>> that it has. and a fine rant as always, ari, nice to see you. >> thank you. >> that will do it for us. i'm dylan rhadigan. up next, "hardball" with chris matthews. victory for democrats, let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews out in san francisco. leading off tonight, reversal fortune. one year ago the democrats lost 63 house seats and six senate seats, but last night, the story was very different. from ohio to mississippi, from arizona to new jersey to maine and beyond, most voters went the democrats' way. the two most significant results in ohio. voters rejected governor john kasich's antiunion legislation by a huge margin. and in mississippi, the

so-called personhood antiabortion amendment went down to a crushing defeat. none of this, of course, guarantees success next year. but they're probably smiling in the white house tonight. also, the herman cain camp seems to have settled on a strategy, accuse the accusers. they're going after the women who have made charges against him. how big of a deal will this be in tonight's republican debate? and how long can this go on? plus, here's a good lesson from republican john walsh on how not to treat a constituent. >> hang on. >> quiet for a minute. quiet for a minute! so i can ask you to leave. you need to listen. i'm going to ask you to leave. >> well, we've seen that before. what has joe walsh so upset? we'll find out in the "side show." and recognize this guy? >> i'm chris matthews of msnbc's "hardball," with me is senator barack obama. thanks for spending a few moments with us.

you sir are great. >> i don't think that's me, but it's the best he can do, that's daryl hammond doing me on "saturday night live "saturday night live." hammond joins us tonight with his new book. we start with the reversals of fortune out there. mark haleprin is an msnbc senior political analyst. mark, you look at all these, and here are some of the highlights from last night's soundly rejected an anti-union law that eliminated collective bargaining by public employees. "without question, the results will be viewed as a momentum builder for democrats nationwide and should encourage president barack obama." in mississippi, a personhood amendment which would've defined personhood starting at conception. this would've outlawed all

abortions and many forms of contraception. in arizona, the republican president of the state senate, architect of the state's harsh antiimmigration law lost in a recall election. and in maine, voters rejected a law that ended same-day voter registration. in ohio, voters went two to one in rejecting the president's health care individual mandate. voters supported that proposal that says no federal, state, or local law could force a person or employer to participate in the health care system. so there you have a pretty good night for the democrats, mark. let's look at the union issue. does this show that labor has come back in force? >> it does, chris, and of course, no democrat can get elected president without labor energized and out in force. that's one of the possible hints of what happened on the ohio ballot measure i think not just at the white house, but throughout the party and the progressive movement. they will be very pleased with that.

>> and the amendment defeat in mississippi, which is a very anti-abortion state, anti-abortion right state. i believe it's only one abortion clinic in that state or something like that, did that surprise you? >> it didn't surprise me. there was a lot of confusion about the language, even some pro life people were down on the language in the amendment. i think the best thing for the democrats is mitt romney endorsed that provision, as he did the labor provision on the side of the governor, the republican governor in ohio. so they've got mitt romney down on a marker on some issues that in the general election democrats are confident will really hurt romney. >> let me go to mayor brown. this is governor kasich who got beaten with his anti-union law. let's listen to him. >> it's clear that the people have spoken. and, you know, my view is when people speak in a campaign like this and a referendum, you have to listen when you're a public servant. there isn't any question about that. i've heard their voices.

i understand their decision, and frankly, i respect what people have to say in an effort like this. >> mayor brown, this reminds me of arnold schwarzenegger coming into power in that recall situation where he looks so strong, he went after the firefighters, the teachers, and the nurses, and he got pounded. looks like the same thing happened to kasich here. >> there's no question, he took it under the chin. let me also tell you, that you know the president has been to ohio many times. now we know why. in sessions with the mayor of columbus, who won, by the way, for the fourth term 70% to 30%, it was clear that unions and organized labor made this a referendum on whether or not you could ever be middle class. it translated with labor so that there were no sideline participation, there was only

full participation. and that's a way in which labor, i think, can help the president win reelection. >> let me ask you about this vote. it seems to me that the voters like to vote. i think we learned that in the state of maine yesterday, which was a very crusty independent-minded state. they voted down -- they voted to reject a law which would've ended same-day voter registration. seems to me voters don't like being told you can't vote, you can't register the same day you want to vote. they like them. >> everywhere we've ever tried to limit or restrict your access to the polls, it has proven to be a loser of enormous proportions. republicans traditionally want to establish all those things similar to what was done with all of the business of that -- that was in the south for years where you had to preregister, you have to do a whole series of things to be eligible of both. voters don't want to do that. they want to show up on election day with no preference

whatsoever prior to their coming in and saying i'm a voter and i want to vote. >> well, that seems to be a strong pattern. let me go back to mark haleprin at the debate site tonight for the cnbc vote. i've got to ask you a question since you're out there. this thing with herman cain, is that going to come up tonight? >> i think it's got to come up. it's going to largely be up to the moderators, certainly where the press is focused. i think the bigger issue, because i expect mitt romney to have a good debate here, it's his home turf, michigan, and on the economy. the big issue for me is not how cain handles it, it's gingrich, huntsman, and perry, if any of these three guys can step up and have a good debate, they can catch the attention as a potential alternative to mitt romney, the long forecasted role that no one has taken yet. >> and by the way, the obama campaign, mark, has to take heart from last night's results.

a campaign memo on the election of last night says voters in ohio overwhelmingly rejected john kasich's anti-worker bill that seeks to put a greater economic burden on the shoulders of hardworking middle class families. do they see this as evidence that they can carry ohio? in the days that tim russert used to say ohio, ohio, ohio, it's one of those states that seems to be so much a bell weather. >> the story of politics has been the energy on the right. people engaged and focused and desperate to change washington. what we've seen in ohio, it's clear, is that not just labor, but the progressive movement, the democratic party is engaged and ready to fight. and in john kasich, they have a governor as they do in florida and wisconsin and a few other states they can demonize and make more of a punching bag than i think mitt romney can be made into because he's less of a

distinct figure right now. to energize democrats in the short-term in ohio, in florida, this is a great day and a great result for the democratic party. and they're excited about it and they see they can be the party of energy, engagement, and enthusiasm. >> mayor brown, it seems that president obama is a highly educated guy, elite educated you might say surrounded by a lot of guys from the people very much the old left and new left combined. not exactly a labor guy, not exactly a bread and butter democrat. seems like he's merging into one with all of this talk about building bridges, merging highways, putting people to work, fighting republicans. the populous aspect of barack obama, do you think he got a good okay last night? >> absolutely. and as long as he accepts the idea that you've done health care and it's time for the people to speak on it, you shut up, you stay out of it, don't make health care a referendum on

your performance but keep people engaged in the pursuit of jobs. he'll be all right. you'll notice the white house hasn't said a word about what happened in ohio on health. and i think that kind of silence will be the hallmark of the campaign as they go forward. >> so they're going to pick the target of unemployment, but even though this unemployment usually hurts the incumbent, do you believe he can go against the wind like teddy kennedy used to say? can he win on the jobs issue as an incumbent during a high-unemployment period? that would be a first. >> as long as the republicans continue to do all the things they do to keep infrastructure from not being one of the places where we engage in where we provide resources and we provide money. tonight when the debate goes down, the question is going to be should there have been the help to the auto industry that the federal government provided? republicans are going to be wrong on all those issues, he is

going to make unemployment a republican burden, not a democratic burden, and yes, as the incumbent, he's going to be able to succeed. >> let me ask mark the same question. can a president take an issue that should belong to the opposition and say, darn it, you're the problem? >> well, i think major brown's exactly right. the white house is going to cherry pick the president's record and only go for those things that they think push forward into the future where they can make an argument that says i've done this and i'll do more. the republican party in the case of john kasich or mitt romney are for policies different from what the president's for. and whether he can execute it is the question. if you care about jobs, you can't -- you go to the policies of the republican party, and i think the good thing about that message to the president is, he believes it in his heart. he believes it in his core that's the fundamental

difference between the parties. and barack obama just like any other politician, when they're arguing something they believe firmly, they do better. >> and he gets to run against other incumbents next november, which is a smart thing to do. if you can make the guys in ohio and florida the bad guys, you can be the challenger, david to their goliath. thank you so much, mark haleprin, and willie brown. coming up, accusing the accusers, herman cain's camp is going after the women who are accusing him of sexual harassment. how long can this go on? you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy.

more election results from last night. in kentucky, governor steve beshear, cruised to reelection. he could provide a blueprint for president obama. including defining your opponent early. take note, mitt romney. in mississippi, phil bryant defeated democrat johnny dupree,

the first african-american major nominee for governor in mississippi since reconstruction. and here in san francisco, ed lee. he'll be the first asian-american mayor in san francisco history. and michael nutter won reelection by a wide margin. we'll be right back. pour chunky sirloin burger soup over those mashed potatoes and dinner is served. four minutes, around four bucks. campbell's chunky -- it's amazing what soup can do. four minutes, around four bucks. chng we'renvor of. t ickeay

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welcome back to "hardball." herman cain defended himself yesterday in dramatic fashion in a late-day news conference, he denied the allegations against him by four different women. two of now have come forward publicly. his campaign said some of them may be all out lying. today some of those women responded making sure their story wouldn't disappear from the headlines any time soon. sharon bialek said cain disrespected her and the other

women. and karen was hoping to organize with the other three cain accusers all together. when or even if that will happen is still unclear. tonight the focus will shift back to the politics of this unfolding drama when the republican candidates take the stage for another debate. that's the cnbc debate tonight. and this is certainly the elephant in the room, this issue, and we'll see what if anything his opponents have to say. two reporters have been all over this story. michael shear covers politics for the "new york times,". maggie, i'm going right to the "politico," the campaign response can be summed up in three words, attack, attack, attack. yesterday they sent an e-mail detailing sharon bialek's past financial difficulties, her employment history, and her involvement in previous civil suits. the campaign called it a long and troubled history. meanwhile, cain's campaign manager made a bewildering accusation against karen

kraushaar on fox news that the campaign was forced to retract today because it was totally, utterly false. let's watch. >> you start connecting the dots and trying to figure out whether it's coming from opponents on the left or the right. just at the press conference, it was brought up that the -- karen kraushaar was one of the ones and come to find out her son works at politico -- >> have you confirmed that? i've been hearing that all day, you've confirmed that now, right? >> uh -- we confirmed it with that he does indeed work at "politico" and that's his mother, yes. >> it's called politico. but there is a reporter there with the same last name but he has since left the paper and said he's not related in any way to the accuser. there's a blank in the gun right there, maggie. maggie haberman.

it seems when you're caught that wrong footed on something with a wild charge that turns out to be 100% wrong that there's a connection between an accuser and a reporter, people begin to think you don't know what you're talking about. >> carl rove went on fox news earlier and he was the first person to say something, you know, who was within the fox world and said that herman cain has -- his campaign is hurting their credibility when they say things like this that are provably not true. i think mr. cain is not the first candidate with negative media stories to blame the media, to use the strategy of saying he's being attacked and to attack the accusers. i think that, you know, there is a potential risk for him. it has worked so far very well for him, but there's a potential risk for him if he goes too far of looking negative himself. i think it'll be very interesting to see how this question comes up at the debate tonight. as mark haleprin said before, i don't think this can be avoided. >> michael, it looks to me like we may not get a perry mason moment here to use an old

reference from television. when the accused stands up in the courtroom and says, okay, i did it. i don't get the sense that mr. cain's the type of person to say i've not been giving it to you straight, here's the scoop. it seems like from his point of view it's always going to be denial. from the other side, will it be clear enough for the conservative voter to see enough clarity on the accuses side that they stop believing the defendant in this case? >> well, i mean, i think you're absolutely right about herman cain. if there was any moment you thought maybe he'll change strategy and acknowledge some things and apologize, perhaps, it might have been yesterday, and he clearly took the opposite tact. i mean, the question you raised this possible press conference coming up with all of the accusers together on one stage. i mean, what they've said -- what the attorney for one of them has said is if that happens they will go into detail and perhaps even read from her original complaint that she filed many years ago. that would provide all sorts of detail. and you sort of have to wonder at that point, you know, do

voters -- do voters finally and his supporters finally give up on him or not? and, you know, that'll play out in iowa and south carolina and beyond potentially. >> well, you must be thinking sympathetically to the accusers as well as to him to some extent sympathetically. if there's a different angle or different truth or different interpretation. although what now seems to be at play here are not different interpretations of behavior or words in the workplace but clear cut accusations of predatory behavior. this isn't one of those, well, it depends how you took it or depends what mood you're in. these are predatory actions. if he was demanding sexual satisfaction from someone who was looking for a job, that is sexual harassment of the most defined kind. let me go back to maggie on this. yesterday cain had strong language for sharon bialek calling her troubled and implicating she was motivated by financial gain. >> the democrat machine in america has brought forth a

troubled woman to make false accusations. statements, many of which exceed common sense. she claims that her past financial situation the number of civil lawsuits she's been involved in, she claims it does not play a role in her coming forward. from a common sense standpoint, one would have to ask if, in fact, that might not have been a motivation. >> boy, that takes -- step out of the whole issue, from a common sense point of view, one would have to ask if he's not even a player in this. today bialek, the accuser, responded on msnbc. let's listen to her statement. >> if i was coming in this for money, i wouldn't be sitting right here. i would have sold my story and left. that was not the motivation, it still is not the motivation. i was simply trying to give mr. cain a platform to come forward and do what is right and apologize to myself and the

other women and possibly even more women who might now have the courage to step forward. >> and just to be clear about what we're talking about here, the only woman who has publicly laid out her accusations against herman cain, sharon bialek accused him of physically assaulting her. >> he suddenly reached over and he put his hand on my leg under my skirt and reached for my genitals. he also grabbed my head and brought it towards his crotch. i was very, very surprised and very shocked. i said what are you doing? you know i have a boyfriend. this isn't what i came here for. mr. cain said, "you want a job, right?" . i asked him to stop and he did. >> can you report, maggie, i know how careful you are, what a pro you are, that we all have to be careful about facts. here's the factual query.

have the other women accused him of physically predatory contact? or let's put it this way, a man seeking sex from an employee? >> well, what we've reported before is that in one instance there were physical gestures or comments that made one woman uncomfortable. in another case, there was a complaint of being invited up to a hotel room at a -- >> well, that's it. >> at an event. so specifically to the physical, that has not been in what we've been reported so far. i'm going to stick pretty much with that. >> i accept that. but asking you up to a room, i think, most people, i think in the conservative movement even would say for someone of his age to take someone -- well, forget the age issue. for someone like that who is in a superior position in a commercial situation to take somebody and say why don't you go to my hotel room has an innuendo that is so strong, i think the voter can handle the implications.

michael, do you have anything to report on that? is the behavior in which he's accused by karen, is this been rep my indicated by the other accusers? >> well, what we did report at the "new york times" yesterday was that the attorney for the -- >> sharon -- >> for the other woman, karen kraushaar, the conduct was similar. they haven't spelled it out, it was similar and it was corroborating. i asked if that meant he had touched her in some way that was inappropriate. he declined to answer, didn't say yes to that, but all i can say is he said it's similar. >> it means it's predatory. clearly was seeking sex. i think that's what we're talking about here, a clear case of sexual -- if these charges are true. if the accuser's speaking the truth. and that's the if we're going to have to look at and let the voters look at in the days ahead. maggie, thank you for the reporting, and thank you, michael shear for yours. up next, may be the best side show moment ever.

this is real life. that's joe walsh. >> i am tired of hearing that crap! i am tired of hearing that crap! >> you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. ♪ our machines help identify early stages of cancer, and it's something that we're extremely proud of. you see someone who is saved because of this technology, you know that the things that you do in your life matter. if i did have an opportunity to meet a cancer survivor,

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it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. back to "hardball," now for the "side show." first up, a case of too much joe. that may have been a case for a group of illinois voters who showed up to talk with their congressman joe walsh at a local restaurant recently. just a cup of joe with joe so they thought. let's just say walsh got a little overcaffeinated when one of the guests questioned him on the influence that big banks and lobbyists have in congress. >> the problem is you've got to be consistent. and i don't want government meddling in the marketplace.

what created this mess is your government which has demanded for years that everybody be in a home. don't blame banks and the marketplace for the mess we're in right now. i am tired of hearing that crap. this pisses me off, too many people don't listen. there are already mechanisms in place. we've got dodd/frank that's trying everybody's hand. you want more reform and regulation, that's what you got. do you want more regulation? is that what you want? do you want dodd/frank? i need more coffee. >> did somebody say de-caff? anyway, next up, we want out, that is what house republicans are saying when it comes to grover norquist's anti-tax pledge. many of those congressmen, republicans signed on the dotted line way back in the early '90s and would like to see an eraser used. ohio republican representative is one of those early signers who is more than ready now to

part ways with that grover norquist pledge. he says i haven't signed it since 1994, my driver's license expires, my milk in my refrigerator expires, any gym membership expires, i find the website to be a little deceptive. as in norquist for americans website lists individuals who signed on the pledge years ago. and last week, speaker boehner down played norquist calling him some random person. now for the big number. question, what does herman cain have in common with bob dole who i like? aside from the fact that dole also ran for president? maybe this will jog your memory. >>. >> nobody understood how they could be good friends. >> remember that? bob dole referring to himself as bob dole. well, it all came rushing back during cain's press conference yesterday. >> a businessman by the name of

herman cain stepped forward, here i am, some people don't want to see herman cain get the republican nomination. some people don't want herman cain to become president. i can't tell you what that motivation is. you see, that's one thing about herman cain, that's the person herman cain is. >> you know who used to do that? julias caesar. that gives us a grand total? six. half dozen. might not seem like a lot. but it was all in just 30 seconds. imagine a state of the union address from this fella, we could hear a lot more third-person references from herman cain, six of them last night and that's tonight. half dozen big number. up next, more women up for reelection in the senate this year and the number of women running for the senate is among the highest ever. is 2012 shaping up as another year of the woman? [ male announcer ] our nation's veterans are real-life heroes.

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i'm mary thompson with your cnbc market wrap. the bears on a bit of a rampage. the dow industrials plunging 389 points, the s&p 500 plunging 46, and the nasdaq giving up 105 points. deals on those government bonds toppi inping 7%, many set as a threshold for sustainable debt. investors are thinking italy will need a bailout of its own and we still have no successor for berlusconi and no new prime minister in greece. goldman sachs taking a big hit on word it's now facing nearly $16 billion worth of lawsuits over the mortgage securities. software maker adobe slumping and cutting 750 jobs. and green mountain coffee roasters is getting hammered in

after hours trade. that stock was already in trouble on concerns about its accounting. that's it from cnbc first in business worldwide, now back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." 1992 was of course the year when the number of female united states senatored tripl es triplo to six. with many women trying to win seats for the first time this year, or rather next year, could we be looking at another female wave, if you will? a new year of the woman. with me now as one of those 1992 winners, democratic senator barbara boxer from out here in california. also joining me is a "hardball" favorite debbie schults who also chaired the democratic national

committee. such power i see before me. so i'm thinking, senator boxer, i'm in your state, i'll be up at dominican university in your own stomping grounds of marin. it'll be a great night. lucky to be in your territory. lucky me. let me ask you, you and i were chatting the other day about this phenomenon. so let me ask you about this, what's in the water this year? these cycles in which women citizens decide i'm going to step up? >> well, i think men and women are going to be looking at all the candidates running. we have an incredible list of women incumbents and challengers. and i think this is the year to win with women 2012. and i have a whole internet program on that, win with women 2012. and let me tell you why, you raise 1992, the year i was fortunate enough to get to the senate. there were only two women in that year and we did get to six. they called it the year of the woman. chris, we could get to over 20 women this time, 20% of the

united states senate. and i know debbie will agree. there are so many economic, kitchen table issues that women are good at. and there's a war on women, let's face it, you talked about what happened in mississippi. several other states are saying we don't think women should be able to end a pregnancy even if she's raped or she's that victim of incest. and we don't think she should be able to even get fertility treatment. so i think if you put the economy together with the war on women plus our terrific candidates, it adds up to win with women 2012 as far as i'm concerned. >> but there is also a pattern sort of hanging over this. you had the clarence thomas issue, the long hearing that went on with him and anita hill and that tv drama you'd have to call it but it was real-life drama where there was clearly harassment charged and believed by many people. but clarence thomas still was confirmed as the united states senate by an overwhelmingly male jury of senators.

do you think that we're seeing the same kind of situation leading to women wanting to run now because of this herman cain f fandango? it's a series of serious charges he seems to be dancing away from. >> well, we all know even herman cain himself said that sexual harassment is very serious business. and i'm going to leave it up to the republican voters to determine how they feel about herman cain, but there is an amazing irony here that 20 years after the clarence thomas anita hill situation that brought sexual harassment to the forefront that we are now looking at this again and that's a very interesting combination with everything else that i talked about. so i just -- i'm not saying that women running now are running because of herman cain, they were in there before. but i really think that peop people -- even if the it's this or -- i think women and men

voters will turn to women in these difficult times. >> well, and the penn state thing is so sad, so awful what went on up there and awful that people -- in any degree. let's look at the bright side of things. you've got some really good candidates -- well, there's women, you've got running former governor out in hawaii, but also a strong challenge now to scott brown up in massachusetts. it looks to me like elizabeth warren's going to be a very firm bread and butter democratic candidate. >> absolutely. and in addition to the fantastic candidates that are running, the women candidates are running in the u.s. senate races. we have 31 incredible women running against incumbent republicans on the house side. we are at about 17% of the congress right now are women. and we know that women care about creating jobs and getting the economy turned around. and we know that they have --

the policies could have been put forward by republicans who are embracing the tea party. chris, the republicans first act in the house of representatives was to repeal hr-1, the affordable care act, which made sure that women couldn't get dropped or denied coverage for simply being a woman. a woman was treated as a preexisting condition. there are policies that the republicans have consistently engaged in on a war on women like the personhood amendment that for me as a woman who gave birth to two of my children through in vitro fertilization, it is unbelievably offense i have they would try to pass amendments -- that's unacceptable, and that's why so many women are stepping up not because of allegations, but because women know that their future and their children's future hangs in the balance and they're ready to step up and have -- >> okay. let me go to senator boxer in the united states senate right

now in washington. look at these numbers. back in 2008, the last presidential election, president obama, the democrat carried the women's vote. this is pretty stark. this looks more like california than it has been in the past. 56% of women went for the president, 43% in other words, the rest of the vote went for herman cain. what is that about? it seems almost the pattern you see in your home state where women are overwhelmingly supportive of the democratic program. >> i honestly think that women as well as men are looking at the two parties. and you know, chris, because you used to be around here a long time ago. the parties have moved so far away from each other. and i believe really the republicans have moved so far to the right that they have lost the mainstream. just need to look at ohio, at the way they overreached. a lot of those union members are women, nurses, teachers, and they were just hitting away at these people.

and they don't seem to care as debbie beautifully stated about women getting treatment and care. that being a woman almost was a preexisting condition before. we now make sure that women and families can keep their children until they're 26. so people in this country, women in particular look forward. they don't want to go backwards, they don't want to lose rights. they want to continue to gain rights. they don't want to go backwards in their economic status, they want to move forward. so i think it's the combination of democrats standing for the things women want but also the republicans have lost touch, frankly. >> when is the last time president obama called you for political advice, senator? >> oh, i talked to the president and his people quite a bit. >> the president himself. when did he last call you for advice or talk to you about politics? >> oh, very recently when he was in california. and i actually was in the white house, and i feel that i can pick up the phone and talk to

him any time. i talk to joe biden a lot because i'm trying to leave the president alone. but i do talk to joe a lot more because, you know, i feel like i don't want to interrupt the president. >> okay. thank you so much, barbara boxer, and u.s. congresswoman debbie schults, up next, let's have some fun with the one and only darrell hammond. he's got a book and i'm here in the bay area. i'll be speaking at the dominican university of marin county about my new book "jack kennedy: elusive hero." this is "hardball" only on msnbc. a refriger

♪ a refrigerator has never been hacked. an online virus has never attacked a corkboard. ♪ give your customers the added feeling of security a printed statement or receipt provides... ...with mail. it's good for your business. ♪ and even better for your customers. ♪ for safe and secure ways to stay connected, visit usps.com/mail an update on that tragic penn state scandal. joe paterno announced today he'll retire at the end of the season. a sex scandal involving a long-time assistant coach accused of molesting -- that's a light word for it. what an awful thing going on there. eight young boys. paterno along with the president of the university under fire for not going to police when they

were told about an incident involving the assistant coach back in 2002. the university could still force paterno to leave immediately. the university president may be pushed out, as well. what a story. we'll be right back. ♪

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but here you are with a whole new cast of targets. who was your favorite in this -- here's a spoof, by the way, the republican presidential candidates from funny or die. s to the character of rick perry. >> hello, herman cain here with a message for the internet. you're way too complicated. >> i'm michele bachmann, the current front-runner for the gop nomination. >> and i'm marcus, and we built this dream together. nothing is going to stop us now. >> hello, governor rick perry here, and i know i saluted a second ago, but i always salute when i -- after i squeeze one out. >> is anyone in the whole world excited about me being president? nope. >> was that last guy romney? >> i don't know. i never saw that. >> we definitely know who rick perry was. you're playing rick perry as a do

doofus. what's it liked that could be the very soul of bill clinton. who is in there? >> in clinton? >> yeah. >> i don't know. i don't understand charisma. he has it. he has it, you know, but when you hang out with him a bit, you get to see the way he talks to people, and he's -- i saw him do a speech in california, 47 minutes without a script, standing ovation, laughs, applause breaks. he's pretty darn good when he starts talking. is there a jack ken decide in there? >> it was just my sense, when i began to look at him, that i just feel that everyone has a hero, or someone they emulate, or when they do their thing. it was my sense that he was -- he had a hero, and i started checking out jack kennedy's inaugural address and doing it in a southern accent, and putting a little crackle in there, and it came together for me. i could have been totally

offbase, but that was the formula. >> let me look at one of my favorite impersonations that you do, darrell hammond. >> chris, it's a pleasure to be here. >> good god, you said like five words and i'm already bored to death. >> ha ha! >> ha! >> suddenly the national debt is higher than rush limbaugh and a mexican pharmacy. >> oh, man. that's a pointed stick. >> ha! >> ha! very pointed stick. ha! ha ha! well, let me ask you, you've read something rather pointed about you, there was somebody you didn't want to do, because you come from a military family and had a tough upbringing, but your dad was military, and you didn't want to do john mccain. why not? >> i just felt i had been through this thing, this military funeral, my father on his deathbed had his war medals on his chest to explain what his life had been about, and that he

was maybe not as good a dad as he wanted to be. it was like i had a dad for the first time, i was very moved by it, and i felt that senator mccain was a great man, and he was injured serving his country, and i think when people are injured that it affects the way they move and talk, and i didn't want to let loren michaels down, but at the same time i didn't want to be a part of that. >> you wrote in your book how you were injured as a kid, maltreated by your parents, your mother especially. >> my mother -- not my dad, but my mom. my father had rages, would hit doors, kick things and say hostile stuff, but he never actually hit -- he only backhanded me one time, and it wasn't a big deal. >> you once said about your dad, i guess you have good feelings about him now, he said, i enjoy that man. i enjoy him. >> yeah, he watched your program, and his frequent response was i didn't understand it, but hell, i enjoyed it.

>> ha ha! >> ha! >> i've got to catch up with you. the name of the book, it's like a george carlin world we can't use, but god, if you're not up there, i'm -- and we can figure out the rest of it. good luck, good buddy. you're so many people on tv. >> thank you, sir. when we return, let me finish with the triumph of hillary clinton. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. up! ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8.

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let me finish tonight with this. sometimes the best news, the really good stuff doesn't happen. there's word in "new york times" today that there's a good chance the united states, our country, will not be isolated should the palestinians get recognized as a country. that's enorthernous by good news. it's not going to come with a big headline. several weeks back it looked lie the united states was on the verge of recognizing the mind state with the united states the only country in the world voting against it. that would make us look like we're alone in the support of israel, and make israel look like we were its only friend. what looks like it's not going to go this was. the membership committee has failed to reach a consensus. it looks like germany will join us in voting against u.n. membership for the minutes. it looks like britain and france and also the government of colombia will abstain. this news that we've avoided one bad situation comes as we see

the good result in another area of u.s. diplomacy. that's libya. gadhafi's gone, the nato effort has succeeded, the united states has gotten its way without sending in a single american troop. who was responsible for this good result? the same person we must credit with the good results regarding the middle east, the mind and israeli as a result. because secretary of state hillary clinton was able to get arake leaders behind the effort to topple gadhafi, and get nato to take the lead. this is a tricky time in world history, not just countries we have to deal with, you also organizations like al qaeda. we have china, brazil, india and russia, all rising in power, not just economic, but the diplomatic leverage that economic power brings with it. instead of acting alone, we have to bring together other countries in with us, that's if wet to get something done. hillary clinton deserves the credit. she is doing a very good job as