2008 Woodie Awards
WCU plays 'Hardball'
By Frank Stern
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News
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After Chris Matthews' introduction of Barack Obama, the crowd of roughly 2,200 students, faculty and alumni, in Hollinger Field House, erupted into cheers for the Illinois senator after waiting nearly a week to see the MSNBC event on Wednesday, April 2.
Last week, it was announced that Matthews, a Philadelphia native, would interview Obama roughly 40 miles from where he grew up.
"I love it," Matthews said prior to the event, describing the importance of the election in the state he was raised. Matthews grew up in the Somerton neighborhood of Philadelphia and took pride that the Democratic presidential nominee could be decided in Pennsylvania.
The crowd was composed of a majority of students, some who waited over four hours to get their tickets on Monday.
"It's a game changer, the fact that kids are voting," Matthews said. "It's the first time in history."
The show started off with Matthews poking fun at Obama's bowling a 37 earlier in the week.
"One of the perks, Senator, of being president of the United States is that you have your own bowling alley," Matthews jested at Obama. "Are you ready to bowl from day one?"
"Obviously, I am not," Obama replied.
Matthews then transitioned into Hardball, asking Obama whether he is "tough enough" to run the country amid public scrutiny, but referencing Dick Cheney's ability to ignore public opinion.
"You don't ignore public opinion; you try to shape public opinion," Obama said "You try to shape it with the truth- not with false facts, not by shading intelligence reports."
Obama continued that growing up in Chicago has helped to make him tough enough to stand up to the Clintons and the 'Right.'
Matthews then asked Obama how he is different from the other Democratic presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton, in his approach to the War in Iraq.
Obama prefaced, as he has on one of his political platforms, that Clinton voted for the War in Iraq, and he is the only candidate who has not endorsed the war at any time.
Obama noted that Clinton has called for a removal of troops but to potentially stay in the region to deal with a situation with Iran.
"I think that's a mistake," Obama said. "We should not be maintaining permanent bases in Iraq. We should have no combat operations."
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