♪♪♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF "THIS COUNTRY," CHRIS MATTHEWS.
IN THE BOOK, YOU'RE VERY CANDID ABOUT WHEN YOU LEFT "HARDBALL"
AFTER 20 YEARS, YOU HAD -- YOU WOULD REVEAL THAT YOU MADE
INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS ABOUT THE APPEARANCE OF A FEMALE
JOURNALIST, AND YOU WENT ON THE AIR AND YOU SAID, YEAH, I DID,
IT WAS THE WRONG THING TO DO, AND I'M OUT OF HERE.
DID PEOPLE AT THE NETWORK KNOW THAT YOU WEREN'T GOING TO FIGHT
THIS?
DID IT SURPRISE PEOPLE THERE?
>> WELL, THERE WAS A REPORT THAT I COMPLE MEND -- IT SHOULDN'T
SAY THAT -- I COMMENTED ON A PERSON'S APPEARANCE.
IT WAS A FOUR-YEAR-OLD STORY BUT IT WAS ACCURATE AS HELL.
I ACCEPTED THE TRUTH.
IN FACT I CREDITED IN A COUPLE OF COMMENTARIES, I SAID, IT'S
ALL TRUE, DON'T PLAME THE MESSENGER.
I DID IT, I OWN THIS, NOBODY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY TROUBLE, I
DID: I SAID SHE WAS RIGHT, THE REPORTER, AND I WANT EVERYBODY
TO KNOW WHO THINKS THEY'RE ON MY SIDE ON THIS.
MY SIDE IS THE TRUTH AND MY SIDE IS ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY.
I SAID IT.
I DON'T WANT ANYBODY FIGHTING FOR ME OR FIGHTING HER OR
ANYBODY ELSE.
I THINK YOU'VE GOT TO BE HONORABLE.
I ALWAYS TAKE CREDITED FOR BEING CANDID AND SAYING THINGS I
SHOULDN'T SAY.
BUT PART OF CANDOR IS BEING HONEST AND SAYING, YEAH, I DID
IT.
THE NEXT DAY I TOLD THE PRESIDENT OF MY NETWORK I'M
LEAVING, AND ON THAT MONDAY NIGHT, THEY LET ME GIVE A SPEECH
TO THE PEOPLE TELLING THEM I MISS THEM.
I DID AN OLD LINE FROM VICTOR, IT'S NOT GOOD BUY BUT TILL WE
MEET AGAIN.
AND I WANTED TO SAY THEM TILL WE MEET AGAIN.
I MISS PEOPLE.
PEOPLE COME UP AND SAY I MISS YOU.
I SAY I MISS YOU, TOO!
I WISH I WERE STILL ON THE SHOW.
BUT I'M 75.
SOONER OR LATER YOU HAVE TO WALK OUT THE DOOR AND CONCEDE THE
FACT YOU'RE OLD.
BUT OLD DOGS CAN LEARN NEW TRICKS AS TIPP O'NEIL AND I
SAID.
>> Stephen: A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT
CHRIS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE ELECTION.
WHAT NOVEMBER 5 WAS HEN POISONED THE NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS WITH
HIS CLAIMS AND THE 7th WHEN HE LOST.
HOW MUCH DID YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS ELECTION BECAUSE YOU
HAVE SUCH PERSPECTIVE ON THIS?
>> WELL, WE HAD A WONDERFUL TURNOUT.
WE HAD TO LOOK AT THE GOOD SIDE.
TRUMP GOT 74 MILLION VOTES BUT BIDEN GOT 8 IS MILLION.
71 MILLION VOTES IS NOT A SQUEAKER.
IT'S NOT LIKE NIXON, YOU COULD ARGUE ABOUT THE CHICAGO OR
TEXAS' COUNT, YOU COULD ARGUE ABOUT THAT.
HE SAT DOWN WITH JACK KENNEDY IN KEYBISCANE, FLORIDA, THEY HAD A
BOTTLE OF COKE AND TALKED ABOUT IT AND NIXON MADE IT CLEAR
KENNEDY WON.
AND THAT'S WHAT A NOBLE PERSON DOES AND TRUMP HAS NOT BEEN
NOBLE.
PART OF IT IS THE MAN HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF AMERICAN HISTORY,
NO LOVE FOR IT, HE DOESN'T KNOW THE RULES OF LIFE POLITICALLY.
I LOVE DEMOCRACY, OUR SYSTEM, I WORKED ON THE INSIDE, I PLAYED
THE GAME.
I WAS NOT A VIRGIN ABOUT IT, I KNEW HOW TO PLAY HARD BALL
POLITICS.
I PULLED SOME NUMBERS WHEN I TORQUED FOR TIPP O'NEIL.
I DID THINGS LIKE CALLING OUT THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE
REPUBLICAN LEADER WHEN HE WAS ATTACKING INFRASTRUCTURE AND I
GOT A LIST OF ALL BRIDGES BELOW SAFETY CODE AND TIPP WENT ON THE
FLOOR AND READ THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF THE BRIDGES IN
FRONT OF THE REPUBLICAN LEADER -- IN YOUR OWN DISTRICT,
THE SCHOOL BUSES HAVE TO DRIVE OVER THE BRIDGES THAT ARE
RICKETY AND DANGEROUS WHY DON'T YOU FIX THEM?
>> Stephen: WHY ISN'T SOMEBODY DOING THAT IN THE SENATE NOW?
>> POLITICS CAN BE TOUGH AND FUN AND HONEST AND I LOVED DOING
THAT.
IN THE MIDDLE TO HAVE THE NIGHT I ORGANIZED A UNION OF
STEELWORKERS TO GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE AT 4:00 IN THE MORNING AND
HAVE A BIG DEMONSTRATION AND I MADE SURE I HAD DONUTS AND
COFFEE FOR THEM IN CASE THEY SAID IT'S BOTH PARTY'S FAULT,
IT'S ONE PARTY'S FAULT.
>> Stephen: THE BOOK IS "THIS COUNTRY," FULL OF STORIES JUST
LIKE THAT FROM THE MAN CHRIS MATTHEWS.
BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY "CYNTHIA ERIVO.
♪♪♪