MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript

MR. MATTHEWS: We're joined right now by an Obama supporter, a great U.S. congresswoman from Florida, one of our favorites, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.

You know, let's just talk about the politics of this thing. It seems to me there's two states being targeted -- Pennsylvania and Florida. And the way that the Republican ticket, which is behind right now, is targeting is creating a kind of mystery around Barack Obama. Who are his friends? What's this with his middle name? Does he get money from overseas? Mystery, shrouding him in -- he's been around for two years; all we've done is look at the guy. What do you think of that strategy? Can it work --

REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, I --

MR. MATTHEWS: -- with older voters?

REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I think it's insidious, and I don't think it's going to work. I think people have seen Barack Obama for the last two years. I think that they understand that this is the politics of distraction. Voters want the candidates for president to talk about issues that matter to them right now. So we need to bring our troops home from this war that we're hopelessly mired in. We need to have universal health care. We need to have alternative energy. And talking about, you know, who the candidates are friends with and what they did yesterday or three days ago, that's not what voters --

MR. MATTHEWS: Are the grandkids really coming down to South Florida to talk their grandparents into voting for --

REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: (Inaudible.)

MR. MATTHEWS: -- Barack Obama? Is that really happening?

REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: It's really happening, because --

MR. MATTHEWS: (Inaudible) -- is such a cutie, and she's been pushing this thing. Is it working?

REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: It is. It is, because that generation, you know, the generation of my grandparents, is really respecting the opinion of their grandchildren. And it's so important for young people --

MR. MATTHEWS: Well, they've spent billions of dollars educating the kids and the grandkids. They ought to listen to them once in a while. What do you think?

REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yeah, absolutely. And they really want to see the next generation help this country move in a new direction. And I think they're going to --

MR. MATTHEWS: Who's going to win Florida, come November 4th?

REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Oh, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who -- (cheers, applause) --

MR. MATTHEWS: (Inaudible.) Thank you very much, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Thank you very much, Congressman.

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