tonight in our text survey i asked do you think republicans should do more to condemn the threats of violence against democrats? 96% of you said yes, 4% said no. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "hardball" with chris matthews starts right now. we're back tomorrow night. looking forward to it. right here on "the ed show." 6:00 p.m. eastern. on your place for politics, msnbc. targeting democrats. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, base politics, it's getting even uglier out there angry opponents of health care reform are targeting democratic house members with death threats. some democrats have had their office windows smashed. national -- democratic national committee chair tim kaine said today the republicans have

stoked that anger and now he's going to make them own the bad behavior. plus, senate republicans are not giving up on killing the actual health care bill, itself. they're offering up amount after amendment hoping to pass at least one of them and send the bill back to the house and then out of existence. one proposal, no viagra for sex offenders. who could be against that one? republicans want to force democrats to vote against this kind of commonsense measure. and then attack them for it in november. a great example, i'd say, of politics for the purpose of politics. next, the spoils of victory, america loves a winner and president obama just got a big "w" on the board. let's see what happens when he tries to reform no child left behind on education or goes after the big banks with financial regulation. do republicans look forward to being wall street champions? and rudy giuliani says give republicans a chance to reform health care. oh? the way that they did when in charge all those years? that story's coming up in the "sideshow" where it belongs. i'll finish tonight, by the

way, with some thoughts about vice president joe biden. we start with the health care politics. it's getting dangerous. joining me now is u.s. congressman chris van hollen. democrat of maryland. chair of the congressional campaign committee. congressman van hollen, these stories are growing. we've got a lot of them out there. congresswoman slaughter had her office windows smashed. congresswoman gabrielle gifford's office the same deal. windows smashed and the dnc in the headquarters in rochester, new york. in ohio, in wichita. dhet threats to congresswoman slaughter and stupak, vandalism at other lawmaker's homes. it doesn't look like it will stop. it looks to me like more copycats as we get to the weekend and then we have booes on top of this craziness coming friday and saturday night. i would expect more trouble from the red-hots on the right. your thoughts? >> yeah, these are not isolated incidents, chris. you are seeing patterns. you're seeing this happen across the country. you know, during the protests over the health care bill, up here on capitol hill, we heard a lot of ugly slurs.

we heard a lot of homophobic epithets thrown around. and that was outside the capitol. but unfortunately some of that also took place on the floor of the house. with the republican members shouting out, "baby killer." what's happened here is the republican leadership, instead of saying to it's supporters around the country, calm down, that this is a time to try and put down the flames, they're pouring more and more gasoline on the flames. and that is irresponsible. it's time that there be some adult supervision within the republican party. that some republican leader say, this is not acceptable. that we can disagree with one another without this kind of outrageous conduct. >> well, here's what your leader the leader of your party, tim kaine, outgoing governor of virginia, he told "the huffington post," quote, they're going to own part of the slurs.

people vandalize l members of congress' office. when it's okay for leaders to do the rude outrageous stuff like that it sure sends a signal that the followers should do it, too. i get a sense that there's real license out there, congressman, and it began when that guy in the house who yelled "you lie," the guy from south carolina, wilson. and i just wonder whether, can you smell it on the floor? do you sense this derision, this contempt for the president of the united states and the democratic party that's gotten almost to the point of this sort of -- i don't know the word, primordial, it's so deep. >> no, this is the same kind of thing that happened after the "you lie" comment. a brief apology and then people went out and tried to raise a whole lot of money off of it. just like the "baby killer" comment. the guy says, he's sorry. and then he goes and puts a youtube video together to try to raise money off it. the fact of the matter is, they're playing a very difficult double game, or at least they were. they were trying to say, look, we want to be able to use this

energy that's being fueled by some of the -- on the far right here and yet we want to be able to try and distance ourselves when we can. they've lost all pretense. these guys are united together. this is now the face of the republican party. they have not taken responsibility. they've not led by example. in fact, they're doing the opposite. i mean, they're becoming examples of irresponsible behavior, themselves. and when they do that, i think most americans, whether you're a democrat or an independent or a republican, say, wait a minute. this is out of bounds. there's a time for people to disagree in a civil manner, but this kind of behavior's gotten out of control. and i think the dangers, the republican party has been so kidnapped and hijacked by the right that they're afraid if they criticize this outrageous behavior that they're going to lose the support that they're banking on, but i think it will boomerang on them because the price of getting the support from the far extreme right is to

lose the sensible center. >> you have people -- congressman neugebauer. he's a real birther from down in texas. he's one of these guys who doesn't believe barack obama is born here. not one of us, he's gone all the way to that extreme. he's the one who yelled "baby killer" on the floor against bart stupak. would you say that this incitement from the leadership is criminal? seriously. if people will have windows thrown bricks at -- getting their lives threatened out. getting criminal behavior resulting from their incitement is the incitement, itself, criminal? >> well, it's a very dangerous game, chris. i don't know whether -- look, people have to draw their conclusions as they want but i think the big giveaway here is they're not coming out and forcefully condemning these statements and through -- they're not just being silent. they're also making highly heated remarks that obviously in the case of "baby killer," crossed that line and they have

in fact joined in this kind of activity so people can characterize it how they want but there's no denying the fact that they are stoking the flames here. and they are not trying to separate themselves, in fact, they've embraced the benefits of what they consider to be the political benefits from these activities. >> let's go to former governor of alaska, sarah palin. i don't know whether you put her on the fringe. i think she's close to it. she certainly appeals to those people on the fringe. i don't know if she's or not, but she's put out a map, targeting democrats with these crosshairs over it. these red cross hairs. the kind that you do with target practice, i guess. where they, you know, mounted -- what do you call those things, on the top of your gun. she's put these things out. a picture out. what do you make of that? these democratic seats and where you have to target them? >> i really think that in this environment that that is

crossing a line because it's not the folksy, the sort of, you betcha kind of thing that she's trying to portray at least she tried to when she was running for vice president. in this particular environment, i think it's really dangerous to try and make your point in that particular way because there are people who are taking that kind of thing seriously. we've heard from a whole lot of members who've received death threats, not just to themselves, but to their families. we had to have a meeting today with the capitol police to go over security procedures. and, again, we should be able to disagree on the floor of the house and we should be able to have emotional debates but when it crosses the line into threats of the lives of people and their families, this has gotten out of control and this is why someone -- someone needs to step up on the republican side and say, enough is enough. rather than trying to play this double game. >> well, maybe this violent language and violent behavior is the result of the fact that the polls seem to be switching against the right, at least

temporarily. let's take a look. i know that you know these polls. the new cbs poll has a seven-point swing under way right now in favor of health care -- it's still not the most popular game in town, obviously. but approval number's gone up dramatically from 37% to 42% and disapprove's come down a bit. do you sense that out in your maryland district, which i'm quite familiar with, since i have lived there. is there a sense the president has made this case this week or is there a lot more selling to do down the road for health care reform? >> well, i think both. i think the president has made its case and i think he needs to continue to sell it and get that information out there. but our members are sensing a big turnaround and boost on this. it's reflective in the poll you mentioned and it's also reflected in the "usa today" poll. and people are beginning to feel it. i can tell you that the morale and energy on the democratic side has gotten an incredible boost. there's a lot of invigoration going on as a result of this. and here's the question i would have, chris, for our republican colleagues, because they stopped

debating the merits of health care a little while ago and began to focus on two things. one, process. and then the second one was polls. they kept saying, how can you be ramming this thing down the throats of the american people? well, i have a simple question for them. now that the polls seem to show that the american people like this idea, if this trend and these polls continue, we have to ask them, are you supporting this bill now? because that became their whole argument. again, it wasn't on the merits. because we know that when you devote -- when you debate the pieces of this legislation they were very popular. and now that they're being implemented people are going to begin to like it. so they doubled down on this argument that we were somehow ramming something through against the will of the american people. when, in fact, the polling now suggests the american people like what we see. so i hope our colleagues will -- will come around and say they made a mistake. >> is it harder to recruit members to run for congress now that they're facing death threats? even though the polls may be slightly turning into your direction? how's recruitment going?

>> recruitment's going very well. in fact, this kind of new energy will give us a boost. as you know, there was a fair amount of uneasiness that we weren't going to be able to implement important parts of the agenda that we'd already run on, especially after massachusetts senate race. a lot of people were feeling, you know, dispirited. some people who wanted to throw in the towel on health care reform, or just take a little baby steps. and the fact that we're able to regroup, get this together and have the president sign into law a historic piece of legislation, has given everybody a big boost. >> okay. are you glad scott brown won that race? he seems like he woke up the democratic party from a long sleep. would you say all things considered that was a help? >> well i'm not saying i am glad he won it but that silver lining. everyone got an early wake-up call in time to rally the troops and also in time to send a message to the senate that we don't need to try and get 60 votes on every single piece of legislation. >> yeah.

>> that a majority can get stuff done and that was a very important lesson and i hope they will continue to recognize that lesson as we go through other issues this year. >> okay, thank you so much, u.s. congressman chris van hollen head of the democratic campaign committee. coming up, much more on the anger on the right we're seeing out there. lots of evidence it's not talk, it's actions. and they seem to be intensifying as this health care reform bill heads toward reality. democratic members have received death threats, offices vandalized and the brother of one congressman had his gas line to his home barbecue severed. what a strange way to scare people. i don't know what this is, scary stuff. we'll talk to congressman james clyburn. one of the leaders of the house. whether the republicans will own this behavior. ♪ but i am holding half an acre ♪ ♪ torn from the map of michigan ♪

♪ i am carrying this scrap of paper ♪ ♪ that can crack the darkest sky wide open ♪ ♪ every burden taken from me ♪ every night my heart unfolding ♪ ♪ my home when it's people who do the right thing, they call it being responsible. when it's an insurance company, they call it liberty mutual. responsibility. what's your policy? liberty mutual. three headlines on three hot midterm races. in indiana retiring senator evan bayh is giving a million dollars to his campaign war chest to the democrat he hopes will succeed him.

u.s. congressman brad elseworth who faces former democratic senator in november. in california former bush secretary of state condi rice endorsed former hewlett-packard ceo carly fiorina. and breaking news out of maryland right near here where former republican governor bob ehrlich wants his old job back. he's set to announce he's going to challenge democratic incumbent marty o'malley who beat him four years ago.

[tv set] hey, i've been paused for 20 minutes.

the wasted energy isn't pausing, that's for sure. when i'm paused, i waste energy. as much as $200 a year. enough to buy a few new video games. hit "save," turn off the console and save a lot more than the game. where's the ref? [announcer] learn to speak the language of energy efficiency at bgesmartenergy.com that's a penalty. delay of savings. incidents of threats, in person or over telephones or through other communications devices have given great concern to members for the safety of themselves and their families. >> welcome back to "hardball." house majority leader steny hoyer you just saw him there, he says he's concerned at least ten house members have received threats, serious threats, some of the ones that you know about already. death threats to members,

smashed windows in member's offices and at local democratic headquarters around the country. vandalism at the homes of member's relatives. james clyburn is the house majority whip. the top man. congratulations. i've never seen you so happy. i'm watching you a minute ago there, mr. clyburn and you haven't seemed this happy since i met you. congratulations. you won. and in america, winning counts. let me ask you about the dangers of winning. you've incited some anger out there on the floor of the house, lines like "baby killer," "you lie," is inciting people out on the streets to get violent. >> well, thank you so much for having me, chris. and yes, i am pretty happy right now. you know, i think one of the things we have to be very, very careful of in our society is that we don't ruin the possibilities of us operating the civil manner. i think that when you see people on the floor as we saw cheering those people who are up in the balcony jeering. there is something wrong with

that. it violates the decorum of the house, but it also helps to incite people. and i think that what we saw on sunday and saturday is a throwback to a time that all of us thought we had behind us. all of this is not about health care. these people were ginned up in such a way and had posters that went far beyond whether or not this bill ought to not pass. those kinds of things we have got to stop, and they're being egged on by people who ought to know better. >> well, you know there's a lot of talk about tea partyers or separate partyer or separate republicans at a meeting. the latest numbers the quinnipiac poll, congressman shows that 74% of tea partyers are self-described republicans.

well, that's 3/4. only 1 in 6. 16 say they're democrats. they must be conservative democrats, i guess. what do you make of that? i mean are they -- is this just another name for republican, tea party? >> i think so. oh, there's no question of it. they're an arm of the republican party. no question about that. and i think that people should understand that more than anything else. if 75% of them identify themselves as republicans i am suspecting that other 25% or 26% or whatever it is, you'll find a few republican's leanings in there as well. so i believe we know that they came here to try to intimidate, try to stop this vote. they had to know that we were not going to be intimidated. i hope they know that. so there's something else going on here that's churning up people for other activities down the road. look, we're going to soon get to deal with this issue of immigration and i'm afraid that

if we don't tap this down now that controversial issue could very well generate something that could lead to some catastrophic events. >> let's talk to a case in poin here's the brick thrown through the window of the rochester, new york, democratic headquarters. the note attached says ex-streamism in defense of liberty is no vice. that's of course the barry goldwater slogan from way back in '64 in a different, more frightening context. now the person who's apparently egged that person on the person who took credit for encouraging person to smash windows said this in a radio interview. let's listen to this fellow. has name is vanderboegh. >> there are rifles being cleaned right now. do you folks understand that -- >> being what? >> rifles being taken out of the closet and cleaned. >> well, there you have it. he's talking about people, you know, looking and loading and all that sort of stuff and getting their rifles cleaned for action. he's encouraging it, this blogger. apparently the guy got behind

this brick-throwing. people are coming out of the closet, if you will. and they're saying that they're dangerous people and they want to make other people dangerous. >> well, you know, when you hear that kind of talk and you look on sarah palin's website and see she's got cross hairs there targeting people who voted for this bill. >> yeah. >> now, why not put a star there or checkmark? to put the cross hairs there of a rifle tends to give credence to this sort of thing. and then we heard the head of the republican party, mr. steele, saying something about shooting the speaker down. i forgot what it was, but it implied a violent action. >> sure. >> this stuff is beyond the pail. and they need to stop this because i can tell you, i've

seen how these things escalate. people out there in the streets get their signals or what they think are their signals from the people in positions like we hold and so if we don't disown that and go get our people to move beyond that, if we participate in it, either from the balcony or on the floor of the house, you are aiding and abetting this kind of terrorism, really. >> well, you know, you're getting language from bill mccollum running for governor of florida. you know, he's referring to the health care bill that you helped to get passed as an invasion of sovereignty of florida, they're using successionist language. the cabinet being waved by members of congress. don't tread on me flag from the

republicans. >> exactly. >> that we used to fight the british with. they're treat our central government in washington as the enemy, as if it's a foreign government. and that's the way bill mccollum's talking. they're using the language of -- nullification and even of succession in texas and now bill mccollum's using it. there it is. the gad ston flag. that was the flag we used to form our republic when we were fighting the british. that's the way -- what's going on here? this is real symbolism of almost a mutiny. >> yes. and as you know, bill mccollum is a former member of this body. and so that in and of itself signals something to me. let me tell you, i think that the attorneys general that have been following these lawsuits, it's somewhat reminiscent, you know, of those people who resisted the fundamental rights, like voting. all we're trying to do here is get rid of the discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions, stop discriminating against women who are paying twice for their premiums that men pay for them, stop

discriminating against people who get catastrophic illnesses. that's all we're doing, trying to say, let's put health care on an equal footing for everybody. make it accessible. make it affordable. make it accountable. this is not about anything that's foreign to what democracy ought to be. >> you know, like you, i study history. and i realize that richard nixon, who is hardly a left winger, advocated an employer mandate back in the '70s. you know, mitt romney up in massachusetts signed a bill that requires people to have health insurance. out in california, schwarzenegger's done it. i mean, this isn't left-wing politics. this is -- well, at most, it's center/left if not center. how do they get away with this socialist thing that they keep throwing at you guys? >> you know what's so interesting, i have had my staff chart bob dole's plan back in 1994 that he offered up as an

alternative to the plan being pushed by president clinton. we attracted except for medicaid expansion in our plan, and absence of medical malpractice. they are exactly the same things. this plan is so close to bob dole's plan it ain't funny. so this is nothing that's not been put on the table by republicans time and time again. it's just that these people have decided to try to deny it for this president. >> and now they're resorted to rock-throwing. thank you very much. james clyburn, again, again i know that you are happy and proud because this was history that was made this week and if you are opposed to it and you still have to recognize it as history. anyway, thank you, sir, for coming on. >> thank you very having me. up next, another whopper from rudy giuliani. he says republicans are ready to reform health care. of course the former mayor may want to ask why the party that he's from now has never done anything on health care when they were in control under

president bush and before that under president clinton when newt gingrich was calling the shots on capitol hill. how come the republicans never do health care when they get the chance? the "sideshow" where rudy gets to be. coming up next. going heart hea? going heart hea? so is campbell's healthy request soup. low in fat and cholesterol, heart healthy levels of sodium, and taste you'll love. girl: this is good for my heart? chef: you noticed. [cheering] announcer: campbell's healthy request. man: be kind to your eyes with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. woman: are you a vsp member? your satisfaction with transitions lenses is guaranteed. visit transitions.com/vsp or ask your vsp doctor for details. to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between,

there's new motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. new motrin pm. it's really hard to save for the future and they've come to a point where it's overwhelming. [ advisor 2 ] oh gee, i'm scared to tell you i've got this amount of credit card debt or i've got a 15-year-old and we never got around to saving for their college. that's when i go to work. we talk, we start planning. we can fix this. i know we can do it. when clients walk out of my office they feel confident about their retirement. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach.

somewhere in america... there's a home by the sea powered by the wind on the plains. there's a hospital where technology has a healing touch. there's a factory giving old industries new life. and there's a train that got a whole city moving again. somewhere in america, the toughest questions are answered every day. because somewhere in america, more than sixty thousand people spend every day answering them. siemens. answers.

huh! back to "hardball." now for the "sideshow." first rudy's revisionism. yesterday on fox. rudy giuliani took a whack at democratic health care reforms. his point? that americans should give republicans a chance at governing and doing things like that. >> you've got nothing to lose to give us a chance. let us do the things that we wanted to do that obama completely stopped us from doing and pelosi stopped us from doing. hey keep accusing us of being the party of no. put us in power. give us a chance and we will pass a major tax deduction for health insurance.

we'll pass the ability to buy insurance in every state so you drive down the price of insurance. we will pass tort reform. >> wait a second. republicans had control of the white house and both houses of congress for four years between 2003 and 2007. why didn't they try any of these reforms that rudy's talking about now? by the way, here are some of the things that republicans have given us in recent years. bush, sr. gave us clarence thomas supreme court. speaker newt gingrich gave us a government shutdown. bush jr. gave us the war in iraq and eight years of deficit spending and nearly doubling the national debt. next, making amends. though the republican -- though the president delayed his month's trip to indonesia to work on health care, he did take time to do an interview with indonesian tv. here our president is talking about the four years he spent growing up in indonesia. >> is it true you wrote a poem stating that your dream is to become a president?

>> that's not true. i think that -- i remember reading one of my teachers saying that i was planning to be president when i was 6. you know, when i was 6 i wanted to, i think, be a fireman. >> a fireman? >> well, let me tell you all boys wanted to be a fireman when they grew up. i certainly did. finally, power to the people. that's apparently not the slogan that louie gohmert of texas a big state's rights guy was trumpeting on the house floor yesterday. looks like the congressman is nostalgic for the old days. the time before the 17th amendment. that's right, before the popular election of u.s. senators. back when they were picked by state legislators. here he is. louie gohmert. >> since the 17th amendment took out the last check and balance on use of ration of state's rights, it's time to get the balance back in place. we have 39 states upset, wanting to do something, and not have another unfunded federal mandate coming down their throats. this will do it. let's get an amendment that gets the balance back into the

country and the constitution before this congress destroys what's left. >> louie i know, just when you're talking about. i remember when the texas state legislature threw sam houston out of the u.s. senate because he believed in the union. now for the "number." statistician, the man who predicted the 2008 popular vote is out with a new model. per his calculation what are republicans' chances of winning back the u.s. senate? 10%. republicans have a 1-in-10 shot taking back the u.s. senate. according o our expert. tonight's in the so "big number." up next how does president obama's big victory on health care reform help him going forward and what lessons can he bring to the looming fights, coming up ahead on other issues? reach retirement age. and they are rewriting what it means to retire. at merrill lynch, we have over 15,000 financial advisors

to help you create a strategy to consolidate, manage, and invest your assets, which could make your second act better than your first. merrill lynch wealth management. an everyday moment can turn romantic at a moment's notice. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis. with two clinically proven dosing options, you can choose

the moment that's right for you and your partner. 36-hour cialis and cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's right. day or night. >> tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. >> don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. >> don't drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache, or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. >> if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. >> 36-hour cialis or cialis for daily use. ask your doctor if cialis is right for you. you can be ready for your moment with cialis.

i'm christina brown. here's what's happening. president obama is speaking out on recent human rights abuses in cuba. he calls the increase harassment of dissidence deeply disturbing and cause for release of political prisoners held by the government. the president asked congress for $2.8 billion in emergency funds for relief and reconstruction in haiti. defense secretary robert gates will make a major announcement on the military's don't ask, don't tell policy tomorrow morning. russia and the u.s. reached a historic new agreement on reducing nuclear arsenals, deal limiting both nations to 1,500 nuclear weapons. each will be signed in eight weeks. infant baby slings are recalled after three reports of infant deaths linked to the slings. robert colt died at the age of 79. best known for his role in the

1960s tv series "i spy" co-starring bill cosby. now back to "hardball." back to "hardball." president obama got a health care bill signed into law. now what? what can he do with his win and his party for the next issue? what will be his issue, in fact? well today "the new york times" reported, quote here is the line from "the times" today -- buoyed by passage of landmark health care legislation the obama administration and democrats in congress said wednesday an overhaul of financial regulation was the next legtsive priority. financial regulation reform. is that what the people want? what voters want? are they going to hear it as getting close to them on their pocketbooks as we get closer to november? what about the republicans? will we hear them -- we'll hear a lot more from them perhaps.

joan walsh is editor and chief of salon.com. and "time" magazine's is the co-author of the best-selling "game change." here is the question how do you put bite into financial reform where is t sounds tough on wall street? teddy roosevelt trust busting. when the american people feel that the politicians at least some of them are out there fighting for them against the guys who screw around with their money on wall street and always end up rich while people end up poor. joan walsh? >> well i think, you know, timothy geithner came out today and has begun to sound -- to sound a little bit tougher on the issue of really having a specific agency that looks out for consumers. there's a lot of pressure to collapse it. why can't the fed do it? fdic? there are all these different agencies. and he's sounding a little bit more populist. he doesn't like that word. he doesn't like to be a populist but he's really making the case in terms of consumer protection. protecting the little guy. protecting the american families. that can sell. you know, i think that -- i think that people are waiting for them to get back to jobs.

that's what i'd like to see them tackle. they did that jobs bill and they actually got some republican support. >> yeah. >> that was because it was mainly a republican bill. it was mainly tax credits and liberals would have liked to have seen more direct spending for jobs but i think that will come up again and we'll see if they get any republican help. i doubt they will. >> a lot of retired people, people with 401(k)s. not rich people, some money in the bank. some money in stocks and they do get the word, if they don't get it official. i got it from a wealthy friend of mine once, who said you know, all the money's made before somebody gets on the stock market. you really don't make money into the stock market and that seems to be increasingly the theory people have. not making money out there. they don't trust the system to protect their money and below they do invest it. is there political pay dirt in this president going after financial regulation? >> i think there's three ways this could be political pay dirt for them. one is to be more populist, to get not just people on the left but people in the center and even some people on the right to frame the attack on wall street or the critique of wall street in a way that gets people to think obama understands their

everyday problems. two, if they can lure some republicans to vote for this he can move toward having an accomplishment that's more bipartisan than obviously health care was. i think that will help them. and then, three, he was got to make this part of talking about jobs. joan's right, that's where they should be. there's obvious ways to connect, doing this with jobs. not just investments. i think if they do those three things they're in a much stronger position. and can take advantage of the momentum off of health care. >> let's gets the jobs. i'm with joan. i think we've got a big construction jobs. people are working out there, lots and lots of jobs. i don't understand why he hasn't done this. i think republicans who love to appropriate for these kinds of things would love to jump their claim. love to be part of this. here's president obama by the way on tuesday with a larger point. let's listen. >> there's still work to do to rebuild this economy. there's still work to do to spur on hiring. there's work to do to improve our schools and make sure every child has a decent education. there's still work to do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

there's more work to do to provide greater economic security to a middle class that has been struggling for a decade. so this victory does not erase the many serious challenges we face as a nation. those challenges have been allowed to linger for years. even decades. and we're not going to solve them all overnight. >> joe, what do you think in your reporting, tells you why they haven't gone for some big wpa jobs bill? you know, accelerated public works. take all the bridges that need to be fixed in this country, all the potholes that need to be filled. roads that need to be done. they're all out there. roads have gotten in terrible shape because in winter and fix them. >> yeah, there's always infrastructure spending. the other thing could have done with the stimulus bill, chris, they did a little bit but not enough in my opinion is go to the cities, go to the states and prevent these awful layoffs, to firefighters, policemen, police officers, teachers. you know, really, really losing, not make work jobs but jobs that are the backbone of our small societies, our cities. they put out the stimulus, at

the same time that certainly in california was laying off teachers, furloughing people. i didn't understand why they didn't do that either. but i think they didn't do it because they didn't think they had the votes and that was very early in his presidency when he believed in bipartisanship. and he cut that stimulus back, remember, to hope to get some votes and he didn't -- you know he got none in the house and two in the senate from the republicans. so that's why he didn't do it. now what i'm hoping as a democrat i'm going to say that right out front, i'm hoping that success breeds success. they've learned what they can do with the simple majority. they've learned what they can do with an up-and-down vote and also learned how to message better. the messaging in the last weekend of that health care reform was better than any messaging that you and i had watched in the last two years. it was really about how does this help you now? i think they've learned to sell themselves better and i'm a little bit optimistic that success will build on itself. >> i think that the real message was from massachusetts a few weeks ago, when the voters up

there said, it's not working. and they voted for a republican. here's an interesting little fight along your lines. i want mark to respond to this. there's a really good talent in the white house these days for dealing with john mccain. the guy they beat in the last election. here he is, john mccain, telling an arizona radio station in the health care vote and saying -- "there will be no cooperation for the rest of the year -- the democrats have. poisoned the well." here's white house press secretary robert gibbs reacting to mccain. let's listen to him. >> i find it curious that the -- that the -- hm, that not getting your way on one thing means you've decided to take your toys and go home. i don't think -- didn't work well for my 6-year-old. i doubt it works well in the united states senate because we have -- we have issues that -- that are important for his constituents and for all of america. >> mark, you're an expert at games and game change. your book is unbelievable. let me ask you this, what game is being played here?

twice now in a row, white house staffers starting with axelrod and now gibbs are referring to john mccain, the man who ran against their candidate, the president of the united states, as a child. the other day axelrod referred to him as being in the sandbox. now they're referring to him as a 6-year-old. are they systematically trying to drive john mccain into being mr. wilson next door, trying to get him so mad that he starts cranking around? what are they up to with these patronizing comments about this senator from arizona, from the white house? >> well, first, chris, thank you about the book. look, with john mccain he's a special case because they have practice from the campaign of painting him as petulant and erratic and the more they can do that to any republican leader they'll do it to rush limbaugh and others as well, they want to do that because they want to see the republic led by the republican party led by people who are petulant. i think, chris, the biggest story in politics route now in the wake of health care is the white house calculation for the rest of the year. do they things substantively and

politically to try to build bipartisan cooperation or what joan was suggesting? ram things through democratic-only majority. on education, on financial reform on economic development. they could make the choice, rerunning the choice they faced in the beginning of the administration and it went the other way. went with the all-democratic -- to go for republicans. i think they will. >> by the way to correct you, joan didn't say totally partisan. she notes that big works projects, jobs bills, are very hard for republicans not to join on to. >> i'm still here. >> i shouldn't have said that. that's a republican talking point. they worked and worked and worked to try to get republican support. obama turned the whole kaboodle over to the senate finance committee with those three republicans. he really believed that he was going to get some support and then he didn't. so i don't say ram it through. i think he had no cooperation. not even from olympia snowe in the end which shocked me. >> okay. >> so i think that they're -- >> joan, would you like to see him work with the republicans on

education, on financial reform, and economic development or not? >> you know what, you know what, mark, actually not for the sake of working with republicans. i would like to see some republicans walk forward and work with him. i'd like to see scott brown make good on his campaign promises but not obama working with republicans just to do it. >> got to go. out of time, thank you, joan. thank you, mark. up next, president obama holds not one, but two closed-door meetings with the israeli prime minister netanyahu. what's going on between bibi and barack? we'll find out in the thick of this biggest-ever diplomat fight between the two countries. can they get together and find common ground? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 to help with my investments. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so where's that help when i need it? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 if i could change one thing... tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we'd all get a ton of great advice tdd# 1-800-345-2550 just for being a client. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i mean, shouldn't i be able to talk about my money tdd# 1-800-345-2550 without it costing me a fortune? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 if i had my way, investment firms would be tdd# 1-800-345-2550 falling all over themselves to help me with my investments. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 (announcer) at schwab investors rule.

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 are you ready to rule? oh, just come snuggle with momma! missing something? now at sears optical, get 2 pairs of glasses for $99.99. with bifocals just $25 more per pair. sears optical. don't miss a thing. still ahead my thoughts on joe biden and his, let's say colorful choice of words in yesterday's signing ceremony. you something about

osteoporosis you don't already know. it runs in families - my mother has it, and now i have it. so even though i tried to keep my bones strong, it wasn't enough. now, once-monthly boniva is helping me do more. it didn't just stop my bone loss. boniva worked with my body to stop and reverse my bone loss. and studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed theirs, too. (announcer) don't take boniva if you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease, or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. if jaw problems or severe bone, joint,

and/or muscle pain develop, tell your doctor. you've got one body and one life, so don't wait. ask your doctor if boniva can help you stop losing and start reversing. (announcer) for a free trial offer call 1-800-4-boniva or visit boniva.com to manage your stress. ( sneezes ) handle your allergies. and get inspired. the new walgreens.com features health shops for diabetes, blood pressure, weight loss, and more. get information and solutions in one place. walgreens.com, where your daily life and better health just click. now buy one bottle of vitamins and get one free. visit today. walgreens.com. there's a way to stay well.

we're back. president obama heldback. president obama held two face to face sessions with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu last night without cameras or public reception. and late today the president's special special envoy met to get the talks back on track. robert wexler is now the president for center of mideast peace. i've got faith in you, sir, what's your estimate that they can get together sner. >> i think they can get together, because the bond between the united states and

israel, it must be secured. but what it requires is both the palestinians and the israelis, also the broader arab world to take risks for is that in the interest of israel? >> it is not only in the interest of israel palestinian

state, then dem graphically the numbers of people who are not jewish within what would become the broader israeli state will begin to balance so that jews are no longer the majority. so if you believe in a jewish state of israel there must be a palestinian state. >> if that's obvious to you, why isn't it obvious to bibi nettenyahu? >> i don't know that it isn't. it was obvious to ehud olmert, it became obvious to prime minister sharon, even those that started way strident on the right. when you look at the demographics, it's a requirement. that's why sharon got out of gaza. when we come back, we'll have thoughts about vice president joe biden. you're watching "hardball." national car rental? that's my choice.

because with national, i roll past the counter... and choose any car in the aisle. choosing your own car? now that's a good call. go national. go like a pro. somewhere in america... there's a home by the sea powered by the wind on the plains.

there's a hospital where technology has a healing touch. there's a factory giving old industries new life. and there's a train that got a whole city moving again. somewhere in america, the toughest questions are answered every day. because somewhere in america, more than sixty thousand people spend every day answering them. siemens. answers.

let me finish tonight with a serious comment on vice president joe biden. a serious one. last week at the annual dinner of tv and radio correspondents, he joked that, quote, at least when i get caught with my foot in my mouth it's my own foot. it was a wonderful shot at one critic who was discovered several years back to have purchased a somewhat unusual service from a washington, d.c., sex worker. it was of course an admission by the vice president of his own past embarrassments that tended to land in the area of that, personal embarrasses. the great thing about his gaffes is their lack of malice. if no harm no foul were the rule of the day, he wouldn't have suffered so much grief. there was that time when he said the articulate, bright, clean and nice looking guy, i mean, that's a story book, man. well, the man whose story that was, barack obama, got him off the hook on that one saying he had no problem with biden, even

though it was not accurate to say that he alone, barack obama, met that positive description for african-americans that biden had given him. oh, by the way, he picked that fellow as his vice president and running mate. then there was when biden said he told members of his family during the swine flu threat that he didn't want them going out into confined spaces. and when he kidded justice roberts about getting the presidential oath a bit off that day on inaugural day, or, yesterday when he used a locker room idiom he wanted the president to know what an historic moment they were sharing, the one this president had achieved remark abably. classic biden, no malice intended, indeed the opposite. with all the chuckles with the vp's bad language yesterday, nobody pointed out the most obvious. when the president came out yesterday to sign the health care bill, he had vice president biden at his side, just as he did when the bill passed sunday. other presidents didn't do that. they were somewhat touchy about

having their vice president so close. so visibly their official deputies. kennedy was uncomfortable with johnson's presence. carter and mondale got along but were cut from different cloth. the reagans and bushes were oil and water, clinton and gore hardly ended as a duet. this team makes sense. for all joe biden's overall enthusiasms, for all his wish i hadn't said that's, he balances well the president's coolness and they both know it. he's barack obama's liaison with regular people. people like joe biden. at that moment in the sun when he picked biden that summer day, i was taken with the fact that a regular guy with his heart on his sleeve had risen so high. joe biden, bless his heart, hasn't changed a bit. i was fortunate to travel with the vice president on that difficult trip to israel and i can say having interviewed him