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tv   Hardball With Chris Matthews  MSNBC  June 6, 2011 5:00pm-6:00pm EDT

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sexual content, with a wonderful high concept of banking. >> let's call it the playboy format. i read it for the articles. >> there it is. you wrote a great cart kel. >> chris matthews has the latest on congressman weiner's admissions and we will see you here tomorrow. >> when all else fails, the truth. let's play "hardball." >> good evening. from washington, leading off, you got it. it gets much worse. anthony weiner just came clean, finally. all day long stories were saying that he engaged in consensual
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relationships involving sexting and sending photos. he admitted, yes, he did sometimes after his marriage. he lied all last week. he did tweet that infamous picture of himself to a woman in washington state. wiener apologized to his family and con stit gents and insisted he would not resign. it is an explosive story and we are covering it from every angle. can wiener survive this sex scandal. some resign immediately. others like bill clinton survive. what distinguishes them. howard fineman is is a political analyst. gentlemen you are the experts. first here is the news. here is congressman weiner late today. >> last friday night i tweeted a photograph of myself that i intended to send as part after direct message as part of a joke to a woman in seattle. once i realized i posted it to
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twitter, i took it down and said i hacked. i continued with that story, to stick to that story, which is a hugely regrettable mistake. this woman was dragged into this and bears no responsibility. i'm so sorry to have disrupted this life her life in this way. this picture was of me and i sent it. i'm deeply sorry for the pain this caused my wife and our family. and my constituents, my friends, supporters and staff. >> howard, what do you make of this? here is a guy who tried every trick on the book. he blamed it on hacking. he blamed it on the media. he did everything he could tp he said maybe, maybe, maybe it was me. every game in the book. finally, after all this, the word come out there is a lot more pictures coming. 's are all over the place. they are not the grossest pictures but they prove he has been lying. here is one he is just showing
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off his chest to somebody out in some woman out there. it is just this stuff. it is just childly. the kind of stuff maybe an 18-year-old -- how about a 15-year-old. here another one, it's me. he wants it make sure the other person watching at the other end knows it's him. there is another picture with a cat that has has another connotation to gross out somebody. >> the reason he did it, he was cornered. the word was spreading through the media and on the hill. i was getting calls and e-mails, what was likely to come and come down. >> what was his alternative to telling the truth. >> there was no longer an alternative. you see this repeatedly. one of your producers asked me if i had been covering this story. i should have said to her, i've been covering this story for 27 years. this is what happens when politicians lie their way into a corner about their personal life. people expect thos who govern us to be able to govern
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themselves at some kind of basic level. he couldn't. he lied about it and kept lying until he was cornered by the political community and the press. that's the only reason he did this today. >> this is what politicians are known for. i will be completely nonpartisan. this is a sick story. i think it is the juvenile part of america. 70-year-old dressing like 18-year-olds. they talk in this idiot twitter language. there is a term for it. you roll and roll and roll and you lie and lie and lie. you finally tell the truth when you have no alternative. >> howard hit it on the head. we have seen this story on the right and left the last 25 years and recently in the last 2 years. i said this last week, when you are in that situation you cannot escape the facts. they'll come out. some third party has that little bit of information that can trip
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you up. he had it had done this press conference at the time, i think he would have been in a better position. >> maybe all this other crap wouldn't have come out. by the way, andrew breitbart, leaked it. he didn't hack it, he just got it somehow. he was in the room jousting with the guy lp let's watch now. more of wiener. >> in addition over the past few years i have engaged in several inappropriate conversations conducted over twitter, facebook, e-mail and occasionally on the phone with women i had met on-line. i have exchanged metsages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years. for the most part these communications took place where br my marriage though some sadly took place after. >> okay, open up another can of worms. right, wiener did. >> yes. >> here it is. phone, he was asked the press are tough in new york. you're laughing. >> no, no. >> the press are sobs.
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phone sex means having some form of sex sex while you are on the phone doing the same thing. this term, he wouldn't deny it. just like luke russer saying, i can't say without sert tude. >> he essentially admitted it. >> thank you for translating anthony weiner. he essentially admitted it by -- >> he admitted it. with every passing year, you hear in press conferences questions that you never thought you would ever hear asked. but we are in a different world now. and public figures are in a different world. a famous internet executive said about ten years ago there is no such thing as privacy. get used to it. but powerful -- >> the washington post asking gary hart, have you had sex outside of marriage and the legendary editor of the post said you tet is back 20 years.
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he predicted it 20 years earlier. >> powerful people assume they can do thing aep get away with it and do things in private that other people cannot. but the worthe world has change >> this is what you do when you drink beer and you assume nobody else is paying attention to you. >> right. >> he has this relationship with the press. he las began out and done the partisan game very well. now that he is the target of the discussion, he has a taste of the press really coming at the story. it is been you and our relationship, it is the story. this the other thing howard touched on, politically as well as how we are socially, information is there. you cannot get way from it. you good to the store. someone is taking a photo. >> you take a picture of me with an old kodak camera. it was yours. you could throw it in the trash can and it would never come back. today we take phone pictures.
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they always do it. they take a phone picture of us. i figure that's not going to sit in that phone. it is immediately sent to somebody. >> here is the answer. in this new world, nothing is hid hiden. that means all of the more that if you want to be a leader, you have to be honest. >> 24/7 politics. >> true. >> but you have to be honest about it because the proof is going to be there. there is no way to hide. >> forever. >> forever. >> let's take a look at, here is wiener today. it was supposed to be at 4:00. it came a bit after 4 eastern time. right after "hardball." if you ever see, mr. smith goes to washington. the bad senator finally said, everything he said is true. it took him only a week. here is wiener talking finally. >> i'm deeply ashamed of my terrible judgment and actions. i came here to accept full responsibility for what i've done.
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i am deeply regretting what i have done and i am not resigning. >> i'm not going to do this tonight but maybe later in the show. a week of lying to the press. reporters just doing some of the job we do isn't grand. this isn't about what we should be talking about tonight, the debt ceiling and america's bond rating. but this is news. a major figure. he is like barney sanders, reliable as a lamp post. at 6:30 at night the light went on. this guy was always there. blaming it on breitbart. blaming it on hacking. now saying it was consensual. his latest defenses are, he didn't have sex outside of his marriage. he didn't physically meet them. now the problem is, if you didn't physically meet them, how do you know they are of age. >> he is building more tunnels. >> first off you get to a point where you get that plateau or
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you can't say or do anything more. >> why did he have a 40-minute press cones from? >> that's what happens when you do your own press. i think he opened up more doors and questions about his behavior he gave us six women. every one of those women will be trailed tonight. he also said, his wife, huma is her name? huma. very trusted aid of hillary clinton. very major figure in the state department. she knew about this stuff going on when he married here. she dragged her fwhoo this story. that she is now a knowledgeable party to this stuff. i'm sure she's happy from that. >> you read from that statement, you answer two questions then you're gone. >> these are not the grossest pictures in hifrtry. here is -- well i'm being directed to go hp here is what wiener said when he was asked if
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all of the people he was involved with on facebook an twitter were adults. >> i don't know the exact ages of the women. i don't know if you do, i will respect their privacy but they were all adults. at least to the best of my knowledge and they were engaging in these conversations consensually. >> here is the down side. how many adult women do this? who knows. >> he doesn't know. you don't know. >> as it's said, the lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. a politician who does his own advising on how to handle an issue like this is a fool. as you said, he opened all these new line efs of inquiry. he left his wife out to dry here saying she was knowledgeable beforehand. she is a private person, a very elegant person. i know her. the last thing she will ever want to do is deal with this kind of thing.
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i have never seen in this particular way a career, blow itself up totally the way he just did. >> i'm not sure he did. what do you think? >> i think he has. there are too many other lines of inquiry. too many other questions to be asked about what actually happened. certainly any thought he had of running for mayor he can forget. whether he can remain in congress, maybe. he thinks owe can wait this out, i don't know. >> your party never has a candidate in districts like this in new york. these are one-party districts, right? >> they are largely. so t.o. this point it isn't rel vapt. the reality is even if he stays in congress -- >> okay, let's try to do this nonpolitically. well, politically but nonpartisan. we grew up with the jonah and the whale story. jonah is in the boat and the whale wants him. as long as he is in the boat, the bet's in trouble.
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so pelosi, chuck schumer, do you want him as a close associate? >> you go to him quietly and say resign. >> steve israel is pril grant campaign manager. he's get to get all these guys like in utah re-elected, in kansas re-elected. now in brooklyn pb they don't like the big city to begin with. >> he also embarrassed them. as he himself said, he embarrassed his own support offers and voters. >> how about his colleague he. >> for sure. >> haven't seen schumer all week. >> why? because he doesn't want to have to answer the question. >> where does this go? political analysis. if this was a member of your party, where would you go? i don't know how it survived. bill clinton has it remain with this as part of his 3569. >> there does come an end point.
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he will realize that end point in this district. >> is he going? >> yes. i think it is too problematic for democrats. >> okay. thank you. i think he will try to contend his next primary. i think if he wins the primary he will stick around but i haven't thought of the colleague problem. >> the other side, chris, is the breitbart is interesting. he blamed conservatives. >> oh, yeah, he will get the sidebars all over the place tomorrow. >> he can choke it down. >> he is a mixed bag, but we'll see. howard fineman, thank you michael steele. coming up, congressman weiner says he's not resigning. let's get to the real politics. this guy just blew himself up. will the collateral damage be too much for nancy pelosi, for the rest of the party?
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remember, their goal is winning. more on "hardball" because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu.
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>> in other news, sarah palin is grabbing headlines but today rick santorum is officially getting into the race. there he is, beaten by 20 points last time, announcing his candidacy in southwestern pennsylvania where his grandfather once worked. a staunch social conservative served two terms in the senate before being trounced in 2006. he lost then -- sorry, only by 17 points. we'll be right back. [ dennis ] introducing good hands roadside assistance
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>> back to hard ball as we reported anthony weiner has come clean but he is not resigning he says. why do some politicians of david i have thor an bill clinton survive sex scandals and others do not except he gets a job on some other network. how big a problem could wiener have if he tries to run for reelection. let's turn to strategists right
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now. republican john, let's not get too far ahead of this breaking story. he said he told his wife he was doing this phone whatever it was. he won't deny phone sex but some kind of text sext and what wfr he is doing all over his body and cats, he won't deny phone sex. then he says he told his wife, as i said. then he says, i'm not quitting. how do you admit the biggest lie of your career and then say i'm staying. >> the new york media is about as ruthless as it gets. he opened the up the line op 15 or 20 new things. >> six women. >> his wife who supposedly was aware of this. >> she's not talking yet. >> and forgave him. she wasn't talking and she wasn't there. won't say where she was. i don't know why he answered 40 minutes worth of questions.
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i think it would have been better for him politically -- >> why did he tell the truth after all these weeks of lying? >> he had to. >> he gets no credit. >> it was coming out anyway. he opens up new lines of inquiry. i think in two weeks, if anthony weaner is still in congress, i'll be surprised. >> my primary apologies, as i said, is to my wife. she made is very clear a that what i did was very dumb and she was not happy about it. and when is very disappointed and she told me that she loved me and wanted us to you know, to pull through this. >> you know, politics is brutal. >> sure. as much as i feel he is dead wrong, i feel for him because no one is perfect and this guy is showing imperfections on live television. your thoughts, is he done?
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>> well, eric was right last week when he said he felt for the wife. democrats, think back it jerry -- >> yeah, but he says his wife knew. he laid it out on her. >> a terrible mistake. >> maybe she is partly responsible if she knew about it. >> she's not. that's ridiculous. >> they tend to stay in office. studs were franks, clinton, they don't resign. >> vitter. >> let's not blame her at all but why did he say he told her about this? >> because he thinks, he is a guy that is usually good with the media, usually. not the last ten days. he has been able to explain his way, through around or out of any challenge. >> he says my wife and i at around and talked about the fact that i sent embarrassing
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pictures of myself up until our wedding day and then i stopped. >> that's a painful conversation. this is a very personal tragedy. you got to feel for the wife. >> you might be the youngest guy here. explain sexting and texting. >> i don't know. >> what is this stuff? >> i think members of congress to do this is id oughtic. >> why don't people call each other and have a nice romantic con ver asian if they like each other. you used to call up and ask for dates. is that weird now? you used to say, would you like go out to a movie friday night? >> i'm here as a democrat and i apologize for not being straight down the party line here. >> there is no prty line here. >> thank you. the notion that this is a personal tragedy is 0e7bly half true. it is not a personal tragedy when a member of congress sends these out, begs to get caught be a argues with the media saying it wasn't him.
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he was hacked, then caught. saying it was everybody but himself. then. >> you know the phrase, i take full responsibility but no particular responsibility. meaning, responsibility meaning you do something. he is leaving it to voters of his district. his district is in brooklyn. a liberal district probably can i verse. he is not really worried. >> his strategy was articulated when he said i've been in politics for 20 years. he thinks that are going to forgive him and the issue is wrong. >> what do you think with the ethics committee? ? if democrats -- if democrats pile on, they want him to resign. if democrats decide -- >> okay, let me think about this. >> most northern districts are older districts. brooklyn is probably an old district. typical voters is getting older. they have a voeshl security
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problem. they have a problem at work, labor rights problem. they have a civil rights problem. they think, this congress plan is busting his hump for me. i know he is because he wrote a letter. a staffer wrote the letter. a machine signed his name. then you help him out his case problem. it is life or death for them. are they getting their health benefits paid or not. this guy is sitting around bored to death on his laptop or blackber blackberry, pissing way time. and he says they work a lot of time. so what does that say? if you are an old district voter? thanks for helping me. >> thanks for helping me. but congressman weiner's problem is there is some numb of people just like him, just as ambitious, who are clean and doing the same thing for their
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constituents. >> they like that 170 a year. >> absolutely. that's the thing about the ethics committee and nancy pelosi. is she going to increase pressure on him and she might likely do that and do it through the edge eks committee. >> he's embarrassed. he is a man who knows what embarrassment looks like. he is not one of the shameless bums that does horrible things then walks past and said, take it or leave it. his wife's not there. he is personally feeling this horrible thing. he knows that everybody in america now knows about his weirdness, right? >> yeah. >> so i'm trying to figure out why wr this takes us. where does that human quality take us now? the fact is, is he like st. patrick'ser is who is shameless. right on television be a media star, on the networks, that guy
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has no shame. >> this guy showed more shame but won't quit. >> exactly. he showed more shame but won't qu because he thinks he can get through it. eliot spitzer made it a private matter. he quit, went away, went through counseling, worked it out with his wife. >> after clinton came clue, there were a lot of democrats who wanted clinton to quit. you have to tell your wife, i'm going through it and i'm going to survive. >> clinton kwb deep, deep, deep down believed it had no affect on his being president. >> will his kol eggs. and that's a big question. >> i think his colleagues will push him out the door. they don't want to be the on the wiener ticket. >> talk about paul ryan. >> he will become the next bad guy in the democratic party and
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your party will make him so. thank you steve. thank you, john. you know, you watch these things and they finally after all your supposition and all your suspicion comes true. follow your instincts on these guys. if you think they're crooks, if you think they're lying, go with it. up next w how about tina fey's sarah palin? you're watching "hardball" on msnbc.
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>> well back to "hardball." now to the side show of the side show. first up, how tough has teen tina fey's of sarah palin a gotten in pretty good.
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take a closer look at the photo of palin. it is actually an image of tina fey doing her send at the vice president's debate. tina fey is of course the star of "30 rock". >> somebody told me that you actually said this week you think that the president is trying to drive up energy policy, energy prices on purpose. did you say that? >> there's no question about that. this administration policy has clearly been to drive up the cost of energy to americans would use less of it. that's their policy. >> wow. regardless of the public policy question, any president, including this one, facing reelection would lower gas prices, not higher goods prices. high gas prices would have been
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a killer politically. finally, wait until giuliani gets into the presidential race. this time down in peru. he joined an advisor last month. keiko fujimori is a daughter of the imprisoned alberto. the span sisht same. no. keiko fujimori conceded defeat to her opponent. let's see if they did any more in the coming home games. >> up next, biggest story of the day pl on the east coast, anthony weiner admits finally after a week of lying that he sent all these lewd photos. he is 100%, a thousand percent guilty as charged. but says he refuses to quit. you're watching "hardball." boy, this is "hardball." only on msnbc. omplicated. 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.
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>> i'm amanda with cnbc market wrap. another losing session making it four in a row now. jones down. nasdaq tumbling by 30. big banks are already under pressure after moody's warn that down grades could be on the horizon if the government eases back on support for that sector. the manhattan district attorney subpoenaed goldman sachs looking for more information on the mortgage interest. nintendo and sony reported hacking attacks. sony is unveiling a new i club music streaming service. we did have international paper putting in host i'm 3.3 billion bid for a smaller rival.
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that's it for cnbc. back to "hardball." >> welcome back to "hardball." we are back with more on the biggest story of the day, maybe the month. wiener admitting everything he was accused of last week was true. this is out of a movie. a perry mason moment that he did send that photo no a woman in washington state and he has been carrirying on tekst sexting with other women, since his marriage. gentlemen, i want to ask you about this thing because, maybe because i want to try to understand why this looks so bad for anthony weiner. even though i do feel for him adds a person. all these days, he denied it flatly. blamed it, blamed it, blamed it. it is the press's craziness. told luke reser, maybe it is
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possible. he didn't get caught with another woman. he didn't get involved in anything to do with public money. he didn't get involved in anything to do with having relations with a lobbyist for example, which is usually killer wsh sex plus they call it in the old days. it is a high school level embarrassment. like your parents go in your room and see you are doing this kind ever stuff. like this is gross, grody, another kids'term. chris lee, the guy from upstate work, quit that day. of course democrats celebrated his defeat. what is a firing offense? >> he doesn't think it is a firing offense because he is not quitting. there is an embarrassment level here that makes it hard for him to maintain public trufrt trust and responsibility. his colleagues won't want to have anything to do with him. what kind of public example does he set for kids who want to get into politics.
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>> he is basically saying he can still be a kid. >> there are more photos out there that will come out. those photos are going to make this -- make this seem live and repeated with each new photo. >> look, putting out his chest to somebody. >> this is a digital scandal. we used to have real sex scandals, with real sex and presidents. >> we are now in the virtual world. >> if you compare with what he did with what clinton did or what vitter did, it is kind the same. clinton soldiered on. vitter soldiered on. >> he wasn't out there soliciting active sex with someone like chris lee was. he wasn't out there -- >> john edwards only last week talking about john edwards. there may be a difference -- >> that's all time sex. >> all of it is immoral. all of it is unfaithful.
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>> by the way, you have a british accent so i will go to you. it used to be that americans were involved in stealing money. now they are stepping up in the kinky department. >> it is still wrong, still embarrassing. >> let's listen to wiener when he was asked about being engaged in phone sex. let's listen. >> i am reluctant, pour their privacy, since their names are coming out, not going to characterize it except that it was consensual. i will not rebut anything or dispute anything that any of the women who have come forward have said. they have every right to do so. so i will not make any efforts to characterize those conversations. >> poor choice of words, con sexual. because the next word is sex. that's strauss-kahn's defense. what does it mean to say, i don't want to characterize a phone conversation because it was a phone conversation.
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>> well i think it was a sexy phone conversation and he will say to protect their privacy i'm not going to into detail. he is leaving it to voters to the district to see side if this is game on, game out. >> they are acting 16, 17 years old. >> the only way to stop, it is not to answer any question. the only way it stop this is to leave the public stage. >> the photos will still come out. >> ity there is a constituent here who we haven't heard from, and we won't, and that is his wife. if she wants him to fight on -- >> he said she is with him. >> well, we can't -- >> she may not want the story to keep going. it may have legs. he says he didn't break the law. this is what relates, because no one said he did. let's listen. >> i don't believe that i did anything here that violate any law or violate my oath to my constituents. what i did was something that demonstrated a very deep personal failing and that's why i'm here to apologize. >> let's get back to the amazing
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thing. spitzer swent on, another new yorker, a mixed bag like we are all, i think everyone is a mixed bag. >> some more mixed than others. >> mixed nuts, sometimes. spitzer went on tv and didn't seem ashamed of himself. he was on tv later a big star. he came up lickedy split. this guy as a human being, looks embarrassed. he has a wife, a bride, he just got married. very embarrassed yes he's not doing nothing but admitting it. >> this is what you have some politicians that are doing it. you have john ensign. you have david vitter, phone records but no photos. have you bill clinton but very, very -- explicit evidence in the special prosecutor's report. i mean, politicians decide which way they are going to go. >> this is why people don't like politicians. rolling disclosure.
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i want everybody to learn that phrase. rolling disclosure means you release the information when it is convenient to you. in this case, when you had no choice. >> it is all that politicians have, that's why people are disillusioned. you can't trust any of them. you lie, you pretend you have a happy married life. that's why they don't have credibility on this or anything else. >> thank you. up next, republicans in the house of representatives want to cut food aid to school kids thp. that will go over well. academy award winner jeff bridges. why does my favorite actor have to come on a show like this. i can't wait to meet him. we were actually thinking, maybe... we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys. [ indistinct talking and laughter ] whew! i think it's worth it. working with a partner you can trust
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is always a good decision. massmutual. let our financial professionals help you reach your goals. just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies. more passion for the one ya love. more fun with your family and friends. it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. come on, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. [ male announcer ] so don't blame it on aging. talk to your doctor and go to isitlowt.com to find out more. >> in the press conference, anthony weiner said he told his wife about his misbehavior about the sexting and all that stuff, putting blame on her, i don't think that's fair. i hope i didn't give the impression that i agree with
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that. i don't. people love their spouses despite their faults. he we will be back with this amazing show. [ male announcer ] to the 5:00 a.m. scholar.
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[ banker ] but someone else bought it before they could get their offer together. we really missed a great opportunity -- dodged a bullet there. [ banker ] so we talked to them about the wells fargo priority buyer preapproval. it lets people know that you are a serious buyer because you've been credit-approved. we got everything in order so that we can move on the next place we found. which was clear on the other side of town. [ male announcer ] wells fargo. with you when you're ready to move. ♪ >> well calm back to "hardball." that of course is the great jeff
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bridges in "crazy heart" where he did sing those songs. he won an award for. he is haley stein feld in "true grit". another good movie. >> we set around a big fire and told ghost stories. we had a good time. >> anyway, jeff bridges in an anti-hunger advocate. a great friend of mine, director of share. jeff bridges a national spokesperson were no kid hungry campaign. wall to wall, we have to do something nice for people tonight. jeff bridges, you're one of my heros, ever since you had a problem with cybill shepherd in the last picture show, and, "the
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b labowski". >> we are kicking off the no kid hungry campaign here in virginia. we will do that tomorrow with governor mcdowel. >> you got an advocate? >> well, he's been that, you know, he's been concerned with the hunger issues for over 20 years now. but it's a bipartisan thing. it's gone crazy. >> well, billy, you talked about, what i understand, this is kids that are impoverished home situations, parents aren't responsible. they don't have any opinion m not. they go to school and get at least a descent lunch. how many kids are at school. >> we have 20 million kids who have reduced price lunch. only 3 million get meals in the summer time. so we are talking about the period when the kids are vulnerable because schools are
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closed. i think this is washington's best kept billion dollar secret, the money is appropriated. these are entitlement programs. not the ones that drive the national debt. the ones that democrats and republicans say kids shouldn't be the victims when the economy changes? >> it's an old tradition of southern democrats conservative as hell, but they do believe in things like social security and meals on wheels. >> absolutely. the governor mcdonnell, it's great to have him on board, because it signals this is a bipartisan issue here, and we're trying to get, you know, everybody on board. that's what it's going to take to end it. >> what's it cost to feed a kit. >> a year, you mean? >> what do they meals cost? >> the federal government, through programs like school breakfasts and school lunch probably 60 billion or so a year, but that's really a fraction of what drives most budget considerations. it's really not very much. a billion of it is allocated,
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but untapped. all we're saying is, not create a federal program, take the programs that exist, get more kids enrolled, this is the only meal that most kids get. >> why did you pick this issue? i identify. >> maybe that's it. maybe i'm just a regular guy. i love people. i'm a family man. i have kids of my own. i can imagine what it would be like not to be able to feed my kids. when you know the facts that there's every 1 of every 4 of our children in this country struggle with hunger, and you know it doesn't have to be that way, there are programs to prevent that, to stop that, i want to do everything i can to make that a reality. >> where are you going after virginia? >> well, you know, california is up to be one of the next states. i'm going up to montana.
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i'm putting a band together. i have my hometown of bodesman, i want to get the no kid hungry program working up there. >> we're in 13 states, we'll be in 20 by the end of this year. so jeff has driven a lot of growth of this. >> we have an unemployment rate, and underemployment of about 17%. >> they're very related. poverty is complex, you know, but hunger, we've got the programs in place. it's about getting the message out to the people. for instance, here in virginia, the folks can call 211 to find out where there are sites that will feed their kids during the summer. >> each program already exists. and the parents can get them
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there and feed them. >> absolutely. we are encouraging governors and mayors to get on board too make sure there's more sites. one of the big problems is getting transportation to these sites. >> well, you're a good man. >> you're so -- >> i'm so impressed by your career, and i tell you, i can't say enough. i think you're great. >> thank you. >> i'm just a fan, just a fan. let me ask you this, are you voting in this election? are you going to take sides? >> yeah, i go with the pres. obama is one of the reasons we have this no kid hungry campaign in the first place. he said, i intend to end childhood hunger by 2015, and all the nongovernment organizations, everybody is getting behind him, and we're going to do it. >> i grow up with this guy, lloyd bridges "sea hunt" every night. the fabulous baker boys.
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great stuff. michelle pfeiffer. killer. >> all right. >> thanks, chris. >> when we return, let me finish with what i think is going on in the republican presidential field. there is extra life beyond wiener. she's going to pick the winner.
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let me finish tonight with june 6th, d-day. the republican campaign has hit the beach. a week from now they face off in the first real debate of 2012. here is what i think is going on. sarah palin, instead of running for president, she's playing political boss. her agenda, knock off mitt romney. she has real problems with him. she doesn't want him to win. i can give you several reasons, can you list them yourself. do you really think he's her kind of republican? no way. she showed a bit of this attitude last week going to new hampshire and big-footing mitt on press coverage. that bus of hers rolls over his chili fest. next? knock off michele bachmann. she's a real live candidate. sarah wants her off the, she backs the alternative romney in
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the regular republican party, tim pawlenty, who happens to be the active alternative. this is where it gets intriguing, even fascinating. can someone with palin's chops go out there and work this thing for pawlenty, someone without though chops? better yet, can she bet that tiger? this is wild. if palin pulls it off, pawlenty can win the caucuses in the southern neighbor iowa. he can win among her fellow evangelists starting along the way a hard campaign against the deep-pocketed romney. it would be romney/pawlenty, or pawlenty/romney. on toward the convention. when bachmann wins, she goes to new hampshire. good enough to show a decent showing there, and head to south carolina, winning there. this is how it looks right now as we approach the first