, in which he says that overthrowing Saddam Hussein is a bad idea.

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In Romney we trust?

Posted: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 4:42 PM by Chris Matthews

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top five political headlines. 

Romney’s blind trust
"The Boston Globe,"Mitt Romney's hometown paper, reports that despite Romney's new pro-life policy stance, he invests personal money in two companies involved with embryonic stem cell research. Romney notes that his money is in a blind trust, but when Ted Kennedy used the "blind-trust defense" in 1994, Romney called it a "ruse." Plain and simple - a trick.

Obama under fire
Next, Mitt Romney is waging new attacks on Barack Obama for saying the U.S. is "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians."

Hugo Chavez- Dictator for life?
Next, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is presenting a plan to change his country's Constitution to allow himself to be reelected indefinitely. He may be a revolutionary, but he sure does love the perks of incumbency.

Brownback bashes Bush
Next, Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback is slamming President Bush. He told a New Hampshire audience, We've got to walk more humbly and a lot more wisely than the current president. I really believe this next president needs to go in with knowledge on foreign policy, and not learn it on the job."

Rove’s exit interview
Finally, Karl Rove, heading off for the lecture circuit, used his shot on Rush Limbaugh today to attack Bush critics as "elite effete snobs." That sounds like an old bark from Nixon attack dog Spiro Agnew. Remember "nattering nabobs of negativism" and "pussilanimous pussyfooters" and, of course, "effete impudent snobs." I believe our own Pat Buchanan wrote some of those sugar plums.

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In the dog days of summer, a horserace heats up

Posted: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 4:34 PM by Chris Matthews

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top headlines. 

Hillary Clinton – all sealed up?
Hillary Clinton is running for president based on her service and experience in the Clinton White House. But how can we judge it if we don't have access to the records? Hillary has successfully sealed off millions of pages from her time in the White House, denying reporters and historians’ information about meetings she held and attended. After eight years of a secretive Bush administration, will voters go for a candidate who won't put her cards on the table?

Elizabeth Edwards attacks again
Elizabeth Edwards goes on the attack again, this time targeting Barack Obama. In an interview with the Progressive Magazine, Elizabeth referred to Obama as "holier-than-thou" when it comes to the war and went after the lack of guts in the Clinton health care plan and the 15 million people left out of the Obama health care plan.

New poll favors Giuliani
Plus, a new CBS poll out today shows Rudy Giuliani with a 20-point lead over number two Fred Thompson, who is down 7 points. The poll also shows that 46 percent of Americans believe the Iraq war is creating more terrorists; just 18 percent believe it's eliminating them.

Michelle Obama fights back
And finally, Michelle Obama again sharply condemned discussion of whether or not Barack Obama is "black enough," a question raised by the National Association of Black Journalists last week. Michelle said, "We are messing with the heads of our children by raising the question."

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Rove resigns - where will he go next?

Posted: Monday, August 13, 2007 5:12 PM by Chris Matthews

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top headlines. 

It's the end of an era in Washington
Karl Rove, the President's most trusted adviser has resigned effective August 31.  Rove's a political warrior who played politics like a blood sport and the big question today is where will he go next?  Will he work on the 2008 campaign?  Will Rove continue to be a ramrod in Republican politics?  He won't talk to Congress but odds are that he'll be out on the lucrative lecture circuit.  So if you want to hear what Rove has to say, you might just have to pay to hear him. 

New Yorker takes a look at Rudy
And, this week's New Yorker takes a look at how Rudy Giuliani just might be able to win over the party faithful. The big question posed by the 20-page piece, "Is what New York never liked about Rudy Giuliani exactly what the heartland loves?"

Is Hillary a drag? 
 The Associated Press has talked to 40 top Democrats about what a Hillary nomination would mean for the party.   By and large, these Democrats, almost all of them talking off the record, believe that a polarizing politician like Hillary could cost the party some congressional seats.  Still, Sen.Clinton remains the clear frontrunner and she begins to air her first TV ad in Iowa.

Huckabee in Iowa
Mike Huckabee is riding a big wave of publicity after a second place finish in the Iowa Straw poll.  Mitt Romney won but spent a fortune to do it.  The big question is can Huckabee turn this newfound fame into fortune and raise the kind bucks he needs to stay competitive in the race?

Reinstating the draft?
And finally, President's war czar, Douglas Lute, raised the ugly head of a return to the military draft when he appeared on NPR.  Should this country reinstate the draft? 

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Kucinich's call to producers

Posted: Friday, August 10, 2007 5:39 PM by

Hardball's campaign ad challenge is still open!

Here's Dennis Kucinich making an appeal for independent producers to create ads on his behalf.

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Is Romney buying himself into the race?

Posted: Friday, August 10, 2007 4:51 PM by Chris Matthews

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top headlines. 


Is Iowa for sale?
Mitt Romney is outspending everyone but with Rudy, McCain and Thompson not in the race, will he get what he paid for?  Is this a "shake-down" as Rudy calls it?  Is Romney buying himself into the race?  Here's what Romney's spending to win:  between $500 and $1,000 a month for 60 "super volunteers," over $2 million in TV ads, $200,000 goes to a consultant who is running the whole thing and he's leasing a whole fleet of buses to ship the voters in.  But will the straw poll serve to whittle down the field?  And who will finish second?

CONTINUED >>

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Media coverage of '08 race isn't 'too early' after all

Posted: Thursday, August 09, 2007 5:12 PM by Chris Matthews, Hardball Highlights

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top headlines. 

A Christmas primary?
The South Carolina Republican Party wants to move its primary to January 19th.  In Iowa,  the state law requires its Caucuses be held at least eight days before any other voting.  And New Hampshire is compelled to set the date of its primary at least a week before any other primary. 

So do the math.  If South Carolina gets what they want and forces the other states to follow, you could see the first votes cast in December, making this campaign the earliest in history.  So for all the folks complaining about the early coverage of the 2008 race, the coverage is following the facts: The states are moving on up.   

Going for the gay vote
Tonight, most Democratic presidential candidates will talk about gay rights at a forum sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and Logo, a gay and lesbian cable channel.   Republican contenders were invited but declined to attend.   This, the first televised appeal to gay voters in a presidential race, is the third time in six days the Democrats have appeared in a forum or debate.  The gay community has a lot of clout, it's a politically active community with big bucks and polls show that up to 9 percent of the voters in our big cities are gay.

Marion Barry is back!
And Washington's Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry, once busted for smoking crack cocaine, says he will be "among the greats of the world" when he stands with former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abe Lincoln.  He's being immortalized in Madame Tussaud's new Wax Museum.  The museum picked Barry after he came out on top in a poll of 600 people.    

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Behind the scenes: AFL-CIO Presidential Forum

Posted: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:23 PM by Tammy Haddad

The load-in (as our tech folks call it) to create the AFL-CIO presidential forum television coverage began at 12:01 am CT on Monday after the Chicago Bears cleared Soldier Field. The MSNBC election department had all team leaders on site to turn around the first outdoor candidate face-off for 2008. Led by NBC News Specials chief Phil Alongi and MSNBC's senior director, Marc Greenstein, looking beyond the lightning (yellow and pink) and put their plan into action to create an intimate feel with 15,000 AFL-CIO members in the end zone.

CONTINUED >>

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On site for the AFL-CIO forum

Posted: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 9:17 PM by

Over 10,000 union members came together Tuesday night when the Democratic contenders faced off at the AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum, moderated by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. 

A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NC) decisively leads the Democratic pack as the choice of nearly half of those polled.  With campaign dollars and the vital labor vote at stake, did Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and John Edwards come out swinging? 

Hardball's post-show has all the action live from Chicago's Soldier Field. Click here to watch the video or read the story if you missed the debate.

Our sibling blog First Read is live blogging. You can also discuss your thoughts on the forum on these message boards.

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Politics of tragedy

Posted: Thursday, August 02, 2007 8:06 PM by Hardball Highlights

Earlier on Wednesday – a few hours before the 35W bridge in Minnesota collapsed -- Senators Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Chuck Hagel R-Neb.) introduced legislation to fix America’s road, bridges, water, and transit systems.  According to the senators, the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2007 would help revitalize America’s infrastructure. 

“The 21st century holds great promise for our nation.  But you can’t journey to a brighter tomorrow by relying on yesterday’s infrastructure,” said Dodd when he announced the bill.

Both senators were on Hardball Thursday in light of the recent tragedy.

“Look, this administration has convinced us to spend 500 billion dollars in Iraq,” said  Sen. Dodd, who is running for president. “We should have been doing this [focusing on infrastructure] for a long time.  We have been told year in and year out about this problems growing every single year.”

Some key components of the bill include: $21 billion required to be spent annually for the next 20 years to address problems with our transit systems; and $131 billion to be spent annually for things like bridge and road repair.

“We have the capacity to do it,” said Sen. Hagel. “We have the greatest economy, system, nation, people in the world.  There is no challenge this country has ever failed at meeting.” (Rumors continue that Hagel may run for president as well).

The effort would be good for the economy as well: “For every one billion dollars we spend on infrastructure repair or maintenance, 40,000 to 50,000 jobs are created by that effort,” says Sen. Dodd.

Watch video here.

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