"Hardball" interview of Mario Cuomo

Hardball Transcript ^ | March 12, 2004 | Chris Matthews

[ReleaseTheHounds]

MATTHEWS: This doctrine of preemptive attack, this whole notion of forward leaning, the lingo of this, the WMD, the regime change, all this new language we‘ve learn in the last years, do you think that‘s him or it‘s the people around him...? ....

CUOMO: No, I think he was pushed by these people.

But I think he started with his own—this is a terrible word—perhaps naive. He hadn‘t traveled around the world....See, what is now clear is, he is simply too simple, to the point of being simplistic.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

continuing Cuomo's quote: "He thinks all you have to do is be strong, have a strong army, and you‘ll beat anybody. You can‘t win the terrorism war with an army. You obviously can‘t or Sharon would have won it a long time ago in Israel.

You can‘t win it with just an army. Sure you need an army. He thinks you can solve the economic problem by giving all his rich friends a lot of money and they‘ll invest it for you and 140 million people will go to work. Well, that‘s obviously not true. He‘s simplistic. He may be utterly sincere. You know, he talks about wedge issues. Wedge is a good word for the tools he uses. The simplest tool known to mankind is the wedge."

I posted a paraphrase of this last night -- if you read the transcript (see link), go about half-way down to find this Cuomo interview. Really pathetic -- not really "Hardball" more like "Puff-ball". Keep up the good work, Chrissy!

[ReleaseTheHounds]

I should note: the transcript was printed today... this is from last night's show.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Continuing Cuomo comments:

CUOMO: Well, let‘s go back. Now you say to the American people, because now you have your turn, you Democrats, and you say, look, he says, tax cuts produce jobs.

They don‘t produce jobs. They don‘t produce a good economy for you. They may produce economy for themselves. And tax cuts to the wealthiest people, which is not going to be spent on consumption? What makes the economy go is consumption, buying goods and services. When you give a person who‘s a supermillionaire more money, he or she doesn‘t spend it. They just hide it.

MATTHEWS: Right.

CUOMO: They put it away. And so we say this. We want tax cuts? Yes, for you 140 million workers. Let‘s take the $1 trillion back from the rich people, who do not need it. Remember his first rationale in 2001? I‘m giving the money back because we don‘t need it.

MATTHEWS: Big surplus.

CUOMO: Well, he was wrong.

MATTHEWS: Well, he was right then, but the surplus has disappeared.

CUOMO: OK.

So then now if you want to be intelligent, I was wrong, let me take back the $1 trillion and spend it on health care, tax cuts and education for 140 million workers.

MATTHEWS: Right.

Judge Rehnquist is going to resign from the court this year as chief justice.

CUOMO: Amen.

[princess leah]

Mario Quomo - More like COMA rather-when did he last do anything for anybody? And his party leaders, Bill and Hillary cut the legs out on his own son, Andy so he couldn't get the job for Gov'nr either! What a pathetic loser...put this guy out on the trash heap of bygone historical losers!

[evad]

Blowhardicus maximus incidius

[clintonh8r]

Talk about oily....

[So Cal Rocket]

(Bush)... is simply too simple, to the point of being simplistic.

The Dems can keep on "misunderestimating" GWB all they want, as far as I am concerned.

[clintonh8r]

Yeah, W ain't nuanced enough for mobbed-up Mario....

[ReleaseTheHounds]

PING: transcript of that Hardball segment I was paraphrasing yesterday.

[sheik yerbouty]

"Il Supremo"and his "sfachim machine" speaks..

[Mr. Buzzcut]

When you give a person who‘s a supermillionaire more money, he or she doesn‘t spend it. They just hide it.

Living in NY State, I've heard Cuomo say a lot of dumb things, but this is the DUMBEST. Ironic that someone so clearly clueless about the way the world works could think so highly of himself.

[Wonder Warthog]

"/...not really "Hardball" more like "Puff-ball".

Actually, more like "Turdball" than either of the above.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

(Bush)... is simply too simple, to the point of being simplistic.

The stupid Democrats mistake simplicity for focus.

Bush is focused on doing his job.

The Arkansas disgrace was only focused on getting a job.

Clinton's first two years were pathetic.....the Republicans stepped into the power vacuum and garnered the Congress in 1994.

Clinton's last two years were entangled in the Lewinsky-Jones scandal and impeachment.

Clinton was a complete failure who succeeded only because the Republican Congress made him swallow his medicine!!

[PISANO]

I am ashamed to say that Cuomo and I have the same ancestral origins. He is a "PERFECT STUDY" of the "ELITE" snobs who have a problem with CLEAR, uncluttered (non-pc), non-relativistic thinking. In short he is a socialist democrat.

[OldFriend]

This from Cuomo, touted as the great orator!

What a pathetic loser.

Imagine being the great Mario and being defeated by a Pataki?

No one knew what a Pataki was, and they didn't care, they just wanted Cuomo gone gone gone.

The great Mario once went after Ed Koch with campaign signs put up everywhere, Vote for Cuomo, Not the Homo.

Classy guy, eh?

[1Old Pro]

If I want to view two grown men suck face I'll move to San Francisco.

[dead]

Chris Matthews listens intently to Mario Cuomo…

[plain talk]

Cumo is a socialist simpleton.

[leprechaun9]

Hey Mario - in your last year as governor, you wrote a conrtract to an Arkansas law firm for $50,000. The New York Post headline asked - Aren't there enough lawyers in the State of New York? You weren't OUTSOURCING back then, were you?

By the way - the law firm was the infamous ROSE LAW FIRM!

[richardtavor]

"See, what is now clear is, he is simply too simple, to the point of being simplistic."

See, what is now clear is, Cuomo is simply too idiotic, to the point of being idiotic (and too rich.)