The transcript was just posted at msnbc.com. When you have some time, it's worth a read.
Some excerpts:
MATTHEWS: We’re joined by the chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, Ron Eibensteiner and Mike Erlandson is chairman of the State Democratic Party. Let’s go first to Ron. What did you think of the service the other day? Was it a religious service? Was it a memorial service? Or was it a pep rally for the Democratic ticket next week?
RON EIBENSTEINER, CHMN. MN. REPUBLICAN PARTY: Well, it sure looked to me like it was a planned political rally. I found the whole thing disturbing, like Jesse Ventura. I thought, you know, it was inappropriate, but hey, look, the Democrats, they can run their memorial service or political rally however you want to describe it, as they wish. The more important thing is to make sure that we get back on the campaign, that Norm Coleman is our next senator from Minnesota.
MATTHEWS: OK, thank you much. Mike Erlandson, your thoughts? Was that really a memorial service or was that a pep rally for your party and its candidate, Walter Mondale?
MIKE ERLANDSON, CHMN. MN. DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Well, it was a celebration for the lives of those people that passed away. You know, the Democratic Party had nothing to do with it, nor did any of our campaigns.
MATTHEWS: But why did it become what looked like a rally rather than a religious ceremony?
ERLANDSON: Anybody that knows Senator Wellstone and knows the kind of passionate supporters that Senator Wellstone has and if you put 20,000 people into a stadium where people...
MATTHEWS: Right.
ERLANDSON: ... want to cheer or boo, they’ve been waiting two and a half hours for its start...
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: Why wasn’t Dick Cheney allowed to come? Why didn’t you let a Republican vice-president of United States attend a service he wanted to attend?
ERLANDSON: I think what was happening in the Minnesota-I mean I think he should have been allowed to come.
MATTHEWS: But why wasn’t he...
ERLANDSON: ... he wanted to come.
MATTHEWS: ... but why wasn’t he allowed to come? Why was he rejected as a griever? If it this was about grief, why wasn’t he allowed to come? It was about politics. It shouldn’t have been. Go ahead.
ERLANDSON: I tell you the politics of the campaign in Minnesota are run by Norm Coleman and my Republican friends have been very dirty and very negative. Dick Cheney and President Bush...
EIBENSTEINER: Mike...
ERLANDSON: ... have been to the state of Minnesota seven times...
MATTHEWS: OK. Well you’re clever to change the subject, but not cleverly enough. Let’s go to “Newsweek’s.”..
EIBENSTEINER: But Mike...
MATTHEWS: ... Howard Fineman. Let’s get an objective judge. Was that a rally the other day or was that a funeral service?
HOWARD FINEMAN, NEWSWEEK: Well it was a service that turned into a rally, and it was probably planned to have both things. I think it was carefully planned. I think it’s a little ridiculous to say the Democratic Party didn’t have anything to do with it. Maybe institutionally it didn’t, but that place was...
MATTHEWS: What about this...
FINEMAN: ... full of every important Democrat in the country.
...more to follow... |
