it's time for one quick tweet. he writes, i'm keeping an eye on the kid behind you. i swear he loaded a straw with a spit ball. his name is trent, and now he's famous. trent, say hi. there you go. "morning joe" starts right now. the yankees had the best record in the american league. >> well, you always like your decision right away, but he has a couple of pitches to play with to see if he can get a-rod to chase something out on his own.

>> welcome to "morning joe." t.j. has decided we're going to simulcast the entire yankees game. and this is the game -- oh, there he goes, strike three, the tigers win. willie geist -- >> you know, a-rod gets a lot of heat. i defended him many times, but last night he stunk when the yankees needed him. struck out three times, once with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and that time down by one run. a week wave, and the yankee season ends. >> are you saying all the people who wrote hateful e-mails saying maybe we shouldn't just focus on the yankees and the red sox have a point? >> maybe they have a point. we can say that now.

it is friday, october 7th. joe, willie, and i are live this morning from mama jama's. >> mama jama's. >> we're in tuscaloosa where tomorrow joe's crimson tide takes on the commodores in college football supremacy. that's going to be fun. >> you bet. >> we're concerned. >> i may have to sit between you two. why didn't i get any alabama gifts? >> we've got some gear. >> really? >> yeah. >> okay. >> we've got mark haleprin joining us, and in new york, we've got the host of msnbc's "politics nation" and resident of the national action network reverend al sharpton joining us, as well. good morning, gentlemen. >> good morning. >> they're awake. >> they're awake.

>> willie, you got in late last night, you turn on the tv, and you see the yankees and a-rod specifically choke. that said, i hate to say what people said about the red sox game. >> yeah. >> that said, this yankees/tigers series was one of the best series i've seen in a while. >> it was a good game. well-pitched on both sides. a lot of people will question joe girardi pulling the pitcher. saying the kid had "tightness" in his arm. he suspected that joe girardi got tightness in his throat. there's barnicle's tweet. and they deserve to win, they move on to the alcs to play the texas rangers. >> very good. >> mika, we have a lot to talk about. i wanted to ask mark, first, though, about sarah palin deciding to not run. and mark haleprin, a lot of

people that were close to the campaign, a lot of people close to sarah palin, including yourself thought for some time that she was going to go ahead and jump into this race. you can probably tell us now a lot more than you could then. were you getting those suggestions from palin and her camp? and do you think they decided at the end they couldn't do it? >> i think she was clearly trying to leave the option open to run and took a serious look at it. i was surprised given the timing of her decision. there's a real opening now still for somebody to step forward and be the alternative to mitt romney with more evangelical support. my suspicion is that she made the same decision that some of the other people who chose not to run is. which is she didn't think she could win the general election. >> yeah, no doubt about it. and mika, as many around chris christie felt for a long time,

you can run and lose a primary and be lined up to win next time. but you can't run and lose a general election because that's the end. if you're a republican or democrat, that's the end of your political career. >> i think she figured especially after everyone jumped to romney with their money. just sell books. romney is giving a big foreign policy speech, which we'll get to in a moment. but first, saying the u.s. faces a "emergency." president obama made another case yesterday for passing his jobs bill. this time his pitch came in a news conference at the white house where the president highlighted what he says are the benefits of his plan. >> there's no doubt that the economy is weaker now than it was at the beginning of the year. and every independent economist who has looked at this question carefully believes that for us to make sure that we are taking out an insurance policy against a possible double-dip recession, it is important for us to make sure that we are boosting

consumer confidence, putting money into their pockets, cutting taxes where we can for small businesses, and that it makes sense for us to put people back to work doing the work that needs to be done. that's exactly what this jobs bill does. >> interesting. president obama says he expects the senate will vote on the legislation next week. and when asked if his efforts on the jobs bill would be better spent speaking directly with congressional republicans instead of to voters around the country, the president had this response. >> i think it's fair to say that i have gone out of my way in every instance, sometimes at my own political peril, and to the frustration of democrats to work with republicans to find common ground to move this country forward. each time what we've seen is games playing, a preference to try to score political points rather than actually get something done on the part of

the other side. >> president obama went on to say that he would like to see congress act "aggressively" to he would be unable to campaign against a do nothing congress. yesterday, house speaker john boehner again expressed his disappointment at the president's tactics. >> i've had my share of o disappointments this year. disappointed the president and i couldn't come to an agreement on the big deal. disappointed we couldn't pass some stronger legislation in the house from some of my own colleagues. but nothing has disappointed me more than what's happened over the last five weeks. to watch the president of the united states give up on governing, give up on leading, and spend full time campaigning. >> al sharpton, i know that you were sad this morning because john boehner's sad. he's shocked and stunned and

deeply saddened that this president has given up on governing. you can probably talk about that tonight, maybe even have john boehner on your show. he's sad. are those crocodile tears? >> well, it's always tears from john boehner, whether they're crocodile or not, you'll have to watch at 6:00. but i think that clearly we are at a very serious point here. people need jobs. job numbers are coming out again. we are in the threshold of a crisis. and i think the president is right. we need to move now. all of the independent economists are saying we're in danger of a double-dip recession. and i think that we have gone in a cycle now which seems that everyone wants to go right to the campaign. i think the president tried to big bargain, tried to come to the table. you would say he should've done it two years ago, whatever, he tried to. there was nothing there when

mcconnell says we want to make this a one-term president. i think now we've got to see if anyone will break the cycle and try to do what is right for the american people and deal with this jobs bill. >> you know, the cycle really does need to be broken. and you've got to say this about the president. we have been saying it for 2 1/2 years. he needs to focus on jobs. what's so fascinating politically now is the president is finally -- and i will say this, he's finally after 2 1/2 years focusing almost exclusively on jobs. he's doing it now. and i think politically that makes a lot of sense. my question is, 2 1/2 years later, is anybody listening? >> well, that's a big question. have some people tuned the president out? he's doing it though, and doing it in a way that a lot of people have asked him to do it. going after republicans and calling them to the carpet. i would put to mark haleprin. give the american people a little hope and tell us this is all theater. the president going out after

republicans in a press conference, john boehner saying he's sad and everyone's getting together behind the scenes and our government's working. are these guys talking? >> i can reveal that president obama and john boehner played midnight golf last night and things worked out pretty well between them. no, look. people criticize the president's performance yesterday. saying there was no news, he was not reaching out in any way. but the reality is, the president, if you want a real insight into what the president's thinking, he laid it out in the press conference. he was incredibly honest, and there's a fair amount of sympathy amongst the public for some of the arguments he was making in the press conference. the problem is, you saw john boehner's reaction to the president over the last few weeks, there's no momentum towards compromise. if you want hope and opportunity for the american people, it's the super committee because that could at least exercise bipartisan muscles. the problem is, the super committee at best is worried about long-term growth.

there's nothing there focused on deficit reduction that's going to help us on the crisis we're in now. >> and vice president joe biden in an interview with "meet the press" moderator david gregory acknowledged the political and economic challenges that the administration faces in its bid for reelection. take a listen. >> we would need a strong republican party. we need a republican party that's united. >> is it strong enough of a republican party for its nominee to beat this president? >> absolutely. absolutely. strong enough to beat both of us. the american people right now are -- many of them are in real trouble and even larger percentage have stagnant wages, and a significant majority of the american people believe that the country's not moving in the right direction. that is never a good place to be going into a reelection. whether it's your fault or not your fault. it's sometimes irrelevant. but what i'm counting on, i'm counting on what i read out

there, the judgment of the american people to decide they know the hole we're in, they know how far we've come out, they're satisfied how fast we're going, and they're going to have to choose whether or not the path we have set the country on is the path that we should continue to go. or we should go back to liberating the economy in the terms of -- >> well. >> what does that mean? >> i'm not really sure. i guess that we're supposed to choose the path that obama has put us on if that's the one we choose. that's the end of it. >> that's the problem right now, willie. what's that path? right now, there's a lot of back and forth between republicans and democrats. >> there's not a clear path. >> washington is directionless. and both sides can point and scream and yell at each other. both sides in a sense, paul ryan has talked about entitlement reform, democrats will the tell you the president, we need entitlement reform. paul ryan has laid out a plan

for tax reform that closes loopholes. the president's talked about the same. and the president himself is saying i'm putting out these policies, they're not huge job policies that republicans have supported for the most part in the past. but it seems like inside baseball even to me. >> well, the path the president laid out again yesterday as he did with the original jobs act is more stimulus. we need to stimulate the economy, put government money into the economy, reverend sharpton, but that's a path that a lot of republicans have rejected arguing the last stimulus almost $1 trillion did not help our jobs problem, did not help our economy to the extent it should have. and as mark haleprin said. even if it had worked, these two sides can't get together to agree on anything anyway. >> i think if you listen to what the vice president is saying. the american public will have to vote on whether continuing the

path the president has laid out, stimulus and infrastructure development to create jobs, some entitlement reform, or whether they want to go to one of his opponents. his opponents are not saying necessarily what even some of the republicans in congress are saying. i think if you look at governor romney or governor perry, romney probably at this point the likely nominee. he's saying something totally different. and i think it will be a choice between those paths. and i think at that point, the president has become stronger. i don't know that when we saw all of the points that romney put out in the romney plan that we saw anything that would in any way resinate more with the american public than to say that the president's plan is something that we need to keep trying. the other thing is, you can't discount all the polls, the american public trusts the president more than they do the gop congress.

and some of it's going to come down to who do you have more confidence in? who do you trust more? who do you like more? and i think that's the challenge the republicans have. though i think the vice president is right. the republicans are very strong. >> you can't judge the whole world by twitter, only about 80% of it. and if you were on twitter yesterday following people on capitol hill during the president's press conference, you see the dynamic illustrated that makes this a very tough political problem now. people who work for john boehner and mitch mcconnell and eric cantor doing communications are fervent twitterers. they're poking holes, making fun of the president, finding things to criticize. the mind set of the republican party every day now closer to the election is obstruct what the president wants to do. they do disagree with it, but they also know that the more they can keep him on the defensive, the weaker he'll be politically. the notion he set to get the

jobs bill passed, always a mistake for the president to demand congressional action, because they do it when they're not getting their way and it never leads to getting their way. >> right. other news to report this morning, mitt romney's making a foreign policy speech. but i want to get to massachusetts. and the very closely watched massachusetts senate race there between republican senator scott brown and the leading democratic candidate elizabeth warren. >> elizabeth warren just kind of laying back like -- >> well, you know, she's so -- i'm trying to think of how to characterize. she's got a very soft tone. >> she's delicate. >> what she does is -- >> she's like a delicate flower. >> she reminds me often of a very gentle teacher. she'll get out cups and say, you know, this is iran and this is the middle east, and then she'll try and -- >> and explain it. >> so she had a debate. there were attacks with her --

between her and scott brown in their primary debate on tuesday. let's take a look at her approach at work. >> okay. >> scott brown posed for cosmo, how did you pay for your college education? >> i kept my clothes on. >> have you officially responded to elizabeth warren's comment about how she didn't take her clothes off? >> thank god. >> oh, my god -- >> okay. >> now, that, of course, was a shot at scott brown. i kept my clothes on. >> that was pretty good. >> one cheap shot deserves another, i guess. >> i guess it does. >> i think massachusetts is going to be fun to watch. >> i think it is too. i don't think either one of these people are going to back down. >> no. >> and -- >> i kept my clothes on. >> and brown went on to say that he didn't go to harvard. he went to "the school of hard

knocks." scott brown, elizabeth warren didn't go to harvard either. she just teaches there. several women's groups have suggested he drop out of the race. that's fascinating because it's funny i haven't heard any men's groups attacking elizabeth warren for making fun of what scott brown did. >> they both can handle it. >> so those women's groups really should -- >> simmer down, ladies. >> i say this with the respect in my heart. >> simmer down. it's okay. they're just having a good time. it's funny. it's funny. and elizabeth warren can handle it. she's got more to come i have a feeling. >> and by the way, scott brown, it's going to be tough too. this is going to be a great race. >> elizabeth warren's not alone. she's got a big field to get through. >> i think she's finding her way through it. >> scott brown, when you talk to barnicle, scott brown ran an

extraordinary campaign back in 2009. and he has done, barnicle says he's a massachusetts democrat, barnicle says that scott brown has done everything right. >> he's doing his work. >> and scott brown will work harder than anybody. and i would say about the same for elizabeth warren. >> i like this race so much because i like both of the candidates and i kind of believe in them in different ways. coming up later this morning, live from tuscaloosa. the two head coaches, alabama's nick saban and vanderbilt's james franklin will be on the show. >> nobody followed willie. >> plus we'll talk to alabama alum joe namath. and the man calling tomorrow's game brian griese. when we come back, politico's top stories of the morning. but first, let's go to bill

karins with a check on the forecast. >> there's a good reason why you guys don't take me with you. nice crimson tide sweater by the way, mika. for the weekend, we're looking very warm in the east and wet in the middle of the country, but that wet will be good because we desperately need it in texas and oklahoma. let me break down your forecast, a cool start in new england. and by the way, leaves will be at their peak this weekend in northern new england. everyone out there, probably a lot of people on the roads northern new york, vermont, maine, and new hampshire. 85 in kansas city, chicago's going to be gorgeous today. for the football game on saturday in tuscaloosa, no problems there. red river shootout should be interesting. possibility of rain for the oklahoma/texas game. as far as sunday goes, that's when we heat it up in the east. a little taste of summer for all our friends from new york to boston down to d.c. low 80s. you're watching "morning joe" on this friday. we're brewed, of course, by starbucks.

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i don't have facts to back this up. but i happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the obama administration. >> that's all you got? you know, i don't have facts to back this up, but the minimum wage is a stalinist plot to bring down pizza chains. and activia yogurt is filled with tiny ghosts whose purpose is to scare the poop out of you. >> hey, welcome back to "morning joe." and i don't have facts to back this up, but i think mika's schizophrenic. >> she's torn. she's torn. >> no, i -- >> can we get a shot -- look at

all this great stuff that jenna brought us. first of all, roll tide, and i won't even tell you what she called this cap. it was an atlanta braves cap. >> that's a nice hat. >> and look at that. >> that's a foam sword. >> a foam sword. >> well, yeah -- >> yeah. a little schizophrenic. >> i'm trying to support both of you. can you handle it? >> as george w. bush said in 2001, you're either for us or against us. and so there are no divided loyalties here. >> well, i'm at least calling it rama jama's though it's spelled wrong. >> well, that's how you spell rama jama. maybe not in alabama, apparently. the morning papers. the university of alabama says

the defense could provide a challenge for the tide. >> we're very concerned. >> the commodores lead the nation with 14 interceptions through four games. vanderbilt is a much more challenging opponent than many people think. >> i actually would not be surprised if vanderbilt takes us all the way to the end, willie geist. this is one that, i'll be honest with you, i can't believe i'm saying this. i am scared of the commodores. >> we're going to be there for you watching the game. >> i was at a home coming where vanderbilt when i went to school here beat alabama. >> i want to say it was 1984. >> it was 1984, and it hurt, so i'm so worried about it. i can't believe this, i'm going to give you three points. i will give you three points, and i will take that. >> only 26 fewer than vegas -- >> vegas never knows what they're talking about. let's go to a parade of papers. >> the st. louis post dispatch. after two separate instances of

squirrels running out on the game this week, officials at busch stadium say they have set traps to humanely capture the squirrels. my grandmother would run them over or put them in a garbage can and put them to the exhaust pipe of her car and fumigate them. >> -- after one squirrel wednesday night. >> i guess it's just in the blood, right? this goes back generations. >> i'll take care of your squirrels for you. >> a first look at the cover of this sunday's "parade" magazine. born to be wired. how to keep your kids safe and healthy in a 24/7 connected world. and it features mika and my first piece and what we've learned raising children in the internet age. >> you'd be surprised, we don't even agree on that. >> no, we don't. >> not really. >> it's tiny little ghosts in there.

let's go to politico. >> i find that always undercuts an argument. when you begin with i don't have facts to back that up. >> isn't this something you had leftists, oh, the tea party was created by k street and wall street, which was pure garbage, and now you've got the right saying these protests were all created to prop -- i mean, both sides undercutting the other on what looks to be at this point activist movements. people getting out on the streets because they care. >> it highlights the ugly partisanship of our time when you're having a protest, whether or not you agree with it, to support it. the editor in chief at politico john harris. >> i think john harris is a good-looking man. >> you don't need any facts, they're right there on the screen. >> the facts are right here, exactly. >> facts. >> so we know mitt romney's making a big foreign policy speech, also announcing his

foreign policy team ahead of that speech today, which will take place in charleston, south carolina. i understand there are a lot of familiar names on the list. >> you know, that's right. there are a lot of people who served in the bush administration. my view is that people tend to look at these foreign policy rosters and read way too much in them. they don't have the facts to back up the far-reaching analysis they make. many people have been looking at this thing, oh, there's some neo-con voices in there. sop people have been critical of some of romney's advisers previously. oh, they served under colin powell. the fact of the matter is, there's not that much to read in these lists. if you're a democrat, you draw on people who have been in democratic administrations previously and that's true also of republicans. i'd take a big grain of salt of trying to read too much into the, is he a neo con or realist from the foreign policy roster. we will be listening to that speech for kind of what message

romney tries to take to president obama. >> some bold-faced names on that list as you say, john. michael hayden. >> michael chertoff. >> you have another story up about chelsea clinton, the headline the next clinton has arrived. what can you tell us? >> well, i covered bill clinton's white house for six of eight years, and only once during those six years did i ever hear chelsea clinton's voice. i didn't know what she is sounded like. so when she now -- you know 12 years later, starts to raise her voice in new york political circles as she seems to be doing, we in the media do tend to read a lot into small signals sometimes. but a lot of people took notice at how she introduced her mother at the clinton global initiative last month and that she seems to be making noises in her associations that she's more active -- more interested in an active public role.

not necessarily seeking office, but raising a higher profile. >> she's not a kid anymore. she's 31 years old. she's younger than -- older than some members of congress, older than half the politico staff. so she is -- >> yeah, wow. >> she's at that point where if she's going to take a public role, we're going to start to see her make moves. >> well, you know, and willie, in your view, certainly no -- have lived in new york most of your life, and you hang out in a lot of new york circles as do mika and i. and i've got to tell you, i have never heard anything but positive -- >> just going to say that. >> positive things about chelsea clinton. from conservatives, liberals, democrats, republicans. she is a genuinely beloved person in new york. >> yeah. she's conducted herself so well. it's so hard. she grew up, she was a teenager in the white house. everything going on with her father. she's come out so well. remember how impressive she was out campaigning for her mother

three or four years ago. politico's john harris. thank you so much. >> good-looking guy. >> he is. >> i'm not going to apologize for saying that. our next guest is calling tomorrow's game between alabama and vanderbilt. brian griese joins us next on "morning joe." >> look, there he is right there just hanging out behind you. >> hi, brian. ♪ ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose -- to make the world a safer place.

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and welcome back to "morning joe." willie geist, we are live at rama jama's. we even have jenna here. thank you for being here. the reason we are in tuscaloosa in the first place. >> you can't have that for breakfast. >> you know six months ago, jenna called up and said i want joe and mika to come down to do this because it's homecoming. and oh, by the way, and she says i think vanderbilt's playing. did willie go to vanderbilt? and i said, yes, it's the first time my university's asked me to come back. i'm now being bill bennett and having an artificially large

chip on my shoulder. and jenna starts handing this stuff out and. you know what she says to me? i like you and mika, but i love willie. wakes up at 4:30 in birmingham, alabama. >> look at her. she just blew him a kiss. >> i will personally hug and kiss every viewer because i can do it. it's not a huge audience. >> stop that. stop that. >> unlike brian griese, he's like the john, paul, george, and ringo of football, isn't he? >> the one kid when i walked in. >> there was one kid. >> former nfl quarterback brian griese with us. also, college star from michigan and now football analyst for espn also the nfl. but he'll be calling tomorrow night's game. >> do you think i set the line about right? alabama minus three? >> yeah. >> willie should take that bet. >> yeah, anybody that's proud of their university should -- >> the guys at caesars disagree with you a little bit.

give me a little hope about vanderbilt. great coach, started out 3-0. >> they've always played good defense. and i'm a big fan of james -- >> me too. >> i think he's got the energy and the passion. you're having him on the show, right? >> yeah. >> we might not be as well received as some of the other guests on the show, but i think he's fantastic. and the defense has been good and they're smart and they're going to play tough. they don't have the talent that alabama has, but they're going to give it a good fight. >> you've seen a lot of teams over the last 15 to 20 years as a player. how good is this alabama team? coach franklin said this week it's the best defense he's ever seen as a college coach. >> yeah. i went to practice yesterday and i was excited see just the talent level of these guys. first time i've seen them this year. but when i walked into practice and saw the starting defense, it reminded me of the nfl defenses i used to play against.

just the size and athleticism they have. but the thing that's separating them is they're so well-coached on top of that. they're definitely one of the better defenses i've seen, as well. >> you know, with a big surprise last week for me against the gators wasn't the defense. we've heard this defense is spectacular, i thought the offense shined in a way we haven't seen it shine in a couple of years. last year, mark ingraham couldn't get off the line. couldn't get off the ball. same thing with richardson. a lot of times richardson was having trouble getting any positive yardage. this year, looks like the offensive line is starting to matu mature, come together. i was blown away by what richardson could do. >> the last four national champions have stopped the run and run the ball. been in the top 15 in the country in both of those categories. and that's where alabama is right now. when you compare the two, lsu is 86th in the nation. i think alabama separates itself

on offense by running that ball and controlling the clock. >> compare lsu and alabama. the game this saturday is on every alabama fan's mind. if you had to move forward to the first weekend in november. >> it's going to be such a great game. >> november the 5th. >> but both teams are very similar. very good defenses. i think it's going to come down to quarterback play. and jarrett lee has some experience, but he's not been really dynamic yet. and same with a.j. mcharen. but i think tomorrow watch for a.j. mcharen throwing the ball. i know they want to get him in the rhythm a little bit, get the younger receivers into the game. they're going to need him to make plays, especially on third down. >> what is it, brian, about the s.e.c.? i don't think anyone would argue it's the best conference in the country. you're a big ten guy. it seems when the teams get together, the s.e.c. prevails. can it be a question of speed? there are fast guys in the state

of michigan, ohio, the state of illinois. what is it about the s.e.c.? >> well, i think as you look at it, it's the line play. it's a line of scrimmage league as the coach of florida likes to say. the defensive lines and offensive lines are what separates this conference. and specifically defensive lines. you have more nfl prospects come out of this conference than any other conference in the country. and it's very difficult to operate on offense when you can't breathe. when you've got guys on top of you. this league has so much talent that it dictates the game. >> what's happened over the past five years? we went over to the penn state game, saw penn state, alabama. i love penn state. i love penn state people. there's always been one of alabama's great rivalry. there's been two programs that have just respected the heck out of each other. even the penn state fans were turning to me saying, they're in two different leagues. we see big ten teams coming here

every week, they're slower, they're more plotting. these s.e.c. teams look like pro teams. why is it? it has to come down to recruiting at the end of the day, right? >> it certainly does. there's a lot of talent in florida, alabama, georgia. and i think the difference is -- >> can't notre dame, penn state, some of these systems pull some of the great players up? >> i think that do, but i think the lion share goes to the southern schools. these guys are big, but they're fast now. and part of the reason why i retired, honestly. it's not a good feeling as a quarterback to come up to a line of scrimmage and see a 6'6" 290 pound defensive end. >> let's talk about what you do. what's your schedule like? when did you roll into tuscaloosa? >> i got in yesterday morning. i usually come in on thursdays and i'll go to practice on thursday afternoon, talk with some of the players and coaches, and then friday morning we'll meet with the home coaches, so

i'll meet with coach saban this morning. and then we'll have our production meetings on friday afternoon and evening, then get up and do the game on saturday. and then fly out after the game. i actually do the nfl, denver broncos every week. so i've got to get to denver or wherever they are. it's a busy time of year for me. >> so you don't talk to the coaches and players of vanderbilt? >> to be fair, we talk on the phone. >> i know you do. >> real quick, give us a team outside of the s.e.c. >> lsu, alabama, oklahoma, watch out for wisconsin. wisconsin is the one team that has the offensive line that could block alabama. >> all of a sudden they're scoring like 60 points a game. they used to be the slow big ten team, they're lighting it up now. >> not anymore. >> thanks for coming in. great to meet you. up next, mika's must-read

opinion pages. the game tomorrow night 6:00 local time on espn. >> we will all be there. >> it'll be a showdown, willie. a war. i'll give you four points. what's next? >> mika's must-read opinion pages. at adt, we get financing from ge capital. but they also go beyond banking. we installed a ge fleet monitoring system. it tracks every vehicle in their fleet. it cuts fuel use. koch: it enhances customer service.

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welcome back to "morning joe." we're live at rama jama's. going to say it right from now on. because i met the owner last night, so nice. great people. great place. well, it's spelled wrong. "new york times" -- >> you have to spell it that way in massachusetts? >> let's just get to -- >> is that not how they spell it in the south of france, mika? you're not in the south of

france anymore. >> all right. fine. let's start with paul krugman. he says among other things this. and there are real political opportunities here. not, of course, for today's republicans who instinctively side with those theodore roosevelt dubbed malfactors of great wealth. mitt romney, for example, who by the way probably pays less of his income taxes than middle class americans were quick to condemn the protests as class warfare. but democrats are being given what amounts to a second chance. the obama administration squandered potential good will by adopting banker-friendly policies that failed to deliver economic recovery even as bankers repaid the favor by turning on the president. now, however, mr. obama's party has a chance for a do-over. all it has to do is take these protests as seriously as they deserve to be taken. and if the protests goad some politicians into doing what they should have been doing all along, occupy wall street, will

have been a smashing success. >> you know, mark haleprin, what made the tea party so powerful in 2010 is you had the same kind of independents that voted democratic for bill clinton for eight years and for ronald reagan for eight years. those were genuinely swing voters. the perot types that would go back and forth and were upset with both parties. i'm curious if you -- who you see in these occupy wall street protests if you think these are swing voters, as well. or do you think they're so firmly entrenched to the left they won't have an impact on elections next year? >> i think they will. there are some of the few people in america who are expressing through their actions the anxiety and concern that americans across the country have about the economic conditions and they've put their finger on something that a lot of people think is a root cause. that our financial system is still not financially regulated.

i was surprised at the president's tone yesterday as much of the people are now saying he's gone all left and is just worried about reelection. he did not embrace the movement as much as i thought he would. he didn't really do much to embrace them. and i think -- i think people have been surprised at their durability. the labor movement's now interested in joining up with them. it is not yet the equivalent of the tea party in terms of the influence and potential electorate influence. but i think an energized group of people next year is what the president needs. and this is a foundation to build out from there. >> i agree. it is the start of something else, sharpton. i want to show you a clip. herman cain made headlines this week for criticizing the wall street protesters saying big banks aren't to blame for their unemployment. he said this to lawrence o'donnell last night defending the remarks he made. take a look. >> mr. cain. you said if you're unemployed

and if you're poor, blame yourself. would you like to retract that now? >> my comment was directed at the people who were choosing to demonstrate against those on wall street rather than demonstrate against the white house, which is responsible for any effective policy that will impact this economy. that's where they ought to be demonstrating and that's where my comment was directed. not at the people who are unemployed for no reason of their own. >> all right. reverend, i have heard people saying why aren't they on pennsylvania avenue? having said that, does he have a point? >> it depends what day he's talking. he clearly said if you're unemployed and not rich, it's your fault. now he says it's the white house's fault. i don't know which day you're talking. i don't have the facts to back it up, but i think he's talking out of both sides of his mouth. but having said that, i think that clearly there are those that are concerned about the

policies. i agree with mark haleprin. i think in this case, we'll see two things on this. one, whether or not the unions and now some of us in civil rights that are dealing with the occupy wall street crowd are able to move in a way that will concretely affect the political outcome of where we're going. because at the end of the day, if nothing is achieved here, which the tea party did do, then it's all theater. and secondly, whether those that are in the occupy wall street movement are too far left that they don't want to get involved in electoral politics. the jury's still out on that. >> i think it's going to spread. >> do you really? >> i do. i think this is the beginning of something bigger, and i think it'll spread into different cities and it'll become really significant. >> i think it may spread and may be significant. but if it's significant, it'll be significant only politically.

as revving up the president's own base. i don't think we see a lot of swing voters there like you did with the tea partiers. again, people that vote for, again, would vote for bill clinton before they'd vote for george h.w. bush. i think you may see an energized obama base. >> david gregory and chuck todd are straight ahead. we'll be right back. fresh wins. smart wins. the world's most dynamic companies know what wins in business today. maybe that's why so many choose to work with us. we're grant thornton. audit. tax. advisory.

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that's united. >> is it strong enough of a republican party for its nominee to beat this president? >> oh, absolutely. strong enough to beat both of us. the american people right now are -- many of them are in real trouble. and even larger percentage have stagnant wages. and a significant majority of the american people believe that the country's not moving in the right direction. that is never a good place to be going into a reelection. whether it's your fault or not your fault, it's almost sometimes irrelevant. >> all right. welcome back to "morning joe." look at that pretty shot of the sun coming up. joe, willie, and i are in bama. rama jama's at the university of alabama in tuscaloosa. mark haleprin is still with us. >> another alabama graduate. >> now from new york, msnbc political analyst pat buchanan. >> the guy's practically a god

here, they're going to put his statue up. thank you for being with us, pat buchanan. >> delighted. >> willie geist, let's start off with some alabama news. >> sure. >> i say alabama news, i mean atlanta brave news. >> you just admitted -- >> you'll remember hank williams jr. made an unfortunate comment about the president of the united states earlier this week on fox news, i don't know if we have the clip here, guys. but essentially comparing the president to adolf hitler -- >> well, that's genuine. >> you remember the golf game they had, ladies and gentlemen? >> what did you not like about it? >> come on, come on. thad be like hitler playing golf with netanyahu. they're the enemy. >> who's the enemy? >> obama and biden -- are you kidding? the three stooges. >> so espn took the next step --

>> because they do atlanta braves baseball, right? >> they say we have decided to part ways with hank williams jr. altogether. but the good part of the story is -- >> have you ready for some football? no. >> but on his own website he put a statement saying the decision with espn was all his. after reading hundreds of e-mails, i have made my decision by pulling my october 3rd, espn stepped on the toes of the first amendment freedom of speech. so therefore, me, my song, and all my rowdy friends are out of here. it's been a great run. >> well -- >> wow. there was some question earlier this week on "morning joe" as whether or not he is wearing an alabama hat or an atlanta braves hat. >> i don't know. there's what he's wearing there. here's what i have in my hand.

>> joe. >> completely different. >> those are completely different. thank you, jenna, for bringing in a prop that indicts our institution. >> just an ugly coincidence. >> we love alabama, and i'm sure he would never wear that hat. >> amhurst hat. >> i knew it! >> so long. >> absolutely. >> let's bring in pat buchanan. a man who we're going to get pat an alabama hat when we get up there. >> he's upset -- >> let's talk about the president and we'll get to sarah palin in a little bit. let's talk about the president of the united states doing what mike barnicle and the rest of us saying he should do since february or march of 2009. he's going out, he says the united states is facing an emergency of when it comes to jobs. that's all he's talking about. you know, i think it's great

politics for him. i just wonder whether the american people have really sort of tuned him out by now. like they've tuned out a lot of presidents after a while. >> i think, joe, they have tuned him out to a large degree. i was with your friends in west chester county, the business council, they all said hi. they were talking, one fellow is prominent in politics saying he thinks the country's beginning to tune the president out. i will say this, though, the president makes a good point when he says to the press, you know, people are criticizing and attacking my program. ask the republican what their jobs program is. take that to the cbo and see if that works out. i still think, joe, the president is correct in this sense. there are aspects of what he recommends, and there are policies of the republicans that mesh, and they still can get some kind of deal despite tit. >> it's still a reality in this

city that nothing significant can happen without eric cantor, john boehner, the president, mitch mcconnell, harry reid, steny hoyer agreeing to it. and the kind of confrontation and here's my package, vote on it now style may be good politics, but it's not going to win over the republicans on that list. at some point, the president's going to have to become a deal maker again. here's clearly not in that mode right now, though. >> all right. so if we all could agree to an extent that the president might being tuned out a bit, even though he seems to be saying the right things. my question is, who are they tuning in? is it the republican field? >> they have turned their backs on washington, d.c. they have tuned out washington, d.c. but i've got to tell you this, and i think pat buchanan will probably agree with me. the fact that the american people have tuned the president out means he actually needs to keep doing the same thing. hammer away every day. go in front of that bridge.

go on to the factory floor. keep giving your speeches, keep giving your press conferences, and keep pointing out -- the thing he really needs to underline is that i want this policy. a year and a half ago, republicans asked for the identical policy. let's get that done. just keep hammering it. make the republicans look like obstructionists, and i think it could be a political win for him in the long run. and more importantly, we may actually get a bill passed that could create a few jobs. >> in the last analysis, mark is right. good policy is good politics. for both parties incidentally. the republicans don't want to come down on total obstructi obstructions obstructionsobstruction obstructionis obstructionists. if the president is using this kind of a style, which is aggressive and confrontational to get a deal in the end, fine. but if this is all there is and he's antagonizing the

republicans to the point where we get nothing, the big loser's going to be the president of the united states. >> joe, help me out, here. you hearing the way he talks about republicans, you hear the way john boehner talks about the president. it's as though they're from two different planets. how do we get from where we are right now where the two sides aren't speaking to each other to a place where something meaningful is done on jobs? what happens between here and there? >> i think there's no doubt the republicans have decided they're not going to help this president out. you listen to what eric cantor says, john boehner, they've been there, they've done that, they'll tell you they tried to make compromise this summer. the president will say the same thing. i think, and it's interesting that you hear john boehner saying that the president's in campaign mode. i think the republican house of representatives is in campaign mode. they're not going to give this president a win despite the fact that as pat said, it would be

good for republicans, as well. because again, there are some policies out there that the republicans have been support of in the past. that they're obstructing right now. and that's why it is important. and i've said this for a while about this president. forget the niceties. if you have opponents that you believe are being extreme, you use their extremism against them and you hammer it home and hammer it home. and eventually, the american people tune you in. >> you've used interesting words. the republicans have committed not to helping the president out, you've used the word obstructi obstructionist. do you think the republicans don't want to help the president out to the extent that it even hurts the country? that's how completely firm they are on making sure they bring him down? >> no, there's a lack of trust in washington. you see, there's a reason why the president of the united states didn't talk to mitch mcconnell, the top republican in the senate for two years when the president held all the cards.

because he didn't think mitch mcconnell could help him out. he didn't want to help republicans out. democrats on capitol hill have told this president, told this white house we're in power now, we own washington, d.c., we're going to write these bills, whether it's stimulus bill or health care reform, and to hell with the republicans. that led to where we are this past year. and now you've got republicans that don't want to help this president out at all. it's put us in a very, very bad position. >> why wouldn't you be calling for daily face to face meetings and challenging saying don't come unless you plan to get something done. don't come unless you plan for all of us to walk out of here with something and both of us not loving it? >> that's how leaders work. you know, mark haleprin, back in 1995, '96, republicans loathed bill clintons and bill clinton loathed republicans every bit as much as these two sides loathe

each other. and yet, bill clinton would have leon panetta, his chief of staff, talking to john kasik, budget director every single day. they were good friends, but it became acrimonious, heated, yet they kept doing it because they knew that was what you do to the best interest of the country. there doesn't seem to be that type of leadership. there doesn't seem to be that type of legislative maturity in washington, d.c. anymore. and i think it's a real shame. >> it wasn't just panetta, you're right. but those relationships don't exist. to this day, john kasik and gene spurling have a good relationship. it's hard to imagine john boehner having a good relationship with anyone in this administration. and you can't get stuff done even in the best of times.

and these are not the best of times. what we need is a new, young president who will come in promising to change the way washington works who says he has a record of getting people to get along. if we could only find that, we could solve this problem. >> i'm very, very inspired by those words. hope and change. maybe so. pat buchanan, i want to take it back to you. we always talk about 1968 being one of the most divisive times in american politics. you talk about the riots in chicago in 1968. but even in those turbulent times, richard nixon long-loathed by the left was able to work with the democratic speaker of the house and the democratic majority leader in the senate to get things done for america, even through impeachment, even through watergate, even through the worst moments of vietnam, democrats and republicans still worked behind the scenes to keep this country running. that's not happening anymore, is it? >> no, and you're right about 1969.

and the early -- the first years of the nixon administration. basically what he said was, look, i'm not going to repeal the entire great society, but i need help on vietnam getting the troops out. and he went after foreign policy a great deal. i think you did have that kind of -- some measure of cooperation at least before the break down on watergate and everything. you don't see it now, but i do think it is obligatory on the president of the united states in his package he's got pieces in there, you know, suspending these payroll taxes next year that the republicans have to be for. if i were him, i would invite him down and say, look, fellas, there are parts of this you have to like. tell me what they are. and let's do what we can do if we can't our taxes in there. >> and by the way, if there's somebody that decides to stand in the way. if eric cantor says he's going to pose everything.

you know what you do in washington, d.c.? you roll him over legislatively. and that's happened in washington, d.c. for some time. we'll see if the president will do that. i will guarantee you already republicans in the senate, there are conservatives in the senate that want a jobs bill passed. and there are some legislative parts of this legislation that, again, republicans have supported in the past. >> and before we go to a break, i want to touch on afghanistan. you know, mitt romney's going to be making a major foreign policy speech today. it'll be interesting to see how he frames that part of his speech given comments he'd made before. but pat buchanan, i think we know how we feel here at the table about where we stand in terms of our presence there. but ten years now. >> today. >> the war began ten years today. >> did you expect we would still be here? and do you think we still should? >> no. i think almost all americans were really for going in there and taking down the taliban

because they were given sanctuary to al qaeda and going after bin laden as hard as they could. but as soon as they got into nation building two years in, no, no, let's not do that. but let's take governor romney, he's being looked at, joe, and mika as the real potential nominee. you can see it coalescing. and he's got to watch everything he says, but i'll say this. i would like to see us out of afghanistan and almost the sooner the better. but looking at it straightforwardly, this is not going to end well for the united states. and it's not going to end well given the investment of blood and treasure and hopes and expectations of those making it a pro-western country in that part of the world. and i think we better realize it. and i think governor romney should really watch closely every word he says now because he's being looked at as a potential president. >> pat buchanan, it's not going to end well whether we get out

in 2012. >> you're right. >> so how long do we keep fighting a decade-long war? >> joe, i'm with you, joe. but i think we ought to say if you're going to be really responsible, look. when we go out of there, some things could happen, the taliban could come in, there could be some terrible things happening, but this is no longer our responsibility. we've done the best we could. i mean, some of us remember what happened in vietnam when the president of the united states pulled out in '73. it was not a pretty sight in cambodia in 75. >> yeah, and it's not going to be a pretty sight in this country unless we figure out how to fill the void that the united states -- and i will say this, should leave. we have been there a decade. we destroyed al qaeda. and we made a lot of positive gains there, but then we started trying to rebuild that country instead of our own. so while we're spending $2 billion a week in afghanistan, ten years into it, we're cutting

our education budgets while we're spending $2 billion in afghanistan, we're cutting r & d research that's going to help us stay competitive on the global scale. while we're cutting -- while we're spending $2 billion in afghanistan, bridges are crumbling, streets are crumbling, it's not sustainable. >> it's a leadership decision, though, where you don't give americans good news. sometimes that happens. sometimes it doesn't end well. and we have to be able to say that. >> ten years, 1,800 american lives, $500 billion. there's a piece in the current issue of "newsweek" that says you have the watches, we have the time. we have nothing but time, this is our home, we're staying. there was one taliban commander who talked about his 6-year-old son who he says i hope the americans will still be here so my 6-year-old son can have the glory of fighting the americans. >> and that'll be a decade from now. a decade from now. this is against this country's best interest.

it is a national security challenge for our troops to be as stretched as they are. and for us to be spending this much money when we almost have a $15 trillion debt. >> can't disagree. coming up. joining us live here at rama jama's here in tuscaloosa, we'll have the head coach of the university of alabama's football team, nick saban. and also golfing great jerry pate and joe namath. >> and james franklin. and up next, the moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. also chuck todd. but first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill? >> good morning. someone's got to give willie some credit for doing this down there. very impressive. we'll wait and see if you head to vanderbilt when alabama comes to town next time. temperatures very warm in the middle of the country. an ideal great weekend for all of your fall activities. 85 today in kansas city, chicago

looks great. we head up into the mid-70s, and by sunday, temperatures are going to be in the low 80s. middle of the country, watch out, though, heavy rain oklahoma through texas. you're watching "morning joe" live in tuscaloosa. we're brewed by starbucks.

sarah palin, the half-term governor of alaska. is not running for president. chris christie is not running for president, rick perry all but gone. ladies and gentlemen, seriously, we're in a comedy recessionment. here's what sarah palin says why she won't be running for president. because she's saying she can be more effective at getting others elected. that's what she says. by not running for president, she can be more effective, be a

force for getting others elected. i thought that's true because in 2008 she got obama elected. >> okay. live shot of the sun coming up over washington. a beautiful day on capitol hill. the sun has yet to come up in tuscaloosa, alabama. because it's an hour back here. >> just because god saves the best for last. i mean, seriously. let's go to washington, d.c., the godless town of the nation's capital. and moderator of "meet the press," david gregory, who i suspect is also a crimson tide fan. sarah palin announcing she's not in the race, chris christie announcing he's not going to be in the race. rick perry collapsing in a cbs news poll. does this race now look like it's mitt romney's to lose? >> well, it does. but this is just a brief shining moment in time. i think rick perry is one strong debate performance away from

being very much back in this race. i can tell you in the white house while they're preparing for mitt romney, they're still keeping a very close eye on rick perry because of what he potentially represents. particularly among latino voters around the country, particularly in the west who president obama's going to rely on. his views on immigration may be a difficulty for him in this republican primary fight, but could be very difficult in a general election. so, look, i think romney has had a good week because republican money coalescing around him, but there's still a lot of work to do if you're mitt romney. there's not a great deal of conservative excitement about him in a year when if you're a republican you've got to be excited about the fact that this president is as vulnerable as he is. >> but david gregory, you're saying -- actually, let me go to chuck todd. we'll cycle him in. chuck, david says rick perry's only one strong debate performance being back into this

race. isn't that kind of like saying vanderbilt's only one round of alabama away from being back in the race for s.e.c. championship? >> well, i wish this weren't -- >> it's funny because it's true. >> i wish this wasn't alabama/vanderbilt week. because i would make the analogy this way. charlie cook's got a great line when he says -- this is actually rick perry's race to win. and what he's saying is you'd rather be rick perry's biography and ideology in this republican primary than mitt romney's biography and ideology in primary calendar in this primary. mitt romney can't afford many turnovers. rick perry can't afford a lot of turnovers. so it is a little bit like alabama/vanderbilt where romney's vanderbilt, though i think he's stronger than vanderbilt, no offense, willie.

in that romney, he can't afford one or two missteps. how he handles health care or another issue sensitive to the conservative base, and he could collapse very quickly whereas rick perry as david put it, i agree, one good debate performance and all of a sudden he's going to have a cocoon of protection from the right. >> all right. david gregory, i wanted to ask you a little bit about your interview with vice president biden, which we ran a piece of and he talked about the track that you can choose. you know, what path you want to choose. did he go into any detail as to exactly what path he thinks this administration has put the country on? >> well, it's very interesting, mika. because the vice president did spend a lot of that interview talking about how big the hole was when they came into office. how much president bush was still to blame. and then he cycled back and said you know, well, we're in charge, and therefore we're vulnerable.

i don't think there's been complete ownership by this administration over the fact they did some big things to deal with financial crisis and a recession and the economy is not in better shape. i beg your pardon. it could have been worse. but the economy is now approaching another recession. biden said, the president said if they don't get a jobs bill through, the economy is at least sluggish and stagnant if not completely back to recession. so there's going to be some accountability for that. because they did some big things, but their argument is going to be, look, the economy may stink, the republicans are not going to give you a warm embrace if you're out there worried about where you're going to get a job or what your wages are going to do. that's why i think these protests on wall street are an interesting moment for the president to try to harness that. to get in front of that, to say, look, there is a fundamental unfairness in this economy. and this is an administration that's fighting for fairness, fighting for the middle class. republicans want to take you back ward. that's the argument they're going to make.

>> hey, chuck, help us game this out a little bit. we've been talking about this this morning. the president very strong yesterday calling out republicans and you had john boehner yesterday saying he's disappointed in the way the president has conducted himself. these look like two sides that are very far apart. what does the white house think happens next? to bring the sides together, maybe not all the way to the president's plan, which we know won't make it through congress, but somewhere in the middle to make meaningful change to get people back to work. not something that nibbles around the edges. what's the strategy? and how does it work from today forward? >> the president outlined it a little bit. saying if he doesn't get the whole thing passed, they're going to piece by piece make them vote on the individual parts. what i'm trying to figure out is, okay, what happens. they'll probably get some significant pieces of it, not a large chunk, but not a totally minuscule part of it passed in

the senate. they'll be able to find seven or eight republicans on a few of these items to get it through. the question is, is that enough to put pressure on the house republicans to bring it up and try to get it through? it probably does. you'll see the piecemeal. frankly they have to do the piecemeal. nobody wants, for instance, to see the payroll tax go back to what it was two years ago, which automatically happens if congress doesn't do something. so what it's going to be is you'll have the big showdown next week, they'll come up short on the votes they need, and then the rest of the year's this piece by piece. but we are due for one ugly 90 days when you think about what's going to happen on the hill. the piece by piece jobs fight on the hill, then you have the super committee, then we have the fact that they have to come up with the money to just keep the government running around thanksgiving.

so it is -- is there a breaking point for the two parties to say, oh, we've got to just stop having these fights every three months? >> and david, i know you'll be talking about all these issues and more on "meet the press." who do you have coming up on sunday? >> we've got a special edition from chicago launching a chicago ideas week next week. and i'll be talking about rahm emanuel. and our political round table to go through the week. big show coming up. >> all right. looks like another great show. david gregory, thanks so much. chuck todd, thanks to you, as well. we'll see you at 9:00 this morning on the "daily rundown." go vandy. we'll be there. despite your taunting. >> i'll take that. >> i don't know. thanks, guys. more live here from tuscaloosa, alabama.

representative terry sewell. "morning joe" will be right back.

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welcome back to "morning joe." joining us now, democratic

congresswoman from alabama, representing alabama's seventh district, which happens to include tuscaloosa. >> roll tide. >> roll tide. >> congresswoman sewell is the freshman class. met you a couple months back. impressed. impressed with the work you're doing. >> we're so excited to welcome you into tuscaloosa. welcome you back. roll tide. >> it's great to be here. let me ask you, first of all, most importantly. how is the community? the community i feel like is home to me. how is your community? how is this community recovering from the nightmare of the tornado? >> well, we're doing well. thank you for asking. i think that the april storms really devastated not just tuscaloosa, but parts of birmingham, parts of the black belt i represent. but i'm happy to report we're on the way to recovery and rebuilding. i know the city of tuscaloosa

and the mayor have put forward a tuscaloosa forward plan, a strategic plan, as well as having a citizens advisory council. >> so the government -- you've got the help you needed from the federal and state governments? >> yeah, the coordination on the local, state, and federal government has been commendable. we've learned lessons from katrina, so we're not repeating some of the bad stuff that happened. but i'm very pleased. you know, out of this devastation, there's a great opportunity for this city to not only rebuild, but rebuild stronger. >> no doubt about it. let's talk about alabama in the news for different reasons right now. the "new york times" talking about alabama's immoral immigration law. you had a story in the "times" about immigrants quietly slipping away at night leaving the state. and it's been called "a humanitarian crisis." and you look at some of the requirements for this new law, it requires that all schools verify the immigration status of

children enrolling for the first time. let me ask, what's wrong with that? what's wrong with figuring out whether children who are in public schools are citizens of alabama? >> look, i know that we have a broken immigration policy, and i know that the federal government needs to try to fix that. i don't think we're going to get to it until after the next election. >> why is that? why is that? the president talked about fixing immigration years ago, but he stays away from it. >> polarizing. >> i think that's right. i know for alabama, i really think we've kind of overstepped our boundary. and it's way too aggressive and i think way too broad. i don't think that teachers should be enforcers of immigration policy. i don't think that good samaritans who are passing by can't be able to pick up some money in need -- >> let's talk about the good samaritan -- do you think that is the case that if, let's say i helped an illegal immigrant, took care of them if they were hungry or if they were -- had

medical needs, could i be arrested? >> the alabama law as it stands now would penalize you. would enforce -- if you were caught taking an immigrant, transporting an immigrant that you would be in violation of that law. so i think it's overly broad. and i think that i know what our legislators are trying to get at, but i think there's a better way to do it than to make teachers and good samaritans enforcers of the law. >> right. >> how is it going for you in washington? this has got to be -- i remember listening to you. where were we -- >> the democratic whip group. >> there were a lot of challenges coming to washington and trying to get a lay of the land and trying to push things through. two questions. first of all, how are you fairing through this? and what have you learned? and then i want to ask you about the big picture, and that's the conversation in washington and why everybody doesn't like washington right now. >> well, look, i came in at not

such a great time. but i have to tell you that we are, you know, we're persevering. i share the frustration of the american public that we in congress seem to be more infighting and more politics and working in and focusing on their needs. i can tell you that this is my first elected office. and i know the people of the seventh congressional district of alabama didn't send me there to add to their problems, they sent me there to solve problems. i've been there for 280 days, not that i'm counting, but i'm glad to be finally talking about jobs. it's where it's at. getting this economy back going again. >> people are focused. >> exactly. and that's what i was sent here to do. to bring resources and opportunities, job creations, stimulate this economy, and get folks back hired again. so i'm very happy that we're finally focusing on jobs. it's very disconcerting that we're so polarizing. even on the jobs issue.

>> the divide continues. mark haleprin up in washington with a question for you. mark? >> congresswoman, what is the connection between wall street and job creation as you see it? >> can you hear him? >> we can't hear him. >> what's the connection between wall street and job creation as you see it, mark haleprin asked. >> i worked in a big new york law firm before i actually came back to alabama to practice law. and i really think that what we're witnessing with the whole protests of wall street is just a frustration of american public. and i think that part of the problem, but those of us who are now representing main street really want people to focus on their needs and not on the needs of bankers. we bailed them out. i understand why we did that, but now it's time for us to really focus on the american people and getting them back to work. >> does it make sense, though, for the tax brackets to be the way they are? does it make sense for general electric to pay less in taxes

than your constituents? >> it does not make sense. >> but even republicans say they agree with that. there's a perfect chance, a perfect opportunity for real tax reform, and yet we can't even do that. >> i agree with you. there's a real chance for tax reform. and why we're not willing to tax millionaires and billionaires while average american citizens are struggling is beyond me. and i think it's a hard position for the republican party with all due respect to actually -- to actually, you know -- >> step forward and do that. >> yeah. >> let me ask you one other question too. because this will be part of a big deal if we get a big budget deal. what about entitlements? the numbers don't add up. in the 50s, you had 15 people working for every one person on social security. now you've got three people working for every person on social security. those numbers don't add up. we need entitlement reform, don't we?

>> i agree. i think everything has to be on the table. we should not be putting them on the table unless the other side of the aisle is going to put revenue on the table. >> right. both sides have to come together. >> i can tell you right now, we cannot spend our way out of nor cut our way out of this recession. we have to have a balanced approach. >> no doubt about it. >> i'm in favor of a balanced approach. and i can tell you the folks i represent, the seniors i represent want me to stand firm for social security and medicare. they want to see it sustained, but at the same time, they want to make sure we get out of the waste, fraud, and abuse out of the system, as well. >> right. >> so there's definitely a common ground we can find on tax reform, entitlement reform, and actually revenues. >> congresswoman -- >> terri sewell, thank you very much. >> give me a big roll tide. >> roll tide! >> if you thought the massachusetts senate race between scott brown and elizabeth warren was going to be

tame, think again. warren calls out brown for his clotheless past, and brown fires back. nbc's kelly o'donnell is here next with the story. keep it right here on "morning joe." live from tuscaloosa, alabama. >> roll tide. [ female announcer ] when kate collects her pink yoplait lids

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scott brown's photo spread -- it was like a two-page spread completely naked. anyhow. joining us live -- >> the nbc newsroom did the same thing, but we're not going to name names. >> let's go to kelly o'donnell whose got the story. she's ready now. i'm ready to go. good morning to you. you mentioned the question of would it really get tough? would it be easy in that massachusetts senate race? well, this will give you an idea of just how nasty it could become or how hyper sensitive things might be. now, this is one of the most high-profile races because democrats want so badly to get the seat back after scott brown, a republican who is often polling as the most popular elected official in the state. as he is up for reelection. so here's what happened. this is a battle over what two candidates said, how the other took it, did feelings get bruised? that's just to set this up. the insults are flying in massachusetts.

>> reporter: rarely do two simple words cause such an uproar. >> thank god. >> was that just a snappy comeback or a personal insult aimed at potential democratic challenger harvard professor elizabeth warren? it all goes back to this. in 1982, brown bewas in cosmo. >> you were a "cosmo" guy. >> reporter: a photo that won't ever go away. this week in a democrat's debate, that nude center fold was mentioned in a question to warren. >> to help pay for his law school education, scott brown posed for cosmo, how did you pay for your college education? >> i kept my clothes on. >> brown's campaign says warren's answer was offensive and an insult. on a boston radio show wednesday, the senator jabbed back.

>> have you officially responded to elizabeth warren's comment about how she didn't take her clothes off? >> thank god. >> some democrats and women's groups angrily said brown's comment was more suited to a "frat house" and a dig at warren's appearance. a race getting personal. >> i'm not sure that elizabeth warren's remark was entirely innocent, but there's been a towel-snapping quality to scott brown's campaign so far. >> reporter: brown's upset victory last year stunned democrats who want desperately to knock him out in 2012. warren who worked for the obama administration as a consumer watchdog has never run for office before. >> i'm going to do this. i'm going to run for the united states senate. >> reporter: brown's campaign has labeled warren elitist. he deafened his '80s center fold. >> i did opportunity, i never would have been able to pay for school and never would have gone to school. >> reporter: thursday, warren brushed it off. >> you don't care to dive into

those waters? >> i'll survive. >> so, she says "i'll survive." well, this race is really about those sensitive feelings, and there are a couple of republican women who are in the senate who actually came to scott brown's defense. kelly ayata of new hampshire and susan collins of maine. they said it was not fair of warren to go after scott brown's background. he had a humble upbringing, he needed the money, so they came to his defense. warren's one of six democrats who want to get the nomination to be able to take scott brown on in the general election. so, we system have a long way to go, but it gives you a sense of how sensitive things are and how people take every little thing and put it under the microscope. mika, joe? >> yes, they do. and actually, i think this is going to be a really exciting race, put all that aside and whatever. >> i think it's going to be a great race. i don't see lelizabeth warren ot there crying about the comment. >> oh, she's fine. >> and for the guy saying there's a towel-snapping quality

to scott brown's campaign -- that's garbage! the towel-snapping, if that's what they want to call it, is going back and forth on both sides. >> also, i don't know what the panel was she was on, but she said "i kept my clothes on" it was a laugh line, and a good one, actually. >> and scott brown's was a laugh line, too. >> exactly. >> i think people just need to relax. >> elizabeth warren and scott brown, that's going to be an exciting race because they're both strong. they're both really strong and i can't wait to watch it. kelly o'donnell, thank you very much. >> thank you, kelly! >> apparently, will has disappeared into the back of rama jamas. will, where are you? >> we have a big show ahead, including this man, alabama class of 1975, u.s. open champion, won at age 22. do my commodores have any chance, jerry? >> no, not a chance. >> you didn't have to think too hard about that one. >> no, i didn't. in fact, they don't have a chance most of the time, but --

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♪ you remember, we recently spent a little time analyzing how over the last few months, sarah palin had been traveling

the country in a constitution-wrapped bus, frequenting early primary states and talking about her plan to save america, which suggested two distinct possibilities -- you are either running for president of the united states or you are a crazy person. [ laughter ] well, last night, sarah palin went on fox news, bravely sporting a lapel pin that could have easily carried her away in its talons to provide the answer. >> no, i'm not running. >> so, i'm ready to call it with 100 of sarah palin's reporting tonight, the winner is crazy person! [ cheers and applause ] well, if i may ask you, governor palin, then what were you doing? >> sarah palin has started a nationwide bus tour. >> she also crashed mitt romney's party. >> she rolled into the state fair, nonetheless. >> her tour is stealing the political thunder. >> the worst part isn't that she's a guest at a wedding who showed up wearing a wedding dress, but insists, hey, i'm not here spoiling your big day, i'm just here to help you get your message out about fidelity.

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♪ the yankees have the best

record in the american league. ball and two strikes. now verde deals and a swing and a miss! val verde strikes out alex rodriguez and they're headed to the american league championship series. >> good morning. 8:00 on the east coast, 7:00 a.m. in tuscaloosa, alabama, where joe, willie and i are ahead of tomorrow's big alaba / alabama/vanderbilt homecoming game. still with us from washington, mark hallfrin and the reverend al sharpton from new york. >> so, will, you get in late last night and turn on the tv and see the yankees, a-rod specifically. that said, i hate to say what people said about the red sox game. that said, this yankees/tigers series was just one of the best series i've seen in a while.

>> it was a good game last night. it was well pitched on both sides. a lot of people will question joe girard pulling the rookie pitcher. they said before the game that the kid had "tightness in his arm." they said joe girardi got tightness in his throat, but the tigers deserved to win. they played great last night and for most of the series. there's barnicle's tweet. they move on to play the texas rangers. >> okay, very good. mika, we have a lot to talk about. i wanted to ask mark, first, though, about sarah palin deciding to not run. and mark halperin, a lot of people that were close to the campaign, close to sarah palin, including yourself, thought for some time that she was going to go ahead and jump into this race. you can probably tell us now a lot more than you could then. were you getting those

suggestions from palin and her camp, and do you think they just decided at the end they couldn't do it? >> i think she was clearly trying to leave the option open to run and she took a serious look at it. i was surprised, given the timing of her decision. there's a real opening now still for somebody to step forward and be the alternative to mitt romney with more evangelical support, more grassroots tea party support. my suspicion is that she made the same decision that some of the other people who chose not to run made, which is she didn't think she could win a general election. and running for the nomination if you don't think you can win the general is a fool's error. >> yeah, no doubt about it. and mika, as many around chris christie thought for a very long time, you can run and lose a primary and be lined up to win next time, but you can't run and lose a general election, because that's the end if you're a republican or a democrat. that's the end of your political career. >> i think she figured, especially after someone jumped romney with her money after christie pulled out, what was

she going to do? just find other ways to sell books. by the way, romney is giving a big foreign policy speech, which we'll get to in a moment. but first, saying the u.s. faces a "emergency," president obama again made another case yesterday for passing his jobs bill. this time, his pitch came in a news conference at the white house where the president highlighted what he says are the benefits of his plan. >> there is no doubt that the economy is weaker now than it was at the beginning of the year, and every independent economist who has looked at this question carefully believes that for us to make sure that we are taking out an insurance policy against a possible double-dip recession, it is important for us to make sure that we are boosting consumer confidence, putting money into their pockets, cutting taxes where we can for small businesses, and that it makes sense for us to put people back to work doing the work that needs to be done. that's exactly what this jobs bill does.

>> interesting. president obama says he expects the senate will vote on the legislation next week. and when asked if his efforts on the job bill would be better spent speaking directly with congressional republicans instead of to voters around the country, the president had this response. >> i think it's fair to say that i have gone out of my way in every instance, sometimes at my own political peril and to the frustration of democrats, to work with republicans to find common ground to move this country forward. each time, what we've seen is gam games-playing, a preference to try to score political points rather than actually get something done on the part of the other side. >> president obama went on to say that he would like to see congress act "aggressively" so that he would be unable to campaign against a do-nothing congress. yesterday, house speaker john boehner again expressed his disappointment at the president's tactics.

>> i've had my share of disappointments this year. i'm disappointed that the president and i couldn't come to an agreement on the big deal, disappointed that we couldn't pass some stronger legislation in the house from some of my own colleagues. but nothing has disappointed me more than what's happened over the last five weeks. to watch the president of the united states give up on governing, give up on leading and spend full time campaigning. >> al sharpton, i know that you were sad this morning because john boehner's sad. he's shocked and stunned and deeply saddened that this president has given up on governing. you can probably talk about that tonight, maybe even superjohn boehner on your show. he's sad. are these crocodile tears? >> well, it's always tears from john boehner, whether they're

crocodile or not. you have to watch at 6:00. but i think that clearly, we are at a very serious point here. people need jobs. job numbers are coming out again. we are in the threshold of a crisis, and i think the president is right, we need to move now. all of the independent economists, as he said, are saying we're in danger of a double-dip recession. and i think that we have gone in a cycle now which seems that everyone wants to go right to the campaign. i think the president tried to bargain, he tried to cover the table. you would say he should have done it two years ago. whatever. he tried to. there was nothing there when mcconnell says we want to make this a one-term president. i think now we've got to see if anyone will break the cycle and try to do what is right for the american people and deal with this jobs bill. >> you know, the cycle really does need to be broken, and willie, you've got to say this

about the president -- or we have been saying it for 2 1/2 years -- he needs to focus on jobs. what's so fascinating politically now is the president is finally -- and i will say this -- he is finally, after 2 1/2 years, focusing almost exclusively on jobs. he should have done it a long time ago. he's doing it now. now, i think politically, that makes a lot of sense. my question is, 2 1/2 years later, is anybody listening? >> well, that's a big question. have some people tuned the president out? he's doing it, though, and he's also doing it in a way that a lot of people have asked him to do it, by going after republicans and calling them to the carpet. i would put to mark halperin in washington, though, give the american people a little hope and tell us this is all theater, the president going out after republicans at a press conference, john boehner saying he's sad, and then actually, everyone's getting together behind the scenes and that our government is working. are these guys talking? >> well, i can reveal that president obama and john boehner played midnight golf last night, and things worked out pretty well between them.

no, look, people criticize the president's performance yesterday. they said there was no news, he was not reaching out in any way, but the reality is, the president, if you want a real insight into what the president's actually thinking about what's going on, he laid it all out in the press conference. he was incredibly honest, and there's a fair amount of sympathy amongst the public for some of the arguments he was making in the press conference. the problem is, you saw john boehner's reaction to the president, not just yesterday, but over the last few weeks. there's no momentum towards compromise. if you want hope and opportunity for the american people, it's the super committee, because that could at least exercise bipartisan muscles. the problem is, the super committee at best is worried about long-term growth. there's nothing they're focused on in deficit reduction that's going to help us in the crisis we're in now. >> and vice president joe biden, in an interview with "meet the press" moderator david gregory, acknowledged the political and economic challenges that the administration faces in its bid

for re-election. take a listen. >> we need a strong republican party. we need a republican party that's united. >> is it strong enough of a republican party for its nominee to beat this president? >> oh, absolutely, absolutely. it's strong enough to beat both of us. the american people right now are, many of them are in real trouble. an even larger percentage have stagnant wages. and a significant majority of the american people believe that the country's not moving in the right direction. that is never a good place to be going into a re-election, whether it's your fault or not your fault. it's almost sometimes irrelevant. but what i'm counting on, i'm counting on what i read out there, the judgment of the american people to decide. they know the hole we're in, they know how far we've come out. they're dissatisfied how fast we're going. and they're going to have to choose whether or not the path we have set the country on is the path that we should continue

to go or we should go back to liberating the economy in the terms of -- >> what does that mean? >> well, i'm not really sure. i guess that we're supposed to choose the path that obama put us on, if that's the one we choose. >> well, the question is -- >> that's the end of it. >> that's the problem right now, willie. the problem is, what's that path? right now there's a lot of back-and-forth between republicans and democrats, but it seems like washington -- >> there's not a clear path. >> yeah, washington is directionless, and both sides can point and scream and yell at each other. both sides, in a sense, paul ryan has talked about entitlement reform. democrats will tell you, the president, we need entitlement reform. paul ryan has laid out a plan for tax reform that closes loopholes. the president's talked about the same. they just -- and the president himself is saying, i'm putting out these policies. they're not huge job policies that republicans supported for

the most part in the past. it seems like inside baseball, even to me. >> well, the path the president laid out again yesterday, as he did with his original jobs act is more stimulus. we need to stimulate the economy, put money in, government money into the economy, reverend sharpton. but that's a path a lot of republicans have rejected, arguing that the last stimulus, almost $1 trillion, did not help our jobs problem, did not necessarily help our economy to the extent it should have for an investment of $1 trillion, and as mark halperin just said, even if it had worked, these two sides can't get together to agree on anything anyway. >> but i think that when you listen to what the vice president is saying, the american public will have to vote on whether to continue on the path the president has laid out -- stimulus and infrastructure development to create jobs, some entitlement reform -- or whether they want to go with one of his opponents. his opponents are not saying necessarily what even some of the republicans in congress are

saying. i think if you look at governor romney or governor perry, romney probably likely at this point the nominee, he's saying something totally different. and i think it will be a choice between those paths. and i think at that point, the president's hand becomes stronger. i don't know that when we saw all of the points that romney put out in the romney plan that we saw anything that would in any way resonate more with the american public than to say that the president's plan is something that we need to keep trying. the other thing is, you can't discount all of the polls that are saying the american public trusts the president more than they do the gop congress. and some of it's going to come down to who do you have more confidence in, who do you trust more, who do you like more? and i think that's going to be the challenge the republicans have, though i think the vice president is right, the republicans are very strong. >> you can't judge the whole

world by twitter, only about 80% of it. and if you were on twitter yesterday following people on capitol hill during the president's press conference, you see the dynamic illustrated that makes this a very tough political problem now. people who work for john boehner and mitch mcconnell and eric cantor doing communications are fervent twitterers, and they are on there on every presidential event poking holes, making fun of the president, finding things to criticize. some of them are perfectly good arguments, but the mindset of the republican party every day now closer to the election is obstruct what the president wants to do. they do disagree with it, but they also know that the more they can keep him on the defensive, the weaker he'll be politically. the notion that the president set this deadline to get a jobs bill passed, always a mistake, as far as i'm concerned, for a president to demand congressional action, because they do it when they're not getting their way and it never leads to their getting their way. >> great. other news to report this morning, mitt romney is making a foreign policy speech, but i

want to get to massachusetts and the very closely watched massachusetts senate race there between republican senator scott brown and the leading democratic candidate, elizabeth warren. >> so, is elizabeth warren just kind of laying back and -- >> i'm trying to find a way to characterize her. she's got a very soft tone and -- >> she's delicate. >> what she does is -- >> she's like a delicate flower. >> you know, she reminds me often of a very gentle teacher. she'll get out cups and say, you know, this is iran and this is the middle east -- >> yeah, yeah? >> and then she'll try and -- >> very sweet. and explain it. >> so, she had a debate. there were attacks between her and scott brown in their primary debate on tuesday. >> oh, really? wow. >> let's take a look at her approach at work. >> oh, okay. >> law school education, scott brown posed for "cosmo." how did you pay for your college education? >> i kept my clothes on.

[ laughter ] >> have you officially responded to elizabeth warren's comment about how she didn't take her clothes off? [ laughter ] >> thank god. >> oh, my god! >> okay. >> now, that, of course, was a shot at scott brown, "i kept my clothes on." >> that was pretty good! >> one cheap shot deserves another, i guess. >> i guess. >> exactly. >> i guess it does! >> i think massachusetts is going to be fun to watch. >> i think it is, too. i don't think either one of these people are going to back down. >> no. >> and -- >> "i kept my clothes on"! >> and brown went on to say that he didn't go to harvard. he went to "the school of hard knocks." note scott brown, elizabeth warren didn't go to harvard, either. she just teaches there. several women's groups condemned scott brown's comments on warren's appearance, even suggesting that he drop out of the race. >> what? >> that's fascinating, because

it's funny i haven't heard any men's groups attacking elizabeth warren for making fun of what scott brown did or suggesting she drop out of the race. so, those women's groups should -- >> simmer down, ladies. >> and i say this with all my heart -- >> let me just say it simmer down. they're just having a good time. it's funny. it's funny. and elizabeth warren can handle it. she's got more to come, i have a feeling. >> by the way, scott brown's going to be tough, too. this is going to be a great race. >> and remember, elizabeth warren is not alone as a democrat. >> i love her. >> she's got a big field to get through. it will be fun to watch. >> well, i think she's going to be really tough, but scott brown, we talked to barnicle, scott brown ran an extraordinary campaign back in 2009, and he has done, barnicle says -- he's a massachusetts democrat -- he says scott brown has done everything right. coming up next, alabama head coach nick saban. plus, golfer and u.s. open

winner jerry pate is here. also this hour, we're going to talk to joe namath -- >> it's just a star-studded lineup. >> and then coach james franklin. >> there it is, willie. shut her down! >> first, here's bill karins with the weekend forecast. bill. >> joe's not even nervous about this game at all, are you, joe? zero. well, let's talk about what's happening out there this weekend. weather looks great for a lot of those high school games tonight. of course, it's big friday night football around the country. then saturday's college games, including the red river shoot-out between texas and oklahoma. taking you across the country, new york city, how great is that five-day forecast? looks like the middle of summer. let's take you to chicago. chicago looks marvelous this weekend, too, 81 saturday, 77 on sunday. and los angeles, if you're waking up with us early, you're going to go back up into the 80s, too. so, the forecast for today, a lot of that warmth's in the middle of the country. one spot that's going to get rainy, though, is going to be texas. and of course, texas, oklahoma suffering through one of the worst droughts we've ever seen there. you'll welcome the rain, even though it will wash out some of your weekend plans. have a great columbus day

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♪ welcome back to "morning joe." and joining us now, he is here. >> oh, this is big. >> he is here. the entire world has fallen silent. >> this is big. >> and they're shriveled up in fear. alabama's head football coach, nick saban. >> this is huge! coach, welcome! [ cheers and applause ] >> also with us, the man who won the 1976 u.s. open, professional golfer and university of alabama

alum, pensacola boy jerry pate. >> jerry. >> we're very concerned, coach, because you know, we've got jerry pate on here because you and jerry are good friends, but sometimes jerry just doesn't talk, he doesn't express himself. >> i know, we need to help him along. >> i haven't had that experience. >> you haven't? you know what jerry tells me? he says you're so competitive that every time you guys play golf, you always want him on the other team so ick whip him. >> that's not true. i always want him as my partner. >> jerry, is that true? >> he beats me like a dog, i'll tell you. he gets all these strokes and this guy can play golf. he's good. >> nine. i get nine. i strike out every other hole. >> nine shots. he shoots like 77 with a nine, so i have to shoot 65 to break even. >> now, you're trying to pull him out -- >> i'm trying to get him to pebble beach, but he works every day and he works all day every day. >> good! >> oh, yeah, this guy has a schedule and it's hard to get on him. >> can you talk about -- we always talk about the country, leadership, what politicians are

doing right, doing wrong. could you talk about how you came to the university of alabama and you took a program that had been wayward for a while, and what did you do here, what did you do at lsu, big picture, where you just strip it down and say we've got an extraordinary program, but they've lost their way, let's turn this around. how do you do that? >> well, i think that, you know, you try to establish an overall sort of game plan of what's important in the program. and i think the people here understood exactly what we needed to do to have a nationally recognized program that people would respect. and things like, you know, are we going to have something where we help our players be more successful as people in personal development, academic development where we graduate our student athletes, and we get the best players to perform on the field and do a good job of developing them. so, from a big-picture standpoint, everybody buys into that, and you have a team, and we have a great team here. not just our coaches, but our administration and everybody involved, our fans.

and everybody works together to have something special, and that's why we've been able to, i think, build and be successful. and it's not just about winning the football games. >> right, but it also has to do with not just the structure below you, but the structure above you. and just to be blunt, university of alabama, after coach bryant left, had all of these people and you never know who was completely in charge. but now we know, you're in charge and you answer to, what, the president, maybe. how important is that for you to be able to know where your players' accountability goes to and where your accountability goes to? >> well, i think somebody has to be in a leadership position where everybody can sort of be responsible for their own self for termination, but have an expectation of what they need to do so they can be successful and help the program be successful. and that takes a team where everybody sort of buys into the principles and values of the team, and everybody's got a lot of positive energy and attitude toward that and everybody's willing to work hard. and we've been able to do that

here and everybody's on the same page, everybody's on the same team, and that's been helpful in us being able to build the kind of team that we have. >> i'm really concerned about tomorrow's game, willie geist. >> yeah. for you, willie. >> the vanderbilt commodores rolling into town. it's going to be tough, willie, isn't it? would you like to -- >> for us? yes, it is going to be tough. >> willie, i'm going to wear this to the game for you, okay? i'll support you. >> but really, willie, you should be proud and speaking up. i mean, your team is 3-1. >> no question. >> they beat ole miss and are playing very well. the new coach has done a great job of sort of establishing a lot of really good things that you see on the field in terms of how they compete, how they play, and they believe that they can win. so, you know, our players respect what they've done and what we're going to need to do to play well in the game ourselves. >> no, we joke around, but the new coach, james franklin, has changed the culture there. >> a great job. >> the kids are 3-0. they beat uconn, the big champ

from last season, beat ole miss. it will be a different story here, but we're talking about -- >> he's turning it around. >> turning it around, doing a great job. talking about the s.e.c., we asked brian griese about this earlier and talked about it on the show. what is it about this conference that makes it head and shoulders above all the other leagues in the country? i mean, we hear about speed, but there are fast kids in michigan and there are fast kids in ohio. >> right. >> why does the s.e.c. seem to have this next level that the other conferences don't? >> well, first of all, i think it starts with the whole passion that this part of the country has for football. and i think until the mid-'70s, there really weren't any pro sports in the south. >> right. >> so, everybody sort of grew up relating to their university, whether it was alabama, florida or wherever. and football has been important even in high school. so, we have great high school athletics. we get a lot of good players. but the passion that everybody has for this league is a established tradition that a lot of people nationally want to be

a part of. so, we've been able to continue to attract real quality players. and at the end of the day, from a competitive standpoint, it's how good the league isfrom top to bottom that really makes a difference. >> right. and jerry pate, we're both pensacola guys. emmitt's from pensacola, of course, trent richardson, extraordinary. but you know, we had two-a-days, three-a-days in the fall and the spring. the spring, we'd have two-a-days, jamborees. football's a year-round sport in the south. >> well, it is. and i think what separates alabama and coach saban is just a lot of history and tradition, you know. it's a great institution to come -- you got a law degree here and become educated, and people support this program. one of the great compliments i receive -- and i travel all over the country and people know i went to alabama -- people from other schools say we love to have alabama fans come to our town and play. they're respectable people, they

respect our team, and they are great fans and they show a lot of tradition for your school. and this man right here just continues to build it. >> they do, they have great respect, especially for the stadium, coach. this place is locked down. i tried to get in. i tried 50 gates. i wanted to run to the top a few times. 45 gates. i ran around four times. every door, the man said, "no, ma'am, sacred ground, we will not let you in!" >> you just don't know the right people. that's what i tell them. >> i was actually looking for your telephone number, but i couldn't find it. >> he lets stray cats wander under. let's talk about what it takes to win, because people always talk about how intense you are. i had an auburn fan tell me last year, i hear he walks around the halls and he doesn't talk to anybody, his head's down, he goes in. i said it's a singular focus on excellence.

and once these seasons start up, to be honest with you, we're honored that you're here, you don't really have five minutes to waste, do you? it's a around-the-clock obsession. >> really it takes a lot of time, but i don't walk around the halls with my head down. i'm just like everybody else. we have a lot of good people in our organization, but it starts with the fact that we have, you know, good players who have the right kind of character and attitude to want to be the best that they can be and have the willingness to make the commitment to do the right things, create the right habits so they can be successful. and we have a lot of good people in our organization who help direct and support and lead them in that direction. and you know, it just takes a lot of time to prepare each week for the way you'd like to get your team ready -- >> it's nonstop. >> -- so they can go out and play their best football. >> how do you know how far to push players? because we heard last week, while the game was going on and alabama was doing an extraordinary job against florida, we heard that you recruit the best players, but you work them harder over four

years than anybody else. how do you know how far to push players? i remember frank kutsch talking about this before, talking about running them in the desert to make sure they don't push them too much. >> well, we don't run them in the desert, but we have a great ground and a great strength and conditioning program that our players believe in. it's called a fourth-quarter program. and they work hard in the offseason, they work hard in the summertime. this is one of the most well-conditioned teams that we've had here in the five years that we've been here, and it's called the fourth quarter program. so, we even brand it in a way that we're going to win in the fourth quarter and we want to be a team that people don't like to play because of the effort and the toughness and the intangibles that we play with. >> yeah. jerry? >> well, you know, i think back and i see this with nick. i've been to a lot of practices. and he knows every play at any moment during practice. and in fact, i've had other -- i've talked with professional scouts when they were there, and

they say, you know, this guy could coach the entire team by himself. he's a workaholic, he knows every position, but he has a great staff and he delegates to them. and you know that he's the best recruiter that i've ever seen, and i think that's why we're successful. >> yeah, no doubt about it. well, coach, good luck. >> thank you, coach. >> we want to thank you again for coming out. >> appreciate the time. glad to be here. >> and i'll tell you what, i was excited last week. i actually went to florida law school, went alabama undergrad, so that's always an ugly game. i really do appreciate last week. you made my year a lot easier. i was really happy. looked like the offensive line, which had some problems last year, getting some room for the players to run. looks like that offensive line's really maturing. >> well, i think that, you know, improving each week is really an important part of sort of being a good team, and there are certainly areas that we need to improve improve, and our offensive line did a really good job last week.

i think the difference last week was the defensive and offensive line, both sides of the ball controlling the line of scrimmage, and that made a big difference. but jerry mentioned something i'd like to sort of touch on, is we do have a really good staff, and our staff never gets enough credit for the hard work they do and the great job that they do of helping our players be successful. >> no doubt about it. all right, coach, thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you, coach. >> thanks, coach. >> at some point, i'll get in that stadium. >> i think we'll get you in the stadium. >> all right, alabama and vanderbilt tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. local time. still ahead, a guy that's really done a great job turning things around up in nashville, vanderbilt head coach james franklin, also joe "willie "namath. we'll have him talking about alabama instead of the jets. [ male announcer ] when it comes to saving energy, we're off to a good start. but now it's time to go to the next level. so let's do a little detective work. pick up what we need. roll out...

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♪ all right, we're in tuscaloosa, but we've got some breaking news down on wall street. the new monthly jobs report is out. let's go to cnbc's ryan sullivan. he's live at cnbc headquarters. brian, how does it look? >> you know, it looks pretty good, actually. i'm not going to say it's a great ray of sunshine we're getting, but the jobs number coming in last month up 103,000 jobs. that was above wall street expectations and near the highest estimates. perhaps the better news is that, remember in august we got that big gooseegg, basically net zero

jobs created? they recriesed august up to 57,000 jobs added, so the numbers both for september and august coming in better than expected and being revised higher. again, remember that 45,000 striking verizon workers came back online, so that did skew the number a little higher. overall, though, private sector payrolls were, indeed, up. you saw construction rise a bit. we need that. that's good news. one of the negatives, i guess, in the report is that government jobs tended to trend down again, and we're also seeing the u-6. it is not a submarine, it is the underemployed number, people who want a full-time job who are maybe just part-time. that inched up. but overall, guys, not a bad number. the futures for the stock market are looking pretty solid. and if we can just get a vanderbilt win, just a vanderbilt smackdown of the crimson tide, i suspect the dow will end the day higher. >> yes. oh, my goodness! >> i love it! >> you must love it. i'll tell you what, this is one

of the more unique approaches to predicting stocks on wall street, but i like the cut of this guy's gem. brian, thanks very much. >> commodores are a leading economic indicator. >> he's always said, seriously, he's always said the cut -- >> thank you very much. >> speaking of vanderbilt -- >> oh, boy! >> so excited. been waiting all morning. we're going to nashville, tennessee, for the new head coach of the vanderbilt football team, mr. james franklin. coach, it's a pleasure to meet you, even if over the tv. >> good morning, everybody. thanks for having me on. i really appreciate it. >> i hope you heard coach saban paying his respects to you and what you've done over the first four games of the season. i would echo what he said as a longtime vanderbilt guy. we appreciate what you're doing there and the way you're representing our university out to the country. started out 3-0. you beat uconn, who won the big east last year, you won your first s.e.c. game. things get a little tougher two weeks ago with south carolina and now the toughest of all of alabama. what do you do about a defense that you said was the best

you've ever seen in college football? >> well, yeah, they're extremely talented. i have tremendous respect for coach saban and their program. what we've just got to do is we've got to focus on vanderbilt, really. that's what we've been doing since we arrived on campus, developing our players, getting them ready to play and compete, and we're really looking forward to going and playing in that environment. >> i've got to ask you, coach, because i've seen -- i went to school there beginning in the fall of 1993. a lot of coaches come in and out of there with the best of intentions. they seemed like they could be the guy to turn the corner. what attracted you to a job at vanderbilt where so many coaches have struggled before you? >> well, i think it's an opportunity to differentiate yourself, it's an opportunity to do something really special. and me and my staff couldn't be more excited about it. the players are really excited about the direction we're going and what we're doing. we think we have an unbelievable product to sell. we have an opportunity to get a world-class education that's going to set you up for success for the next 40 years of your life. you have an opportunity to play in the greatest football

conference in america and compete against the very best week in and week out, live in a great city like nashville, and we also offer an opportunity for early playing time. so, i think there's a lot of real positive things to sell here for the right kid from the right family. >> well, coach, i was just going to ask you, what's your recruiting pitch, because recruiting's always been the biggest challenge. you just made it exactly the way i would have done it and i will echo what you just said -- a great city of nashville, one of the best educations you could possibly get in the world, and of course, you're playing in the best conference in the country, where if you do something magical and you win that conference, you are the story of the country. i've got, by the way, my co-host, mika brzezkinski, wearing the vanderbilt jersey. she had the crimson sweater to start the show. now she's in black-and-gold. >> how do i look? >> we're getting converts by the moment, coach. >> you look awesome. black and gold is a great color on you. i also know you guys might be getting ganged up a little bit there, and i also want to invite you guys next year.

the game will be played in nashville. i want you to come here and do the show from here next year. >> what is that? >> coach, we will be there. in fact, i will be in nashville next weekend looking forward to the win. >> coach, i'm just curious, what is this material? it doesn't feel like cashmere. >> it's breathable. no, it's not cashmere. >> no, it's beautiful. the black and gold looks beautiful on you. it really does. >> it kind of itches. >> coach franklin, good luck on saturday and again, thanks for everything. we look forward to a great future with you in nashville. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, coach. >> joe namath next. ♪

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of alabama alum joe namath! >> this is big. >> it's great to have you on the show! >> joe namath, thank you so much for being with us. we have jerry pate here with us. coach saban was just here. things have turned around a bit, haven't they, at the university of alabama the past couple of years? >> oh, boy, things have changed big time over the years. it was great back then when i was a freshman, man, and that was probably the best homecoming i got to witness, because as you know, as players, we're kind of sequestered on that saturday. but man, you're bringing me back some memories. thank you. >> aww. >> well, it's great to have you here. willie? >> hey, joe, it's willie geist here. great to have you with us this morning. we've been reading about this alabama team and how strong the defense is. they're giving up something like 8 points a game, 39 yards rushing. can you compare this to some of the great alabama teams? i know we're only a few games into the season, but people are doing that already. >> well, you know -- well, no, i

wouldn't go there comparing them to past teams because this team is a special team, like the others. coach saban is just sensational at preparation and hands-on teaching on the practice field. the athletes that alabama have at this point, there are more of them than we ever had in the past, really outstanding athlete. you know what, guys, competition is team, and willie, that vanderbilt bunch is not coming to town just to lose the game. they're coming to win. >> that's right. >> so, coach saban better have these guys ready for the commodores. >> that's right. >> and how about it, jerry pate? >> well, joe, you went back and got your college degree. tell us what that was about. >> jerry, you know, first of all, hey, buddy, good to hear you. first of all, you know, it was a promise to my mother and i put

it off much too long, but i'm glad i had it accomplished with the help of the folks at the continuing education program. you know, i found out for the first time that professors really want to see the students succeed. we do get help. and it was a team effort. and of course, i put in a great deal of effort. hey, joe and willie and mika, i want to tell you, you've got a guy there, jerry pate, that i can remember his hitting a shot. we were playing at old indian hills golf club. he got down on his knees and he hit a shot up the side of a hill on to a green that to this day i still marvel at. jerry, you probably remember that, or you may not. >> i do, joe. and you know, you've always been an idol of mine and you were a legend here at alabama. gosh, you're all what alabama football's about. and my congratulations, all the

great things you've done off the field. >> well, you know, we had a great leader in coach bryant and his spirit is still all over at tuscaloosa and that university, and we certainly love coach saban. >> well, i told -- >> yes. >> i told joe scarborough what coach told me, joe, and i know he told you. he said the secret to his success was that he rode his "a" players, he built his "b" players and he cut his "c" and "d" players, and i know you were one of his "a" players and he rode you pretty hard. he was the athletic director when i was there and he called me into my office after i won the u.s. amateur and chewed my butt about why i wasn't playing more for the university, why i was playing pro golf while in school. so you know all about that. >> that sounds like him. and i want to know what mr. scarborough did whenever he was at homecoming day. >> it wasn't pretty. it was not pretty. i watched you guys. joe namath, thank you so much.

>> thank you, joe! >> you're a hero of all of us here in alabama. >> great to hear your voice. >> we greatly appreciate you taking time out to give us a call. >> i want to ask him, joe namath, what are you wearing right now? >> why would you ask that question? >> lewis told me to! lewis wants to know what you're wearing right now. >> i'm still in my night clothes, mika. i had to take care of my dog, you see. >> okay. >> all right, joe namath, thank you so much. i really don't even understand that question -- >> i'm confused. >> but we will be right back live from alabama. ♪ [ male announcer ] butter. love the taste, but want to cut back on fat?

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so fresh the only preservative we use is the fridge freshpet fresh food for fido ♪ sweet home alabama welcome back. it is time to talk about what we learned today here in alabama. i'm going to start by saying, mika, of course, we talked to patrice adams yesterday. >> yes. >> her son, marshall, one of the great stars --

>> shining stars. >> -- here at the university of alabama. we lost him this year. we certainly miss him, the university misses him. we were going to have him actually come work for us, but a great, great guy. >> he would be here today. >> he would definitely be here today. what'd you learn? >> here today you have your daughter and i'm going to keach kate diplomatic skills. >> okay. >> kate, you have one for your daddy -- >> okay. >> cheer. and one for willie. split the difference! >> and i'm going to teach you that you're either for us or against us. go ahead. >> get it, kate, get it! >> go, tide, right here. >> oh, that's terrible. >> okay, all right. and thank you so much, jen, for having us here today. >> i brought mika a t-shirt from my neighborhood, which was destroyed by the tornado. we're building back. 69 of 70 homes building back. >> thank you so much. >> and we're aware that you watch our show every day, but it's not for mika or me. it's for the guy to the left of you. >> 4:30 a.m. >> that's right. i'm a very early person and