Hotline After Dark -- Talk To Me

Last night's coverage featured Sarah Palin's second interview with Sean Hannity, as well as the second part of NBC's Brian Williams' interview with Palin and John McCain. Additionally, ex-Pres. Bush press sec. Scott McClellan endorsed Barack Obama on comedian D.L. Hughley's new CNN show, "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News."

Palin joined Hannity for a special "Hannity & Colmes," broadcast outside Pittsburgh, PA, following a campaign rally. Some highlights:

Hannity: "All right. We've got 12 days to go. Nervous, excited? You want to get to election day?"

Palin: "Very excited. Wishing there were more hours in the day, though, still. Wanting to get out there and speak with more Americans and hear from more of them also. Letting them know, too. You know, there's such a clear choice on November 4. So, wishing that there were more hours in the day but very, very excited and anxious for the 4th."

Hannity: All right. First of all, did you enjoy 'Saturday Night Live?' By the way, they had the highest ratings in 14 years on that program. Did you know that? "

Palin: "Whatever I can do to help, yes. It was fun. It was a lot of fun."

After the jump, more from Hannity's interview with Palin, as well as the second half of Williams' interview with Palin and McCain, and McClellan's Obama endorsement.

(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX)

Hannity: "We keep hearing about this group ACORN is in every single swing state now. There are allegations of voter fraud. You used the term stealing the election. ... Are you concerned that that might be happening in this election?"

Palin: "I join many Americans in sharing that concern that that voter registration fraud could be resulting in some questionable ballots being
cast. And that is not fair. That is not right. That is un-American. You know, we have our young men and women fighting in war zones for us
today, trying to protect our rights to free and fair elections. And how dare anyone take that away from our electorate? And how dare anyone not disavow a group that has engaged in that voter registration?"

Hannity: "Meaning you want Barack Obama and Joe Biden to do that?"

Palin: "Heck yes. I wish that they would. I think that that would bode well for them."

Hannity: "But wait a minute. They funded them. Look, Barack Obama has represented them as a lawyer. Barack Obama has organized with them and
helped train some of their so-called get-out-the-vote efforts. And the campaign has given over $800,000. So why would he disavow a group that
obviously is working on his behalf?"

Palin: "Well, obviously, we would like to see him disavow this group so that at least that message would be sent to Americans that he, too, cares about free and fair elections. And, you know, we won't tolerate that abuse or that exploitation of an opportunity to have an unfair election. And, again, it would bode well for Barack Obama if he would stand strong on this one, have a backbone and disavow that group."

Hannity, on Obama saying, while in San Francisco, that working-class Americans, particularly in PA, "cling to guns and religion": "What does that comment tell you about Barack Obama?"

Palin: "I think he is so misjudging and prejudging. Of course, a part of America that is, especially here, so patriotic, so hard-working, middle-class American families here. Just desiring of their government to be government of the people, by the people, for the people, doing their best in securing jobs in their own hometowns, raising their families. There is nothing redneck or backwoods about any of this. This is true America. And you know, we love Pennsylvania. We love this area of the country. And just honored and privileged to get to be here tonight."

Hannity: "It's sort of surprising, because now we've had two weeks in a row of comments by Congressman John Murtha. He's called his own constituents racist. And then when asked to expand on it, he referred to them as rednecks. You said, I guess, you know, I'm one of those bitter American rednecks."

Palin: "I guess so. You know, if what I represent is what these people here in Pennsylvania stand for, too, again, love of country and a desire for that strong work ethic that is instilled in them to be rewarded, and not expecting government to be the be-all, end-all to answer all the questions for them. Then I represent what they represent. And proud to do this."

Hannity: "Joe Biden said it's patriotic for people to pay more taxes. Time to jump in; time to be patriotic. Do you think that the narrative on the economy has changed? And do you view those comments by Biden and Obama as socialist?"

Palin: "I believe that the narrative has finally changed. There's been more revelation there about what Barack Obama's true intentions will be. He spoke plainly, finally, to Joe the plumber. He said yes, he wants to spread the wealth. And to Joe the plumber that sounded like socialism. And Joe speaks for a lot of Americans, who hear some suggestion in there that taking more from our small businesses and from our individual families and then spreading their hard-working money around, according to a politician's priorities, that certainly would kill the entrepreneurial spirit that helped build this country, made it the greatest country on earth."

More: "I've got a problem with it, and a lot of Americans are gravely concerned about that plan that Barack Obama has with his tax cut, he calls it. Really, it's a tax credit. Really, it is, just spreading the wealth. There's a problem with that."

Hannity: "What would it mean to you: Barack Obama won the presidency, Nancy Pelosi had 250 Democrats in the House ... [and] Harry Reid hit the magic number of 60 in the U.S. Senate. What do you think that would mean for America?"

Palin: "See, now this is part of the debate that I think you will see elevated, and more voters are going to start talking about this in the next few days. That idea of a Democrat stronghold in House, Senate and, heaven forbid, the White House. ... Super majority. Veto-proof majority potentially here, yes. That should certainly be a concern because of the checks and balances issues, of course, that really have not been discussed to the degree, I think, that they should be."

More: "But more and more Americans are starting to ask these questions also. Is that consideration of how it would effect war strategy and how it would effect, of course, the huge growth of government that we would see under a Democrat-controlled House/Senate and White House. Because they've already promised to do so."

Hannity: "Well, let's talk about some the attacks. ... The RNC spent $150,000 on clothes. That's been an issue that's come up lately, and another issue, as well, the travel account for your family has been, I guess, billed to the state of Alaska."

Palin: "I'm glad that you brought up both of those. First, the RNC spending money on clothes. Those clothes are not my property. We had three days of using clothes that the RNC purchased. If people knew how Todd and I and our kids shop so frugally. My favorite shop is a consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska, called Out of the Closet. And my shoe store is called Shoe Fly in Juneau, Alaska."

More: "It's not Fifth Avenue type of shopping. But RNC purchasing some clothes that are all going -- they are either returned or they're going to charity. It's not my property."

Palin, on the possibility the clothes will be put up for auction: "I think that they should be. And I think charitable organizations should be the recipients."

Hannity: "The way I look at it, you're the only person in this race that's not a millionaire."

Palin: "That's true, too. ... Just average, middle class American family. But now, you asked the other issue, too, though about the ... the travel with the family. Every Governor has traveled with family when it's a first family function. And it's always been charged to the state. That's part of the job. What I did was sell the Governor's jet so that we could fly commercial and save the state a heck of a lot of money, which we have. We've cut the state's travel budget by about $400,000 by flying commercial. And ... it's not unprecedented."

Hannity: "Joe Biden said, in fact, mark my words ... there will be an international crisis that Senator Obama would be tested. And that was one of the more interesting things. ... What do you think of that?"

Palin: "And it wasn't just Biden making that comment. That was confirmed by former secretary Madeleine Albright, where she said yes, she believes that Biden was just stating fact. Now I don't want a president who invites that kind of testing. We cannot afford that on the homeland. So, that's a very discouraging to hear, Barack Obama's only running mate proclaiming that, that Barack Obama would be inviting an international crisis that would adversely effect this country, is what he was saying there."

More: "What that statement did was confirm what Barack Obama had been referred to by Joe Biden throughout the primaries and in their debates. Remember, that he was untested and wasn't ready for the presidency. Joe Biden has said he would be honored to run with John McCain as his running mate on his ticket and that way the country would be better off."

Hannity: "I can't imagine that if you said about John McCain that he was going to be tested in the first six months, because people want to test him. He doesn't have enough experience, that I think that would be a big deal."

Palin: "Can you imagine?"

Hannity: "It would be funny."

Palin: "You know, we would be held accountable for comments like that. And here again, Biden gets to take a pass after saying something like that. I haven't heard the follow-up yet."

Hannity: "He's not doing many interviews now. And you'd been accused of not doing any, and I see you everywhere now. ... Let me ask you this. Construction begins for Obama's big election celebration: 2-million-dollar price tag for an election night Obamafest. Obama is talking about his transition plans, his post-election win. 'I feel like we've got a righteous wind at our backs,' he went on to say. Seems to me that there's a little overconfidence that they're coasting. They're in a defense mode. Do you think they're just making an assumption that they won this election? And do you think there's a danger to that?"

Palin: "You know, I think he's out there already measuring the drapes and working with Nancy Pelosi and Reid, also, to start talking about
calling everybody back in right after the election and doing whatever they want to do to this country: to raise taxes, to waive that white flag of surrender in our wars. I think that's some overconfidence. And for John McCain, for me, for those who support this reform ticket,
this team of mavericks, that's OK with us that they are over confident, because I have been, and I know John McCain have been in the underdog
position before, not taking anybody or anything for granted. That's a healthy place to be. It makes us work that much harder" (FNC, 10/23).

IT'S ALWAYS BETTER WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER

Williams, on Palin bringing up William Ayers on the campaign trail: "Back to the notion of terrorists and terrorism. This word has come up in relation to Mr. Ayers. ... It's been said that to gives it a vaguely post-9/11 hint, using that word that we don't normally associate with domestic crimes. Are we changing the definition? Are the people who set fire to American cities during the '60s terrorists under this definition? Is an abortion clinic bomber a terrorist under this definition, Governor?"

Palin: "There's no question that Bill Ayers, via his own admittance, was one who sought to destroy our US capital and our Pentagon. That is a domestic terrorist. There's no question there. Now, others who would want to engage in harming innocent Americans or facilities that it would be unacceptable to -- I don't know if you're going to use the word terrorist there, but it's unacceptable -- and it would not be condoned, of course, on our watch. If what you're asking is if I regret referring to Bill Ayers as an unrepentant domestic terrorist, I don't regret characterizing him as that."

Williams: "No, I'm just asking what other categories you would put in there, abortion clinic bombers, protesters in cities where fires were started, Molotov cocktails were thrown, people died?"

Palin: "I would put in that category of Bill Ayers anyone else who would seek to campaign, to destroy our United States capital and our Pentagon and would seek to destroy innocent Americans."

McCain: "Let just mention one thing in addition to that. It's not the unrepentant terrorist who stayed on the run from and said, as short time ago as 9/11, that they wished they'd have bombed more. ... His wife was on the top 10 FBI most wanted list. It's the relationship with Mr. Ayers which Senator Obama has not been forthcoming. That's what Senator Clinton said in their debates. That's what I say."

More, on whether he will keep his promise not to involve Rev. Jeremiah Wright in the campaign: "Look, I have not involved Reverend Wright, and people can make up their minds as, again, I say about Mr. Ayers, is the full extent of the relationship with Senator Obama is not known. And Senator Obama has not been forthcoming. He has not told the complete truth to the American people, nor did he tell the truth to the American people when he said he would take public financing and signed a piece of paper if I would, back when he was a long shot candidate."

Palin: "And also, it is not mean spirited. It is not negative campaigning to ask someone about their record. And Barack Obama does have a record of association with Bill Ayers. I don't think of that as off base. In fact, Barack Obama challenged you to bring up Bill Ayers in the debate."

McCain: "Yeah, he asked me to. He asked me to."

Williams: "Governor, what is an elite? Who is a member of the elite?"

Palin: "Oh, I guess just people who think that they're better than anyone else. And John McCain and I are so committed to serving every American, hard working, middle-class Americans who are so desiring of this economy getting put back on the right track, and winning these wars, and America starting to reach her potential. And that is opportunity and hope provided everyone equally. So anyone who thinks that they are, I guess, better than anyone else, that's my definition of elitism."

Williams: "So it's not education, it's not income based, it's..."

Palin: "Anyone who thinks that they're better than someone else."

Williams: "A state of mind. It's not geography?"

Palin: "Of course not."

Williams: "Senator?"

McCain: "I know where a lot of them live. ... In our nation's capital and New York City. I've seen it. I've lived there. I know the town. I know a lot of these elitists are. The ones that [Palin] never went to a cocktail party with in Georgetown -- I'll be very frank with you -- who think that they can dictate what they believe to America rather than let Americans decide for themselves."

Williams: "Governor, are you a feminist?"

Palin: "I'm not going to label myself anything, Brian. And I think that's what annoys a lot of Americans, especially in a political campaign, is to start trying to label different parts of America, different backgrounds, I'm not going to put a label on myself. But I do believe in women's rights, I believe in equal rights, and I am so thankful I was brought up in a family where really gender has never been an issue. I was expected, growing up in a family that was very athletic, very active, very much into equal opportunities and education and everything else, I was expected to do the same thing that the guys were doing. And that has been a good foundation, too, for me in the position that I'm now as his running mate, understanding that, hey, gender's not going to, this isn't going to hold me back."

More: "In fact, it's time for women to be provided that opportunity to finally shatter that highest and hardest glass ceiling that is still in place in America's political system. But we're going to shatter that because I think more and more American women are recognizing, 'Right on. We've got someone whom we can believe in also, someone who is committed to putting our country first, who recognizes that the life/family balance that's so necessary, as we try to progress our families and the businesses that we own.' We recognize that they can see and be someone committed to protecting our small businesses so that more jobs can be created, someone who is committed, also, to supporting John McCain in the strategies that we need in place to win these wars so that our families, our children are safe in this homeland. So I'm not going to label myself feminist or not, but I do believe that American women can recognize in me an advocate and a friend. And I want to be in the White House for them" (NBC, 10/23).

WHATEVA, I DO WHAT I WANT

McClellan appeared on the first night of D.L. Hughley's new show, "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News," and endorsed Obama. The full interview will air on the first night of the show, 10/25.

Hughley: "You haven't endorsed anybody. There is McCain and there is Obama. You know, I’m a new show, and your endorsement probably would mean a lot. Don't look at the fact that I'm black. Nothing like, no pressure. Endorse somebody, damn it. Endorse somebody."

McClellan: "From the very beginning I've said I'm going to support the candidate who has the best chance of changing the way Washington works and getting things done. I will be voting for Barack Obama" (CNN, 10/25 show).

BUSH GETS, WELL, BUSH-WHACKED

Also mentioned last night was an interview McCain gave to the Washington Times, during which he went after Pres. Bush for letting spending get "completely out of hand" and for letting gov't get too large, among other issues, during his administration.

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, on McCain attacks on Bush: "It's ugly. I mean, it is ugly. You remember when Jenna Bush was asked about five, six months ago who she was going to be voting for, and she said she wasn't really sure yet, she hadn't made up her mind? ... They asked Laura Bush later, and she said, well, you know, I always vote for the Republican. Couldn't even mention John McCain by name. The McCains and the Bushes don't like each other an awful lot. But ... this strategy never works. ... John McCain is in a no-win situation here. The harder he lashes out at George Bush, the more he depresses his own base" ("Race for the WH," 10/23).

Dem strategist Paul Begala: "Let's presume that McCain loses, which I think looks reasonably likely. The only way to revivify a party is to, you know, figure out what went wrong. ... Republicans, man, they have a knife fight. It's going to be vicious. It's going to be [a] like steel cage death match. ... And what's happening is ... the old Reagan guys are blaming Bush. The McCain guys are blaming Bush. The Bush guys are, of course, blaming McCain and his campaign. I think they're all right. This has been a really terrible campaign, run in a really difficult time. I mean, McCain was dealt a terrible hand by President Bush, and he has played it as badly as he could."

GOP strategist Alex Castellanos, on whether it's a smart strategy for McCain to go after Bush: "It's one of the few things he has left that he can do. But, you know, there are a couple of ways to separate yourself from something that's unpopular. And, most of the time, candidates choose the weakest way. And that is to attack it. And the problem with attacking, say, your own brand, the Republican brand, or your own president, is, you get tangled up with it. You have to actually move closer to it to attack it."

More: "The other way to separate yourself from something that's unpopular is to turn in a different direction, to lead, to transform yourself. And the McCain campaign didn't seem to do that early in the campaign. And now the only choice it has left is to attack, really, its own brand, its own party. And that's a tough thing to have to do late in the campaign."

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "The interesting comparison -- I know people don't like to hear about foreign countries very much -- but in France, Sarkozy was running as the nominee of a very, very unpopular incumbent party. And, instead of attacking the incumbent party, what he did was ... offered himself as a fresh kind of candidate. And he won it, and he won it convincingly. And he has been very popular there, for the most part. It is possible to do. They have not chosen to go that way" ("AC 360," CNN, 10/23).

Washington Post's Robinson: "I think this is very difficult for John McCain. I don't see how you can do an a la cart position vis a vis President Bush if you're John McCain. It's very difficult to get the message that 'I agree with some of the things he did, but strongly disagree with all these other things that he did.' Indeed, I think he hasn't been getting that message across. I think the Obama campaign has hammered away with the John McCain is George Bush, John McCain is George Bush. They've been doing for some time. It's been a consistent message. Fair or not, I think it has gained a lot of traction."

Independent Women's Forum's Michelle Bernard: "The reason that he's having such a difficult time separating himself from President Bush is simply because the underlying theme between the two of them is that he's a Republican. And many independents, many Reagan Democrats, and a large majority of the country right now are very unhappy with the Republican party. That is the problem that Senator McCain faces" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 10/23).

VOGUE: STRIKE A POSE

There continued to be discussion about the RNC paying $150K to outfit Palin for the campaign trail.

Washington Post's Milbank: "Here's what's going on here is that, of course, it is a peripheral issue, but when it rains it pours. This is exactly the sort of thing that we were talking about with John Kerry in 2004, like, was he spending too much on his shirts, the pile-on with John Edwards and his haircut? When things are going your way, those stories tend not to crop up. I think they sort of fill the vacuum when the polls have you down and people are looking for a storyline."

Ex-Romney press sec. Kevin Madden: "Look, it complicates a message, an economic message, where John McCain and Sarah Palin are looking to connect with a lot of middle-class voters and draw the contrasts between their economic model and Barack Obama's, saying that, you know, that we need to worry about the middle class, when we all know that there are not many people going on $150,000 shopping sprees at places like Neiman Marcus or Saks. So, again, it takes you off message at a critical time, where every single news cycle counts in these last 12, 13 days, where you are trying to make that closing argument to voters" ("Election Center," CNN, 10/23).

GOP strategist Margaret Hoover, on the New York Times report about Palin's wardrobe: "She's giving them to charity when she's done, by the way. I mean, this is unequal treatment of Republicans by the New York Times. We all know it. ... They want to diminish her. They try to liken it to [John] Edwards, which is ridiculous. He talks about two Americas and he lives in 25,000-square-foot mansion. She is giving the clothes to charity; didn't even buy them herself and is only using them for the course of the campaign."

Conservative radio talk show host Monica Crowley: "Anti-Palin hysteria gone completely over the cliff. Page one on the New York Times. This is a woman who lives in Alaska. She's the governor of that state. She campaigned for governor wearing fleece, right, and Alaskan snow pants from L.L. Bean. Is she supposed to campaign for the vice president wearing that stuff?"

FNC's O'Reilly: "They didn't know about it. They're running around, and somebody says, 'Hey, here's your outfit.' She didn't know. She didn't buy them. It's not like she went shopping."

Hoover: "They could have been more prudent. They could shop at Ann Taylor, as she says. They don't have to go to Neiman Marcus" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 10/23).

IT'S ACTUALLY ALL ABOUT ME

There was also talk last night about Palin possibly running for POTUS in 2012 if McCain loses this year.

MSNBC's Maddow: "McCain is talking openly now, sort of gleefully, about how the media has written him off. But do you [see] the pattern that I'm seeing about Republicans and his own campaign writing him off?"

Los Angeles Times' Brooks: "You know what? I was thinking that the Republican ticket is degenerating into a bit of really savage version of a reality TV show, you know, where everybody pretends they are on the same team, but in fact they are all trying to undermine each other on these subtle ways that are getting less and less subtle. That's what it seems like. I mean, you know, Sarah Palin is just waiting for McCain to get voted off the island, so it will be her turn."

More Brooks, on whether Palin will be the likely GOP nom in 2012: "I think it's a really open question and the big question is, what happens to the Republican Party if John McCain loses this election, as he seems likely to do. ... There's no question about it that Sarah Palin has really shored up the GOP base, that they love her and she loves them. And she's going to maintain their allegiance. Could she be challenged by somebody like Huckabee? Maybe. But I think she got about as close to a lock on the GOP base as anybody could have going to this" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 10/23).