demonstration, with offensive jungle gun birther muslim signs directed at president obama? seriously. and sheryl griffin made this point. you seem to want to nail him down with why the tea party movement wouldn't want it adopt an anti-racist stance. why should they? it wouldn't occur to us to do this as we aren't racist and therefore, do not feel the need to make some public declaration as such. leave that to those who are guilty of said offense, much like the pledges that alcoholics give at an aa meeting. i guess the distinction that i would make there, as mr. breitbart argued that the tea partiers are being falsely labeled as racists through liberal plants and all the rest of it. or maybe there are fringe members exhibiting this behavior. both could be true. i have no way to know. either way. why wouldn't any political organization that aspires to political leadership either denounce it or lead a crusade against it, if only for the reason to empower itself so it

can be more effective, so it can't be taken down by opponents who would paper it with that cause. it doesn't make any sense to me. ariel from stew skon, arizona summed it up this way. a nation divided cannot stand and we will fall very hard if they do not find a way to cooperate and reconcile their differences. how will anyone prevail in the long run? one more here for you, mr. ratigan missing the point on the story of governor david paterson trying to purchase conjugal trailers, this is a joke about mr. paterson's ethical issues in recent days. that's going to do it for us. not only for the day. but for the week, i am dylan ratigan and i thank you for giving me the opportunity to attempt to serve you every day with what the best i can muster is, the truth or a push towards the truth. in this democracy of ours at a time when there is so much to

sift through. it is a pleasure to serve you. up next, "hardball" with chris matthews, it starts right now, right here on msnbc. living history -- let's play "hardball." good eepg, i'm chris matthews, in washington, leading off tonight, president obama will go down in history as the man who achieved what so many presidents before him wanted to, tried to, but couldn't. extend health care coverage to americans who didn't have it. that will be the remarkable first line of accomplishments in all the biographies and school books. the president proved he had the muscle and courage to push through major change in america. and we'll talk to a presidential historian about this feat and what it means for the boem prob

presidency. plus more threats to members on both sides of the aisle, a photo of a noose was faxed to james clyburn and republican congressman ginny brown waite received a voicemail message of threatening her life. who's really responsible for fanning the flames of rage? also, republicans want to campaign on the pledge of repealing health care reform. president obama says, be my guest. so can the republicans ride that strategy to victory in november. even if it's some far-fetched promise? our strategists will battle it out here tonight. and reunited -- it's the moment some people have been waiting for a while, sarah palin campaigning for john mccain today. the man who plucked her from obscurity. there they are out there in arizona. today we'll see if she can get hard-right conservatives to rally behind a man that they've often considered suspect. and i'll finish tonight with thoughts about how the democrats proved this week that things here in washington can get done.

we start with the history made this past week. doug brinkley's a presidential historian, the wilderness warrior about teddy roosevelt. and ruby brown, speaker of the california assembly. i want to start with dog and go to mayor brown. an interesting montage, here's some presidents throughout the modern american history on health care, let's listen and let's watch. >> we have accepted so to speak, a second bill of rights. under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all. regardless of station or race or creed. among these, are the right to adequate medical care. and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health. >> we must also act promptly to improve the health of our

nation. know that in many areas, there are not enough doctors or hospitals and that many families cannot afford the medical care they need. >> the fact of the matter is, that we are now talking about doing most of the countries of europe did years ago. the british did it 30 years ago. we are behind every country pretty nearly in europe in this matter of medical care for our citizens. >> we will establish a new system that makes high-quality health care available to every american in a dignified manner and in a price that he can afford. >> the day i am announcing the formation of the president's task force on national health reform. chaired by the first lady, hillary rodham clinton. >> there you have it, doug brinkley. the socialist s.o.b., richard

nixon, the far lefty guy, pushing for the employer mandate, which is even more dramatic than what the president has just accomplished in the congress, but it's finally happened. history has been made, i guess. but i'm asking you, the expert, will this be the first line on his list of accomplishments in the history books? >> well, without question. i mean, it's any time you have the largest of something, people remember big things. lyndon johnson signing medicaid and medicare. or fdr with social security. the fact that barack obama was able to get this major reform done when all of these other great political leaders that you just, graham tried to do it, too, it's a big moment for obama. it's the first line and people will have a second and third line on what a fight it was, but it shows at the end he was victorious. and you're going to see an obama presidency run on health care in the mid-term election. that seemed almost unthinkable a month ago. >> mayor brown you've been at the forefront of democratic party politics for four decades at least that i can think of.

how's this place in your, well your pantheon of historic events that you've observed? >> i think this is the most incredible event, frankly in my entire history of being associated with politics. i arrived in california in 1951 from texas. and began the quest for the kind of things that i'm associated with now. and believe me, health care for all people, it's unbelievable. unimaginable, three weeks ago, i would have said it could not be done. >> well, here's the president on tuesday of this week at the signing ceremony. let's listen to his account. >> i'm signing this bill for all the leaders who took up this cause through the generations. from teddy roosevelt to franklin roosevelt. from harry truman to lyndon johnson. from bill and hillary clinton to one of the deans whose been

fighting this so long, john dingle. to senator ted kennedy. i remember seeing ted walk through that door, in a summit in this room, a year ago, one of his last public appearances. and it was hard for him to make it. but he was confident that we would do the right thing. >> well he was right to put hillary clinton as well as her husband, because she was out front in that effort. let me go to doug brinkley on the negative side. every time history is made, i think about the election of abraham lincoln that stirred this country and caused the civil war. your thoughts about the relatively peaceful reaction to this so far, in terms of some broken windows, some threats over the phone. and by the way, in all honesty, anyone in public life is familiar with the phone calls. thank god the phone calls often don't mean violence, they mean that somebody is venting their spleen. somebody is trying to scare

somebody, spook somebody, it makes them happy. fortunately it doesn't lead to violence, only to a bit of a stir. your thoughts about the reaction so far, doug, on the negative side? >> i mean the point of american history is to remind us that our times are not uniquely oppressive. when you get some hate literature going on or people being angry. this issing nothing new in ame history. congressmen were bashing each other with canes during the civil war. my friend hunter s. thompson used to say during the vietnam war, that every good american should throw a bag of dead rats over the white house fence, meaning just get out there and make a lot of noise, so i think it's been fairly mild this week. i do think, though, that the leadership of the democratic party and the republican party, might want to do a joint message to the american people, that we're going to still, there are going to be appeals of health care. there's going to be fights. but we don't want the rhetoric to get out of control. so i think there needs to be some bit of bipartisanship. right now, it's a little too shrill. and we're on a bit of a red

alet. but i think it's going to dissipate fairly soon. at least for that potential violence. >> mayor brown, you've probably heard late this afternoon, there was a word that jim clyburn, the great house majority whip, the number three guy in the leadership with nancy pelosi and steny hoyer, got another one of those faxes, a picture of a noose, a photograph of a noose. obviously that carries all kinds of history with it where do you place the violence level so if a, with the broken windows and the threats of death, even? >> well i, i have been in business long enough to know that these things do occur. seldom, if ever, are they translated into actual action. there will be sufficient security, provided to everybody who needs it, on the congressional side and otherwise, whether they're republicans or democrats. and i agree, i think there should be a dialogue uttered for the whole, all of america, by the leadership of america. both republicans and democrats. but let me say this, chris.

i don't think the business of health care is going to generate the same kind of reaction, let's say that even the war in vietnam did. or even the civil rights passage of the bills and the voting rights act. i do think health care is so personal and as it unfolds, it will be so personal that there will be a dampening of the enthusiasm of people to criticize. and of course, people will praise just as they did with medicare. >> and i suppose you're saying, well let me suggest to you, you could follow this. they're going to check and see what impact it has on them if they're a senior, they'll know they can get prescription drugs without interruption, depending on how much drug these need. obviously prescription drugs their doctor has prescribed. they're going to discover if they're a young family or empty nest family, have young adult kids like we do, that the young adult kids can stay on your health care plan. i think they're going to look at it piecemeal, right?

i think they're going to look at it as what's this do to me? >> absolutely. there's a sufficient amount of benefits in this bill that's now been signed into law, that will come online between now and november of this year. and when that happens, the criticism, the misrepresentation, and all the information that has come from the opposition will go by the wayside. and people will become more focused on their other needs. jobs and things of that nature. >> well, i especially, doug, you know, when my parents, my father is pretty conservative republican in many ways, i think he is a pragmatist. he loved medicare, okay? these people that said they didn't like the idea of government getting a little bigger when it affected their lives positively, a lot of people, doug, the weird comment people make is, i don't like the government getting involved in health care. i'm on social security and i'm on medicare. well, wait a minute, you're on, you're involved with the government program. which you kicked into in your working years, you have a certain right to all the benefits, it comes with having kicked in all your working

years. but it is a government program. it's not the enemy. >> well, part of the republican strategy has been to create fear, fear in senior citizens and it's, it worked to a degree. it was able to, to get rid of aspects of public option, on and on. but the way, there the truth of the matter is, what president obama has going for him is we're not going to know the effects of this historic legislation for three years, maybe not even the six years, it will be really two more election cycles until historians are going to be able to say, did it work? did it break the back of the economy? and so, while it's a definite giant political and historic victory for barack obama now. we won't really know whether this worked for american history for about six to eight, ten years. >> i love the way that kid was, who lost his mother because she couldn't get health treatment, watching the president's signature and watching him signing something, it's amazing to watch that history. here's president obama thursday in iowa, yesterday. let's listen to what he said along these lines.

>> when i came here three years ago, i told the story of when lyndon johnson stood with harry truman and signed medicare into law. that wasn't perfect, either. i'm sure there's somebody who was dissatisfied with it at the time. and as he looked out over the crowd in independence, missouri that day, he said, history shapes men, but it is necessary, it is a necessary faith of leadership that men can shape history. what this generation has proven today, is that we still have the power to shape history. in the united states of america, it is still a necessary faith that our, our destiny is written by us, not for us. >> well, gentlemen, i think one of the heroes of this, there's a couple of heroes, i want you to talk about, it wasn't just the president and the big people like nancy pelosi and the speaker, harry reid.

there was some staff people involved. somebody came up with the idea of using reconciliation, not as an alternative to passing the bill with 60 votes, but to use it to complement it, to tweak it. so it could correspond to the house bill. and somebody figured out, whether it was rahm emanual, that the executive order on abortion funding would somehow ameliorate the differences on that issue. mayor brown, sometimes smart politics requires some technicians along the way who mep hepp make this thing work. >> i would say at all times it is technician who is come forward with the great ideas. and believe me, this effort demonstrates great ideas. over the last three weeks, there's been a dramatic change in the attitude of the people on the hill as well as the people throughout this country. when it became clear, that it could be achieved, even some of the blue dogs resorted to the whole business of looking at it from their personal standpoint.

and they got lots of assistance from retired members of congress to do that. so not only was it staff people, it was retired members. some on the blue dog side, who really said, you've got to do it and here's the technique and don't worry about the criticism about the technique. at the end, the product will dictate whether or not it's acceptable to the general public. >> okay. thank you, mr. mayor. thank you, mayor brown. thank you, doug brinkley, congratulations on your latest book, you're just an amazing guy, you keep putting us all to shame with your, your historical ability. coming up, more on the threats against members of congress, with republican leaders talking about armageddon and the death of freedom. to what extent is that kind of rhetoric, over-the-top heated rhetoric responsible for the violence. we don't know what it's going to lead to this weekend. you're watching "hardball." [ male announcer ] when you have sensitive skin,

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at number eight, john mccain's fight against jd hayworth in the arizona republican primary. and number seven, is south carolina's republican primary for governor. and number six, the democratic senate primary in kentucky. later in the hour, "hardball" returns after this. [ female announcer ] the latest athletic fabrics inspired stayfree® to create thermocontrol™. designed with the comfort of athletic fabrics in mind, stayfree® with thermocontrol™ quickly wicks moisture away

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welcome back to "hardball." the reports and threats violence out there against members of congress keeps growing, although it's not horrific yet. someone faxed a picket of a noose to south carolina democrat jim clyburn's office.

he's coming oust of the civil rights movement. that kind of picture carries a lot of sad information and memory. and republican ginny waite received a death threat on her voicemail. i wants to talk to u.s. congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz, she gets the vote out. i want you to watch something. we won't talk a lot about this. because i want to talk about you and your experience with the health care system in this country. here's sarah palin today, just a few minutes ago, actually talking about the threats we've seen this week. and her take on it. let's put it that way. >> we know violence isn't the answer. when we take up our arms, we're talking about our vote. we're talking about involved in a contested primary like this and picking the right candidate, too, john mccain. but this bs coming from the mainstream media, lately, about this, about this inciting violence. don't let, don't let the

conversation be diverted. don't let distraction like that get you off-track, keep fighting hard for these candidates, who are all about the common-sense conservative solutions that we need. >> you know, i think she took a risk there. i think if something really bad happens this weekend and she's saying this stuff didn't matter, she'll be pulled into it. she put herself into it. your thoughts about the kind of rhetoric, the noose being sent, the windows being broken. the threats to stupak. i would have thought that the people on the right would be sort of sympathetic to him. they're mad of him as an apostate because he ended up signing the bill. what do you make of this? >> the threats to stupak, the threats to gene schmidt, a republican, any of the threats is really just totally out of place, outrageous. what we need to be doing is condemning violence and bullying and threats at every level, every opportunity we can. because we can, we can disagree, but in america, we disagree

through civil discourse, not through bullying and violence. >> well, debby wasserman-schultz my friend, who i really like, i will tell you i'm so impressed with you all of these years and you faced a lot bigger threat than somebody breaking your window. tell us what you learned about health care and what you've been through and to the extent you want to talk about it. >> i tried to use my own personal experience with breast cancer, through this health care reform debate. as a way to show that there are many different faces to the need to reform our health care system. many different faces of who is the uninsurable. i, after being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago at 41, hit with an illness out of the clear blue sky. never thought i would become sick for any reason, became a person who, if i lost my job tomorrow, you know, essentially uninsurable on the individual market. even though i've taken all the steps i need to, to avoid a recurrence of breast cancer in the future. and there are thousands of debbie wasser man schultzs

around the country. and health care is so essential because we they'd to put patients and doctors back in the driver's seat and end the abusive insurance company practices. and that's what we did. personally for me, it's just incredible that i know for my, for myself, and also for millions of children who face illness, it's incredible. >> i think you as a very young person and the fact that you have a term, you're subject to what they call a preexisting condition. and you usually think of an older man for example like that. >> or a poor person or a homeless person. >> you have a condition which would prevent you from going on the market and buying -- how does the law affect you? the obama law? >> the way the law, the way the health care reform law affects me is that this year, we will immediately end the preexisting condition exclusions for children. then by 2014, no one will be able to be denied coverage based on a preexisting condition. whether they have a job, whether they're unemployed, whether

they're in twine jobs. if you have a preexisting condition, you'll be covered. >> when you go back home to florida, you have a middle class district, right? >> yes. >> when you talk to them about this, it seems to me the president is trying to address this to voters, you represent voters. older, butter off, wealthier white people. they tend to vote relentlessly, perennially. >> that's the favorite pasttime in my district, the voting. >> let's talk about it. so they have to be reached if you're a democrat this year. because they will have the votes more so than in a presidential year. >> absolutely. >> what's the president have to say and what do you have to say to people who are not working poor? these not the people getting the subsidies, the 32 million people. these are people who are in the mainstream, who have insurance. >> what we talked to the 85% of americans who had health insurance. is that this legislation will

provide you with the security and stability you need so you don't face the skyrocketing premiums. i had business owners stop me and say, i faced last year, 30, 40, 50, somewhat told me they had 172% premium increase because of of their employees was sick. this is unwith of the things we've stopped as a result of the bill being signed into law on tuesday. >> are you confident the bill will look as good this week when you passed it as it will five years, ten years from now? >> i think it will look better. we can reduce costs, provide the security and stability and cover the 32 million americans that the bill covers, we'll make sure that people with health care challenges are going to be able to get the coverage they need. and shift the focus from a sick-care system it a wellness system. >> congressman debbie wasserman schultz of florida. up next, michelle bachman

takes credit for being able to see the future. back in 2008 here on "hardball" she said she was concerned that barack obama was an anti-american. wait until you hear what she shas to say right now. she's no longer in the apologetic mode. she's back to full, full bachman. you're watching "hardball." [ male announcer ] a bath becomes even more pleasurable when you know that your water is being heated in an environmentally conscious way, while saving you hundreds of dollars on your water heating energy bill. introducing the geospring water heater from ge with advanced hybrid technology. heating the water in your home any other way is just going to seem primitive. ♪ 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.

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bank to "hardball" now, for the sideshow, tonight the congresswoman says she was right. here's what republican michelle bachman said here just over a year ago. do you believe that barack obama may, you're suspicious because of this relationship, may have anti-american views. otherwise, it's probably irrelevant to this discussion. >> absolutely. i absolutely -- >> you think barack obama may have anti-american views? >> absolutely, i i'm very concerned that he may have

anti-american views. i would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look, i wish they would, i wish the american media would take a great look at the views of people in congress and find out if they're pro american or anti-america. i think people would love to see an expose like that. >> well barack obama has anti-american views, the media should do an expose on members of congress? well those remarks caused serious concern in her home state of minnesota at the time. she told a local newspaper that she regretted using the term "anti-american." that was then. but wednesday night at a close to the press fundraiser, congresswoman bachman was offering another assessment. she said her "hardball" appearance was in fact pro fetic. quote, i said i had very serious concerns, that barack obama had anti-american views. and now i look like nostradamus. i can't beat that.

nuf said. next, to russia with love, this morning at the white house briefing, secretary of state hillary clinton talked up the new arms reduction agreement with russia and united states. she also offered some special help in getting the russian legislature to approve the treaty. >> just as we have to go to our congress, president medvedev has to go to the douma. and i think president obama has said that he would send rahm emanual to moscow. and we all immediately endorsed that offer. so if you know, if president medvedev wants to take us up on it, we're ready. >> talk about product placement. i guess rahm's reputation for getting votes rounded up is going global. finally a look behind the curtain. this week the white house posted this photo to their online album. it's president obama with chief speechwriter editing the health care speech he's about to give to a joint session of congress.

take a look at the edits, you can see the president doesn't just read what's put in front of him. he may use the teleprompter, but he likes to have his words printed on it. now for the number, house speaker nancy pelosi celebrates yet another milestone today. she was signing into law the new package of health care fixes with her colleagues, they brought in a birthday cake. that's george miller there, her fellow congressman from california. it turns out that nancy pelosi is 70 years old today. 70, that's nancy pelosi. pretty amazing, don't you think? congratulations to the speaker. she's 70 today. is 70 the new 40? tonight's not so big number. up next, republicans are campaigning on the promise to repeal health care reform if they gain back power. well president obama says go for it. by the way, is repeal a winning strategy for the republicans? we'll ask the strategists, next coming up on "hardball." rtec... want to make sure allergies don't always have to keep you cooped up inside.

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i've got your cnbc market wrap. in stocks pulling back from early gains again today. as the incident in south korea rattled the markets. the dow jones industrial average up nine points, the s&p 500 gaining almost a point. and the nasdaq falling two points. south korea now saying it is unlikely that the north had anything to do with the sinking of one of its navy ships, but the initial report was enough to trigger a moderate knee-jerk selloff around midday. a couple of economic reports appearing to balance each other out, consumer sentiment came in slightly better than expected. but fourth quarter gross domestic product numbers were revised a bit lower than rimg entry estimated. and in stocks, radio shack was the surprise skandout on reports it could be looking for a buyer.

a merger with best buy is one option reportedly being discussed. and pfizer took a hit after a boston jury found the company guilty of marketing fraud related to one of its epilepsy drugs. the company plans to appeal the verdict. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide. now back to "hardball." now that they passed it, now that we passed it, they're already promising to repeal it. they're actually going to run on a platform of repeal in november. you've been hearing that. and my attitude is, go for it. >> welcome back to "hardball." president obama, there he is telling republicans that if they want to run a repeal health care reform, that it's a good time to

go for it. that's their plan, go for it. anyway, with health care reform now signed into law, what strategy should democrats and republicans use in the mid-term races? steve mcmahon is a democratic strategist. and sweeney todd harris is also with us, he's a republican strategist. anyway, mr. todd, since it's your turn to attack, ha do you make of this repeal and replace? the replace part sounds pretty weak. like gee whiz, i wish we had a health care plan, but we don't, so going to pretend like we did. what's this repeal talk? it's unrealistic? your thoughts. >> well, we do have a health care plan. that the republicans have been pushing for all year. but look, the repeal part of this, there's a two-pronged approach. the first is repeal. and the second one is replace it with something that the country actually wants and we can afford. and whether or not we can repeal the existing trillion-dollar

bill this year, is irrelevant. our campaign message is going to be vote republican, this november. and help us replace this bill that the country doesn't want. that the country can't afford. with something that will lower the cost, medical costs for every american, but will do did in a way that doesn't bankrupt the country and doesn't cost jobs. and that's a winning message for republicans. it's a winning message for independents. the only people that it probably isn't a winning message for is people who are already voting democratic, anyway. >> it's not a winning message for republicans. because what's happening right now is the newspapers and television outlets that people trust are telling people what's in this bill and they're telling them that if you're a child, you can't be denied for a preexisting condition. can you someday on your parents' policy until you're 26. if you're somebody who is worried about an annual or a lifetime limit on health care coverage, you can't be capped any more. and i'm wondering what republican wants to repeal which pieces of this legislation, that people are now starting to look

at and they're saying this is a pretty good idea. there are tax breaks for 4,000 small businesses that want to provide health care for their employees to provide tst. and americans are sitting there saying, now that i get this information from people that i trust and not hearing these, this noise about how the government is going to take over the health care system, this is looking and sounding pretty good. "u.s.a. today" yesterday had a poll that showed 49% of americans thought it was a good thing this was passed. only 40% thought it was not. so the numbers have started to flip. and i think president obama is right. i hope the republicans run on a repeal strategy. >> well, i think that we'll make the president quite happy, because the plan is not to run on a repeal strategy, but the plan is to run on a strategy that says we're going to shelf this bill that the country can't afford and replace it with something that will lower the medical cost for every american. but do it in a way that we can afford and doesn't expand the government. and steve is right about

preexisting conditions for kids. what he leaves out is the fact that the bill waits for four more years to do anything about preexisting conditions for. >> we'd be waiting forever -- >> aren't you lying to the voters when you say you can repeal, when it takes 67 senators to repeal? i look at all the races as you guys do. there's no way in hell that you guys can win 67 senate seats this fall. no way, you can win the greatest year in history you could pick up maybe ten and take you to 51. you're at 41 now. how do you get from 41 to 67? you're promising something that manifestly, you can't deliver. that's the repeal health care. so why are you promising it? why are you saying something you can't do? >> there aren't going to be 67 republicans after the fall election, you are correct about that. but there are going to be a whole lot more republicans in washington. and if people want congress to do something about this bill, that the country doesn't want and the country can't afford, they can vote republican. and once republicans take over

control of congress. we can sit down with the president and actually hash out something that we can afford that will lower the costs, medical costs of every american. >> todd, the president tried to get republicans to sit down with him and have this conversation that you're imagining for 13 months. and they wouldn't participate. >> no, he didn't, no, he didn't. >> on the day he invited them to the white house, they said no again. and he even included two or three of their ideas in the final health care bill and they still said no. not a single republican in either chamber voted for this health care bill. why in the world would anyone believe that the republicans are serious about health care reform? >> you are right -- >> your party had power in the white house, his name is george w. bush. you had control of both houses of congress from 2002 to 2006. you had it. this thing about replace, you keep putting up this harvey character of yours, this imaginary character of the republican health care bill. you had all the time in the world to pass it, you had all the votes notice world to pass

it. why does it exist now and it never existed when you had the power? this is bogus, you keep saying if we had the chance. you've had the chance and never pushed a big health care bill. why didn't you do it before? >> we also had the small issues of 9/11, the war in afghanistan and the war in iraq. but your point is well taken. perhaps republicans should have -- >> you still had those wars, if you haven't noticed. >> perhaps, perhaps republicans should have pushed for some of these market-based solutions when we were in power. i think what you'll see over the next several months is republicans across the country talking about common sense market-based solutions that will lower medical costs for every american. and they can be sure that when republicans take control of congress, this november, that it's something we'll be pushing. >> this doesn't make. i'm getting into this fight. it's your fight to make. but the leading candidate for the republican nomination, forget the fact you had four years to do it and didn't do it and there's about 300,000 to 400,000 troops right now fighting wars overseas, that we've all overlooked. they're out there on post right

now, facing the enemy. so there is wars going on right now. we're just not fighting them personally. secondly, you've got a candidate out there named mitt romney. mitt romney pushed through the biggest health care plan in the world up in massachusetts on which this bill was based. he's now leading in the polls to be your nominee to run against barack obama. how can you run a guy as your chief spear-carrier, your chief champion who has done already what barack obama has done and you say he's a socialist? i'm just asking. >> i'll let governor romney's not the nominee of our party. but i think if he were on this program right now, the first thing that he would talk about is the fact that as republicans have been saying all along, there are state-based solutions to these problems. and governor romney -- state socialism. >> so that's your fall-back position. it's socialism, but it's local. is that -- >> all socialism is local. >> so feeble. you're stuck with romney and you're stuck with your record and you can't win this argument.

i'm sorry, get in here, i should be a ref in these things. but steve -- >> todd is making a valiant effort and he's very good at this. but ha he's talking about is, is fantasy. republicans had a chance, they had a chance -- >> we'll, you win some weeks on this show. not this week, thank you, steve mcmahon. >> i i thought i just won. >> in your own mind, in your own heart, your mom thivgs you won. up next again, sarah palin campaigns alongside the man who made her famous. john mccain. politics makes strange bedfellows, ladies and gentlemen, can palin convince hard-line conservatives to stick with john mccain in his fight with jd hayworth. >> it was such a privilege to be asked do run alongside him in 2008 and it's an honor to stand beside him now and ask that you, arizona, for the sake of your state and the sake of our country, that you send the maverick back to the united states senate.

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we're back, senator john mccain launched sarah palin's political career on the national stage. and now she's trying to help save his. the former running mate's reunited for first time today, since losing the presidential election in 2008. here's governor palin, stumping for mccain, who is fending off a tough primary challenge from jd hayworth. >> everybody here today supporting john mccain, we're all part of that tea party movement. because -- i've had the privilege of traveling around the u.s. and meeting with everyday americans who are that great tea party movement. and folks always ask me about my friend john mccain everywhere i go. when you think about the first tea party, shoot, some may claim that john was there at that first tea party.

>> msnbc's nora o'donnell was a arizona, and melinda hendonburger is editor and chief of the politics daily.com. norah, we watched the whole thing today on television. what was the smell of the crowd? promccain? pro palin? did they understand there was a rift between them or what? >> reporter: there was a bit of awkwardness, not just because of the joke where she was making fun of john mccain's age but also because it was clear that sarah palin was the main attraction. john mccain may have been at the top of the ticket in the last presidential election, but sarah palin is now the star of the republican party. and so while most of the people here were excited that john mccain was here, they were e bul yant that sarah palin was here. they were cheering, they wanted their books signed. they loved sarah palin. i think that's what john mccain wanted in part, that star power to rub off on him. also he needed sarah palin to vouch for his conservative credentials. that's why she was talking about

the tea party. she said john mccain is just like someone that's in the tea party movement because he has been campaigning against reckless spending in washington for four decades, according to her. trying to sort of say, yeah, he's like one of us. he, too, is angry at washington. he, too, is going to change washington, so he's okay, guys. he's okay to vote for. >> you know, melinda, must be embarrassing to have to get an endorsement, if you're john mccain, from anybody out of state, but have to get it from somebody you pitched -- you plucked from obscurity and you probably believe belongs there. as someone who has to vouch for you. >> and somebody who you think ruined your campaign and may be a major reason you're not president of the united states today. >> he didn't carry florida. there were a lot of states that couldn't vote for her. >> a lot of conservatives said they had to be national security concerns and health concerns about her, to have voted for the ticket, but sure it's got to be

galling. just to see the body of language like him looking like he's in pain and cindy mccain was not even trying. i mean, she was just standing there looking. >> norah, you're very good with observation, obviously. give us a report on your sense of the mccain reaction, physically, to the president presence of this star. >> reporter: i think there was -- it was like he had to do it. i don't think he was happy about it. i think he's not happy that he is about to be thrown out of office after 24 years in the u.s. senate. i mean, facing this very tough primary challenge, and that is led by tea party supporters. there are four major tea party groups here in this state. they're not endorsing. that's a big win for john mccain. nevertheless, they're a powerful force and people don't think he's been doing a good job. they don't trust him. remember, he voted for the t.a.r.p., that multibillion

dollar bailout of wall street. as far as the atmospherics, you're right, cindy mccain gave a very lukewarm instruction to sarah palin, and john mccain didn't seem to be paying attention for many parts of that. when she was talking about the tea party, he was looking away, reached down into his pocket to grab his notes to go over his own remarks that were going up. nonetheless, sarah palin is holding a fund-raiser for john mccain tonight. he's going to be campaigning again for him tomorrow in mesa. this is an effort as he brings in a lot of people. >> i can't wait to hear what you tell me about that race out there when you get back. norah o'donnell, thanks for that report. your thoughts on this. in the end, is he going to win? >> i don't know. it's a long way until them. hayworth, what does he have even to say to these tea parties people? he has ties to jack abramoff. >> melinda henneberger, thank

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the american people saw history made this week. they saw a president, a speaker of the house and senate majority leader enact a long promised reform of the country's health insurance system. it happened because the president had the intense support of both the speaker and the senate leader through grueling months of argument, courage,