we asked at the top of the show what you're doing at this hour. >> i've got a donald on e-mail. i fly from d.c. almost every month, i wake up your show because of jet lag. >> we'll take a jet lag wake-up. what is it 6:00 a.m. here? it's 2:00 in the afternoon -- we're on at 2:00 p.m., we're a daytime show. >> i've got, forget "morning joe" and mika, feisty willie geist and lil' kim are the new power couple. >> and i think we are. i cast my lot with lil' kim after the other night and i'm being attacked by team nicki minaj, apparently there's a beef. i took up for lil' kim and i'm the most hated man present by team minaj.

at times i fear for my safety. all right, i have one tweet. this is a great one. @mel. how did the walmart guy get by the walmart greeter? what a great question. the guy gets nude in the parking lot, where is the greeter to impede his progress as he moves into the customer service aisle and steals a pair of socks? "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ a little history, i was born and raised here. i love this state. it seems right here, trees are the right height. i like seeing the -- i like seeing the lakes, i love the lakes. just something very special here, the great lakes but also the inland lakes that dot the parts of michigan. i love cars, i don't know, i mean, i grew up totally in love with cars. i used to be in the '50s and '60s if you showed me one square

foot of any part of the car i could tell you the brand and model and so forth. i still know the american cars pretty well. drive a mustang, i love cars. i love american cars, and long may they rule the world. let me tell you -- >> good morning. it's friday, february 17th, welcome to "morning joe." >> i love you, willie. >> i love you too. >> i like bunnies. >> oh, my goodness. with us onset this morning msnbc contributor mike barnicle, the chairman of deutsch inc., donny deutsch, wes moore, political writer for the huffington post sam stein and political writer for the national review robert costa. good to see all of you guys. you're kind of the chaperone today, i've noticed. >> risky business. >> you go upstairs, we're going to be partying in the basement. let's start briefly with that sound bite from mitt romney. i think we have to.

donny, you're an image man. did that feel authentic to you? >> i'm going to say again, i like bunnies. there's nothing authentic about this man. i mean, you buried the lead there and i like the trees in michigan are the right height. i go back to something i started saying in an interview when his wife said he was actually a very funny guy and the reporter turned to him and said, really, tell us. he said i love comedy, i love laurel and hardy. what human being from this century? this guy -- it gets worse and worse. >> it is that is the real mitt . he's a square guy. that's who he is. >> that's exactly right. >> that's not square, that's more of like a trapezoid. >> he just proved with that clip he proved he's funny with that clip. that's funny. >> but he is from michigan. he doesn't have to make this up. he's a michigan guy, his dad rose up, became the governor

there. even when he's talking about something that is authentic that is his home state, it's awkward. it's just awkward. >> what is the right proper height for a tree? >> i don't know. >> i can't figure it out. and what doesn't he love? >> that's why you've got to watch santorum. santorum can speak that language. romney just can't speak that language that people in detroit are familiar with that they connect with. >> yeah, but your point is that he's from there and he should -- there was one other sound bite from yesterday where he was like going through the crowd and oh, there's my old friends, a few girlfriends out there. i was cringing by the end of it. that's always his problem, right? it's almost like he's trying to be authentic and the mere process of doing that is inauthentic. >> well, let's look at the facts of the case in the state of michigan, there's a new poll out from the detroit news that has essentially he and santorum in the statistical tie, 34% for santorum according to the detroit news, mitt romney at 30% about a week and a half outside

of this primary race. troubling sign for the romney campaign, banking on some home field advantage given romney's history in the state, his father served as governor. romney is ruling out the possibility he could possibly lose michigan, the primary just 11 days away now. >> you remain right there. what is slowing you from seizing that momentum? three polls today show you losing michigan. >> well, than won't happen. but -- and as you understand with the polling process, you have seen just how mercurial the sentiments of voters are until they get to know the candidates better. first it was me against donald trump, then me against michele bachmann, then herman cain, rick perry, and then me against newt gingrich, and now it seems to be

me against rick santorum. >> is that a fair assessment lumping in rick santorum with herman cain, michele bachmann, donald trump, in the words, a guy that's going to fall by the wayside. or does he have more staying power? >> i think he has a lot more staying power. he didn't just fade away. he picked his spot, came back and won in early february. minnesota, missouri, colorado. i was struck by that clip is that romney constantly plays political pundit. i don't understand what he's doing, he's almost bragging about being the silver medallist. i don't know what that's about. >> here's my question, which i really believe he's going to lose michigan. >> romney's going to lose? >> yeah, romney's going to lose michigan. and how do you ever in a general election win when you can't even against a very extreme candidate in michigan in that state, win, how are you going to carry any swing states after that? i think this could be the end of his candidacy if he loses in michigan. >> not going to be the end. it's a long race, a delegate's

race. romney can bounce back if he stumbles in michigan, come back in ohio, he's still in the hunt. >> it's the al gore question. if you can't win your own state, can you win a general election? >> sam, i know nothing about what's going on in michigan. i haven't been there since a tigers game. >> at least he's honest. >> but instinct would tell me that one of the more significant numbers in the michigan primary might be the profit number registered yesterday by general motors. >> yeah. you have suburban detroit filled with autoworkers now working who weren't working three or four years ago and now they're working for a company that looks as if it's goinging to succeed and clearly prosper. and romney has this convoluted explanation as why he opposed the bailout. >> yeah, and i think one of the real questions is how much the auto bailout is a nonpartisan issue and how much support for the uaw is a nonpartisan issue in michigan. clearly romney's on a different

page and script than governor rick snyder, and he's having trouble explaining the various positions on that auto bailout. that might work well and good in the context of any other state in any other republican primary because you can be anti-government bailout or opposed to the unions, but in michigan, it's very difficult. it's very difficult and you have to tailor appeals to what is largely a successful story. >> obviously the auto industry is a huge issue in the state. voters, romney opposed government loans to save those automakers. rick santorum says that's about the only bailout that romney opposed. >> governor romney supported the bailout of wall street and decided not to support the bailout of detroit. my feeling was that we should not support the -- the government should not be involved in bailouts period. i think that's a much more consistent position. it's one that if you look at what happened with -- and by the way, it's not the obama

administration. i know that governor romney focused on the obama administration and that's the reason he does because he supported what the bush administration did. i didn't. >> we talk about the chris matthews question of politics, is the guy one of us? voters look at a guy, is he one of us? there's a lot of people in michigan and look at rick santorum and say that guy 's on of us in a way that mitt romney isn't. >> and there's a difference between running for office and being in office. seems mitt romney's much more comfortable in being in office phase and not as comfortable as running for the position phase. there's another important number we shouldn't forget in this one too, and that's $2 million, the amount of money that mitt romney is currently pumping into michigan in terms of ads he's putting together. it's not even pro-romney ads, these are anti-rick santorum ads while santorum is putting in $45,000 against $2 million. while this is embarrassing for mitt romney, it's particularly a situation if he loses.

not only does it debunked the n inevitability argument, but just because he has more money than anyone else, that means -- >> santorum's top backers are throwing much more money into michigan, looks like they're putting their chips in there. the disparity is now about three to one which is still a disparity, and you still have what you talk about which is a narrative that the only way mitt romney wins is basically by taking a sledge hammer and beating the hell out of his opponent. >> i think the sledge hammer does not have the same weight. and i'm going to go back to that ad that santorum broke with romney. i think people are kind of turned off to it. oh, he's going to do the gingrich thing, he's going to bury him. i think there's a bit of a shield up with voters. they kind of get that those negative ads, although very effective are kind of the sea of just blur out there, and also to your point about personal, and on chris' show last night, i

forgot who said it. you're inviting them in your home for breakfast, for dinner, and the more ads you see with romney or the more clips we show on tv, do people want to live with this guy for the next four years? and the answer is just no. you just see it. it's there. and we have not elected, i think at least since bush sr. a president that did not have real blood through his veins. >> where are you going with this? >> with the right height. >> is michigan different than florida? is donny right? mitt romney used money to vaporize newt gingrich who had momentum coming out of south carolina and destroyed him in the state of florida. can he do that to santorum now over the next 11 days in michigan? >> to a certain extent, but santorum is having his super pac going up on the air waves. michigan's a lot different than florida because florida's a pure air war, big media markets, ten media markets, you have to be on tv there. santorum can go to detroit like

he did yesterday, have a great message on manufacturing and catch on, maybe not compete as much on the air, but he will be able to resinate and really have some fire, i think, in michigan in a way you couldn't in florida if you don't have the money in the bank. >> mike, i want to ask you about the massachusetts senate race, the race that will get the most attention out of all of these. new poll shows republican senator scott brown with a nine-point lead now over elizabeth warren, the democratic contender. it's a suffolk university poll, 49%, warren at 40%, this is different from the poll earlier this week that had them in a statistical tie. mike, where's the energy in massachusetts right now? >> well, it's probably getting ready for spring training. pitchers and catchers this weekend -- >> we didn't ask about your energy. >> poll in that race at this stage is kind of meaningless. kind of gives you an outline. i think it's going to end up being a close race, two pretty good candidates, they'll both be

well-funded. elizabeth warren is really a good candidate. she -- >> they both are. >> a very strong candidate. and again, it's easy to misread massachusetts from the outside. massachusetts liberal, far left state, it's not as liberal as people think. and she gets out beyond the beltway, 128 in massachusetts, out into central massachusetts where foreclosures are a big problem, where credit is a big problem, she's got strength as a candidate. scott brown is the flip side of mitt romney. people like him. >> and sort of, isn't the elephant in the room that female candidates in massachusetts have a terrible history of statewide election. just a terrible history. >> they do because there has not been great candidates. >> martha coakley -- >> elizabeth is really a great candidate. >> scott brown's a great candidate. i spent two weeks on the trail in 2010, he has that touch, he can connect with people. >> yes, he can. >> speaking of great candidates,

can we talk about our good friend andrea mitchell yesterday? and his take on contraception, the old aspirin between the knees and to me how that's going to live with santorum. i keep going back and forth with romney and santorum. what do you do with either of these guys? >> santorum? >> it's his guy. >> that's the thing -- >> it's his guy, you know. >> left-wingers. >> here's why it's going to affect santorum. it's because not only was that one comment disturbing, the entire interview was odd. and the thing is -- the entire thing. i mean literally -- >> we're going to see it. >> rick santorum and his position on contraception. >> it was unreal. >> he's the money man, what do you want from him? >> it was one of the scary things about the introduction of the super pacs. the fact that because he's one of the people that's keeping the campaign going, you know he's going to have access, hooest

going he's going to have the candidate's ear. >> is foster frieze a made up name? >> no. >> this is foster frieze, big money man behind rick santorum on "andrea mitchell reports" yesterday talking about contraception. >> people seem to be so preoccupied with sex. i think it says something about our culture. we maybe need a massive therapy session so we can concentrate on the real issues. this contraceptive thing, my gosh, it's such inexpensive. back in my days they used aspirin for contraception, the gals put it between their knees and it wasn't that costly. >> excuse me, i'm just trying to catch my breath from that, mr. frieze. >> i'm not going to be responsible for everybody who -- anybody, any supporter of mine, what they say. i'm not going to play that game. foster is known in political circles as telling a lot of jokes and some of them are not particularly funny, which this

was one not. he's not creepy, he's a good man, a great philanthropist, he told a bad, off-color joke, shouldn't have done it, but that's his business, it certainly doesn't, in my opinion, reflect on the campaign or me because he wasn't doing it as part of our campaign. >> any day where you have to go on tv and declare your chief supporter is not creepy is a bad day in my estimation. >> i want to go to a dinner party with shelly adelson, this guy, the main super pac guys are creepy -- koch. >> there have been calls for resignations and everything else over this. trust me, it was a terrible joke and it shouldn't have been made. wasn't he making a joke? wasn't the old guy using the term gal and an old guy telling a bad joke from a bygone era? was it anything more than that? >> well, it's bad, it reflects on santorum's campaign he

doesn't have a disciplined message and what a lot of conservatives have concerns about him. he's not disciplined, letting these guys go out there and say anything. >> all right. we want to get to really sad news we learned last night from the "new york times." the two-time prize-winning journalist anthony shadid who is overseas reporting died yesterday of an asthma attack while covering the conflict in syria for "the times." he'd been in the country for about a week reporting on the crackdown against opposition forces. the assignment embodied his storied career of challenging and dangerous work from the streets of iraq to the arab spring uprisings in tunisia. he survived a bullet wound years back and a week-long kidnapping in libya just last year. he described that for us when he joined us on "morning joe" last april. >> i remember listening to the people speaking arabic and the one man did say shoot them. and it felt like a minute to me

elapsed, but it was probably a matter of seconds and as you pointed out, his colleague pointed out, you can't, they're americans. i dwelled on that idea why that would have necessarily saved us. the only thing i could gather is we were somehow worth something to them. to me one of the more disturbing moments was getting interrogated by our captors. he was asking me, who you are, where did you come from? he had no idea who we were, where we came from, and i went back to that jail cell and i said no one knows where we are. >> that was anthony shadid on april 1st with us last year on "morning joe." in a letter to the newsroom, "new york times" executive editor wrote, anthony died as he lived, determined to bear wnbc to the transformation sweeping the middle east and testify to the suffering of people caught between government oppression and opposition forces. shadid's body, the "new york times" reports, was carried

across the border into turkey by "times" photographer taylor hicks. shadid leaves behind a wife and two children. he was just 43 years old. mike barnicle, anthony worked at the "boston globe" and you knew him. >> i think it's important for people out there who watch programs like this who consume news to understand a couple of things about anthony shadid. and the anthony shadids of this world. anthony shadid was a reporter. he didn't tweet. he didn't blog. he didn't sit at home and opinionate about things he saw. he was in the field. he talked to real people. he reported on real situations in places consumed by violence, like libya, like egypt. like the entire middle east. and he gave through his eyes a reflection of what he saw and what he heard. and the distinction between tweeting and blogging that consumes so many of us today is

this. when anthony shadid was in the field, he would think about what he saw and what he heard before he wrote for the "new york times" or the washington post or the "boston globe," and that's a huge different, that's one of the differences that we all regret seeing being diminished in news gathering. sam stein looks at people that he talks to before he reports too, in the united states senate and congress. reporters report, tweeters tweet, bloggers blog, anthony shadid was a giant. >> amen. amen. >> public servants -- >> universally respected. richard engel said what a horrible tragedy, a great man, a great reporter, and a great friend to many of us. we send our condolences to the shadid family and also to the "new york times" family. coming up, we'll talk to

michigan governor, our friend lawrence o'donnell will join the conversation, as well. and up next, mike allen with the top stories in the politico playbook, plus the week in review. but first, bill karins with a check on the weekend forecast. two days ago i said there was about a 20% chance of a nor'easter coming up into new england with a big snowstorm. that chance is down to about zero. the storm's going to pass to the south, still going to be a big storm, just not going to affect anyone north of areas of new york city. let's me break it down for you the weekend forecast. first things first, the storm is forming, already bringing heavy rains into texas. this is going to continue today and tomorrow. we're expecting 2 to 3 inches of rain from louisiana all the way in through areas of georgia. so it's going to be a big, huge rain event. but once again, not going to come up the east coast. the best chance of seeing any snow won't be today, won't be until saturday night to the mountains of tennessee could get some, also there in west virginia and virginia. and then by sunday as the storm

heads off the eastern sea board, we could see the storm mixing in. d.c., richmond, and central virginia. we'll watch the mid-atlantic, maybe a little bit of snow into presidents day. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. ♪ they see me rollin'

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♪ welcome back to "morning joe," it's 6:25 in the morning. we're going to take a look at the morning papers. the "wall street journal," which is made of trees is one of the many companies bypassing privacy settings on apple products in order to track web browsing habits of individuals. the they say the accusations are false. "new york times," new york state is one step closer to keeping $700 million in federal education funding.

the state's teachers union reached an agreement on a new evaluation process just hours before governor cuomo's deadline. the governor says he was prepared to enact his own system if the compromise wasn't reached. turning now to our parade of papers. the new jersey star ledger while the threat of governor chris christie's veto looms, the new jersey assembly passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. currently seven states allow gay couples to legally wed. governor christie has been clear he'll veto that bill. with us now, the chief white house correspondent for "politico" mr. mike allen with a look at the playbook. >> well, there was a special request for this on twitter, so happy friday. >> there it is. happy friday. by the way, i should point out on that new jersey story, governor christie wants a statewide referendum to be held on gay marriage. mike, politico on the degree of involvement the speaker of the house had in getting this tax

cut deal done. >> yeah, well, willie, there's going to be a vote on this in the house and senate later today probably starting around lunchtime, and two fascinating things about this package includes both extends the payroll tax and extends unemployment benefits. one, it's not being done at the last second. 11 whole days until this tax cut would've expired, which in this cliff hanger congress is an eternity. second, this was negotiated the old fashioned way. it was done behind the scenes in conference rooms as this story by jake sherman points out in the conference room where on the big-screen tv late night there was a basketball game where they talked through how much they were going to get from selling off spectrum. so the house leadership learned from some of the earlier disasters. this was not negotiated in the white house briefing room or with shouting at both ends of pennsylvania avenue. they did it quietly, worked it out between the two sides including as you point out with the leadership aides.

>> what was the calculation? what can you add to what mike said there? >> well, one of the great underlying questions is how much control boehner's always had over the tea party faction of his caucus. and what you saw in late december, is a huge chunk wanted to basically do brinksmanship if not blow through the deadline. i'm curious of what mike's hearing, but the control boehner's exerting over that faction has to be in terms of the hit to popularity at that time. and i'm wondering why it is he's essentially able to have more control now when the stakes are basically identical. you're having the expiration of payroll tax cut, people are still upset that it dips from the social security fund and upset it costs that much money. >> well, sam, you put your finger right on it. and that is they saw the terrible price they were paying for this, even the tea party members could see the price they were paying. that when you're in power, whether you're president obama, whether you're speaker boehner, or the mouhouse majority of

republicans and washington is not working if washington is frozen. it's bad for you and they saw that going into the november elections. >> and a deal today with 11 days to spare. unbelievable. mike allen, before we let you go, handicapping, 11 days before michigan, the new poll showing romney and santorum neck and neck. where does that break? >> every poll is not wrong, every poll has had rick santorum a couple points ahead, but -- and now here's our cliff hanger, there's a debate next week that could change everything. >> that's right. wednesday night. >> i love debates. >> thank you. >> so do we. >> mike allen, thank you. coming up, david gregory also eugene robinson. >> he's the right height. >> everyone wants a piece of the lin-sanity these days, even how sarah palin has managed to get a little bit of the jeremy lin magic. sports is next.

[ tom ] we invented the turbine business right here in schenectady. without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines.

it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪ but think about your heart. 2% has over half the saturated fat of whole milk.

want to cut back on fat and not compromise on taste? try smart balance fat free milk. it's what you'd expect from the folks at smart balance.

everybody is talking about new york knicks' point guard jeremy lin.

last night he led the knicks to their seventh straight win. yep, soon he's going to be getting all the benefits of being an nba star. a salary bump, endorsement deal, a kardashian, it'll all come rolling in. >> easy, easy. let's talk a little jeremy lin, shall we? look who's getting a piece of the magic. she's in, she's all-lin, she's pa-lin. sarah palin was in manhattan during a visit yesterday, the former vice presidential candidate showed off her new lin-sanity shirt. she called him a great american success story that is unifying our country. and you can expect to see jeremy lin at the nba all-star weekend. this is how they got him in. to assist his knicks teammate in the slam dunk contest. he's not dunking, he's assisting dunks. he's a late add, we're told to

the rising stars challenge, a game that features rookies against second-year players. and he'll be in the shooting stars competition. they're getting jeremy lin in everywhere they possibly can. can you blame them? >> this is an amazing story. last night on "ed show," he was carrying on, msg run a promo with lin in front of a fortune cookie. i'm curious to see how you feel about that? huh? i missed that. to me, it was just -- i think it's the greatest thing in the world for asian-americans. >> well, this is great for asian-americans, the story, perhaps not that fortune cookie. >> but i mean -- i'm curious where you come out on that. >> here's what i think, don't overthink the story. just enjoy it. >> i hear you. i hear you. >> please. >> because it ain't going to last. i'm sorry. i can never remember anything. every person you see on the street. i go back the other day, this

brings the 1% and the 99% together. i can't remember a better story in new york city. >> and it's nice for you to be able to visit the 99% once in a while, donny, talk about the knicks. >> i'm mr. 99%. >> when you put down the window in your limbo in the backseat, can you hear the people talking about lin as you stop at the stoplights and everything like that? >> screaming in my ear. >> we're talking about one budding new york legend, another one died yesterday, gary carter nine months after being diagnosed with a brain tumor passed away yesterday. the kid as he was known for his youthful enthusiasm. the one he kept even as a veteran player, played 19 years in the major leagues with the montreal expos, and the three-time golden glove winner helped the mets win the world series in 1986. and this yankee fan would love to point in time oout that he se

game with a two-out base hit, the sox were two strikes away from the first world series in a long time. and that man, that hero started a rally that was followed by -- what did it go? was it ray knight, kevin mitchell? was that the order? >> yes. >> and mitchell scores from third on the pass ball. >> what happened at first base? what a sad story. >> gary carter, great guy. >> that was game six, it was a rainout the next day, game seven was two days later, and it's always with some trepidation you go around, at least, i wasn't a sports reporter, but i would dabble writing about sports, especially baseball. and i approached him about two hours before game seven around the batting cage and you could not meet a nicer human being. happened to be a major league baseball player, but a terrific human being. generous with his time and insightful. a good guy. >> and he was only 57 years old. >> tragedy. up next, mika sends us her

must-read opinion pages. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. when i grow up,

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what they're quietly doing, the republicans and the tea party, they're quietly looking for somebody who is not mitt romney. the guy has been the front-runner, more or less for the last eight months, but yet they don't want him to be the candidate so they're looking for somebody who is not mitt romney. well, with that in mind, tonight we've put together a segment called "people who are not mitt romney." i hope you enjoy that. here we go.

the late charlie callas. >> well, this time -- thanks for watching "people who are not mitt romney." >> thank you very much. >> only letterman could get away with that. >> somehow funny. welcome back to "morning joe," it's 5:42 in the morning, cool shot of the capitol, sam stein spends a lot of his time. >> yeah. >> let's get into the must-read opinion pages. joe and mika off today -- >> she just sent them in. >> what did she send us? >> moochers against welfare. the truth, of course, is, mr. krugman writes that the vast bulk of entitlement spending goes to the elderly, the disabled and working families. so any significant cuts would have to fall largely on people who believe they don't use any

government program. the message i take from all this, mr. krugman points out is that pundits who describe america as a fundamentally conservative country are wrong. yes, voters sent some severe conservatives to washington, but those voters would be shocked and angry if such politicians imposed their small-government agenda. wes moore, there's a certain truth to that especially if you go to some of the larger, more conservative rallies and see the number of people who are on some form of government assistance. >> whether it be social security, medicare, medicaid, veterans benefits. but you know, it also really calls into question this larger idea of identity and who we are as a country. and are we willing to step up for the most vulnerable? for all those who need assistance? and having this whole debate about large government, small government, you know, it's not about either of the two. it really is about how do we make government work? and how do we come up with a system that really does believe in this idea of american promise for everybody? and for those who need support

and help, it's not about having consistent support system. it's about providing that opportunity for a sense of humanity in all of this. >> bob costa, paul krugman says those who say we are fundamentally conservative country are wrong. what's your take? >> he's making a good point. if conservatives are going to articulate a platform for entitlement reform, they better back it up. i think this election is going to be a major test. going to have that paul ryan line, talking about reforming social security and medicaid, if they believe in it, they should do it, but this election will be a test to see if they can back up with they say. >> is this a center right country as we hear so often? >> i think it is a center right country, at least from what i see as a reporter out on the trail. this is a conservative country, but krugman writes having an electorate that is more tethered to the federal government. i think the values are more conservative, but in a fiscal way it is probably getting closer to the federal government than a lot of the conservatives like to admit.

>> wes? center right? >> i don't know if i think this country is center right. i think this country believes in the long-term hope and financial stability and safety of the country. so in that way, i think you might have some right tendencies. i think what this country is. when you think about the idea that this country is built on a promise of -- the aspiration of america is this idea that everyone has an opportunity, the idea that everyone should have a shot. the idea that everyone should have that basic platform. i don't see how we would call this country center right. if anything, i think this country is more of a progressive country, particularly when you think of how the world has followed america's lead. >> i want to ask mike a question because you're the oldest guy by far. >> not even close. >> this is terrible. >> what's really sobering to me when we talk about fair play in this country, most of the 1% that i know in their deepest recess of their heart don't want to share it, they don't. >> really? >> yeah, i really -- i really -- >> you're hanging around with the wrong people. >> no, i think if you went

across the country, i do think there is a divide that at the end of the day they're voting what's going to affect my taxes. and i wish it was different, but the more wealthy people i know, that tends to be the rule and not the exception. >> i'm serious, i think you know too many of the wrong kind of wealthy people. because i think if you give -- i think if you give a tight shake, you know, to the wealthiest people, to the 1% of this country and eliminate the thanks, dad, generation amongst them, thanks, dad, for what you gave me, i never had to work for a living, and take a look at the bulk of the 1% as well as the 99% and all realize because they've lived it because this is a country built on two things, opportunity and achievement. >> yes, in the abstract, oh, yes. but now when it comes down, do i want to give a dollar out of my pocket to somebody else that needs it? are they for achievement or opportunity on their own terms? i wish it was right, i hope you're right. i just don't know.

>> i think we all know people who want to saw the ladder off once they get to the top rungs, we all know people like that. >> no, i hope you're right. i hope you're right. >> and to mike's point, it's not about there's not a willingness to help others, i think the question that some have, is my money being used wisely? i think that's probably the larger question, but i don't think it's more so that i don't want to help others. >> but it comes down to a simple term, if you in a real poll that was -- you know, going to the head poll, 1%, do you really think you should pay more taxes? would they say yes or no? >> let me ask the kids here, bob and sam. when you're out there reporting, in primary states and you've been in primary states, don't you find out that one of the scratches that people -- one of the sores that people scratch constantly is not the amount of taxes they pay, but the bang for the buck they feel they're not getting. >> yeah, if they -- if there's a

policy that works and they think it works, then, yes, of course they're going to support it. my point and to bring it back to krugman's column. we talk about 1%, 99%, a lot of people don't recognize the benefits they get from government help. and there's a great "new york times" story about how some of the some more conservative members of society were taking advantage of these government services they recognize but ultimately would vote against out of ideological interests. and part of the problem for progressives and democratic lea makers lawmakers is articulating to these people why it's worth the expenditure. >> if you've got 100 people and loaned them $1 million and said, okay, you're going to have to pay another $60,000 a year out of your pocket, 90 out of 100 -- >> the very, very, very rich, the .001% are all for paying taxes -- >> exactly. >> but in terms of wall street and people who are in the 1%, they vote narrowly on their

own -- >> that's where the rubber hits the road. everything else is discussion. >> the larger point they don't care about helping people, that's not -- >> no, what i'm saying, do we share, do we really even out the playing field? now when push comes to shove, you are going to have $50,000 less. it's the division of the tax revenues. >> willie is right about one thing. >> right versus left, because a lot of the guys on wall street are actually liberal about social issues and fiscal issues. >> and a lot of these guys are giving tons of money to education and all kinds. go look at -- >> .01%. >> bob, go ahead. >> look, this is a capitalist country, and how you believe in america and whether you want to support people isn't always reflected just in what you pay in taxes. it's reflected in a lot more ways. these guys are philanthropists, it's not just a tax argument. all right. up next, the week in review.

we'll be right back.

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oh, yes. is it time? >> it is time, pre-recorded mika. now it's time for the "week in review." >> i'm just delighted to be back in michigan to see some old friends. >> at number three, coming home. >> to visit old high school -- we lived across the hall from

each other. chuck and others from grand rapids. >> native son mitt romney along with chuck and the gang from grand rapids was in michigan this week fighting for votes. >> i love this state. it seems right here, trees are the right height, i love seeing the lakes, i love cars. >> and revealing he was a straight-up playa back in the day. >> any old girlfriends here? i have to be careful. anne's not here today. don't tell. >> rick santorum, meanwhile, created a character named rombo who uses a mud-slinging machine gun to shoot cardboard cutouts of presidential candidates inside abandoned loft spaces. >> this time romney's firing his mud at rick santorum. >> santorum also reminded the good people of north dakota that there's a pretty good chance al qaeda is coming for them. >> do you think, well, we're up here in northwest north dakota, no one's going to bother us. folks, you've got energy here, they're going to bother you. >> more alarming was a threat

from rick perry. >> he may run again. >> absolutely. it was great practice for -- >> for 2016. >> could be. >> at number two, the queen bee. >> what's my real name? >> i know that, kimberly jones. >> there you go! there it is. >> okay. >> a trusted news man spent an unlikely evening this week with lil' kim stoking a hip-hop beef about which he knew nothing. >> what do you think of nicki minaj's performance? >> who? >> groping him. >> that's a full grope. >> and finishing the night by doing a group shot of whiskey off a ski. >> she did it. lil' kim did it. >> and the number one story of the week -- >> three seconds, lin sizes them up, three, buries it! lin-sanity does it again. >> jeremy lin went from guy who

was thinking about going to business school a couple of weeks ago to this week guy on the cover of sports illustrated for his complete captivation of the country. >> can you believe this is happening to you? >> no. >> the knicks' overnight sensation set off a dangerous and unprecedented arms race of puns. >> lin-sanity. >> lin-sane asylum, baby. >> lin-sanity. >> in inlinity and beyond. >> linsomnia, and lintestinal blockage. >> as a 23-year-old harvard grad, sent tv merchandising through the roof, a harvard grad electrifies crowds in his own way. >> i was born and raised here, i love this state.

trees are the right height. >> there's another guy from my high school and a gal, there's a lot of high schoolers here. >> i love the lakes, something very special here. i love cars. >> any old girlfriends here. anne's not here today. don't tell. >> he's kind of the jeremy lin of politics, right? still ahead, the man who has endorsed mitt romney, another guy who loves cars, michigan governor rick snyder. also lawrence o'donnell with us in the house and on the set. we'll be right back. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550

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welcome back to "morning joe," it's 7:00 in the morning here on the east coast on a friday morning, mike barnicle, sam stein, donny deutsch still with us, and the host of msnbc's "the last word," the great lawrence o'donnell. >> you know who got the last word last night? >> who? >> mr. foster freiss, we booked him for the explanation of what he had to say. >> what was his explanation? >> he thought it was a joke. but i've got to say, i think america was left just as confused after his eight minutes with me. i don't think we cleared anything up. >> did you find talking to him that it was an honest mistake, a bad joke by a guy who doesn't quite understand what he was

saying? or was there something more -- >> didn't understand what he was saying i think applies to most of his answers, actually. he's -- he's quite a guy. >> that was a metaphor, that wasn't a joke. you watched him -- >> i mean -- >> he meant. the answer is close your legs -- >> i have no idea what the language meant at all and then someone said to me, oh, you put -- >> close your legs, yeah. >> what it means is abstinence. >> of course it does, absolutely. >> that didn't even come out when i was talking to him. >> let's watch the clip. this is foster freiss last night with lawrence o'donnell. >> people seem so preoccupied with sex, we maybe need a massive therapy session to we can concentrate on the real issues. and this contraceptive thing, my gosh, it's inexpensive. back in my days they used aspirin for contraception and it wasn't that costly. >> excuse me, i'm just trying to catch my breath from that, mr.

freiss. >> that was -- >> no, that's better. i didn't get anything better than that. and that's always true in comedy. the explanation for the joke is never as good as the joke. >> what did he actually say when -- >> i wish i could repeat it. it's his talk, only he can do that stuff. >> bayer aspirin is a drug -- >> he had some talking points, he actually said some stuff, you know, about santorum policies a little bit. so it was a slightly more polished -- >> but it wasn't even ignorance about abstinence, it was so demeaning about women. i mean, this is just from the clip. and i think andrea's reaction was just brilliant. >> i think it's a name from a batman movie. >> foster freiss. >> let's take a step back and get the barometer about where we are. we're going to talk to the governor of michigan, he's standing by with us. 11 days out, where are we in this race right now?

>> the anyone but romney forces have finally found their anybody it seems like. for santorum to be in this kind of lead in michigan, and against all the money, i've got to say there's something wonderfully encouraging about seeing the money not work. if you could hope for any result in this campaign where the money has gone wilder than ever before with the citizens united decision, the super pacs, what you want to see, i think, without regard to who it affects is the failure of the super pacs. and if the superest of the super pacs can fail, the romney machine, then we have partially perhaps survived something. >> do you agree, lawrence, a point i made about the mud ad, the romney anti-negative ad, i think that's a turning point. i think that is a -- you can point to that and go, you know what? people are going to turn off these negative ads, and i think the more negative ads he runs, it's going to have the reverse gingrich effect and help santorum. >> and it's a liability --

>> it was so brilliant, a brilliant turn. >> doesn't it also have this quality, donny that i haven't seen political advertising frequently have, which is in that ad he's teaching you how to watch all future ads. that's the -- >> it triggers a behavior when you see the ad, you're absolutely right. that's the image, you see the negative ad, you dismiss it. >> very much so. >> let's bring in the governor joining us from ann arbor, michigan, governor rick snyder. thanks for being with us this morning. >> it's great to be with you. >> well, you've said mitt romney understands michigan, that's why you endorsed him. why isn't he doing better right now in the polls? >> well, as you said, there's 11 days to go, so there's still a fair amount of time. the other part to really endorse governor romney, though, he's focused in on jobs. and when you look at michigan, our big issue has been jobs. we've come a long way, 14% unemployment back in 2009. we're at 9.3%, i think that's

what our citizens want to hear about, what are the plans to create more and better jobs? >> were you discouraged months back when governor romney wrote op-eds saying gm and chrysler should be allowed to go bankrupt and manufacturing jobs were gone and never coming back to michigan? >> well, i think too much has been played, it was a crisis. so the way i view that is not quarterbacking, but the main thing is the auto industry is doing really well and i'm very proud of that. it was a big plus for our state, but michigan's doing great across the board with other industries too, and the question citizens are asking, not what happened back then, but what are the candidates going to do to create jobs in the future and bring down that unemployment rate a lot more? >> hey, governor, you're there, obviously, we're not. you live there, we don't. you're in the business of politics and getting elected, we're not. there are a lot of numbers being thrown around about the michigan primary in different polls. but the number that came out yesterday, general motors'

record profits, putting that company not only back on its feet but standing up straight with a spine of steel. take us to places like flint or the suburbs of detroit where people who once were not working for general motors are back at work now with the promise of really working well into the future, into the foreseeable future. what does that number do to people who now realize that mitt romney wasn't exactly a solid champion of the government bailout of general motors. >> well, i'm not sure they're going back to those days as much as it's good to be working again. that's the main issue and that's the great thing in michigan. people get excited about the bonus checks and what that does to the whole economy. that gets to retail and other parts of the business world. it's getting us back on a positive track. we'd been in a hole for a whole decade.

we were turning around michigan, we dealt with a budget deficit, paying down liabilities, solving all the problems washington's not. a big question's being asked by our citizens is who can we get in washington to address the same problems that we're taking care of here and show leadership for the future? because if anything, it's the things going on in washington that's holding michigan back right now. >> sam stein? >> two-part question, governor, why shouldn't we look back at that episode as a way to sort of instruct our opinions of someone going forward? it obviously is a case of philosophy and governance and i think it's a very valid way to judge somebody because it creates contrast between the president and mitt romney. second question is, going forward, should the treasury department sell its shares in these auto companies at a loss of $14 billion. that's what governor romney advocate they do over time, but it would be as i mentioned a pretty big loss for treasury. >> yeah, well, a couple of things. if you go back to the situation, there were other options, and he

talked about a managed bankruptcy versus what was done. as a practical matter, there's a reasonable set of solutions that any one of them might have worked. the one that did work. and it was a unique situation, the way i've viewed it and what i've said is if it was one company and you were simply talking bankruptcy, the normal process should've worked. but two major companies that it was not just about the two companies, it was about the entire supply chain and that was the challenge in this particular case. and the main thing is it did get resolved. and with respect to owning stock, that represents one of the challenges. being part of a shareholder base in the traditional sense. at some point they should liquidate their interest. and should they sell or should they hold? again, that's not a strong suit for the government. winners and losers in the stock market isn't what government should be doing. the role here in michigan for state government is to create an environment that allows job creation to happen. our goal isn't to create the job, but make a great

environment where people, companies can succeed and hire lots of people. that's what government should stay focused on. >> picking up on sam's point, the reason to look back ward, it probably is the fundamental example of more government versus less government when government plays an active, successful role in industry and clearly they did there. my question, you mentioned the word jobs, we could say we're for more jobs. can you specifically tell me what mitt romney has suggested to create more jobs in this country? >> well, he's got a good jobs and economic plan. and that's what i focused on. >> what is it? >> well, two or three things and that's what we're doing in michigan are same some of the kind of things, tax reform. broaden the base, simple and efficient tax system, regulatory reform, we've massively changed our environment here in michigan. we're getting rid of six regulations for every one we're adding. and that helps the business

climate. and the important one he talks about is human capital. talent is what i like to call it. and really, we have 76,000 open jobs in michigan, even with the unemployment rate, we could bring it down by a couple percentage points and he talks about how we need to better connect people with those jobs. >> what does that mean? connect people with jobs. what does that -- that's an abstract term. say to me, okay, he believes investing, he's going to spend $10 billion on infrastructure and that's going to create 300,000 jobs and that's going to do this. this is what i never get from any of these guys. >> well, what i'd say is i'll give you a tangible response to that and that's what we're doing in michigan and that's why i believe we're a good partner in terms of working with governor romney on this. we created a website called amitalent.org. and it's more than a job site, it's a career site and it's how you do that connection. and the best part is, it wasn't spending billions of dollars. the solution of government is

not to spend more, to show a great return for the dollars we have and we did that for about $500,000, and it's going to continue to cause employment to happen. >> what kind of jobs are you talking about? 76,000 jobs, what kind of jobs are they? >> well, these are good jobs. the top one's nurses. many of these are fairly high-paying jobs. i'm an accountant by training, number four on the list is accountant. these are not burger flipper jobs, these are good, solid jobs that have a career path. >> are you glad that barack obama was president when the auto industry needed help from washington? >> well, again, i think the situation would've gotten resolved. and the main thing, we're moving forward and getting the job done. it's great to see the auto industry, but people look at michigan, we actually have a broad-based recovery going. other manufacturing. so auto, i'm a huge supporter

of. it's a lot more than that. by getting back to the basics of good government, common sense government, and we need that in washington. >> and governor, how long do you think it'll take for the snyder surge to occur for the romney campaign now that you've endorsed him. what you would be looking for in the polls on monday. >> well, yeah, and if polls don't say anything that quickly. i lived through the polls. i was in the margin of error when i started my campaign being new to the political world. the main thing is, people start focusing on the jobs question. and that's what matters. the number one issue is jobs followed by a future for our kids. and they'll see governor romney's got a good plan, great plan we should be moving forward with. >> before we let you go, we've been watching this clip all morning of mitt romney talking about his love for trees, lakes and cars. what is, donny wants to know, the perfect height for a michigan tree. because governor romney says the trees there are just the right

height. >> well, we have so many great trees. this is great state. >> the plot thickens. >> i think you should come visit. >> absolutely. >> come in person. and we'd be happy to have you invest in michigan. >> we will be there. look forward to seeing the lakes, the trees, and the cars. governor rick snyder, we appreciate it. >> i don't know where you go with that one. >> we've got to find out the rest of this story, 76,000 jobs, good jobs, nurses -- >> well, look, there is no unemployment rate in nursing, there never is. of course there are jobbing that are available in different places for which we don't have workers who have the qualifications to fill them. the issue is what jobs do you have for the people who are currently unemployed? >> it's too bad he couldn't just say yes to your question. he's probably like, yeah -- >> well, i think his view is that whoever was president -- >> that's not his view, he knows, he knows there would have been a tremendous collapse if romney had allowed those

companies go into bankruptcy. he can't say it. >> it was -- >> all you can do is throw him the question. >> there's also the thinking that mitt romney would've done the same thing. >> that's what i'm saying. romney says that now, but if -- >> what he believes is, don't worry, romney would've done what barack obama did. >> was there any other alternative rather than basically losing -- >> there was no private sector alternative. >> this was right after lehman collapsed. >> it's very popular in michigan. and among independents. >> and some republicans too. >> all right. alex is screaming at me to go to break. >> no, we don't cut off donny deutsch. how does romney come back from losing michigan, which he will? >> i don't see how he can do it. i think what's caught up with him is -- this is, mitt romney is the single most cynical presidential candidacy we have ever seen, ever. >> wow. >> this is a guy who said i want to be president, so the first thing i'm going to run for senate in massachusetts, i have

to run against teddy kennedy, maybe i'll try to run to his left, no one's tried that. then i'm going to run for governor, i'll say whatever i have to do to be governor of massachusetts. i don't believe anything so i'll say whatever i have to do. now it's time to run for president, the problem is i said all those things, i'll say whatever they want to hear now. we have never seen such an empty, cynical candidacy in the history of presidential campaigning and this is how far it gets. can it get all the way to the republican nomination? it's starting to look like maybe it won't. >> and your question about jobs? governor romney has a 59-point plan, i'll get you a copy. the politics of contraception. elijah cummings weighs in on the birth control controversy of capitol hill. david gregory, also eugene robinson, but first bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill? >> weekend forecast time, willie, our favorite forecast, but before we get to that, fog

to deal with this morning, especially through the carolinas. d.c. was very foggy, but now we're looking a little bit better there. maybe small airport delays, but a fantastic afternoon in the mid-atlantic. we have rain in texas right now, the southeast is going to get drenched throughout saturday and sunday. we will be watching closely what happens with that storm. we could get some snow in areas of tennessee including the nashville and asheville area of north carolina and virginia. d.c. has a chance for a little bit of snow on the tail end of this storm. this will not be a nor'easter for new york city or philadelphia. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. ♪ that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight,

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♪ i grew up in michigan. it was exciting to be here. i remember going to the detroit auto show with my dad. that was a big deal. people here in detroit are distressed. i want to make michigan stronger and better. michigan's been my home and this is personal. >> wow. what a powerful and emotional way to connect to your hometown.

of course like all things romney, there are some caviares, i'm sorry, caveats. as i turned out the photo in the ad is actually him and his dad at the 1964 new york world's fair. which apparently in romney's mind took place in queens, michigan, and the american car he's driving around is a chr chrysler 300 manufactured in canada. and he wasn't actually driving, he was, himself, being driven. >> welcome back to "morning joe," here with us now, moderator of "meet the press" david gregory. >> i love trees, lakes, cars, and david gregory. >> how high can the trees be? >> because we have some trees in santa monica, palm trees that are so high, romney would hate them. hate them. >> i think there's a logic to it. a tree can be too high, so mitt likes to sun himself or too low so the neighbors can look in.

that's what he was talking about -- >> he feels like he's at home. everything's familiar to him. eugene robinson, our good friend with david gregory. david, let's begin with you. lawrence just made the point that mitt romney is the most cynical presidential candidate we've ever had. i won't ask you to agree or disagree, but can you assess where we are in this race in michigan right now and how we got here? >> i talked to a republican this week who said the last thing that mitt romney wanted was to be in an ideological contest someone that conservatives view as a plausible commander in chief. you may believe about rick santorum those watching this that he is an ineffective candidate as a general election candidate. but i think a lot of conservatives who are showing up to primaries and caucuses and the evidence for this is how many he's actually won view him as, a, running a conservative primary campaign which romney appears to not be doing, and b, he is a plausible candidate. says what he believes, you know,

does a lot of interviews, can take a punch, and is passionate about standing up for issues that he cares deeply about, even when they cause some anxiety within the republican party. you put all that together and combine it with the fact that the inevitability of the romney campaign, which was really the big deal in all of these contests so far, who can beat president obama is slipping away. and i think that explains where we are in michigan. mike? >> yeah, actually, david, i was going to ask you to spell that out even further among the republicans you speak with. this sense of inevitability. of all the candidates in the republican primary, governor romney is the guy who can beat barack obama in the fall. what happens if on the wednesday morning after the michigan primary he has lost michigan. does that disappear? >> maybe not completely disappear, but i think it becomes a sea change in the race

for all of the reasons you've been talking about michigan and his ties to michigan. it's where romney launched his campaign four years ago. he beats john mccain in the state of the primary four years ago. it is a significant fire wall. now, in fairness to romney, he's won all the fire walls so far. so when he's been pushed up against a wall, he's won, he showed he's still out there, he's still alive. but you know, i've been doing some -- excuse me, research on this with my team going back to 2002. one of the things that mitt romney as a candidate was talking about there was defining himself for voters, doing a better job of that because he was worried about being defined by his opposition. that was a decade ago. and that's part of the connection problem he's having right now. and part of the other side to lawrence's point. if you look at his biography, political biography, professional biography, his values as a person, i'm talking about mitt romney here, there's every reason to believe that he's highly qualified to be president of the united states.

and yet his big problem is how he's being defined by others, how he's not defining himself in this race. >> yeah, he's doing a lot of the defining himself too. gene robinson, your piece is about china. it gets to what we're talking about today. china's a one-party state, that doesn't mean there's no debate about the country's direction. likely to keep the country on the path of free market growth, there are also internal disagreements about how aggressive china should be in asserting influence. addressing the environmental costs will be the tasks of the incoming leadership. china's record on human rights and political openness are still abysmal. chinese leaders are at least grappling with them in a serious manner. but are we here in the united states? you also get to mitt romney there. tell us more about your piece today. >> well, i went to the luncheon -- the chinese vice president xi here in washington last week. one of the people i ran into was

jon huntsman, former ambassador to china. it was impressive. this is a guy elevated to the presidency and to the leadership of the communist party later this year and the second step in 2013. and you got a sense, china's rise really -- the importance for this country and the world can be overstated, i think. and so we're having a presidential campaign and the -- so far leading republican candidate, you know, ends a stump speech by quoting america the beautiful, that's not going to get it. that's not what we need to be talking about. we need to be specific like donny deutsch said earlier. we need to look toward a future in which we can be competitive. but, willie, can i just jump in for a quick minute? >> please. >> on the romney situation. i'm surprised to hear all of you guys betting against cynicism in politics. how could this be? >> we're not betting much.

>> i don't count him out even if he loses michigan. i think you could argue his narrative can be if he loses michigan is because of this dance on the bailout, which he can portray as a principled stand, and in other states, and as deep throat famously never said, follow the money. until the money and some of the establishment support starts swaying to santorum, i don't think i'm putting much money against santorum. >> let's remember, if he does lose michigan, he'll have lost it to a candidate who also opposed the auto bailout. >> that's true. that is true. yes. there's something about a son of michigan, though, a guy who knows how tall the michigan trees ought to be and opposing the auto bailout. the guy whose father was president of american motors, that's treason.

>> wes moore? >> can i add something here? >> sure. >> i think it's very important. as difficult as it's been for all of us analyzing this to get this race right before we count people in or out. i was talking to people this week and was reminded of the metamorphosis that happened in the '92 campaign by one bill clinton who had problems connecting, had an image of being slick willie and became the man from hope, arkansas, and rode that all the way to the presidency. so it's a question. i don't have the answer, but it's a question as to whether in the course of a difficult primary campaign romney is able to, you know, to sort of find his identity as a candidate in a way he can become more personal, can connect better, he can, in some ways persuade conservatives that, look, i do have a belief system here about government having been in government that i will bring to the white house. and then once he -- if he can become the nominee becomes very well positioned as frankly a

more centerist candidate. if you look at voting groups, and lawrence knows about this, you think about the professional class voter. $100,000 plus highly educated voter who broke strongly for president obama would be incl e inclined to vote for mitt romney. gives him a real advantage. >> wes moore? >> i have a quick question for david and one for gene. how much does margin of victory matter for mitt romney in michigan? let's say mitt romney does pull off michigan. if it's by a small margin or large margin, how much will that change the narrative if at all? and gene, back to your china comment. we watched the elevation of xi and the leadership very closely, how much are they watching this primary process? particularly on the heels of a lot of the comments that mitt romney has made about china thus far in this campaign? >> i think just to answer your question, i think a win is a win

in michigan. there maybe talk about who gets more delegates. a win is a win for romney at this point. they're going into super tuesday and if you have a win, it catapults you into super tuesday. >> just to quickly answer your question, i was in china a couple months ago, they're listening closely to all of the china bashing they hear from everywhere along the spectrum and they're very sophisticated in the way they hear that. they understand it's an election year and they understand that a certain amount of bashing is inevitably going to take place. they just -- they're looking for reassurance that it's, you know, they're looking for a wink and a nod basically that this is over we're actually going to have a productive relationship. >> this is really, really important. >> i hesitate to go to donny because he has a visual aid. >> here's a diagram, it's very serious. can you get in closer? on what he needs, they're all right-size trees.

here's mitt sunbathing and there's a tree that's blocking it. >> are you drunk? >> no, he had a point there and i think people are mocking him and there is -- there is proof -- >> let's quickly -- >> what people don't understand. lawrence -- >> hey, i just want to tell donny that -- >> i'm glad he's been successful at advertising because -- my 6-year-old daughter can draw better. we'll also have the conversation with paul ryan and chris van hallen. >> sunday on "meet the press." >> to gene robinson, did you get the sense from talking to people at the luncheon that one of the things the chinese are paying attention to in addition to many other nations around the world is are we going to be able to control our debt? are we going to be able to chop it down? >> yeah, they're paying attention to that and just the

lack of what they see as a lack of direction of u.s. economic policy. they see obviously people in china told me it's obvious what you need to do, you need to keep, you know -- you need to pump up your economy and you need to have a long-term plan to reduce your debt, so why don't you just go ahead and do it? >> gene robinson, thank you so much, david, we'll see you sunday on "meet the press," plus, the "new york times" is mourning the death of correspondent anthony shadid. he died yesterday covering the war inside syria. we'll talk about his legacy and more with david ignatius next.

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♪ people seem to be so preoccupied with sex, i think it says something about our culture. we maybe need a massive therapy session so we can concentrate on the real issues. and this contraceptive thing, my gosh, it's inexpensive. back in my days, they used bayer aspirin for contraceptions. they put it between their knees and it wasn't that costly. >> excuse me, i'm just trying to catch my breath from that, mr.

freiss. >> mr. freiss, what were you talking about? >> well, i love the expression it's not so much what people say, it's what people hear. and obviously a lot of people who are younger than 71 didn't get the context of that joke. back in my days, they didn't have the birth control pill. so to suggest that bayer aspirin could be -- i'm sorry aspirin could be a birth control is considered pretty ridiculous and quite funny. so i think that was the gist of that story. >> i'm not responsible for every comment that a supporter of mine makes. there are lots of folks who say it was a bad joke, it was a stupid joke. it's not reflective of me or my record on this issue. when you quote a supporter of mine who says a bad, off-colored joke and somehow i'm responsible for that. now i'm going to have to respond to it. look, this is what you guys do. you don't do this with president obama. in fact, with president obama what you did was you went out

and defended him against someone who he sat in a church for for 20 years and defended him that, oh, he can't possibly believe what he listened to for 20 years. this is a double standard, this is what you're pulling off, and i'm going to call you on it. >> that was rick santorum a few minutes ago talking to charlie rose on cbs saying this is a gotcha question and should not be held responsible for one of his benefactors says on television. >> his problem is that he has now a public association with a very flakey seeming guy. and it just -- it gives this overall sensation that santorum thinking comes from a flakey spot. especially on contraception. this is a guy who has said he believes that states should be allowed to outlaw contraception if they want to. that is the santorum position. any discussion of contraception is bad for santorum. and so foster freiss doesn't help. >> donny, should a candidate be

held responsible for what his surrogates say or people who support his campaign? >> absolutely, particularly when they mirror what he believes. that was not a joke about aspirin, that was a joke about abstinence, and when you go back to what santorum has said about women, the reason that santorum will not be electable is there is so much material to use that is so disgusting to the overwhelming amount of women in this country regardless of where you come out politically, but just as women. and he's got to be held accountable. >> and he himself is a champion of contraception. we got into that. he's been married for a long time, he has only four children. and he actually thinks that contraception is a very good thing, which is something you cannot get rick santorum to do. so in truth, the bad joke guy is far more reasonable on contraception than his candidate rick santorum. >> and the very thing people like, okay, he's authentic, in a

general election, he's going to have to make a move off some of those things. that's a problem he's got. coming up next, washington post columnist david ignatius joins the conversation. keep it on "morning joe." [ male announcer ] what if you had thermal night-vision goggles, like in a special ops mission?

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i remember listening to people speaking arabic and the one man did say shoot them. and it felt like a minute to me elapsed, but it was probably just a matter of seconds, and as you pointed out, his colleague said, you can't, they're americans, i've dwelled on that idea, why that would necessarily have saved us. and the only thing i can gather is we were somehow worth something to them. one of the more disturbing

moments was getting interrogated by our captors and, you know, he was asking me in arabic who you are, where did you come from? what are your names? and i realized he had no idea who we were, where we were going, and i went back to that jail cell with my colleagues and said no one knows where we are. >> that was anthony shadid on this program less than a year ago talking about his own kidnapping inside libya in march of last year. we learned last night that he died covering the civil war inside syria. here with us now, "washington post" columnist david ignatius. good morning. >> good morning. >> what can you tell us about anthony shadid, not just as a reporter, but as a man. >> he was the very best that our profession produces. he was somebody who had a genuine inner passion for the story. he had an understanding of culture. he spoke arabic beautifully.

i can remember we lived together in the same house for a time in baghdad and his interest in people. he loved to go to a coffee shop. and just sit and talk to people and listen to what they were thinking. and seeing the changes in their lives, the way they became more and more frightened, the way life became more difficult. he was the rare man that just breathed the store in whole and was able to share with readers. it's a terrible loss for our profession and it's a reminder of why great journalists like anthony shadid make the world better in an important way. >> mike, dave's echoing what you said. >> you know, david, we were talking about this earlier in the previous hour, and while it is a tremendous loss to anyone who knew anthony and anyone who worked with anthony, it's also a huge loss to the consumers of news because as we spoke to

earlier, he wasn't tweeting about things from syria or blogging about things from egypt or libya. his name was on his product. and as you just indicated, sitting in coffee shops, talking to people in cairo or damascus or tripoli. he would give the reader a sense of what the larger, more dangerous world was all about. and before he wrote for consumers of news, whether it was for "the globe" or the "washington post" or the "new york times," he would do something that i think too few people in our business do nowadays because of the pressures of the web, he would sit and think about what he wrote before he provided what he saw and heard to readers of anthony shadid's reporting. >> well, you put it just right, mike, he was a craftsman. i used to love to see in these far away war zones where life

was often very difficult, he would be meticulous in organizing his desk and laying out the tools. he never liked to be rushed. and he wanted to paint on a larger canvas. the era of the instant opinion. the instant snapshot photograph, disposable as the moment itself, and he refused to do that. he liked to write long, he liked to write 1,000 words or more, which is practically a novel in the newspaper business. but he insisted on it. and it was only in the longer views of life he could capture the power of what he was seeing. i never saw anybody fight off the daily, pounded outside of the business quite the way anthony did. he was beloved by his colleagues at the globe. we felt lucky at the post to get him at the globe. we were lucky to have him as long as we did, and then he went

on to "the times" and did even greater work. i hope every young journalist will go back and re-read the kind of journalism that anthony did and figure out, how do i do something like that in my own work? >> the "new york times" reported that shadid died of an apparent asthma attack. his photographer and partner carried shadid back into turkey. shadid, 43 years old, leaves behind a wife and two children, and david, we appreciate you sharing your insights on mr. shadid. we want to turn to iran, something you've been covering a great deal lately and the talk, of course, of the foreign policy community. you wrote a piece earlier this month in which you said there is a "strong likelihood that israel will strike iran in april, may, or june. l where are we in the process here? how close is israel to making a move on iran? >> well, that timetable exists, and i know nothing that's

changed. we are, perhaps, today going to enter into a period of talks or at least talks about talks. the top european union diplomat, kathy ashton will be in washington giving a press conference today in which she will say she has received a letter from the iranian foreign minister, the designated person, the conta that contact her, stating they want to rejoin the talks. and the dilemma for the obama administration is, is this just another stall? is there something here that's different that says that iran is finally prepared for serious negotiations? find out more today, but i would think that would go along now with the war fever. there will be something in the area of negotiations going alongside. what's clear to me is that the

pressure on iran, the degree of unity among other countries and the very real israeli threat to take military action has gotten through. that they see that they've got to do something because they're really in the cross hairs. >> crosshairs. >> dan stein? >> just tieing these two topics together and asking for a little bit of introspection here, but how much are you as a reporter and others in the industry do you think affected in your reporting of this iran issue by what happened in the lead-up to the iraq war and by the mistakes that were made there in the journalism industry at large and also in the overreliance on the testimonies and commentary from top officials? >> well, i think it's a good question. i can only speak for myself. i know that in the column that was reporting panetta's concerns about the strong likelihood of an israeli attack, what i was doing was somehow i wished i'd

done more in the run-up to the iraq war which was surface very real concerns that u.s. officials had about the unintended consequences of war. if you were to poll the pentagon or state department or anyone in the u.s. government right now, you'd find that people really strongly feel that this would be a mistake for israel in terms of its interests, a mistake to the united states, and so kind of state itt eas forcely as i can what the concerns are. if you do this, you will do it alone. we will not stand with you. we don't think it's the right thing to do. i think that's important to clarify the situation before people take actions that you can't reverse. >> and thinking about what secretary panetta said yesterday about the fact that iran is actually enriching uranium but has not yet crossed that line in terms of a threat of a nuclear weapon, what does the line look

like, and how does that intelligence differ from what we're hearing from a lot of others? >> well, you put your finger on what -- if things go the way the white house folks will become a crucial question. all of our intelligence and indeed israel's intelligence, too, says that they have not formally moved to make a weapon. there's somewhere in the pieces. but then there's a process that you'd need, some months to break out and make a weapon. and what we're trying to do is establish what that red line would be, the line between having a nuclear program that's for civilian uses but produces enriched uranium, et cetera, and having a weapons program. and then come up with some way to verify that iran is on this side of that line, that is to say, on the civilian side, not on the weaponnizi nicizing side. israel is not comfortable with that. that that's going to be an issue and the u.s. will figure out how

do you draw the line sharply and firmly and a way that limits the program. >> this is david lawrence. i find it peculiar that an unnamed source for this information would come out and reveal himself on this program, and there is no more careful man in the american government than leon panetta, at the same time he's revealing he's the source saying he had no intention of sending any kind of signal and we know that cannot be true. what do you think he was trying to accomplish by allowing you to use those words and quotes? >> well, i still feel a little bit bad in this. let me just say, leon panetta is somebody who clearly thinks that it would be a mistake from israel's standpoint and from the standpoint of the security interests of the united states for this to go forward, and he said that very directly to israelis. and he has made that known to the american public in various ways.

he said it with tv cameras running. he said it before congress. my column certainly expressed that, and i think he feels that's his job. he's got to tell people what he thinks. >> well, it sounds like, then, what he was trying to do was drum up a kind of opposition to the idea that he was suggesting was likely. >> i don't think he's drumming up anything. i think he's just, again, what an official should do is be as clear as he can about what he thinks about really consequential issues. >> david ignatius, changing day to day. we'll talk to you again soon. thank you very much, appreciate it. >> ahead elijah cummings. [ leanne ] appliance park has been here since the early 50s.

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a little history. i was born and raised here. i love this state. it seems right here. the trees are the right height. i like -- i like seeing the -- i like seeing the lakes. i love the lakes. there's something very special here. the great lakes and also all the little inland lakes that got the parts of michigan. i love cars. i grew up totally in love with cars. used to be in the '50s and '60s if you showed me one square foot of almost any kind of car, i could tell you the model and what it was. now with all the japanese cars, i can't do it as well. i drive a mustang.

i love american cars. and long may they rule the world, let me tell you, i want them to do well. good morning, it's 8:00 on the east coast as you take a live look at new york city on friday. we love fridays. back with us on set, mike bar c barnic barnicle, donny deutsch and wes moore and dan stein in new york and down in washington, robert costa. donnie, did that feel authentic to you? >> i go back to something that i said in an interview, his wife said he's actually a very funny guy. the reporter turns to him and says, what, tell us, i love commie and i love laurel and hardy. what human being from this century? it just gets worse. >> donnie, that is the real mitt romney. i've spent a lot of time interviewing him, he's a square guy, that's who he is. >> that's exactly right. >> that's not square, that's more like a trapezoid. with that clip he proved he's funny with that clip. he's funny. >> he's from michigan.

he doesn't have to make this up. he's a michigan guy. his dad rose up and became the governor there. even when he's talking about something that should be authentic that is his home state, it's just awkward. >> what is the right proper height for a tree? i can't figure it out, and what doesn't he love -- >> lakes. >> santorum, santorum can speak that language, he comes from western pennsylvania. romney jus

>> well, that won't happen, but -- and as you understand with the polling process, you have seen just how mercurial the sentiments of voters are until they get to know the candidates a little better. it's always been a two-person race. first it was me against donald trump and then it was me against michele bachmann and then it was me against herman cain and me against rick perry and me

against newt gingrich and now it seems to be me against, you know, rick san to your rum. >> down in d.c., was that a fair assessment lumping in rick santorum with herman cain and i michele bachmann, or does santorum have more staying power? >> he has a lot more staying power. he won iowa. he didn't fade away. he picked his spot and won in early february, minnesota, missouri, colorado. i was struck by that clip is that romney constantly plays political pundit. i don't understand what he's doing. he's almost bragging about being the silver medalist, almost hanging around coming in second place. i want to know what it's about. >> here's my question. i really believe he's going to lose michigan. >> romney is going to lose? >> i'm sorry. romney is going to lose michigan. how did you ever in a general election when you can't even in a very extreme candidate in that state win? how are you going to carry swing states? i think it will be the end of his candidacy.

>> it won't be the end of his candidacy. it's a delegates race. romney can bounce back if he stumbles in michigan and come back in ohio and have a pretty good super tuesday. he's still in the hunt. >> if it's the al gore question, if you can't win your state, can you win the general election? >> i know nothing about what's going on in michigan. i haven't been there since a tigers game. >> at least he's honest. >> but instinct would tell me that forget the poll numbers, one of the more significant numbers in the michigan primary might be the profit number registered yesterday by general motors. >> yeah. >> in that you have suburban detroit filled with autoworkers now working who weren't working three or four years ago, and now they're working for a company that looks as if it's going to succeed and clearly prosper. and romney has this convoluted explanation of why he opposed the bailout. >> yeah, you know, i think one of the real questions is how much the auto bailout is a nonpartisan issue and how much

support the uaw is a nonpartisan issue in michigan. clearly romney's on a different page and script. and he's having trouble explaining the different variations of his position on that auto bailout. and, you know, that one might work well and good in the context of any other state in any other republican primary because you can be anti-government bailout and opposed to the union, but in michigan it's a little bit different. it's very different and you have to actually make appeals to what is largely a successful story. >> obviously the auto industry is a huge issue in the state. romney opposed government loans to save the automakers. rick santorum said, though, that's about the only bailout that romney opposed. >> governor romney supported the bailout of wall street and decided not to support the bailout of detroit. my feeling was that we should not support -- the government should not be involved in bailouts, period. i think that's a much more consistent position. it's one that if you look at

what happened with -- and, by the way, it's not the obama administration, i know governor romney focused on the obama administration and it's the reason he does, because he supported what the bush administration did. well, i didn't. >> yeah, we talked -- bob just mentioned it. we talked about the chris matthews question of politics, is the guy one of us, voters look at the guy and say is he one of us. there's a lot of voters in michigan that look at rick s santorum and saying he's one of us. >> mitt romney is much more comfortable being in office phase and not as comfortable in running for the position phase. but, you know, there's another important number that i don't think we should forget in this one, too, and oit's $2 million and that's the amount of money that mitt romney is pumping into michigan in terms of ads he's putting together. it's not pro-romney ads it's anti-rick santorum ads. santorum is putting in $45,000. what is embarrassing for mitt

romney the situation if he loses. not only does it debunk the whole unevitability argument and not only does it debunk the argument that it's his home state but it debunks the argument not only that does he have more money than everybody else, he can't -- >> it looks like they are putting all the chips in there the disparity is with the super pacs 3-1 which is still a despairty and you have the narrative that the only way mitt romney wins is taking the sledgehammer and beating the hell out of his opponents. >> the sledgehammer doesn't have the same weight. i'll go back to the ad that santorum broke with romney. i think people are kind of turned off to it. oh, he's going to do the gingrich thing. he's going to bury him. i think there's a bit of a shield up at this point with voters. they kind of get that those negative ads, although very effective, are kind of the sea -- sea of just blur out there. and also to your point about

personal on chris' show last night also, i forgot which person said it, you know, it's very personal. you're inviting them into your home for breakfast, for dinner, and the more ads you see with rommney or the more clips we se on tv do people want to live with this guy for the next four years and the answer is just no. you just see it. it's there. and we have not elected i think at least since bush sr. a president that did not have real blood through his veins. >> he was the right height. >> is michigan different from florida? is donnie right? mitt romney used money to vaporize newt gingrich who had momentum coming out of south carolina and just destroyed him in the state of florida. can he do that to santorum now over the next 11 days in michigan? >> to a certain extent but santorum is having the super pac going up on the airwaves, but michigan is different from florida, it's a pure air war. big media market, ten media

market, you have to be on air there. santorum can have a great message on manufacturing and catch on and maybe not compete as much on the air but he can resonate and have some fire in michigan in a way you couldn't in florida if you don't have the money in the bank. >> i will ask you about the massachusetts senate race, the race that will get the most attention out of all these. a new poll shows republican senator scott brown with a nine-point lead now over elizabeth warren democratic contender. a suffolk university/whth poll, brown at 49%, warren, 40%. this is different from the poll we showed you earlier this week that had them in a statistical tie. where is the energy in massachusetts right now? >> well, it's probably getting ready for spring training. this weekend. >> i didn't ask about your energy. >> i see the poll in that race at this stage is kind of meaningless. it sort of gives you an outline of where it is. i think it's going to end up being a pretty close race.

two pretty good candidates. they'll both be well funded. elizabeth warren is really a good candidate. >> both of them. >> she's a very strong candidate. and, again, it's easy to misread massachusetts from the outside. massachusetts liberal, far left state. it's not as liberal as people think. and she gets out beyond the belt way, 128 in massachusetts, out at the central massachusetts where foreclosures are a big problem, where credit is a big problem, she's got strength as a candidate. scott brown is the flip side of mitt romney. people like him. >> and sort of the -- female candidates in massachusetts have a terrible history of winning elections, a terrible history. >> they do. because there's not been great candidates. >> sure. >> elizabeth warren is really a good candidate. >> scott brown is a great candidate. he has the touch. he can go into south boston and really connect with people.

>> yes, he can. >> speaking of great candidates can we talk about our good friend andyrea mitchell and the take on contraception and the old bayer aspirin between the knees, that will live with santorum. i keep going back to santorum and romney, how are you living with either of these in the general election? >> that's the thing. >> it's his guy. >> i think here's why i will pick santorum, not only that one comment is disturbing, the entire interview was odd, and the thing is -- the entire thing, i mean, really. rick santorum's position on contraception. it was unreal. >> he's the money man, what do you want from him? >> which is the scary thing about the introduction of the super pac because he's one of the people keeping the campaign going, you know he's going to

have access and he's going to have the candidate's ear and that's frightening about it. >> let's watch the clip. >> is foster friess is made upname? >> no, this foster friess, the money man behind rick san ture rum. >> people are preoccupied about sex, we need a massive therapy session so we can concentrate on the real issues. the contraceptive thing, it is so expensive, back in my day, they used bayer aspirin, the gals put it between their knees, it wasn't that costly. >> excuse me, i'm trying to catch my breath from that. >> i'm not going to be responsible for everybody who, you know, anybody -- any supporter of mine and what they say. that's -- i'm not going to play that game. foster is known in political circles as telling a lot of jokes and some of them are not

particularly funny, which this one was not. he's not creepy. he's a good man. he's a great fiphilanthropist. he told a bad-off color joke and he shouldn't have done it. it certainly doesn't in my opinion reflect on the campaign or me because he wasn't doing it as part of our campaign. >> any day where you have to go on tv and declare that your chief supporter is not creepy is a bad -- is a bad day in my opinion. >> oh, man. >> this guy, i mean, the mean super pac guys are the creepiest guys. koch. >> there's been calls for mass apologies and resignations over this, isn't it true -- trust me, it was a terrible joke and shouldn't have been made. wasn't he making a joke? wasn't it an old guy using the term gal and an old guy telling a bad joke from a bygone era? was it anything more than that? >> well, it's bad.

it reflects on santorum's campaign that he doesn't have a disciplined message and it goes back to what a lot of conservatives have about him. they'll let guys go out and say anything. >> we want to get to sad news from "the new york times," anthony shadid whose overseas reporting spanned two decades died yesterday of an asthma attack while covering the conflict in syria for "the times." he'd been inside the country for a week reporting on the violent crackdown on opposition forces from syria president assad. his storied career challenging and dangerous work from the streets of iraq to the arab spring uprisings in egypt and tunisia, the correspondent survived a bullet wound years back while reporting in the west bank and a weeklong kidnapping you might remember in libya just last year. he described that for us when he joined us on "morning joe" last april. >> i remember listening to people speaking arabic and the

one man did say shoot them, and it felt like a minute to me elapsed, but it's probably just a matter of seconds and as you pointed out, you can't, they're americans. and i kind of dwelled on that idea a little bit. why that would have necessarily saved us and the only thing i can gather is that we were somehow worth something to them. to me one of the most disturbing moments was getting interrogated by our captors and he was asking me in arabic, who are you, where did you come from, what are your names, and as the interrogation ended i he had no idea who we were or where we came from and i went back to our jail cell and said to my colleague, they have no idea who we are. >> in a letter to the newsroom, "new york times" executive editor jill abramson wrote, anthony died as he lived, determined to bear witness to the transformation sweeping the middle east and to testify to the suffering of people caught between government oppression and opposition forces.

shadid's body, "the new york times" reports, was carried across the border into turkey by "times" photographer taylor hicks. shadid leaves behind a wife and two children. he was just 43 years old. mike barnicle, anthony worked at the "boston globe" and you knew him. >> "the boston globe," "the new york times" and "the washington post," i think people that watch programs like this and consume news, understand a couple of things about anthony shadid and the anthony shadids of this world, anthony shadid was a reporter. he didn't tweet. he didn't blog. he didn't sit at home. and opinionate about things that he saw. he was in the field. he talked to real people. he reported on real situations. in places consumed by violence, like libya. like egypt. like the entire middle east. and he gave through his eyes a reflection of what he saw and what he heard. and the distinction between

tweeting and blogging that consumes so many of us today is this -- when anthony shadid was in the field, he would think about what he saw and what he heard before he wrote for "the new york times" or "the washington post" or "the boston globe" and that's a huge difference. that's one of the differences that we all regret seeing being diminished in the news gathering. sam stein looks at people that he talks to before he reports. >> i do? >> yeah, in the united states senate and the congress, things like that. reporters report. tweeters tweet. bloggers blog. anthony shadid was a giant. up next, we'll talk to congressman elijah cummings who was at yesterday's heating congressional hearings over contraception. he joins us next. plus, which of these stories will make the cut? your week in review ahead. first bill karins with your forecast. >> well, good morning, everyone, weekend forecast time. we have a storm system heading

for the mid-atlantic, possibly even a snowstorm. let me break it down for you. here's what we're looking at. heavy rain developing in texas, it will push along the gulf during today. as we go into saturday, the heavy rain is in the south. we don't get into the cold air until we get into sunday, maybe even sunday night, that's when we should see rain changing over to snow in all the mountains of west virginia and virginia, and maybe tennessee can get snow out of this and overnight sunday into monday morning, watch out washington, d.c., into richmond, somebody could end up with a couple of inches of snow for the first time this winter. who knows? maybe we'll cover d.c. with snow for you monday morning. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. ♪ they see me rollin' ♪ they hatin' ♪ patrolling and tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ ♪ tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ ♪ tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ ♪ tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ [ mom ] hi, there.

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where are the women? when i look at this panel, i don't see one single woman representing the tens of millions of women across the country who want and need current insurance coverage for basic preventive health care services including family planning. where are the women? of course, this hearing is about rights. contraception and birth control. it's about the fact that women want to have access to basic health services, family planning through their health insurance plan. here with us now democratic representative from maryland and ranking member of the house committee on oversight and government reform, congress man elijah cummings. before we get to the absurd picture we just saw of basically looks like an all-male locker room and a golf club talking about contraception and talk back to all-males talking about

contraception with you, let's talk about the mortgage settleme settlement. i know you're vitally interested in that, in that piece of business that was just done. $26 billion paid out by a series of big banks to help resolve the mortgage crisis in this country. but one thing that a lot of people wonder about, maybe you can lend some insight into it, fannie and freddie played very little role in this mortgage settlement, and yet they are a huge component of the mortgage problem. what's up with that? >> that was the most upsetting part of this entire agreement for me. fannie and freddie has about 65 -- anywhere between 60% and 65% of the mortgages, and mr. demarco, the conservator over fannie and freddie basically said that they would not participate with regard to the write-down of principal portion of the settlement, and that was extremely sad. he just will not move. there have been 18 of us in the

congress who have been pushing him to do more with regard to writing down principal. he refuses to do so. and, again, the attorney generals, i give them credit. i think overall it's a good agreement. but i got to tell you, when you are leaving out 60% to 65% of the mortgages, that's a real problem. >> so, congressman, how does that impact what the banks are now going to try to do under the fiat of, you know, the attorney general of the united states, how does fannie and freddie being excluded from this, doesn't that hamper the banks? >> it certainly is not helpful. and i'm still hopeful that mr. demarco will change his mind. he's the one individual that can make the difference. i have written him letters asking him to take a look at it. but he right now i think he's looking at the possibility but it does not help because, again,

when you're talking about 65% of the mortgages, that's a real problem. but let me say, that there are a lot of people who will be helped by this agreement. and there are a lot of people who were drowning with regard to their mortgages and this gives them an opportunity to get some relief. i think that's what the attorney generals were looking at. and i have a lot of respect for the attorney generals. after all, they are both republican and democrat. and they are the number one law officers in their state, so let's give them some credit, because i think they tried to work through this to come out with the best solution. >> congressman cummings, lawrence o'donnell, at the silliest hearing that i believe your committee has ever held in its history yesterday, in the back room when you're talking to republicans, do you get the feeling that they know how much trouble they're in on this and that they've made a huge mistake here? >> lawrence, i really -- it pains me to say this, but i don't think they have a clue. and that's the sad part about it. when i sat there and i looked

out at those men talking about women's reproductive rights and their -- and contraception, you know, i said to myself, you know, suppose this was -- we were here talking about prostate cancer and the only people on the panel were women. men would be alarmed. and then to hear mr. friees this fella who is helping mr. santorum so much to say what he said. and although it sounds funny, it is very, very, very insulting to women. >> we have breaking news on that congressman, foster friess this morning has treweeted an apolog and asked for our forgiveness. he did explain in his tweet as he did last night on my show that he did not mean it as actual medical advice to anyone. >> well, i'm glad he said -- i'm glad he at least apologized.

because i can tell you after that hearing, lawrence, you said it's one of the most -- worst that we've had. we got more social media response from that hearing than from anything we've done yet. and 95% of it was from women. and there were a lot of men who were embarrassed and upset also. >> well, congressman, hopefully you have a much better day now that you know that mr. a papoll apologized to the nation. >> he did? i feel pretty powerful here. >> thank you very much for joining us. up next, former undersecretary of state charlie beard who argues that working women have it much tougher today than they used to. we'll be back in a moment. the employee of the month is... spark card from capital one.

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you're going it was a big step toward making sure every worker in this country, man or woman, receive equal pay for equal work. i signed this law because i want young women like my own daughters to have chances and opportunities that my mom and grandmother never could have dreamed of. thanks to the relentless efforts of people like lilly ledbetter,

those opportunities are already within reach. that was president obama discussing legislation designed to ensure equal pay for women, and joining us now former undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs charlotte beers, author of the new book "i'd rather be in charge" about challenges facing women in the workplace. i look at the book and realize we talk a lot about the same issues. >> throurue, i feel like i've written a sequel to your book. >> oh, great. what do you think is the stumbling block for women getting into the inner circle of management? >> it is the burning question and i think you have to step back and say what is leadership anyway, because that's the issue. sort of the secret ingredient to leadership. it is the ability to be persuasive, to engage others to such an extent they follow you. and for some reason when you get into trouble, which is where leadership happens, the men are

more attuned to that, and they can read one another more readily. whereas a woman has been drinking this kool-aid about how she's collaborative and communal and modest, a word i'd like to dispel from the work language. >> yeah, absolutely. >> and so she has been doing that and being applauded for it and then all of a sudden somebody says show me how you're going to lead this team, and by the way, it's rough out there. >> the bottom line, it comes down to relationships. you don't believe, and mika certainly never believed it when she was talking about this, but there's a conspiracy against women. it's much more subtle than that. men build relationships and we always say that. i can scream at my bosses. and the second we resolve the conflict, we're talking about baseball. >> i know, but in mika's book, the thing that broke me up, when you were free to absolutely lambaste your boss. that's a great scene. no one i've ever met in

business, including myself, who is pretty fierce, actually, would do that. >> they can't do that. it's a double standards. >> we have to find a way that we evoke this kind of warrior way of leading. and so women do one other thing that makes them vulnerable. you can't say something you really mean unless you know of whom you're speaking. you say "i" "we have to know who the "i" is, so the home work for both men and women, it's to really understand who you are and what you are standing for. >> and by the way, don't be convoluted about it. >> and don't bow somewhere else. >> no drama. it's not personal. i was having a pretty heated conversation with the white house and my youngest was with me, and i realized in the process of the phone call i was showing her something. she was all nervous about the phone call. and we went at it and then i got off the phone and we will be fine when we get back on the phone because we are friends and we will not agree on everything. you've got to learn to read

that. >> you have to handle adversity, but on your terms. >> not be worried about it. >> when i was at my first year at ogleby, a group got together to oust me. i call them the evil kabal. >> don't take it personally. >> it was a real long night of no sleep to work out that this was not personal. i think it hurts and everybody gets hurt in business. you can't ignore that. but then you put that on the shelf and the way i decided to handle that is not the way any of the men i know and admire would have hand it. >> were there any women in the evil kabal? >> no, of course, not. there weren't that many women at the top. >> talk about how you decided to handle it the way women don't handle it. >> well, i decided -- see, i think this goes back to what mika and i were saying about you know who you are. you know what you can tolerate, and in adversity or indifference or difficulties, competitiveness, i take it differently than, say, you guys

would. and you each would also. but what i chose to do after thinking it through, we had a new vision that a lot of people didn't buy into and it was the only good idea i had. so, i didn't have any choice. i chose not to even know their names. don't tell me, because it will divert me totally from where i'm headed. and if i'm right, we're fine. and if i'm not right, i'm cooked anyway. and then after we made the fix-it session at ibm, i got the evil kabal together and made them an offer that they couldn't refuse. don't you think guys would have said, i want to get the guys off the playing field? >> yes. >> there's another part to that, most men would say they tried to kill me, they didn't. i'm going to kill every one of them. >> right. >> i'm going to turn their careers into dust! >> i love that. >> but there's another part of that, though. >> yes. >> a couple weeks ago, men while

they like to exact revenge more, they forget sometimes slights more quickly than women. >> it's so true. >> mika two weeks ago was picking up the phone and she was calling somebody who tried to really do her harm and she turned to me and goes i'm going to act like you. hey, how you doing, what's going on? >> well, see, that's a very important point. if you cannot be persuasive, you can't lead. but persuasion is not manipulation. why do you think we have so much trouble watching the candidates? we wonder if they mean a thing they say. so, part of it you have to work through, if i'm going to do what you did, which is deflect this guy, then i have to do it on my terms. it can't be your personality sitting on top of me. like i saw colin powell choose to withdraw from a confrontation and colin powell's a very well-trained soldier. and so there are many ways that become perfect for you to handle confrontation. the more you practice, the

better you'll get when you need to do it. >> you say something interesting in the book. you talk about women creating a work self. >> yeah. >> which is a different self from the self you have at home around your husband or your friends or your children. so, is that putting on an act when you're at work? >> no. here's the way -- i think it's so liberating. so, you have all these parts of yourself and when you go to work, you get to use the part of you that were never tapped before. so, it's immensely exciting. i mean, you don't have to be mommy. you don't have to be the lover. those can be very wonderful robes, but at the office you get to be someone else. and it's very important not to pursue the traits and relationships. joe, you were talking about relationships. what i think makes women vulnerable is that we want to be liked and we want to be popular, we want to make friends. >> you have to get over that. >> and at work it's actually not so much about those things. it's about mutual respect and accepting the kind of authority that comes with knowing exactly what you need to say.

>> uh-huh. >> so, i love the idea that you can leave those people at home. >> yeah. and, you know, i completely agree with you about wanting to be liked. i think women really get in their own way with that sort of instinctive desire at all times to make sure everybody in the room likes them. it just doesn't matter and once you get over that, you feel free. >> it is liberating. >> you are free. >> but the thing you get to work out who you want to be, what qualities you want to be known for. i've been teaching a lot of executive women. they have everything. they have everything they need except they're blindsided when they cross that relationship threshold where it's ugly, competitive, wicked, trying, and they've been applauded so long for being nice. so, you say where is the warrior in me. how can i express that? you have to get ready for that. >> you've done a lot of work overseas in the government and the private sector. how does the united states fare and women in the united states

fare compared to women you've dealt with overseas? >> it's a stunning difference. i teach the women in europe and many of them come from asia for that kind of teaching, and they are about -- and i call it the 1950s, because they have -- they are tentative about moving in, but one of the things that's interesting is the great education that's available to men and women now puts us at one level. you just can't presume that university's going to teach you about these relationship issues. so, if i ask a woman in the united states not to be modest in lieu of being brave, that's a much bigger leap even in europe than it is in the united states. but my dream is to get this book over in asia where those women are just bubbling up to the threshold. that would be great. >> great stories in this book, the book is "i'd rather be in charge." charlotte beers, thank you very much for being with us. pleasure to meet you. more "morning joe" in just a moment.

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here's a piece of business before the bell that just crossed the wire. this morning the obama campaign says it has raised a combined $29.1 million in the month of january alone. that includes funds brought in by the dnc, the campaign says 98% of the donations were less than $250. we're still waiting to hear the numbers from the republican campaign. >> that's almost a million a day. almost. >> i wonder how much time, lawrence, you have to spend on the phone raising that much money in a month. >> the only person who doesn't have to spend a lot of time on the phone is the president. but senators, members of congress, that's one -- that's -- they do that more than anything else. >> how little the average donation is. that's pretty impressive. >> i used to feel pretty important when i used to get

calls from politicians and now i figured out what they're for. up next, willie's week in review.

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we've reached that time, it's time for the week in review. >> i'm just delighted to be back in michigan to see some old friends. >> at number three, coming home. >> to visit old high schools,

you know, we live across the hall from each other, chuck stoddard and others from grand rapids. >> mitt romney was in michigan this week fighting for votes. >> i love this state. it seems right here. the trees are the right height. i love seeing the lakes. i love seeing the lakes. i the cars. >> and he was a straight up playa during the day. >> any old girlfriends? have to be careful. ann's not here today. don't tell. >> rick santorum meanwhile created a character named rombo who uses a mud-slinging machine gun to shoot cardboard cut-outs of presidential candidates inside abandoned loft space. >> this time romney's firing his mud at rick santorum. >> santorum also reminded the good people of north dakota that there's a pretty good chance al qaeda is coming for them. >> you think, well, you know, we're up here in northwest north dakota, no one's going to bother us. folks, you've got energy here. they're going to bother you. >> more alarming than the threat

from al qaeda, though, was a threat from rick perry. >> i may run again, absolutely. >> it was great practice for 2015. >> at number two, the queen bee. >> what's my real name? >> i know that. kimberly jones. kimberly jones. >> a trusted newsman spent an unlikely evening this week. >> what do you think of nicki minaj? >> who? >> playing a game that involved lil' kim groping him. and finishing the night by doing a group shot of whiskey off a ski. and the number one story of the week. >> sizing them up, straightaway three, buries it, lin-sanity does it again! >> jeremy lin went from guy who

was thinking about going to business school a couple of weeks ago to this week guy on the cover of "sports illustrated" for his complete captivation of the country. >> do you believe this is happening to you? >> no. >> the next overnight sensation set off a dangerous and unprecedented arms race of puns. >> lin-sanity. >> lin-sane asylum. >> lin-sanity. >> lin-finity and beyond. >> and the lin-sanity continues. >> lin-somnia. restless lin syndrome and lin-testinal blockage. >> a 64-year-old harvard grad electrified crowds in his own way. >> there's another guy from my high school. i see one. and a gal from my -- there's a

lot of high schoolers here. any old girlfriends here? ann's not here today. don't tell. i was born and raised here. i love this state. it seems right here. the trees are the right height. i like seeing the lakes. i love the lakes. i love cars. >> who can argue that? everybody loves a tree. everybody loves a lake. everybody loves cars. we'll be right back to tell you what we learned today. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro.

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without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer

comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪

well, america, in the immortal words of the late gerald ford, the long national nightmare is over because it's time for "what have we learned today." and one of the things we learned today, gratitude to the people that served this country, we have two young naval officers with us, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. you guys doing okay? >> doing great. doing good. >> all right, lawrence, what did you learn? >> we learned that foster friess is sorry. he has tweeted his apology. >> thank goodness. >> sam, what did you learn? >> something about the trees in michigan i just love. i can't explain it. i love it. >> do you guys love that? >> he loves trees, he loves united states cars the same we do. i'm almost afraid to ask, what did you learn? >> there's a network stalled tlc, trees, lakes, and