years is that some republicans prefer to stick it to the president even if it harms the country. and that's not patriotism. that is a pathology. thanks so much for watching. chris matthews and "hardball" is next. houston, we have a problem. let's play "hardball." good evening. glee, it's a tv show, also what we're seeing happening on a stage down in houston tonight. we're looking at the triumph of gun power over the will of the people. 90% of the american people want better background checks on who buys a gun. they want a way to stop felons, the criminally insane and wife beaters, if you will. the national rifle association

is now engaged in some politics marriage. wayne lapierre loves reince priebus and he loves wayne lapierre. well tonight, we look at the celebration in houston tonight of the marriage between lethal hardware and the hard right and yes, houston, we do have a problem. joy houston and ed rendell, former governor of pennsylvania. the nra convention shows just how far right the far right has gone. the nra has gone so far right. look at the speakers list. almost exclusively composed of hard right figures like sarah palin, rick santorum, ted nugent and glenn beck. looks like the roster from a cpac convention. in fact, it's the same list. this afternoon, ted cruz, well,

took an end zone dance if you will for helping defeat the background checks bill in the senate. let's watch his dance. >> a month ago, you had the president holdinging it seemed press conference after press conference -- in washington look like an unstoppable freight train. i was joined by rand paul and mike lee. in writing a short and simple letter to harry reid that said we will filibuster any legislation that undermines the right to keep an bear arms. because each of you spoke out and because u millions of americans spoke out, two weeks ago when the proposals came to a vote, every vote that would have undermined the second amendment was voted down. >> he was engaged in that

one-man kissing booth, rick santorum also celebrateded the bill's defeat. >> you stood up when freedom was under assault and you stood in the gap and you made a difference. you can point to what you just accomplished over these last few months when the entire tide of the national media and the popular culture was trying to erode a fundamental freedom. you didn't let all of the smoke and mirrors of trying to hide behind a horrible tragedy. deter you from the truth. >> i think these guys are giving tribute, who took the clips at normandy. and yet, it was almost a religious experience for these clowns. your thought, governor. i don't know. i guess there's been things on

the center left and left like that, but what a smooch contest that was. >> well, and it's particularly disturbing, chris, because there's the under tone of not only defeating a bill that made common sense to 90% of america, but more importantly, defeating president obama and that seems to be the main thrust here. we're not going to give the president a victory. we're going to defeat the president. they lie to people. the bill in fact made a federal registry impossible because it made it a creation of a felony. it actually strengthened their position, but they lied because they didn't want to give common sense victory and they didn't want to give president obama a victory. frankly, that's disgusting. >> you were actually repeating what your colleague i guess from pennsylvania, mr. toomey, had said on the record. >> no question. it's disgusting. this isn't about the president, about him winning or losing. it's about what's right for

america and what's wrong with washington, d.c. is exactly what these guys are saying and they're going to pay for it because people are getting fed up. the people who care about this issue are not going away this time. >> you know, joy, churchill, my hero, in victory, mag nemty. i mean, this is the -- not the nba, the nfl has sort of limited the end zone dances to something minimally triumphant now. you can't put on an entire performance, but these guys, it seems to be no limit. i hear it's going to go on all afternoon. sarah palin's going to do one of these things. i think it might be a dance of death over the president's political grave. i think the governor's right. it can't just be about less invasive background checks. is this the holy grail for these people? >> i think so and i used to like it in the nfl when they used to do back flips.

i was just thinking i almost feel like the right is suffering from like a political version of body dismorphic disorder. they're dancing in the end zone thinking this is awesome, we defeated the most hated president, but the rest of the country is looking at them thinking, wow, these guys are nuts and the problems the nra has now is that their power used to be in that they were -- that ed rendell was sim pat cal with them or harry reid, that bipartisan power allowed them to say what we're asking for isn't partisan. it is a broad position in the middle. but now, they're associating themselves with the far, far right, the people independents look at and think they are insane. >> you really think that's going to hurt? i think of the other strong lobbies, israeli lobby, the a aarp, they play both sides. they say anybody can play this game. you help us back our positions

and we're going to play ball with you, but these guys have said, no, we like one side of this fight. we're going to go with the conservatives. it may work. it's working now. >> it's working in the short run. i think it's going to fail in the long run. this is an issue that a decade ago, the nra supported. they supported. there's been no difference in those ten years. this bill is actually a better bill from their perspective than the legislation they supported ten years ago, so they're on very, very shaky grounds and joy's right. the biggest problem the republican party has is that they took positions last year they were totally out of the mainstream america. republican party is doing a victory dance on an issue that 90% of americans disagree with. it's absolutely stunning how they don't see what's happening around them.

they are absolutely spiralling towards crushing defeat, even more crushing than they -- >> and they bought a ticket here, guys. on the next bad ticket on the next time a person who's mentally dmental ly deranged, whatever you want to call them, anybody in the category that would have been kept from getting a gun, gets a gun next time, does something han niehaus and they're the ones that gave them the permission slip. >> even more than that, i think the big risk for the nra is that if i'm a democrat, a republican running in a purple or blue state, i'm now thinking if they're going to be that far to the right, then maybe i can have some space to buck the nra because number one, there's other money out there. michael bloomberg's money. there's support i can get. especially if i'm pat toomey or ron johnson or even kelly ayotte. >> on that point, here's senator

kelly ayotte from new hampshire, who's had a rough couple of days facing constituents. earlier in the week, she was confronted by the daughter of the newtown principal killed in the massacre. let's watch this again. this is a new one. >> you really don't understand, it doesn't make sense to me. what is wrong with universal background checks? >> thank you, john. >> i will tell you in terms of a universal background check as it's been framed. i have a lot of concerns about that leading to a registry that will create a privacy situation for lawful firearms owners, however, i do believe that our current system should be fixed. >> it was an entirely different story for john mccain. he was applauded yesterday for his support of the background checks legislation. this is pam simons, a former

staffer to congresswoman giffords. she, too, was shot that day in 2011 by jared loughner. she had something she wanted to tell mccain. >> i would like to thank you so much for your vote on the -- >> after the event, she and the other survivors gave senator mccain 19 roses. 13 for the people injured that day and six for the people who died. you know, i want to get to you and give you a chance to talk politics in this. i've been saying this last night, the united states senate does represent the people. therefore, you had a lot of wide open states like montana, utah, wyoming, which is just filled with beautiful country, obviously, and two senators. then you have new york and california, each have two senators each, so a lot of our people are only getting very thin representation of the senate. when those get people like

baucus, they vote their ground and people and the gun owners and how do you reapply the principles of democracy in the senate when it's not really built for that? >> well, first, kelly ayotte, that's the typical bs. read the bill, senator ayotte. >> you're right. >> the bill does not go towards a federal registry. in fact, it paints a criminal penalty to anybody who tries to establish a registry. don't lie to people. you either haven't read the bill or you're lying to people. that's number one. number two, chris, it's inconceivable that we're going to go down this road. i mean, it is absolutely clear what has to happen. >> which way are we going? >> i think the republican party is headed towards disaster and it's not too late i think the kelly ayottes of the world should change their vote. we should try to get a revote and get this thing passed because as you said, imagine the

next tragedy, but imagine if that person got their gun at a gun show and that person wouldn't have gotten it had they applied for a universal background check. imagine the blood on the hands of the people who voted against this common sense. >> yeah. by the way, just a point you're making, the nra is is telling people who have a problem with their background and know it, go to a gun show. if you've got a problem, it's like a credit rating. we'll sell you the car without a credit rating. >> you're right and the worst case scenario for kelly ayotte, for ron johnson of wisconsin, is to have this come up over and over again. they think they're safe because it's in 2016. that's a presidential year. they're in jeopardy any way, those 2010 senators because you have a lot of democrats that want payback and if this vote coming up again, how much you want to bet, begich, ayotte say

you know what? i don't want this coming up. vote it yes and send it to the house. >> let's pay tribute right now u to people who show up at town meetings. finally people from the middle and the left, but the far right are showing up and making their voices heard. there will be people growling at you in some of these places. you've got to get up, walk through the doors of the saloon, i'm here, i'm sane. by the way, toomey may get re-elected on this because he did the right thing. coming up, we continue our series, the unkindest cut. a series we're doing on the real pain caused by the sequester cuts. tonight, promising heart attack research in peril for lack of money. also, just about everybody wants to help the rebels in syria, but which ones? some are aligned with al-qaeda. others want to establish an islamist state. a reality check from richard engel and we learned today that job creation has been better

than what we thought. the unemployment rate down to 7.5. could that be a boost for democrats in 2014? and we're already heard a lot from the nra today, but now this. its new president refers to the american civil war as the war not between the states. the war of northern aggression. that's talking the cause, the lost cause if you remember it. this is "hardball," the place for politics. ♪ [ agent smith ] i've found software that intrigues me.

it appears it's an agent of good. ♪ [ agent smith ] ge software connects patients to nurses to the right machines while dramatically reducing waiting time. [ telephone ringing ] now a waiting room is just a room. [ static warbles ] we've got the first polling on the massachusetts u.s. senator race. tuesday's primary. according to a new ppp poll, ed marky starts out with a four-point lead over gabriele gomez in the race to replace john kerry. that's 16% undecided and in a poll by emmerson college, a six-point lead. a lot more undecided, so it's a race for markey.

the democrats are taking it seriously. michelle obama headlines a fund-raiser for markey later this month. we'll be right back. so we could be a better, safer energy company. i've been with bp for 24 years. i was part of the team that helped deliver on our commitments to the gulf - and i can tell you, safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge safety equipment and technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all our drilling activity, twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. safety is a vital part of bp's commitment to america - and to the nearly 250,000 people who work with us here. we invest more in the u.s. than anywhere else in the world. over fifty-five billion dollars here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger.

also the sequestration cut a million out of the fema program, food banks, and homeless prevention around the country. here in new york city, two-thirds of the soup kitchens and food pantries in new york city already have to ration food. >> welcome back. this week, we've brought you reports how the arbitrary across the board spending cuts are hurting the poor and vulnerable. there was joe by the way you just saw there from the new york city coalition against hunger. before that, we told you about cuts in meals on wheels. tonight, we're talking about reports all week, we're calling it the unkindest cut. we asked for your input and now, we want to share your responses, how the sequester is affecting

you. from megan w. my federal work study is being cut by seven hours a week, looking for a second job. full time student workload. judith tweets $695 total and no food stamps. i live on peanut butter and oatmeal. we want to hear more on how the cuts are affecting you personally. tweet us, join the conversation on our facebook page and then go to tv.msnbc.com and click on hardball. i'll have that information again before the end of the show. today, we bring you another story of how these cuts are rippling through american society and affecting lives. these are cuts to medical research issued through national institutes of health and if you think they can't affect you, listen up. doctors at philadelphia's temple university were doing promising

research on repairing the heart after a heart attack will have to cut back their work significantly because of these cuts. the lead doctor sums up this way his dlim ma. it is more likely we will miss something important now. we have so many wonderful things we can do right now, but we end up in this political climate. think about that the next time someone you know has a heart attack. john led a rally here in washington protest those cuts to scientific research. this misbegotten sequester is causing. two of the many speakers calling to end the sequester were cokie roberts and mara tyranny. >> not only was i treated for cancer at nih and was the direct beneficiary of that research and it could not be a stupider time to cut back on funding for medical research. >> i have a good sense of what's

at stake and this debate about federal funding for medical research and the short answer is a lot. >> john is managing director of science policy and david cornyn washington bureau chief for mother jones. everybody loves research. it means people can live to 90, healthy. if we don't do that, we're just going to fall back. if you don't have verge keeping up with stress, we're going to fall back. >> the most important investment that our company can make and that's what's so discouraging right now. when you're talking about the sequestration, it's a $1.6 billion cut for health. the past ten years, a decade, we've had cuts at the nih and going on f billion when you account for inflation.

so, we're at a time -- >> what's it mean an ek doe tall terms? you can't do certain tests or what are you hearing? >> probably most discouraging is you're talking about researchers have about a one in ten chance to get funded, so all of the grants going to the national institutes of health, only one out of ten doors are we able to open. the most ideal situation is between 25 and 30%. actually, when congress decided -- >> you're turning down good proposals. >> they're on the cutting room floor right now. it's affecting young investigators who are deciding why should i stay in this area of career when the chances of my getting funding is so small right now. so, it's affecting labs across the country laying off people and right now, all of the, we have 435,000 people who are directly, indirectly funded. >> cancer survivor is a term we use today. isn't it great?

we're used to the term. >> 14 million. >> we know the term. it used to be cancer meant the end and now, survivor for so many people because of research. >> absolutely. 14 million survivors. >> you guys just amaze me what you can do. >> this gets to some issues in terms of the values we have on society. >> you mean the tax cut issue. >> what republicans are doing. before the show, one of your producers, connie, asked me, wasn't cancer research, meals on wheels, didn't they used to be bipartisan issues? indeed, they were. years ago, bob dole led the effort against hunger, but the republicans now have this view of government which is just cut, cut, cut. they don't, i really hate to say this, care institutionally, collectively. >> you know what they're thinking. the poor minorities. they're cutting the welfare. that's what they think. >> when you cut and you know this better than i do, when you cut this research, it means

you're going to have more medical costs at the end if you don't do stuff about diseases, we as a society end up paying more. so these guys talk about fiscal sanity and doing this, they're really adding more -- >> you know what the problem is? people think when they're cutting, and i think reasonable people. they're thinking we're cutting the money going to the drones in city hall. to the war to pass out the money. and by the way, waste, fraud and abuse, you cut spending. oh, we'll get rid of the waste. >> 85% of the dollars spent that nih has are going across the country. every university is doing this research. it's not money being spent in washington, d.c. >> so, when we cut spending, we're cutting real stuff. the middle class person saying

great, they're cutting spending, oh, getting rid of that waste. you know how it works. >> it's easy, the right's done this for decades. to dem crate government, but what you've done, chris, is is to show meals on wheel, treatment for cancer patients, head start, there are kids being thrown out, who are already in head start -- >> tell me about head start. what it does. >> a preschool program. >> disadvantaged kids. >> i know the difference from the kid who comes into kindergarten with some cools versus a kid who doesn't. it's really unfair. yet, here they are, throwing kids out. parents are crying because they're holdinging lotteries about who gets thrown out and where is the, we know what happens with the faa. >> we got to sell government, the best programs. don't sell waste, fraud and

abuse because there's no reason to have that. a friend of mine said people don't do their best work when they're being peed on. you're not going to make them any better. you've got to look, we need inspector generals. that's what you need. thank you. you're not related to pete. thank you. you're still an okay guy, you're doing good work. and there's the information again. i want to tell you so you can really get involved. if you know one of these programs that's getting cut, you can tweet us, unkindest cut. also join the conversation on our facebook page at facebook.com. or go to your website and click on hardball. up next, we've heard a lot about already, the nra, but we haven't heard this. the group's new president referring to the civil war as

the war of no northern aggression. that's going to unite the country. we're in a tyranny. haven't you noticed? go back to jefferson davis. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] running out of steam? ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle.

i don'without goingcisions to angie's list first. need a little kick? ooh! you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare

written by people just like you. with angie's list, i know who to call, and i know the results will be fantastic. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. man: how did i get here? dumb luck? or good decisions? ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you.

at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your family's future? we'll help you get there. and now, the side show. some people live in a political isolation booth. billy long of louisiana here talking to a local reporter about the effect of the sequester. quote, the people i've talked to seem to be doing well. in fact, when i go out in restaurants here in town, people come up to me, they want to see more sequestration, not less, so i think that's different than it could be in some parts of the country, but we haven't seen any measurable effect. in reality, long state is missouri and his own district are getting hit with cuts.

a non-profit in charge of head start programs in several missouri counties plans to close five classrooms and reduce enrollment by about 200 children. the head responded this way, it's been in the news, all over the place. we are facing cuts in all our programs. food assistance and other programs are also facing slash funding in long's district itself. nancy pelosi's hoping for an answer to her prayers concerning the white house in 2016. >> i pray that hillary clinton decides to run for president of the united states. let's set aside for a moment the fact she is a woman. as a person, she will be the most qualified person to enter the white house in modern history. now, i have no knowledge of anything except my prayers. >> it's been a big week for nudging hillary toward a run.

henry kissinger and now, nancy pelosi, are urging run, hillary, run. next,when ever someone runs for office, we can expect a lot of digging into the their past. now buzz feed featured this nugget today. back in 2006, there was a debate going on in virginia's office. official state sign. he filed an amendment with his own idea. tax man. he thought the song would be perfect because quote, virginians feel like all they get is more taxes. he did not prevail. when it didn't become the state song, is state remains without an official song. finally, a preview of what's in store when jim porter becomes president of the national rifle association next week. at an event last year, he talked about the nra's roots going back

to the civil war, except he doesn't call it the civil war. >> started 1871 here in new york state. it was started by some yankee generals who didn't like the way my southern boys didn't have the ability to shoot in what we call the war of northern aggression. now, y'all might call it the civil war, but we call it the war of northern aggression. >> yesterday, i showed you a fairly dickenson poll, three in ten americans think armed revolt might be necessary to protect our civil liberties. porter has his thoughts on that very matter. >> i am one who still feels very strongly that is one of our most greatest charges that we can have today. is to train the civilian in the use of the standard military firearm, so when they have to fight for their country, they're ready to do it. also, when they're ready to fight tyranny, they have the where with all and the weapons

to do it. >> so, it's not about hunting, not about defending yourself dwe against criminals. he's sounding off about tyrannical government and a possible takeover. up next, defense secretary chuck hagel says the administration is reconsidering arming the rebels in syria. but who are the rebels we like? richard engel's been talking to rebel leaders and joins us next to sort it out. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 opportunities are waiting to be found in faraway places.

tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 markets on the rise. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 companies breaking through. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 endless possibilities. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 with schwab, i search the globe for the big movers. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i can trade in 30 different markets tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to help me seize opportunities, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 potentially better returns and new ways to diversify. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to get an edge, i use schwab's global research. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 they give me equity ratings on foreign stocks tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 based on things like fundamentals, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 momentum and risk. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i also have access to independent firms tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 like ned davis research and economist intelligence unit. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and with my schwab global account, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i can trade directly online in top markets tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 in their local currencies-- when the markets are open. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 plus, their global specialists are on call around the clock. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 there's a world of winners out there. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and now i have a better shot at finding them. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 now get our best global offer! tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 trade commission-free online through september 2013 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 when you open a schwab global account. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 call 1-877-494-5618.

we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank.

i'm bertha coombs. a banner day on wall street. the dow closing up 142 points at a historic high after briefly trading above 15,000, the s&p also hitting one for the record books today, finishing above

1600 and the nasdaq adding 38 points. the catalyst for today's gains, jobs. employers adding 165,000 positions to payrolls in april. more than expected. the unemployment rate unexpectedly falling to 7.5%. a four-year low. that's it from cnbc. we're first in business word wide. now back to chris and "hardball." as pressure mounts for a worldwide response to the bloodshed in syria, there's renewed focus on the rebels there. "the new york times" reported over the weekend that many of the rebel groups are aligned with al-qaeda or islamists. richard engel interviewed a key player in the rebel military leader the white house is counting on to defeat the assad regime and prevail.

leets watch. >> the regime used chemical weapons more than four times against civilians. >> president obama has talked about red lines. do you think assad has crossed a red line? >> not just for one time. many, many times he crossed the red line. >> what do you hope the united states does? >> i like them to help us to have no fly zone for the whole country. >> richard engel joins us from turkey. robin wright is with the wood row wilson center. give us your appraisal of the possibility that we can find somebody over there that we can agree with and help on the rebel side. >> that is what the u.s. thinks they have found or u.s. officials are hoping they have found with the person you just heard from right now. he is the overall commander of the free syrian army. he's german educated.

an engineering professor inside syria. he defected about a year ago and the united states wants to support him. he's a moderate. he's the kind of contentious candidate, if you will. some washington terminology that u.s. officials are hoping they will latch on to if americans give him enough support. the thirry being if they give him money, what they're giving him so far, jackets, night vision goggles and medical supplies, that the more he is, the more his stock is rising, the worse it will be for other groups you talked about espousing a more radical islamic idealology. >> do we know if he's a contender to be a leader of the groups that eventually march into damascus? >> i think it's too early to tell if he will be accepted. will he be able to emerge as such a gal vonizing figure.

the problem with the free syrian army is that it is really not a single group. it's made of lots of different groups and that has been one of its main weaknesses. the other groups like the front and other more islamicly motivated fighting elements inside syria, are small, they are cohesive. they have a clear leadership and generally, they have been fighting very well. the fsa has had mixed performance and it's still too early to tell if with the new leadership, with more at least at this stage, nonlethal support, the fsa will emerge as the go to syrian rebel group. but we don't know if that's going the happen yet. >> thank you. hold on a minute. i got robin here. i don't sense watching this fight from here that this is slipping away for the assad regime. it's not like libya ft it's not moving that fast. it looks like it's going to be a while before one side wins. >> and clearly, the regime in syria is much better armed and

trained. it's had some of its forces decimated, but the fact is, it's superiority is many times that of the rebels. the rebels disadvantage is that there is no single commander of all the different units and they conflict with each other and the real quandary for the united states is if it provides arms to anyone, can it guarantee those will be kept by the people it likes? or will they be sold, stolen, borrowed by some of the extremist groups. our experience in afghanistan makes us very wary of what we give arms to and what they might be used for down to road, not just in this conflict. >> countries that have influence in syria, iran and russia. in chance iran's going to help us? no. >> syria has really become a proxy war between the united states and iran and russia has sided more with iran. forms a kind of axis along with

china in terms of support for the assad regime and political clout that limits the international community's ability to act with fwraeter sanctions. >> they really think they benefit with identifying themselves with a regime at this point? >> the irony of this is that for russians, it is a domestic issue and it particularly doesn't like the idea of the international community being able to say if there were protests, that they back the protests because russia facing its own. >> so, the muslims in russia are pro rebel. >> some, but they're anti putin. they want independence or whatever. >> this is a hard thing for me to sort out from this end, richard. what side is the arab world on? what side is the islamic world or is it a sunni versus shia area fight? >> very much a sectarian fight and you'll see lined up

hezbollah, iran and the bashar al assad regime and many elements of the iraqi government fighting on the shia side. if you watch al jazeera or follow what's beginning on in social media, the people are overwhelmingly with the uprising going on in syria. they are seeing reports daily of massacres. one just cently with dozens, if not many more people killed. sunnis who were butchered in sierra by shiite militias. the massacres happening all the time are getting a lot of public sympathy. in the united states, we've been focusing a lot of chemical weapons, red lines, how, when were chemical weapons used. in this part of the world, people watch every day and they

see the massacres carried out by firing squads and by knives and blunt instruments on a daily basis in villages and that certainly impacts people. >> thank you so much. up next, the unemployment rate's falling, believe it or not. job creation, we have a dow almost at 15,000. is that going to help democrats running in 2014? certainly wouldn't help if things were going the other way. good news is good news. this is "hardball," the place for politics. ♪

[ male announcer ] from the way the bristles move to the way they clean, once you try an oral-b deep sweep power brush, you'll never go back to a regular manual brush. its three cleaning zones with dynamic power bristles reach between teeth with more brush movements to remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush. and even 76% more plaque than sonicare flexcare in hard to reach areas. oral-b deep sweep 5000 power brush. life opens up when you do. this tree has deep roots, strong limbs... things are perched and not pinned. nicely done. the boys love it. they are up there day and night. well that might be because you overlooked one thing... what? it looks into your neighbor's window. ohhh boy. hel-lo, mrs. kozlowski. boys? i'm gonna get the hose. [ dennis ] home insurance with do-it-yourself tips? that's allstate home insurance. great protection plus helpful advice to make life better. talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] and let the good life in.

the democrats are hoping to change history in the next election. will the economy help them to win the next midterms? this is next coming up. i describe myself as a mother, a writer and a performer.

i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick...and then i got better. we're back. if history's any guide, 2014 should be a tough year for democrats. not only for defending the many seats in the house for republicans in the senate, but the sixth year of any presidency tends to be a down year for any party in the white house or maybe not. it is possible of course the democrats may have an ally they

didn't count on. the u.s. economy. 165,000 jobs were added in april. it sharply revised job gains. unemployment dropped to 7.5. it's not great but it's better. wall street loved the news. we watched it get to almost 15,000. it may get there at some point, at one point even breaking the level. this is the question, not is this good, is it getting good better later could help buck history and gain seats in congress. i'm not so sure. amy knows more than i. she's with the poll lit cal report. you're nonpartisan, you're partisan. >> right. >> eisenhower, pretty close, a nazi surrender, these people got blown away in their sixth year.

>> right. >> how is obama going to avoid that? except for clinton. he survived because the public got mad at him. >> here's the good news for democrats, the silver lining is, they lost so many seats in 2010 there's no more seats to lose. >> who? >> the democrats. so they are kind of -- the question is, can they expand it? a good economy is better than a terrible economy. but structurally, when you look at just how few seats are in play, both by redistricting and the way that these -- >> by the way, it's a pretty good deal. >> it's a great deal. even in a bad year -- >> i look at me, fitzpatrick, how are they going to get knocked off? they have the name i.d. of serving four or six years. it's tough to become an incumbent republican in the burbs. >> they need to talk about the economy. this has been the problem for republicans s. that they are very good at saying we don't want to do whatever president obama does. they don't have a message for,

what are we going to do. >> yes, this he do. you know what the message is michael? it would be a hell of a lot better if they cut taxes. >> and the strategy is, let's not give the president any credit. one of the issues litigated in this cycle is, are you helping improve the economy or just trying to score political points. the sequester is an example of this. it's an unnecessary drag on the economy. >> how does the drag the economy? >> it could be 800,000 jobs. that's a third of the job growth. >> so we're not cutting it? >> right. we should be working on a balanced plan to solve the deficit problem and not just try to score political points. >> i think the republican party exists today. it started because they were against slavery. that's a good cause. i think they survived through thick and thin because they say to the average person who pays taxes, you vote for us, you pay less income taxes. you've got to pay property taxes, every license in the world. with us, you've got a better

chance paying a lower tax rate. stick with us. the democrats will spend your money. that's how they survive. isn't it? what else -- give me another case of being a republican. >> no. there is their message. that is their message. the problem is, that's not helping grow the economy and people are very sensitive to the fact that we're in a struggling economic recovery right now. are you helping improve the economy or just trying to score political points for the next cycle. are you getting in the way of a credit or whether or not they are getting credit or trying to solve the problem. >> do you think it's true, you can live like a republican? >> i do. >> it's tied to the economy, which is the health care law that gets implemented started on january 1st, right? it connects to how people feel about the economy. the most direct way that you feel the economy, a lot of people feel the economy is how much they are paying out in health care, whether it's their own personal checkbook or your employer comes to you and says, guess what, our rates went up

120%. i can't offer this to you anymore at the same rate. that's how people will start to feel this. the one thing i will say about the sequester, and this is where i think republicans were smart, they made it not about priorities but they made it about budgeting, which is they said, look, the reason government doesn't work is that we throw all of this money in there and we don't give them any ability to put it into the right categories. so let's -- it's not about spending more. it's about spending it smartly. that was the argument that i think won on the faa issue where they said you can take this money and put it zsh w-- >> who won that argument? >> the republicans. >> you've heard the waste, fraud, and abuse. the waste, fraud, and abuse people are experts. the drones who don't do any work, they are surviving just like cockroaches. but these doctor, the people doing help for the poor people, they are the ones getting hurt thank you for coming on.

mike, thank you. amy walter, an expert. you're watching "hardball," a place for politics. [ agent smith ] i've found software that intrigues me. it appears it's an agent of good. ♪ [ agent smith ] ge software connects patients to nurses to the right machines while dramatically reducing waiting time. [ telephone ringing ] now a waiting room is just a room. [ static warbles ]

how we get there is not. we're americans. we work. we plan. ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others. to help you retire your way, with confidence. ♪ that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. let's get to work. ameriprise financial. more within reach. help the gulf recover, andnt to learn from what happenedg goals: so we could be a better, safer energy company. i've been with bp for 24 years. i was part of the team that helped deliver on our commitments to the gulf - and i can tell you, safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge safety equipment and technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art

monitoring center, where experts watch over all our drilling activity, twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. safety is a vital part of bp's commitment to america - and to the nearly 250,000 people who work with us here. we invest more in the u.s. than anywhere else in the world. over fifty-five billion dollars here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger.

let me finish with this tonight. i am against jihad and for the same reason i'm against the counter jihad. i believe there's a direction connection, by the way, between killing islamic people on television night after night. since the iraq war, it's played

into the hands of those selling jihad. it's become a recruiting poster for a suicide bomber. the people behind jihad do. they want it when they bomb the world trade center. they want the united states to declare world on the islamic world. we didn't. we blamed only al qaeda and this must be our watch word. attack only our enemy. if we become a belligerent in syria, don't expect them to cheer us, don't expect the youth to sit and watch while we begin the bombing. invading for oil, israel, western influence, we will be the infidel doing what we do, attack the land of islam. i believe zealotry is by its nature episodic. and then there were decades of peace, the one sure way to keep

the zealotry alive is to keep the fire white hot for another decade, if we're lucky. starting a war is a sure way to make enemies. that's all for now. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris, and thanks to you for tuning in. i am live from miami. tonight's lead, worst socialist ever. the republicans love to claim the president is killing jobs, he hates the free market, he doesn't understand capitalism. so how do they explain this? >> we just hit 15,000 on the dow. >> april, nonfarm payrolls increased by 165,000 jobs. >> as you can see reading across the board, all 30 of the dow components. >>