BIG BOARD. AND IN DETROIT AT THE SPIN ROOM
CHRIS MATTHEWS, THE HOST OF
"HARDBALL."
"HARDBALL." CHRIS, I’D LIKE TO START WITH
YOU BECAUSE HOME FIELD HAS ITS
ADVANTAGES.
ADVANTAGES. AS A NATIONAL DEMOCRAT SAID TO
ME AFTER WATCHING ALL THIS, "I
HOPE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE
DOING."
DOING." >> WELL, LAST NIGHT REMINDED ME
OF BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE
SUNDANCE KID WITH ELIZABETH
WARREN AND BERNIE SANDERS AS THE
TWO MAIN CHARACTERS FIGHTING OFF
THE BOLIVIAN ARMY.
TONIGHT IT WAS MORE LIKE
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS.
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS. I MEAN, THERE WAS VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN TIED DOWN AFTER ROPE AFTER
ROPE FOR HIS LONG POLITICAL
CAREER.
CAREER. HE HAD TO DEFEND EVERY ELEMENT
OF IT GOING BACK, AS MICHAEL
BENNET SAID, 50 YEARS ON ISSUES
LIKE BUSING.
LIKE BUSING. IT WAS VERY HARD FOR HIM TO PLAY
DEFENSE.
DEFENSE. BUT HE HAD A COUPLE OF ALLIES
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. I WAS SURPRISED.
ON THE ISSUE OF OBAMACARE FOR
ALL HE WAS JOINED ON THAT ON HIS
SIDE AGAINST IT BY MICHAEL
BENNET AND BY TULSI GABBARD, WHO
WERE VERY STRONG IN HIS DEFENSE.
AND ON THE ISSUE OF
DECRIMINALIZING BORDER CROSSINGS
FOR THE SOUTHERN BORDER HE HAD A
COUPLE OF DEFENDERS ON THAT
ISSUE AS WELL.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD
DIVIDED FIGHT TONIGHT.
AND I THOUGHT LIKE LAST NIGHT
THE ISSUES WERE BORDER,
DECRIMINALIZATION OF ILLEGAL
ENTRY AND OF COURSE MEDICARE FOR
ALL.
ALL. THOSE ISSUES.
THOSE ISSUES. I THOUGHT THOSE WERE PARALLEL
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. AND I THINK HE HAD SOME
SUPPORTERS.
SUPPORTERS. BUT TONIGHT IT WAS CLEAR THAT
OVER AND OVER AGAIN HE WAS
PLAYING DEFENSE.
PLAYING DEFENSE. AND THE HARDEST THING FOR HIM TO
DEFEND IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE
POLITICALLY WAS THE
DEPORTATIONS.
DEPORTATIONS. I THOUGHT HE WAS HIT VERY HARD
ON, THAT ON THE QUESTION OF
DOUBLE TALK BECAUSE HE SAID IT
WAS WRONG FOR HIS OPPONENTS --
FOR GILLIBRAND TO CHANGE HER
VOTE BECAUSE OF THE ELECTION.
AND RIGHT OUT OF NOWHERE HE GOT
HIT ON THE FACT THAT HE WAS
CHANGING HIS VOTE ON THE HYDE
AMENDMENT, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO HE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE COMING
AT HIM FROM SO MANY DIRECTIONS I
THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HARD FOR
HIM TO BE A SUCCESSFUL GOALIE
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. AND I’M SURE -- BUT I WILL SAY
ONE THING.
ONE THING. HE WAS 100% BETTER BUT MAYBE
200% BETTER THAN HE WAS IN THE
FIRST DEBATE.
FIRST DEBATE. HE SEEMED TO BE AWARE HE WAS IN
A DEBATE, WHICH IS A START FOR
HIM.
HIM. AND I THOUGHT HE WAS RECITING A
LOT OF STUFF.
IN FACT, A LOT OF TIMES WHEN HE
GOT TO THE END OF HIS TIME IT
WAS LIKE HE RAN OUT OF HIS
RECITATION RATHER THAN HIS
THOUGHT.
THOUGHT. I DON’T THINK THAT LOOKED TOO
GOOD.
GOOD. >> CHRIS, AS YOU KNOW, ALL OF
THESE TAKE ON THEIR OWN
CHARACTER.
CHARACTER. BY TOMORROW MORNING THESE EVENTS
HAVE A FUNNY WAY OF DEVELOPING
WITH A BOOST FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
THEIR OWN STORYLINE.
WE WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND
WILLIAMSON WAS HAVING HER
MOMENT.
MOMENT. AS WE GO TO BED TONIGHT, WHO DO
YOU THINK IS GOING TO GET THAT
MOMENT AMONG THE NAMES THAT
DIDN’T COME UP IN OUR INITIAL
RUN-THROUGH?
RUN-THROUGH? IS IT AN INSLEE?
IS IT A YANG PERHAPS?
O’.
O’. >> WELL, I THOUGHT CORY BOOKER
HAD A PRETTY GOOD NIGHT.
I THINK HE TOOK HIM ON.
I THOUGHT AS USUAL DE BLASIO,
THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK, KEPT
TAKING THESE LONG SHOTS AT HIM.
I DON’T THINK THEY WERE THAT
EFFECTIVE.
EFFECTIVE. I THINK TONIGHT -- I’M NOT SURE
THERE’S A BIG WINNER TONIGHT
LIKE LAST NIGHT.