MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript

Interview

MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript

MR. MATTHEWS: Welcome back to the scene of the action here. We're right out here -- I didn't expect this, but we're at the Democratic Convention in Denver, but we're a full mile away from the Pepsi Center, but look at all the people out here. We've got a fight going on behind us here. We didn't set it up. (Cheers, applause.) It's between the pro-Hillary people who don't want to help Obama and the louder voices of the Hillary people who want to help Obama, and they're fighting it out between them out here.

We've got a new USA Today/Gallup poll. It shows that 30 percent of Clinton supporters do not support Obama. Another 20 percent support him but could change their minds. You know, let me get through these numbers. You know, we've got so many different kinds of numbers here. Look at the delegates. Let's take a look at the delegates.

Sixty percent of Hillary delegates support Obama enthusiastically -- let's get that number up there; look at that -- and 31 percent support him with reservations. Well, who doesn't support anybody with reservations? Only 5 percent -- in other words, this is not reflective, Senator Boxer, Senator Barbara Boxer of California, obviously, and Chris Van Hollen, the U.S. congressman and chairman of the Congressional Democratic Campaign Committee.

This is a small percentage of what? Because most of the delegates are with Barack, even the Hillary people.

SEN. BOXER: Well, most of the delegates are over at the convention.

MR. MATTHEWS: (Laughs.)

SEN. BOXER: We've got it started. We're going to make sure that Barack Obama and Joe Biden get elected. And I want to say, I'm sitting here listening to this, and what I'm thinking is this is not China. This is not the Olympics with China, where they put people in police cars. Good for them. Good for them.

MR. MATTHEWS: Yeah, freedom. Freedom! (Cheers, applause.)

SEN. BOXER: Yeah. Yeah. (Laughs.)

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Look, what we've got to do is channel all this good energy to making sure we do not have a third Bush term, because that's what this is all about, when it comes right down to it. (Cheers, applause.) And I think, at the end of the day, everyone, even that 5 percent, will understand that if they continue to divide the party, we're not going to be able to have the unity we need to make sure we don't have Bush III and we have Barack Obama.

MR. MATTHEWS: Let's take a look. Republicans, just like the Democrats, know how to fish in troubled waters. This is troubled waters, right? Look at the ad they're running now. It's apparently a very effective ad; I haven't seen it yet. This is a woman named Deborah and she's a Democrat, I guess, who is going to vote for McCain. So you take a look at this, vet this ad.

(Begin videotaped segment.)

MCCAIN SUPPORTER: I'm a proud Hillary Clinton Democrat. She had the experience and judgment to be president. Now, in a first for me, I'm supporting the Republican, John McCain. I respect his maverick and independent streak, and now he's the one with the experience and judgment. A lot of Democrats will vote McCain. It's okay, really.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ, presumptive Republican presidential nominee): I'm John McCain, and I approved this message.

(End videotaped segment.)

MR. MATTHEWS: Well, that was spontaneous.

SEN. BOXER: Oh, Chris --

MR. MATTHEWS: That was the most scripted, choreographed thing I've ever seen.

SEN. BOXER: Chris, we could do --

MR. MATTHEWS: Go ahead.

SEN. BOXER: We could do the same thing.

MR. MATTHEWS: Yeah.

SEN. BOXER: We could have someone get up there and say, "You know, I supported Mitt Romney against John McCain, and now I'm voting for Barack Obama." The thing is silly.

MR. MATTHEWS: Have you found that guy yet? (Laughs.)

SEN. BOXER: Absolutely.

MR. MATTHEWS: Is there such a guy?

SEN. BOXER: There's a lot of Republicans supporting our Barack Obama, a lot of independents. They're going to be heard at the convention. So, yes, we could do the same thing. This is no big deal. You're talking about 5 percent of Hillary's supporters.

And here's the deal. This woman in the ad says John McCain's a maverick? Excuse me. He voted with George Bush 100 percent of the time in '08, 92 percent of the time in '07. Let's get real. He's a zero on choice. He doesn't support equal pay for equal work. Any woman that gets up there and supports him has to say, "Why would you support someone who votes against equal pay for equal work?"

MR. MATTHEWS: Where's he on -- let me set you up here. Where's he on minimum wage?

SEN. BOXER: I don't think he's been for the minimum wage.

MR. MATTHEWS: He's not too good on minimum wage.

SEN. BOXER: He's a zero on labor issues.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: It's hard to imagine -- look, somebody who went into the booth and voted for Hillary Clinton is somebody who would support the Democratic agenda, who's a pro-choice candidate overall, who supports the economic agenda for Obama.

To turn around and say you're going to vote for John McCain is a total --

MR. MATTHEWS: Here's Hillary --

REP. VAN HOLLEN: But, I mean, it's falling into the trap that the McCain campaign is trying to set for some of these people, who are being --

SEN. BOXER: And, by the way, it's being exaggerated by the media, no question about it. I counted how many people are out here.

MR. MATTHEWS: Count 'em.

SEN. BOXER: There's 40 Hillary people, there's 50 Barack people and there's 20 McCain people. So --

MR. MATTHEWS: Well, as my father always said, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

Let's take a look at that. Here's what Hillary Clinton, the senator, said in response to this latest Republican ad exploiting some of this recalcitrance. Quote: "Now, I understand that the McCain campaign is running and trying to divide us. And let me state what I think about their tactics in these ads. I am Hillary Clinton and I did not approve that message. So let there be no mistake about it. We are united. We are united for change."

SEN. BOXER: All right.

MR. MATTHEWS: Chris Van Hollen.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, that's right. Look, I mean, Senator Clinton has been very clear, since the day she acknowledged Barack Obama had clinched the nomination, that our primary objective has to be to win in November, because if you want the old crowd that we've had for seven years back, yes, vote for John McCain. But if you want to support what Hillary Clinton stands for, you're going to be voting for Barack Obama, because their differences were minimal. They are together now. It would be great if all the people who supported Hillary would listen to her now as they listened to her during the primary.

SEN. BOXER: They should. I mean, we have to have someone elected who knows how many houses he owns, for God's sake. This is ridiculous. You're going to take John McCain, and this is a man who doesn't understand what the American dream is, thinks the economy is great. I just don't see it, for people who really want the dream for their families.

MR. MATTHEWS: How are we going to have this worked out this week? You've got Senator Clinton speaking on Tuesday night, former President Clinton speaking on Wednesday night. But in a way, they're going to arouse their supporters. Obviously there will be a lot of support out there -- crying, emotions. How do they direct that back to the advantage of the Democratic ticket, Senator?

SEN. BOXER: Well, I think you heard Hillary --

MR. MATTHEWS: It's a tough one.

SEN. BOXER: Look, I've lost an election in my life. It is very difficult.

MR. MATTHEWS: When's the last time you lost?

SEN. BOXER: Oh, I did -- the first time I ran. Okay, I know what it feels like. I know how my family felt. I know how my supporters felt.

MR. MATTHEWS: Right.

SEN. BOXER: But at the end of the day, it wasn't about me. It was about what the people need. And I think Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton understand that. They understand that we can't have eight more years of what we've had, or four more years or two more minutes.

MR. MATTHEWS: Senator Barbara Boxer, who hasn't lost an election in about a thousand years. Thank you, Senator Barbara Boxer. Thank you, U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen.

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