if you see people acting up, they are not with the trayvon movement. the parents made that clear. the only violence that's happened so far is when george zimmerman killed trayvon martin. and we intend to keep it nonviolent. and to address that violence only. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. tale of the tape. let's play hardball. >> good evening. i'm michael smerconnish in for chris matthews. leading off, the 99% solution. the fbi is on the scene in sanford, florida, focusinging on whether trayvon martin's civil rights were violate. plus we may now be able to say whose voice it was screaming for

help on the 911 tape. george zimmerman's family said it was his. trayvon martin's mother said it is the sound of her terrified son. now experts have what they say is 99% accuracy the screams aren't from george zimmerman. also, swing time. a usa today gallup poll of battleground states shows a sharp swing from mitt romney to president obama. where one month ago romney was up by two, now the president leads by nine points. the big change -- women who are lining up behind the president. is the controversy over contraception finally taking a toll on the gop? and good news for mitt romney. he's lining up endorsements. the bad news, they sound like this note of support from senator james inhofe. >> i have never been much of a fan of mitt romney's. he's an honest person, a nice person. but i have just not agreed with him politically on a lot of things. >> we have more cases where republicans sound like they

would prefer to be doing just about anything other than endorsing romney. while it's not unusual for a politician to leave his political party it is news when a rising star jumps ship. that just happened in california where a promising republican has decided the gop is just too conservative for him. finally, even though it's set in the 1960s, "mad men" had its say about the presidential election this year. we begin with the latest in the trayvon martin case. michael isikoff is the nbc news investigative correspondent in sanford, florida. michael, please give us the latest. >> reporter: well, pretty significant development today, michael. fbi agents showed up at the retreat of twin lakes gated community where the trayvon martin shooting took place. going door to door, interviewing witnesses, questioning them about what they might have seen, what they knew about the shooting and also the background of george zimmerman. also taking photographs. the evidence response team, the

csi unit was there. all gathering what one fbi official told me is going to be a meticulous comprehensive investigation of everything that took place that night. >> did he lose mike? maybe we can get you back. for more on the story let me bring in michelle bernard from the bernard center for women, politics and public policy and e. steven collins who hosts "philly speaks" on wrnb. one of the questions surrounding the 911 calls made the night of the shooting is just who is heard screaming for help? let's listen. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right. what is your -- >> there's gunshots. >> two forensic audio experts who analyzed the 911 calls for the orlando sentinel say the screams were not from zimmerman. one of the experts interviewed

tom owen told nbc news his technology like that used by the cia and national security agency is 99% accurate. michelle bernard, of what significance is the latest development? >> this is enormously significant to the case. assuming that george zimmerman is indicted, that we go to trial, you will see obviously that the prosecutor is going to want to introduce the evidence because it's going to the heart of the story. the story that george zimmerman has been telling the public that he's told, we believe, to the police department is that he himself was under attack. that he killed trayvon martin in self-defense. if he was able, for example, to argue that the screaming heard on the tape was himself it would lend credibility to the argument that he was acting in self-defense. however, if the screaming in the background is, in fact, trayvon martin and a jury hears that, the jury is more likely to

believe that trayvon martin was murdered by george zimmerman. it's a critical piece of information. >> what i think you are saying is it's really -- the significance is twofold. one, to the extent the reports are accurate that skzimmerman td law enforcement that's me on the tape, a, it would make his version of events untruthful and, b, common sense-ically you would expect the person under attack to be doing the screaming. it would be a blow to him. >> a twofold blow to him and if he put together the tape, the audio tape and testimony we get about who's screaming on the tape and put it together with the tapes we have seen of george zimmerman when he's with the police in custody, handcuffed. he alleges he had a broken nose and was bleeding from the head. if a looks at the tape and listens to the screaming of what

many believe to be trayvon martin you will say to yourself, did george zimmerman basically concoct the story, actually engage in racial profiling and kill an innocent teenager who was armed with nothing but skittles and iced tea? >> michael isikoff is back with us from sanford, florida. michael, you talked about the fbi being on the scene today. is that independent or in support of the state investigation? >> this is a parallel investigation completely separate focused on a civil rights violation. you have the state special prosecutor conducting the investigation into whether to charge george zimmerman for the shooting itself. what the fbi is doing is a complete report for the justice department's civil rights decision to see if there is the basis for a civil rights charge. was this a hate crime? was george zimmerman basically racially targeting trayvon martin as part of this. and one crucial piece of

evidence here is going to be the history and pattern of george zimmerman's 911 calls. he called since last august seven times to police dispatchers. in five of those he was reporting what he viewed as suspicious activity by young african-american males. they are identified in the 911 call reports as black males. now these call reports don't show whether zimmerman volunteered the information or was responding to questions by police. that's going to be something that the fbi will be looking at. also, the predicate for the calls. why was he calling? in one case the call sheet says he saw young black males loitering in the area. was that the basis for a 911 call or not? that's the kind of thing the fbi will be looking at here. >> michael, i have listened to the tapes more than i should admit. i think they are loaded with curiosities. to me, one of them is that if

it's true that in the last 15 months he's called 46 times, i find it unusual that when he logged this call he didn't identify himself as a member of the neighborhood watch. any thoughts on that? >> well, that's an interesting question. the neighborhood watch only got set up last summer. that's the point at which he put out his neighborhood watch card which we have seen. he hands it out to neighbors. he was going door to door, zimmerman was, saying i'm your neighborhood watch captain. call me, let me know if anything suspicious is going on. you're raising a good question. i don't know the answer to it. one thing we have asked for and we are waiting for is the actual tapes of the prior 911 calls to see whether he had identified himself as a neighborhood watch captain in the previous calls. >> i can tell you he did. i heard some that he did.

steven collins, let me bring you in -- >> we haven't actually gotten tapes of the earlier calls yet. i don't know that we can say that for certainty. >> via the sentinel website i have listened to additional calls where he does identify himself as a member of neighborhood watch. steven, we are parsing a lot of details here. more perhaps unknown than known. with regard to the trayvon martin 911 call, common sense tells me when he logs it he says, hey, it's george zimmerman. you know me from neighborhood watch. here's what i'm looking at. he never says that. >> it's interesting. i don't see him as neighborhood watch. i see him as a guy who had a predisposition. again, remember a 17-year-old boy armed with -- what? a bag of skittles and iced tea? he wore a hoodie because it's hip. he reminds me of my son and the other kids i know who are trayvon martin. here's my problem with this.

the local authorities never arrested which meant he got to go free, but they didn't get the initial investigation under way. there is dna evidence being lost now because 17-year-old mr. martin is decomposing. we don't know the trajectory of the bullet. we don't know what kind of real physical damages were done to his physical self. this appears to me to be a major -- i hate using the word cover-up. why wouldn't the police hold them and do a solid investigation here? >> i have been saying for a while now it would be helpful to get a map of the area in sanford, florida, to get a clear picture of the so-called retreat at twin lakes. today the new york times had a great map. we have our own version here, as a matter of fact. this is an aerial image of the development. on the left you can see where trayvon martin was staying. on top of the map you see george

zimmerman's house. trayvon likely entered the development one of two ways. the main entrance or the unfenced short cut the times reports residents used to cut through to save time. zimmerman called 911 when he saw martin near the clubhouse and identified the clubhouse as a point of reference. here is where trayvon's body was found as he approached the home in which he was staying. michael isikoff, you are there. is there an element when you are there and you study the geography that would help those of us at home understand what went on here? >> i was there over the weekend. i retraced the route where trayvon martin came in and george zimmerman followed him. you're right. it begins -- the spotting begins at the clubhouse which is near a gate. then he's watching -- he appears to be watching from his car at a distance. at some point as trayvon martin

continues, there is a back path which turns behind a row of houses. so zimmerman would no longer have been able to see trayvon martin. he gets out of the car and then follows him there. that's where the confrontation takes place. in a spot where he could not have seen trayvon martin originally watching from the car. >> final question for michelle bernard. i have been saying i need to know two things. who's crying for help at the end of the 911 call. i also want to know was a racial epithet said by zimmerman under his breath at a time he appears to be, by audio, in pursuit of trayvon martin. you know what i'm referring to. >> i do. i have listened to the tape over and over again. i have no doubt whatsoever beyond a shadow of a doubt that under his breath george zimmerman called trayvon martin

an f'ing coon. when you put all of the evidence together this is an enormous travesty of justice. to go back to the map, michael, if you go back to the map we looked at george zimmerman had to have followed trayvon martin for quite a distance and quite a period of time after the police told him they did not need him to follow him. it ended up -- the end result was this child is dead. he was killed. >> i have to leave it there. i wish we had more time. thank you, michael isikoff, michelle bernard and e. steven collins. coming up, president obama has a nine-point lead over mitt romney in key battleground states and he's building the lead in large part because of women. could the controversy over contraception hurt the republicans? this is "hardball." with no vegetable nutrition? ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8.

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primary, a new poll has mitt romney over rick santorum 43 to 36%. next to that hot senate race in massachusetts, a new boston globe poll has republican senator scott brown and democrat challenger elizabeth warren in a tie. brown at 37%, warren at 35%. that's within the poll's margin of error. we'll be right back. sorry. sore knee. blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees? it's the one you store in the freezer. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees.

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welcome back to "hardball." the latest usa today gallup swing poll shows a difference in romney and obama. the dozen will be crucial in the election. you are seeing them here. in these 12 states, president obama beats mitt romney 51-42. now, since usa today and gallup began polling these swing states back in november, mitt romney has won every prior matchup. as this chart shows the trend changed pretty dramatically in the past month. one possible reason, women. of registered women voters, president obama leads by 18

points. but why the switch? it would seem logical that the contraception controversy played a role, but when women in this poll were asked to identify issues that were extremely important in their vote for president, health care was number one, government policies on birth control last at number 6. eugene robinson is a columnist at the "washington post," david corn is the washington bureau chief for "mother jones" magazine and author of a new book "showdown." both are nbc political analysts. eugene, this is why they pay you the big bucks. explain this to me if it's not contraception. or is it contraception? >> well, who knows? i think perhaps health care is number one, the number one issue that women say they are concerned about in these swing states, and i suppose you could subsume some of these reproductive issues under the rubric of health care and maybe you have an answer there. but maybe you don't.

maybe it's an intensification of this sort of male/female polarization that's been happening between the two parties for a while now. >> i thought the same thing, that maybe by answering health care, that to the female respondents encapsulated much of what they've been hearing. david, this is not a romney-specific issue. this is really a gop issue because other candidates in the republican party poll equalled poorly among women. >> and remember, the contraception debate happened in the context of health care. it's quite clear if you're talking about contraception, health care and a lot of other issues, the gop, mitt romney and others who have played to the far right of their party are losing them. women tend to care more about the social safety net than do men. in fact, they live longer. they do more of the health care responsibilities of family, so if you're talking about medicare and going after social security or medicaid, it may affect them more.

we've had, in the last month or two, a revival of the ryan budget, which is a war, in a lot of ways, on this social safety net. so i think there is a lot going in here, and i think in general, women tend to be turned off more than men by political extremism, and the whole republican 2012 campaign has been a cavalcade of extremism. >> i have said on the radio every day where the narrative is social issues and not the economy. the president is one step closer to being re-elected. maybe that's what the president was thinking. earlier today, sensing an opening, the president recorded this video for members of planned parenthood. let's listen. >> let's be clear here. women are not an interest group. they're mothers and daughters and sisters and wives. they're half of this country. so when some professional politicians casually say that they'll get rid of planned parenthood, don't forget what they're really talking about,

eliminating the funding for preventive care that millions of women rely on and leaving them to fend for themselves. >> eugene, how do you see it? you heard my statement about the social issues, breaking toward the president, if that's the narrative? >> i think that's absolutely true, one of several reasons why the republican establishment is so eager to get rick santorum out of this race, so that mitt romney can start talking exclusively about the economy. because that's a better issue for the republican party than these social issues which, you know, and i think the term of art is it freaks a lot of people out. >> david, listen to this. vice president joe biden hammered home the point that mitt romney is too wealthy to relate to average mens. react to this when you hear it. >> i think governor romney is a little out of touch. i can't remember a presidential candidate in the recent past who seems not to understand by what

he says what ordinary middle class people are thinking about and concerned about. >> then the response today in green bay, wisconsin, from mitt romney when asked about the vice president's comments, he said this. >> how would respond you're out of touch with an average american? >> my guess is i get a chance to be with a lot more average americans every day than he does. as i go across the country and as my wife does, we understand something this president and this vice president don't. their policies have not succeeded. >> react to that exchange, david corn. >> that was right after they talked about the car elevator they're building. i think if you look at the social issues and the vice president's comment about him being a 1 percenter, it all goes to how he is not in touch with modern americans at least in terms of troubles and policy. he's running for the nomination of a party that seems to be

looking to the 1950s as their model for social policy. i think the president has believed since after the november 2010 election that was terrible for his party that the republicans would give him an opening -- and i know this from my book -- that they would go too far into the economic theory or socioeconomic policies. that's what's happening and mitt romney is giving him more of an opening to do that almost every day. >> something else happened at an event in green bay. mitt romney was asked about his religion. the questioner was a ron paul supporter our producers on the ground tell us. listen to this exchange. >> in the mormon book it says there were all the children of canaan -- >> i'm sorry. we're just not going to have a discussion about religion, in my view, but if you have a question, i'd be happy to answer your question. >> do you believe it is a sin for a white man to marry and

procreate with a black -- >> no. next question. >> eugene, i think he's been missing an opportunity here. when contraception and religion became an issue in the presidential race, it was the perfect opportunity for mitt romney to say this is not a theocracy, it's a democracy. religion and litmus tests should play no role in americans electing a president. frankly, it would have been a double knockout for him. instead he punted and toed the party line. >> i think the question he faced was how do you say that in a republican primary and not alienate the evangelicals. he's walking a fine line. i think what's happening is that mitt romney is digging himself a hole out of which he will have to climb during the general election campaign if he hopes to be elected president. to do that he has to be an adroit politician because frankly he has to go back on a

lot of stuff without seeming to go back on a lot of stuff. so far he hasn't been able to do that. >> the harm posed i think continually by santorum staying in is it delays his opportunity to do so. thank you, eugene robinson and david corn. up next, will hillary clinton run for president four years from now? bill clinton has some insight. next in the sideshow. you're watching "hardball."

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let's watch. >> phone rings. >> do you want me to turn down the tv? >> fine. henry francis. well, tell jim he's not going to michigan. because romney is a clown and i don't want him standing next to him. [ phone rings ] >> romney's a clown? that, of course, was a jab at george romney, mitt's father, who served as michigan's governor back in the '60s. of course, if romney wasn't running for president today, that line wouldn't have been in the show. even though we're in the thick of this year's election cycle, a lot of people are wondering what's to come in the 2016 face-off? will hillary clinton be on the ticket? former president bill clinton weighed in during an interview with nbc's luke russert. >> she wants to come home, get a little rest, do some other things. she's told you and everyone else she thinks she'll probably never run for office again. but i've been there. i know what happens when you go through this decompression after years of relentless high-pressure activity.

and i just think she needs to rest up, do some things she cares about and whatever she decides to do i'll support. >> so it might be no for now but perhaps we should take it with a grain of salt. up next, mitt romney is lining up endorsements from fellow republicans, but a lot of endorsers sound like their arms are being twisted -- and hard. and you can follow me on twitter if you can figure out how to spell smerconish. this is "hardball." we always hear about jobs leaving america. here's a chance to create jobs in america. oil sands projects, like kearl, and the keystone pipeline will provide secure and reliable energy to the united states. over the coming years, projects like these could create more than half a million jobs in the us alone. from the canadian border, through the mid west, to the gulf coast. benefiting hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country.

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here's what's happening. at least seven people are dead following a shooting at a christian university in oakland, california. a suspect is in custody. president obama is expressing confidence that his health care law will be upheld by the supreme court. a ruling is expected in june.

and a pakistani court is convicted osama bin laden's daughters and wives of living in the country illegally. they will serve two weeks in prison before being deported. now back to "hardball." >> hey, we're back. having scored some of the biggest republican endorsements over the past few weeks, it appears as though the republican party is finally beginning to line up behind mitt romney, but it's safe to say that many of those endorsements sound like reluctant concessions to reality than anything else. take a look at this bracket which has been put together by yahoo news. it's part of an online competition where readers are invited to vote for romney's most tepid endorsements. in honor of the ncaa championship games. david milbanks is a political analyst, joe williams writes for politico.

gentlemen, though he didn't endorse here's james inhofe romney looks like the inevitable nominee just yesterday. listen to this. >> i've never been much of a fan of mitt romney. he's an honest person and a nice person, but i've just not agreed with him politically on a lot of things. we have to defeat obama. i cannot allow that to happen to my family, so whoever is in the best position to win, it appears probably mitt romney is in the best position to win right now. >> maybe we shouldn't be surprised because we've been hearing that from a number of republicans who have gone out to the polls, some of whom have voted for mitt romney. >> i think if you could see the audio of that, his eyelids would be tapping out morse code saying he was making this statement under duress. that's what's going on with these guys.

they are saying, this guy will be the nominee and i have to get out there. even then they have to stick a clothespin on their nose and he's saying, i tell you now, i'm doing it reluctantly. >> look how he couched his endorsement to the daily caller. quote, there are a lot of other people out there that some of us wish had run for president -- but they didn't. i think mitt romney would be a fine president and he would be way better than the guy who is there right now. your reaction? >> well, with friends like that and a ringing endorsement, who needs political attack ads? basically, this is another chain in the continuing link about mitt romney not being an authentic conservative. stop me if you've heard this before, but this is where all the tea partiers and all the arch conservatives stop. they know they have to do something, they know it's getting late, they know that mr. right is not going to come along, so they are accepting mr. right now, sort of like an

arranged marriage almost, and they know they have to do it because time is waning and the longer this thing goes on, the more his negatives continue, the more the white house's positives improve, so they knew they had to do something and that's why you see these certain conservatives coming out and trying to coalesce the party. >> if they had been infusive in their praise, we would be sitting around and saying, did you hear what rubio said about romney, he can't possibly mean it. >> yes, but on the other hand, here we are talking about tepid endorsements. the political world is full of people who fake it well, people who are able to set aside partisan differences. a certain secretary of state and president come to mind. when push came to shove, hillary clinton mouthed the right things and went through the right motions, but at the end of the day, she knew she had to get on with it and at the very least it wasn't anything couched. it was like, i'm going to work my heart out for candidate obama. i will do my best to bring my

party together and quiet a lot of the critics that came along with president obama when they had the big delegate fight. they could have done a better job here and not made the arm twisting so obvious. >> dana, i have one more. former new york governor george pitaki throwing his support around romney after listing all the reasons to not support him. >> i think it's time to rally around the presumptive nominee. mitt is not a perfect candidate. he has a number of problems. it's hard for him and blue collar families like mine to identify with him, it's hard for economic conservatives to identify with him. he needs to do more to reach out to the latinos. i think he has to focus on that and defeating president obama as opposed to winning the next primary and the next state. >> dana, maybe as i said to joe, maybe et it's genius. maybe these are tailor statements to people at home saying, i don't like the guy much, either, but i'm going to do the same thing.

>> i think it's more self-interest saying, don't blame me if and when things go wrong, it's not what i wanted to have happen. but the good thing for mitt romney is these endorsements don't actually matter, even when it's a big name. there are rare exceptions. certainly at this late stage, everyone knew the establishment was with romney, anyway, so the fact a few more establishment guys come out here and very bravely announce their support after it's inevitable anyway doesn't really change things either way. i suspect you won't see the pitaki statement in a romney ad any time soon. >> i don't think. let me ask you about a politico statement today. where has w. been? >> it's going to be very interesting to see the way in which the romney campaign handles him moving forward. your thoughts? >> the way they've handled him moving forward is by not handling him at all or trying not to handle him at all. president bush's half life is

still very much -- still a long time away from the guy you want to have a conversation with or a guy whose endorsement will matter on the campaign trail. a lot of people on the republican party have distanced themselves. they know the public still blames president bush for a lot of the bad things that have happened over the last eight to ten years and the economy we are trying to dig out from. so if they do bring president bush along, it will be romney returning the favor for tepid endorsements handling him tongs and a radioactive shield knowing the the people view him as a divisive public figure. >> you have jeb and herbert walker bush. they should have brought the bushes together at the same time. then they could diffuse any doubts. up next, a rising republican star in california quits the party and he'll explain why when we return. you're watching "hardball."

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we're going to do these fundraisers, three, i think, together. but, you know, i think that the general direction of his policy has been good for the country. >> there you have it. bill clinton in for three obama fundraisers. we'll be back to "hardball." coffee doesn't have vitamins... unless you want it to. splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart ways to sweeten. same great taste. splenda® essentials™.

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[ chuckles ] yes. yes, it does. ♪ call 1-800-steemer 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. welcome back to "hardball." a growing number of americans describe themselves as independents, so where are the politicians that speak to them? according to an august a 2011 wall street journal nbc news survey, 40% of americans said

their general approach oh the issues was moderate. since the 2008 election, more than 2.5 million voters have left the democratic and republican parties according to usa today. earlier this year gallup announced 40% of americans consider themselves politically independent, the highest measured by the polling company. is there anybody trying to fill that void in the political system and trying to win those voters? last week, a rising star of the republican party said he was leaving the gop to run as an independent for mayor of san diego. nathan fletcher is a decorated veteran who served combat duties in iraq. he was elected to the california assembly in 2008. he ran afoul of his party for his willingness to work for democrats. here's what he said when he announced his defection. >> i believe it's more important to solve a problem than preserve that problem to use in a campaign. i'm willing to work or share or give all the credit to someone

if the idea is good. i don't believe we have to treat people we disagree with as an enemy. i think we can just save some time and say we disagree. maybe we'll agree on the next one. i have fought in a war, i have seen the enemy. we don't have enemies in our political environment here. nathan fletcher is joining us now. mr. fletcher, what has changed since you were elected to the california assembly? by that i mean, have you changed or has the party changed? what's gone wrong here? >> well, i think -- in so many ways i feel that what you see in today's political world is just that. it's not an environment to solve problems. it's to the clip just played, it's how do you preserve them to campaign on them? our politics has devolved to the point where i feel like it's just a game. this isn't a game. if you're a small business owner who lost your business or your

job or your home it's not a game. i'm trying to send a message to san diego voters that if i'm elected as their mayor, i will take your idea, but our focus will always be on how to solve a problem and move forward into a better future. i think we need more of that. >> did you misjudge where the party was in 2008 when you ran, or has there been a sea change in just the last four years from your perspective as to what the republican party, at least in san diego, represents? >> there's always been issues i agreed on, particularly more on fiscal issues and some i disagreed on, social, environmental or immigration issues. but i think the real change that's taken place in the last four to six years in american politics, not just here in california, has been a trend away from having principled positions, and you should never back down from your principles, but at the end of the day members of both parties need to sit down and actually get teachers in the classroom, they need to actually build a bridge, they need a competitive

environment for job growth. that's what i feel we are lacking is the focus of sitting down and figuring out how to govern and negotiate in good faith and care less about the politics of it and more about actually doing the right thing. >> let's talk about the reaction to your move. both republicans and democrats have accused of you playing politics. they note you left the gop when the local party decided to endorse someone else. here's what jess durfy said. quote, not even a month ago, mr. fletcher wanted to be the endorsed republican candidate in this race. when that didn't work, he decided to paint himself as an independent. voters will recognize he is just another leopard trying to change his spots in an election year. your response? >> well, i mean, what do you expect? it's silly. any time you have the head of the democratic party and the head of the republican party both saying you're wrong, maybe you're actually right. these are the same folks that have broken the system today. when you talk to those colleagues of mine that i've

served with, when you talk to the democratic speaker of the assembly, he said, nathan has always been an independent voice for what he has always been an independent voice for what he leaves is right. they say he always opinion focused on solutions and frustrated. we applaud him for making the move. you hear people that are fed up with politics as usual. they are fed up with that's the way it's been the they are fed up with the extreme right and the extreme left. they're focused more on preserving chaos than solving it. >> i think the polling data is that many are interested in what's going on in san diego. david brooks has written about you favorable bli. i took note of the fafkt that the romneys meaning mitt and ann have maxed out for you. is that true? b, have they asked for their money back? >> nobody has asked pr their

money back. i think our supporters came from a broad base, republicans, democrats. what i'm hearing from a lot of them is that same frustration. they're there to preserve the extremes and maybe chaos. this election you'll have the far right and far left and someone in between. my supporters across the board it's been reassuring and comforting to say it's time to get our city moving. it's time to start solving problems. it's time to get things done. we're going to have this debate with the public. >> let's talk about whether it's going to be a successful strategy. you're out of the mainstream of your party when it came to social issues, especially gay rights in in 2010 you supported the repeal of don't ask, don't tell. let's watch what you said then. >> i didn't think the policy of don't ask, don't tale when i

served in peacetime, when i served in combat, and i don't think it makes sense today. there's nothing in someone's orientation that aefkts their love of country, patriotism or our great nation. there's certainly nothing that affects their ability to give their life. indeed many already have. >> i just have 30 seconds left. they would pick with that and said if he picked the wrong party to begin with he would been out there. >> my mom would agree with you. i've always been an independent voice. when i took that position insiders said we need you to not to do that. ki only do in any heart what i believe is right and what my conscience tells me is best. when i say i'm going to reject the partisan extremities of what we're doing. i hope americans say we're frustrated of politics as usual.

we've had tremendous traffic op our website. >> a lot of folks want to see if it's going to work. thank you. . >> thank you for having me. let me finish with some embarrassing smerconish stories that may give mitt romney's dog on a roof a run for its money. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b,

have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. departure. hertz gold plus rewards also offers ereturn-- our fastest way to return your car. just note your mileage and zap ! you're outta there ! we'll e-mail your receipt in a flash, too. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz.

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let me fichb finish with this, i refuse to pile on the

story concerning mitt romney's treatment of his irish setter. but noi the fact vs been serklated. romney packed his wife and son for a 12 hour drive to her parents cottage. he fashioned a wind stheeld a dog carrier and strapped the crate to the roof of the car. midway, there was a cry of gross from the eldest son who has seen a brown liquid running down the rear window. he hosed down the dog and a car and got back on the road. it was part of a pre-election profile five years ago. it was the recent explanation to me as to how he learned of it that causes me to cut mitt some slack. he said he looked for the romney versions of those stories that every family has that are embarrassing and usually shared only among one another. embarrassing family stories like the night when my mother didn't

like the look offense a crowd outside a student dance where she has just driven my older brother so after circling the block she marched inside and removed him from his peers and when my dad got so excited when winning wheel of fortune that the host said he was concerned he was going to have a heart attack. it means my embarrassments are still being recorded. you mentioned dogs to my brud and someone will tell you about the day we lost our cocker spaniel. i was devastated. my wife wisely decided i needed some grieving room and she took the kids out for a drive. by the time they returned i took an antique chest out of our living room and used it to bury winston in the backyard. i tell her in the to worry, we know right where it is. our sons never let me forget i badly misjudged the demand to

see talledagah nights. i drove to the box office in advance to beat the rush before returning to with my family to a nearly empty theater. according to my middle son who taken down to writing the ridiculous things i say. i tried to impress a gallery owner that i was a nationally radio host. the man was a stranger and i'm a blow hard. if you think my stuff was embarrassing where romney's was dangerous. my wife says i once took our 4-year-old on the space mountain ride even though the harness barely fit him. neil said he