george corley wallace. what the world needs now more of this talk, virginia's new republican governor bob mcdonnell has declared april to be confederate history month. to read his proclamation you would think the war was a joyous war of independence. great stuff all around. got overwhelmed by too much firepower up north. not a word about slavery being the issue or the election of abraham lincoln causing succession. former governor doug water of virginia says the confederate history month stuff is mind-boggling. we're going to talk about what just happened. and will the real john mccain please stand up? he now says he's never considered himself a maverick. could someone please remind him he boasted about his maverick

credentials throughout the entire 2008 campaign? we'll remind him tonight, go to the videotape. we're rounding up the mavericks tonight. also, why is president obama having so much trouble winning over white-working-class americans? and how can he win a mandate in 2012 he can't do the job? we'll get to that one. let me finish tonight with thoughts on politicians in white shirts sending messages that other men turn into nasty, racist phone calls in the night. virginia celebrates the confederacy. that's also where we start tonight, with governor's bob mcdonald's decision to declare april -- rob reagan, a former radio talk show host working on a book about his dad. and pat buchanan and msnbc analyst. start with what happened in minnesota today. it's an amazing event. we'll get to the confederate stuff later. what's going on? wooe going to show you right now. here's governor palin today with bachmann. these are fascinating political figures. very good on the stump. much more exciting than mitch mcconnell or john boehner. the so-called elected leaders of the republican -- here's the new star power of the republican

party. let's watch, today. >> on the outside i am here to testify she is 20 times more beautiful on the inside. please help me welcome governor sarah palin. >> you know, pat, i think i had a small role here in hosting this program one day when michele bachmann came on and said we ought to have a media investigation for anti-americanism. you were here. out of that a caterpillar became a butterfly. now we saw her today. she's dazzling on the stump. her speech today was so well given. i think that she's dynamite. i've seen you in the old days. i think she's really good on the stump. i saw her there, i think that she outdid palin today. is this the new star power of the right?

not the mitch mcconnells and the boehners. >> star power, no question about it. boehner and mcdonnell can't compare to this. these are extremely attractive women. they have passion, chris, they have conviction. they have authenticity. i don't say this in a derogatory way. you have a couple of rodeo queens out there. >> you mean that positively. take a look. go to this ron reagan, a woman of the west, if you will, minnesota and alaska. they talk in pioneer language about fishing and hunting and certainly gun rights and they've got all the themes out there and they are, obviously dazzling on this stump. your thoughts? >> well, they're very entertaining. you're right, they've got a certain glamour appeal to them but they're also more than a few mcnuggets shy of a happy meal, both of them. and you know this is -- you know, michele bachmann is a woman a little while ago sitting with glenn beck. when you make glenn beck look sane you know you're really doing something. she suggested that the census form was actually a secret plot by the government to place americans in internment camps. this is not the sort of stuff that will fly with most americans out there. 20% of america, maybe half the republican party, perhaps. but not most americans. this isn't going to get job done in 2012 that's for sure.

>> ron, i think once you investigate it for anti-americanism i think that you might be on her list. here's michele bachmann critiquing president obama today on his nuclear policy. i'm confounded about why she's upset by this nuclear policy, since ronald reagan was one of the great ideologist about getting rid of nuclear weapons in this war. let's listen to michele bachmann. >> we found out that the president said that he was going to change the united states' strategy on dealing with nuclear weaponry. did this shock anyone? so if, in fact, there is a nation who is compliant with all the rules ahead of time and they've complied with the united nations on nuclear proliferation, if they fire against the united states a biological weapon, a chemical weapon, or maybe a cyber attack, then we're not going to be firing back with nuclear

weapons. >> i don't get that. i guess i'm waiting for the applause line there. but i guess i never thought of using nuclear weapons against somebody hacking into our system here. our computer system. >> come on. >> nuclear weapons are basically used in the context of the cold war. >> yes. >> at its worst. as counter to other nuclear weapons. >> but james baker. >> except in europe. >> james baker told the foreign minister of iraq if they use chemical or biological weapons on our troops and "desert storm" we would retaliate with nuclear weapons about. he took him out of the meeting -- >> how about the cyber attack part of this? >> to have a cyber attack you need a nuclear weapon in the other side because the cyber attack -- i mean on the top -- >> she said if what he get hit

with this cyber attack get struck by nuclear. >> the attack in the atmosphere? >> no, no, she's talking about cyber attack? >> if they hack into your computer. >> if somebody hacks into your computers would strike with nuclear weapons. >> i don't think i would strike with nuclear weapons if they hacked into my computer, no. >> i guess i don't get this, ron. there's an urgency in her voice that isn't matched by the strategic thinking here, i don't think. >> no. >> but anyway. >> nuclear weapons have been used twice in all of history and we're not eager to use them again. and no, we're not going to nuke somebody just because they hacked into our computers. that's not going to happen. >> let me talk about this. i was absolutely dazzled by michele bachmann's development. i really do think that what i'm

watching there is a person who could hit the stump, campaign in iowa. >> right. >> and as you know very well, you're an expert where evangelicals are strong. her reference to the fact rights are god-given which is a fact that is written into our declaration of independence. no surprise there. but running on that kind of language, very strong church language there, that seems to be ringing the bell. >> i don't know if michele bachmann is ready. if sarah palin goes into iowa, i think she starts off with between 30% and 40% of the vote. she shoulders out all the other conservatives and mitt romney is the only one that could stop her given, "a" standing in the moderate ring of the party, "b" he has conservatives and "c" there are republicans scared of sarah palin. these races come down to the conservatives. as ron reagan knows, for example, ron reagan against george h.w. bush. >> yeah, but reagan won that. >> yeah. >> and i'm wondering more like 1980 or it's more like '68? which years more like. >> go to the center right or to the hard right. >> '68 no real competition. >> you had romney. >> '64 year where you get goldwater versus rockefeller down to the final. >> i think that the current romney could fall victim to the romney of the past.

i'm not sure he has the political chops. here's more on palin today. our story today is really about the rise to the top of the republican party of palin and bachmann. of course, sean hannity and talk show radio people like limbaugh we've been talking about before. these two women have grabbed the stage here today and more than just today. here they are. here's palin welcoming the crowd. let's listen. >> it is really good to be here in the land of 10,000 lakes with pate patriots who love your country. you're so proud to be americans. and you who love your good hunting and fishing and some of you proudly clinging to your guns and religion like the rest of us. >> you know you talk about buttering up an audience. i thought it was a land o'lakes commercial there, you know the land of the 10,000 lakes. >> you would love your guns and religion? what did obama say? middle of pennsylvania clinging to their guns and their bibles and their bigotry. she's appealing to the folk it's. >> does this get beyond the snow sled vote? >> sarah palin could win -- i'm waiting for her to go -- huskies. such a pioneer show. let's watch more of it. here's more of palin -- yeah, go ahead. ron, one more time. >> your analogy to '64, chris,

was apt. sarah palin may win the republican nomination but she is unelectable. she's unelectable in the country at large. >> let's take a look at the tea partyers and palin, what she had to say about them and the women. here she is. let's listen. she's really good on the stump. she's nothing but applause lines. here she is. >> something kind of interesting, going to mention this to michele. something interesting about some these tea party leaders, we're finding out most of them are women. yeah. some surveys show that. and that's inspiration that gives us hope for this -- hope for this movement. because you know as ronald reagan's friend margaret thatcher used to say, she used to say in politics, you want something said, ask a man. you want something done, ask a woman. now, i'm much more traditional

than that, though. my old mantra is, no, behind every good productive man stands a very surprised woman. >> i don't know what to say. ron, you pick up on this. it's only front with peril to comment. but i -- never mind i'm not saying it. a certain kind of presentation then that's so tina fey i wonder who is imitating who? i think she's doing fey imitating her. it's a cartoon, in a sense, but it works with a crowd she's working. i mean the fingers, the windshield wave. everything seems to be -- seems to be contrived for brilliant click, click, click applause lines that works dramatically with the audience. >> with a particular audience, but not the broader audience in america. we're talking about maybe, max, 20% of the country here. it may be -- it's a sizable minority of the republican party though, and this is a huge problem for the republican party. they -- they want to somehow coop the tea party movement. they want to ride sarah palin's

coattails but they'll ride them to defeat ultimately. >> there's that happy guy, john mccain. happiest man in america. i need sarah palin. thank you, pat buchanan, thank pat buchanan and thank you, ron reagan. coming up, the new republican governor of virginia has declared april to be confederate history month. that's got a lot of people in virginia a bit upset. why are we going back? pat wants to say so hard but he has to leave. i'm sure he'll be able to get by. the first ever african-american elected president -- governor of the country, has the thought on this. he was the governor of virginia. he doesn't like this go back to confederacy stuff. you're watching "hardball" -- by the way they go south, west. the republican party's going all over the place. it's real... boring. ♪ are you up for some sandwich-kicking flavor? are you miracle whip?

midst of all of his republicans, michael steele has been talking up the rnc record fund-raising take last month.

$11.4 million he's raised. the best march the rnc has ever had during a non-presidential year. it sounds good until you look at how the democrats did last month. the dnc is reporting raking in $13 million last month. and bragging the supporters of health care reform are clearly more generous and more energized than opponents. big story there. welcome back to "hardball." april is confederate history month in virginia. i have big news for everybody with frequent heartburn. let me show you. there's a new 24-hour heartburn formula that's different. it's called zegerid otc. only zegerid otc has both prescription strength-medicine and a special ingredient to allow its powerful medicine to be quickly absorbed. zegerid otc controls and suppresses acid all day and all night. there's a brilliant new idea in heartburn relief. new zegerid otc. discover the difference.

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governor bob mcdonnell said, "it is important for all virginians to reflect upon our commonwealth's shared history. to understand the sacrifices of the confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the civil war, and to recognize how our history has led to our present." well, his proclamation left out a key word in american history, slavery. "washington post" quotes mcdonnell saying many number of

aspects to that conflicts between the states. obviously involved slavery and involved other issues but i focused on the ones i thought were most significant for virginia and he left out slavery. doug waters. the former governor of virginia, and more recently the former mayor of richmond. jim moran, democratic congressman from virginia. governor, you were elected as the first african-american in a country to become a governor and you've been through -- you grew up there, you're a virginian. why are we going back to the confederacy in honoring in this strange sort of -- well i don't know what the right word is, sanitized way. >> chris, it's good to be with you, as always. but you're absolutely right, that reference to my election some 20 years ago shows you and showed any numbers of people across the country just how far they have come from that period. i'm the grandson of slaves and i can tell you that during that period of time that the proclamation speaks of, almost half the population of virginia

was of african de-scent. these people were not happy and when you speak about all of the virginians who'd be happy now about the contributions about those people who fought to dehumanenize and enslave and still hold our nation apart, fortunately they lost that war and fortunately we united to the extent we have a president now, an african-american president. and we've moved past it. this is a new period of glorification. should we recognize the contributions that families made and sacrificed during that period? yes. glorification? no. the governor called me today. and i spoke to him. i hope that we'll see some revision relative to either the proclamation or his statements and sentiments. >> congressman moran, i want to read the language of this proclamation for those who have mixed feelings about this, i don't think you're going to have very long. the way he describes the civil war, a war between the states. it was a war of independence. it was fought for people's homes and communities -- they were fighting a war of defense basically.

but they were overwhelmed by the insurmountable resources of the union army. no mention of which side may have been right on the issue of slavery, no mention of slavery, just this, as i said, sanitized version of history. this is like one of those soviet history books we used to read about, where they set it up their way. your thoughts, jim, congressman. >> chris, it was written by the sons of the confederacy who continue to refer to the civil war as the second american revolution. you know james mcpherson as you know was the eminent historian of the civil war. he's made clear, the civil war was fought because a man who was opposed to slavery was elected president, and that's why the state seceded. they seceded from this country, they wanted to destroy this country so they had the right to own other human beings. and as doug has said, there were 500,000 slaves in virginia at the time.

and virginia fought the war so they could continue to own those human beings, and for governor mcdonnell to suggest this was not about slavery, to commemorate the civil war as though this was some, you know, neutral part of american history, this was all about slavery. and these people wanted to destroy our country so that they could control other human beings and we ought to face up to that and get beyond it and -- but it's very much related to the first part of your show. this is about appealing to that base who wants to change history and wants to change this country for the worst. >> well, the progress of america's always been two steps forward and one step backwards. here's congresswoman michele bachmann at a rally in march. let's listen to her. she makes a point i don't think is defensible. >> democrats said they were called "n" word. which of course would be wrong and inappropriate but no one has

any record of it. no witness saw it. it's not on camera, it's not on audio. they were told -- they said that they were spat upon. no one saw it. >> audio, congresswoman, audio. here's a voicemail left at the office of u.s. congressman john lewis. let's listen. i hope you're listening, congresswoman bachmann. >> that god [ bleep ] and don't tell me that i need some [ bleep ]. i ain't paying no god [ bleep ] fine. tell that n [ bleep ] -- >> well the "n" word was used prolifically, governor. as you wouldn't be surprised. the language was familiar from the past. it's still out there. everybody in the public life knows these words are not far

from the lips of some people. we saw, of course, congressman cleaver get spat upon. we have an adequate visual record of that. and i think that congresswoman should pay attention to that scene. there it is. amazing. there it is, congressman cleaver -- well, he was a gentleman. the other guy was worse than i can think about. there he is, he wouldn't stop. governor, you've been through all of this. is this a play of what's called the republican base? is this just clearly aimed at the people who don't like change, or what is it? >> i think it's a miscalculation, period. that base doesn't belong anyplace in forging any, what i call, majority party or majority manipulation any place in america today. the american people are past this. jim moran is absolutely right. what this proclamation suggest is that that period was something, well, just a little

spat. well, we did the best we could but we were overwhelmed. and why were we overwhelmed? we were overwhelmed because the right won. if those people had been successful, you and i wouldn't be here talking like we are today. i know i wouldn't be here at all under any circumstances. it is revisionist history. unfortunately, it got us -- i hope the governor sees fit to revise his statements. even revise the proclamation, because if he doesn't, it will be inevitably in story and it will be something that will continue to define his administration. he doesn't need that. he doesn't want that. virginians are beyond that. >> i want to get to to the constitutional questions here, gentlemen. congressman moran, jump on this

here. here's the health care issue that is still very much debated in this country. florida attorney general, bill mccollum, former colleague of yours, who is running -- an attorney general in florida but running for governor down there. and he's hitting this issue pretty hard. it's the constitutional duty i have, he says, to protect the citizens of florida, to protect an unconstitutional -- protect you from an unconstitutional invasion of the state. using the words like the sovereignty of the state, the invasion of the state by the north -- and then you have rick perry, won't have to play this again, played it so many times. he's talking about secession. a republican candidate for governor down there talking about nullification, interposition. this stuff, jim, you and i grew up with. we studied it in school. the governor, you lived through it. these words like "nullification," i mean do we have to go back to dr. king to get some refutation here? congressman? what's going on? why are they talking this language of secession and nullification again? >> well, you know, it's human nature and they fought the civil war because a man oppose said to slavery was elected president. i think a lot has to do with the fact that we have an african-american president who has an agenda. he wants to make -- create equal opportunity for every one of

this country, he wants to make this a greater, a more inclusive society. i think he's doing a good job, personally. but they object to who's doing it, and what his ultimate objective is because they think this is their country and i think a lot of this has do with race, but a whole lot of it has to do with this attitude that government is the enemy. it started back in 19 -- in the 1980s. and you know, it sure is defining the republican versus the democratic party. it's a schism, but i don't think that these folks represent more electorate. let's hope not. >> congressman moran, thank you as always. and governor, i've got to cut you off but thank you so much. >> we'll talk. >> it's an honor to have you on, sir. >> always good, thank you, sir. we call it peace of mind. the 5-star crash safety rated chevy malibu. ♪ could open a world of wonder ? ♪ ♪ so sensory ♪ so satisfying

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it's the best coverage in america. ha! back to "hardball" time for the "sideshow." first rudy versus reagan. catch how mr. mayor rudy giuliani critiques president obama's nuclear weapons policy in "the national review" today. "a nuclear free world has been a 60 year dream of the left just like socialized health care. this new policy like obama's government-run health program is a big step in that direction." what's wrong with wanting a world free of nuclear weapons? good question. is it really just a dream of the left? i recall that was a dead, serious mission of a fellow named ronald reagan.

here the former president was in china back in '84. >> a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought and no matter how great the obstacles may seem, we must never stop our efforts to reduce the weapons of war. we must never stop it all until all -- until we see the day when nuclear arms have been banished from the face of this earth. >> i want to thank andrew sullivan of "the atlantic," of remembering those lines of former president reagan. next, alan greenspan in the hot seat? he answered for the fed's failure to prevent the subprime mortgage implosion. >> my experience has been in the business i was in, i was right 70% of the time but i was wrong 30% of the time and there are an awful lot of mistakes in 21 years. >> give credit to greenspan for standing up for his watch as hero. off to someone who has gotten a lot of confidence about his job performance, senator

harry reid in nevada. despite polls in nevada, showing trailing unknown opponent by double digits, he declared yesterday, "if the election were held today i'd win." don't bet against him. harry reid is a worker bee. he'll run on his record, not away from it. nevadans will have to decide if they have someone better to represent them in washington. time for "the big number." a new harris poll asked americans who they blame most for the bad economy. 14% said president obama. 16% said democrats and congress. 25% blame wall street. who got the most votes? george w. bush. 31%. he left office more than a year ago, but a third of americans blame president bush for the bad economy. 31%. tonight's good for democrats "big number." up next, how desperate is john mccain? he told "newsweek" magazine he never considered himself a maverick. john mccain's not a maverick, he says so?

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federal authorities are investigating an incident on united airlines 663 from washington, d.c. to denver. airline officials were forced to detain a passenger of middle east earn decent when they smelled smoke leaving the bathrooms. original reports said he claimed to have been trying to set off a shoe bomb. he was putting out a cigarette he smoked in the bathroom on the sole of his shoe. the passenger has been identified as a qatari diplomat

in the mid 20s assigned to an embassy in washington. be sure to stay tuned to msnbc for more information as it develops. for now, send you back to "hard ball." welcome back to "hardball." john mccain branded himself as a maverick in the old days but now he's trying to erase the very title he campaigned on, he told "newsweek" magazine, "i never considered myself a maverick." oh, really? let's take a walk down memory lane. i hope that john is watching. senator deserves to get a little memory check here. here he is. >> and what maverick really means, what this team of maverick really means is we understand who we work for.

when two mavericks join up we don't agree on everything but that's a lot of fun. and you've got a team of mavericks, a team of mavericks. send a team of mavericks. i've been called a maverick. a maverick. a maverick. and a maverick. this is my old friend and greenroom pal, chris matthews, he used to like me but he found somebody new. somebody who opened up his eyes. we've talked about it. i told him, maverick, i can do but messiah is above my pay grade. >> so here's the real john mccain. "news week's" howard fineman is chuckling away. jay newton-small is washington correspondent for "time." howard, this is chuckle worthy. we all have a fondness of john mccain, we've worked with him, spent time with him for years. he was a great source of news. and in many ways, inspiring as a candidate. why would he deny being the thing we all know he was? >> well, the amazing thing is in the interview that he did with my colleague david margolic i don't think that it ever occurred to john mccain that there was any twist or irony in what he was saying.

and the fact is that in the last few months, it's been extremely inconvenient for him to be mavericky at all with regard to the republican conservative establishment. because that's who he desperately needs to stave off a challenge in the republican primary. >> jay, is maverick such a bad word that even a guy who embraced it, i think wondrously and effectively for years, he went down to the auditorium and took on the bad guys, the karl roves with their dirty stuff about his daughter and his wife, that horrendous crap thrown at him by the right. he stood up to them like a man and now he's denying he was that john mccain? how can you deny you at your greatest? i can't know. >> look, i wrote a while back that he came back from the 2000 campaign virtually a liberal, and then came back from the 2008 campaign a conservative.

and in the last years since he's been back because he's so worried about re-election, because he's worried about challenges from the right with former representative j.d. hayworth challenging him, he's seriously worried he's not going to win re-election. he's really shifted hard to the right and becoming -- >> he sounds like mitt romney. >> mitch mcconnell's lap dog essentially. >> romney thinks that what happens in massachusetts stays in massachusetts, you know. >> i think to some extent john mccain just doesn't want to bother with previous statements, even if they're on the covers of books. >> even if they're positive. >> but having watched him a lot up on the senate in the last few weeks i know he's going to dismiss this comment as more carping from the liberal pundits, et cetera. but there's a sort of sad quality to it, because he's taken on a sort of brittleness. because i think he's a little upset with himself. >> yeah. >> that he has to do what he's doing right now. my sense is that he's not comfortable with it but he's got no choice he thinks politically. >> let me tell you, jay, it seems to me, your description's a little tough. i mean, all politicians, all politicians have to shape their

presentations to primary elections and then to general elections. they all go to the center in general elections. they all go somewhat to the base in the primaries. they have to. that's how politics works. you sell your base and then you move out from your base. why does mccain look really ridiculous now -- i think, where he looks -- i will pose this to you. when you deny the tributes paid to you in the past that you're a maverick, now what's more american than being a maverick? >> well i mean, look, but this isn't something new that he suddenly stopped being a maverick and started and became this sort of tow the line republican. i would argue that in his presidential line he didn't go to the center for his general election, he stayed pretty far to the right and he seemed equally as miserable during his presidential election as he did in, like you know -- as for the last few months. >> i love it, jay. when was he most miserable on an index when he had to go play ball with the republican establishment or play ball as

the star is born role with sarah palin where he had to stand there and get her endorsement? what was more uncomfortable? >> he looked really uncomfortable in both. i think that the last weekend, though, looked really, really uncomfortable standing on stage with her and needing her endorsement in order to win his own primary and that's -- they haven't had the best relationship since then. >> well, nor should they. here's mccain, the senator. he couldn't stop sarah palin from calling him a maverick two weeks ago. here she is paying testament to his most famous moniker, maverick. let's listen. >> it was such a privilege to be asked to 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. >> so she shows up in a biker costume and she says he's a maverick, that's like fighting words. let's take a look, a picture here, a still that'll tell you a bigger story. the name of his book that he wrote and gave the title to was, let me read it closely.

"the education of an american maverick." which he has now said i never considered myself a maverick. what are we going to believe? him or our lying eyes? as groucho marks would say. >> well, the thing is, first of all, having to stand there and listen while sarah palin sort of damped him with faint praise a couple times, he's not too old, he's still fun, he's still strong, et cetera, et cetera, had to have graded on him. having seen him on the campaign trail, having seen him since, he can't stand it but he knows that he's doing things that he can't stand because he's in a battle for survival. i actually think he may ultimately be overstating the threat that he's got -- >> he's running j.d. hayworth. who couldn't get elected into the house anymore. >> and he's got five times more the money than hayworth has.

he has the standing. he's probably going to win the republican primary. i think that he's overdoing it here a little bit. >> when i was a young kid in high school i was pretty conservative. i did like goldwater. i studied the issues. i like hillary clinton in that regard. any stage of my sort of political movement over the years, whether it was jean mccarthy i was in love with or whomever, at any stage i would have respected john mccain. so i don't see he should have a problem here. i don't understand -- he's a great guy from arizona. he's a traditional to goldwater. goldwater wouldn't have endorsed j.d. hayworth. >> it's a low turnout primary, and independents can vote in the primaries. >> look, if my endorsement helps you, john mccain, if you've got it. if it doesn't, throw me under the bus. i don't endorse by the way. up next we'll talk about the president. i want to talk with this expert who has come out with big book on the president. where is the president headed and can he put it together? can he bring the working class whites aboard, can he build a real national unity? hasn't done it yet. ♪ [ male announcer ] we make them beautiful. ♪ we make them tougher.

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welcome back to "hardball." can president obama rally his base to help democrats win this november and can he get re-elected in 2012? david ramrick is editor of "the new yorker" magazine and author of the new book "the bridge." the title comes from u.s. congressman john lewis, who said, barack obama's is what comes to that end. so that's the great question for your book. looking ahead from this book that will be a bestseller, it's

going to be. it's a great book. i've been reading it. and in fact i had to get ready authority if show today, as a often do i went right to the last couple of chapters because i love to know the end of these. let me ask you about post-racial. we talked a lot about that. if you look at grant park on election night that tremendous diversity of america, cheering his victory, and then of course we've seen some of this hate -- let's take a look at the hate voicemail that was left for john lewis, the man that we just mentioned, on his office in congress. here it is, let's listen. >> god [ bleep ] worthless [ bleep ] and all them other [ bleep ] that voted for him. that [ bleep ] -- all the other [ bleep ] that voted for the communist socialist [ bleep ]. >> well, lots "f" and lots of "n" words in there we had to pull it out and clearly it went on and on and on. this guy had been listening to the right-wing attitude toward this guy and this guy had his own homegrown attitudes. ain't going away, is it? >> no. the extremes may never go away

or take a very, very long time to go away. you don't want to say the tea party movement is all that. but i think it's combustible when you have 10% unemployment and economic unsurity and the first african-american president. and the extremes are going to be -- are going to make their voices known and it's scary. >> let me try something that's always tricky and make a comparison of the sports world because everybody watches is interested in sports and for years they thought "hardball" was a sports show. so that's fine. you've seen people in south philly, places in very ethnic neighborhoods where white people will find themselves rooting for african-american stars, for their home team. if feeling like rooting if them, if they feel that person is one of their champions they change their attitudes and they root like mad, right? people do have a willingness to root for somebody because he thinks he's leading the charge for them. can barack obama become the champion of people who normally have these attitudes? >> well i think his attitude would be be they just passed through his initiative a health care package that -- >> it's for working people. >> that's for working people and

tens of millions of people who didn't have health care before. so, yes, he's a little -- he may be diffident, but john kennedy could have been seen as diffident to many people. is he an elitist? is he capable of getting middle class voters. john kerry didn't win the white vote in his presidential race and barely lost. obama won and didn't get the white vote. it's becoming a diverse country. >> why the democratic party. hillary clinton or bill clinton, why do they lose the white vote? >> hillary clinton won a lot of working class votes but if she had won the nomination and faced john mccain -- >> you think you would have flipped. >> it would have been much more problematic. during the campaign of barack obama, you say he was detached. he made a comment in san francisco with an elite group. he was pandering myself the elite.

>> pounded over the head -- >> he talked about the white guys that cling to their guns and religion because they're afraid. >> what was he trying to say? >> people get despairing when they're out of work. i don't think people start shooting things and horrible things happen. >> did you hear of "deer hunter" confident people who like to hunt deer and people who go to church who have a lot of money. >> when obama found his voice in illinois, he attracted the white folks in southern illinois. i think the notion that he's somehow just appealing to african-americans or white liberal elites on the left, you don't win presidential elections doing that. >> how is he compared to the inside.

>> is he a guy who's forgiven white people, if you will, their history of oppression and jim crow, is he a guy who says, that was history. i don't blame people today for that. is he past that personally? >> i think barack obama is deeply aware of the wound of slavery. >> does he have any grudge personally? >> no, i don't think so. i don't think so. >> i think some of the white working class think he does. glenn beck is out there selling this stuff all the time, who -- the people sell this stuff. >> there's a big difference -- you have -- there's always been voices like this in american history. but now you have the extremes that you find on the internet and on television and you know what we're talking about, and this whips it up. and you have an african-american president, and this is whipped up by people like glenn beck and it gets some people excited in the ugliest way, and you see it in a voicemail like that. not that one voicemail necessarily means thousands or millions of people, but it's a very dangerous tendency and to me it's irresponsible. >> we're going to get a better unemployment rate by 2012. ronald reagan got it back down to 7%.

we had morning in america, it looked good in the mid'80s by then. if that happens, will barack obama, with the political skills and the personalty and the soul he has be able to take advantage of that and get re-elected handily? >> he's got to run against somebody. this has to be a contest between two people. we're three years out, of course. >> well, mondale? mitt romney's a mondale. >> is he going to come off warm and fuzzy to working class people? he's many times wealthier than barack. >> i like the way they publish it too, it's got a nice feel to it. it's a hell of a book. >> thank you. we'll have thoughts about virginia's confederate history month and what it says about state's rights and some of the nasty comments we're getting for congressional offices. the party of abraham lincoln is acting like the party of jefferson davis, the governor of virginia has decreed april as confederate history month. here's how it is described, the

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four-year war between the states

the party of abraham lincoln is acting like the party of jefferson davis, the governor of virginia has decreed april as confederate history month. here's how it is described, the four-year war between the states for independence. his proclamation speaks of confederate leaders who, quote, fought for their homes and communities and commonwealth. but how they were overwhelmed by the insurmountable numbers and resources of the union army. nothing about forced labor under the whil or chains that whipped people. that outlawed any education for the slaves. nothing about the wickedness of the institution that lay at the heart of the civil war. nothing about the more than 600,000 people who lay dead as a result of it. as a result of the confederate leaders, who told their people they had to fight because abraham lincoln and the republican party had won the white house. how about a little education here along with this reverence for the cause?

how about some real southern american history with all that it contains and not this "gone with the wind" version. i'm glad to see that the governor said tonight that he should have included some reference to slavery in his proclamation and that he apologized for omitting it. unfortunately there's a lot of this talk today. the governor of texas rick perry talked up secession. what's with all the state's right's talk? we reported last night the phone call congressman john lewis received with all the racial attacks, we know now the disgusting public behavior by the guy that yelled and spat on congress cleburne outside the capit capitol. he says the civil war was about other issues besides slavery. because of lincoln's election, the south seceded from the union and formed the confederacy. the plain truth is for all this nostalgia, it is plain, playing to the base. and some just love hearing well-dressed, well-educated types put in pretty words what they can only say more crudely in the dark of night over the telephone. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "countdown" with keith olbermann

starts right now. which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? licensed to kill. he was linked to the ft. hood shooter and the detroit underwear bomber. is that enough to justify the administration's decision to authorize the targeted killing of the radical cleric anwar al awlaki who was born in new mexico? is that enough to justify it in the wake of the revelation of the so-called video game killings of 2007? they were scared. the west virginia congressman who says three workers from the upper big branch mine had told him the miners had been worried about high levels of methane before the explosion. and the blankenship memo, the massey sends a memo, we seem not to understand that coal pays the bills.

and still, it is too dangerous to send in rescue teams. >> we've asked the families to be patient. good news, slavery was not among the most significant issues of the civil war. so says virginia's new republican governor bob mcdonnell, reinstituting confederate history month. celebrating treason, violence and not even mentioning slavery. the awful truth, conservatives reveal mitt romney is a socialist. and ronald reagan as president was a leftist. and this is a would-be tea party congressman talking about the democratic incumbent. >> you've got to make the fellow scared to come out of his house. and rupert murdoch humiliated by his own employees. >> i didn't think we should be supporting the tea party or any other party. but i'd like to investigate what you're saying before i condemn anyone. sarah palin and sean hannity covering the speech. today --