Hardball with Chris Matthews

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As the 2008 presidential election heats up, Chris Matthews familiarizes you with five topics and terms you’ll need to navigate the news.

Change
“When you look at our modern history, the American people have made big decisions and big changes when they’re faced with problems. So here we are in 2008, faced with rising unemployment, an unpopular, long war in Iraq, an unpopular president and gasoline prices passing the $5 mark. We have a big set of problems. We’re about to see an election that pits the desire for change against the question of how much change the American voter is ready to absorb.”

Conventions
“The two political conventions are good emblems of the different characteristics of the two parties. The Democratic Party conventions tend to be spontaneous and unruly. The Republican Party is notable for its organizational discipline and business-like procedures. When someone at the Democratic convention says ‘Please clear the aisles,’ they ignore it. At the Republican convention, when someone says, ‘Please clear the aisles,’ they do it.”

Swing State
“One that can’t be counted on as a for-sure vote for either party in a normal election. You can usually count on Ohio being a very important, very in-play swing state. Swing states tend to be in the Midwest, between the Democratic Party’s strongholds in the Northeast and West Coast, and the Republican Party’s strengths in the South and mountain states.”

Coattails
“You’re going to hear this phrase a lot. It’s the tendency of voters to vote for a president from one party and then vote for the candidates of that same party for lesser offices. There’s a lot of interest in what kind of coattails Obama will have. There’s a lot of thinking that he may have strong coattails.”

Party Switching
“I think we’re going to see a lot of people voting in a way they haven’t voted before. A lot of younger Republicans will vote for Barack Obama, and a lot of Democrats will vote for John McCain. Watch for a lot of party switching.”

-Watch Hardball with Chris Matthews Monday through Friday on MSNBC at 5 and 7 p.m. ET. Matthews also hosts The Chris Matthews Show, a syndicated weekly news program, and is a regular commentator on Today.