on it. that's "hardball" for now. thank you for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. welcome to "politicsnation." i'm al sharpton live from washington, d.c. tonight's lead, mitt romney spoke at the naacp convention. but who was he really speaking to? governor romney made a series of statements that seemed designed to win over the conservative base by antagonizing the audience inside the room. it started with his unnecessary use of the term "obama care." to the attacks on the president's health care law. >> so to do that i'm going to eliminate every non-essential expensive program i can find. that includes obama care and i'm going to work to reform and save -- [ booing ] >> now, here's how that insult

played inside the room in the crowd. >> non-essential expensive program i can find. that includes obama care and i'm going to work to replace it. >> wrong service. >> not obama care. >> won't say that again. >> he said the wrong thing now. he know he did. >> romney also attacked the president on jobs. and claimed he's the candidate to help the african-american community. >> the president will say he's going to do those things but he has not. he will not. he cannot. and his last four years in the white house prove it definitively. if you want a president who will make things better in the african-american community, you are looking at him. you take a look. >> looking at him. really? how?

by lowering taxes on the rich and gutting the safety net? the truth is romney's economic plan would raise taxes on 2.2 million black families. and he supports voter i.d. laws that disproportionately effect black voters. in fact, 25% of african-american voters do not have photo i.d.s on this issue. romney's views are simply awful. and he showed in december. >> we don't want people voting multiple times. you can get a photo i.d. free from your state. you can get it at the time you register to vote. and for people who don't have photo i.d.s, we can provide them at the voting place. people could come in, give their name and give a photo i.d. >> now, when mr. romney first said he was going to the naacp, i gave him the benefit of the doubt. i didn't attack him on the show or anywhere else. george bush didn't go before the naacp or any civil rights

groups. neither did bob dole. so i said maybe this is a step in the right direction. maybe he wants to show more sensitivity. he is a guy that has a good appearance, has a good family look. but when he went today and purposely used obama care which he knows is offensive, he knows is a red flag. when he goes in representing voter i.d., which he knows disenfranchises people, i was clear that he was using the audience as a back board to score with the right wing rather than try a three pointer to move the country toward trying to come together and have a civil conversation that would lead to progress. joining me now is missouri congressman emanuel cleaver, chairman of the congressional black caucus and karen finney, former communications director

for the democratic national committee. thank you both for being here. >> good to be with you. >> thanks, reverend. >> chairman cleaver, let me start with you. why did romney make this speech today? you hear my feeling. what do you feel? >> well, i don't know whether that were strategic moves that dictated this speech be made to the naacp and he would then offer something to the base. i'm not sure. i would choose to believe that he legitimately wanted to go to the naacp. i think that all presidential candidates ought to do that. even republicans who are not generally going to receive a great deal of african-american support. for variety of reasons we don't have time to go into on the show. but i do think that his advisers even if he was serious, even if it was genuine, his advisers all should be fired today.

for allowing him to speak to the naacp and then attack obama care or romney care however you want to put it. because you know that that audience is not going to embrace that. so i would hate to be cynical to the point where i believe that he wanted the booing to take place. i hope that that's not true. but for him to come there and then talk about president obama to a crowd where probably obama received 97% of votes from that room, doesn't make sense. >> well, i think, karen, that mr. romney said after the speech that he expected to be booed. so if you went in expecting to be booed, why would you then antagonize that crowd. unless you were trying to make

sure that that was the case. that's one. and then second of all, you know, he doesn't want to talk about -- when people talk about romney care that's offensive. it's not like he didn't know obama care was there. i thought for sure he'd address voter i.d. today since in the past he has acted like it's nothing. it's something the attorney general has brought up and all of our conventions it's something we're dealing with. didn't even touch it. >> no, i mean, it's clear the goal here -- the audience here was texas, donors, independent voters. it was not about the people in the room. think about what george bush did when he was a candidate in 2000. talk about the soft bigotry of expectations and no child left behind. even if you disagree, he tried to come with something. john mccain when he went last cycle, he acknowledged the history of having the first african-american candidate. romney didn't any of those kinds of things.

he attacked -- called him my opponent a couple times in addition to going after obama care. the other thing i find hypocritical. he was perfectly happy to invoke his father who does have an impressive record when it comes to an issue like this, but he runs away from his father's record when it comes to transparency and releasing his tax records. major hypocrisy. >> he also seems to run away from his father in terms of his father showing courage in terms of marching with civil rights and standing up for civil rights issues, i believe his mother met dr. king. you have to ask yourself is mitt romney showing the same kind of outreach and the same kind of risk to go beyond the boundaries that his party has and trying to say to all americans, african-americans, latinos, and others that hey, i'm willing to help move the country forward. >> assuming that he was genuine

in showing up today, i would have to say that he walked into a room and used this opportunity -- this great opportunity to deal with issues according to african-americans and then failed. he flunked. he received an f-minus. i think one of the things he may be confused about is that you can get a good grade for showing up. you don't. you know, you -- i think it was good he did show up, but in terms of having the content in that speech that would have any value to the african-american community, he didn't have it. and what he said to the african-american community either unintentionally or ignorantly or intentionally, he said look, we have a wide chasm that exists between you and me.

let's keep it that. if that's what he wanted to leave with, he got his withish. i think it further polarizes the country racially. now, karen, maybe he just doesn't understand certain audiences or certain feelings in different parts of the political spectrum or any race. and when you look at his background, washington post story today talked about the lack of diversity when he was at bain. and i'm quoting them. during his race for the senate 1994, romney faces questions about diversity in his company bain capital which did not have any black employees. then as governor he ended the office of affirmative action, proposed $125 fee to file discrimination complaints. and he never met with the local massachusetts naacp. so, i mean, there seems to be a

pattern here of either insensitivity or lack of concern. >> right. well, absolutely. as the congressman said, somebody should get fired. just from a political perspective, somebody should have said here's what you're going to have to say. here's ideas to put on the table. here's the one thing i want to get out. at the end he tried to connect to the audience on values and talk about how he's always believed that everyone is a child of god. the mormon church is becoming diverse, so you should think he understands just like america you've got to talk to everybody. imagine if he said everyone is a child of god and both the president and i are sons of america. that would have had an impact in that room, to acknowledge -- to go beyond the birtherism and try to acknowledge, look. we have very different visions. here's my vision instead of attacking the president and acknowledging we're children of god. >> but if you were playing to those that are adverse to him acting as though, that's the case, then you wouldn't use that line. >> and he didn't.

>> thank you both for your time tonight. >> good to be with you. ahead, broadway moved to washington today. when the curtain came up, there was speaker boehner and the crew voting to repeal the health care law. again. a tony award winning performance. plus, republicans found a solution to protect the right to vote by taking away people's right to vote. it's a growing trend. but we have a response. and bermuda, home to the breathtaking white sand beaches and home to mitt romney's lost company. the questions are mounting and they're coming from his own party. you're watching "politicsnation" live from washington, d.c. on msnbc. [ male announcer ] this is rudy. his morning starts with arthritis pain.

and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. ♪ mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback signup for 5% cashback at gas stations through september. it pays to discover.

. folks, our facebook conversation is going all day long. today's topics, mitt romney's naacp speech was the hot one. steven writes quote, he was at the naacp but he was clearly speaking to his base. that is the only way i can justify him talking about getting rid of the affordable care act in front of the constituency most helped by it. stanley wonders, doesn't he realize we're hip to the reverse psychological game he plays? we want to hear what you think too. head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. hey. hey eddie. i brought your stuff. you don't have to do this. yes i do. i want you to keep this. it'd be weird. take care. you too. [ sighs ]

so how did it go? he's upset. [ male announcer ] spend less time at gas stations. with best in class fuel economy. it's our most innovative altima ever. ♪ the u.s. hadn't won gold in over 100 years. but thanks to them... and her... and especially this guy, all those years were just a prologue to this. ♪ it's amazing how far you can go with a little help along the way. td ameritrade. proud sponsor of the 2012 u.s. olympic team.

on this vote, the yeas are 244, the nays are 185. the bill is passed. >> that's what it looks like when our elected leaders waste their time and your money to try to repeal the nation's health care law. today's vote marks the 33rd time that house republicans tried to repeal or defunk president obama's signature achievement. compare that to their effort on jobs. they voted zero times on the president's jobs act. they voted zero times on the democrats layoff prevention act.

yet today republicans are trouting out their tired old talking points. >> this bill's making our economy worse, driving up the cost of health care and making it harder for small businesses to hire new workers. >> really? the health care law made our economy worse. how about 3.6 million jobs that have been created since it was signed into law? how about the $700 in premium savings we'll see in 2019? how about the 4 million small businesses that will be able to qualify for a tax credit? republicans still just can't seem to get over the fact that the affordable care act is the law of the land. >> we have the vigor of the american people here and it's totally unsuitable to be saddled by this unconstitutional takings of american liberty. >> unconstitutional? did congressman king sleep

through the supreme court ruling two weeks ago? today democrats tried to shame republicans with an amendment that would cause lawmakers to lose all of their health benefits if they repealed the health care law. of course republicans struck that down. joining us now is jan schakowsky and ed rendell. thank you both for joining me. >> thank you. >> my pleasure. >> congresswoman, why would the republicans waste so much time attacking something that's doing really so much good for the american people? >> well, you could say the definition of insanity is to do something over and over again. but i think they must feel that somehow there's a political advantage. although the polls are now saying kaiser family foundation poll says 56% of americans just think republicans have to get over it and move on past trying

to repeal the health care bill. and i think we have a great moment of opportunity here, reverend al, to have people take another look at how good the affordable care act, how good obama care is really going to be for them. and is for many millions of people already. >> now, governor rendell, when you look at the fact that this effects real people -- let's go outside of the beltway. let me show you some of the guests who have personally been touched in their lives directly or indirectly by the health care law and talk about how it has helped their lives. watch this, governor. >> this law is extremely important not only to me and my daughters but to 350,000 other childhood cancer survivors right now in this country who are now protected from pre-existing condition discrimination.

>> i wanted people to know that this is not government-run health care. it's the absolute best cancer care that any insurance -- any insurance policy could get me. and i am extremely grateful. >> governor, this is about people in real life. this is about the existence of things that made a positive difference for people. i don't think republicans get that. >> nor do they seem to care about it. they've never acknowledged that even in their view there were parts of the bill that did tremendous amounts of good. and they also absolutely misrepresent this business about it's going to hurt small businesses. you properly said, reverend sharpton, that in the act itself already in effect, any small business 25 employees or less that gives health care to their employees can take a 35% tax credit. now, tell me how in the wildest

stretch of your imagination that's hurting small business. it's helping small business. it's helping their employees. but they basically disregard the truth with impunity. one of the things the congresswoman said that's so important is this does give the president and all of us, the people who believe the act is a good one, the opportunity to redefine it for the american people. republicans are saying it's a tax. well, the mandate tax is less than 1% of the american people. it only taxes people who don't have health care and who can afford to have health care. if you've got health care today, the mandate has no effect on you. it is not a tax. so we've got to get out there and talk about this bill, explain it to the american people. the more we do that, i think the more that 56% will rise. >> now, you were governor of pennsylvania. what about these governors that are saying that they're not going to expand and work this

act in their state. how do you explain this? >> shameful. it's shameful politicking. these are republican governors who hope to be president or vice president some day and they're doing it at the cost to their citizens. understand that right now medicaid, states provide somewhere between 40% and 50% of the funding for medicaid as it exists today. the expansion in the affordable health care act, for the first three years the federal government pays 100%. the state puts up nothing. then after that, the federal government pays 90%, the states put out 10%. so to turn your back on that type of money which could help insure literally millions in many states like texas of your citizens, to turn your back on that is shameful. >> congresswoman schakowsky, it's not only shameful to turn your back on it, they don't have a real plan of their own. it's not like they've said, well, this is a better plan.

when questioned, many republicans have no replacement plan for president obama's health care law. look at this. >> to be specific, those provisions that are already in place now like closing the doughnut hole, covering young adults under the age of 26, not places lifetime limits on care, those are all in the house vote. you're not going to vote to replace them? >> we're going to repeal the entire law. then we're going to advance patient center reforms which address these kinds of issues. >> when you repeal this what are you going to replace it with? >> i have to start pointing out. we're going to take a common sense step by step approach. this has to be ripped out by its roots. >> so am the people with the preexisting conditions, you will get rid of it and then deal with it. >> i've already outlined. we believe there's a better way. >> we believe there's a better way, congresswoman, we just haven't figured out what that is. we just want to shut this down. >> well, they can look at their

nominee. romney care really formed the basis of the obama care proposal. and, of course, now he's trying to run away from it. but, no. they have never proposed. i'm also on the energy and commerce committee where we've had hours and hours of repeal debates on certain parts and all of the law. they have never once proposed any kind of alternative. but, you know, romney had an alternative. it worked in massachusetts and it is the basis for this obama care right now. >> well, i think that the facts speak for themselves. congresswoman schakowsky, governor rendell, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. coming up, mitt romney's bermuda triangle. the spooky mystery of those offshore accounts. now some republicans are getting scared. and a federal judge continued a restraining order against today -- against the

audit of closing mississippi's only abortion clinic. it's a defining moment. we have an exclusive interview with that clinic's owner coming up. every communications provider is different but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company. ♪ we link people and fortune 500 companies nationwide and around the world. and we will continue to free you to do more

and focus on what matters. in every way, shape, and form. it's my dream vehicle. on a day to day basis, i am not using gas. my round trip is approximately 40 miles to work. head on home, stop at the grocery store, whatever else that i need to do -- still don't have to use gas. i'm never at the gas station unless i want some coffee. it's the best thing ever. as a matter of fact, i'm taking my savings so that i can go to hawaii. ♪ why not talk to someone who owns an adjustable version of the most highly recommended bed in america?

ask me about my tempur advanced ergo. goes up. goes up. ask me what it's like to get a massage anytime you want. goes down. goes down. [ male announcer ] tempur-pedic brand owners are more satisfied than owners of any traditional mattress brand. ergonomics. [ male announcer ] tempur-pedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. to learn more or to find an authorized retailer near you, visit tempurpedic.com.

folks, the french have been our allies since the american revolution, but the right wing just loves picking on them. when the french government opposed the iraq war, some republicans dumped their wine in the street.

they renamed french fries freedom fries. even in the house cafeteria on capitol hill. to some republicans, anything french was suspect. >> good afternoon. or as john kerry might say it, bonjo bonjour. >> well, that french-bashing tradition is alive and well over at "fox and friends." that gang was checking out the new uniform for the u.s. olympic team. turns out they didn't like hats. >> take a look at a new ralph lauren ad out this morning which shows some of our olympic athletes in the olympic uniforms. of course they're going to be held in the uk. has nothing to do with france. here's the american flag. these athletes dressed in these outfits with berets on. >> huh? is this the new american trend now? the berets? and you have to pronounce it

that way, too, because it's the french way. >> should the american team be wearing a beret? why not a cowboy hat like we had when we went to calgary? >> yeah, you can't be patriotic without a cowboy hat on. how dare the olympians wear berets. except they forgot some very important americans wear berets. that's right. the green berets. the special forces who defend this country. who deserve a big merci from all of us. the folks at fox realized their mistake pretty fast. >> by the way, a little while ago we were telling you about how the u.s. olympic team are going to wear berets. is that appropriate for an american team. and we got a lot of e-mail saying you know what, there is a team that's already wearing a beret in america. our special forces. and they look great. >> they do look great. and so do our olympians. but this isn't the first time the u.s. had athletes who wore

berets. here's the 2002 u.s. mens bobsled team wearing berets as part of their uniform. and we all remember who ran the olympics in 2002. >> bonjour. [ speaking french ] >> does the gang at fox think we wouldn't notice their little faux pas? no. you know what comes next in any language. nice try, but we got you. [ male announcer ] you sprayed them. thought they were dead. huh? [ male announcer ] should've used roundup. it kills weeds to the root, so they don't come back.

roundup. no root. no weed. no problem.

♪ home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above. this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram. welcome back to "politicsnation." in 1973 the supreme court handed down the historic roe versus wade ruling. it legalized abortion in all 50 states. and at least for the time being,

it's still safe. a mississippi federal judge has decided to temporarily continue blocking the state's new anti-abortion law. why was this important? well, had he not acted, it could have shut down mississippi's only abortion clinic. today was a victory. but chipping away at women's rights has become the new norm. in texas governor perry is trying to ban doctors from even talking about abortion. this year governor mcdonald became a household name after his state joined in requiring women to undergo invasive ultrasounds. mississippi's attempt is the latest example in a long list it passed a so-called trap law. that stands for targeted regulation of abortion providers. the law lives up to its name. it's a trap. mississippi's law would require anyone performing an abortion to have privileges to admit

patients to a local hospital. the doctors at mississippi's one clinic does not have those privileges. and the clinic says they're not necessary. bennett says it's designed to protect patients. but we know what the real motive is, governor. >> if it closes that clinic, then so be it. we're going to continue to try to work to end abortion in mississippi. and this is an historic day to begin that process. >> what about the lieutenant governor? >> that's a bill that gives us a great opportunity to do -- to accomplish what our goal needs to be. our goal needs to be to end all abortions in mississippi. i believe the admitting privileges bill gives us the best chance to do that. >> mississippi lawmakers, what do you say? >> literally we stopped abortion in the state of mississippi, legally, without having to --

with roe vs. wade. >> joining me now is a woman on the front line of this fight. diane derzis. she's the owner of the only mississippi abortion clinic. thank you for joining me. >> thank you for having me. good evening. >> good evening. now, you were there when the ruling was handed down today. tell us what did it mean to you? >> i'm cautiously optimistic. the judge asked very pertinent questions. he seemed to hear exactly what we were saying about the criminal and civil penalties that will attach with this bill. i think that he's well read and he's researched this well. so i'm feeling pretty good about it. >> now, will lawmakers in your state continue attacks on your clinic, do you believe? >> absolutely. each year it's something else

designed. as you heard, they're not even subtle about what share intent is. mississippi leads the nation in teen pregnancy. we need to talk about protecting women from pregnancy. it's -- these are horrid things that this governor is doing to the state. spending their money on this kind of legislation. >> now, the judge can still change his mind. the door's not closed yet, is that right? >> that's correct. you know, it's -- he is aware that we applied for admitting privileges and we're doing everything we can to comply with this law. i think that will be probably part of any ruling he makes. we're not out of the woods yet. >> now, the privileges that you refer to. privileges in hospitals.

bloomberg said it's a trap. require physicians to live within a short distance to the hospital and admit a minimum number of patients a year. often ten or more. a typical would rarely admit more than one patient a year. so it's literally a trap. >> absolutely. this is a financial arrangement between a physician and a hospital. the state knew that. they were very wise in putting this kind of legislation in. because to the public, it sounds entirely reasonable. >> now, let me ask you this, diane. when you look at the fact that it is very clear that anti-choice activists have been successful in driving abortion clinics out of the state. in the early '80s mississippi had as many as 14 now there is currently one. you. and we're seeing that this is going on. mississippi's not the only state

on the verge of losing all of its clinics. arkansas, north dakota, south dakota, wyoming all have just one clinic. and three out of those four are controlled by republicans, those states. so this is a real, real battle around the country. >> absolutely. it's a war on women. we talk about it, but this plainly is a war on women. that's why this november election is so exceedingly important that you get out there. these people mean to force their religious beliefs on the rest of us at any cost. they have god on their side. need to get out and vote in november. >> and it's clear because when you look at the fact that anti-choice activists are saying we don't need to overturn roe vs. wade, listen to what the director of the christian defense coalition said. listen to this. >> we don't have to see a roe v.

wade overturn. we want to. but if we chip away, we'll find out roe has no impact. that's what we are doing. >> if we chip away, chip away, chip away, we will find that roe has no impact. >> absolutely right. and that's what they have been doing. that's why there's one clinic left. that's why it's so important that this -- that the people see what's happening here. this bill impacts those least able to afford it. the poor. and generally they're african-american women. this is civil rights we're talking about here. we're talking about the ability to decide whether or not to become a parent. you know, this is a state that pretends to care about children, yet we have probably the lowest amount of money expended per child per capita that exists.

>> you had said before there was controversy of course. tell me about the backlash that you've gotten in this fight even after the ruling last night you received some backlash. tell us about it. >> well, tell me -- i'm sorry. what are you referring to? >> you had said earlier about the flack you've received. tell me about some of the backlash you've had and some of the backlash you've had last night leading into the ruling today and then even after the ruling today. what kind of backlash have you felt? >> well, i think, you know, what you see is when these people hide behind the flag and god, when they get up and absolutely lie about what their motives are, now that they have not been so subtle and they've been caught, now they're trying to hide behind safety issues. but thankfully we've had the department of health even issue a statement that this is a safe clinic. that they -- that they come into at least five or six times a year. randomly.

and inspect. and i hope the people in the state are going to understand what they're getting ready to lose and they're going to start speaking up as well. >> well, diane derzis, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you so much, reverend. ahead, growing concern from republicans on how romney's handling attacks on his bain past. there's new evidence they should be worried. so will he start talking? stay with us. mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback signup for 5% cashback at gas stations through september. it pays to discover.

♪ 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. [ male announcer ] ok, so you're no marathon man. but thanks to the htc one x from at&t, with its built in beats audio, every note sounds amazingly clear. ...making it easy to get lost in the music... and, well... rio vista?!! [ male announcer ] ...lost. introducing the musically enhanced htc one x from at&t. rethink possible.

we're back with the right wing on the verge of a freakout. there's growing concern over willard romney's secrecy and lack of response to a surge of attacks on his bain capital past and his hidden tax returns. it's all about the battle to define romney. the right is worried. and there's new evidence they should be. joining me now is david corn, washington bureau chief for mother jones and msnbc political analyst. he's also the author of the book "showdown." and richard wolffe msnbc political analyst. he's also the author of

"revival: the struggle for survival in the obama white house." thank you both for being here tonight. >> thanks. >> sure thing. >> republicans are showing sign of serious concern. how do you think the romney camp will respond? >> well, they're right to be concerned. because this is much more than didly. romney is not releasing basic information voters and analysts need to understand whether or not he did anything improper, shady, or perhaps even illegal. there's been stories in "vanity fair" and other media outlets that raised serious questions about his holdings. and of course there's an issue about his involvement and bain's involvement in outsourcing. i'll give you a tease. i think i'm going to be able to break strict news on this tomorrow. can't do it yet. so there's a loot lot of questions out there. they're going to keep growing and gaining in importance until he addresses these issues. this is the big problem. i don't think he can. i don't think he can release his

tax returns and answer these questions to the satisfaction of people who care about these matters. because this stuff is too hard to explain and might have been if not illegal just seems kind of wrong or shady. because face it. people like mitt romney play by a different set of rules than a lot of us who don't have accountants to hide money for us around the world. >> now, richard, i remember you covered the '04 race and part of the problem there was john kerry who ultimately became the democratic nominee was defined by the opposition. >> yep. >> is there a risk that mitt romney is being defined by the president and his re-election campaign? >> absolutely. you know, reverend, there was this period through august that everyone remembers about the swift boating period. but critically for the kerry campaign, the candidate was in open dispute with his own campaign advisers about whether or not to respond.

and in looking back, everyone remembers the ads and how shocking they were in terms of decorated war veteran facing this kind of attack. but what really mattered, i think, to many voters was that he wasn't responding. and if you cannot defend yourself and define yourself, then someone else is going to attack you and define you. and it broadcasts weakness. and that, i think, is where mitt romney finds himself. and that's what bill kristol is speaking to among other people. yes, they're getting worried about the polls and gaps opening up for the president in swing states. but what does it say about mitt romney that he doesn't want to talk about this stuff or isn't talking about it forcefully or more recently where he just repeats the stuff that the obama campaign is saying but just throws it back in the other direction. when he's under attack about being an outsourcer, he's saying i'm not they are. it's not exactly a sophisticated type of politics and it means he's not a sophisticated type of leader. >> and isn't it so, richard, that a lot of it is is it's so

much unanswered. the tax returns, the outsourcing, the money in the cayman islands and bermuda, the companies there. i think that a lot of it is there just seems to be so much of it and no answers. >> the no answers part of it is the critical one. if you are prepared to give john mccain campaign 20 years plus of tax returns to get vetted for a veep position, then you should be expected to put the returns out. if all this stuff is legal, then he can ride over the embarra embarrassme embarrassment. by the time we get to election day, it'll be old news. get it out there. cauterize the wound, stop the bleeding, and move on. at the moment the slow bleed is going to damage him much more than the people pouring over those tax returns and saying why did you do this and why didn't you do that. >> you know, reverend, that is -- what seems to be the smart

advice, the conventional advice from those of us who don't know what are in the tax returns. in 2008 maybe it was a different economic atmosphere at the time. maybe he was just so desperate to get a job with john mccain he felt he had to give those records up. but it well could be stuff here -- i'm not saying it's illegal, but it's almost impossible to explain. one big question is how he got millions of dollars into an ira account where often there are strict limits on how to grow an ira account. what's going on with swiss bank accounts, cayman island accounts and so on. maybe at the end of the day they made a smart calculation nap it is better to take this slow bleeding wound than to, you know, rip open the chest cavity and show stuff that can't be adequately explained away. >> but, david, you've written and raised questions about when

he actually left bain capital. you're questioning the departure of mitt romney from bain. why is that so important? >> it's important because he claims he left bain february of 1999 when he jetted off to salt lake city to help the troubled winter olympics there of 2002. and what he's trying to do is absolve himself of anything that happened with bain after that. and there is questions about bain outsourcing and doing other things. there are a lot of reasons to -- this hasn't been so clear cut. i went through the paper trail in my piece in which there were bain capital press releases referring to romney leading the company, speaking for the company afterwards. he was still assigning s.e.c. documents for his own entities. >> isn't it true, david, that even though he may have been in salt lake city, his money was involved with the team running bain capital. he was the one that hired them. his footprints were everywhere.

>> the big point here is he still owns these companies. he still benefitted from what they did. he still signed the paperwork. he was still listed as being a member of the managing committee for years. it's just unbelievable to me that a fellow that wealthy and powerful would say just give me something to sign. i'll sign it. i won't look at it. i won't ask questions. he won't even ask his former partners what are you up to now. that sort of disengagement is incredible to believe. and if he was that disengaged about his own personal finances, i don't think we should trust him with the u.s. treasury. >> david corn and richard wolffe, thanks for your time tonight. >> thank you. up next, we'll tell you how one of mitt romney's key allies is leading the charge for a voter purge in yet another critical swing state. stay with us.

[ male announcer ] if you want play in the same sandbox as luxury s.u.v.s,

it helps to have an interior full of hand-selected wood trim and soft premium leather... and it doesn't hurt to have a selec-terrain dial that truly performs. ♪

there's new and important news in the coordinated republican effort in block the vote. colorado is planning to follow florida's lead to purge voters from the rolls. the state's attorney general and secretary of state are calling on homeland security to verify the citizenship of 5,000 voters by july 20th. if colorado gets away with it, it will be allowed to use outdated and flawed databases to kick voters off its rolls. who's pushing this? colorado's attorney general john suthers. he's also a member of the romney leadership committee in colorado. so a top romney supporter is behind an effort that might stop thousands of minority voters from voting. and get this. just a day after starting this new push for a voter purge, he

appeared on stage with mitt romney. and he even got a shoutout. >> -- elected officials and i see the attorney general is back here. attorney general suthers. i appreciate your being here. he's been leading my campaign in the state. i'm counting on him to get me a win here. are we going to win here in november? >> i'm counting on him to get me a win here. sure. he's my guy. i'm counting on him. how's that voting purge going? this follows a top republican in pennsylvania saying the new voting law will win the state for romney and colorado officials claim 11 other states are planning similar voting purges. including swing states of ohio and iowa. well, if it sounds like voter suppression, if the effects are voter suppression, if