we begin with the event we have been waiting for. a gathering of epic proportionings. they come in the customs of their favorite characters, gathering from all corners to honor the leading life of their fabulous world of fantasy. wait, wait. that's comic con. i was going to talk about sea pack. the annual gathering of conservatives happening now in washington, d.c. you can see why i was confused by the swag and the hats and even some of the hit it wills like why am i living in my parents basement. political correctness and the wussificatio of america.

there's also the failure of multi. >> caller:turism. taking back wall street and of course, conservative dating. newt must be excited about that one. calista, go by some diamonds. i've got a forum to attend. the list of cpac speakers is great. senators jim demint and marcosh rubio. michele bachmann, rick perry and herman cain. even kirk cameron. yes that kirk cameron. he'll be joining us later in the broadca broadcast. back to michele bachmann. give us a conservative rallying cry. come on. >> i thought you would be interested in knowing that running for president of the united states is really one

serious of humiliations after another. >> what? oh, dear. i'm glad she spoke before newt and mitt showed up. that was a bit of a downer. i guess have to leave the cheer leading to the others. >> conservatives are more fun than liberals. there's a reason for that. it's because we're always right. >> slow down, senator. save some fun for the rest of us. let's bring in our triple panel now. david corn, jonathan capehart an opinion writer for the "washington post" and right in the thick of action ken vogel and shaved for the very purpose. starting with david. this a who's who, but is this

about coalesces around some important themes, particularly in this election year or is it another opportunity for herman cain to sing "amazing grace." >> i hope both. i don't see any coalescing around a candidate. cpac happens every year but ever four years it takes amybñ more exalting meaning. the big vent will be mitt romney speaking tomorrow. we'll see if he can bring them c onto his side. i think the answer is no, but i expect him to come out tomorrow with a guitar and sing "can't buy me love." . i don't know what he does at this point, but that's the theme. >> ken, you're there on the

scene. what is the climate that will greet mitt, newt and rick? >> i am sensing a bit of a move toward rick santorum. his people are out in force here. they are giving out all kinds of literature, pro-life bumper stickers. you would not have seen that last year and two years ago. you would have seen it but not as much. you see a little bit of tension here now where social conservatives and religious conservatives and the train that rick santorum represents appears to be descending. >> thank you for that. jonathan, cpac panel today, one of them entitled "the failure of multiculturism". how is the pursuit of diversity

working for this party? >> i don't thinkgjz well. >> i'd like you to do more than agree with me. >> it's great they will talk about the failure of multiculturism. maybe they can point to plenty of examples within the republican party. there's been a lot of republican who is are good-willed who have tried to open and widen the tent of the republican party to include people of color and include latinos and african-american. michael steele tried to do that. they can talk about the failure of multiculturism, but i would happen to disagree with that and

if they think there's a failure, they've had a role to do with it. >> rick santorum will bp at cpac tomorrow and he gave a speech today comparing america's revolution to france. >> that revolution was founded on three principles. liberty, good. quality, excellent. the third was different. the third was fraternity, brotherhood, not paternity. >> this is the last few of where america should go. >> it's called the guillotine. >> any time you talk about europe and say they got two out of three right for the right wing, that's pretty good. i saw marco rubio go on and say i've seen the dark future of the

united states. it's europe. the fact that he finds two out of three things good in the french revolution ain't so bad. it's kind of ridiculous. it's kind of a silly point. he's on the asendency. mitt romney is going to have a tougher and tougher time. he can't get to the middle. now rick santorum keep pulling him to the right. >> jonathan, we discussed this magnificent cpac surface. his approval rating is edging into positive territory. the 49% approval, the highest

zi since the killing of bin laden. some people said he had nothing to do with the death of osama bin laden. no matter what, conservatives won't give him credit and won't like him for it. they just do not like the president, and won't give him credit for anything. i think the fact that the president's approval rating is inching up it's great for the president and his supporters. i think for someone like mitt romney who every one says, we keep saying he's the front-runner, but it spells trouble for him because this is a man who can't fire up the republican party base because there's no core. there's no bedrock principles. i think you can change your viewpoints on abortion or gay rights or climate change or your own health care bill, but when

you do it for all of them in the span of an election cycle, it causes people to wonder, left, right and center, who are you. >> he did it over the span of two election cycles. that's not fair. come on, jonathan. >> ken, we're talking about the politics, but tell us about the party theme. is it getting funky? are people getting down? are people going to be on the dance floor tonight? tell me. >> that's a big part of it is networking. it's mobilizing the ground troops. there's a lot of young people. the bar is here and at the hotel. to go back for a second to a question that you asked jonathan about diversity. for the past two years there's been a group that's been represented here that is conservative group.

it's called g-o-proud. this year you don't see that group. they weren't invited and the groups that boycotted are back. you do see not necessarily the ef effort of diversity that you've seen in the past. >> ken, you belaif yourself at cpac. i'm worried about you at the party scene. jonathan capehart and david corn. thank you. stay with us. >> this is a leader of the free world's answer since the job crisis. what's next? let them eat cake. sgr how much money do you have? >> it's between 150 and $200 million. i think that's what the estimates are. ♪ i'm freaking out man.

why? i thought jill was your soul mate. no, no it's her dad. the general's your soul mate? dude what? no, no, no. he's, he's on my back about providing for his little girl. hey don't worry. e-trade's got a totally new investing dashboard. everything is on one page, your investments, quotes, research... it's like the buffet last night. whatever helps you understand man. i'm watching you. oh yeah? well i'm watching you, watching him. [ male announcer ] try the new 360 investing dashboard at e-trade.

you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you want a firm bed you can lie on one of those, if you want a soft bed you can lie on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. wow. that feels really good. it's about support where you find it most comfortable. at the ultimate sleep number event, queen mattresses now start at just $599. and save an astonishing 50% on the final closeout of our innovative limited edition bed. only at the sleep number store.

congressional approval is at 10%. 10%. the bill for a full payroll tax cut and unemployment is stalled again. the man in charge knows just where to pass the buck. >> right now the only one blocks the agreements are senate democratics and the president. >> they're passing something, and it's not just that they are shirking their responsibility in this matter, they are embracing a conspiracy theory to explain it all. >> we're offering all these offsets to cut spending to make sure we don't drain the social security fund.

they're trying to make congress dysfunctional. this is what they would love us have embroiled in all the time. >> joining us now eddie bernice johnson of texas. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. thank you. >> paul ryan was sounding very do you think he believes the president is secretly wanting to cause the gridlock and dysfunction of congress? >> he might believe that because it's at the point now where we don't know what the republicans believe. it's a got you. every issue is a got you where they find something to criticize the president on instead of taking care of the people. the whole focus of these republicans is getting away to have a wage against the president. they are not taking care of business. >> do you think that's why they have chosen to jump on this

contraception issue? >> indeed. >> you think this is another opportunity to attack the president? >> it's another opportunity to attack the president. use an emotional issue to dtry o divide the president from some voters. we're talking about an insurance plan. we're not talking about church or faith. it does not force anything on anybody. it gives women the opportunity to have health care of their choice. it's so interesting that they focus on abortion. abortion demand is at the lowest its been in modern history. it's really not about that issue. it's just another wage issue to attack the president. >> speaker boehner says this is about the federal government interfering in the consciences of american people. do you have no sympathy at all for his position?

>> i do not because i know it's false position to get the emotions of people. it's not real. if it was real thing, i think i wou could go along with it. we're talking about insurance coverage. ask the women, they want the health care coverage. every time this issue comes up, it's always a male that brings it up who will never need an abortion. i hope that most women won't need an abortion, but it's an individual choice if there's a troubled pregnancy. it's not the choice of anyone else but the person or family and her doctor. it should not be a discuss here. this insurance coverage is not an religious issue. it's a family business issue. it has nothing to do with religion. we all have the freedom of religion. you know what, i don't hear anybody else talking about

what's in insurance plans. the women of this nation want to be covered. they want to be covered whether or not they're working for a catholic hospital. i am a product of a nursing school by catholic college. i will always be grateful for that education. i'm a product of a catholic church, but i do believe in individual choices. i think that i have no right to impose my choice on any other female. >> representative eddie bernice johnson. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. cpac, any talk of cooperation is thrown out the door. stay with us. >> i can guarantee you that coach tom coughlin did not tell his giants to go out on the field and work with those other guys.

they weren't cooperating with tom brady. when you have a shared goal, you can sit down and work together and compromise. we don't have shared goals with the democrats, folks. ♪ i'm a marathon runner, in absolute perfect physical condition and i had a heart attack right out of the clear blue... i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. he's my success story. [ laughs ] some aerosols may just mix with them. can febreze remove it. [ moderator ] describe the smell. it's very pleasant. some kind of flower maybe? awww, oh yuck! [ male announcer ] febreze air effects doesn't mix, it actually removes odors. so you can breathe happy.

it's been a busy day for the president. he first appeared in front of cameras this morning to announce an agreement has been reached with five of the country's biggest banks. just an hour ago, the president offered remarks, this time giving ten states a pass from the no child left behind law

implemented by george w. bush at the start of his presidency. to break it down for us, we're joined by kristen welker. i'd like to begin with the announcement surrounding the big money agreement for homeowners. i guess welcome relief for so many in need across the country. is this white house seeing this as something of a victory? >> reporter: they are because this is the largest state-federal industry settlement in u.s. history. second of all because they say it will help as many as two million homeowners, and also because they believe this deal really holds banks accountable. on that third point, martin, you're seeing a lot of groups seeing a lot of progressive groups come out and say they're happy with this deal. it's not perfect, but they're happy it does have the potential to hold banks accountable by allowing for an investigation into the role that banks played in causing the financial crisis

and the housing crisis. not everyone is happy. a number of consumer groups said it doesn't go far enough. it doesn't help enough homeowners. all in all it will help more than a million according to estimates. the white house is saying it's a step in the right direction. >> it clearly is. coupled the housing announcement with a major educational announcement, is ii the white house's way as kind of directing the conversation away from the row about the contraception mandate? >> reporter: both of these announcements have been in the works for quite some time. the white house was hoping to announce this homeowner deal during the state of the union. the deal wasn't done in time. are theyslby disappointed they this to announce today? probably not. you know the contraception has been dominating headlines. i'm not sure how long this break will be.

a number of democratic senators, a number of them who are up for re-election came forward and came out against the president on this contraception issue. it doesn't look like that is necessarily going away. this certainly is undoubtedly a break from that conversation. martin. >> kristen welker. thanks so much. >> reporter: thanks. kirk cameron live from cpac. plus, the days to lines. >> i love this country. i love this country. i love the country. i love this country. i love this country. i love this country. i love this country. i love this country. i love this country. i love this country. i love this country. ♪ thy shed his grace on thee ♪

[ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. [ male announcer ] red lobster's four course seafood feast is back. get soup, salad, cheddar bay biscuits, dessert and choose one of 7 entrees. four courses for only $15. offer ends soon. i'm jody gonzalez, red lobster manager and i sea food differently.

from the tarmac to cpac, this is one republican party you do not want to miss. here are today's to lines old school style. >> we're looking forward to the games ahead. >> coach tom coughlin did not tell his giants to go out on the field and work with the other guys. >> don't have shared goals with the democrats. >> i liked the clint eastwood halftime ad. >> he still lives with his mother. >> newt gingrich earmarks doubled. rick santorum was major earmarker. they are the very republicans who acted like democrats. >> governor romney plans to do exactly. >> oh, oh. we try to keep these things interesting. >> there's nothing in here that has a racial sense at all.

>> i never met an asian person, but i have seen. >> those of us who are strong conservatives, it's hard for us to go to new york and go to los angeles and raise money. >> i don't get rick santorum. president obama does not believe in -- it's un-american the way he looks at our economy. >> i love the american people. we a patriotic people. >> this is not science fiction. >> a hand on rick and somebody with a hand on rick. >> there's no such thing as coronation in presidential politics. >> let's get right to it with our panel this thursday. krstal ball and michael eric dyson a professor at georgetown. good afternoon.

professor, there's clear evidence that the rnc is raising more money from wealthy donors, that those giving above $10,000 in a single check are much less from small contributors. it's almost the exact opposite of president obama's fund-raising strategy. is this a sign you can't win on message, you might be able to win on money? >> absolutely right. if you can't beat them, out raise them. you don't depend upon your methods. you don't believe in the very thing that you want us to believe in. they claim that they are going to win in a battle of ideas, but if you can't win in the battle of ideas, you have to out spend the next person and beyond that. it's the kind of populism that have brought in and proved to be portable. it's not a ground swell of millions of republicans out there who are fed up with the

obama administration, it's an attempt to extract a populism, it goes against their message. >> tomorrow he has this meeting. i envision it like a wedding shower where the cpac and they got to come toward him or he's going to go toward them. how does that work out? >> there's no question he'll come baring the ring and ready to pop the question as he's done many times before. i don't see his speech changing the dpam because conservatives look at him and go you are not one of us. nothing he can say will really change that. his strength has been making the case this he is the most electable candidate. one thing that's interesting coming out of rick santorum sweep is it under mines mitt's message of electability. rick santorum appeals to the

middle class swing state voters that mitt romney would need to win over to win the general election. >> in electability, you p think romney is declining by the moment? >> i do. that's what we saw in south carolina. when newt gingrich was tied with mitt romney in the poll it's because voters were saying they were equally electable. obviously, romney won there. >> let me show you what republican strategist mike murphy tweeted. my full gop electability ranking, one vacant, one mitt, two vacant, five nixon's ghost. seven, unnamed martian. professor dyson. >> i love his revelations about the republicans. i think he's right there. it's the luck of the draw.

who the pulling the short straw and who is pulling the long duty. the republicans are in a seizure about what the future of their party will be. do they want a guy who is nice and well groomed. do they want a fighter like newt gingrich. do they want a middle class appeaser like rick santorum. do they want a bigot in some ways that ron paul has proved to be. they just can't make up their minds. the republican voter can't make up its mind about what it wants. there's a bottle of chaos going off and i think mike murphy is smelling the juice. >> he's got number five as nixon's ghost. where is reagan's ghost? be coming in ahead of mitt. >> i want to play you something that sean pulled out of thin air. listen to this.

>> i think they have a foreign policy that has shown a lot of . i think the president will say we got bin laden. >> the public gives him credit for that. >> it wouldn't have happened if he had his way. i think that can be proven on tape. >> it can be proven that the president did not agree with the pursuit of osama bin laden on tape. >> that's just ludicrous. this they are known in that camp for doctoring tapes.> if the republicans want to challenge the president on his foreign policy. americans are very pleased with

him. >> thanks so much for joining us. next, actor kirk cameron live from cpac where the stars of the right have gathered on this thursday. there he is talking with michele bachma bachmann. stay with us. [ male announcer ] this is lois. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] try aleve d for strong all day sinus and headache relief. with scottrader streaming quotes, any way you want. fully customize it for your trading process --

from thought to trade, on every screen. and all in real time. which makes it just like having your own trading floor, right at your fingertips. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. try our easy-to-use scottrader streaming quotes. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. and it's surprising what it goes through in the course of a day. but what's even more surprising

is that brushing alone isn't enough to keep it clean. fortunately, you've got listerine. unlike brushing which misses 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so what are you waiting for? it's time to take your mouth to a whole new level of health. listerine... power to your mouth. but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display. [ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back.

among the notables at cpac is a man whose gone from teen heartthrob to a 21st century evangelist. you may know him as mike seever but he has a different mission. we're delighted to say he joins us now. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. nice to be talking with you. >> i noticed in your speech that

you were wearing a sweater. does that make you a santorum supporter? >> boy. you watched the speech. i'm honored that you took the time to listen. >> of course is that an indication that you're here to endorse santorum? >> i'm not here to endorse anybody. i'm here to talk about the film and the issues that are in if film. i like to hear them discussed among all of the candidates. >> you said our nation is in confusion about the way to go forward. you've chosen to go back to learn from the very foundation of america. can you tell us why you did that? >> as i said earlier, i think i've always given lip service to american values, to the virtues that have made us respectable in the world, but it's never meant

so much to me as it does now when i have my own children's skin in the game. when i turn on the news, i find most people playing the blame game. i figure my children's futures are not going to wait for the white house to get it figured out or for the press to tell me the strategy. i wanted to talk to the people who built this country, and that's why i went on this personal journey to be able to put my hand on the bars that the pilgrims were thrown into and hold john hancock's john hancock in my hand. >> that's remarkable. we're as you speak showing our viewers images from your documentary. i'm assuming also there's a strong theological component to what you're presenting. >> well, i went on this mission

to discover the secret recipe. i want to know the secret sauce. tell us what it is so we can move forward with it. what i discovered is the seeds that blossomed into this great nation really began with the faith of the pilgrims. these seeds were planted in their heart by their pastor john robinson. he, himself, was standing on the shoulders of great mean down through the ages that have passed it on. when you get to the end of this journey that i took in plymouth, massachusetts after visiting holland and washington, d.c., you arrive on to of a hill overlooking plymouth rock and the atlantic ocean, and you see a monument that is the largest granite statue in america, 180 tons of granite and her name is faith. she expresses herself by

transforming people internally at the heart level producing morality and liberty rather than what the pilgrims came from and what i think our society would head without faith and that's a pop town moralizing, imposing religion and law on people from an all powerful state. that's what our pilgrims ancestors were getting away from and sacrifice to free themselves from. >> you sound as though you're saying this not from a political position. you don't see to be the view of democrat or a republican. you're really pointing at the essence of personal faith, is that right? >> that's it. i know i'm wearing a sweater, and you think that means santorum. >> i was teasing you. >> i know you are. i don't wear a sweater in the movie. i also don't have a pin on my

lapel endorsing a candidate or party. i'm coming as a father. i've got six kids. i want to do my part. i love this country. i want to secure a monumental future not only for my kids but for yours and everyone in this nation. >> as you look across being offered this year with the presidential election, you know that president obama describes himself as a christian if you read any of his biographical works. you know there are many people on the republicans who call themselves christians, which way do you move? >> in terms of what? >> which way do you vote? >> you talking about democrat or republican? >> right for the election this coming year. >> i think that reagan said it so well when he said it's knot really a choice between left or right but up or down.

my view is that we go up to maximum liberty and freedom and p prosperity by going back to the principles that made us so great by people who had it much worse than what we had today. if we run those plays, i think we're on the road for a bright future. >> kirk cameron, refusing to be drawn on any political disposition. thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you, martin. great to talk with you. >> you can see a live broadcast of the film in theaters i cross the country from march 27th. coming up, what's fueling the santorum surge? first here is the cnbc money wrap. >> not a lot of action despite a greek debt deal. looking at the boards, we see

the dow is up to barely four points. s&p up a point and a half. that's it for cnbc for the moment. ♪ yo u, you ain't alone ♪ ♪ and just let me be [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home ♪ [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store.

like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate.

mitt romney once called the republican nominee will address the cpac gather tomorrow which is probably why he won't like the prologue for his appearance. conservatives don't trust mr. romney in part because he gives them little reason to do so. he seems to retreat at the first sound of a liberal moral argument. he sounds like he thinks conservatives can be won over with a few poll tested lines like i'll repeal obama care. brad woodhouse is communications director for the dnc, and he

joins us. >> hi, l1j]z8é[martin. >> has it meant that you've had to shift your focus as you prepared to fight the election? >> not really. part of our focus always, martin, has been to talk about the record straight when these people on the campaign trail are distorting what the president has done to turn the economy around. but look, i think most people would believe that mitt romney has the financial advantages, the organizational advantages. he has a bunch of washington lobbyists raising money for him. a bunch of politicians that have endorsed him. he's likely to be the nominee. but our number-one goal is articulating the president's record. >> you know the president has a super pac also and will be raising huge sums of money. the dnc has a new web video out today. the same day mitt romney is holding a fundraiser with some

of his biggest donors. >> would you repeal dodd-frank? >> yeah. >> i don't think carpet is a pollutant. >> how can romney claim to be fighting for the middle class when his backers are some of washington's most notorious lobbyists and when he wants to repeal legislation that's been a direct benefit for poor people in the country? >> he can't be, and martin, he's not. looking out for the middle class. he said recently he wasn't concerned about the poor, but if you look at his policies, he's really not concerned about the middle class. he's pushed every button of high finance of big oil to say if you write me a $10,000 check, i'll make sure your business practices are what you want them to be. >> i have to stop you. that's enough of you slamming poor mitt romney. i think it's time you took a

break and let's let someone else do it. >> governor romney and his attack dogs. that tells you about what his campaign is all about. it isn't about ideas. i'm not out there running aens mitt romney. i'm trying to sell the people that we're the best person to e beat barack obama. all he wants to do is tear apart his opponents. >> now be honest, brad. how happy are you? quantify the depths of your happiness as these individuals fire at each other every day? >> well, look. what they are doing -- >> how happy are you? >> look, martin. clearly, they are hurting themselves with independent voters. that's going to help our cause. that's going to help the president. and, you know, we haven't been shy about saying the longer this goes on, the less people like mitt romney. the less people like the republican field. the better that is for us. that does make me happy. >> what was your reaction to hearing shawn hanat earthquake e say he had a<

that the president wasn't actually involved in expediting the attack on osama bin laden? >> well, i have never put much stock in anything that shawn says. and i get it. the right would really like to tear this president's accomplishments on foreign policy apart. the problem is the facts will sup so super cede their spin. he went into pakistan and got bin laden. he's drawing down troops. >> and a poll this week shows americans two to one actually respect and appreciate this president's fight on terrorism and his foreign policy approach. >> it's with good cause. the facts bare out why they should have that approval of the president's approach. he's kept america safe. he's ending the war in iraq. he's done the things he said he would do and the republicans just can't argue against that. >> brad woodhouse, thank you for joining us.

>> thank you, martin. >> we'll be right back to clear the air. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be.

♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. i go to e-trade and tap into the power of revolutionary mobile apps to trade wherever. whenever. life isn't fully experienced sitting idly by. neither is investing. [ birds chirping ] but last year my daughter was checking up on me. i wasn't eating well. she's a dietitian, and she suggested i try boost complete nutritional drink to help get the nutrition i was missing. now i drink it every day and i love the great taste. [ female announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to help keep bones strong and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back. learn more at boost.com. [ dad ] i choose great taste. i choose boost.

it's time now to clear the air. the battle over contraception, republicans need something new with which to attack the president, we keep being told that this is an important issue of conscious and republicans are siding firmly with the catholic church. >> this attack by the federal government on religious froo freedom in our country must not stand and will not stand. >> but while speaker boehner has been grand standing on the issue of conscious, you may not have heard about an important international conference taking place at the vatican this week. the subject? strategies to prevent the sexual

abuse of children by members of the clergy. up until now, the vatican has refused to embrace the notion of lay review boards for investigations always maintaining that a bishop should be the first ash tor in such cases. many of those bishops ended up hiding the allegations of abuse and moving the accused priests to other parishes without any regard for the child victims. so this week, steven rosetti, a psychologist, argued that church leaders should never be allowed to handle these cases by themselves. instead he said that catholic leaders should consult legal and criminal experts to conduct independent investigations. child molesters must know they have no safe sanctuary in the church. when speaker boehner argues that government is attacking religious freedom in this

country, he's cheered from the rafters of many churches. why has nobody mentioned the conference in rome this week that's seeking to protect the most vulnerable members of our society and stop the church from being a safe haven for the abuse of our children? i'm just asking. because on this subject, the silence of politicians has been deafening. thanks so much for watching. dylan ratigan is up next. stay with us. four u.s. presidents have spent serious time here in texas. george bush sr., george bush jr., and dwight eisenhower. texas historically a red state. they haven't elected a democrat since jimmy carter. but we're here on the 30 million jobs tour. red versus blue is not going to get the job done. only red, white, and blue can bring us together to solve the problems that