Obama On Hardball: Watch The Highlights

Barack Obama was the special guest on the Hardball College Tour Wednesday. The whole transcript is here. Right off the bat, it was pretty clear who the crowd favorite was. Watch Hillary Clinton get a frosty reception from the Hardball audience:

Obama also joked about his bowling skills with Matthews, who, in light of his recent headlines, asked whether he would be ready from "Day One" to use the White House bowling alley:

Obama also talked about the recent controversy surrounding his former pastor Jeremiah Wright, and whether the Clintons were pushing the issue. Wright's comments, Obama said, were "fair game." Watch as he answers students questions. A member of the audience asked Obama:

I'm interested in how has this campaign and the situation with your pastor affected your spiritual life? And how will that influence your presidency?

He talked about judgment and 3 am phone calls:

And about race and quitting smoking:

Related: Obama Jokes About The Comedic Value Of Cable News

Comments

[OhMiDog]

Good gravy!.. one would think adults, supposedly, would have better things to do or write about than childish, snippy schoolyard remarks back and forth...

[patapsco99]

Does the truth hurt, because the republicans are just holding this information in their back pocket for the general election. Golden boy is not so golden.

Obama"s voting record in 2007 establishes that he continues to be pro-war. On March 28, 2007 and March 29th, 2007, he voted for cloture and passage of a bill designed to give Bush over $120 billion to continue the occupation for years to come (with a suspendable time table) and inclusive of funding that could be used to launch a war with Iran. Roll calls 117 and 126.
Obama"s record shows a minimum of 20 major pro-war votes. After voting 20 times for war, how dishonest is Obama when he claims to be for peace?
Barack Obama has been vetted and approved by the Bilderbergs and AIPAC, in part because of his strong stance in support of a military strike on Iran.
While Obama tries to pressure blacks into voting for him because part of his family is black, he is descended from white slave-owners.
Barack Obama stands against every principle the Reverend Jesse Jackson has ever advocated except one. Jesse Jackson wanted to see a black President. Apparently Jackson is willing to settle for the latest version of Clarence Thomas instead of reaching out to any supporter of African-American causes.

[progressiveanddisorderly]

Hillary voted the same way on both those votes. Why does Hillary not have the same issue then?

[patapsco99]

Hillary is not denying, everyone knows Hillary will get the job done and she can drawl from mcCain's base.

[newshawk14]

Patapsco99, you have splattered this thread, with your hair brained assertions, and have
prevented any real dialog between people from taking place, I almost wonder if that wasn't
your intent as a loyal Hillary supporter. I think you are either a moron, or in serious need of professional help, or need a great deal of guidance in what is ethical.

[GeorgeGlass]

Obama has not said he is for "peace." That is Dennis Kucinich. Obama is for the strong self-defense of the United States and its allies. He is NOT for waging wars with countries that do not threaten the self-defense of the United States and its allies. Thus, he was against the invasion of Iraq. But he was for the invasion of Afghanistan.

And if his ancestors were slave owners, he is like many African-Americans, many who have some white ancestors. But he also has an African father. And has had to deal with racism like many African-Americans. I would think this would be a positive for most voters-- he has a mixed identity like most Americans and seems to want to understand all sides and help healing occur. I find that refreshing as hell.

Clarence Thomas is deeply deeply conservative where Obama is not. Other than they're skin color I don't see the connection.

[ElkoJohn]

`
nice job Gentleman B.
i really, really hope we can rid DC
of the big-money profiteers under your leadership
you very well could be
The Man with a Plan
.

[2sleepy]

My neighbor is a 70 year old, lifelong republican. I'm a democrat supporting Obama. For the past few months I have been teasing him that if he's not careful I will put up Obama 08 signs in his yard. Well, tonight he called me and said 'I just watched Obama on Chris Matthews show, do you still have any extra Obama signs?'
He went on to tell me that he had never sensed such honesty in a politician since Dwight Eisenhower. (I gave him my last 2 signs)

[newshawk14]

That was a delightful story, even my own brother in law, who is a right wing troll that loves
Drudge and Limbaugh, is thinking he'll vote for Obama. I nearly fell out of my chair, when
he told me. I happen to be an engineer and supposedly totally right brained, but I'm
actually pretty good at reading people. I agree with your neighbors assessment of DDE
and also of Obama, whereas Bush struck me as a liar, from day 1.

[gtt]

One of my best friends who is a life lone republican and past supporter of Romney is now ready to vote for Obama. Our white, upper middle class, republican neigborhood had a big turnout last month at the polls for Obama. Consider that many states were decided by less than 2 percent of the vote and that approximately 50 percent of the registered voters went to the polls four years ago and that only 50 percent of eligible voters are registered in most states. Now consider the effect of an Obama campaign on voter registration and turnout. McCain has no chance because voter registration will increase and voter turnout will increase. Do you really believe that any significant part of the increase will be republican voters ? Obama = big blue win.

[patapsco99]

What? no way!

6/29/06: Obama voted to adopt the United States - Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (S. 3569), which gave American jobs to foreign child slave laborers and eliminated environmental requirements for industries. Roll call 190

[SethBullock]

Excuse me? Child slave laborers in Oman? Some evidence please? I've spent a fair amount of time there and never saw much labor being done, and certainly not by children.

[newshawk14]

As I usually do, I looked at patapsco99's "See Profile" and looked at her previous posts.
She's a rabid Hillary supporter, and trying to reason with her, is an exercise in futility.

[patapsco99]

WOW, you are a sexist. I am a male, you must of assumed because my vote was for Hillary, I was female. I am an Independent and We independents love Hillary!

[progressiveanddisorderly]

You can look all of this crap up on thomas.gov. He forgets to mention that his candidate, Hillary, voted the same way as Obama on this issue and many of the other ones he is posting.

He, like the Clintons, hope you don't check his facts.

[patapsco99]

I want you to check, that is why I am posting, do the research, get informed

[patapsco99]

oh, here you go

6/19/06: Obama voted to confirm Sandra Segal Ikutu, another opponent of human rights, to the 9th Circuit. This was part of Bush"s stacking of the 9th Circuit in a seeming effort to turn the 9th circuit from moderate to right-wing. Roll call 175

[progressiveanddisorderly]

You forget to mention that Clinton, whom you support, voted the same way

[patapsco99]

Here is intelligent for you

6/15/06: Obama, again, opposed withdrawal of the troops, by voting to table a motion to table a proposed amendment would have required the withdrawal of US. Armed Forces from Iraq and would have urged the convening of an Iraq summit (S Amdt 4269 to S. Amdt 4265 to S2766). The result of Obama"s vote is that the reported US death toll is now over 3000 and the reported civilian death toll is about 700,000. Families of those who have died in Iraq since 6/15/06 can send their bills for the funeral expenses to Barack Obama. Roll Call 174 [W]

[newshawk14]

I watched "Hardball" this afternoon, and Obama has struck me again as being at least an order
of magnitude more intelligent than Hillary. He can vary obviously think and reason spontaneously,
and not lapse into sound bites. I also thought that was true of Bill Clinton, but he has steadily been
going down in my esteem, as being to fond of ego aggrandizement.

[DHC]

All the spinners and twisters are on here tonight. Damn. I think our country has become so cynical that's it's hard for us to laugh or cry or feel moved by anything. Mr. Obama does that for me. The policies will follow. We need a friend in the White House, not an enemy.

[patapsco99]

Yeah, emotional is not good in politics. Maybe you should let us adults handle it.

[patapsco99]

This is uniting, promoting illegal labor to rebuild new orleans. He did the black community there well.

9/15/05: Obama voted to allow the use of low-cost foreign labor, in violation of labor laws, in New Orleans following Katrina. He opposed the Dorgan Amendment to the appropriations for science, state, justice and commerce. The amendment attempted to stop the use of appropriated funding for low-cost foreign labor in violation of labor laws to rebuild New Orleans. Obama"s vote stabbed American workers in the back and further damaged laborers hurt by the loss of their homes and businesses in New Orleans. Obama"s vote resulted in the importation of under-paid foreign laborers to displace American workers. Roll call 232. S Amdt 1665 to HR 2862.

[Kelsey515]

Some clarifications about the misperceptions of West Chester University -
It was announced through an email we received over the weekend that student (and many less faculty/staff) tickets would be available for the Hardball Show with Senator Obama mid-day on Monday. Tickets were only given out to people with WCU ID cards and tickets were one per person. The local NBC station said 2,200 tickets were given out. It was raining in West Chester, Pennsylvania mid-day on Monday and people stood in the rain to get tickets. Then they waited outside today to get into the field house as seating was general admission.
Also, I don't know how West Chester University was chosen as the school where Obama would be interviewed, but WCU is a medium-sized state university located in a suburban area near Philadelphia. The students aren't wealthy and many are working their way through college.
As for the booing - it's a Philadelphia trait. Here's an article about the topic:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/sports/football/30nfl.html

[SZM]

I don't understand. You're making excuses for what now? I went to an Obama event with 20,000 people that was completely open to the public, and given the chance, everyone would have booed Hillary there too. And it wasn't in PA, it was in VA. Sounds like a lot of whining to me.

[UNCLEJOE]

The longer the Republican Iraq War goes on, the more taxes in the future the citizens will have to pay. It is criminally ironic that the 270 Elitist Republican families who are getting tax breaks they do not need and that these same 270 Republican Elitist families who are profiting in the billions from war profits, continue to convince a large segment of America that they are 'CONSERVATIVES'.
And down the road it will be the children and grandchildren of the citizens who suffered the most from this Iraq War economy who will be stuck with the $3 TRILLION cost of Bush's blunders that have been supported cart blanche by the Republican controlled congress and a few red dog democrats like Hillary.

And Republicans propagandize at every opportunity to spread the lie that the Democrats are the party of ,'TAX & SPEND'.

[piezoid]

While the crowd here is finishing their daily Obama worship, open-minded readers will see HERE:

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/04/02/anti-hillary-media-bias-proven/#more-2019

where the actual DATA shows that Obama has received 83% positive coverage in the media as compared to only 53% positive for Hillary.

So Hillary has to fight Obama, the Democratic Party nabobs, the whole "liberal" blogosphere, all of liberal talk radio, AND the friggin main stream media.

With all that considered... it's AMAZING, but she's still in this race!

Neither Clinton nor Obama can win WITHOUT the votes of the superdelegates. Obama hasn't WON ANYTHING yet. Millions more voters are going to have a say in this nomination and the voting ain't done yet.

[Shantee]

Obama worship? Hardly. Most of the country had no idea who Barack Obama was 3 months ago. For Obama, not Hillary, it's been an uphill battle.

If the media is more favorable towards him it's because Clinton's negatives are so high. It's her sense of entitlement, her lies, her husband being an impeached president and a disbared lawyer, and the mafia like Clinton machine that have the media scrutinizing her more than Obama. She's a woman with a past.

[piezoid]

"she's a woman with a past"

Better than being an empty suit, babe!

[patapsco99]

Thats because they want Hillary out, she can win, Obama can't

[SZM]

Have some cheese with that whine.

[enknox2001]

Did you ever consider that she doesn't get as much positive coverage because she has such high negatives???
Which by the way, she's added to herself with her constant lies and manipulation. She is untrustworthy!!!
As a black woman, initially, I was torn between who to vote for between her and Barack. But after her true colors starting showing, meaning she basically thinks she can misdirect most Americans with her trash, it became an easy decision.
It seems to me that she would have much better coverage if she would focus on why people should vote FOR HER, as opposed to her current message of why people should NOT vote for Barack.

[piezoid]

No. What I have considered is this:

NO ONE HAS EVER LOST A DIME BY BASHING THE CLINTONS!

It's money in the bank.

Now we have "liberals" taking up the same charges shown to be complete bunk after Ken Starrs' 80 MILLION DOLLAR witch-hunt.

Think Obama could withstand that? He better be prepared for it, IF he gets the nod.

[mindyinmoab]

I'll gladly hold the door open for her if she would like to leave.

[Titonwan]

Thank you for the clips! The clintonios are thinning...waahappened?

[patapsco99]

need something newer?

6/15/06: Obama, again, opposed withdrawal of the troops, by voting to table a motion to table a proposed amendment would have required the withdrawal of US. Armed Forces from Iraq and would have urged the convening of an Iraq summit (S Amdt 4269 to S. Amdt 4265 to S2766). The result of Obama"s vote is that the reported US death toll is now over 3000 and the reported civilian death toll is about 700,000. Families of those who have died in Iraq since 6/15/06 can send their bills for the funeral expenses to Barack Obama. Roll Call 174 [W]

need something newer?

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

Your beating the wrong drum, Obama's Children of the Corn can not here you

[mesuki]

Patapsc099................... Hillary is the one that voted for the war to begin with,so what the hell is your point. While you're trying to dig up dirt on Obama,you should also look up all of the Clinton scandals while they were in the whitehouse. Did you know that your sweet little butter wouldn't melt in her mouth Hillary when she was a lawyer defended a child molester that raped a 12 year old girl? and that's just one thing,.... there's lots more........do some research on her before you start pointing your finger. Pot calling the tea kettle black!