viable republicans to run against on this primary day but he's not completely in general election mode yet. will today's vote result in a fight between romney and romney. president obama runs across country from north carolina to iowa trying to rally young voters on student loans. we'll talk to lamar alexander about the cost of this student loan program. and today's deep dive into the gator-filled waters of florida politics. congressman connie mack wants to knock off senator bill nelson, but he's got to fend off serious attacks from former senator george lemieux. good morning from new york, it's tuesday april 24th, 2012. this is the "daily rundown."

... will be picked over. tonight's results will give us our first good look at the core protest vote inside the republican party. we'll find out who are i'm not with romney voters, romney may be preparing to sweep tonight's primary, but newt gingrich by the way is still in the race. he's finally set himself what i think is a fair bar, if he can't do what christine o'donnell. >> carry it or come very, very

close. >> and you'll have to reassess. >> we'll have to reassess. >> you can't do what christine o'donnell did, win a republican delaware primary, newt may reassess. in presidential politics there's always a candidate that doesn't get out when he should. he probably should have gotten out after he lost mississippi and alabama, he's now defeated himself in his primary objective in running for president, to rehabilitate his image, to become a statesman inside the party. polls close at 8:00 p.m. in connecticut, delaware and pennsylvania, they close at 9:00 p.m. here in new york and rhode island. romney will spend primary night in new hampshire. a reminder that we're in general election mode. and a new poll shows the president leading romney by nine points, 51-42. this is something republicans should look at seriously. southern new hampshire, the giant suburb of boston, if you will. there has been a dramatic shift in suburban vote among obama/romney matchups all over the country. new hampshire is a way to see where the suburban vote is in

places also like the suburbs of philadelphia, northern virginia, the suburbs of denver and you wonder why there is a lot of republicans nervous about the brand of the republican party because that seems to be dragging romney down in new hampshire. he's beginning his election pivot, and here's stirring up beefsteak speculation he does something to throw a bone to the base like an interview with conservative talk radio or planning a commencement speech at the evangelical university. with the president heading for chapel hill, boulder, and iowa city to target young voters and try to make an issue of republican congressional opposition to extending the existing interest rate on federal student loans, romney walked back to the microphone at a presser to make this announcement -- >> i just -- by the way, there's one thing i wanted to mention, that i forgot to mention at the very beginning, i fully support

the effort to extend the low interest rate on student loans. >> but though he faces a 40-point gap with latino voters, romney still declined to embrace rubio's version of a republican dream act even with marco rubio standing next to him. >> he and i have spoken about his thinking on his version of a different act than the dream act that's been proposed in the senate. i'm taking a look at his proposal. it has many features to commend it, but it's something that we're studying. >> when he actually got a chance to talk to republican voters yesterday at a town hall with rubio, it was 100% red meat for the base from energy, iran, health care, even voter i.d. laws. >> it is hard for our friends across the aisle to explain why they don't want to make sure that people who vote are legal citizens of this country. we have the attorney general of the united states trying to keep that from happening. >> as you can see the pivot isn't fully there yet, and

frankly, it is probably good internal politics for romney not to pivot too soon. you do it too soon you only then suddenly remind some skeptical conservatives of why they were skeptical in the first place. finally, the top of the ticket may not provide much drama in pennsylvania but we're watching a few key down ballot races with big implications for the fall. the 12 house districts in western pennsylvania, redistricting has proud a third member versus member death match of the cycle between jason altmire and mark critz, altmire campaigned for critz. and now he's accusing him of embracing, quote, tactics usually reserved for elections to high school prom king than the united states congress after critz tried to get a court to boot altmire off the ballot. the race a big test for organized labor which spent thousands to help altmire topple a gop incumbent in 2006.

the fight has gotten negative with the two exchanging brutal ads. >> mark critz, you don't represent western pennsylvania. >> when you side with wall street -- >> over homeowners like me. >> when you fail to stand up to the tea party and didn't vote against their budget that would ruin medicare. >> it's a question of honesty. mark critz did not put medicare at risk, but jason altmire did. >> so altmire has the slight edge, critz has closed a double-digit gap to four points in a recent poll and is making the most of an endorsement by bill clinton and the balanced budget amendment. >> former president bill clinton said the amendment would require massive reductions in social security and major cuts in medicare. that's why bill clinton endorsed mark critz just like the mine workers, steelworker, afl-cio and 16 other unions. >> do you know what's interesting about this race both critz and altmire, they are definitely centrist democrats but they're sort of old school,

the old bold time of jack murtha school of democratic politics and then you have jason altmire more of a new face even, though, again critz hasn't been in office that long, a clash more of style than ideology. and health care is an issue in the 17th house district where the more liberal lawyer matt cartwright is trying to unseat tim holden. holden's district has been redrawn, three-quarters is in new territory and cartwright has run squarely against the health care vote even saying in one mailer he, quote, doesn't care about cancer, unquote, if they are unseated. holden and altmire would be the first two democrats that voted against the health care law to lose in a primary. after tonight we'll know which republican will take on democratic senator bob casey this fall. the field is thin and in the five-way primary sam roher, it should be a warning sign for republicans that they couldn't find a top tier or second tier

challenger to take on casey in this battleground state says a lot how frankly serious pennsylvania will be contested in the fall. arizona's controversial immigration law is getting a major attention back in washington. tomorrow the supreme court hears arguments on the case and this morning a senate panel stacked with some heavy hitters questions the architect of the legislation. nbc's luke russert covers capitol hill. fill me in, immigration day at the senate. >> reporter: immigration at the senate indeed, chuck, in a subcommittee part of the senate judiciary committee, headed by charles schumer, will take an indepth look at arizona law 1070. we all know the law, the very controversial one, that says that law enforcement can stop in individuals when practical if they suspect them of being illegal immigrants. it also makes illegal immigration a state crime. here on capitol hill to testify will be none other than state senator russell pearce, former, you remember he got recalled, he

was the actect of this law, we'll be here on capitol hill defending it. it's a panel that's stacked. chuck schumer will be very aggressively going after the senator. then you'll have guys like jon kyl and john corn from border states saying that arizona had to do what it had to do because the federal government is not doing enough to secure the border, let's talk about border security and not immigrant rights. this has huge ramifications for 2012 for this reason, charles schumer has said if the supreme court upholds the arizona law, he's going to introduce legislation in the senate and force a vote on it that would say that any changes to immigration law in the state would first have to be approved by the federal government. what this will do is make a november attack ad on the arizona law. basically saying so-and-so voted for immigrant rights, so-and-so voted against them and for

stopping them. it's a fascinating debate and you'll see ground zero in the united states senate. >> the irony, luke, we may look back on it with the new numbers out this week, studies about immigration patterns from mexico to the united states that it's a solution in search of a problem where illegal immigration appears to be legal immigration at an all-time low from mexico. >> an all-time low and a lot of factors will be discussed at the committee, whether or not it's because of the new policy or because of the economy. you have strong voices on both sides. also don't forget this comes against a backdrop, chuck, as you know of new polls in arizona that show obama/romney, closing, getting very close. the president's folks said they expect to play in arizona. expect this vote that would possibly held in the united states senate later on this year that would be derived from this hearing to play a major role as in any arizona races for democrats. >> all right, luke russert on capitol hill. thank you as always. the man in plaid, senator

lamar alexander, he stepped down from leadership to concentrate on forging bipartisan agreements, we'll ask him how it's breaking down and breaking down the big states with the man that's been involved in the process a few times. after saying there was no need for it, the white house launches an internal investigation in to whether staffers were involved in the secret service scandal. a look ahead, the president's schedule, he'll be doing the national teacher of the year at the white house, then it's off to north carolina, colorado today, then to iowa tomorrow. our watching "the daily rundown," only on msnbc. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance.

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president obama hits the road today. he's taking his message about student loan reform to college campuses in key battleground states to woo voters for young voters instrumental to his win in 2008. and joining me is lamarr alexander, i want to start right there, senator alexander, good morning to you. >> good morning, chuck, how are you? >> i'm okay. let's start with this issue, we heard mitt romney say he supports what the president is pushing today over the next couple of days which is to make sure the interest rate on student loans does not double in july, that somehow congress acts before then to keep the interest rate at 3.4%. where are you on this? >> well, i agree with mitt romney and i agree with the president for now. i mean, what we're talking about is 40% of the student loans. student loans are 6.8% on interest which is a lot better than a student can get if he

would go into a bank. in july 40% of them go up to 6.8%, it's $7 a month in savings for students, the way to pay for that is to take the money that congress took from students to help pay for the health care law pay for that for this year, use a little bit of extra money to help shore up pell grants and then throw it all in the bucket at the end of the year when we're looking at how much money we've got to spend. >> so, you would take it out of the health care law so that's how you would pay for it. are there other ways you are open to paying for this rather than that? you know the democrats won't want to do that. >> they may not. but that's the best way to do it. most students would be a little surprised to learn, there are 15 million or 16 million students, that in the health care law, the congressional democrats overcharged them on student loans and the congressional budget office says if they charged them what they should be charging them, it would produce enough money to reduce all student interest rates to 5.3% so we can take that money for this year and fix this problem

and also begin to address the real problem with student loans and high tuition which is all the federal health care mandates soaking up the money that states normally would spend on public colleges and universities. >> let me ask this the other way, and i look at this and i'm thinking universities are taking advantage of the fact that students actually have easier access to loans than others and, therefore, feel comfortable raising tuition rates. i know we want to have the fights inside washington but it seems universities aren't being held accountable to what has been a growth in tuition rates particularly in private schools but also public schools that have been out of whack with cost of living. >> well, most students go to public universities and the average tuition at a public four-year college is about $8,000, at a community it's about $3,000. now, the reason tuition is going up primarily -- this didn't start with president obama, but he's made it worse -- is because the federal government is

dumping these huge medicaid costs on states. i know this as a former governor and the money you want to put into the university of tennessee or california, instead goes to medicaid and the university raises tuition to make up for it. last year medicaid costs were up 15% and the governor and the legislature cut universities 15% and what happened tuition went up and student loans go up. >> you say this and we've had this conversation before, you said you joked one time with i think it was both presidents reagan and bush that you would have traded medicaid for the education, basically -- >> yeah. >> -- that the federal government would manage medicaid, get it out of the states, you would never have a state fiscal issue ever again. >> no, that's right. you've got a good memory. i proposed to president reagan in the early '80s, i said, you take all of medicaid, we'll keep all of kindergarten through the 12th grade education and if we did that, the states would have $90 billion more to spend this year than they do and i guarantee you a lot would be spent at universities and

tuitions would be lower and the quality would be better. >> are you still for federalizing medicaid, essentially, getting it out of the states? >> yes, i would do that -- if -- if the federal government would get entirely out of elementary and secondary education, i would make that swap in a minute. it would strengthen the states and make medicaid better and it would give states more responsibility about what is happening in the schools. >> i want to turn to politics. i don't have too much time. you've been an observer of this and i ask you on that front. your advice to potential republican candidates that get velt vetted, i know you had to go through the process a few times, sometimes in secret, sometimes less secretive, advice to various republicans that may get vetted by mitt romney. >> it's worse than any kind of medical procedure you can think of. it's three weeks long or four weeks. if you had any kind of conflicts, they want to know anything. be ready for it.

i would ask governor romney's representative, are you serious, i don't want to go through all of this for me and my family unless you really want me and i really want to be the vice president of the united states. >> you would almost make them commit to say, look, you are a real finalist here and then, fine, you would turn over all of this extra information. >> that's right. that's, in fact, what i did one time. dick cheney said -- i said i don't want to be a ceremonial same out there. he said, well, there are just a handful of people. he said how many is a handful? and he said how many fingers do you have on your hand, i listened to that, it took about a month, and i'm glad i did. >> from what i -- if memory serves, the type of person they were looking for i've always heard the rumor that you said to then former defense defense secretary dick cheney, it sounds like you're describing yourself. >> i did tell him that. he said there are not very many people that can go on the list, i said why don't you do it, it sounds like you're describing myself, he said i don't want to do it.

and month later governor bush asked him to do it. and i think that's good. my advice to a president, to a presidential nominee, pick somebody who you like and with whom you are comfortable and would make a good president, because after about a week only the top of the ticket matters. >> is there somebody out there that you say, boy, i hope romney runs with him, that will make me feel good about the party? >> no, it would make me feel better about governor romney if he would pick someone who he's really comfortable with, who would bring out his strengths and make a good president of the united states and instead of trying to trick everybody that says by picking a vice president, you are changing the top of the ticket, and people know that. over the years many vice presidential nominees don't even carry their own states, it's all about the top of the ticket. >> senator lamar alexander, i got to leave it there, thank you for coming on. >> thank you, chuck. we get the news from wall

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colombia staffer. >> an internal investigation if you will? >> i have no reason, as i said yesterday, to believe that there's a need for that. >> well, now they've revealed that. outside the white house the investigation in to the incident continues with the 12th member of the u.s. military now included in the scandal, an individual assigned to the white house communications agency. now defense secretary leon panetta was in colombia monday giving his expectations for his side of the probe. >> if these investigators find that there have been violations, violations of the code of military justice, violation of the standards i just talked about, those individuals will be held accountable. in other news former john edwards' aid andrew young is back in court. he was called by federal prosecutors in the criminal trial. both sides gave opening statements after the jury was selected. edwards pleaded not guilty to violations of campaign finance

law. and the sanford police chief's resignation was not accepted, they said who months of investigation is necessary, he heads the department facing national scrutiny of their handling of the trayvon martin shooting. investors are hoping to rebound from tuesday's triple digit dow loss and they are keeping a close eye on more fallout from the walmart bribery scandal, cnbc's becky quick joins me with the "market rundown." all i keep thinking with the walmart deal it's almost inviting a justice department investigation, is it not? >> yes, it is, and investors see that very clearly, chuck, i've been thinking a lot about this, too, it reminds almost of some nixonian washington politics thing. if they get in big trouble here it will be because of the cover-up, if there is one. again, these are all just allegations but, you're right, the department of justice has to be looking. yesterday walmart shares were down over 4%. this morning you think they might get a bounceback?

well, not so quickly, it looks like they are indicated to open down another 13 cents. and now the allegations that were in the "new york times" this was all from one source and that has a lot of people who are skeptical about it, but it will be a long road and we'll continue to see that. however, the overall indices are indicated to open higher. it looks like the dow will be up 30 or 35 points and this is coming after we got very strong reports from three dow components this morning still in the middle of earnings, we heard from at&t and from utx and 3m and all this stronger numbers and overall earnings season has been looking really strong. >> by the way, i don't like to try to say the word indices. >> too many tongue twisters today. >> it is. what i hate about this walmart scandal they played to the worst stereotypes of what americans think is the way to do business in mexico that's actually not the way to do business in mexico, anyway, becky, thanks very much. florida senate race is getting downright nasty, it's my "deep dive" in what is likely

seen a key race for control of the senate. plus former vice president dick cheney gives very public advice to mitt romney aboutic picking a number two on the ticket. he's both vetted candidates for the position and been one. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. pull on those gardening gloves. and let's see how colorful an afternoon can be. with certified advice to help us expand our palette... ...and prices that give us more spring per dollar... ...we can mix the right soil with the right ideas. ...and bring even more color to any garden.

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the teacher that comes to mind for me is my high school math teacher, dr. gilmore. i mean he could teach. he was there for us, even if we needed him in college. you could call him, you had his phone number.

he was just focused on making sure we were gonna be successful. he would never give up on any of us. we're going to continue our sort of irregular series on the senate race "deep dive" today it's the florida senate race a contest the republicans believe they have to put in play to win the senate overall but it won't be easy. on the surface republican congressman and cand nate connie mack has everything going his name, the name, and a vulnerable november opponent, bill nelson, mack picked up the state's tea party endorsement and a new super pac announced its endorsement but it's been ugly from the start, lemieux has dumped a truckload of opposition

research on the congressman saying he's half the man his father was and nicknaming him the charlie sheen of politics. >> connie took 7 1/2 years to finish college. mack, drunken brawls. arrested. road rage. his only real job in the real world, an events coordinators for hooters. >> a lot of cheap shots there as you saw. mack has had his share of political wounds to deal with as well. so far this year he's missed 41% of all house votes more than any other member. happens a lot when these guys run statewide. among them the vote for paul ryan's budget which mack called a joke while talking to tea party activists in orlando. >> the ryan budget, that is good for 20 or 24 years. we can't afford to wait that long. we have to get serious, you

know, about balance this budget. >> mack's campaign backed away from the joke remark, they say he was referring to the overall process and not the budget itself. it was about nelson's connection to monkeys on drugs. >> he voted for millions in wasteful spending, including sending our tax dollars to see how monkeys react under the influence of cocaine. hey, bill nelson, stop monkeying around with our tax dollars. >> that left some anonymous republican strategists shaking their heads and within days of its release reports surfaced about an effort to recruit the chief financial officer jeff atwater as an alternative. he talked the idea around for more than a week before ultimately deciding against it, but it did two things to showcase the unease that some

republicans have about mack's campaign and it prompted an attack from the congressman who blamed the press for manufacturing doubts about his campaign even his father former senator connie mack iii has gotten into the act claiming his son has been unfairly targeted just as he was for his first senate round back in 1988. in an open senator mack complained of what he called left wing attacks, they called me everything they could think of, an empty suit and a right wing wacko were two of the worst. they attacked me personally and even my grandmother, that would be hall of famer, connie mack. it was that connie mack who was credited with the famous line you can't win them all. the question now can his great grandson prove him wrong in november? joining me now florida republican congressman and senate candidate, connie mack. congressman mack, good morning. >> good morning. how are you? >> i'm okay. i want to start with the paul ryan budget, because what your campaign said you were referring to is a joke and what i feel

like i heard in that quote were two different things. your campaign says you were referring to the process. you seem to be referring to the budget itself. which is it? >> well, look, clearly the process in washington is broken. you have a senate who for over three years hasn't been willing or able to pass a budget. in fact, just last week, you had the senate budget committee that senator nelson sits on go through an exercise where they gave opening statements, but after all the senators were able to pontificate what they would do in their own little world about balancing a budget, then the chairman of the committee decided not to have a vote on a budget at all. and then, you know, frankly i am a little disappointed that there are a lot of things in the ryan budget that i like. there are a lot of reforms that i think make sense. but the fact that it won't balance for 28 years is bothersome to me. i've got a son who's 9 years

old. he'll be in his late 30s before this budget would balance. he's going to graduate high school -- wait, hold on. he's going to graduate high school. he's going to go to college. he's going to get a job. he's going to get married. he's going to have children. he's going to plan for his retirement, all of that is going to happen before we balance the budget. look, i've got a plan, it's called the penny plan. that we can balance the budget within five to seven years. and it's by cutting 1% of spending a year for five years, capping spending at 18% of gdp and we balance the budget within seven years. >> but are you at all concerned -- >> it's a better way to do it -- >> i hear you on these cuts. are you at all concerned, there's been a lot of analysis by experts what's going on in europe and you have austerity measures all over that continent including in spain, and its economy is on the brink some people think because of these austerity measures, that it has sort of sped up the worst. and i know that there are some

people that believe and it sounds like you do, you got to rip the band-aid off and feel pain now to not have pain later, but, boy, that is going to make the economy -- you do all these cuts now, it is going to hurt the economy in the short term, that's what we're seeing in europe. >> well, let me first say this. we have close to a $16 trillion debt. we have $1.4 trillion deficit. and if you're telling me that we can -- the government can't afford one penny out of every federal dollar, everybody who is watching your show has had to make more than one penny out of every dollar of their home budget or one penny out of every dollar of their business budget. and if you're telling me or trying to tell the american people, i'm not saying you, i'm just saying in general -- >> i understand. >> -- trying to say somehow that's a draconian cut, i just disagree. we just saw the scandal that happened with the gsa, if you're telling me that there's not

plenty of room to make cuts in this budget, i think you're mistaken. there are plenty of places to cut that we can do and balance this budget -- >> all right. >> -- in a way that will not straddle my children, my grandchildren -- >> right. >> -- over, you know, 28 years with more debt, more deficit, and a huge burden to pay off when they're planning for their retirement. >> let me ask you about something that's in the news this week, mitt romney and president obama are both endorsing essentially this plan that would not allow student loan interest rates to double bye tby the summer. where are you on this? >> well, look, again, i think what is happening in the state of florida, if you don't mind, chuck, i want to talk about what's happening here in the state of florida -- >> i understand, but this is a choice you're going to have to make -- >> wait, wait, wait, what i'm telling you in the state of florida during this senate campaign people are concerned about their homes and jobs. that is the issue. so, we get the president that comes down or the vice

president, they tour the evergraeve everglades and they seem to be ignoring the real issue which is job creation and housing in the state of florida. we need to start focusing and making sure that entrepreneurs have the ability to create jobs. and i'll give you an example. in my district there is a small business who's been trying to expand its business. it had to get 31 different permits and pay fees just to expand its business. this is a government that is out of control. what we need to do is be looking at a congress that repeals laws instead of running to try to pass new laws. i don't think that the conversation really i think if you spent time here whether it's in miami, tallahassee, jacksonville, tampa, orlando, anywhere around the state, the issue here is about jobs and the economy and the destruction that obama and nelson as lockstep liberals have done to the entrepreneurial spirit, that is what is important here in the state of florida.

>> but you got to cast a vote on this issue about student loans. what vote are you going to cast? >> well, we'll take it -- when the vote comes up, we'll cast that vote, but i'm telling you that people who are watching your program today and if they're in florida, what they're concerned about is jobs and the economy and how we're going to balance a budget with a $16 trillion debt and a $1.4 trillion deficit. chuck, this is what people down here are talking about -- >> you don't think anybody is concerned about their student loan interest rates? >> we will absolutely be able to cast a vote, and when that happens we'll be happy to do so. >> all right, congressman connie mack, i will leave it there. check back in with this race as the race continues to heat up. thanks for coming on this morning. >> thank you very much. our primary day political panel will be here next, but, first, the white house soup of the day, always a favorite of mine because frankly it's anything you want it to be, minestrone, you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc.

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right now, very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 equinox ls for around $229 a month. well, former vice president dick cheney back on his feet following that recent heart transplant offering mitt romney some advice on how to pick a vice president. >> you watch the talking heads out there now they're talking about, well, gee, you better get a woman or you better get a hispanic or you better pick somebody from a big state. the single most important criteria has to be the capacity to be president, that's why you pick them. and lots of times in the past that has not been the foremost criteria. >> i wonder what he was referring to. new york "daily news" columnism, f.e. cupp, and "time" magazine's nancy gibbs, the co-author of

the great new book we touted last week called "the president's club" i'll begin with you, the vice president's club, if you will, we heard dick cheney's advice there, so i guess that means seth meyers should be vice president if you are going with that model. >> i'm not sure we would expect different advice from the guy from wyoming on the -- >> don't target an ethnic group or a large state. >> but i was interested in something you tweeted about, the romney plan to be the anti-palin process as possible. i was curious what you were getting at. >> i was curious, you wouldn't be surprised, s.e., when you mention the word palin you get a reaction no matter how you mention. and the way it was characterized, no matter what, you're not going to be able to say it was like the process that led to sarah palin and that that is a -- whether it's fair or unfair criteria, that is a criteria the romney campaign has stuck with. >> sure.

you can love sarah palin but if you're campaigning for mitt romney or you are advising that team you don't want to recall 2008 and you don't want to do that by picking susanna martinez who is a great governor, you don't want to conjure up images of 2008 again. i think the most important quality that he's looking at is do no harm. he just wants someone who is not going to harm his campaign, and that means you're probably going to get someone unexciting like rob portman. >> alex, one of the things i think we'll see over the next three months, by the way, we have three months of this -- >> yes. >> -- so i hope you're interested in sweepstakes, the romney campaign knows they'll get coverage if they are hanging out with marco rubio or rob portman in colorado or decide to take john thune to florida, why not, it's a cheap way to get some attention -- >> right. >> -- during the lull in the campaign. >> travel buddies. do the travel buddies. going out with nicki haley and hang out with susanna martinez,

rob portman doesn't seem that exciting unless he has the glasses without frames. but, yeah, i think you'll see this tango happen until he actually has to decide on a pick. >> you know, i want to go back to your book, nancy, because what's interesting is that we focus on the vice presidential selection so much for about a three-month period and it's so clear from reading your book, that vice presidents matter so little once you actually get to governing. >> except for the fact that a lot of them end up becoming presidents after becoming nominees, so in that sense the choice matters. but cheney reminds us the last few weeks how different the rules are, the same week that he's calling obama's presidency an unmitigated disaster, the president he served is very explicitly saying it undermines our country to be criticizing the president and i don't intend to. so, vice presidents play a very different role. >> yeah, but -- yes, she's absolutely right. it can be a road to the white

house but actually only 14 former vps actually went on to become president and eight of those were because the other guy died. so, it's not the quickest road to the white house. >> well, it's better than maybe u.s. senate. >> it's better than where i'm sitting. when we come back, we want to talk france. it's the sound bite that got lost in the show today and i want to ask it. the trivia question what is the only state currently being represented by lawmakers whose last names all start with the same letter? it's arcane, but it's delaware. our thanks to the political wire for that question. the only other person that would find that question interesting like me. we'll be right

>> i have a lot of memories of france. i think the best memories were with my wife on vacations from time to time in france, the last

vacation we had there walking around the city of paris and walking not just in the champz elysses to but to the garden of luxembourg. >> i still can't pronounce that we vl. i still mess it up. nancy, we made where if you are running for office, you can't talk about elegant things anymore or it smacks of elitism. >> this was a french journalist and i am sure every republican consultant hit their head. >> he had a choice of bad options. he could be rude to the journalist asking him, a polite man would not do. he can go back down the rabbit hole about my trips to paris and luxurious living or what was he going to do, talk about his years as a mormon missionary in france? >> i thought he answered it

fine. >> it was fine. >> it doesn't -- it goes against the image he is trying to fight. >> it betrayed the longstanding tradition of republicans obligatory spitting on france. that's what republicans do. >> i forgot about that, right. >> that's what you're supposed to do. i know a lot of mormons, and that missionary time that they spend is incredibly seminole, it is not surprising that he would want to talk about it, have fond memories, feel connected to france, and he said it many times. it is an important time for a young mormon. >> and it goes to the elitism that president obama and mitt romney trying to make the other guy look out of touch with the working class voter of america. >> except that i think the president has a lot less work to do. this is a man who during a presidential campaign decided to build a four-car elevator, someone whose wife practices dressage, and his father laying off factory workers and thought it was funny. it is all there for the taking.

i think the president could be ards arugla but romney and the out of touch with the wealth, the way he put it on the table i think it will a problem. >> it is something the obama campaign thinks something was a problem for him four years ago they think now turns. >> and tax returns, that's not dead yet. >> probably not going to go away. shameless plugs, nancy. >> you have done a great job already shamelessly plugging the book. i will plug tonight is the night we sell bright time 100, hillary clinton giving the keynote. >> i have a piece in tomorrow's new york daily news on mitt romney playing the victim card and giving him lesson from barack obama. he does that really well. >> and alex? >> the day before skotus takes up we will have attorney general from virginia talking about immigration and other hot topics. >> a solution and search to a

problem apparently. >> exactly. >> that's it for this addition of the daily rundown. tomorrow we'll examine some of today's primary results and coming up next chris and company talks to mayor of chicago rahm emanuel. remember that guy? don't miss alex wagner. bye-bye. >> here is the business travel forecast. big snowstorm that hit areas of western new york and pennsylvania yesterday is on the exit up into canada. we're watching improving weather conditions in many areas today, partly cloudy skies, a lot of big city airports in the northeast, a few showers up there especially in maine and new england and seattle could have a few hours and warm weather continues in the west. i love cash back.

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good morning. primary voting is under way in five states including the important battle ground of pennsylvania, and it is a chance forothides to pile up delegates. now, in sharp contrast to 2008 drama fest, president obama tonight should win enough votes to clinch the democratic nomination and facing only token opposition at this point mitt romney forges ahead on his presumptive path to the nomination while speculation on potential running mates is reaching a fever pitch. right now i am joined by the national jurjist white house