Mayor Nutter appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews tonight. Matthews, of course, is a Philly native, and he served as moderator for a debate during the mayoral primary. He seems to have taken a shine to Nutter, who was asked for his thoughts on the presidential elections. No video available yet, but you can read the transcript after the jump.
Nutter endorsed Sen. Clinton a few weeks ago, and he noted that in the interview. Nutter appeared to support Sen. Obama during the mayoral primary last year, but that was before Obama lent his support to Nutter mayoral rival Rep. Chaka Fattah.
Back to the interview. Matthews closed the segment by wishing Nutter and the city well.
"Good luck in your term as mayor of Philadelphia. We're all rooting for you. Anybody that gives thought or caring to Philadelphia wants you to make it, sir."
Click below for the full transcript.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Joining us is Clarence Page of the "Chicago Tribune" and the brand new
mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter. Your honor, thank you for joining
us. I would like you to go first. I witnessed your campaign last fall.
You were able to put together a unity approach to the campaign and you had
a unity success on election day. How do we get through this campaign for
president while bringing the country together at the same time and not
redividing us?
MICHAEL NUTTER (D), MAYOR OF PHILADELPHIA: Well, thanks, Chris. I
think it has two components. First, the candidates have to send the right
message out to the public and to their own supporters and campaign workers,
that we`re going to have an issue-oriented campaign. We`re going to talk
about issues, not about each other; that the things that divide us will not
become major issues.
And then, secondly, I think getting decent and appropriate news
coverage, and the public demanding that they hear about issues, not about
personalities and personal attacks, issues of race or other matters that
may divide this country. People want to know how are you going to get
people back to work. How are you going to support infrastructure? How do
you make cities and metropolitan areas work? How do you lift people out of
poverty?
Those are not black-and-white issues or any other colors. Those are
about who has good ideas and the ability to implement those ideas and
improve this country.
MATTHEWS: Clarence, you`ve been through so many campaigns, you and I
together. How do we come out of this better than what we went into it? We
went into it pretty well, I thought.
CLARENCE PAGE, "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Well, I did too. And I think
the candidates are trying to get back to it. You notice today, both John
Edwards and Hillary Clinton sounded like they were endorsing Barack Obama.
Talking about how wonderful it is to --
MATTHEWS: Well, with all respect to Mayor Nutter, they kept saying --
with all respect to Mayor Nutter, they kept saying young, young, young.
What is this young thing? It used to be a plus, now they`re using it as,
oh, you wait your turn, young man. What do you think that young was all
about, Clarence?
PAGE: Yes, that`s right. They are making a virtue out of age, which
at my age and Hillary Clinton`s age, it sounds like a real virtue. But,
you know, that`s a -- there were kind of two campaigns going on here. What
struck me was, both today and other days, how little has been said about
the class divide. John Edwards has been right up front with it. You might
think he would be benefiting from that in these days of high economic
anxiety.
But there was Mitt Romney saying, you know, we have one America. And
that`s the kind of theme that Ronald Reagan pushed back in the `80s, that
kind of optimism and upbeat spirit that seems to go over with voters best.
That`s what we`ve seen Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton pushing. So, they
don`t want to talk about race, because race divides us. And they want to
push toward those -- those ideas and concepts that unite us.
MATTHEWS: Mayor, talk about young people, because there seems to be
an age divide across the country, forget ethnicity for just a second here.
It seems like younger people are much more optimistic. I don`t mean to be
too old about it, but I look at younger kids like my kids and they just
don`t see this race thing the way you and I saw it growing up.
NUTTER: Well, they`ve grown up in a slightly different time. They
have much more information and awareness about themselves. They`re
probably a little more mature than we were when we were kids as well. But
young people today have every reason to be optimistic and can see a future.
They have been involved in inter-racial environments, integrated
environments for much longer period of time. They don`t see some of the
things that those of us who were maybe a little older have experienced.
At the same time, here on Martin Luther King Day, I think it`s
important that we remind young people, at least not let it escape their
existence, that there was a time not too long ago when they might not have
been able to do many of the things that they literally take for granted
today.
MATTHEWS: Let`s take a look at what Andy Young -- he`s stirring the
pot here, former Mayor Andy Young, who is very good at this, as we all know
from his former days as U.N. ambassador. Here`s former mayor of Atlanta,
and former U.N. ambassador, Andrew Young, a big Clinton guy, saying some
things today; he said, quote, people think I`m betraying the race, meaning
African-Americans, because I don`t automatically support an intelligent
prominent black man.
Clarence, is that necessary for him to say that, or what does it say
about us all?
PAGE: Andrew Young is getting hammered for not supporting Barack
Obama. I can tell you that by proxy, because I wrote about him about three
weeks ago and I`ve been lots of emails from people who are so angry at him.
Sending him an email isn`t enough, they are sending them to me too. There
is a lot of pressure on black politicians who are supporting Hillary
Clinton because there`s a rising sense among black voters that Barack Obama
has the best shot of African American yet and we need to stand behind him.
So, I think that`s the kind of signal that Andy Young is sending out.
Hillary Clinton is still quite popular among a lot black folks.
MATTHEWS: We`ll see that in South Carolina. Let me ask you, mayor,
do you worry that South Carolina will be seen as almost like, oh, that`s
the black community down there; if he wins down there, it doesn`t count as
much? It`s a very interesting dynamic, you know, the way this campaign has
been played by both sides.
NUTTER: Campaigning is campaigning. You cannot take for granted or
make automatic assumptions. The political pundits are often wrong.
MATTHEWS: I`m never wrong -- ha!
NUTTER: Except you. Except you on your own show. But other than
that, you know, look, African-Americans, some will vote for Senator Obama
because they want to and think he`s the most qualified. Some will vote for
Senator Clinton.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
NUTTER: Chris, you already know I`ve endorsed Senator Clinton.
People have a right to be for who they want to be for. This is the United
States of America and it`s not an automatic. We had the same thing here in
Philadelphia.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
NUTTER: I had white supporters, black supporters, Latino, Asian. And
it was a multi-candidate race. But people talked about what it meant on
the ground here. As mayor, certainly, I had to make decisions about who I
think will best deliver for the city and for the region.
MATTHEWS: Well, it looks like Hillary Clinton is in good shape in
Pennsylvania, got you and a lot of other people up there. They are strong
in Pennsylvania. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
NUTTER: Thank you.
MATTHEWS: Good luck in your term as mayor of Philadelphia. We`re all
rooting for you. Anybody that gives thought or caring to Philadelphia
wants you to make it, sir. Thank you very much, Mayor Michael Nutter, just
took office. And thank you, Clarence, as always.
Comments (4)
The Pew poll in July showed us that people don't necessarily define one ethnicity as monolithic even if they define themselves as part of that group.
The mayoral race in Philly showed that the voter of all classes and races is sick of race baiting, name calling, and identity politics with no ability to state what you stand for specifically.
Fattah was very vague in his ideas, and Nutter was concrete: Ethics reform, better, more professional merit based management, budget and spending accountability, and evidence-based funding, or funding programs that get proven results, not just a job maker/pet party project that sounds good on paper.
People understood that Nutter took a risk to define himself without trying to be something he's not - he's not glossy, preachified, or hard wired into the old Philly Democratic guard. That helped him, esp. since the old Philly guard had a round of indictments and grand jury investigations.
Obama and Nutter are of that same cloth where the intelligence and character of the men define them above their skin color, in spite of advice and efforts of their own party to sell them as an ethnic brand.
Isn't that really what MLK called for?
Posted by Anonymous | January 22, 2008 2:10 AM
Posted on January 22, 2008 02:10
You have witnessed in Philly a fight to the death of the pols who would have the cheap, easy votes of identity politics even if it means accepting retrenchment of racial segregation in Philly vs. the idea that the Philly of the future is going to be diverse on race and income within every block, not just every ward.
The Kenny Gamble/John Street crowd that wants to use housing issues to segregate and confirm a block of low income, black voters even if it means less healthy neighborhoods and fighting healthy growth trends in the city are fading. I think people think that for the past 30 years or so, they've had the chance to deliver the healthy neighborhoods they've promised, but can't do it on philosophical grounds. It just too obvious anymore that their inner city really isn't necessarily the best place for struggling low income people. Why should it be?
100+ year old houses that need tens of thousands in renovation, evolving schools that are not there yet, job opportunities in the outer rings -- there's no reason to cluster black voters together for any reason except that they had made a convenient, docile, unquestioning Philly voting block for some time.
You can even see some of the local groups going crazy trying to preserve any and every low income home, even if it's better for the person to live in assisted living, or better for them to sell and rent, or better because of schools and jobs -- Fattah is another one who will reverse commute people 200 miles a day just to keep them "in the city."
People are coming in the city without the pols' help, though, and they tend to be just who is needed -- the college educated, skilled, experienced people that the city didn't have to grow all on its own but who come in with what the city needs.
That's the market. To the black block politician, it's a nightmare. To the economy and richness of the community, the free market of people and ideas is something that the city can't keep out any longer, no matter how much it refuses to collect property taxes, make taxes uniform, abolish the BPT, wage tax, and other taxes that don't exist elsewhere.
The middle class of every race is not going to tolerate paying for a city government that ignores their needs. The middle class of the Dems nationally are not going to elect someone who they don't think can win the election.
In that way, there's a return to substance over skin.
Posted by Anonymous | January 22, 2008 2:21 AM
Posted on January 22, 2008 02:21
That's nice he supports Hilary, but I am voting for Obama anyway. His opinion in such things means nothing to me, especially if he is just doing it because Obama didn't support him. I would hope he would be more concerned with what is good for Philadelphia
Posted by Mark Chalupa | January 22, 2008 10:53 PM
Posted on January 22, 2008 22:53
Two more eaten by a lion? Only this time the cage is City Hall, not some zoo. Or maybe it is a zoo. A prosecutor and a civic watchdog, has now been eaten by the very lions they taunted. It makes a person wonder, are they also drinking too much? What led up to such a sweet deal, a steady pay check or a future pension? How do two peolpe of this stature, get to be a member of the very organization's they were supposed to watch for the people. Why isn't there at least some kind of waiting period, like say 100 year's. I certainly would feel better.
Posted by Frank JG | February 12, 2008 5:43 AM
Posted on February 12, 2008 05:43