mitt romney is at 37. what do you see in the republican menu of issues that could possibly help mitt romney close that gap? >> i think this is romney's real on problem, i look at the average. obama's up two to three percentage appointments in the past week. it isn't that much. it's a swing of 1.5 to 2% of the electorate. so i don't think romney's getting that far behind. the problem is, what romney has is this argument for competence is an argument that i know what the economy needs. the issue for him is that he's not been able, either because of internal party politics or a look of creativity or political courage to come out with an agenda that seems in any way relevant or in proportion to the severity of the economic condition right now. he comes forward and says, look, i've got a very big tax cut. i've got some very, very big cuts to spending. i have some regular -- deregulation i want to do. i'd like to repeal obamacare. i'd like to repeal most of dodd/frank, most of sarbanes-oxley. people talk about h

mitt romney finishes third. the republican establishment goes to work and romney walks away with the delegates, the majority of the delegates. i understand the rick santorum camp is pretty hot about this process. isn't this ignoring the will of the people when they caucus? what do you make of this? >> this isn't a general election. it's a caucus process in the republican party. the romney campaign is ready for prime time. they followed the rules. they got the delegates. another example of rick santorum's campaign not being ready to play at this level and that's why his campaign is all but over as we come to tonight and mitt romney is on the edge of being the nominee. >> romney did have some of his attorneys to that campaign this weekend. they must have done some pretty fast talking. romney looks like he's going to be get it, we might as well go with him? what about that? >> it's very powerful. the idea of being the insurgent is that you can steal momentum and build on it. we have seen a number try to get it and

it's at odds with mitt romney. romney supports paul ryan's budget, which could cut pell grants for poor students by $170 billion. it would also double student loan interest rates. mitt, which one is it. he was overheard saying the department of education, i will either consolidate with another agency or make it a heck of a lot smaller. will the real mitt romney stand up on education. romney's proposed budget would lead to massive cuts for for and disabled americans. it's ugly. we'll have more on that later in the program. as president obama points out, republicans like mitt romney are pushing policies to benefit the super wealthy at the expense of people like struggling students. >> republicans in congress have voted against new ways to make college more affordable for middle class families while voting for new huge tax cuts. for millionaires and billion airplanes. tax cuts that would have to be paid for by cut things like education and job training programs that give students new opportunities to work and succeed.

will the real mitt romney please stand up. with his three primary wins yesterday he has all but won the nomination. now the task of defining romney is on, and the obama campaign is happy to paint him as a wealthy flip flopping tool of the right. today romney responded and said that the president is hiding his intentions until after the election. one thing that everyone agrees on is that romney needs to do something to jump start his campaign. is there anyone out there who could join a romney ticket and make a difference? meanwhile is it possible that the only person in america that doesn't know that rick santorum is dun is rick santorum? does he think he can win, or is it erasing the legacy of a big loss in 2006. americans are divided between black and white and democrat and republican for the trayvon martin shooting. and what republican senator is staying close to obama and away from romney. we begin with the race to define romney. michael steele was chairman of the republican party, david corn is the author of "show down" bo

the president or mitt romney. if that's the paradigm and the question people ask themselves, i'm confident he will prevail on election day. >> thanks to the all-star legal panel and refusal to bow out. man: 1939 -- my parents ran across an ad for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i to

mitt romney may face some states that may make this year's long slog of romney still longer and sl sloggier. we bring in john and steve. thanks for being here in in maryland and washington good night for mr. romney. he's leading in wisconsin. it's too early to call there. rick santorum is talking about may and future contests. that's in part to say i'm not leaving, don't call for me to get out of the race. does he have a point that he may do well in may and if the race is still seen as being alive that mitt romney might have trouble? >> yeah. the reason he could have trouble in may is because there's been a resistance to mitt romney that's been demographically per sis tent. if you look at the republican voting universe, if that voting universe is 50% or more composed of evangelical christians, rom has not been able to win it. nothing in maryland, nothing in the district of columbia and nothing in wisconsin will change that. if you heard that list that rick santorum rattled off there, you look at those states in may, the republican universes substantially over 50% evangelical christians. the

versus romney. >> totally obama versus romney. what was so interesting it me was that mitt romney's speech after wisconsin, he started talking about president obama as being out of touch. he said he was surrounded by true believers and it's easy when you travel around on air force one. you heard joe biden say and david axelrod that mitt romney is the one that is out of touch. we teed up one part of the argument that who is the person who is more out of touch with real americans and with the middle class? i think that's the beginning of another argument. >> it's fair to say the president for the next several months will try to take the high road and leave the attack dog to biden. >> he wants that presidential aura about him. that resonates with a lot of people. >> the sledge hammer and you suck it in today. you will also use the humor. that fits better. he relishes a fight. >> what did you think. he is eager for this battle because you know and demonizes that the president is now ready to defend and

obama versus romney. what was so interesting to me tonight, wolf, was that in mitt romney's speech in wisconsin, he was talking about president obama being out of touch, saying he was surrounded by true believers, and it's easy, when you're traveling on air force one, to get out of touch. you just heard joe biden say and david axelrod saying that mitt romney is the one out of touch. i think we've already teed up one part of the argument, which is who's the person that is more out of touch with real americans and with the middle class. so i think that's the beginning of another argument. they've already started on that. >> i think it's fair to say the president for the next several months will try to take the relatively high road and leave the attack dog role to biden, axelrod, and others. >> you think? >> i'm not so sure. >> you think he's really going to get down there? >> i don't know. >> he wants that presidential aura around him, and that resonates with a lot of folks. >> i think he'll use a stiletto,

the romney's charity, with the romney's money, supports a lot of conservative causes that the romneys support. cnn did a report on this the other day, finding out that this foundation has supported like pro-gun groups and the conservative think tank at stanford and some medical stuff. but they also support to the tune of $10,000 in one year alone a group called the massachusetts family institute. the massachusetts family institute is an anti-gay group based in boston, massachusetts, that advocates all sorts of anti-gay causes. and that explains that if anybody is gay, well, you should quit that. "we encourage the healing of individuals who wish to change their choice of lifestyle through the work of exodus international, love won out, and parents and friends of ex-gays and gays." and how do these recommended groups from the romney-funded organization propose that you do that? they promote magic therapy by which you can be cured of your affliction. like our old friend, richard cohen advertised. >> another technique, bioenergetics, designed to help clients release memories stored in the

he forced mitt romney in a lile fthero th right and mitt romney wanted to go. now in the general, which is sort of begun already, mitt romney is having a harder time going back towards the middle and trying to pick up independent and moderate voters. that was santorum foster lasting contribution to the race -- santorum's lasting contribution to the race. >> college-educated males like him. who else, mark? >> conservatives like him, evgelicals, high iome voters. his profile is that of most republican nominees. about rick santorum, let it be said, he vindicated and validated what i think is the nominating process. he was david taking on the goliath bid he went connected with voters. but for this crop by the iowa republican party, he would have gotten a better left winning iowa that night. he thi in at sense it is important to note that he is one of the few candidates who has run for president and come out of the race stronger and better off than when he entered a bid that is an achievement. >> he has a good argument for retail politics. he was in those diners eve

the same is true for mitt romney. you've heard about battle ground states that swing these elections. there is a good baker's dozen of them. >> they're in every region. there is new hampshire in the northeast and florida in the south. >> there is 16 states widely seen, none are in the south. >> will you help me become the next president of the united states? >> analysts placed 22 states in the romney column, including some, like indiana that the obama biden ticket carried in 2008. >> republicans have to recapture three states have that been republican. indiana and virginia. and north carolina which voted for democrat in 1976. 39 electoral college votes shifted 78 in the electoral college. >> in three battle ground states mr. obama won, iowa, new mexico and wisconsin again go his way. it's is meaning a gain of 21 electoral votes. let's suppose romney picks up north carolina. ask that he reclaims virginia for the g.o.p. where it's been for all but one of the last 12 elections, let's suppose romney takes nevada where une

the same is true for mitt romney. you've heard about battle ground states that swing these elections. there is a good baker's dozen of them. >> they're in every region. there is new hampshire in the northeast and florida in the south. >> there is 16 states widely seen, none are in the south. >> will you help me become the next president of the united states? >> analysts placed 22 states in the romney column, including some, like indiana that the obama biden ticket carried in 2008. >> republicans have to recapture three states have that been republican. indiana and virginia. and north carolina which voted for democrat in 1976. 39 electoral college votes shifted 78 in the electoral college. >> in three battle ground states mr. obama won, iowa, new mexico and wisconsin again go his way. it's is meaning a gain of 21 electoral votes. let's suppose romney picks up north carolina. ask that he reclaims virginia for the g.o.p. where it's been for all but one of the last 12 elections, let's suppose romney takes nevada where une

i have advice for mitt romney. i'm not a romney campaign adviser. don't talk about your wife as your campaign surrogate or your adviser on women. talk about the experiences of women. as michael steele says, men can have empathy, men can learn about what matters to women. that's the point she was trying to make. >> will you accept that, that governor romney put this into play by identifying his wife into the way he sort of gets insight into female voters? >> no, i don't. he's relaying personal conversations. she's not a paid staffer. every candidate who has ever run for whatever office has made that connection with family or voters. i listen to what my wife tells me, or newt talks about his grandkids, and even president obama talks about his children. the infamous carter telling amy, telling him how to decide nuclear policy. but everyone makes that connection in their own way, and i think i'm a little bit overblown to sit there and say it's a foot and mouth disease. >> it went viral today. it got all the way to the president. president obama weighed

and how much does he talk about mitt romney, mention mitt romney's name, in the speech tomorrow? i don't think the election is decided on foreign policy grounds and you can't ignore them either when you talk about being a commander in chief. >> thank you so much. chris. tamron has a look at what's next on news station. tamron, right across the desk. >> so close and yet so far. thank you. great job in your hour. we're following big breaking news, the supreme court appears to be ready to uphold the most controversial portions of arizona's immigration law. the aclu's andre saguru will engine me to discuss what happened today and president obama back at it again on that college swing state tour. he will speak from the university of iowa in about 20 minutes but will the president directly engage the gop's presumptive nominee after mitt romney's fiery remarks following the primaries yesterday where he squarely aimed his attention at the president. ct you ♪ ♪ to check your credit score before it gets too late ♪ ♪ and you end up strapped for cash ♪ ♪ patching your board with

i didn't think that was a fabulous speech by mitt romney, but mitt romney's better when he's in control. he's a control guy. he doesn't do well in situations or environments where he isn't in charge. and he's in charge now, at least of the republican nomination, and i think that put some wind in his sails and made him more confident. also, i thought the speech was clever in that it tried to go after the president on the grounds of fairness. the speech repeatedly used the word "fairness" and "unfair" and so on. mitt romney's argument being that it's unfair that the markets aren't unfettered to help people get the kind of jobs they need and so on. and there were some clever lines in there. the one i thought was most clever is where he said, it's still the economy and we're not stupid. that's a pretty powerful line. but it's mechanical, it's the result of speech writers. it's romney at his best when everything is smooth. president obama just has a natural gift for being around people and for being on the stage. barack obama loves being on the sta stage. i mean, he was practically doing sht

obama and romney are tied at 37 a piece in colorado. in florida, romney by two. it's very close in the state that's will decide this thing, we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to "hardball," the secret service scandal that rocked the agency this month may not have bun a one time occurrence. they reported today a 2009 instance of agents in strip clubs in argentina. the homeland securitier director paced if you have questions today on a story not likely to go away soon. we have a democrat from connecticut, and a reporter from the washington post. i have to start with the reporter. i want you to pick up on the significance of it politically. david, is it a fact or not, do we know, that there was going to prostitutes, was that part of the secret service mo before cartagena or not? >> we don't know about prostitutes, we heard from one agent that said in the 2009 trip that bill clinton was on, not when he was there, but after hours there were visits to the strip clubs. >> that's not in the same league. >> it's not, but they did say they heard about contact by agents

the harder part is why romney? and last night romney tried to begin the reintroduction of himself to voters who they claim are now starting to pay attention. >> you may have heard that i was successful in business. yep, that rumor is true. but you might not have heard i became successful by helping start a business that grew from ten people to hundreds of people. you might not have heard that our business helped start other businesses like staples and the sports authority and a new steel mill. >> but, again, what we didn't hear is why romney as far as why him to lead the economy for the next four years. we talked to some republican strategists, they'll say that begins at the convention in the next three months or about three months of romney making the case against the president. now while romney declared victory, president obama spent tuesday on a college tour which he wraps up today in iowa city. took his pitch to young voters in two swing states, late night tv, even made it to a dive bar. the president used this

. >>> with president obama's lead over mitt romney increasing, romney is looking for ways he can agree with the president. and today, he found one. >> their new theme is the war on women. there is no war on women. >> there's really not a gender problem in the republican party. >> the fact of the matter is, it's a fiction. >> snap out of it. >> last year, there were 1,100 anti-woman provisions introduced in state legislatures. >> there is no war on women. >> we have eight states that are trying to de-fund planned parenthood. >> i also feel the government should cut off funding to planned parenthood. >> we have 13 states trying to push the same mandatory ultrasound bills. >> you have to close your eyes -- >> i could go on and on. >> the democrats said we had a war on cather pillecater pil ee problem with caterpillars. >> the republicans really embarrassed themselves. >> we do suffer from p.m.s. -- >> new controversy at augusta national golf club. >> a question of whether women should be members of augusta. >> women are not allowed to become members. >> jay carney has spoken out -- >> the

the romney confirmed with national journal that these are mitt romney's believes. moving welfare recipients into work was one of the basic principles of the bipartisan welfare reform legislation that president clinton signed into law. romney's own book no apology goes even further. romney wrote, welfare without work erodes the spirit and the sense of self-worth of the recipient. it conditions the children of nonworking parents to unproductive lives. well, ann romney is right. last week's made up controversy was a gift. it allowed mitt romney to shake the old etch a sketch and tell women in this country he understands their problems. it allowed the romney campaign another opportunity to run from the truth. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. will mitt romney's war on women stunt backfire? text a for yes. text b for no. you can always go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. we'll bring you results later on in the show. i'm joined by ed walsh and e.j. dion. great to have both you have with us tonight. joan, i want to ask you first. daz

and the poll shows in pennsylvania santorum now leads mitt romney by six points, contrast with romney's home state which he won by 60 points over rick santorum, 72-12. >> bret: joe, quickly do you hear in romney's messaging a specific towards women? he may be dragging behind president obama with him? >> absolutely. i'm not sure we can get there yet. he hasn't, i think started. but this primary has done a lot of damage with independents and a lot of damage to whoever the nominee is with him and he has to do a lot of repair work and the president and obama campaign is going punch at that the whole way here. and... the more that this primary fight goes on, the tougher for romney to repair that damage. he needs to try to do that. he's not going to be able to and newt continue. >> there is plenty of time. >> sorry. >> the key thing is that we need to be building. we've had sort of fire bombed each other. and carl is a master at boing this. and he was a master of building state by state organizations. we need to be doing that. karl, ed, joe, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> bret: this ev

and the poll shows in pennsylvania santorum now leads mitt romney by six points, contrast with romney's home state which he won by 60 points over rick santorum, 72-12. >> bret: joe, quickly do you hear in romney's messaging a specific towards women? he may be dragging behind president obama with him? >> absolutely. i'm not sure we can get there yet. he hasn't, i think started. but this primary has done a lot of damage with independents and a lot of damage to whoever the nominee is with him and he has to do a lot of repair work and the president and obama campaign is going punch at that the whole way here. and... the more that this primary fight goes on, the tougher for romney to repair that damage. he needs to try to do that. he's not going to be able to and newt continue. >> there is plenty of time. >> sorry. >> the key thing is that we need to be building. we've had sort of fire bombed each other. and carl is a master at boing this. and he was a master of building state by state organizations. we need to be doing that. karl, ed, joe, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> bret: this ev

apparently when you buy four primaries, you get the fifth for free. >> mitt romney. >> mitt romney, a massachusetts moderate. >> if you don't run, chris christie, romney will be the nominee and we will lose. >>> president obama took an oath to govern for all 50 states but he might only have to campaign in seven of them to take that presidential oath of office a second time. the new nbc news battleground map shows only seven states scored as toss ups tonight according to polling information. they are florida, north carolina, virginia, pennsylvania, ohio, colorado and nevada. and the bad news for mitt romney is that president obama won all seven of those toss up states in 2008. the first two obama campaign rallies are now scheduled for saturday, may 5 in, where else? ohio and virginia. if you don't live in one of the battleground states, you will be watching all of the campaign rallies this year on tv. rush limbaugh took one look at the new battleground map today and of course, saw it through rush colored glasses. >> joining me now are crystal ball, a democratic strategist and ari melde

let's watch. >> mitt romney. he made millions off companies that went bankrupt while workers lost promised health and retirement benefits. his own tax return from last year reveals he made $21 yet paid a lower tax rate than many lower class families. now romney is proposing a new huge $150,000 tax cut for the wealthiest 1% while cutting medicare and education for us. mitt romney, if he wins, we lose. >> so if he wins, we lose. the voice of that narrator doing the voice over there, that was very nice. didn't have the usual carping voice these ads have. what do you make of that, chris? she nicely told us this guy is one of the 1%. >> well, i would say, chris, i don't want it get too in the weeds but i would say it is interesting given what we know about the gender gap, a female narrate or narrator. >> i think it is interesting. >> yeah. >> it is usually a tough sarcastic male voice. >> the one thing i would say about that ad is if the obama team has its way, and if we wined up saying that barack obama got re-electe

mitt romney thinks obama is out of his head. mr. obama says mitt romney is out of touch. the winner of that debate could decide the winner in november. also the latest on the secret service scandal tonight including hot new details on just what happened. >>> the world's most exclusive fraternity. right now there's only five members, the five living presidents of the united states. so do you think these guys really root for each other, apparently so. >>> if you're running for senator of massachusetts, there is one organization -- hint unfortunately for him, scott brown had that side support him. political director and chief white house correspondent, and msnbc political analyst. let's get the main facts on the table. the overall approval rating stands at 49, just slightly down from last month. here is a bad one for the president. on his question of the handling of the economy, the president doesn't do as well, only 45% approve, 52, a real majority say they disapprove of the job he is doing, let's go right down to that. >> the magic number is 49. our pollsters say it's 49,

and 44% supported mitt romney. today, 61% of women under 50 support president obama, while only 30% support mitt romney. this leaves political analyst rush limbaugh very confused. >> the reason i say that this usa/today/gallup poll is a fluke is that women buy gasoline, too. women have to pay taxes women, some of them, like to have jobs. if the republicans are trying to take away women's birth control pills, that affects men, too. it's not just women who would be mad at the republicans trying to take away women's birth control pills, right? i mean, men have a vested interest here. >> joining me now is former senior adviser john mccain's 2008 presidential campaign and senior strategist in the bush/cheney 2004 campaign steve schmitt and howard dean former chairman of the democratic national committee and former governor of vermont. thank you both. howard dean, i don't shock easily looking at polls, but this surge in women's support -- rush limbaugh says it is a fluke. okay. here's an easy one. howard dean, do you agr

mitt romney. >>> a couple of new polls out. the new nbc news "wall street journal" poll -- >> polls -- >> polls indicate -- >> we've got months of this. >> this is the first full week of the full-on campaign. round one of the general election. >> i'm probably going to need a helmet between now and november. what do you think? >> a poll out today shows the president up. >> 42% of registered voters have a favorable view of the president -- >> this is a snapshot in time. >> does 29% see romney in a favorable light? >> president obama leads by ten points in the enthusiasm gap. >> the likability factor is part of all of this. >> and the trustworthy thing. >> romney has a lot more baggage than the president. >> i wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. >> i know the president likes to attack fellow americans, particularly those successful like my dad. >> the "new york times" poll shows the candidate lost in a dead heat. >> i'll use my energy to help the american people go to work. >> everywhere he

>> the problem is that you have to let mitt romney be mitt romney and accept him with all his awkwardness. he is not emotionally available, but you try to turn that int. the thing -- turn that into a virtue but a person who can do that for him is ann romney. >> nina. >> awkwardness can be endearing. but there was a story in "the washington post" about him using a loophole to conceal fabulous wealth. that is a red flag for the journalism profession. get that out of the way, live with it. >> the like ability factor, charles. >> first, i want to commend you for squeezing in sarah palin. i know you missed her greatly. where were we? mitt romney. nina is right -- he is likable in an awkward sense. but he is running as the guy who can run the country, sober, not the charisma guy that obama was in 2008, but he can say, "how was all that charisma doing?" >> there is apparently an exception in federal ethics laws allows him to withhold information. it is the go, but a hard sell for americans who are struggling -- legal, but a hard sell for americans to a startling. >> you should get all that stuff

and the poll shows in pennsylvania santorum now leads mitt romney by six points, contrast with romney's home state which he won by 60 points over rick santorum, 72-12. >> bret: joe, quickly do you hear in romney's messaging a specific towards women? he may be dragging behind president obama with him? >> absolutely. i'm not sure we can get there yet. he hasn't, i think started. but this primary has done a lot of damage with independents and a lot of damage to whoever the nominee is with him and he has to do a lot of repair work and the president and obama campaign is going punch at that the whole way here. and... the more that this primary fight goes on, the tougher for romney to repair that damage. he needs to try to do that. he's not going to be able to and newt continue. >> there is plenty of time. >> sorry. >> the key thing is that we need to be building. we've had sort of fire bombed each other. and carl is a master at boing this. and he was a master of building state by state organizations. we need to be doing that. karl, ed, joe, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> bret: this ev

governor romney's plan does the opposite. if you believe his deficit reduction targets it's better long term. it will mean less debt holding back the economy. but he's going to take a lot more of that demand out of the economy right away with more dramatic budget cuts right now. and if that happens, then what c.b.o. scoring would suggest is that is likely to slow the economy when the recovery is still pretty feeble. gwen: why is it so feeble? what are the signs? i feel like there are some weeks where it feels like we have turned the corner and begin to get these reports about construction and housing and housing starts. and it doesn't ever consistently get on an upward path. >> well, it is sort of on a consistent upward path. just not a very steep one. gwen: slow. >> two steps forward, one step back. you can think of it like we keep eating a lot of sugar and it wears off and we slow down and eat some sugar and it wears off and we slow down. the problem with this economy is the fundamentals underneath it aren't very strong sti

i know you like romney. if you're president obama are you feeling vulnerable or confident ton in the. >> i think we've seen that president obama's having a little bit of a mini-meltdown. he went after the supreme court on the health care ruling and said you dare not turn it over. he started throwing around words like trojan horses against paul ryan's budget. it seems to me he's having a falling down moment here. from my gatherings, it seems like he's having a little bit worry around what's going on right now. >> yeah, let me ask you, amy, obviously president obama is a very skilled campaigner, he's going to be very well funded. he's a formidable opponent and yet i think only one president in history has ever had this unemployment figure and been elected. been re-elected. >> well, certainly i -- >> what do you think. how do you deal with that? >> the white house is hoping in terms of unemployment that the trend is going in the right direction for them. that is that unemployment is dropping as they head toward

he got set in terms of ann romney because we're talking about a spouse but the romney folks pushed out comments bill maher made about ann romney which were pretty unpleasant on friday night. and their argument is he's a donor to the super pac to the tune of $1 million. that's a lot of money. ted nugent is also an endorser whom romney sought. both sides might be regretting the sort of war on war on wars to make this person take ownership. >> i think ted nugent needs to write some new songs. only the one song we can think of. >> that's the nature of the controversy. >> i will say i think it is mitt romney has shown a certain amount of cowardice in terms of standing up to the more radical elements of the party. >> he needs to take opportunities to show his core. >> it could have been a moment of some kind. >> i'm sure they'll be asked about it again and again. at some point they make a more aggressive position on this issue. what they said today. >> it's not device sib language. it's just -- it's way beyond that. device sieve language is here all the time. >> i would characterize his lang

mitt romney's victory party in milwaukee tonight, governor romney was introduced by paul ryan. it wasn't a great introduction, but it did lead to this great moment once mr. romney finally took the stage. >> congressman ryan, he's a great leader, wonderful speaker, but he's not going to take ann's place, i've got to tell you that. >> why would you think i know? i have no idea what that's about. but it was amazing, right? but all of those images of mitt romney and paul ryan together this week, including in the matching outfits, and including tonight with you're not going to replace ann quip, those might ultimately be the biggest and most consequential thing that happened this week on the republican side of 2012 politics. as mitt romney was campaigning in wisconsin today, the man whose presidency he would like to end, president obama, spent the day today wrapping a metaphorical bow around mr. romney and mr. ryan together. mr. obama spoke to newspaper editors from across the country at the annual meeting of the associated press today in washington, d.c., and he let loose on the pau

he has spent more time than the romney campaign has. romney is hered too. rick santorum raising money in texas before heading to his home state of pennsylvania this evening. they've put the pressure on santorum, going ahead to the next state. april 24th, one of the next states to vote, pennsylvania. they made the point the romney campaign won with more than 70% of the vote in his home state of massachusetts. gingrich won in his home state of georgia. they say santorum should win in pennsylvania. here's what the latest figures from quinnipiac show. they show that santorum leads there by just six percentage points there now, 41%-35% according to the latest figures. they're confident an upset could put the nail in the coffin for the santorum campaign. nonetheless, here in wisconsin, a state that's not used to having much of a say during the primary process voting so late in the season -- i spoke today to a tea party board member outside of milwaukee about an hour and a half away, she tells me, we will have to be satisfied with mitt romney if he becomes the rep

obama versus romney. game on. >>> we'll have exclusive interviews with top officials from both camps. chief strategist from the obama campaign, david axlerod and senior romney advisor, ed gillespie. axlerod and gillespie. only on "fox news sunday." >> iran and north korea continue to pursue their nuclear programs. we'll ask our sunday panel is another round can rein in the rogue nation. >> i remember my dad. >> what do you make of mike wallace from brookline, massachusetts, having had this extraordinary journey. >> it is extraordinary. >> all right now on "fox news sunday." >> hello again from fox news in washington. first i want to thank all of you who sent me notes on the loss of my father. some of you met my dad for a moment, some watched him on television for years. but he meant something to you and your notes have meant so much to me. i'll have more on my father later in the program. >>> now on to the 2012 battle for the white house which shifted to the general election this week when mitt romney bec

romney? >> he has no understanding of what it is like for ordinary people. he is just building a zillion dollar house in california with an elevator for his car in it. he had bank accounts in switzerland, invest in the cayman islands. nothing illegal about any of this. a guy who brags on the stump that his wife has two cadillacs and that it was funny when shut down a factory. this is a decent guy and i think governor romney is a doesn't guy and santorum is right he is a moderate at heart but has no connection to the ordinary americans of this country. >> chris: all right, governor barbour i will let you wrap tup. the same amount of time. the basic case against barack obama. >> the case against barack obama is his record. here is a man that cannot run for reelection on his record and normally presidential elections are referendum on the president. in this case the policies are not only unpopular, they make it harder to create jobs when the government sucks owl of the money out of the economy.

one is if romney wins, there is no '16. three caveats. if romney wins, there's no '16. two, '16 has got a lot of powerful people running. >> nobody thinks obama will win. let's just be honest. can we just say this for anybody at everybody? >> oh, gosh. >> can we just say this for everybody at home? >> he might. >> he might. >> the republican establishment -- i have yet to meet someone in the republican establishment that thinks mitt romney is going to win the general election. they won't say it on tv because they don't want people writing him nasty e-mails. i honestly don't care, but i have yet to meet anybody in the republican establishment that worked for george w. bush, the republican congress, that worked for ronald reagan that thinks mitt romney is going to win the general election. >> joy behar will be here next, and i am going to push her and push her and push her until she tells me how she really feels about sarah palin. fiona here was just telling me that ford dealers sell a new tire like...every five seconds, how's that possible? well, we purchase 3 million a

that's the romney rule. more tax breaks for folks like him, more pain for middle class folks. >> today president obama and vice president biden released their 2011 tax returns. democrats called on romney to do the same. the romney campaign confirmed the candidate filed for an extension. a spokesperson said romney will release his 2011 returns sometime in the next six months and prior to the election. the buffet rule bill will face its first vote in the senate on monday. bill sponsor senator sheldon whitehouse was out rallying support. >> what we're trying to move against is institutionalized unfairness. we want to see that everyone pays their fair share. it's good for society when we all know that no one is manipulating the system to their advantage because they're rich and powerful. you know who said that, ronald reagan. >> let's bring in the senator from rhode island. senator, good to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. >> happy to be here. >> these polling numbers look good for the democrats a

romney? >> guest: no understanding of what it is like for ordinary people. he built a billion house in california with an emivator for his car. and there is nothing illegal about that. but he brags on the stump that his wife had two cadillacs and it was funny when he shut down the factory. he is a decent guy, and i think santorum is right he's a moderate at heart but no connection to the ordinary americans in this country. >> chris: governor haley barbour same amount of time basic case against barack obama. >> the case against barack obama is his record. he cannot run for reelection on his record and normally presidential elections are referundums on the president. in this case the president's policies are not only unpopular, they make it harder to create jobs the government sucks all of the money out of the economy . potential employers are told that the president is going to stick them with the largest tax increase in american history. 1.5 trillion in new taxings. how do potential employers

because romney is a clown and i don't want him standing next to him. >> romney's a clown? that, of course, was a jab at george romney, mitt's father, who serves as michigan's governor back in the '60s. of course, if romney wasn't running for president today, that line wouldn't have been in the show. even though we're in the thick of this year's election cycle, many are wondering what's to become of the 2015 faceoff? will hillary clinton be on the ticket? we had an interview with nbc's luke russer. >> she wants to come home, get a little rest, do some other things. she's told you and everyone else she thinks she'll probably never run for office again. but i've been there. i know what happens when you go through this decompression after years of relentless high-pressure activity. and i just think she needs to rest up, do some things she cares about and whatever she decides to do i'll support. >> so it might be no for now but perhaps we should take it with a grain of salt. >>> up next, mitt romney is lining up endorsements from fellow republicans, but a lot of endorsements so

she started by going after ann romney. democratic strategist hilary rosen is back, and only here, with a few more things to say. >> also here this morning, msnbc's rachel maddow. republican strategist alex castellanos. and vice chairman of the house republican congress, congresswoman kathy mcmorris-rodgers. >>> plus, it's the morning after. a big night here in washington. the washington correspondence dinner adds a little glitz. it gives the president a chance to use some comedy as a political weapon. >> it's great to be here this evening in the vast, magnificent hilton ballroom. or what mitt romney would call a little fixer-upper. >>> from nbc news in washington, "meet the press with david gregory". >> we're going to get you caught up on a big weekend in washington with the white house correspondents dinner a little bit later in the hour. kind of like the prom in washington, d.c. we'll get to the comedy a bit later on. also my colleague brian williams will be here to preview a special hour inside the situation room. an ex

host: a columnist tictabopickedp on and romney -- ann romney using the term "unzipped." next, miami, florida, celia, a democrat. good morning. caller: the republicans are a bunch of hypocrites, due to the fact they say government is overreaching, but if they want to tell and when she can have a baby. and they talk about the men have to pay for it. no. women work. if we get in trouble, we know how to take care of our own business. the women that the men tell them everything to do and they have to do everything, yes, they have to rely on a man to pay for their abortions and their children. we should have a say so because we contribute. if the women vote for republicans, they will put us back 50 years, because they think that we are less than what they used to consider the black people. as far as our president, he brought us back from the brink of almost disaster. the republican party wants to take our money and give it to big business and give it to the rich and the poor would not have anything in. where do you think that would leave the country? do you think that poor peo

. >> i guess we better unzip and let the real romney out. >> the real romney is out and the president thinks that's just marvelous. >> he even called it marvelous. >> it seems right here, trees are the right height. >> i love cars. >> ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ ♪ you can climb a found, you can swim a sea ♪ >> it does sound like the general election bell has been wrung with rick santorum tightening his grip after a hat trick of victories and finding himself in his first direct engagement with the president. the substantial gain in delegates came with a growing perception he is starting to win over those reluctant tea partiers and evangelicals, confirming what the president and his team have been planning all along, marvelous mitt as the number one challenger. in a speech to i anews editor luncheon today romney offered a preview of general election battle lines. >> our choice will not be one of party or personality. this election will be about principle, freedom, and opportunity will be on the ballot. >> yes, well, lord knows he hopes this election won't be about pe

obama and romney are tied at 37 a piece in colorado. in florida, romney by two. it's very close in the state that's will decide this thing, we'll be right back. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, ha

romney is 13 points ahead. that is up 6 points and 54% of the independents say they will never vote for president obama. so erin, how do you think the independents are and what do you think the early stage of the general campaign and mr. romney is 13 points ahead? >> independents are the key to the election. mitt romney has been campaigning for the last couple of weeks just last couple of weeks in swing states. he has been going to the same states right before or right after president obama to get into the national messaging in a broader context he has been able to do when he was tracked in this republican primary. so that helps him in the battleground states with independents. that is good thing for him. >> eric: would you say bottom line, he has to win the independents and whoever does wins the white house? >> you have to. you have to win in the battleground states. that is what he is doing better now. >> eric: he has 13 points. erin of real clear politics. thanks so much for joining us. good see you. >> juli