conversation by asking a person if they endorse same-sex marriage, because you'll get news. >> mark halperin? >> an entire show based on cats, not the show, but cats. >> willie? >> vegas shall lead us out of this. vegas shall lead us out of this. >> if it's way too early, willie, what time is it? >> it's "morning joe." stick around now for chuck. >> turn on the lights for you. i feel bad for that. anyway, is it morning in america? not quite says team obama in their new tv ad and campaign kickoff. but they say the sunrise is coming. the president also kicks off the campaign with a searing new line of attack against mitt romney. that's capping off a very busy weekend in politics and an even busier one ahead. we'll be watching votes in wisconsin, indiana. a gay marriage referendum in north carolina, all of that is tomorrow. sunday, vice president biden seemed to throw the door wide open with his support for gay marriage. but then the white house decided to respond. why did they respond at all?

and in europe, while americans debate budget hikes and spending, this weekend angry europeans were ousting french president sarkozy and the lessons of the anti-austerity backlash. good morning from washington. it's monday, may 7th, 2011. this is "the daily rundown." i'm chuck todd. what an incredibly busy 96 hours. let's get right to my first read of the morning. buckle your seat belts. we're in the middle of a wild four-day stretch. the president kicked it off this weekend, officially launching his campaign. tomorrow, important primaries in wisconsin. a big test for the tea party in indiana, plus north carolina. will it become the latest state to put a gay marriage ban to a ballot test? and if it's possible, the politics across the pond might even be crazier. we'll start here with the president this morning. two new swing state polls show what we knew to be true. this election will be a nail biter. after months of attempting to

officially campaign and only a few days or hours a week, president obama kicked off his re-election and he's in full campaign mode in the two perhaps most important battleground states in the cycle, ohio and virginia. events that were more about ground game than messaging. >> we will move this country forward. we will finish what we started. we are still fired up. we are still ready to go. >> what we heard this weekend was less a new defense of the president's record than an attack on mitt romney that the campaign has been build for months, painting romney as risky, out of touch, and simply a creature of the republican party. >> he doesn't seem to understand that maximizing profits by whatever means necessary, whether through layoffs or outsourcing or tax avoidance or union busting may not always be good for the average american, or for the american economy. i don't care how many ways you try to explain it, corporations

aren't people. people are people. >> it was clear the president's campaign wants to define romney as a tool of the house republicans. he spent as much time ticking off parts of the ryan budget plan as he did romney proposals. >> he and his friends in congress think that the same bad ideas will lead to a different result. >> of course, romney believes he only needs to ask one question to win. are you better off now than you were four years ago? it's a powerful message and it's why the president wants people to ask themselves a different question. >> the real question, the question that will actually make a difference in your life and in the lives of your children is not just about how we're doing today, but how we'll be doing tomorrow. >> this "we're not quite there yet" mantra is a defining thread

in the president's first major campaign ad called "go." it's debuting today in nine battleground states. no arizona or wisconsin or michigan either. the ad is their version of "morning in america". you could say, it's still the middle of the night, but the sunrise is on the way. nearly half the ad is spent telling us how bad the economy was before the president took office. >> he believed in us, fought for us, and today our auto industry is back, firing on all cylinders. our greatest enemy brought to justice by our greatest heroes. our troops are home from iraq. instead of losing jobs, we're creating them. over 4.2 million so far. we're not there yet, it's still too hard for too many, but we're coming back. >> it's a really well-done ad. you can see it. it's a 60-second spot, and again, almost half of it, the setup is the economic crisis

beginning september of 2008. now, romney was off the trail this weekend. he caught the celtics game last night in boston with ann and left it to some of his potential running mates to audition for the roll of attack dog against the president. >> all the things that made him different and special four years ago are gone. he doesn't want to run on that record, so he wants this campaign to be about anything but his record on the economy. >> is there any hope with the failure of leadership this president, on the economic issues, that it will be any better? and i think people will come to the conclusion, no. >> now, today romney will follow the president to ohio. he'll be in cleveland, trying to exploit the president's vulnerability in the economy with messaging that's focused on the middle class. let's go across the pond here for a minute. we don't always do european politics, but i think it's important as far as this morning's concerned. in europe, it's the economy, blockus. if that's all greek to ewe. the message out of the elections

across the pond is clear, it's the economy, stupid. in france, voters have swept francois hollande, who's never held a cabinet post, let alone anything else, bringing a socialist back to power for the first time in 20 years. in greece, the center right and socialist parties who backed the international bailout together won only about a third of the vote in parliamentary elections. voters rejected them both in favor of more extreme parties on the left and right. french president nicolas sarkozy becomes the 11th european leader to fall during the crisis. the measures last night are evidence of the austerity cure. and in britain, they got trounced in local elections, all over the cub. so what's the takeaway? depends on where you sit. for the romney campaign, you can sit there and say europe is proof that the economy trumps all. if you're a democrat, you can say that austerity measures are politically toxic and if you look at the economic growth issues, they might not work. you can track government, voters

get angry. the crisis in the eu economy means a slower recovery in the united states and that's also not good news for the white house. finally, vice president biden finally said what supporters of same-sex marriage have been waiting to hear from the president for years. and then the white house spent sunday scrambling to dial it back. on "meet the press," biden said that when it comes to gay marriage, he's no longer evolving. >> i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marry men, women marry women, and heterosexual are entitled to all the exact rights, all the civil liberties, and i don't see much of a distinction. >> almost immediately after the program aired, reach da that he was speaking for himself and not the administration and wasn't making new policy. "the vice president was saying what the president has said previously, that committed and loving same-sex couples deserve

all the same rights as other married couples." and that's what he said. but groups supporting same-sex marriage welcomed biden's comments and pushed the president to weigh it in. the human rights campaign said in a statement, "we are encouraged by vice president biden's comments, who rightly articulated that loving and committed gay and lesbian couples be treated equally. now is the time for president obama to speak out for marriage equality for same-sex couples." biden's comments come after north carolina plans to vote on a marriage option. one thing you've got to keep in mind, these gay marriage ballot measures, they rarely are rejected. i don't think one's been rejected yet. something to watch for tomorrow in a swing state of north carolina. why some are asking how much does swing state politics impacting the president here.

almost 11 years after the attacks, khalid sheikh mohammed and his co-defendants are facing trial. they frustrated victims' families watching on closed circuit television. >> they're engaging in jihad in the courtroom. and we expect that this is what they're going to do for the entirety of this trial. >> i think people like khalid sheikh mohammed, if they could have come back and told them, we killed 50 children today, he would have said, wonderful! praise allah. i say, damn you. >> in our imagination, we couldn't expect such a response from them. they have nothing but con tempt for our values and our way of life. >> michael isikoff is nbc's national investigative correspondent, just back himself. you were there in person in guantanamo bay for the military tribunal behind soundproof glass. what did you see?

>> just a remarkable scene. first of all, it's very clear, this process is going to drag on for years. >> years! >> for years. >> i couldn't believe when i heard that. >> the defendants are obviously going to do everything they can to obstruct and slow down the process. you saw that, refusing to answer questions, refusing to acknowledge the judge. in addition, the defense lawyers are filing a flurry of motions, challenging every aspect -- >> they don't think they can get a fair trial because of national security issues, right? >> that is the ultimate fight over this. but remember, this is the first big trial under these military commissions, set up, reformed under president obama, but still not the same as civilian court trials that -- >> by the way, we show this picture of khalid sheikh mo mohammed all the time, the one that makes him look like john belushi in "animal house." what's he look like today? >> long, flowing beard, dressed

in white turbines, white robes. the most remarkable thing, you remember the big debate about eric holder wanted this to be in federal court, republicans in congress said, no, that would give them too many rights, they belong in this. they have, in many ways, a lot more rights in these military commission trials than you would ever see in federal court. when i walked into the courtroom during one of the breaks, one of many prayer breaks, you see khalid sheikh mohammed, all the other defendants right behind them with their prayer rugs, bowing to mecca, doing prayers. something you'd never see in federal court. >> they wouldn't allow it. >> it would never be allowed in federal court. they're allowed things like voir dire of the judge, so the lawyers for the defendants are questioning the judge about what he reads -- >> his own personal beliefs? his religious beliefs. >> something you'd never see in federal court. so these military trials, they're bending over backwards to try to show how fair they are

and the defense lawyers and defendants are doing everything they can to exploit that. >> bottom line, justice for years. >> justice for years. big fights down the road, particularly over torture, classification of how they were treated. that's going to be the big ball to watch here. >> michael isikoff, just back from guantanamo bay, cuba. michael, thank, as always. up next, president obama goes on offense in the battleground states. we'll talk to two guys who know firsthand how unpredictable those voters can can be. the former governors of ohio and virginia, strickland and wilder joins me next. and still to come, it's like fight club. the first rule of being on the vp short list, you don't talk about being on the vp short experience or your experience to be president but someone may have forgotten to tell kelly ayotte. that's coming up next. but first, the president's schedule. a conference call with elected official and student government leaders about that student loan issue. jay carney briefing at 1:00.

this is "the daily rundown," only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] the inspiring story of how a shipping giant can befriend a forest may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. but if you take away the faces on the trees... take away the pixie dust. take away the singing animals, and the storybook narrator... [ man ] you're left with more electric trucks. more recycled shipping materials... and a growing number of lower emissions planes... which still makes for a pretty enchanted tale. ♪ la la la [ man ] whoops, forgot one... [ male announcer ] sustainable solutions. fedex. solutions that matter. you're doing okay, mom. i can call you "mom," right? i know we haven't known each other very long, but you seem like a real keeper. you're not perfect. but you're trying. anyway, i want you to know how much i appreciate you. you know, right? how much i love you.

you're doing okay, mom. all at 150 calories or less, there's definitely a temptations for you. unless you're one of those people who doesn't like delicious stuff. temptations. it's the first jell-o that's just for adults. born to leap, born to stalk, and born to pounce. to understand why, we journeyed to africa, where their wild ancestor was born. there we discovered that cats, no matter where they are... are born to be cats. and shouldn't your cat be who he was born to be? discover your cat's true nature. purina one. ♪ power surge, let it blow your mind. [ male announcer ] for fruits, veggies

and natural green tea energy... new v8 v-fusion plus energy. could've had a v8.

we have to move forward, to the future we imagined in 2008, where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. that's the choice in this election, and that's why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. >> that was president obama, officially kicking off his campaign over the weekend in two crucial battleground states and battleground media markets.

columbus, ohio, and richmond, virginia. joining me now are two former governors of those states, virginia's doug wilder and ohio's ted strickland. good morning, gentleman. >> good morning. >> good morning. how are you. >> i'm good. governor strickland, i want to stick with you, because you were part of the warm you for the president before, and you might have had the toughest stuff against mitt romney of anybody i heard. i was at the rally. and here's one of the quotes i heard you say was, "mitt romney chose to take his wealth and invest it in the cayman islands in a swiss bank account. he did not choose to invest in america, he chose to enrich himself by putting his resources somewhere else." that's pretty harsh stuff. do you think that's the campaign rhetoric that the obama campaign should be using against romney? >> well, chuck, it's factual. that's what he did. he wanted to be president, he wants to be president, and yet he took his wealth and put it in foreign establishments. what if every american did that? what would that do to our

economy if every american chose to take their wealth and put it in switzerland or the cayman islands or in bermuda? this is a big issue and i think it's going to be a big issue in ohio, because ohioans, i think, would consider this a form of economic patriotism. investing in your country, just as our forebearers did when they bought war bonds during world war ii. knowing that this country needed investment. and i think that says something about mitt romney that is very basic to his character, to his values, and to his judgment. and i'm going to be talking about that for the next five or six months in ohio and anywhere else, where i can go to represent the president. >> governor wilder, it seemed to me that the message in both places, both columbus and virginia was, there were two parts to the message. one was about targeting one type of swing voter that swings between voting and not voting. so democrats that don't always show up to the polls. and the other one was that small slice of independents that we know do decide elections, but a very small group, 8 to 10%,

maybe, total. what did you hear from the president that talked to those folks? >> well, chuck, you always follow and have really grasped the issues. one of the independent voters, and secondly, those people who do show up, but will they continue to show up in the numbers? i think what the president was saying and is continuing to say now, look, we haven't finished the job. we've started the job. we really needed to get all of our people together. to the extent that there were crossover votes, to the extent that independents were there, the excitement has got to come back. the president in both places did what i considered a commendable job of trying to let people know that there are things that we still have not done. in the absence of those crossover votes and in the absence of those independent votes, israel have a great deal of difficulty in terms of maintaining what the president wants to win.

can he win in virginia and ohio? yes, he can. as i spoke to him about it, as he carries virginia, i think he'll carry the entire country. >> governor strickland, the unemployment rate in ohio, below the national average. there seems to be a fight, essentially, between governor kasich and president obama about who deserves credit. >> well, the unemployment was coming down in ohio well before john kasich became the governor. but the fact is that the president deserves the credit, in large part because of his saving of the auto industry, which we believe is connected to about 800,000 jobs in ohio. it's a huge issue. mitt romney was opposed to the action the president took, but the auto industry has been saved, manufacturing is coming back in ohio, and chuck, in regards to the answer of the first question you asked, are we better off today than we were four years ago? absolutely, we are. four years ago, we were losing about 800,000 jobs a month, when

the president took off and we're not doing that the now. we're building jobs, we're creating jobs. manufacturing is coming back and it is approaching day break, i believe, in america, under the leadership of this great president. >> governor wilder, the virginia economy is doing even better than ohio. its unemployment rate, below 6%, sitting at 5.6%. the president, is he going to benefit from that, or does the fact that a republican governor, you know, helps talk it up and says, hey, this is what republican policies do. that's why you should support romney? >> i do think he benefits from it. because virginias are very fortunate. we've seen that we have not had the ravages of unemployment, as we've had in other states. this doesn't mean we are pleased to see what's taking place or that we're satisfied with where we are. but the president can say in virginia, when he's campaigning here and the surrogates campaigning here, this is where

we are. has he spent money in virginia? yes. was the money spent in terms of getting to virginia, some of that money that was in the supplement? yes. and that is going to be very, very big in terms of people saying, where are we? where were we? and where we need to go. i think the president will be better suited to continue to show that we are, indeed, better off, and can even be better? >> governors strickland and wilder, have to leave it there. i'm sure i'll have you both back. you know your states better than anybody. and i think virginia and ohio may not get any closer than those two states. thank you both. well, the economy brought down the leader of france. will it also bring down the u.s. markets today? we've got a preview of wall street. and also, warren buffett, the oracle of omaha, sits down with our good friend becky quick. but first, today's trivia question. it's a good one. how many states are currently represented by two first-term senators?

tweet me the answer @chucktodd or @dailyrundown. the answer is coming up on "the daily rundown." it's a good one. [ male announcer ] this is lois. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

stronger. it's time to believe again. [ female announcer ] weight watchers -- rated number one best plan for weight loss by u.s. news and world report, again. join now for free. hurry. offer ends may 12th. [ jennifer ] weight watchers. believe. because it works.

well, european politics. what kind of impact on the market? opening bell, time for the market rundown. and you've probably been wondering, where's becky quick been? you know where becky was. she just interviewed warren buffett. becky, good morning. >> good morning, chuck. good morning, everybody. that's right. we are live in carter lake, iowa, which is right next to omaha, nebraska, and that's where warren buffett was speaking to about 35,000 berkshire hathaway shareholders this morning. a lot of topics that came up. we got the chance to sit down with him for about three hours for breakfast here this morning and talk a little bit about the buffett rule, which as you know, chuck, it's been getting a lot

of publicity and there have been both critics and fans of this rule coming out. buffett talked to us a little bit today about why he thinks the buffett rule is important, even though it doesn't do everything that he thinks needs to be done. >> it's a small improvement. it doesn't cure all, cure all revenue programs remotely. in my original article, i said, we've got major problems on the expenditure side. all it does is it says, when you've got 131 of the largest incomes in the country that are averaging 171 million, if you are a third of them, that this is something that should be corrected. >> by the way, the markets this morning are indicated to open weaker. last i looked, it was down about 75 points for the dow. chuck, warren buffett says that's great news for him. he says he plans to be buying two stocks in the market today, wouldn't tell us which ones, but he thinks this is still a great

buying opportunity. >> he won't tell us which ones, be will we know at 9:30? will it be obvious? >> probably not. he told us there are two stocks he's been a longtime shareholder of. he says he bought about 60 million worth on friday, he's going to buy more today, and the more the market drops, the more he likes it. >> here comes the oracle. becky quick, as always, great stuff. thank you. the economy, toppling incumbent after incumbent in europe. what does president obama have to fear from that? we're taking a deep dive into the economy in swing states. how this is an uneven argument when you talk about the jobs picture by battleground state. plus, primary preview. critical votes tomorrow for the future. veteran senator dick lugar. and we'll find out who runs against governor scott walker in the recall. stick around. we think they're also cooking up something new in the white house mess today. brand-new soup we've never had before. we know how much some of you love and hate this, but you'll tune in anyway. you're watching "the daily rundown," only on msnbc. we'll be right back. fast. beautiful. totally customizable.

finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas. it can even match options strategies to your goals and lets you see the potential risk and reward. and, it also comes with a dedicated elite service team. got it? get it. good. introducing new etrade pro elite. ♪ the health of our cells plays a key role throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin, designed for many of women's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day women's 50+ healthy advantage.

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. you can help create a ♪ [ acou[ sighs ]ar: slow ] [ announcer ] all work and no play... will make brady miss his favorite part of the day. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barking ] [ whines ] that's why there's beneful playful life, made with energy-packed wholesome grains... and real beef and egg. to help you put more play in your day. beneful. play. it's good for you.

the battleground map. what better indicator of which way this election will go, political polls or the unemployment rate. well, today we're taking a deep dive into the jobs picture. but we're going to do so state by state. and that's what's fascinating. let's start with nbc's battleground map as it stands right now. 231 electoral votes. seven states with 110 electoral votes sitting in toss-up. but in three states, the jobs picture is a mixed bag. take florida, for instance. a state that went for obama last night. the unemployment rate now sits at 9%. that's above the national average. it's also down from a high of 10.7%, less than a year ago. ohio's unemployment rate has also come down sharply, falling more than a full point in the last six months. it now stands at 7.5%. and then there's virginia, where both mitt romney and president obama campaigned in the last few days. the unemployment rate is just

6.5%, that's better than more than 40 other states. governor bob mcdonnell, a republican, could hardly contain himself at a romney rally last week. >> from those of you not from here, welcome to the most business friendly state. welcome to the state with the lowest unemployment rate in the southeast. >> now, there's some mixed messaging there. mcdonnell is not the only republican governor trying to talk out their own state's economy, a message that seems to fly in the face of the republican narrative nationwide. ohio governor john kasich has been tweeting every time a new jobs report comes out. remember, state jobs reports come out a month after the national one. now, in early march, he said, 7%, headed in the right direction, but there's much more work today. i think president obama could have tweeted something like that. a few weeks later, more good news for ohio. our unemployment rate is down again. and jobs are up. but, still, a lot of work to do. and on april 20th, another tweet, at 7.5%, the last time

ohio unemployment was this low was october '08. we're on the right track, but still so much more to do. at the same time you have florida's republican governor, rick scott, sounding positively optimistic about his state's future. unemployment's dropped now to 9%. that's the largest monthly drop in 20 years. when i took office, there was 516,000 people on unemployment, now the latest number is 340,000. we're continuing to make a lot of progress there. you can see the state is busier and busier. tourism is up. businesses are moving here. we would always like more businesses to the move her, but they are moving here. >> there you have it. it's mixed messaging, right? you have republican governors talking up the economy, that it's getting better, things are getting better, which is on message with where the president wants to go, things are getting

better, things are getting better. of course, you have two other debates, who deserves the credit here? but here's the battleground map. i've been messing around here. the national average, 8.1%. as you see on our seven pure toss-ups, three above the national average, four below the national average. what would that do if we simply broke it and you would assume that the economy, below the national average, basically rewarded the president. so, that means we would assign him colorado, we would assign him ohio. we'd assign him pennsylvania, and we'd assign him virginia. look what that gets him to 191. you give romney the rest here in north carolina. florida, and you have a 291 and what's more, north carolina, which we've already put there for him. so, now, let's go back here and throw in the bigger battleground, the leaners, if you will. if you keep going here, let's do here a little swipe. there it is. the lean democratic states above

the national average, new jersey, oregon, michigan. now, these aren't states necessarily other than michigan that romney's playing in. below the national average, may, new mexico, wisconsin, minnesota, new hampshire. let's go to those lean republican states. where is it above the national? arizona and indiana. look at these two states where it's below the national average, missouri and iowa. and frankly iowa may be on the move. so, let's go back to our map and re-assign these states based on those numbers here, so we would put missouri and iowa to obama, we would take to romney and you give him, by the way, we owed him november last time. my apologies there. you give him new jersey, believe it or not, oregon. we just did this on the economy. michigan. look at that. so it was just broke purely on unemployment rate above and below the national average, 270 to 268. just another way to slice the map here a little bit. by the way, we will debut a new

nbc battleground map in the next couple of weeks. got lots of polling coming out the next couple of weeks from our own pollster plus all around the country. other political stories i'm watching today, as i told you, about as busy of a 48 hours we've had in a long time. the only republican presidential candidate still left for romney is not throwing in the towel. ron paul picked up delegates over the weekend in nevada and maine. romney won both state caucuses, in some cases by huge numbers. nevada's delegates are bound to those results on the first ballot. still, it means who's going to be showing up to this convention? and a quick look at big votes in two states tomorrow. dick lugar is making his last pitch to state republicans ahead of a primary that could end his almost four decades in washington. the 36-year senate veteran is trying to slow the momentum of a tea party-supported challenger, richard murdoch. could lugar really lose by double digits? also tomorrow, wisconsin democrats will select governor scott walker's challenger for the june recall election.

milwaukee mayor tom barrett appears to be the front-runner in tuesday's vote. walker beat barrett just 19 months ago in the 2010 general election. we didn't even bring up north carolina's gubernatorial primary tomorrow. who's going to run with tomorrow for the governor's race down there in a battleground state that's going to matter? anyway, lots of stuff going on our. our political panel will be here next, but fist, the white house soup of the day. and this is one i don't think we've ever seen on the menu before, chuppino. it's an italian-style fish stew. good for them. i have no idea why today they picked it. you would think today would be a french day or a greek day. you're watching "the daily rundown," only on msnbc. we'll be right back. ♪ [ male announcer ] want your weeds to hit the road? hit 'em, with roundup extended control. one application kills weeds, and stops new ones for up to four months. roundup extended control.

free-credit-score-dot-com'sur boargonna direct you ♪ts ♪ for up to four months. ♪ 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 ♪ ♪ or else you could be headed for a credit wipeout ♪ offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. dollar for dollar, you do a lot of kayakingno. whoooa i'm in a river. what are some good kayaking words? like...rapids? look, i'm going through the rapids.

ok. i'll take it. new offers in new places so you can try new things. sync your american express card with facebook, foursquare, and twitter to find savings. that's the membership effect of american express. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

oh. let's go. from the crack, off the backboard. [ laughs ] dad! [ laughs ] whoo! oh! you're up! oh! oh! so close! now where were we? ok, this one's good for two. score! [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're gr-r-eat! three, two, one, booster ignition and liftoff of the

maiden voyage of "endeavour" on a satellite rescue mission. >> daily flashback to this day in 1992, the first launch ever of "endeavour" and the last edition of the shuttle fleet. "endeavour" was issued by congress as a replacement for "challenger." on their first mission, they rescued a stranded communications satellite. because we know you folks need to communicate with us more. well, the primary's season in the rearview mirror, mostly, besides ron paul stealing delegates all over the place. the president and mitt romney are neck and neck in two polls out today. keeping it place in the area where voters care about most, jobs and the economy. let's bring in our monday panel, "the washington post's" dan baldwin, and michael steele, and democratic pollster, celinda lake. celinda, i'll start with you, it's your poll.

the democratic and republican side doing this. a one-point race in romney. obviously a margin of error. your big numr ten, which is a little bit different than others, although independents are a hard group to measure. everybody measures them a little bit differently. >> they are a hard group to measure. they swing around a lot. >> we had obama up before in the previous battleground. it will be back and forth. >> small samples too. >> that sort of reverberate. but certainly setting some conventional wisdom here about independent votes. >> it's a warning. and these independent voters are more downscale, they're more populous than even democratic partisans. these independent voters are more hard hit in this economy. and that's why you're seeing the president launch an ad that really talks about, that he inherited this economy, and he's done what he can and we're not done yet. but these independents are really going to swing around, who's better on the economy in that choice. >> michael steele, i think the most important thing we learned

this weekend from the president is that they know the question, are you better off now than four years ago is an answer they don't want. >> right, right. >> they want to change the question. and both the ad, i mean, it is like, we're not done. we're not quite there. the sun's not up, but we know the sunrise is on the way. >> it's almost morning in america. >> well, i think it's a smart strategy on their part. the question is, how does romney and his team draw him into this conversation about are you better off than you were four years ago. okay, we'll give you, you inherited a mess. we'll give you that, all day long. what'd you do with it? and have people's lives improved, and have their personal economies improved to the point that when they answer that question, you can get re-elected. the bet is, you can't answer it that way and therefore you'll win. >> dan balz, you were in columbus, it is interesting to -- it's basically fight over the recovery. well, it is a fight over the question. but a question, i thought the way governor romney put it a couple of weeks ago, was smart.

which was, this was the best that barack obama could do. it's not the best america can do. if he can make that stick. if he can convince people that obama has tried heay ied hard, whatever reason doesn't have what it takes to get the job done, then that's a real opening. the president is coming back hard on that aspect. >> it's funny you bring up the likability. one other thing that caught my eye, celinda, both the president and vice president, before they went into attacks on mitt romney this weekend, said, this is a patriotic america. you hear mitt romney going, the president's a great guy. it's the old ricky bobby, "i said with all due respect." >> that's right! >> but it's interesting, it's like they're both mindful. it's this independent voter who's a little turned off by harsh politics, so they want an attempt at least to be nice. >> i think it's women voters that they are fighting for and who are really turned off. and even the language, "war on

women" actually didn't test very well. women are so sick of the fighting, so sick of the aggression. and i think it's one of the reasons why, particularly among women voters, ann romney and michelle obama are more popular than their husbands. but i want to go back to this point, which is what we've got to frame it about is who's mitt romney going to make it good for? and -- >> well, that was clear, that's what they tried to doed ed at t rally. they were trying to paint romney as a little bit risky. >> offshore oil can accounts, offshore bank accounts, and look at the bain record. >> and what romney has to do is not make it about his personal wealth, but make it about the individual's personal wealth and how you're going to fare in this new economy that we're trying to create. do we do it at the hands of government or at the hands of small business owners, and those who are the true economic creators in the country. >> do you draw any lessons -- what do you think the lessons,

the two sides are going to draw from europe? on one hand, it's the economy, stupid. >> i think here, with the sour economy, people are unhappy and they tend to punish people in power. it doesn't matter what the ideology of the people in power is, if you're in power when things are tough, then you're at risk, what's that president obama is fighting against. and that's what mitt romney is counting on. they don't know they'll win a contest on likability. then the president will be -- and the president is probably a more energetic campaign and a better campaigner. >> so was sarkozy. not unlikable. >> so as long as they can keep playing off the anger and the disappointment, they've got a shot. >> dan and michael, stick around. trivia time. we asked, how many states are currently being represented by two first-term senators? the answer is seven and check

out the states. it's colorado, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, ohio, pennsylvania, and virginia. folks, those are mostly swing states. even minnesota can be a swing -- not surprising, that's where you see the churn in the states that basically represent the middle of this country. we'll be right back. you're watching "the daily rundown," only on msnbc. i get it...guys weekend. yeah! if you're looking for a place to get together, you came to the right place. because here at hotels.com, we're only about hotels. yeah! yeah! noooo. yeah! finding you the perfect place is all we do. welcome to hotels.com by what's getting done. measure commitment the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment.

and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues... but that doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through. hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here.

morning, boys. so, i'm working on a cistern intake valve, and the guy hands me a locknut wrench. no way! i'm like, what is this, a drainpipe slipknot? wherever your business takes you, nobody keeps you on the road like progressive commercial auto. [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

who is more likely to run for president in 2016, you or secretary clinton? >> i think we may run as a team. i'm only joking obviously. i don't know. i don't know whether i'm going to run and hillary doesn't know whether she is going to run. >> there is a lot of truth in humor, mr. vice president. >> oh, boy. the things we'll be talking about in 2014. let's bring back our panel. i was just going to say, dave very quickly -- >> what about 2012? >> it is a reminder. you hear this very quietly among the cuomos and o'malleys and

these people that basically everybody is going to wait to see what hillary clinton does. >> sure. >> and then, including the vice president. >> yes. and, you know, she's given all these signals that she wants to step away. >> she gets the first right of refusal. >> yeah. >> and that was almost weirdly biden's way of saying that. >> if she gives the signal or her husband gives the signal that it's game on -- >> speaking of joe biden, essentially saying he was comfortable with gay marriage. what i don't understand about this remark is okay. he said it. why did the white house work so hard to try to find a distinction between him coming out for gay marriage, supporting being comfortable with gay marriage however you want to draw the line and where the president's stance is which is still evolving but not there yet? >> i think it partially is african-american voters, more religious voters that he wants to hold but honestly i think it's a mistake. this is the last gasp of his

strategy because by 2014 there won't be a democrat running for anything -- >> no democrat running for president will ever not be equivocating on gay marriage. >> or frankly governor of most states. just not possible. >> it will be for democrats what abortion is for republicans. in a sense for those candidates it will be one of those litmus test issues i think in future elections. in what the president is doing right now though is not just the black vote and others but those swing states like a virginia or north carolina where he wants to walk that line very carefully and not -- >> just in hindsight it looks weird now. >> it does. >> dan, i want to play something. every time they go out there, marco rubio, we're going to ask them. so asked by david gregory, are you ready to be president? here was her answer. >> are you ready to be president? >> well, i'll tell you this.

i have great experience as attorney general in this state. i'm very proud of that. i would say i have some would say better experience than barack obama had when he was a senator having been the chief law enforcement officer of my state. i serve on the senate armed services committee. again, what it comes down to for me is serving new hampshire. >> okay. >> she could have started with that last line. >> look, we're happy in the media. we get a moment of honesty from a candidate. she is showing a little more interest perhaps than maybe folks thought she had. >> surprisingly so. it is certainly not with the -- part of the text book to go out and tout your credentials particularly when you are pretty inexperienced on the national stage. modesty is always the best course. >> i've always thought something that hurts her and it's unfair is the shadow of sarah palin. >> this is the washington game. you know, everybody asks these crazy questions. are you ready to be president. why would you ask that question if you already know the answer? the typical answer is, well, no. whatever. you know, but she was honest and

gave an honest answer and we should appreciate her instead of picking her apart for it and now somehow saying oh, bad. >> i agree. >> just a washington thing. silly games. she gave an honest answer. accept it for what it is and move on. >> you work on the gender gap and women voters. mitt romney could really use -- if he could find an experienced woman governor, you know, who is -- >> that's right. >> that would probably be the perfect runningmate. >> absolutely. this will be the sarah palin effect he won't be able to pick a woman not because it won't work with voters. it would work great with voters, really help with the women's vote, but it won't work with his party. >> interesting. >> i got a piece on the root about the politics of the day. root.com. check it out. >> fair enough. >> we just released a survey on the other forgotten vote the asian american pacific islander vote which is very strong for barack obama. >> as he said he is the first asian pacific president.

>> new book called "the candidate, what it takes to win and hold the white house" by sam popkin university of california san diego political scientist and practitioner. he's got political science and practical experience in the book. a very interesting read. >> you better tweet that book so i can retweet it because i'll get people that ask what was that book that dan plugged? that's it. please do that before i forget. that's it for this edition of "the daily rundown." tomorrow primary day, indiana, north carolina, and west virginia. coming up next on msnbc chris jansing. bye-bye. >> i'm meteorologist bill karins with your business travel forecast. storm system through the great lakes and ohio valley. a lot of rain today areas of ohio, indiana, and eventually down into kentucky and tennessee. atlanta slight chance of storms this afternoon. same for you there down in orlando. as far as the west coast goes

beautiful weather. seattle looks great with phoenix and l.a. so uh this is my friend frank and his, uh, retirement plan. one golden crown. come on frank how long have we known each other? go to e-trade. they got killer tools man. they'll help you nail a retirement plan that's fierce. two golden crowns. you realize the odds of winning are the same as being mauled by a polar bear and a regular bear in the same day? frank! oh wow, you didn't win? i wanna show you something... it's my shocked face. [ gasps ] ♪ [ male announcer ] get a retirement plan that works

at e-trade.

[ jennifer ] better. stronger. believe. happier. healthier. i believe weight watchers made me more powerful. it's time to believe again. stand up and take charge. i believe if you want to change your life, you can. [ female announcer ] weight watchers -- rated number one best plan for weight loss by u.s. news and world report, again. join now for free. hurry. offer ends may 12th. [ jennifer ] weight watchers. believe. because it works. good monday morning i'm craig melvin in today for chris jansing. two new polls show president obama and mitt romney in a virtual tie right after the weekend's official obama campaign kickoff. but it's what vice president joe biden is saying about gay marriage that has everyone talking. >> i am absolutely comfortable with