before the american intolerance for the absurdity, what this has become concludes itself, perhaps wishful thinking i'm feeling inspired by the miners today. pleasure to see you, jane. pleasure to see you, as always, matt that does it for us today. i'm dylan ratigan. "hardball" begins right now with chris matthews. >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball." >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."\ >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."s >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball." >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."ha >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."r >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."d >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."b >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."al >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."l >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball.", >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball." >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."6 >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball." >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball."5 >> political smackdown. let's play "hardball." >> political smackdown. good evening, i'm chris matthews down in washington. leading off tonight, nasty politics it started, the death struggle. seeing at agony of defeat in front of them, the democrats and republican are going at it in. in california, meg whitman went after jerry brown for his staffer's use of a slur to describe her dealing with a public safety union. in the connecticut smackdown, linda mcmahon hit dick blumenthal on his bad character for claiming to have fought in very yet that.

he counterpunched mcmahon for "marketing sex and violence to children" as head of the wwe. we will go to the videotape for all this at the top of the show. plus, regrets, i've had a few. president obama says in a "new york times" magazine story that he has focused too much on policy but hasn't focused enough on politics. well, tonight, inside the president's brain and hot white house thinks is going to be the likely republican canned at that time in 2012, or at least who they think was going to be the nominee. also, noticing some republicans who are talking about getting rid of the minimum wage, or "taking a look at it" as they say in politics. we know what that means. and palin, pa paladino exsharron angle, let's talk about what msnbc's willie geist calls the american freak show. let me finish with that question, bob schieffer of cbs put to david axelrod this sunday surks talking about foreign money get nothing our political campaigns important or not important? all that's ahead. but first, a check of the latest polls for that are with go to

the "hardball" scoreboard. we will start with washington statement the new cnn/time/opinion research poll, has patty murray with a double digit lead over rossi. look at that number. she is up 54-40. in west virginia, democrat joe manch chin and republican john raese tied at 44. in delaware, democrat chris cons with a big lead over republican christine o'donnell. up 19 and hanging there. in wisconsin, republican ron johnson has an 8-point lead, again, a difficult one to imagine over russ feingold. finally, illinois, the senate race, it is tied, 37 apiece. new simon poll from southern illinois university. plenty of undecided, look at all the undecided, only 37 apiece there we will continue to checked "hardball" scoreboard board and all the big races each night leading up to inform november 2nd.election tuesday. now wild debates on both coasts last night the fight for governor of california and the fight for u.s. senator up in connecticut. willie brown is the former mayor of san francisco and former california assembly speaker.

joan walsh is, of course, the editor and chief of salon.com. mr. mayor and joan, let's take a look at that debit in california last night. let's listen to the first chunk of it. here it comes. >> we have heard no outrage from you about the use of that kind of language, which to many women, is the same as calling an african-american the n-word. have you been had in charge of the investigation of your campaign to find out who is responsible for using that phrase? >> i don't agree with that comparison, number one. number two, this is a 5-week-old private conversation picked up on a cell phone with a garbled traps mission, very hard to detect who is it is. this is not -- i don't want to get into the term how it is used but i will say the campaign apologized promptly and i affirm that apology tonight. >> i think every californian and especially women know exactly what's going on here and that is a deeply offensive term to women. >> can i just interject, have you cast archdiocesed your chairman, pete wilson, who

called the congress twhors the public sector unions? >> you know better than that, jerry that is a completely different thing. the fact that you are defending your campaign -- the fact their defending your campaign for a slur and, you know, a personal attack on me, i think it's -- >> not even close. >> not befitting of california, not befitting of the office that you're running for. >> unfortunate. private conversation. i'm not even sure it's legal, because you have to get the consent of all the parties and there's lots of people talking. so i, again, ms. whitman, sorry it happened. that does not represent anything other than things that happen in a campaign. >> mayor brown, what do you make of this kerfuffle? it has really enraged a lot of people park the use of that term he mentioned there with regard to the employees union. it has a political context but also has a very personal one with a lot of people in this country, they hear that word, they think bad, he didn't apologize enough what do you make of this? >> well, i don't think either meg whitman or jerry brown

handled that question very well. neither one of them answered what tom brokaw, your colleague, asked. he said, have you conducted an investigation? jerry should have said, yes, i have, and i've been unable to determine who may have uttered those horrible words. let's move beyond it though, tom. i have apologized. i apologize again here tonight. and meg, let's discuss jobs, let's discuss the budget of the state of california. let's not discuss what obviously is a horror slur word. and that would be the end of it. >> joan, your view of it, the way he was handled this it was used by a staff we are regards to unions, public safety union, the way it is used in politics, not defensible but certainly looks terrible here. what do you view -- how do you view it? >> no it is not defensible, looks terrible, but i want to say i don't want to sit here, no one died and put me in charge of speaking for women, chris, so i do think that this word now has a gender-neutral political con know nation, sadly to mayor

brown's profession and the profession that we both love. so i didn't necessarily hear it as a gender slur. nonetheless, it was a bad thing to say. i thought he got off a great line by reminding her that it is her campaign chairman, pete wilson, who used it in the gender-neutral sense talking about congress. so, that took the sting off it. but i think that jerry brown could have been faster to apologize and then get to the quip about pete wilson. i think that would have been a lot more effective. >> let's move on to the other situation that involves meg whitman, the republican candidate. here is more from california and in that smashdown last night in that debate at dominican college. here he is. let's listen. >> if you couldn't find someone in your home was undocumented or illegal how do you expect businesses to be able to do that? >> so we went through an employment agency. we looked at forms of identification. our housekeeper falsified those documents and came to admit it nine years later it broke my heart but i had to fire her. i had to let her go. but this is why we need a very

good e-verify system. >> these are real people. these are mothers and dads and kids and they have this fear, the fear that her housekeeper had. by the way, i don't even want to get into that story, i think it is a sorry tale there after working for nine years, she didn't even get her a lawyer, i could tell that you could be done. >> well, you have it, joan. i want to you start with the politics of this. clearly governor brown, who wants to be governor again is talking to the latino variety there, showing sympathy for the employee, not for the law not being enforced clearly in that case, whereas meg whitman talked about e-verify. she did take an upholding position saying she does want the system fix sold can't be blamed if you hire somebody who is here illegally because off card that is biometrically verifiable no more fraudulent paper being thrown around. she seems a little bit better in the way she handles it, not that i believe at all she didn't know this person was here illegally all these years. i believe she knew the situation because of common sense and if

she knew her like a member of the family like she said she did they must have had a conversation in nine years that alluded to the fact that this woman needed legal help. i think that, too, regardless of what you and i think about the truth of the situation, i think one thing jerry brown is doing very well here and done it in every debate since this has come up, chris, he has brought a kind of moral language back to politics and doing this with latinos but doing it with workers work poor people as well and you know, you kind of see that jesuit sell theirian training reminding us, last debate, we are all god's children, reach out to late team knows as god's children and that is effect at this time. you can get caught up in the issues of e-ver. if i the real political issue, she does not support creating a pathway for citizenship for anybody here illegally, he does, that is a real political issue and where she also looks very heartless, not just in the dealings with her maid but all californians who are here illegally, many of them who are working hard, trying to play by the rules, trying to do the

right thing, she keeps them in the shadows, he is looking for a way to welcome them in that is a winning proposition. >> i like jerry brown, i think he made a terrible mistake talking about mike dukakis about the use of that word. i think there might be an inside jargon aspect to it most people when they hear it is very offensive and he didn't react that watch let's go to the debate in connecticut, equally harsh, let's listen to the first chunk of that. >> mr. blumenthal, i want to go back a minute, when you talk about the people of connecticut know you. they know now that you have a difficult time telling the truth. they know that you had a hard time -- >> please, please, ladies and gentlemen, please. ladies and gentlemen, please. >> they know that you did not tell the truth on several occasions. and after you apologized about vietnam, then you also did not tell the truth in a couple of other occasions relative to your status on your draft number of or the deferment.

>> i will not be lectured on straight talk -- >> i'm not lecturing you. >> please. >> from a woman who has failed to anyone who has been -- anyone who has failed to be straight with the people of connecticut. >> i think that's another dorky answer. i'm sorry, mr. mayor, i think that is a dorky answer. he said he fought in vietnam. if he said it once, it was a thousand times too many times. he said it numerous times that he fought in vietnam and he never did and he comes become and says i will not be lectured to well, he was just lectured to, with whether he like it is or not and half the voters of that state are contemptible toward him about this issue. why doesn't he just admit he didn't tell the truth? he never got anywhere near vietnam? never had a bullet fired at him in anger and he was dead wrong to take the honor of serving service people, especially the guys who fought over there to his own credit? he should have never, ever, ever, done it and he still acts pompous about it.

that is just my thought. he seems pompous. >> there is no question -- there is no question, chris it is a major, major problem for mr. blumenthal. he otherwises have haas a very distinguished record of service as the attorney general of the state of direconnecticut. he has a problem explaining why he said what he said about military service, none of which was true. he needs to look the camera dead in the face, not say that no one can lecture him. he should simply say that had is a that is a problem. give me at least credit for the 20 years of distinguished service i have done as attorney general all of which has been totally accurate, totally true and very professional. >> right. >> joan, just take a look at this tape and respond to this more tape, we got to move all this tonight, another smackdown for connecticut last night.

let's listen. >> my opponent has not only marketed sex and violence to children but she actually paid hundreds of millions of dollars to lobby in washington against pennant for sex and violence marketing to children. >> i think it's insulting to the millions of people who watch wwe every week and are entertained by it to suggest that somehow it is less than quality entertainment n terps of making sure that wwe does have absolutely first-class health insurance and benefits for over 500 employees that it has and a complete health and wellness policy for the men and women who do perform as independent contractors. >> i can't believe that i just heard ms. mcmahon brag about this wellness policy at wwe. that wellness policy is not

working too well. there have been seven dead wrestlers since she started campaigning for this office. >> what a choice, joel. where do you go to vote elsewhere? can we bring back chris dodd? chris dodd got out of this race. talk about quality sex and violence, she was -- talk about a look of shame. i don't ever -- these guys are a pest of work, these two. >> but we have got these democrats now who are facing female ceos and i think that they have been a little bit off their stride in knowing exactly how to deal with their record but their records are very relevant. jerry brown should be doing more with meg whitman's, franklism in this case, look, it is -- there are major questions about the way she has run her firm and i didn't really think that was out of bounds, chris. i didn't. >> i think from a tactica standpoint on trying to convince and persuade voters, he is on very thin ice. telling a lie and being --

having yourself reaffirm that lie with some regularity. >> to go bash back -- >> a real problem. yes, she is a terrible person in terms of being a person who ought to be running government. obviously, her previous history gives her no right to assert that. but he cannot get away from the burdens he has, he should be selling, i'm telling you, he should be selling his career as a prosecutor. >> he has to speak to the voters and in that segment that chris showed us, he did not, he spoke to her. he has got to speak past her to the voter, say the things you told him to say and he has yet to do that he is in a little bit of hot water. >> i wouldn't be scolding anybody if i were either one of these two. any way, thank you, willie brown, mayor brown, thank you, joan walsh. coming up, possible's bracing for republican victories at election day. he has been talking a big interview with the new york types. let's hear what he thinks. hell of an interview coming one peter baker to tell us what the president said a lot of time in the oval office, much more policy than politics, he says. we will see if he has got it right. we will be right back. ics ♪

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vice president joe biden quashed that talk of hillary for veep the other day. here is what he said about president obama on the campaign trail this week in pittsburgh. "i tell you what, there's real trust. that's why he's asked me to run again. look, he said, we're going to run together. are you going to run? i said, of course. you want me to run with you, i'm happy to run with you." that san interesting conversation he gave us the benefit of. biden back on the ticket for 2012. we will be right back. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪

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welcome back to "hardball." once what's this election teaching president obama and what have his first two years taught him about how to handle the next two in the new york time also a big piece called "the education of a president" in the magazine coming out this sunday and we got a lock at it joining us right now to talk about it is the huffington post

howard fineman, also an msnbc analyst. we have been together a long time so we can cut through the stuff that isn't really true. >> yes. >> one thing i thought was interesting is that biden last night made it clear that he had a conversation with the president and gave us sort of the conversation, gave us the run down, i just told you a minute ago. i asked him -- he asked me are you with me, joe, i'm with him, actually the wording of the whole thing. what is the importance of that? >> the importance of that is we were spending a lot of time here inside the beltway speculating it could be something else. this is traditional in any presidency, democrat or republican and i thought the way biden handled it was very shrewd. he gave the whole encounter, okay, didn't just give the bottom line but he didn't make that big of a dell of it and neither, frankly, did the "new york times," which published start rib, which i think from the biden point of view was good. you just want to put that little boat in the water, let it sail over there and don't make too many big waves about t. >> you know he got permission from the president to do? >> of course. >> that is what people have to know, wasn't just putting it out for his own interest, he and the

president, the president said, joe, i have been hearing this buzz, let's put it to bed. >> i totally agree. perfect place to do it do it in pittsburgh, middle of "times" story, not a screaming headline that would get people suspicious. >> before we get to the heady part of the discussion, the president's mood after two years, i wonder about the value of those interviews, they are ready for themful they know you are come in give you a big head trip about they are doing. essaying or his people putting out the word in this big piece on sunday in the "new york times," their biggest belief the guys going to run against him 2012 is going to be mike huckabee, the guy who works for fox much. right. >> mike huckabee, the former -- not the most consequential governor in the history of arkansas. mike huckabee. is there -- what are they doing setting him up as their -- >> well, what they also said and i thought peter baker's piece -- >> all the people that might run against him -- mitt romney. >> peter baker did a great job on the piece, interviewed tons of people inside the white house, just reporting what they were telling. >> why are they doing that?

>> okay. first they said that palin would not run, which i don't believe to begin w number two, they said mitt roomny would fail -- >> because? >> because he had his own health care reform bill in massachusetts. >> he is as bad as we are? >> the implication of it. >> incredible statement by the white house staffers this guy has as big a problem. >> damaged because he had health care reform which actually is not true you think of it, romney would be in a good position to critique what the administration had done, fight them on their turf. and huckabee, they say, is the likely nominee. >> why are they doing that? >> i think they are doing it to -- because they don't -- because huckabee is probably one of the people they are least afraid of. >> my producers believe, and they are very smart that the reason they are doing this, setting him up as the reasonable conservative so that when he fails because some hux ter comes along and knocks him off, someone wilder and crazier it is too bad they never ran a reasonable man like mike huckabee. they want to run. they don't think he will get the nomination. >> you think they care at all

about ump pressing conservati s about impressing conservatives at the white house. huckabee is a regional candidate. obama only able to travel to the north and west where he is strong. >> here is the quote, i was looking over some chronicles of the clinton years. remember the clinton chronicles? you don't want to read that and reminded in '94 when president obama's poll numbers were lower than mine, there is a shot, the election ended up being bad for democrats, unemployment was only 6.6. actually the president is wrong, 5.6, baker pointed out, back in '94. i don't think anybody should suggest bill clinton wasn't a good communicator, couldn't connect with the american people or didn't show empathy. in other words, he is saying don't blame me for being unable to communicate, i'm communicating that is what the problem is the unemployment rate is 9.6. >> i think that is true. the fact he said he was studying bill clinton's time not meant to

disparage clinton but take hope from clinton. having covered bill clinton at a rally in ken can't other day and have bill clinton state the case for barack obama the democrats better than barack obama and the democrat have you can see why obama would want to study and take some lessons. i think rather than read the book, he should call up bill clinton and spend more time with him, clinton has a fingertip feel obama admits in this peter baker piece he does not v. >> the president's travel schedule you can the state he is going over, we looked thaemtth them gold. you know how in school, you know, if you run for student council, tell people my family any where else, you got one, two, three, the ones predictably going to vote four, best friends, the two that mighter for you and three that won't vote for, you don't talk to the these, don't get them excited, work the ones, get your base together first. the president is going to his ones, as we say in politics, going around to the people that he knows voted for him once. why? i like to ask these questions why do you go to the base? >> i was thinking my high school

hot ones, twos, threes, the ones would be the jews, two, hungaria hungarians, three italians. >> so true. let's get to this question president of the united states, why are you going to the ones with, the only ones he can count on really? >> if it is going to be a low turnout election and means democrats have to get their core people out, obama's defending his inner perimeter here. he is not playing offense, extreme defense. >> my buy the way, my school irish and italians. >> same thing. that is what's doing. he spoke to college students last night. he is still at the point wrest begging the college students to turn out. if at this point in the campaign he is going back to the people who were his original core. >> he know it is they do vote, they will vote democrat. >> right. he has got to get the guaranteed ones out. >> that strategy, is it also a prevent defense? in other words, he is looking at two possible outcomes, we are all sitting around here at this table in new york, looking at the numbers, not going to be a win for the democrats, either a loss or a wipeout. >> right. >> he is trying to prevent wipeout. >> i think that is right.

i think that's right. and i think in those wipeout situations, the wave gets so big that a splash is over and deep into your home territory and that is what he is trying to prevent. >> he doesn't want to see boxer lose, doesn't want to see man chin lose, doesn't want to seesome of the ones that should win lose. >> that's right. and that means he is not going to detour into any purple stairs to the any polices where he is going to try to save one particular house seat in a state. for example, places like kentucky, again, write just was there is a democrat there who may lose. owe bam in or biden are not going to waste their time. >> i think con sway going to win. >> that was a house race i was talking b. >> i think he turned a concern. >> the democrat has a chance, not so much because of conway but tea party voters i talked to in kentucky just the other day that is write used to work, they haven't taken to rand paul. some people have. he sign a lot of autographs and so on but sort of the middle tea parties, and there are such a thing, they are worried that rand paul is kind of evasive, as

one of them said. >> a rumpelstiltskin quality, you and i talked 20, 30 years ago as if he hasn't been keeping up with the class. here he is talking about monica lewinsky. what's that about? >> you said rumpelstiltskin, i wasn't thinking so much -- >> why is he talking about the old stories? >> you said that i wasn't thinking so much about rand paul's character being out of step as being impatient, stamping his feet the way rumpelstiltskin. >> who was the guy asleep in the grimm fairy tales? rip van wink withal. i got the wrong guy, rip van winkle, upstate new york. >> the problem is the tea partiers and conservatives haven't quite taken rand paul to heart yet, which gives conway the hope that they won't show up and vote basically. >> i don't think's politician. and i don't think that is a -- >> that is a positive in most places. >> howard fineman, thank you, sir. as always, you are a genius or close to it. up next, vet tenuous bind between president obama -- that is interesting, they have a connection, it has to do with genes.

stick around for the side show. next week, all week, "hardball" hits the campaign trail, "hardball" senate college tour, going to kentucky, going to illinois. i will interview a lot of people. jack conway on tuesday. in new york covering the races on tuesday. then wednesday with, chicago where i interview alexy giannouli giannoulias. then thursday, temple university for joe sestak, do what we used to do really good, get around to college kids, wow them weeks site.in politics and show them the candidates and maybe get some questions out of them. you are watching "hardball" only on msnbc. [ advisor 1 ] what do you see yourself doing one week,

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>> should she be a senator? if you were in connecticut, would you vote for her? >> no because i don't vote for democrats or republicans. if she ran as an independent she could possibly get my endorsement, but i refuse. >> there is a wide-ranging mind for you. next, money talk louder than words? remember how carl paladino said this weekend that kids shouldn't be "brainwashed" into thinking homosexuality is acceptable? well, thing is paladino appeared to have no such reservations when he, carl pal dean know, rented out for years buildings he owns to two gay nightclubs. or when his son, william, ran a place called buffalo's gay club of the moment. "new york daily news" reported this morning. and remember how paladino reports to his openly gay nephew who works for his campaign as proof that he, carl paladino is not homophobic? well, actions speak louder than words move, the "new york post" reports that the nephew in question has not come to work with on the campaign trail since

paladino made those comments. now for tonight's all in the family big number. ancestry.com just figured out that president obama and sarah palin are tenth cousins. they both ascend from a massachusetts senator called john smith, not the john smith, who fought against the persecution of quakers in the 1600s. our president and would-be president, you might say tenth cousins. tonight, maybe not kissing cousins much tonight, who would have thought, the big number. up next, a call from some republicans to get rid of the minimum wage. do you believe it? we thought that was settled information and that is giving democrats a chance to paint their opponents as out of touch in these tough economic times. that is ahead. you are watching "hardball" on msnbc. call a day's work. call 1-800-steemer

and all my investments, but it's not something that i want to do completely on my own -- i like to discuss my ideas with someone. that's what i like about fidelity. they talked with me one on one, so we could come up with a plan that's right for me, and they worked with me to help me stay on track -- or sometimes, help me get on an even better one. woman: there you go, brian. thanks, guys. man: see ya. fidelity investments. turn here. i'm hampton pearson with your cnbc market wrap. stocks finishing off their highs but still posting solid gains. the dow surging 75 points.

the s & p adding 8 and the nasdaq jumping 23 points. a trio of better-than-expected earnings reports boosting investor confidence today. jpmorgan, intel and csx all beating estimates that some analysts thought were optimistic to begin with. and apple shares topping $300 for the first time today, ahead of their earnings report next week. that is it from cnbc first in business worldwide. now back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." a lot of things are up in the air these day like the minimum wage has become a hot issue in the midterm cycle among some republican candidates, like this one from west virginia. the senate candidate out there, john raese. >> the minimum wage is not something that you want to stay on as a permanent basis.in other words, if you have a minimum wage job, you don't stay there 20 or 30 years.

you don't put your children through college working on minimum wage. one of the best things i can think and when you get government out of let's say the micromanaging the economy, you don't want government to set price controls. you don't want go of the set wage controls it is an archaic system that quite frankly has never worked. >> you think we should do away with the idea of a federally mandated minimum wage? >> absolutely. >> well, here's tea party candidate joe miller running for senate up in alaska with the same issue, minimum wage t is up in the air, as i said. let's listen. >> and the minimum level, again that should be the state's decision. >> so there should not be a federal minimum wage? >> there should not be that is not want scope of the powers that are given to the federal government. >> wow. now, let's bring in jim mcder morkt the congressman from washington state. congressman, have you noticed a little cultural thing here? these incredibly upper class accents that you hear, especially from that guy raese and then he says give me some hickey guys to play west virginiaens, a disconnect in

terms of connecting with the people you want to have vote for you. my thought. your thoughts about the minimum wage, sir. >> a gallon of milk costs $3.30. a leff of bread costs $1.75 and a dozen eggs costs $1.50. none of these guys have been in a grocery store and had to buy anything or they wouldn't be talking like that about the minimum wage. we settled that in 1938. and it is what has made the middle class in this country is that we have kept a floor on wages so that you couldn't drive people down to working for $1 a day like they do in end yan ya or in cambodia or in some third world country. >> well, why do you think in a situation where most people are not rich who vote, most people know people who are working people, some people are better off, obviously, most people know somebody working class, knows somebody is lucky to be a bit above minimum wage, why would

anybody be playing with this? why are these guys -- are they playing to some new philosophy out there which says total free markets, cowboy economics what are they talk become the guy from alaska, the guy from west virginia? who are he they appealing to with this talk? >> there is a in medicine, listen to the patient. he is telling you what is the mat we are him. well, listen to these candidates. they will tell you what they are planning to do when they get into office. they will create a system like the wild west, no government regulations no control for anything, no protection for consumer new york protection for workers. they simply want chaos in this society it is awful. i can't believe they are so dumb as to be saying this three weeks before the election. >> it remind mess why foreign people -- foreign corporations, multinationals maybe want to kick money into the u.s. chamber of commerce because they are the ones that benefit from this total globalization, total belief you can buy labor anywhere in the world, go to the

cheapest place to find labor, get the job be done, outsource what ever ittakes automate. >> if you are paying somebody $3 an house, $4 an hour the only thing we are buying is food. they are not buying any new clothes or new adidas or any sports equipment or boats or anything else. you are going to have this economy go really in the tank if you drop the minimum wage, just like they don't want unemployment benefits. if you don't have unemployment benefits, people haven't got money to spend. >> well, maybe some of these republicans are trying to make politics look easy with this stuff, i don't know how you can defend opposing minimum wage. by the way it is 7.25 about $290 a week now, if you work the full week. thank you, u.s. congressman jim mcdermott out in seattle. joining me now is an old pal of this show, afl-cio president, richard from ka this guy worked in a mine, half mile down. by the way you let's start with

this, very human interest. we haven't talked about it tonight, it is thrilling to watch those guys much you were there at the chilean embassy. >> i was when they were bringing the first miners out. i can tell you they were like other brothers and it was almost like i hit the lottery. this feeling of elation because the earth nominally doesn't give up a live body after that being trapped underground that long this one, when the first miner came out, it was like my brother or my uncle, my dad or anybody coming out, such a win for us. we are very, very elated these miners are safe. second of all, we have to thank the rescue workers that got them there and third, it's the lack of health and safety in the mines of the world doesn't know boundaries, because you have to have good laws that are -- and you have to have the people with the will to enforce them and the resources to get it done and we don't have that in the mining industry.

>> i got another elation out of it, never been a miner like you, talked about claustrophobe ya, which some guys would be susceptible of it. you are third generation working deep in the mines. >> correct. >> talk about what the message for a lot of the people was, the message out of the tea party people, a lot of them is good people, every man for themselves base dploirks more taxes no more government, no more anything, no more safety net, no more health care for everybody, everybody out get out there make your buck, save it xrut government, move on, right? >> yeah. >> these people, every man for themselves down in that mine, they wouldn't have gotten out. they would have been killing each other after about two days. this is a story of how people can work together, the people who were down there for two months, the people who are above ground from all over the world using state-of-the-art equipment, not to get rid of the need for manpower but to save manpower in this case. >> this is just another example of how radical the republican party is becoming, do away with the minimum wage. you just talked about that.

bad policy it will wreck the economy. if you didn't have government regulation, wouldn't have clean water, you wouldn't have cars that were safe, you wouldn't have electricity that you could afford, i mean, just a number of things where you need a good, efficient government and they just -- >> why do people buy the rhetoric? >> i don't think they do buy t. >> they say get red of regulation, taxes, government, when they buy it. catholic on friday, we always had tuna fish. you open up the can, want to know somebody besides the guy making buck off of it was clean, wasn't tomaine in there i want to know there is somebody other than the guy making the buck. doesn't everybody be have it when it comes to them, belief in government? >> what they are trying to sellself be should do that for themselves, no one, no worker has the wherewithal to do that if you are rich, you might be able to buy somebody or have somebody taste your food for you, but they can't afford, i couldn't afford to make sure my plane are safe, i'm properly

regulated, my drinking water is safe, the food is a safe that we do that the automobiles that we drive have been improved year after year to protect it the health and safety it is a foolish, foolish --. you got a guy named raese in west virginia, may beat the governor, i don't think he will, may beat the governor a middle of the road democrat, no lefty. this guy joe miller out there in alaska who knocked off murkowski who i thought was pretty conservative. what is going on with your rank and file? what are you guys talking about when you get together at the union headquarters? what is going on with your own people? >> our grice pretty excited now early on,thyic there might have been a gap in enthusiasm, not so now they see the difference between what is at stake here. we are going to continue to go forward and try to build an economy that works for everybody or going to do become to where these guys want to go, where there is no minimum wage there is no health and safety laws there is no unemployment compensation. our people, working americans, don't buy that. but it is another example of how

radical right the republican party is becoming. >> you know, i listen to ed schultz on this network and i think sometimes he has got it dead right, 'cause i hear him the labor, you guys are right, sometimes, think you are mostly right. wait until you hear my close tonight. i think you are right this issue of the idea of getting money from other countries and gets involved in our politics. thisser only interested in your thing, getting cheaper stuff from us, selling our stuff here, the whole deal. >> they are looking out for themselves. >> nobody is going to give money to our election unless they are getting something out of america that we are losing. thank you, richard trumka for coming on. willie geist is coming in here, american freak show the name of his book. i will let mr. guise speak for himself on some of this because your language is very extreme and it scares me a little bit and i'm worry who had you are going to attack. this is "hardball," only on msnbc.

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here she is. first lady michelle obama made her first campaign appearance of the year. here she is in milwaukee, wisconsin, doing her part to get out the vote, women's vote in this case. >> i have the privilege of traveling around this country and i meet so many beautiful children. let me tell you that is the highlight of my role. when i look into the eyes of those children, i see clearly what's at stake. >> nice touch. the first lady will hit the trail sunday in ohio with the president. for the first time, they

campaign together. first time they are out on the road in 2008. polls consistently show, no surprise here, michelle obama is one of the most well-liked figures in america. "hardball" will be right back. [ manager ] you know... i've been looking at the numbers, and i think our campus is spending too much money on printing. i'd like to put you in charge of cutting costs. calm down. i know that it is not your job. what i'm saying... excuse me? alright, fine. no, you don't have to do it. ok? [ male announcer ] notre dame knows it's better for xerox to control its printing costs. so they can focus on winning on and off the field. [ manager ] are you sure i can't talk -- ok, no, i get it. [ male announcer ] with xerox, you're ready for real business.

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freak is sort of cool. the guy's a freak. >> yeah. >> but you mean it in its literal meaning, right. >> i do. for the most part in my book there's a derogatory term no getting around it. but a different freak the way like lebron james' a freak. someone who exceeds our imagination. i think that barack obama has a little freak in him. i think that sarah palin has a little it's positive freak in here which is to say kind of coming out of nowhere we didn't know who she was two years ago, we didn't know who barack obama was six years ago. able to capture the ability. most of the people in the book do it in a bad way but a couple in there do it the right way. >> i think that the menagerie's about to show itself. you must have predicted the existence of karl paladino, who's running for governor of new york. the guy who says "i'm going to take you out." let's watch him in action. here he is, antigay, pro-gay. it's hard to see where the money fits in. let's watch. >> some children should not be

exposed to that the a young age. they don't understand. it's a very difficult thing, and exposing them to homosexuality especially at a gay pride parade and i don't know if you've ever been to one but they wear these little speedos and they grind against each other and it's just a terrible thing. >> you know it's a terrible thing and he runs two gay nightclubs and his kid's the manager of a gay nightclub but he's offended by this grinding together. >> sure you do chris. >> but what's this guy's number? my don't know. isn't this always the case? the guy who's so vehemently against homosexuality. it's always the reverend ted haggert right with the gay hooker and the crystal meth in his hotel room. but you know there's some grinding in speedos that goes on in the gay pride parade but i'm sure it will not end to the end of western civilization. >> how about connecticut, connecticut is one of the most well-off states, and you might say a lead. i'd love to live there, it's a beautiful state, but they've got

two candidates. one guy who fought vietnam except he never did night vietnam. >> yeah. >> and one who made her money out of professional wresting which she calls quality sex and -- quality. so let's take a listen to these two going at it. what a duo. >> my opponent has not only marketed sex and violence to children, but she actually paid hundreds of millions of dollars to lob newashington against penalties for sex and violence marketing to children. >> and i think it's insulting to millions of people who watched "wwe" weekend or are entertained by it to suggest that somehow it is less than -- less than quality entertainment. >> you know the reason people used to go to wrestling matches, my memory was, to watch the people in the first row. >> right. >> the fans were the show. and now she's defending these people, they're like quality sex and violence.

and you're offended them by saying they're not what they ought to be. what is she up to here? >> chris, i went and i'm going to admit this here on your show. i was at wrestling mania one, 1994, madison square garden. >> you're part of the problem, sir. >> sit next to a man, and i'm not making this up, pulled up his pants up and said i have a knife in my boot in case if somebody messes with the hulkster. to your point right there. a little odd. the glory days back in the '80s -- >> so you're here to say i heard wrestling was fixed. you wouldn't have said that next to this guy? >> no, no, not the kind that you bring it up. but it is funny. >> willie geist. >> yesterday, we had horrors, wrestling and gay guys in speedos from karl paladino. stay freak show. >> right out of book called "american freak show" by willie geist. by the way i predict that you'll be one of the biggest talents in some numbers future years but i'm not sure which it is yet. >> vague but appreciated. thank you, chris. >> when we return we've got -- we've heard democrats speaking out against cash coming from multinational corporations, and by the way, let's talk about it

because i'm going to finish with that. i think it matters. we'll see. you're watching msnbc. ready to try something new?

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let me finish tonight by addressing the challenge bob schieffer of cbs news issued to the white house this sunday. is that the best that you can do? bob was challenging david axelrod on the white house charge that the u.s. chamber of commerce was using money it raises from overseas to finance republican political campaigns. so why is it so darn important

to the average voter out there, that multinational corporations, some of them based outside of the united states, have their fingers in this election? how about this, it's the central economic issue of our times. look at how the giant corporations get their profit margins up these days. are they out there selling hot, new products every consumer wants to get their hands on? or are they doing the job by cost-cutting, cutting down the number of employees for whom have to pay those health packages, pensions and 401 plans. dooling it through those highly celebrated productivity games by substituting robotics for people, by outsourcing the cheaper vendors overseas, over where the price of labor is dirt cheap. no wonder the multinationals want to gift candidates who love to deregulate, love so-called free markets, love tax structures that lead them as free as possible to continue doing what they're doing. the kind of free-willing cost-cutting that meets the quarterly bottom line. no wonder the u.s. chamber's such a popular lobing body for the multinational operation, in whatever country it happe