You can watch the segment at ye old Crooks and Liars. This was definitely the most, uh, contentious of my Hardball appearances. The blond consultant type I was matched up with essentially spent the first two topics arguing that criminality within the GOP is utterly acceptable because it's not always illegal. She didn't even attempt to defend the ethics of the actions; she simply fell into "everybody does it." I was genuinely embarrassed for her cause. Additionally, I tend to think that when an opponent falls apart to the point that they focus in on my age, I've done my job.
But this was certainly a more-heat-than-light sort of exchange. Neither of us were briefed on the day's topics before the show. This is, it should be said, a rarity in my experience, as Hardball has always told me the issues lineup in the past. But for whatever reason, we were sent in blind. And, sadly, it showed. I just don't know much about the US attorneys scandal and the wrongdoings of Alberto Gonzales. I can only track so many topics in a day, and the time spent reading health policy is time not spent reading Senate testimony. I'm aware enough that I can speak to Gonzales's actions as unethical, but without preparation or any preexisting familiarity with the penal code, I can't speak to the specifics of their legality -- and I don't want to get anything wrong on air, where I can't correct it.
It was the last segment that struck me as the saddest, though. Matthews pointed to a recent poll showing a Democratic advantage on "which party is best at handling taxes?" This was, he said, astonishing. Taxes go up under Democrats! I pointed out that being good on taxes was not the same as cutting taxes -- that was a poisonous conflation. He argued that in the American psyche, the two are the same. I argued that this is why our bridges fall down, that the government needs sufficient revenue to carry out essential tasks, and that I hoped Democrats would raise taxes. He laughed, and said you heard it there first. Some of you agreed, and lambasted me in comments for saying Democrats would raise taxes.
