Pa. AG Kane's hit on 'Hardball'
Pa. AG Kathleen Kane gets the Chris Matthews treatment on Hardball Tuesday.
Pa. AG Kane's hit on 'Hardball'
Thomas Fitzgerald, Inquirer Politics Writer
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane smiled nervously Tuesday when Chris Matthews mentioned why he'd invited her on MSNBC's "Hardball": "I’m looking at people in public service who I can see a couple notches from now being national figures," Matthews, a Philadelphia native, said.
He added he was not going to ask her if she would like to run for president.
Kane, wisely, resisted the natural temptation to fill the silence that followed with a comment.
In the brief interview, she said she believes Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes should continue to be apportioned on a winner-take-all basis, standing in opposition to a bill sponsored by 13 state Senate Republicans to award 18 of the votes, representing the number of seats Pennsylvania has in the U.S. House proportionally based on the popular vote, with the statewide winner getting two extra votes.
Asked what Pennsylvania voters might accepts in terms of gun control, Kane suggested limits on the size of magazines and universal background checks for gun sales. "In Pennsylvania, we’re hunters, we're fishermen, we're sporstmen - we’re all that kind of thing - but we're also very reasonable and practical," Kane said. "You don’t have a right to go into a classroom and take out a whole clasroom in a matter of seconds."
More background checks do not impinge on the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, Kane said. "If we're going to have (them) on some gun sales, we should have them on all gun sales. What's the difference?"
She touted her action repealing the "Florida loophole," which allowed Pennsylvania residents denied permits to carry handguns to obtain them as non-residents from Florida, and have state authorities here recognize those permits.
Kane, remember, refused to entertain questions from Harrisburg Capitol reporters recently when she rejected a contract Gov. Corbett had reached with a British firm to privatize the state lottery.
[updated] She did, however, take scribes' questions after legislative appropriations hearings for her office last week.
No word on whether Matthews felt a "thrill" going up his leg during the interview, as he famously said happened while watching a speech by then-Sen. Barack Obama during the early 2008 primaries.
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"You don’t have a right to go into a classroom and take out a whole calasroom in a matter of seconds.". All that law school $ paid off. I would have never known this.— not_retired- Since Kane had spelled out exactly why she stopped the lottery contract, what more could writers ask? Would they ask if she had a personal vendetta against Corbett. Give it up.— mike l
- MSNBC = Puppets of the radical left.
— Professor1982 - I have a question for you weirdos. Does the sight of Kathy Kane make you as angry as when you see Michelle Obama?
I know you probably mumble racial epithets when you see Michelle Obama, but what do you mumble about when you see Kathy Kane?
Just curious. Thanks! - Kane's campaign has received massive funding from George Soros. That, in and of itself, is cause for alarm by any American.— Professor1982
- Quit spamming, you ignorant clown.
— wokmaster - Great comment. — 4poppy
- Nice. I'd high give you if I could. — jonline
- But you voted for her taxman...you said so yourself. — Donald Segretti
- Professor 1982: Fascist puppet of the Koch brothers.— carl and sons
- Professor 1982 is not a fascist puppet of the Koch brothers. He is a paid stooge and agent of the Billionaire Brothers Koch, whose father founded and supported the John Birch Society and who now bank roll not only this off message pseudo intellectual echo of The Mercatus Center, many other mindless purveyors of the rotten meat from the corpse capitalism.
- Well, yeah. That too. — carl and sons
- "Mumble Mouth" and Kane...good pair.— dogman5
- Professor1982: Where's your proof that Soros "massively" funded Kane's campaign? Exactly what are the facts and figures? Pennsylvania is fortunate that we have Democrats in the AG,Treasurer,and Auditor General offices to keep power-crazy,egomaniac Gov.Corbett in check.— Cornwall Citizen
- Professor are you still crying about the election?
Why so sad? Do you know your overlord Koch Bros. earned got started when their dad made a deal with Stalin?
So that would make them anti democracy wouldn''t it?— sjkolman - Hardball and "hit" go hand in hand because that's all Tweety ever does is take hits at his political opponents. I still can't figure out why he never mentioned that GOP corruption, since that's his favorite subject, when it involved his brother. Friggin hypocrite, he deserves to be employed by the bottom ratings dwelling MSNBC.— TomM
- Gee...Kane, could you be anymore original than toting the party line? Think not, since you are nothing more that a party crony.— FletcherT
- Look who's talking. Fletcher, the biggest party lone toter around. — carl and sons
Kane said. "You don’t have a right to go into a classroom and take out a whole classroom in a matter of seconds." Note to Kane , Please put brain into motion before putting mouth into gear.— TimmyDay
A hit on the very liberal show "hardball"? No surprise here.- Did Chris feel a tingling down his leg when talking to Miss Kane?— zeke128
- Unfortunately, I didn't catch the show. Did Chris appear as moist talking to Kane as he is when discussing the Great Divider?— fightins4ever
- Now Kane is going on the psychopath "thrill up the leg" Chris Mathews show, what's next Jerry Springer? The more Kane makes public appearances and public statements the more of light weight who is over her head— Speak-truth-2-power
- Being a "hit" on hardball is like the price of plastic...worthless.— dogman5
- It seems like Kane is getting a lot of positive press now. But, in Pa. politics beware of Lackawanna County Democratic lawyers. Northeastern Pa. is a strange place indeed even without mentioning the current Marcellus Shale Play in that region. For reflections on N/E Pa. by a present Pocono region resident and former Philly Police investigator go to two sources and see the blogs: GOMARCELLUSSHALE.COM ROBERT A. YOUNG'S BLOG...and ROBERT A. YOUNG's BLOG FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY @BLOGSPOT.COM for clear, rational views from the ground.— NICOT
- hahahaha....Chris Matthews propping up a left wing loonie???/ Noooooo....never. Hahahahaha.....absolutely ridiculous. She is a party puppet. As such, MSNBC will do everything possible to prop her up. The end.— kelprod2-freemarket
- "30 clips" is a reasonable limit.
If you are talking about haircuts.— Mr. Smith - Kane needs to launch a wider investigation of the lottery contract bid process. It's clear that it was that the process was crooked and the state is in danger of being sued as a result. She has broad support among both Republicans and Democrats in the state legislature. That's a refreshing change after Corbett and his term as AG that was mainly focused on his political career.— MikeP
- soros didn't elect her;corbett and the psu bot and leaders were the catalyst. she happened to be the dem on the ballot for ag— jrwute42
- soros didn't elect her;corbett and the psu bot and leaders were the catalyst. she happened to be the dem on the ballot for ag— jrwute42
- Wow! Fitz! You've sunken to a new low. Chris Matthews? Really? The guy is ten times worse than Rush Limbaugh. Is this the best that you can do to kiss Kane's backside? A Chris Matthews/Kane interview piece?— psyrus
- I am a democrat. I think Corbett is clown shoes. But Kane is the red rubber nose and rainbow wig. She was elected thanks to a pretty face, hubby's deep pockets, and anti-Corbett sentiment. She was certainly not elected due to her qualifications to run the AG office. Her request for an additional $12 million for her office's budget, in these fiscal times, shows she is not able to properly manage. Just look at who she appointed as her first deputy AG -- Rendell cronie Adrian R. King, Jr.,who has a ton of experience as a corporate toadie and as a politician, and ZERO experience as a prosecutor. Unlike some here, I am not about to blindly praise anybody just because of their party affiliation. It's that sort of blind allegiance that has us in the mess we are in -- in Harrisburg and Washington. Enough already.— Mr. Baseball
2014....easily— Cuddles- i hope she takes corbett and the repubs to the floor. they are demons.— etbarksdale
Professor = birther/bagger repubs of the neanderthal right.— TopCat#1- She's actually a dimwit.— Ralph 1
- "You don’t have a right to go into a classroom and take out a whole classroom in a matter of seconds."
-Clearly we have an AG that is out of touch with what is going on. She should issue an immediate apology for this statement. Associating gun owners with the solemn tragedies of Newtown is reprehensible. It shows a immaturity of her in her office and further inflames the debate, no CIRCUS, of issue of school safety (Does anyone remember that this is what this debate is suppose to be about?). Of course, Matthews just ate this up. Terrible...— Corporal_B - Yo Chris Matthews: That chill you felt running down down your thigh during the Kathleen Kane interview was, well, I leave that to your imagination...— Themonkofmagdalena
You can reach Tom Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
Reach Thomas at tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
