saying them, people start thinking you're not just being passionate, that maybe you're really a vile person. and vile people should not be in the company of people that want to lead this country. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. obama to republicans. let's play "hardball." >> good evening. i'm chris matthews in new york. let me start tonight with this. president obama lays down the law. he is doing what critics on the left have urged him to do for five years. he is saying what he wants. his new budget says no to austerity, no cuts in social security. he says yes again to a big hike in the federal minimum wage, right up there to $10.10. message to the democratic base, barack obama is with you all the

way. message to the republicans, you guys had your chance when i was talking deal over entitlements, you said no to tax. now i'm saying no. the president's political message could be not hardly any sharper. this is going to be one tough election year. he is saying november is going to turn on who brings out their base. now hear this. president obama is going to do nothing between now and then, meaning november, that causes anything but joy for the democratic base. he is going to try to juice the base. social security, you've never had a better friend than me, he is saying. higher minimum wage? same deal. well, tonight we take a bold new look at a bold new president. richard wolffe is an msnbc political analyst and executive editor of msnbc.com. and joy reid is the host of the reid report debuting this monday, three days hence at 2:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. i want to start with you, joy, in this, the new look at the president. no more simpson/bowles. we're going down, meet down the middle. we're going to have a marriage of right and left.

pretty clearly identification with the progressive wing of his party. clear-cut old democratic principles. >> absolutely. and you said it in your intro. midterm elections are simply about getting out the base. this is not politics of trying to persuade the other side that you'll work with them. no. president obama has got to get the base of the democratic party to do what they don't normally do, which is turn out in large numbers in a midterm. to do that, he has to strip away all the compromise stuff. he has to strip away all the stuff that irritated the democratic base over the last five years and he is now giving them exactly what they want, a hard line on social security. and more importantly, he is using the s words, spending. the mother's milk of states. he is going to the governors and did so today, i want to spend money on infrastructure job training, things democrats particularly at the state level love. >> let's talk about the politics. i think they coincide here. richard, thanks for joining us. >> it's my pleasure. >> this president is not a fiscal hawk. he is not sitting out there thinking of ways to reduce the

debt. he thinks the debt is coming down quite nicely, thank you. he believes the government can help create demand. he is a keynesian. he has probably said to himself, i don't believe in cutting debt. in the current situation of recovery. i don't think republicans want to do it either. so why am i pretending anymore that i believe in debt reduction and i believe that they might go along with it. so ending the pretense, along with what joy said and i said before, it looks like he is now saying okay, you know what? i'm a progressive. and i basically think we could use a little more stimulus. we're going to get through a little more spending. and by the way, i'm not touching social security. no more chained cpi or that stuff. your thoughts. >> shea progressive, but he is also a realist. and the realistic view of the government finance and the economy has changed. that's to say the economy has bounced back better than people thought it would at a time of simpson/bowles. the deficit is looking a whole lot better because of things like the sequester cut, because health care costs aren't rising so quickly. but the third element is the

politics has changed. you don't hear people getting fired up about the deficits and debt, saying that it's the world's greatest threat to american values anymore. all of that has changed when this president looks at all of that and said, well, if i don't have a partner in terms of this compromise, then why should i get hit from the left and the right? the president's aides will tell you time and again, unlike 2008, 2007, when they said well, if we're getting criticized from both sides, that means we're telling uncomfortable truths. now they'll say after so many years in office, if we get hit by both sides, that's the worst position for us to be in. he's not going to do that again. >> joy, have i another realization that has come to me. for a long time, we thought the republicans, let me put hit the way. the democrats are willing to tax the rich a bit more. the republicans were looking to cut entitlements for the working class and middle class and everybody. but i get the feeling republicans have wised up to this. i don't think you're going to get anybody coming forward in an election year, any election year, even a midterm and say let's chop away at the cpi. let's make it tougher to keep up with the cost of living. you know what i mean?

therefore i don't think the republicans were going to come to the middle and say you give us that cut in the enadvertisements, and we'll give you a little more taxes. i don't think there was any more give on either of those, not just the taxes. i don't think the republicans ever deep down wanted to cut the entitlements because there is no politics in it there just isn't. >> i think that some of the republicans do. the ones i would disagree with you on are people like paul ryan, who have a very dock stricken view of wanting to go after medicare. >> the purists. >> exactly. and there is a very small minority. that's why it was so risky to put him on the ticket because he is really a zealot when it comes to cutting entitlements. i think you're right on the main republicans have decided their best political position is stasis where they are now. i think they understand this, present new policy that is going to irritate their base with let's face it older americans. their base is much older. so they aren't going to go after anything that is an entitlement to seniors. they're not going to do it, particularly when they need to get those people out in the midterm. >> the family that is living up there in pennsylvania, the rural

parts of pennsylvania, upstate scranton, erie, they're not moving to a condo down in naples. they're going to be up there. and they need every dollar in social security and cpi. they don't want trimming on our stuff if we're the democrats. here is the president double do you think on something i think is smart, the minimum wage. at a meeting today with democratic governors what he believes and what he thinks works. let's listen. >> this is not just good policy. it also happens to be good politics, because the truth of the matter is the overwhelming majority of americans think that raising the minimum wage is a good idea. >> richard, here is my theory. i don't know if i sparked this idea, but a while back, a week or so ago, i started talking discharge petition. don't democrats sit around waiting for republicans. you guys get a pet 2ir7b, get 218 votes, you'll get it on the floor. imagine going into the room. it's like card check with the labor unions. they come walk in the door, we would like you to sign this. peter king is waiting for them.

peter king, he doesn't want to not sign it. pat meehan, mike fitzpatrick, they're going to say wait a minute, if i don't sign this thing, they'll be able to go out and announce the democrats that i, representing a lot of working -- i've said no to minimum wage. i think it's a great way to screw the other side into doing something you want them to do. and it's a win-win, because if they don't do it, you kill them in november. >> right. if you're going to fight about jobs, if you're going to talk about middle class prosperity and opportunity, if that's what you think the 2016 and 2014 elections are going to be fought on this, is a great issue. it's a little bit of a color of politics, right? you're not saying you really think this is going to get through. but what is different here more than just the politics is you have retailers. you have the businesses that republicans say they speak for saying well, i'm okay with it, when the gap is out there saying we can afford this, that changes the dynamic. you've got not just who is in touch with the middle class, but who is in touch with the real economy. and that's where i think democrats have an opening.

>> let's be really political here. i would bet there are more republican employees throughout than there are republican employers. i know everybody likes to pretend the republican party -- my dad was one, we're all entrepreneurs. they're not. most of them work for somebody. they may work in a corporation. but they work maybe in a small business. they're not the guy meeting the payroll. the guy on the payroll, or woman on the payroll. so the question i have to you is why wouldn't they want to do it for their own people? especially if they could get a tax deal for small business, some little sugar plum thrown into the deal, which often happens. >> no no, exactly. the reason it is smart for democrats to play on this, the key word in minimum wage is wage. you're not talk about people that republicans can sort of demean as deadbeats. you're talking about working people, working stiffs, the average guy, who republicans like to message that they stand for. what democrats want to do in this election, because republicans don't want to do legislation, don't want to propose policy. they want to stay where they are, democrats have to get individual republicans on the record on an issue that is unpopular. so they want to get a republican

on the record voting against the idea of raising the minimum wage because that's what the ads will be. they want the ads to be this particular republican doesn't care about the working man. look at this vote that he just did or his failure to vote on minimum wage. it's an issue that democrats can win on, and they would be smart to do just what you said and try to get as many republicans on the record. get that on the floor if they can. >> catch a picture of a person catching the bus to work trying to grab enough money out of $5 an hour or $7 an hour and this person doesn't deserve a little break here? anyway, eric cantor, in a memo obtained by msnbc entitled the imperial presidency, cantor identifies the attacks as the march to the midterm picks up there. will be plans to restore the balance of power. in other words, the gop wants to do something about the president's executive orders, they say. and the memo makes sure they'll continue the drumbeat and continue to criticize the president's health care plan. let me ask you about how tired

these ideas are. first of all, we know they're going to hit obamacare. fair enough. but going back to this constitutional threat, this is really ridiculous. that president obama is somehow lyndon johnson, that he is some sort of guy who stretches his arms and makes people do stuff? he sort of takes you in the back room and beats you and gets his way. what is this, this notion of him? this president has been a mild mannered ceo as president of this country. and the idea that he is some sort of imperial presidency, i guess they're really playing to their base with that kind of talk. >> well, they are. obviously it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. look at the number of executive orders out there. look at how the two strategies of playing to the base actually stack up against each other not in terms of size of the base, but whether you can reach someone who is persuadable in the suburban bases where the mid terms are going to get decided, and what you have. you have an imperial presidency charge against the minimum wage

rise. which one is going to have more populace reach, not just for your core voters, but for some of those fringer, more infrequent ones who are smaller than a presidential cycle, but can still make the difference. i don't think these two strategies really stack up in the same way. >> the big one tonight, the big announcement today, thank you for joining us. the big news, the president is playing hardball. he is coming out for complete protection of social security benefits. 100% support for the full cost of living adjustments coming up, no change in that. and all out for the working people, pushing hard for a real double down i think of the minimum wage fight for $10.10. don't forget, everybody, after the reid report. interesting tide title. the reid report 2:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. thank you for joining us again, and thank you, richard wolffe. coming up, the tale of two kris east. the old tough guy, we know him pretty well. and now the damage control mode he is on right now.

plus, the conservative clown car is back making a return. among them steve king is back who says yes, it's true. illegal immigrants do have calves the size of cantaloupes from lugging drugs across the border. hate him when he is president, love him when they're bashing obama, then hate him again now that hillary is a threat to run. and yes, that is first lady michelle obama on "the tonight show" sketch with jimmy fallon and will ferrell, in this case, in drag. >> you're pretty strong. you could totally go to the olympics. >> thank you, sara. i do try to exercise every day. >> really? because i think exercise is ew. >> exercise is not eow. new engl. wow! this is incredible! i know. and now it has more clams! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. what? [ male announcer ] it fills you up right.

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"meet the press." we'll be talking about the 2014 and 2016 elections, plus president obama's handling of foreign policy, given what is going on in the ukraine. that's this sunday on "meet the press" on nbc. check your local listings. [ cellphone dings ] [ nephew ] hi heath. i can't wait to see you win gold! bye. [ male announcer ] there when you need it. at&t. the nation's most reliable 4g lte network.

welcome back to "hardball." chris christie's old empire continues to crumble. "the new york times" is reporting that paul nunziato, says the phony traffic study was his idea is now stepping aside from the union's day-to-day operations. that's according to a person briefed on the matter. in a statement nunziato has asked one of his deputies to take control. yesterday christie amped up his efforts at a town hall. what caught people's attention was the abrupt change in the governor's public personality. the "new york times" said, quote, the man who once

commanded these rooms just by walking into them seemed unmistakably mortal. "the washington post" said it was nothing like christie's previous town halls. deliberately low-key. and "the bergen record" noted that the governor's usual swagger was gone. this is the image he left people with, the larger than life christie neiling to the floor to talk to a 3-year-old. this is the portrait of a politician in survival mode. jonathan capehart is an opinion writer with "the washington post" and msnbc contributor. and katy is a reporter for politico. gentleman and katie, a picture is worth a thousand words unless it's a public relations stunt. i keep going back to nixon in my comparisons to this fellow. nixon had a new face. he presented it in 1968 when he ran the second time. he had town meetings put together by roger ales in those

days. not the dark old nixon of old. so is this going to work? >> well, what we saw yesterday in the town hall, certainly in stark contrast to the way we have seen governor christie really over the last couple of years. certainly more subdued. we didn't see much of that new jersey bravado that he has often exuded before and certainly displayed that softer side. at the same time the event seemed to serve as a bit of a reprieve from the really tough 2014 that he had. he wasn't presented with real tough questions. that offered a little space to show the more empathetic side that comes as we have seen all the reports that are suggesting and raising questions about whether his administration is taking a bit of a bullying approach. >> you know, the old question, jonathan, you've been around long enough to know this, i think the difference between politicians in public and often the public version is the one we get. >> uh-huh. >> they like us all. they're so friendly when they

meet reporters or commentators, anybody that might make them look bad or worse. that's not really a good way to judge a politician, by the way he treats a reporter, it's been my experience. >> correct. >> you got to ask around. you got to do a little reporting to find out what they're like when you're not watching. so my question to you, the real christie is the one that was dancing around the floor the other day with the 3-year-old, or in fact is he the guy who put together the team of wildstein and baroni and bridget kelly and stepien, and all these people who think it's the business of the government of new jersey to punish opponents? >> chris, it's both. look, i'm one of those reporters whose gotten into an on-air tussle with governor christie. but what people didn't see was what happened off camera when he complimented me on a piece that i had written giving him a compliment for putting the flags at half-staff when whitney houston died. and after our on-air altercation, i thanked him again. and he was very heartfelt about sort of how he was disturbed by

the reaction to his doing that for whitney houston and the awful names people called people dealing with drug addiction. he talked about it as being a disease, and these people need to be helped. that was when i saw the empathetic, more real human down to earth chris christie than the larger than life bullying chris christie that i dealt with on air, and who we have come to know through all the scenes that we have seen of him at town hall meetings and radio introduce. >> what is the more important part of him, the part that is effective in politics or the part that is charming to you? >> well, look, the thing that is happening right now is politically speaking what chris christie needs to do. he is engulfed in scandal. his administration is engulfed in scandal. and the number one thing he can do to help himself politically is to look like he is acting normally, that he is going about the business of being governor, of tending to the needs of the people of his state. and yeah, he was there in a place that has always been christie territory. so the questions that came to

him yesterday were all very friendly, except for one moment there when he got into it with someone in the audience. but by and large, no one pushed him. no one tested him to bring out that bullying nature. >> they say a picture is worth a thousand words. a tale of two cities. this is the old christie, his old style at work here. let's watch. >> if what you want to do is put on a show and giggle every time i talk, well, then, i have no interest in answering your question. >> i was wondering why you think it's fair to be cutting school funding to public schools. >> what is her name? >> what is her name, guys, real quick, because the governor is talk. >> what it is? >> gayle. >> gayle. >> first off, it's none of your business. >> let me tell you something. after you graduate from law school, you conduct yourself like that in a courtroom, your rear end is going to get thrown in jail, idiot. >> here is the new image projected from yesterday's town hall. see if you can spot the difference. >> how old are you? three. excellent. do you have a question for me? >> yeah.

will you fix my house? it's still broken. >> it's still broken. come here, nicole. what town do you live in, do you know? >> new jersey. >> all right. >> well, there he is playing art linkletter, or bill cosby, which of the two. it depends which generation you're from, katie. it seems to me, you got to decide. i'm seeing all kinds of politicians, including saddam hussein pull that number, pat the kid on the head. not that he is saddam hussein. but it doesn't mean much to me because he knew one thing, the camera was looking. and that doesn't tell you what happens when guadagno shows up in hoboken and says i talked to the governor last night. he said if you don't play ball in this real estate deal, you're dead. and this kind of reality is what i want to find out. that's the job of reporting. not to meet the person that he wants you to meet. meet the one that is there behind the scenes who is willing to do what is necessary. and is this person so ruthless, you've got to be damn careful of him. your thoughts. >> sure.

at the same time, town halls have always been an important part of building our perception about chris christie. the clips you showed us just now initially contributed to perception of him as very much a forthright kind of a tough leader. some people even at the time did use the term bully. but now the town hall that we saw yesterday, and he is going to have another one in the coming week or so, you know, his people are sort of looking at this as an opportunity to restore a bit of normalcy to the christie administration, to the governor who what really been besieged by this scandal since the very beginning of 2014. so while perhaps certainly a different chris christie than we've seen in previous environments, it's sort of in the view of some of his supporters an opportunity to show that he is taking steps to be back in the game. >> i'm still waiting to see what is in all the e-mails. i want to know everything, because this case is getting real. >> absolutely. >> if chris christie was testing a new persona yesterday, he got mixed reviews, even though he

held an event in an area that has overwhelmingly supported his reelection in the past, there were still bumps in the road. for instance, a woman in the crowd held up a sign that read "resign christie." at one point, members of the audience lost patience with the governor's explanations about hurricane sandy relief. >> why was hgi fired. why did you pay him $50 million? and why did you privatize -- why did you privatize most of the grant program? you didn't have to do that. >> i just disagree with you, okay. so you say we didn't have to privatize it. the alternative, the alternative -- i'm answering the question. >> well, there is a little bit of that stuff. let me go back to jonathan and back to katie quickly. so what. this guy is facing a lot of legal action here. he's got investigations with the u.s. attorneys in new jersey, maybe in new york. he's got the u.s. senate committee look agent this. of course the democrats controlling that committee down in trenton are looking in this. they're all lawyered up. all the people he has pointed the finger at called liars and

called stupid. they're all lifeguard up. this to me reminds me of watergate in this sense, in this sense. this has got a lot of time release capsules winning out there that all can go off at different times. one can go off six months from now, three months from now, a year from now. in is beyond his control, except he can make nice and hope that the jury pool out there will have some impact. i don't know how he changes reality. nixon went -- he went with gorbachev -- i'm sorry, at that time brezhnev. he met with anwar sadat, that great man. big parades in alexandria in egypt. big crowds. he was kicked out of office after all because the evidence turned out against him. isn't the evidence going to decide this, not the pr, the personality or the politics? your thoughts, jonathan, and then katie. >> yes, absolutely. it's going to be the evidence. and you characterized it perfectly. he can try to be as normal as he can be with town hall meetings and radio introduce and going about the business of being governor of the state of new jersey, but as you accurately

describe, the time release of documents and subpoenas where people are combing through thousands upon thousands of pages of e-mails looking for the smoking gun or something that resembles it to try to tie him to that, every time a bullet like that happens, knocks chris christie off stride, diminishes the luster that he has on the national stage and makes it more difficult for him politically. >> okay, thank you so much, jonathan and katie. thank you. please come back. >> thank you. michelle obama, the first lady of late night comedy? she is pretty good at this stuff. this is "hardball," the place for politics.

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isn't he the cutest? >> i wonder if the sound was out for that boom sound there for him juf him jumping up and down. is that was jimmy kimmel for his favorite politician, rob ford of toronto. michelle obama of course on "the tonight show" while she talked about the affordable care act and promoted her let's move campaign, the highlight of her appearance was a sketch with jimmy fallon and will ferrell who both played teenaged girls. >> michelle, you're pretty strong. you could totally be in the olympics. >> well, thank you, sara. i do try to exercise every day. >> really? because i think exercise is eow. >> exercise is not eow. you just have to find an activity that's right for you. for example, i like to dance, play tennis, even do some push-ups.

>> what else, sucker? dancing is exercise? >> sure. as long as you keep moving around and get your heart rate up. >> that totally just gave me an idea. >> are you saying what i think you're saying? eow, dance party! ♪ >> next up, they're calling her the smartest girl scout in america when it comes to selling cookies. you could say that 13-year-old danielle leigh of california is rolling in the dough. her secret? she is selling her cookies outside a marijuana dispensary. according to an nbc affiliate, she has been unloading a box a minute on average. here is how a spokesman for the dispensary described her success. quote, it's no secret that cannabis is an appetite stimulant. so it's not shocking that a lot of our patients came and purchased cannabis and then saw the cookies and purchased them. though lee may be enterprising, the girl scouts have expressed their disapproval, tweeting if

you are wondering, we don't allow our girl scouts to sell cookies in front of marijuana shops or liquor stores or bars. it's all about location, location, location. up next, buckle your seat belts. the right wing clown car is all gassed up and hot rodding it back into town. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. red lobster's lobsterfest! with the year's largest selection of lobster entrees, you won't find choices like these anywhere else. my favorite is lobster lover's dream! the dueling lobster tails are both winners. [ male announcer ] two maine lobster tails, one crab-stuffed, and one topped with savory garlic shrimp. nobody does lobster like red lobster. [ male announcer ] hurry in to red lobster. and sea food differently. ♪ bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage.

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i'm milissa rehberger. here is what is happening. an agreement between ukraine's president and the opposition calls for the formation of a new government and early elections. but protests continue in the capital's main square. president obama and russian president putin spoke earlier today about the deal reached in kiev. the two leaders agree it should be implemented quickly, and that all sides should refrain from violence meanwhile. and president obama met today with the dalai lama, despite objections from china.

the meeting was off limits to the press. now back to "hardball." i stand here today grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters. i stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger american story. that i owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that in no other country on earth is my story even possible. >> that's my definition of american exceptalism. welcome back to "hardball." that was then state senator barack obama giving the keynote address at the 2004 democratic national convention. it inspired millions. four years later he would be the democratic nominee for president. this week michele bachmann of minnesota, the retiring tea party congresswoman who occupies the fringiest of fringe space had a different explanation for brooke's historic win in 2008.

she told columnist cal thomas, quote, i think there was a cache about having an african american president because of guilt. she added, quote, i don't think there is a pent-up desire for a female president. in other words, no need to worry about hillary clinton for the republicans in 2016. liberal guilt only extends so far. michele bachmann is once again proving her clown car bon fides. you first on michele bachmann. i was inspired, as everybody knows what then state senator barack obama said up in boston in 2004. guilt, it may be around the fringes, but i got to tell you, it was not the vote for a black per se to be president. it was about him and his story that inspired people to vote for him, what he had done.

blind tested to become editor of the harvard law review, all that had nothing to do with race. and to accomplish what he was going to accomplish by being elected to the united states senate. the idea of something with guilt is a weird way to go at this conversation, i think. >> well, you would expect anything different from michele bachmann? she's got weird as her middle name, i think. yes, i don't remember people voting for barack obama out of guilt. it was out of enthusiasm, i think, and out of a recognition that the other candidate really wasn't so hot as a presidential candidate. >> well that's the truth. >> michele bachmann sort of hit the daily double here, though. she has offended minorities and women, two groups that the republicans surely don't need to improve their electoral chances. but let's give her some credit. she is partly right when she talks about particularly women and americans not being ready to elect another woman. americans fairly recently did prove that they are not ready to elect as president a woman named michele bachmann. and michele bachmann might just

be confusing the issue there. >> yeah. well, she did run for president. >> this is for you, dana. the tea party challenger was asked about gay marriage this week. let's just say he has concerns about the consequences of allowing such marriages to occur. you figure this out. he took us down a rabbit hole. let's listen. >> if it's all right to have same-sex marriages, why not define a marriage because at the end of the day a lot of it ends up taxes and who can visit who in the hospital and there is other repercussions and things that come with it. so the person they want to find themselves being married to is one of their children so they can pass on certain things to that child financially and otherwise. where do you draw the line? and in fact a person can arbitrarily draw it, why cannot someone else draw it arbitrarily somewhere else? >> a spokesperson for bevin later said he is not comparing gay marriage with incest. he was discussing the implications of the legal rights related to this issue. dana, why do they go in these holes? i don't know. your thoughts. never mind. i can't get into his words.

they're too difficult to navigate. your thoughts. >> it is astonishing. i mean, look, it's been a while since we had rick santorum talk about man on dog, making the same sort of comparison, suggesting that gay marriage was slippery slope. he is doing the same thing here. thing is a todd akin moment for bevin. and it's certainly not going to hurt him in his republican primary against mitch mcconnell. but if he gets through, that this is the sort of candidate that i think the general electorate is going to have some difficulty electing. now, you say it's the clown car returning. they are certainly clownish. but it's not clear to me that they are necessarily the fringe here. i mean, this guy is giving the senate minority leader a serious run. you've got the man who is favored to be next -- >> dana, you wish. you wish. you're in heaven if he wins. come on. do you really think bevin can beat mcconnell? >> i think that he has missed his tea party moment. but he certainly has mitch mcconnell rung scared. he is running the whole senate

that way. >> what is this about marrying your son or daughter? what wackiness are we talking about? we have more clown card memberships here. back in july, king explain wide he was opposed to the bipartisan immigration reform compromise. let's catch this golden oldie. >> for everyone who is a valedictorian, there is another 100 out there who they weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. those people would be legalized with the same act. >> he is talking about human beings who came in the country illegally without documents. he is talking about people who somehow got calves the size of cantaloupes from hauling 150 pounds of harbor whatever. this guy is crazy. when asked about the harsh rhetoric he uses on a number of issues, including immigrationer, he said some of that rhetoric was about getting his colleagues to pay attention. for example, he said -- >> dick durbin, as far as i know no longer describes the dreamers as valedictorians. we have corrected that major

flaw. and sometimes we have to, otherwise it distorts the public's understanding. so i'm not going to apologize. what i said is subjectively true. and any time that republicans have criticized me, it's not because of what i said. it's because they disagreed with my agenda. that's really the answer. >> did you make that, ronald reagan? there nothing with making fun of the people who come in this country illegally. but the cavs the size of cantaloupes. dan burton shoots the cantaloupe prove that vince foster didn't commit suicide. what it is about cantaloupes and republicans? the fruit of choice? >> it's turning people into animals, basically. and what these republicans don't seem to understand, they would love the hispanic vote. they would love to get a bigger share of that vote. yet they use language and talk about people in a way that suggests they think that they're pack animals or something. never mind the fact that nothing he is saying is true or makes any sense. he was talking about dream

actors. these are children that were brought here as children to the united states by their parents. what does that have to do with hauling marijuana through the desert? nothing. >> it makes it a lot easier to vote against the immigration bill. >> that's true. >> it's too crazy. anyway, this week the republican candidate for governor of texas campaigned with ted nugent, the man who called president obama a subhuman mongrel. some republicans have said they have a problem with that language, including texas governor rick perry. but rand paul took ate step further on twitter. he wrote, quote, ted nugent's derogatory description of president obama is offensive and has no place in politics. he should apologize. hmm. you know what? that's why i begin to think rand paul is smarter than a lot of people think. your thoughts, dana. i don't think he is one of the real whackos. i compared yesterday the snowboarders and the skiers. of the snowboarders, he is going for the gold medal. your thoughts. >> and good for rand paul to say this. i mean, he's got his own shall

we say exotic views on certain matters, but he recognizes that this republican party is going to have to reach out to younger people, reach out to minorities. so he's got that part of it right. and, you know, i think the really astonishing thing here is that the man who was favored in the polls to be the next governor of texas is actually campaign unapologetically with this guy who is using essentially nazi terminology to refer to the president of the united states. >> you got to wonder about his reading habits where he picks up that nomenclature. >> as ron was saying, it is about making the opposition something other than human, that we can't even debate them on our level because they are less than us. that's a way of dismissing any sort -- >> he took it back today and said he is just a liar now, the president is just a liar. now anyway, thank you, ronald reagan. i guess you have to be a person to be a liar. thank you, dana milbank. up next, the right wing hated bill clinton when he was president, of course. they loved him when they were out there bashing president

obama. now with hillary mulling a presidential run, they hate him again all over again. what is this on and off again thing? that's next. this is "hardball," the place for politics. it's got 1080p video, three times zoom, and a twenty-megapixel sensor. it's got the brightest display, so i can see what i'm shooting -- even outdoors, and 4 mics that capture incredible sound. plus, it has apps like vine -- and free cloud storage. my new lumia icon is so great, even our wipeouts look amazing. ♪ honestly, i want to see you be brave ♪ ♪ like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. see how much you could save with allstate. are you in good hands? see how much you could save with allstate. (meowright on cue.

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clintons to show how the current president doesn't live up to their legacy. now that the clintons are preparing for a return to the white house themselves, the far right has no use for them. but the problem for conservatives who want to use bill to pull downhill is that their praise has been inconveniently recorded. here is a sample. >> obama's not your dad. he is democrat. he is not a mainstream democrat like bill clinton. bill clinton worked with both sides of the aisle. bill clinton was able to get some things done. reagan worked with both sides of the aisle. >> do you think hillary clinton would have been a better president than barack obama? >> perhaps. she might have been easier for some of us who are critics of the president to work with. she is one of the more competent members of the current administration. >> look, if we had a clinton presidency, if we had erskine bowles, chief staff of the white house or president of the united states, i think we would have fixed this fiscal mess by now. that's not the kind of presidency we're dealing with right now. >> wow. they're going to have to quit

clinton. the love-hate use of the clintons over the past couple of years is coming back to haunt them. state the rebirth of hillary clinton." nbc's andrea mitchell, show "andrea mitchell reports" on nbc will air at a new time, noon. international news and all the news, in fact, she gives it to you straight. you've been watching this like i have. what's fascinating is the uses to which the conservatives and republicans use of the clintons. they use them as oh they were so much better than obama and now i've noticed they're creeping back to the more familiar mode of attitude. >> i think they're a little flummoxed, haven't figured out how to go after hillary clinton. karl rove suggested don't go after the past scandals, talk about the lack of future plan for being president. that's his perspective. and others like reince priebus and certainly rand paul think they can resurrect the scandals of the '90s.

i think they don't know how to muddy her up but are determined to do it because they think she is the front-runner and need to bring her down. >> what about bill? you know him. we don't call him by his first name but we all know him. it seems to me, isn't it a mistake to trash a guy who people have such subtle opinions about? we know he likes hamburgers. he likes girls. he's behaved very well over the last 15, 20 years. he hasn't been an embarrassment ever since the impeachment exercise. he's been a good public official, a great ex-president. the clinton global initiative. he's done so many good things around the world with haiti and africa. is he a target that makes sense to even the most, well, reasonable republican? >> well, it's really a debatable political strategy because it didn't work before, because hillary clinton arguably in the scandals back in the '90s was the victim, so this would not necessarily damage her. but there is certainly a contingent of the republican party that think that throwing

all this at them will bring her down a notch and remind people of some of the unpleasantness. it remains to be seen whether it works. >> jonathan, passage of time, and congratulations on your new book "hrc." it's about the secretary of state hillary clinton. how does the whole thing with clinton, her husband come into play? my question is this guy is really, really well known. people have a sense of him, maybe not his brother but close to it. they physically can sense the guy in their lives and to come out and start saying terrible things, yeah, he had this problem with monica. wro you know, the guy has been a great public statesman for now almost 20 years. >> it's hard to move the needle on bill clinton. it would take major new information to change the public opinion about him. would note he's given up hamburgers, now kind of a vegan. like, you know, it is a difficult thing to do with phim. it's hard to move the needle on hillary clinton a whole lot. >> meaning? >> that is to say impressions of

her are well baked in, too. she's obviously a polarizing figure. it is difficult to move that a lot without some new information. i think, you know, in our book we've got some new information. we've already seen republicans grasp on some of it including behind the scenes work on health care. some of the stuff we've put out there lately. you know, it's a difficult challenge for republicans to find new things to say about hillary clinton that will convince independent voters or democrats if they don't want her as president. >> look at something now, this was john mccain last night on "piers morgan." let's watch what he had to say. this is so fascinating an admission at this point. >> i would bet, my friend, as much as i hate to admit it, that right now this is why we have campaigns, but right now if the election were tomorrow, hillary clinton would most likely be the president of the united states. >> andrea, what do you make of that? >> they got together -- they got along very well when they were in the senate together. they were on armed services

committee. he likes hillary clinton. even know there will come a time when he'll go after her, again, he respects her and it's also his way of criticizing barack obama. >> so we have an interesting election coming up, jonathan, with hillary clinton, hillary rodham clinton probably running for president. if she runs against somebody on the far right like rand paul, which i think is credible at this point, plausible, could she grab some of the republican vote? especially the women vote? >> absolutely think that is a credible challenge that rand paul is bringing up now, and i think he'll be a strong candidate in the republican primary. i do think she in that case would have an opportunity to capture some of the republican vote. the country is pretty polarized but hillary clinton has often reached out to republicans in the past as secretary of state, she got credit from a lot of republicans for being the one person in the obama administration who would only to the hill and work with them a lot. there are donors, northeastern moderates in the republican party that also might be swung into her column. absolutely, i think it's an

opportunity for her if there's a far right candidate. >> good luck with the book. jonathan allen. andrea mitchell. catch "andrea mitchell reports" weekdays at noon. that's the one. noon eastern. it's better at noon. we'll be right back after this. aflac. ♪ aflac, aflac, aflac! ♪ [ both sigh ] ♪ ugh! ♪ you told me he was good, dude. yeah he stinks at golf. but he was great at getting my claim paid fast. how fast? mine got paid in 4 days. wow. that's awesome. is that legal? big fat no. [ male announcer ] find out how fast aflac can pay you at aflac.com. well, not exactly like yours.

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let me finish tonight with this. it being friday and the weekend coming, things are getting a little loose for everybody. it's time to talk about mr. bill. bill clinton that is. people like him. it ain't complicated. who of all the politicians

around would you like to have as a pal or brother or personal n concilliary, a guy you go to when things aren't working out, set you on the right course without being a nag about it? the fact is in simple human terms we know that bill clinton is when you get down to know him, which we all have, a recognizable human being. here goes. he would love to chow down on hamburgers if he could. he always liked girls. really likes them but he's been careful going on 20 years that he caused himself and us those troubles back then. else what? he likes being famous, likes having been president, likes people coming up to him and saying they like him. wha what's new, pussy cat? people decided they like him. hell of a lot more than they like mitch mcconnell or ted cruz. i'm sorry. this isn't partisan. is there anybody out there who would like to sit on an airplane with those guys for a cross-country flight? who wouldn't want to find out

the empty seat next to them is going to be filled by none other than mr. bill, himself? that's why the rs are going after him because people like him and can't stand the repub c republicans that we do. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. good evening from new york. happy friday. i'm chris hayes. right now, in arkansas, tea party republicans are threatening to take health care coverage away from 100,000 people and quite possibly cause the entire medicaid program in the state to collapse. >> the president repeatedly said that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it. >> if you like what you have, you can keep it. >> the promise that you can keep your plan was never to be kept. >> remember when republicans thought the worst thing you could do was to ta