while she's questioning tim geithner. she has no understanding of constitutional i'd log, whatsoever, well she's a better constitutional scholar than christine o'donnell is a scientist. i mean -- >> stephanie, great to have you with us tonight. tonight our text survey question, i asked you, do you think that the tea party shares your values? 8% said of you said yes. 92% of you said, no. have a great weekend. that's "the ed show." chris matthews and "hardball" is next. see you monday. palin gives iowa a try. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews, down in washington, leading off tonight, the senator from delaware. that's right. the prominence of christine odon thel week, tells you how much the republican party has changed. at least for now. the grand ole party is history. this week's primary voting especially in delaware has

changed the calculus. less for this november than for november 2012. if you're a classic lineup, well, if you're a classic lineup the endorsement's big money establishment republican like mitt romney, you've had a very bad week. who had a good week? the candidate who wasn't in today's obama-bashing viewers values summit here in washington, sarah palin. this is her parent now. the only question is what she wants to do herself, run or stand back of the sidelines? get on the field, or play quarterback or grab the megaphone as the party's number one cheerleader? well the shining new story news summit was nominee christine o'donnell. she may win, she may not. in delaware. but progressives are fools to underestimate her, and even more so for underestimating the voter attitude. or as they say in philly, at-e-tude that told her nomination. o'donnell was on "hardball" as far back as 2002 talking about ten commandments. we'll show you a clip of that

from the old days. and plus john stewart released his rally to restore sanity last night in washington. can stewart do for liberals and progressives for what glenn beck did for conservatives and right wingers a week ago? talk about the hard feelings. three decades after ted kennedy challenged jimmy carter for the democratic nomination in 1980, carter says, we could have had comprehensive health care reform back in the 1970s, but kennedy wanted to deny carter any success. some wars -- some wars never end. get to that one. and let me finish tonight on the sarah palin challenge. do republicans think she's presidential, or even vice presidential material? just answer the question. please! let's start with this brave new republican party, what it means for the midterms in 2012. daily beast. and richard wolff is an msnbc political analyst. take a look at something pretty pathetic now. here's mitt romney trying to talk like a tea partier at today's viewers values sumit. let's listen. >> if only he'd been, in fact,

transparent and bipartisan and uniting as meged in his campaign and perhaps he could have delivered on his promise in, yes we can. instead, we know all too well that, no he didn't. >> oh, my god. richard wolff, it's so sad. >> look -- >> he's a smart guy, a business guy, probably a good family man, trying to act like someone he clearly isn't. he's not a raging rebel against the system. he's not a tea partier. >> and his problem always has been been about credibility. character and persona, which may be persona number five, six or seven, he's going to be in trouble again. he has to stick to who he is and hopes that cycle in his party shifts back towards economic issues. >> two years. >> economic issues which are his number one thing. that's what people care about. >> remember when he was pro-choice, anti-choice and then he said he was multiple choice. you can't keep track of this guy. what do you make -- before we get to the candidate, you know

more about, talk about this fellow. mitt romney trying to act like a crazy, a wild ad right-winger. which he's not. a moderator politically. >> i think that you're right, that he really needs to stick to the economic issues and i think that he could be pretty successful if he does that. if he really goes out for the president on -- on the economy. and really paints himself as who he is. a great background in finance. he's been very successful -- >> well, i don't know if that's what they're looking for in the casting department with the republican right right now. >> he's unbelievable. >> what they seem to be looking for. here's christine o'donnell tuesday thanking sarah palin who endorsed her and really made her have a good chance to win that one in delaware. let's look at that. >> so, again -- you bet you! there's another woman i got to thank. you bet you. thank you, governor palin, for your endorsement, because she got behind -- she got behind us

war-wary folks and gave us a boost of encouragement when we needed it and she was a vote against the politics of personal destruction. >> let's take a look at a national map to get a sense of how wide the power is, i think, of sarah palin. we've got a map here, just like in the election time. look at those greens. those are the primary picks that she picked across the country, and the green spots is where she picked a winner. coast to coast. numerically, she had 25 wins, 11 losses, seven no contests. but richard wolf, and schuhshona, 50 candidates. a big help in helping out. and when they lose a better help next time around because they've got nothing to do but help you win the next presidential election by the way. it's sometimes smarter, we'll talk aboutiumy carter later, he built a presidential campaign by backing people that lost races. >> look it's an interesting mix. endorsements' the old-style politics, right? aren't supposed to count for much. but in this new world she can

mobilize moje izize money. you know it's as if they don't have a turnout -- >> it's great. >> yeah, but the republican base is turning out with these insurgents now. what happened -- who established the best turnout model for the republicans? george bush. the 2004 campaign, 2000 campaign, they had a tremendous ability to turn these -- >> church people too as well. >> right. but they're not speaking to them. and whatever -- whatever her success rate is, she has the mojo and in a multicandidate field, she can really make a difference. >> you embedded, very close to that camp, you know what it's like. give me the report. who are the palin people, wor the palin people who can turn out and become christine o'donnell people, become nikki haley people, et cetera, et cetera, how do you build in mult politication process? >> she has incredible crossroads of kill that is also very successful and so those people that support governor palin are very loyal to her. >> who are they? are they women, are they men,

mostly women? >> no. i think that it is -- it's both men and women and they're all over the country and they're really plugged into a lot of anger at the president. but what's also interesting about her supporters is they are just so incredibly loyal to her, she really can do no wrong. i mean everything, whether it be on monday when she's with bristol on "dancing with the stars" or endorsing you know christine o'donnell. it's really whatever she does, they're supportive. it's incredible. >> okay, okay, are they -- are they pro-life. >> yes. >> okay, they tend to be pro-life. are they middle-working class, regular income people, my hunch, right in the middle. >> i think so, too. and obviously it's the tea party -- the tea party people that are supporting her. people that identify themselves with -- as tea partiers. they love her. but i think it's more than that. i think that -- that she really -- and what's interesting is when she -- i do believe that she's running for president and when she does start that -- >> i do, too. >> starts that goes to iowa as

seeing today and starts shaking hands and kissing babies, as they say, we're really see her again on the trail and how successful she is with that politicking, that hand-to-hand politicking. >> what percentage of her voters are right wingers, would you say, hard right? and how many are sort of middle of the road frustrated people, normally not political? >> i think that a lot of them are. i wouldn't know exact percentage but i think that a lot of them are. find themselves as social conservatives. >> on the not have a absolutely, that's clear, definitely. >> because they like to deny that. numbers by the way from "the new york times." put into perspective. even though she's hot as blazes on the right and really influence republican voters who show up in primaries, which is an even smaller set. palin only has 21% favorable in "the new york times"/cbs poll out. 2-1 against her. that's a flip when she first came into the spotblite she was doing pretty well. 12% more likely to support an endorsement. 37% said less likely.

18% say palin's most interested in conservatives. i guess for money. let me go to you, richard. it seems to me that we're watching the picking process, which is picking nominees. it's always different of who will vote in november. but this year, i have a smell out there, like you do, the people who are going to vote in november are a lot like the people who voted in the republican primaries. red hot, angry, going in there to smack the president hard. >> right, turnout's always a question in the midterms. the interesting thing is sarah palin and maybe christine o'donnell does this too. sarah palin is one the biggest motivators for people on the left. help me out there. a good bit of news for a lot of people watching. how do you than that works? she works in reverse. >> once she was nominated to be the vice presidential candidate. >> i know that! she scared the freakins out of people. >> and there are reports now that she's still being used successfully? democratic fund-raising mails. >> just the jewish community, for example, i know from talking to people. scared the -- well not the

begees out of them but the death. south florida went crazily against her is we have a theory on crat running here. >> and i suspect if the democrats have any sense about them, try to do the same about o'donnell. >> can do you that in a senate race or a gubernatorial congressional race, can you scare, that person right now, she's not coming over to take over the country, out there to give talks. >> in delaware when you play those clips, write the mailings and the 30-second spots, you bet. >> away from christine o'donnell? >> isn't that. >> let's find out. >> with sharron angle. >> try to keep open minds about this. go to november. is it your sense that she will drive the left into a stir enough to come out and say, my god this woman if she wins all of these races she's going to be hard to stop, a real tyro. >> i think that you are right. the ones who are most angry are the ones who are going to show up but the democrats, if they're smart, that's what they'll do and as you said, they'll send out mailers and put sarah

palin's face on ads and i mean i think that they could be more successful if they do do that, because as you said, i agree that she does drive people on the left, but is it enough to get them out? >> i just don't know. i mean, in order for them to kind of stop the bleeding, the democrats stop the bleeding, they're going to have do that. >> speaking of bleeding, i've got hot news tonight, late tonight. and someone who is not afrafd sarah palin. we've learned the republican senator, lisa murkowski, she's still in office, in alaska, announced that she is writing campaign against miller, the guy who beat her in the primary and also turning the republican -- the democratic candidate, scott, the mayor of sip ca out there. murkowski and miller will split the line share of the conservative vote. >> it's possible. if she was running as an independent candidate and get on the ballot -- >> especially when your name's like murkowski. got to figure whether to run her as -- >> put the name up there. so should be able to go that way. >> but it's got to be the way it

appears with the handwriting. >> right, it's tough. >> you have to pass out stickers and everything else. well the one advantage. a lot easier than california. so get those stickers around in every voting station. teach people how to write the name the way that they want it to appear and although i'm told by the judges up there, reading about it, if they recognize the intent, is mircowski, they're going to -- boy another hanging chad thing coming here. your thoughts, shushona. >> i think that murkowski has a good shot. it will be difficult but if you can do it anymore you can do it in alaska and you can do it as lisa murkowski. she has 100% name recognition, everybody knows her and her family up there. and she does have wide support. even though those people, i was up there in alaska, it was a gorgeous day, and her supporters, did not come out that day. i think that a lot of them didn't go to the polls, but i think they would come out in

november for her. so if there's anyone that can do it and do it in alaska is lisa murkowkey. i wouldn't count her out. >> i think that she's counting on democrat votes. by the way, it may not be miller time in november. thanks for joining us. coming up, delaware's new minted senate christine o'donnell has must appeal of sarah palin as with the case with palin, progressives should not underestimate that person there. people say, i hear from the insider, it's going to be single dig hit it election. closer than you think, this election coming up in delaware this november. you're watching "hardball." [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day.

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in reid's first list was ten senate seatings most likely to flip parent. the here's the top ten, counting down to the most likely to flip. number ten, the state of washington. senator patty murray showing strength, but she still has a fight on her hands. number nine is california. senator barbara boxer and carly fiorina. number eight, wisconsin, good government guy, russ feingold's in the fight of his life. number seven, nevada, where senator harry reid just can't shake sharron angle. and at number six, colorado, with ken bach looking strong against michael bennett. ?????

it's no secret that there's been a rather unflattering portrait of me painted these days. i'm not counting on the national media to vote for me on november 2nd. i'm asking all of you to vote for me. >> wow, welcome back to

"hardball." that was republican senate nominee christine o'donnell thursday at a candidate forum up in delaware. she took center stage today in washington at the family research council's values voters sumit. she was the big story this week of course and now on into november. joined by christina bellatoni the senior reporter for talking points memo, a distinguished website and politico's jonathan martin. there you are, jonathan martin. and there you are. let me start with you, jonathan. i want you to look at this again. here's o'donnell today and now i want you to try to be -- totally nonideological and just look at this political phenomenon look at and seeing if it's real or not. here is christine o'donnell today at that viewers value forum. let's lift seen in this is america and the ruling class elites may try but they will never have the last word on liberty. there's something about our national dna that insists on shouting at those who would be our masters, you're not the boss of me. the small elite don't get us.

they call us wacky. they call us wing nuts. we call us, we the people. >> well, you know, i mean, jonathan, i have to tell you, i'm not unimpressed. your thoughts. >> no. yeah, look she's got a natural stage presence. she obviously makes a very good sell. and she's got sort of a palinesque feel for how really drive in that sort of class wedge and try to sort of frame this election as us versus them. you know, those people. so she's definitely got some talent. >> who's the bad guy? who's the bad guy when she's talking? who's the implicit devil out there thaez that she's got? because palin, you know who it is. >> sure. >> but who's the bad guy when she's talking, same person. >> sure, liberal elites. the ivy-league types, the media, et cetera. >> you got. >> the challenge, chris, though, she's not running in alaska. she's running in a state that -- except for the southern tier is mostly a northeastern style, suburban/urban place where a lot

of voters are center or center left. and it's going to be tough for her to win in that state this election even in a good year, just because of the underlying demographics of delaware, where in a primary, she can pull it off, in a close primary, that is, she can pull it off. when you've got all of those wilmington sort moderates -- >> where you are coming from, jonathan, california? where are you from. >> the commonwealth of virginia. >> you don't seem like you're into northeastern politics too much. christina, you're from california too. but let me tell you, you've overlooked some basic tribal facts here, her name is o'donnell. first of all a lot of people who live around wilmington named something like that or italian or irish and say she's not some wacky evangelist from way out west somewhere, she's not from colorado springs or something, you know? she's not a family values'-type out there. like someone i grew up with. a lot of appeal to that. >> and campaigns to catholic voters as well. >> the pro-life for conservative

catholics as well. >> absolutely. >> i think that you have to look at that when you look at the wilmington 'burbs. here she is thursday, i'm just suggesting a little different than somebody out west in alaska running. >> i agree with that. i agree with that, yeah. >> i would like to get back into that old neighborhood red-neck politics and figure it out. see if that's right or wrong. here's o'donnell thursday, very conservative culturally, very conservative. let's listen. >> but, chris -- >> i'm sorry. >> i think that we're heading in the wrong direction. we're increasing the size of government, we're out of touch with the needs of the average delaware voter. i'm a hard-working, average citizen who understands what it's like to fall on economic times. so as i go into washington, d.c., i will keep this perspective with every spending bill that comes across my desk, every tax -- proposed tax increase, i will first ask myself, does this benefit or hurt the people in delaware? >> this is not a mink coat republican here.

she's not from the country club. her annual income last year was 5k. >> right. >> and she's talking about a recession, she's living it. >> no -- >> and your thoughts. and then christina. >> chris, i hear what you're saying about her appeal in some the old neighborhoods but letg look at who delaware has elected in recent years. jack markell. representative mike castle. not sort of bob brady-style corner politicians in the clubhouse, chris. this is more of a suburbanized state now. >> you know i could give you those facts and i could also say, they had their chance. your thoughts, christina. i think it's an interesting discussion here. the old politics or the new politics going on here? because i'm watching this person. i think women, by the way, no matter what any guy think, women are now looking at gender, with some sympathy for fellow women. >> and that's why you're hearing her appeal to those appealing hillary clinton democrats. i can tell you that's not coming but she also uses a lot of the same language as hillary clinton.

hard working. a woman who was a theater major. and she's studied successful female politicians and she's emulating them and she was palin-like today. you expected her to -- >> like tina fey does. >> not in the same vain but i think that that she's learned some of palin's successful traits, absolutely. >> go back. sort of a venturian candidate here. take a look here, jonathan i love, this friday night, okay? let's take a look at her back on 2002 on "hardball" we're talking that day, remember judge the ten commandments that big block of gran nit his office there in the judge courthouse. let's listen to her side. obviously she was for the ten commandments. let's listen. what do you make of the constitutional provision that says the state of -- pass no law establishing a religion? >> how is -- >> what does that mean to you? what does that mean to you the constitution? >> that -- that the nation will never say, everyone has to be protestant. everyone has to be episcopalian.

when the founders crafted the constitution they were rebelling from a nation that did mandate a religion. there was a national religion. >> right. >> it's freedom of religion. not freedom from having this statue it's not saying everyone who comes into his courtroom, has to bow down to the ten commandments. >> well, a lot of natural talent there in communication, i'll tell you. >> no, absolutely is. >> she's been doing it a long time. >> go ahead, jon. >> no, i was going to say, i think she had shown the past few days that she does have some really natural accomplish ams which it it comes to speaking and also raised a lot of money, by the way, chris. 1.5 million bucks since she ran on tuesday. not somebody that you can write-off. >> are the big shots going to get in there and help her like karl rove. >> that's question, is rove this group american crossroads this big third party now, are they going to go in there and spend money on philly tv, chris, which you is very expensive as you know. >> it's enormous. >> i don't know. >> the tricky part is if you

live in delaware sort of a media suburb affiliate, in the sense that you have to pay for bucks county, delaware county, montgomery county, south jersey. >> that's right, south jersey. >> and delaware just to get into delaware. >> and these guys can read polls just like any of us and they're going to see if she doesn't put up those number it's. >> i think that the jury is out on this candidate and those who look down at her are doing what she wants you do. keep looking down on me, it works, because a lot more people are down than up these days. thank you jonathan martin, christina bellatoni. irish and italians. up next, senator jim demint has a goal for the next year in congress. total gridlock. you have to give in guy credit. he says what he's going to do, destroy the u.s. government. destroy the u.s. government. you're watching "hardball." for $99.99 at sears optical, liks with bifocal lenses for just $25 more per pair. hurry in to sears optical today and don't miss a thing. with bifocal lenses for just $25 more per pair. how are you getting to a happier place? running there? dancing there?

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back to "hardball," now on "the sideshow." on last night's "daily show"

bill clinton talked up his most high-prorole, father of the bride. >> it's one of those passages in life, it makes you feel like you know your child is finally -- really grown. >> right. >> i love my son-in-law and i admire him. and i wanted to do this wedding, just the way she wanted it. and it's my contribution to the economic stimulus. i really -- >> thank you. that's very kind. >> i was surely surprised when the unemployment rate didn't drop after the wedding. >> that's great dead pan. anyway the former president's been making rounds ahead of next week's big clinton global initiative. in new york, something we'll be sure to be covering next. fox news protects its own. the network's just filed a copyright infringement believe it or not. carna hat put out an ad of a 2006 clip of her republican opponent, roy blunt, getting

hammered by chris wallace on fox. take a look. >> you just said a moment ago that you have to show that you're the party of reform. but some question whether you are the man to do that. in 2002, you tried to insert language into the homeland security act to help phillip morris tobacco. and your campaign committee's paid $485,000 to a firm linked to lobbyists, jack abramoff. are you the one to clean up the house? >> roy blunt the very worst of washington. >> wow. i don't think chris wallace had that music playing when he was doing that interview. anyway fox says that the ad trying to make it looks like wall sis endorsing carnahan. carnahan campaign says they believe that the ad complies on the law and continue to air on tv. and finally jim demint. expounding on his idea of good governance to bloomberg "business week." quote, you'll love this if you're a progressive.

well, demint is demint, complete gridlock, shutdown government, that's what demint wants. give him credit for saying what he wants and saying it clearly, anyway. up next, jon stewart has an answer for glenn beck and sarah palin. stewart's hosting his own rally on the national mall. he's calling it "the rally to restore sanity." and he wants people to bring signs that say things like, "i disagree with you, but i'm pretty sure you're not hitler." can john stewart change the country, tamp down the craziness? you're watching "hardball." stufy, make the call. ♪ [ dialing ] ♪ is to reproduce every color in the world on tv. introducing quattron quadpixel technology, it adds a fourth color, yellow, to the standard rgb color system,

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♪ get more. feel more. ♪ everyone knows a fee is a tax. you raised some taxes during that period, particularly the property tax as well as a lot of fee increases. as you know, there's a big difference between fees and taxes. but...they're the same. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. there's a big difference between fees and taxes. fees and taxes are one in the same. if it comes out of my pocket, it's a tax. now he says it isn't true. we didn't raise taxes. what? still doing the same thing, paying out more money.

typical politician. definitely. i'm milissa rehberger. here's what's happening.

bp is finally pumping cement into its busted well. they should have it completed by saturday. hurricane karl slammed into the port of vera cruz. moving inland packing 90-mile-an-hour winds and heavy rains. meanwhile hurricane igor is clinching closer to bermuda. it should pass within 50 miles of the island on sunday. the national weather service is still trying to figure out if it was a tornado that left a 14-mile-path of destruction in new york's outer boroughs last night. a nuclear scientist and his wife have been arrested in new mexico on charging they were trying to help -- build its own weapon. and lindsay lohan likely heading back to jail after reportedly testing positive for cocaine in a court-ordered drug test. now back to "hardball."

tonight, i am announce the rally to restore sanity. it is happening, people! we will gather on the national mall in washington, d.c., a million moderate march, where we take to the streets to send a message to out leaders and our national media that says, we are here! >> well, i'll be there, anyway. welcome back to "hardball." that was comedy central's jon stewart who made big news last night, as you just saw, when he mocked glenn beck's restoring honor rally by calling for his own event in washington on the mall on october 30th. "the rally to restore sanity" he calls it. it's real and it's geared for fans of jon stewart who are probably progressives and probably young but not everybody and part of the theatrics jon stewart's buddy. marching to keep fear alive.

here's stewart encouraging his followers to show up. >> you may be asking, you may be asking yourself right now sitting at home, but am i the right type of person to go to this ih÷$úkyyrally? the fact that you would even stop to askupcoming book "american freak show." there you are, willie. you guys are stars of the new hip culture, i understand. so i'm going to ask you this, lawrence, are you going, and then i'm going to ask willie, are you going and then ask why

and what do you expect? is it dangerous to take on glenn beck on the national holy turf like this. >> oh it's fantastic. i couldn't miss it. i hope msnbc does wall-to-wall coverage of it. every hour of the day that day. yeah, these guys are great. they really you know find the vulnerability points in all of our politics. they find exactly where the joke is. and, look, if jon stewart and steven get out there, they -- they will forever change, i hope, the way we regard these different event that take place on the mall. some of them are a joke, and should be regarded as a joke. and just because you locate your event at the mall, you know, we shouldn't take the mall so seriously. i think you know we all kind of overplayed the importance or the meaning of glenn beck's afternoon in the mall and let's have fun with jon stewart's. >> willie geist, long before you

were born, before you were a glint in your parents' eyes i was on the march at the pentagon in 1967. and i must tell you, it was fun. it was not only antiwar, it was fun. a good rally is fun. well will this one be fun? >> well i've never marched with mailer, chris, but i think -- i think i'll definitely -- but i'll go out for a few laughs but i think only laughs. this idea that they're going to somehow rally the democratic base, i think even by us talking about that, makes their point. i'd be surprised if they didn't play this clip of us discussing, will this bring out the base? they're not out to get votes. they're out to get laughs and i think it's asking a lot of jon stewart and stephen colbert you know to save harry reid's political life. >> oh yeah i don't think so either. >> that's not what they doe. >> here's a question. >> to vote for brahmarack obama. >> excuse me, they're putting their butts on the line, too. you know what's going to happen. that picture on the mall and you're going to do the visual because you can argue about

crowd estimates and all that you want. if that mall ain't covered at least along the reflecting pool the right wing will be going crazy with visuals, trashing these guys, lawrence. for a bad day. >> and if they do, that will play perfectly into comedy central's design. if the right wing or fox news wants to take this event seriously and if glenn beck wants to take it seriously as a you know a challenge to his domination, then great. that is exactly what jon stewart and stephen colbert are hoping for. that that side of the world will take this stuff very seriously. you know, they know where the joke is. if that side of the world doesn't get it that's fine with them. >> jon shown some samples of the signs. here's a lift seen in we're going to have signs for you down there, if you don't have time of course you can bring your own, but here's a quick one. "i disagree with you, but i'm pretty sure you're not hitler." a classic.

ooh, how about this for the dissatisfied, yet nonideological amongst us? "got competence?" you know, i noticed there's a lot of conspiracy rally stuff going on at these things. here's one for our rally. "9/11 was an outside job." perhaps this one is more to the point. "i am not afraid of muslims, tea partiers, socialists, immigrants, gun owners, gays, but i am kind of scared of spiders." >> you know, i don't know, how do you mix that that satire with emotion? i think that he's going to be funny as hell down there, willie, but i just wanted -- when you stand there, suppose he gives the best hour, the best material, amaterial, and then what, do people laugh and go home? where's the emotion. is people going to turn on t own and say something passionately pro-progressive, a little

self-deprickating, what will be the angle. >> a little self-deprecating. i think that the into entire point of this is self-deprecations. on the extremes. on the left or on the right. he said he wants this to be a moderate conversation. one thing that he does have a layer of a serious point is this antiestablishment thing. that the governments let you down. and yes the press have let you down over the last decade or so. >> stuff it. >> he's the front, the head of this insurgent movement. >> what's he for. >> that you see online. >> it doesn't matter. he's a comedian and out telling jokes. >> people come to rallies to be entertained but at some point they want purpose. >> i think that he has an important. that point that he makes in effect i'm saying, i disagree with you but i don't think you're hitler is a very welcome insertion in the noisy dialogue that we are now where there's all of this questioning about the motivation of other people. and you know, labelling this person, this kind of monster,

and then labelling that person another kind of monster. and so much fighting going on back and forth, just by the use of the labels that don't allow you to then listen to what the person's actually saying and for jon stewart to say you know, i disagree with you, here's what i think, and oh by the way i don't think that you're hitler, is a very important point. and if he can get that out of the day, that there's a way to have disagreements with each other, without calling each other names, that's a successful day. >> you mean i have to lay off neo cons and dick cheney. >> neocons. >> i like these guys. i think that they may all be evsmile neo cons is a really descriptive adjective. it starts to become a judgment call. >> scooter, libby, can i keep naming some of these guys. >> i don't think that anyone convicted of perjury you can call a liar. >> jon stewart will not stop chris matthews of talking about scooter, libby and dick cheney. >> you are guys coming, bringing dates? >> oh yeah. we're each other's date. lawrence and i are hing down for the weekend, yeah.

>> no better date i remember from the old days in the '60s it's the coolest social gathein the world. nothing like a rally in washington when the grass is green and you walk out there. the weather's great. it's fall weather in d.c. it's perfect. so i'm going to boost this thing. we're going to boost to and you know he was really tough on me one time, jon stewart. and i like him. what can i say? >> chris, i just wish that weekend go to this thing with you and norm mailer. >> well you can go with me. >> oh good enough. >> you acted irrevlently now. you can't preend that you're an antiintellectual. >> chris, you're the only guy who can steal his own show. everyone out there in the audience wants to listen about the rest of your story about you and norm. >> it was a great show. >> tell us all about it. >> it'll be in the next book. >> thank you. and i'm sure that jon stewart will do his best to boost it anyway. thank you. >> thanks, chris. >> lawrence odon will. you're going to beat him by three days. and then thank you, lawrence o'donnell, and thank you willie geist for "getting us up in the

morning." "the last word" premieres monday the 27th a great day to start 10:00 eastern time. up next. they're back again. the sunshine boys all at it again. former president carter. who carter says blocked the president's proposals out of personal spike. well, we'll get into that when we return. this is "hardball."

well, now to the five senate seats most likely to switch parties according to first reid. all going from "d" to "r." number five illinois a toss-up race. once held by president obama. number four pennsylvania, where republican pat toomey leads joe sestak. number three, indiana where former republican senator dan coats. it looks like he'll win back his old job. number two, arkansas, where senator blanche lincoln trails

by double digits. and the most likely to switch parties, north dakota. notice delaware's off of that list after christine o'donnell knocked off mike cast thel week. still, all ten seats held by democrats. the republicans have a good shot to win. win. win-win. a what ? a win-win. you should say win-win... use a hyphen. you know what this is ? a win-win ? a home run. ah, that was my next guess. win-win. win-win. drink. man, this trip was great. i mean... i'm just... ah... pumped. we know why you fly. we're american airlines. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, expresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf?

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that's the way it ought to be. time for fresh thinking. time for td ameritrade. the fact is that we would have had comprehensive health care now had it not been for -- deliberately blocking the legislative apropos. >> and you blame teddy for the failure. >> health care, his issue. >> exactly it was his fault. ted kennedy killed the bill. >> just to spite you, is that what you're -- that's the implication. >> that's the implication. he did not want to see me have a

major welcome back to "hardball." that clip of president carter on "60 minutes" revived an old rivalry. henry hurtsberg joins us. he worked with the carter administration as chief speechwriter. i used to work for rick. he joins us from new york. there you are with a beard. what makes jimmy carter just keep doing this thing, ripping off the old scab, bringing back the old fight. he could have soft-soaped this thing. >> yeah, it's what we used to call pure jimmy. pure jimmy. >> let me ask you. i want to read you something from the diary which i think everybody like you and me are going to go nuts to try to look nor the honesty of jimmy carter. quote. this is carter whether he he it was president. i think going to bed at night writing this up. quote, ken di continuing his irresponsible and abusive attitude immediately condemning our health plan. give us what was going on

politically what was going on there. >> this isn't exactly new. he said essentially almost word for word in that memoir that he wrote of keeping faith. that came out in 1982 and it was based partly or largely, i guess, on the diaries that are now being published. that was an emotional outburst. the truth is really that neither kennedy's plan nor carter's plan really had a chance of passage. that's what paul starr says in his book. and carter thought -- it happens to be true when carter did get around to proposing a comprehensive health care plan, it only took three or four hours for ted kennedy to come out and say he was against it, he was going to vote against it. of course that made it dead in the water. but it was probably going to be dead in the water anyway. >> let's talk about something good while you're on. i think you're proud of this because you had a hand in it. i am too. here is president carter's

farewell address. it's like ike's, beware the military industrial complex. this is one of the farewell speeches that i think will stand the test of time. listen to why jimmy carter wanted to be president and what he believed in. >> i wanted to lay aside my role as leader of one nation and speak to you as a fellow citizen of the world about three issues, three difficult issues -- the threat of nuclear destruction, our stewardship or the physical resources of our planet, and the preeminence of the basic rights of human beings. for this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival. liberty is human rights. the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishmentof its inhabitants. >> he didn't have the moxie to

perhaps be a great president in that way. as a salesman he wasn't a great one. but his values. your thoughts. nuclear proliferation which still scares the heck out of us from iran. energy dependence what we're facing with fossil fuels and that bedrock of what we believe in, hugh man rights. >> yeah, that was a speech to be proud of. i'll give you another example of pure jimmy, though. i have a copy of that speech on my wall that carter inscribed. he wrote, not bad for a tenth draft. maybe we should have worked a little harder on earlier speeches and saved this one four more years. >> what do you make of that? what's that jimmy all about because he's still around. he's out there selling his new book, the diary. the man was difficult to deal with. he was not a team member. what was he? >> i love jimmy carter. i respect jimmy carter. i revere jimmy carter. but jimmy carter is kind of an

irrascible guy. he was then and he is now. maybe he's a little softer now than he was then. but that respect is something i never lost for him. and that speech was really a good one, i think. he laid out the program essentially for his post presidency and all the things he talked about that were prophetic. >> okay. got to go, rick. maybe you can be his david mccullough. maybe it's time for this guy to be rediscovered. rick hertzberg, with t"the new yorke yorker". problems in the republican party. will the establishment ever expect the hero of the republican party sarah palin as an actual leader? [ wind howling ]

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let my finish tonight with a thought about the challenge facing the republican party. that challenge is sarah palin. there's no doubt in the world that she leads a powerful political movement in this country or that she carries tremendous clout in terms of picking republican candidates. when she speaks, she carries weight. if she endorses, it's lake a shot of adrenaline in a campaign. but what about sarah palin herself? what about her as canned doit for national office, either president or vice president or a major cabinet post like secretary of state or defense? there's the rub. ask mitt romney does he think deep down that sarah palin has the right stuff to lead this country in a troubling, complicated world? ask the same of tim pawlenty or any of the other serious

republican hopefuls for 2012. do they believe in sarah palin's abilities to lead this country in perilous times? to answer that 3:00 in the morning call and make the right decision. do they buy this talk of hers that all-america needs in this second deck afd the 21st century are common sense conservative solutions that a regular person with regular off the shelf answers can deal with the tricky complex questions of economic, science and international relations now before the country? this is the problem for republicans. the person now leading the party in terms of popular influence can't pass muster with the party's established leaders. how can you win the love of the tea partiers if you don't believe in the presidential ability of their hero? it would sarah palin make a good president? as long as romney and pawlenty and the other would be republican nominees pray not to be asked, the party has a problem at its core. the moment they can speak the phrase president sarah palin and not have them give them