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Jesse, Jerry and Pat

You never know who you'll meet in the "green room."

Recently,while waiting to be grilled by Chris Matthews on MSNBC I ran into the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who had just come from Harvard University where he delivered a speech marking the Rainbow Coalition's 20th anniversary. The Reverend was about to join Pat Buchanan and Jerry Brown on a "Hardball" segment that should have been billed "The Contenders." (Jackson ran for President in '84 and '88; Brown in '76 and '92 and Buchanan in '92, '96 and 2000.)

I'm posting a transcript of their conversation--with Matthews's inevitable Saturday Night Live-styleinterventions--because it was one of the better TV moments I've seen in these last months. And the transpartisan bonding, particularly between Brown and Buchanan, is worth noting.

Katrina vanden Heuvel

February 19, 2004

You never know who you’ll meet in the “green room.”

Recently,while waiting to be grilled by Chris Matthews on MSNBC I ran into the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who had just come from Harvard University where he delivered a speech marking the Rainbow Coalition’s 20th anniversary. The Reverend was about to join Pat Buchanan and Jerry Brown on a “Hardball” segment that should have been billed “The Contenders.” (Jackson ran for President in ’84 and ’88; Brown in ’76 and ’92 and Buchanan in ’92, ’96 and 2000.)

I’m posting a transcript of their conversation–with Matthews’s inevitable Saturday Night Live-styleinterventions–because it was one of the better TV moments I’ve seen in these last months. And the transpartisan bonding, particularly between Brown and Buchanan, is worth noting.

Katrina vanden HeuvelTwitterKatrina vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of The Nation, America’s leading source of progressive politics and culture. She served as editor of the magazine from 1995 to 2019.


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