tower, people waking up because of burning smells in their hotel room. we'll tonight we thank the people of illinois for their vote and for this extraordinary victory. thank you so much. [ applause ] >> after years of too many apologies and not enough jobs, historic drops in income and historic highs in gas prices, a president who doesn't hesitate to use all the means necessary to force through obama care on the american public but leads from behind in the world. it's time to say these words. this word. enough. we've had enough. [ cheers and applause ] >> it just might be. that was mitt romney, the winner of last night's illinois primary. romney took 47% of the vote, beating rick santorum by 12 points.

ron paul and newt gingrich were in the single digits. romney's illinois win adds another 41 delegates to his total haul, which now stands near 500. though still far from the 1,144 needed to clinch the nomination, romney has close to 300 more delegates than santorum. that math is adding up. good morning, everyone. it's wednesday, march 21. welcome to "morning joe." with us on set, we have msnbc political analyst and visiting professor at nyu howard ford jr. we also have financier and "morning joe" economic analyst steve rattner. and in washington, republican strategist and contributor to "newsweek" and the daily beat and vice chairman of the consulting firm hill norton, mark mckinnon. >> that's like spring. >> it's almost ok, but still a little weird. >> well, you know, at least it's

better than barnicle. look at the bright side. >> true. that was -- >> actually, the most interesting man in the world willie geist is now in mallorca for the spring. >> what is going on with him? >> it's a mid life crisis, but that's okay >> stay thirsty, my friend. >> what? who is he? >> he is the most interesting man in the world. >> that's disturbing. >> i love it. you know, some guys spend, you know -- >> i don't like it. >> spend $100,000 on a jazzed up sports car for a mid life crisis. other people wreck their family and do some terrible things with terrible people. he just got a little pin in a scarf. >> ok. >> i think it's much safer. >> i'll take it. >> oh, what is this? holy cow? what's going on here? >> maybe we ought to stop this right now. >> it's the national bike summet in washington. just wanted to give them a little tip. >> this is really -- really -- thank you. continuing coverage of the illinois primary. [ laughter ] >> all right.

>> let's just move on. >> like that guy in the hotel room, i smell something burning. let's go through the results really quickly. >> mitt romney cemented his status as the likely republican nominee after a decisive victory in the illinois primary. with the general election in mind, the former massachusetts governor focused his speech on attacking president obama while touting his own private sector experience. >> for 25 years, i lived and breathed business and the economy and jobs. i had successes. and failures. but each step of the way, i learned a little bit more about what it is that makes our american system so powerful. you can't learn that teaching constitutional law at the university of chicago, all right? you can't even learn that as a community organizer. the simple truth is, this president doesn't understand the genius of america's economy or

the secret of the american economic success story. the american economy is fueled by freedom now. [ applause ] >> ok. it's over? is it over? it's over. let's stop this. >> santorum right now? >> i think we ought to give him his day. >> we will after pennsylvania. i don't know. it may be over. it may be over. hugh hewitt wrote this on "the national review "last night. unless a meteor hits the campaign bus, it's romney versus obama in the fall. someone else said it's not quite over but effectively over. time magazine and here is halpern's headline, mark mckinnon. romney's illinois victory signals an end to the gop primary. i don't know that i would go quite so far. what do you think? >> a couple of observations. one, romney really improved his

standing among college voters, voters making over $100,000, and those who would identify as liberal and moderates. he improved by 13 points, 12 points, and 14 points in each of those categories. so that was significant. but what i find most significant about last night in the overall dynamics about what will happen long run is not the numbers, but apparently what gingrich said about romney last night. what's really important ultimately here is what gingrich does. >> yeah. >> because if he stays in or somehow lends his support to santorum, that's where things get problematic. but if it's truly just a two-man race, then romney is on his way. >> what did gingrich say last night? >> i just read that he said some favorable things about romney and critical things about santorum. >> yeah. so harold ford, what do you think? >> i don't know what gingrich said, but i would agree with mark's analysis and our off camera analysis. i think it's over for santorum. i think it's been that way for a while. i think if you look at the

numbers last night and you even give all of gingrich's support to santorum, santorum has suggested that gingrich is splitting the conservative vote. that may be the case in the south. but if you added gingrich's vote to santorum's vote, he still would have lost to romney last night. so i think it bodes well and suggests a stronger romney as he prepares now to be the nominee. >> yeah. i mean, he praises -- he does praise him in the quote. >> what is the quote? i didn't see it. >> well, we have the bite, don't we, alex? can we just run it? here's gingrich. >> romney had a pretty good day today. i think he took a step towards clearly proving he was the front-runner. senator santorum did not have a particularly good day. this is the third time now he's tried out an industrial midwestern union state and did not win it. i think conservatives have to think through what's the right strategy if they hope to stop romney. >> willie, we are so

shortsighted. everybody now says it's all over because mitt romney won a moderate state that -- and he should have won. but it's a moderate state. he outspent santorum seven or eight to one. so he should have won the state. everybody says it's over. just last week, mitt romney came in third place in alabama and mississippi. can things really change that quickly in seven days? >> well, you look at some of the exit polling that mark touched on some of it. but romney's victory was deep and pretty wide. 71% of those who said electability was the most important thing voted for romney. conservatives, he won the conservative vote in illinois. mitt romney did, 43-39. he lost the very conservative vote. so it was a good night for him to be sure. but if you're sitting where rick santorum is, you look at louisiana on saturday and figure you have a good shot there. you look at wisconsin after that. you think you have a pretty good shot there. you've got some money in the bank. i still don't see maybe this

moment comes if he loses his home state of pennsylvania, which is more than a month away. but i don't see why in the next month he would be compelled to get out of the race. i just don't see it. >> i don't see, mika, mitt winning louisiana. >> no, no. >> i think santorum actually is custom made more so in wisconsin than illinois. of winning a very catholic, blue collar state like wisconsin. >> well, you say what's changed in a week? i'd say not a lot has changed because alabama and mississippi are very different states. and romney was never going to win those states. maybe coming in third was worse than people thought. but let's just come back to the point. those are states that the republicans are going to carry if harold ford were the nominee this fall. >> what are you trying to say? >> that was a compliment. take it as a compliment. >> i don't think i understand. what is he getting at, harold? >> but romney has now won illinois by a substantially larger margin than michigan and ohio. you've got gingrich.

the only hope santorum had was that gingrich was going to get out and throw his support to him. and now you have gingrich saying nice things about romney and implying he might get behind romney. so i don't really know what's left here to have happen. yes, yes, i think that santorum will win louisiana. wisconsin will be really interesting. and pennsylvania of course is a must have for santorum. each of those will bring some chatter around them. but i think the next path for romney is happening. >> fair or not, the discussion has always been this is a time of historic opportunity for the republican party. so what have they got now? if we consider the math to be over here. >> well, it's fascinating that you have the republican party with a chance to retain the house. they have got a historic chance here. they could retain the house. just a couple of months ago, they thought they were going to win the senate. they could win the white house against a president that's been struggling, no doubt, over the past year even with his own base and certainly with his money people. and doing all of that would help them reshape the united states supreme court for the next decade. next 20 years perhaps.

and yet it appears that they are on their way to nominating a man that they don't really even like. at least they don't like politically. so it still seems to me like a historic opportunity that is being passed upon. >> hmm. >> two quick things. newt gingrich, yes, he said some nice things about mitt romney. he also said this last night. i think it's difficult to imagine that the governor who used teddy kennedy as an adviser to design romney care as the forerunner to obama care is going to do very well against barack obama. that's one thing. and mark halpern just emailed me with lots of exclamation points says, i don't write the headlines. i don't think this race is over. >> and let's just say for the record, mark has said it is all over. and in fact, he called us all out and said, this race is all over. >> with screaming headlines. >> all over with screaming headlines. >> but you have been in primaries. you've seen -- you've been in

your own primaries. you have watched senate gubernatorial primaries. >> point taken, my man. what's the question? >> so how would you handle it? how can you not agree that this is over? the numbers are in favor -- even in '08 when clinton and barack obama had emerged as the nominee, hillary clinton trounced him in west virginia and states after that because of the makeup of that constituent. y mpt -- constituency. >> well, because you had two people and you knew at one point that barack obama was finally going to have that moment when he got over the top. and it wasn't going to have to go to the convention in denver. there wasn't going to be a floor battle. here the only question is -- it's not who will be ahead when we go to tampa. the question is, will he have the number? and i think mitt romney's biggest problem is that a lot of people, a lot of conservatives, a lot of republican leaders, that are just saying, mark mckinnon, what i just said, is this the best we have when we

have such a historic opportunity in front of us? and it seems to me that a lot of people are quietly rooting against romney getting to that magic number, just because they are not excited about the prospects of a romney nomination. >> yeah, joe. there's a huge enthusiasm gap. and that's why there remains a lot of interest in this idea that gingrich stays in, paul stays in, romney can't get to the requisite 50% so it goes to a second ballot. and, you know, i agree with steve here. yeah, we may talk about the importance of illinois. but remember how quickly this has swung back and forth. and saturday, you know, just four or five days from now, the story is going to rick santorum again in louisiana and then maybe again in wisconsin. but the real key to me is gingrich. watch gingrich now. because as long as he's in, and stays in, then it's a three, four-person race and romney can't get to 50. if he's out for whatever reason, then he can get to 50. >> and to your point, newt gingrich isn't saying nice

things about anybody. i'm not sure that's news there. >> joe, taking your point, let's assume that you don't get to tampa with anybody having won 50%. then what happens? do you really think this party will turn to someone who is not even in the race now, who is on the sidelines, haley barbour, christie, pick a name and say come on in? >> look at mckinnon. he is a director, right? this is how we're going to do it. i'm going to have some smoke bombs, throw them in the middle of the floor. mckinnon is going to put the boom box on. "give me shelter" will start playing. chaos is going to break out. and we're going to get us a conservative champion riding in a white stallion in the middle that -- something like that? maybe it's wishful thinking. i don't know. we're hoping, though. i think we're hoping against hope. >> even the names that you mentioned, chris christie, jeb bush, the names that have been thrown around, i wouldn't call these what you would consider -- and i'd be curious to know what you think -- traditional champions of the conservative movement in the republican

party. >> look at chris christie in new jersey. the guy has the highest approval rating of any republican governor in america. he went to war. not only did he go to war, he won that war in a tough, tough union state in the northeast where republicans haven't been winning regularly for years. and if this guy is not the type of guy that can take the fight to barack obama, i don't know who is. >> that's different than being a true conservative champion. because you make the point that you'll go to the floor -- conservati >> conservatives want to win. >> conservatives don't think that romney can beat obama in the fall? >> i think he can do well against barack obama. do i think he can take the fight to barack obama? like chris christie could take the fight to obama? like jeb bush could take the fight to obama? like mitch daniels could take the fight to obama? like paul ryan could take the fight? no. it is just -- again, going back to what pat buchanan said, we're talking about political athletes.

>> right. >> some can run faster than others. you look at chris christie. you throw him a punch, he's going to level you. he's going to put you on the floor. >> we've seen that right here. >> he does it time and again against the toughest debaters. >> so you're looking for the best available athlete, not necessarily the most conservative or the most -- >> i'm looking for the win. >> that's eye different conversation. >> what we want is bold, bold and strong. >> bold and strong like the flavor of this tequila. >> but this conversation is actually a bigger question about the party, because this quote, time of historic opportunity, has been there for quite some time. especially if you're a republican. so why are we -- why are we in -- why is your party in this position? this isn't just something that happened this week. it's two years. >> well, mark, i think it's because a lot of the a team decided to stay on the bench. >> it reminds me of 1991 when so many democrats decided not to run.

lloyd benston, dick gephardt, and the others. >> al gore. >> john kerry. >> and then it's this bomb from arkansas. >> i think he won. >> did he won? >> i think he did all right. >> they made fun of him, willie. and so i guess the big question, and you could also say it's like '91, also like 1988 when george h.w. bush was absolutely skewered by the medias, skewered by conservatives like me. and george will didn't have a lot of nice things to say about george h.w. bush in 1997, 1998. >> so which of those candidates is going to do so much better than mitt romney that it's worth turning the whole race on its head? >> let me also say this, too. it's not just about winning. it's about winning and then advancing the conservative cause. we all remember when chris christie came in here. he was a new governor. his approval ratings were in the low 30s.

and you would ask him offset, hey, it's looking bad for you. he was like, i don't care. do you remember that? >> oh, yeah. >> do you remember all the times, you're at 30%. you better change course. he said, i don't care. i'm going to do this. they want to make me a one termer, i'm a one termer. i don't care. mitt romney did just the opposite when he had power. he did everything he could to move to the center, move to the left. there is just a marked difference between let's just say these two people. or jeb bush. i was there in '99 when jeb bush had his first year, one fight after the other. jeb didn't care. he took them head on. and he won. >> but now you're saying two things. not only the best available athlete, but you want someone with your conservative values, which you don't think that romney has. >> well, i think say conservative values, there are some people that would say that jeb bush is not sufficiently conservative on immigration. other people say chris christie

is not conservative. it's a big -- it is a big stew, mark mckinnon, that you stir there. but at the end of the day, you know a winner when you see it. just like potter stewart said, you know pornography when you see it. it's just like barack obama. what did he stand for in 2008? as barack obama said in his own biography, i'm just sort of this guy that's like a mirror and people reflect onto me images of themselves and what they want to see. >> joe, just to reflect some more of the dissatisfaction this week, william cohen, david boren, and christie whitman talked about bringing in a different candidate through a nominating process. when you have people like that speaking out needing a different equation, that's a big deal. >> but that's a democrat and republican saying it. it's a third argument there. >> that's right. all right. we've got a lot to get to this morning.

coming up, we'll talk to the ranking member of the house budget committee. also, reverend al sharpton. the moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. and chuck todd. up next, though, politico's top take aways from last night's primary. but first, bill cairns with a check on the forecast. we'll talk about the record breaking heat in a second. yesterday afternoon down in mexico, quite the quake. 7.4 magnitude earthquake. not too far away from acapulco. thankfully, not too much damage but it was an impressive quake and very close here to our homeland. as far as what we're dealing with out there today, we are watching temperatures just like yesterday and what a day it was yesterday in chicago. 85 degrees. that was the seventh day in a row of record-breaking highs in chicago. we have never had a warm stretch like this in our recorded history from the great lakes to the east coast. and it continued. hartford was 79 yesterday too. and buffalo was 80. today, we could even be warmer.

82 is the predicted high in buffalo, new york, of all places. and we're going to be just as warm in areas like connecticut. they've had a lot of flooding overnight, though, in arkansas and louisiana. so there's the worst weather in the country for driving this morning definitely in louisiana. the forecast does call for thunderstorms from new orleans, but look at chicago today. that's almost laughable warm. 86 degrees. you're watching "morning joe" on a foggy start to the day in the nation's capital. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbuck's. [ male announcer ] if your kid can recognize your sneeze from a crowd...

you're probably muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. love the air.

deaf these are pancakes. i'm in rosemont, illinois. i just got these pancakes from a restaurant called pancakes, eggcetera, and these pancakes are apparently very good. these pancakes are something else. these pancakes are as large as my win in puerto rico last night. the margin was just about as good. >> oh, my gosh. [ laughter ] >> are as large as my win. willie, if we were on the campaign trail, that's not what we would have said, is it? >> no, no, no. >> what are you doing? >> he enjoys a pancake. >> you've got to be quiet. >> what are you talking about? >> sometimes you just let things be funny on their own. you don't need to add to it. >> well, i think you add to things that are very funny. >> no. >> i'm trying to find the awkward quote of the day yesterday. >> oh, that's a big lava lamp.

>> you've got to be proud. >> sadly. >> do you have that one? >> i saw that. is it lovelady's note? >> russell lovelady. >> he is adding little touches to it now. >> he's very good. >> he wears a scarf. >> he works on it by a lava lamp. he does. >> i can't wait to see. do we have that quote on video? >> yes, we do. >> no way. because last night we heard that -- >> no, we have unearthed the footage, it exists. >> those are big pancakes. >> can we move on? >> ok. >> again, just let it be a moment. don't add to it. >> hold on. just want to see this clip for a second. >> oh, my god. >> it really does look like -- and i'm not being mean. it looks like a sitcom. never mind. >> yeah. ok. >> cue it up. get it ready. those are big pancakes.

>> the man likes pancakes. >> he does. >> he's just a bit stiff. time for a look at the morning papers. in "the new york times," there is evidence of more health advantages from taking aspirin. two new studies show that people who regularly take aspirin have a 15% lower risk of dying from cancer. taking aspirin may also provide benefits even after diagnosis. aspirin users have a 36% lower risk of having their cancers spread. >> so artie manual, always right. my doctor says take a baby aspirin. >> ari and joe in conversation is sort of like watching bugs bunny. >> like watching two porcupines fighting. >> pretty smart guy. and aging middle-aged men like me, listen. so he goes, are you taking care of yourself? he is a health freak. and i say i'm take a little aspirin. he goes, what kind? baby aspirin. and he goes, let me ask you this

question. are you a baby? and i said, no, i'm not. he goes, two aspirin. one for your heart, one for your prostate. and he is just saying as far as cancer goes. i guess zeke had told him before, if your stomach can handle it, take two aspirin, one for your heart and one not just for your prostate but obviously for cancer in general. and so this study -- this is an important thing to say. >> it's very important. >> i know you don't care if men die or not. >> no, no. >> but this is a real -- >> i just get tired when i think of you and ari. but wreak is goizeke is going t show next week. yay. >> sometimes i rotate. when i know i'm going to have to deal with mika for an extended period of time, i take two aspirin, right? because i figure my stomach -- >> that's funny. i take aspirin too. with shots. >> you take something else. anyway -- >> let's go.

>> but that is fascinatinfascin. from the business section, "the richmond times" says some government agencies are going beyond the usual round of questions interviewing job applicants. they are now asking for facebook user name and passwords to screen those that keep their profile private. >> you can't do that. >> you guys just give up on this facebook thing, seriously. it's a disaster. >> shut it down. don't do it. >> it's a waste of time. you get nothing done. >> nothing good comes from it. >> and usually people just end up putting way too much information on it. just stop. >> my kids have learned to be careful about facebook for exactly this reason. they know. >> what good -- and i hate to say this, but what good comes from facebook? >> who would do it for hours? >> communication. caring. >> that's why i have a telephone. it's made of glass. just use a regular phone. >> email. especially for younger kids. for teenagers. for even people in their 20s. they put so many irresponsible things up there.

i see no up side. >> interaction is really important. that's all you need. >> i'm going to say, joey doesn't always get it right, my son. in fact, he gets it wrong a significant amount of time. i'm joking. but joey has called facebook the devil for six years now. and i think he's right. mark mckinnon, you have one promoting your very special brand of tequila. what do you think of facebook? >> well, i think there needs to be guidelines, and there is a very interesting book coming out in about a month called "talking back to facebook" and it's all about guidelines, privacy. when teenagers and young people should be looking at this sort of social media. it's a very important topic and something that bears a lot of scrutiny and talk. >> it's the devil that will come public with a $100 billion market capitalization in a few months. >> that's one way of looking at it. only ratner would bring that kind of detail. >> it's my job. >> people need to realize they put a picture up on their facebook profile, it's really there forever.

>> yeah. >> delete it all you want. it's there. >> yeah. >> joe, jim calls it self revealing before self reflection. >> oh, boy. that cuts a little close for me. >> willie -- >> never been on facebook myself. >> oh, good. stay off. >> never logged in. never once. >> don't do it. what's coming up? >> the denver broncos introduce peyton manning. they make it official. and peyton immediately faces questions about tim tebow. we'll show you how he handled that. plus, the return of tebowy. jimmy fallon honors his departure from denver with one more performance. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day

with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaids, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported.

signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. and deposits at the same time. for paying your friend back for lunch from your tablet. for 26 paydays triggered with a single tap.

for checking your line, then checking your portfolio. for making atms and branches appear out of thin air. simple to use websites, tools, and apps. for making your financial life a little bit easier.

telegram. >> roger arturos couldn't have succeeded without you. this will get you a little closer to that dream of yours. it's not the dallas cowboys but it's a start. drop me a line if you're on the east coast. oh, the denver broncos! >> what was that now? >> i don't know. >> john tower, help us out here. what's going on?

>> you really have to let us know what's happening during the show. what was that now? >> it was a great "simpsons" episode that homer wants to buy the dallas cowboys and he gets the denver broncos instead. and setting up the story about peyton going to the broncos. >> he's upset about that >> thank you, alex. >> here is the problem. tj cut the first four seconds of it and the last seven seconds of it, so you miss the intro and the punch line. >> you have to be more obvious for these boys. >> in my experience, the best jokes are the kind you have to explain three minutes afterwards. peyton manning and the broncos are together. it's official. on tuesday, he was introduced with a contract valued at $96 million over five years. the four-time league mvp was introduced in fact by team owner pat bowlen and john elway, the vice president of football operations in denver. it was apparently elway's low pressure approach that helped convince manning to go to denver.

>> i have always had a great deal of respect for john elway. he is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play, and his knowledge and respect for the game is evident in everything that he does. talking football with john, with coach fox, and his staff, helped me realize that this is a great place to be. i called john elway monday morning and let him know that i wanted to be a denver bronco. i am thrilled to be here. i am looking forward to meeting my new teammates and doing everything i can to help this franchise win another super bowl. >> peyton stabbed tim tebow right in the heart. >> well, he stabbed him. but watch the class with which he did it when asked about tim tebow. >> i know what kind of player tim tebow is. and what kind of person that he is. i have gotten to meet him personally one time. and what an awesome year he had

this year. if tim tebow is here next year, i'm going to be the best teammate i can be to him and he and i are going to help this team win games. >> all right. see? he stabbed him and licked the blood off the knife. >> the broncos acknowledged it was a distinct possibility that tim tebow will be traded, but john elway, who is the father of two daughters, did give tebow one endorsement. >> tim tebow is a great kid. and i said that. i mean, he is the one guy -- if i wanted somebody to marry my daughter, it would be him. i told you, tim is a great football player. but i just think with the opportunity that presented itself here, we can't -- you know, with the opportunity to have peyton manning's services, we had to take advantage of that. >> there you go. that's john elway. >> boy, we called it. i mean, in real time. >> oh, yeah. >> as tim tebow was winning games for the broncos, that guy looked really upset. he never -- >> he never caught tebow mania.

>> he never embraced tim tebow the way he would be willing to let tim tebow embrace his daughter. >> that's right. one of the most bizarre endorsements. his daughter is 7. so i'm just -- why do you do that? >> i can't. >> a lot of people want to know where tebow will end up. we talked about jacksonville, maybe miami. it didn't take long for the new york papers to demand tim tebow become a new york jet. good lord! that's the front page of "the new york post." back page of ""the new york daily news"," forget linsanity. time for timsanity. the jets organization is talking about bringing in tim tebow as a backup to mark sanchez, who they just signed to a huge contract extension. >> nice guy. >> so tebow's future is in limbo. his future in denver is probably over. jimmy fallon decided to trot out tebowie one more time last night. ♪ tebow played

♪ passing good ♪ and praising jesus ♪ with the denver broncos ♪ he threw it left hand ♪ but his aim was bad ♪ he lost to new england ♪ yes, god's a brady fan ♪ peyton was a colt ♪ screwed up neck and screwed their season ♪ ♪ spent a year on the bench ♪ and while he was sitting ♪ tim tebow was winning ♪ tebowing was the craze ♪ they replaced him with peyton ♪ ♪ tebow got screwed in the back door ♪ ♪ now he's a virgin no more ♪ oh >> oh, my gosh. a little tired. >> well, you're tired because you don't know who tim tebow is. >> no, i don't. >> you don't know who david bowie is.

>> stop. that's just not true. >> all true. >> what's the song? what's the takeoff on? >> what song was it a takeoff on? >> yeah. >> i have no idea. but i do know -- >> then you kind of miss the reference. >> i have to show you one more thing in sports. baylor is the best team in women's college basketball. the best player, brittany griner. watch this. in the ncaa tournament game this is in traffic in the lane. one step and a throwdown for brittany griner. she is 6'8", the superstar. they beat florida. she became only the second woman ever to dunk in an ncaa tournament game. we have seen some dunks in women's games in like long break aways. this was in the lane, up and over somebody. >> very nice. >> her first dunk of the season. the sixth of her career. she had 25, nine rebounds, and six points. a great, great player. >> that's cool. >> harold, what do you think of the whole tim tebow matter? >> look, tim tebow won a lot of games.

he beat the steelers. >> that's what i was confused about. he was really good. and you all were obsessed with him. >> we watched the game together, three of us. whatever you want to say, and you said on the show before, the guy is a winner. and whomever gets this guy will get a committed player, ready to try to help his team win and that's all you can ask for in football. i wish peyton the best. but if tebow comes to new york, it's going to be exciting. >> no doubt about it. >> we'll see how mark sanchez feels about that. coming up, rattner has his charts. we'll be right back with steve's numbers. today, we stand against the tyranny of meager travel cards.

battle speech right? may i? capital one is issuing a venture double miles challenge. show us how much you spent last year and we'll give you 2 miles for every dollar spent on your travel reward card. up to 100,000 miles! hawaii, here we come. claim your miles at capitalone.com today! what's in your wallet? can you play games on that? not on the runway. no.

♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose -- to make the world a safer place. that's the value of performance.

northrop grumman. every week they lower thousands of prices and check over 30,000 competitor prices. check out that low price. you want to grab one? grab two. [ male announcer ] that's the walmart low price guarantee! see for yourself how much it can save you.

it is not a plan that this president could support. it's not a plan that -- not just democrats but responsible republicans could support if they supported other efforts to deal with this problem in a balanced way. and it's not one that we think the american people would broadly support because it's not right for the economy and not right for the vast majority of the american people. >> our budget will protect seniors and really begin to deal with these tremendous deficits that have been driven up by this administration. others want to kick the can down the road. we all know the senate hasn't done a budget in three years. we are going to continue to lead the effort to bring real fiscal responsibility to our country. welcome back to "morning joe." beautiful early morning shot of washington, d.c.

i'm looking at the front page of "usa today." this horrible story about trayon martin. here is a young man that was going to see i think his father-in-law. >> his father's. >> his father, i mean. young man, i'm sorry. and he was just walking through a neighborhood, minding his own business, carrying an iced tea and i think candy. >> skittles. >> yeah, some candy, and some self appointed neighborhood watchman starts -- >> called the police and said there was a suspicious person in the neighborhood. >> and they say leave him alone. >> we'll take care of it. and he chases him down. willie, you were talking about the florida law that says you can stand your ground. but this guy wasn't even standing his ground. he was chasing after him with a gun. >> the stand your ground law, which is on the books in 21 states. also in florida as of about seven years ago. but this is the defense so far. and the reason this guy zimmerman has not yet been

arrested. you can use deadly force even if you aren't being pursued. if you feel threatened, you can use deadly force. but we'll talk more to reverend sharpton about this. >> it's a joke. >> the fact here is that this guy pursued him. >> it is a joke. it is more than a joke. >> a tragedy. >> it is a tragedy. but the logic of not arresting this guy for anything. seriously. >> it's amazing. >> it's a disgrace. >> we're going talk about that at the top of the hour and also the legal defense being used for the man accused in the massacre in afghanistan. i think it's a fascinating conversation. and right now, we get to the must reads. and then to rattner's charts, which are a perfect segue here. >> you know, he has a first name. >> it's doctor. >> dr. steven rattner. >> that's pretty good. >> "the new york times," the careless house budget. in the long run, this is the paper's editorial, the premium support plan could shift costs to beneficiaries because it

would limit annual per capita spending growth to well below the level required by the health care reform act. the plan would also cap the federal contribution to medicaid by turning the program into a block grant to states. it would greatly impede the nation's economic recovery and hurt those on the middle and lower economic rungs who suffered most from the recession. the contrast with president obama's budget, which raises taxes on the rich to protect vital programs while reducing the deficit, could not be more clear. >> stop. that is just such nonsense from "the new york times." >> i'm actually hoping that steve will -- >> i expect more from "the new york times" editorial page. the paper i read every day, to suggest that raising taxes on the rich is going to keep medicare, social security, and medicaid solvent over the next generation. that is pure pixie dust. it's a joke. let's go through the budget. >> ok. but the fact is that what paul ryan has put forward does give us a stark contrast to president obama's approach.

and stark in contrast to his republican candidates as well. >> but the question is, what is barack obama's plan to save medicare, medicaid, and social security over the next generation? because he doesn't really have one. the democrats don't even have a budget in the senate. >> steve. yes? >> so let's talk about just these numbers for a second. so barack obama's talking about increasing revenues by 1.4 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. and congressman ryan yesterday proposed a cut of $4.1 trillion. he says that he's going to come up with tax expenditures to get it back to a zero revenue impact, but that would require adopting every tax proposal that paul ryan proposed plus another trillion in tax exchanges to do it. and he refused so far to specify any of them. now to the next chart and we'll focus on these two guys for now. here is the big difference. here is the spending. obama has some fairly modest spending cuts. what ryan is saying is $3.5

trillion of spending cuts. >> over how long? >> 10 years. but here is the really interesting thing. let's go to the next chart. half of those -- >> that's nothing, though. >> it's not nothing. look at the next chart, joe. the next chart, ryan is proposing to cut 33% out of what are so-called other mandatory programs. this is not medicare or medicaid. but look what these are. >> herein lies the problem. and this is what i have been saying is wrong with the republican party and the democrats because nobody would go after where the real money is, which is national defense and medicare and medicaid. >> look what they are cutting instead. >> i know. this is what we talk about all the time. >> civilian and military pensions. veterans pensions. food stamps. unemployment compensation. disability. the earned income tax credit. and family support and child nutrition. they want to cut 1/3 of what's projected to be spent out of these programs because they

won't cut defense and buecause f the medicare entitlement program. the democratic plan includes revenue increases. >> what is the plan? i haven't seen it. i have not seen it. and here is my only point. >> yeah, but -- >> can i just say for the record, i want people that are watching, i have been critical of the republicans because you can't slash the 10% to 12% of the budget that does such things as this and not take a long-term view. but still the republicans at least have a starting point on the right. why can't the democrats put a starting point on the left? why can't the president have the courage to do what peter or-zach said and get rid of bush tax cuts for everybody? or to go after medicare where it actually hurts people that are going to vote for barack obama? he won't do that. and the democrats in the senate won't do that. so we just sit here and kick around the one side that does have the courage. >> as we sit here right now,

obama's plan has more specified revenue decreases and spending cuts than ryan does. he wants to do all this stuff but he hasn't specified all this stuff. if you look at who has come up with specific numbers, obama has actually come up so far with more. and that chart up there right now shows it to you. because if you take into account the fact that ryan has not specified any of these tax loophole closings, his plan would actually increase the deficit by $600 billion over the next 10 years. >> that is great spin. no, that really is. >> those are facts. those are facts. >> that is the best spin i've seen around. so here we have barack obama that has allowed the national deficit -- i have to commend you for that spend. to rise by over $1 trillion a year over the past four years. he has allowed the deficit to rise as much in 3 1/2 years as bush in eight years. and you're making him out to be the deficit reduction champion. >> in the worst recession since

the 1920s, the deficit was over $1 trillion. look, the republicans have plans but they don't specify what they are really going to cut to get there. >> so i guess both sides are guilty of not being specific? >> so the bottom line is that you think barack obama is tougher on the national deficit than paul ryan? >> no. i think that paul ryan's plan would dramatically hurt the poor and the disadvantaged. what he wants to cut are the very programs that help the people who need it the most. >> and fundamentally, that's the moral difference. >> that is the moral difference. all right. news you can't use when we come back. there's another way to help eliminate litter box dust: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder on dust. and our improved formulas neutralize odors better than ever in multiple-cat homes. so it's easier to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats.

keep your home smelling like home. the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not that we'd ever brag about it. turn right. come on, nine. turn left.

hit the brakes. huh? how'd that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine top safety picks like the passat and jetta. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers" event. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 jetta for $159 a month.

oh, gosh, yes. is it time? >> it's time for news you can't use. that's the best scene in the movie. talking about the other guys. >> oh, my gosh, what a great movie. that and "mcgruber." that's what you should do this weekend. joe, you asked about the lava lamps earlier in the show. mitt romney visited google's office in chicago yesterday on the day of the primary. came upon a guy by the name of nathan. and sounding a little bit like rick tanland, congratulated him on the size of his lava lamp. >> what? >> hey, how are you doing? >> nathan. pleasure to meet you. thank you for coming. >> pleasure to meet you. big lava lamp. congratulations. >> i'm a big laugh la lamp man. >> are you just looking at

things in the office and saying that you love them? do you really love the lamp or are you just saying it because you saw it? >> i love lamp. i love lamp. >> there you go. >> that was hilarious. >> the mitt thing wasn't that bad. it was read worse than it actually was. >> it read worse. but the pancake thing, that was bad. those are awfully big pancakes. >> the size of my win in puerto rico. >> that wasn't where he was going there. >> you never know. we'll be right back with the reverend al sharpton to talk about the trayvon martin case in the state of florida. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] this is genco services -- mcallen, texas. in here, heavy rental equipment in the middle of nowhere, is always headed somewhere. to give it a sense of direction, at&t created a mobile asset solution to protect and track everything. so every piece of equipment knows where it is, how it's doing or where it goes next. ♪ this is the bell on the cat.

[ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ sure. cake or pie? pie. apple or cherry? cherry. oil or cream? oil or cream? cream. reddi-wip uses real dairy cream. nothing's more real than reddi-wip. not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader.

your finances can't manage themselves. but that doesn't mean they won't try. bring all your finances together with the help of the one person who can. a certified financial planner professional. cfp. let's make a plan. home protector plus from liberty mutual insurance, where the cost to both repair your home

and replace what's inside are covered. to learn more, visit us today.

for 25 years, i lived and breathed business, the economy, and jobs. i had successes. and failures. but each step of the way, i learned a little bit more about what it is that makes our american system so powerful. you can't learn that teaching constitutional law at the university of chicago, all right? you can't even learn that as a community organizer. the simple truth is that this president doesn't understand the genius of america's economy. or the secret of the american economic success story. the american economy is fueled by freedom. [ applause ] >> that was mitt romney, the winner of last night's illinois

primary. romney took 47% of the vote, beating rick santorum by 12 points. >> that's a big win, willie. how big is that win? >> looks like 12 points from where i'm sitting. >> that's as big as your pancakes. >> yes. >> romney's illinois win adds another 41 delegates to his total, paul, which is now at 500. though harold ford jr. is still with us, along with mark in washington. and joining us on the set, reverend asharpton. >> we have a lot to talk about, and obviously we want to talk about this florida case. for the life of us, we don't understand why there hasn't been an arrest there. we'll talk about that. but let's go quickly over the results last night. a big win last night. mark mickinnon, is this over? certainly our own mark halpern says it's over.

>> well, he doesn't claim credit for the headline. >> no, he doesn't. >> but romney is definitely stacking up the pancakes, joe. [ laughter ] >> but the real question is whether this becomes a true two-man race or whether or not it remains a three or four-person race because that's where the equation is difficult for romney. he can't get to 50 as long as everybody's in. and the most significant development last night was gingrich showing a little romne important because -- and he was critical of santorum. the key will be what gingrich does in the next couple of months. >> yeah. >> and we'll watch him. >> no doubt about it. let's move on to what's happening in florida. and of course we talk about this story. a lot has been going on because of our next guest and other people that have been speaking out on this injustice in florida on the trayvon martin case. >> a grand jury will convene next month in florida to consider the evidence in the death of an unarmed black

teenager gunned down by a sel self-appointed neighborhood watchman. the shooter, george zimmean, is claiming self defense, and hasn't been arrested. with public anger mounting, the fbi is justice department are now investigating. the lawyer for the victim's family saysewly revealed phone conversations may be critical to the case. that attorney says martin's cell phone records show he was on the phone with a female friend at the moment he met zimmerman. >> she heard trayvon say, why are you following me? and that's when she says she hears the other voice saying, what are you doing around here? >> then she says she heard what sounded li an altercation. a11 call from a neighbor reveals the instant the teen was killed. >> 911, do you nd police, fire or medical? >> maybe both. i'm not sure. there's someone screaming outside.

>> is it a male or a female? >> it sounds like a male. >> you don't know why? >> i don't know why. i think they are yelling help, but i don't know. >> so you think he is yelling help? >> yes. >> what is your -- >> there's gunshots! >> state legislators are now calling for a reexamination of florida's 2005 stand your ground law, which provides significant leeway for someone to claim self defense in a shooting. >> reverend sharpton, zimmerman wasn't standing his ground. zimmerman was chasing this young man. and following him. and harassing him. and willie says how many examples of this -- >> this guy, again, who is not a neighborhood watch captain, he views himself thatay but he's not, in the past 15 months called police 46 times, which doesn't speak to someone who is even overzealous, it's somebody

who is paranoid. >> this isn't about standing your ground. >> mentally unstable. >> why isn't he charged? >> i oppose the standing your ground law, but this really has nothing to do with that. even under that law, this zimmerman would not be able to use self defense. when attorney crump first contacted us and we got involved -- >> explain to everybody who that is. >> he is the attorney for the family of the victim, trayvon martin. our position was the justice department and the state's attorney needs to come in and investigate because one of the questions is not only should zimmerman have been immediate arrested and still should be, it's why the local police department was dealing with a guy who was not a registered watchman, who is walking around with a .9 millimeter in the first place. why are you exchanging 46 calls with a guy and not questioning the guy in the first place? there's a lot that needs to be examined here. he was not registered.

he had a .9 millimeter. the gun is not legal. he is running around with a weapon and they are communicating with him. >> 46 phone calls, as willie said, and these people telling him, let him go. let him go. let's just talk about this one tragic case where they say, let him go. and he still chases after him. and you hear him screaming in the background of this 911 call, help, help, help, repeatedly. repeatedly. and the police don't arrest him? i know there are a lot of people in tallahassee that watch this show. i know pam bondy, the attorney general, watches this show. i know a lot of people watch this show. they better move in fast on this case. because there's a lot of people that have acted in a shameful way. >> no, joe, i couldn't agree with you more, because when you have the police with the possession of the 911 tape, where he is told by the dispatcher let him go. he decides to pursue.

how do you then say it's self-defense? how do the police, who had this evidenceknowing that he pursued him, say we're going to let him go with self defense and let him leave with the gun? and he still left at large. >> it used to be that guilty of being black while driving or guilty of being black while walking would obviously cause concern because african-american males would be harassed while walking through neighborhoods. i remember a famous case i think back in late '80s in a nice neighborhood in l.a. here, though, a young man gets killed, and the police don't arrest this murderer for anything. for a weapons charge. anything. >> he should be charged with murder. >> i'm saying just to start, just to get him in, nothing. >> right. the facts, at least what we see here -- and, again, i don't have

all the facts privy to me, but a 17-year-old kid, unarmed, walking through a neighborhood for a singular reason, he is african-american. the stand whatever your ground law says you can't pursue someone and confront them if you feel threatened. >> so this law is literally getting in the way of action being taken? >> no, no, no. it's not the law. it's a police -- it's the police department down there. it's the state attorney's office. and i don't even know who they are down there. >> well, pam bondy -- >> pam is saying she is not going to leave any stone unturned here. that's florida's attorney general. so they are going to go after it. >> but the fact this guy has not been detained or arrested is more than puzzling. >> i think what the family has said, what we are doing is having a big rally down there tomorrow night, is saying arrest him. how can the community, how can the family, even trust the local proceedings without an arrest? we have seen any number of people arrested. the head ofhe imf was taken off a plane and arrested.

then you decide to charge them. you don't wait to charge somebody to arrest them. there is probable cause to arrest a man that pursued someone and killed them for no reason. >> chased, mika, a 17-year-old young man down that was armed with iced tea and skittles. and he is attacked by a man with a .9 millimeter, and they don't arrest him. >> a story that is backed u by 911 calls, where you can hear this unfolding. by witnesses who are on the phone. >> i want to know from reverend sharpton, what is the reason he hasn't been arrested? >> i have no idea. the only thing we heard, i think march 13, the police said that they did not have probable cause. then after attorney crump, family attorney, and all of us said release the tapes, release the tapes, release the tapes, when they released the tapes we found out they did have probable cause because their own tapes show he was not defending

himself, he was pursuing trayvon martin. so what do you mean, you don't have probable cause, when you have on tape, don't pursue, and he pursues anyway. >> and how is someone standing their ground against someone who is screaming for help? >> in fact, the only one that could have been standing their ground here would have been trayvon martin, ironically. >> the law doesn't make any sense in this case. >> have you heard any evidence -- i have read everything you canead and listened to all the tapes. any evidence that trayvon martin posed any threat to mr. zimmerman? initially, zimmerman told police there was some kind of a struggle and trayvon mtin came after him and jumped on his back and told this story. have you seen anything, reverend sharpton, to support that? >> we have not seen or heard any evidence, any witness, or anything of that nature. but let's say for argument's sake, and we are really stretching it because no one has heard it, that that was the case. if you are an unauthorized self appointed watchman, you stop a guy who has no idea who you are. let's say it was an altercation.

the guy could have been defending himself. but even then, you would have to prove at the precinct, establish that that happened. you wouldn't take the word of the killer that, oh, he jumped on my back, when you've got 911 tapes that clearly contradict that and just let him go. >> yeah. >> and trayvon martin was onhe phone with his girlfriend, or a young friend, expressing -- >> and add to what is more egregious is that they put trayvon martin's body in the medical examiner's office. his father is looking for him. they never even checked to see who he was. >> the sandford police never did that? >> they never did that. they are leaving the kid like he is nothing in the medical examiner's office. they are allowing the killer to walk. of course, the family and the community is outraged. of course we are all outraged. absolutely. >> so this shooting took place

on february 26. i guarantee you, sanford police had possession of those 911 tapes in real time. so whoever runs -- and i'm glad i don't know them, because i -- because they have known since february 26 that this young 17-year-old man, armed with nothing but iced tea and skittles, on his cell phone, minding his own business, walking through a neighborhood, was chased, hunted down, screaming for help, and then shot to death. they have known this. and yet they have not arrested the man that they know very clearly was not standing his ground. it's not enough just to arrest the man who murdered trayvon martin. something bigger has to happen. and whoever is running the

police force down there, whoever the state attorney is down there, they are not worthy of the public trust. they have betrayed the public trust. they have acted shamefully. and they should -- and when this investigation is completed by pam bondy in florida, and by the u.s. justice department, if the facts are as they appear now, they should be forced from office. because they are unworthy of representing the people of florida. >> to bolster your point, i just want to make sure i understood reverend sharpton. for three days the father of trayvon martin did not know where -- >> they did not know he was killed and did not know where he was. they never -- he had his cell phone on him. trayvon martin. >> so the city, state, and authorities never checked him for identification, for his phone to try to determine who his loved ones were, his family was? >> come on, they had the cell phone. >> my point, this here is -- don't get me wrong. the tragedy around this shooting

can't be undone. but the fact that they took no steps to reach out to his family -- >> listen, it sounds like they were trying to cover some tracks. because, listen, come on, let's just say it. let's just say it. if a -- well, not even white, hispanic, you name it. >> if this had happened in a florida neighborhood of someone who happened to be white, they would have been informed right away. >> from any of our neighborhoods, had this happened to them and he was shot with a cell phone on them, do you know what the police would do? they would take care of the body. they would see what was going on. and they would immediately go to the last number dialed. they would then go through the address book. they would call the parents. they would call home. i want to know why they didn't do that. >> well, what they did do, drug tested the body just to make sure. >> they did drug test the body. they did not drug or alcohol test the shooter. >> so they drug test the kid that's carrying iced tea and

skittles >> and is 17 years old. >> and they don't drug test the guy carrying the .9 millimeter -- >> the adult. >> that just killed another person? >> that's exactly right. >> who are these people? >> that is why i said in the beginning, the justice department and the state must investigate >> has the governor said anything here, alex? can you check and see if the governor has spoken out here? it is his state. give me the governor's quote. you know what? if there are rallies being held, they need to do the investigation. but the state of florida needs to act aggressively. >> and the governor needs to set a tone. we called on the governor. he needs to come out and set a tone. this is a national outrage. and not only if the body of the young man -- if the victim had been white or something else would it have been treated different. if it was a black that had done the shooting, he would have been arrested, i'm sure, in sanford. if that had been a black that

killed a white kid under the same circumstances, not only would the family have been contacted they would have been told what time to attend the arraignment for the killer. >> i think that has have very likely. >> and his dad was calling his cell phone. you simply have to go to missed calls and call the dad back. that takes about five seconds. >> it's astounding. they drug tested him, the corpse? >> the corpse. >> that's correct. >> i'm speechless. >> i guess they didn't want to call his parents. >> tell me what you're doing before we go to break. >> we're going to have a rally tomorrow night at first shiloh baptist church in sanford. we are continuing to call for the immediate arrest of the killer, of the shooter, as well as the thorough investigation of the sanford police department. >> first shiloh? >> first shiloh missionary baptist church in sanford. >> what time? tomorrow night? >> 7:00. >> 7:00. you can show your support for the martin family by being

there. >> and they'll be there and all of us will be there. >> and certainly -- >> yeah. >> and i think it's important that this has nothing to do with race. >> no, no, no, let me stop you. it does have to do with race. >> let me finish my point. if this happened to anyone, whatever their color, this investigation should take place. the fact that we have a history in this country where african-americans have been treated certain ways by the police compounds it, making it even more urgent for the governor and other authorities to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. >> alex, what did the governor of florida have to say? >> he said i will make sure that justice prevails. i am comfortable that state law enforcement is going to do the right thing. they are not going to let somebody do something wrong and get away with it. >> well, they better not get away with it. >> sounds like there are a lot of somebodies. >> if anybody watching this show either live or on the internet

does not believe if a african-american shot a 17-year-old white boy walking through a neighborhood, carrying iced tea and skittles, if they do not believe that in an arraignment would be scheduled by the next morning for the african-american shooter, and that the white boy's family would be called immediately -- >> immediately. >> that an officer would actually drive to the white boy's home. >> that's correct. >> and sit down with the parents on the couch and console them because they have lost a 17-year-old son. if you don't believe that this case and the handling of this case by the people in florida has nothing to do with race, you are living in a fantasy world. >> i would agree. >> this is -- this is mind boggling.

>> i can't believe the governor hasn't called for the sanford police to be investigated or called for the chief of police to be suspended or step down or something. >> i can't believe this happened over three weeks ago. >> the 26th. >> and until some of us got on it, it wasn't even a national story or even a local concern in terms of the governor of the state. this didn't just happen. and when people want to know why people like me exist, that's why. because you have to have people that attorney crump and others can express outrage. otherwise, they would have kept it in the cocoon of sanford, and whatever is going on in that police department, nothing would have moved forward. >> it's interesting you say that, because obviously i have been gone for a while. on vacation, because i, you know, get about 12 weeks a year vacation. that's a joke. but i have been gone for a while. so i come back yesterday, and i start reading my twitter feed. and people are asking. when are you going to start

talking about trayvon martin? i hit a link, i read a story. god, this hasn't -- the shooting was the 26th? and, i mean, i am very thankful that the "usa today," america's biggest paper, has it on the front page. that's good news. but it sure took a long time, didn't it? >> it took a long time. >> when did you learn about it reverend? >> i was actually doing the march from selma to montgomery and i got a call from attorney crump, who we have worked with on other cases. and i didn't hear anything about until he called. >> how long ago was that? >> that was about two weeks after it happened. about two weeks ago. and then we jumped on it right away. he did my syndicated radio show. and then we put him on "politics nation" on this station. i think other stations were on it the same day after. but that's when it really started rolling. and then activists in the area had started marching and moving forward. but that's why you have activists. and the activists in sanford

have been very much on it, very passionate. but breaking it out finally the justice department has come in. but this is as bad as it gets. >> the justice department and the attorney general pam bondy in florida, they need to do more than just investigate the death. because it seems fairly obvious what happened in the death. they need to investigate law enforcement officers, the state attorney's office. >> correct. >> and all of those that waited three days before contacting the parents. all those who have decided 26 -- since february 26, almost a month -- >> 24 days ago. >> thank you. i went to the university of alabama. needed help from the michigan grad. to not arrest this guy, willie, for 24 days. for 24 days. >> and still not arrest him as we speak. >> it's been more than 24 days. >> still not arrested. >> what's the deal? >> you look at all the evidence and all the stories you can read

for some justification for it, and you can't find it. it boggles the mind where he hasn't been arrested on at least probable cause as they investigate the case. >> again, you don't have to have an open and shut case to arrest the guy. throw him in jail. they have got probable cause. >> no question. >> they have got a .9 millimeter, a 911 tape. they got him chasing an innocent man down the street. they have got his screams for help in the background. >> wouldn't the public be in danger? >> they have the gunshot on the 911 tape as they have had for over 20 days. they got reasons to lock this guy up this morning. they had it the night that it happened. >> no doubt about it. and that's what the outrage is about. there is no way they can justify this. >> all right. so, again, you'll be at the first shiloh missionary baptist church tomorrow night at 7:00? >> yes, sir. >> down in sanford, florida. >> yes, sir. >> we should say reverend

sharpton has been great on this issue providing a public service, and also our friend charles blow at "the new york times." >> charles blow has been excellent. and i must say, this has been the most inspiring morning with joe scarborough. i will tell your homeys in alabama. >> can i just say, i thought we had a moment for a second? but you just ruined it. >> well, ok. >> i love seeing you in alabama. you know what? you're not a brooklyn guy. you're a 'bama guy. i can tell. you look pretty comfortable down there. your mama wants you to come home. >> let's stay focused. i'm sanford bound. >> reverend sharpton, thank you. stay with us. >> thank you, reverend. up next, chuck todd breaks down mitt romney's double digit win last night in illinois. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. [ male announcer ] is zero worth nothing?

♪ imagine zero pollutants in our environment. or zero dependency on foreign oil. ♪

this is why we at nissan built a car inspired by zero. because zero is worth everything. the zero gas, 100% electric nissan leaf. innovation for the planet. innovation for all.

governor romney had a pretty good day today. i think he took a step towards clearly proving he was the front-runner. senator santorum did not have a particularly good day.

this is the third time now he's tried out an industrial midwestern union state and not succeeded. and i think conservatives will have to think through what's the right strategy if they hope to stop romney. let's bring in right now nbc news white house correspondent and political director and host chuck todd. also moderator of "meet the press" david gregory. also i think we have the most interesting man in the world still with us in washington, d.c. there he is. so let's go to our two washington experts and our one tequila drinker. and we'll start with you, david gregory. break it down for us. what do you think? >> well, romney continues to do what he has to do. he has to win states particularly in the industrial heartland. people that the media and the establishment expect him to win. and would certainly raise big questions if he didn't win. so he continues to do that. he continues to win the electability argument. chuck and i were talking last night.

what he doesn't do yet is crack the demographic strength of rick santorum, which is the more conservative heart and soul of the party. that's not w and what has to trouble him about that is not whether he's ultimately the guy. who gets the nomination. but what it's going to take for the rest of the party to fall in around him. you've got newt gingrich out there, you know, analyzing this race. and still staying in it, saying that there is still a stop romney force out there. and there's enough place for those forces to go as long as santorum and to a lesser degree gingrich is still in the race. >> tj, put chuck todd up in a single box. where is chuck coming out of today? that's a good shot. >> you like the shot? >> it's pretty good. >> it's so that i can keep an eye on david. david and i are actually in the line of sight. if you really want to know the sausage making here -- >> no, we don't. >> the same facility. >> keep your sausage to yourself. what do you think about last night? >> first of all, how about newt gingrich there?

i love that intro. apparently he has a new job again, fox news political pundit. he finished in fourth place. and i know that willie was using a lot of will ferrell movies. one of my most underrated, a very watchable movie, "semipro" is another good movie. and if you remember, "semipro," everybody loved everybody. but the other one was, there's this whole chant for fourth place, you know? [ laughter ] >> they had to get to fourth place. newt last night, the good news is he finished ahead of buddy roamer, unlike what happened in puerto rico. so he got fourth place. now, in all seriousness, he finished below ron paul. his number when you combine it with santorum by the way still wouldn't have been enough to overcome romney. i think -- so a few things have already happened. the conservatives have already eliminated him, right? so santorum i think has a harder case of making the argument that

somehow newt is preventing him from being the conservative alternative. i think illinois conservatives have already made that determination. >> yeah. >> the second is, what is newt doing? at some point he's going to start harming his earning potential. >> and that is obviously an important consideration. >> yeah. for him. >> i want to open up the table of questions from others. but first, mark mckinnon, let me ask you really quickly, though, we are all talking about it like this thing is over. what happens if santorum wins louisiana this weekend, which is very likely? so you have sunday headlines, romney loses again. and then you go to wisconsin, and santorum wins there. are we back to where we were after mississippi and alabama? >> there's a good chance. it's starting to feel a little bit like a sixth grade field day where we should just give everybody ribbons and let them all go home, you know? everybody wins, ok? [ laughter ] >> everybody love everybody, baby.

>> santorum will win this weekend, and it will shift around. but i do think the most important thing that happened last night was newt gingrich's body language saying that mitt romney took a step toward consolidating as front-runner. >> so the most interesting man in the world has suddenly become a bill o'reilly body expert. we are doing that now on "morning joe." i'm going to ask david, you have interviewed all of these candidates and you have watched these candidates and you will very soon i hope have governor romney on to walk through that process with him. how do you see from where we go today of the next -- we have a month to six weeks left here, about eight weeks left in this campaign. how do you see the delegate math counting up? todd was on your show a few weeks ago and laid out how you get to the 1144. do you see romney losing louisiana? does he pick steam back up in wisconsin and going forward enough to begin to settle these questions?

and two, chuck, just for the record, the fourth place was about the flint tropics making the nba after the aba. >> good job. >> i don't see a change in this dynamic between home and away games for mitt romney as if he is a baseball team. i think somehow he has to get past that and start winning states that you wouldn't think you'd otherwise win because the party is starting to fall in behind him. but i don't see it happening in louisiana. you know, you get back into a calendar mode that starts to favor him, northeastern states, even pennsylvania where now santorum is making a big stand. you know, you'd like to see the romney campaign make a big stand there and win that. if they are going to begin to show that the party is coalescing around him. look, the scenario here is not so much that santorum is going to run up the numbers. but that he's going to prevent romney from doing so. and, you know, that's the scenario that romney has got to be afraid of. if he's winning the electability argument, he somehow has to have that translate all down the line

to the demographic strength that santorum has and stop having this dynamic of like a red-blue state dynamic on the primary map. where you've got santorum winning the heartland of the country. >> yeah. sort of watching you all trying to make this interesting. >> it's hard. >> it's hard. it's hard. what's wrong? >> i think romney is really close, ok? the plane is coming in. >> to being interesting? >> no. the wheels are coming down. the wheels have been put down, right? we're coming in for the landing. >> yeah. >> and the door opens, and it's snow. >> no. >> nobody gets off the plane. >> chuck, the problem is he is approaching and then on saturday the wheels come back up and they have to go around again. >> they come out and say, we've just got to come around. it won't take long. just one more time. >> i'm going to go make a phone call. >> in all honesty, if you're rick santorum and talking to the

romney folks, they are even quietly saying this, they'll give him his one last stand in wisconsin before you see, i think, the real effort and push to basically bring this to an end and say, look, if you couldn't win wisconsin -- go win a state that's a must-win for you. and that's wisconsin. and i think at that point, we'll know april 3, is this over or not? if santorum wins it, and then we're in this dynamic, and then i think there's a very real possibility romney is denied 1144 by june 26. >> wake me up when it's over. >> wow. >> no, but if he's denied, though, his number by tampa, tampa is pretty exciting. >> it's a big story. it's a big story. >> so wake mika. >> he's not real excited. it's a big story. >> he sounds like will forte in "semipro" smoking a cigarette doing the play-by-play. >> romney may be 100 pancakes short when tampa starts.

all right. chuck todd, david gregory, thank you so much. >> thank you, guys. >> mark mckinnon, thank you, thank you as well. >> thank you. up next, congressman chris van hollen will join us with the democrats' response to the newly unveiled republican budget. i wonder if he's bringing a budget. >> i'm sure he is. >> more "morning joe" in a moment. [ female announcer ] the best things in life are the real things. nature valley trail mix bars are made with real ingredients you can see. like whole roasted nuts, chewy granola, and real fruit. nature valley trail mix bars. 100% natural. 100% delicious. aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans?

aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh! [ man ] hmm. a lot can happen in two hundred thousand miles... ♪ are you guys okay? yeah. you know...he's got your smile. ♪ [ man ] i had a great time. thank you, it was really fun. yeah...that was...uh... ♪ [ crash ] ♪ i'm so sorry... how did you not see me? i was just sitting at this stop sign! i'm going to write down my number, but don't use it.

[ laughs ] alright, bye. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] for the road ahead, the all-new subaru impreza®. experience love that lasts. ♪

welcome back to "morning joe." 41 past the hour. here with us now, democratic representative from maryland and ranking member of the budget committee, congressman chris van hollen. very good to have you this morning. >> good morning all. >> so what is it that the democrats are putting on the table in terms of a budget proposal that would really deal with the problems that you might see in the republican proposal? >> well, the proposal we're going to put on the table next week will take the approach that a lot of bipartisan commissions have recommended, which is a combination of cuts, but also additional revenue by closing a lot of tax loopholes and asking

folks at the very high end of the income ladder to share in the responsibility of reducing our deficit. as opposed to the republican plan, which we're going to be voting on today, in the budget committee, which provides another wind fall tax break to folks at the very top. this budget they are putting forward today is a budget mitt romney will love. it locks in to special preferential rates for capital gains and then gives an additional tax breaks for the very wealthy. and on average, it's about $150,000 break for millionaires. so we're taking a balanced approach. >> let's get to the tax revenue side of things in just a moment. i may not disagree with you there. but what are some of the hard, serious cuts that the democrats are going to put on the table, the hard truths that americans need to hear in order to try and reduce the deficit and get spending under control? what are the cuts that democrats are going to put on the table? >> yeah. well, in addition to the $1 trillion in cuts that we have already agreed to last year, we are putting in about $300

billion of cuts in mandatory spending on the table. that's a significant additional cut that includes things like cuts to ag subsidies but there is a balanced approach because we also cut some of these subsidies. and because of the balanced approach, we don't have to balance the budget on the backs of seniors. we don't end the medicare guarantee and slash investments in education and transportation and in science and research. so that is the kind of balanced approach that, again, bipartisan groups have recommended as opposed to the lopsided cuts only approach which will hurt the country economically and it will hurt seniors. >> so, congressman, it's steve rattner. you mentioned these bipartisan commissions and so forth, which is a reference i assume. will your budget go as far as simpson bowls in terms of deficit reduction? because the president's have not so far. >> steve, our budget doesn't get

exactly to the same point simpson bowls. we get very close. we bring the deficit under 3% of gdp at the end of the 10-year period. so it's very close to simpson bowls. we don't adopt every one of their recommendations, but we do adopt the overall framework in terms of the ratio of cuts and revenue. in fact, if you look at the president's budget, the president has less revenue as a percentage of gdp in his budget at the end of 10 year than simpson bowls did. and neither of them has as much revenue of gdp as the clinton administration budget did, which is the last time we balanced the budget. >> sorry, congressman. so your budget will go further than president obama's budget in terms of the amount of deficit reduction that you're going to propose? >> ours will be slightly better in terms of deficit reduction than the president's. not a lot, but slightly. >> chris, good morning.

harold ford. hope you're well. >> good morning. >> if you can be specific for me for one moment because we have been i think rightly critical of paul ryan's budget this morning talking about specific cuts in programs for veterans, programs for children and programs for poor families. can you give me a sense on social security and medicare and medicaid for my friend, joe scarborough's sake, give me a sense of what democrats in the house, how that proposal will address those three specific areas in terms of slowing down spending over the next 10 years. >> well, harold, in the area of social security, our budget is similar to the current republican budget, which is we believe that issue has to be dealt with on a bipartisan basis. so our current budget preserves social security intact. i agree that we need to do something along the lines that ronald reagan and tip o'neill did. we need to get together to handle that issue. with respect to medicare, there are some reforms in the president's plan. the difference between that

approach and the approach that ryan takes is what we try and do is reduce the costs in the health care system overall by changing some of the incentives and payment incentives within medicare so that we focus more on the quality of care rather than the quantity of care as opposed to the republican plan, which is transfers those costs onto seniors. and we take a similar approach in medicaid. for example, with dual eligibles, people who are on medicare and medicaid, they are not a huge number in terms of population but they are huge cost center. if we improve the coordination of care, we can reduce those costs without hurting the quality of care. so we do that kind of thing in our approach. we build on the affordable care act, which began that process. but again, that's a very different approach than saying we're going to transfer these rising costs onto seniors. >> all right. congressman chris van hollen, thank you very much for being on the show this morning.

good luck to you. >> thanks a lot. up next, the attorney for the american soldier accused of killing 16 afghan villagers says he will put the war on trial in the defense of the staff sergeant. that's next on "morning joe." [ female announcer ] you have plans, moments you're looking forward to. what if they were stolen from you? by alzheimer's. this cruel disease is the nation's sixth leading cause of death, affecting more than 5 million americans. the alzheimer's association

has been behind every major advancement and continues to lead the fight against alzheimer's. we won't rest until we have a cure. join us. go to alz.org. the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not that we'd ever brag about it. turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how'd that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine 2012 iihs top safety picks. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers" event. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 passat for $219 a month. hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals.

could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. a living, breathing intelligence teaching data how to do more for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions...

[ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers. ♪ >> that are coming despite new calls to quicken the pace of withdrawal despite robert bales's alleged open fire on afghans. he has not been formally charged in the shootingly spree and his attorney said it is far from an open and shut case. >> there is no forensic evidence

or medical evidence or evidence about how many alleged victims or where those remains are. so it's fascinating from a defense perspective. the war is on trial. the war should be on trial. i am hoping that the war will be on trial. >> i find that potential defense fascinating on a number of levels given how long we have been there and the duties. >> fascinating and it will be in effect. the warship should be on trial. our troops should be home. no doubt about it. the prosecution will be able to name the hundreds of thousands of good american men and women who have been in the same situation and getting allegedly killed 16 women and children. >> yet here we are with people

like the staff sergeant and families across this country who have been torn apart with tours of duty and pushed to the brink. >> what he means by that. >> pushed to the brink, but i will agree with most of what he said. again, that's not going to get you off. >> he makes a good case of what happens to families. i don't agree with the afghanistan policy and it doesn't justify the excuse. he has to defend. what else is he going to use? >> an inside look at the biggest struggles of the obama presidency and the editor. joe conason joins the conversation. >> the rally tomorrow night and the baptist church. >> right outside of orlando.

>> 7:00 p.m. come on down and support the family. a grieving family. >> thank you. ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing new nature valley protein bars. 100% natural ingredients like roasted peanuts...

♪ ...creamy peanut butter, and a rich dark chocolate flavor. plus, 10 grams of great tasting protein in every bar. so it's energy straight from nature to you. new nature valley protein bars. find them in the granola bar aisle.

and deposits at the same time. for paying your friend back for lunch from your tablet. for 26 paydays triggered with a single tap. for checking your line, then checking your portfolio. for making atms and branches appear out of thin air. simple to use websites, tools, and apps. for making your financial life a little bit easier.

coming up next after a big win in illinois, mitt romney's

campaign suggests it would be a good idea for rick santorum to pack it in and hand romney the nomination. the former adviser to president bush rejoins the discussion. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance.

hey, it's sandra -- from accounting. peter. i can see that you're busy... but you were gonna help us crunch the numbers for accounts receivable today. i mean i know that this is important.

well, both are important. let's be clear. they are but this is important too. [ man ] the receivables. [ male announcer ] michelin knows it's better for xerox to help manage their finance processing. so they can focus on keeping the world moving. with xerox, you're ready for real business. tonight we thank the people of illinois for their vote and for this extraordinary victory. thank you so much. after years of too many apologies and not enough jobs,

historic drop-ins income and historic highs in gas prices, a president who doesn't hesitate to use all the mean ifs necessary through obama care for the american public. it's time to say these words. this word. enough. we had enough. >> mitt romney is the winner of last night's illinois primary and 47% of the vote, beating rick santorum by 12 points. ron paul and newt gingrich in the single digits. that adds another 41 delegates that stands near 500. still far from the 1144 needed to clinch the nomination. he posted 300 more than santorum. that math is adding up. it's 8:00 on the east coast as we take a live look at new york city. welcome back to "morning joe." back with us, we have harold

ford, jr. and in washington. mitt romney cemented his status as the likely nominee after scoring a decisive victory in the primary with a general election in mind. the former massachusetts governor focused his election speech on attacking president obama while touting his own experience much. >> for 25 years i live and breathed business and the economy and jobs. i had successes and failures. each step of the way i learned more about what it is that makes our american system so powerful. you can't learn that teaching constitutional law at the university of chicago. you can't even learn that as a community organizer. the simple truth is that this president doesn't understand the genius of america's economy or the secret of the american

economic success story. the american economy is fuelled by freedom now. >> okay. is it over? it's over. let's stop this. >> you have to give him his day. >> we will after pennsylvania. it may be over. it may be over. this was written last night. unless a meteor hits the campaign bus, it's obama versus romney in the fall. it's not quite over, but effectively over. time magazine of course called the race and said it's over. here's halpern's headline. romney's ilno victory signals an end to the gop primary. i don't know that i would go so far, but what do you think? >> a couple observations. romney really improved his

standing among college voters and voters making over $100,000 to improve by 13 points and 12 points and 14 points in each of those categories. that was significant. what i find most significant in the overall dynamics about what will happen is not the numbers, but apparently what gingrich said about romney last night. what's important is what gingrich does. if he stays in or somehow lends support to santorum, that's where things get problematic. if it's a two-man race, romney is on the way. >> what are did gingrich say? >> he said favorable things it and critical things about santorum. >> ford? what do you think? >> i don't know what gingrich said, but i would agree with mark's analysis. i think it's over for santorum and has been that way for a while. if you look at the numbers last

night, you even give all of gingrich's support to santorum, he suggested he is splitting the vote. that may be the case in the south, but if you add gingrich's vote, he still would have lost to romney. it bodes well and suggests a stronger romney as he prepares to be the nominee. >> he does praise. >> what is the quote? >> we have the bite. can we run it? here's newt gingrich. >> governor romney had a good day today and took a step towards proving he was the front-runner. senator santorum did not have a good day. the third time he tried out in a mid-western union state and not succeeded. i think conservatives have to think through what's the right strategy if they hope to stop romney. >> we are so short sided. everybody said it's all over

because mitt romney won a moderate state. he should have won. it's a moderate state. he outspent santorum eight to one. he should have won the state and everybody said it's oerver. mitt mitt romney came in third place in alabama and mississippi. can things change that quickly in seven days? >> you look at the exit polls and romney's victory was deep and wide. 71% of those who know electability was the most important thing. conservatives. he won the vote in illinois. he lost a very conservative vote. it was a good night for him to be sure. you look at louisiana on saturday and you figure you have a good shot there. you look at wisconsin after that and you have a good shot there. you have some money in the bank. maybe this moment come fist he

loses his state of pennsylvania, but i don't see why in the next month he will be compelled to get out of the race. i don't see it. >> i don't see mitt losing louisiana. i think santorum is custom-made, more so in wisconsin than illinois of winning a very catholic blue collar state like wis cons up. >> what's changed? not a lot. alabama and mississippi are very different states. romney was never going to win those. let's come back to those states. they are republican states. what romney has done -- >> that's a compliment. i will take it as a compliment. >> i understand. look, romney has now won illinois by a substantially larger margin.

the only hope he would have is gingrich would get out and implying he may get behind romney? yes, i think that santorum will win louisiana with wisconsin will be interesting and pennsylvania a must have and each of those will bring chatter around, but the path for romney is happening. >> fair or not, the discussion has been that this is a time of historic opportunity for the republican party. what have they got? if we consider the math to be over here? >> it's fascinating that you have the republican party with a chance to retain the house. they can retain the house and just a couple of months ago they thought they were going to win the 10ate and win the white house against a president that was struggling over the past year and the money people. doing all of that would help them reshape the supreme court for the next decade and the next

20 years. yet it appears they are on the way to nominating a man that they don't even like. at least they don't like politically. it still seems to me like a historic opportunity that is being passed upon. >> newt gingrich said some nice things about mitt romney and also said this. it's difficult to imagine that the governor who used teddy kennedy as a form of romney care. mark halpern said i don't write the headlines. i don't think this race is over. >> let's say for the record, mark said it is all over. in fact he totalled this up and said this race is over. all over. with screaming headlines. >> you have been in primary and you have seen this.

you watched the primary and watched the presidential primaries and want issed the candidate. how can you not agree that this is over. the numbers bode in favor and even in 08 when clinton and barack obama and hillary clinton trounced him because of the make up. >> lead up to that, how can you not? >> you had two people and at one point barack obama was going to have that moment when he got over the top and he wasn't going to have to go to the convention and there wasn't going to be a floor battle. the question is not who was going to be ahead, but will he have the number? i think mitt romney's biggest problem is there a lot of people and a lot of conservatives and a lot of republican leaders that are saying what i just said. this is the best we have when we have such a historic opportunity in front of us.

it seems to me that a lot of people are quietly rooting against romney, getting to that magic number just because they are not excited about the prospects of a romney nomination. >> there is a huge gap and there remains a lot of interest in the idea that gingrich stays in and pal stays in and romney can't get to the 50% and it goes to a second ballot. i agree with steve here. we may talk about the importance of illinois and remember how quickly that has swung back and forth. saturday the stories are going to be rick santorum again and maybe again in wisconsin. the key to me is gingrich. watch now because as long as he's in and stays in, it's a three or four-person race and romney can't get to 50. if he's out, they can't get to 50. >> he is not saying nice things about anybody.

>> taking your point, let's assume you don't get there. then what happens? you think this party is going to turn to someone not even in the race and on the sidelines? >> this is what's going to happen. he's a director, right? this is how we are going to do it. i will have smoke bombs and throw them in the middle of the floor. mckin on is going to put the boom box on. chaos is going to break out and we are going to get us a conservative champion riding in a white stallion. something like that. maybe it's wishful thinking, i don't know. we are hoping. i think we are hoping against it. >> even the names you mentioned. chris christie and jeb bush, i wouldn't all these what you would consider. traditional champions of the conservative movements in the republican party. >> chris christie is done in new

jersey. he has the highest approval rating of any republican governor in america. he went to war and not only war, but he won that war in a tough, tough union state in the northeast where republicans have not been winning regularly for years. if this guy is not the type of guy that can take the fight to barack obama, i don't know who is. >> that's being a true conservative champion. you made the point that you will go to the floor. >> conservatives want to win. >> can romney beat obama in the fall? >> i think he can do well against barack obama. do i think he can take the fight like chris christie can take the fight and jeb bush can take the fight and mitch daniels can take the fight to obama? no. it is just going back to what pat buchanan said, we are talking about political

athletes. some can run faster than others. you look at chris christie and you throw him a punch, he will level you and put you on the floor. he does it time and again against the toughest. poor. >> you are looking for the best available athlete, not the most conservative. >> they are looking for the win. >> approximate are we want bold and strong. >> bold and strong like the flavor of this tequila. >> this is actually a bigger question about the party. this quote of historic opportunity has been there for quite sometime, especially if you are a republican. why is your party in this position? this is not something that happened this week. >> a lot of a team decided to stay on the bench. >> that are reminds me of 1991 when so many democrats decided not to run lloyd benson and

others. >> then this problem americans saw. >> coming up, a new book takes us inside the most trying times of the obama presidency from the elections to the debt ceiling battles. the bureau chief will be here. also the editor of national memo joins the conversation. but first, bill karens with a look at the forecast. >> louisiana is not the place to be for beautiful weather. a lot of flooding and under a tornado watch. isolated tornados and the rhett box is the tornado watch that includes the baton rouge area. a lot of heavy rain is about to approach. give it another hour or so before the thunderstorms roll through. probably gusty winds and maybe a chance of isolated tornados. through arkansas they are under flash flood warnings. too much rain too fast. it's a great start to the day

for a lot of coastal cities. even d.c. is in the fog. once that fog burns off, it will be warm with temperatures like yesterday in the mid 70s and maybe near 80. if you want to talk about the incredible warmth, go to chicago. you should be 86 degrees. this will be your seventh or eighth day in a row of record heat. the warmest mark all time ever recorded in chicago. that's the case for many cities near the great lakes. you are watching "morning joe." i'm not sure the ice is dun there, but it is. you are watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. there's another way to help eliminate litter box dust: purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes.

purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪ in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities --

helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

>> welcome back to "morning joe." a live look at the white house. on a foggy washington, d.c. morning. the bureau chief of mother jones magazine and the athor of showdown, the inside story of how obama fought back against boehner, captor and the tea party. gentlemen, good to have you both on the show. >> david, it's always fascinating to see how presidents rebound from huge political setbacks. bill clinton in 1996, he decided to reach out to dick morris and take the republicans on in their own back yard. barack obama in 2010 had a devastating mid-term election loss that followed scott brown

in massachusetts. how did he respond? >> the interesting thing is there were two aspects. the lame duck session and dealing with the tea party republicans that came in the following january. in the book i describe the scene the morning after the election when he had the senior staffers there and they are all very, very upset and worried they will be investigated for the next two years and nothing will happen on the hill and they don't know what to do. the president said we have two months in the lame duck session. we will do a tax cut bill and don't ask don't tell, repeal it and the dream act and gratify the start. the first lady has the nutrition bill that she wants to get done and we doll that too. they are looking at each other like he's nuts. don't you understand what just happened here? they get almost everything on their list. everything except the dream act.

he stayed focused on getting policy out comes and results when he knew he had a chance. after that lame duck session, there was no chance to do anything. what i think he used that for momentum in setting up a clash and the confrontation over the budget deal, pivoting all the way from the last fall to jobs and a populous message. he had this kind of big overarching vision that a lot of people didn't share and the road was bumpier than he expected, but at the end of 2011 as we set up this great election campaign, i think he got to the point he wanted to be political. >> he got more done? >> in the lame duck session he got more done than any president in years over the course of a term. >> david, you and the good people used that opportunity to

extend the bush tax cuts another two years? >> as you remember house democrats particularly were not happy with that. the book goes into detail and his thinking on that matter and all the discussions. he in essence, this is how he would put it. he sacrificed a position to win on policy. he got a second stimulus past your own colleagues and the house republican who is would never have voted for $240 billion in a second stimulus by giving up the bush tax cuts for two years. he didn't want to do it, but in order to get unemployment benefits and everything else. he made a tough compromise and a tough concession for what he thought was the greater good. it was hard to explain at the time. >> it was hard to explain and he did prove to be as pragmatic in a sense as bill clinton.

when you talked to the president's top people, it's one thing to say you hate the bush tax cuts, but when you talk to his top people, they look at you and say the economy is going down. the last thing we want to do is raise taxes over the next two years. >> you think that the house republicans are trying to kill the recovery which i think is what a lot of people in the white house did believe for political reasons, you don't need to give them a fight on the bush tax cuts then. the bush tax cuts extended helps you a little bit in keeping it going. i'm not for them, but that's not the fight. you are getting this on the other side and defeating the bigger purpose at the same time. it was a good deal for him. >> it was a good deal for him. the showdown ultimately is -- who prevails or what's the ultimate message?

>> there two showdowns. the we see end in november and this is the preshowdown setting up the fight. at the end of the debt ceiling, the numbers were in the twos. the house republicans and the president. i think he ended upsetting up a better narrative of shared sacrifice and he had a vision for the future. you just don't cut, cut, cut, cut. >> did he undermine the narrative? >> i think for the first six months of the year, the notion that the only thing that washington had to do was cut, cut, cut government. put him back some. i think that went longer than he and others anticipated. with the jobs bill and with the way he came out at the end, he looked like the adult. he had a bargain on the table and i didn't agree with everything. he was trying to get something done and have shared sacrifice. if you want to raise the age of medicare for some folks and not everyone, we have to take something out of taxes for the

wealthy. that whole approach that we saw play out at the end of the year whether it's house republicans shot themselves in the foot. you remember that. put him in a much better position than the party. >> republicans really setting themselves up as the opponents of middle class tax cuts. you have great color in your day behind the scenes about the grand bargain. how close were the president and john boehner to striking the deal and at what point did the third wheel on the day come in? the tea party and eric kantor? >> i think the president and boehner were quite close and sincere. everyone in the white house thought that he was trying. i tell a story that boehner walked away twice and we had news coverage of the second time. the first time he walked away was he was talking about this deal and the trigger. what would happen if the house republicans did not raise

revenues is that the tax cuts for the wealthy would expire and give you the $800 billion over ten years we were trying to get into the bargain. as he was negotiating that deal, house moderate republicans, old friends of yours went to boehner's office and sat down and said listen, you have to get out now. eric kantor is going around the caucus and saying that you are going rhino. what is rhino? republican in name only. the worst thing you can say. you are too far over the tips of your skis. 150 or so members named who won't go for this. he said hi, guys. i'm happy to help. he left without explanation and this is a third wheel. he couldn't cut the deal because he couldn't sell it to his own caucus. that is unlike any other house

speaker in history. tip o'neal used to sit down and say whatever he said, he could make happen. even if the democrats didn't like it. john boehner doesn't have that authority. he's the tail being wagged by the tea party dog. >> is that the weakness of boehner or the strength of the tea party? >> it's both. the dynamics of the republican party at this point in time. >> also some of the independent players unlike the days of tip o'neal. you can raise all the money you need online. if you are michele bachmann, she raised like $12 million online. >> who was the eric kantor of tip o'neal? there wasn't one. he was in charge and nobody conspired to stab stab him in the back. they used the revolt against the party in general. nothing like that. they could make a deal and reagan could make a deal and be sure the republicans could come after him. >> compare barack obama to bill

clinton, a topic that you know a great deal about. you are writing a book about president clinton. compare the two reactions to terrible political setbacks? >> they are similar in a lot of ways. in the lame duck session, i don't know that you would compare what obama did in the lame duck to all of the smaller initiatives that clinton took under the tutelage of dick morris, but it was a different moment in the lame duck. obama had a democratic majority. the impulse to show that you are doing something and you are the grown up and you will keep things going against them insurging and a group that wants to overturn and made the country great. that is the same thing. that is the same thing. >> sweeping state. >> we get into the budget and

how they that polished the government. >> both obama and clinton both placed their money on republicans overreaching. >> i reliable bet. >> great certainty. >> they never showed the moderation and even temperament. >> at the end of lame duck session, obama told his own people we will have a chance. they will go after medicare and view the social issues and go too far. he had a good view. good prediction of what would happen. this will give us the opportunity to come back. it's not what bill clinton did. >> david and joe, before we have to go, the bottom line is we are talking about the small things that bill clinton learned to do. say the president wins and the house stays republican or the senate goes republican and the house goes democratic.

at the end of the day, barack obama is going to be forced to do a lot of small things over the next four years. >> i think that's true. we have a system that was designed in which congress can hold the president hostage. it's not a parliamentary system. it worked to the republicans's advantage a bit because they say obama is not doing anything. the public gets frustrate and they want congress to work together even though they don't vote for the united government. there is a check in the government. there cross currents out there and it will be hard for him and anybody else to negotiate. >> if they do that, that could be a mid-term like 98. if they try to stymie the president and impeach him. they are talking about a resolution in the house. if they try to do something like that, this is serious. >> you know what, i'm just telling you. there is the chance that they

will act completely irrationally and if they do, there could be a mid-term like 98. you know what happened then. it was the end of speaker gingrich and a loss for the republicans. clinton was impeach and had a strong last two years. >> how fascinating the 12 election. we focused on the presidential race and the senate less in play than a lot of people expected. they were talking about with the loss of olympia snow. bob kerry going out to nebraska. >> exclusive bob kerry interview. >> we will have to look at that. >> i love bob kerry. >> i know a lot of people on the hard left don't like him, but if you win nebraska he's the guy to win nebraska. >> liberals are happy to see him replace ben nelson. >> he talked about that today. a war hero and left part of himself in vietnam and he

doesn't march behind anybody. great guy. >> the book is so down. taking part in the live web chat after the segment. going to our blog, mojo to ask him a question. thank you as well. we will be checking out the interview with bob kerry on national memo.com today. up next, what new york city is doing to stay competitive with silicon valley. next on "morning joe." this is $100,000.

we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. sure. cake or pie? pie. apple or cherry? cherry. oil or cream? oil or cream? cream. reddi-wip uses real dairy cream.

nothing's more real than reddi-wip. but not how we get there. because in this business, there are no straight lines. only the twists and turns of an unpredictable industry. so the eighty-thousand employees at delta... must anticipate the unexpected. and never let the rules overrule common sense. this is how we tame the unwieldiness of air travel, until it's not just lines you see... it's the world.

on behalf of all new yorkers, it's a pleasure to welcome twitter to new york city. they have had a minor presence in our town for a while, bithey are making it official by opening the east coast hub here at 340 madison. why not 140 madison, i don't know. i will assume there wasn't enough room down there for all of its companies characters. not easy to write twitter jokes, guy, come on. >> come on now, mike. come on. >> welcoming twitter to the big apple last fall. new york city's chief digital officer rachel stern. >> you made a big mistake coming

here. i'm immediately after you about -- you will get 40 parks and that's good. >> we will well on the way and we hear new yorkers loud and clear. >> all the time. i'm going after you on that. you sit down and you are trying to have a conversation and you jump on her about something else. >> i want wi-fi in the subways. make it happen. >> we hear you loud and clear. for sometime they have been working on that. >> i want wi-fi in my shower. everywhere. get on the small government conservative. >> free wi-fi for all. >> everybody. user name, usa and password number one. >> socialism is connecting. >> what is your job other than wi-fi and the subway and the parks. >> that's a big part and my job is to realize the vision for

making new york city the best digital city in the world. >> do you write his digital jokes? >> i do not. the mayor's office occasionally the mayor will tweet for himself, but it's representing city hall at a glance. the mayor is on four square and we are using the office for instagram. 250 social media channels. >> four square is where you tell people where you are at any given time. >> why would you do that? what's wrong with you? it is a great game. i love playing four square. >> who does four square? why do do you it? i'm not stumbling out of a bar. i don't get it, but i know this. your father made your first website and you work for ibm? >> absolutely. >> first when you were 13.

>> he was a big supporter and went on to do brown report and saw the opportunity to work with the city and thought what an incredible canvas and you can check in to find the wi-fi hot spots in central park. >> we were ripping apart facebook, but there is something good you are bringing to the facebook conversation. >> can we block it in new york city? >> i tried with us. it takes a lot of time out of the day. tell us what perhaps. >> four square! >> what's four square? >> it's about recognizing where new yorkers live online. there over eight million new yorkers and individuals within 50 miles on facebook. to be serving their needs and for the message to get out there, we need to be on

facebook. the mayor introduced four new social media platforms with the brand. if you go to facebook.com you can check it out and love nyc photo contest. if you have instagram or like to take pictures of new york city, why do you love new york city. submit your favorite photo. >> tell us about you did a piece with vogue and vogue did a profile piece and talks about how you are fighting the boy's club. i did a conversation with sand berg of all people. she talks about how hard that is, especially in technology. how have you been taking on the boy's club? >> cheryl sand berg is fantastic and was there to cut the ribbon on the new office in mid-town. >> we love facebook. >> i think fort nayly something

about new york city is we have the technology community. i felt very supported along those lines, but there great organizations across the city like girl develop it and change the ratio. it gets more women involved in tech. it's a great cause. >> this is the east coast version of silicon valley. how do we pull that up and that's the mayor doing to attract the companies? >> we are well on the way and tons of homegrown start ups like tumbler to guilt and fab that are producing great business models and are really just growing in a wonderful way. one of the most exciting things that the city has been able to announce, the mayor announced that cornell is going to be building an enormous new engineering canvas. this is important because this leads to jobs in so many ways. the start ups are hiring and they are hiring for engineers

and this is about meeting that need. it started and the ceos have said this is what they are looking for. >> that's a huge deal. i saw the mark up. thank you so much. we appreciate it. rachel stern is new york city's chief digital officer. subways, rachel. so how long was that idea? >> many years. i don't know. he did a start up thing too. >> thanks for coming in. >> thank you. this was a blast. >> up next, what hair salons can tell us about the u.s. economy. business before the bell is next. all right, let's decide what to

do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years... years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid.

we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not that we'd ever brag about it. turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how'd that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine top safety picks like the passat and jetta. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers" event. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 jetta for $159 a month.

hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here.

let's check on business. brip sullivan live at the new york stock exchange. good news today from goldman sachs. >> that's right and i think loving "morning joe" is the right thing to do so i appreciate you having me on this fine program. wasn't that nice with the music transition? goldman sacks is influential. the notes basically say stocks are the cheapest against bonds they have been in a generation. what does it mean? if you want to invest money, goldman sacks is saying forget bonds and buy equities. that note is getting all the attention and could power the market higher today. it could. it's a big note and very important. it's out there.

>> that was horrible. >> it was a horrible transition. i don't understand though. some markets are high right now. you would think that ratio discrepancy wouldn't be the case. even though the economy is struggling. >> because the bond market is returning and i think the technical definition is squat after inflation. if you are near a retirement and want a little income for your money, you put money in treasury bonds and you are getting zero. the yield on the s&p 500 and the money on the s&p kick back. at&t is greater than bonds and there is no risk of most of the companies going out of business as things get better. goldman is saying hey, the stock market is a better bet for your hard-earned money. >> you come on because you always throw out economic turns.

they are going right after adam smith's follow-up. smith's next book, the wealth of squat. is that it? is that the follow-up? >> your money is getting squat. that will be a columbia business school hopefully on shelves next season. watch for lower volumes at the open. the cast of mad men is here today with lions gate. i am coining it breaking this news on your show for you, i am pointing at the hendricks effect. lower volume at the open is expected. >> so she's going to be there? >> we are all hoping. john hamm and the whole cast. >> you don't care about john hamm and slatery. you care about christina hendricks? >> i have never seen the show, but there is a lot of buzz around here and i'm throwing it

out there. it's not the jimmy hendrix effect. >> why? >> it's love. >> he is crazy. let's prove it by talking about when sullivan calls the hair salon effect. tell us about that, brian. >> "usa today" with an interesting story that business and hair salons is up almost double. people have more discretionary income and they are treating themselves better. some call it the lipstick or the tie indicators. this is the guerilla economics. more women are treating themselves better and a good sign for the economy. >> for does remind me of one of the moments. this is like when erin burnett brought on figurines of camels and we talked about them for a month. it was a burning point. >> she was there watching the

devil rays. >> nothing else to buy. >> i love it. >> you need to talk to someone. >> brian, as we say in the red necks, you are a run away beer truck, but we love you. >> go hokieshokies, i have to gt in there. >> the best of late night. [ female announcer ] the best things in life are the real things. nature valley trail mix bars are made with real ingredients you can see. like whole roasted nuts, chewy granola, and real fruit. nature valley trail mix bars.

100% natural. 100% delicious.

[ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. but i have this new smartphone. and now i can see everything more clearly. ♪ i can organize the analysis. sort through all the data. maybe even rattle some cages. i predict that i'm going to like the future. because the future is where i'll be serving up humble pie. a la mode. [ male announcer ] at&t introduces the samsung galaxy note. phone. tablet. both. ♪

these are pancakes. i'm in rosemont, illinois. i got these pancakes from a restaurant called pancakes egg set ra. they are very good. i tell you. these pancakes are as large as my win in puerto rico last night. just about as good. today, we stand against the tyranny of meager travel cards. battle speech right? may i? capital one is issuing a venture double miles challenge. show us how much you spent last year and we'll give you 2 miles for every dollar spent on your travel reward card. up to 100,000 miles! hawaii, here we come. claim your miles at capitalone.com today!

what's in your wallet? can you play games on that? not on the runway. no. monarch of marketing analysis. with the ability to improve roi through seo all by cob. 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'm going b-i-g. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro.

[ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. this one's for all us lawnsmiths. grass gurus. doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun. and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies - into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots. and a lot more - spring per dollar. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. lay down a new look - with earthgro mulch, now 3 bags for just 10 bucks. every week they lower thousands of prices and check over 30,000 competitor prices. check out that low price.

you want to grab one? grab two. [ male announcer ] that's the walmart low price guarantee! see for yourself how much it can save you. not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader.

>> it's time to talk about what we learned today. i learned from the reverend a.m. sharpton he will number florida at the first shiloh baptist church leading a rally with the family. >> great. what did you learn? >> i learned that you are a leader of palashl justice. >> i don't know what that means. >> you will find out. what did you learn? >> a lava lamp is something to be congratulated for. i'm not sure why. that's