joining me tomorrow night, tim pawlenty. you can have the last word every night online at our blog, the last word.msnbc.com. "the ed show" live is-up next.

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! >> what did i say -- >> or i'm going to ask you to leave. you need to listen. i'm going to ask you to leave. >> well, we've seen that before. what got 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 darrell hammond doing me on "saturday night live." hammond joins us tonight with his new book. >> let me finish tonight with a strong american performance of hillary clinton. we start with the reversal of fortunes out there. mark halperin is a senior political analyst, and willie brown is a former mayor of san francisco. mark, you look at all these, and here are some of the highlights from last night's elections. in ohio, by two to one, voters soundly rejected an anti-union law that limited collective bargaining by public employees. the cleveland plain dealer reported, quote -- "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 have

defined personhood starting at conception was defeated. this would have outlawed all abortions and many forms of contraception. in arizona, the republican president of the state senate, architect of the state's harsh anti-immigration law lost in a recall election. he's out. and in maine, voters rejected a law that ended same-day voter registration. there was one defeat for the president. 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 lessons, or 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 there'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 several times. many of us didn't know why, 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 maine vote, mr. mayor, while i have you. 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 have 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 to vote. 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 halperin 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 strong debate, they can catch the attention of republican voters and the media 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 standing strong against a republican agenda. 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 of tim russert, who used to say ohio, ohio, ohio, it's one of those states that seems to be so much a bellwether. >> 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 billing bridge, building highways, putting people to work, fighting republicans. the pop you list 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 tack against that, like in a sailboat, and 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, and 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 do a jujitsu, take an issue that should belong to the opposition and say, darn it, you're the problem? >> well, i think mayor brown is 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 a set of policies that are distinct from what the president's for. and whether he can execute it is the question. but absolutely, the way you have described it is the way the white house will do it, say 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 that is 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. anyway, thank you so much, mark hall aspirin, and thank you mayor 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.

more election results from last night. in kentucky, governor steve besheer, a democrat, 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 a couple of noteworthy mayor races. here in san francisco,y i am at right now, ed lee, he'll be the first asian-american mayor in san francisco history. and in my hometown, and michael nutter won reelection by a wide margin. we'll be right back.

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 whom have now come forward publicly. his campaign said some of them may be motivated by financial game, or just out-and-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 crousher upped the ante, 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 "new york times," and maggy haberman is a senior political writer for politico. 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 to their supporters, 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 -- the organization -- >> have you confirmed that? i've been hearing that all day, rumors about that. 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, by the way. 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 family connection between the awould you sayer and a report in the reporting organization, people begin to know that you don't know what you're talking about. >> karl 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 who has had negative 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 halperin said before, i don't think third quarter 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 accusing 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 will change strategy and acknowledge some things and apologize, perhaps, it might have been yesterday, and he clearly took the opposite tack. 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. let's listen to what she said at a news conference on monday. >> 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. i don't know the answer. have the other women accused him of similar conduct? in other words, 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 reported so far, but 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 xwafr of which he's accused by karen, has this been reply reply 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 harassment, 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. wait until you catch there. this is real life. this is the life of a congressman. that's tea party congressman joe walsh. >> i am tired of hearing that crap! i am tired of hearing that crap! >> you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. ♪ it was the best day [ whooping ] ♪ it was the best day ♪ it was the best day ♪ ♪ it was the best day ♪ 'cause of you we make a great pair. huh?

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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. you know what? this pisses me off, too many people don't listen. there are already mechanisms in place. we've got dodd/frank that's tying everybody's hands. 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? is that what you want? i need more coffee. >> did somebody say decaf? anyway, next up, we want out, that is what house republicans are saying when it comes to grover nordquist's antitax 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 steven la toure 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, my jim 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 downplayed nordquist's influence on congress by 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. >> and then there's my friend hubert humphrey. >> 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. other than, it's to stop herman cain. you see, that's one thing about herman cain, that's the person herman cain is. >> you know who used to do that? julius caesar. anyway, there you have it. that gives us a grand total of how many from yesterday's press conference? 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's 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? you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc.

welcome back to "hardball." 1992 was of course the year when the number of female united states senators tripled from two to six. well, today 17 of the 100 u.s. senators are women, as are 76 members of the 435 members of the house of representatives. 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, florida u.s.

congressman debbie washer man shultz, who also chairs 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. >> yes. lucky you, chris. >> 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. thank you, california. 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 a 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 senator 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 fandango? or whatever it is now. it's worse than a 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 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 condone it in in any degree. let me go to debbie wasserman schultz. 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 offensive that they would try to pass amendments -- that's unacceptable, and that's why so many women are stepping up not because of the allegations against one candidate, 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. -- for mccain. 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 even 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 wasserman schultz so 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 on 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 talk to the president and his people quite a bit. >> no, 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 wasserman schultz, from florida, chair of the democratic national committee. >> 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. ♪ sen♪ co-signed her credit card - "buy books, not beer!" ♪ ♪ut the second at she shut the door ♪ ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪ ♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪ ♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks didn't go ♪ ♪ to free-credit-score-dot-com hard times for daddy and mom. ♪

v.o.: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com an update on that tragic penn state scandal. joe paterno announced today he'll retire at the end of the season. he's leaving amid 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.

we're back and it's time to explore the lighter side of politics with a man of a thousand faces. darrell hammond is an award-winning actor and comedian. his new book is called "god, if you're not up there, i'm --" then comes a word we cannot say on television. darrell hammond, my pal, thank you for coming on tonight. and we've been showing bits of you doing me a while back.

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. and be sure to pay close attention to the character of rick perry. >> hello, herman cain here. joe paterno announced today he'll retire at the end of this season. paterno to leaving amid a sex scandal who's 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 have been under fire for not going to police when they were told of an innocent involving the assistant coach back in 2002. the university could still force paterno to leave immediately and >> is that last guy romney? >> i don't know. i don't know how -- i never saw. >> well, we definitely know who rick perry is.

you're playing rick perry as a doofus. the guy can't perform on stage. what's it like to be the guy who can be the soul of bill clinton. the very soul of bill clinton. who's 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 little 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. it's pretty darned good out there when he starts talking. >> yeah. also, is there a jack kennedy in there somewhere? is he being jack kennedy and you're being him being jack kennedy? >> 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 when they do their thing, and 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, putting a little crackle in there, and it came together for me. i could have been totally off-base, but that was the formula. >> let's take a look at one of my favorite impersonations 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. hah! suddenly the national debt is higher than rush limbaugh in a mexican pharmacy. >> oh, man. >> hah! >> that's a pointed sick. >> hah! >> hah-hah! >> hah! i read something rather pointed about you, there's something you rather didn't want to do. i know you come from a military family and have had a tough upbringing in many ways, but something you're proud of, your dad was military, and you didn't want to do john mccain. you didn't want to do him, why not? >> i just felt that i had just been through this thing, this military funeral, my father on his deathbed had his military medals on his chest to explain what his life was about and maybe he wasn't a good as dad as he wanted to be. it was like i had a dad for the first time, and i felt that senator mccain was a great man and he was injured serving his

country. and i think when people are injured, it affects the way they move and talk. i didn't want to let laura michaels down, but at the same time, i didn't want to be a part about that. >> and you wrote in your book how you were injured as a kid, you were maltreated by your parents, your mother especially. >> not my dad, but my mom. my dad would have rages and kick doors and say hostile stuff, but he never actually -- he only backhanded me one time and it was ant big deal. >> you once said about your dad, i guess you have good feelings about him, you once said, he said about me, you 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. >> hah! the name of the book -- we can't give the whole name of the book, like a george carlin work we can't use, "god, if you're not up there, i'm --" and we can figure out the rest of it.

i hope people read darrell hammond and figure out who you are, because you're so many people on tv. when we return, let me finish with the american triumph of hillary clinton. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. let me finish tonight with this. sometimes the best news, the really good stuff, doesn't happen. there's word in "the new york times" today that there's a good chance the united states, our country, will not be isolated should the palestinians get ish facial hair removal duo. first a gentle balm. then the removal cream. effective together with less irritation and as gentle as a feather. new olay hair removal duo.

let me finish tonight with this. sometimes the best news, the really good stuff, doesn't happen. there's word in "the 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 enormously good news, and it's not going to come with a big headline. several weeks back, it looked like the united states was on the verge of recognizing the palestinian state. with the united states, the only country in the world, voting against it. that would have made us look like we're all alone in our support for israel, made israel look like its only friend in the whole world was us. and that would be bad for us and our friends, israel. it looks like it's not going to

go this way. it looks like germany's going to join us in voting against u.n. membership for the palestinians. it looks like britain, france, and also the government of colombia will abstain. as we see a good result in another area of u.s. diplomacy. gadhafi is gone, the u.s. has gotten its way without sending in a single american troop. who is responsible for this goo result? it was a good result because secretary of state hillary clinton was able to get arab leaders behind the efferent to topple gadhafi, was able to avoid having the u.s. pay for the cost, and to get nato to take the the lead. this is a tricky time in world history. it's not just countries we have to deal, but also organizations like al qaeda, and we have china and brazil and india and russia, all rising in power. and not just economic power, but also the diplomatic leverage that economic power brings with it. instead of acting alone, like