allows us to collaborate with our drivers to make a better experience for our customers. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ good morning. i'm chris jansing. it's an economic showdown in the battleground state of ohio. in a few hours at nearly the same time, president obama and mitt romney will offer dueling visions of how to fix the economy trying to frame the fierce debate that will decide the november election. >> he will speak eloquently but the words are cheap and that the record of an individual is the basis upon which you determine whether they should continue to hold on to their job. >> when i hear governor romney say his 25 years in the private sector gives him a special understanding of how the economy works, my question is, why are you running with the same bad ideas that brought our economy to the brink of disaster? >> for president obama, his

major speech at a community college will be another chance to hit the reset button after a bad week of economic news that culminated with the private sector is doing fine comment. that gaffe has been the focus of a new romney campaign ad out just this morning. it's the first negative ad by the way of this general election. >> the private sector is doing fine. the private sector is doing fine. the private sector is doing fine. doing fine. >> i'm joined now by the deputy national political editor for the roast and by reed wilson editor-in-chief of national journals hotline. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> need i ask why ohio for these speeches? >> no. i think you know the answer. obviously, it is one of the most

important battleground states. typically has gone republican in past presidential cycles. it's really -- the obama campaign would say not necessarily a must win but one of the ways that they would get to 270. it's also been hard hit economically in the past, has been doing slightly better. so it is really a place for both of them to be able to highlight the parts of the economy they want to talk about. >> i think we have some graphics to show folks how the unemployment rate in ohio has indeed gotten better. you know, these happen i think, reed, these have been a couple good weeks obviously for mitt romney. but does ohio show why he has a little bit of a tricky problem? it's not just ohio but a number of other key battleground states where the economy is getting better. can you blame the president in states that are not coming back and say it's all obama's fault but then go to a place like ohio and say, oh, but here where it's getting better it's because of a republican governor? >> well, i think in one case, you know, mitt romney might be able to make that cases specially given the wave of

republican governors who won election in 2010 including john kasich the governor of ohio. but the larger question for president obama is really how does he frame this in terms of his own record and what he's going to do looking forward. one of the biggest, most fascinating pieces of political news out this week is a series of focus group interviews by a group called democracy corps, a democratic group, guys who worked for president clinton in 1992 and 1996. and those surveys really bring home the point that voters don't actually feel the economy getting better. you know, jobs may have been created. housing may have been getting better but the actual average american doesn't believe they are better off now than four years ago. if they think that on election day they really don't have a lot of reason to vote for president obama for re-election. he is going to try to make that case today that he needs four more years to sort of dig out of george w. bush's recession but at the end of the day that isn't going to move a lot of voters saying give me four more years.

i haven't finished yet. >> let me read from the memo. it's been getting a lot of attention. it's going to be interesting to see whether the president's talks today reflect this vision. here's part of what it said. it is a lead to our creating a conventional wisdom that an incumbent president must run on his economic performance and therefore must convince voters that things are moving in the right direction. they are wrong and that will fail. instead, what the memo suggests is that he has to have a more forward looking economic vision. is that what we're going to hear today? >> that is exactly right. i don't know that that's what we're going to hear today. i think today is going to be a little more context about what the first term has been sort of digging out from george w. bush's recession but the obama campaign should be contemplating looking forward, how to sort of talk about a second term agenda and how those second term plans are going to fix the economy. you know, the voters in that -- in that survey don't see that.

they understand that the recession began before he became president. that's not a good enough answer to them. >> it does seem to me that the president has a particularly narrow tight rope to walk. he needs to remind people how the stimulus, the auto bailout, other actions of his administration have indeed helped the country out of the hole it was in when he took office, but he also can't sound too optimistic because then he can come off as out of touch. so how does he do it? >> right. and like congressman barney frank always used to say, you can't run on things could have been so much worse. you know, it's interesting. the white house and the obama campaigns has been reluctant to heed the advice of all the outside nay sayers. they were that way in 2008 and it really worked to their benefit. they are that way again this time. it'll be interesting to see if they're still shutting out the advice of those saying it has to be entirely forward looking. they are aware of this tight rope and also that they still have to try and do things if they can. those options are limited between now and november but

that they are in a position of being held responsible for the last three years trying to be forward looking wanting to feel people's pain at the same time wanting to somehow convince them that things could have been worse. there are a lot of things they're trying to do at once. what they have not done, the single thing, though, is to say, here is what in the next four years we would do in a concrete way. and here is how those four years would look specifically different than what mitt romney would do. they've talked a lot about mitt romney taking the country back to what the bush years would look like or worse. i would expect to see them draw some of that contrast but it's tricky because they don't want to get too specific because those specifics are always the ones that come under attack. >> let's bring in senator jeff merkley from oregon a member of the budget committee. what do you think about that advice the president needs to be more forward looking and also lay out more specifics? he needs to say, here is what i'm going to do. we hear he is not going to do that today. nah he is going to talk about

for example the jobs bill and call on congress once again to get busy. >> indeed, that was a key part of his plan was the jobs bill to support the states in hiring firefighters, policemen, teachers, congress, republicans, filibuster that. a deep investment in infrastructure. the house has killed the transportation bill. it is on deep freeze. there is such an enormous contrast between the president's vision of investing in infrastructure and the republican romney vision of going back to the bush structure that was terrible for working people and great if you're rich and powerful. >> you and other democrats are blaming the republican house at least in part. meantime, there is a new ad out and john boehner says it's you guys, the democrats in the senate that are the problem. let me play a little clip for you. >> these are the -- many of the 30 jobs bills that have passed the house that are currently stalled in democrat controlled senate. these aren't big, controversial bills that no one has read. they're practical, common sense

proposals to help small businesses to create jobs and build a stronger economy for all americans. >> this is a video, senator, that was put together specifically to play ahead of the president's speech. what's your response to what you hear from speaker boehner? >> it shows how absolutely defensive he is. here he is killing the transportation bill that would create millions of jobs, filibustering and blocking effort to have the president's jobs package, and he has to create some kind of confusion over this in the public mind. and so i understand what he's doing politically. i wish instead he would get in a policy mode and say, let's actually do these things that will create jobs and get that transportation bill done. let's get the small business tax cut that the democrats and the senate proposed done. let's proceed with the support for the states in terms of hiring teachers and firefighters. let's get that done. and until he can explain why he stopped all of those things, he has absolutely no credibility in terms of this type of smoke and mirrors ad.

>> let me ask you a little bit about messaging. i think you probably heard part of the conversation that i was having with reed and ann and the question of how the president addresses this in a kind of a tight rope that he has to walk, you know, democratic pollster peter hart was talking to voters in the swing state of colorado this week and one thing they told him about how the president is missing the mark is that he talks -- he needs to talk to the middle class a little bit more. he needs to not just say that the economy is getting better because they don't feel necessarily the economy is getting better. does it need to be a little, i don't know, bill clintonesque, i feel your pain? >> absolutely. because the pain is intense. while the economy gdp has improved and actually exceeded the level it was at before the recession, that money is really going to the most powerful and wealthy in our country. we're seeing the real wages of working people. it's been dropping over the last ten years and quite frankly

continuing to drop through this recessi recession. so the fundamental differences between the class cut for the middle class that obama is proposing and the tax cut for the wealthy that the republicans are proposing, the support for the health care in the middle class that obama is proposing and the savaging of medical care the republicans are proposing there are huge contrasts that are related to the pain people feel as working families around the kitchen table. he absolutely has to dramatize that difference. >> it's great to see you, senator. thank you so much for taking the time. >> you're welcome. thank you. >> we have all this democratic hand wringing going on. we also should remind people this is, you know, the point in the campaign where we have a lot of time for things to change. somebody was remarking, ann, that maybe what the democrats need is a gaffe by mitt romney, you know, he certainly had a series of them and then things all seemed to change when the president talked about how the private sector was doing fine. i don't know. it's pretty hard.

they've been very protective of him. that's what campaigns do these days right? now he hits rope lines and doesn't answer questions and they get escorted out of rooms when there is q & a. i mean, how much are they going to keep mitt romney from having the opportunity potentially to make a gaffe? >> i'm going to go way out on a limb and say at some point between now and mid november mitt romney will commit another gaffe. the president has had a rough stretch of his own. it is not through anything that mitt romney has necessarily done great himself. it's just that the white house has had a series of missteps and he has been able to capitalize on fairly well. you know, mitt romney has his own problems though. it's worth remembering that before the most recent stretch here the talk about his lack of likability and the fact that voters by overwhelming, double digits, prefer the president as a person is a lot of what we were talking about. and the ability for him to connect with voters is something that has been under a microscope this whole time. we're going to see him out the

next few weeks. they're both going to be campaigning with, quote-unquote, regular americans a lot in the months ahead. when we see mitt romney travel the country he's got a bus tour coming up. he'll be mingling with people, trying to demonstrate that he, too, can relate. this isn't just president obama's trouble relating to people who are struggling. this is one mitt romney himself has had, too. i don't know whether it's going to produce a gaffe sometimes. >> maybe not a gaffe but sometimes not -- sometimes an image is worth a thousand words and the way -- >> right. >> that people interact and read. i mean, you have to say that the president certainly in terms of those kinds of one-on-one political skills out distances mitt romney. is that going to be a problem for him in the upcoming week and with the bus tour? >> well, it's obviously a challenge for the romney campaign. one of the things we learned in all of these focus groups, there have been this rash of focus group messages lately from walmart moms and from, you

mentioned peter hart and democracy corps. the one thing that comes through in all of those is not just that president obama's message of progress in the economy isn't coming through but also that mitt romney isn't terribly likeable. remember we were talking about the attacks on bain capital how they might not be terribly effective over the last few weeks. turns out they are. that is one of the things people know about mitt romney. they know he is a very successful businessman and that comes with a negative side. that is going to be, clearly, a challenge for romney, too. one interesting thing that ann brought up about sort of the obama campaign removing themselves from the daily sort of buzz here in d.c. and the democratic hand wringing, they made a very conscious decision to move to chicago to be outside the beltway and to be away from sort of this strum and drum noise that dominates the d.c. discussion. but at the end of the day they have to listen to something. there is a fine line in being above the fray and having a tin ear.

i think that is a line the obama campaign is towing right now. >> good to see you. great to have you on the program. a lot going on internationally as well for this administration. the russians now strongly denying that they have been arming syrian president assad's military. secretary of state hillary clinton says the u.s. believes russian made weapons and attack helicopters are currently being used on an hourly basis to put down the opposition. and also new russian helicopters will soon be arriving in syria. coming up the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, george little, will be my guest giving us insight into that and the fight against major defense budget cuts. that's coming up later this hour. it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest.

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more than 150 evangelical leaders have broken with the republican party on a key issue for the campaign -- immigration. they signed this statement.

it says the country needs to pass toward citizenship for the 11.5 million illegal immigrants. joining me now my guests. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> jim, let me start with you. this group is wading into one of the most controversial issues of this campaign. tell me what the argument is to republicans. what are they doing wrong? >> you know, chris, the big things don't change first in washington. they come here last. social movement changes things. evangelicals across boundaries have come together and said this system is utterly broken. one side says no trespass. the other says help wanted. 10 million people are stuck in between those signs. the bible says those people are the stranger and jesus says how we treat them is how we treat him. that's brought us all together and we're saying to both sides you're both responsible for

this. it's time to fix it. we'll press both sides here to do the moral thing and the common sense thing and fix the broken system. >> how do you do that, though, in a campaign that is so divided and where republicans have made very clear their opposition to some of the kinds of things you're talking about? >> what changes politicians, chris, is constituents. when their constituents say you're wrong about this, you have to change, neither side has shown the political will and leadership to change a broken system. so the people in the country, vulnerable people, are pawns. they're part of bases and they're looking at votes. we're looking at what is going to happen to ordinary people and families. these people are in our churches. some of them are pastors in our choichls. undocumented people are part of the growth of our churches and we're saying, they're us. we have a biblical approach, what the bible says, and a relational approach. these are our brothers and sisters in christ. we're going to stand with them against anyone who says they should be punished for this.

>> you can't look at this outside of the context of what is going to be a very close election and something we've talked about multiple times. the growing number of latinos, the push to register more latino voters. when you're looking at a group like the conservative evangelical leaders how big a deal is this for them to sign this kind of statement? >> i think this is huge. i just have to say it's really, i find it quite commendable. how often do you have groups like the southern baptist convention, focus on the family, taking what amounts to a progressive, liberal point of view on an issue sf i think it is quite remarkable. when you look at the bigger picture we've seen people like the mormons and i think just recently jeb bush calling for changes in the way we look at immigration. as he said, it is very important. the immigration policy we have now is tearing families apart. it's inhumane. i think it's very admirable that

they're doing something and also practical. this is what the gop should be doing. they should be growing up, waking up and wising up and adjusting their strategy when it comes to immigration. >> is it, though, a practical decision on their part? i looked at a recent poll that frankly surprised me. it was about the arizona immigration law decision. the quinnipiac poll found 49% of latinos opposed the law. 47% supported it. >> i know. i am very glad you brought up that poll. that poll is a huge dispute among spanish language media and what i consider a much more accurate poll has been done by latino decisions because the quinnipiac poll, they don't always poll mobile phones, spanish speakers. when you look at polling by latino decisions it is 70% plus oppose the -- of hispanics oppose the arizona immigration law. i think practically what they're doing is smart.

it's good policy. it is good for their churches and i think filling a leadership void we have. >> we'll continue to follow this because it is obviously very key to this campaign. i hope you'll both come back. thank you so much for being on the program. >> thanks, chris. >> thank you. >> it's been a good news bad news week for john edwards as he turns 59. the justice department will not retry him on the unresolved counts of campaign finance corruption so his legal troubles are over, but he won't be able to hide from the spotlight. mistress rielle hunter begins a publicity blitz with the release of her new tell-all book titled "what really happened -- john edwards, our daughter, and me." ♪ the one and only, cheerios follow the wings.

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first lady michele obama is now plugged into pinterest the popular social networking site. this is the account run by the obama campaign and includes never before seen photos like the first family playing miniature golf and enjoying time at the lake. mrs. obama has nearly twice as many followers as ann romney. there they are with the miniature golf. congress can't seem to agree on anything these days but both sides seem to be united in their outrage over box er manny pacquiao's controversial loss last weekend. they're trying to revive a bill to establish a national boxing commission. and this is how they decide city council elections in webster, texas. a rolf the dice. diana newland and edward la pair each tied in a runoff election. town law requires ties to be settle bide casting lots. if you read only one thing this

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>> joining me live, pentagon press secretary george little. good to see you. good morning. >> good morning to you. >> give us your argument. what is the major concern here and what will be the impact you want people to know about in these budget cuts? >> sure. if we go beyond the nearly $500 billion we've already agreed to that congress asked us to cut, last year, in the budget control act, then we seriously risk undermining our nation's defense. and weakening our military. we're facing the prospect of sequestration, this trigger, automatic trigger that would go into effect and would require us to cut another 5 to $600 billion over the next ten years. it would hollow out our force, harm our national security and military, it would break faith with the troops, and that's something we simply cannot afford as a country. >> we should remind people this is part of the budget control act and because they weren't able to come to an agreement on cuts some of these mandated things automatically kicked in. these were the ones that were supposed to avoid us getting to this point in the first place.

given all of that, what is the pentagon doing -- what does the pentagon do faced with the situation where the american people are shown to not want major cuts to the defense department, given that you have ray odierno, and secretary leon panetta out there talking about this and how bad it is going to be, what do you do when you have an intransigent congress? >> we have to try to work closely with congress to try to push through a comprehensive deal on the budget. we shouldn't be at this point right now facing the prospect of sequestration. this is too important not just for the us mills tri but the entire federal budget. the secretary has made clear we need to have a national conversation and an honest and genuine one about the entire budget and we need to continue to work hard to talk to congress and talk to the american people about what the effects of the cuts will be. we're prepared to do our fair share.

we're already taking nearly $500 billion off the top over the next ten years. we can't afford another five to $600 billion. that is the problem. we need to get through this. >> i mentioned the defense secretary yesterday who was making that appeal to lawmakers for help. let me play a little clip of what he had to say. >> it was designed as an act, a disaster. because that, the hope was because it is such a disaster that congress would respond and do what was right. so i'm just here to tell you, yes, it would be a disaster you know, it's interesting, i wonder if you're in the same position we were just talking to folks about the immigration debate, something else that is very divisive, but the argument for the folks who are for immigration reform, we're saying, look. ultimately this is going back to the constituents and they were talking about the latino vote. do you think that if you get this through, it's going to be because of the constituency and what if it doesn't happen until after the election? >> i don't think politics has anything to do with this. i think whether you're

republican or democrat you want to have a strong military and that is a bipartisan consensus. the u.s. military is a sacred institution in this country and no one wants to see it completely eviscerated. the secretary is absolutely correct. this would be a meat ax approach, disastrous. i would say even a meat ax attached to a chain saw. that is how bad sequestration would be. we can't look at this through a political lens but through have to look through a national security lens. our national deficit is a national security problem. we need to do our fair share. but we can't go too far or we risk harming the finest military in the world. our goal is to protect america's security and the strongest fighting force the world has ever known. >> let me ask you also to weigh in on the latest in syria. secretary of state clinton accusing russia of shipping attack helicopters there and the russian foreign secretary or foreign minister firing back accusing the u.s. of hypocrisy,

saying, well, the u.s. has supplied weapons that could be used against demonstrators in other dmournts the region. >> we made it clear what is happening in syria is wreckless, brutal, despicable, and wrong and the assad regime needs to go. the secretary of defense has said that. the president has said that. secretary clinton has said that. when it comes to this issue of the helicopters, we understand that there are concerns about that. but this issue is really about afghanistan. afghanistan needs the helicopters that it can support and maintain in order to protect the security of their own country. that is the mi-17 helicopter right now. in the future we can always look at contracts but that is where we are at the moment. the bottom line though on syria is we need to maintain the pressure diplomatic and economic. we need to make sure the russians understand our concerns. we have shared our concerns

about their position on syria and we need to continue a full frontal diplomatic and economic effort to bring pressure to bear on the assad regime. >> but there is really no doubt the use of helicopters has escalated the situation there and american analysts seem to generally agree now that the use of helicopters could make it harder for the u.s. and other countries to avoid being drawn into this. what's potentially on the table here? what kind of intervention, no fly zones? what can you tell us? >> i'm not going to speculate as to what may or may not be in the works. the focus on u.s. policy is on economic and diplomatic pressure against the assad regime. of course we work closely with international partners to see what the future might bring but at that point that is where the focus is. we think that over time the assad regime will erode. that we'll be able to help the syrian people achieve what they deserve. and that is a bright future absent the kind of brutality

they've experienced and been victims of over the past many months. >> pentagon press secretary george little, thanks so much. good to have you on the program. >> thank you. good to be here. >> also making news this morning the jerry sandusky trial continues with more cringe worthy testimony. for more alleged victims of the former penn state football coach. prosecutors could wrap up their case as early as tomorrow. yesterday sandusky showed no emotion as his own words were played for the jury from an exclusive interview with nbc's bob costas on rock center. >> are you sexually attracted to young boys, underage boys? >> am i sexually attracted to underage boys? >> yes. >> sexually attracted? you know, i enjoy young people. i love to be around them. i -- no, i'm not sexually attracted to young boys. >> the defense is expected to begin its case next week. lance armstrong has been

banned from a major triathlon after the u.s. anti-doping agency said blood samples from 2009 and 2010 were, quote, fully consistent with blood manipulation. armstrong has always denied using performance enhancing drugs and he says he has taken over 500 drug tests. never failed a single one. he believes these latest allegations are part of an ert to strip him of his seven tour de france titles. new signs of pain in the housing market. 33 states now reporting an annual increase in the number of foreclosures. cnbc's mandy drury is here. what is behind the numbers, mandy? >> it seems that banks and mortgage services have been stepping up efforts recently to address unpaid mortgages. in fact, they seem to be initiating foreclosure proceedings against more u.s. home owners at least for the month of may, which sadly sets the stage for more home repossessions and short sales. realty track says the number of homes seeflg deef ault or scheduled home auction notices rose 12% from april and

increased 16% versus may of last year. bottom line though, just to put this in perspective, home repossessions have been declining overall of late and may does seem to be an exception. we certainly hope so anyway. >> let's make a big turn to angry birds, that addictive app. i think they have a billion downloads now but also a new project. tell us about it. >> you know, the angry birds game franchise claims 1 billion downloads as you said. 25 million plush toys, and, of course, you know, lots and lots of time at the office playing angry birds. it is turning attention to a very popular game which is pro football. let's listen to the promo. >> here are the newest members of the philadelphia eagles. >> okay. so, you know, you've got here rovio and the philadelphia eagles teaming up forming a partnership that includes an

eagle centric angry birds game, to be launched in the fall and obviously there is going to be a huge marketing push as well. it is going to include everything from social media to integration on local tv shows and also in stadium displays. very hard to play for the younger generation. >> indeed. thank you so much. it is good to see you. >> you, too. >> we've talked a lot about the fact that more and more people are taking stacations, vacations close to home. trip adviser is out with its 2012 list of the priciest vacation spots in the u.s. so no wonder more than one-third of american workers are considering a summer stacation to save money. now the most expensive. at number five, one night in honolulu will set you back $398 including a room at a four star hotel, round trip taxi for two. washington, d.c. costs about $413. san francisco almost $430. in boston a little getaway will

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[ cheering ] in true london fashion. [ male announcer ] now citi thankyou visa card holders can combine the thankyou points they've earned and get even greater rewards. ♪ this morning a stark reminder of why republican super pacs are beating the democrats. the $10 million, billionaire casino owner sheldon adelson and his wife have given to the pro romney super pac restore our future brings their total to republicans to $35 million. now he is suggesting he is willing to put in as much as a hundred million to the campaign. that is a stark contrast to the democrats' largest donor studio executive jeffrey catsenberg who has given about 2 million. all the cash won't go just to the presidential race though. there is also a war for control of the house and senate. msnbc's richard lui has a closer look. >> good morning, chris. though getting a lot of

attention on the presidential race super pacs have raised over a hundred million for congressional seats alone. the leaders? republican interest groups out spending democrats 4-1 as of last month says "the washington post." thomas macy was in one of the 88 races receiving super pac money so far. now, the kentucky republican finished on top in a seven way race. the sun light foundation saying he got some 3/4 of a million dollars including ad support like this compared to the 1.4 million average that 2008 house candidates spent macy got a lot of help. senate candidates on average spent $8.5 million according to the center for responsive politics as well. if trends continue super pac cash will be even more important this election. the average spent by all candidates in the most expensive house races has grown by 50% over a decade when you look at this line chart, now over 10 million in 2010 when republicans surged. that year was also when super pacs started their work for

today's big fight to retain or regain control of the house. >> there is a 1 in 3 chance we could lose. i'm being myself -- frank. we have a big challenge and work to do. >> i think it is better than that but what he did say that is correct is there were about 50 republican seats in play. i would say 75. i feel pretty good about where we are. >> if voters should decide today a new poll shows it is tight and super pacs could easily tip the scales. in 20089 of 10 candidates who spent the most won. we're not voting today which means there is plenty of time, chris, for candidates to raise yet more super pac money and in between maybe do some campaigning. >> all right. thank you so much, richard. joining me now for more about this is former republican governor of new jersey christine todd whitman who i'm told is in the building. we hope she'll get here. in the meantime we have the former democratic governor of

ohio ted strickland. good to see you, governor. good morning. >> good to be with you, chris. >> i want to remind you as an ohio girl you were in congress before you became governor and in some of these races super pacs have spent a hundred, $200,000. we're just talking about a primary race. what kind of influence does that kind of money have on a congressional race? >> chris, i fear for the democracy we've enjoyed for so long in this country because we are coming to a point where a handful of very wealthy individuals can use that great welt to control the public agenda and elect people to public office and that's a concern for me because i think we're moving more and more into a plutocracy where really a handful of powerful interest individuals with great wealth can use that as we have seen in this republican primary and they are buying elections or

certainly attempting to buy elections. that's bad for our democracy. >> let's use your state as example. there are key congressional states there tan has already played a role in some of the races during the primary season where incumbents were challenged. what does a hundred thousand dollars mean in a typical ohio congressional district? >> well, it can mean the difference between winning and losing especially if that money comes in at a critical time. we've already seen in the u.s. senate race against my friend senator sherrod brown nearly $10 million spent by these supported super pacs, by these wealthy individuals, and all of that spending has been negative attacks upon senator brown. they started, chris, last year. they've continued until the very present and probably will continue throughout the rest of this election cycle.

but a republican candidates are also at risk because of the super pacs. representative jean schmidt a conservative republican from the cincinnati area was defeated in her primary and she was defeated in part because super pac money came in against her near the end of that primary contest and she lost. it's not only democrats that are at risk. >> governor, i want to bring in governor whitman because you've also been in the trenches. you weren't just governor but you ran for senate. i was shocked when i looked up the numbers. your race was like a half million dollars against bill bradley compared to 10 million which sounds almost archaic. >> right. >> if there were super pacs back then could you have won? >> probably. i mean, who knows? because he would have had super pacs too. this is really obscene what is happening now with the money. it is totally out of control and is distorting the system because so many of these super pacs have political agendas. i mean, they're not just about getting a good candidate or a

candidate they happen to like. they have very specific items they want to get through. they have a very specific way they want issues addressed. and they are truly distorting the system. >> can i read you a quote from the chicago tribune today? by designer happenstance a two track campaign funding system has been created. one with small donors and strict regulations. a second exists for the very wealthy who are largely freed from regulation. is that fair, governor? >> i don't understand the supreme court decision. frankly. it just, in citizens united. i'm not a lawyer. i haven't read the briefs. but how you can equate the private sector unions and big corporations with an individual and give them the same constitutional protections and rights of freedom of association makes no sense. that is what is distorting the process to me. >> i want to bring in the executive vice president at the afl-cio. i know you have a six-state push going on. here is how a lot of people are framing this, that the republicans are going to use super pac money and they'll have a big advantage. the democrats are going to use

more traditional means like unions who can then put boots on the ground so it is going to be a money campaign on the airways versus a more traditional knocking on doors phone banks. if that is how it works out can you win? >> i believe, chris, let me first of all say good morning, that we can win. we are going to do everything we can. that is why the afl-cio is rolling out our most aggressive program yet in terms of voter protection and voter registration and education. we will never be able to out spend the super pacs. we will never be able to do that. but what we do have a valuable resource, our human resource. yes, we will be knocking on those doors but what we will be doing most importantly is doing massive education of our members and we will be joining with our community partners and other allies to make sure that citizens understand what the

rules are, the new rules as it relates to voter i.d. because you understand that what's going on right now the same entities that are putting billions of dollars and millions of dollars into the super pacs are the very ones who also have an agenda of suppressing the vote. those they're trying to suppress the vote of and who would be disproportionately disenfranchised happen to be people of color, young people, and the poor. and we are very concerned about that and we are going to put on a massive effort of registration and education and let me tell you that even among our own members who are registered at 70%, our goal is to move that another 5 percentage points. we will put 400,000 more union registrants on the role. >> i have to let that be the last word. it's unusual where we have everybody agreeing on a topic like this.

arlene holt baker thank you. governor whitman, governor strickland, thank you. we'll be right back. focus focus let's do this i am from baltimore south carolina... bloomington, california... austin, texas... we are all here to represent the country we love this is for everyone back home it's go time. across america, we're all committed to team usa.

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i'm thomas roberts. the agenda next hour. reframing for the election. president obama is off to deliver a pivotal speech in the battleground state of ohio. can this be a water shed moment for what has been a bumpy june for incumbent? maryland governor martin o'malley the chairman of the democratic governors association will be my guest on that. then an inside look at the supreme court and its chamber of secrets. did you know that the court clerks hold an exclusive thursday night happy hour when they're in special? chris, we are going to explain why they had to stop inviting guests for one of the hottest happy hour tickets in town. >> okay. that is interesting. thank you so much. that's it for me and this hour of "jansing and company." i'm chris jansing and thomas roberts is up next. i'll see you back here tomorrow. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550

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