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tv   Hardball With Chris Matthews  MSNBC  September 17, 2010 5:00pm-6:00pm EDT

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trying to crush the candidate, they must be a valuable voice. the simplest explanation is the simplest. if it talks like a kook and walks like a kook, it probably is a kook. >> dylan ratigan will be back on monday. "hardball" with chris matthews starts right now. palin gives iowa a try. let's play "hardball." i'm chris matthews. tonight, the senator from delaware. christine of donnell this week, tells you how much the republican party has changed. at least for now. the grand old party is history. this week's primary voting has
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changed the calculus. if you're a classic lineup, well, if you're a classic line upthe endorsements republican like mitt romney, you've had a bad week. the candidate with a good week, sarah palin. this is her party now. the only question is what she wants to do herself. run or stand back on the sidelines. get out on the field or play quarterback or grab the megaphone as the party's number one cheerleader. the new story today was senate nominee christine o'donnell. she may win. she may not. in delaware, but progressives are poised to underestimate her. by the way, o'donnell was on "hardball" as far back as 2002 talking about the ten commandments. plus, jon stewart announced his
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rally to restore sanity in washington last night. can he do for liberals and progressives what glenn beck did for conservatives a week ago? three decades after kennedy challenged carter for the nomination, in 1980, carter says we could have had comprehensive health care reform in the '70s, but kennedy wanted to deny ca carter any success. do republicans think she's presidential? or even vice presidential material? just answer the question, please. let's start with this brave, new republican party and what it means for 2012. let's take a look at something pretty pa they will thetic. here's mitt romney. >> if only he had in fact been
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transparent and bipartisan, then perhaps he could have delivered on his promise of yes, we can. instead, we know all too well that no, he didn't. >> oh, my god. richard wolfe. >> it's so sad. >> he's a smart guy, a business guy, a good family man. trying to act like someone he isn't. he's not a raging rebel against the system. he's not a tea partier. >> if he tries a new character, which may be persona number five or six, he's going to have to stick to who he is. economic issues, which are his number one thing. that's what people care about. >> he was pro-choice, then said he was multiple choice. >> what do you make, you know more about, this fella. mitt romney trying to act like a
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crazy. a wild right winger which he's not. >> i think that you're right. that he really needs to stick to the economic issue. he could be pretty successful if he does that, if he goes after the president on the economy and really paints himself as who he is. someone who has a great background in finance, has been very successful in that. >> i don't know if that's what they're looking for right now. here's christine o'donnell tuesday night, thanking sarah palin, who endorsed her and really made her have a good chance to win that one in delaware. >> so, again, you betcha. there's another woman i got to thank. thank you, governor palin, for you endorsement. because she got behind -- she
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got behind us weary folks and gave us a boost of encouragement when we needed it and she was a vote against the politics of personal distraction. >> let's take a look at the national map to get a sense of how wide the power is. i think, of sarah palin. we got a map like in the election time. look at those greens. there's the primary picks and the green spots are where she picked a winner coast to coast. richard wolfe, that adds up to almost 50 candidates she had a big hand in helping out. when they lose, they can be even better help because they got nothing to do than help you. it's sometimes smarter. we're going to talk about jimmy carter later. he built a campaign by backing people that lost races. >> endorsements, old-style politics. in this new world, she can help raise money. she's mobilizing votes.
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the shocking thing is how much the republican party has failed to get republicans out to vote. >> turn out in delaware was great. >> the republican base is turning out with surges now. who established the best turnout models? george bush. the 2004, 2005 campaign. >> they were church people, too, as well. >> they're not speaking to them. whatever her success rate is, she has the mojo and she can make a difference. >> give me the report. who are the palin people? who are the palin people that can turn out and become christine o'donnell people? nikki haley people. how do you build this process? >> she has an incredible pull that is very successful. those people that support governor palin are very loyal to
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her. >> who are they? men, women? mostly women? >> no, i think it is both men and women. they're all over the country and they are really plugged into a lot of anger at the president. what's also interesting about her supporters, they are just so incredibly loyal to her. she can really do no wrong. everything. whether it be on monday when she's with bristowl on "dancing with the stars" or endorsing christine o'donnell, wh are the? >> yes. >> middle, working class, regular income people? right in the middle. >> i think so, too. obviously, the tea party people
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are supporting her people that identify themselves with as tea partiers. i think it's more than that. i think that she really -- what's interesting is when she arguably that she's running for president and when she starts that and goes to iowa and starts shaking hands and kissing babies, as they say, we'll really see her again on the
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trail and how saysful she is with that politicking. >> what percentage of her voters are right wingers, hard right, and how many are middle of the road, frustrated people? >> i think a lot of them are. i wouldn't know an exact percentage. they define themselves as social conservatives. they want smaller government. that's clear. concerns. let me go to you, richard. seems to me we're watching the picking process. picking nominees. it's always different than who's going to vote in november, but this year, i have a smell like you do. the people who are going to vote in november are like the ones who voted in the primaries. red hot and angry. >> the interesting thing is that sarah palin and make christine o'donnell dus this, too, she is one of the biggest motivators for people on the left. >> how do you know that works? >> once she was nominated to be vice presidential candidate, she raised $20 million for the obama campaign. there are reports now she's still being used successfully in democratic fund raising. >> for example, i know from
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talking to people -- and like many florida, i hear the reason south florida went against her was we got a theocrat running here. >> i suspect if the democrats have any sense about them, they'll do the same with o'donnell. >> can you scare people about that% right there if she's not coming to take over the country? >> in delaware, when you play those clips, write the mail-ins and write the 30-second ads, you bet. >> let's find out. try to keep open minds about this. let's look at november. let me go to you. it's your sense she will drive them into hysterics -- >> i think you're right that the people that are the most angry are the rmost angry are the run that are going to show up. they'll send out mailers and put palin's face on ads and i mean,
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i think they could be more successful if they do do that because as you said, i agree she does drive people on the left, but is it enough to get them out, i just don't know. in order for them to kind of stop the bleeding, they're going to have to do that. >> speaking of bleeding. got hot news tonight, late today. here's somebody who's not afraid of sarah palin. we learned that lisa murkowski will announce she's running a write-in campaign against miller, the guy who beat her in the primary, and also the democratic candidate. let me ask you about this. the fear is that murkowski and miller will split the share of the conservative vote. >> it's really difficult though. if she was running as independent -- >> apparently, you got to figure out -- >> they should be able to go. >> it's got to be that way it appears with the handwriting.
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>> it's tough. write-ins are always tough. >> well, the one advantage is that you can run a write-in campaign in a state like alaska. you've got to get the stickers out. teach people how to write the name the way they want it to appear. if they recognize the intent, another hanging chad thing. your thoughts, can a write-in candidate beat sarah palin's candidate in her hometown? >> i think that murkowski has a good shot. it will be difficult, but if you can do it anywhere, you can do it in alaska and as lisa murkowski. everybody knows her and her family up there and she does have wide support. even though those people -- i was up there in alaska, it was a gorgeous day. her supporters did not come out that day. a lot of them just didn't go to the polls, but i think they
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would come out in november for her. if there's anyone that can do it and in alaska, it's lisa murkowski. >> i think she's counting on democratic votes. she's going to do what crist was trying to do in florida. it may not be miller time in november. thank you for joining us. coming up, christine o'donnell has much of the appeal of snz and as was the case with palin, progressives should not under estimate there. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. [ 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?
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and it's reflected in the latest list of the ten senate seats most likely to flip parties. here's the top ten. ten, the state of washington. senator patty murray showing strength. number nine is california. barbara boxer and carly fiorina are no a tossup. number eight, wisconsin. and at number six, colorado with ken buck looking strong against bennett. we'll have the five most likely seats to switch later in "hardball." if you think all batteries are the same, consider this:
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no secret that there's been a rather unflattering portrait of me painted these days. i'm not counting on the national media to vote for me on november 2nd. i'm asking all of you to vote for me. >> that was christine o'donnell
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thursday at a candidate forum in delaware. she took center stage today at the values voters summit. she was the big story this week. we're joined by christina, a senior reporter for talking points, and politico's jonathan martin. let me start with you, jonathan. here's o'donnell today. in order to try -- and just look at this political phenomenon and see if it's real or not. here's christine o'donnell today. >> this is america. and the ruling class may try, but they will never have the last word on liberty. there's something about our national dna that insists on shouting at those who would be our masters, you're not the boss of me. the small elite don't get us.
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they call us whacky, wing nuts. we call us, we the people. >> well, you know, jonathan, i have to tell you, i am not unimpressed. your thoughts. >> yeah. she's got a natural stage presence. she makes a very good sell. and she's got a sort of palinesque to sort of frame this election as us versus them. she's definitely got some talent. >> who's the bad guy when she's talking? palin, you know who it is. >> liberal elites, the ivy league types. she is not running in alaska. she's running in a state that except for the southern tier, is mostly a northeastern-style, suburban urban place where
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voters are center or center left and it's going to be tough for her to win in that state just because of the underlying demographics of delaware, where in a primary, she could pull it off, in a closed primary, she could pull it off. when you've got those wilmington -- >> are you from california somewhere? >> the commonwealth of virginia. >> you don't seem like you're into northeastern ethnic politics. let me bring in someone who might be. christina, her name is o'donnell. first of all, there's a lot of people that live around wilmington with names like that and they're going to say she's not some whacky evangelist or colorado springs, she's not a family values type from out there. she seems like somebody i grew up with. there's a lot of appeal to that. >> and appeals to catholic
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voters as well. >> take a look here. here she is thursday. i'm just suggesting it's a little different than somebody from out west. i'd like to get back into that old neighborhood politics once in a while. let's take a look. here's o'donnell thursday, very conservative culturely.
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>> chris -- >> i'm sorry. >> i think we're heading in the wrong direction. we're increasing the size of government. >> this is not a mink coat republican here. she's not from the country club. her annual income last year was 5 k. when she's talking about a recession, she's living it. your thoughts. >> i hear what you're saying about her appeal in some of the old neighborhoods, but let's look at who they have elected in recent years. tom harper, mike castle. these are not bob brady style, corner politicians. >> you know, i could give you those facts and also say you have a chance. is this the old politics or new politician going on. we're watching this person, women, are now looking at gender, with some sympathy. >> she said this repeatedly, she would love a hillary clinton endorsement. she uses a lot of the same language as clinton.
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hard working. this was a theatre major in college and has studied successful female politicians. >> she's mimicking her like tina fey does? let's look back, you see this sort of candidate, here she was, i love this. friday night. back in 2002 on "hardball." remember the judge had the ten commandments in the courthouse. obviously, she was for the ten commandments. >> how do you make a constitutional provision with the state passing now law establishing religion. what does that mean to you? the constitution? >> that the nation will never say everyone has to be prod.
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when the founders crafted constitution, they were -- it's freedom of religion. not freedom from religion. and by the statue, it's not saying that everyone who comes into his courtroom has to bow down to the ten commandments. >> well, there's a lot of natural talent there. >> there absolutely is. >> she's been doing it a long time. >> i was going to say, i think she has shown the past few days that she has some natural chops when it comes to speaking. she's also raised a lot of money, chris. 1.5 million bucks since she won on tuesday. >> are the big shots going to get in there and help her like karl rove? >> that's the big question. is this group, are they going to go in there and spend money on philly tv, chris? which is very expensive.
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>> enormous. >> i don't know. >> if you live in delaware, sort of a media suburb of philly. >> and these guys can read polls just like any of us. >> i think jury is out on this candidate and those who look down on her are doing what she wants you to do. it works. because a lot more people are down than up these days. thank you. up next, senator jim demint has a goal for the next year in congress. total gridlock. you've got to give this guy credit. he says what he's going to do. destroy the u.s. government. ing. man, it would be a lot easier if we didn't have to weigh 'em all. if those boxes are under 70 lbs. you don't have to weigh 'em. with these priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. no weigh? nope. no way. yeah. no weigh? sure. no way! uh-uh. no way.
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clinton talked up his most cent high profile role. father of the bride. >> it's one of those passages in life that makes you feel like your child the finally, really grown. i love my son-in-law and i admire him and i wanted to do this wedding just the way she wanted it and it's my contribution to the economic stimulus. very fun. i was sort of surprised when the unemployment rate didn't drop after the wedding. >> former president's been making the rounds ahead of next week's clinton global initiative in new york. fox news protects its own. the networks just filed a lawsuit against democrat robin carnahan's campaign in missouri. carnahan put out an ad of her
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opponent getting hammered on fox. take a look. >> you just said a moment ago that you have to show that you're the party of reform. but some question whether you are the man to do that. in 2002, you tried to insert language into the homeland security act to help philip morris and your committees paid $400,000 to affirm link to lobbiests. are you the one to clean up the house? >> roy blunt, the very worst of washington. >> wow, i don't think chris wallace had that music playing while he was doing that interview. fox said the ad trying to make it look like he was endorsing carnahan. they said it will continue to air on tv. finally, senator jim demint, christine o'donne christine o'donnell expanded, quote --
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well, demint is demint. complete gridlock, shut down of government. give him credit for saying what he wants and saying it clearly. up next, jon stewart has an answer for glenn beck and sarah palin. he's hosting his own rally on the national mall. he's calling it the rally to restore sanity and he wants people to bring signs that say things like, i disagree with you, but i'm sure you're in the hitler. [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day.
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stocks inching higher at the
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end of another quiet day on wall street. the dow jones industrials adding 13 points. the s&p 500 up. vista's stuck in a holding pattern all week. the markets did extend their rally. all the major indy cease are higher. today, it was oracle leading higher. texas instruments also finishing in the green on plans to buy back another $7.5 billion in stock. financials were under pressure after regulators say they want banks to be more transparent. and the coal sector feeling heat.
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tonight, i announce the rally to restore sanity. it is happening, people. we will gather on the national mall in washington, d.c., a million moderate march, where we take to the streets to send the message to our leaders and our national media that says, we are here. >> well, i'll be there. that was comedy central's jon stewart who made big news last night when he mocked glenn beck by calling for his own event in washington on the mall on october 30th. the rally to restore sanity. it's real and geared for fans of jon stewart who are probably progressives and probably young, but not everybody. stephen colbert is staging an
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opposing march. >> you may be asking -- you may be asking yourself right now, but am i the right type to have person to go to this rally. the fact that you would even stop to ask yourself that question as opposed to just let's say jumping up, grabbing the nearest stack of burnable holy books, strapping on the diaper and pointing your car towards d.c., that means you just might be right for it. >> you're going get a three-day jump on this. he was a guest on colbert last night. willie geist -- there you are. you guys are stars of the new, hip culture, i understand. lawrence, are you going and then i'm going to ask willie, are you going and then i'm going to ask
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why. is it dangerous to take on glenn beck on a national, holy turf like this? >> oh, it's fantastic. i hope msnbc does wall to wall coverage of it every hour of the day that day. these guys are great. they really, you know, find the vulnerability points in all of our politician. they find exactly where the joke is and look, if jon stewart and steve get out there, they will forever change, i hope, the way we regard these different events that take place on the mall. some of them are a joke and should be regarded as a joke. and just because you locate your event at the mall, you know, we shouldn't take them all so seriously. i think we all kind of overplayed the importance or meaning of glenn beck's afternoon on the mall and now, let's have fun with jon stewart. >> willie geist, long before you
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were born, before you were a glint in your parent's eyes, i was at the march at the pentagon. i must tell you, it was fun. not only antiwar, it was fun. a good rally is fun. will this one be fun? >> i've never marched with mail or chris. i'll go out for a few laps, but i think only laps. this idea they're going to rally the democratic base, even by us talking about that makes their point. i'd be surprised if they don't play this clip of us. they're not out to get votes. they're out to get laughs. i think it's a lot to ask them to save harry reid's political life. the kids who went out to vote for him, they're not coming out in 2010. >> excuse me, but they're putting their butts on the line. you know what's going to happen. you could argue about crowd estimates and all you want, if
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that mall ain't covered, at least along the reflecting pool, the right wing will be crazy, trashing these guys. >> and if they do, that will play perfectly into comedy central's design. if the right wing or fox news wants to take this event seriously and if glenn beck wants to take it seriously as a you know, challenge to his domination, then great. that is exactly what jon stewart and stephen colbert are hoping for. you know, they know where the joke is. if that side of the world doesn't get it, that's fine with them. >> stewart showed some signs he made for the crowd. let's listen. >> we're going to have signs for you down there. if you don't have time, of course, you can bring your own, but here's a quick one. i disagree with you, but i'm pretty sure you're not hitler.
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how about this for dissatisfying yet nonidea logical among us. got confidence. you know, i noticed there's a lot of conspiracy rally stuff going on at these things. here's one. 9/11 was an outside job. perhaps this one is more to the point. i am not afraid of muslims, tea partiers, socialists, immigrants, gun owners, gays, but i am kind of scared of spiders. >> you know, i don't know how do you mix satire with emotion. i think he's going to be funny as hell down there, but suppose he gives us the best hour of the best material, then what? do people just laugh and go home? where's the emotion? is he going to say something passionately proprogressive,
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self-depp kating? >> i think it's of the extremes, whether on the left or right. he says he wants it to be about a moderate conversation. the one thing he has is this antiestablishment thing, that the government has let you down, financial institutions have let you down and the press has let you down. he is the front of this movement you see online. doesn't matter what he's for. he's a comedian out telling jokes. >> lawrence, at some point, they want purpose. >> i think he has an important purpose in what he's already announced. that simple point he makes where he's saying, i disagree with you, but i don't think you're hitler is a very welcomed insertion in the noisy dialogue we have now when there's all the questions of other people, labeling this person as that kind of monster.
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there's so much fighting going on back and forth, just by the use of the labels that don't allow you to listen to what the person's actually saying, so for him to say i disagree, here's what i think and i don't think you're hitler, is a very important point. if he can get that out of the day, there's a way to have disagreements without calling each other names, that's a successful thing. >> i don't think like these guys. >> neocon is a reasonably descriptive adjective. >> willie, scooter libby -- >> jon stewart is is not going to stop chris matthews from talking. >> you guys are really up for this? >> we're each other's date. lawrence and i are heading down for the weekend. >> the coolest social gathering
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in the world, there is not like a rally in washington when the grass is green and you walk out there, the weather's great, it's fall weather in d.c. it's perfect. so i'm going to boost this thing. he was really tough on me one time, jon stewart, and i like him. what can i say? >> chris, i just wish we could go to this thing with you and norman. >> well, you can go with me. i know you look up to guys like that. >> listen, chris, you're the only guy who can steal his own show. everybody else out there in the audience wants to listen to the rest of your story. take the rest of the show and tell us all about it. >> it will be in the next book. thank you. thank you. good luck with it. you're going to beat him by three days. and then thank you, lawrence, willie geist.
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lawrence's new show premiers monday, the 27th. great day to start. 10:00 eastern time. up next, jimmy carter versus ted kennedy. they're back again. the sunshine boys. carter says america would have had health care reform 30 years ago were it not for ted kennedy, who carter says blocked the president's proposals out of personal spite. we'll get into that when we return. this is "hardball." [ male announcer ] how can rice production in india, affect wheat output in the u.s., the shipping industry in norway, and the rubber industry, in south america? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex global economy. it's just one reason 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses, and other information to read and consider carefully before investing.
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♪ [ male announcer ] every business day, bank of america lends billions of dollars, to individuals, institutions, schools, organizations and businesses. ♪ working to set opportunity in motion. bank of america. well now to the five senate seats most likely to switch parties. these are going from d to r. number five, illinois, a toss upfor the seat once held by obama. number four, pennsylvania, where toomey leads sestak. number three, indiana, where dan coates looks like he'll win back his old job. number two, arkansas, where senator lincoln trails by double
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digits. and most likely to switch parties, north dakota. all ten are seats held by democrats. the republicans have a good shot to win. "hardball" returns after this. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro.
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♪ j-e-l-l-o ♪ j-e-l-l-o ♪ j-e-l-l-o [ child giggles ] the fact is that we would have had comprehensive health care now had it not been for ted kennedy's deliberately blocking the legislation that was proposed in '78 and '79. >> you blame teddy. >> it was his fault. >> just to spite you?
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that's the implication. >> that's the implication. he did not want to see implication. >> that's the implication. he did not want to see me have a major success in that -- nothing like. >> wow, welcome back to "hardball." that clip of president carter in "60 minutes" this weekend has revived an old and epic political rivalry. the new yorkers' joins me right now. he worked with carter administration as chief writer. i used to work for rich. there you are with a beard, rick. what makes jimmy carter keep doing this thing? ripping off the old scab, bringing back the old fight. >> yeah, chris you know it's what we used to call pure jimmy. pure jimmy. >> well, let me ask you. i want to read you something from the diary chirks think everybody like you and me are going to go nuts to try to look for the honesty of jimmy carter. quote, this is carter when he was president, i think going to bed at night and doing, this writing this up. quote, kennedy continuing his irresponsible and abusive
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attitude immediately condemning our health plan, he couldn't get five votes for his plan. give us an exigies of that. what was going on there? >> this isn't exactly new. he said essentially in fact almost word for word, the same thing in that memoir that he wrote of keeping faith and that came now the 1982, and it was based although partly -- over largely i guess of the diaries that are now being published. you know that was -- that was an emotional outburst. the truth is, really, that neither kennedy's plan nor carter's plan really there a chance of passage. that's what paul starr says in his book. and you know carter thought -- it happens to be true that by the time -- when carter did get around to proposing a comprehensive health care plan, it only took three or four hours for ted kennedy to come out and say, he was against -- he was going to vote against it and of course that made it dead in the water but it was probably going to be dead in the water anyway. >> let's talk about something
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good while you're on and i think that you're proud of this because you had a hand in it, and i am too to some less of an extent because i had less of a hand in it. here's president carpenter's farewell address. this is one of those farewell speeches which i think is going to stand the test of time. let's watch, let's listen to jimmy carter explaining why he wanted to be president and what he believed in. >> i want to lay aside my role as leader of one nation and speak to you as a fellow citizen of the world about three issues, three difficult issues. the threat of nuclear destruction, our stewardship of the physical resources of our planet, and the preemnanc of the basic rights of human beings for this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival, liberty is human rights, the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose
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resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. >> now he didn't have the moxie to perhaps be a great president in that way, but as a salesman he wasn't a great one, but his values. your thoughts now about those. you know nuclear proliferation, which still scares the heck out of us from iran, energy independence or dependents or facing now with fossil fuels and of course that bedrock of what we believe in human rights. >> yeah, that was the speech -- that was a speech to be proud of. i'll give you another example of pure jimmy, of course i have a copy of that writer that carter inscribed and wrote "not bad for a tenth draft." maybe we should have worked a little harder on earlier speeches and saved this one for four more years. >> and what do you make of that? what's that old jimmy all about about? he's still out there, sell his new book and his diary. the man was difficult to deal. he was not a team member. what was he? >> well you know, i love jimmy
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carter, i respect jimmy carter i revere jimmy carter but jimmy carter is kind of an irascible guy. he was then and he is now. maybe he's actually a little softer now than he was then, but that respect is something i never, never questioned or lost for him. and that speech really was a good one, i think, he laid out program essentially for his post-presidency and all of the things that he talked about were prothetic. >> okay, got to go, rick. maybe you can be as david mccullough. maybe it's time. time for this guy to be rediscovered. chief speechwriter with "the new yorker." the big problem looming inside of the republican party. will the establishment ever accept a hero of the tea party, sarah palin as an actual leader? 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®.
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let me finish tonight with a thought about the challenge facing the republican party. that challenge is sarah palin. there's no doubt in the world that she leads a powerful plirkts cal movement in this country, or that she carries tremendous clout in terms of picking republican candidates. when she speaks, she carries weight. if she endorses, it's like a shot of adrenaline in a campaign. but what about sarah palin herself? what about her as a candidate for national office? either president or vice president or in a major cabinet post, like secretary of state or defense? there's the rub.
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ask mitt romney. does he think deep down that sarah palin has the rights to lead this country in a troubling, complicated role? or ask tom pawlenty or the hopefuls for 2012. do they believe in sarah palin's abilities to lead this country in perilous times? to ask that, 3:00 in the morning call and make the right decision. do they buy all of this talk of hers that all that american needs in this second decade of the 21st century are commonsense, concertive solutions that a regular person with regular off-the-shelf answers can deal with the tricky, complexed questions of economics, science, and international relations now before the country? this is the problem for republicans. the person now leading the party in terms of popular influence can't pass muster. how can you win the love of the tea partiers if you can't believe in the presidential ability of their hero? would sarah palin make a good president as long as romney, pawlenty and