so, which superfast 4g lte service would you choose, based on this chart ? don't rush into it, i'm not looking for the fastest answer. obviously verizon. okay, i have a different chart. going that way, does that make a difference ? look at verizon. it's so much more than the other ones. so what if we just changed the format altogether ? isn't that the exact same thing ? it's pretty clear. still sticking with verizon. verizon. more 4g lte coverage than all other networks combined. battle stations. let's play "hardball." ♪

good evening. i'm. i'm chris matthews at hofstra university, site of the second presidential debate. let me start with this. i don't think there will be a more important few minutes in this presidential campaign as important as those coming tonight. just after 9:00 a.m. eastern daylight time. we will see a spirited defense by barack obama of his four-year record or we won't. if we see it, this election campaign will take a strong new life. if we don't, something historic will begin to die. obama has much to say in his defense. he inherited the economic carnage of a recent republican president, a catastrophic loss of jobs, a collapse in the u.s. stock market, the death rattle of the auto industry. he, barack obama, then brought a financial and economic collapse back from the brink, changed the course of the economy from job destruction to job creation, doubled the american stock market, saved the auto industry. he did it all with a dramatic

change of policy, a stimulus program that buried 180 degrees from the austerity measures have that humbled europe. an intervention into the auto industry that reinvigorated an industry that means pride to americans. obama needs to make this defense, he needs to underline the fact that his opponent and his party fought him every inch of the way. on the stimulus, on the auto industry, on health care, on equal pay for women, and that it disagrees in fundamental ways of the future course of american economic policy. on health care, on medicare, on social security, on equal pay for women. he has got to both defend and hold his opponent accountable for his and his party's obstructionism from the first day he took office. it is a tall order, one worthy of an american president in a troubling but still hopeful time. i'm joined by new york magazine's john heilemann, joan walsh with salon, and david corn with mother jones. it's an honor to be with you guys tonight. it's an important night. maybe theimportant night of this

whole election season and cycle. joan, let me show you some polls to everybody. the new usa today/gallup pop. among likely female voters in swing states, likely female voters in swing states, the president's lead has almost evaporated. it's a virtual dead heat now. he has a one-point technical advantage, 49% to 48%. this is among women in these states. joan, my contention was that he never made the case to women in the first debate. >> he didn't. he didn't make the case to women in the first place. it was campaign malpractice, but biden didn't make the case in the second debate. this is his crucial, maybe his most crucial asset next to african-americans as his base is the women's vote, and he could have taken it to them on lily ledbetter and equal pay. do you not support equal pay for women. he could have taken it to him on obama care. the most important thing about obama care is it means being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition.

we have contraceptive -- yeah! we have contraception. see, that's the line. >> women hear you and they didn't hear him the other night. look at this -- let me show you how extreme it is. >> women want to be brought into this race and they're not doing anything about it. >> i think he's failed to point out the true extremism of his opponents. >> absolutely. >> not just paul ryan. romney's running mate has an extreme position on abortion rights. he co-sponsored a bill with todd akin of all people who said human life begins at fertilization. he tried to soften his language last week but just barely. take a look at what he says. here is paul ryan. >> i believe that life begins at conception. that's why those are the reasons why i'm pro-life. now, i understand this is a difficult issue, and i respect people who don't agree with me on this, but the policy of a romney administration will be to oppose o. abortion with twith the exc,

incest, and the life of the mother. >> it's an extraordinary statement. i respect other people's opinions i'm going to ignore it and outlaw it. i'm going to criminalize it. 14th amendment rights to the fetus. >> what does it mean to give property rights to a fetus at conception? listen to what the official position of the party is. we supported human life amendment to the constitution and endorse legislation to make the 14th amendment's protections apply to unborn children. this makes abortion murder in effect, and they have gone this far, and they have been able to get by it in two debates now. this president better call them on that tonight i think. >> for the last two years obama had a game plan, make this election about a choice. there are lots of choices, not just in foreign policy, on abortion, economics, on education, do you want pell grants or don't want pell grants, choice, choice, choice. he did none of that really in the first debate. so when people start asking him questions tonight, he's going to have to address the average

voters' concerns in those questions but you have to come back again and again, you have a choice to make here and outline it in very stark terms on abortion and don't let romney just say i'm better than barack obama. he's going to have to find a way to tether mitt romney to his positions, past, present, those of ryan, those of his party. >> let's get to this point, john heilemann. you have written great books about this kind of campaign. how can a president and his vice president skip the issue that for many women is the issue, the right to choose. just skip it. >> i don't know. i don't know. and, look, i think there's a bigger thing that the president has to do that actually gets to a broad -- all of these issues, right? in denver he did not look like he wanted to continue to be president. >> right. gee didn't look like he wanted to fight for the job. you know, there's a reason why bill clinton and a lot of great strategists over the years, probably people you have worked with, have said you have to be a happy warrior. that means two different things,

the optimistic candidate always wins and the one who is fighting, fighting for all of their constituencies and fighting for themselves, right? that is what obama did not do in denver. he did not fight. he did not fight -- >> did somebody tell him not to talk about women's issues? did somebody say don't talk about the auto industry? he didn't. don't talk about what you've done to the economy. you go to down from double digits. you got the stock market double. you have done this. say so. if you don't toot your own horn, nobody else will. >> i don't know -- >> doesn't anybody tell him this stuff? anyway, the president needs to stand up for his record i believe of his accomplishments. those include, let's go through them again, mr. president, if you're watching, saving the auto industry, which resulted in over 100,000 jobs being created. the president brought the economy back from the brink. in the first half of 2009, the country was losing over half a million jobs. thank you, republican party. he brought the unemployment rate down to 7.8% when it was in double digits. that peaked at over 10% in october of 2009 when he basically just came in. of course, the president's gutsy decision resulting in the death

of osama bin laden. his campaign released a great new ad. i want to watch this ad. this is my favorite ad -- don't do usa today right now, okay? let's watch this morgan freeman ad because it's the best ad of the campaign on either side. let's watch. >> every president inherits challenges, few have faced so many. four years later our enemies have been brought to justice. our heroes are coming home. assembly lines are humming again. there are still challenges to meet, children to educate, a middle class to rebuild, but the last thing we should do is turn back now. >> you know, it is about that. this is an objective fact. romney is basically offering "w" recooked. he's basically saying laissez faire on health care, back to the emergency room. even further, let's go to vouchers on medicare. he's saying leave the market

alone, don't intervene in the auto industry and places like that. like it ride. the old tax cuts for the rich, otherwise let it ride. that isn't new. that isn't an alternative. that is not change. >> problem you're talking about tonight is a problem this white house has had for a long time. after the november 2010 shellacking, how did they explain it? the president said this, his aides said this, we weren't good at selling our accomplishments. we weren't good at selling our policies. they took pride in the stimulus and pride in obama care but they acknowledged they lost the battle for messaging. that's exactly where we are today. you run down that list -- >> who told them? is there a pollster out there that said don't even brag slightly. don't even say we're in the right direction. be humble pie? that's not working. >> i don't think anybody told them that. i mean, i think it was important to him not to look arrogant, no the to sneer, not to look like he was too good to be there, but actually what happened was that he did look like he thought he was too good to be there and he didn't have to engage. i also think he doesn't like mitt romney. i think that part of his

inability to look at him and his di sear -- >> let's do that part. we're going to do theatrics right now. the dumb part of politics. could it be he can't stand looking at the guy. >> yes, but david's point is right though. it's systematically why would he suddenly start to be able to sell his accomplishments well on this debate stage when he hasn't done a good job of selling them for 3 1/2 years. >> but he hasp . in the last year, when he got his butt kicked in the debt ceiling debacle, he's been much better -- >> you're both right. seriously. they learned from -- >> are you from cnn or what? >> they learned from the election and they did marginally better. >> marginally better. >> i'd say much better. >> candy crowley will say that tonight. hi, i'm candy crowley, both of you guys are both great, let's move on. seriously though, i thought when i'm studying ronald reagan and trying to figure out how good he was at what he did, the old rule of speech making, tell them what you're going to tell them, tell

them, and ten thhen tell them wu told them. do you it over and over until they finally buy what you bought after the fact. >> but there's -- >> and he didn't ever do it. >> there's another problem which is to go back to a point david made about the choice. if you say we're going to make a choice. this is about visions and values and policies. the problem -- a lot of problem has been the president is very good at defining mitt romney as being a throwback as you said to the bush administration, but there's got to be an alternative. the alternative is what is the president's plan for the next four years? where is the specificity? >> more jobs program, more stimulus programs. >> there's very little that voters -- that undecided voters can sink their teeth in and say this is what obama is going to do in the fex four years. >> why he saying rebuild america? why does he say we're going to put rail in, high speed -- >> infrastructure, education. >> why doesn't he bring out his infrastructure plan? >> that's what he'd like to do it seems. >> he's got a jobs bill.

he has plans to rebuild manufacturing. i don't know why he didn't say it. i really don't know. all i can hope is that he knows how badly he did and i think he does. >> look at all the ground, we've just described about 20 different things he has to do tonight. >> no, no, no, no, no, no. don't complicate it. we have said he has to offer a spirited defense of his record. >> and also talk about where he wants to go and also define mitt romney. you know, these are like three major components while addressing the individual questions while mitt romney only has to come out there and say i will do better. he doesn't care about his policy. he doesn't have to defend his specifics. if he's called on it, he just doesn't tell the truth. so the president will be juggling and the other guy will be -- >> his job description. >> and also a position he put himself in. >> i know. >> this is the corner he's backed himself into. nobody's fault but his. >> i hope he likes playing comeback ball because that's what he's doing. >> a lot of people were saying the first ten minutes -- >> it's all important. it's all important. >> first ten minutes? >> he needs to set a tone for

the whole night when he comes out -- >> but the questions that -- because this is a town hall deba debate, the questions are going to come throughout the entire hour and a half and whatever that question is that could be a game-changer, that could -- neither one of them evoke a response that is the moment, that could come an hour and 20 minutes in. >> are you better off question? >> one of his supporters obama saying i'm deeply disappointed in you, tell me why i should believe you again. somebody cha challenging romney on the 47%. i work every day but i'm in the working poor and i get the earned income tax credit so i don't pay the earned income tax credit, am i a moocher? that could come in the first ten minutes. >> if you show up in the crowd, i'm not going to give you away. i don't know that guy. he looks like a regular person out there. >> i think he's also got to find a way, if we get -- mitt gets up there and it's the six studies and all the lies and the tax plan isn't factual, he's got to figure out a way to fact check him. >> i say it's the first few minutes. people are watching the yankees

from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. tell tune it in a little late. >> that's true. >> thank you, john, joan, and david. the guys agree it's baseball first if this guy blows it. coming up next, mitt romney seems comfortable running a campaign of the statements. clearly fuzzy math, total vagueness. two weeks ago the president failed to effectively challenge him, call him on some of this unbelievable stuff like the idea of his health care plan. it doesn't even exist, his health care plan. how does nothing cover anything? also, hillary clinton took some heat off the white house last night when she said that she as the secretary of state, not the president, was responsible for the lack of security in benghazi where the u.s. ambassador was killed last month. republicans are trying to make this a major political attack against the president. they'll probably do it again tonight. if they fail, the president owes a lot of thanks, of course, once again, to the secretary of state, hillary clinton. plus, heading into the debates, the president had a clear lead in the polls.

that's changed and we have a very, very tight race. in fact, it's even. if the president loses next month they will certainly look at the debates as the key reason. one thing is clear, the stakes couldn't be higher tonight for president obama. this is the most important, i think, half hour of the election tonight. let me finish with this heavyweight battle coming up tonight. this is "hardball," the place for politics. live from hofstra university!

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we're back at hofstra university at the second presidential debate. let's listen to this for a minute. every time you say hofstra here. there were times in the last debate that president obama did leave romney's questionable and at times flattout incorrect statements unanswered. tonight we'll look at a few from the last debate and what the president has got to do now this

time around tonight at 9:00. and peel look at some of the republican positions, particularly on abortion rights where the president needs to make sure voters see the clear distinction between his democratic and the republican platform positions. they're very different. maggie is a senior political reporter for politico and bob shrum is a democratic strategist in l.a. thank you both. the biggest romney assertion that went unanswered in the last debate had to do with coverage for what we call pre-existing conditions, when you have a heart problem, you have a cancer of some kind, and you try to get insurance and it's impossible. well, now under obama care it is doable. the other guy says -- romney says he'll do the same. that's what he says. let's listen. >> let's let the governor explain what you would do it obama care is repealed. how would you replace it? >> actually, it's a lengthy description, but, number one, pre-existing conditions are covered under my plan. number two, young people are able to stay on their family

plan. >> i was stunned when i heard that. i couldn't blef he said a bald faced lie and i never say that. you know how we know it wasn't honest? that night later on the person working for him, eric fehrnstrom, came out and put the real statement out. here it comes. he admitted that romney's plan to the cover everyone with pre-existing conditions wasn't as cult and dried as romney suggested. he said with respect to pre-existing conditions, what governor romney has said is for those with continuous coverage, he would tonight to make sure they continue to receive their coverage. we would like to see whstates d what massachusetts does. here's the story, he lied. he said it on one of the weekend shows, i think it was "meet the press" that might the guy who works for him said it's not true. he must know he can continue to say things on national television that aren't true. >> this is the problem in terms of president obama and his

supporters having said the fault was jim lehrer. obama is going to have to if he feels mitt romney is saying things that are not right or not true or misrepresentative of his positions, it's the candidate's job to make that case. i know you talked about therlier in the show. that is going to be something i suspect you will see president obama hit very hard tonight. this is a key issue. this is something that, as you said, this has been twice now the governor made the statement and one of his aides walked it back. i think the president will address 234 this in full. >> that's always been a weakness in television and the advantage of print. print the next day does a very good job or the second day of clearing up the facts. television is live and phenomenal and rarely do you find an anchor or a host or a moderator with the whatever it takes to say, whoa, i know that fact, and you're wrong. it's a factual thing you're getting wrong there. >> that's why maggie is absolutely right. the president has got to do it in the debate. it wouldn't have been a hard lift to look at romney and say, what are you talking about? you cover pre-existing conditions for people who already have coverage. what good is that?

that's not the problem. but i don't think when the president enters into this kind of argument that it should be purely defensive. i think he should then take it on and really lay out the differences between him and romney on health care more broadly, seniors paying $600 more on prescription drugs for example. >> escalate. say, by the way, you say the emergency room, i say health care. that's the big difference. >> that's exactly right. >> tonight president obama needs to make clear where the republican party stands and the opposing ticket stands on abortion rights. he should hammer home these lines of the republican platform that calls for -- this is the republican platform just agreed to. a human life amendment to the constitution and supports legislation to, quote, make clear that the 14th amendment protections apply to the unborn children. in effect declaring abortion murderous because you're saying this is a person with the rights of the 14th amendment, life, liberty, and property, whatever that means for a fetus, and anybody that kills that person is a killer. now, they don't seem to want to admit that and romney comes on

and gives that blah, blah, blah about all we'll do is get rid of roe v. wade and throw it back to the states. then they're for outlawing it in the constitution. >> right. >> they want it in the constitution. >> right. this is an issue where romney actually is not completely in sync with the party plat form and i suspect if this does come up, that will be one of his pushbacks, but romney, remember -- >> ryan is. >> ryan is more conservative than romney. >> ryan support the personhood amendment. >> yes. and ryan actually said something in the debate last week with joe biden that i suspect you will hear more of. joe biden has been pushing it on the trail, which was about abortion rights. i think this is going to be something where the president is going to -- >> i'm sorry, maggie, you're missing a point. >> tell me. >> i missed it, too. eric fehrnstrom, andrea saul did the same thing, the same damn thing, romney said that he doesn't have any legislation dealing with abortion. she comes out and says he's pro-life. >> and the next day romney went back and said actually we will defund planned parenthood and that is what i think --

>> shrum, again, the cleanup crew comes in a few hours later, covers up the problem, but it's too late because the big audience got it in the next day's paper or got it on the tube that night. >> that's why the president's got to do this and he's got to do it in the debate. he's got to do it on the issue of choice. he's got to do it on a whole range of women's issues including equal pay, for example, and lily ledbetter, which paul ryan voted against. he's got to do it on immigration. i think those questions are going to come up because so far what we had in that first debate especially were questions that older, white men kind of focus on. i think we're going to get questions from the real america tonight, and they're going to range ander beyond those kinds of issues to fundamental questions like how we treat women, how we treat immigrants, how we treat minorities and whether we're going to have an equal society. >> i hope they're good questions. i hope they're wide open. i hope they're not the problem revolving around my brother-in-law stuff. in the last debate romney made a promise about taxes and middle income families that have proven

impossible to fulfill. it's flimflam. that's not what they're really offering. >> i will not under any circumstances raise taxes on middle income families. i will lower taxes on middle income families. >> maggie, you're the expert. do people compute this stuff and say you cannot cut all the rates by 20% and not have to deal with big cuts and deductions for regular people. >> correct. this has been an ongoing issue in terms of what independent issue studies have said. the challenge for romney, two things, if the president pushes him the way i think he will because on the middle class tax cut, that's a key issue -- >> here is the president pry -- trying to do just that. >> the fact is that if you are lowering the rates the way you describe, governor, then it is not possible to come up with enough deductions and loopholes

that only affect high income individuals to avoid either raising the deficit or burdening the middle class. it's math. >> bob, here i wouldn't go into the weeds because i know you want to make the fight. the trouble is he'll cite his six studies that all say he and gillespie and reince priebus and everybody has been saying i'm right, you're wrong. what does the public do watching television? >> i think the president will reference the six studies which are mostly flimflam from what gillespie calls right-leaning think tanks, but i have been thinking about this, and i suspect the president may do something biden did in that vice presidential debate. when biden looked into the camera and said, folks, who do you really trust on medicare? he did exactly the right thing. and the president could say who do you really trust on this issue? those of us who have been fighting to cut middle class taxes or those who have been holding middle class tax cuts hostage for tax cuts for people

at the top. i think the president has to use it either in terms of talking to members of the awed yens udienc looking into the camera. >> the bigger point is are you going to trust the party that never believed in social security in the first place, never believed in medicare in 9 first place or the one that is created it. maggie, great to have you on. you're always right. bob shrum. more from hofstra university and our coverage of the second presidential debate. this is "hardball." [ male announcer ] wouldn't it be cool if we took the nissan altima and reimagined nearly everything in it? gave it greater horsepower and best in class 38 mpg highway... advanced headlights... and zero gravity seats? yeah, that would be cool. ♪ introducing the completely reimagined nissan altima.

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wells fargo. together we'll go far. we're back at the site of tonight's big presidential debate. we want to hear from the people here at hofstra university. every time. what do you want to hear tonight? >> i want both of the candidates to talk about poverty. lyndon johnson started a war on poverty back in the $1,960 a

doctor 1960s and i feel it's being ignored. we need to focus on poverty and the poorest people in the country. >> what do you want to hear? >> i want them to talk about what they're going to do about the troops, bringing them home. >> you want them to come home from afghanistan? >> yes, devil. >> sir, what do you want to hear tonight? >> i want to hear more about the personhood amendments and how -- >> are you concerned about that bill that basically says -- >> i am very concerned about. >> you're pro-choice. >> very pro-choice. >> i want to hear about education costs. >> are you on student loans? >> yes. >> what kind of rate do you pay? >> not sure but i'm going to need a job to pay the student loans. >> well said. i have heard that before. >> i would like to hear obama speak about what he's going to do for women who feel they can be pro-choice loud and clear. >> what do you want to hear? >> i also want to hear about student loans. like this school isn't the cheapest in the world. it's a lot of money and i want

to feel confident that when i leave, it's not going to take forever and an arm and a leg to pay back. >> okay. talking about libya and everything. i want to hear what they're saying about haiti that -- now people is dying. >> what do you want the candidates to do? >> because now to give the proper aid to haiti. >> next person. >> i want to see if romney is going to flip-flop again. >> you want to see if romney is going to flip-flop then, huh? >> i want to see them actually talk about lgbt issues because we haven't seen them talk about that at all, and i specifically don't want to hear them just talk about gay marriage. it's only a small part of the issue. >> i want to hear about women's issues. i want to hear them explicitly discussed. >> are you upset in the last two debates nothing but women. >> they've been completely glossed over. would we'll.

>> we'll be back. "hardball" back in a minute. e'l >> we'll be back. "hardball" back in a minute. . >> we'll be back. "hardball" back in a minute. >> . "hardball" back in a minute.

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i'm amanda drury with your cnbc market wrap. the s&p adding 15 and the nasdaq up by 37. citigroup shares gained more than 1% after the announcement that the ceo vikram pandit is leaving the company. elsewhere, goldman sachs reporting third quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded estimates. and apple is hosting an event on the 23rd where it is widely expected to unveil an ipad mini and other smaller devices. their invitation reads we've got a little more to show you. that is it from cnbc.

we're first in business worldwide. now it's back over to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball" live from hofstra university for the second presidential debate. after a mounting republican criticism of the four american deaths in libya, secretary of state hillary clinton last night said that she ultimately is responsible for the safety of american diplomats. >> i take responsible. i'm in charge of the state department, 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts. the president and the vice president certainly wouldn't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. they're the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered

decision. and what i want to avoid is some kind of political gotcha or blame game going on because that does a disservice to the thousands and thousands of americans not only in the state department and usaid but in the military who serve around the world. >> well, her statement comes arizona as "the new york times" reported again today that witnesses and participants on 9/11 told their libya reporter that they that day that they were acting as a result of an american produced video. you know, the movie made in l.a., and they did not bring up al qaeda to the reporter. hillary clinton's taken some of the heat off president obama but he also most come out and defend his administration's response to the attack. let me go to jen on this. you're the official spokesperson. it seems to me it was a murky

situation. there was a combination according to "the new york times" of protesters who were angry about the video and local terrorists. what's the case being made that that isn't the case? if that's not the case, what is the case? >> well, chris, look, as information is becoming available, the administration is making that available to the american people. this is a case where no one wants to get to the bottom of this more than president obama, more than secretary clinton. that's what they're focused on every day -- >> what's complicated now? it was a combination of protesters angry about a video and a group of local terrorists who saw an opportunity. >> well, look, i think it's a case -- i obviously don't work for the national security team. it's a case where they're continuing to investigate. there's an fbi, a congressional investigation going on right now, but ultimately, look, there's only one political party and one candidate who is making this a political issue, and that's unfortunate. >> well, i wouldn't take -- i'm independent. let me tell you what i think, stop saying there's an independent commission looking at this. people are going to say when are

you going to have your report, after the election? >> as soon as it becomes available -- >> what it sounds like is the report is coming out after the election. that's what it sounds like. congressman, what's the right way to deal with this in tonight's debate? >> say the president says we need at accountability, transparency, and responsibility. fundamentally this election when it comes to national security and foreign policy is about has the president made us safer? has he made us more secure in this is a president who made the tough choice to eliminate osama bin laden. this is the president who ended the war in iraq. >> what about libya? >> this is a president who is winding down in afghanistan. we're on long island -- >> what about libya? they're going to say you're dodging the question. you have to answer it directly i think boldly and finally tonight. finally say where it stands. it looks like a combination of events were occurring. what more do you have to know? >> i think the president is going to make an evaluation based on information that's gathered and he's not going to

jump the gun on that. >> when is he going to do it? >> he's focused on it every day as is his team. chris, the important point is this is something -- >> you know biden lost the debate on this issue the other night. on that point he was his weakest. >> biden said what was true and what secretary clinton said which is she received the request and that's where those type of requests land and where they're denied or approved. biden had a pretty fired up debate. >> it reminds me of the kind of kernel issue that gets blown up to the biggest thing in the world right before an election and becomes a symbol of weakness and incompetence and unless you straighten it out now and hit this at the butt and say something strong tonight, i don't think you get away with it. last night secretary clinton previewed the big debate tonight. let's hear what she had to say. >> i think he'll do fine. i think he just has to get out there and talk about what he's done for the country and what he wants to do for the next four years. you know, i am out of politics but i care deeply about what

happens to the country that i love and that i have served, and i think that he will do fine in explaining what needs to happen next. >> one of the fun things to worry about besides libya, which is not fun, it's a tragedy, is watching two clinton as they do the two cops, not good cop, bad cop. bill clinton is as rand ri for this presidential campaign to get over so he can get into the one he's interested in. she actually does ask diffident, like she hasn't decided about running. your thoughts? you served with her in the delegation. >> i don't know what her plans are, but i will say this, it's appropriate that this debate is on long island. this is the home of the undecided voter, the defiantly independent suburban voter, and tonight the president will win the debate when he talks about policies he's pursuing to reignite the middle class as opposed to mitt romney who is trying to take medicare away from the middle class. he needs to focus on talking about how we need to stop giving

big corporations tax incentives to outsource jobs and instead give middle class families incentives to send their kids to college on those fundamental middle class issues. that president has performed. mitt romney is talking about protecting tax breaks for millionaires. this president is talking about protecting medicare and when he make that is case, he wins, the middle class wins, and that's why it's so fitting this debate is here on long island. >> to that point. latest polling we got from quinnipiac, in pennsylvania the democrats are losing the working class noncollege people, especially catholics. explain. >> well, look -- >> why is that happening? >> there's a lot of polls outs there about pennsylvania and most of them have us up by a few points. >> four, that isn't a lot. >> i think across the country working people are looking at the choice between them. they're looking at, you know, the president's fighting for middle class families -- >> why were they shifting away in the last few days? >> i don't buy into a lot of numbers in some of these polls.

>> so the polls you like, you like and the ones -- >> no, no, there's a lot of state polls, a lot of national polls. we don't get too whipped up with every poll that's coming out. tonights a congressman israel said is a good opportunity for the president to say to people at home why he's a better fighter for them. >> let's agree on something. i think bill clinton should spend the last two weekends with the pres campaigning through the gritty areas of the key states. >> with house democrats. >> with house democrats. we agree. they should be out there together. >> what about the other places president clinton could reach and engage them while the president is in other places? >> i put them together. >> two birds. >> they have to look like a team. don't divide the army. thank you. you decide, i watch. thank you. u.s. congressman steve israel, a fighting democrat for the dnc, and thank you, jen psaki of the obama campaign. it's do or die time for the president, and this is "hardball," the place for politics live from hofstra.

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they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ we're back at hofstra university for the second presidential debate coming up at 9:00 eastern in a few hours. see what round two of the presidential debate looks like. a lot of americans will make up their minds not long after the town hall style question and answer gets under way. could just a half hour decide who our next president for four

or even eight years be? with me is martin bashir, my great preview every night and msnbc analyst, jonathan alter. jonathan, we'll do it your way as a historian. tonight's importance? >> hugely important. sometimes the seventh game of the worl serieses is the big one, sometimes it's the sixth game. this is the big contest as they used to say in the 1950s for all the marbles, but it's not just about witch man becomes president. it truly is about the direction of the country. if you need health insurance and mitt romney wins and obama care is repealed, you're going to get sicker faster. more people are going to die for lack of health insurance depending on the outcome of this election. student loans, the ryan/romney plan, massive cuts in student loans. a lot of people won't be able to go to college if this election goes in a certain direction. medical and scientific research. they can't make their numbers

without deep cuts in that. a lot is on the line. real people's lives are on the line. and then you have the reputation of our first african-american president. if he loses this debate tonight, and if he loses, he will lose the election, it will be the humiliation of a historic figure. that's point -- >> that's something i'm glad somebody brought up. there's been some slimy aspects of this election, on the crazy right moving into the center right. people like trump talking about the president being from another country in africa, and monkeying around, phrases like that, food stamp president. the kind of language that works with some people. >> the rhetoric has been nonstop. >> i think it's going to be a bad backlash if the president loses and that's in people's memory bank. >> of course it is. the president has two burdens. he has to paint two pictures. he's an artist. he has to paint and define his own four years, the substantive achievements that mark that.

>> yes, yes. >> and then he has to paint down his opponent, who so far has been something like a ghost. as i follow this, it's been like a circus. the president looks behind, the audience says he's behind you, you turn around, he's disappeared. we don't know who this man is. it's incumbent upon the president to paint both those portraits. i think if he does that with definition and clarity, there's no doubt this man, the president, has the intellect and the vocal and articulate skills to be able to do it. that's how he wins the debate. >> it's a strange situation -- >> that's not the same burden for romney. >> think about the case they're going into tonight. a strong moderator, candy crowley from cnn, who will follow up. it will be more like "meet the press," the sunday show. a bit of that. also a bit of personal chemistry, you know, it's a bit of that. and then it's a bit of using every q&a opportunity to expand the message you just used, i've been successful, this guy's trouble. >> romney's challenge is two-fold. he has to relate -- remember, this is a guy who has trouble

relating to average people. he needs to get over that barrier. his positions are not -- >> is that that hollywood expression, if can you fake it -- >> a lot of chat about medicare and these other things. obama's challenge is to elevate, as martin said. he has to be president. be a strong leader with a vision for the future and he must eviscerate. he has to take romney down. >> the other thing, with both guys go for the title tonight? >> no. >> does anybody pull back? i think they go for the knockout. >> they're warmed up, carved up, pumped up, ready to take each other on. the critical thing is romney has run a campaign that's flipped and flopped and moved all over the place. by so doing i'm not sure the american voter really knows what this man is about. >> maybe they don't want to know. >> here's the thing, during that debate with joe bie joe biden w

out debates, paul ryan said he doesn't think judges should have decided on the roe v. wade case. that's what you get when you throw punches. >> got him shook up enough to say he didn't think reproductive rights were rights. they could be legislated by states -- >> paul ryan said he didn't think the judges make that decision. who should? >> a lot is koth kcosmetic. remember george bush looking at the watch -- >> this is what sullivan said in "the daily beast," i said, should he look down at his papers, laugh and make jokes like biden? he said, no, he must look him in the eye and stare him down. that's pretty tough for a pivot. >> he needs to do that and pivot from answering the question from the audience to his agenda of what he needs to get across. there's five or six things. the 47%. even another 47 number that

romney was 47th out of 50th in job creation when he was governor of massachusetts. >> can brain power do this? i've always thought -- john, i always thought he has tremendous intelle intellectual ability, more than any president we've had. is that what this calls for? >> no. >> what does it call for tonight? >> agility and ability to think in the moment and respond and pivot from one point to another. >> synapsis. >> political argument using passion and political skill. >> opportunism. >> yes. that's what has to happen. >> i think he's going to do it. >> you're smiling. >> i do. >> i do, too. >> i do. >> he is a talent the politician. >> oh, yeah. >> who was badly off his game in the last debate. he's a fourth quarter player, who can hit the jump shot -- >> he's going over an enormous man of superior ego.

thanks for the wonderful buildup. you should be don king. thank you, martin bashir, thank you jonathan alder. when we return, i'll finish with a heavyweight championship fought tonight at 9:00. "hardball" from hofstra university. bob, these projections... they're... optimistic.

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let me finish tonight with this. here we go, tonight's the night. the heavyweight championship. president obama knows the challenge and so does mitt romney. i have a sense the challenger, that's governor romney, may go fog are knockout tonight. why? because everyone thinks he'll subdue the president to keep him from a comeback victory. what happened if obama comes into the arena knowing he must win, and romney determined, resolute, is his word, manages to do what he did two weeks ago? what happens then? a true heavyweight bout. reach for greatness on the same night by two men, one of whom will take the oath on january 20th and one who won't. perhaps the one, that would be president obama, will have to sit there across from the one who does. tonight we will learn how smart president obama is, how tough a performer governor romney is, and which two assets will conquer. surely a night to remember. even a night more to matter. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for b