g. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. shinseki out. hillary definitely in. this is "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews up in new york. let's start tonight with this battle over benghazi. secretary clinton has blown the bugle on this front, making it clear she's going to go punch to punch with any republican trying to battle her in her book about life as secretary of state, blasting those who, in her words, try to exploit this as a political tool. she said she will refuse to take part in what she called as a political slugfest on the backs

of dead americans. but a political slugfest is just what she joined today with this friday morning leak of her book. for whatever reason, the former first lady, u.s. senator, and nation's top diplomat wants to make it clear, especially to her tens of millions of backers, that she's entering the season with her dukes up. will it scare off her enemies, will it wear them off before the book tour begins, or if she says two weeks from now, hey, look, if you want to know what i think about the subject, buy my friggin' book? david is here, and jennifer granholm, governor of michigan. in her book it includes knocks on some of her same critics. many of these same people are a broken record about unanswered questions. but there is a difference between unanswered questions and unlistened to answers. one of the questions the right has for hillary. they say she ignored pleas for

more security before the attack. she said those never land on the desk of secretary of state, and she never saw them. during the attack, concerted critics say she could have done more, but she said, quote, president obama gave the order to do whatever necessary to support our people in libya. it was imperative that all possible resources be mobilized immediately. when americans are under fire, that's not an order the commander in chief needs to give twice. our military does whatever humanly possible to save american lives. and we would do more if they could. if someone to suggest otherwise is something i will never understand. let me start with david corn on this. what will this do? this very strong set of words that were leaked, apparently, out of the book to politico, to show fighting words. it doesn't give a lot of new information, but it certainly shows defiance, i think, on the part of the former secretary. >> yeah. there's no new information here. in fact, a lot of ways there hasn't been a lot of new information, and a lot of questions the republicans have

been throwing at her and others the last six, eight, ten months, have been answered, although they don't want to believe that. but you're right, what is important is the tone. the best defense is a good offense. she goes right to it. she is creating a framework for other democrats to defend her as they'll have to on this point if she goes ahead with a presidential bid. the interesting thing in the political story. they noted her representatives are meeting with people of other democratic groups in d.c. this week to talk about hillary's defense on benghazi. so they are reassuring people. it's like paraphrasing elton john. this is my song and she is going to stick to it. >> the ones who like it are going to be with you. the twos that might well be with you, and the threes that are never going to be with you. it seems like this book is written to the ones primarily,

those who are attacking her and she wants to come out and fight them. >> i, for one, as someone who is with her, am so happy she's coming out swinging, but i do think she's shooting for the twos as well, which is it tell people that this benghazi, republicans frothing at the mouth to try to find whatever they can in benghazi, really, they're not going to find anything more. she has taken responsibility. she has taken action by appointing the accountability review board and by adopting all of the 29 suggestions they make for change, and she's been totally transparent. this is another chapter from that transparency. >> what do you think they think after three months of hearings or a year of hearings or three more years, what are they going to get to? what are they going to find? that some memo didn't get to her? something didn't happen even

though she didn't know about it? there were soldiers within five hours but they said they were four hour as way. what are they trying to get? >> they're hoping, pleading that something will fall and they'll be able to use it against her. just by nature of having an investigation, they want to taint her term as secretary of state because there is an investigation. just that word alone, they think is enough to keep this going. >> you think it's another white water? >> i think it's, as she said, so disrespectful of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. and you know what? i'm glad she's coming out before the book. if i were her, i'm sure i would prefer to talk about my term as secretary of state, given all the stuff she did when she was secretary of state. there's so many more important things to talk about. >> do you think she could outtalk the right? i'm afraid two weeks from now, three weeks from now, she goes on fox with greta and she goes on with bret bayer. they're going to ask about benghazi. i don't care how many releases or leaks go on between now and

then. do you think you're not going to start with benghazi and end with benghazi? everybody is going to do it, aren't they? can she say, look at my chapter. that's what i say, read my chapter, it's in the book. >> how many times does she have to say it in a different way? she's not going to change her story. it is what it is. these are the facts. >> it's good for her to get this fight done early. you're right. >> you think it will be over in two weeks? >> no, this will never be over. what they did with whitewater, what politicians do whether they are right or they are wrong, is get to the point where the public is tired of the debate and you can say, i answered this. you can do that if you're right, you do that if you're wrong. and in this instance, she's coming out with all the book attention and she's going to have the fight beforehand, and i bet when the book comes out, she wants to talk about other things and say, we have done this stuff. move on.

>> i've been through this, obviously not at her level. anyway, in her book, she's likely to lay out what she did the night of the benghazi attacks, to refute the charge that she didn't do enough. last year, this is what she testified regarding that very question, and this is on the public record before hostile members of congress. let's watch. >> regarding what i was doing on september 11th, i was at the state department all day and late into the night. i was notified of the attack shortly after 4:00 p.m. over the following hours, we were in continuous meetings and conversations both within the department, with the team in tripoli, with the interagency and internationally. i participated in a secure video conference with senior officials from the intelligence community, the white house and d.o.d. we were going over every

possible option, reviewing all that was available to us, any actions we could take. >> jennifer, every action we could take. it does seem to be a pretty good tick tock, as we say in our business. a pretty good coverage of the guys doing whatever they could to save those still alive. i don't know what more even a tough guy, lie being chairman of the new collect committee, trey gowdy, is going to get beyond this. especially when he goes against john kerry. nobody knows more than hillary clinton about what she did that night. >> you can't get more information out of it when she's laid the facts so clearly out there. she testified for five hours, detail-by-detail. she has a 32-page chapter. detail-by-detail of what they did. they are not going to find something new. it's been asked and answered. yes, it was a tragedy, and yes, she has said everything she's

is going to say about it, including taking responsibility for it actions and implementing every recommendation of the accountability review board. what more can she do? >> here is one question i think she may have a problem with and david, you and i are in the business. putting out the idea that there's a problem she didn't go on the sunday programs and saying that's just washington beltway talk. i don't think that's going to sell, especially with the press. the press still, even though cable built a much bigger role than it ever has before, because it exists now. the sunday shows are the place you make your big defense. for her to say, well, that's like late night television. it's not. >> i don't know, chris. you're pretty -- >> she was on duty. it was her responsibility. she's confronting it now, very effectively, it looks like, in the book, especially. why didn't she confront it right when it happened?

i believe it is a legitimate question. i would have liked today have had her on tv. >> at this stage on the benghazi, chris, that is a relatively small question as opposed to everything else thrown at her. >> it's addressed in the book. >> it's a process question. i think most voters who care about their paycheck, won't care that much about her. some in the washington media might get their collars ruffled a little bit. >> are you taking sides here, david? are you flaking for her now? wait a minute! you're in the news business! didn't you want answers at the time? couldn't you have loved to have a sunday morning show and have her as a guest? >> people know i do not flak for her. they remember. i'm just saying i don't think this is going to end up being as big an issue. even though she responds to it in her book is all i'm saying. >> what she says in the book is that appearing on a sunday show is not like jury duty. it's not required. with all due respect, chris,

this is a beltway centric line of attack. >> we have never gone to war, and we're going to go to war. i watched susan rice that morning, with david gregory. afterwards, i cheered for her. not because she did everything as a public servant. i thought she earned the job that day of secretary of state and had just beaten out john kerry. that's the way i watched that. there is a politics to this. when you're in trouble, come out and meet the press. don't hide. never hide. confront your enemies. hillary clinton should have gone on the sunday program that day and confronted the charges. and david, you know that's true. you know that's the smarter, stronger move, don't you? >> i think they should have put someone on the sunday shows who knew something about what had had happened, rather than susan rice who had to be briefed and what to say.

whether it was denis mcdonough or hillary clinton or somebody else, i think that was the smarter move overall. >> susan was working for the team there. >> this is such a non-important point given the whole spade of things! this sunday show issue, do you think that is the big scandal? it's a non-effective issue. >> as important as you are, even when you use hand gestures, you're wrong. thank you for coming on. david, you're flaking. >> no, i'm not! >> this time, you are. coming up, so, v.a. secretary shinseki has resigned. end of story? not really. republican leaders going to try to keep this alive by pinning the blame on president obama, of course. and also reince priebus, remember him? the chairman of the republican party. he wants to know why the republican party doesn't get more attention as the party of racial tolerance. what a sense of humor this guy has got. maybe he should try to stop his party to keep hispanics and latinos from voting. that is a good start. and why they oppose the

nutritious school kids. >> and the attempt to silence commencement address speakers because somebody disagrees with the speaker. this is "hardball." your place for politics. hey. i'm ted and this is rudy. say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth?

the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] what's in a name? well, when it comes to health care reform, we have seen how people respond more favorably to, quote, the affordable care act, than they do to the word obamacare. this week, another poll shed light on the term climate change. scientists prefer it to global warming. according to a new report by the yale project on climate change communication, the word climate change doesn't carry the same level of urgency as global warming. look at this. 76% of americans say global warming is a bad thing versus just 63% who say the same about climate change. we'll be right back. ergens?

eww! eww! [ moderator ] how would you deal with them? umm... ninjas. [ male announcer ] no need for ninjas. reduce up to 95% of inanimate allergens becoming airborne from fabrics with new, dermatologist tested, febreze allergen reducer. with lobster! don't miss our first ever lobster toppers event! 4 delicious entrees topped with sweet, succulent maine lobster starting at just $15.99! like savory new wood-grilled shrimp topped with maine lobster in a citrus hollandaise... or the new ultimate: lobster-topped lobster -- 3 split maine lobster tails topped with maine lobster in a creamy white wine sauce! four choices, for a limited time, starting at just $15.99! everything's better with lobster! come in now, and sea food differently.

welcome back to "hardball." a wild day in washington today. let's get right to it.

it took ten days actually the finding of several reports, more than 100 outraged lawmakers from both parties and countless attacks from the republican outside groups, but today, the president said the misconduct at the v.a. had finally boiled over. secretary shinseki is out. >> last week, i said if we found misconduct, it would be punished, and i meant it. a few minutes ago, secretary shinseki offered me his own resignation. with considerable regret, i accepted. he has worked hard to investigate and identify the problems with access to care. but as he told me this morning, the v.a. needs new leadership to address it. he does not want to be a distraction because his priority is to fix the problem and make sure our vets are getting the care they need. that was rick's judgment on behalf of his fellow veterans, and i agree. we don't have time for distractions. we need to fix the problem. >> the president does not look happy there.

anyway, republicans responded a clear and predictable counterattack. here's speaker john boehner reacting to the president. >> today's announcement really changes nothing. one personnel change cannot be used as an excuse to paper over a systemic problem. our veterans deserve better, and we'll hold the president accountable until he makes things right. >> even after the president made his announcement about shinseki's departure, the bad headlines continued. a new white house analysis wait times are manipulated at more than 60% of v.a. facilities nationwide. and there are bipartisan calls for a criminal investigation into what happened. if this wasn't enough, hours after the president made an unscheduled appearance in the white house briefing room. he marched into the room with jay carney in midsentence to announce jay was leaving. here is the president. >> jay has become one of my closest friends and is a great press secretary and a great adviser.

he's got good judgment, he has good temperament, and he's got a good heart. >> you can't beat that from the president of the united states. >> beth and john, thank you for your service, john, and cofounder and chairman of votevets.org. thank you, both. beth, it doesn't look like our friend jay was forced out. it sounds like he went out with kisses from the president. let's talk about this. the president really sort of pierced the boil today. he said look, let's stop the talk about getting rid of shinseki, but what is the rest of the story going to be like, the problems far worse than anyone said they were, far worse than the president said they were, far worse than shinseki said they were? >> this is a president that has always distained the rituals of washington. walk something down the plank, toss them over, and he resists doing that, and you could tell he regretted having to do it, not even perhaps because he

loved shinseki, but rather it doesn't get to the bottom of the issue. it's sort of a symbolic gesture. >> it's forcing him to do something. and everybody knows it. >> yes. shinseki is the boss. he has to take responsibility for what happened, but they both said there underlying problems at the v.a. that need to get addressed. that is what the president has to do now. to get rid of this sort of notion that is chopping off the head of one cabinet official. it's to go deeper down and find out what is going on there and applying the resources to fix it. >> what do you make of how long it took the president to accept the resignation of shinseki? it took more than a couple of days. it felt like a long period. i said on the air earlier today, it was good he did today rather than tomorrow, but it would have been better two days ago. what is the feeling among veterans? >> this has been going on for a long time. we have been in a long fight in regards to people attacking the president on the v.a. backlog, which is how long it took a veteran to get claims. obviously, the president has a lot of veterans in the system that a lot of other administrations didn't.

so there's been a long fight here. then we get to the second story, the idea that the wait times are long. and they have been hammering on that now for about three weeks. eventually, i think what happened is when the second ig report or internal ig report came out, i think people lost confidence. they realized it was very extensive what was going on. in this issue transition, it's not about general shinseki as a military officer or a general or an administrator. this is a political problem. you have democrats in the senate who are in hard states that are getting ads run against him that are asking for his resignation. this did not become about the v.a. anymore. it became a large political football and general shinseki isn't that guy. he didn't understand it when he was in public affairs. he didn't understand it when he was chief of staff in the army. it became apparent he couldn't get out of the situation. >> i had experience with a friend of mine who was a roommate in college. he has real problems in his life. he was an officer in vietnam.

to beth, you cover all this stuff, why, when we know how congress works, they have people in each office, and a good number are working on case problems. they are looking to help people with problems. if there's a four-month delay in every one of these -- 60% of these facilities around the country, why doesn't every senator, every member of congress or both parties know this was they have veterans in their districts and states calling up the members of congress. can you help me? i have been waiting for a doctor's appointment for four months! how come this is all brand-new to everybody? it's like rick's cafe. why don't we know? it's horrible. and they are like i didn't know this was happen. what about all of the case work? it doesn't fit. >> no, it doesn't. it's selective outrage. there's so many problems dealing with veterans in the country anyway. there are numerous homeless veterans. congress has never appropriated enough money for assisting veterans. suddenly, an opportunity came along. it was a political opportunity to jump.

they have been made aware that these veterans needed help. their offices have been made aware, the staff has been made aware that they need help. >> i'm stunned. i don't know whether you have a rotator cuff problem, something wrong with your hips, you've got diabetes. i don't know what your problem is but four months is a dangerous long time to await treatment. we're not talking about people pleading to death, but people with real problems that are real enough to go to a doctor and want treatment. is it really four months on average to see a doctor for the first time? >> my experience when i went to the v.a. in 2004, there wasn't this long wait time. things have changed since then. right? the president has allowed more veterans to come into the system. if you were a vietnam veteran and he had type 2 diabetes, you couldn't make it for agent orange but you can now. then you had obamacare and you had a million veterans who were uninsured and sought care. and then you had returning veterans at the same time you

had an aging vietnam veteran population. everyone swarmed the system. i would go right back at you. a lot of veterans say we're making a big deal out of benefit ghazi, an ambassador died and we lost troops and there is no special investigation. the news media doesn't cover the fact there. they cover other things. it's all about kim kardashian and the pop things going on. >> i don't think i have ever spoken the word kim kardashian until now. i have said a lot of times there's a lot of ambushing on the war fronts. they happen, and the fact ieds and these things are more generally surprise attacks, i have tried to bring attention to that, john, in all fairness. >> i'm not saying we say that on your show. >> this is friggin' "hardball," and i'm proud of it. and we talk about this, and we talk about the v.a. problems that emerged.

they should have been reporting. i thought the washington post did a good job with dana priest. she won the pulitzer prize when she talked about problems at walter reed. they are they're looking for trouble for veterans. it's all happening. on >> i'm not arguing that certain, and for instance, we're on the show talking about this, but you know, again, i think a lot of veterans feel these stories aren't being covered because this isn't a new issue. i'm not saying it's, for instance, on this network or this show. but pop culture are the things people talk about. it's my generation. my generation of people who didn't serve who don't even know there's a war still going on in afghanistan. and there's a huge disconnect when we come back. because there's no surprise to people there are issues at the v.a. >> i will say this now since you have given me the opportunity. i think it's very important for people who cover politics for a living to think occasionally about the real stakes. there's someone right now in real time, there are men and

some women out there on post in very scary situations fighting for their country, and they don't know what's going to happen in the next ten minutes, but they do it for our country and it's very frightening and very courageous. we should think of those people on post right now in scary situations because they are the stakes. thank you very much, beth and john. we can take a look at it once in a while when i'm totally innocent. we'll be right back after this.

thit's not the "limit yoursh hard earned cash back" card . it's not the "confused by rotating categories" card. it's the no-category-gaming, no-look-passing, clear-the-lane-i'm- going-up-strong, backboard-breaking, cash back card. this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every single day. i'll ask again... what's in your wallet? little things, anyone can do. it steals your memories. your independence.

insures support. a breakthrough. and sooner than you'd like... ...sooner than you think. ...you die from alzheimer's disease. ...we cure alzheimer's disease. every little click, call, or donation adds up to something big. alzheimer's association. the brains behind saving yours. we thought it was going to be just another phase, but she's a total natural. which makes us karate parents.

one day i noticed her gi looked dingier than the other kids. but now since tide plus bleach alternative has more whitening power... i used it to wash her gi and now she's all...pow! she looks sharp like a dragon strike. that's not a term. i'm just waiting for her to get into hockey. hockey's for canadians. i'm canadian. and i'm not. [ female announcer ] tide plus bleach alternative. that's my tide plus. his first pitch was not great. just a bit outside. what can you say? >> well, time now for the side show. that video of 50 cent's ceremonial first pitch at the mets game this week was quick to go viral as being widely panned as the worst pitch in the history of the tradition. when it comes to ceremonial first pitches, american

presidents and politicians have long played a part starting with william howard taft in 1912. since then, believer it or not, every president has followed his lead including harry truman, jack kennedy, lyndon johnson, ricard nixon, and both bushes, but some of those pitches were better than others. "the washington post" did some research, actually, and charted the best and worst ceremonial first pitches in recent american history. among the political figures ranked, president obama came in at number four behind supreme court justice sonia sotomayor, president clinton. he threw a respectable pitch in the strike zone, but the award for the best pitch went to george w. bush who threw a perfect strike at the world series shortly after 9/11. i remember that. finally, actress gwyneth paltrow who i really like is under fire for saying the nasty comments she received online for suggesting it's easier to be a mother when you're not an

actress is like surviving war. you come across online about comments she said about herself and your friends. she said it's very dehumanizing. it's almost like how in war you go through this bloody, dehumanizing thing. cindy mccain, wife of john mccain and mother of a navy lieutenant and marine, tweeted her outrage at what she said. gwyneth paltrow is like a joke. her life is like taking bullets for a soldier? what a joke. my two sons serving in the military should talk to her. perhaps gwyneth paltrow should go out on patrol with the soldiers. mccain then appeared on headline news and invited paltrow to visit the troops with her. >> i think it was an ignorant thing to say and certainly a selfish thing to say. i would encourage gwyneth paltrow, and i would be happy to go with her, to sit down with some troops who have served in afghanistan or iraq and talk to them about what really goes on and perhaps meet the young men and women who have lost limbs from this.

you know, it's hollywood. i don't know what else to say. >> of course, we'll keep you posted on this. up next, reince priebus wants his party to get credit for being the party that promotes racial tolerance. and trying to keep african-americans from voting. this is "hardball," the place for politics. at any minute... ...you could be a victim of fraud. most people don't even know it. fraud could mean lower credit scores, higher mortgage rates... ...and not getting the home you really want. it's a problem waiting to happen. check your credit score, check your credit report, at experian.com. america's number one provider of online credit reports and scores.

don't take chances. go to experian.com. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ my mom works at ge. [female announcer] we grow big celebrations,o. and personal victories. we grow new beginnings, and better endings. grand gestures, happier happy hours. so let's gro something greater with miracle-gro. what will you grow?

i'm francis rivera. president obama plans to meet with kraeng's president elect on wednesday. the american citizen who carried out a sued attack in syria last sunday has been identified. the man named asha was from florida. have a great saturday and weekend.

welcome back to "hardball." we all remember the republican autopsy conducted after the presidential election in 2012. reince priebus, the chairman of the republican party, outreached. the party hit road blocks on the way to inclusiveness. at last night's republican leadership conference, the gop problem was on full display. the chairman ignored the last 50 years of the gop, cashing in on white resentment with its cynical southern strategy and highlighting what the republican party did before that, way before that, 150 years ago. >> we have got to recapture the history of our party. we're the party of freedom and we're the party of opportunity. we're the party of equality. we're the ones with that history. it's the other side that has a shameful history but you wouldn't know it because we don't talk about it. >> on that same stage about 90 minutes later was "duck dynasty" star phil robertson. in case you need a reminder who

he is, these are the comments in "gq" that got him suspended. from his show. i never with my eyes saw the mistreatment of any black person. not once. where we live are the farmers, the blacks work for the farmers. i'm with the blacks because we're white trash. we're going across the field. they're singing and happy. i never heard one of them, the black people say, i tell you what, these doggone white people. not a word. preentitlement. were they happy? they were happy. they were godly. they were happy. no one was singing the blues. yes, this is the person the republican party allegedly seeking outreach, invited to speak at their leadership conference. even the "duck dynasty" star himself was mystified. >> i'm not a political person. i guess the gop may be more desperate than i thought to call somebody like me. >> well, there's a statement.

benji is joining us and michelle bernard. i want to start with michelle on this. we all know the history of the republican party is uneven. in fact, it's a bit fractured. it had a great history with ending slavery, fighting for the union, and winning the civil war, and then governing the country as best it could until reconstruction was thrown away. they gave it away in a rotten deal in 1876 and they stopped trying to do anything for the people in the south who were freed, but they weren't so bad in the '50s and '60s mostly backing the civil rights bill while the democratic party had problems with their dixiecrats. serious problem, let's put it. ever since then, nixon and the southern strategy, ever since the dixies became republicans, they have nothing to brag about it, it seems to me, and showing up with this guy from the duck pond is part of the problem. they're playing to that party, playing to people who have rebel license plates on their cars.

that's who they're talking to with this character. >> absolutely. quite frankly, he was probably on to something when he said the republican party must be desperate to call a guy like him. it's reinvoking this obsession we have seen with the modern day republican party of, you know, of sort of sticking to the white racist in the country, and quite frankly, it's not just a southern strategy we have seen employed in recent years. it's a northern strategy, eastern, western, the entire country from everything from the dismantling of voting rights to everything else we have seen, including people having to stand in line for eight, nine, and ten hours to vote. it's a very, very sad thing, and quite frankly, what is sadder is that quote/unquote mainstream republicans like bobby jindal, the governor of louisiana, and sarah palin, were in an actual competition yesterday to introduce phil robertson at the republican leadership conference. what does that say about today's republican party? >> the same thing ronald reagan said when he talked about the young buck in line using food

stamps to buy gin or talking about welfare mothers. the "duck dynasty" star was lauded by republicans speakers, including bobby jindal and former alaska governor, as you said, sarah palin. here's the former governor, halftime governor of alaska. >> this fellow, he's old enough and wise enough and strong enough to not care what the politically correct police have to say about him and his opinions! >> well, the "duck dynasty" star did not disappoint, hitting all the arogenous zones, guns, tradition marriage and also creationism, let's listen. >> i'll tell you something else. it's biblical, one man, one woman for life. i'm always about this close to fire power. my college professors told me we call that the ocean.

i heard that bunk. we endowed by our creator to certain unalienable rights to live. i can guarantee you that's what thomas jefferson meant. to be free, and to pursue happiness. >> bengie, what do you make of that? >> the whole speech seems to be this general dismantling of the walls between church and state. nothing he was saying was particularly out of line with the gop platform on guns, gay marriage, abortion, on all these things, but none of them are issues that really comport with outreach, with this goal that reince priebus has identified of trying to bring in new voters. the fact that someone like priebus who knows this is a problem is forced to share a stage with this guy and so captured by the conservative base that he can't distance himself at all from this guy when necessary, shows the problem they have. they have really been unable to reach some escape philosophy that lets them leave people like phil robertson behind.

>> when they go crazy about things like the common court, they're so scared of modearnty, anything that looked different than it was 50, 60 years ago scares them. everything scares them, it seems. >> this is the problem with today's republican party. i don't know how they win national elections. priebus yesterday was quoted as saying the republican party has to become a national party obsessed with winning elections. well, you've got a country that is becoming more and more brown by the day. you have a country, i call it the feminization of the united states, where people are beginning to have an understanding and respect for the equal opportunity and equal rights of women at an economic level in this country. you have hispanics voting by larger and larger numbers. the prospect of hillary clinton on the ticket as president in 2016 with maybe julian castro, who is right now the mayor of san antonio as her vice

president. that could turn texas into a blue state. and you can't share the stage with the likes of phil robertson and think you're going to win national elections. the loudest voices in the republican party are destroying it. >> i think, bengie, the issue of voter suppression. if somebody told me somebody was going after my crowd or my ethnic group, if you will, or my race, i don't like that phrase because we're all in the race, to go after me and i know they marked me as people we don't want to vote, i would damn sure vote. when i see republicans openly saying in state legislatures like harrisburg, pennsylvania, and around the country in north carolina, that their goal is to downsize the electorate, reduce it to white conservatives, it doesn't exactly build an outreach program, does it? because black people, hispanic people are listening, wait a minute, they're systematically keeping me from having any political power. they think i want to join their party? how can i believe in that cause? >> that's a good point. there are few issues that are a

driver of turnout than the drive to suppress turnout by the republican party. it's interesting that of the republican leaders who seem to be most earnestly interested in trying to find out what black voters are interested and why they're not voting republican, they're interested, they have been running into this problem. rand paul gave a speech where he seemed to be surprised at this historically black college where he thought there was anything racist about voter identification laws or voter suppression. after a year of talking to black leader and voters who wouldn't consider the gop, he said, look, we have to find a way to talk about and deal with this issue because it's a matter of respect that's keeping them from voting for us ever. >> libertarians don't like i.d. cards. we have to go. thank you both so much. have a nice weekend, both of you. up next, first lady michelle obama takes on the conservatives who want to make it easy for schools to keep serving children unhealthy lunches. this is "hardball," the place

for politics. show 'em the curve. ♪ do you know what this means? the greater the curvature, the bigger the difference. [sci-fi tractor beam sound] ...sucked me right in... it's beautiful. gotta admit one thing... ...can't beat the view. ♪ introducing the world's first curved ultra high definition television from samsung. first the cookie at check-in. then a little time to kick back. earn double hilton honors points with the 2 "x" points package and be one step closer to a weekend break. doubletree by hilton. where the little things mean everything. if your denture moves, it can irritate your gums. try fixodent plus gum care. it helps stop denture movement and prevents gum irritation. fixodent. and forget it.

well, tuesday may be the last chance or best chance for the tea party to knock off a sitting republican u.s. senator when voters in mississippi go to the polls, incumbent senator thad cochran is battling state senator chris mcdaniel in the republican primary there. mcdaniel, the tea party

candidate, is getting a boost from sarah palin. and he won the endorsement of pennsylvania senator and presidential candidate rick santorum. mcdonnell had a rocky couple weeks after supporters were arrested after allegedly conspiring to take photos of cochran's bedridden wife. we will be right back. [ male announcer ] this is the age of knowing what you're made of. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain. it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor.

if your doctor decides viagra is right for you, you can fill your prescription at your pharmacy. or, check out viagra home delivery, a convenient place to fill your prescription online and have it shipped at no additional cost straight to your door. viagra home delivery. get started at viagra.com. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. i'm saving a ton of time by posting them to my wall. oh, i like that one. it's so quick! it's just like my car insurance. i saved 15% in just 15 minutes. i saved more than that in half the time. i unfriend you. that's not how it works. that's not how any of this works. [ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a quote isn't how it works anymore. with esurance, 7 1/2 minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call.

welcome to the modern world. ♪ (woman) this place has got really good chocolate shakes. (growls) (man) that's a good look for you. (woman) that was fun. (man) yeah. (man) let me help you out with the.. (woman)...oh no, i got it. (man) you sure? (woman) just pop the trunk. (man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. we're back. there's a food fight between republicans and democrats over school lunches. and even first lady michelle obama who rarely weighs in to political fights, fired back at republicans, trying to weaken nutrition requirements in school lunches. four years ago, she created the let's move campaign. with a goal of ending childhood obesity. and then both houses of congress passed the bipartisan act that

set higher nutritional lunches. now republicans want to give schools a waiver to opt out of those rules. a alabama republican told the "new york times," quote, everyone supports healthy meals for children but the bottom line is schools are finding it's too much, too quick. think of obamacare. the right would like to repeal the entire law, but republicans are looking for other ways to frustrate the law by defunding certain parts or adding waivers to water it down. this week, the first lady herself called out the gop for playing politics with children's health. it's unacceptable to me not as first lady but as a mother.

now is not the time to roll back everything we worked for. let me ask you about this politics. what is the republican side against healthy meals for school kids? >> chris, there are financial and political reasons for some to maintain the status quo. there are food processing companies that benefited under the old system and they want to continue to have meals with high sodium, high fat and high sugar content. we, on the other hand, believe it's better for kids to have more fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy and whole grains. we need to get control of the obesity issue and for whatever reason the republicans think the politics are on their side.

it's a very small vocal minority of school officials that raised concerns. the vast majority of schools are complying with these guidelines. over 90% are complying and living up to the standards. it's unacceptable. the first lady is absolutely right. it's unacceptable. >> if you live, obviously i like fast food, hamburgers and fries and cole slaw maybe, but everybody knows if you live on that you get really overweight. you just are. kids will head down to mcdonald's or burger king or somewhere, want fast food, has sugar, salt, peps you up for at least an hour and then you go down, right? >> right. >> doesn't help you at school. what are the foods you would like kids to eat at school that are the issue that republicans don't want them eating? >> fruits and vegetables -- >> roughage, greens -- is it carrots? what is it? >> apples, pears, vegetables, green, red, orange vegetables, good solid food.

30% of our kids are obese or at risk at being obese. there are health and educational and national security consequences. the number of people fit for military service continues to shrink in this country. we have to get control of the obesity issues. we have to do a better job for our kids. they will do better in school with the meals that we are feeding them. that's why over 90% of school districts are complying with the standards. the experts, doctors, pediatricians, the nutritionists, they all understand it can't be sodium, sugar and fat, has to be fruits, vegetables, whole grain and low fat dairy. >> the chairman of the house appropriations committee saying school kids won't eat the more healthy food so what's the point? let's listen to his argument. >> kids are saying they don't want it. we'll go somewhere else and get some food. they do. you're actually doing the kids a disservice. >> here's the thing, i understand where people don't

like the nanny state being told how big a coke they can drink when they're 50 years old and when you're 12, maybe you do need a nanny. that's a totally different thing. kids are told what to eat generally by their parents. what is wrong with telling kids what to eat is my argument, if you let them eat what they want to, it will all be junk all day! >> not only that, we're improving the quality of the meals. we provide menus, tens of millions of dollars in additional equipment, creating new opportunities for schools. and new technical shins. assistance. it isn't about forcing kids outside the school, it's about improving the quality of the meals so they want to eat at school. elementary, middle school kids are flocking to these new standards. high school kids maybe they've got some questions and concerns but over 90% of the school districts are complying. >> yes or no, are you interested in being hillary clinton's running mate? we're pushing you. just bringing it up. >> we got a long time to go.

i'm just hopeful that secretary clinton is giving it serious consideration. i think she would make a great president and we're fortunate in our party to have a lot of good people. >> i heard you use the word "we" by the way. you're part of the team! you're the only political member of this cabinet and that is a complete compliment. i think sometimes think your fellow cabinet members are -- we will be right back after this. honestly, the off-season isn't really off for me. i've got a lot to do. that's why i got my surface. it's great for watching game film

and drawing up plays. it's got onenote, so i can stay on top of my to-do list, which has been absolutely absurd since the big game. with skype, it's just really easy to stay in touch with the kids i work with. alright, russell you are good to go! alright, fellas. alright, russ. back to work! crest 3d white whitestrips vs. a whitening pen. i feel like i'm going to miss a spot. i think you actually might have. i feel like my lips are going to, like, wash it off.

these fit nicely. wait, it says to use up to four times a day? oh, gosh. i'm not going to do that. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips adhere to your teeth evenly and safely remove stains below the enamel surface for professional level results that last up to 12 months. this says it removes 14 years of stains. it doesn't tell me how many stains it removes. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips. the way to whiten. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips. and now you get hit again.asis. this time by joint pain. it's a double whammy. it could psoriatic arthritis a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks your joints on the inside and your skin on the outside. if you've been hit by... find out more about psoriatic arthritis. take the symptom quiz at doublewhammy.com and talk to your doctor.

let me finish with these

invitations to give university commencement addresses that are then rescinded because somebody complains. it's my contention, not a very exciting one, that if nobody complains about a speaker it could be because they have nothing to say or at least nothing to say that stakes out a position. tell me something worth saying or hearing on the day you leave college that someone doesn't like. i say this as someone who tries to give commencement speeches that more practical than political but you invite condoleezza rice or big-time newspaper columnist to speak, let's agree you're asking for a strong statement of opinion, for some people to take umbrage. why do then the people who invite them crumble when the usual suspects complain, when they threaten to protest? let them protest, give them a platform or microphone to express themselves against the invited speaker. isn't that what college is supposed to involve, the exchange of ideas? exposing the spectrum of a speaker. i agree with michael bloomberg

said at harvard at a commencement speech the other day. let the speakers speak, let the protesters speak. if someone wants to advocate 17 ounce coke, let them yell to the high heavens but don't let speakers not speak because a blogger complains. let 1,000 flowers bloom. that's why i love the 60s. and i still do. that's it for "hardball." alex witt picks up our coverage now on msnbc. we will hear from one former marine who says he has the and. more fallout. edward snowden with new reaction to some of the u.s. claims about him. and was he really a trained spy? reaction ahead. a new report suggests the fbi may be looking into popular pro golfer mill mickelson. why him? plus. >> yo!