it will take somebody, of course, winning it for him to lose it. that alone seems to make it look good for romney. they don't like any of the other candidates to come along all that much more than they to him, although i'm beginning to wonder about herman cain. he's starting to open up a lead. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. don't forget to catch president obama on "the tonight show" with jay leno tonight. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" tonight from new york. mitt romney is getting hammered for his spineless performance in cincinnati today. two weeks from tonight, john kasich's anti-worker bill could be repealed. and the 99% movement, well, they could score a major victory. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. the fight for ohio has gone national. >> two ballot initiatives. i'm certainly supportive of the republican party's effort here. >> tonight, mitt romney is in big trouble with his party for refusing to endorse the kasich union busting bill. even though he endorsed it four

months ago. we'll get the latest from the buckeye state and we'll talk to a conservative radio host, bill cunningham, who thinks kasich's bill should fail. rick perry's flat tax plan is out. >> for those at the top, it is hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of dollars. >> i don't care about that. what i care about is them having the dollars to invest in their companies. >> we'll see how he sells that to the 99%ers. the republican blueprint for stopping the obama jobs bill. we'll show you the document karl rove doesn't want you to see. and in "psycho talk" tonight, he lied to america which makes him perfect to work at fox news. good to have you with us tonight, folks. the state of ohio has become ground zero for the ideological war in america. moments ago, nbc news' chuck todd moderated a debate, a union busting bill in ohio up for repeal two weeks from tonight.

this attack on public workers is the brain child of freshman republican governor john kasich. ohio voters gathered 1.3 million signatures to repeal the law earlier this year and they are gaining momentum for a victory on november 8th. in september, quinnipiac polling showed a 13-point margin with 51% supporting repeal and 38% against it. now the supporters of repeal have opened up a 25-point advantage on ohioans who support kasich's law. kasich is on the ropes with this one. and reporters pressed him on the issue in his sinking poll numbers earlier today. >> governor, the quinnipiac poll has come out and has sp5 down further than it was. what's your reaction? >> we're going to keep working. this is the right thing to create an environment for cities to be able to be successful. >> if it fails, do you have a backup plan? >> i never think -- i never think ahead. >> you don't typically comment on polls. is this one disheartening? >> hey, you know, do i seem disheartened?

i'm doing my job. >> the poll is showing an increasing opposition with pretty much every democrat for group of pollers. how do you persuade minds or change those numbers at this point? >> you just work as hard as you can, try to explain it. you don't quit. i mean, if i'm, you know, if i'm in a golf game and down six holes with seven to play, i try to play harder. >> governor, you're not in the fairway on this one. kasich isn't the only politician taking heat on issue two. it gets even better. enter willard mitt romney. romney's six-year campaign to become president of the united states made a stop at a republican pro issue two propaganda call center in cincinnati this morning. romney glad handed the telemarketers and mugged for the camera. after the planned photo op,

romney stopped to talk with reporters on this. >> it's great to be in ohio ted. i'm not speaking of the particular ballot issues. those are up to the people of ohio. i support the effort of the government. i'm certainly supportive of the republican party's efforts. >> hold it right there. you mean to tell me mitt romney goes to ohio, enters a yes on issue two call center and doesn't have an opinion on the most important issue facing ohio voters? this is another classic romney flip-flop. earlier this year, the former governor of massachusetts playing around on twitter tweeted his support for the kasich law. romney wrote "my friends in ohio are fighting to defend crucial reforms. the state has put in place to limit the power of union bosses and keep taxes low. i stand with john kasich."

you mean to tell me he couldn't say that today? he went all the way to ohio to let people know he doesn't have a spine? i mean, think about this. he wants to be president of the united states. i'm not terribly familiar with the two ballot initiatives. wisconsin and ohio have been all over the news. workers rights under attack all over america, with the six radical governors that we pointed out night after night on this program. but the mittster, he doesn't quite have an answer at that time. that's a strong statement on twitter, but face to face, romney is milktose. freedom works jumped on romney for not having a spine today. rick perry smelled blood in the water and released this statement. "as a true conservative, i stand with governor kasich if promoting senate bill five for fiscal responsibility and job creation in ohio." perry not as dumb as some people think. perry has romney dead on the rights on this issue. romney is not a true conservative. or a true leader.

romney has attacked president obama for not showing leadership time and time again, but when he gets a chance to stand up for the republican ideology, he takes a pass. in the same interview, he told a reporter, you know, i really have to win ohio if we're going to win the presidential election. really, so let's see. what we have is no conviction, really across the board never convincing on anything issue, and romney waffles. this is why conservatives don't like this guy. this is actually what makes i think the democrats a little bit nervous because he can confuse voters and he might be the guy to trip up president obama. i believe that his campaign is running like a dart board. dart board mentality. wherever it lands today, well, that looks pretty good, what do you say we try that? i think this is a telling day for mitt romney and for his opponents. they have to jump on this. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. since he hasn't made up his

mind, maybe we should help mitt romney out a little bit. should senate bill five become the law of the land in ohio? text "a" for yes, text "b" for no to 62263622639. always go to our blog, ed.msnbc.com and we'll bring you the results later in the show. issue two crosses all party lines in ohio. cincinnati conservative radio and television talk show host bill cunningham produced a video supporting a no vote on issue two. let's take a look. >> many months ago right there sat the governor of ohio john kasich. john kasich told me the rock grove republican conservative governor of this state that he would not meet with the labor unions. he was wrong in not meeting with state employees, especially those in labor unions. from my perspective, those affected by governmental decisions need to have a place a the bargaining table to determine the outcome of what's being discussed. i urge you to vote no on state

issue two. >> wow. joining me tonight, bill cunningham, the conservative radio and television talk show host. has a daytime tv syndicated program. congratulations. >> ed, how are you? >> i'm doing fine. you and i don't agree, but i think you're a straight talker. >> i think we're americans. one thing i told kasich in february and march is that sit down with those you disagree with does two things. it tests your own validity. you test what they have to say against your beliefs. secondly, you make them feel as they're part of the solution instead of part of the problem. >> he didn't do that? >> kasich told me no. john's my friend. he was my friend before senate bill five. i'm going to vote for him when he runs for office likely again. before he was elected there, i was there for john. he's a good man. this is mistake he's making. the mistake is this. the bill says it's collective begging, not collective bargaining. say you and your lovely wife or me and my lovely wife are in

divorce court and don't agree on the custody of the kids. what if your wife went on the bench and ruled on your kids? if there's not an agreement, it's imposed upon the workers. >> why is he picking on all of people, public heroes, firefighters, people who go into burning homes to save lives but he went tax the wealthiest ohioans? >> ohioans who have money, if you lived in ohio you'd be with me, the top 1% pay 40% and make 25% of the money in this country. >> that's a great right wing bullet point. i give you credit on that. >> it's also the truth. >> it's also the graph that's out there. the red line, the income of the top 2% across american has gone up 300% over the last 30 years. average wage earners are right down there. outsourcing has a lot to do with it. kasich is picking on the middle class. >> not picking on the middle class but collective bargain employees. they support democrats financially and otherwise. i would say to you, ed schultz, what if republicans like under

nixon, teamsters voted republican? >> this is as much going after the infrastructure as it is anything else? if they can take down the unions, bust the unions, they can knock that fund-raising -- >> the game's played that way. about 7 o% of this bill is good. i agree with it. 70% of the bill is good. such as a union worker ought to say in writing whether their money goes to a pac of a labor union. deal with public insurance benefits and says the public insurance benefits for the worker can't be worse or better than management. >> do you think there's a lot of conservatives in ohio that think the way you do on this issue? >> senator bill sipes is my budty from western hamilton county, conservative, i spoke to him today. he laid out six or seven great things in the bill probably democrats would agree to, but we can't agree to collective

begging instead of collective bargaining. that's the heart and soul of the agreement. >> republicans are being in a sense fair minded in ohio saying you can't do this to public employees, you can't do this to collective bargaining. they like the idea they've had a governor that's gone after the republican -- or the democratic establishment when it comes to organizing, social networking, boots on the ground and raising money for democratic candidates. he went too far this time. >> this is more extreme than wisconsin. i had a mark monohan today on my radio show. the fop. cops and firefighters vote republican in ohio about 70%. they're never going to vote for another republican. these are the people that put kasich in power. the nra types put kasich there and when people like me say a bridge too far, it's not going to be defeated because people like your philosophy. >> if he's your friend, why did you weigh in on this? >> i tell you why, ed. >> this is politically going to

hurt him. >> it hurts him a lot. i think why i did it, friends need to tell friends when they're wrong, hopefully my opinion has more value because i was a kasich supporter before and i'm going to vote for kasich the next time. >> you're campaigning against him. >> on this issue. >> okay. one issue. >> on this issue. not on the rest of the stuff. most of what he does, with jobs -- another thing he did, $8 billion deficit, he bridged it in july without affecting senate bill five. >> kicked the can down the road with tricky accounting. >> politicians do that. >> he's not a now pay for it guy. he's not on that issue. >> he's a good man. >> he may be a nice guy. >> how about '96, '97, '98? he worked with the newtster and clinton. balanced budget. this guy is uniquely positioned. on this one issue i stand, believe it or not, with ed schultz. >> was he trying to outdo scott walker and others? this is a one upman deal. >> they're not exempt. they want to say they're exempt

with safety. that's not true. at the end of the day if a management position is imposed without an arbitrator, it's collective begging and not bargaining and my friend john is wrong. >> i want you to come back. you and i are going to have a discussion about the jobs bill. >> i hate the jobs bill. >> i'm going to make you love the jobs bill. putting people to work in this country is what it is all about. >> if the jobs bill did that, i'd be in favor of it. >> all right. we'll come back and talk to you. bill cunningham, thanks for being with us tonight. let's turn to nina turner and chris redford, chairman of the democratic party. a debate just moments ago concluded in ohio on this issue. issue number two. and state senator keith faber said this about public employees. i want your reaction. here it is. >> you know, most private sector employees don't get a lifetime guaranteed mention that in many

cases has a value in excess of $1 million. it's time to level the playing field. it's time to put the taxpayers at the table and that's why these discussions are important. >> senator turner, what about that? is that true? >> thank you, ed. it's absolutely ridiculous that we would lower the bar and consider that leveling the playing field. i mean, to send people to the poor house, their families, not allow them to be able to support their families, i don't know what the private sector equivalent is to a police officer or a firefighter or a teacher. but what i do know is that our men and women, whether they're firefighters, police officers, social workers or teachers and other public sector workers, they provide a needed service. they deserve their benefits and their deserve their wages. so senator faber is delusional in that. you don't lower the bar. private sector workers should question why they are treated so inadd quatly and not question

why we treat public sector workers fairly. >> let's talk about the national scene. here's mitt romney in ohio today. and chris, can president obama beat mitt romney in ohio? >> absolutely. and when willie cunningham and i are agreeing on something, you know we're right, ed. the fact of the matter is, i'm a proud democrat. i'm proud to be chairman of the democratic party in ohio. it's not about me, not about democrats. it's about democrats, republicans, moms and dads, your neighbors, people you sit next to at a basketball game. it's about the call that's made at 2:00 morning on a cold february night and the deputy that goes out in that car to make our neighborhoods safe. how much is that deputy worth? what is the salary we should pay that deputy? >> yeah. >> i expect my local elected officials to have a say when sitting at the table bargaining with that deputy, collectively, transparently, in front of the public. that's the law today, and under senate bill five, as you just

heard from bill cunningham, those kinds of protections would be stripped away in lieu of backroom deals. it wouldn't be what you knew, it would be who you knew to get the job. that's not what ohio has been about for the last 30 years. to suggest balancing the budget on the back of the middle class is going to make ohio stronger, we've seen that in other states. it has not worked. >> senator turner, do you want to see president obama get involved in this? mitt romney was there today. he waffled on the issue. is it important for president obama to be involved in this? >> well, ed, we're saying he's waffling. maybe governor romney is considering coming to the righteous side. how about that? in regards to our president, he has his hands full with the jobs bill. the unemployment rate in ohio is 9.1%. we have got to put people to work. i think the president can certainly do both. he was just here in ohio a few weeks ago on a bridge talking about a bridge too far and talking about how not only that bridge needed to be repaired, but also the numbers of folks that will be put to work. so the president is right on the mark right now, ed.

he needs to on the to hammer home for all americans. all ohioans. putting folks back to work in this country is the greatest need of this hour. >> and issue two is all about that. and more in ohio. we'll continue to cover it. ohio state senator nina turner and chris redfern, thanks for your time tonight. remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of the screen and share your thoughts on twitter @edshow. we want to know what you think. coming up, how karl rove and his super pac are trying to win the fight on the american jobs act by fooling the public. rick perry jumped onboard with a flat tax bandwagon and won't dismiss the birther issue because he likes poking fun on the president? more on that coming up.

welcome back to "the ed show." president obama will appear on the "tonight show" this evening with jay leno. here's the president's view of the republican presidential field. >> now, have you been watching the gop debates? >> i'm going to wait until everybody is voted off the island. >> really?

>> once they narrow it down to one or two, i'll start paying attention. >> jay leno asked about republican reaction to the president keeping his promise to pull american troops out of iraq. >> the gop opposed withdrawing from iraq. >> that's shocking that they oppose something i proposed. >> leno also asked the president about mitch mcconnell wanting to make him a one-term president. mr. obama said the american people are fed up with anyone putting party ahead of country. whether you're a democrat, republican or independent. when we come back, the republican blueprint for america, straight from karl rove's super pac. it's all about putting party before country.tar. my coat? solid gold. my insides? pure platinum. [ female announcer ] a healthy outside starts inside. new iams simple & natural has chicken as its number one ingredient and zero fillers. it works inside for health you can see on the outside.

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welcome back to "the ed show." let's go inside the gop talking points and how they fool the american public on the big issues of the day. now, you have -- if you have any doubt, all you have to do is read a memo from karl rove's super pac cross roads gps. here's the gist of it. instead of talking about cops, firefighters and teachers, they talk about union members. they do this because they can demonize unions. they can make union just a real dirty word politically. then they reframe the question and disseminate misinformation. for example, 70% favor president obama's proposal to give billions of dollars to states to stop layoffs of teachers and firefighters. that's straight from the cross

roads gps memo. 70%, pretty big number, isn't it? so they reframe the question to change everybody's mind. 52% oppose giving billions of dollars to states that keep government, union workers, on the payroll. that's straight from the cross roads memo. the mission is to vilify union workers at all costs to change the thinking of the public. they reframe the question, disseminate misinformation, all in the process. take, for instance, governor chris christie of new jersey. his budget costs caused 4,000 police officers to lose their jobs over the past two years. according to the president of the policemen's benevolent association, christie did it by declaring a budget crisis then demonizing unions. joining many now, stan greenberg, democratic pollster. the moment me shows -- great to have you with us, mr. greenberg. appreciate your time tonight.

>> thank you. >> this really is the key to -- >> this is a great public service. >> pardon me? >> i said, this is a great public service. this memo and your airing it and your show tonight. >> i mean, this is a classic, is it not? it's a karl rove classic, a playbook on how they are going to turn these numbers around by vilifying workers. am i wrong on that? >> they don't usually get it laid out the way it's here. the number you didn't cite after all this, they said the president's class war arguments are working, so whatever you do don't talk about that issue. so it's a very -- it's a very revealing document. a lot of honesty. and the honesty, you know, shows how above all, you know, with the popularity of each of these items in the jobs bill, you know, how they have to take it down, you know, by a whole range of distortions that you highlight. and so it's using their own data to prove the point, but it's a

big, i think it's a big red flag for people to pay attention, you know, and the union worker piece is particularly revealing. look what's happening in ohio. look at the real poll numbers. when you actually have a debate on the issue. you know, and even here, when they say, look, we can't talk about this, about the layoff of the public sector workers, let's talk about unions. even when they take it to unions, it's evenly split. even when they try to tilt the argument. so they're pushing against the country wanting to move ahead on jobs and using this kind of memo to mobilize their side. >> mr. greenberg, every host, radio host, television host, has to know the audience. i would imagine tonight that there are some people watching who are saying, how come the democrats aren't good at this? we always seem to lose the super bowl when it comes to wordsmithing to the american people to change minds.

what about that? >> well, you know what, thank god this is a jobs bill. you know, it's, you know, it isn't rocket science. you don't need a pollster. i would fire all the pollsters. you know, this is a jobs bill. people want jobs. people think the big structural problems facing country is we've lost american jobs, lost the middle class. you don't need a lot of research to gather. i tell you, if you look at occupy wall street, you know, 99-1 is a simple notion. the american dream is a simple notion. progressives are starting to get there. it's been a long time. people watched the recovery act and had no idea what it was. now it's getting a lot clearer. >> the same memo warns so-called class warfare works. 6 % favor raising taxes on people with incomes above $200,000. how are they going to turn this? >> well, you know what, they can't turn it. the fact that they have put it out in their memo saying, a warning, you know, democrats are winning the argument here. by the way, over 60% in their survey on raising taxes over $200,000. this is a consensus bipartisan issue. that's one of the distortions in

their memo, by the way. they constantly pick out a democrat and say, ah, there's bipartisan opposition to the jobs bill. well, you know what, there's a consensus, bipartisan support for raising taxes on the wealthy. that's where the country wants to go. it was 80%, as you know, for raising revenue during the debt ceiling. >> it's pretty clear, it's pretty clear if the democrats stand with workers, they'll have a big year in 2012. i mean, it's very clear. this is an admission from karl rove and his gps group. stan greenberg, always a pleasure. great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. a republican jobs program. you better believe it. fox news adds former south carolina governor mark sanford to its payroll. they're going in the "zone" next. you may not recognize this man now, but if you own a computer, you'll probably know him by the end of the week. the interim mayor of san francisco is becoming the latest internet sensation.

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and in "psycho talk" tonight, there's new evidence out there that republicans do have a jobs plan. it's called fox news. it appears that the disgraced former governor of south carolina mark sanford followed the appalachian trail all the way to roger roger aile's office. he will serve as a commentator through the 2012 election. who would have ever thought of that?

judging by what his new colleagues said about him in the past, the next company picnic might be a tad uncomfortable. >> but the guy lied. he lied to his constituents. he lied to his staff. he lied to his wife. not on just one occasion, it's multiple. he's a serial liar. >> when you have to tell your husband to not go to something that will destroy lives, you have someone who's an early brain donor. >> he's a laughing stock. that's the problem for him. >> he's clearly a narcissist. he can't shut up. >> the entertainment media promote this kind of behavior and lifestyle then when somebody follows it, there are plenty of cluck, cluckers around saying, shouldn't do that. hypocrites. >> ah, shucks. put him on the payroll. seems like fox is playing the role of a hypocrite now. with nicknames like laughing stalk, he might feel right at home with sarah palin and karl

rove. hiring a guy who left his wife for a argentinian lover might be good for ratings, but askafter he lied to his constituents, that's honky-tonk psycho talk. rick perry is the latest presidential candidate to embrace the flat tact. i'll talk with jim moore and david k. johnson about why perry's plan actually makes the tax process more complicated. and will this ad make herman cain president? probably not. a new poll puts him ahead of mitt romney.

the new republican saying how about that flat tax? the flat tax is the new flavor of the month. the new gimmick of the republican candidates. let's see. herman cain, he's got a flat tax plan. newt gingrich is coming out with one, has always loved it. now rick perry polling in single digits unveiled his own 20% flat

tax proposal. cnbc's john harwood correctly pointed out to perry his plan would be great for the super rich, which is fine with rick perry? >> for those at the top, it is hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of dollars for them. >> but i don't care about that. what i care about is them having the dollars to invest in their companies, to go out and maybe start a business because they've got the confidence again that they actually get to keep more of what they work for. >> perry also told harwood the real reason he's been indulging in birther conspiracies with donald trump. >> it's a good issue to keep alive. donald's got to have some fun. i'm really not worried about the president's birth certificate. it's fun to poke at him a little bit and say, hey, how about, let's see your grades and your birth certificate. >> so a conversation piece. but at a news conference in

south carolina this afternoon, perry pretended the birther talk is beneath him. >> i'll cut you off right there. that is one of the biggest distractions there is going. we need to be talking about jobs. >> let's bring in msnbc contributor jim moore, author of the upcoming book "adios mofo: why rick perry will make america miss george w. bush." and david cay, author of "free lunch." which is the real rick perry in those two clips? >> well, he likes the birther thing, ed. primarily it's going to motivate the far right and get more and more people to come in his direction. from the very conservative types. the social value types. i thought it was interesting the way he hid behind donald trump and said, oh, donald trump doesn't think it's real, but it's beneath me to really confront it. well, he's basically bringing it up and trying to use it and

raise it again and agitate the right and bring them in his direction and let them know he's going to do and say anything necessary to win. >> and have the republicans, jim, successfully put the flat tax on the table for all candidates for 2012? that this is something that is going to be a part of what they want to do for america? >> i think it's going to gain traction within the republican primary process. it doesn't look like it's going to go away. one of the things that perry did, ed, today when he announced this was hold up that little single card and suggest simplicity. and people are not paying close attention right now and they're seeing that single card in they're thinking, you mean i can file my taxes on something that simple? what they're failing to realize is that most people who are low income earners are below 20% right now. and the whole idea that he's releasing millions of dollars and is going to motivate them to

create jobs is nonsense. it's not trickle down. it's nonsense that won't ever happen. >> david cay johnston, you know it better than anybody. is perry's flat tax in any way, shape or form realistic? >> no. and when the "national review" says it's not a serious plan, it tells you a lot of people on the right understand this. this plan is even worse than was suggested. by eliminating state tax, huge generations that had never been taxed will be passed on to future generations without ever having been taxed. you want to set up a dynasty in america, this plan would further that idea. >> it would also rob the treasury. i mean, it would seem to me these candidates would make sure there would be enough money in the treasury so we can run what government we have left after they want to butcher all of it. how can you tell people they can opt in or opt out of the current system but then go flax tax and

calculate exactly how much money the government is going to take in to operate? >> you know, just a little while ago republicans were telling us deficits were the biggest problem around. now we have a series of plans you're going to see come forward. i agree with jim. the flat tax is on the agenda now. all of which inherently are going to mean bigger deficits because they're going to discover that a lot of commerce in america depends on government spending. >> yeah. and david, how would this graph look with a flat tax over the last 30 years? this is my favorite. i show it. there's the red line going up, the top 2% over the last 30 years. there's the average wages for the working folk of america where the wages have gone for the middle class in this country. if we had a flat tax, say, ten years ago, what would that graph look like today? >> this way. straight up. just straight up. >> and jim, is this going to

resurrect perry's stock in any way, shape or form? i mean, he's speaking the language. i mean, if you go down the issues, he is the true conservative. the only place where he's really stumbled is on immigration issues which he does have experience on being the governor of texas. but the fact is, you know, pro life, his tax situation, all of the privatization that he wants to do, i mean, isn't he really what the conservatives want? >> i think they very much want this guy, as i've suggested before. he kind of has run texas as a cash and carry operation for corporate america. they know that. they like even further this business with the flat tax and removing it for the wealthy and getting more money, taxing work and not taxing wealth. i think that's something that's very appealing. he's trying to look like he's popping out some big ideas and he's never been guilty of generating anything original but he's grabbing steve forbes' old idea of hope, growth and

opportunity, turning it into cut, grow and balance and hoping that it gets some traction this time. and the republicans and the social conservatives within the primary process are still drawn to this guy. they haven't gotten over him yet. even though he's low in the polls. i look for this to help him. >> well, it's going to be interest to see if it does help him. what we've seen evolve here over the last six months, nobody was really talking about a flat tax. the guy who's propelled himself out in front of the polls is herman cain. he did it with 9-9-9 because it was a conversation piece. now all of a sudden what steve forbes wanted all along, david cay, he's going to get in the platform of the republican party, a flat tax proposal to the american people and they might buy the simplicity of it. what do you think? >> there's a good chance the republicans will adopt a program that has this. the flat tax applies to wages. capital incomes would be tax free. >> jim moore, david cay johnston, always a pleasure. great to have you gentlemen with us tonight. thanks so much. coming up, it's the weirdest, wildest campaign ad of the week. and it's not from herman cain. we'll show you why m.c. hammer is jumping into the political arena.

and "the ed show" continues and we have a very important update from presidential candidate rick santorum. yesterday we showed you this video. the former senator from pennsylvania is sitting in the audience of the faith and freedom forum in iowa on saturday. newt gingrich at the podium speaking. it looks like santorum is sneaking a peek at a football game. not paying attention. senator santorum has responded via twitter. he says "guilty but not watching the game, just checking score of penn state game. go lions. by the way, unlike other candidates, i was there for all speeches." fair enough, senator. i like it. we'd love to have you on the program here in the big city on set with your old buddy, ed. or wait a minute, should i say your new buddy, ed? thanks for the tweet. look forward to hearing from you. next, up of the most bizarre campaign ads you will ever see. stay with us. returned, my doctor prescribed dulera to help prevent them.

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in my "playbook" tonight,

san francisco has an interim mayor. he's now an internet star. you see gavin newsom has gone on to be the lieutenant governor. ed lee was appointed mayor in january and said he wasn't going to run for a full term. recently, he changed his mind. in a group called san francisco for jobs and good government support lee for his record. the independent group fueled a celebrity campaign ad to re-elect ed lee. according to them, he's too legit too quit. ♪ too legit to quit >> what up, san francisco? remix. ♪ newsom left and they put him in charge ♪ ♪ thank you for blessing me and the rest of the city with ed lee ♪ ♪ too legit, too legit to quit ♪ ed lee ♪ too legit, too legit to quit >> dianne feinstein, you're going to try that? let the record show the wildest

campaign ad of the week didn't come from one of the candidates running for president. >> dianne feinstein, you're going to try that? let the record show the wildest campaign ad of the week didn't come from one of the candidates running for president. it came from supporters of the interim san francisco mayor. coming up, herman cain can't top that ad, but he's certainly going to try. so how weird is his latest campaign video? democratic strategist crystal ball and radio talk show host mike papantonio to join me.

in survey tonight, i asked you to help mitt romney decide, because he couldn't make a decision today. the law of the land in ohio?

5% of you said yes. 95% of you said no coming up, crystal ball and mike papantonio will help me figure out herman cain's latest campaign ad and how michele bachmann's campaign recovers after a staff defection of sorts in new hampshire. for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. and for healthy, beautiful hair, try nourish plus haircare. only from aveeno. thought, end of the line... i was headed to a nursing home. well, i'm staying in my own home now, because we chose hoveround! hoveround's compact round design makes it easier for

you to maneuver through the tight spaces in your home. and best of all, 9 out of 10 people pay little or nothing for their hoveround, so call now and you can be the next to pay... zero...i paid nothing for the unit at all. and now only from hoveround, every power chair includes a handy tote bag, so you'll always have access to your favorite items and this sturdy cup holder, so your favorite beverage can ride along with you! the folks at hoveround really thought of everything. that's why i called them and so should you. call them right now! get your free dvd kit by going to hoveround.com. finally tonight, well, it's good to be herman cain, at least for now. the former pizza man now tops mitt romney in the latest cbs

news/"new york times" poll. two weeks ago the two candidates were tied. then there's cain's latest web ad. it's gone viral thanks to a bizarre performance by cain's previous unknown chief of staff mark block. block first praises his candidate then takes a drag of a cigarette. see it to believe it. >> we've run a campaign like nobody's ever seen, but then america's never seen a candidate like herman cain. we need you to get involved because together we could do this. we can take this country back. ♪ i am america ♪ one voice united we stand ♪ i am america >> unconventional to say the least. joining me now, crystal ball, democratic strategist and former candidate for congress. and mike papantonio, host of

"the ring of fire" radio show. crystal, you know, i'll start with you. it seems like the weirder cain's campaign gets, the better known he becomes and he polls better. what's happening here? >> it's a really unusual dynamic playing out in the republican primary right now. it's almost like a reality show. i do think the timing of this is going to be very bad for cain because he has this moment, he has a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm behind him, but he really has to still work to get the political class behind him. the donors, the activist, the local elected official, the pundits. they all play a very important role in actually building on an organization that can win. when you see an ad like this that looks like a marlboro ad or something, it undermines his

seriousness and credibility of a candidate. >> i look at this guy before, never seen him before, he looks like some hard working dude from the midwest. he smokes a cigarette. these are the kind of folks herman cain and the republican party needs to swing. he's of a demographic where he's a little older, okay. he's seen a lot of life. what's the message here, mike papantonio? what do you make of this? >> well, listen, you can bet on this, ed, this has been focused. all of these candidates' handlers figured out how to get the fringe vote in the primaries. they're not thinking about the general election here, ed. what they've figured out, the handlers figured out the traditional republican party disappeared and you're left with a frankenstein monster called the tea party/republican party. you know, it's a political farce. there's no more, you know, there's no more goldwater or reagan conservative left. look, pat robertson, even pat

robertson, the tv evangelist from the 700 club said, look, he's creeped out by how bad all these candidates look. he's saying the same thing i'm saying. they're all running the primaries. they've forgotten there's a general election ahead. this kind of character does have appeal. this character you saw puffing on the -- he has appeal to those fringe nuts but not the general population. >> yeah. cain's chief of staff went on fox today and here's what he had to say about the ad. >> i tell you, you walk into a veterans bar in iowa and they're sitting around smoking and, you know, we are resonating with them. >> krystal, what about there? is there a measure of truth there? it looks to me like he's going after blue collar independent voters. >> this is another piece of their, we're the real, we're authentic, we're real, we're like you. it's also a slap at the nanny state, that we don't want the government to tell us what to do. cain actually had a hand in helping the tobacco lobbyists in the '90s so this isn't totally removed from what he's done in his past. you know, i don't know, maybe it will play well with a certain

element of the republican primary electorate. i don't think that it adds to his seriousness and credibility as a presidential candidate. >> michele bachmann's entire new hampshire staff quit last week and they have now come out with a statement calling bachmann's national campaign advisers, "rude, unprofessional, dishonest and cruel at times." what do you make of this, mike? how does she recover from that? >> well, she doesn't. look, michele bachmann has been a political zombie now for months. the only thing they can get out of bachmann is you have the neocon nuts that have her out there talking to their fringe politics. they're funding her only for that, ed. they don't expect her to do anything in the primaries. they don't expect her to win a general election. if you put a woman like bachmann out there, she'll say anything that the money people want her to say. so all she's doing is she's a delivery system, ed. she's simply delivering the

message of the far right -- >> of the anti-obama. of the anti-obama. >> keep her out. >> mike, what do you make of rick perry, does he go full birther here? is this just part of the show? >> you know, right now he's backing up from it. he realizes how crazy he looked. everyone is counting out rick perry. i am not. >> i'm not either. >> this could be a run down to mitt romney and rick perry. the point is he has great appeal to most republican conservatives and that's what he understands. >> and krystal, he has a bunch of money, too, doesn't he.