text:
Guests: Joan Walsh, Michael Steele, Tyler Mathisen, John Heilemann, Harold Schaitberger, Tom Barrett, Glenn Thrush, Rob Reiner, Mark Leibovich
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Hooray for Hollywood.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in Washington. Leading off tonight:
LA story. What made Hollywood`s A-list come out for dinner at George
Clooney`s house last night and leave $15 million behind for President
Obama? One reason, Hollywood is now happy with a president who won`t
compromise his principles.
By this I mean three key factions, the left, the Obama stalwarts and
the Hillary hold-outs. They`re all now united for the president. Rob
Reiner joins us tonight at the top of the show.
Also, we now know that Joe Biden felt he needed to apologize to
President Obama for getting out in front with his gay marriage comments
last Sunday. Sure, people inside the White House were angry that Biden
stole the president`s thunder, but why are they going public with the
rancor? That`s my question. Why splash it across all the major newspapers
today? Who wins there? That`s what I want to know.
Also, how seriously should we take the report of Mitt Romney`s high
school open antipathy -- in fact, action against a presumed gay classmate?
Should something that happened in high school be forgiven because Romney
says he`s forgotten it, or does it tell us something significant about a
man we really know very little about?
And suspicions confirmed department. Wisconsin`s governor Scott
Walker has always insisted he`s not anti-union, but now a new individual
videotape has emerged in which Walker tells a wealthy supporter he plans to
use a divide-and-conquer strategy to defeat unions and turn Wisconsin into
a right-to-work state. Scott Walker`s opponent in the recall election,
Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee, joins us tonight.
And "Let Me Finish" tonight with what Mitt Romney may need to do to
prove himself -- about himself, in fact, and gay people.
We begin with President Obama`s big Hollywood haul last night. Rob
Reiner`s an actor, director and activist. His newest film is called "The
Magic of Belle Isle" starring Morgan Freeman, which will be out this
summer. And John Heilemann is national affairs editor for "New York"
magazine and an MSNBC political analyst.
Rob, thank you so much for coming on HARDBALL tonight, right after
that big event last night. You were there, of course. You`re a regular,
very supportive Democrat. What was it like? What can you tell us about
the feeling, the mood, the purpose, the energizing force of the evening?
ROB REINER, DIRECTOR: Well, it was a great feeling in the room. I
mean, first of all, there were -- as you said, $15 million were raised.
But what`s I think significant about that is that about two thirds of that
money came from small donors. So the majority of it didn`t come from the
people in the room.
There were people -- they raffled off a ticket to, you know, come to
the dinner, and the people who won were sitting at our table, from Florida.
And so this to me was a significant thing.
Also, the great thing was that there were about 15 tables, and
President Obama moved from one table to the next so he got a chance to talk
to everybody. And I think it was a great evening.
MATTHEWS: Well, let me ask you about the cultural feeling because I
know that tends to unite the Democratic Party these days, at least in the
theatrical world and a lot of the media world, I must say, this sense that
he`s right to be fighting for rights, in this sense, that having made that
big statement this week. What do you think that did to the evening?
REINER: Well, it definitely energized everyone there. But I think we
were -- we were in a room full of avid supporters to begin with, but
certainly, him making that -- I mean, he said -- he was very funny at the
beginning, he said, I made some news this week, you know.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
REINER: He kind of made a joke out of it. But it was really a bold
percent move on his part. It was the right thing to do. We know he had
been evolving on this issue. And he came to the right place.
We always -- you know, as a democracy, we kind of, in fits and starts,
move towards doing the right thing. There was a time women couldn`t vote,
blacks couldn`t marry whites, blacks couldn`t vote, and we always seem to
do the right thing and get it right.
And I think this is -- it`s wonderful that a sitting president would
be able to support the only group, the only minority group in America that
is not considered equal under the law. And this is a big step forward to
making sure that all is taken away.
MATTHEWS: I think the old line is, America only does the right thing
after it`s tried everything else.
MATTHEWS: Anyway, let`s take a look at the president, as you
mentioned, not so veiled reference to the news he made this week about gay
marriage and the right to gay marriage.
Here`s the president. Quote -- we don`t have the actual tape because
it was a closed fund-raiser. "Obviously, yesterday we made some news. But
the truth is, it was a logical extension of what America is supposed to be.
It grew directly out of this difference in visions. Are we a country that
includes everybody and gives everybody a shot and treats everybody fairly?
And is that going to make us stronger? Are we welcoming to immigrants?
Are we welcoming to people who aren`t like us? Does that make us stronger?
I believe it does, so that`s what`s at stake."
Let me go over to John Heilemann about this. How do you put this in
context, out there in what they used to call, and they still do, the left,
(INAUDIBLE) culturally identified people who care a lot about freedom and
rights issues, certainly, when it comes to freedom of expression in the
But here you have real unity, it looks like, among -- as I said at the
front, the people, I guess, on the left, you`d say, the middle-of-the-road
Democrats, the Hillary people, the stalwart Obama people -- they seem to
all be united now for the president.
JOHN HEILEMANN, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well,
you think in terms of fund-raising, Chris, mainly? I think that on that
front, there`s -- you know, you think about the Obama coalition in terms of
money back in 2008. All of those elements were in place then.
He raised a ton of money in Hollywood. He raised a ton of money from
small donors. He raised, in the end, a lot of money from former Hillary
supporters who eventually came around. Despite some reluctance, they ended
up giving him a lot of money in the fall of 2008.
The one element of his fund-raising coalition that is absent this year
-- and it`s a big problem for him both in terms of the campaign and in
terms of the Democratic super-PAC that`s allied with the president -- is
Wall Street, where President Obama raised a lot of money in 2008. And that
well has gone dry for him, so he`s looking for new sources of money.
I don`t think that necessarily this decision was calculated to have
that effect, but it may have that effect. He`s replaced a lot of Wall
Street money with gay donors. They are now -- I believe the number is 1 in
6 of his bundlers are from the gay community. This decision, as I said,
not calculated necessarily just for financial profit or dividends for him,
but it`s going to pay those for him.
And he does need that money because right now, there`s no one on
either side who doesn`t acknowledge that the president is going to be the
first incumbent president who`s going to get outspent in this election, and
that`s a significant problem.
MATTHEWS: So he will get outspent. That`s your assessment right now.
HEILEMANN: I think not just outspent but outspent by a significant
MATTHEWS: OK, television producer Normal Lear, who has a few bucks,
told "The Hollywood Reporter" this week he`s giving the maximum amount to
the president he`s allowed to donate. Quote, "He came out in support of
marriage equality. He didn`t have to do it, but he did it. And it`s what
the country needs. So let`s max out -- I said, Let`s max out."
Rob Reiner, it`s great to -- I know you`re a really good, strong
activist about this country. You`ve always been out for the right things.
Let me ask you about Hollywood and the business world. It seems to me that
the people in Wall Street, not -- let`s put it to the Republican side. I
want to stick it there.
When they invest in a Republican candidate, they`re investing in their
businesses. They want a better tax break. They want less regulation.
I`m, damn it, in a certain, weird, perverted way, they should get a tax
write-off because what they`re doing is for the money! And you guys are
doing it for cultural reasons because you share values with the president.
Now, maybe gay people, especially gay people, are concerned, and they
do get a value out of this, an interest in terms of rights, but that`s what
they have a right anyway, I would argue.
But this is interesting, isn`t it? You guys out on the coast out
there do it because you agree with the president. People on Wall Street
and business world, in Texas and around there, they give money because they
make money off Republican politics!
REINER: That`s exactly right. And it`s interesting. But the
Hollywood community is the only donor base, as you call it, that would --
that has no quid pro quo.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
REINER: We don`t -- we don`t support a candidate because he`s going
to -- he might be able to do something for us. When you see the Koch
brothers throwing, you know, what`ll be $20 million to hundreds of millions
of dollars into a -- you know -- you know, a PAC, you know, they`re looking
for a payback. They want -- and they`ll get it, too. If their man gets in
the White House, they will get it with -- with -- you know...
MATTHEWS: Oil money?
REINER: ... regulations that are reduced to allow them to pollute and
do all the things that they want to do.
We`re the only group of donors that doesn`t ask for something in
return. We support somebody because, like you say, they share our values,
whether it comes to education, health care, the environment, the economy,
social issues. They`re in line with how we feel about things. And we look
at -- we look at the totality of a candidate, not just at a very narrow,
specific financial interest.
MATTHEWS: What do you make of Romney`s absolute straight-arrow
opposition, 180 to anything for gay people? Not only opposition to
marriage, which we still argue about in this country, but total opposition
to any movement whatever?
He says, I`m never going to evolve. Nothing for civil unions, no
rights out there, nothing in terms of equality, just absolute -- is he
just, do you think -- you`re a political guy. Do you think he`s just
saying, Maybe I can pick off North Carolina here? Maybe I can get back in
the game in Ohio, in Iowa? What`s he up to in saying nothing, I`m giving
gay people in this country, maybe 5, 10 percent of the country who`s gay
voters -- I`m not giving them nothing, not even crumbs. What`s he up to?
REINER: Well, I think, you know, John Heilemann pointed out something
interesting, which is I don`t think Obama came out in favor of same-sex
unions -- marriages in order to build his donor base up, but the end result
is that it will do that.
I think for the same -- on the same token, I don`t think Romney is
saying that because, you know, it`s going to energize his base. But the
fact of the matter is, it does energize his base.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
REINER: There are a lot of Christian conservatives that probably
wouldn`t have supported Romney that might now do it if they`re single-voter
issue -- you know, they`re single-issue voters.
But I think this is a deeply held view by Romney, and I don`t think we
should diminish those feelings that he has. This is part of his religion,
and he`s entitled to his opinion. I believe he`s wrong. And I believe
history will show that -- that he is wrong on this.
I think -- you know, my good friend and colleague, Chad Griffin, was
on earlier with Andrea Mitchell, and he said, This will be the -- there
will never be another president who will not support marriage equality.
And I think that`s right. I think...
REINER: ... I hope Obama wins, and I don`t think there`ll be another
president after Obama that will go...
MATTHEWS: OK, you mentioned a good...
REINER: ... will go backwards.
MATTHEWS: ... man there, Chad Griffin who`s head of the Human Rights
Campaign. I just -- I was there when he was made president.
Let me go to John Heilemann. Check him on that. Is Rob right on all
those fronts, that this will energize both sides, that this will get the
Christian conservatives more excited about Romney, a guy they think is kind
of polenta, not really there for them, not much of an exciting character to
begin with.
HEILEMANN: Well, I`ll say two things. The first is I think Rob is
being maybe a little bit charitable to Mitt Romney. You know, he did in
1994, when he ran against Ted Kennedy in the Massachusetts Senate race, he
did say that would be better for gay rights than Ted Kennedy was. Now,
that may have been an implausible thing to him to argue, given Ted
Kennedy`s history, but -- he has evolved, to some extent. He`s evolved to
the right on gay rights issues.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HEILEMANN: And I think there`s been some political calculation there,
not necessarily in terms of, like, trying to drive his base in this
election, but over time, Mitt Romney has taken more conservative positions
in a number of areas to appeal to the GOP base that he needed to appeal to
to get the nomination.
The second thing is, Chris, I think, yes, it`s going to definitely rev
up both sides. We`ve talked about the Democratic base. There`s no
question that the cultural right, the Christian conservative right, has
reacted more strongly to this than Mitt Romney certainly has in the course
of the last couple days.
The question is whether Romney sees it as in his interest to try to
exploit that or not? I think that the Romney campaign believes that any
day that`s not spent talking about the economy is a wasted day politically
for him.
MATTHEWS: Well said.
HEILEMANN: I think they may try to leave this alone because they
think the economy is the winning issue and that`s how they win the
election. So they may not try to explore this. And they will obviously
let the Christian right do what it does at the grass roots level, but not
to drive it from their campaign as much as some previous Republican
campaigns have been.
REINER: You know, I -- I agree with John on one thing. I think that
Romney probably won`t try to exploit it. But there will be surrogates out
MATTHEWS: Oh, sure.
HEILEMANN: Yes.
REINER: ... in a very targeted way.
HEILEMANN: Of course.
MATTHEWS: And as you know, Karl Rove is very good at this. In the
key battleground states like Virginia and North Carolina, where these --
these kinds of issues might make a difference, you`ll see a lot of direct
mail. You`ll see a lot of robo-calls. You`ll see all of those things that
will target certain specific voting blocs...
HEILEMANN: Of course.
REINER: ... to turn -- for turnout. So it may not be right there on
the forefront of the campaign, but under -- you know, under the radar,
there`ll be a lot of stoking of those fires.
MATTHEWS: I can`t stand having Rob Reiner on this show because he
knows more than most of us in this business! He could do this with his
left hand. Thank you, Rob Reiner. You`ve gone through all the states that
are in play right now because of this development. Thank you. And good
luck with the latest film -- a Great filmmaker. Anyway, I still love "A
Few Good Men."
REINER: Thank you, Chris.
MATTHEWS: I love so many of those films. I still love "Princess
Bride," as you know so well. Anyway, they`re all great.
This weekend on "THE CHRIS MATTHEWS SHOW," by the way, Andrew
Sullivan`s emotional reaction -- wait`ll you see this this weekend -- to
the president`s new stance on gay marriage.
ANDREW SULLIVAN, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, BLOGGER: To tell you the
truth, I didn`t realize how important it would be until it happened. I --
beforehand, I was kind of steeled. I was, like, I don`t care, he`s going
to disappoint us again. And then I sat down and watched our president tell
me that I am his equal.
MATTHEWS: Wow. It`s just as emotional as that, as you see. Much
more from Andrew Sullivan this weekend on "THE CHRIS MATTHEWS SHOW."
And coming up next on this show: Why are White House staffers talking
trash about Vice President Biden so openly with the press? I know why
they`re mad. He jumped the gun. Why are they talking about it so much?
This is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Big news from North Carolina. A federal judge refused
today to toss out charges against former U.S. senator John Edwards. The
Edwards defense team had moved to dismiss the case, but the judge decided
there is enough evidence for the case to continue. That means the defense
will begin presenting its case Monday. What a story this is. The
prosecution rested its case yesterday.
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL. This week, there have been a lot of
anonymous White House sources talking about their irritation with Vice
President Biden. It all stems from the vice president`s appearance on
"MEET THE PRESS" last weekend, when they say he got ahead of the president
on gay marriage.
White House staffers complained to reporters openly, saying they were
enraged by the episode, and they reminded reporters that Biden had, in
fact, counseled the president to stay mum himself on gay marriage out of
fear of alienating voters.
But why are they going public? What exactly is going on behind the
scenes in the White House? Glenn Thrush is a senior White House political
reporter for Politico and Mark Leibovich is a celebrated reporter for "The
New York Times."
I got to start with the gray lady here, "The New York Times." This --
I mean, I`m not a student of the press, but I know how to read a story.
Source after source after source, high-level top campaign official, close
to the president, people on both staffs, the White House and the vice
president`s office all talking openly about the president`s concern, anger,
the White House staff`s anger at the vice president.
Why -- well, you have to explain -- I know you can`t give away your
MARK LEIBOVICH, "NEW YORK TIMES": Right.
MATTHEWS: ... but why is everybody talking?
LEIBOVICH: You know, I`m not going to ask them to stop, but I
MATTHEWS: I know! It`s your job.
LEIBOVICH: Look, I mean, this is a very exacting staff. They do
things on a schedule. I mean, David Plouffe, Jim Messina, Dan Pfeiffer --
I mean, not to gave up any -- these are not my sources, but they are very -
- they have a very, very strict plan, and this week was to talk about the
campaign rollout and then a $25 million ad buy in which they would go over
their accomplishment list.
And here we are day four talking about gay marriage. It`s got them
tied into knots. I can`t speak to their motives...
MATTHEWS: Did they pull back the money when they knew it wasn`t going
to do any good?
LEIBOVICH: Not that I know of.
MATTHEWS: So they wasted the money out there on an ad campaign.
LEIBOVICH: I don`t know if they`ve wasted it, but certainly, I mean,
I think a lot of that`s already spent. I think a lot of (INAUDIBLE)
MATTHEWS: Now, the vice president, as you understand the role --
without getting too personal about this from your sources -- is the role of
the vice president basically to operate within the confines, the discipline
of the White House operation? In other words, he`s a -- he`s not an
individual thinker. His job is to play a role supporting the president.
It`s an operative role, but it`s not really a creative role.
LEIBOVICH: Yes. Theoretically. I mean...
MATTHEWS: That`s the way they look at it.
LEIBOVICH: That`s the way they look at it. That`s the way White
Houses look at it. But, again, when you have someone who won -- is used to
being his own voice...
MATTHEWS: He`s been a senator for 40 years.
LEIBOVICH: For, yes, 36 years, might run for president again.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
LEIBOVICH: Clearly is very interested in making his voice be heard,
because that`s how he`s conditioned.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
LEIBOVICH: It is -- there is going to be a natural tension there, as
there often is in these situations.
MATTHEWS: Between a guy who is spontaneous and has an id, maybe not a
superego, but he just speaks his mind, and all of a sudden, now he has to
speak the talking points.
LEIBOVICH: Absolutely.
MATTHEWS: And that`s what they want.
Let me go to Glenn to check on that.
Glenn, is that problem here? He`s broken his traces. His job is to
perform. It`s not to create.
GLENN THRUSH, POLITICO.COM: I`m still stuck on Leibovich being
celebrated, but I will let that go.
MATTHEWS: Well, we have a history.
THRUSH: No, I think the issue here is, the White House has outsourced
a lot of the president`s job to Joe Biden.
MATTHEWS: Right.
THRUSH: Biden is the guy they sent to the Midwest, he does a lot of
the retail politicking that another president, one with a more rounded set
of skills, might do, and the other thing about it is, he is a guy who they
like to have as comic relief and they have used before to float stuff.
I don`t think it was in this case.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
THRUSH: And this is the problem. When you let the dog off the leash,
sometimes the dog bites or messes things up.
MATTHEWS: But why the anger? I can see you`re upset at someone who
is supposed to serve a purpose and sort of found another way to do it and
upset them, but why -- the irritation is going to outrage. I have read in
your covers, both you guys, outrage, irritation, antipathy.
It is not just Joe blew it. It`s Joe`s bad this week. He was a bad,
bad operative. What is that about, you first, Glenn, and then back to
THRUSH: Because most of the time when Biden does this stuff, it
doesn`t force the president`s hand directly.
This is a very -- this is a White House -- and Plouffe and those guys
talk about the long game, but as Mark can tell you, they`re very reactive,
particularly when they see something on the front page of "The New York
Times" or "The Washington Post."
And Biden made them act. And the other thing I want to say, Chris,
is, one of the givens here is that they have been saying that they would
have done this before the convention. That was not what I was hearing in
the weeks leading up to this. I had heard...
MATTHEWS: Let me check Mark on that, because that`s a key point.
Was the president intending, some time before now and the conventions,
to support marriage equality? You say, Glenn, they weren`t set on that
course yet.
THRUSH: Yes, I don`t -- I had heard -- now, the thing that the White
House folks say is Obama made the decision and that changed the political
So I`m not accusing anyone of being disingenuous. But the book on
this prior to his announcement was that the thought was it would have been
smart to do it six months ago...
MATTHEWS: Did -- Biden goosed him into action or simply pushed him
into action? Did he create the idea of doing this and force the
president`s hand or simply move the president ahead of schedule?
THRUSH: Oh, I think there was a very lively debate internally about
this, and I think the sense was or the argument was by the political folks
who thought that they shouldn`t do this right away, was that the moment had
been lost and we have to wait until after the election.
MATTHEWS: I`m not getting an answer out of you, Glenn. Before
anything happened on "Meet the Press," before Gregory ever asked the
question, before that, was the president intending to come out for marriage
equality? Do you know or not?
THRUSH: I don`t know. I don`t think so.
What do you know?
LEIBOVICH: All I know is that the first I had heard of whether he`s
going to come out for marriage equality was this week after Biden spoke.
MATTHEWS: OK. Let me ask you about the vice president. Any doubt he
will be on the ticket?
LEIBOVICH: No.
MATTHEWS: No. Any doubt, Glenn, he will be on the ticket?
THRUSH: No, I don`t think so.
MATTHEWS: OK, I go back to my point, then. Why publicly punish him
if he`s going to be part of the team?
LEIBOVICH: Well, to put him back in his lane on some ways.
MATTHEWS: In other words, it`s a brushback pitch.
LEIBOVICH: Maybe. It`s more than a brushback pitch.
MATTHEWS: It`s a spanking.
LEIBOVICH: Well, yes. the ball has already been hit, if you want to
extend the metaphor.
Biden`s been pretty good for the last few years. I think what really
ticked them off is that this happened in a campaign context.
MATTHEWS: Do you think it was purposeful, that he came out with this
statement on Sunday, that he`s doing it for his own glory with the gay
community and the liberals down the road?
LEIBOVICH: I think people have theories on this. I don`t think there
is unanimity on this.
But I think, clearly, in the back of people`s minds is 2016 and is
Biden maybe doing a little flutter eye to the left?
MATTHEWS: See, here`s my question because I really like Biden, maybe
we have similar backgrounds. And I will ask you this question.
Biden spends 99 percent of his time, if not 100 percent, thinking
about one thing, how I help my friend, my friend Barack Obama. When you`re
with him, it`s all he talks about. This is all there is. This is his
LEIBOVICH: Right. Right. That`s right.
MATTHEWS: And then he makes a mistake because he shows the usual id,
the Joe Biden "I can`t resist it" kind of thing.
LEIBOVICH: Right.
MATTHEWS: And they`re mad at him for that.
LEIBOVICH: They are mad at him for that.
Again, it`s not his job, at least in their view of the job.
MATTHEWS: Do they say it as incompetence or independence?
LEIBOVICH: I don`t think they see it as incompetence.
THRUSH: Chris.
MATTHEWS: Yes, go ahead, Glenn, your thoughts.
THRUSH: It`s like humiliating to have your number two get out in
front of you on this. I think it`s just as simple as that.
I don`t think -- these guys like to control every aspect of the
staging of things, and I don`t think there is a reason for this. I think
they are angry.
MATTHEWS: And so they couldn`t hold themselves back.
THRUSH: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Just like Biden was accused of not being able to hold
himself back.
So they`re operating impulsively, like he did, but now they`re blaming
him through their impulse. If they`re disciplined, they`re not showing it.
My question, why publicly thrash the guy, Glenn?
THRUSH: Well, I think the why has to do with the anger.
I think one of the interesting things that will be seen going forward
is how will the Obama team try to control Biden. I think they have made a
very interesting staff hire recently. There is a guy named Scott Mulhauser
who worked for Max Baucus on the Hill.
MATTHEWS: What is his job?
THRUSH: He`s now Biden`s press guy inside the campaign. He is very
close to Jim Messina, the campaign manager.
I think you will see more of this, more controls on Biden from inside
the White House and inside Chicago.
MATTHEWS: Wow. Do you hear that too, Mulhauser?
LEIBOVICH: Yes, he`s new, he`s brand-new. So he hasn`t really -- he
has not had much of an impact.
MATTHEWS: Seems like they got a lot of effort to try to control him
already, from what I`m hearing.
LEIBOVICH: Yes. Look, I mean, Joe Biden has never been one for being
MATTHEWS: OK. Hey, look, you know why I like him? At the age of 29,
he ran for the United States Senate against a guy that was unbeatable, and
all these years later, he`s been successful in public life because people
really love his honesty. They love these what we call quirks. They love
that spontaneity, because he is what he is, and that`s rare in American
politics, to be who you are.
MATTHEWS: Yes, last point, quickly, Glenn.
THRUSH: And this is why he gets away with it, because he brings
something that Obama can`t bring. That`s ultimately his leverage here.
MATTHEWS: Yes, I think shows that Obama can be regular enough to have
a friend like Biden, when Obama can be a little bit ethereal and a bit
above us sometimes.
Anyway, thank you.
LEIBOVICH: Thanks, Chris.
MATTHEWS: Thank you, Mark Leibovich. Great reporting.
Thank you, Glenn Thrush. We will have you back.
Up next: an amazing moment on the floor of the House the other day.
Actually, a congressman took back his statement and his position because he
offended one of the heroes of civil rights, John Lewis, an amazing pullback
in fight here. Sometimes, really happen on the floor.
And this is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL.
Now we usually reserve this part of the show to highlight some of the
lighter moments in the world politics, but today calls for something
The debate over Republican-pushed voter I.D. laws took front and
center on the House floor earlier this week. These laws of course have
been seen by many as ways to cut into minority voting. The day began when
Republican Paul Broun proposed an amendment that would cut off all funding
from the part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that requires states and
counties to get federal approval before changing their election laws.
Enter an icon of the civil rights movement, John Lewis, who was
brutally beaten as a freedom marcher back in the `60s.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: It is hard, and difficult, and almost
unbelievable that any member, but especially a member from the state of
Georgia, would come and offer such amendment.
There`s a long history in our country, especially in the 11 states
that are old Confederacy -- from Virginia to Texas -- of discrimination
based on race, on color. Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, it was
almost impossible for many people in the state of Georgia, in Alabama, in
Virginia, in Texas to register to vote, to participate in the democratic
It`s shameful that you would come here tonight and say to the
Department of Justice that you must not use one penny, one cent, one dime,
one dollar, to carry out the mandate of Section Five of the Voting Rights
We should be opening up to the political process and letting all our
citizens come in and participate. People died for the right to vote,
friends of mine, colleagues of mine.
I speak out against this amendment.
MATTHEWS: Wow.
Minutes later, U.S. Congressman Broun was back with his response.
REP. PAUL BROUN (R), GEORGIA: I apologize to my dear friend from
Georgia if he`s gotten angry with this amendment. And it`s never my intent
to do so. I certainly wasn`t meaning to try to hurt anybody`s feelings.
I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without an objection, so ordered.
MATTHEWS: What a condescending way to talk to someone like
Congressman Lewis. I apologize if he got angry.
Look, it`s moments like the that, however, that remind us the stakes
of these laws to prevent people from the simple right to vote.
Up next, what are we to make of Mitt Romney`s behavior back in high
school? Is it something that should be forgotten, as he says he`s
forgotten it, or does it tell us something very important about a man who
we really don`t know much about?
You`re watching HARDBALL, the place for politics.
TYLER MATHISEN, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Tyler Mathisen with your CNBC
"Market Wrap."
The Dow slips 34, the S&P up a fraction, and Nasdaq is down four.
J.P. Morgan disclosure of a $2 billion trading loss sent shares of that
company down more than 9 percent and led five brokerages to cut their price
targets on that blue-chip firm.
Meanwhile, consumer sentiments rose to its highest level since 2008.
And shares of Arena Pharmaceuticals surged more than 70 percent after its
obesity pill won the backing of an FDA panel.
That`s it from CNBC, first in business worldwide. Happy Mother`s Day,
everybody -- now back to HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Ask yourself this. Would you be judged today by how you acted in high
school? Would you like that? Well, yesterday, "The Washington Post"
reported an incident from Mitt Romney`s high school years involving student
named John Lauber.
Under Romney`s lead, a group of boys -- quote -- "came upon Lauber,
tackled him and pinned him to the ground. As Lauber, his eyes filling with
tears, screamed for help, Romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of
Well, why might that story matter today? Because it gives Democrats
the chance to define Romney before his own campaign does.
Michael Steele is an MSNBC political analyst and former RNC chair.
And Joan Walsh is also an MSNBC political analyst and Salon`s editor at
I have very strong opinions about this topic. I`m saving them for the
end of this show.
What is your opinion when you read this article on the front page of
"The Times" today -- on "The Post" today?
MICHAEL STEELE, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I have two opinions on
The first is, well, it`s 50 years ago. It was high school. High
school boys in the 1960s, OK, we understand it. The other opinion I have
is, again, this is another time where I think the campaign flubbed the
opportunity to help get him in front of the story and to define this story
in context, so that people aren`t taking current attitudes about bullying
and how they see, you know, young gay men being treated and putting --
juxtaposing them to the 1960s. So I think...
MATTHEWS: OK, what`s the second part, how did handled it?
STEELE: Well, how they handled it was poorly.
MATTHEWS: Denying it, saying he can`t remember?
STEELE: Yes. I think a lot of people just kind of hit that credulity
button and went, not too much.
And you can`t come out with something that is so stark in the memory
of five other people that you were the leader on and say that you have no
MATTHEWS: That`s why I like having you on this show, because that I
think is a pretty good statement about what happened.
The Romney campaign first responded, as you said, by saying the
candidate had no recollection of the episode. Then Romney weighed in Fox
Radio. Host Brian Kilmeade described the incident in detail to Romney,
then questioned him. Let`s still to the governor`s response.
BRIAN KILMEADE, HOST: Do you remember any of this?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I don`t remember
that incident.
And I will tell you, I certainly don`t believe that I -- I can`t speak
for other people, of course -- but thought the fellow was homosexual. That
-- that was the furthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s.
So that was not the case. But as for pranks that were played back
then, I don`t remember them all, but, again, high school days, and I did
stupid things, I`m afraid -- I got to say sorry for it.
MATTHEWS: So you spot a kid on campus who is not the most popular kid
on campus. I guess he`s perceived as effeminate, presumed to be a
homosexual, as they said at the time.
And the big guys got together led by Romney. They went looking for
the kid. They chased him, found him on campus, pinned him down to the
ground, got on top of him when he`s crying and screaming for help. He --
Romney somehow got a pair of scissors and started clumping the kid`s hair
Next thing you know, the kid is sort of muted, quiet. He`s sort of
tamed, beaten down, doesn`t cause that kind of trouble anymore.
Joan Walsh, this is the novel. This is the stuff you read about in "A
Separate Peace" by John Knowles. This is the stuff, by the way, we all
remember from school, the cruelty of school, how cruel it can be.
Your thoughts?
JOAN WALSH, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I really appreciate
Michael`s candor about the way the campaign handled it, but I think it goes
slightly deeper than that, Chris, because when you listen to Mitt chuckle,
he chuckles after he hears --
MATTHEWS: Four times.
WALSH: Exactly, he chuckles after he hears the description of what
happened. A, I find it impossible to believe that he doesn`t remember.
But B, if I gave him the benefit of the doubt and said maybe it slipped his
mind, to hear it and to chuckle? I mean, it`s just -- there is really a
kind of empathy deficit there where if someone said to me, you did this and
I heard it, I wouldn`t laugh. I would be horrified and I would say, I
don`t remember that, but if I did, that was a terrible thing to do.
And it`s not that -- we don`t want to judge Mitt Romney by our
standards of today. We don`t want to go back 50 years and impose those
MATTHEWS: How are they different today? By the way, how is our
standard different from then?
WALSH: Well, I think we are more cognizant of the damage that
bullying does, and particularly anti-gay bullying. And so, I`m not going
to give him a pass for it, but I kind of agree with Michael. You want to
give a younger person compassion.
But what you can judge by the standards of today is his response, and
since we live in a culture where we have the "It Gets Better" videos where
prominent people are telling young, gay teenagers, it gets better, and hang
in there --
WALSH: -- to have him respond this way is really a missed
opportunity for empathy.
MATTHEWS: You know, we`re looking for who this guy is. Most people
have never met Mitt Romney personally, and I think we connected the dots.
One dot is this story, which I think is probably true, but he said he
forgot it. Another one was this week where he had a staff named Richard
Grinnell, who is basically run off the campaign because he was gay and
Romney never said, stay, I need you.
So maybe the dots are getting connected here on an unfavorable way,
on issues like this.
MICHAEL STEELE, FORMER RNC CHAIRMAN: I don`t know all that goes into
that second dot with Grinnell, but if you step back and look at it -- I
mean, here`s someone with the kind of bona fides in foreign policy that are
accepted because -- I mean, the people he worked for have been around. And
number two, the establishment in this town find him as very credible hire
and were very disappointed in his leaving.
So I think there was something there where the campaign, again, got
in front of him. He is sort of blocked and tackled out of position.
MATTHEWS: What about the candidate? Couldn`t Romney say "stay"?
STEELE: Well, that`s what I`m saying, exactly. You know, if you
hired him and brought him in because he`s good at what he does in
communicating your foreign policy, then yeah, I think you keep him. His
sexuality has no bearing on his ability to talk about it.
MATTHEWS: What did you make of -- Joe Klein said this week the
example where Mitt Romney stands up against any tide, anytime stands up
against anything, the sort of direction it`s moving. He never said, well,
stop, I disagree with that. He never says I disagree with what`s going on.
He just, sort of, goes along with the neocons on foreign policy, Norquist
on tax policy, the cultural right on this kind of issue.
He never says, wait a minute, I`m Mitt Romney, I`m different than
you, let me explain.
WALSH: And I`m going to take my lumps, I`m going to take my lumps
for standing up for something unpopular. But this is what I believe.
And I think part of what Michael is saying is, it was as though he
wanted to have it both ways. He wanted to be a figure of tolerance,
saying, we`ve got this guys who we think, he`s a hawk, we like his foreign
policy, he`s very credible, we don`t care that he`s gay. He wanted credit
for doing that, and he did it briefly.
But then he didn`t have the courage of his convictions and he wasn`t
able to dig in his heels and say, look, you guys, look social
conservatives, I hired him and I don`t care that he`s gay. He wants to
have it both ways.
MATTHEWS: Governor Romney could still be hero this weekend and say,
you know what I thought about it, that guy is being run off my campaign,
he`s staying because I say he`s a good guy. I don`t care what his
orientation is.
Thank you, Joan. Thank you. Have a nice weekend, both of you.
What beautiful weather we have back here. I don`t know what it`s
like on the coast, it is gorgeous here. Larry King says we`re having Rosh
Hashanah weather in the wrong time of the year.
Anyway, up next, one month before the big recall election in
Wisconsin, a videotape has emerged, as they often do in campaigns, in which
Governor Scott Walker tells a rich supporter how he plans to, quote,
"divide and conquer" the union movement. We`re going to talk to Walker`s
opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
This is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Breaking news out of Chicago. A jury has convicted a man
in the murder of three of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson`s family members.
William Balfour was the estranged husband of Hudson`s sister. He was found
guilty of murdering Hudson`s mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew on what
prosecutors said was a jealous rage. Balfour faces a mandatory sentence of
life in prison.
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker faces one of the most high stakes
recall elections ever next month, primarily because he weakened public
sector unions with his budget bill. Walker, the governor, now says he
wasn`t out to hurt unions, just fix the budget.
But a new video of Walker talking to a wealthy donor makes you doubt
his goodwill here toward unions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any chance we`ll ever get to be a completely
red state and work on these unions --
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: Oh, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- and become a right to work? What can we do
to help you?
WALKER: We`re going to start in a couple weeks with our budget
adjustment bill. The first step is we`re going to deal with collective
bargaining for all Republican employees, use divide and conquer.
MATTHEWS: Divide and conquer.
He`s going to divide and conquer, and break the unions by separating
the public sector employee unions from private sector unions.
Harold Schaitberger, what do we got here? We`ve got hard evidence,
I`d say, a bad will.
HAROLD SCHAITBERGER, PRES., INTL. ASSN. OF FIRE FIGHTERS: From the
very beginning this was never about budgets, this was never about deficit,
this was never about good management. This was an effort to simply break
the unions in Wisconsin, which is also coordinated with the same kind of
effort in some 20 states that occurred in 2011. I find it interesting that
this may be the only time that we`ve actually captured Scott Walker
telling the truth.
MATTHEWS: Yes, I think it`s one of the most amazing -- this is like
Watergate here.
Let me go the mayor of Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett, who was the guy
running against Governor Walker on June 5th.
You must be thanking Santa Clause now, because you have got this guy
caught red handed. All along, I don`t even know -- I don`t know the guy, I
thought he was an honest budget cutter. Now, it turns out his number one
goal in cutting the budget was to screw the unions, especially the public
sector. He wants to divide and conquer.
He is caught red handed, Mr. Mayor. You got him.
MAYOR TOM BARRETT (D), WISCONSIN GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I was
flabbergasted when I saw it. I`ve been saying for weeks that his
philosophy was divide and conquer. And this is the only thing we`ve agreed
on so far now, because I`ve been saying he`s in favor of dividing and
conquering. Now, he`s saying he`s in favor of dividing and conquering.
And it shows exactly what you said. This has never been about the
budget. It`s never been about the budget. It`s how do you take away
workers` rights.
And he said in that video, you start with the public employees and
then you go divide and conquer. So, it doesn`t stop with the private
unions. It doesn`t even stop with the worker`s rights. It`s how can he go
after working people in the state. And the woman he made that statement
to, two weeks later, she gave him $10,000. Three weeks later, $25,000.
MATTHEWS: Who was this woman he was making the commitment to bust
the unions to, Mayor? Who was this woman?
BARRETT: She`s a billionaire businesswoman in the state. And
earlier this year, she believe what we believe is the largest contribution
ever in the state of Wisconsin to a gubernatorial campaign, she gave him a
cool half a million dollars.
MATTHEWS: Why does she hate unions? Why does she hate public
opinion unions? Why do they --
BARRETT: I have no idea, I have never met the woman. I don`t know
what it is. I honestly don`t know what it is.
But I can tell you this -- it goes to his truthfulness.
BARRETT: Yes, she`s clearly right to work -- but this goes directly
to his truthfulness.
MATTHEWS: I agree.
BARRETT: Because he`s been saying, oh, no, I`m not going to go after
them, I`m not going to go after them. But it`s right out of Mitch Daniel`s
playbook in Indiana, because he said the same thing for years, I`m not
going after the private unions. And the Thursday before the Super Bowl
game, he signed the bill in Indiana.
That`s what I believe is going to happen here, because Scott Walker
has never said -- and we pushed him for weeks, he has never said he would
veto a bill to make Wisconsin a right to work state. And he won`t say
that, because then he can no longer be a rock star of the far right. And
that`s what he is, he`s the rock star.
MATTHEWS: I love this stuff. You what it reminds me off? It
reminds me back in the Reagan era when David Stockman, the budget director,
admitted that the whole purpose of changing the tax laws was to get the top
rate down for the rich, remember that?
SCHAITBERGER: Yes.
MATTHEWS: When he came out and said this whole thing was a Trojan
horse. Same deal here. Your thoughts about this -- why do people hate
public employees and why do they want to break them? Why would somebody
who doesn`t even deal with public employees?
SCHAITBERGER: First of all, people do not hate public employees.
The people --
MATTHEWS: This rich person --
SCHAITBERGER: -- actually depend on their firefighters, their cops
and their teachers.
MATTHEWS: I know.
SCHAITBERGER: But those at the very top -- this all goes back to
ALEC, Chris. This goes back to a well-financed, disciplined, orchestrated
-- 300 corporations providing the funding that developed the proposals that
translated into Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. This has been an absolute
And it`s so cynical that what he really intended to do was to set
private sector unions against the public sector. Let`s carve the cops and
the firefighters down and maybe we can --
MATTHEWS: I got to say something to my friend, Mr. Schaitberger.
You know what, after 9/11, you know what people said was the highest
prestigious job in the country? Firefighter.
SCHAITBERGER: That`s right.]
MATTHEWS: It`s so interesting.
Let me -- I`ve got to say something in tribute to my colleague here,
Mr. Mayor, I know you`re in the actual race. But I have a colleague here
who is probably levitating tonight, Ed Schultz. He must have been several
feet off the ground now to have caught Scott Walker because this is what
he`s been saying on this network for months now. This guy is a union
buster. That`s what he`s out to do. It`s got nothing to do with saving
the taxpayer money.
Anyway, thank you as always, Harold Schaitberger.
BARRETT: Thank you very much. We got more on our Web site, too.
MATTHEWS: And, Mayor Barrett, good luck in your race, I guess I can
say good luck. I can`t endorse, but I can say good luck.
BARRETT: Thank you very much.
MATTHEWS: When return, "Let Me Finish" with what Mitt Romney may
need to prove about himself and gay people. How does he relate to gay
people now and when he`s in high school? Has it changed?
You`re watching HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: "Let Me Finish" tonight with high school. Remember it?
Remember how you were treated by your classmates, that is. Were you cool?
Did you know the latest dances? Were you popular, part of the in crowd?
Or did you feel awkward a lot of the time, never really part of the
scene, the social scene. Finally, do you remember the people you had lunch
with most days, the table you knew you were welcome at? The once you know
you weren`t?
Do you remember the bullies? The kids who might have been good at
sports or hang around them, and were cold, sometimes even nasty to the kids
who weren`t.
Well, look, this guy Romney, he says he can`t remember if he let a
pack of classmates and went and search for another classmate, a kid with
longish hair, a kid they figured was gay, and got on top of him, got him on
the ground.
And while he was screaming and crying out, Mitt Romney did the
honors, cut his hair.
Well, Mitt, this guy, Mitt Romney, he says he can`t remember doing
that, says he can`t remember leading a bunch of followers out in search of
the class weakling, the kid who didn`t want to be like them, to conform, to
teach him lesson. And better yet, make him submit to the way they wanted
things to be.
Well, if Mitt Romney never did this, he should say so and proudly.
Why would you want people to think you did it? If Mitt Romney did do this,
it would be helpful to know how he looks back on this, with a giggle, with
embarrassment, or -- let`s go for the moral jackpot -- did he feel honestly
bad about how he treated another kid his age. A kid scared to death,
worried about who he is, worried and sick about what his classmates decided
to do to him without a tad of sympathy. In fact, at a sheer animal
So, probably, he`ll stick to "I don`t remember." But it might be
good for the voter to remember. I`m sure Richard Grinnell is thinking
about this story of Mitt Romney student days, thinking hard about the fact
that the man who was once this kid was the man who this past week let him
get chased away from his campaign and didn`t lift a finger or his voice to
say, Richard, you`re my guy and I want you to stay in my campaign. I`m
standing up to the predators with you.
Well, Mitt can still do that, it could be his way of saying, ladies
and gentlemen, my name is Mitt Romney, the same guy that did this bad thing
in high school. I ask you to vote for me because I have changed.
That`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us. And don`t forget
this Sunday is Mother`s Day.
"POLITICS NATION" with Al Sharpton starts right now.
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Guests: Joan Walsh, Michael Steele, Tyler Mathisen, John Heilemann, Harold Schaitberger, Tom Barrett, Glenn Thrush, Rob Reiner, Mark Leibovich


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subset: commoncrawl


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2011 was a year centered firmly on both endings and beginnings, returns to greatness, nostalgic looks back, and terrifying looks forward. The year gave us stories centered on stars and filmakers of the past, the first silent film of the new millennium, and treatises on life, death, mental illness, and the end of the world.
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Here at Westend DJ, you will find the most varied range of digital DJ controllers for sale online and all at fantastic prices. From beginner DJ controllers to advance, club grade controllers, our selection is vast and you are sure to find everything you need to complete your DJ set up.
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From brands such as Numark, Denon DJ, Pioneer DJ, Hercules, and Reloop. The infamous DDJ-SX3 now features 2 USB connections for b2b DJ's to allow two laptops to be connected at the same time. The microphone section has been improved to make it ideal for mobile DJ's.
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Before working the line at Nintendo World's Wii U campout, Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime went back on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to show off the new console and play a couple of games, Metroid Blast in NintendoLand, and New Super Mario Bros. U.
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Fallon's been a go-to show for those plugging new games, and he's enthusiastic about everything he gets to play, so take his advocacy with a grain of salt here. New Super Mario Bros. U does look fun, though. Maybe I'll go buy some clothes at Old Navy to get my hands on a free one on Black Friday.


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Kendrick Lewis
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text:
A few days ago, I overheard an interesting scene between a father and a son. As I walked down the block, I saw the boy (about fourteen years old or so) in front of the house, doing some finishing work on a skateboard. He was sandpapering it vigorously as I approached and kept touching the finish. It looked really good, and I was impressed.
Just as I neared the house, I saw an older man (who I'd assume was the boy's father or stepfather) come out of the house and yell at the boy, "Are you still wasting time on that stupid skateboard?" The boy seemed to ignore him, but the man walked over and kicked the skateboard as I was walking past and continued to yell at the boy for wasting his time with skateboards. I tried not to stare and just listened as I walked away from them.
Given the type of craftsmanship I saw on that skateboard, I would have strongly encouraged my son to keep it up rather than berating him for "wasting his time." From there, I began to wonder what exactly a waste of time – or a waste of money – really is.
What Is a Waste of Time (or Money)?
One of my favorite hobbies is playing board games. Roughly every other weekend, my wife and I invite several friends over around noon and we play board games (and card games) well into the night. Not only is it a great social encounter for us, we find the games themselves very compelling and often play games against each other in the evenings.
Some people might say, "Well, that's a waste of time." When I hear that, I simply recognize that the person is saying that an afternoon of playing games with friends is not something that they value. Because, in the end, that's all a "waste of time" is: time spent doing something that you don't really value. The same is true of money.
What Isn't a Waste of Time (or Money)?
On the flip side of that coin, what things aren't a waste of time or money? I identify two groups of things that are not a waste of time or money.
First, things that provide genuine personal value to you are not a waste a time or money. Playing board games forces me to think deeply and it also provides a powerful avenue for socializing – those things provide genuine personal value to me. Others might find board games boring and a pretty poor avenue for socializing and thus they might view it as a waste of time.
The difference is in what provides genuine value to me, not to you. We are all different, with different skills and talents and different interests and different personal values.
Second, things that provide genuine value to others are not a waste of time or money. I'm referring to work here, but also to volunteerism and to helping friends. If others value what you're doing (and are willing to compensate you in some way for it), then it's not a waste of time.
I keep thinking of that young man finishing that skateboard. It looked fantastic. Skateboarders would pay well for that type of skill.
A wonderful ideal is finding a way to do something that falls into both groups: it provides value to you and to others. For me, writing falls into this category.
Success Comes From Being Alert and Minimizing the Waste
Successful people attempt to minimize the time and money they spend on things that do not provide genuine value to them or to others. They also look for ways to spend their time and money on things that provide more value to them or to others than whatever it is they're currently doing.
This requires focus. You have to evaluate everything you do in a given day. "Why am I doing this?" "Is it something that I really personally value?" "Is it adding value to my life?" "Is it adding value to the lives of others?" "How much value am I really getting from this in terms of personal growth, financial gain, or relationships built?"
Asking those questions will lead you to some surprising revelations. For me, for example, I found that spending twenty minutes with my eyes closed in a dark room while trying to focus on clearing my mind of all thoughts was far more relaxing (and thus valuable) than an hour spent watching television. I found that making dinner for my family (and often with them involved in the process) added far more value to my life than the time spent going out to dinner with them. I found that getting adequate sleep each night was far more valuable than cutting an hour of sleep out to "get more done." I found that practicing the piano was just as relaxing and far more valuable (for me) than that same amount of time spent playing World of Warcraft. I found that spending some time each week reading and some time writing a short story or two was more valuable than spending that time forcing myself to write something strictly based on personal finance.
And, yes, I found that playing board games with some close friends, alternating between focusing on how to win and focusing on good conversation and exchange of ideas, is an extremely valuable way for me to spend my time on occasion.
When someone tells you that what you're doing is a waste of time or a waste of money, don't be afraid to rethink what you're doing. At the same time, don't assume that it actually is a waste of time or money, because that definition depends on you, not them.
Figure out your small handful of true core values, follow them in whatever you do, and they'll always lead you to success.
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WASHINGTON — A trail group in Bethesda, Maryland, is suing the U.S. Transportation Department, alleging a planned light-rail route through some Washington suburbs would harm two rare, shrimplike creatures.
The Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail and two residents of Chevy Chase, Maryland, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington.
It alleges the Purple Line should be rerouted to protect the Rock Creek watershed in Montgomery County. The filing says the area includes habitat for the Hay's spring amphipod, listed as endangered since 1982, and the Kenk's amphipod, which is a candidate for federal listing.
Federal officials have said the 16-mile project would have no impact on either animal.
The nearly $2.4 billion project would run through parts of Montgomery and Prince George's counties.


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Your position: Home > Electric Bike accessories > Saddle
Electric Bike accessories
What is an Electric bike? Electric bike, also known as e-bike, is a bicycle that equips with an electric motor which can provide propulsion during the cycling. There are many kinds of electric bikes worldwide, from pedal assist bike with small motor to powerful electric mountain bike that can help you overcome the hardest roads. E-bikes are usually using rechargeable batteries, ranging from 25 to 45 km/h.
Saddle with Backrest


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What is the Classic-Castle... ugh... C6 Contest? I'm glad you asked!
Category 1: Chess Piece
Create a single chess piece, any medieval style theme. This would include Castle, Ninja, Ancients, etc.
Category 2: Chess set
Create all 16 pieces needed for one Chess faction. This includes 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 1 queen and 1 king. Any medieval style theme is allowed.
The Rules:
- All pieces MUST be compatible with the new LEGO chess board. That means the base of each piece must NOT exceed or overlap a 4x4 stud square.
- Each piece must NOT exceed or overlap a 1 stud margin in any direction beyond the 4x4 base.
- To make it abundantly clear, since some are missing it: The base of each piece can't be bigger than a 4x4 square. The rest of the piece cannot be bigger than a 6x6 square and cannot go beyond 1 stud past the 4x4 base restriction.
- Chess set entries must be able to be placed on the LEGO chess board without its pieces tipping each other over in any configuration.
- There is no height restriction.
- There is no piece restriction.
- Colors count - try to be coordinated.
- You may enter up to two entries in the two categories.
- LDraw images are acceptable but these entries must use readily available pieces, not large quantities of rare pieces, colors, or figures.
***Submit entries by replying to the entries post found HERE. If you have more than one picture for your entry, please only post one picture in this thread and link to your offsite gallery of other images.***
***Please limit posted images in this thread to 400x400 pixels. Larger images may be used for greater detail, but must be only linked to offsite, and may not exceed 800x600 pixels.***
***Larger pictures than 800x600 may disqualify the entry.***
-Category 1: Chess Piece
---Set #2586 Chess King
-Category 2: Chess set
---Set #2586 Chess King
---25% off any one order (up to $25) at Troy's Surplus LEGO
CC will ship prizes USPS Priority up to $4 to anywhere in the USA. Winners outside the USA and/or where shipping is more than $4 will pay the difference.
The Deadline:
Midnight (CC server time) July 6, 2005
The Classic-Castle.com admins will decide the winner(s), and thus are ineligable to enter.
Winners will be decided using a simple voting system.
Good luck and Leg Godt!
The admins reserve the right to change the rules, deadline and anything else regarding to this contest for any reason at any time.


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China obliged to defend North Korea under 'friendship' treaty
North Korean threats to launch a nuclear attack on the United States have left its closest ally, Beijing, in a difficult position.
Under a treaty signed half a century ago, China is obliged to "render military and other assistance by all means at its disposal" in the event North Korea comes under "armed attack by any state."
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, China has been ambivalent about its commitment to the Sino-North Korean Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.
But as tensions on the Korean peninsula escalate, China is likely to come under increasing pressure to state its position.
The Pentagon confirmed earlier on Wednesday that an advanced ballistic missile defense system was being sent to Guam to protect U.S. interests in the event of a North Korean attack.
In a statement published by the North's official KCNA news agency, the General Staff of the Korean People's Army said war with the United States could break out "today or tomorrow."
China, along with South Korea, would bear the brunt of hostilities in the region and Beijing is no doubt working around the clock to prevent such an event.
As the largest provider of food, fuel and industrial machinery to North Korea, China is seen as wielding the greatest influence over the hermit kingdom.
But its ability to control its aggressive neighbor is overstated, experts say.
"In general, Americans tend to overestimate the influence China has over North Korea," Daniel Pinkston, a Northeast Asia expert at the International Crisis Group, was quoted by the Council on Foreign Relations as saying.
While Beijing is no doubt furious with Pyongyang over its provocative nuclear tests and fiery rhetoric, it cannot afford to turn its back on the North. If Kim Jong Un's regime were to collapse, millions of North Korean refugees would likely flood across the border into China.
It's a factor that hasn't been lost on the North Korean leadership.
"North Korean leaders appear to have used this interest to neutralize their country's growing economic dependence on China; the greater North Korea's dependency, the more fearful Chinese leaders may be that a sharp withdrawal of PRC economic support could destabilize North Korea," according to a 2010 Congressional Research Service report.


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HardnessYou are here : Homepage Testing Machines Hardness
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When you want to purchase a machine or machines, you need to know some valuable information. "A little Knowledge is dangerous thing". So to purchase machines efficiently and professionally, click on valuable points and read carefully. The points are vital technical affairs and important commercial affairs. Other sections could be helpful too.


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While on the net, I learned that aside from gold, silver (the bullion type) is also a good type of investment. We all know money in itself depreciates and a better alternative would be something, the value of which is kind of constant. Who would want to invest in something that is totally risky, right? And besides I read that the demand is high and the supply is gradually depleting. Monex is probably the best site to help one decide. At Monex being one of those companies that have built a good reputation, there are committed professionals who will discuss your options so you can arrive at the best decision.
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If you delete your Tumblr account does it delete the questions you have posted on someone's ask box if they haven't seen it yet?
I deleted my tumblr because I was useless at it. I still like to check out blogs I liked because I like their edits, GIFs etc. Before I deleted my tumblr I placed an ask in someone's ask box and I really need to know the answer.


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The last veterans of the First World War — friend and foe alike — have now joined their slain comrades from the Ypres Salient, Regina Trench, Vimy Ridge, Polygon Wood and Coronel and a thousand far-flung battlefields.
And increasingly, the grey-headed ranks of the Second World War also depart to join the fading divisions that preceded them.
So Remembrance Day becomes increasingly important. It keeps us from forgetting who we are — and why.
Yet one of the things that is sometimes easy to overlook amid the stirring music, the flights of warplanes, the firing of volleys, the spit-and-polish drill and the official laying of wreaths is that among all the things that war entails, all war is always about families.
It is from families that the warriors come. It is families that bear their loss, or worse, that carry the wreckage when broken warriors return. It is families that suffer and it is in families that the most important and intimate remembrances are cherished.
So here's one family's war story.
It's the story of my wife Susan's grandfather, Amos William Mayse, a man of peace who first went to war as a teenager but whose convictions compelled him to leave his family and return to battle and who carried the scars of these experiences for the rest of his life.
Amos was born in Lincolnshire, England, 132 years ago. There's a family tradition that he descended from archers in some ancient king's army, and this isn't far-fetched since the fearsome longbows that fought at Crecy and Agincourt included levies from the region.
Whatever that history, his parents were farm labourers during the turbulent displacements of the Industrial Revolution and although they valued education — his father taught himself to read at 50 — Amos left school at 13 to work in a coal mine.
At 18, he enlisted with the 1st York and Lancaster Regiment, earned his stripes as a lance-corporal and a year later was in South Africa as a scout with a mounted infantry unit in the Boer War, last of the great colonial wars and a warning of the monstrous horrors that would engulf the 20th century.
Amos was a gentle soldier, not a brutal one. During one patrol, scouting alone about 10 kilometres out from his unit, Amos drew inaccurate fire from a knoll. He dismounted, sent his horse noisily in one direction, stealthily circled behind and soon had his unsuspecting Boer foe in his rifle sight.
His enemy was another teenager, Piet von Troikker. He had a big patch stitched into the seat of his threadbare pants. Amos admitted later that he couldn't bring himself to shoot an enemy so like himself.
Instead, the confrontation that dusty afternoon became a peace parley — fraternizing with the enemy, starchy imperial officers would call it. They shared meagre rations. The teenage Boer went home to his father's farm. Amos went back to his unit on a promise that they'd meet as friends when the war was done.
They never did.
The war outlived Queen Victoria, grinding inexorably through massacres, atrocities and suffering toward its 50,000 casualties.
The British invented concentration camps. Thousands of civilian prisoners died in them. Frustrated by the genius of Boer guerrilla tactics, the British employed a scorched earth policy, laying waste to the farms and homesteads of non-combatants. Thousands more perished.
Amos fought in the relief of Ladysmith and in campaigns around Orange River. On Dec. 2, 1900, leading a reconnaissance party, he was shot during a savage little ambush near the settlement of Utrecht in the West Transvaal. He was taken prisoner.
Conditions were harsh. He scratched a desperate message on a spoon – "Mother, I am alive." But not for long, it must have seemed.
Medical treatment was minimal. His wounded arm went black.
It had swollen to the size of a stovepipe when Boer Gen. Jan Christian Smuts noticed it during a prison inspection.
He asked the young soldier about his wound and then ordered him returned to the British lines for treatment.
Smuts would later command South African forces during the First World War, become the country's prime minister in 1919 and serve as an architect of the League of Nations, a prototype for the United Nations. Ironically, in the Second World War, he attained the rank of field marshal in the British army he'd humbled so many times.
When his wounds healed, Amos was sent back to war. He was wounded again in 1902, this time shot in the face. Bullets shattered his jaw. He was evacuated by hospital ship a month before the war ended — one of the lucky ones. His unit had suffered 260 killed, missing in action and wounded before it was withdrawn and posted to India.
In a military hospital, his jaw was reconstructed — miracle surgery for the time — although the silver plate inserted into the wound plagued him terribly in cold weather for the rest of his life. He was discharged as medically unfit for further military duty in 1903.
One likes to think he'd met some Canadians during his service as a mounted scout. He said it was just that remembering the vastness of the South African veld; he could no longer abide the narrow, mean, grey streets of England. In any event, barely three months after his medical discharge, he was on a ship for Canada.
He'd also found God. When he got to Manitoba in 1904, he enrolled at Brandon College to study for the Baptist ministry, taking first prize in the oratory competition. He eked out a living as a student pastor in small prairie churches and was a popular draw with his lecture From Home to the Barrack Room, Thence to the Battlefield, and on to the Pulpit.
In 1909, preaching at Neepawa, he was invited to deliver some fill-in sermons at Strathclair, 60 kilometres away. In that congregation, he met Betty Caswell, the slender daughter of retired farmers. The next year they married. Their first child, Shirley, was born at home during a wet, blustery spring snowstorm in 1911.
Six months later, Amos and his family moved to Peguis, a First Nations community west of Lake Winnipeg, where he ministered to the Swampy Cree.
From their house, Shirley would watch dog-teams heading north on the frozen Red River to Norway House and, in summer, canoes and York boats bound for Winnipeg. There was no plumbing. They grew their own vegetables. Amos supplied the larder with wild duck, partridge, prairie chicken and fish.
A second child, Billy, was born at Peguis in the fall of 1912. He was a delicate baby, and not expected to survive, not until Mary Flett, a Metis neighbour, came to Betty's aid.
Next spring Billy was still alive. Cree mothers provided a mossbag, an ingenious alternative to diapers. There was no playpen. His cradleboard was hung in a nearby aspen where he was entertained by Mother Nature's mobile — trembling leaves and visiting songbirds.
Life ambled by in the great cycles of spring floods and winter blizzards. Amos was doctor, vet and mediator in local disputes as much as he was called upon to preside over wedding feasts and funerals or to deliver well-attended temperance sermons.
But in Europe, war loomed again, this time between empires. Hostilities began in August 1914. Amos moved the family to Emerson, a farm community on the U.S. border south of Winnipeg.
The war was supposed to end by Christmas. By 1915, it looked like it might never end. Casualties averaged 25,000 a day. Amos decided he must go again, this time not for the adventure — he knew the nightmare — but to be with his parishioners, who didn't know the nightmare and who had volunteered. One was his dear friend, Albert Pryor.
On Jan. 16, 1916, he enlisted with the 222nd Battalion in Winnipeg and moved his family to the city. His Boer War service got him streamed for officer training and he quickly qualified as lieutenant.
But the men of his congregation were already leaving for France. Amos refused his commission and declined to serve as a padre — he'd be no use to his parishioners in the officer's mess; he was needed in the trenches, he said — and returned to the ranks as an enlisted man. He arrived in England with his flock in late November 1916.
He was soon promoted sergeant.
When the 222nd Battalion was broken up to supply the 19th Reserve Battalion, members of his Emerson congregation elected to transfer to the depleted ranks of the 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles. It had been raised in Brandon in 1914 but had lost 557 of its 692 men at Mount Sorel in June 1916.
Once again, Amos forfeited his sergeant's stripes to be with his parishioners.
In May 1917, he was in France. On May 21, the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles relieved the battered Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, which had been holding the line at Vimy.
Amos bivouacked in a wood at the French village of Villers au Bois and wrote a charming letter to his children with sketches of his dugout. Then, on June 17, he went into the front line.
At home, Betty struggled. There were food scarcities. It was difficult to make ends meet on a soldier's skimpy separation allowance. Billy was having seizures. Shirley was starting school. Betty was ill herself with a bleeding ulcer. She kept a backyard garden. She cut firewood for winter. She took in a boarder.
And she had no word of her husband except for letters, which were often delayed for months as they made their way out of France, through censors' offices, by steamer across the Atlantic and then to Winnipeg by train.
Fast news was always bad news. A telegram meant a loved one killed or missing – and everyone knew when the dreaded telegram arrived. Sometimes, condolences came in error. Betty got one saying Amos had been wounded in Egypt, although he was in Flanders.
On July 10, 1917, Amos went back up the line. Everyone was tense. Considerable movement had been observed behind German lines, often the sign of an imminent offensive.
By day, barrages of Whizzbangs and Daisy Cutters, Silent Susans and Moaning Minnies, Rum Jars and Flying Pigs harrowed the earth. Hostile aircraft came at dawn, accompanied by the thump of ack-ack. Machine guns chattered and snipers' bullets pinged overhead.
At night, patrols blackened their faces and slipped into no man's land; a stinking morass of water-filled craters, rotting corpses buried, churned up and plowed under again by the shellfire, a vision of hell in the stark illumination of flares.
Men slithered through the muck to the edge of enemy trenches and listened. Sometimes they'd throw bombs and flee. Sometimes — a tactic at which the Canadians excelled — they'd lie silently in the mud for an enemy patrol to pass and then dispatch it silently with knives. Others strained to keep watch from the trench parapets for counter patrols, peering through periscopes or holding up mirrors to avoid being picked off by snipers.
On July 17, after eight days in the line, Amos was going to the rear. His last posting was four hours periscope watch. He stood down at midnight. Rain pelted down. His platoon made its way single file back to the reserve trenches.
"Every minute or two, Fritz would send up flares making everything as bright as day," he wrote later to Betty.
Then, almost to safety, shells began bursting. One landed next to Amos.
He remembered the flash, being lifted up, trying to run when he landed, collapsing and realizing he'd been hit in both arms and both legs and couldn't move.
Five others were wounded but still able to walk. Albert Pryor could not, moaning piteously and asking about his leg.
Another parishioner named Roberts, a bartender back in Emerson, braved the shellfire to carry the two badly wounded men to some slight protection in a shallow trench. They lay in the mud until stretchers reached them an hour later. Next came the dreadful task of carrying them through bursting shells to an advanced medical post in a dugout. It meant traversing five exposed kilometres of flooded shell holes, collapsed trenches and tangles of barbed wire.
The two pals were separated, probably at triage, for Albert soon died. Amos was evacuated at first light to a military operating theatre and was hurried on to Blighty for more surgery — there was still shrapnel embedded in his wounds. By Christmas 1917, he was back at the front, now ministering to the spiritual comfort of soldiers. But in 1918, he was for the second time discharged as medically unfit for military duty.
He came home to Betty, Shirley and Billy in Winnipeg three months before the war officially ended and returned to work as a pastor and occasional horse doctor in small prairie towns. Among mementoes of the war, his most cherished was the flag he'd used to drape his comrades' bodies at burial services.
Prairie winters now proved unendurable. The plate in his jaw and his shrapnel wounds were agonizing in cold weather. In 1920, he moved his family to Maple Ridge, was pastor at Haney, at Port Hammond, at Cowichan and at Nanaimo before moving to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and a church on Hastings. He was elected vice-president of the Great War Veterans Association, forerunner of the Royal Canadian Legion.
But his fire-and-brimstone Baptist sermons had mellowed.
"The day is gone by when you can scare a man with talk about hell fire," he'd written Betty from the front. "Why every day & night here, the boys are in it — & they are absolutely fearless ..."
Bill and Shirley went to Britannia high school. Shirley graduated with a Governor General's Silver Medal and went on to the University of B.C., where she tied for top marks, good enough for a Governor General's Gold Medal in Latin and English in 1931 and an MA in 1935. She taught in Vancouver schools for 34 years, among them Britannia High.
Bill went to UBC, too, and distinguished himself as a poet before discovering the student newspaper, The Ubyssey. He left to work at the Province, writing under the name Arthur Mayse and later joined The Vancouver Sun, where he was legislature bureau chief before moving to Maclean's magazine. He eventually returned to the West Coast, where he wrote novels, short stories, many episodes of the hit TV show The Beachcombers and a warm newspaper column that was so popular it was reprinted for years after his death.
As for Amos, he found solace fishing for trout in the pools and eddies of the Oyster River on Vancouver Island and became such a fixture there that when a regional park was established at its estuary, one of the trails was named in his honour.
But he never escaped his war wounds. He spent more and more time in Shaughnessy Military Hospital and died Oct. 5, 1948. Betty died in 1963. Bill died in 1992 and Shirley in 2005, leaving only his grandchildren and great-grandchildren to remember now.
So perhaps the last word on this Remembrance Day belongs to Amos.
"Now my dear, do not worry about me here," he wrote to Betty on July 5, 1917, a few days before going up the line for the last time. "I know how anxious you will be but don't give way to it, hope for the best ... The cuckoo is singing as I write & so you must take its message as being the harbinger of the Spring of Peace."


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Everyone needs a first car, and there are quite a few options out there for them as they search. And increasingly, folks aren't going to just accept any old tiny ride - they want something with a little bit of room. Nissan is one of the companies clearly going after this audience (first-time buyers and those who just want a low-cost new vehicle), and the 2014 Nissan Versa Note is their offering in this realm. I recently spent some time behind the wheel of one and am back with my thoughts on how well it performed. LOOKS From the exterior, the 2014 Versa Note looks very small, but that's because the trunk and engine areas are pretty tiny. Inside the car, where you actually sit, you have a surprising amount of room; more than I imagined when I first saw it. The design isn't exactly breathtaking, but I wouldn't call it ugly either. It's a fine balance that had to be struck here to maximize cabin space.
To keep costs down, materials in the vehicle are pretty basic and unspectacular, but when you're marketing a car at an entry-level audience, you're not getting folks looking for fancy so this shouldn't be a major concern for most trying out the Versa Nate. The champagne and caviar crowd isn't going to be shopping for this vehicle (they'll be in the Infiniti lot). ENGINE, HP The Versa Note features a 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder engine that packs just 109 horsepower; This is the point at which people will decide whether to even consider a car like the Versa Note; If that's just not enough power for them, they'll move on to a higher level of vehicle options. For many though, just getting around town is all that matters, so they don't mind being a little down on power if they can save some money. I found this level of power tolerable some of the time, but also somewhat annoying on occasion when I really wanted to get going. And it must be mentioned that the engine is a bit noisier than I would have preferred. I got used to it after a few days driving the vehicle, but it a factor potential buyers will definitely have to consider. MPG The official mileage numbers on the 2014 Versa Note are pretty impressive, roughly 35 mpg average (31 city/40 highway); I didn't quite get to these levels, but wasn't far behind. These are decent numbers for a vehicle like this. SAFETY FEATURES The Versa Note features anti-lock brakes, child seat latches, traction control, vehicle dynamic control, a tire pressure monitoring system, electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, and the usual list of airbags (driver, passenger, side impact and curtain). TECH FEATURES Just because you're going on the lower end pricewise, you don't have to skimp on everything, and the Versa Note has options for those who want some creature comforts in their ride. Features than can be added via the $1,700 SL package include: 16-inch wheels (as opposed to the standard 15-inch), push-button ignition, heated front seats, fog lights, 4.3 inch color display with iPod control, satellite radio and a rearview monitor. On top of that, the technology package can be added for a reasonable $800, and includes: NissanConnect with Navigation System to help you get where you need to go; a bigger 5.8-inch color touchscreen display; Nissan Voice Recognition for audio and navigation; NavTraffic and NavWeather; Google Send-to-car compatibility; Streaming audio via Bluetooth; Hands-free text messaging assistant; an AroundView Monitor (an improved backup camera system which is very helpful when backing up by showing what is on all sides), and heated side mirrors. PRICE The Versa Note I tested (the Versa Note SV) has a base price of just under $16K, but rose to about $19.5K with all the options added. The most basic Versa Note starts at just under $14K. Hard to beat that price on a new car, but be aware of what you are getting before committing - it's an entry-level ride, so you shouldn't expect it to be more than that. BOTTOM LINE Getting hold of a first-time car buyer and making them loyal is what all automakers are trying to do with their lower-cost models. Nissan doesn't necessarily hit it out of the park with the Versa Note, but they're still solidly on base and have the right price point to try to get some customers with this vehicle. There's enough to like on the Versa Note in terms of design, features and overall style that it should capture the eye of some on the hunt for an inexpensive ride, even if the power isn't going to knock anyone's socks off.


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Newbury, Vermont
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Newbury is a town in Orange county, Vermont. It was formed in 1763 in N.H. and 1772 in N.Y. The probate district for Newbury is Bradford, while the court district is Orange. For more information, contact the town at P.O. Box 126, Newbury 05051. On the attached map, Newbury is shown as 3 in Orange county.
For information about the state of Vermont see Vermont Family History Research.


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Canvas Storage Basket - Dinosaur
We have run out of stock for this item.
Need somewhere to store toys, throw the laundry into or something to brighten up a room?
Our range of generously storage baskets will solve all your storage problems and create an on-trend look in your room at the same time!
Basket Size - 50cm x 45cm


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Boost immune system with whole food based nutrition
Andrew Clarke, M.D.
Dr. Andrew Clarke is the owner of The Clarke Clinic for Health and Prevention – a general internal medicine practice with an emphasis on education and nutrition. In this video, Dr. Clarke discusses the benefits proper nutrition provides for boosting the immune system.
In this video, Dr. Clarke discusses the benefits proper nutrition provides for boosting the immune system and achieving a healthy body – particularly one that is not malnourished as so many are today, he says. Dr. Clarke believes most people are not eating enough whole foods on a daily basis, which is why he recommends Juice Plus+ for daily fruit and vegetable nutrition. He says of Juice Plus+, "It's a proven, affordable, and convenient way to help protect our bodies from the inside out every day, regardless of what else is happening."
Dr. Clarke served as President of the Iberia Parish Medical Society in New Iberia, Louisiana from 2005 to 2006.


text: 17:45 (GMT+1)- Saturday 10-24-2020 Netherlands Eredivisie Utrecht - Twente Utrecht vs Twente TV Channel Listing MyLiveSport.TV is a comprehensive sports TV Listing guide. This service is free and we are doing our best to find all TV channels broadcasting Utrecht - Twente Netherlands Eredivisie game including online channels which you need to subscribe to their sevice. We don't offer any live match streaming or share any illegal links to online streaming. You can find TV channels satellite details and links to legal online streaming channels subscription pages. Please feel free to share your opinion with us to make our service better... ALL HD SD Stream Sat Packages


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I hope I tagged everything right >_> First time submitter.
This is so well made! And Lucy as a Pokemon master? I'd tap that so fa- wait, damnit I can't.
You win one internet
I love it when people complete memes without leaving gaps! Well done!!!
The people (like me) who dislike Sandy isn't so much HER that is is she took Mike from Lucy and made him turn into a HUGE bitch.
because she totally took a gun to his head and forced him to change
you guys really have dumb reasons


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Today marks the launch of a new campaign at Prince's Trust HQ. We're celebrating everything Enterprise, as we look to encourage young adults to set up their own business. Dull, boring and disengaging? Wrong.
Working with creative agency Nonsense, and funded by RBS , we've created three spoof infomercials bringing to life a series of terrible business ideas. You know, the ones that wouldn't make it onto the brainstorm flip chart – despite the mantra 'no idea is a bad idea'. And, it works. Take a look for yourself.
A toothbrush, hairbrush, toilet brush and broom all in one, there's more to this video than slapstick comedy. Behind the scenes, the PR, marketing and digital teams have been working closely (even crossing over at times) to ensure our 'outside our comfort zone' multi-media content is working as hard as possible to reach the right people: 18-30 year olds. Here's how:
The 'Brush it All' video celebrates the start of a three-week digital campaign – our biggest push ever – and to make this possible we've strengthened our existing business content to sit alongside the videos. From Enterprise programme enquiry forms to business plan templates, we've made the collateral easier to find and use thanks to our new landing page.
Making the most of our campaign news hook, the PR team has also created case studies of young people who've previously completed The Prince's Trust Enterprise programme and gone on to business success. To be featured on the website and sold-in to national, regional and local press, these stories will bring to life what we we're trying to achieve and tick the box for peer to peer marketing.
We'll also be sharing the stories of the Enterprise 'heroes' on the other side of the coin – The Prince's Trust business mentors who provide two year's support to every young person who seeks to develop their business idea- to maximise coverage opportunities.
This isn't a category that I usually highlight when reviewing campaigns – especially when there's still a debate as to whether it's stats or celebs that people respond to more. But, with a host of celebrity ambassadors supporting The Prince's Trust, the team has leveraged business tips from self-made figures to inspire young people. Think Kelly Hoppen , Jamal Edwards, Levi Roots and Jamie Oliver. As well as being rolled out online, this content will also generate consumer coverage.
Social Media
We'll also be engaging with the celebrities on our social media channels. But, it's not just a case of us, or them, pushing the video out with a campaign hashtag (although, not to leave any stone un-turned we've got one of those as well: #MyBigIdea), we're using YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Pinterest and Google+ to share exclusive 'behind the scenes' content and connect with followers by feeding into business-related conversations.
So, with all of this, a dash of digital advertising, e-marketing, and internal comms, we've come up with a recipe for success. What do you think? Does Brush it All inspire you to start your own business?
Drop me a comment with your thoughts and continue to check YouTube for the other videos in the series over the coming weeks. They're awesome.