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December 16, 2013
Guest: Ryan Grimm, Clarence Page, Alexander Burns
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST: Boehner quits the clown car.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews, back in Washington.
"Let Me Start" tonight with this, the difference between being a child and
being a grownup. That`s a big difference. It`s a difference in stage in
life but also of job description. I got it from Charles Schulz, that
wonderful guy who created "Peanuts."
Here`s the deal. If you`re a kid, you get to sit in the back seat and
fight. We`ve all heard it. And believe me, we`ve all done it. She`s
sitting on my side. She just touched me. He just touched me. I`m hungry.
When are we getting there? I`m car sick.
That`s the kid`s job, just sit back there blaming and complaining.
What`s the grownup`s job? Well, first of all, to sit up front, make the
car payments, keep up on the registrations and driver`s licenses, pay for
the gas, pay for the insurance, and most important, know where the hell
you`re going and how to pay for it when you get there.
Well, last week, the speaker of the House, who spent the last months and
years speaking for the kids in the back of the car, spoke like a grownup
and said, I`ll drive the car, but I`m not going to drive a crazy car, damn
it. I`m the speaker of the House. I`m second in line to the American
presidency, not the Mad Hatter of the Tea Party. That`s what he said.
Howard Fineman`s the editorial director of the Huffington Post Media Group
-- and he`s chuckling already, I like that -- and an MSNBC political
analyst . And Joy Reid is also happy with my words. She`s managing editor
of TheGrio, of course, and an MSNBC contributor.
It does seem strange that Boehner -- here`s a reminder, by the way, of John
Boehner, what he said last week and surprised us all, finally taking on the
Tea Party and those way-outside groups that have consistently tried to
thwart Boehner`s leadership job itself.
Let`s watch.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, frankly, I think
they`re misleading their followers. I think they`re pushing our members in
places where they don`t want to be.
And frankly, I just think that they`ve lost all credibility. You know,
they pushed us into this fight to defund "Obama care" and to shut down the
government. Most of you know -- my members know -- that wasn`t exactly the
strategy that I had in mind. But if you`ll recall, the day before the
government reopened, one of the people -- one of these groups stood up and
said, Well, we never really thought it would work.
Are you kidding me! Now, there just comes to a point when some people step
over the line. You know, when you criticize something and you have no idea
what you`re criticizing, it undermines your credibility.
MATTHEWS: Well, this weekend, "The New York Times" reported that his, the
speaker`s, criticisms of those groups in private to House Republicans was
even stronger. According to people in the meeting, Speaker Boehner said
about the groups, quote, "They are not fighting for conservative
principles. They are not fighting for conservative policy. They are
fighting to expand their lists, raise more money and grow their
organizations, and they are using you to do it. It`s ridiculous."
Powerful stuff, Howard.
HOWARD FINEMAN, HUFFINGTON POST MEDIA GROUP, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.
MATTHEWS: He`s fighting them and they`re fighting back.
FINEMAN: And having talked to Republicans who know him and talk to him,
this was both a plan and an emotional response by the speaker. He`d had
it. He`d just had it. And the effect was galvanizing. It`s almost as
though when he said it, a spell was broken, and a lot of people who
otherwise were hanging back took their lead from him and said --
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: -- and said, Enough. Now, how long that will last? Who knows?
But for the time being, the fact that he was the adult in the front of the
car and told the kids in the back to shut up --
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: -- had an effect, had a real galvanizing effect in Congress, as
few things have done in the Republican leadership in recent months.
MATTHEWS: It`s Al Roker said in one of his books, Don`t make me stop the
car, Joy.
MATTHEWS: Don`t make me stop the car. And I think we just saw the car
stop there. And he said, These clowns have humiliated me, ridiculed --
made me into one of them.
JOY REID, THEGRIO, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: No, absolutely --
MATTHEWS: I`m not going to be the Mad Hatter of their Tea Party anymore.
And I`m wondering, is this the long-protected -- or projected Republican
civil war on the right, where what`s left of the moderate Republican Party,
what`s left of it, outnumbered or not, takes on the crazies.
REID: And Chris, what you call the moderate --
MATTHEWS: Is it?
REID: -- Republican Party is the conservative Republican Party. Look, I
think -- you know, and the reason I liked your analogy is, I mean, I have
three kids. I`ve been on those car rides and I know it can be tough to --
with the chorus on the back trying to tell you how to drive.
The reality is, is that Boehner has been trying in his own way to represent
his members. And this is what his members have been up against, groups
that are funded by -- you know, groups like Heritage Action, run by Jim
DeMint, who wasn`t exactly Mr. Popularity when he was in the Senate anyway,
groups like Grover Norquist`s Club for Growth, groups that specialize in
primarying Republicans, not going after Democrats, primarying their own
And there are a lot of members who`ve been really governing in terror
because they`re afraid these groups are going to throw up a primary
challenge. They`ve been forced to do things like go for this government
shutdown. And they`ve really had the Senate -- people like Ted Cruz
telling them what to do.
I think that there`s been a lot of frustration boiling up in the caucus
because when you hear the speaker voicing that kind of frustration, that`s
also coming up to him from other members who are saying, I got to go home
and tell people at reelection time that I`ve done something, anything.
Let`s not just shut the government down.
MATTHEWS: Yes, well, let`s take a look. Well, other Republican leaders
ask the question, Back Boehner up or go after him? So far, it doesn`t seem
so. Here`s what Paul Ryan told a Wisconsin radio station. And by the way,
here he is talking back home, which is very important. Here he is not
exactly backing up his leader.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), FMR. VICE PRES. CANDIDATE: I don`t think it`s that
serious. I think John got -- his emotions got ahead of him a little bit.
I credit the Tea Party with helping us get our -- get our mojo back,
getting fiscal conservatism back into the Republican Party.
MATTHEWS: Kiss, kiss. Anyway, that echoes what he said this weekend on
"MEET THE PRESS." Let`s watch him -- boy, this is -- this is playing to
both sides. Here he is, sort of being nice to his leader, but not really.
Here`s Paul Ryan skipping off the reservation here.
RYAN: I think John just kind of got his Irish up. He was frustrated that
these groups came out in opposition to our budget agreement before we
reached a budget agreement.
I was frustrated, too, but I think these are very important elements of our
conservative family. I would prefer to keep those conversations within the
MATTHEWS: I couldn`t believe Patty Murray`s face looking at the guy right
there (INAUDIBLE) she didn`t like that character.
Anyway, also today, Congressman Jeb Hensarling of Texas said he was sorry
Boehner took the whole thing public. Look at how these guys are heading
over to the Tea Party. Let`s watch Hensarling.
REP. JEB HENSARLING (R), TEXAS: We all need to be held accountable, but at
the same time, you know, politically, you ought to be focused on the
president and Harry Reid and those kind of folks. So you know, I think
most of us are pulling for the same thing. And yes, I thought the
speaker`s comments were a little bit unfortunate.
MATTHEWS: Howard, these guys are all jumping away from him. You know,
they`re more scared of the crazy right back home at the next Tea Party
meeting -- I always say the loudest guy in the back row is more their
leader than Boehner is.
FINEMAN: Well, I think the interesting thing is going to be watch what
Speaker Boehner does. I don`t anticipate, from talking to people who know
him well and who watch him a lot, that he is going to take the spell-
breaking outburst of the other day and continue that as a strategy all the
way along.
In other words, I do not think this is the beginning of an all-out war
between Speaker Boehner and people within his own caucus. I don`t see that
at all. I think this is where he said, You guys forced me into shutting
the -- into the government shutdown threat. I didn`t want to do it. And
this is the makeup call for that. I`m not going for it this time around.
I think he is still concerned enough that he`s not going to be in open war
with these people at all, and they know it, and they`re --
MATTHEWS: Why not? Why is he afraid of them? Because he obviously
doesn`t like them.
FINEMAN: He doesn`t like them, but he can`t -- if he`s in open war with
them, he can`t do his job as speaker at all. The only way he seemed to
have done his job is by basically doing their bidding for most of the last
MATTHEWS: How many House Republicans are there, 20?
REID: Yes, there`s -- no, there`s more than that, 232, I believe --
MATTHEWS: OK, well, that`s how many seats they won. But anyway, they got
vacancies. And there`s what, how many Tea Party people, do you think?
FINEMAN: Oh, I think -- I think, functionally, 70 maybe --
MATTHEWS: So it`s that many.
FINEMAN: -- 78. Yes, I think so.
MATTHEWS: SO he`s -- but doesn`t he outnumber them?
FINEMAN: Yes, but all the others are afraid -- all the others are looking
over their shoulder at the ones who are the activist Tea Party people
MATTHEWS: This is -- this is the tail wagging the dog. Joy, get in here.
REID: No, I --
MATTHEWS: Because this is -- this is just something to watch. Why do the
70 dominate the other -- the rest of the 230?
REID: Well --
MATTHEWS: What`s this about? We`ve been watching this thing on this show
for a couple of years now, watching the tail wag the dog --
REID: Right.
MATTHEWS: -- and the dog`s yelling back at the tail now. And now he`s -
- according to Howard, who`s knows this stuff well, he`s more afraid of the
tail. He respects the tail more than his own head!
REID: Well, because --
MATTHEWS: This is weird!
REID: Well, for one thing because you still have a couple of months yet
when you don`t have primary deadlines closing yet. I think if you were
closer to the time when it was too late for people to get into a primary,
people could be a little braver. But at this point, people could still get
MATTHEWS: I see.
REID: I mean, you`re seeing people like Cornyn get a primary. You`re
seeing people like Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader getting a
primary. So people always have their eyes on those deadlines.
And the second thing is, these groups are terrible at winning special
elections because they put up such out-there candidates. But they`re
pretty good at raising big, fast money to run primaries. And a lot of the
people, even you`re not in the 70s, they`re afraid of attracting attention
because if you attract the attention of one of these outside groups, they
can pour substantial money into a primary race against you, get some Tea
Party leader to run against you, and they`re all terrified of that. So
even the ones --
REID: -- who privately may feel like they --
MATTHEWS: So --
REID: -- hate this, they`ve got to go on.
MATTHEWS: Joy, is it your bet -- then back to Howard. Is it your bet that
he`s going to tuck it in again?
REID: I think --
MATTHEWS: And he`s going to back (ph) and say, Never mind, I didn`t mean
to say something so mean.
REID: I think --
MATTHEWS: I`m really afraid of you guys.
REID: Yes. I think after the budget fight, you`re going to see the next
big chance for him to stand up is going to be on immigration. I am not --
MATTHEWS: I never thought that.
REID: I do not think he`s going to stand up to them. He`s not going to
stand up to them. He`s going to go back in a crouch.
MATTHEWS: He`s not going to schedule that vote. They don`t want that vote
scheduled --
REID: They don`t want it.
MATTHEWS: -- he`s not going to schedule it. Not on path to citizenship.
FINEMAN: This is my point, Chris. This is a -- to some extent, it`s a
one-off. The other thing that you don`t see is a truly organized effort by
John Boehner, by Karl Rove, by the Chamber of Commerce, by all the, quote,
"establishment Republicans" to counter the focus and rigorousness of the
Tea Party people.
REID: Exactly.
FINEMAN: It`s sort of like the NRA against --
MATTHEWS: OK, let`s not get so establishment here in our thinking
(INAUDIBLE) analysis because I`m with you. But I also step back to my gut
sense of politics, which is what word do you want to yell really loud right
now if you`re a Republican? Yes or no?
FINEMAN: No, I know what --
MATTHEWS: I think they want to yell no. And that`s why I think when they
go into a primary, they want to say no to any --
REID: That`s right.
MATTHEWS: -- name-brand Republican, any establishment position, the
easiest, guttural gut -- gut way of saying something else (ph). You know
what I feel? No!
MATTHEWS: And Boehner`s trying to say yes.
FINEMAN: I was fascinated -- I was fascinated by the fact that he said
there in that sound bite, I didn`t want to shut the government down. I
think he even said I didn`t want to -- I didn`t want to end "Obama care."
That was the phraseology he used.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: The way forward to join the two parts of the Republican Party is
to focus on "Obama care."
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: And that`s -- if they can do that, if they can get the Tea Party
people and the establishment people to focus on the dismantling of "Obama
care," that is the Republicans` "no" theme for 2014.
MATTHEWS: I don`t think they`ve got a lever to do that, though.
REID: No, they --
MATTHEWS: Do they.
REID: And then they`re going to get sidetracked --
MATTHEWS: They`re going to go fight over debt ceiling --
REID: They`re going to fight over immigration, too. They`re going to get
sidetracked --
MATTHEWS: Yes, I don`t think --
REID: -- into the unattractive no --
MATTHEWS: -- they`re going to (INAUDIBLE)
REID: -- which is on immigration.
FINEMAN: Right.
MATTHEWS: We got to go. This is going to be a hot fight this year. I`m
still waiting to see whether Boehner`s going to be a stand-up guy or not.
I`m sorry, that`s not a sexist comment -- stand-up person. Is he going to
stand up to these enemies of his that have made fools out of him? Will he
be the Mad Hatter anymore? Anyway, we`ll see.
Howard Fineman, thank you, Joy Reid. See you soon.
Coming up, march to madness. The best evidence that Republicans are
willing to take the American economy hostage again. Paul Ryan says the
party will see what it can get by threatening default. And he`s supposed
to be the moderate among the redhots.
Anyway, plus, another sign that if you`re a conservative, you can`t be
against the affordable health care act enough. A Republican state senator
said the law has done more damage to the U.S. than the Nazis, the Soviets
and the terrorists combined. And that wasn`t even the weirdest Republican
remark about the law this weekend.
Also, it sounded crazy at first, the idea that New Jersey governor Chris
Christie would purposely cause an epic traffic jam on the George Washington
Bridge to punish a mayor on the Jersey side who didn`t support him. But as
crazy as it sounds, is it true or not?
And "SNL" declares open season on the selfie seen around the world, of
course, that one with David Cameron, the prime minister of Denmark and
President Obama.
And this is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Well, the 2016 Iowa caucuses are still two years away, but we`ve
got an early look at how caucus goers rate the probable field, thanks to a
new "Des Moines Register" poll. Catch this. On the Republican side, Iowa
Republicans love Paul Ryan. He`s viewed favorably by 73 percent of
Republicans, three quarters, versus just 10 percent who view him
unfavorably. They also like Mike Huckabee, who last week said he may be
open to another presidential run. Two thirds view Huckabee favorably, less
than one fifth unfavorably.
Different story for Ted Cruz. Less than 50 percent of Iowa Republicans
view him favorably. And Chris Christie doesn`t fare that well, either,
with the highest unfavorables among Republicans in the entire poll. I
guess he`s too East Coast.
On the Democratic side, Iowa`s ready for Hillary. Nine in ten Iowa
Democrats view her favorably versus just five percent who view her
unfavorably. Boy, that shows who`s leading the pack there.
And we`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. The march to madness -- after taking
it on the chin in the polls during the government shutdown, Republicans,
some of them at least, are finally giving up the kamikaze tactic to destroy
the government. Some of them.
Last week, the House passed a two-year budget agreement which paves the way
for a shutdown truce. And the Senate`s expected to give the legislation
the go-ahead later this week, perhaps tomorrow, though just barely.
But with the threat of a government shutdown likely off the table this
year, the far right is lining up an even bigger hostage, and it`s a
familiar one, the American economy.
Speaking with FOX News`s Chris Wallace, Paul Ryan, the architect of this
budget deal, for this Christmastime, made one thing clear. Republicans
aren`t backing down one bit. In fact, they`re gearing up for an even
bigger fight over, you guessed it, the debt limit.
CHRIS WALLACE, HOST, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY": Are you going to demand more in
return for raising the debt ceiling?
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), FMR. VICE PRES. CANDIDATE: We as a caucus, along
with our Senate counterparts, are going to meet and discuss what it is we
want out of the debt limit. We don`t want nothing out of this debt limit.
We`re going to decide what it is we can accomplish out of this debt limit
One of the problems or concerns I have with the debt limit is we don`t know
when it`s going to hit. Jack Lew, the Treasury secretary, has ultimate
discretion on when this could occur. So the timing of this is very much in
MATTHEWS: Well, if the debt limit is not raised, experts project that the
government could default sometime between March and June, which also
happens to be the heart of Republican primary season in the U.S. Senate.
Look at this calendar of events. John Cornyn`s Texas primary is in early
March. Mitch McConnell`s Kentucky primary is May 20th. Thad Cochran`s
Mississippi primary date is penned for early June. And Lindsey Graham`s
South Carolina primary is scheduled for just a few days later. So they`re
all in hot water in those states.
David Corn is the Washington bureau chief of "Mother Jones" and Ryan Grimm
in the Washington bureau chief for the HuffingtonPost. Both are, of
course, MSNBC contributors.
Let`s start, David, then we`ll go to Ryan. This is an interesting
combination. We think this is going to be a smooth season getting through
the holidays. But they`re already lining up for the big gunfight at the OK
corral, if you will. Sometime between March and later in the spring, they
could shut down -- well, shut down the American economy if they go over the
And these guys say they don`t want to do it. They all say it, but then
they all say, We`re going to threaten to do it right in the middle of the
time that Mitch McConnell is worried about being defeated, Thad Cochran is
worried about getting defeated, Cornyn`s worried about -- so they`re all
tending to go to the right, which means shutdown, which means in this case
DAVID CORN, "MOTHER JONES," MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. You know, it
kind of reminds me of "Godfather Part 3," when Al Pacino says, Every time I
get out, they pull me back in.
What`s pulling them back in is the gravitational force of the Republican
Party, which is still on the crazy side of the ledger.
CORN: -- you know, those states that you went, but throughout the board.
So while -- you know, I saw Jack Lew the other day, and I asked him if the
-- you know, if the budget agreement means that maybe there won`t be a
default fight. He says, Well, I think it shows that they`re learning.
Now, maybe John Boehner and people in Washington are learning, but
nothing`s changing that much at the grass roots yet. So there still is a
lot of pull on these guys to disrupt, to force Obama to his knees, to take
hostages, and go through the same rigmarole that we`ve had before. That
hasn`t changed, particularly when you have these primaries coming up --
MATTHEWS: Well, wait a minute! Let`s talk (INAUDIBLE) Do the Republicans
agree they screwed up with the shutdown? Yes, right?
CORN: Well, most of them do --
MATTHEWS: But no --
CORN: -- but not all of them.
MATTHEWS: They don`t seem to have agreed that they screwed up with
bringing this country to fiscal default. That doesn`t seem to scare them
because they didn`t actually do it. They actually did shut down the
government and paid the price for it. But they didn`t -- Ryan, they didn`t
actually default on the debt, so they haven`t paid the price yet.
I`m afraid it`s one of those things where we`re going to walk right up to
the cliff, and one of these times, we`re going to go over it and suffer
permanent damage to American fiscal credibility, which we`ll pay for for
centuries in terms of increased interest payments and the fact that nobody
wants to invest in our country, or Chinese people not want to keep our
paper any longer.
GRIM: That may be inevitable down the road, but I don`t see that happening
on this --
MATTHEWS: You don`t see them going this far?
GRIM: Not in the next few months, because I don`t think you can take
anything Republican leadership, including Paul Ryan, take seriously now
before the budget deal is inked.
He can`t go on --
MATTHEWS: You think this is just a payoff to crazies?
GRIM: Yes. Well, he can`t go on TV right now and say, OK, we`re going to
cave on this budget deal and then, oh, by the way, we`re also caving three
months from now. He has to say, oh, yes, we might fight down the road.
MATTHEWS: Is he that smart?
GRIM: Yes. Yes, oh, I --
MATTHEWS: Is that political?
MATTHEWS: I thought he was an ideologue. He didn`t think like a
CORN: Well, this is pretty obvious, because he knows that there`s a lot of
dissatisfaction on the right. Whether he`s running for 2016 for the -- in
Iowa or not, he and the party still has to deal with this.
CORN: So, it`s a very easy thing at this point -- Ryan is right -- to say,
well, we`re going to be firm on that, until we get to that point.
MATTHEWS: Well, the only problem is there`s sort of a rejectionist wing of
the party that doesn`t accept climate change, evolution or a debt default.
MATTHEWS: Look at this. There`s a whole class of Republicans out there on
the record now who have said that the consequences of default are about as
real as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.
That includes red-hots and Tea Party types like Justin Amash, Mick
Mulvaney, Joe Barton. These are all members of Congress -- David
Schweikert. It also includes those on the fringe on the fringe, like Steve
King and Ted Yoho, whose name has been shortened, as well as senators like
Mike Crapo, Tom Coburn, Pat Toomey, and Rand Paul.
Ryan, there are people out there that think that somehow you default and it
doesn`t screw up the American economy, when every sane person says it does.
GRIM: And you will have plenty of no votes on this upcoming debt ceiling
And whether or not we ever go off the cliff has to do with how this fight
within the Republican Party eventually unfolds. But, right now, leadership
feels -- feels confident. You have listed a lot of the primary dates. And
a lot of folks do have primaries.
And they can vote no in the upcoming. But there are enough Republicans
that can vote yes and move it through. But the key part about primaries is
that there won`t be enough time for somebody to get on the ballot if
there`s a no vote in, say, the middle of March. If your primary is in
March or in April and you haven`t started a campaign yet, you don`t have a
threat. So, there are plenty of Republicans who will see it as a free
vote, because they won`t face a real threat for another two years.
MATTHEWS: And that`s when they realize they don`t have a primary opponent.
CORN: They want to talk about Obamacare. They think it`s good for them.
MATTHEWS: They don`t want to talk about this.
CORN: No, they don`t want to talk about this.
GRIM: Right.
CORN: So if they do bring the government to the brink again four months,
five months before the general election, that could really be bad for the
Republican Party.
MATTHEWS: I think some of these leaders are talking out both sides of
their mouth.
CORN: Of course.
MATTHEWS: Like Ryan, for example.
Just a few weeks ago, Republican leaders like Boehner and Mitch McConnell,
even wacko birds like Ted Cruz, were warning about the perils of a default.
And just a sampling from Boehner, McConnell and Cruz, here it is, during
the October debt limit, listen to them tell -- this is when they say it`s
for real. Don`t screw it up. Don`t go past the debt limit.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: My goal here is not to
have the United States default on their debt.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: The relief we hope for is to
reopen the government, avoid default, and protect the historic cuts we
achieved under the Budget Control Act. This is far less than many of us
had hoped for, frankly,but it`s far better than what some had sought.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: No rational person supports a default. We
should never default on the debt.
MATTHEWS: I just don`t believe this guy Cruz. He`s the guy leading the
fight to default and he says, I don`t believe in it. What does -- what do
-- what do we -- how do you read him if you`re a right-winger? How do you
know what he`s saying?
CORN: Yes, this is what`s dangerous, because they say they don`t want to
default, yet they say they will use the prospect or threat of a default, as
Paul Ryan said, to get some concessions. So they`re whipping up their
base, and at the same time President Obama has been very clear for the last
two years he will not negotiate on the debt limit.
So they are sort of raising expectations at the same time saying, well,
we`re not really going to do this, but maybe we will as we ink this deal
because we don`t want to tick off our base. It`s very complicated.
MATTHEWS: What`s better politics? I`m sorry.
What`s better politics, Ryan, talking about debt and craziness or trashing
poor people and African-Americans with food stamp talk and all that stuff?
What`s the better P.R. for these people, because they seem to go back and
GRIM: Nothing. Like, dead silence is the best politics for them. They --
and that`s what the smarter ones in the party want to do.
MATTHEWS: They will win because people don`t like Obamacare.
GRIM: Keep their mouth shut and just cruise into 2014 and hope that
Obama`s approval rating and whatever they --
MATTHEWS: Smart thinking.
CORN: And they get those gerrymandered districts. Things -- they have a
lot to their advantage at the moment.
MATTHEWS: Yes. I think you`re right. I think there`s some secret
message, which is don`t talk.
MATTHEWS: Anyway, thank you. Thank you, David Corn. Thank you, Ryan
Up next, the return of the President Obama rodeo clown. And this is
HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL and now for the "Sideshow."
"Saturday Night Live" had no shortage of political material to parody over
this weekend. And so it came as no surprise at all that President Obama`s
famous selfie from Nelson Mandela`s memorial service made it into the
opening sketch.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Yoo-hoo. Hello.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: It`s your favorite German chancellor,Angela Merkel.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: OK. What are you doing here?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I have a favor to ask.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: The Danish prime minister has been bragging all over
Northern Europe about her selfie with you.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: And I was hoping that I could get one as well.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I -- I don`t think so.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Oh, really? I feel like you kind of owe me after
the whole wiretapping my cell phone thing.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: OK. But make it quick.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: OK. That one was serious. Now let`s do fun one.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: All right. Don`t worry. I won`t guten Tag that on
MATTHEWS: Finally, "TIME" magazine`s person of the year has inspired one
small town in Missouri to hold a similar contest of its own. But the honor
in this case may go to an unlikely and perhaps undeserving character.
Remember this guy? Yes, it`s the rodeo clown who made national news for
his some say racially charged mockery of the president at the Missouri
State Fair back in August.
Well, his name is Tuffy Gessling. And while he`s been banned from the
state fair for life, he`s currently leading the pack of nominees chosen for
person of the year award in Sedalia, Missouri, at least the local one. I
guess no bad deed goes unrewarded in Sedalia.
Up next, we have heard a lot of crazy things about the president`s health
care law from the mouths of right-wingers, but the two we heard this
weekend may be the biggest head-scratchers yet. The clown car rolls on in
overdrive coming up next.
And this is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MILISSA REHBERGER, MSNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Milissa Rehberger.
Just a short time ago, the Senate confirmed Jeh Johnson as the new head of
homeland security. The confirmation is part of a string of presidential
nominations that Senate Democrats are pushing through before the break.
A 500-acre wildfire along California`s Central Coast has forced dozens of
families to evacuate. At least two homes have been damaged. No injuries
are reported.
And Tuesday`s Mega Millions jackpot has hit $586 million. Officials say
brisk ticket sales could push it even higher -- back to HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Ted Cruz has a formidable challenger in the hyperbole department these days
when it comes to Hitler references, of course, in describing the Affordable
Care Act. This weekend, a Republican state senator from North Carolina
tweeted this gem -- quote -- "Justice Roberts` pen and Obamacare has done
more damage to the USA than the swords of the Nazis, the Soviets, and
terrorists combined."
Top that, Ted Cruz.
Anyway, "The Charlotte Observer" reports that the North Carolina Republican
Party chairman said that the state senator should apologize, but the state
senator in this case -- his name is Bob Rucho -- is standing firm.
He told a reporter from that paper -- quote -- "The bottom line is I still
believe fully that the negative impact on the finances of North Carolina
and its people is going to be significantly impacted even in comparison to
any of those wars that occurred. People need to open their ears or their
eyes. And this is a serious problem."
And there`s more coming here. Former Pennsylvania Senator and presidential
candidate Rick Santorum speaking at a Young Americans for Freedom event
described a near-apocalyptic set of emotions -- or motions coming into play
by the Affordable Care Act.
It`s a little hard to follow what he says here, so listen closely and see
how many downright falsehoods and loony conspiracy theories he`s packed
into this paragraph. Here we go, Rick Santorum.
RICK SANTORUM (R), FORMER U.S. SENATOR: If we have a system where the
government is going to be the provider, principal provider of health care
for the country, we`re done, because then you are dependent upon the
government for your life and for your health.
But when Thatcher ran for prime minister, she said -- remember this -- this
is the Iron Lady. She said, "The British national health care system is
safe in my hands." She wasn`t going to take on health care, because she
knew, once you have people getting free health care from the government,
you can`t -- you can`t take it away from them.
And -- and the reason is, is because most people don`t get sick. And so
free health care is just that, free health care, until you get sick. And
then, if you get sick and you don`t get health care, you die. And so you
don`t vote.
SANTORUM: It`s actually a pretty clever system.
SANTORUM: Take care of the people who can vote. The people who can`t
vote, get rid of them as quickly as possible by not giving them care, so
they can`t vote against you.
SANTORUM: That`s how it works.
MATTHEWS: It`s how it works in the world of Rick Santorum.
MATTHEWS: I don`t get that deal. There`s so many lies -- I`m sorry --
mistruths here, it`s hard to know where to begin there.
First of all, the government in England -- and, by the way, this one is not
the provider of health care. Every dollar spent in the new Obamacare
system -- if you want to call it Obamacare -- goes to insurance companies,
every dollar spent, whether the subsidies or you pay yourself, or whatever,
self-reliance or a little help from the government, all the money goes to
private sector insurance companies that already exist.
Second of all, people even in the U.K. aren`t getting nothing free. You
don`t get anything free, health care, over there. They pay for it in much
higher taxes.
And Santorum, is he really suggesting that the government of the United
States would deny health care to keep someone from voting so they will die?
Ron Reagan is an MSNBC political analyst and Clarence Page is a Pulitzer
Prize-winning columnist for "The Chicago Tribune."
Ron, let`s go through this, a couple things. First of all, it`s a lie to
say that the government is paying for -- is getting all this money. Two,
the idea that you get free health care anywhere is crazy. You pay for it
in taxes. You always have to pay for it somehow.
But this part here, this sort of death panel write large, that somehow if
you have any kind of national health system, the one that we have now or
the kind of they have in England or Germany or Canada, a different system
of public single provider, they will cut it off to kill you if you don`t
vote their way.
RON REAGAN, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.
MATTHEWS: And they somehow check the voter rolls and somehow know what
happened in that voting booth and somehow kill off -- what kind of crazy
talk is this by -- by the unusually crazy sometimes Rick Santorum?
REAGAN: Only in the -- only in the fever swamp that Rick Santorum -- only
in the fever swamp that Rick Santorum lives in does this sort of thing
I mean, can -- may I just observe that, as you implied earlier, that this
was a lot of self-contradictory gibberish, too? Does this man not speak
English, first of all? Can he not express himself clearly? But beyond
that, he`s proposing two things.
One, you can`t have the government provide health care for the people,
because then the people won`t give it up. You can`t take it away.
MATTHEWS: Right.
REAGAN: At the same time, you can`t have the government provide health
care for the people because then they will take it away, this paranoid
fantasy that if a Republican is in the White House, Democrats can`t get
health care and vice versa.
REAGAN: I mean, really, what sort of a swamp does this guy live in?
MATTHEWS: Well, he must mean -- must mean, Clarence, that if they take
away, they got to be lethal about it. They must kill you, not just wound
CLARENCE PAGE, COLUMNIST, "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Well --
MATTHEWS: They can`t just have a sickness for a couple weeks. They got to
knock you out of the system.
But this --
PAGE: Yes.
MATTHEWS: This is like, it`s not -- what we`re going to talk about this in
the next segment, whether a governor did it or not so they would cause a
traffic jam to get even with some local mayor.
We`re talking about a guy, a president of the United States who would
systemically kill people by cutting off their health insurance when they
were in dire need.
PAGE: Well, it`s bizarre.
And I read his statement several times.
PAGE: I heard it. And trying to decipher it, it sounded like he was
actually saying you had better vote for Obamacare and get -- rather, you
had better sign up for Obamacare, get healthier, so that will live and be
able to vote against Obamacare, which doesn`t make any more rational sense
PAGE: But I think Santorum was really searching for a laugh line here in
this speech to a conservative group. And he wasn`t going to let facts get
in the way of it, right?
MATTHEWS: Look, we have been thinking about this, but the producers and I
and the executives, everybody has been trying to figure this thing out.
So, let`s all take a look at Rick Santorum and see if he`s sane.
PAGE: Right.
MATTHEWS: If this makes any sane sense on second listening.
Ron, you jump on in this one. You have watched it, and see if you can
decipher any truth here, any truth in this statement.
REAGAN: Uh-huh.
SANTORUM: If we have a system where the government is going to be the
provider, principal provider of health care for the country, we`re done,
because then you are -- you are dependent upon the government for your life
and for your health.
But when Thatcher ran for prime minister, she said -- remember this -- this
is the Iron Lady. She said, "The British national health care system is
safe in my hands."
She wasn`t going to take on health care, because she knew, once you have
people getting free health care from the government, you can`t -- you can`t
take it away from them.
And -- and the reason is, is because most people don`t get sick. And so
free health care is just that, free health care, until you get sick. And
then, if you get sick and you don`t get health care, you die. And so you
don`t vote.
SANTORUM: It`s actually a pretty clever system.
SANTORUM: Take care of the people who can vote. The people who can`t
vote, get rid of them as quickly as possible by not giving them care, so
they can`t vote against you.
SANTORUM: That`s how it works.
MATTHEWS: Ron, is that how it works, in this Rube Goldberg version of life
here? I`d never heard of anything as crazy as that.
REAGAN: I don`t think a single sentence in there and it was hard to pick
apart the sentences themselves because it all kind of one big run on, but
not a single sentence made any sense. I mean, did you notice that? Most
people don`t get sick.
REAGAN: Well, that crowd would applaud. Yes, most people don`t get sick.
Everybody gets sick. Every single human being gets sick. And will need
health care.
I mean --
MATTHEWS: By the way, the Margaret Thatcher, we can argue about her. She
was admirable in many ways.
REAGAN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: I don`t like her social policies. But I got to tell you, she
didn`t cut off anybody`s health care and screw the Labour Party.
CLARENCE PAGE, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Well, that`s the key here. You know,
why didn`t Margaret Thatcher cut off or even attack health care because for
all of its flaws, the Brits love it compared to --
MATTHEWS: Churchill wouldn`t touch it.
PAGE: Thank you. Same thing with the Canadian system.
MATTHEWS: I know. That`s what they`re afraid of.
PAGE: That`s what they`re afraid.
MATTHEWS: Many people will like it. Maybe he (ph) likes the cereal.
Anyway, thank you, Ron Reagan. Thank you, Clarence Page.
Up next, why that kerfuffle involving a New Jersey governor, or Jersey,
most famous governor in Jersey in centuries, Chris Christie, and the most
heavily travelled bridge, the George Washington -- there it is -- become a
national story. Yes, this is the kind of personality we`re going to cover
when it comes to Christie because we`re trying to figure out if the word
bully applies or not. Let`s keep it open for a few minutes.
This is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman of Texas hoping to be the next
wild man on the right to defeat a veteran, establishment Republican. But
new polling in Texas shows he`s got an uphill battle ahead. Let`s check
the HARDBALL scoreboard.
According to new poll from the Republican polling firm, Wilson Perkins
Allen Opinion Research Center, John Cornyn leads Stockman in their
Republican primary by 44 points, as of now. It`s Cornyn 50, Stockman six.
Like a bad football score.
Anyway, 39 percent say they`re undecided. That`s a lot. The primary is
three months from now. We`ll see.
And we`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: We`re back.
Our next story seemed so farfetched at first, it was hard to imagine. The
suggestion that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie intentionally caused a
massive traffic jam on his side, the Jersey side, of the George Washington
Bridge as political payback against a Democratic mayor in Jersey who didn`t
support him for re-election.
But now, two aides close to the governor have resigned and is being treated
as a legitimate news story in papers like "The Wall Street Journal" and, of
course, "The New York Times."
Political analyst Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia Center for
Politics told "The Newark Star Ledger," quote, "When you run for president
you`ll be questioned about absolutely everything. And you can`t bluff your
way past something like this. It`s not personal life or his weight, it`s
related directly to his conduct in office."
But Christie sarcastically denied any involvement in closing the lanes on
the bridge and mocked the reporter who asked the question in a press
conference. Here he goes.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I worked the cones, actually, on
that. Unbeknownst to everybody, I was actually the guy out there. I was
in overalls and a hat. So, I wasn`t -- but I actually was the guy working
the cones out there. You really are not serious with that question.
MATTHEWS: Well, we asked the Governor Christie`s office late today whether
he instructed anybody to close those lanes to the bridge. His deputy
communications director referred us to what the government said himself in
the press conference this past Friday when asked whether he told anyone to
close those lanes. Governor Christie responded absolutely not. So you got
an answer from him.
Ed Rendell is the former governor of Pennsylvania and MSNBC political
Alexander Burns is a senior political writer for "Politico".
Gentlemen, thank you for joining us.
This seems to be a story and I think I know why. But, Governor, why do you
think it is a story about something where there may have been some payback,
political -- you know, the usual sort of sharp elbow stuff that goes on in
politics occasionally. Why is it a story now?
ED RENDELL, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: It`s only a story because it feeds
into the narrative that Governor Christie is a bully, that he`s intemperate
and that he`s vengeful.
And the reason this story seems to have legs is no one`s given any
explanation why the lanes were closed if the governor didn`t order it. And
that the two port authority people who supposedly ordered it stepped down.
It`s going to raise serious questions. And again, it plays into the
narrative of a bully.
MATTHEWS: Yes, let me go to Alex.
I agree with you, Governor, on that, because I think what people like is a
little bit of tough guy. They like the fact that when somebody asked him
in a press conference, why do your kids go to private school, he said "none
of your business." To an extent, it is within his world and he`s allowed
to protect that world.
But New Jersey`s not his world. That`s not his household. That`s the
state of Jersey.
Do you think this brings into question whether the guy is just too much of
a tough guy if it`s true? And if it is, certainly he needs to be more
declarative in killing the story.
Go ahead.
ALEXANDER BURNS, POLITICO: Sure, and he`s light with his candor at the
press conference Friday, sort of almost daring Democrats in the state and
nationally to come after him, and the state Democrats are delighted to do
it, Chris. If you look at the results of that election last November,
Christie really had no coattails. He still has a very robust Democratic
majorities in both the state assembly and Senate, and these are people with
subpoena power who are going to make the absolute most of it against a guy
who they view as a likely Republican presidential nominee.
MATTHEWS: So, let`s go to the factual reporting quest here. Why did the
two top guys in the port authority quit? They are Christie appointments,
apparently. Why did they walk, except he told them to walk or they took
the blame, they took the bullet here? What`s going on here?
Governor, you answer this. Why would your top guys quit in such a public
fashion from the very place in which there`s charges being made here about
misuse of power?
RENDELL: Well, only two reasons. One, because they were told to quit,
told to resign, or two, because they did it on their own.
And if they did it -- I can`t imagine two people closing the busiest bridge
in America on their own. Can`t imagine that.
MATTHEWS: Yes, suppose -- let me get back to Alex -- suppose there`s an
accident, suppose somebody needs medical care. There are so many unknowns
in a situation where people are waiting in line. You know, we`ve all been
stuck there wishing we weren`t stuck in traffic, and things go wrong in the
cars that have to be dealt with.
BURNS: Well, exactly, and that`s why the explanation that`s been offered
to date, which is that the lanes were closed in some kind of traffic study
-- really, that`s a bit of a tough sell on a bridge where it`s hard to
believe you would create more traffic than there is unnecessarily by
So, Chris, I think that, you know, there are a lot of reasons why people
resign from their jobs. I think that -- it behooves all of us to remember
that whenever something goes wrong in government, we do tend to call for
somebody`s got to get fired. Somebody`s got to take the blame.
So, the best-case scenario, the most generous explanation for Christie is
that that`s exactly what`s happening here, that there was a mistake and
somebody had to go.
MATTHEWS: You know, these little things, I was looking back, Governor,
about political history. I know you love it, too.
When Tom Dewey, the governor of New York, was running, way front-runner
back in `48 and a train bolted ahead by accident because some conductor did
something wrong, and Tom Dewey, who was way ahead of Truman at the time,
said some lunatic just started this train. And next thing, the guy says,
yes, I don`t think anything more of him than before, which isn`t much, and
he lost points at that.
People got a look at his personality, Tom Dewey`s in this case, and they
thought he was an arrogant SOB and didn`t like him. They thought typical
elitist looking down on the working guy. This isn`t there yet, but it`s an
interesting look into what might be an M.O. here. Might be.
RENDELL: And if you put all the incidents together, chasing the guy down
the boardwalk, screaming at him -- you put them all together, it paints a
picture that`s not a picture that`s going to play well in areas of the
state that are not like Philly or New York or New Jersey, that are not
rough-and-tumble areas.
MATTHEWS: You didn`t want that reputation, did you?
RENDELL: No, I wanted the reputation --
MATTHEWS: You never had that.
RENDELL: I wanted the reputation of being a tough guy who stood up, but
not being a bully.
MATTHEWS: Yes, I think there`s a -- give me the fine line, Alex, here,
because people really -- I know myself, jersey relatives, they loved it
when he said none of your business when it was a family matter. This isn`t
a family matter. This is a governmental matter.
BURNS: No, it`s not, Chris, and even when you do add up all the reactions,
as the governor was just saying, the guy on the boardwalk, the don`t
question my kids, the helicopter to the kids` soccer match or whatever
sport it was. You know, you can put together a pretty good clips reel of
Governor Christie looking fairly thin-skinned, and the Democrats have and
they will continue to do that.
MATTHEWS: Governor, how`s he put a cap on this, if he did have something
to do this? Does he admit it or hope time will forget it? I don`t think
time will forget it.
BURNS: I think he has to let it ride and take whatever damage he takes in
the short run. In and of itself, it`s not a big thing, Chris, but it`s
part of the narrative, and what he`s got to do is pivot off this and be a
kinder, gentler Chris Christie.
MATTHEWS: Yes, maybe he should be out there removing the cones sometimes.
Anyway, thank you, Alexander Burns. He says he doesn`t do that kind of
Anyway, thank you, Ed Rendell, governor -- former governor of Pennsylvania.
When we return, we`ll finish with the Democrats who might run for president
next time around. The race is still very much up in the air.
And we`ll be right back after this.
MATTHEWS: "Let Me Finish" tonight with this:
Christmas is upon us, and we just got back from New York and the annual
weekend of the Pennsylvania Society. Vice President Joe Biden gave a
powerful speech about his roots in Pennsylvania, which was very well
received by the big dinner crowd at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
It made me think that the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination is still
very much up in the air. We don`t know if former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton is running. My strong hunch is that the vice president,
Joe Biden, would very much like to be considered for the top job.
We will know a lot more a year from now after the midterm elections.
Secretary Clinton will be under pressure then to declare. The vice
president will have to make his move, perhaps without knowing what the
front-running prospect Secretary Clinton will do. All this will make it
And I`m wondering if Secretary John Kerry is giving thought to a run
himself in 2016. He`s doing a powerful job at state, there`s no
questioning that fact, only the extent to which he reaches success with the
Iran deal, and of course, with the Middle East. If he makes progress on
both fronts, his success will have to be considered by all wanting to keep
the White House in Democratic hands. Again, all depends on what Secretary
Hillary Clinton decides, and nobody, perhaps not she herself, knows the
It`s what makes this business of national leadership so exciting. It comes
down to the individual spirit of individual people. As Winston Churchill
once said, "man is spirit," and that goes for women, too, obviously.
And that`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES" starts right now.
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text:
Increased velocity has Ubaldo finishing fast
CLEVELAND -- Ubaldo Jimenez might never be the overpowering pitcher he once was for the Rockies. Over his past three starts with the Indians, though, the right-hander has showed glimpses of the fastball velocity that made him a dominant starter in the past.
Teams tasked with taking on Jimenez have noticed.
"It seems like he's gotten some arm strength back," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter, whose team was blanked over six innings by Jimenez in Cleveland's 4-3 win on Tuesday night.
Over his past three appearances, Jimenez has stayed around 93-94 mph with his fastball, topping out at 96-97 mph at a handful of turns. That is more reminiscent of 2010, when the righty led the Majors with an average fastball of 96.1 mph. This is a recent trend, however, considering Jimenez's fastball has been a career-low 91.5 mph on average this year, according to fangraphs.com.
On the season, Jimenez is 10-9 with a 3.79 ERA, 147 strikeouts, 75 walks and 147 1/3 innings logged across 27 starts. His rate of 9.00 strikeouts per nine innings is the best mark of his eight-year career, which includes a career-best 214 strikeouts during his Cy Young-contending season with Colorado in 2010.
Jimenez's showing this year has been a drastic improvement over 2012, when the pitcher went 9-17 with a 5.40 ERA for the Indians.
"It was all about being 100 percent, basically, with my mechanics," said Jimenez, who was acquired from the Rockies in a deal prior to the July 31 Trade Deadline in 2011. "I've been working harder the last two years, trying to get back to who I was before. I've been getting there. I feel really good. I feel strong right now."
Dating back to May 27, Jimenez ranks seventh in the American League with a 2.81 ERA, trailing only David Price, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon, Jarrod Parker, Max Scherzer and Yu Darvish in that span. Jimenez has posted a 2.22 ERA over his past eight starts, going back to July 22, during which time he has ranked fourth in the AL in strikeouts (53) and seventh in opponents' batting average (.212).
"This has been now the third start in a row where it looks like he's kind of got a second wind," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "His fastball has got life to it. He's throwing in, especially to left-handers. And that creates the separation in his offspeed. Man, that's exciting to see."

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
The angler: Hamner makes fishy contribution
Let's be clear: Earl Hamner, the creator of the TV classic, The Waltons, quipped this story's "fishy contribution" headline during a telephone interview about where his scripts, manuscripts, and memorabilia from more than half a century as a film and television writer would go.
Last week, Virginia's Explore Park announced it had offered to house Hamner's library as a way to draw people to the struggling 1,100-acre living history museum, much of which has been closed for almost three years because its developer ran into funding problems.
Getting the full Hamner archive is not going to happen, according to Hamner, who wrote episodes for Twilight Zone and Falcon Crest and whose Spencer's Mountain novel became a movie and The Waltons TV series, about a Blue Ridge family during the Depression. Hamner says he has plans for his memorabilia, but he's not ready to announce them.
What he has offered to bequeath to Explore Park–- located along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke–- is the collection that stems from his love of fishing. From his office in Studio City, he describes his books-on-fish library, which includes works by Canadian conservationist Roderick Haig-Brown, fishing fiction by Zane Grey, and other objets de poisson: carved, metal, glass-blown, ceramic, and stuffed.
"One I'll hate to give up is a 60-pound Chinook salmon that I caught in British Columbia," sighs Hamner, who seems resigned to letting that one get away if Explore Park wants it. A spokesperson for Explore Park says the facility is considering the offer.
While Hamner won't reveal where his 35 boxes of memorabilia are going, one place they're unlikely to end up is in his native Nelson County.
"Originally they were to be at the Walton Museum in Schuyler, but because of their shabby treatment of me and my family, I removed them," says Hamner. "I get calls from them, but they were so cruel to my brother, how could they make amends?"
In 2002, ten years after helping launch the Walton's Mountain Museum in the old Schuyler school that the eight Hamner children attended, Hamner severed ties after the Museum's board ousted his baby brother, Jim, known as "Jim Bob" in the television series.
According to its website and telephone recording, the Walton Mountain Museum still operates, but a reporter's telephone calls were not returned. Jim Hamner died in 2004 at age 67.
After Earl Hamner removed his Emmys and scripts from the Museum, he asked friend and historian Woody Greenberg (who'd first come up with the idea for the Museum in the old school) to find a new place to house his papers. For awhile, it looked as if the trove might go to Oakland, Nelson's rural-celebrating "museum-in-the-making," which opened in 2006.
"The problem with Oakland," says Greenberg, a founding member of Oakland, "is we don't have climate control."
Currently, teleplays and draft teleplays from the beloved series, as well as Hamner's movie scripts, are stored in acid-free boxes at Lynchburg College, from which Greenberg just retired as dean of communications and arts.
"Earl called me about his remaining scripts," says Greenberg. "I said we'd be interested if we had the facilities."
And while space for the Hamner library may be a problem at Oakland, Greenberg isn't too keen on seeing the papers of the man who put Nelson County on the map go over the mountains to Explore Park. He says the Oakland board will discuss the matter at a July 28 meeting.
"Obviously, I'd prefer to see something in Nelson County," says Greenberg. "It's where he was raised, his writing reflects this area, and he's probably the most famous person to come from Nelson."
Meanwhile, Hamner, who turned 87 on July 10, keeps on writing.
"I just finished Odette: A Goose of Toulouse, A Celebration of Life and Music," says the author, who says tale was inspired by a boat trip through France. The character Odette, he says, is reminiscent of the spider in Charlotte's Web, but she "learns she's to be made into foie gras."
Good thing she can sing opera.


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Assessment Accommodations for Disabled and Chronically Ill StudentsCopyright: RWTH Aachen
The university takes steps to ensure that disabled and chronically ill students are not at a disadvantage during their studies. Exam regulations also take the particular needs of disabled and chronically ill students into consideration and regulate the compensation for disadvantages.
Examples of Compensation for Disadvantages During Studies and Assessments
- More time to work during time-dependent academic assessments such as exams, papers, or final papers and exercises
- Interruption of time-dependent academic assessments, through individual breaks, that will not be included in the time to work, even if it has already been lengthened. This is particularly true for supervised work.
- Exam assessments divided up into partial assessments
- Written assessments subsitituted with oral ones and vice versa, for example for hearing impaired students or students with a speech impediment
- Exemption from mandatory attendance in courses by completing something else to compensate for the absence
- Interpreters allowed for sign-language
- Adapted documents, such as exam papers, can be made available.
If you need compensation for disadvantages, please provide a written application (no particular format necessary) to the responsible exam board. The representatives for disabled and chronically ill students will gladly help you with the application and the necessary enclosures. As a disabled or chronically ill individual, we recommend that you seek advising before or during your studies. This way, you are aware of the necessity, type of, and breadth of the compensation for disabilities and can make sure you receive what you are entitled to.
Compensation for Disadvantages Does Not Mean Relaxed Exams
Compensation for disadvantages in studies or exams does not relax the subject-specific demands that students face. A compensation for disadvantages does not relax the demands, but rather changes conditions, based on the needs of disabled and chronically ill students, so that they can complete their exams under equal conditions.
Compensation for Disadvantages (de)
(pdf: 557 kb)
Information on exam accommodations for chronically ill or disabled students in accordance with the Framework Act for Higher Education


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Kellyville High School
When creating my works I sought to explore issues surrounding global warming, human destruction of the natural environment, unsustainable industrialisation and the depletion of fossil fuels. I have a great personal interest in these issues and felt that they are also of great prominence in society. I have created large works, accompanied by smaller works, to depict the natural and the human environment as I predict they may be in the future if they are not cared for.
Influencing artists: Jackson Pollock, Andy Devine, John Virtue, Anselm Kiefer, Jane Frank, Franz Kline, Clyfford Still
'I like simple, practical, emotional, quiet, vigorous art. I like the simplicity of walking, the simplicity of stones.' Consider this quote by Richard Long and discuss how Southern gravity reflects his point of view. Debate in class the significance of the image and its role in communicating ideas.
Read Alexander Martinoli's artist statement and discuss how Southern gravity advocates Martinoli's passion for the environment. Develop an exhibition proposal that includes works by Long and Martinoli focusing on issues related to the natural and built environment. List the other artists or artworks that would be included and justify their inclusion.


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Volcanoes of southern Colombia: overflights, 15 February 2010 22 February 2010Posted by admin in activity reports, Azufral, Cerro Negro (Colombia), Colombia, Cumbal, Galeras, volcano monitoring.
Tags: Azufral, Cerro Negro, Colombia, Cumbal, Galeras, volcanic activity reports, volcano monitoring
comments closed
The summit of Galeras (image from 15 February 2010 INGEOMINAS overflight).
The INGEOMINAS volcanological observatory at Pasto has images from overflights carried out on 15 February 2010 over the volcanoes of southern Colombia: Galeras, Cumbal, Azufral and the Chiles-Cerro Negro complex (click on the name to access the images for each volcano).
Of these four, only Galeras is currently showing any signs of restlessness and is on alert level III, yellow ('changes in the behaviour of the volcanic activity'). Cumbal and Azufral are both at alert level IV, green ('volcano active and behaviour stable'), while Cerro Negro isn't considered to need an alert level. Cumbal's most recent eruptive activity was an explosive eruption in 1926, Azufral's last known eruption was 1000 years ago, while Cerro Negro may have erupted in 1936, although this is unconfirmed.
Cerro Negro (image from 15 February 2010 INGEOMINAS overflight).
Summit of Cumbal volcano (image from 15 February 2010 INGEOMINAS overflight).
Azufral volcano, showing Laguna Verde crater lake (image from 15 February 2010 INGEOMINAS overflight).
Global Volcanism Program: Azufral – information for Azufral (1501-09=)
Global Volcanism Program: Cerro Negro de Mayasquer – information for Cerro Negro de Mayasquer (1501-11=)
Global Volcanism Program: Cumbal – information for Cumbal (1501-10=)
Global Volcanism Program: Galeras – information for Galeras (1501-08=)


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ToddlePak Red - Felix
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Hope College will be the featured location for a recording of the radio show "Pipedreams Live!" on Monday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
"Pipedreams," the only nationally distributed weekly radio program exploring the art of the pipe organ, is coming to HopeCollege for a "Pipedreams Live!" performance with "Pipedreams" host Michael Barone. "Pipedreams" is produced and distributed by American Public Media and can be heard every Sunday at 7 a.m. on Blue Lake Public Radio, WBLV 90.3 FM (Muskegon and the Lakeshore) and WBLU 88.9 FM (Grand Rapids).
The Sept. 22 "Pipedreams Live!" concert will feature Hope College resident organist Huw Lewis and Hope College students and alumni showcasing Dimnent Memorial Chapel's restored 1928 E.M. Skinner pipe organ. The performance is a culmination of the organ's rededication over the past year in which Hope College hosted renowned organists Olivier Latry and Diane Bish.
"Pipedreams" evolved from "The Organ Program," which Barone had produced since 1970 for MPR's regional network and it has been in national syndication since 1983. Barone has been involved with the pipe organ for nearly 50 years. As host and senior executive producer of "Pipedreams," he is recognized internationally for his contributions to the world of organ music. Barone's talent and commitment have been recognized with numerous awards, including the American Guild of Organists President's Award in 1996, the Distinguished Service Award of the Organ Historical Society in 1997 and the 2001 ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award. In November 2002 he was selected for induction to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.
Additional information may be obtained online by visiting www.pipedreams.org.
A reception underwritten by Freedom Village will take place in the chapel immediately following the concert.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th Street.


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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Jacob Peterson delivered the lead, Eric Kronberg made save after save to preserve it, and Claudio Bieler iced the win in the closing seconds.
Peterson's 10th-minute goal, Bieler's stoppage-time insurance tally into an open net and four saves from Kronberg gave Sporting Kansas City a 2-0 victory over the shorthanded Columbus Crew on Sunday afternoon, vaulting Sporting into a three-way share of the Eastern Conference lead and dropping the Crew from second to fourth.
Sporting (4-2-2) are tied with New England and New York atop the East, with the Crew (3-2-3) two points behind the tri-leaders. Columbus had to play a man down after the 80th minute, when midfielder Wil Trapp was issued a second yellow card for bringing down Sporting's Benny Feilhaber in the open field.
Peterson, starting on the right wing with Sal Zizzo sidelined by a groin strain, converted the opportunity into his first league goal since the 2012 regular-season finale. Bieler's goal was also the first of the year for the Argentinian DP, who started the year in a two-man rotation at center forward but has become Dom Dwyer's backup in recent weeks.
After a quick buildup and Chance Myers' cross into the box, Paulo Nagamura's blocked shot deflected off a couple of defenders and fell to Peterson eight yards from goal. He turned on it and put it inside Steve Clark's left post, giving Sporting eight straight matches with a first-half goal against the Crew.
Clutch saves at each end, shortly after the half-hour mark, first denied Columbus an equalizer and then kept Sporting from doubling their lead.
In the 31st minute, Trapp sent in a cross that Bernardo Anor – returning to the lineup after a one-match red-card suspension – headed down toward the center of the goal. Kronberg was able to slow the ball with his right hand and then block it off the line with his knee, though, andUri Rosell cleaned up the loose ball for the home side.
Three minutes after that, left back Seth Sinovic chested down Rosell's through ball for a 1-v-1 opportunity, but Clark came up with the kick save to keep the Crew within a goal.
Kronberg also had a big stop on Anor's low drive in the 65th minute (and stopped Jairo Arietta's follow-up try from an offside position), finishing with four saves and his fourth clean sheet of the year.
The Crew continue their road swing on Wednesday in Houston, and Sporting visit Montreal – two weeks after drubbing the Impact 4-0 at home – on Saturday.
MLSsoccer.com Men of the Match
|What We Saw
|Matt Besler
|Commanding performance from the veteran international. Shut everything down defensively, and had one of the best switches of the year leading to the first goal
|Graham Zusi
|Dangerous up and down both flanks, switching sides throughout. Had one assist, but could have had three or four others. And as always was the freshest guy on the field at the whistle
|Benny Feilhaber
|Probably not going to Brazil, but put in another superb two-way performance that suggests his omission would be a mistake. Makes the game easier for his teammates.


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Story highlights
- When heroes make mistakes, children can be profoundly affected by their fall
- Validate your child's emotions. If they say they're sad, say you are, too
- By discussing the heroes your child worships, you can teach that we're all human
Two weeks ago, my neighborhood was overrun with heroes. Buzz Lightyear came to my door and took a handful of Butterfingers. Across the street, the repulsors on Iron Man's hands glowed like Bunsen burners. The Incredible Hulk skipped down the sidewalk alongside Batman. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz traveled in a group with an astronaut and an Army soldier.
What is Halloween if not a chance for kids to be their idols?
I bet some of our real-life heroes wish they could take off the costumes at the end of the night and just be anonymous. But they can't. Heroes make mistakes—big, huge, press-released mistakes—and our children can be the ones most affected by their fall.
In the past few months, a number of faces familiar to today's youth have faltered. Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, my 8-year-old son's favorite person, pled guilty to drunkenly vandalizing a hotel in Nashville. I don't have the time or word count to include Tiger Woods or Marion Jones or Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds.
Most recently, Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind Elmo, was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Clash denied the allegation -- and his accuser quickly recanted. But the speculation put Elmo's furry face on the front page nonetheless.
How is a parent supposed to talk to their child about such things? When they come home asking what doping is, or why Shaun White is sporting a black eye on the local news, how do you rectify that with the poster over their bed or the yellow bracelet on their wrist?
"At a minimum, validate the emotions of the child," says Paul Coleman, a psychologist in Wappingers Falls, New York, and author of "How To Say It To Your Child When Bad Things Happen." "If they say they're sad or worried, say 'Yeah, I am too.'"
And be honest with your responses. "Sometimes 'I don't know' is a good answer, because it might be true."
Parenting: Easy Thanksgiving craft ideas
But a hero's misstep can create an opportunity, says Dana Dorfman, a psychotherapist and family counselor in New York City. "For a school-age child, this can be a springboard for a valuable discussion," she says.
"Start by asking them questions. Why do you think this happened? What would make them act that way? Nothing thrills a child more than being asked their opinion. Showing that you value how they perceive things is important."
From there, personalize it. "Connect it to your child," says Dorfman. "Say, 'Remember when you and your buddy were throwing snowballs and broke that window?' Your child already projects these idealized attributes onto their heroes. This gives them the opportunity to identify with them. They learn that we're all human, and we all make mistakes. But they also see that there are ramifications for all of us when we make mistakes, even heroes."
Parenting: 9 things you should never say to your child
Parents should make no effort to choose or edit the personalities our offspring want on their lunchboxes and T-shirts. "Hero worship is a developmental inevitability," Dorfman explains. "Once kids reach a certain age, they learn that their parents are not the end-all-be-all, and other heroes—both real and fictional—begin to show up."
Sometimes your kid's hero will be a bad guy. (Mine always were. My favorite character in G.I. Joe? Cobra Commander. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe? Skeletor. Care Bears? Grumpy Bear.)
But that's not necessarily a bad thing. In 2005, California State University, Los Angeles, conducted a survey about the appeal of movie monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, Freddie Kruger, Mike Myers, et al). It found that superhuman strength and intelligence—both potentially productive qualities—were the top traits we like in our bad guys.
Parenting: Are you a good role model?
"Talk to your kids about their heroes," says Dorfman. "Ask them, 'What do you like about them?' or 'What qualities do you admire?' If you want to know your child better, understanding why they admire their heroes is a great start."
Now that all the heroes have left my neighborhood, my two sons are left with mortal ol' me. And they have seen me falter. They've seen me go from G-rated to F-bomb. I will do my best to be their hero, with the understanding that at some point, I may be passing the baton to Optimus Prime.


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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — In a state that has a long history of maple syrup production and fiercely protects the purity of its brand, Vermont producers are proud of their "fancy," "grade A dark amber" and "grade B" syrup.
But the terminology has the potential to perplex consumers, particularly as Vermont's syrup production, which has boomed in the past decade, reaches broader markets.
So Vermont is considering joining with other syrup-producing states and Canadian provinces in selling a product with one grading standard, triggering fears by some producers that the state's vaunted brand will lose its reputation if it doesn't stand out from the rest — as they say it should.
"You're lumping Vermont syrup in with all the rest of them," said Kevin Bushee, 69, of the Bushee Family Maple Farm in Danby.
Vermont's syrup, which forms a state industry that nets about $130 million a year, is in fact not the same as others. The state requires that its syrup be slighter denser than other syrups because it thinks it tastes better. That requires that more sap be produced.
Some states already use current USDA standards to grade their syrup, while others, including Vermont, have their own standards. But maple states and provinces are considering getting on board with one system, for consistency's sake.
"Most of the states are watching Vermont to see what we do," said Henry Marckres, a maple specialist with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
The new standards would not affect the density, which in Vermont would stay the same. And producers can do their own marketing on labels, such as calling it fancy, in addition to the tiny grading labels.
The four international classifications would be golden color, delicate taste; amber color, rich taste; dark color, robust taste; and very dark color, strong taste, all grade A.
The change will help, not hurt, Vermont syrup sales, supporters say.
"If a jug is on a shelf and if you put maple syrup from different states on the shelf, the most obvious thing is the name of the state it comes from," said Jacques Couture, a Vermont sugar maker near the Canadian border and director of the board of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association. "So I don't worry at all about that distracting from Vermont's. Vermont's brand is what it is, and I don't think that anybody's going to take away from that."
The flavor descriptions are a big plus for consumers who might get confused by Vermont terms like "fancy" or "grade B," which imply that one is better than or inferior to others but really refer to strength, color or other characteristics, experts say. The ultimate choice varies from consumer to consumer, experts say.
"When we talk to new customers in our case on a daily basis, we almost always have to explain the difference between the grades and why the grades are called such as they are," Couture said.
People in Vermont take their syrup seriously. The state has even gotten complaints from people who bought "fancy" syrup but then complained about its delicate flavor.
"It was just a beautiful fancy light flavor and they were used to something strong and they thought it was a fake," Marckres said.
One apparent advantage of the new international standards for Vermont producers is the fourth grade — very dark color, strong taste — which would include some of the syrup that now is sold only in bulk for processing because of the strong flavor.
But that bothers Bushee, too.
"I don't want to see our markets get downgraded by using the commercial syrup," he said. But Jacques any others say the strong maple flavor is growing in popularity among chefs.
The change is not expected to cost producers, who have to buy labels anyway. They cost about $6 for a roll of a thousand.
The USDA plans to adopt the new terms in 2013. Neighboring New York is working with the industry to propose new regulations to incorporate the international standards, said Joe Morrissey, a New York Department of Agriculture spokesman.
Vermont will hold a series of public hearings this month. Depending on the feedback, the state agriculture secretary will decide whether or not to go ahead with rule changes to adopt the standards.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.


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Kream - 1-17 [Unsigned Hype]
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These Swedish indie-pop kids captured our hearts over the summer using little more than some whimsical, slightly out of tune singing and rough whistling. Even now, I'm not sure quite why 'Young Folks' proved so catchy. I suspect witchcraft.
With that in mind, my ears were on red alert searching for traces of otherworldly magic on follow-up single, 'Let's Call It Off'. If this song was to entice me into its clutches like a stranger bearing sweets outside the school gates, I wanted to at least know how it was doing it. But after an introduction of (probably synthesised) steel drums and some twee handclaps set to a standard drum beat I was left decidedly cold, even in the face of its rousing, reverberating chorus. I concluded that there was no magic present.
I was wrong. Nine hours and no repeat listens later, I'm humming the tune of the same steel drums and trying my best to imitate both parts of the vocal harmonies at the same time, with no idea of how I even know the words. The verse has transformed from a drab affair into a work of understated genius, expertly tugging at your senses with its forlorn tone. The chorus remains sparse, but the vocals now buzz lightly like a warm analogue recording from the sixties, dreamily casting its tale upon my being, advising me to be cautious when tempted to restart a previously failed relationship.
**Peter Bjorn and John**: brilliant witches or sensible life coaches? You decide.
8ben marwood's Score


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Peter König is a concept art legend. Over the past quarter of a century his creature designs, sculptures and animation work have been featured in blockbuster hits like Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers and Cloverfield.
Which is all well and good, but he's also spent the last four years working as a concept artist, modeller and texture artist at Valve, where he's lent his talents to the Left 4 Dead series, Portal 2 and DOTA 2.
While there sadly aren't any images from Portal, and only one from DOTA 2, König's Left 4 Dead stuff is a treasure trove of the walking dead, rotting flesh and rejected designs for special infected that involved shooting rats out of a zombie's stomach.
You can see a nice collection of König's body of work, both in games and cinema, at his personal site.
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists. If you're in the business and have some concept, environment or character art you'd like to share, drop us a line!


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Gingerbread Tree Recipe
One good idea often leads to another. That's certainly the case with this tasty craft that began with a favorite cookie at Pat's house. Pat's delightful gingerbread recipe came across our Test Kitchen's desk not long ago. We knew it was a "winner"—but what caught our eye was her note about the piles of cookies she and her family traditionally cut out each Christmas. That got all of us thinking in a crafty direction. We soon started piling up our own cookies in the shape of this Christmas tree! Before you know it, we had another "Crafting with Taste" project to pass along. Not only does this centerpiece make an attractive table topper, you don't need to worry about dessert when you craft it. Just pass the plate around your dinner table and let guests dig in!
Total TimePrep: 1-1/2 hours Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
Makes33 cookies
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups light molasses
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 10 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 container (3 ounces) cinnamon Red Hot candies (about 1/3 cup)
- Confectioners' sugar, optional
- Clear Contact paper (optional)
- 10-inch flat serving plate
- Patterns
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, molasses and vinegar; mix well. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and chill overnight.
- To prepare star pattern: Trace each star size onto waxed paper and cut out. If you would like to preserve the patterns, copy them, cover both sides with Contact paper and cut out. On a lightly floured surface, roll a portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness; keep rest refrigerated.
- To cut out stars: Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut around star patterns. You will need a total of 33 cookies--two treetop stars; three each of stars 1-4 and 9; and four each of stars 5-8. Place 12 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Press a red-hot candy into the center of each treetop star; press red hot candies into points of the rest of the stars. In one number 9 star, make two indentations as shown on the pattern (to hold the treetop stars in place).
- To bake: Place all cookies in a 350° oven and bake until lightly browned on the edges; 5 minutes for treetop stars; 8-10 minutes for numbers 6-9; 11-12 minutes for numbers 1-5. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks and cool completely.
- To assemble: Starting with star number 1, stack stars on the serving plate, staggering star points. For a natural-looking tree as shown in the photo at left, the sizes are alternated in the following order: 1-1-2-1-2-3-2-3-4-5-4-5-5-6-5-6-6-7-6-7-7-8-7-8-8-9-8-9-9 ( with indentations). Place the two tree top stars in the indentations, leaning back to back. Dust tree with confectioners' sugar if desired. To serve, pass the entire tree.
Cutting Note: Cut 33 cookiestwo treetop stars; three each of star numbers 1-4 and 9; and four each of star numbers 5-8. Note: Note: Pat's gingerbread recipe will yield the 33 cookies needed for the centerpiece, plus an extra 5 dozen or so smaller cookies.
Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Jul 13, 2017
This is beautiful and I'd love to do this (looking now to to test/practice Christmas recipes) but WHERE ARE THE STAR PATTERNS? Without the patterns, it's neatly impossible to even think of trying this. Such a shame!
Oct 23, 2013
This is great
Nov 17, 2009


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This false-colour Landsat-5 image from 4 May 2012 shows agricultural structures in the US state of Kansas.
The Midwestern state's agricultural outputs include cattle, sheep, wheat, soybeans, cotton, corn and salt. Kansas is also one of the top ten states in US oil production.
The cropland is divided into circles and rectangles due to the different types of irrigation systems.
Circles come from a central-pivot system, where the long water pipe rotates around a well at the centre, while rectangles are made when the pipes are rolled in straight lines across the fields.
The false colour makes vegetation look mostly red and brown in this image, allowing for better discrimination between different vegetation types.
This is helpful when satellite data are used in agricultural monitoring for mapping and classifying land use, crop type, crop health, change detection, irrigated landscape mapping and crop area mapping.
In the bottom right corner, the agricultural patchwork breaks for the Cimarron River. Sometimes, the water in this river disappears entirely under the sand in the river bed.
In the central right portion of the image is the city of Ulysses. Home to about 6000, it sits 65 km north of Kansas's border with Oklahoma, and 65 km east of the border with Colorado.
The Thematic Mapper on Landsat-5 is jointly managed by NASA and the US Geological Survey. ESA supports the Landsat series as a Third Party Mission, meaning it uses its ground infrastructure and expertise to acquire, process and distribute Landsat data to users.
This image is featured on the Earth from Space video programme.