tv Hardball With Chris Matthews MSNBC April 26, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm EDT
5:00 pm
good evening, i'm chris matthews back in philadelphia. leading off tonight, playing offense. we know what the romney campaign strategy is, making president obama defend his record in a struggling economy. today we learned the obama team refuses to fight on the defensive. they're going on the assault against the mitt romney who said, let detroit go bankrupt. the mitt romney who said, getting bin laden might not be worth the effort. well, joe biden is singling his role is attacker portrayed romney as weak and backward looking. this is not the only campaign under way. the clinton party, if you will, scored a big one this week. bill clinton supported mark critz because hilary supported him earlier. preparing the way for 2016. you bet he's in this thing.
5:01 pm
plus, paul ryan has some john tester eeked out a victory in montana. whether they can hang onto the majority this time calls for holding out in november. finally tonight, our musical tribute to newt gingrich, the newtster who made this republican campaign a lot more interesting, you might say, than it had a right to be. >> we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be american. i founded four businesses, i've written 24 books, 13 of them "new york times" best sellers. >> well, the full newtthology is
5:02 pm
in the side show where it belongs and always will be, by the way. we begin with the obama campaign on the defensive with mitt romney. nbc political analyst. gentlemen, today vice president biden launch the campaign against mitt romney, and i believe he crystallized the solid between mitt romney and president obama. >> i said before, thanks to president obama, bin laden is dead and general motors alive. you have to ask yourself, had governor romney been president, could heç have used the same slogan in reverse? >> that was soft-spoken, mark, but it looks like they're laying it out here. they're not playing defense, they're playing offense. they're going after romney, for
5:03 pm
being hesitant for the need to go after bin laden because certainly president bush never went after him that much, and apparently romney is on record as saying it's not that important. your thoughts? >> the speech is primarily about foreign policy. this is a very aggressive campaign and joe biden and the president both had studied mitt romney's expressions, statements from the past, they studied his chris tee critiques. the press should study his critiques, too. they made head way in critiquing the subjects mitt romney is critiquing in the campaign. i'm sure we'll talk more specifics on the foreign policy side, but the vice president is out there. he knows his brief, he's not freelancing, he's not reading somebody else's words, he knows what he's talking about. >> you talk about mitt romney's self-pro claimed managerial skills and president obama's
5:04 pm
lack of knowledge about president. >> he starts way profound, a profound, misunderstanding of the responsibilities of a president and commander in chief. here's what i said, and i want to quote him exactly. and i quote, if we want someone who has a lot of experience in foreign policy, we can simply go to the state department. he went on to say, and i quote, butç that's not how we choose president. a president is not a foreign policy expert, end of quote. in my view, the last thing we need is a president who believes that he can subcontract our foreign policy. that kind of thinking may work for a ceo, but i assure you it will not and cannot work for a president, and it will not work for a commander in chief. >> by the way, we did check, and romney did say those very words that biden quoted in a december
5:05 pm
2007 interview at fox, the last time he ran for president. michael, your thoughts about the smartness of going after romney on foreign policy like he's doing today. >> i think biden certainly can bite, there's no doubt about that. he does it in a way in which he makes you pay attention to the context and how he's framing the argument. and i think the romney people, you know, look, these guys are not going to be slouches in this race. they're going to come out really prepared to lay metal to the pedal in terms of how they go after and go back against these arguments. but i think right now, the administration, rather, the campaign is taking the -- the president's campaign is taking the offensive is a good position to be in, but again, the foreign policy debate is one that, you know, the president can talk about four years later, you know, with all this great experience. you can't forget, he came into the white house after eight years in the state legislature and 18 months in the senate.
5:06 pm
so i think -- >> i thought of that, too. i accept that. let me go back to markç and a couple points we saw today. number one, it looks like they're going to go aggressively. as i like to say, the reason the cavalry left the fort in the old cowboy movies it's because they don't hide in the fort. these guys are coming out to fight the attackers. biden looks like he's got the job, doesn't he? >> it's part of a species he's given. i take time to critique all the foreign policies at the president to evaluate them on their merits and political efficacy. i find the attacks from governor romney so far on most foreign policy issues, not all, but most, to be almost flailing. they did a conference call today to rebut vice president biden's rebuttals, and you go through issue by issue and the administration's point is correct. either what governor romney is proposing is vague, it's what the president is already doing,
5:07 pm
or it's something the american people wouldn't support in its bad policy. i think there should be a rebut from the foreign policy debate, but for the most part, it's easy for joe biden to rebut the criticisms that are coming because they're just not very politically effective or identifying active areas of substantive difference. >> this is all in point here, vice president biden hit romney hard for being both misguided and uninformed with america's relationship with iran, which is a hot issue now. listen to what he said because i want to put in context what the israeli army chief of staff said just yesterday. listen. >> he said we need, quote, crippling sanctions. apparently unaware that through president obama's leadership, wç produced just that, crippling sanctions. president obama has said, and i quote, now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in and to sustain the broad international coalition we
5:08 pm
built. now is the time to heed the timeless advice from teddy roosevelt. speak softly and carry a big stick, end of quote. i promise you the president has a big stick. >> well, again, biden's quote sack rat while campaigning in ohio. in february this year, romney did say with regard to iran -- this is amazing, he must have forgot he said it -- quote, we have in place crippling sanctions. michael, here's a guy that's not familiar with his own brief. apparently just several months ago, this winter, he said the very thing the administration is already doing, gave them credit for having done it, now he's come out and criticized them for not doing what he said they're already doing, which is tightening the screws in iran which i'm sure you saw today as well, the israeli chief of staff said they don't think iran is going to do ahead with weaponizing their nuclear
5:09 pm
weaponry. romney seems to have lost touch with his own briefing here. >> because of those screws that have been placed into the economy over there, the reality is that with respect to the foreign policy stuff, it's an interesting dance for romney to do, because in large measure, republicans in the house and senate have supported the president's foreign policy initiatives. you know, they've talked about it in the context of the overall bush agenda from the last eight years, continuation of that, how he's effectively usedç drones beyond anything bush has done, the effort to go after osama bin laden. the war in afghanistan, for example, is one again where the republicans in the house and senate have largely give an lot of cover, if you will, to the administration because they've supported this effort. so it's very difficult, i think, for romney right now to kind of carve out that separation. when we look at it tactilely, the republicans in the administration line up a lot more than they fall apart. >> here's the president again keeping on the aggression.
5:10 pm
he did an interview with rolling stone probably in an attempt to get the young voters. he said obama will have nowhere to hide from the republother vo. when you're running for president, people are paying attention to what you're saying. one of our producers said they're really going to make an effort from now to election day to spend time reminding voters what romney was saying before he got into this general election mode. >> right now they're just picking off the top of the pile. in chicago, there is tons more opposition research, tons more quotes. i predict they'll have quotes governor romney has never seen. the problem for governor romney on the foreign policy front and on this issue of flip-flopping, these attacks right now are
5:11 pm
seamless footing. george bush hadç a claim that s effective. it added up to a different world view that would be compelling to the american people. romney's feelings on foreign policy don't do that. you see the series of speeches, they're very familiar with mitt romney's record. they're not just taking stabs and reading the teleprompter. that's the kind of stuff mitt romney did as a candidate when he was debating in the nomination fight when he was so good. i don't think he's on the level of the president's record in terms of efficacy and self-knowledge as the vice president and president have about mitt romney right now. >> last word, mike. >> just real quick on mike's point, and people forget romney has been running for six years for the presidency, so he's got a long history on foreign policy
5:12 pm
and other issues that they can delve into. >> great opening. bell by joe biden and a great coverage by you gentlemen today. coming up. never mind 2012, by the way. bill clinton has his eye on 2016, i think. he's doing the great advance work for hillary clinton, especially in my home state of pennsylvania. bill clinton is the pathfinder, the spearhead, the ramrod of the potential hillary clinton for president campaign. this is "hardball," coming up. [ female announcer ] did you know the average person smiles more than 50 times a day?
5:13 pm
so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. guys. come here, come here. [ telephone ringing ] i'm calling my old dealership. [ man ] may ford. hi, yeah. do you guys have any crossovers that offer better highway fuel economy than the chevy equinox? no, sorry, sir. we don't. oh, well, that's too bad. [ man ] kyle, is that you? [ laughs ] [ man ] still here, kyle. [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. right now, very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 equinox ls for around $229 a month. we've got some new polling from the southwestern united states and the battleground states. first to new mexico, president obama won in 2008 and he's up
5:14 pm
there big again. obama 54 in new mexico, romney, 40. now the neighboring arizona. a bit of a surprise here. obama has a slim two-point lead over romney in the latest rocky mountain poll, 42-40 in john mccain's state. we'll be right back. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here.
5:16 pm
welcome back to "hardball." here's a question people will already asking. is hillary clinton running in 2016? one clue, she's got a pretty good advance man working for her, bill clinton. i would say the former president has taken on the role of endorsing allies, rewarding her supporters, punishing her opponents. big deal, and it's a big question. is bill fighting old battles or getting ready for a big new one in 2016. mark critz just won the democratic nomination in his state of pennsylvania last week, and my colleague alex wagner joins us now.
5:17 pm
she's the host on msnbc. quote, we have three leading political parties in america today, howard wrote. republican, democratic and clinton. the last is a mom and pop operation with a chelsea. it's been 12 years since they had a president in office, but they still keep score, tend to their base and ponder what to do next with their political, financial and charitable clout. congressman mark critz, i was rooting for you, sir. you're the jack mertha of today. you represent everything i really like about politics. it's local, you look out for your base, you deliver. congratulations. tell us about bill clinton, his popularity and his future importance. i'm sure you want his help in november and the future. where do you see bill clinton down the road? >> obviously president clinton is still very popular in western %-pa lot of people look back ate years when president clinton was in office and then when hilalar
5:18 pm
ran in '08. his support of me, i'm not completely devoid of ego, i hope i had something to do with it. but it was really important to my race. i hope it may have helped with voters who may have been on the fence. >> we're going to talk more about your race in a minute, congressman, and con kbrgratulas on winning the primary. >> thank you. >> you know about the clintons from way back when. i have a sense they'll be part of our lives, if not decades ahead, for a long time. perhaps forever. >> forever. look, hillary is obviously on center stage because she's secretary of state and she's done a bang-up job. we're approaching the end of her tenure. she's been very clear about the fact she's leaving the end of january and that's prompted a lot of discussion about what she's doing next. certainly bill has an incredible profile with the clinton administration. when hillary exited the 2008 race, her unfavorabled were 54
5:19 pm
to 45. now they're 65 to 27. that's not only a testament to her as a person but the job she's done as secretary of state in a time where she's dealing with everything from syria, iran, egypt, sudan, burma. there is turmoil around the world and she's done it not only with aplomb but way sense of enjoyment. you've seen her swilling buye i after hours, and she's worn it well. i don't think this is the endçf the clintons, as you said. >> mark critz, thank you. tell us about -- i have a great belief about the democratic party in pennsylvania. it has a lot to do with working people, it's somewhat suburban around the philadelphia/pits burlg arphiladelphia/pitsburg area, but it's also a working class, regular people, if you will.
5:20 pm
clinton seems to have of a tag with regular people, and they seem to connect in the way other politicians don't. >> i think you hit it right on the head, chris, is that obviously it's a working class neighborhood, i guess you could say, in western pennsylvania, and the folks here really do identify with president clinton, and i think the one thing that hillary did during her race in '08 and then becoming secretary of state is that she showed people how hard she worked and then obviously when she took the job as secretary of state, people were very impressed with the way she handled that, and she's done such a bang-up job. so i think all that she's done is enhanced the clinton reputation in western pennsylvania is that they work hard, they're looking out for people, and when they are called upon, they do a great job. >> yeah, it just seems like the two enemies that people have in america, they think the republican party has an economic elite, the 1%ers, the real rich
5:21 pm
people, and the democratic people tend to have a cultural elite that people like. the clintons seem to avoid both of those people, don't they? you first, congressman. i want the congressman first and then you. >> go ahead. >> thanks, chris. >> i don't get you on very often. i can get youç on more often n. >> whatever you want. >> i'm a little tired, too, but, anyway, no, i think that you're right. president clintclinton, in factn he came in to campaign with me two years ago, he talked about me being a person that gets things done. that's how people look at president clinton as well, is that he went into office and he got things done. he lifted the country, and he left with such a good reputation of how he moved this country forward, and people remember that, and they remember that, you know, that he did move the country forward, and again, going back hillary, she's done such a wonderful job as secretary of state and it's just
5:22 pm
enhanced that. so people look at that and say, we want leaders that can get things done, and that's why their popularity continues to surge. >> now my colleague alex, go ahead. your thoughts. >> to your point, chris, about the sort of blue collar appeal that bill clinton has, we're only going to be seeing more of bill clinton. he's going to help with some of the superpac fundraising. i was talking about president clinton's piece in that rolling stone, and he goes out of his way to say, i think there's a difference between republicans in this country and the republican party, and really sort of tries to reach out to moderate republicans in this country who may not sort of like president obama right now. dee dee meyers was on our program and she says, you know who that sounds like? that sounds like bill clinton. there is an understanding that bill clinton knows how to appeal to the center of this country, and he's going to impart some of that knowledge on to;h(residen
5:23 pm
obama. >> so true. we have the elections that are close. 49 out of 50 republicans are not in the elite class and benefit from those tax breaks. but they vote republican, they could vote the other way. just to prove we're not getting ahead of this story, here she was being honored tuesday night doing a great flirtation. she used her chance the the podium to toss a coin nod to a couple other rumored presidential candidates who was in the room. let's watch hillary clinton do a little flirtation with the nomination of 2016. >> i was glad to see some candidates along with mark rubio. he and i have appeared on some
5:24 pm
other lists lately. >> there you have it. congressman critz, you still there? >> i am, yes. >> what do you think about running against hillary clinton in 2016? >> she was and is very popular in western pennsylvania. i can't imagine that's changed. i think she's only enhanced her reputation here. >> good luck in the general election. you've knocked out josh altmire. i think i know how you did it. congratulations for assuming th. alex, thank you. a side show farewell to the newtster. he's saying bye bye next wednesday. can't wait. you're watching "hardball sna ". wow. this is new. yep. i'm sending the dancing chicken to every store in the franchise to get the word out.
5:25 pm
that could work. or you could use every door direct mail from the postal service. it'll help you and all your franchisees find the customers that matter most: the ones in the neighborhood. you print it or find a local partner. great. keep it moving honey. honey? that's my wife. wow. there you go. there you go. [ male announcer ] go online to reach every home, every address, every time with every door direct mail. fiona here was just telling me that ford dealers sell a new tire like...every five seconds, how's that possible? well, we purchase 3 million a year. you just sold one right now didn't you? that's correct. major brands. 11 major brands. oop,there goes another one. well we'll beat anybody's advertised price. and you just did it right there, what's that called? the low price tire guarantee. wait for it, there goes another one. get a $100 rebate, plus the low price tire guarantee during the big tire event. look at that. it's happening right there every five seconds. your not going to run out are you? no.
5:27 pm
so at&t showed corporate caterers how to better collaborate by using a mobile solution, in a whole new way. using real-time photo sharing abilities, they can create and maintain high standards, from kitchen to table. this technology allows us to collaborate with our drivers to make a better experience for our customers. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ t there. helping you do what you do... even better. - one serving of cheese is the size of four dice. one serving of cereal, a baseball. and one serving of fruit, a tennis ball. - you know, both parties agree. our kids can be healthier... the more you know.
5:28 pm
back to "hardball." it's time for the side show, and tonight it's all about newt. he's about to officially say farewell, but before we part ways with the newtster, let's look back at some unforgettable moments for his race for the 2012 nomination. >> i don't have to point out the inconsistencies. in seven three-hour debates, president obama will not have a leg to stand on. with a school that's failing and a teacher that's failing, i tried for years to have a very simple motto. most of these schools ought to get rid of the eunized january torz, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be american. a gingrich presidency will submit to the united nations a treaty that extends the right to
5:29 pm
bear arms as a human right for every person on the planet. just go to facebook and on your home page put newt equals $2.50 a gallon. i founded four businesses, i've written 24 box, 13 of them "new york times" best sellers. i did no lobbying of any kind, period. i was charging $60,000 a speech. and the number of speeches was going up, not down. normally celebrities leave and they gradually sell fewer speeches every year. we were selling more. i don't think right wing social engineering is any different than left wing social engineering. >> anythingç i sahe said on sus a falsehood. >> are you calling obama a liar? >> yes. >> they can bite it. >> louisiana treatment of an etch a sketch.
5:30 pm
some of you probably have no additional interest. this is the finger the penguin bit. when i worked with ronald reagan, we set out to defeat the empire. we created 1600 new jobs. >> i think, obviously, that i would be a better candidate. i'm going to be nothe nominee. >> wow. newt, thanks for all the memories. he came to georgetown university to push his budget. it helps the rich and hurts the poor. and that's ahead. you're watching "hardball."
5:34 pm
s&p up by 9 and the nasdaq adding 21. a weaker than expected read on weekly jobless claims and mobile missed estimates. the dow surged 4.1% in the month of march, and meanwhile, amazon.com shares our excitement of the blowout report. back over to "hardball." u.s. congressman paul ryan saidç his budget was encourage by his catholic faith. he was met with protestors and a letter from nearly 100 professors and staffers disagree with his philosophy and his
5:35 pm
budgets at georgetown university. the letter says in part, we would be remiss in our duty to you and our students if we did not challenge your continued s misuse of catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protection for the elderly and sick and gives more tax breaks to the rich. we've been watching this dispute over catholic philosophy and the social justice issue. my question to you is a very simple and perhaps a whimsical one. how come nuns happen to be democrats and bishops happen to be republicans? >> we sisters work at the margins of society, we work with people who are struggling, who
5:36 pm
are working for minimum wage, who have a very tough time with a minimum wage. it's $7.25 keeping food on the table for their families, so we know the real life struggles of real life americans. and when you're in touch with those sorts of struggles, you can't help but realize we need to be together as a society and respond to the needs of all around us. we're only as good as the strength of our society, andç that's why we think that often democratic principles are much more in keeping with that sense of solidarity. >> let me go to james on this, and i'll bring it up with his sister as well. we all keep up with catholics, the cyclical on social justice for the last part of the century, we understand the importance of a living wage, subsidiary and all those warning principles on success of capitalism. most americans, including
5:37 pm
catholics, have no idea what i'm talking about, do they? they don't understand there is this fabric, this safety net that was introduced by the catholic church ask then made part of the law and the new deal. >> it's also part of our dna. many catholics came over in this country with very humble origins, worked hard, played by the rules and really proved the american dream true, that you can succeed. which is why it's so unfortunate right now that at a time when there is so much suffering and congressman paul ryan really wants to beat up on the little guy. >> why do you think he wants to give tax breaks to the rich? i can understand why he worries about the burden of debt down the road to future generations, my kids worry about that, special miespecially my daughte. but why does he feel there needs to be incentives for the rich and why does he feel his christianity heading that direction? >> certainly shows his political motivations rather than gospel teaching. any time you ask working class
5:38 pm
americans to pay for the tax breaks of the wealthy, that's not just unfair, that's immoral, that's unchristian. but, you know, it is something that we're all concerned ;p!ou. this is something that's central to the catholic community. >> let's let him speak here, james. here's congressman ryan defending his budget this morning at georgetown. let's listen to the congressman. >> our budget offers a better path. consistent with the timeless principles of our nation's founding, and frankly, consistent with how i understand my catholic faith. we put trust in people, not in government. our budget incorporates subsidiary by returning power to individual, to families and to communities. we draw inspiration from the founders' belief that all people are born with a god-given right to human flourishment. >> sister, why do you think some people believe the way to get poor people to work harder is to
5:39 pm
cut their money, basically hurt them, and the way to get the rich people to work harder is to give them more money? why do they have different views of incentives? >> i think they probably don't know people who live in poverty, because people who live in poverty work extremely hard to just even feed their families. what they know is the wealthy, the reserved. they know in this lie about giving wealthy people more money will get better jobs. wealthy people have had tenures of a tax cut that has resulted in no jobs. the wealthy people have had ten years to keep wages flat and claim it's because of globalization. wealthy people have had the chance to exploit those who are at the very margins of society to deny health care with them, to cause them to go into debt or braups. now the republicans want to promote çthat. just because they say -- congressman ryan said it was his understanding of his faith.
5:40 pm
i think he has a very flawed. but because he leaves out solidarity, and the fact that we're in this together, for all of those, not just those with money, because he leaves that out, he's half right, but he's 100% wrong. >> james, it seems to me there has been a fight. we've covered the issue over contraceptive issues, some of the sisters and some of the organized bishops, but it seems like you're both on the same page, the bishops and the nuns, when it comes to this dorothy day approach in the ministry here and helping poor people. it seems like you're together, are you? the bishops tend to be catholic and the sisters tend to be christians. >> you don't want to echo sister
5:41 pm
simone. if the president spent a day in the life of soul-crushing poverty and had to make decisions from day to day. how do we make our paychecks stretch to put gas in the gas tank and food on the table? we wouldn't be having this debate. >> i'd -- >> now how the poor people are catching the bus at 7:00 in the morning to go to work. they're not getting çrich, but they're coming home with money. >> i suppose that there are some catholics who for a long time thought they had a monopoly of sorts. not exactly on heaven, but on the social teaching of our church. of course there can be differences among faithful catholics on. the work that i do as a catholic
5:42 pm
holding office, conforms. is from the viewpoint of a catholic in politics applying my understanding to the problems of the day. >> paul ryan needs to read the book by pope benedict, "charity and truth." the truth is those who suffer at the margins of our society are the ones jesus cares about. they're the ones our society cares about,. that's wrong, it's morally wrong and his faith understanding is seriously flawed. >> i thought you were going to go to louis xiii. thanks for finding a liberal doctor.
5:43 pm
thank you, sister. . how democrats win control of the united states senate.ç john testa coming up next. this is "hardball." great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco.
5:44 pm
omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro. in the four years sips the last presidential campaign, americans have gotten more conservative on gun rights and more liberal on gay marriage. take a look at newt poll from
5:45 pm
pew. it finds that 49% of americans say it's more important for the right to bear arms than just 45% who said gun ownership needs to be controlled. those numbers were reversed when president obama first took office. on gay marriage, 43% favor it while 51% oppose it. we're switching around, aren't we? we'll be right back. all i have to do is... ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing xfinity streampix. stream your favorite movies and full seasons of shows instantly on any screen. find out more online.
5:46 pm
instantly on any screen. if you made a list of countries from around the world... ...with the best math scores. ...the united states would be on that list. in 25th place. let's raise academic standards across the nation. let's get back to the head of the class. let's solve this. i worked at the colorado springs mail processing plant for 22 years. we processed on a given day about a million pieces of mail. checks, newspapers, bills. a lot of people get their medications only through the mail. small businesses depend on this processing plant. they want to shut down 3000 post offices,
5:47 pm
cut 100,000 jobs. they're gonna be putting people out of work everywhere. the american people depend on the postal service. i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. we're back. a lot of people were interested in montana's senate race. the gps has sunk hundreds of
5:48 pm
thousands of dollars into the race going after incumbent senator john tester. he's been run against, and there's a new ad. >> john tester always brings his montana roots. in washington, he's standing up for montana rights, the deficit, making sure kids can go to college, protecting social security, and medicare. protecting the second amendment and making the u.s. senate look a little more like montana. >> i'm john tester and i approve this message. i approve charlotte's cooking, too. >> carl rove and other outside groups in the area are much less positive. senator tester joins us now. senator tester, i want to thank you that my daughter and i both have a montana fishing license. we were there this summer.
5:49 pm
it was fantastic. thanks for joining us. >> it's great to be here, chris. you're exactly right, montana is an outdoors paradise, and we have incredible fishing, hunting and outdoor activities all over the place. i'm glad you got a chance to take advantage of them. >> it was great. i've covered the primaries as part of my job and we've moved around a lot through iowa, flew florida, throu florida. a lot of places i went, there was a flood of nasty ads paid for by who knows what superpac. it doesn't say the coke brothers or some texas oil guy, huge, nasty ads. you can't escape them. how escape them. how will you deal with that when it floated into months? >> they're trying to gien me as something that i'm not, and that's no surprise, we figured they would do that. we got great things done, we
5:50 pm
still farm, run the place, and do our work in theç u.s. senat. so they're trying to paint me as something i'm not, and the challenge is, chris, with all of this money, can montana voters be bought by all of this untruthful advertisements out there right now. one ad gave me five fingers on my left hand, another didn't know how to pell my name. i would just say that we have to work hard, and we have to have enough money to get our message out. we're not going to be able to outspend these guys. they have more money than we can come close to raising, but i have a great record of getting people to understand what we have done in the last five and a half years, and if we can get that message out, i feel very confident in this election. >> here is is the disconnect. most democrats are average
5:51 pm
people, and the republican party get the 1%. the coke brothers, mow they convince that 49% of the 50% to vote republican that they have the same interest as the 1%. how do you get through that what people used to call -- how do you convince them they should not be going along with the ad guys because the guys paying for the ads have their on selfish interest. >> i think our ads have to be better than theirs, but more importantly than that, people have to know what's going on with the secretç corporate mon dumped into these races. in 1960, montana voters said enough of this, they said no more corporation involvement. i think if people understand where this money is coming from, and it's very tough because
5:52 pm
there is no transparency whatsoever, but if they can answer it, funding the race and the ads against me, they would react accordingly and it might backfire on them. >> cecile richards likes your campaign. she campaigned with you last week, here is what she told the "great fall tribune" about you. he has been such a strong independent champion on women's health. >> i appreciate it, i think we have impacts on the war on women come out of this senate and congress, and as i told my daughter at easter time, you're going to have to get active and get involved. you're going to have to fight a fight your mom didn't have to. you have to fight the fight that
5:53 pm
your grandmother fought. i think that's a fact. women in montana and across the country understand their health care choices are going to be badly eroded if they don't step up to the plate, and i think this election is up to it. >> montana is a reach for a guy like obama or any democratic t win, but to my"çobama's catchin of bin laden, and has not gone after the gun owners -- >> yeah, i mean i think it is, i think our gun rights are better now than when he came into office. i think the work he did to not only find bin laden but take him out of the equation is positive from a montana perspective. he was dealt a tough hand. he came into this economy losing 800,000 jobs a month.
5:54 pm
he has gone great things, and on the other side i oppose him, not for the sake of opposed, but the fact is whether the jobs bill that was there six to eight months ago, i had concerns with it, voted against it, the bailouts i roted against, we have differed, but one of the things they're trying to do and they are doing in states around the country where president obama is not very popular is try to tie the senators to hip. >> the guy with the crew cut and on the tractor. won't confuse you with a new york guy. we're watching "hardball." not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity,
5:55 pm
getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. free-credit-score-dot-com'sur boargonna direct you ♪ts ♪ ♪ to check your credit score before it gets too late ♪ ♪ and you end up strapped for cash ♪ ♪ patching your board with duct tape ♪ ♪ so hit free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ find out what credit's about ♪ ♪ or else you could be headed for a credit wipeout ♪ offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. standard keyless access, and standard leather-trimmed seats, then your choice is obvious. the lexus es. it's complete luxury in a class full of compromises. see your lexus dealer. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life
5:56 pm
with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaids, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing.
5:57 pm
ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. i was worried it would be hard to install. but it's really easy. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. yeah. you're not... filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. plug into the savings you deserve with snapshot from progressive. great! tyler here will show you everything. check out our new mobile app. now you can use your phone to scan your car's vin or take a picture of your license. it's an easy way to start a quote. watch this -- flo, can i see your license? no. well, all right.
5:58 pm
thanks. okay, here we go. whoa! no one said "cheese." progressive mobile -- insurance has never been easier. get a free quote today. >> let me finish tonight with this, bill clinton will play a big role in american politics for years as we say in politics, he has become the number one advance man. we saw the former president's readiness to help solid clinton people verses those who were not. helped katherine cane against path murphy, rewards and pay backs accordingly. the bounties for the other. i know what you know about this interesting dance the clintons
5:59 pm
have been having. hillary clinton served with high competence as secretary of state. bill clinton accepted whatever role accorded him. whatever hillary clinton may decide, it's clear bill clinton wants her to be president. the good thing, potentially in this tango between the clintons and obama, is that it did be played well. having the clinton people board the obama reelection campaign is a plus any way you look at it. combining the votes was the key to winning the election in 2008 and it will be begin in 2012. a smart move for the clinton's and obama will be to keep the peace in november. thank you for being with us, "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. welcome to "politicsnation," i'm al sharpton in burbank. do you recognize this face? look closely, it should wring a
109 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on