and what happened on that night, february 26th, in sanford, florida. >> just two weeks ago when attorney crump called me, we said that people should be judged by their character, not their color, we judged that way. thank you for joining me, i'm al sharpton. "hardball" beguns now. clean slate? this is hb. leaving off tonight, the etch-a-sketch candidate. rich romney bit san tomorrow last night, now the republican base has new reason to worry. their talking about wiping the

slate clean and starting over for the general election. listen to eric fernstrom. >> it's like a reset button, it's like a etch-a-sketch, you can shake it up and start again. >> so everything we heard from romney so far doesn't matter. we can just start over. that's what michael kinsley is a gaffe, when you tell the truth. romney said there will be organizational changes now, but the issues he is running on will be "exactly the same." here is another challenge for republicans, some show they're losing ground among women. maybe that's because they're pushing new measures that restrict access to things like birth control and abortion. as we move toward the general election, president obama has a secret weapon, you're looking at it right now, and it is first lady michelle obama who is hitting the campaign trail for her husband, and the continuing coverage of trayvon martin, the

unarmed african-american teenager shot and killed in florida. what happened in the final moments of his life. and let me finish with romney finally getting it done but not winning the hearts and minds. we begin with a win in illinois and his endorsement today by jeb bush. we have chuck todd, susan paige is washington bureau chief. >> well, when it comes via a press release, and then a tweet, and not exactly making sure there is no huge event. what it does is says what the statement said. it's time now. jeb bush said what it is, he did not say mitt romney has proven to be the candidate, he just said it's time for republicans to unite. >> and it means he will no be the nominee, right? >> i think we knew that. >> a lot of pining for jeb bush,

and -- >> this was different, jeb was holding this out because he was not happy with mitt romney, and it was less about anything that he was not happy with mitt romney's rhetoric. >> does this start mitch daniels -- >> you swallowed that, i helped you swallow that -- i'm graduation -- >> he is married to a mexican immigrant. >> there were a lot of bush people in florida that said jeb was fired up about romney. he was ready to -- and he watched him go through the campaign, go through immigration, use it against a wedge against mccain, he has not liked the rhetoric in general, and he has even been critical of the tone and rhetoric used on the issue of immigration, so i think this endorsement is more bowing to the reality of the situation, and you know, when

you know all of that backdrop, and you read the statement, i think it's telling. >> it's interesting he is married to a woman from mexico who is hispanic -- >> and his own record on people with hispanics -- >> and the way to win over hispanic voters, and not just cuban-americans. >> i think he is interesting. his endorsement that isn't that interesting, the statement released this mormt, jeb bush said "primary elections have been held in 34 states and now is the time for to unite behind governor romney and take our mess of of job creation to all voter this is fall. i am endorsing mitt romney for the party's nomination. we face huge challenges and we need someone that recognizes more government regulation is not the answer. believed in entrepreneurial capitalism" pretty general stuff

there. let's go to the wise guy -- i can say wise-ass comment by newt gingrich. as he dies on the vine, a good line comes out of him. >> he is good with the snark. >> everybody ready? he said, "this is the jeb endorsement. it is a completion of the accomplishment trifecta. "he was referring to bob dole -- he said bob dole -- in other words, this is pathetic. >> jeb has always been treated different. there is more of a trust in jeb than there was for the rest -- >> now, this is something i have been waiting for for weeks. top aide eric fernstrom was on

cnbc today, and made a gaffe that could hurt his guy. >> is there a concern that he might force the governor so go so far to the right it would hurt him with moderate voters in the election. >> i think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign, it's like an etch-a-sketch, you shake it up and start all over again. >> here is what newt said about the etch-a-sketch, he showed a picture of one. here is a copy. he is showing an actual etch-a-sketch, let's watch. >> given everybody's fears on governor romney's flip-flops, so have his communication districter to say that if we are dumb enough to nominate him, by the acceptance speech he will move back to the left.

>> here is santorum jumping on the etch-a-sketch remarks as well, let's listen. >> he said it's like an etch-a-sketch. he said you just turn it over and shake it, and then you start all over. imagine, had mitt romney been around at the time we were drafting our constitution. he would have just shook it up after it was aproved to rewrite it. ladies and gentlemen, this is the first of what i will now call my etch-a-sketch tour of america. >> this is like the old senator and mr. smith goes to washington saying everything they said about me is true. it's like saying everything you said about romney, that he is a flip-flopper, the guy is saying it's all an etch-a-sketch. all of the commitments about

immigration and all of the commitments about everything is yesterday's news now. >> you should buy stock in the company that makes etch-a-sketch because there will be a run on those. >> you think the obama people will hand these things out now? >> it started by the democrats. they launched this and then newt and santorum caught on. >> you could not say a more damaging thing about mitt romney that -- >> the guy said this without laying on the ground and begging for forgiveness. >> translator: campaign reached out to me, they think it should be clear, he obviously was referring to the campaign reset that happens between a primary and a general verses resetting the candidate positions. they're saying -- there is a, it has been an accepted fact of life that nominees of major parties, we know -- >> i'm not going to stand for --

i'm not going to -- >> let me finish. it's standard practice nominees run one way, and then -- >> you have to, within the current year -- >> you walk through the essential -- you try to figure o out how to both say things that will not alienate one part of your base, and at the same time be something -- >> so, i'm to the left of kennedy on gay rights, and now imto the right -- >> the art of politics is doing it in a way that it doesn't become a big discussion. >> yes, and the problem for romney, is this is the thing that has dogged him is running for a conservative. >> okay, i think this may be the story of the week, because this is one the wonderful metaphors

you look for laich jimmy carter and the hostages. he is going to be accused of being an etch-a-sketch himself, romney. and this is always said, you don't know if he is the guy on thursday that he was on wednesday, that's tough stuff. >> and if the other candidates had similar statements made it would have no affect. we know santorum believes what he believes. gingrich has been on many sides of issues, but he has not changed his positions -- >> they went through old writings of santorum, and they said he has been strikingly consistent, as if it was a shock that a politician would be consistent, and that is santorum in a nutshell. what he said in 1998 and 2000, what he said then, and the things you would expect -- >> i'm just consistent within the year. let's go on to other interesting

developments even though this is the number one issue that i'm going to ring like a bell here for a while now. we have one of the real touchstones of the conservative movement and on the website redstate, he says santorum will probably win louisiana, but it will not be enough, romney will do well in new england and the remaining mid-atlantic states. conservatives don't like mitt romney, but they do not want a fractured party too divided to beat barack obama. there will be no white knight, we have our nominee. >> we knew this three weeks ago. we knew the question always was, could somehow -- you knew it would not be santorum. what was jeb bush waiting for? and i still think it's hard that

you have mitch daniels and paul ryan -- what are they holding out for? are they debating between santorum and romney? i don't believe it. >> my theory is simply they're worried embracing romney too soon could come back to haunt them some day when they run for president. >> they don't want it on the record. they're not etch-a-sketchs. >> but they will endorse him. >> of course, but they want to do it in a way that -- >> like by press release or tweet? >> can you get the 1144 by jim? >> you tell me who is in wisconsin, and i will tell you if he gets 1144. coming up, republicans are passing new measures that would restrict access to birth control and abortion, is this a war on women? they're losing support ofwomen in many polls right now, and

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we have a couple points here, congresswoman, what do you make -- what do you make of the charge that nancy pelosi, the speaker, is making in her new fund raising letter saying there is a war on women being waged by the republicans. >> the reality is in 2010 the republicans won the women's vote and the democrats know that to win the presidency, in order to win the seats in the house and senate, they have to scare women. they have to win the women's vote. and they are manufacturing this war on women to distract women and americans in general of the real issues. and the real issues is that president obama's policies are failing. with whether it's economic, health care, or the debt that he is leaving to our children and grandchildren. >> governor simon, is it fair to accuse the republicans of a war on women? >> i don't know if it's too strong, but there is a lot of

skirmishes and attacks on our basic human rights. we want to protect those basic constitutional rights we have grown to depend on. >> let's look in virginia where a law requiring a woman to have a mandatory ultrasound before an portion says voters disagree by a huge 51 point margin. they say they should not make women seeking an abortion to change their mind rs -- >> are you in the 72 or 21? >> the debate in congress has been over the right of conscious. and those polls, the american people are with the republican position and obama's approval rating is at a record low, 41%. i believe that when women look at these issues a little deeper, they see it is not about any kind of war on women by the republicans, it's really a -- it's really about the --

>> let's get the rhetoric then, i will ask you the question they put to the women voting in virginia. should the government try to discourage a woman that shows up at an abortion clinic have the procedure? should steps be taken at that point to discourage her from going ahead? >> that is -- i would say, you know, that is not the issue that's on the forefront of the voters minds. >> what's your position on that issue? >> it's an example of where i believe there is an effort under way by the democrats to distract americans from the real issues which is economy, health care, the debt that we're passing on to the next generation. >> why are state legislatures doing all of this stuff in an election year for president, distraction is fair enough, why are the republican lead legislatures as in virginia pushing the social legislation that is so controversial in the midst of a presidential election. they should not be doing it but

they are, what's your position? >> in washington state there is a social agenda being driven by the democratic legislature. they passed gay marriage that will be on the ballot this fall. i'm here to say, it's all a distraction from the real issues that are facing americans, and we need to get back to the debate over economy, jobs, health care. you know, women make 85% of health care decisions in this country, and they are fearful. the real scary part is that the federal government might step in and start making their health care decisions. >> i think health care really is the question that we're talking about here. and as the congresswoman mentioned, it's women natimakin decisions about health care. >> just to respond to the congresswoman, i want to give you a list over the past decade, the number of states that are hostile to abortion, defined as

enacting four or more provisions putting up a hurdle for women seeking one, here is an example, in arizona who has a series of bills in the works right now that would limit abortion access, a republican representative said "i would like to make a law that mandates a woman watch an abortion prior to having one performed" in utah, they just extended the waiting period for women seeks portions from 24 hours to 72 hours. in tennessee today, a bill that mandates public indication of abortion providers, doctors, and possibly their patients. all of these state legislatures have been busy bees out there pushing this stuff, adding hurdles to this kind of a decision by a woman, and my question to you is it the democrats raising the issues and

social concerns that are distracting, or is it conservative legislatures led by republicans? >> you know, i'm a member of congress, i serve in congress, we -- the house released it's budget yesterday, and the criticism that came immediately from the women, the democrat women, is they said it was anti-woman. i say this is a distraction from the real issues. the reality is the republicans won the women's vote in 2010, and the democrats know they have to win the women's vote, and these are scare tactics. >> whose tactics is it? how do they get republican legislatures to make these proposals, how tricky are the democrats. they get virginia legislation to bring up stuff on abortion. they get santorum to talk of contraception. the democrats are -- how do they

get them to say this stuff, i know i'm being sarcastic, but there's a lot of right-wing social activist and they're giving the democrats catnip here. >> there is a lot of left-wing social activisting pushing their agenda. i'm saying when it comes to women right now, two out of three businesses are being started by women and they understand firsthand the challenges to start a business, grow a business, the regulatory night mare because of the government that makes it harder and harder. women make the health care decisions and they don't like the idea of the federal government making decisions. those are the issues that are driving women's votes. >> if you run against canner for speaker,ly endorse you. >> i'm not sure that would be helpful. >> it will be fun. i think you have a weak case

here, i this a lot of social activist get elected on the tax issue. they win on lower taxes and less government, and when they get in office they push a screening right-wing agenda. the tea party movement of 2010 had nothing to do with the abortion and contraception stuff. >> no it didn't. >> then why are you push tg? >> i'm in congress, we're talking about jobs, the economy, and what it takes to get americans back to work. >> translator: republicans in a senate committee just voted against the reauthorization of violence against women act. there are reasons women are paying attention to these issues right now. >> thank you so much. >> thank you, you come from a great family. i hate to sound like an old guy, but paul simon was great. >> thank you congresswoman for coming on "hardball," you don't know how much it means to me to have you on the show, to meet a new brilliant talent on the

ladder. up next, some of the lighter moments from last night's st. patrick's day celebration at the white house. i was there. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. 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.

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not only this company, but this country. ♪ back to "hardball," and the side show. first up, the luck of the irish. they were hosting edna kenny this week. president obama joked about a gift from his irish counter part. the topic? think birth certificate. >> on your behalf of your historic homecoming mr. president, it's my honor to present to you this formal

certificate of irish heritage. >> thank you, first of all, this will have a special place of honor. alongside my birth certificate. >> back in 2007, the president discovered he has irish ancestors. some have not put that birther nuttiness to bed. he said, "i am, shall we say, looking at all of the evidence" the clown show continues on. skblrchlgts where was ron paul while mitt romney and rick santorum awaited the results for illinois? here he is on the speculation that he and romney are in cahoots. >> there was a rumor that there was a secret deal with you and

mitt romney, you seem very friendly in a couple debates. >> it's very secret, because he and i don't know a lot about it. >> should newt gingrich get out of the race? >> i'm not telling him what to do, but all three should get out of the race. >> why did you reject secret service? >> it's a form of welfare, having the taxpayers to take care of somebody. >> secret service code names were the big deal yesterday. ron paul said bulldog would be his top pick even though he opted out of secret service protection for now. up next, the trayvon martin case, what went on in the teenager's final minutes. let's see if we can find out. we'll talk to the martin family attorney. you're watching "hardball" only

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i'm richard liu, straight to pictures of a rally under way to express solidarity for trayvon martin. he was the unarmed black teen shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer. and the pentagon is disputing claims out of afghanistan that a roadsideom have no indication that an ep society ever occurred. back to "hardball." >> back to "hardball," it's been over three weeks since the shooting death of the unarmed florida teenager, trayvon martin

by george zimmerman. a self-defense law in florida known as stand your ground, allows a person that perceived a threat to use deadly force without first trying to retreat from a confrontation. we'll talk about this right now. now benjamin crump, the family attorney, says evidence provided by a teenager girl on the phone with trayvon provides evidence, let's listen to that. >> he had no intention of getting back in his truck to do what the police told him to do. how do we know? this young lady connects the dots. she completely blows zimmerman absurd self-defense claim out of the water. >> so will the zimmerman defense work? let's go to jasmine rand, and we

have a former u.s. attorney down there, mr. coffey. so i want to get to the facts the best we can without having been there. ms. rand, do you have a theory in your mind what happened in those tragic moments down in florida? >> i think that the 911 tapes say it all, especially zimmerman's initial call to the officers when he says on there that he sees trayvon who he identifies as a suspicious person. the only reason he was suspicious is he identifies him as black and as a black male wearing a hoody. we know now there was nothing suspicious, all he had on his was a pack of skittles an an iced tea. >> try to stay to the key facts here. what was going on between the

actions of the two people in what axes did they take that led to the killing? this guy gets out of his car, he is moving after the guy. the teenager boy who was killed was walking through the neighborhood. he began to pursue him, and then what you believe happened? >> i believe he began to pursue him. we have the new witness that was on the phone with trayvon in the final moments of his life. trayvon he will ported she was being followed, and she told him to run. zimmerman says trayvon started to run on his audio portion. so trayvon ran, the witness also said that trayvon last zimmerman, followed him, and shot and killed him. >> what was your sense of a motive for the killing? >> i think the motive has some clear racial undertones, but i'm not in zimmerman's head, so i don't know his true motivations.

>> do you believe there was a confrontation that was physical and in any way endangering to zimmerman in the last moments? >> i do not believe that, and i believe the evidence is clear, zimmerman had a gun, and trayvon had a pack of skittles. >> let's me go to kendall coffey. what happens if this goes to court. did a guy go out to do a murder, out to get a black kid? did he go out to try to stop someone he thought was a burglar or robber and got in a scuffle with him? will we get to the nature of this tragedy? >> chris, that's a really important question, because to prosecute a case, you have to have a realistic theory of what actually happened. and we all know that if you go too far, take the casey anthony

case, and you claim it's first degree premeditated and you don't have the facts, you could blow the whole thing. so they have to come up with a theory that's realistic, that works, and can overcome the giant obstacle of the florida stand your ground law, which has gotten a lot of righteous prosecutions. this guy was self-appointed and wanted to be a cop. thought that because maybe somebody was black he must be a crook up to no good, and i expect there was racial profiling in the mind-set of george zimmerman. so he runs after the kid. he is hunting him down. and in some moments that is very difficult to reconstruct, because the only one who survived it was zimmerman, zimmerman, i suspect, had a gun on the kid, was trying to get control of the situation, played cop, and trayvon was either trying to get away, or moved in

some quick way, not menacing or threatening, but something caused zimmerman, not trained to exercise this force, killed the kid. i don't think he woke up plans to kill somebody, but his culpability is enough. >> let me ask you about the da down there and the state's attorney, you heard they're not going to use the stand your ground defense in this case. they're just going to use standard self defense. what is their case from your point of view? >> i had a one-on-one meeting with pat whittaker, and that is correct. what they told me is they do not intend to you the stand your ground or castle doctrine. what concerns me about what i heard from the state attorney,

is when i began the conversation and asked why hasn't an arrest been made, the attorney told me he is continuing to investigate if there is a valid claim for self defense. when asked if it's his job to prove zimmerman's defense, he said no it's not, i understand he is looking from all angels, but he did not begin the conversation saying he was looking for evidence of manslaughter or murder, he said he was looking to support self defense. >> if that's true, it sounds right. let me go to mr. coffey again, if a standard self-defense case, if there was a move toward him or whatever, a sense of personal endangerment, under stander law, our notion of self-defense, what does it require for a person to shoot somebody? what possible circumstances, if someone will slap you and run

away, can you kill them because you don't want to be slapped. if someone wants to push you and run away, if someone gives you lip, or do they have to be threatening your life? what is the rule here in law? >> the rule in florida, like most places, is you have to reasonably believe someone is trying to kill job, someone is trying to do serious bodily harm, or someone is committing a forcible felony, and you have to have a reasonable basis for that. and i think at the end of the day there will not be a valid self-defense, but tough to get prosecutions turn to convictions. >> we're trying to figure out the law, thank you ms. rand for coming on the program, and we're going to look at this for some many points, neighborhood watch people should not carry arms. why is he acting like a cop when

he is not a cop. . these situations should only have the decisions made by professionals. up next, she just may be the president's best asset as he runs for a second term, first lady michelle obama. will she come out in a big way for his campaign? we'll find out next on "hardball." [ donovan ] i hit a wall. and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going.

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senator of new york has already made her candidate clear for 2016, hillary clinton. she said i'm going to be one of the first to ask hillary to run in 2016. i think she would be well poised and she is extremely well prepared. she replaced her in the senate when the former first lady became secretary of state. [ captain ] sorry folks, our landing time got moved back another hour. [ crowd chatters and groans ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] hunger getting to you?

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get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. we're back, michelle obama has been hitting the campaign trail with enthusiasm lately. in recent months, she made 27 campaign stops in 19 states.

on monday she had a fundraiser that was hosted by robert deniro, and she appeared on leatherman. >> my father was a working class guy. we were have very close family. my father had multiple sclerosis, and he worked so hard. and from him i learned absolute complete unconditional love. we had rules and boundaries, but there was nothing he would not do for us. >> don't make we cry. this isn't oprah, it's supposed to be letterman. >> i think she is great, so what is it about michelle obama that makes her such a potent tool for her husband' reelection? we have rue gene robins that

knows many things. let's go to the expert on the obama's. my question so you, hiding hern the white house as the mother of the president's children, as the wife of the president, certainly dignified in that role, but not actively political, what's changed? >> well, she has been accumulating and guarding her political capital all this time. this is the big one, this is their last race, and she is all in and determined to see her husband re-elected. >> why is she a plus now and hasn't been one for three years, or hasn't been used as one? when the times got really tough -- look, 2010, democrats are getting their butts kicked in all those congressional races, why didn't they put her out there then to soften the image of the democratic party? >> she did about eight event backseat then, which is not that much. and there was some tension in the white house about how much she was willing to do. her own feeling was that she wasn't willing to put herself out there as much for congressional candidates as she

was for her own husband. she sees her job as helping to get her husband re-elected. >> so she's not madame democrat? >> no. well, you know, there have been questions about the extent to which the president, as well, sees himself as sort of the head of the democratic party. and she did, eventually, go out there and campaign for democrats, but it's really clear that this time, she's on a mission. she believes in her husband's presidency, in their accomplishments. she talks a lot in her campaign events about sort of watching from the front lines, right? watching at home every night, the michelle obama view of what her husband has kpleshed. she really stresses his sincerity, determination. it's interesting, because part of her role is to rally the base, the democratic faithful. and she really stresses the fact that he hasn't accomplished everything that he wanted to do, but she wants democrats to hang on for another four years. >> gene, your sense about this, i want to ask you about particulars. >> generally, i think she's doing what first ladies do.

yes, her primary loyalty is to the president and his agenda. they are certainly partners in this endeavor. she is a trusted adviser. you know, she went to harvard law too. and so i think this is, this reflects what she sees as her role as a partner, as jodi said, in this last election. >> now the particular question, in monday's fund-raiser up in new york, the first lady repeated a bit of her stump speech she's used before, talking about the supreme court. she told the audience, "let us not forget what their decisions, the impact those decisions will have on our lives for decades to come, on our privacy and security, on whether we can speak freely, worship openly, and, yes, love whomever we choose." well, some in the gay community took that last part as a wink towards gay marriage. i certainly would. jay carney, the president's

press secretary, was asked about it yesterday. let's watch. >> she has said this before, and has for some time, the president and first lady firmly believe that gay and lesbian americans firmly deserve legal protections and the ability to thrive just like any family does. >> okay, well, that was spin. it was clearly more than a wink. "love whomever we choose," come on! >> but the president has had it both ways on this issue. >> okay, the first lady's not both ways. she's clearly with -- how do you read this in english? love whomever we choose. you get in here, jodi? >> i have to say, this is not a first lady who is interested in making news. we have seen this for years. she plays this so safe. she does so few interviews when she talks -- >> is this safe? >> it's often about school lunch and what not. she's not looking to be in the headlines, she's not looking to cause controversy. >> this is headline material, jodi. >> but maybe it was the smallest

of winks, but it's a line she's used a lot before, and maybe it's in the white house's benefit to have it interpreted both ways, right? >> well, the gay community heard it loud before. >> -- what they've said before. >> jodi, here we make news. jodi kantor, we don't nuance and we don't shade. congratulations on your book, and as always, congratulations, gene robinson, on everything we do here together and wing pulitzer prizes. let me finish with how the republicans ended up with mitt romney. they're not in love, they're just in line. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. 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.

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let me finish tonight with this. the man on the white horse is not coming to save the republican party. no lone ranger, no cisco kid, nobody's coming to the rescue. it's going to have to be one of the town members who saves the day. just one of the businessmen from main street. and this is how the story of 2012 is going to be told from now on. it's going to be mitt romney, a man of business, heading out there at high noon to go face to face with the president. how did it come to this? because of the nature of things, i suppose. the republican party has been picking its champions the way -- the same way since i began paying attention. they go for the guy who's been beaten, even beaten up some, but he's waited his turn, and that's what matters. just like dick dixon, and george herbert walker bush, and bob dole, and john mccain. he's taken his lumps, finally got ton where his chance has

arrive. it's different for democrats, of course. they feed the hot hand. a young guy comes along, a jfk, a george mcgovern, a barack obama, they feed him the ball and let him take his shot. republicans like to see their candidates endure, suffer, merry maid a bit. they like to see the scar tissue on the men they end up running. ask bush senior or bob dole or john mccain. so now coming out of illinois is mitt romney, veteran of almost 30 primaries and caucuses and a far greater number of wounds, most of them self-inflicted. he may not have much sparkle left in his candidacy, but he certainly knows the rounds now. he's taken enough abuse to know who his friends are, his friends are the people who have now come to accept him. no matter how much they've put off saying so. no matter how long they've lingered in hopes of a man on a white horse, racing into town. they accepted romney without excitement, because they never felt from him the strength of commitment one