text:
Guests: Howard Fineman, Mark Halperin, Richard Lui, Chris Hayes, Susan Page, John Heilemann, Jennifer Jacobs, Liz Sidoti, Roger Simon
MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good to see
you. Thanks for being here this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep well, sir.
ROMNEY: Thank you. I`ll do my best. Wow, look at that.
ROMNEY: Isn`t that something?
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: I`m Chris Matthews. Let`s play HARDBALL!
MATTHEWS: Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews at Java Joe`s in Des
Moines, Iowa.
MATTHEWS: (INAUDIBLE) heading into their final weekend of campaigning
before Tuesday`s caucuses, four days to go now until the first big results
of 2012.
Leading off tonight: Romney goes for the kill. Our new NBC News
Marist poll has Mitt Romney leading the field here in Iowa. It`s the
second poll this week to show Romney on top, and one of many polls showing
Newt Gingrich is in dead freefall. The pressure may be getting to Newt,
who became teary-eyed this afternoon here at Java Joe`s.
One reason Romney`s doing so well here is evangelical voters are
split. They`re torn among Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Romney, Gingrich and
Michele Bachmann. Together, the religious-oriented candidates -- that`s
Santorum, Perry and Bachmann -- get 35 percent in our new poll. But apart,
they`re giving Romney a real path to victory through their division.
And how many tickets are there out of Iowa? How many people would
come from here to other parts of the debate and the campaign? Well, who`s
out of the race if they don`t have a strong finish on Tuesday night? We`re
going to answer that tonight. We`re going to look at which of the
candidates are most likely to quit after the Iowa caucuses this coming
And tell me what you really think. We`ve got the most revealing
moments of the Republican race so far, the statements that really tell us
more about the candidates than even they ever intended to tell us.
Finally, "Let Me Finish" with the role of politics and human tears.
We start with Mitt Romney going for the kill. Howard Fineman`s an
MSNBC political analyst and the Huffington Post Media Group editorial
director. And Susan Page is the Washington bureau chief for "USA Today."
Well, here we are at Java Joe`s, ground central...
MATTHEWS: ... ground central, on a quiet little street in Des Moines
that just happens to come alive like "Brigadoon" every four years. And
we`re all here. I think we`re part of the "Brigadoon" characters.
This crowd`s (ph) always here. We just show up. We`re the characters
out of that play.
Well, let`s take a look at our latest NBC News Marist poll. Mitt
Romney leads the pack, but still at that ceiling of 23, that weird number
that keeps popping up like on a roulette wheel, like in "Casablanca," the
one that`s fixed. It keeps coming up on 23, 4 points up from earlier this
month, however.
Ron Paul`s a close second. He`s up a couple points. Rick Santorum is
on the rise more dramatically, jumping 9 points into third place, and he`s
apparently still rising. And Newt Gingrich has continued his dead decline,
down 15 points to finish in fifth place.
What is going on in here? Let`s do -- like we like to do on HARDBALL,
let`s go to the bad news first. Why is Newt Gingrich dying in Des Moines?
Well, Chris...
MATTHEWS: And Davenport, and other cities in Iowa.
FINEMAN: I saw him early this morning at a country club -- all right
FINEMAN: ... with a Rotary Club crowd, that was a pre-made crowd. It
wasn`t his crowd, it was the Rotary Club.
MATTHEWS: They let in non-members?
FINEMAN: Yes.
FINEMAN: And when Newt started to speak, it sounded to me like a
valedictory. It sounded like he was beginning to say why he`d failed. He
said in front of this Rotary Club meeting, and I quoted it on Huffington
Post -- he said, I can`t do modern politics, meaning that there`s something
about the way a big, national, industrialized presidential campaign works
that he just never figured out. And if he ever does figure it out, it`s
going to be too late. That`s one thing that`s happening to him here.
MATTHEWS: Who was the guy...
MATTHEWS: Who was the guy, the African-American guy in mythic
history, went against the train (ph)? He was the pile driver...
FINEMAN: John Henry.
MATTHEWS: John Henry. And he would pound those piles in until he had
to finally run against the machine...
FINEMAN: Right. Exactly.
MATTHEWS: ... and the machine beat him -- or he beat the machine and
then died.
FINEMAN: That`s certainly how Newt views himself. Now, it`s kind of
a self-serving analysis. He`s saying, I`m the honest guy who wanted to run
a positive campaign...
MATTHEWS: I won the debates.
FINEMAN: ... just talk about the issues. I won the debates. I was
running like I was a member of the House, on the floor of the House, not
this weird thing that is presidential politics. He`s, of course, going to
blame the system if...
MATTHEWS: So a Republican running against industrialization.
FINEMAN: Yes. Industrialization of politics.
MATTHEWS: There`s a -- there`s a strange development. Susan, your
thoughts about the -- what looks to be the decline to almost infinitely
little size of Newt Gingrich today.
SUSAN PAGE, "USA TODAY": Well, I think one big factor is 45 -- we see
all these TV ads, night and day, on Iowa television stations. Forty-five
percent of the TV ads are attack ads on Newt Gingrich. So it would be a
phenomenal character who could withstand that kind of assault.
MATTHEWS: But he`s been around a million years!
PAGE: And he`s -- and he`s...
MATTHEWS: Why would people believe the negative on him?
PAGE: And he`s a target-rich environment, right?
PAGE: Because there`s not just one thing you can criticize about Newt
Gingrich, you can criticize his temperament, you can criticize him for...
MATTHEWS: Well, why did the souffle rise...
MATTHEWS: Excuse me. Why did the souffle rise so high and so
quickly, and just come down like such a bad meal? What happened?
PAGE: Well, because that`s what`s happened with Perry and Bachmann
and Cain and all of them because there`s a hunger for some more
interesting, dynamic character than Mitt Romney is. And voters think
they`ve found him and he shoots up. And then they discover he`s flawed,
and he goes down. And Mitt Romney is right there at the same percentage he
got four years ago. Twenty-five percent was what he got in the Iowa
MATTHEWS: Yes, I know...
MATTHEWS: ... Mitt Romney -- by the way, we have him at 23, which is
the number he seems to ride around the -- let`s take a look -- earlier this
afternoon, right here at Java Joe`s...
MATTHEWS: I knew that would work! Newt Gingrich met with Iowa
mothers in a media event run by Frank Luntz, asked Gingrich -- Frank asked
him about his own mother, prompting a rather emotional response, a
surprising one, except at this point in the campaign, when everybody`s
tired, especially the candidates. Let`s watch.
FRANK LUNTZ, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: What moment do you think of when
you think of your mom?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well,
I mean, first of all, you`re going to get me all teary-eyed. Callista will
tell you I get teary-eyed every time we send Christmas cards.
GINGRICH: (INAUDIBLE) Excuse me. My whole emphasis on brain science
comes in directly from dealing with -- see how (INAUDIBLE) -- from dealing
with (INAUDIBLE) the real problems of real people in my family. And so
it`s not a theory, it`s, in fact, you know, my mother.
MATTHEWS: Wow. Well, Howard, I mean, I want to say something about
at the end of the show about the role of tears. We`ve all covered
politics. Politicians, when they lose elections or are in bad trouble,
cry. I`ve seen it in every party. I`ve seen it -- it happens.
It`s the only business in which you ask everybody to like you, and
then you get a verdict from everybody, and they all tell you, in most
cases, We don`t like you. And every once in a while, they say they like
somebody for a while, and then they tell them they don`t like them.
FINEMAN: Well...
MATTHEWS: It`s a brutal business.
PAGE: They don`t cry in public. They don`t cry in public. And we
saw with Newt Gingrich -- I was in the room at Java Joe`s when he cried
this morning and...
MATTHEWS: Were you surprised?
PAGE: Yes. And it was -- it was a human moment. You know, you don`t
get very many human moments on the campaign trail. And it did remind me of
the moment four years ago in New Hampshire, when Hillary Clinton teared up
-- she didn`t cry quite as much as Newt Gingrich did -- and you suddenly
saw this human being behind the campaign.
FINEMAN: Yes, but this -- this -- I didn`t see him here, but I saw
him at the event before that, the first one he did this morning. And he
looked tired. He looked like he was worn out.
MATTHEWS: I think that`s a big part of it.
FINEMAN: He looked like he`d taken on something more than he could
handle. And he`s in terrible shape. He`s 68. He thinks he can go like he
went 30 years ago.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: And he doesn`t understand that if you`re going to run for
president, you have to build a big apparatus that you have to sit
comfortably on top of. And we make fun of this system of electing people,
but if you`re going to be president of the United States, you have to know
how to build and preside over that kind of instrument. And he just didn`t
know how to do it.
In addition to the fact that he`s been attacked mercilessly, often
justifiably, for his record over the last 20 years. And Newt is nothing if
not an egomaniacal guy.
MATTHEWS: Well, imagine going back to your hotel room with your
FINEMAN: Yes, and you turn on the TV.
MATTHEWS: ... and sitting and watching television as you`re trashed.
FINEMAN: Yes. And he didn`t respond. He never really responded.
MATTHEWS: OK. Well, he didn`t have the money to respond.
FINEMAN: He didn`t have the money to respond.
MATTHEWS: Let`s be honest here. Let`s take a look at a campaign stop
in West Des Moines, we covered this morning, with Mitt Romney, who was
joined by New Jersey governor -- talk about bringing in the big clout from
back East -- Chris Christie. I got in close and got a little bit of
conversation with both these fellows. Let`s watch.
MATTHEWS: How`s he helping your campaign, Governor?
ROMNEY: He makes it real clear that we`re going to bring real change
to Washington.
MATTHEWS: Would he be a good running mate?
ROMNEY: There are a number of people who`d be terrific.
MATTHEWS: I got a lot out of that! At the same event, I got ahold of
Christie and asked him about Romney. Let`s listen to that.
MATTHEWS: I can see the ticket! I see the ticket before me!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open up a path here, guys. Open up a path...
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: How`re you doing, Chris? Good
to see you.
CHRISTIE: Oh, I don`t know. We`ll see.
MATTHEWS: Is Iowa going to decide it?
CHRISTIE: I don`t think so. Listen, I don`t know. He`s going to do
really well here, but I don`t know what that`s going to mean.
MATTHEWS: Is second place good enough?
CHRISTIE: He`s going to do well. I`m not setting expectations for
MATTHEWS: Is first or second good enough?
CHRISTIE: Listen, he`s going to do really well, Chris. You watch
Tuesday night. You`ll be here, right? I`m watching you from New Jersey!
MATTHEWS: Can you bring New Jersey in on the ticket, bring Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Ohio and break this thing wide open?
CHRISTIE: He`s going to win Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio in the
MATTHEWS: Because you`re on the ticket.
CHRISTIE: No, because he`s the best guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is!
CHRISTIE: Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio are practical people. We
know that. And the fact is that they know this is wrong and it`s not going
right, and he`s the right guy to fix it.
MATTHEWS: Are you going across the country with him now?
CHRISTIE: I`m going wherever he asks me to go.
MATTHEWS: OK, well, this guy`s joined the team. I do think it`s a
possible ticket, but there`s so many -- John Thune, if this guy`s -- I`m
ahead of myself! Let`s stop talking about Romney winning this thing.
Is this a rock meeting a hard place, or whatever? Because -- an
unmovable force meeting an unstoppable object? Here`s a guy that`s had a
ceiling because the evangelicals don`t like him. They don`t think he`s one
of them. He`s a moderate. He`s LDS, all that. Whatever the factors are,
he seems to be stuck at 23 percent, Romney, nationwide and here in Iowa.
At the same time, they want a winner. And so people are somewhat
coalescing about him, somewhat, in the crowd we saw today. You`re
demurring here?
FINEMAN: Well, I`m demurring...
MATTHEWS: He can`t break that 23.
FINEMAN: I`m demurring a little bit. Talking to the Romney people
out there, they`re currently genuinely worried, I think, that Rick Santorum
will be able to consolidate all of those evangelicals...
MATTHEWS: The 75 percent.
FINEMAN: ... which could get him above the 23, 24, 25 percent ceiling
that Romney has. And when you talk to the people out at that rally -- I
talked to one guy who said -- he was wearing a Romney sticker. I said, So,
tell my why you`re for Mitt Romney? And he said, Well, I`m not really 100
percent for Mitt Romney, but he does seem to be a sane guy.
MATTHEWS: OK. There`s a standard!
FINEMAN: There`s a -- there`s a standard.
MATTHEWS: In the clown car, one guy`s sane.
FINEMAN: He`s going to -- he`s going to -- and that might be enough
to get him the 24 percent or 25 percent that he needs. But the Romney
people are being very careful not to predict anything more than that.
MATTHEWS: You know, my daughter says, the night you let the less
drunk guy drive.
MATTHEWS: That`s what goes on.
FINEMAN: They`re not worried about Ron -- they figure they can --
they figure they can -- the Romney people figure they can explain away Ron
MATTHEWS: Oh, I -- OK.
FINEMAN: ... but they have more trouble explaining away a surge by
MATTHEWS: Well, here`s that surge in Rick Santorum with the most
committed voters. Look what he`s got, 59 percent say they`re with him to
the end as a candidate. They ain`t going to switch. Ron Paul, Rick Perry
and Mitt Romney are all close behind him. This is the percentage of people
who say they`re totally with him. But that`s in the low 50s.
We`re in the real science here. We`re in the metrics here, Susan.
But here`s the question. Will the full committed people of Santorum drive
their way through the evangelicals, get the lion`s share of that 46 percent
come Tuesday night, and overtake Romney, who can`t seem to bust free from
23, 25?
PAGE: Well, it`s possible...
MATTHEWS: Howard sized it up.
PAGE: You know, the other candidates are not backing away. Rick
Perry is on the air here all the time. Rick Perry...
MATTHEWS: But Rick Perry doesn`t have the brains to be president.
PAGE: Rick Perry...
MATTHEWS: I mean, the guy`s...
PAGE: ... going to get a part of that vote...
MATTHEWS: He doesn`t have the basics...
MATTHEWS: ... the necessaries to be president.
PAGE: We`re talking metrics here.
PAGE: And you`ve got other candidates who are going to be splitting
up that vote.
MATTHEWS: OK, what`s the appeal?
FINEMAN: The appeal of Rick Perry?
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: Is that he seems to be a decent guy -- to the evangelicals,
he seems to be a decent guy with his heart in the right place, even if he
doesn`t have...
MATTHEWS: Upstairs.
FINEMAN: You know, the rest of it.
MATTHEWS: OK. Thank you.
PAGE: He`s the nation`s senior governor of a big state. That`s
MATTHEWS: Texas! OK, thank you, Howard Fineman.
MATTHEWS: Just kidding! Lot of smart people in Texas. Anyway, I was
going to say liberals, but that would be pushing it. Anyway, thank you,
Susan Page. Well, you know your -- how many of these have you covered?
PAGE: This is my ninth caucuses.
MATTHEWS: Ninth caucus. We are "Brigadoon" characters, aren`t we?
We come out here in the...
FINEMAN: She has me beat by one.
MATTHEWS: ... every four years.
Anyway, coming up: Why don`t evangelical voters get in line behind one
candidate? I don`t know why we`re encouraging this, but if they get behind
Santorum rather than splitting their vote among Perry, Bachmann, Gingrich
and the rest of them, they`re not going to have any clout out here. We`re
teaching Santorum -- we`re teaching evangelicals tonight how to have more
political clout.
We`ll be back from Java Joe`s in Des Moines.
MATTHEWS: First, I caught up with some voters at that Romney rally
today. Let`s watch.
MATTHEWS: Tell me about your vote and how you see your vote next
Tuesday in the caucuses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I feel like that I don`t need my
president to be my moral compass or my religious compass. I need him to
take care of my paycheck, and that`s why I`m out here supporting Romney.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. What an exciting campaign this
is! Four years ago, Mike Huckabee won in Iowa by gaining overwhelming
support from the people who identify as evangelicals. And this year, the
evangelical field is a little more crowded and a lot more divided among the
following -- Rick Santorum, who`s doing the best, Rick Perry, who`s hanging
in there, Michele Bachmann, who`s fading.
As the saying goes, the shape of the field defines the winner. That`s
a Massachusetts political expression which means, If you`re the only
evangelical against four secular candidates, you win. If you`re the only
evangelical among four seculars, you win. Jimmy Carter was the only
conservative among four Democratic liberals. That`s how he won.
So will Mitt Romney be the big winner as the secular candidate, thanks
to the inability of evangelicals to coalesce around one candidate?
We`ve got the two experts of -- maybe not all time, but near time.
Mark Halperin`s "Time" magazine`s editor-at-large and MSNBC senior
political analyst, and of course, John Heilemann is national affairs editor
of "New York" magazine and MSNBC political analyst. That`s the way Cary
Grant used to say it, New York!
OK, let me ask you both -- one of the three of us, I believe it`s safe
to say, is an evangelical. So let`s make that straight. OK, we are
looking inside the fish bowl. Why can`t they find one guy or person they
like the most? You first, Mark.
MARK HALPERIN, "TIME," MSNBC SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Four years ago,
Mitt Romney had to run against three other establishment candidates -- Fred
Thompson, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain...
MATTHEWS: None of...
HALPERIN: And Huckabee was able to be the evangelical to consolidate.
It`s a mirror image this time. They can`t consolidate because all of them
have had moments, all of them have sacrificed for months to run for
president, Rick Perry a little bit less than the others. They don`t want
to give up. They don`t particularly like each other. And they all think
that they can be the one to emerge from here as the Romney alternative.
It`s kind of a prisoner`s dilemma. If they got together, they could
do what they all want to do individually, but fighting each other, Romney
now -- again, mirror image. He`s the only establishment candidate against
not just the three you named, but Gingrich, and to some extent Ron Paul...
MATTHEWS: Right.
HALPERIN: ... also have the same kind of backing.
MATTHEWS: I was at that 801 steakhouse the other night last night,
and the lobsters in the lobster tank that got through the night -- you know
the ones that are still there when you get home...
HALPERIN: The 1 percent lobsters?
MATTHEWS: They don`t let any lobster get out of the tank. If they
see one getting out, they pull him back in. Now, no evangelical wants the
other evangelical to win. For example, it looks like Rick Santorum, who`s
Roman Catholic, actually, but charismatic, a conservative Catholic -- he`s
starting to pull away. Can he pull away by next Tuesday and overtake
Romney as not only the evangelical winner but the big winner out of Iowa?
JOHN HEILEMANN, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Well, look, I think that it
depends. I mean, he`s certainly like -- this is a momentum game, right,
who gets hot at the end. Rick Santorum has the hot hand right now, and
particularly the hot hand among this voting...
HEILEMANN: But you`ve got -- the candidates aren`t going to do that.
The voters are going to make that decision. The problem for Santorum --
he`s benefiting from Bachmann`s collapse, for sure. And she`s kind of on
the way down. The problem...
MATTHEWS: We saw her yesterday with 12 people at an event, at the
HEILEMANN: The problem he`s facing -- and I think it was almost the
interesting thing in the NBC poll was that Perry is still holding steady,
and actually even ticking up a little bit.
MATTHEWS: Is that TV advertising?
HEILEMANN: It is totally, I think, a matter of money. And it shows
you the contrast between the two of them because Santorum, if he had
Perry`s money, I would bet today that he would win the caucuses. But he`s
totally broke. He`s got momentum but no money. Perry`s got no momentum,
but he`s got enough money to be on television everywhere, and he`s spent
more money on TV than I think any other candidate in Iowa.
MATTHEWS: Well, let`s take a look at this. A number of the
candidates, as you`re saying, are using a strong sell in their TV ad buys
to go after evangelical voters, trying to win them. Here`s an ad by Rick
Santorum, showing some power here (INAUDIBLE) pay for this, touting his
marriage and family. There`s even an appearance from Mike Huckabee in the
ad. Let`s watch.
MATTHEWS: So big family, happy family. I think that`s all true, by
the way. I think this is a legitimate ad, for once, from anybody. He
really does have a great marriage. And 21 years ain`t much, but it`s
something, you know?
MATTHEWS: You know, I`m 31, so, I don`t know what everybody`s bragging
about. I think -- anybody got more than 21 here?
Look at you -- oh, everybody in Iowa`s got a longer marriage than Rick
HEILEMANN: There`s like a 20-year-old kid back there who put his hand
up just now.
HALPERIN: He`s a good Iowa candidate. He`s been to all 99 counties.
He speaks the language of a lot of the voters here.
He hasn`t had a lot of money, although he is on TV now. I think the
thing that could be the moment for him that pivots, where he could
consolidate, not the -- not the religious -- he`s gotten some endorsements
here from evangelical leaders, some nationally, but what could consolidate
for him in the voters` minds is the "Des Moines Register" poll out Saturday
night, tomorrow night. If he`s doing well in that...
MATTHEWS: They`re smart, the voters. The evangelicals are smart.
They will go with the leader.
HALPERIN: They will go with someone who they think can win this
MATTHEWS: With a punch.
HALPERIN: ... and send a message.
MATTHEWS: Do you agree with that?
HEILEMANN: That`s why I said before I think the consolidation is
going to happen not because one of the other candidates decides to throw up
their hands, but because voters decide that there`s one that has the best
chance of winning.
MATTHEWS: OK. Here`s Perry trying to stop that from happening. Here
he is talking about -- in an ad -- about what he sees as a war on
Christianity in this country. Let`s watch this tough ad.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I`m not ashamed to
admit that I`m a Christian. But you don`t need to be in the pew every
Sunday to know there`s something wrong in this country when gays can serve
openly in the military, but our kids can`t openly celebrate Christmas or
pray in school.
As president, I will end Obama`s war on religion and I will fight
against liberal attacks on our religious heritage.
MATTHEWS: You know, I could argue with that ad for 1,000 years.
I don`t know what the connection is between letting people serve the
way God made them in the military. Nobody made themselves gay. God made
them what they are, allowed to serve their country if they love it. I
don`t see what the problem is with that.
Number two, why can`t you pray in public school if you want to pray?
Nobody`s stopping you. You just don`t have an organized reading of the
King James version of the Bible anymore. That`s the difference.
HALPERIN: Do you want me to go get Rick Perry and bring him...
MATTHEWS: I just don`t understand what his case is.
HALPERIN: Well, which most...
MATTHEWS: I do understand it, by the way.
HALPERIN: ... interesting to me about that ad is when he got in the
race, his advisers said, the religious conservative Rick Perry is not going
to be front and center. It`s going to be the job creator in Texas.
He mentions that occasionally, but his advertising and a lot of his
rhetoric on the stump is about anti-Washington, the religious issues.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HALPERIN: He`s gotten away from the message he thought would bring
him to the nomination.
MATTHEWS: But Rick -- look, I guess I -- I know Rick Santorum from
Pennsylvania, and I have always liked him, even though I have disagreed
with a lot of his stuff, but he is what he is.
Rick Santorum is -- if you peel off the skin deep, deep down, he would
be Rick Santorum. He`s not like Romney, who can speak French, but wouldn`t
show it in the daylight, right? Right? He isn`t some other guy hiding
somewhere. He is Rick Santorum.
HEILEMANN: Let`s say one thing about that ad. It would have been
better if he had done it with the "Brokeback Mountain" jacket on. That`s
the first thing.
HEILEMANN: But the second -- but the second...
MATTHEWS: You are making connections I never would have thought of,
John Heilemann.
HEILEMANN: The second thing is, this is true. What Mark just said is
really true. He has spent all this money on television.
MATTHEWS: Was that a secret code that we...
HEILEMANN: He has not had a consistent message.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HEILEMANN: And all the money that he has spent on TV has not
redounded as much to his benefit as it might have, because he`s been on
jobs sometimes, on culture sometimes. He`s been all over the place.
MATTHEWS: But Santorum never talks about the economy, or hardly ever.
HALPERIN: He does. Look, he`s gotten no scrutiny.
There`s been some. Perry`s gone after him in the last 48 hours a
little bit, but the Rick Santorum record is not going to be scrutinized
between now and Tuesday.
MATTHEWS: OK. Let me try a headline by you guys. You write history,
but let me ask you a preview.
Suppose the headline in the papers next Wednesday after Iowa, in all
the papers, "The Des Moines Register" and "The New York Times," is -- let`s
see -- "Paul Edges Romney, Santorum Finishes Strong." Is that a good
HALPERIN: It`s certainly plausible. I don`t think it`s most likely.
But it`s plausible.
MATTHEWS: OK. What do you think, Heilemann?
HEILEMANN: I think it`s plausible and it sounds pretty good for Mitt
MATTHEWS: OK. Thank you very much, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
But you`re not agreeing yet, not signing up.
Coming up -- by the way, "The Des Moines Register" poll...
MATTHEWS: Coming up: With a vote soon on Tuesday, how many
candidates will survive and how many will get kicked off the island, as
they say? In other words, no more campaigning. You`re done.
You`re watching HARDBALL from Des Moines, Iowa, coming up only on
MATTHEWS: Can you say "Let them eat cake" in French?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can, but I won`t.
MATTHEWS: We`re back at Java Joe`s. What a wild crowd.
I think, sometimes, that the only people that come in here are
Democrats. But that`s just...
MATTHEWS: I`m going to keep looking. This is supposed to be a
Republican big show -- big story here.
Let me ask you about Newt Gingrich tearing up right next door here in
the other room here of Java Joe`s. It seems to me now we have watched this
across both gender sides.
Ed Muskie was supposed to have cried in New Hampshire. Senator,
what`s her name, Pat Schroeder from Colorado, Senator Clinton, Hillary
Clinton, and, of course, this guy now.
My experiences is, behind the scenes, they all cry when they`re in
trouble politically. It`s a personal reaction, usually when they`re
totally exhausted. They get emotional.
What does it tell you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, it comes off as phony. They`re at this
every day, out in it every day, day in and day out, and then, all of a
sudden, right near the end, it seems like the tear ducts come in. And, to
me, it strikes me as phony.
MATTHEWS: Do you think it`s an appeal for sympathy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. Oh, absolutely, it`s an appeal for
MATTHEWS: Really? You`re a hard guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
MATTHEWS: I want to ask somebody -- I want to go to a woman now and
see if there`s a gender agreement.
Do you agree with that, that this is a show, that the tears are for
show, or crocodile tears?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not usually. No, I think they seem to be
genuine at the time.
MATTHEWS: Do you think it`s driven by tiredness, just exhaustion?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That could be a good part of it, sure.
MATTHEWS: What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think, when you`re tired, you`re emotionally
MATTHEWS: Do you think it shows Newt Gingrich to be more of a mensch?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t think I better respond.
MATTHEWS: You don`t want to go that far?
MATTHEWS: Let me ask this guy. He`s a tougher guy.
Do you think Newt Gingrich is trying to show his softer side here, or
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just can`t say too much good about Newt
MATTHEWS: Well, I`m with you, bro.
Let me go to you. Sir, what do you think? Too many teardrops? Isn`t
there a big song? I remember that, too many teardrops. I like that song.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he`s sincere. I mean, I think he`s just
tired, exhausted.
MATTHEWS: Thank you. I`m with you, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t think it was sincere, but when Hillary
cried, it was sincere.
MATTHEWS: That`s what we like, true political prejudice. We`re all
guilty of that -- not you.
Boy, we`re -- you`re exactly who I want to talk to you. Why not you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have nothing to say.
MATTHEWS: Nothing to say? Gosh. We don`t like that.
Over here. Oh, there you are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey.
MATTHEWS: Excellent reading material, though I don`t want to show
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great reading material.
MATTHEWS: What`s the name of that book?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero."
MATTHEWS: OK. Thank you.
Let me ask you about your views here.
Crying in politics, Ed Muskie totally denied it back in my age, `76 --
`72, rather. He didn`t cry. It was the tear -- it was something, it was
the snow in his eyes or whatever. Do you think tears hurt a politician or
give them a human side?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it gives them a human side, but I don`t
think Newt Gingrich has much of a human side.
MATTHEWS: You don`t think...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he`s tired.
MATTHEWS: You think he`s tired. OK. Thank you.
Most of the people here are cynical. They have no hearts, and they
think Newt Gingrich doesn`t either.
Anyway, we will be right back.
RICHARD LUI, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Richard Lui with your CNBC
"Market Wrap."
It`s the final day of the year some investors may wish they could
forget. The Dow shedding 69 points, the S&P down five, and the Nasdaq shed
eight. But for all the wild ups and downs, the Dow actually made people
some money this year, up 5.5 percent over December 30, 2010. The S&P ended
almost exactly where it started, though.
Among the blue chips for you, McDonald`s led the winners for 2011.
Bank of America though posted the biggest loss there. Meanwhile, Verizon
is doing a little damage control. One day after customers fumed about news
of an added surcharge, the company said, oops, we will drop that fee after
And a banner headline for Ford Motor Company, which announced sales of
its primary vehicles, topping $2 million in the U.S. this year, the first
time that`s happened for any single car brand since 2007. And then U.S.
drivers are cutting way back at the pump evidently, according to a new EIA
report, making way for refiners to export more fuel than ever before.
That`s it from CNBC, first in business worldwide -- now back to
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL and an incredible changing
environment out here right now for Republicans who have watched candidate
after candidate top the charts for a couple of weeks and then collapse in a
heap. Take a look.
First came Michele Bachmann. Her performance is shown by the black
line there. She reached a peak in mid-July, then fell fast. Look at the
numbers. They`re taken over time. Then Perry, the blue line, that comes
on there right now, very much matches it, was the next to steam up and then
lose all favor right there. Look how that works now, this sort of new arc.
And then it was Herman Cain`s turn. He did very well. Look how high
he went in that red line there, climbing to his high in late October,
fairly recently. And, of course, most recently, Gingrich took the lead
before starting his descent, as voters commit to -- look, there`s the
See the patterns? They all have their peaks and they all sequenced
after another, serial love affairs, one after another after another.
People fall for their candidates in a big way, and then they die.
Now the caucuses are going to answer a big question: Who`s going to
get out of here?
And I guess my question is tough. You`re both objective reporters.
You don`t deal in opinion. I notice you pointed that out before we
Jennifer Jacobs is the chief politics reporter for "The Des Moines
Register," the key newspaper here, and Liz Sidoti is the political editor
for the Associated Press.
These are big jobs, so let me ask you what you do.
Just in terms of stakes coming in here, it seems to me that the guy,
the candidate who could have come through here without even stopping could
have been Mitt Romney. Yet, he is now one of the three possible winners
out here, right? so he doesn`t really need to do better than top two or
three. Fine.
But Bachmann and Perry, do they have to prove that they can hold on to
some of that vote against the very strong performance now of Rick Santorum?
JENNIFER JACOBS, "THE DES MOINES REGISTER": Those are the two that
are probably the most in peril.
You know, Michele Bachmann, this is her home state, and so if she
doesn`t make a case here, she`s going to have a hard time after she moves
MATTHEWS: Why is it her home state?
JACOBS: Well, she was born here.
MATTHEWS: She was born here.
JACOBS: Yes, native here. So, you know...
MATTHEWS: Is that known?
JACOBS: Oh, yes. Iowans definitely know that. She`s made a very big
point of that. So, if she can`t do well in Iowa, how is she going to do
well elsewhere?
But she`s still trying to inspire confidence. Her crowds today in
Iowa were just minuscule, though. Our beat reporter who covers her said
that they were just small, disinterested crowds, no more than 30.
MATTHEWS: I was there yesterday. I saw one of those crowds. It was
very small.
JACOBS: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about this, Jennifer, the same question to
you. Who could really get -- who`s imperiled right now, can`t get a ticket
out of here maybe?
LIZ SIDOTI, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Well, I think you have to actually look
at their bank accounts, not just the voter -- how they end up on January --
June -- hello, what day is it? January 3. But you actually have to look
beyond Iowa.
Who`s going to have the money to put organizations in all these other
states and who`s going to have the momentum to go the distance? And the
fact of the matter is, it`s really only three people who are going to be
able to do that, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
They`re not only doing well here, but they actually have organizations
and money in other states.
MATTHEWS: Is Newt running out of money as well?
SIDOTI: I think it`s going to be difficult for Newt to raise money if
he`s not in the top three heading out here.
MATTHEWS: And his hope -- excuse me -- his hope, Liz, is to try to
last long enough to get to the next debate, which is almost like his oasis.
If he can get to a debate, right, Jennifer, he can -- he`s one guy that can
live off the land. He`s so successful in the debates. And one thing that
killed him out here, right, is there haven`t been many debates for a while.
JACOBS: And that`s why Perry is doing well. Perry is best at retail
campaigning, that one-on-one contact.
MATTHEWS: Advertising.
JACOBS: Exactly. So more people are showing up to see Rick Perry,
and he`s finally dedicating some time here, and he`s not debating.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about the larger point here, the role of
Iowa. Iowa made Jimmy Carter. It made, in many ways, I would argue,
President Obama. Winning out here sort of established him as almost the
way that Bush won the presidency, W., to the extent he deserved to win it,
because he was seen as the first sort of flash winner, right, when the
first count came in.
Your thoughts about Iowa? Is it going to remain a powerful picker of
JACOBS: I think so. You know, we have a lot of confidence in who our
-- you know, our Iowans choose. And it just seems like no matter who they
choose, the caucuses just go on strong every year -- or every four years.
MATTHEWS: Is it important to Iowa?
JACOBS: Oh, definitely. And they take it so seriously. You know
that. You see it in...
MATTHEWS: OK. I want to get back -- same question to you. Looking
at it nationally, Liz, do you think Iowa`s going to hold the power that New
Hampshire`s seems to have held forever?
SIDOTI: Well, I actually think that what happens in New Hampshire and
South Carolina and Florida will dictate whether or not Iowa continues to be
seen as, you know, a place every candidate has to play.
Don`t forget about New Hampshire. And you know this. New Hampshire`s
fickle, independent-leaning state. They may not like -- what happens if
Mitt Romney wins here? Are they going to turn their backs on him and
choose someone else or not?
MATTHEWS: Well, let`s take a look at some of the new ads here.
Here`s some examples of the tough ads Newt has had to contend with. And
this has been brutal on him. A pro-Romney super PAC released this ad this
week trashing Gingrich`s mistakes.
Let`s take a look at this. This is a brutal, almost knock-him-out ad.
NARRATOR: Ever notice how some people make a lot of mistakes?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was probably a mistake.
I made a mistake.
I have made mistakes at times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoops.
NARRATOR: So far, Newt Gingrich has admitted his mistakes or flipped
on teaming up with Nancy Pelosi, immigration, Medicare, health care, Iraq,
attacking Mitt Romney, and more.
GINGRICH: I made a big mistake in the spring.
NARRATOR: Haven`t we had enough mistakes?
MATTHEWS: And Ron Paul released this ad targeting both Gingrich and
Romney. Let`s watch.
NARRATOR: The Washington machine is strangling our economy.
Politicians who supported bailouts and mandates, serial hypocrites and
flip-floppers can`t clean up the mess.
One man stands alone, a real plan to cut $1 trillion year one, balance
the budget in three, consistent, incorruptible, guided by faith and
Ron Paul, the one we`ve been looking for.
MATTHEWS: Well, at least it ends positively.
Liz, it just looks to me, I don`t know how you can sit at home. I
mean, a lot of people are home because they`re taking care of an older
relative, a parent, and they have a lot of TV time. I don`t know how you
can take it. It`s brutal.
SIDOTI: Yes, it really is.
MATTHEWS: It is brutal! I mean, you turn on the TV for relief from
your home care, it is worse than life. It`s really tough. You know?
You`re smiling, but it`s -- how -- I thought Philly, the Delaware
Valley of South Jersey area, every judge is a crook. Everyone running for
re-election is terrible. These ads are awful, especially against Newt who
-- one of reasons why he`s crying is he has a TV set.
SIDOTI: Well, look, Chris, they worked, right? I mean, look at
these negative ads. And this is Midwestern country, you know? It is
Midwestern Iowa. Iowa nice. What happened there?
You know, in 2004, we saw, you know, negative ads go up and there was
backlash. And in 2008 --
MATTHEWS: What happened to Iowa nice? Jennifer?
JACOBS: What do you mean?
MATTHEWS: Well, Iowa`s always had a reputation for being, they don`t
like -- they don`t like nasty people. They don`t like nasty TV ads. They
don`t like negativity.
JACOBS: They still don`t. And if you ask them, they will always say
that. Which is why they liked Gingrich? He was the front-runner in our
poll at the end of November.
And the most common thing I heard from people, the reason why they
liked him was because he rose above it. He didn`t engage in that
Republican-on-Republican violence.
So, they really did like that about him. But, you know, that`s kind
of slipped. He spends all his time, you know, on the defense and --
MATTHEWS: Punching back.
JACOBS: Exactly.
MATTHEWS: Well, here`s the awful part, the deceit part. Romney was
Mr. Charm out there today. He was singing "America the Beautiful," one of
my favorite songs, our favorite song as Americans. It`s a beautiful song.
He had all the lyrics down. He had Christie with him, his beautiful
wife with him. He had all that going for him.
Meanwhile his super PAC ad is kicking the bejesus out of Newt, in the
butt, I mean, over and over. Somebody said, he gets loftier in his words
as his ads get nastier. So, it could be that they say, I just like this
Mitt Romney, while his ads are destroying his opponents.
SIDOTI: Well, look, I think this is the story of this campaign,
right? This is how the campaign finance system has been changed by the
Citizens United ruling, allowing these allied groups to come in and pour a
ton of money in, and allowing the candidate to say, hey, I`m positive, it`s
not me.
MATTHEWS: People of Iowa are being deceived, right? They`re being
JACOBS: You have plenty of Republican strategists who point out that
Gingrich is sinking in New Hampshire too, and not a single negative ad has
been run against him there. So, you know, people --
MATTHEWS: OK. "The Des Moines Register," right, your poll is coming
out Saturday?
JACOBS: Exactly.
MATTHEWS: What time does it come out?
JACOBS: Seven p.m.
MATTHEWS: Seven o`clock Saturday night?
JACOBS: Yes.
MATTHEWS: The whole world is going to know who`s going to win,
JACOBS: We`re going to predict it.
MATTHEWS: I know you`re good.
Anyway, thank you. It`s great to be with you, Jennifer. It`s great
to be with you, Liz.
Up next, we`ve got the most revealing moment of the presidential race
so far. They said more about the candidates than they ever intended. This
is very fun, coming up here. Very fun.
HARDBALL from Java Joe`s in Des Moines, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Are you for Romney?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Tell me why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was for him the last time.
MATTHEWS: Do you think he`ll do better this time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, very much so.
MATTHEWS: What`s changed from `08?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t think anything`s changed from `08. We
now know what`s out there is not working and I think we`re looking forward
to a change.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
In this 2012 Republican race, some of the most revealing moments came
in the knockout punch not taken, the barely stifled frustration, the brain
freeze. We call them the "tell me when you really think" statements that
told us more about a candidate than anything else they said.
Roger Simon, who invented the road show in politics, is chief
political columnist for "Politico." And Chris Hayes is host of MSNBC`s "UP
WITH CHRIS HAYES" on Saturday mornings at 7:00 and Sunday mornings at 8:00.
Chris, thanks for joining us.
Roger, I want Chris to start with this one. Let`s take a look at --
well, Mitt Romney probably that he was on friendly turf with a FOX
interview, but when challenged, we see his barely contained frustration in
having to answer a question from Bret Baier. Look at his body language
here and let`s watch it.
You first, react to this, Chris.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS: Do you think a mandate, mandating people to
buy insurance is the right tool?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bret, I don`t know how many
hundred times I`ve said this too -- this is an unusual interview. All
right, let`s do it again!
MATTHEWS: Chris, I`ve never seen a candidate re-cross his legs in
the middle of an interview with great frustration.
CHRIS HAYES, HOST, "UP WITH CHRIS HAYES": I thought it was an
interesting physiological response, because he was clearly trying to
contain just barely suppressed rage at Baier in that moment.
What I thought was interesting about it was: A, it was a question
that if you hired a 19-year-old to do a little bit of research or tee up a
question to Mitt Romney, it was one of the first that he would ask. So,
the fact that he felt so offended by the question said to me that he had
just not been spending enough time in interviews. And in fact, Romney was
running one of the most closed up press shop until that moment. And I
think this showed that his muscles had atrophied.
I also think it showed that Romney has a temper. I mean, we saw him
-- his temper flare during the debate when he put his hand on the shoulder
of Rick Perry. We`ve seen it in a few moments. It`s been written about a
bit. And this was one of those points where it bubbled up.
And, you know, a campaign, a modern campaign tests people to their
very depths and core. And you`re going to see more of that as it drags on.
MATTHEWS: Yes, but Romney`s still hiding from most of us.
Let`s take a look at this. This is FOX, after all, not exactly
dangerous territory. Here`s Tim Pawlenty previewing his killer line
against Mitt Romney on FOX the day before the New Hampshire debate. Let`s
listen to what he promised to say in the debate.
TIM PAWLENTY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama
said that he designed Obamacare after Romneycare, and basically made it
MATTHEWS: Obamaneycare, an interesting line. But when it came time
to deliver that line in the actual debate, Mr. Pawlenty, the governor,
punted. Listen, moderator John King tried to get him to say it.
JOHN KING, MODERATOR: Governor, you just heard the governor rebut
your characterization, Obamaneycare, why?
PAWLENTY: Let me first say to Sylvia, she has put her finger on one
of the most important issues facing the country, which is President Obama
stood before the nation in 2008 and said he promised to do health care
reform, focused on cost containment, along with Republicans. He`d do it on
a bipartisan --
KING: The question, the question, Governor, was why Obamaneycare.
PAWLENTY: That`s right. Well, I`m going to get to that, John.
KING: Your rival is standing right there. If it was Obamaneycare on
"FOX News Sunday," why is it not Obamaneycare standing here with the
governor right there?
PAWLENTY: President Obama is the person who I quoted in saying he
looked to Massachusetts for designing his program.
MATTHEWS: Roger, what happened?
ROGER SIMON, POLITICO: You know, it`s really said in politics that a
friend is somebody who stabs in the front.
Here, here`s Pawlenty who`s willing to stab Romney in the back. But
when it comes to the national debate and he got to stand there six feet
from him and repeat, he just doesn`t have the guts to do it.
MATTHEWS: You think it`s guts? That`s what it comes across.
SIMON: Part of it is guts. It`s hard on a stage, you know,
insulting a person who`s near you. This was June. It was early in the
process. The press wanted to see these guys mix it up. Pawlenty wouldn`t
play the game. He wouldn`t go for it.
MATTHEWS: Yes, you remember that scene in "Presumed Innocent" where
they say the prosecutor has to point a finger at you and say "you did it"
in front of the jury, and he wasn`t willing to do it.
Well, here`s Rick Perry who had the world`s most ill-timed brain
freeze in history -- there`s other terms for it, by the way -- at the CNBC
debate in November. Let`s watch the freeze.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I will tell you,
it`s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: Commerce,
Education, and what`s the third one there, let`s see. The third agency of
government -- I would do away with Education, Commerce, and let`s see -- I
can`t. The third one I can`t. I`m sorry. Oops.
MATTHEWS: You know, Chris Hayes, it`s tough when you can`t answer
somebody else`s question, but when you can`t answer your own question, you
got a deep-freeze problem there. I don`t know what to do say about this.
And "oops" didn`t quite handle it.
HAYES: The saddest part of that entire thing were the other
candidates whispering, helping a little child who is stumped.
And, you know, what`s interesting in that moment about Perry`s
performance was when he got in the race, there`s a lot of people who said
he`s not ready for primetime, and then you saw a sort of backlash
particularly among Texas political writers and said, don`t underestimate
this guy, he`s won every election that he`s run. He`s a very confident
Well, it turned out he wasn`t ready for primetime. I mean, that
moment sort of epitomized the fact that he has not been ready for
MATTHEWS: And the sad thing is he`s ready for Texas.
Anyway, after Rick Perry called evolution a theory that`s out there
and said he doubts man`s contribution to global warming, Jon Huntsman fired
off this tweet, "To be clear, I believe in evolution and trust scientists
on global warming. Call me crazy."
You know, this is part of the weird thing the Republican candidates
are engaging in. People with the education of Mitt Romney, the best
education in our country, and Jon Huntsman, they have to hood that in the
Republican primaries and caucuses. You have to pretend you don`t know what
you were taught in school in order to pass muster with people who fear
SIMON: It`s like the old days in the Democratic Party in the South
where you had to out-seg your opponent. Now, you have to out-conservative
your opponent.
Here was Huntsman making a statement, saying, look, I`m center right,
you got all six, seven people on the right, here`s an alternative. And
then they staff took him aside and said, there is no center-right in the
Republican Party.
MATTHEWS: And he took all that back.
SIMON: Well, yes.
MATTHEWS: Anyway, here`s Christine O`Donnell, that one, who ran an
unsuccessful Senate campaign up in Delaware, most memorable for the "I`m
not a witch" line, endorsed Mitt Romney by highlighting his greatest
vulnerability. Let`s listen.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN: So tell us who gets your endorsement.
CHRISTINE O`DONNELL, FORMER U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: I like Mitt
Romney as well.
COSTELLO: Some people say that Mitt Romney isn`t the most consistent
candidate, because he`s changed his mind about big important issues over
the years.
O`DONELL: You know, that`s one of the things that I like about him,
because he`s been consistent since he changed his mind.
MATTHEWS: You first, Roger. Consistent since he changed his mind.
There`s an endorsement.
SIMON: The worst statement you could possibly make. But secondly
who wants O`Donnell`s endorsement? Half the people thought she practiced
witchcraft. The other half thought she still practices witchcraft. She --
MATTHEWS: Are you saying that that endorsement is a curse? Just
Roger Simon, thank you. Chris Hayes, please come back.
When we -- when I come back, "Let Me Finish" with tears in politics,
and how they go together.
You`re watching HARDBALL at Java Joe`s in Des Moines only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: "Let Me Finish" tonight with this:
Politics is a grueling business. It`s all about getting people to
like you.
When you get elected, you think the whole world loves you.
When you get defeated, you feel the total rejection that is the lone
experience of those who choose to put themselves before the public for
approval or disapproval. We`ve looked upon you and found you wanting. We
know you, and we don`t like you. Brutal.
And the most brutal treatment comes when you are most vulnerable,
when you`ve been out there for weeks, months, years perhaps asking people
to like you, and then it comes on election night or maybe a few days
earlier when you see a poll, then you get it right in the gut. You get the
work that all that work, all those smiles and handshakes and small talk and
best speeches you could give didn`t work. You good it thrown at you cold
and brutally that the verdict is no. No, not you, not you now. Not ever,
got it? We don`t like you.
This afternoon, Newt Gingrich, one of the roughest of politicians,
showed tears. Believe me, he`s not the first. Crying in defeat comes with
the business.
It`s usually backstage when the candidate gets the word, or on Air
Force One at 1:00 in the morning, or sitting in a hotel room. You know
it`s over, people got you and decided they didn`t like you. You may have
been through it with a girl or boy or later in life, but you know the
Candidates with public office get it with a bigger punch. It isn`t
one person saying no to you. It`s the mass of people saying not you, not
Look, I`ve been there. I know firsthand the candidates that cry when
they`re rejected. It`s not about Ed Muskie in `72 or Pat Schroeder, a
generation later, or Hillary Clinton or Newt. It`s about the business they
have chosen.
And that`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"POLITICS NATION" with Al Sharpton starts right now.
Copyright 2011 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by
United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed,
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permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark,
copyright or other notice from copies of the content.>
Guests: Howard Fineman, Mark Halperin, Richard Lui, Chris Hayes, Susan Page, John Heilemann, Jennifer Jacobs, Liz Sidoti, Roger Simon


text:
Max Cappellari joins XPRIZE with over 20 years of experience in the field of Information Technology. Max leads the technology strategy and roadmaps at XPRIZE where he brings his ability to adopt new technology to support all aspects of the company.
Prior to joining XPRIZE, Mr. Cappellari was an Executive Director of I.T at 20th Century Fox where he led the conversion from physical to digital products and the creation of a new platform for the digital distribution of TV content worldwide to all Fox Channels. His deep understanding of software architecture covers all phases of the design process from development to implementation.
Mr. Cappellari holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a minor in Software Engineering. He is passionate about Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence.

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(Santa Ana)—According to Community College Week, a national publication for two-year college professionals, Santa Ana College (SAC) ranks 12th among the top 100 associate degree producers for Hispanic students in the nation. The 98-year-old college is the state's third highest producer of Hispanic graduates, surpassed only by fourth-ranked East Los Angeles College and tenth-ranked San Joaquin Delta College. In addition, SAC also ranks 20th among the top 100 associate degree producers for total minority nationwide, 26th for Asian American students, and 31st for two-year certificates all disciplines.
An appreciation for diversity, which is a core value at Santa Ana College, is reflected in the college's demographics. In fall 2012, nearly 79 percent of its 29,318 students represented ethnic minorities. The college's total enrollment, including credit and non-credit programs, comprised one percent American Indian, two percent African-American, 12 percent Asian, 62 percent Latino, 14 percent Caucasian, two percent Filipino, two percent other and five percent not reported. During the 2011-2012 academic year, SAC conferred a total of 1,503 associate degrees, with an additional 799 students earning vocational certificates.
"Although we are pleased to receive this national recognition, we must keep our eye on the goal of ensuring that our students achieve their academic goals of preparing for transfer and completing vocational and certificate programs that better prepare them for the workforce," says SAC President Erlinda J. Martinez, Ed.D. "Our focus is on creating a learning environment that helps them achieve their dreams."
The data for the publication's report was compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Set completions survey. SAC also received ranks 14th in the "33 Most Popular U.S. Colleges for Hispanic Students" list as compiled by the Online College Database.
About Santa Ana CollegeSanta Ana College (SAC), which will turn 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 13,000 students are served through the college's School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation's top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more.
# # #
Judy Iannaccone
(714) 480-7503


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These Hot Pink Heavy Duty multi purpose plastic spoons perfectly compliment your custom print or white cups. Our spoons feature a vibrant color profile that will add a pop of color to your store. These durable spoons can be used on a variety of items ranging from soups, sauces, ice cream and frozen yogurt.
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When it was still a 900-seat movie theater back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Michael Rainville nervously went on his first date at the Ritz Theater holding his date's hands despite his sweaty palms. It was the site of City Council Member Diane Hofstede's first date with her husband.
Rainville, now the chair of the Ritz Theater Board, says the 84-year-old Sheridan neighborhood fixture has come full circle. It was closed for 25 years and was nearly demolished in the mid-1990s.
In April, over four decades after Hofstede and Rainville searched for young love, the theater was again attracting young people at a fashion ball that also served as a fundraiser for the Ritz.
"It was the start of a lot of romances, and it still is," Rainville said. "When we had a fashion ball there were a lot of young people there enjoying each other and it's just great. This is an American success story."
The Ritz's success hasn't come without hurdles, but today Rainville and Executive Director Michael Romens say the theater is coming out of the recession in good health and with a full calendar of shows that range from ballets to burlesque and concerts to corporate events.
In early April, dozens of Target Corp. volunteers were inside the Ritz, installing carpeting, painting chipped walls, hanging a chandelier and cleaning 36-year-old seats for the first time since their debut in the old Guthrie Theater.
Romens said Target's contribution is estimated to total $100,000, based on the amount of time and products donated.
Myron Johnson watched as Target volunteers laid carpet in the 250-seat theater. Johnson started the Ballet of the Dolls troupe back in 1986. After moving to a couple spots in the city, he eyed up the Ritz because of the theater's charm and the Sheridan neighborhood culture.
But it took years for Ballet of the Dolls to raise enough money to fix up the theater. It had been closed since 1982 and suffered extensive water damage caused by a leaky roof. The city acquired the property in 1993, and considered leveling the building to make way for a parking lot, but asbestos concerns kept the building standing.
When Johnson fixed his eyes on the theater it was in rough shape.
"People had been sleeping in here," he said. "There were holes in the roof, so it was full of water that would freeze in the winter. It was dead, and the city wanted to tear it down to put in a parking lot."
After raising $2.2 million, The Ritz Foundation, with Johnson as the driving force, purchased and opened a renovated Ritz Theater in 2006, reducing the seating by 650 to make more room for a stage and a rear studio.
Hofstede said the Ritz's re-opening is a success story because of how the community came together to save the building.
"Many people said it was beyond its useful life and it was on the list to be torn down," she said. "It was really the community — especially the arts community — that came together with the neighborhood and said this is really a jewel and it's worth saving and it will really set this area apart."
At the time of it's re-opening, the theater was still a work in progress, as the 1920s building needed lots of love. That's why Johnson and Romens were so happy to get support from Target.
"They're doing all the things that when opening day came for this building we just didn't have time to get to," Johnson said. Target also donated new lobby furniture.
An adapting theater in a thriving neighborhood
Romens says 2012 is shaping up to be the Ritz's best year ever. The studio is booked solid with classes. Theater rentals are stable despite the opening of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts downtown. Box office numbers have topped projections only half way through the Ritz's fiscal year, he said.
"We're almost there in terms of paying off the construction loans, six years after doors opened," Romens said. "It is a rather amazing timetable for a mid-sized nonprofit venue and prepares the Ritz Theater to offer even greater opportunities to serve the community.
Rainville attributes Ritz's success to diversifying the theater's offerings. Three years ago the theater began hosting burlesque shows. It also has ramped up rock concerts and corporate events, although dance — in particular Johnson's Ballet of the Dolls — remains the theater's mainstay.
"We're offering low-cost entertainment, a variety of entertainment and then we're in this quirky middle class neighborhood," Johnson said.
State Rep. Diane Loeffler (DFL-59A) said she's noticed that the 13th Avenue and University area has become a destination.
That area boasts several popular restaurants such as The Anchor Fish and Chips, Modern Cafe, Peacock Lounge, Erte and the Northeast Social Club. Plus, the area is soon to be home to a taproom when Dangerous Man Brewing opens later this year.
"Clearly, 13th [Avenue] has that wonderful mix of entertainment, dining options along with some really nice retail, particularly arts related," she said. "It draws people from more than just the neighborhood now."


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The Herald-Gazette is looking for photos of you or your family or anybody, for that matter, in their Trojan garb as part of its Picture Perfect Trojan Contest. The winner will receive four tickets to Saturday's state championship game and a pre-game tailgate meal from Shane's.
A slideshow of entries submitted thus far is inside. Vote in the comments section.
Future Trojan Reid Flournoy squares of with his sister, current Trojan cheerleader Kelby Flournoy. (Photo by Donna Flournoy)
Win four tickets to state championship game
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How kids cope with change: New findings on adaptability
31 October 2013
Adaptable young people are more likely to participate in class, enjoy school more, and have higher self-esteem, a unique Australian-first study into adaptability suggests.
In a comprehensive analysis of 969 high school students from nine Australian secondary schools, researchers from the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney found that adaptability - the ability to adjust to new and changing situations and conditions - is essential for young people's wellbeing.
The results, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Educational Psychology, show adaptable students were more likely to report greater life satisfaction, and a greater sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.
Over a period of two years, the Australian Research Council-funded study assessed students on their adaptability and resilience across academic outcomes, such as class participation and motivation, as well as non-academic benchmarks, including self-esteem and life satisfaction.
The study's lead author, Professor Andrew Martin, says the findings prove that an ability to cope with an ever-changing world is an essential skill for the youth of tomorrow.
"One guaranteed feature of young people's lives into the future is that the world will constantly change on them," he says.
"Young people who can adapt to this change are likely to be most effective at coping and seizing tomorrow's opportunities."
In one of the first known research studies to investigate how students cope with change, Professor Martin and his team found that adaptable young people were able to adjust three things when faced with changing or uncertain circumstances: their thinking, their behaviour, and their emotion.
Although resilience in young people has been studied in the past, this research shows that adaptability was just as important for positive outcomes in young people's lives.
"There is so much focus on resilience - looking at young people's ability to deal with adversity. But there is hardly any research on how young people deal with change and uncertainty," Professor Martin says.
From leaving high school and entering further education and training, to embarking into relationships from the single life, young people face change and uncertainty both inside and outside the classroom. How successful an individual is in navigating these changes and uncertainty will very much depend on how adaptable they are, according to Professor Martin.
"In identifying the components of adaptability and its effects, we are in a good position to help young people deal with their lives. Young people can be taught how to think about things differently, how to modify their behaviour, and how to adjust their emotions. When we help them do these things, we build their adaptability, and their future."
Mr Harry Nejad, Dr Susan Colmar, Dr Gregory Liem, from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Education and Social Work, also worked on the study.
Media enquiries: Emily Jones, 02 9114 1961, 0481 012 600
|Follow University of Sydney Media on Twitter


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The Beginning Of The End
As 5 PM Eastern nears here in the Bronx, ex-Yankees Bernie Williams and Tom Flash Gordon are here. Bernabe is to throw out the ceremonial first pitch (by itself something of a thaw in his slightly chilly relationship with the club since they dropped him – hes yet to go to an Old Timers Day). I suspect Flash showed up to come in for Burnett in the 2nd. This fourth game has all the feelings of the end of another up cycle for New York, a night reminiscent of the end of the 2003 World Series or the ALCS the next year or – for the elderly – more like the end of the 81 Series or some of the grim regular season finales later in that decade. The Yanks surefire stopper, Andy Pettitte, was vanquished (and before the top of the first inning last night) and having learned the lesson of the Pinstripes Latent Vampirism, Ron Washington played the six-run top of the ninth like he was down by a dozen. And three hours to game time and there isnt a Yankee on the field. It is as quiet as the cliche here – too quiet.
4 Comments
Geez, Keith, I'm a bit worried about the Yanks but you're pouring it on a little too thick, gloom and doom-wise. As for comment from the Braves fan– I guess you haven't seen Curtis Granderson at the plate lately, or that Boone Logan (acquired in the Vazquez trade) is the primary lefty specialist and a very good one while Atlanta just released the Melkman (thanks for the memories). Keith, you also had the Yanks written off last year when the starters were going on three days rest. You're the best, man, but you can be a too much at times!
As a Braves fan I don't have much sympathy for the Yankees or their fans but the Yankees desperately need to get younger. They need to stop going after every free agent and actually build from within if they ever want to have another run of winning multiple championships. Right now as they are constructed they will win one and then have a drop off. Their lineup is old. Trading Austin Jackson was a terrible trade. Trading for Javy Vazquez and giving up on Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizciano was dumb. They keep trading prospects and players in their early 20s, if that, and getting guys who's primes will probably last only a couple of years in a Yankees uniform. Time to actually build from within.
Howdy Keith,
Gotta admit I'd love for my beloved Giants to have to beat dem Yanks to win the first SF World Series but you're right it looks like it just might be The Rangers.
Just wondering when you'll actually gonna notice and start to enjoy the amazing pitching and underdog scrappiness of the G-men out West?
come on. Show some spunk, MSNBC. Put up a topic on Olbermann's suspension.


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2010 Samsung Blu-ray players
All the Samsung Blu-ray players we looked at in 2010
Buying a Samsung Blu-ray player from last year right now is a great value purchase — they're very cheap and are likely to get even cheaper with new models coming out in April and May. We've put together a list of every Samsung Blu-ray player that we've looked at in the last year, so read through and pick your favourite.
1 / 4
The Samsung BD-P3600 is a quirky yet stylish Blu-ray player that exudes a lot of charm. It comes with plenty of high-end features for AV enthusiasts, while remaining simple and user-friendly. On the downside, the Sony PlayStation 3 offers many of the same features and costs the same.
- Review Date:
- Reviewer:
- Manufacturer:
- 19th March, 2010
- Chris Jager
- Samsung
- Rating:
- Price:
- $ 449.00
- Pros:
- Impressive image quality, Wi-Fi support, eye-catching design
- Cons:
- Unconventional button placement, Wi-Fi requires a USB dongle, could be just a little bit cheaper


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A black collared shirt featuring a button-down front, short sleeves, and an allover NASA logo and world flag print.
- 28" length (size medium)
- 100% rayon
- Machine wash
- Imported
- Model is wearing size medium
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including BPA, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov


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The National Lacrosse League has announced that Steve Dietrich has been voted into the league's Hall of Fame, Class of 2012. The mainstay goaltender played nearly two decades in the league and continues to serve the game past his playing career, first as a goaltending coach and now as a general manager.
Dietrich played 18 seasons of professional lacrosse, with stops in Baltimore (1992), Detroit (1994), Rochester (1995-2001), Buffalo (2002-2007), Calgary (2008), Edmonton (2009) and Toronto (2009-2010). He won a league championship in 1997 with Rochester, and was named Championship Game Most Valuable Player in the 15-12 win over Buffalo.
In 2006 he won the League's Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the first and still the only goaltender to ever win the award. He had one of the best statistical individual seasons for a goaltender in league history that year, posting a save percentage of .808 and a goals against average of 9.97, leading Buffalo to the Championship Game. Dietrich won the Goaltender of the Year Award in 2005 & 2006, the first goaltender to win the award in back to back seasons. He made 5,531 career saves while playing more than 8,300 minutes of career playing time. Had a career won-loss record of 60-47.
Following retirement from his playing career in June 2010, Dietrich was hired by Toronto Rock to be the team's Goaltending Coach. He served in that position for the 2011 & 2012 seasons. On July 19, Dietrich was appointed to his current position as General Manager of the Buffalo Bandits.
"It's an incredible honor," said Dietrich, upon being informed of his pending induction into the Hall of Fame. "As I played my career, I never would have dreamed that this could have happened. To be included with the legendary names that are already in the Hall of Fame, it's an incredibly humbling feeling."
Of the six finalists on the ballot, Steve Dietrich was selected on 79 percent of the ballots and was the only nominees selected on the required minimum of 75 percent of the ballots cast. The veteran goaltender and current General Manager of the Buffalo Bandits will be the lone inductee in the Class of 2012. The ballots were cast by the NLL teams, current members of the Hall of Fame and senior members of the league's covering media.
Dietrich's solo induction means that for the second consecutive year there will be just one inductee as last year Rock goaltender Bob Watson was alone in the Class of 2011. Watson and Dietrich were teammates with the Rock in 2009 and 2010 as well as during their Junior lacrosse playing days in Kitchener-Waterloo.
The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for Dietrich will take place in Toronto at the Westin Harbour Castle on October 3. Tickets for the ceremony will go on sale in the near future.
Finalists on the Hall of Fame Ballot
Steve Dietrich – 79%
The 1993 Buffalo Bandits – 62%
Pat Coyle – 58%
Chris Driscoll – 29%
Regy Thorpe – 25%
Curt Malawsky – 16%
(Nominees must be selected on a minimum 75 % of ballots for induction into Hall of Fame)


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You are hereHome - Osteoporosis & Musculoskeletal Disorders - Osteoporosis - Prevention - Exercise -
Exercise Recommendations
Exercise plays an important role in building and maintaining bone strength. Just like muscles, bones respond when they are stressed, in other words, when they are forced to bear more weight than they are used to. This can be achieved by weight bearing or impact exercises.
For information about the role of exercise in bone health download the IOF report Move it or Lose it: How Exercise helps to build and maintain strong bones, prevent falls and fractures, and speed rehabilitation. The well-illustrated report summarizes the key benefits of exercise in different age groups.
Below is information on specific exercise programs that have been shown in scientific studies to improve or maintain bone health in men, women and children and at various life stages.
Please note that many of the regimens and images shown in this article derive from professionally supervised exercise programs, are not appropriate for everyone, and should not be carried out without professional supervision.
Bone loading exercise recommendations for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis
Written by Michael Pfeifer and Helmut W. Minne, Gustav Pommer Institute of Clinical Osteology and the German Academy of the Osteological and Rheumatological Sciences.
- Introduction and definitions
- Recommendations for children and adolescents
- Recommendations for young adults and pre-menopausal women
- Recommendations for postmenopausal women
- Recommendations for men
- Recommended exercise for falls prevention
- Recommended exercise for patients with osteoporosis
- Exercises not suitable for people with osteoporosis
Introduction and definitions
Physical activity is an umbrella term defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure above the basal level [1]. The dimensions of physical activity – frequency, intensity, time, and type (FITT) – each have an effect on the health outcome. Studies suggest that the type of physical activity carried out is by far the most important dimension that affects bone [2].
Exercise represents a sub-category of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive and purposeful with the aim of improving or maintaining one or more aspects of physical fitness [3]. Exercise may be carried out for pleasure or to maintain health.
Targeted Bone Loading describes force-generating activities that stimulate a specific bone or bone region beyond the level provided by daily activities. An activity may provide bone loading at one site, but not at another. For instance jumping involves lower limb bone loading, but not upper limb. Although all exercise commonly involves some form of loading through muscles and joints, some forms of exercise do not involve targeted bone loading.
While virtually all physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, swimming and cycling, for example, will rarely augment bone mineral density (BMD) [4]. With increasing age, however, the emphasis of exercise should switch gradually from bone loading to muscle loading in order to improve parameters of muscle function such as strength and coordination. This also holds true for patients with advanced osteoporosis (characterized by multiple fractures and severely reduced bone mineral density) to help them avoid further fractures, prevent falls and to facilitate daily activities [5].
The following recommendations for exercise programs to improve or maintain bone health in various age groups are evidence-based.
Recommendations for children and adolescents
This section focuses on children from eight years old through to adolescence and young adulthood. Data drawn from different studies with children in these age groups have been used to develop the following recommendations [6]:
- Make a lifelong commitment to physical activity and exercise.
- In terms of bone health, weight-bearing activities such as basketball, volleyball and gymnastics are more effective than weight-supported activities such as swimming and cycling.
- Intense daily activity is more effective than prolonged activity carried out infrequently.
- Perform activities that will increase muscle strength, such as running, hopping, or skipping games.
- Select activities that work all muscle groups like gymnastics.
- Avoid immobilization and perform short weight-bearing movements if confined to bed.
- Eat a well-balanced diet that is rich in calcium (milk instead of soft drinks) and protein to promote normal growth and puberty as well as regular menses for girls.
The following exercise program from Melbourne, Australia, demonstrated significant increases in BMD in 9- to 10-year old children at both the lumbar spine and the proximal femur. In addition to regular physical education at school, this program incorporated extra classes for the children which resulted in an additional increase in BMD of 4% at the spine and 2% at the proximal femur [7,8].
|Three times per week
|High impact
|30 minutes of physical activity after school
1. Aerobic workouts:
Approximately 1 minute per station
One set of 10 repetitions progressing to 3 sets of 10 over time
These recommendations are based on strong scientific evidence suggesting that weight-bearing physical activity plays a key role during the normal growth and development of a healthy skeleton. High-intensity exercise of short duration appears to elicit the greatest bone density increase in the growing skeleton. This information is especially important to parents, teachers and health authorities that are responsible for school curricula. A sedentary lifestyle, rather than an excessively active one, is more likely to be the risk faced by most children today [9].
Recommendations for young adults and pre-menopausal women
After puberty, bone mineral density (BMD) is not easily augmented. The main role of exercise in young adults and pre-menopausal women, therefore, is to maintain BMD rather than to increase it. Nevertheless, high-intensity exercise can lead to modest bone accrual in targeted areas. Even small increases in bone mineral may significantly reduce the risk of fracture in later life.
The following exercise plan designed by Heinonen and colleagues in Tampere, Finland, has been shown to increase lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD in 35- to 45-year old Finnish women by approximately 2% [10]:
15 minutes
|High-impact jumps*
|20 minutes
|Stretching and non-impact activities
|15 minutes
|10 minutes
*High-impact jump training consisted of an aerobic jump program alternated weekly with a step program. Sessions were performed three times per week over an 18-month period and the height of the jumps increased progressively from 10 to 25 cm, while the number of jumps per session decreased from 200 to 100.
Friedlander and colleagues described a resistance-training protocol that used three different classes per week over two years to augment BMD at the lumbar spine (approximately 5%) and femoral neck (approximately 3%) [11]:
Class 1:
Participants alternate (every 12 min.) between exercise stations and high-impact aerobic activities. Exercise stations consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, arm-curls with dumbbells, and presses with barbells.
Class 2:
Moderate weights (dumbbells between 3 and 6 kg and barbells between 8 and 18 kg) were used to exercise the gluteus maximus, erector spinae, and shoulder girdle muscles. Lifts were started from ground level to shoulder height.
Class 3:
A vigorous, high-impact aerobic workout was performed during which the heart rate was maintained at between 70 to 85% of maximum performance, calculated as 220 minus age.
In 2002, Mehrsheed Sinaki and colleagues published the first randomized prospective study demonstrating that exercise in pre-menopausal women may not only increase BMD at the lumbar spine but also decrease the risk of vertebral fractures [12]. They found that progressive, resistive back strengthening exercise performed 5 days per week over two years reduced the risk for vertebral fractures 10 years later.
Fig.1: Back-strengthening exercise to increase back extensor strength to maintain BMD at the lumbar spine and to decrease the risk of vertebral fractures.
Recommendations for postmenopausal women
Besides maintaining bone strength, the main goal of exercise therapy in postmenopausal women is to increase muscle mass in order to improve parameters of muscle function such as balance and strength, which are both important risk factors for falls and - independent of bone density – risk factors for bone fractures.
Kemmler and colleagues from Erlangen, Germany, described an exercise program which is effective in maintaining bone density and skeletal health in postmenopausal women between 48 and 60 years of age with low bone mass [13]. The program consists of four sessions per week with two group sessions lasting 60 to 70 minutes each and two home training sessions of 25 minutes each.
Warm up/Endurance sequence
For the first three months or so, gradually increase walking and running to 20 minutes to get patients accustomed to higher impact rates. Running games can be added to promote unusual strain distributions under weight-bearing conditions. After three months, 10 minutes of low to high impact aerobic exercise with an increasing amount of high-impact aerobic exercise can conclude the sequence (Fig.2).
Fig.2: Aerobic exercise during warm-up and endurance sequence
Jumping sequence
The jumping sequence is integrated after six months of training, by which time a certain level of training adaptation had been achieved. For patients who have suffered vertebral fractures, "jumping" should be substituted by "walking" in order to reduce the impact on the spine. After an introductory rope-skipping phase, more complicated jumps (e.g. closed leg jumps) can be attempted.
Strength-training sequence
This consists of two sessions, one using resistance machines and the other isometric exercises, elastic belts, dumbbells, and weighted vests. On the hydraulic resistance machines specifically designed for seated rows, back extension, abdominal flexion or bench press, 13 exercises are performed that use all the main muscle groups (Figs.3-12).
Exercise intensity should be increased slowly. In the first three months, two sets of 20 repetitions at 50% of the "one-repetition maximum" (1RM) are performed. The 1RM is the maximum mass of a free weight or other resistance that can be moved by a muscle group through the full range of motion with good form one time only. The 1RM should be determined very cautiously in order to avoid vertebral fractures, especially in patients with low bone mass. After three months, two sets of 15 repetitions at 60% of 1RM and after five months two sets of 15 repetitions at 65% of 1RM are performed. After seven months of training, the intensity should be increased to 70%-80% of 1RM.
The second strength-training session consists of 12 to 15 different isometric exercises* predominantly dedicated to the trunk and legs. In addition, three different belt exercises of 15 to 20 repetitions are applied to the upper trunk. After the first seven months, belt training is replaced by exercises using dumbbells (Fig.8) and a weighted vest (Fig.9).
Flexibility-training sequence
This sequence is performed before and after the strength-training sessions and during the rest periods. The stretching program consists of 10 exercises for all main muscle groups. Two sets of passive stretching exercises lasting over 30 seconds are performed.
Additional home-training sessions
Isometric, belt, and stretching exercises should also be performed at home twice weekly for 25 minutes. An additional rope-skipping program can be introduced 20 weeks after the start of the training program.
* Isometric exercise involves tensing a muscle and holding the position while maintaining tension (especially helpful to people recovering from injuries that limit range of motion).
Recommendations for men
Fewer studies of the effect of exercise have been conducted in men than women, but it appears that the skeleton responds similarly in both sexes. In men, high-impact training and strength-training produce increases in BMD. In addition, a prospective study showed a 60% reduction in hip-fracture rates in men who were physically very active compared with those who were not [14].
A study in 23- to 31-year-old Japanese men found that the following protocol (Table 1) led to changes in bone markers that suggested bone formation was occurring without an increase in bone resorption. In the four-month study, total body and regional BMD did not change [15].
Table 1: Exercise prescription in young men that led to increase in biomarkers of bone formation without evidence of increased bone resorption.
|Type of Exercise
|Intensity of exercise
|Frequency in times/week
% of 1RM
|Leg extension (2)
|30 kg
|Leg curl (2)
|15 kg
|Bench press (3)
|70 kg
|Sit-up (3)
|22 kg
|Back extension (3)
|15 kg
|Latissimus pull-down (1)
|45 kg
|Arm curl (1)
|20 kg
|Half squat (1)
|70 kg
Free weights were used except for leg extensions, leg curls, bench presses, and latissimus pull-downs, which were all done on a machine (see Figs.3-7, 11+12)
Recommended exercise for fall prevention
Falls and related fractures are a major health problem for older individuals and for society [16]. Changes in sensory and musculoskeletal structure and function among older adults puts them at increased risk of falls and injuries. Many intrinsic and external risk factors for falls have been identified. Exercise can modify the intrinsic fall risk factors and thus prevent falls in older adults [16]. Some of the external risk factors for falls may be modified by home safety inspections [17].
In a randomized prospective study in women with a mean age of 80 years, Campbell and colleagues demonstrated the efficacy of lower limb strength and balance training in reducing falls. Subjects in the intervention group received four home visits from a physiotherapist and performed individually tailored exercises three times per week, each session lasting more than 30 minutes, and were encouraged to take frequent walks.
After one year, the mean number of falls in the intervention group was 0.87 compared to 1.34 in the control group, which corresponds to a reduction in the number of falls of 35% [18]. After the first year, these women were followed up for another 2 years and the relative risk for falls for the exercise group at two years was 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.49-0.97) compared with controls [19].
Another form of exercise which has been shown to reduce the risk of falls is Tai Chi. Wolf and colleagues compared Tai Chi performed for 15 minutes twice daily at home over 4 months in a group of 200 women with a mean age of 80 years against a control group participating in education sessions once a week. At the end of the study, subjects who performed Tai Chi had a 47% lower risk for falls compared to the control group [20].
Recommended exercises for patients with osteoporosis
An exercise program for people with osteoporosis should specifically target posture, balance, gait, coordination, and hip and trunk stabilization rather than general aerobic fitness. A typical class for relatively pain-free patients should consist of a warm-up, a workout, and a relaxation component.
Warm-up: The general 10- to 15-minute warm-up may be done to music and starts with gentle range of motion exercises for the major joints, which are performed either seated or standing. The warm-up may end with walking and simple dance steps in order to achieve a heart rate of between 110 and 125 beats per minute.
Workout: The workout may consist of strengthening and stretching exercises to improve posture by combating medially rotated shoulders, chin protrusion, thoracic kyphosis, and loss of lumbar lordosis. Exercises to improve balance and coordination may progress from heel raises and toe pulls to more challenging tandem walks and obstacle courses.
Relaxation: The last 5 to 10 minutes of the class may be devoted to relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle tensing and relaxing, and perhaps visualizations to a background of soft music and/or nature sounds.
In a study that investigated the efficacy of such a program carried out by a Canadian group from Vancouver in women with osteoporosis aged 65 to 75 years, the program resulted in an increased ability to undertake daily activities, decreased back pain, increased general health, and decreased risk of falling, and no patient suffered any exercise-related injuries [22].
Exercises not suitable for people with osteoporosis
Several exercises are not suitable for people with osteoporosis as they can exert strong force on relatively weak bone. Dynamic abdominal exercises like sit-ups and excessive trunk flexion can cause vertebral crush fractures. Twisting movements such as a golf swing can also cause fractures [24]. Exercises that involve abrupt or explosive loading, or high-impact loading, are also contraindicated. Daily activities such as bending to pick up objects can cause vertebral fracture and should be avoided [25].
Fig.1: Courtesy of Mehrsheed Sinaki, M.D., Mayo-Clinic and Mayo-Medical School Rochester, MN, U.S.A.
Figs.2-12: Courtesy of Wolfgang Kemmler, M.D. and Klaus Engelke, Ph.D., University of Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Figs.13,15,19: Courtesy of Christian Hinz, M.D., Clinic "DER FÜRSTENHOF", Bad Pyrmont, Germany
Fig.14: Courtesy of Ling Qin, Ph.D., Dept. of Orthopaedics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Figs.16-18, 20: Courtesy of Michael Pfeifer, M.D. and Helmut W. Minne, M.D., Clinic "DER FÜRSTENHOF" and Institute of Clinical Osteology, Bad Pyrmont, Germany
Project Advisors:
Gulseren Akyuz, Turkey
Steven Boonen, Belgium
Moira O'Brien, Ireland
Outi Pohjolainen, Finland
Mehrsheed Sinaki, USA
Ethel Siris, USA
Rene Rizzoli, Switzerland
José Zanchetta, Argentina
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- What is Osteoporosis?
- Who's at Risk?
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Living with Osteoporosis