MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript

Interview

MR. MATTHEWS: Well, Senator Amy Klobuchar is a Minnesota Democrat. What do you make of your comments by your colleague, U.S. Congresswoman Bachman, that we ought to have a media investigation of the Democratic members of Congress, including the Senate for the possibly anti-American views? I mean, what do you make of that proposal?

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: You know, she was on as a McCain surrogate, Chris. And I just think it was an outrageous thing to say and I can tell you this it was the end of the week on a Friday and I didn't know that everyone was watching, but you just hit that hardball right out of the studio. It ended up in the middle of Minnesota --

MR. MATTHEWS: I'm just pitching. No, she hit it. I pitched it.

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: -- where we're having a political -- we're in the middle of a political earthquake here. A guy named Elwin Tinklenberg, who wasn't exactly a household name nationally, her opponent, has now gotten in nearly $1 million. He is a very solid guy. He's a pastor. He's got -- he's a former transportation commissioner of Minnesota and he is just flying high right now, and when running strong, volunteers showing up everywhere. People were really outraged by what she said and they're just tired of the divisiveness.

I think that Colin Powell said it best yesterday. He was asked specifically about this. And he says it's just nonsense. We need to unify. And this more than just coarsens our politics, it really hurts us in terms of our national stature with the rest of the world when we have leaders on TV saying things like that.

MR. MATTHEWS: Well, maybe former Senator Zell Miller will go out there with his confederate firearms and go out and help her. What do you think? (Laughs.)

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: You know, there's just -- again, there's just too much of this stuff going on, whether it is -- you know, people trying to divide Virginia geographically or people trying to use these hate calls. You know, it was McCain himself a few years back who said he didn't want to take the low road to the highest office in the land --

MR. MATTHEWS: Okay. Is this just desperation?

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: -- and sadly, we're seeing this over and over.

MR. MATTHEWS: I mean, let's look at this because you are a young person, incredibly successful political figure because you know how it works. Is this simply the desperation, shoot-them-up politics of a campaign that's not working -- the fact that every week it's a new charge?

They went after Barack Obama for being a celebrity, which I thought was interesting. Then they went after the "lipstick on a pig" line for days and days and days. Then they went after him for consorting with terrorists. In fact, they still got this robo-call out there blasting away that he works with domestic terrorists, blah blah blah. And then -- and now this: he's a socialist.

You come from Minnesota, which has that old sort of progressive tradition, the DFL of course, the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, a lot of Swedes and Norwegians that come in there that live in that state and believe in a bit of a strong role for government. Is socialist a bad word, a naughty word, or is it just fair play here -- fair game, I should say?

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: You know, first of all, let me say that I think -- to John McCain, I'd say people who live in seven houses shouldn't be throwing stones. And this name-calling, of course it's red meat. I mean, he's using it -- he's using it to try to cut down Barack Obama when Barack Obama is someone when you look at his economic plan, he believes in vigorous entrepreneurship in this country. He is talking about giving a tax cut to 95 percent of the people in this country. All he's talking about is we've got to pay for when we're going to do this and one way you pay for it.

MR. MATTHEWS: Okay. What does share the wealth mean if it isn't socialism? What's share the wealth? Is that Huey Long or what is it we're talking here?

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: What he's talking about is paying for what he's going to do and one of the ways he's going to pay for it is by rolling back the tax cuts and people making over $250,000 to the Clinton levels when we had -- may I add -- a time of great prosperity and a budget surplus. So all he's talking about is if we're going to give tax cuts to people -- and we should -- we've got to show how we're going to pay for it. I don't call that socialism. I call that smart. I call that fiscal responsibility.

MR. MATTHEWS: Okay. Let's take a look at what your candidate Barack Obama, Senator Obama had to say about what your colleague from Minnesota -- I'll call her that from now on throughout the show -- your colleague from Minnesota, Michelle Bachman.

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: Oh, thank you, Chris. Thank you for doing that.

MR. MATTHEWS: I want you to -- I want to tie you into her as well as they're tying what's-his-name into with Bill Ayers -- (laughing). Let's take a look. Just kidding.

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: Whatever.

MR. MATTHEWS: Let's take a look now about what your colleague, Senator Barack Obama, had to say today.

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: Okay, let's see it.

SENATOR BARACK OBAMA (D-IL) (Democratic presidential nominee.) (From videotape.) There are no real or fake parts of this country. We're not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this country. (Applause.) We all love this country no matter where we live, where we come from.

MR. MATTHEWS: Amy Klobuchar, Senator, you agree with that? Is that a fair defense of our nation? I don't even want to throw softballs at you. Let me ask you a question. Why does a guy got to defend himself against the charge that some of his people in his party are anti-American and require an investigation by the media, as if we got all this investigative firepower to throw up on Capitol Hill and go through each member's dossier and find out who's really working against the interests and values of this country or not?

SEN. KLOBUCHAR: You know, I'm scared. I'm scared, Chris. But let me tell you this. I think what Michelle Bachmann did here was really hand Barack his own message, because what he had said from the beginning -- no such thing as Red State, Blue State, we're one country. What he did here was simply reiterate what he had said from the minute he hit the national stage, that has been what he's talked about, bringing people together. He thinks there's too much divisiveness in this country. They're trying to divide us more, time and time again, whether it's the hate calls, whether it's saying there's one part of the country that's really true American and one that isn't, it's outrageous.

And here's the thing is American people are sophisticated. They're smart. They're seeing through it and that's why you see Barack doing so well right now, because he has kept to a very focused economic plan with people supporting him like Warren Buffet. Last time I checked they don't think he was a socialist, Chris. He's got people supporting him who are businesspeople who are successful that know we have to get this economy going again.

MR. MATTHEWS: Thank you, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

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