is a consult. >> i wonder why the pastor who calls romney's religion a consult says he will take him over this christian president. >> we will bring you more on those atrocious rants of ted nugent but we begin with the president just wrapping up remarking on the jobs and the economy and the battle ground state of ohio. after engaging in a discussion with students at lorraine community college, known by rick santorum as elite snobs and it is the second visit to this particular cloej and told ohio's success story bringing down unemployment from 10.9% at his visit in 2010 to 7.6% today. he tied it all to his message about economic fairness. >> should we settle for an economy where a few people do really well and then a growing

number are struggling to get by? or do we build an economy where people like duane and andrea and david and bronson, they have a chance to get ahead, where there are ladders of opportunity, where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody does their fair share and everybody is playing by the same set of rules. >> while the president was busy promoting the type of job training programs that would be gutted by the ryan budget, his top rival in the republican house, john boehner, was engaging in a war of words with the president accusing him of governing in absentia. >> the president checked outlast labor day. he spent the last six months campaigning from one end of the country to the other and instead of working with members of both political parties here in washington to address the serious chal lejz that our country faces. >> what about those proposed cuts in the ryan budget because the speaker was asked about the conference of catholic bishop's moral protest against the budget

saying that it disproportionately cuts programs for the poor. guess what? speaker boehner, a catholic himself, had to admit they have a point. >> yes, but i want to take a bigger look and a bigger look is if we don't make decisions these programs won't exist. then they will really have something to worry about. >> as for mitt romney, we expect the economy will be in his sights later this hour as he gives a pre but he will to the nomination acceptance speech in charlotte, north carolina, some five months before that event is set to occur. the speech was set to be on a roof top venue overlooking bank of america stadium, the site of the democratic convention, an exercise in optics to erase memories of the major ford field address surrounded by tens of thousands of empty seats. unfortunately for poor mitt the

event has been moved indoors due to pouring rain, a rain on mitt's parade i guess. and we'll bring in karen finney and now columnist for the hill and nbc political analyst michamik michael dyson. we are looking forward to mr. romney's five months early prebuttal today. do you expect he will take speaker boehner's lane that the president failed to lead because he refuses to cut things like job training and education programs? >> sure. i think we'll continue to hear the mitt romney pander tour in terms of whatever he think this is audience wants to hear he will contort his thoughts and beliefs to meet that essentially. that's pretty much what we have heard in every stop that he has made. i find it interesting that speaker boehner of all people would talk about the president

being checked out. if i recall, we were pretty busy last fall post labor day trying to work with out a little budget deal and i think it was mr. boehner who had some trouble making it happen. >> i wish you would stop referring to the fact when is you come on this program. >> i am sorry. >> i told you before, stop it. we are actually looking at the magnificent scene in charlotte, north carolina, there where mitt romney will be speaking i think in about 35 minutes. professor dyson, during the president's speech we heard him say just now that he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth nor was the first lady michelle. i wonder, who could he possibly be referring to? >> man, i can't even imagine who he might be referring to, some be with a car elevator or makes, you know, worth in excess of 100 or $200 million. i can't imagine he is giving a pre-prebu tal using his trump card and showing that, look, i

am concerned about the every day person here. you know, people who are making all kinds of money, he said not a million in terms of your accumulated wealth but a million dollars a year. the buffet rule is simply saying can the rich pay the fair share? i think that the president has in mind here the kind of economic policies that have not benefitted those at the bottom. 4 million jobs added to the economy over the last two years, about 600,000 in the last three months, and he is suggesting that he has the blueprint and the plan for economic restoration and i think he is going directly. >> karen, you want to respond to that. >> the other thing i was going to say is this president we know, as he said, he came from humble beginnings. he worked his way to where he is. as a community organizer, certainly, as much fun as the right likes to make of that, i think this is somebody that know what is it is to workday in and day out with people that are struggling, with people who are trying to find jobs and trying to help people in a very direct way. mitt romney said, i believe it was either today or yesterday, he is very comfortable with the

fact that he is wealthy and said lefties will try to attack me for that and, oh, well, yes, i am. okay. he has every right and opportunity to talk about how he obtained his wealth and the hard work that he went through and let americans compare the stories. >> i want to turn to the rocker and romney supporter ted nugent. he is taking a lot of heat for saying he will be dead or in jail if president obama is re-elected. now he says he is getting a visit from the secret service. take a listen to this. >> yeah. we actually have heard from the secret service and they have a duty and i salute them. i support them. i am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow. i am sure it will be a fine gathering back stage. >> you have -- wait, wait, wait. you have a meeting tomorrow? >> yes. >> now, karen, the secret service said in a statement we are aware of the incident with ted nugent. we are conducting appropriate follow-up. we recognize an individual's right to freedom of speech, but

we also have a responsibility to determine and investigate intent. yet, karen, we heard nothing from romney save everyone needs to be civil and on a conference call earlier today one of his people said we have already issued a statement on that, no comment. >> yeah. two ingz this. one, i would just say the secret service, it is the protocol they have to investigate any threat like that to the president's life. i am sure that in this instance part of the reason they're taking this seriously is to send the message they take all of those kinds of comments very seriously because that is their policy and, number two, it is staggering, maybe not surprising, that the message we got from the romney campaign was very carefully word and had very safe because they know that they need some of the kinds of voters and supporter who is agree with ted nugent so they don't want to -- that's why they corded nugent's support in the first

place. they don't want to anger those people and also know they need to say it is not okay. >> they need someone who refers to the president by using an ex me active and refers to the secretary of state by using a term spelled c-u-n-t? they need that. >> they corresponded the support and going into the michigan primary they thought it was important to have his support and to be able to tout his support because they thought that would help them withet voers. >> okay. professor dyson, it is not only silence but it is cheerleading from republicans we're hearing. ted nugent knows it. take a listen a little more from him with glen beck today. take a listen to this. >> i had standing ovation after standing ovation at the speech presentation n.r.a. because it wasn't a ted nugent thing. these are self evident truths we adhere to and we the people of this country will demand them again soon and i pray to god in

nof. >> i assume he includes the offensive remarks and dplen beck praises him and mike huckabee and this is a remarkable performance by these individuals. >> it is remarkable. silence is come police it that you don't speak out against and the verbal echo from the right wing, the conservative branch of the republican party is offensive and outrageous and frankly chilling. ted nugent is obviously part of the lun particular fringe that karen finney said they're trying to court. they knew what they were getting in the bargain, the sour cords he would play and the viciousness he would into and the inability to contain himself. they realize that ted nugent is saying stuff they can't say so it is a whistle and a signal to those out there, hey, come and join us because this kind of collective big got try is the enterprise here about and looking aas if they're and there

is no plausible denial called for which is remarkable. >> it is also the case the american electorate is not so dumb as to believe that. karen finney, michael eric dyson, thank you both. >> thank you. >> next, i will take the mormon. why are evangelical christians rallying around mitt romney? we'll ask a baptist pastor that says mormonism is a consult. >> i am talking a thee logical consult. it is a fact it came 1800 jeers after jesus christ and the founding of the church. mormonism has it own human leader, joseph smith. it has its own set of doctrines and own religious book, the book of mormon in addition to the bible and so by that definition it is a they logical consult. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition?

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in a somewhat surprising move, one senior baptist minister said that given the options, he would now prefer a commander in chief who is a mormon as opposed to a christian. pastor robert jefrs told the associated press today that christians should support mitt romney in spite of his mormon faith. this from the same individual who said this at the values voter summit in october. >> mitt romney is a good moral person, but he is not a christian. mormonism is not christianity. it has always been considered a consult by the mainstream of christianity, so it is a difference between a christian and a non-christian. >> i am delighted to say that dr. robert jeffers who just endorsed mitt romney joins us now. good afternoon, sir. >> good afternoon, martin. good to be with you. >> before we come to the specifics of your endorsement, i want to focus for a moment on some fundamental doctrinal

differences between christianity and mormonism. first, mormonism denies the deity of christ and rejects the trinity and says it is found by faith in christ plus good works to the lds church and mormons believe there is a second chance to find faith in the after life. is this why you regard mormonism as a consult and not part of orthodox christianity. >> yes, it is, martin. by the way, are you available to come preach for me this sunday in you're a good theologian. i said from the beginning i felt it is not christianity and 75% of protestant pastors agree with me on that so i have not changed at all in my view of mormonism. i would say that even though christians and mormons share vastly different theologies, we do embrace some of the same social values, values like the sanctity of life, the sank at

this time at this of marriage, religious freedom, issues that i think will be an issue coming this november. >> indeed. so given what you say in your writings, that the very center of your life is your christian faith, that the gospel defines everything that you are, why would you therefore support a man whose theology you regard as here ti cal and the orthodox ant thesis of christian teaching. it can't be both, can it? >> no. it can't be. it is a very good question, martin. one thing, i have been very consistent since the values voters summit in october with your network, with lawrence o'donnell and chris matthews and i said from the beginning that if given the choice between a christian like barack obama who embraces non-biblical principles like abortion and mitt romney, a non-christian that embraces biblical values that i would support mitt romney, so there has been no change in my

position. >> dr. jeffers, here is the problem. i have read and listened to several of your sermons in preparing for this interview where you acknowledge that committed christians can differ on secondary issues but still to come together on the primary doctrines of the faith. now, you know because you have said this in your sermons, that christians differ on everything from creation to climate change and even abortion and homosexuality except when it comes to this president because this president who holds to the central truths of christianity cannot garner your vote. now, why is that? >> yeah. well, first of all, i think some of the issues you talked about just a moment ago are secondary issues, about which the bible doesn't address. i get in trouble with my conservative friends when i say the bible does not have a position about universal health care or tax policy. i know the bible well enough and you do, too, martin, that i

could argue either side. >> or climate change. >> i could argue either side using the bible. i do believe the bible speaks very clearly about issues that i don't think are of secondary importance, the issue of life, the issue of the sanctity of marriage, religious freedom, and so i think in a perfect world we would elect a competent, conservative christian who is consistent and has character but as my friend janet par sell says jesus isn't on the ballot and sometimes we have to compromise and choose the lesser of two evils and that's what i think we're doing here. >> the problem, sir, is that some people would suggest that the reason you would rather vote for a man whom you regard as the member of a cult as opposed to a self confessed christian is because in this case the christian happens to be black. that's really your problem. >> well, that is absolutely

ludicrous. in fact, some black pastors in dallas tried to make that assertion, and another black pastor stood up and said that is absolutely untrue. it has nothing to do with the president's race. it has to do with the fact that this president is the most pro-abortion president in history by his record and by his words and he has launched an unprecedent path on religious liberty and that is why i am against this president. >> i have to bring you back to what you said earlier, that you have everything in common in terms of the central doctrines of christianity with the president, on the issues that are primary to the christian faith, those things that the gospels assert, the life, death, resurrection of christ, his death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, there is no, nothing between you and the president, there is no difference. on those doctrines are you in agreement. >> first of all, i have not talked to the president.

>> i have read the books and i have heard him speak and that's his position. yet when it comes to mitt romney who you describe as a heret the ic and member of a cult, you're prepared to endorse him even though on the primary essence of your christian faith he is a diametrically opposite position. viewers are thinking how are you doing that and why? there must be another reason, sir. >> i will answer that. i have been very consistent in this and it is in my book, twilight's last gleaming. i said while a candidate's faith is an important consideration, it is not the only consideration. in my book i talk about four questions we ought to ask about any candidate before we vote. one question is is the candidate a christian? that's not the only question. so there is no inconsistency here, martin. again, given a perfect world between a competent, christian, with consistent values, with character, and a non-christian,

certainly, i would love to choose the competent christian. i am not doubting barack obama's christianity. i say in my book that i accept him at his word that he is a born again follower of jesus christ, but while that's important, it is not the only issue, martin. >> indeed. reverend robert jeffers. thank you, sir, so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> before we go to commercial, breaking news on the trayvon martin case. moments ago we learned that the judge overseeing the trial of george zimmerman has recused herself. judge jessica recksiedler says that while the individual claims against her involving her husband and a possible conflict of interest were, quote, legally insufficient for disqualifications, the cumulative effect was sufficient. stay with us. free-credit-scores gonna direct you ♪ ♪ to check your credit score before it gets too late ♪ ♪ and you end up strapped for cash ♪ ♪ patching your board with duct tape ♪ ♪ so hit free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ find out what credit's about ♪

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through his spokesperson's statement called for more, quote, civil discourse. what we don't know is who kaultd who: the romney campaign told my colleague andrea mitchell they never solicited the rocker's endorsement. that's not now nugent told it in march. according to an interview he gave celebrating his union with team mitt. the reporter that conducted that interview with nugent is reed hamilton and i am delighted to say he joins us on the phone. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. thanks for having me. >> how exactly would you characterize what nugent told you about the way he came to endorse mitt romney? >> well, i called him on his cell phone the afternoon that he endorsed romney, and he said that he was in a sporting goods store in michigan surrounded by guns and ammo and said then he got a phone call and to his surprise it was mitt romney and he took the opportunity to

solicit romney's pledge that there would be no restrictions to the second amendment under his presidency and at that point nugent decided to give him the endorsement. >> just to be specific and clear and categoric so there is no ambivalen ambivalence, mr. romney called ted nugent and asked for his endorsement, yes? >> yes, that's exactly how nugent portrayed it on the day he gave the endorsement. >> it was not a case of ted nugent chasing mitt romney in any sense but mr. nugent in a gun store and suddenly he gets a phone call from mitt romney. >> that's how he told it to me. >> what were nugent's demands for the endorsement? did he ask for anything from mitt romney? >> yeah. he said he had to get his, you know, solid pledge that there would be no restrictions or laws

signed that would in any way inhibit gun rights or second amendment issues and he said he go the that and that was sort of the key to getting the endorsement. >> reed hamilton thank you for clarifying to what's confusing us the last 24 hours. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> the days top lines are coming up. >> it is finally happening. america is falling in love with the idea of liking mitt romney. [ man ] hmm. a lot can happen in two hundred thousand miles... are you guys okay? yeah.

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you're watch willing mitt romney in north carolina. he is delivering what his campaign is calling the prebuttal to the president's september speech. let's listen. >> democrats do by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new

business. well, how has that gone during the last few years? what you're not going to hear is the president's record in terms of encouraging entrepreneurs to start businesses because since he has been president the number of new businesses started per year has dropped by 100,000 per year. we have gone from something over 600,000 to something over 500,000 new businesses a year. the president's policies have made it harder for entrepreneurs to decide to start businesses, small banks to loan to them, get them going, and on the measures that president himself indicated would determine whether we're making progress or not, he has failed. it is very clear that his agenda has not accomplished what he said he would when he ran for office and spoke in denver. what you're also not going to hear is that the president set a bench mark for himself upon being elected president. he said if we let him borrow $787 billion, he would hold unemployment below 8%.

it has not been below 8% since. it is going to get below 8% some day. our economy always comes back. it is no thanks to the policies of barack obama. obama care didn't create for jobs for the american people and didn't encourage businesses to hire. dodd-frank didn't encourage small banks to go out and make loans to small businesses. stacking the national labor relations board didn't encourage businesses to hire more people. virtually nothing the president has done including the stimulus when protected government and did not encourage the private sector, virtually none he has done has made it more likely for people to get jobs and so for three and a half years we have had unemployment above 8%. he set the measure. he has failed by the measurements he set. you won't hear that at this convention but you'll hear it at ours, i will tell you that.

now, you're also not going to hear at his convention that he is on track to add almost as much public debt to this country as all the prior presidents combined. even having been critical of president george w. bush for the debt he hadded which of course s far less than being added by this president. you won't hear that even though he has been president for three and a half years he has yet to propose solutions to save medicare and social security. you won't hear that he is the first president in modern history, in any history, to cut medicare by $500 billion to pay for his wanted obama care. you won't hear him repeat an accurate statement. i have one.

>> that is mitt romney speaking at his prebu uttal event, making his economic case on the economy many in the shadow of the bank of america stadium and what his campaign dubbed a prebuttal to the democratic convention speech expected in the same city in september. get to our panel, julian epstein and joe williams who covers the white house for politico and michelle cottle. poor rick santorum still persists with the outright lie that the president said he was going to hold unemployment down below 8%. i mean, the president has never, ever said that and mr. romney just said he set the measure and he has failed. when is someone going to explain to mr. romney he is repeatedly espousing an outright untruth? >> it is both untrue and not particularly effective argument. it is untrue because the president didn't say it.

some aids suggested that when they didn't realize how big it was in 2008. >> it was actually a paper written before the president was even inaugurated, projecting an estimate. it was nothing to do with the president. >> and all based on not understanding or having all the information about how bad a state the economy was in and negative 9% growth during that period of time, and secondly, i think it is basically weak because he is saying the president's plan hasn't worked and as we have point out, we were at negative 9 gdp growth and positive two and 11 point swing and we were losing 800, 900,000 a month, new gaining 200,000 a month and we haven't seen these kinds of numbers and you can go through all of the indexes and indicators. we haven't seen this positive swing any time in the last 30 years. i think the jury is in as to whether the obama recovery plan worked and if the republicans want a debate about whether the

program worked or not i think democrats are ready to have the debate. >> je williams, we look at the "new york times" poll and finds that the president and mitt romney are tied at 46%. >> well, that's due to the fact that just because the arguments and the facts don't necessarily line up, that doesn't keep mitt romney from making the argument. it doesn't stop him from saying things that aren't necessarily true or half truths or things proven not to be true. that has a wittering effect. that erodes confidence not only in the president's leadership but also in the ability for him to get the job done. i mean, one of the things that you have to remember when he makes the arguments about the economy is that the president wasn't the only person at the steering wheel. have you congress that helped damage the recovery with the debt ceiling debate that was formed in a large part by republicans espousing the same plans that mitt romney wants to reinstall and place. that being said you do have to recognize if you're on the democratic side a weak economy is not going to help and the

campaign is only now starting in earnest where the president can start making the arguments, rebutting the claims that mitt romney has that he's done more to damage the economy than fix it. >> and, michelle, to joe's point, the congress hardly helped the recovery and yet today speaker boehner fresh from his hot endorsement or what seemed to be a very half hearted endorsement of mitt romney goes out attacking the president saying that he has been away for months on campaigning duty. i thought the president was trying to do a deal on a grand bargain with the very same speaker for months and months and months. >> well, yes, but he and the speaker had their issues there and the president is going to go out there and make the case that he has had trouble with a do-nothing congress, you know, playing politics with him and stone waulg on a lot of issues and everybody was really upset with the budget gamesmanship last year so it is definitely in boehner's best interests to turn

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they're paying now. >> only one in three americans have a favorable view of romney. >> popularity is over rated. >> i am happy with plan a. >> he lost his courage. >> the president checked outlast labor day. all he has done is campaign full time for the last six months? america is falling in love with the idea of liking mitt romney. >> most of our dinner table events were involving humor. >> at his dinner table events he involves humor. we can all relate to how humor is enjoyable. for instance, when someone discards the casing of a yellow starchy fruit and someone else slips causing mild injury and loss of dignity. that makes my lungs pulse ate with short bursts of air with an h in front. >> mitt romney is also trying out new campaign slogans. >> it could be worse. >> it is my turn. >> it is our turn. >> i am not a person of core values. i don't have a core.

>> in the kie oat is in your living room peeg on your couch it is not the coyote's fault. >> there would be an effort by the vast left wing consequence spirgs. >> there is a indication that's the case. >> many in the media are inclined to do the president's bidding. >> let's go back to the panel. julian epstein, joe williams and michelle cottle. there you have it, a vast left wing conspiracy told to a radio man just before the interview with fox news host laura ingram. you may be able to find the link on the drudge report. this conspiracy is obviously vast and left wing. >> absolutely. i think we all know how well it went over when hillary clinton mentioned the vast right wing conspiracy. he was chuckle be when he said that. i hope he gets it is silly.

he was talking about if i remember the media and this is just the favorite refuj of people not doing well in the polls or think they should be doing better and it is always the immediate out to get them. >> mitt romney was asked about the fair and balanced network today by a conservative host, of course, and here is what he had to say. listen to this. >> i realize of course that fox has a lot of independent voters, a lot of democrats that watch. our message, in a network that is fair and balanced, our message gets a good fair play but there are some networks that do not give us a fair play. >> it is pretty rich from a man who hasn't appeared on meet the press whose spokesman won't accept an invitation to appear on this broadcast. >> yeah. well, look, it is like the losing team in a sports match blaming the ref. he is working the ref and this is the strategy you employ when two out of three americans has an unfavorable point of view of

you. the fact of the matter is this, a study from october of last year, they found by far and away obama was getting the most negative coverage of any of the presidential capped dates, that four out of five stories were negative for obama, and romney got as many as three times as many favorable stories as did obama. so the fact of the matter is romney has gone down and personal favorability has gone down for refusal to do things like condemn rush limbaugh. it was not an invention of the left wing media. one final point. the fact we had five days of coverage of something that a democratic pun did it not associated with the dnc should we lie the argument there is some left wing conspiracy out there. it is hog wash >> and it is also the case and this is the fact that the president has in fact appeared on fox news on several occasions, but, joe, you know, anyone else who believes in a

vast left wing media conspiracy, ted nugent, who wrote in a book, listen to this, i am quoting from the book, he says anyone who dismisses such a conspiracy is, quote, a paid employee of the media or a deaf, dumb and blind fool. >> well, two things. i always wait for the end of that sentence where he says and i will blow your heads off or the second question is if you're deaf and blind, you will probably more enjoy ted nugent's music. certainly there are legions of people that believe this and more than happy to be on the right side of the spectrum. that's pretty much a given. the problem is that you have a candidate who has been campaigning and even his own campaign reporters, embeds the people that follow the campaign can't get a word in edge wise or a question to the candidate which is the opposite of a conspiracy. you have people actively following you around that want to engage you on the issues and

want to give you a fair hearing and you're not even considering what they want to ask. so certainly he is going to friendlier territory and people that listen to fox news and who watch fox news are receptive to this message and people that listen to ted nugent probably receptive to any message particularly coming from some place other than the planet earth. >> michelle, going on from joe's point, is mitt romney basically practicing a form of psychological transferance? he gives nobody any access to him on the trail. he refuses to appear on meet the press, i believe, since 2009, but then he attacks everyone else for running a left wing conspiracy against him. >> this is actually not that uncommon a strategy, especially with conservative candidates. you make the media paranoid they're not treating you fairly and everybody is up in arms, no, a left wing bias and we need to make sure we don't have a left wing bias and i read about this over the years how this turns around and you actually wind up

with the media being harsher on the democratic candidates a lot of times in their efforts to over compensate, so it is actually a pretty good strategy if you can make it work. >> it intends to work in certain instances, particularly if you have a receptive audience and if you are practicing the karl rove political jujitsu where you use an opponent's strength against him. john kerry became a war coward and president obama has done nothing to aid the economy. those are strategy that is resonate with people that want to believe it and get enthusiastic about the campaigns and make a lot of noise about the conspiracy theories >> to tie some of these ideas together, in 2008 it was the media that hounded on then candidate barack obama to distance himself from reverend jeremiah wright because of controversial things he said. that was a standard that republicans enforced out into the media and the media covered this for months. now, the request he is will they

force republicans to denounce in the same way. >> i doubt it very much. our thanks. we have some sad news, some breaking noo uz to report this afternoon. the legendary entertainer and producer dick clark has died. he was 81 years old. night-visi, like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering, web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition.

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easy label, right? but that label can lead to prejudice and discrimination, and we don't want to go there. so let's try to see people for who they really are. you can help create a more united states. the more you know. we have some sad news to report this afternoon. the ledge not dairy entertainer and producer has died. dick clark welcomed in new year's for decades, suffered a major heart attack according to his family. mr. clark is survived by his wife and three children. he was 28 years of age. my colleague chris looks back at his remarkable career. >> live from philadelphia -- >> reporter: he walked on to the stage with an effortless appeal. >> going all the way right up to the top. >> reporter: and we welcomed him into our homes for what would be a 50-year visit.

>> ladies and gentlemen, chubby checkers. >> >> reporter: he seemed age less hosting american band stand for more than 30 years. from black and white to living color. >> it's been the not a greatest fantasy of my life. i've been working 35 years in television. it's my first love and band stand made it all possible. >> reporter: dick clark was born richard clark in 1929 in mount vernon new york. his mother was a homemaker. his father owned a chain of radio stations. after school he got into raid yoen and music was his passion. >>. >> music underscores everything that happens to you. >> in 1956 clark took over a local popular music teen dance show and quickly turned it into a national sensation.

american band stand launched the careers of hundreds of artist. from the supremes. >>. ♪ stop in the name of love >> reporter: to the beach boys ♪ >> reporter: even a young michael jackson. >> please welcome for their first visit, the jackson five. >> reporter: clark's career was threatened in 1960 when he was called in front of congress and accused of taking money to promote artist. >> i swear i have never taken payola -- >> reporter: he succeeded and went far past the brand stand. he produced the golden globes. hosted the $10,000 pyramid until it was worth 100,000 and in 1973 launched in new year's eve tradition. >> when i say new year's eve, do you think of any other place in the world? no, you think of times square. >> reporter: clark was the new

year's eve constitution until 2004 when his life took a scary turn. he was hospitalized for seven weeks after that stroke and for the first time in 33 years he was unable to host his rockin eve countdown. one year later he made a brave return. >> it was a long hard fight. my speech is not perfect but i'm getting there. now you and i have been a part of each other's lives forsome new year's eves that i wouldn't have missed this for the world. >> reporter: after that, he didn't miss a new years in new york, cohosting with ryan seacrest. >> dick, you've done this for the last 40 years. please take it away, count us down to the new year. >> all right. and now, for the moment we've been waiting for. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, happy new year! >> reporter: clark then said good-bye to his loyal audience

one last time. >> take a look at times square. all that energy. all those happy people. and remember this night for a long, long time. >> and so will we. a father of three grown children, clark once said american band stand was like his fourth child. that his fans were like family. now that family is in mourning. >> so long for now, dick clark. >> once again, an american icon, dick clark has died at age of 82. we'll be right back with much more. [ junior ] i played professional basketball for 12 years.

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weavtwnces that we're going to have you taste. the first one we're going to call x. go ahead and take a sip, and then let me know what the baby thinks of it. four million drivers switched to this car insurance last year. oh, she likes it babies' palates are very sensitive so she's probably tasting the low rates. this is car insurance y, they've been losing customers pretty quickly. oh my gosh, that's horrible!, which would you choose? geico. over their competitor. do you want to finish it? no. does the baby want to finish it? no. wince again we are just learning about the death of an american icon, dick clark. a man who welcomed the new year each and every year leaving a celebration for the entire ya world from times square. mr. clark was 82 years of age. dylan ratigan ise