I'm a fan of Hardball, but MSNBC should consider replacing Chris Matthews as an election night pundit.
He comes across as a cranky old man who's up past his bedtime.  He apparently calculated that Mr.Watson was a little slow to respond and in a pre-calculated move, launched this attack. My goodness, Mr. Watson didn't even get the word 'we' out of his mouth before Matthews jumped down his throat.  Very tacky.  

I'm glad Chris hard balled this Obama supporter!  I love Obama, but his supporters who chose to come on national television, should have known this critism was out there and should have been prepared.  I don't think they will make that mistake again!

Chris,

I watch your show religiously. I sincerely believe that Tim Russert and yourself are the last bastion of good, objective reporters out there. Being in my 20s I know what my grandparents felt listening or watching Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite through your reporting. On the issue of Mr. Watson, I truly felt sorry for this Texas State Senator but understand your argument completely. If you say you support a specific candidate be prepared to defend him or her.  I think what the root of this issue gets to is the experience argument.  To refute this argument and claim that Obama is too inexperienced for the presidency it is important to point out that there was a man from Illinois who served 4 terms (8 years) in the Illinois State House and only 1 term (2 years) in the U.S. House before becoming the President who saved this country at a time when it was divided half slave and half free.  I believe Lincoln would endorse Sen. Obama. Like Lincoln, Obama has 10 years of legislative experience(7 in the State Senate and 3 in the U.S. Senate). Also, let me add this is more elected, legislative experience than Mrs. Clinton.  Like Lincoln, Obama is campaigning in a time when our country is governed by 51% and growing more divided daily and he offers a message of hope and unity. I hope you see what I'm getting at Chris. Have a great day. Happy Lent!

While I'm an avid viewer of Hardball and will continue to be, I thought the grilling of Watson was onesided. You should have asked the congresswoman Jones the same question about Hillary. Don't you think? Moreover, simply because one cannot list a candidate's legislative accomplishments off the top of his or her head does not mean that one has not learned something of the said person's accomplishments.  Your quick pivot from the "unique selling point of Obama" to "listing" his accomplishments as a senator was abrupt, onesided, and not as much as a problem in that context as you made it to be.  Oberman's words to you were a propos. These were election results. Because of your style we learned very little of Watson's contribution to the discussion.

I must say that your continued pressing of Watson in your typical "Hardball Style," after knowing he had no answer, probably said more about you than the senator. Ease up, my brother, and listen to some jazz or something relaxing.

Although I do not support Hillary Clinton, this is what she has been talking about all along.  As Karl Rove wrote in The Wall Street Journal:

"Mr. McCain can now question Mr. Obama's promise to change Washington by working across party lines. Mr. Obama hasn't worked across party lines since coming to town. Was he a member of the "Gang of 14" that tried to find common ground between the parties on judicial nominations? Was Mr. Obama part of the bipartisan leadership that tackled other thorny issues like energy, immigration or terrorist surveillance legislation? No. Mr. Obama has been one of the most dependably partisan votes in the Senate."

"Mrs. Clinton can do much more to draw attention to Mr. Obama's lack of achievements. She can agree with Mr. Obama's statement Tuesday night that change is difficult to achieve on health care, energy, poverty, schools and immigration -- and then question his failure to provide any leadership on these or other major issues since his arrival in the Senate. His failure to act, advocate or lead on what he now claims are his priorities may be her last chance to make a winning argument."

These things appeal to the average person who is tired of all the "gotcha politics" in D.C. and want to see more bipartisan cooperation.  Also, one wonders why Obama has not proposed any legislation on his so called priorities in the Senate.

He has not stepped up to try to work across party lines on any contentious issues in the Senate.

I am one of those folks who believes a person needs to  walk their talk.

chris..you were really mean to the sentor from texas...you could apparently see the guy couldn't recite whatever achievements obama has in the lagislature...but why beat a guy while he is down? that shows your insecurity and weakness, if you were a gentlemna you could tell the senator to email u later about it...and it really shows u are one of those who couldn't fathom Obam's stratospheric rise....chris deal with it whether u like it or not u will have black president in the so called white house...what you gono do then? i will make sure u will never get a chance to interview obama because u hate his guts!1

Only one fool was made during this interview ... and he wasn't from Texas. After years of watching you've I've decided to move on. Yes, Mr. Matthews, you have lost a loyal viewer. You are more suited to be working for TMZ because it better matches your interests. Nothing substantive from you ...  just gossip, silliness, and spurts of inappropriate harangues. If you don't understand why Obama is winning the hearts of Americans then you haven't paid an ounce of attention to what's been going on in this country for the last 20 years.   But, more importantly, you don't understand what motivates people and the human spirit. Julie Riegel

Has anyone else noticed how desperate Chris is getting now that Hillary is falling behind in the race? We all know (I hope) that he worked for the Clinton's and I have to say that it seems as if he's still on the payroll. This entire thing with Senator Watson is case in point. Chris is always asking Obama supporters the real tough questions at the end of a segment, where either they can't respond fully, or (more to the point) he never gets around to asking the Hillary supporter the same question because, "we have to go to break". Id it happens once, no big deal. Twice, kind of suspicious, but I've personally seen it happen three times in just the last week! Of course he will never admit to it. But it looks like his "hardball" is only being thrown in one direction!

I don't want to know what he said yesterday. I want to know what he said in his response to you!  What are the accomplishments he listed?  It would have been nice to know this before listening to the debate scheduled for tomorrow.

Chris Matthews was extremely disrespectful to Senator Watson.  MSNBC should reprimand Mr. Matthews and apologize to the senator.

Dear Chris,
Thanks so much for exposing Kirk Watson for the lying, conniving, jerkwad that he is, has been, and forever will be.

And those are his good qualities!

Chris, when will you ask a Clinton supporter about legislative accomplishments of Senator Clinton since she has been in the Senate?

I think they will find it harder to find an answer than Senator Watson did.

For those of us who have had the pleasure of working with Senator Watson on the important issues facing Central Texas, we know and greatly appreciate and adminre one of his best traits: his honest and candid communications style that results in his outstanding leadership and support. And he proved it again here with his quick and self-deprecating response to his appearance on Hardball. Everyone has moments in their life they wish they could redo (Ok, not necessarily on national TV, but we do things bigger in Texas). In the end, what really separates true leaders is honesty and integrity, especially in more difficulte times.

Speaking for the thousands and thousands of supportive constituents of Senator Watson in Texas who respect his opinion, I'm proud that we have a human being for our state senator who is not too big to admit his mistakes and get us all focused back on what's important - electing our next US President.

I'm confused why this was a big issue.  Sen Watson should have known some of this when asked.  I certainly don't have all the facts on these but found them with little effort.  This is what I found.  Curious to know with all the researchers I suspect Hardball has, why didn't Chris know this alrady - or maybe he did.  Take a look at these accomplishments of Obama:
During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced
233 regarding healthcare reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs and many others.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These inculded **the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - became law, **The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, - became law, **The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate, **The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, - became law, **The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, In committee, and many more.

In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096.
An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this
comparison not be made public.

Will anyone please name one major accomplishment fron Senator Clinton. I have seen jobs leaving New York in record numbers, her relying on Bill for the smears and the same old Washington money trail.

Now call the Congresswomen from Ohio back and ask her the same question.

Chris
That was a great question to ask Sen. Watson. I like Obama....your right only two years in the Senate. Where's the experience. Who was the last President we elected with this kind of experience and what happened? How can we afford to have another President without the knowledge we need to overcome this mess we are in.

Chris Matthews interragation of Sen. Kirk Watson was rude and inappropriate. I was more embarrassed for Matthews and his rudeness than for Sen. Watson.  Hecklers like Matthews do not belong on respected news networks.

Hey Chris-   You looked like a "Big Bully" the other night grilling that Senator.  You claimed to be playing "Hardball" however Keith O. correctly pointed out that you weren't on Hardball you were doing election returns.  By the way, I've seen you with Ann Coulter and you sure as heck don't play "Hardball" with her.  Are you afraid to pick on somebody your own size?  Are you intimidated by Ann?  You're putty in most people's hand and only "pick on" or play "Hardball" with guest you perceive as less intelligent than yourself.  I lost alot of respect for you for humiliating that Senator on National TV.

I love Hardball and think Chris Matthews adds a fresh perspective to issues by actually being willing to have an opinion on occasion.  That being said, the treatment of the guy from Texas was lame, and in my opinion an over reaction to Chris getting his balls busted for his perceived over the top comments about Obama, i.e. his honest statement about his positive reaction to a recent speech by Obama.  I'm a 52 year old (white) mayor of a small town in South Jersey and I've stopped trying to explain why I am so excited about Obama and why I believe he is the absolute best choice as our next president.  I think the feelings of inspiration are real though, and Chris shouldn't be worried about expressing his gut feelings, that's what makes him stand out, the passion.  Maybe next time he should ask one of Clinton's minions what HER accomplishments are.  Her lifelong crusade for universal healthcare - a complete failure.  Her vote on Iraq - a disaster.  I am always amazed that the Clinton machine focuses on the poor and uneducated as their base and wonder why they are still poor and uneducated if Clinton was such a great president for them.  How about focusing on just what Hillary Clinton has achieved in her "35 years" of experience.

HILLARY VS. OBAMA LEGISLATIVE

RECORDS:
During Obama''''s first 8 years of elected service Illinois he sponsored over 820 bills - 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. IN ADDITION, DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN THE U.S. SENATE, HE AUTHORED 152 BILLS AND CO-SPONSORED ANOTHER 427. THESE INCLUDED:
*The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006
*The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act
*The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act
*The 2007 Government Ethics Bill
*The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill
In all, since he entered the US Senate, Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1,096. FOR SOMEONE WHO SUPPOSEDLY "HAS NO RECORD"
HILLARY, WHO HAS SERVED FOR 6 YEARS IN THE U.S. SENATE,CLAIMS TO KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE HAS MANAGED TO AUTHOR AND PASS INTO LAW ONLY 20 PIECES OF LEGISLATION, ONLY FIVE 5 OF WHICH HAVE ANY REAL SUBSTANCE:
1. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
2. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
3. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
4. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
5. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

Mr.Mathews.....we have always enjoyed watching Hardball.....until Tuesday evening.  We think you went too far with your attack on Sen. Watson.  It was unreasonable, inappropriate and disgusting.  We found ourselves not watching Hardball on Wed. for the full hour.  Sen. Obama is the man!!  Sen. Clinton has not accomplished much so why attack Watson.  You went too far.

Chris.
I applaud you for asking real questions about real things that people want to know.  I wonder if you can tell me why it seems that every candidate that runs for politacal office is put under a microscope by the media and yet I have not seen that happen to Barack Obama.  I like him but I would like to know more about him besides the hype of a campaign.

Matthews was one-sided during this interview.  Tubbs-Jones was not very eloquent in her support of Hillary, while saying she has done a lot, did not enumerate any of Hillary's actual accomplishments.  Yet, Matthews, did not even challenge her to do so.

While everyone is harping on Obama's supporters for not naming his accomplishments, Hillary's supporters cannot do it either.  How hypocritical is that?  Her supporters want to say what she is GOING to do ALSO.

Give the American people more credit than you are for being able to see through the biased questioning and commentary.

I was a pretty big fan of Chris Matthew's until I saw this display on Hardball.  There's no escaping the fact that the Texas representative drew a blank.  But Matthews never did the responsible reporting to ask the same thing of the elected official supporting Clinton. Where is the equity in reporting here?  I've read that the Clinton machine has been coming down pretty hard on Matthews because they think his reporting is unfair. I don't know how that could be, however, because Matthews has never mentioned that if Obama had lost 10 in a row, as has Clinton, he'd be out.  Looks to me like he's caving to the Clinton pressure.  Russert and Olberman are more credible.  

I commend you for posting State Sen. Watson's comments from his blog. But I can't help but be a bit disappointed in the idea that this was more of a "Gotcha" moment, then a substantiative discussion. I thought it was the job of the shows such as yours to provide viewers with that sort of information?  I am sure other campaigns surrogates, might have similar issues.  Not that, that is a defense.  Just an observation.  

The governor of Wisconsin also was at a loss when asked the same questions.  Unfortunately, a very large percentage of Obama followers are responding to Obama's rhetoric instead of issues and accomplishments.  "Faith is blind" really fits as Obama's followers respond blindly as does a flock of sheep.

Maybe if Chris Matthews had been awake and asked this question of the W supporters in 2000, other 'journalists' would have investigated and told us the truth, and we wouldn't have endured the last 7 horrible years.  Oh wait I just remembered 1 of W's accomplishments... W did declare Jesus day in Texas on a Sunday in June. That's about the extent of his  accomplishments before being President (and of course, there are no further ones in the last 7 years). A better question, Mr. Matthews, would have been what Obama has not supported, such as the illegal war in Iraq, pro-torture legislation and denying children healthcare via S-CHIP.  That's enough for myself and many others to support Senator Obama.

The man is in the minors playing ball with one of the best in the majors.

I was embarrassed for Senator Watson's inexcusable ignorance.  Putting the whole issue of legislative accomplishment/experience in historical perspective, however,  Senator Obama has infinity times any number you choose more legislative accomplishments than 10 of the 13 presidents elected to the presidency since 1900.  10 of the 13(including Bill Clinton whom Hillary vigorously campaigned for) never served in the legislature.  Perhaps staying out of the U.S. Legislature is one of the best bets to fulfill one's dream of becoming president.

Why is the race issue avoided like the plague?  The numbers crunchers on the various MSNBC shows I watch regularly fail to point out the fact that if the imbalance of black votes were taken out of the 'total' equation, the 'total' race would be close to even or in fact have Hillary in the lead which in turn would result in more balanced press coverage.  It would be a shame to see our next president elected by the 90% of the total 12% black population which would tilt the total vote count by 10%.  I am not racist but I also grew up in Chicago and went to a public school which was 90% black.  I recognize signs and arrogance in the Obama campaign, especially in some of Michelle's comments that I find troubling.  Are we headed down a path to socialism and/or reverse discrimination?  

The attack on Texas Senator Kirk Watson by Chris Matthews showed Matthews is a bully. He would never do the same hatchet job on a sitting US senator, because they are too powerful. I find the conduct of Chris Matthews very upsetting.

Dear Mr. Matthews,

I caught your interview with this state senator the other night and I just want to say that if your goal was to humiliate a Democratic state senator, congratulations!  You also succeeded in making yourself look like a complete jerk, but that's par for the course for you.

 I'm not a political "expert" like you, but if you are actually interested in informing your audience about Obama's legislative accomplishments, there are quite a few articles on line that detail his rather impressive contributions.  Unlike me, you don't even have to bother to find these articles yourself.  I'm sure you have an able staff to do the work for you.  Why don't you have them help you put together a report that would actually help inform voters instead of playing "gotcha" games?

While embarrassed for Senator Watson and his ignorance, I'm glad he did some homework and will be able to empirically justify his support for Obama in the future.  Putting the issue of legislative accomplishment/experience in historical perspective, however, Senator Obama has infinity times any number you might choose more legislative accomplishments than 10 of the 13 U.S. presidents elected since 1900, since these 10 (including Bill Clinton) never even served in the U.S. Congress.  Statistically speaking, if you want to grow up and become president,  AVOID THE LEGISLATURE!

I came here to express my displeasure at your treatment of Kirk Watson, but it looks as if most viewwers felt the same way about your bullying behavior.

You used to be one of the best in the business - now you sound lazy, bullying, running from one apology to the next, dribbling out one nonsense piece of information after another..............

Your Hardball reputation used to stand for something.  Now you get your kicks trying to humiliate good decent people speaking about things that are important to them.

Tip be disappointed in what you've become.

I've been tuning in because of what you used to be, but this episode really showed what you've become.  No need to listen to you anymore.

Does it really make a difference that you "hardballed" Sen. Watson on why he supports Obama?  We know he supports him because he probably gave him some campaign cash. Thats the way the game is played.  Ask a John McCain supporter about legislation, they would have a list a mile long. Its not just about getting legislation passed if that was the only criteria then we should vote for McCain but Lemme see if I get this right, Mccain "joined "the military, so he's not a draft dodger, good. His ship, USS Forrestal, almost sank because of a accidental missle launch and he was a part of that. Then he was shot down and became a POW, although it was not his fault, next came the Keating 5 and the S&L fiasco, he was found guilty of poor judgement. Ok, then he ran for president, was doing good, then dropped out, now we know why, more "doing my job, had to be protected from himself, protecting or acting on a freinds behalf, borderline bad judgement"...yep I got it right, this guy has poor judgement, has shadowy dealingswith freinds, and has always been in some sort of mess through no fault of his own...lets protect him and elect him ,at least we know if he's president, we'll have a lifetime screw up who is accident prone and only guilty of poor judgement. This could have all been prevented if he would have used "good judgement" and dodged the draft.I geuss legislation is the deciding factor.  I would rather vote for a guy who has HOPE, rather than accept as "experience" a lifetime of "poor judgement". By the way, Hillary is just another McCain, a little younger and different gender, same history just a little differnt circumstances.

"Let's take a close look at who's really qualified and/or who's really working for the good of all of us while serving in the Senate.
Obama or Clinton?"
Records of these two candidates should be scrutinized in order to make an informed decision. In her first six years Hillary managed to author and pass into law 20 pieces of legislation. These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress.

1- Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2- Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3- Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4- Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5- Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6- Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.
7- Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8- Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9- Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.
10- Congratulate the Syracuse University Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11- Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
12- Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13- Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14- Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.
15- Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty.
16- Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17- Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
18- Assist landmine victims in other countries.
19- Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
20- Designate part of the National Forest System in
Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

There you have it, the Hillary legislative facts straight from the Senate records.
The following is a list of Barack Obama's legislative accomplishments, but the list is so substantive they are categorized, rather than listed individually. Besides, there's simply too many of them.
During his first eight years in the Illinois legislature, Obama sponsored more than 820 bills.
* 233 regarding healthcare reform
* 125 on poverty and public assistance
* 112 crime fighting bills
* 97 economic bills
* 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills
* 21 ethics reform bills
* 15 gun control
* 6 veterans affairs and many others
* Many more miscellaneous bills

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills, and co-sponsored another 427.
These include:
* Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - enacted.
* Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act - enacted.
* Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate.
* 2007 Government Ethics Bill, enacted.
* Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, in committee.
In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1,096.
An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this comparison not be made public.
Now it's up to you to decide who's the doer and who's the talker."

LOOKING CLOSER AT THE McCain/NYTimes Story....

If I am correct, three or so years ago, Barack Obama's republican opponent for the Senate was forced to resign due to a "sex scandal", Alan Keyes ran instead, and Obama went on to win the Senate seat.

Obama is well into a media attack of McCain policy, and visa versa, he is of course assuming he will get the nomination.

Do you think this is a coincidence ?
Just one more republican opponent out of the way ???

Let's please look a little deeper into who is behind this and the timing of the NYT story? If is was to have been held (ie October) then it sounds even less like a coincidence - and all the more like a plan...and who has been saying...lets stick to the issues ???

Chris thank you for your coverage of the candidates and issues that are not being discussed elsewhere.
I am tired of the free ride being given to the current front runners...

I "HOPE" we get to the bottom of this..



Barbara
Virginia

I am a huge fan of Chris Matthews.  I watch his show every night and also on Sunday morning.  However, I do feel he went too far in grilling Senator Kirk Watson about Barack Obama accomplishments.  It seemed that the interview was more about bullying and humiliating Senator Watson than about true journalism.  I was uncomfortable and embarassed for the good senator. I think Chris Matthews needs to chill out.

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