January 2008 - Posts
On Friday's "Hardball" Chris Matthews explained why 365 is the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"Americans, as we know, are ready to see a change in the White House. A lot of people think this country is stuck in a rut, on all kinds of matters, like the Iraq war, the weakening economy and they want change. So for all of you out there desperately waiting for something new, there are 365 days left in office for President Bush after this weekend
After this weekend, that's the number of days President Bush still has in office. Exactly one year and not a day more." Watch video
On Thursday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews gave a detailed explanation which clarified his comments made about Sen. Hillary Clinton during a recent appearance on "Morning Joe."
Below is a transcript of Matthew's explanation.
"We're in a time of a lot of frustration: Iraq, the lack of health care for working people, gas prices, the weakening economy. I come on “Hardball” every night and try to wrestle with these frustrations, and moments of change – we might soon have the first woman president, the first African-American president, or a man older than we've elected before – always with the hope, our uniquely American hope, that we can actually make things better, that we can make this greatest of countries not only survive, but, as William Faulkner once said, “prevail.”
In the midst of talking about all this, almost always without a script; almost always on tricky subjects of gender and race and right and left; what's in our country's interest; who I think is telling the truth and who I think isn't, I know that I'm dealing with sensitive feelings.
I have accepted all of this as part of the business I have chosen. This program, I am proud to say, is tough, fearless and, yes, blunt. I want people to react when I say something. I don't like saying things so carefully, so politically correctly, that no one thinks I even said something.
What I've always counted on, in all the wild, speeded-up conversations on “Hardball” and elsewhere on television, is my good heart. I have always felt that, no matter how tough I got, how direct, how provocative, how purposely provocative, people out there watching would know I was not out against them, that it was them I was rooting for; that while I was tough on individuals who sought to lead the country, I was not against the hopes we all have for a fair shake, in fact a better deal for people who've been held back before we came along.
Some people I respect, politically concerned people like you who watch this show so faithfully, people like me, who care about this country, think I've been disrespectful to Hillary Clinton, not as a candidate but as a woman. They point to something I said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” the morning after the New Hampshire primary: that her election to the Senate and all that's come since was a result of her toughness but also the sympathy for her because her husband embarrassed her by the conduct that led to his impeachment, because he, in the words I used, "messed around."
The truth, of course, is finer, smarter, larger than that. Yes, Hillary Clinton won tremendous respect from the country for the way she handled those months in 1998. Her public approval numbers spiked from the mid-40s up to the 70s in one poll I looked at. Why? Because she stuck to her duty. She performed strongly as first lady. She did such a "wow" of a job campaigning for Senate candidates, especially Chuck Schumer of New York, that she was urged to run for a Senate seat there herself. She might well have gotten this far by another route and through different circumstances, but this is how it happened.
The rest is history: how Hillary went up to New York, listened to people's concerns and beat the odds as well as the Republicans to become a respected member of the U.S. Senate.
So did I say it right? Was it fair to say that Hillary Clinton, like any great politician, took advantage of a crisis to prove herself? Was her conduct in 1998 a key to starting her independent electoral career the following year? Yes. Was it fair to imply that Hillary's whole career depended on being a victim of an unfaithful husband? No. And that's what it sounded like I was saying and it hurt people who I'd like to think normally like what I say; in fact, like me.
As I said, I rely on my heart to guide me in the heated, fast-paced talk we have here on “Hardball,” a heart that bears only good will toward people trying to make it, especially those who haven't before. If my heart has not always controlled my words, on those occasions when I have not taken the time to says things right or have simply said the inappropriate thing, I will try to be clearer, smarter, more obviously in support of the right of women, all people, to full equality of respect and ambition.
So I get it. On the particular point: If I'd said that the only reason John McCain has come so far is that he got shot down over North Vietnam and captured by the enemy, I'd be brutally ignoring the courage and guts he showed in bearing up under his captivity. Saying Sen.Clinton got where she's got simply because her husband did what he did to her is just as callous, and, I can see now, came across just as nasty – worse yet, just as dismissive.
Finally, as if anyone doesn't know this: I love politics. I like politicians. I like and respect people with the guts to put their name and their very being out there for public approval so they can help lead our country. And that goes for Hillary and Barack and John and all the rest who are willing to fight to take on the toughest job in the world." Watch complete video
On Thursday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 126 was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"For weeks now, we've been hearing that Rudy Giuliani plans to begin his winning streak in Florida and that he never really cared about Iowa and New Hampshire. Could Rudy end up winning in Florida? Sure. But let's get straight on the facts here. Rudy absolutely cared about New Hampshire, and he tried hard to win it.
The proof is in tonight's big number. How many events did Giuliani hold up there through primary day, according to an ABC News tally? A whopping 126 events. That's more than John McCain's 104. Only Mitt Romney held more." Watch video
On Wednesday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why seven was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"John Edwards, who lost in Iowa and lost in New Hampshire, showed good signs of life in last night's Democratic debate. And how did he do that? By turning his campaign into something, well, personal. John Edwards said "personal" seven times in last night's debate" Watch video
On Tuesday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 56 was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"In the Republican field, Mike Huckabee has a big win in Iowa and Sen. John McCain has a big win in New Hampshire. Imagine for a moment if Mitt Romney wins tonight in Michigan. That would mean three big contests, three big winners. A wide open field. It might be a longshot, but at the very least, it begs the question: Could we wind up with a brokered convention later this year?
Talk about political excitement. When was the last time something like that happened? Not since 1952. Fifty six years since the last brokered convention and 56 years since the last brokered convention of smoke filled rooms. Who knows? It might happen this time. Will they let them smoke?" Watch video
On Monday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why three was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"As you know by now, Sen. Barack Obama admits in his memoir that he used cocaine when he was growing up. Even if you haven't read the book, you probably know about it because the Clinton campaign told you!
First, it was Billy Shaheen, Clinton's national co-chair, who brought up the cocaine issue. He resigned from the campaign afterward but not before the damage had been done. Then it was campaign advisor Mark Penn, who brought up the cocaine issue right here on Hardball. Now, as we mentioned earlier in the show, it's influential Clinton backer and BET founder Bob Johnson, who brought it up yet again. How many times is that in total?
Three. Three mentions of Obama's cocaine use for political gain. Three." Watch video
On Friday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 10 was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"Mike Huckabee, a man with no foreign policy experience, thinks the best way to engage the world is by threatening the potential enemy with the gates of hell. Are we all learning to talk like jihadists now? On an irresponsibility scale from one to ten, Huckabee's threat is a ten. The height of irresponsibility." Watch video
On Thursday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 26 was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"Rudy Giuliani has an interesting and well-known strategy to win the Republican nomination. He says it starts in Florida on January 29th and no voting before that matters. He even has a new ad out to back it up.
So, with Rudy's new ad in mind, the Hardball Big Number is 26. Twenty-six days between the Iowa caucuses and the Florida primary. Twenty-six days for Rudy Giuliani with "no" wins, "no" bragging rights, and no "mo." If Rudy survives that span and proves that his plan worked, then that number is bigger than "big," it's "huge." It's the new measure of political rope-a-dope! Watch video
On Wednesday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why eight was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"Iowa is behind us, New Hampshire is behind us. And the bottom line is that this presidential race is wide open. Anything can happen; so many candidates have at least SOME chance of winning the White House. Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Giuliani, Thompson. Eight candidates still in the fight, eight candidates in real contention." Watch video
On Tuesday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why zero was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"There's no doubt that Sen. Barack Obama has the big mo', but can he keep it going? Maybe yes, maybe no. But consider this little number, which Obama is no doubt, enjoying. The number of times since 1972 a presidential candidate has won both Iowa and New Hampshire but lost his party's nomination? Zero. Zero times. Zip. Nadda. Forget-about-it. Zero. Watch Video
On Monday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 103 was the Hardball Big Number of the day.
"Have you noticed a certain "C" word that keeps popping up on the campaign trail? During Saturday night's Democratic debate, Hillary mentioned the world "change" ten times in just one response.
And by no means was Hillary the only one. In both the Democratic and Republican debates this weekend, the word change was mentioned 103 times!" Watch video
On Friday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why $238 and $35 are the Hardball Big Numbers of the day.
"No matter what your politics are, you can't help but be impressed with Gov. Mike Huckabee's Iowa victory last night. This is a guy who emerged from obscurity and beat out all the other better-known politicians. What's more impressive is how badly he was outspent by second-place finisher Mitt Romney.
The first Big Number is the amount of TV ad money Romney spent for each of his votes in Iowa. That number is roughly $238 per vote. How much TV ad money did Huckabee spend for each of his Iowa votes? Roughly $35 per vote. $238 verses $35. An amazing difference." Watch video
On Thursday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 41% was the Hardball Big Number.
"By now you've seen the candidates barnstorming Iowa in the final hours, maximizing every last second of time out on trail. Forty-one is the percentage of Iowans in 2004 who waited until the final three days to make up their mind, according to Associated Press entrance polling. Four out of ten voters probably made their decision sometime between Tuesday and right now. Every minute matters." Watch video
On Wednesday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 92 was the Hardball Big Number.
"Some of our presidential candidates do the same thing, bragging about torture, freaking us out over "Islamo-fascism." Well, for all you politicians who would appeal to our darker side, I offer you Wednesday's Big Number...92! That's the percentage of Americans who say they're personally happy. A majority of Americans even describe themselves as very happy. Ronald Reagan knew it. Bill Clinton knew it. George Bush used to know it." Watch video
On Friday's "Hardball," Chris Matthews explained why 13 was the Hardball Big Number.
"During crises, politicians often unwittingly show their true colors. Some act like grown-ups and others act like children. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated yesterday at 8:30 AM. A courageous woman is killed when trying to stir the Democratic heart of her country.
Well, it took Mike Huckabee roughly just 13 hours to publicly call for this:
"We ought to have an immediate, very clear monitoring of our border, and particularly to make sure, if there's any unusual activity of Pakistanis coming into the country. We just need to be very very thorough in looking at every aspect of our own security internally."
What??? The lesson from yesterday is to make sure Pakistanis don't sneak into the United States? Thirteen is the amount of HOURS it took Mike Huckabee to turn the Bhutto assassination into a push for good ole Paki-bashing." Watch Video
