the government vulnerable, because its digital materials are also easily accessible. >> thank you. the weiner circle getting smaller. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. it's time to get to the heart of the matter and why the weird pieces of the story, why we care. in fact, why i care. you can say all you want about all politics being local, but the role of mayor of new york is to work for the people of new york, but to represent more than the people of new york. he or she stands at this country's front door. and right there in the media capital itself. and ever since i can remember,

the mayor has been a major representative of this country, welcoming visitors, celebrated and not from around the world. we know their names well. we know them well. la guardia, john lindsay, ed koch, rudy giuliani, mike bloomberg. they are household names, not just in this country, but in the world at large. so the question of who stands out there representing not just new yorkers, not just democrats in many cases, but us is a question worthy of debate. tonight we have the front-runner for the office of mayor of new york city, city council speaker christine quinn. thank you, speaker quinn, for joining us. it's great to have you on the show. >> thank you. >> i don't think you're ready for this. maybe you've been thinking about this. the public role of mayor of metropolis. >> yep. >> gotham, the big apple, the greatest city in the world. the center of the consciousness of the universe. how big a public role is that in the context of this sleazy thing we've been talking about?

>> you know, it is an enormously significant thing. i mean, people look to new york every day for ideas, for inspiration, for motivation. there are children all over america and the world who go to bed at night dreaming that some day they'll get to live in new york city. so who leads this city? it matters first for the 8.4 million people here. but it matters for the world. and time and again i've seen what we have done in new york replicated not just by other cities, but by other countries. about a month after we passed our smoking ban, the entire country of ireland implemented a smoking ban. we are one of the world's leaders, and that's why i want to be mayor, to make sure this city moves forward for the people here, but also as an inspiration for urban centers across the world. and that's more important now than ever, chris, because more and more americans are moving into cities. that's where the population

growth is. >> i know. >> and we need the mayor of this city to be the best mayor they can be. but also, i'm going to be a mayor who brings an urban agenda to washington and gets washington to pay attention to american cities. >> okay. let's talk about that public and the private. when i went up there in new york, the high school newspaper editors convention in columbia, the biggest thrill of my life until then. >> right. >> even from philadelphia was the biggest deal in the world. i want to ask you about this private thing. one of your opponents in this race, you know who he is, has been claiming all his behavior that has been all over the world, it's probably in hong kong they're talking about it, he keeps claiming, whether he is right or wrong, you to tell me, that it's somehow a private matter. then why are we talking about it? because we all know about it. my question, where is the line where you're a huge role i know you want to play and you're the front-runner in the polling, where does that public role end? and you can say oh, this is just my private life. where is that line? is it online? is it on the phone? is it in the bedroom? where is the private line? i don't believe your opponent is right.

i think if it were private, we wouldn't know about it. your thoughts. >> that by definition is the answer. if it was really private, we wouldn't all know about it and be discussing it and have it be known over and over. the other issue here is a pattern. we see with former congressman weiner a pattern of reckless behavior and a pattern of inability to tell the truth. now, i think everybody agrees that people should have private lives. elected official should have private lives. but private lives are things that in fact our own and private to ourselves, not things that get broadcasted out kind of in a broader sense than that. and i think that's the distinct here. and i think it's pretty clear. >> well, let's go to the civil issue here. last night on "hardball," eliot spitzer who is running for comptroller -- i won't ask you whether you have endorsed him not. >> i'm not pushing. >> i'm offering. >> eliot spitzer made news about anthony weiner. >> a public official used their

office equipment to engage in the kind of pastime anthony weiner has been involved in the last couple of years, would you fire him? >> i think the answer is yes. we have had a number of instances over the years where inevitably of course municipal employers, state employees have used computers and the like for inappropriate purposes and there is a sanction for that. >> you don't think he should be mayor of new york? >> fair point that is correct. >> he should not be mayor of new york? >> that is correct. >> okay. get back to i don't, madam speaker. and the question to you is the first part of that question. if you walked in the room and saw an employee doing what mr. weiner has been doing relentlessly perhaps right up until now, we don't know. >> right. >> would you fire them? >> absolutely. it's a total inappropriate and unacceptable use of in this case government equipment. i think that would be true in any office. but you're at a higher standard in government. it would be unacceptable. but that said, look, i don't think eliot spitzer is in a position to be pointing fingers at anybody as it relates to their private lives or their

behavior in these kind of areas. >> so do you think you would vote for him? >> eliot? no, i have enthusiastically endorsed scott stringer who is running for comptroller. >> let me ask you this question. you're also the front running woman. across the board, you're leading the polls. i want to ask you about being a woman. terry o'neill is head of the national organization for women, not just women, but for women. she said of weiner's conduct, quote, mr. weiner does have a problem and his behavior is sexist. let's be clear. it's not respectful of women. get to that point. i know you speak to a lot of women in this race. people say consenting adults. people say mutual. they say sexting back and forth, and i even learned stuff i didn't know about. i asked do women sext? i don't know. i don't really want to know at this point. i've been married forever. let me ask you the question. what is this for women? what does his behavior say to you as a woman and the leading woman candidate? >> well, you know, i think for

me as a woman who loves this city, i need a mayor who is responsible. i need a mayor who puts the interests of new yorkers first, not their own self aggrandizement first. and this is irresponsible behavior, behavior that is focused on himself, not the people of the city. and that matters to everybody. but for women who are still more low-income families head by women than not, women still not making the same amount of pay that men get, women still struggling to break through so many glass ceilings. having a mayor who is going to move this city forward and a mayor who has a record of having done that, that's the kind of mayor i'll be, and that's what women need. because they want their lives to get better, and they want their lives of their children, their daughters to be better than theirs has been. and that means adult leadership. >> well, christine quinn, who mentioned the irish already. i never forget you're irish. christine quinn, just kidding

here, the speaker of the new york city council and the front-runner in the latest polling we've got. congratulations and best of luck in this race. it's going to get hotter. >> that it will. >> we'd love to have you back. >> okay. >> joan walsh is editor of salon. she looks like she has cheered up a bit there watching as a person and a new friend of mine. i'm impressed by she is upbeat. she is cheerful. this is a weird race to be in, i think uncomfortable for everybody. but she seems to be doing pretty well right now in the polls. your thoughts about the women's issue. i want to get to that. is there something aggressive about this behavior by -- nastily aggressive by mr. weiner? >> you know, i think there is. i think there is a problem here when he said last week he was sorry to the women he inconvenienced. you know, the young woman who has come forward now, sydney leathers, she may have some issues in her own life, but she is only 22. and i think to reach out as a public figure, to start poking her on facebook like an idiot

juvenile, and to lie to her, to lead her along as she says he has, and she has the text or the sexts to prove it, i think is degrading to women and disrespectful to women. and i would also say quite honestly, i think it's fair to judge him in the way he has treated his wife. now, again, it's her business and their business in their marriage. but there is something at minimum there is a lack of compassion and a lack of decency to do this again and drag his wife through this, even though she is standing by him. i think there is a sense that this is -- that it's okay to reach out to random women. some of the women in the first go-round were not exactly enthusiastic recipients or participants. so there is something off in his view of women. i would agree with christine about that. >> i'm not so sure you're right about this between him and his wife business. as speaker of the house, as speaker of the council said and as spitzer said the other night, if you do this with your office equipment, it's not like calling your mother back home in

nebraska there is something essentially difference in the communication going on here. it's not just misuse of office equipment for personal use, it's a prurient use. in the office you're allowed to distinguish good and bad behavior in this regard. i wouldn't think it's automatically limited to just the spouse. >> sure. you know, chris, that answer applied to the question about women and how he treats women. so, you know, there are other public issues about it. but in terms of that realm of how he has treated her, she is the ultimate judge whether that is decent treatment. but i would say even that suggests that at the very least a lack of empathy and a lack of compassion. >> i want to give anthony weiner a chance here. before we go, i want you to say what you think is going on here. dog day afternoon, about a desperate guy who has robbed a bank, and he is desperately trying to appeal to the crowds under some hopeless root for me, i'm an underdog. dog day afternoon with al pacino. i think this is what this guy

weiner is up to now. >> come on, attempted robbery. >> armed robbery. >> all right, armed then. nobody's been hurt. >> get over there, will you? he wants to kill me so bad, he can taste it. [ yelling ] >> this new york guy that doesn't have a prayer in heaven of being elected mayor of new york is out there doing this. he is out there stirring up crazy. he is trying to make himself a victim of himself, but somehow a victim of the media, of us, of the clintons even as of today. he is trying to blame them for feeling uncomfortable about the guy. is this going to work? you're a political expert.

this going to work? >> no, i don't think that's going to work. that's compassion on your part to compare that to that amazing achievement by al pacino who does make him a compassionate figure. i don't think anthony weiner is succeeding that that. but i think you're right. i think there is a kind of desperation and appeal to the crowd. you and i talked about this when it broke at the beginning. the first time around there was a sense in new yorkers that he deserved a second chance, and that also some people, some liberals didn't like folks in washington telling them who their representative should have been. they thought he was a good standard bearer. now that is not the sense i'm getting. he is sinking like a stone in the polls. i think that is going to continue. the appeal to the crowd is desperate, but i don't think it's going to work. >> i think we're at most a day or two away from hearing from clinton people. we're already hearing from people like dee dee myers who are very trusted by them. i think they're beginning to signal this guy is embarrassing them and they don't want him around as they begin the slow takeoff for the presidency. thank you, my friend joan walsh for coming on again tonight.

>> thank you. >> you're in new york actually. coming up, one reason to care about anthony weiner's behavior is it does involve hillary clinton. yesterday, this is so interesting to watch how she handles this. she is such a pro now. as she had lunch with the president, beautiful pictures of them in the rose garden. breakfast today with joe biden, perhaps telling him the bad news that she is going to run. well, it was a coy campaign, an underground campaign seems to me a very transparent thing to get us used to the idea. this isn't a guessing game. she is going for the presidency eventually. also, president obama makes the republicans i think an offer they can't refuse. it's a pretty good offer. certainly a good deal starter. if they can work on it a little bit, i think they can get somewhere. i don't think they're going to do it. i think the republicans are going to rebuff him again, but he is trying. and bradley manning. talk about good news/bad news. he is found not guilty of aiding the enemy, but is convicted of multiple charges that could add up to 100 years in prison, which by my calculations and by most people's is more than life.

finally, let me finish with the offer republicans, well, there is an offer she can't refuse, but they well may. because even though they're getting a good offer about economic growth, they don't seem interested. this is "hardball," the place for politics.

well, republicans up in alaska may still like sarah palin, but the rest of us say not really. let's check the "hardball" scoreboard. according to a new ppp poll, palin would be the republican's choice for senate should she decide to run. but in a general election matchup against incumbent democrat mark begich, palin trails badly. 52-40 over palin. 12 point spread there. we'll be right back.

no mother, no father should ever have to fear for their child walking down the streets in america. >> welcome back to "hardball" that was former secretary of

state and possibly the future president hillary clinton just two weeks ago speaking to the country's largest african-american store report here in d.c. and addressing the death there of trayvon martin, sounding very much like a candidate for higher office. but it's not what secretary clinton has been saying lately, i think, but what she has been showing us that signals to me she is all in for 2016 and wants us to know it. yesterday we saw a picture, a very flattering picture of her and the president sitting as equals, as the president sitting with another president. very presidential picture in the rose garden. few get that treatment. and today in the morning she had scrambled eggs and toast i'm told with the vice president of the united states, perhaps to pass to him her thinking. i'm sure they talked about it there is more. the former secretary of state has released a web video announcing her support for gay marriage, a web video. she sits side by side with president obama and three former u.s. presidents down in dallas with the bush library dedication. she came as an equal to them. she is traveling around the country giving speeches and writing a book about her time as secretary of state, all that

experience she picked up in four years. the superpac, it's called ready for hillary is now being advised by a hillary veteran and confidante and top strategist harold ickes. she couldn't be closer to the clintons than he is. they're all connected to form one grassroots movement that could well give hillary the advantage from the get-go if and when she gives the go. today the group announced that group has raised over a million dollars. three years actually ahead of the next election. these are what people in politics call optics. and they point to a much less coy hillary clinton profile as of this week, i believe, laying the groundwork to become barack obama's heir-apparent and the next lead other telephone democratic party and then on to the presidency. joining me is ed rendell and michelle goldberg of the daily beast. governor, i do think, and you are an expert and much closer to the clintons than i am, both to bill and to hillary. i think that they're no longer playing the cat and mouse game. she now is looking fabulous.

i don't know -- i know i shouldn't talk about looks with a woman, but i'll just say it. the way she has presented herself, it always gets me in trouble. i'll say it again. she looks presidential as hell. i'll put it that way. the dark suit, the haircut, it says this person looks ready for primetime, ready to go to game. she's got game right now. i'm looking at her and no more pretending i might or i might not. your view, your knowledge i guess. >> well, chris, she is doing the things she should be doing if she wants to become a candidate. but i am not 100% certain that she has crossed the rubicon. i think everybody else around her has. and the reason i say that is because hillary clinton has an opportunity that almost nobody else in politics has. when we're leaving office, the biggest concern we have, people who have served for a long time is will i still be relevant when i'm no longer in office. and the answer most times is no, not nearly as relevant. but hillary clinton can go around the world for the rest of her life driving women's issues

and being one of the most important people in the world without undergoing the stress of a campaign. now, you write about the optics. they're certainly doing things that are much more conducive to getting ready to run. but i don't know if she has crossed the rubicon or if she is just place holding right now in case she does decide to run. now, i'm in the minority. i sat with bill and hillary at bill gray's funeral in philadelphia a few weeks ago. and she was doing the things you have to do as a candidate. but i'm not sure she is 100% there, because she's got that rare opportunity to still have her voice heard loud and clear the rest of her life. >> it's true. i think, though -- well, let me go to michelle in this. it's a reporter's question too. when i look at the picture of them in the rose garden, i don't see the past. i see the future. that's not a me. that's not a -- lunch between a former yesterday -- this isn't between -- i guess i've got the right audience. anyway, this is the future --

this looks like a future youth meeting here to me in looking at it. your thoughts. >> and she has done such a good job at repackaging herself from 2008. she has already the massive base that she has the last time she was declared the inevitable nominee. but since then, she has really shown i think her humorous side, which was a side of her that people didn't know about. she has kind of been very savvy digitally, which she wasn't in 2008. she has been really smart about -- not her, but her superpac has been hiring some of the smartest people in the obama camp. so, you know, all of that acrimony that was -- that's all gone now. >> speaking of which, governor, it looked to me like last time, obama could be sarcastic to a fault with she is likable enough. that will hurt him more than her. if she runs for president, she is running against some real characters. i look at a guy like ted cruz, rand paul. they're not going to be afraid to take the heat to her.

they're going to go after her and call her a lefty. they're going to go after benghazi every night of the week. it's going to be a vicious attack on her. they're going to play to their own crowd. so this isn't going up against john mccain or going up against a regular republican like even romney. this is going to go up potentially against the hardest right there is. >> no question about it. and then again, that's a decision she wants to make. does she want to undergo a year and a half or two years of that type of stress. but let me tell you, if you go back to her first testimony at the first benghazi hearing, she handled those tough old boys pretty well. i don't think hillary clinton is going to back down to anybody. she believes what she believes. she is strong. she is lucid. she is clear, and nobody is going to scare hillary clinton. if i would tell you an american politician that is fearless right now, it's her. >> do they know they had the wrong team last time when they ran? do they know they didn't have the right advisers? >> we all made it clear to them. i think they know that.

>> let me go to michelle on that. do you see a new team emerging around the secretary of state who might would suggest she is going to make this a better effort, a more state-of-the-art effort, a little less -- what's the right word? a little less of a cotillion of her friends and more like the best you can get to help you win? >> yeah, i think it's already really clear that's that is what is happening. it was really significant that they hired jeremy byrd, who was really important for their kind of legendary turnout operation. you know, all the things that she was beaten last time, she is going to have an advantage on this time. >> she is running. so she is running? she is hiring the get out the vote expert and she is not running? why would you hire a get out the vote expert if you weren't going to run? >> michelle is making a very important point, chris. go ahead, michelle. >> he is working for the superpac. he is working on her behalf. he is not working for her. >> what about harold ickes? >> harold ickes wants more than anything in his life for her to

run again. so do i. i don't think she has crossed the rubicon. i do think there is a difference. >> have you? >> i've crossed it. >> if you're not here with us, i think you're chief of staff, at least. at least. >> we'll see. >> maybe bigger. you don't want to take d.o.t. or one of those jobs. come on. they're boring to death. thank you michelle goldberg for giving us an objective look at this. i do think hillary is running. i think this is a great week for her. for joe biden, that breakfast must have been brutal. ever wonder what it would look like through the eyes of newt gingrich? this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ female announcer ] you walk into your laundry room and...boom!

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back to "hardball." now quickly to the sideshow, the weiner escapade has proven how explosive a sex scandal can be

in the internet age. but last night david letterman suggested the concept of sexting is nothing new in new york politics. >> it's not the first time a mayor of new york city has had troubles like this. it goes way back. in fact we got into the archives and we pulled a clip. here now another very well-known mayor of new york city who engaged in this kind of thing himself. it's stunningly surprising. watch. ♪ >> i mayor la guardia affix my signature and present to you an autographed photo of my [ bleep ]. call me if you want to get wild. >> disgraceful. i love la guardia. who knew? a former democratic presidential candidate has weighed in on the race, no, not hillary clinton. it was howard dean, the 2004

candidate who is famous for his scream, of course, after the iowa caucuses. well, he has been quietly campaigning for bill de blasio, the city advocate at several grassroots events across new york. he has been reenacting that infamous 2004 moment. >> what i realize as i was getting up here tonight to take off my coat, which is this shirt which is kind of wrinkled and all that, the reason it's wrinkled is it was ten years old. it's the shirt i was wearing when i gave the scream speech in iowa. we're going to brooklyn and then we're going to bronx and then styled and then we're going to go to manhattan, all the way, yes! yeah! >> well, i guess that's maturity. he has grown up. here is something different, by the way, really different if you're interested. newt gingrich is the latest to try a google glasses, the wearable computer that responds to voice commands. he recently posted a video he filmed with the device from the

peoria zoo out in illinois. if you ever wanted to know what it's like to see through the eyes of newt gingrich, there is your chance. >> okay, glass. what is your name? >> bibi. >> bibi. hello, bibi. there you go. >> newt gingrich is the strangest there is. finally, you would never guess what guantanamo bay detainees are reading these days. if you're thinking about it, after returning from a tour of the facility, jim moran told "the huffington post," the book requested most by the detainees is "50 shades of gray." not much is going on down there, so what the hell? that is jim moran's comment. the offer republicans can't refuse, or can they? you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. ♪

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i'm milissa rehberger. here is what is happening. investigators say the black box in the deadly train derailment show the driver was on his work phone at the time of the crash, apparently talking to a fellow employee about the train's route. 79 people were killed. san diego city council has voted to sue bob mayer filner for any costs the city may incur for the sexual harassment lawsuits filed against him. there are a growing number

of republican senators who are trying to work with democrats to get some stuff done. that's good news. the bad news is rather than keep our focus on what should be our priority, which is growing our economy and creating good middle class jobs, we've seen a certain faction of republicans in congress hurt a fragile recovery by saying they wouldn't pay the very bills the congress racked up in the first place, threatening to shut down the people's government if they can't get rid of obama care. >> welcome back to "hardball." that's the president out there today recovery. that was his message today in tennessee, his fourth stop in just five days as he ramps up a campaign to fix american's struggling economy. today was all about the plan, a grand bargain he said designed to entice republicans with the promise of cutting, get this, corporate tax rates. in exchange he wants to raise the minimum wage and add new investments in infrastructure paid for by changes to the tax code, including new taxes on foreign earnings, at least one-time only.

no surprise i guess in this environment republican leaders are saying total opposed to this thing. they don't want any bargain. they call it a non-starter for republicans. but today's event wasn't just about the economy i think, it was also about the republicans. in fact, at every stop on his economic tour the last five days, obama has aggressively attacked the republicans for its obstructionist agenda. he says its lack of leadership and its lack of focus. he says their focus have been on phony scandals. i guess he stalking benghazi and the irs. for a white house that has found itself playing defense with things like the irs controversy and the national security leagues and obama care glitches, he has taken the offensive on this issue, and for good reason. we're talking about more than just an economic recovery for the white house. this is about power politics. this is obama declaring war on his enemies with specific terms. margie omero is a democratic pollster and strategist. here is what i think he is doing. he is laying down what looks to be the beginning of a discussion. republicans would love corporate tax cuts, a drop he is offering

from down to 25 for manufacturing. he is also going to spend more money on highways, something republicans have always supported. republicans love spending money on highways. they come from rural areas. they love to spend that money. number three minimum wage. all republicans have to do, john, play mr. republican here and say we like that corporate tax cut. yes to that. on the infrastructure, we'll do it as long as you don't waste money on what it's spent. on real construction. i want to smell the construction. and three, the tax -- the minimum wage, we'll give you little, but close to living adjustment for that. why don't you guys come back positively on the republican side? >> well, first of all, i do think there is a mistake that we have to have lobbying response that any time obama opens his mouth, we're going to criticize and say no. and i actually had some hope for this speech that maybe he could say something that we could agree with. the problem, obama took a speech that he could have unified people, talked about middle class and hardworking jobs and instead turned into it a

political speech where he rapped the republicans, he complimented himself. and what he put forward is raise taxes over here so we can create -- >> raise taxes? >> he is going to get rid of loopholes. that's code for him. >> that's always been the case of lower rates. the only way to lower rates is get rid of loop holes. >> why don't you get rid of them before that? he is finding loophole over here's. >> i studied reagan for years. reagan said lower rates is the key issue. get the rates down and people want to invest. it just seems margie, he is talking republican talk. spending money on real construction. real construction jobs that is helping business. and he is talking about business getting a huge break on the tax side. >> right. and absolutely. why don't republicans come to the table and try to negotiate? >> why not counteroffer? >> right. that's what the american people want. >> let's take manufacturing. >> why don't you guys come back with a counteroffer. >> i do. i'll have one for you right now. manufacturing, what he said is we're going give discounts to people who come back here. it's not fair to existing

manufacturers who never left. why don't we get rid of the tax completely for manufacturers and just get the payroll tax? make america make products again. manufacture. why have it? >> why don't we get rid of the government that goes with it? >> well, that's a different argument for a different day. >> why not let workers compete. >> what day are you getting rid of when you get rid of all this revenue? >> no. no you get all the manufacturers back here. >> this is what the republican party is doing. and i'm afraid i think for the country's interest, it's not working. i'm afraid it is working. i'm afraid this no-go thing is working. what he is semi defending. >> maybe republicans think this is a good political strategy, but that's not borne out by the data. "washington post" found last week a majority of republicans feel that the leadership of the paper is taking them in the wrong direction. >> is that on immigration or economics? >> total. total. >> let's show the numbers. do we have the numbers? basically, it says that among

republicans, they think their leadership is not going in the right direction, as you just said, margie. 37% say it's going in the right direction. among democrats, and they like the way the president and the leaders of the house are doing it. look at that in the senate. they say 72%. how do you respond your party is not being represented well? >> and they're not. >> you're here for the republican spot. >> i understand. but i'm not going to play the role where i have to agree everything they say. i think they're making a big messaging mistake. that is they are no longer fighting for hard-working middle class families. they don't act like they relate. obama catches us on the rope a dope all the time and lets us fight for tax breaks for the wealthy. what thousand that really does is have hardworking americans think we don't understand. what i'm saying, though, as a party, we're not going grow until though people believe we're fighting for them. >> what does the president have to do? here is my concern. i believe we're going into the fall, which is not my concern. i love the fall. but we're going into the fall. and what it looks like is not everybody in your party, but the cruzes and the rand pauls and the new guy from utah are

basically playing to put a stranglehold around the united states government. and they're going to bring it to a crawl. it's going to affect the economy, the stock market. not only will they bring a stranglehold to american politician, as the economy starts to slow in its recovery, they'll have a double whammy. margie, don't you see this coming? come christmas when we should be having christmas sales, the economy will be slowing. the republicans saying the economy is slowing. it's all because of obama and it will be because of their slowing and actually shutting down the government. >> i hope that that's not what happened. and i hope that republicans are not looking at sabotaging the economy is one, going to be good for them politically, two, be good for the people in their district. they go home and talk to the people struggling and think well, i can live with that because i'm scoring a point against obama. i don't believe that folks come to washington and that's their goal. >> do you believe it? are you being rhetorical here? you don't believe? i believe it's what they're doing. i believe it's exactly what

they're doing. >> i think there may be a few people who feel that way. >> they're i they think they're sampson in the temple. they think they're bringing it down. bring it down. >> there is plenty of blame on both sides. >> let's take a look at this. i don't think the president wants to bring things down. he wants to be kind of the cook. today he was out talking about republicans. let's listen to him. >> the point is, if washington spent as much time and energy these past two years figuring out how to grow our economy and grow our middle class as it spent manufacturing crises in pursuit of a cut at all costs approach to deficits, we'd be much better off. i don't want to go through same old arguments where we propose the same idea and republicans say no because it was my idea. wasting the country's time by taking something like 40 meaningless votes to repeal obama care is not a job program. that's not a job program. >> that's become his applause line, by the way. trying to repeal obama care is not a jobs program. >> my advice to the president.

whoever wrote that speech, he should fire them. that was very divisive speech at a time when he had a good topic to talk about. everybody cares about jobs and economic development. he could have actually brought america together, and he gave a very divisive speech. >> who would have responded to him if he had done what you said. who would have called up and said i've got to talk to the press. i'm calling a press conference. the president was really positive today. let's work together. who? >> there is so much hunger in this country for people that see them actually work together on both sides. >> boehner, i think -- margie, you're the democrat here. i think they have given up on boehner having the leadership skills to do that. >> he is not even saying where he stands on key issues. it's unfortunate. the president is going to highlight what the obstacles are. it's important for us to be reminded. and the american people know what is happening. they see -- they blame republicans more than democrats two to one. >> we only have one economy, and it's coming along, but it's not great.

and housing is getting better and some signs are getting better. if this is the recovery, it's not great. and the two parties could kick this thing to a much higher gear if they work together. we all know that. and they're not doing it. john gray bender who has done a good job tonight not really defending the republicans which is the right approach to take, and margie omero, thanks for coming on. he was also convicted today on 19 other charges. he could face more than 100 years of prison, which is an awful lot of time for one person. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ female announcer ] made just a little sweeter... because all these whole grains aren't healthy unless you actually eat them ♪ multigrain cheerios. also available in delicious peanut butter. healthy never tasted so sweet. i was having trouble getting out of bed in the morning because my back hurt so bad. the sleep number bed conforms to you. i wake up in the morning with no back pain. do you toss and turn? wake up with back pain? if so, call us now.

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we talk a lot about the civil war within the republican party between the establishment and the far right, and 50 years that was much the same. that's when william scranton, the pennsylvania governor rose to national prominence as a kennedy republican. he supported civil rights, invested in education, even raised taxes in pennsylvania. in 1964 he took on barry goldwater for the republican presidential nomination. he only won one state, his home state of pennsylvania and goldwater went on to lose the general election in a landslide. scranton later served as u.n. ambassador under president ford. today we learned that governor scranton died in california at the age of 96. a great, great republican. we'll be right back.

we're back. it was the largest leak of classified information in american history. u.s. army private bradley manning admitted to giving the anti-secrecy website, wikileaks, more than 700,000 military reports and diplomatic cables. his defense attorneys characterized him as naive, but well intentioned. whistleblower. anyway, is he a whistleblower? prosecutors said he was an anarchist and traitor. today manning learned his fate. a military judge found him not guilty of the most serious charge, he faced aiding the enemy but convicted on 20 separate chargers, lesser charges related to espionage, theft and computer fraud. he faces potentially, get this, 136 years in prison. he's a young guy, but that's a

frightening number of years. michael hersh for the "national journal" and david for "reuters." gentlemen, let me ask you about the reaction to the verdict. what is yours, sir? michael? >> it seemed to me to be, on the whole, fair. at least in the eyes of the law. many legal commentators thought the aiding the enemy charge was too far over the line which set a dangerous precedent for the free flow of information to the press in the future. you know, the espionage act was, perhaps, applicable. mishandling classified information, certainly. i think it's hope the judge will in the end not sentence him to the maximum, and that -- >> yeah, he won't add it up. david, do you think he'll give him a simultaneous serving these sentences so it won't add up to 1,000 years basically the way it's going now? >> i think he will. let's not forget bradley manning spent nine months in solitary confinement before he was tried and was not even allowed to have

clothes in the solitary cell. >> he had no clothes on? what is that about? isn't that cruel and unusual punishment. what's that got to do with anything, that kind of treatment of a prisoner? >> it's overkill. i don't understand the administration's approach. obama, the administration has carried out more prosecution of leakers than all previous administrations combined. you know, this charge of aiding the enemy was unnecessary. the judge did do the right thing. i agree. but you're going to create more leakers. you're turning julian assange and wikileaks and snowden and manning into, i think, heroes for people and it's just overkill. he violated the law. he should go to jail. you know, he violated the oath he took, but not for 136 years. >> let's look at this. here's julian assange, the founder of wikileaks who told reporters after the verdict today that manning was a hero. that's his word.

about the trial he said, "it is a dangerous precedent, an example of national security extremism. this has never been a fair trial." let me go back to this -- how do you see, michael? i just wonder whether there's more information here we don't get because it's kept classified. was there real damage here done to our agents, our officials around the world, espionage people, our spies? >> i think the desire to punish him on the part of the government is simply created the deterrent effect. i don't think there was any real damage we know about. no one, you know, lost their lives as we saw in some of the cases of spies of the last like james during the cold war. in fact, there's substantial circumstantial evidence that the wikileaks stuff in tunisia had enormous effect in starting off the protests there that led to the arab spring. if you believe in democratic movements in the arab world, it may have had a beneficial effect.

>> the highest profile leaker, of course, since bradley manning, of course, edward snowden, shows a very different way from his predecessor, thread the country. in russia at the airport. the country's attitude toward snowden is mixed. this is interesting for our country. us we're talking about here. 55% of our country view him as a whistleblower, a positive term. 34% view him as more of a traitor, obviously the worst term. in the latest nbc/"wall street journal" poll, 34% to 11% which seems to be at odds. mow do you explain that in public opinion, people don't like the guy, they disapprove of him but think of him less as a traitor and much more of a no worse than neutral whistleblower? >> i guess i go to my overkill argument earlier. what he did was wrong. most people think it's wrong but they think the government is overreacting in way they're going after him with a worldwide manhunt. i think, you know, he is a whistleblower. he started a very valuable debate about this metadata,

tremendous surveillance going on. the public is worried about it. there was a vote in the house to stop that collection. the politics is changing on this. views of snowden will change as people don't like the surveillance. >> thanks so much, david rodin, thank you, michael hirsh, for your expertise. we'll be right back after this. . i go to angie's list to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

let me finish tonight with this. president obama made an offer today, an offer the republicans can refuse. they can sit on their hands and

mock him. they can play politics and refuse even to make a counteroffer. or they can grow up and start negotiating. that's if they really do care enough about the country's slow recovery to kick it into a higher greer. the president's put something on the table. he put out proposals, a big chop in corporate tax rates and mightier one for manufacturing. a total gimme to prison. he proposed a big road and bridge program, the stuff republicans liked. he also proposed a minimum wage hike. how about the republicans say we'll take the corporate hike, take the road and bridge, and we'll give you a minimum wage hike that at least covers inflation. if the republicans want to kick the economy into a higher gear, that's what they do. as hyman roth would put it in "the godfather" they'd say, i'm going to take a nap now, michael. when i wake up, if the money is on the table, i know i have a partner. if it's not, i know i don't.

the democrat in the white house made an offer. time for the republicans to match it. if they want a partner in growing this economy, they'll act. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. good evening, from new york. i'm chris hayes. tonight on "all in" a verdict in a trial the likes of which this country has not seen in 150 years. literally. why it matters to every american what wikileaker bradley manning was charged with and what he was convicted of today. also tonight religious scholar reza aslan, being the subject of the most embarrassing interview fox news has ever done. plus, shocking video of white youths rye rotting and running rampant through the streets of huntington beach, california. do we need to have a national dialogue about the violent destructive white youth culture