This was my first luncheon at the Mayflower, and it was nice. Lovely old hotel. No scandals today.

Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s “Hardball” was kind enough to answer a slew of questions from our conference co-chairs; NBC’s Michael Jack on stage with Matthews, and Cary Hatch of MDB Communications reading some questions from the audience.

Of course the election was the focus of the conversation. Matthews seemed very adamant that race remains an issue, whether people talk about it or not. He postured that if only people under 40 were allowed to vote, that Obama would probably win. He suggested that people should vote like their grandkids, not like their grandparents, since the world we’re working on and the decisions we make will effect our grandkids more than they will effect us.

And in answer to a question about what he would ask the next President to do, he said, “Rebuild America – reinvest in the public sector.” He went on to explain he meant transportation, energy, education, and regulation, and talked about the land grant colleges that gave him an affordable education.

Of course there was a LOT more to what he said – Matthews talks fast and has plenty of opinions, and it was really energizing to see him live. As an avid watcher of his program, I have to say he is nothing if not consistent. It was a pleasure as always.