that's from boston. come on. and the microbrews, fight for the little guy here. >> isn't the red stripe a microbrew. >> if you're obama, these two guys walk in, what's the first thing out of his mouth? what do you say? just imagine, what do you think? man, we screwed up. >> what do we know from the white house? >> know, i mean the one thing we have seen is that and by the way, i don't think blue moon is a microbrew. it's made by coors. >> red stripe. >> red stripe maybe. okay. >> i think it is. but as we battle brews here, doe min co, do we know if there's going to be video? >> we haven't seen that yet. but the south lawn is accessible. we've seen that. i wouldn't be too surprised if we don't see a picture or two. this is something positive that president obama wants to push for. he wants to see -- wants people to see the reconciliation, beer diplomacy out there. >> have we heard any push babb from some of the republican

leadership? they've been wise people might want to stay out of this. have we heard any pushback? >> you know, it's one of those things that is definitely there's going to be people on both sides. you've seen the glen beck stuff, a lot of this kind of coming about. >> we heard the proposed resolution, as well. >> dominico, thanks a lot. if anybody has a problem with them getting together and meeting, that's absurd. the fact that at the end of it, you wouldn't like to see people get together and say you know what, let's hug it out, anybody that has a problem with that has got a problem. >> check out you first read every morning. you gave a list of advertisers because we talked about many soft conservative radio shows that have had incendiary language as described by some. >> glen beck, campbells soup, general motors, pfizer, wrat to the ceos, say we love your companies. put it on another show. to call a president racist,

un-american. that's un-american. >> that does it for the big picture today. i'm tamron hall. >> i'm donny deutsch and i'm going to whisper in your ear likedy earlier. >> up next, chris matthews "hardball." . bend it like beck? let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, suspicious minds. did you hear? obama pals around with terrorists? obama's not an american. did you hear? this one's the best just in from glen beck. obama's a racist. he hates white people. like his mother and his grandparents who helped raise him and all the people who voted for him? got you. the worst part is that people are getting paid to say this stuff. saying the whole thing was

illegitimate. who holds a deep seated hatred for white people. that's also from glen beck. that's what we're starting with tonight. back to the real stuff of politics what, most americans think. we've got the latest from the new nbc news "wall street journal" poll out tonight. the headline, the president's health care blan is losing ground and so are the democrats at least from where they were in inaugural season. chuck todd and political analyst charlie cook will go through the numbers with you. also, just because the democrats are hurting doesn't mean all is well with the other party. here's what senator george voinovich of ohio said about some of his fellow republicans. we've got too many jim demints and tom coburns. it's the southerners. people hear them and say these people, they're southerners. the party is being taken over by southerners. is the party of lincoln getting weighted down by the refugees from the democratic party down in dixie? we've now got republicans opposing health care reform by

telling people that the government is coming to your house to ask you how you want to die. well, that's what they're saying about the health care bill. is this more of the malarky? that's in the politics fix tonight. plus what, general colin powell has to say about mr. afternoon delight himself, rush limbaugh in the "hardball" sideshow. first, fox news host glen beck said this early tuesday about president obama. >> this president i think has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep seated hatred for white people or the white culture. i don't know what it is. >> fox was so concerned by that that it issued a statement separating itself from it. here's a statement from bill schein, the senior vice president of programming for fox news. "during fox & friends this morning, glen beck expressed a personal opinion which represented his own views, not those of the fox news network." that's interesting they put that out.

former congressman quaes oh fumemy and joan walsh. thank you for join us tonight. glen beck also called president obama, let me get this quote, can we move that quote up there right now? move up the quote. let's listen to it. >> i'm not saying that he doesn't like white people. i'm saying he has a problem. he has a, this guy is, i believe, a racist. look at the things that he has been surrounded by. >> what do you make of that, congressman? >> well, i can't even believe it, first of all. glen beck owes the president an apology, the american people an apology. this is an insult to our democracy and our way of life. it's throwing out race and trying to find a way to divide people. at the same time, he's wise enough to know maybe he can move his numbers up. i don't know if he wants to overtake one of his colleagues at fox in terms of ratings. this sort of thing is terrible.

if fox says that's not their position, the question becomes what is their position regarding the president. >> let me go to joan because the congressman raised the issue that maybe this is for commercial purposes. that's my hunch. >> mine too. >> i also have a deeper hunch. i don't know glen personally or what his goals are. i think a lot of this is aimed at telling people who are racist on the other side, you're not so bad. he's as bad as are you. he's a racist too. >> he's a racist, too. it's not too because they're not racist. i wrote about this today, chris. i see it with both glen beck and with rush limbaugh, there's a clear case of projection here where these guys with suspect racial feelings are projecting their own hate and divisiveness on to a president who as you said had a white mother, was raised by white grandparents and there's no evidence at all that he anything but loves white people. obama got to where he was in my

opinion largely because he makes white people feel like he knows we're all trying really hard and we really like it when black people make us feel that way. i believe that this man -- i heart laughter. appreciate it. i believe that this man is a bridge builder. i can criticize him on this or that, but the idea that he's racist is so sick, and i just want to finally say about fox, issuing a statement criticizing or separating yourself from his statement, separate yourself from him, fox news. find another host. you're profiting from his hate and then trying to have it both ways and saying we don't believe that. that's crap. >> well, you know, we've had mr. ufume, former head of the naacp. let me just ask you, it seems after 400 years in this country, african-americans living here longer than our grandparents lived here, where does this fit in? >> it doesn't fit in.

hate groups, hate crimes don't fit in in the america we know today. for this to take place and for there to be silence in the ranks of many on this comment is interesting. black people, white people, latinos, asians, people work every day to struggle to make a living for their family and have a nice neighborhood to try to live in to try to enjoy life. this sort of thing says all that's out the window because this person is a racist and i don't like you and you should not like him. when we start going down that slippery slope it, ends dialogue. i would hope that persons who don't like this which i know are most americans will pull back from the sponsors who continue to sponsor the shows that allow mr. beck and others to make money and get good salaries. don't buy the products, don't buy the services and pull back and send a very real mess and that there's no room in this america for that kind of talk. >> you know, joan, you and i have been on television together an awful lot together over the

years. do you believe you know this guy beck enough to make that abcuization that he's really charged by racism himself or that rush limbaugh is? >> you know. >> do you really believe you think you know their motives enough to say that. >> i really do, i'm sorry, chris, because i think that words have consequences and i think if you -- i judge people not only by their words but what they do. and if you look at people who have a pattern who have built a career out of dividing people and who built a career out of often not just obama but finding ways to degrade and diminish african-americans and african-american leaders, i don't care what's in their hearts, to be honest with you, they can tell themselves their not racist, i don't care. it's racist to consistently make your living on the backs of black people. you brought up 400 years and let's consider this an intellectual show where we can talk history. i truly believe this assault on obama is linked to what you referred to earlier with his

health care numbers dropping. i will tell you why. in the 230-year history of this country, the reason we have never developed a social democratic base, the way they have in europe, we're the only western country without some kind of universal health care. there's a reason. it is because corporate interests have divided the american people by race and ethnicity. the irish from the blacks, it goes back to the 1700s. it's been very smart. it's been very effective. and people have voted against their self-interests to keep some other group down and therefore, we don't have the basic things that other countries take for granted in terms of a social infrastructure. that's what they're doing again. they want to defeat health care and his agenda by dividing us on racial lines. i don't think it's going to work. i really don't. >> do you believe this grand theory, congressman, that joan just put out there that there's some grand sort of almost marxist analysis. >> i'm not a marxist.

>> an economic analysis of human behavior, yeah, it is an analysis of human behavior. i think we have tribalalist tendencies. i don't think the corporate world created those is tribalalist tendencies. >> i'm not a conspiracy theorist but i don't think humpty-dumpty just fell. i think he was pushed. there are people deliberate pushing buttons to try to hold back the progress that people are making in this country as one nation. and when you push those buttons as mr. beck did and so many others, it causes the progress to slow down. as i said before, this is anti-american and most of all insulting to the democracy people workday in and day out to preserve. >> let's listen to a couple bites again if we can run them now so people know what he said. we're not getting beyond glen beck and his thinking here, if you will. here he is. >> you can't sit in a pew with jeremiah wright for 20 years and not hear some of that stuff and

not have it wash over. what kind of president of the united states immediately jumps on the police just like what kind of president would ever say, oh, well, yeah, well, he's black, of course he was breaking into the house. you'd never do that. you'd never do that. he wanted to address this. now, now they're going to have a beer? that's obscene. >> well, that's the thought. he's obviously embellishing this, congressman getting into this is some sort of the use of the word racist. racist in common parlance means you don't like the other race. if you're blah, you don't like white. it means a sense of racial supportity, one race should dominate the other, historically whites dominating blacks. what do you think he means by this idea that barack obama is a racist, that blacks should rule the world and whites subservient? what meaning can you ascribe to this fellow this broadcaster? >> aside from the fact that he's

laughable, he's also just a great big problem in the terms of the road of progress. you know, chris, i was born at night. i wasn't born last night. i served on the under rond reagan, george bush, bill clinton. every president says thing in the heat of the moment that they back off from. that's normal, going to always happen but for him to take this and to play it in such a way to suggest, well, you know, you've got to watch out because these black people are getting ready to take over, that is offensive. >> let me ask you, joan about, this question of the birthers. you and i have talked about it before. i have thought there's an attempt by some people, not the republican party per se but people on the far right who have tried to delegitimize our election and can't live with the fact that barack obama won so they're trying to say basically he wasn't a legitimate american, therefore it wasn't a legitimate election. this guy needs to be picked up and taken out by ins beak. if you follow their lonl i can

to the extent that it exists, he ought to be picked up because he doesn't have a green card. >> lou dobbs came very close to that. >> if you listen to them as if they were logical, this is what they're say. is this of a piece, to deamericanize the guy. >> i think it's related. it's all an attempt to dehumanize him and delegitimize him in a deep way. it does go back. you led the segment by talking about sarah palin, he's palling around with terrorists. it goes back to the palin campaign. i will not say the mccain campaign because john mccain did come out and tell people he's not a muslim, he's a good american family man and i value that moment because it's been way too rare in the last six to eight months. we need more of it. we're not hearing enough of it from republicans. michael steele finally today, michael steele did say i believe the president is a citizen and he's a legitimate president and i want these people to stop. but it's just been far too slow

in coming. >> it's getting worse. lindsey graham is taking heat from the south from some of the right for daring to vote for supreme court nominee of the other party. it's unbelievable. congressman, thanks you very much for joining us. >> it's being taken over by the supremacists. the moderate republicans need to say thing. >> well, let's wait and see if they do it, if there are any left. sir, thanks for joining us. joan walsh of salon, thank you. a brand-new nbc news "wall street journal" poll to share with you with tough numbers for president obama and very tough numbers for his health care plan coming up on "hardball." you have questions. who can give you the financial advice you need? where will you find the stability and resources to keep you ahead of this rapidly evolving world? these are tough questions. that's why we brought together two of the most powerful names in the industry. introducing morgan stanley smith barney. here to rethink wealth management. here to answer... your questions.

morgan stanley smith barney. a new wealth management firm with over 130 years of experience. some pharmacies make you work for it with memberships and fees. but not walmart. they have hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4 for up to a 30-day supply and no gimmicks. save money. live better. walmart. >> coming up, a republican civil war? george voinovich says the big problem with his party is that it's all run by southerners. 90. ♪ singer: buckle up, everybody 'cause we're taking a ride ♪

♪ that can strain your relationships and hurt your pride ♪ ♪ it's the credit roller coaster ♪ ♪ and as you can see it kinda bites! ♪ ♪ so sing the lyrics with me: ♪ when your debt goes up your score goes down ♪ ♪ when you pay a little off it goes the other way 'round ♪ ♪ it's just the same for everybody, every boy and girl ♪ ♪ the credit roller coaster makes you wanna hurl ♪ ♪ so throw your hands in the air, and wave 'em around ♪ ♪ like a wanna-be frat boy trying to get down ♪ ♪ then bring 'em right back to where your laptop's at... ♪ ♪ log on to free credit report dot com - stat! ♪

welcome back to "hardball." president obama hit the trail

again today to sell his health care plan. a new nbc news poll finds a rocky road awaits him as he tries to carry his plan across the finish line. chuck todd's weave white house correspondent and political director and charlie cook is the editor and publisher of the cook political report. two heavyweights here. let's analyze the problem facing the president. more people disapprove than approve on the issue of health care. he's got more people fighting him right now. the fight is between those who have insurance and those who don't. 41% like what he's doing. 3% don't like what he's doing. relatively high% and of the noninsured people backing him. that makes sense. >> the key thing is almost 60%, i think it's 59% have private insurance. so that's where the big numbers

are. and that's why that gap is so important. >> chuck, that's a problem. he hasn't been able to sow his plan to those people insured and feel they're covered. >> think about that health care number. he's upside down on job approval on handling the health care issue. what has he talked about the last two weeks, nothing but health care. the more he's campaigned on this issue, the more he's talked about it, the more the numbers go down. why? there's a few reasons you could speculate. number one, he hasn't had a plan to sell, but an idea to sell. then when you pick through the plan, it's come all the incremental stuff has come from congress and it's all been sort of the negative that people have feasted on, whether my taxes will go up. it's like the woman yesterday rationing, who's going to decide if i get a hip replacement. and all of a sudden, it's mireed in all of this detail. everybody's now afraid of it. >> it looks like a rezrikz plan, we're going to take from the

people who have insurance give it to those who don't. take people who make a good income and give it to poor people. it's beginning to sound like redistributir redistribution instead of everybody does a little better. here's the president in raleigh, north carolina today. >> nobody is talking about some government takeover of health care. i'm tired of hearing that. i have been as clear as i can be. under the reform i proposed, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan. these folks need to stop scaring everybody. you know? nobody, nobody is talking but forcing to have to change your plans. >> that sounds like a cheerleader when the other team has the ball and they're about to score. it sounds like a defensive cheer. >> it is and the thing is fundamentally i think what's

happened is that the last six weeks, the american people are particularly independents have lost their confidence in him. a lot of it goes back to the stimulus package which they thought should have worked by now which is probably unfair. but the thing is, there was a lot of garbage in that bill. and that stimulus package and enough to discredit the whole thing and people don't trust him anymore it jumps out. i had a republican pollster use the term nimby. people are fine not in my backyard. don't change my insurance. >> do no harm. the fact he's out there chuck, today saying i'm not going to hurt su scary. take a look at the latest polling on congress. 39% of the country now says they'd like to see the republicans control congress next time. going up a bit and the democratic number, 46 has come down a little bit. charles, that's the closest it's been since april of 2006. >> basically we were getting nine to 19-point democratic advantages on that question. now we've got five polls in the

last ten days that have shown the advantage anywhere, the democratic advantage down as small as six. >> is it headed towards a republican possible takeover of congress next year. >> that could happen. 40 seats is a lot in the house of representatives. right now, could you see a democratic loss of say 20 seats? in other words, cut in half? could you see that happen. absolutely. this is what would happen where the democratic momentum would dissipate. >> those democrats who would lose those seats are the ones scared to death right now. >> they are. our pollsters basically created the blue dog dem graphic which is people that didn't, people identified themselves as democrats but not as liberal democrats and ethnically they're white. among these voters while they still personally like the president, all of these things, they're the ones wary about deficits. these blah dogs, whatever you want to say about them, they are representing their constituents and how they feel about all of

this government interaction and the stimulus in the health care. >> you rate the ethnic issue, the racial issue. who people blame for the incident up in came bridge the other week. look at this, 27% blame the harvard professor henry louis gates, 11% blame the police sergeant crowley. 29% both equally. almost a third said i don't know. that would be my answer. i wasn't there. i don't know what it was felt like, seemed like, was like. >> i think that's exactly right. that's why a lot of voters, you could understand why the president had a reaction as an african-american and as a friend of go aheads, but they wondered, should this guy really be wading into this. >> he was profiling in a sense, the president. he was looking at it as a classic case. >> i'll let you say that. >> he was profiling the situation saying this is a situation i'm familiar with. flfr i know what happened. he doesn't know what happened. >> one of our pollsters, first of all, they were stunned over,

nearly 70% in our survey felt comfortable giving an opinion which tells you how closely they followed the story. you don't give an opinion unless you follow it. here's the other thing, the only teachable moment in here is a teachable moment for the president. don't step in a sidebar issue and get yourself bogged down. >> chuck, your thoughts on this. the connection between the birther movement right now that sort of subsided a bit with that vote the other day where the republicans were forced to vote on the record and all voted he was a citizen. this whole thing about cambridge, this thing about glen beck, how is that fitting into the attitude toward the president on policy matters? >> if you look at the poll, take out the came bridge incident and beb, if you look at poll, we are seeing polarization kick back in. where the country was in october of 2008 is sort of red team, blue team. away, we're seeing old habits.

the south, we're seeing regionalization break in again, conservatives and the republicans have their strongest showing in the south than they've had in three years. we're seeing almost a return to where things were pre-katrina going back to another moment that was both a racial moment but don't forget the economic divide moment that that was, as well. >> turning up heat of ethnicity and tribalism helps republicans because it divides the country again. >> it polarizes things. i don't think that's his problem. the problem is it's moderates, independents, people that like him but they're just not as confident. >> what was his biggest mistake since the inaugural? is it going that grab bag of stimulus stuff on the had i. >> i think that was it but also on health care. i think something like this has to be bipartisan. big, big public policy changes have to be bipartisan. >> can he save this by cutting a deal with the senate republicans? >> i think when he did not, was

not willing to go along with malpractice reform he effectively ended any chance of getting any measurable republican support. >> okay. he's got to fight with the trial lawyers on that one. thank you, chuck and charlie. more numbers coming up in our new edition tonight. up next, colin powell hits bab against rush limbaugh and the republicans who are all dittoheads according to him, they won't stand up to the guy on the radio. that's the general powell view. that's the powell doctrine. that's next in the sideshow. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. tools are uncomplicated? nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping is easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. come on. how about...a handshake.

alright. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. you're ready for the mid-morning rush thanks to a good breakfast. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte. medium macchiato, light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos. make one a double. she's fiber focused! i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate, hold the whip, and two espressos, one with a double shot. gonna take more than coffee to stay this focused. stay full and focused through the morning... with a breakfast of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal; an excellent source of fiber th helps you avoid... the distraction of mid-morning hunger. no thanks, i'm good.

back to "hardball" time for the sideshow. first up, the feud rages on. last night general colin powell took on the entertainer in chief, rush limbaugh and the

dittoheads who think that every minute of ruch foal amounts to a teachable moment. >> the problem i'm having with the party right now is when he says things that i consider to be completely outrageous. and i respond to it. i would like to see other members of the party do likewise. but they don't. >> they're afraid to take him on? >> i know a number of instances where sitting members in congress or elsewhere in positions of responsibility in the party made light criticism of rush and within 24 hours they were backing away because there is. >> why. >> there is a strong base of support for mr. limbaugh. >> i think there's three parties out there right now, the democrats largely loyal to president obama and the clintons, republicans looking for leadership right now and the hating tribalists living in nightly fear of the black helicopters arriving tomorrow

morning dispatched by celebrity left wing comemy sars from new york, washington and hollywood coming to take away, well, first their guns and then them and their families. that's the third party out there and glen beck is talking to them. next up, a reckoning on the "new york times" opinion pages. columnist maureen dowd has been known for tough criticism of hillary clinton. here is speaking today in our quote. maureen who's a master of the pen has shifted her sharp literary focus to the more topical ex-governor of alaska. look out, sarah. and finally, good-bye rat so rizzo. the new york times reports that new york mayor mike bloomberg's administration has been trying

to save money on shelters by buying the homeless one-way tickets to places where they've got relatives willing to take them in. the city spends half a million dollars a year now on a program which sends people mostly back to georgia, the carolinas, and other points south. i guess if you can't make it in new york, it's time to get on the bus, gus. anyway, time now for tonight's big number. republican congressman jeff flask arizona, who was a guest on the show yesterday, wants to slow the progress of a $600 billion plus defense appropriations bill which he says is loaded down with wasteful earmarks and no bid contracts. how is he doing it? by filing amendments one after the other. how many is he filing? a record 553 amendments. according to the politico newspaper, if the house actually votes ends up voting on all of those amendments, it would mean roll call votes for 50 hours straight. congressman flake's making a stand with 553 amendments to that big spending appropriations

bill. tonight's big number. up next, the republican party has been shrinking the last few election cycles and now republican senator george voinovich of ohio thinks he knows why. he says there's too many southerners aboard. are they driving the gop south? you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. whether you consider it a cruiser or a clunker, you could turn it into cash. get to your dodge, chrysler, and jeep dealer, and get up to double the government's cash for your old car. now get up to $4,500 for your old car... plus, up to an additional $4,500 cash allowance.

no turn-in? no problem. your dodge, chrysler, and jeep dealer guarantees everyone up to $4,500 cash allowance... on virtually every model. get to your dodge, chrysler and jeep dealer on the double, and get double cash for your old car! has the fastest serve in the history of professional tennis. so i've come to this court to challenge his speed. ...on the internet. i'll be using the 3g at&t laptopconnect card. he won't. so i can book travel plans faster, check my account balances faster. all on the go. i'm bill kurtis and i'm faster than andy roddick. (announcer) "switch to the nations fastest 3g network" "and get the at&t laptopconnect card for free".

i'm mike huckman with your cnbc mark wrap. a late day rally on the fed's latest economic snapshot was not enough to move stocks into move territory today. the dow dow jones industrials finishing 26 points lower, the s&p 500 losing four and the nasdaq is down almost 8 points. the federal reserve's beige book said some regional economies are showing signs of stabilizing. but it warned the national

economy is still fragile and it is looking like recovery could happen at a slower than expected pace. there were a number of factorsing dragging on stocks today including a surprise jump in oil inventories. a drop in orders for durable goods like cars and appliances and mortgage applications falling for the first time in four weeks. but say hello to micro who? micro soft and yahoo! reached a deal today to combine search capabilities to try to better compete with goog. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide. now back to "hardball." this is going to be trouble. if we haven't had enough trouble with glen beck tonight, recent

comments by republican senator george voinovich has gotten some other republicans mad. he told "the columbus dispatch," his hometown dispatch, we've got too many jim demints, the conservative guy from south carolina and tom coburns from oklahoma. it's the southerners, people hear them and say these people, they're southerners. the party's being taken over by southerners. joining me tom davis, republican from virginia which is somewhere on the border. it's a southern state. what do you make of this? has your party become the party of ex-democrats who quit the democratic party because of civil rights back if the '60s? they're all dixiecrats now calling themselves republicans? is that kill your party, trent lott? >> a lot of them are northerners who move south in migration for the new economy, as well. felt comfortable, right to work states. so there are a lot of, snooshlgs demint, lindsay graham move south? >> lindsay didn't. but a lot of our members are

northerners, tom price from georgia. >> richard shelby is an ex-democrat. he's classic. >> it's a coalition. you know what southern politics is about. >> i'm looking at the party. you've had 19 members of the united states senate who are republicans in the last couple elections quit. that's half the number of senators there now. you've got 40 republicans. almost half have just quit there's no future except for specter who just switched parties and got in the lifeboat. in new england, there's no republican congress people left. >> not in the house. >> not in the house. in the senate, the house in new york, there's like two left. one's leaving to become secretary of the navy. >> we'll hold that seat i think. >> it seems like the whole northeast where i grew up, there was always a republican senator in every state at least. two in pennsylvania for years, new jersey had a. >> referee: senator when i was a kid. what happened to your party in the north. >> politics has been defined by culture and we've become a rural

party and a southern party. we've been losing inner suburbs and the like. a lot of this was the policies of the bush administration. there are 18 states we've lost now five straight presidential elections. mccain wasn't within ten points. 34-2 is the senate lineup in those states. >> what do you think the problem was when i polled the people at the reagan people, we asked them a simple question, do you believe in evolution, i think three guys said yes. they don't believe in sort of the natural biology courses we all took in high school. you have a party that doesn't believe what they were taught in high school. >> it's changed so that people, the high education areas obama carried, 78 of the 100 counties with the highest education, mccain carried 88 of 100 counties with the lowest education. as we move the cultural politics, that's been the shift. >> is that the smart move for the republican party? >> it's a terrible move. >> to pick up the dixiecrats when they quit the democrats

over civil rights? >> it's also rural versus urban in the northeast and midwest and everything else. it's going to change. part of that is the cost of government. >> guys like tony perkins are dancing on your graves. the far right guys love this thing. >> they don't think we've gone far enough to the right. >> they love it. they want a small republican party they can dominate. glen beb's not upset. >> they want a private club with an admissions test, they don't want a party which is by definition coalition. >> would they rather lose. >> demint said he would rather be 30 true believers than the broad coalitions that make a majority. the democrats have let so many moderates in, they're having trouble passing bills even with big majorities. that's where the country is. but it's going to change a bit. >> would lincoln join today's republican party? >> i think he would. >> what would he like about the republican party. >> i think he would like our economics. i don't think he would like

socialized medicine. >> okay. you're back to your party roots. that didn't take long. >> i'm an economic conservative. >> let me ask you about the party's future. you've got a choice between sarah palin and mitt romney to be cartoonish about it, the person the full mooner all the way out there, very attractive politically. knows how to give a speech which most people don't in america, draws a crowd. mitt rom who is dull who doesn't seem to know he's a politician. doesn't seem to know how to be a politician. who wins that kind of fight? >> i think you'll see maybe a john kasick emerge. >> if he wins in ohio. i think the midterm will bring in a new breed of republican out there that can appeal, will hold the base. >> can you win with a party where charlie crist wins in florida, tom coburn wins in pennsylvania, christie wins in new jersey, mcdonald wins? virginia? is that the basis for a national political party, a bunch of governors? >> i think it's going to be. i think we'll pick up in the

house as well because the midterms are a referendum on obama. the voters will want to put a check on him. >> you're saying abraham lincoln where he brought back to life today would not join the party of obama but the party of mitch mcconnell? are you serious? >> i am serious. >> can i put you under oath right now. >> and tom davis and john warner. we can go on and on. absolutely he would be a republican. he's a fierce independent. >> how about teddy roosevelt, a conservist? >> he's a new yorker. i can't comment on that. >> thank you, sir it tom davis. a virginian. up next, talk about scare tactics, the latest right wing strategy to defeat health care telling old people the government's going to get them, go to their house and ask them how they want to die. we'll get to that. it gets worse on the politics fix. (announcer) before they give you the lowest price,

some pharmacies make you work for it with memberships and fees. but not walmart. they have hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4 for up to a 30-day supply or $10 for 90 days. save money. live better. walmart. the politics of personal destruction from glen beck to

the birthers. will republicans pay a political price for the right wing smear jobs? we'll be back to talk about the president and his enemies. our expert stylist recommends full & thick from pantene. it just got the good housekeeping seal. you wanna know why? the full & thick collection really leaves the hair full. starting at the roots, your hair lifts up and away. look at all this body. and that's gonna last all day. [ stacy ] a little expert advice. full, thick-looking results the leading salon brand can't beat. full & thick from pantene. healthy makes it happen.

we're back now with the politics fix with the "washington post" lois romano and the politico's jonathan martin. the president was talking about the health care plan after being asked a question by a wary caller at an aarp meeting today. >> i have been told there is a clausee in there that everyone that's medicare age will be visited and told to decide how they wish to die. this bothers me greatly and i'd

like for you to proxs me that this is not in this bill. >> you know, the -- i guarantee you first of all, we just don't have enough government workers to send to talk to everybody. to find out how they want to die. i think that the only thing that may have been proposed in some of the bills and i actually think this is a good thing, is that it makes it easier for people to fill out a living will. >> well, here's north carolina congresswoman virginia foxx speaking on the house floor. >> republicans have a better solution that won't put the government in charge of people's health care that will make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all americans and that sures affordable access for all americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government. >> that's how hot it's getting.

lois romano, jonathan martin, your thoughts about this debate. it's a provision in the energy and commerce version of the health care bill in the energy and commerce bill. it was put in by earl blumenauer from oregon. there it stands. it's a provision which allows to you get counselinging every five years or so. i wonder what the hell this provision is doing in a bill aimed at people who are younger? it's not about medicare an recipients. why we would want to be visited every five years by somebody to talk about how you want to die. i think it's crazy this is in there. >> it's not in there. >> it's in the bill. it's in the dingell bill. >> chris, first of all, it's an extension of a 1999 bill enacted during the bush bill and it's a self-determination, a patients rights bill. all it really says is that medicare will pay if somebody wants to go in and have a

consultation. it doesn't say you have to have a consultation. >> it's not about medicare, lois. we already have that in medicare. this is about people under 65, younger people. this is not about medicare. we've got it in -- you're saying that. this is about a health care bill to help people in their middle and younger years. why would you have this conversation with them? >> i think it's basically to give patients some rights. they want to go in and have a confers, it's about a living will as obama said, it's about making choices about being prepared you know -- i think most people would opt to use it if they were ill. i don't think you and i would go in and say can we talk how i'm going to die in 20 years if instinct happens. you're talking about a person say they're 45 and they're dying and they just want to go and have a conversation. >> this is on a regular recurring basis. >> it's not mandated. >> it's not mandated. what's it doing in there? i have a sense this was put in by a lobbyist who wanted this for hospice care.

it's the social policy dynamite that sounds like denmark or scandinavia that drives a >> it does offer political fodder. if you're a republican trying to do anything you can to torpedo this bill, what do you do, chris? you go in this bill and find any element that you can take out and extract and it's trying to use that to hurt the larger bill. that's why the president has folks call into our call-in show bringing this issue up because the republicans are trying to find something to kill this larger bill. and that sounds pretty damn scary. >> lois, the concern i have is something that can be handled by filling out form that somebody can handle for a minuscule amount of money and we're talking about a trillion dollar bill here and somebody put in a provision, which is a nice useful handle for somebody to say we've got social policy here

and the lefties can't wait for us to start telling old people it's going to cost a lot of money for you to live, so maybe you ought to be doing this other thing here. >> i just don't see it that way. it's a provision that asks hospitals to raise the question of living wills which i don't have but a lot of people have one. do you want to do this? do you want a living will? and it's even more benign if it's not for the elderly. it's just to inform patients they have some rights. i just don't think there's any that big deal about it. >> we'll come back on this. i think it's like the abortion issue that's been jammed into this thing. we have a hyde amendment that says they will not pay for abortion. pro choice people want the government to pay for abortions. there's a lot of social policies being jammed at us.

>> this isn't a social policy, just teping patient the options they have. >> why is it in this bill. >> why snoot. >> because we're talking about it. we'll be right back. we're talk about glen beck erk a simpler topic when we come back on "hardball" only on msnbc. s w♪ ♪ 'cause now i'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free credit report dot com, baby. ♪ ♪ saw their ads on my tv ♪ thought about going but was too lazy ♪ ♪ n instead of looking fly and rollin' phat ♪ ♪ my legs are sticking to the vinyl ♪ ♪ and my posse's getting laughed at. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free- credit report dot com, baby. ♪

h whoa! honey honey honey honey honey! okay... i mean... you can't... this isn't a stove, alright? i mean... what if i just walked into the kitchen and started making a salad? - that'd be weird. - right? i mean, look, there's a technique. - okay... - ( strikes match ) wow. it's okay, everyone. - thanks, hon. - you're welcome. announcer: yep, it's that easy, - with kingsford match light. - ( match strikes ) population 49 million. 145,000 teenagers are typing a text message at 70 words a minute. average speed of their parents: 8. right now, 90 high schoolers are shopping for new kicks

on zappos.com. - none of them got game. - ( buzzer sounds ) 19,000 teenagers are flipping 354,000 burgers - to get the new samsung exclaim. - ( sizzles ) - ( gasps ) - just one of four iming, texting and twittering back-to-school phones you can get from sprint, starting at $19.99. sprint. the now network. deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com.

>> we're back. glen beck on fox yesterday morning. >> this president i think has exposed himself as a guy over and over again who has a deep seeded hatred for white people or the while culture. i don't know what it is. >> he also called president obama racist. listen to this. >> i'm not saying he doesn't like white people. i'm saying he has a problem. he has a -- this guy is, i believe, a racist. look at the way -- look at the things that he has been surrounded by. >> lois, what do you make of this character? glenn beck he's rising high on the right wing side of things. >> okay, so i have a question for you. why are we talking about this guy? he went to the same school of hateful punditry as ann koulter did. he had keith ellison on his show and wanted to know, you know, if keith was a terrorist of some sort. he said he couldn't debunk rumors that fema facilities were

going to be used as concentration camps. the guy is bordering on being a nut. >> more people listen to him than read "the washington post." that's why we're listening to him. >> oh, well. >> the fact is that voice is being heard and some people believe it. in fact, i assume that people who live to him on a regular basis mostly do believe him and are willing to listen to what he has to say because they think it has some value. >> and the more provocative he is, then, you know, the more attention he's going to get and we're going to talk about it and it will be picked you were online and the more viewer he is gets. it's like the coulter strategy as well. the more provocative they are, the more attention they get. >> what did you make, lois, of the fact that the fox news network, their top executive made a point of coming right out saying he does not speak for us. came out and said don't count on us to back up this guy's point of view. >> they know they're dealing with a very popular president and a very hot issue. i mean, we've justco