>> this is "the chris matthews show." >> ask not what your country can do for you. >> tear down this wall. >> i can hear you. >> the time for change has come. chris: scared stiff. suddenly panic has struck the republican party. the man the big boys had their money on seems unable to connect. the candidate they fear is out there spouting a social philosophy that sends women packing. no wonder they're scared. they're only choices are a candidate who has trouble talking and an alternative who scares people when he does. the anti-obama party. with the economy getting better and their candidates looking worse, will the republicans put

their big bets on obama bashing? will it all come down to hating him and getting him out of the white house? finally, godspeed john glenn. it's 50 years since that never-to-be-forgotten liftoff, the ooshit that lifted the country. could we use a skyward jolt like that now? who's out there that can give america the liftoff it needs today more than ever? hi, i'm chris matthews. welcome to the show. with us today, "time" magazine's michael duffy. christian science monitor liz marlantes. nbc's kelly o'connell and national journal major garrett. first up, it's panic time among republican leaders. they feel their most conservative voters painted the party until a very difficult corner. the long primary process has exposed the candidate who always looked most electable, mrmmrm, have having real -- mitt romney having trouble talking real. two attempts this week. >> any old girlfriends here? [laughter]

have to be careful. ann's not here today. don't tell. >> a little history. i was born and raised here. i love this state. it seems right here trees are the right height. chris: trees are the right height. the only alternative is rts rts, -- rick santorum, more natural and appealing because people are panicked because he said things like this just last october. >> one of the things i will talk about that no president talked about before is i get the dangers of contraception, sexual liberty ideas. maybe persons of faith said that's ok, contraception is ok. it's not ok. chris: contraception is not ok. just to nail this down, this was the incredible comment by santorum's money man, his pac man if you will, foster friesz, on andrea mitchell's show this past thursday. >> this contraceptive thing, my

gosh, it's inexpensive. back in my days they used bayer aspirin. the gals put it between the knees and it wasn't as costly. chris: this wasn't 1,000 years ago he said that but a couple days ago. what's going on here? santorum distances himself from that rather out-of-date comment i must say. there you have it, this candidate looks like he can actually beat romney, be the alternative to romney right now. >> spending time on the road with santorum, his social ideas don't occupy a lot of the time. it's like news events caught up with rick santorum and things have been in the news making that a big, shiny moment and then you have him reveal some of his feelings which he is a very traditional catholic. the church holds that view about contraception. it's not modern politics. >> he said recently he would not really mind if they outlawed contraception even. just outlawed it. >> he has opinions on this issue

that are completely out of step with primarily women voters in every graphic category. this is a prism issue. women look at this issue and draw very hard and fast conclusions about people in politics through this issue. i'm telling you, it's a death nail for republicans. women have outvoted men by a proportion in every presidential election since 1980. that trend is only going to continue. if you drive away women voters as a republican potential nominee, have you no chance to win. period. santorum is attractive to some republicans because he has a manufacturing blue collar message that some find authentic and possibly winning. but all of that definitionly is drowned out gi this kind of debate. chris: let's talk about your piece in "time." have you this piece that said 30% of the electorate in michigan coming, the big vote february 28th out there, primary, where you have crossover votes for catholics, for example. traditional catholics who can come over and vote for santorum but already 30% are catholic. so it's possible santorum can win michigan. >> likely, which will really be trouble for the romney campaign.

but it's important to remember michigan as in elsewhere in the country and it's not catholic or protestant, faithful, faithless, upper peninsula of michigan. this is a state where the party is in control, run by sector of the republican party that is completely different than what they've seen for the past 20 years. they don't really want a repairman. they want someone to burn down the whole garage. chris: let's talk about republican leaders, what are they going to do if their guy, establishment guy, romney gets beaten in his native state on tuesday next? >> i think there will be a panic if romney loses in michigan. for one thing he's out there saying he's going to win. he's not even trying to lower expectations there. he's saying no way he will lose michigan. so it will be a very big deal with romney does lose michigan and i think there will be some panic. i will say on santorum, one of the things santorum's benefiting from right now is the fact he's extremely conservative social views are almost the only thing people knew about him before this campaign. all of that was out there in a pretty big way and it meant there was some room for people

to discover other things about him. i think some of that has been what's been going on. none of the socially conservative stuff is really a surprise to voters or media. but they didn't know a whole lot of other stuff about him and that's kind of goning to the floor. chris: you're romney. going out to his many state, native state. mother in politics, father a great, popular figure as governor. what do you do? you can't really go to his right on social issues, can you? >> no. chris: how could you find the room out there? >> i don't know what mitt romney will do but i know what i heard from republicans that i didn't hear before, which really goes to this level of concern. which is as the race tightens and pressure builds, romney shrinks. he shrinks in his redick, he shrinks in his aspirations. he shrinks in his performance. that's what has republicans nervous. he cranks up attacks against whoever his rivals are but doesn't become more expansive about what he wants to do, what the presidency means to him and how he sees this movement and himself fitting into it.

but as the pressure's now built and feels more real than ever before, they see him shrinking than ever before. chris: how do you explain that inability to speak. we were thinking before the show how even people are entertainers like singers have to be able to do pattern. small talk between the songs. he says things are very strange, like severely conservative. and the trees are the right height in michigan. seems like he gets -- he shrinks that way. >> he looks nervous now. he looks unsettled. that's what happens when you get under pressure. he's also saying things he doesn't have to do. on monday he wrote an op-ed in the detroit news which said he was against the auto bailout. within 24 hours all of the auto companies reported record earnings. he may win a biller share of the republican primarily we expect but he will have sealed off that state and a bunch of others around it in the fall when he writes things like that. they're taking step here's tactically in the republican primary that are dooming them.

that's a strategic mistake that they're making they can't afford to. >> i also think voters are willing to forgive a candidate that maybe isn't great at small talk or maybe doesn't have the best jokes if they feel like that candidate is passionate about something. has certain beliefs they really believe in. this is why they want to be president, what they want to do. again, that contrasts with santorum has been bad for romney. he does come across that way stpwhrfment can't do the best talk or small talk -- >> what's left? crts we put it to 12 of our readers, including kelly, if santorum wins, if, how do they block him? and stop santorum movement? that was tied 6-6. kelly, you said they don't try to stop him. final question, who are these leaders? >> we saw panic part one when newt gingrich won south carolina with such force. we saw people coming in trying to blunt that and somewhat effective. i don't think they can do it a

second time. i think there's really an awareness the voter tries -- chris: who came snout >> we had bob dole and john mccain -- chris: against newt? >> yes. but people knew the former speaker in his capacity as a leader, different set of issues. chris: he had personal problems. santorum doesn't have personal problems. he just has beliefs which are impossible to settle generally. by the way, getting to the point, who are the leaders, big men, big women who can sit in a council room in the back room, great smoke-filled room and say we have to stop this guy santorum? >> i don't think that mod exists any longer. the absolute proof was the 2010 election where within the republican party and these fissures are part of what's going on in this nomination process. we had this volatility because there's no set of leaders. there is no set of people making laws and decisions. from the grass roots you get, ad hoc decisions get made or signals being sent but no one coalesces all of this. chris: there we, duffy, mike, the rip-around question.

if romney conditions in the situation he's in, inability to talk big, inability to talk smile. is he able to win the nomination? >> he is. we now what his flaws are and weak spots are and, of course, obama campaign has all of that tape. >> i agree. it's been a damaging primary for him. >> i will counter that and say candidates can find a reservoir if there's success. what he doesn't have is the kind of success that makes you better. he's been running so scared of late, all of that anxiety's coming out. >> every candidate can adapt. candidates that really want to will t will be up to romney to decide if he wants to. chris: politics is a learning profession. is it your experience covering him he's a learner? >> no, not in this realm. chris: before we break, we're talking about rick santorum's very conservative views on soshe issues. several years ago his criticism of gay sex strayed into controversial territory in an associated press interview. here's what he said, "society is based on future of the society

and that's what children, monogamous relationships in every society, definition of marriage has not ever, to my knowledge, included homosexuality." that's not to pick on homosexuality. it's not. man on child, man on dog or whatever. the case may be. well, that seeming comparison by santorum of homosexuality with bestiality has dogged him, if you will. santorum has had to defend it several times, like this time. >> this is my famous quote. it has been twisted a little bit by the gay community. i said if the supreme court says that you have the right to consensual sexual activity, you have the right to incest, you have the right to polygamy and all of these other sexual variations. it's open season. chris: variations. here's how "saturday night live" portrayed one such defense of that. >> our next guest is doing his best too -- to help the democrats win. he made headlines last week when

he equated homosexual sex with an seft and beast bestiality. please welcome the man who put idiot into he's an idiot, republican candidate rick santorum. >> chris, i was taken oust context. when i said gay sex was add was as dog sex, i meant man on dog sex. >> this is better than i thought. go on. >> i have no problem with gay people. i like lib aceh, george michael and gay teletubby. i just don't like it when liberace, george michael and gay teletubby have sex with each other. >> i guess i should have seen that coming. when we come back, a number from "hairspray." but until that live from new york, it's saturday night! chris: for those looking for a pick me up. we have something to show you coming up. one of our greatest american moments. scoops and predictions from these top reporters.

chris: welcome back. 50 years ago monday, this monday, john glenn circled the earth three times in the friendship seven capsule. here was the voice of mission control. >> godspeed john glenn. chris: wow. the country's voy is hard to describe right now or even imagine. tom wolf, who wrote "the right stuff," says john glenn was the last american hero. and those of us who remember that day remember the important lift of whole country got. president kennedy described it in the tribute to john glenn. >> there are milestones of human progress. in my judgment this nation's orbital pioneering in space is of such historic stature. chris: for mike and everybody here, i remember that period. i remember all of the years

starting with sputnik, when we kids were told by walt disney and van brawn, we will be the first in space, first satellite up there. all of a sudden we wake up and soviets up there with sputnik. five years of failure, vanguard program, rocket after rocket. finally this guy glenn, all-american guy from ohio comes out there and does this and orbits the earth three times. >> it's easy to imagine john glenn would then go on to a great career after that potentially in politics. candidates seized on him and said you can be one of us. hung out with them for a while. he did eventually run a couple times, became a president. even ran for president, though that didn't go very well. didn't actually translate into american politics. but at the time the country was setting big goals and achieving them. >> he was my home state senator growing up so i knew him that role in space. chris: how did you look at him, american hero, right? >> totally. and it's sort of as big as the olympic fire we had, nationalism spirit because it was so much

bigger. i think we don't have all of that. rs talking about how he lifted the whole country. wasn't even just a sports here like, say, michael jordan. >> the backdrop is important. i went back to look at what tom wolf wrote and sputnik one created. it seemed to dredge up prime ordinaryal superstitions, nothing less that control the heavens at stake, armageddon. final and decisive battle for the forces of good and evil. against that backdrop, john glenn did what america most needed, became an authentic american hero and spate program literally lifted the country's spirits, put us in a place we have never been before and confrontized the highest inspirations. chris: we saw it as a way to demonstrate to the soviet union and world, we have a better system than they do, better science. are we ready for an iconic figure that can lift the country like glenn did?

>> i was going to say, thinking about john glenn in that period and what changed since then, indisputeably one of the things that changed is sort of the state of government really disappeared in our country. so we don't have the same kind of national figures that are kind of government figures, figures that represent the whole country. here today are private sector people like steve jobs. chris: billy gates. >> create great things that don't necessarily represent the country. chris: you go to vietnam and meet young kids that are guides, they're here as billy gates. when we come back, scoops ♪

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chris: welcome back, mike. tell me something i don't know. >> it takes 1,100 delegates to get the nomination for the republican. after super tuesday, there's still as many as 600 still up for grabs, and you can get on the ballot if you get in the day after super tuesday in about a dozen states starting fresh. which means if the cast continues, there's still an opportunity for one other person, maybe more, to still get in this race. chris: they did it on the ballot in enough states to win this thing. >> paul ryan was the guest at the republican dinner this week and when he was asked about vice president potential, he did not really shut the door the way mark rubio and others have. he said that's somebody else's decision. it's kind of like a bolt of

lightning striking you. and said he's really busy and doesn't think about it. chris: he does two things, gets center right and right. if it's romney, he brings those in. >> if you think the birth control thing is cooling off, it is not. wait for another round of this. chris: by the way, who thinks it is? not watching television this week. >> fair enough. but republicans on the senate side are making this an issue that takes it out of just the religious realm talking about allowing an employer of any type to have a conscience clause. chris: why do you think they think it's a winner? >> well, it certainly fires up their base. the problem is for somebody like scott brown in massachusetts, he's taking that position, elizabeth warren, most prominent democratic challenger, will eat him up over that making it a huge campaign issue and something we could see for weeks. >> and a way to talk about the president's health care law. >> exactly. >> here's the scoop hiding in plain sight. on thursday michelle obama had a call in virginia, there were 41 separate events throughout

virginia, women dialed in to listen to this, 412 house parties. going around for obama website. in nevada, between now and middle of march, 92 organizing events, registration, house parties, et cetera. hometown of san diego in the next two weeks, 37 events. columbus, ohio, 55 events in the next month. chris: all obama. >> this is what obama is doing while republicans are agoing with each oh, building a ground game that's hiding in plain sight. chris: combination of social network and meetings, get togethers. old and new politics. >> voter registration, all of the fundamentals. chris: mix and old and new politics. >> scoop hiding in plain sight. chris: you showed it to us. it wasn't in plain sight until you sat in that chair. when become back, big question of the week, they know women. they know women outnumber men in the 2008 presidential election by six points y are the republican men out there forgetting that?

chris: welcome back.

in the 2008 election, women voters outnumbered men by six points, 53% of the voters were women chfment brings us to this week's big question. have republican men in congress who had that hearing this week on birth control with no women on that first panel and the men running as candidates for president all forgotten that basic math of elections? his more lantos? >> i just think they got a little bit yomb excited a couple weeks ago when the rule came out for the new health law about the can lick church. because for about a week and a half, that was strongly on their side. it was an argument about religious liberty and first kind of winning argument on the airwaves they had in a while. so i think they just latched onto that. of course, it slipped now. and it's not on birth control, which does not favor them. but they can't let go. chris: and this is the birth control issue. >> one of the challenges, they invited religious leader, not many women who hold authority in

religious institutions. >> and talking about mitt romney, in the new hampshire debate he said contraception is just fine. let's leave it alone. chris: smart. >> party has forgotten everything it once taught us. when bush one ran in 1988 on education, environment and suburban women swooned. bush's son came back in 2000, compassionate conservative. women blinked. here they're acting as if it's 1920. when you're desperate, you forget everything you have learned and everything you know and that's what's happening. chris: actually they couldn't vote in '20, they voted for harding. >> 1820. chris: thanks to a great round table. mike duffy, liz and major garrett, kelly o'donnell. mike duffy, liz and major garrett, kelly o'donnell. see you back here next week. ♪ [ female announcer ] if whole grain isn't the first ingredient in your breakfast cereal, what is? now, in every box of general mills big g cereal,

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