| | Matthews to GOP strategist: 'You speak with a forked tongue'
 Until the Obama administration actually lays out its agenda, everyone is free to argue over where it should set its sights and how bold it should be in its priorities. However, MSNBC's Chris Matthews suggested on Monday that if Barack Obama listens to the calls coming even from within his own party for him to play to the center, he will not be bold enough.
"It seems to me that he's got one chance to get everything done," Matthews stated passionately on Hardball. "Ronald Reagan taught everybody that. Get it done the first year or don't talk about it. ... He's got to do it. He can't say, 'I'll put it off till after the year after next.' ... Do you think this guy can survive as president if all he does is do a little tax cuts and push SCHIP?"
Matthews put the question of boldness to two political strategists, Democrat Steve McMahon and Republican Todd Harris, but neither one seemed to respond to Matthews' implication that Obama needs to do something visionary to fulfill his promises.
"Doing something dramatic and bold on the economy I think is something they're very interested in doing," McMahon began. But he also insisted that "the middle decided this election and the middle of the country -- the swing voters -- are waiting for him to address their economic concerns."
"Big doesn't need to be conflated with liberal," Harris commented. "I think it's important that people not lose sight over what this election was and what it wasn't. What it was was a historic victory for Barack Obama. What it was not was a wholesale realignment of American politics to the left."
"You guys are so -- you speak with a forked tongue, Todd!" exploded Matthews.
Although Harris repeatedly attempted to talk over him, Matthews finally managed to say, "When Ronald Reagan won with 51% -- when your guy Geroge Bush won with less votes than Al Gore -- you talk about mandates. [Bush] came in there and did exactly what he wanted to do. He cut taxes for the rich across the board. ... He took us to war in Iraq."
"The idea that you should pussyfoot if you're a Democrat," continued Matthews, "but if you're a Republican go in there whole hog -- you have a totally two standards here! Republicans should take advantage of every victory and call it a mandate. Democrats should go in there and be very cautious. 'Gee whiz, I'm sorry for being here, I hope we don't offend the conservatives.'"
As finally Matthews wound down, with a pained expression on his face, Harris managed to object, "If Obama wants to end his presidency with a 22% approval rating, then he can do just what Bush did."
McMahon then suggested again that Obama needs to adhere to "mainstream priorities for the swing voters who got him 10 or 12 states that John Kerry wasn't able to win. Those are the people who delivered this presidency to him, not the left, and he needs to address their economic concerns."
Harris added that Obama ought to focus on a middle-class tax cut, energy independence, and "winning the war in Afghanistan."
"That sounds like a Republican platform," Matthews observed sourly. He then concluded, "Some people do well by doing modest things that are highly symbolic, like President Clinton did. ... I wonder whether Barack Obama better be bold or he will be forgotten and he will not be what he promised to be."
This video is from MSNBC's Harball, broadcast Nov. 10, 2008.
Download video via RawReplay.com
Partial transcript
MATTHEWS: Todd, it seems to me that he has one chance to get everything done. Ronald Reagan taught everybody to get it done the first year or don't talk about it anymore. It seems to me that the Democrats are going to deliver on what they promised. It's not anybody else's promise. It's their promise. They've got to get healthcare done. They've got to create a universal healthcare system. They've got to deal with energy. Create green jobs. About 5 million green jobs he promised to produce. He's got to do it. He can't say I'll put it off to the year after the year after next. He's got to deal with it in his first Congress. That means get it done, basically, by June of next year. Just in political terms, do you think this guy can survive has president if all he does is do a little tax cuts and push SCHIP or removes the ban on stem cell?
HARRIS: No. I don't. But big doesn't need to be conflated with liberal. He can be big and still govern from the center. It's important people not lose site over what this election was and what it wasn't. What it was was a historic victory for Barack Obama. What it was not was a wholesale realignment of American politics to the left. If you look at...
MATTHEWS: You guys are so - you speak with a forked tongue, Todd. You speak with a forked tongue. Let me just tell you something. When Ronald Reagan won with 51%... Let me finish my point. When Ronal Reagan won with 51%, when your guy, George Bush, won with less votes than Al Gore - you talk about mandates - he went in there and did exactly what he wanted to do. He cut taxes for the rich across the board. He did everything he wanted to do. He took us to war in Iraq the way he wanted to do it. The idea that you should pussyfoot if you're a Democrat but if you are a Republican you can go in there whole hog - you have totally two standards here: "Republicans should take advantage of every victor and call it mandate. Democrats should go in there and be very cautious. Gee whiz, I'm sorry for being here. I hope we don't offend the conservatives."
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