about mitt romney's years at bain capital. he is portrayed as a corporate vampire sucking the life out of bain. they worked back in 1994 in his race against ted kennedy. this is the obama campaign's most important effort to 2009 romney before he gets to do it himself. also on attack, obama dares republicans to vote against the violence against women act. also today, a taped appearance on the view, and a commencement address at a women's college in new york, bernard. team obama will keep pushing this republican war on women. and his deck collar ration on gay marriage. african-americans are deeply divided. we're going to talk to two black ministers, one pro, one con, on how it could affect democratic voters in november. does mitt romney have a foreign policy?

what if he is the latest tool of the neo-cons? and look who made his return to saturday night live. >> well, mission accomplished. >> what's that supposed to mean? >> it's just something i like to say when a problem isn't solved, but i don't want to talk about it anymore. >> the great will farrell giving con consolation to vice president biden. and the offense for the bain of romney's existence. mark halperin. let's look at the new ad for iowa, ohio, pennsylvania, colorado, and virginia. all battleground states that

focus on a steel company bought by bain capital, let's watch it. >> i was a steel worker for 30 years. we had a reputation for quality products. we weren't rich, but i was able to put my daughter through college. >> having a good paying job that you can support and raise a family on is hugely important. >> that stopped with the sale of the capital to bain capital. >> bain capital was the majority owner. they were responsible. mitt romney was deeply involved in the influence that he exercised over these companies. >> they made as much money off it as they could, and they closed it down, filed for bankruptcy without any concern for the families or the communities. >> like a vampire they came in and sucked the life out of us. >> you know, mark halperin, it reminds me of karl rove. you take the opponents strongest

suit, and you last away. is that what they're doing here? blasting away at what romney will be claiming is his strength? >> yeah, they're going not after his strength but the only way they think he can win. romney is using his credentials at a businessman, this ad is a video press release as best i can talk from talking to republicans and democrats associated with the obama came pain. it's running once in sop of these states, not as part of their big buy. they know the press has an enormous appetite, they chose a great example, and they're going off and defining romney in his area of strength as early as they can with some money and an

unlimited appetite from the press to try to remove his credential and make him electable. >> we're looking for a story at this point, we're in regular season now. right now, all it was was us sitting there watching the economic news everyday. how is the market doing? how is the unemployment doing. that's romney's strength. here is a way for the president's party to focus on romney. >> and to take up some time. the people are concerned with nothing else really happening of substance in washington dc at this moment. that romney had a window of opportunity to reshape his own definition of himself for the voters. so what they want to do -- >> the etch-a-sketch. >> yes, etch-a-sketch again, they want to get out there and make conflict.

that gets coverage, and they want to get in there before romney starts talking about mr. fix it. just because they're doing one showing of this commercial, doesn't mean they won't come back to it a week, two weeks, three weeks now. i think this will be a narrative, a subplot, that they'll come back to again, again, and again in the next six months. >> a multimillion dollar buy. they took romney down in south carolina or helped to do that. let's watch an ad campaign that was paid for, backed up, and worked. let's watch. >> a group of corporate raiders, led by mitt romney, the company was bain capital, more ruthless than wall street. >> everybody was fired. >> they fire people, cut benefits, sell assets. >> mitt romney and those guys

don't care who i am. >> i feel that is a man that destroyed us. >> that's what newt said about mitt in his ads, here are the ads from the past questioning his record creating jobs. they were from 1994 from when ran against ted kennedy and lost. largely because of this ad, let's watch it. >> romney said he thought layoffs were good, and that this wasn't a fantasy, this was the real world. >> they had to ask the foreman to use the restroom. >> they cut the wages. >> we had no insurance. >> no rights. >> took all of our security. >> taking away their dignity. >> cut our throats. >> i would like for him to show me where these 10,000 jobs he's created are. >> i'm thinking about where this campaign will be fought, and i

understand on the issue of marriage equality that may hurt with older people, i'm thinking about working class white people that didn't go to college and rely on industrial jobs. they go in and out depending on the business cycle, mark. very vulnerable people, they would get a job if it was a good season, or a bud plant, i grew up with that stuff. you could tell when the time was good and when it was bad. this vulnerable working class guy, is he taking this and saying i'm not going to be working for this guy? >> david axelrod thinks so. that's only half of the argument. they will say this is what romney would do in the future, him to the paul ryan budget. romney is not well defined. the reason their going aggress aggressive aggressively, and they're doing it on the cheap, it's crazy to think they would

waste the money. >> why not just run the old kennedy and gingrich ad. >> the interesting thing about the newt gingrich attack is it gave everyone else a chance to look at what might and might not work. i bet they did focus groups and surveys in south carolina just to see what degree to which that had an impact. it was a good test run for them. they will come back again and again because i think on a lot of these issues, you will see romney go heavier. staples he says created thousands of jobs, they cost jobs. this is a really volatile debate for both sides to have. >> it seems like they could stick him because romney was like 47 in the job creation. >> yeah, they will talk about that as well. the romney campaign will try to key the focus on the president's record.

rob portman, one of the people strongly considered to be a running mate was here today, and i asked him about this ad and this line of attack, and he said that's capitalism. that's the way the markets work. >> but is that an answer for an election? >> i think rob portman is not at the same level, or not yet. i think the big story is not that they did this, it's if the romney campaign has not responded, how many jobs will he say he created. he addressed them along the way, but not for a general election audience. he will have to address that in a more broad and compelling well. >> these guys, let me personalize this. these guys are sharp business school guys. they run these companies, they go in and make money, and they do it by cost cutting, firing

people, they clean up out of middle management, that company may make it afterwards. they made a profit when they flipped it, right? they're not the kind of middle aged people that they like the looks of. >> this is very risky territory for romney for those alone. he went in to make profits and job loss. what he is counting on is amnesia. that people will look at what's happening with the economy now and not associate it with wall street wheelers and dealers that caused the sub prime crisis. >> is this a direct transfer of money? >> they took out $135 million in bonds, and bain got $136 million payoff. >> i wonder if the president can handle this debate if he gets into a debate for an hour and a half with romney this fall. he was in there, he knows where

he was and every dollar he lost and every deal he made. how does obama debate him on his own turf, how could he know as much about how he made or didn't make money. >> i think in a debate he can bumper sticker in and make the clear. the press is very sympathetic to the obama narrative on bain, and not sympathetic to romney. he needs to find an audience in the press and in the public. what will governor romney say? in the debates in the fall campaign, and profiling moments, he had a test run that he will have to address. >> do you think the press is on obama's side, beside bipartisan, but that the equity people make 20 or 30 times more than what newspaper people make. >> not necessarily from what tv people make.

>> mark you're too tough on me. thank you mark and david. coming up, the obama camp stays on offense. the goal? make sure that gender gap stays as large as the grand canyon. time out. sweet. [ female announcer ] with charmin ultra soft, you can get that cushiony feeling you love while still using less. charmin ultra soft is designed with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent and you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. ♪ ah. [ female announcer ] we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft.

great new polling numbers for a couple states, let's check the score board. a republican pollster shows president obama with a slim lead over romney, 45 to 40. critical insights in maine gives the president an eight point lead. both states, the last went republican in 1988. woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ]

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>> indeed we know we are better off when women are treated fairly and equally in every aspect of american life whether it's the salary you earn or the

health decisions you make. >> there he is in new york today. he made a full court press for the women's vote giving the commencement address, and then taping an interview with the ladies of "the view" he acknowledged women's growing power in the workforce, in higher education, and in the voting booth. >> i believe the women of this generation, that all of you, will help lead the way. now, i recognize that's a cheap applause line when you're giving a commencement at barnard, it's the easy thing to say. you're half the country and half the workforce. more and more women are out

earning their husbands, you're more than half of our college graduates and master's graduates, and ph.ds. so you have us outnumbers. >> this week congress, women's issues take center stage. some people say it has been turned into a political football. we have a democratic congresswoman of wisconsin, sponsor of the house version of the act, it is similar to the bill passed on the bipartisan vote by the senate, and congresswoman of washington state is the co-sponsor of the republican version of the bill voted on wednesday. let me start with congresswoman moore. it seems to me impossible for a woman member of congress or any member of congress to go back to the district and tell the women voters i voted against the violence against women act. how could you pass the title of

the act and try to explain that. >> just let me say, chris. not only was the violence against women act not just a women's issue, but it was a bipartisan issue. and both genders voted for it. i think the extent to which it's been politicized is because the republicans really don't want to follow the recommendations of the department of justice, the fbi, advocates who have learned from best practices, that in order to be more inclusive, you have got to expand the bill to protect native americans, to protect women in lesbian rips, and certainly for immigrant women who cooperate with law enforcement officials. >> let me ask on the other side of this, congresswoman, what is wrong with taking care of people

who are involved in these same sex or whatever kinds of rip relationships. if they're being beat up, don't you want to protect them? >> absolutely. what the republicans introduced was a reauthorization of the violence against women act. we took some recommendations from the office. we are committed to this program that has long enjoyed broad bipartisan support. >> but why don't you cover people not in the a traditional marriage, why would you limit to to just traditional marriage folk. >> those are side issues attached to this bill. >> they're not side issue ifs you're getting beat up by your partner, that's not a side issue, that's your life. >> there's nothing under federal law that currently recognizes same sex couples. if we have that debate in kopg, it -- congress, we should have a separate debate. >> but you write the law any way

you want, why not write it to include people in these different kinds of relationships that could involve physical violence. >> that's a separate issue from the reauthorization of the violence against women act. >> why in. >> it should be debated separately. if we are going to change the law related to same sex couples. >> let me go back to congresswoman moore. i can't imagine going back to a district and saying i can't protect wives against their husbands, because i don't want to do anything that would -- i can't protect gay people from being beat up by another gay person, it seems like republicans are so afraid to touch the issue. >> it goes further than that. you take the flight of native american women.

you know, two-thirds of native american women assaulted on triable lands find that these trims are not prosecuted because nonnative, white men, who live on native properties can't be prosecuted because of the triable authorities don't have any authority to prosecute them. that was part of the expanse that by no means, 99%ers or wild left wing folk, but fbi agents, das, police, and the department of justice recommend it. it wasn't just gay and lesbian, but even beyond that. i'm immigrants, those that would cooperate with law enforcement, that were being beaten by violent people. having it held over their heads that they were nondocumented.

i think the republican party are really ignoring the rmss of a broad swath of law enforcement. >> okay, thank you. >> who say that the bill is not worthy of being called the violence against women's act if you don't protect all women. >> the liberal organization moveon.org is out with a new ad hammers mitt romney. let's listen to that ad and you can respond congresswoman rogers. >> congratulations mitt romney, you're the presumed gop nominee, and all you had to do was. >> threaten to late our employers take away contraception. >> threaten to let insurance companies charge us more. >> and threat ton get rid of planned parenthood. >> so this november, we're going to remember. >> how you threw women under the bus, just to get the nomination. >> what did you make of mitt romney's performance, congresswoman rogers, when he

had to go up against people like santorum, do you think he fought them or joined them. >> the democrats are creating a controversy that doesn't exist. it's a myth that we're waging a war on women. the violence against women act i'm confident it will be reauthorized. it's an important program, and i believe we can work out a lot of these issues that gwen has mentioned. we support equal pay for equal work. it's been long standing in this country and we will continue to stand up for that. it was the president who made the change through health and human services. it wasn't the republicans it was the president. they're trying to divide america, and really trying to distract women from the real issues that face this country right now. >> what's wrong with -- >> okay, you raised the -- >> what's wrong with women, as part of their insurance, having coverage for contraception, what's wrong with that?

>> it was the president -- what i'm pointing out it was the president. >> he insisted that coverage be there. >> and he initiated the change. it wasn't the republicans that initiated the change. it was -- >> you opposed it though, what's wrong with the change? >> the way he proposed it, it was infringing on our religious freedom, and it took on the faith of the catholic church and the believe they should not cover contraception in their health insurance plans. it's more important to remember in was the president that initiated the change. no republican is talk gt about taking away contraception from women. it is the democrats trying to distract and argue -- >> that is so on the record it's unbelievable. the republicans had a problem with the president because he said health care coverage for women should include contraception, and you opposed it. >> it wasn't the republicans that initiated a change.

>> they never are. >> the president through new rule making said the catholic church would have to cover contraceptions, if the president can take on entire faith in this country, think what he can do individually. >> i will close this with the fact that i think women voters are rational, i look at their voting patterns, they're concerns for health care, education, child development, all of those reasons lead to a guy began tick gender gap. >> and they're concerned about jobs and a future for their children that can't find jobs. >> who isn't. >> thank you, please come back. i think on the issues of violence against women, i would not want to have to come back to my congressional district and say i voted nay. thank you both. up next, will farrell makes his return to snl as w.

he is good and he plays it well.

back to "hardball," now for the side show, first off, the return of w., that's right, will farrell was in the house on snl this weekend, and he cops to buck up a down in the bumps joe biden. >> what's wrong? >> everybody says that i have like a big mouth. it's my big mouth that got things done this time. not his careful weighing of options. >> those smarty pants taps will never understand speak first guys like this. >> i'm sick of the way presidents are always riding me, i'm an adult. >> i've been there, i used to

catch grief all the time from president cheney. i would be in the oval office hooking up the slurpee machine, and that penguin would come waddling and say get your pants on, we're about to bomb blah blah -- >> here is a one liner from one of romney's potential running mates. "i don't think you ever rule out opportunities or options when you're involved in public life and you say you want to make a difference and you're serious about that, obviously. now for the clues, he endorsed romney in november, the second u.s. senator to do so, and at a time people thought this person might enter the race for president. prompting mitt romney to say i'm lucky he didn't run. it's republican senator john thune who was my pick from romney's vp.

why president obama may have work to do with some of the most loyal democrats of all, african-americans.

>> welcome back to "hardball," when hb today in favor of gay marriage last week, he got enthusiastic support from democratic base. it's the most loyal democratic group of all, african-american voters. the president convened a conference call just hours after he made that announcement to gauge their reactions. we have two with us tonight. i want to start with you, reverend, and your thoughts about it. what your thoughts were before, during, and after the president took this position. >> i've always been a supporter of the president's position. >> wait, he didn't have the position until last week. >> i've had my personal position -- >> you were for it before he was.

>> i came out for it in the civil marriage protection in maryland. it is decidedly different from religious marriage. this is country and a matter of public policy, we have to maintain the separation between church and state. we cannot base issues of public policy on one's person and private theology. it's important to protect the rights of all citizens of this country. and president obama was elected president of the united states and not pastor of the united states. >> would you preside over a gay marriage. >> would you? >> well i -- >> you say you're private as oppose to your public view, do you support as a religious leader, gay marriage. >> absolutely. i believe as a religious leader, i believe that gays and lesbians deserve equal protection under the law.

>> and under your religion? >> where are you on the personal thee logical issue? >> as part of my personal theology, i believe -- >> you don't have a distinction. >> let me go to your views personally, are you a republican or a democrat? >> i'm a democrat. >> you voted for the president? >> i did not vote for the president. >> what was your biggest concern in 2008. >> the biggest was life, the abortion issue, i read his book that came out beforehand. it seemed to me from way back then he was leaning in this direction and others. jeremiah wright is known to have performed ceremonies for gays and lesbians awhile back. so i have serious concern that's are bibically based. i think at this point with these choices, yes.

in another time, i think mccain, who ran one of the worst races in recorded history, and he was ambivalent on how he stood. >> who did you vote for? >> mechanic cane. my father was threatened at gunpoint when i was one year old in florida about voter registration. >> did you vote for george w. as well? >> the second time, not the first time. in 2004 when marriage became an issue, i came out as a democrat and joined arms with tony perkins because i thought marriage is foundational to the culture. and now we're eight years later with the same kind of demographic going ob n, and i'm concerned people saying they will not vote at all. they don't feel i they can vote against the first black president, i don't like what he stands finish, and i don't understand where romney is as being mormon and other things.

>> they worked with me on marriage issue in dc. we had a meeting out in utah last year, which was very interesting. >> i'm concerned. it seems to me there are a lot of issues that it touches on in public life, capital punishment, war and peace. it seems to me the people on the right pick out a couple issues they focus on. not if kids starve or have good nutrition or a good education. >> i'm against that too. >> they tend to focus on these right to life questions and marriage issues. >> and that's critically important. in the bible is said about poverty, caring for the poor, and systemic -- i think what we will find in this election season is that people understand there is more that unites us than what divides us. >> i remember that jesus stood

against the people being stoned. he was saying don't condemn people, his friend was mary magedlin. he was not saying obey the law, he was saying look out for mercy and act christian. >> would he have chased a kid with long hair and cut it? >> but you're with the guy -- >> i'm not necessarily with him right now. >> i'm not with romney at this point. here is what i wanted to say to you about righteousness and justice. the bible talks clear about personal morality and justice. what's broken in american politics is the democrats think they own social justice, the republicans think they own righteousness, but it doesn't say or, it says and. >> don't you think that our

president, you can start, our president is a model of a father, of a husband, in every way he has been devoted to his wife, kids, i think he puts off a lot of politics, and i disagree with this, he doesn't spend evenings hanging out with senators and congress people because he would rather be with his family and be a good husband. i think he has been a model family man. and that's why i find it hard to believe how tough you are on him because you disagree on civil marriage. what are gay people supposed to do? hang out and never formalize their relationships? what's a gay person supposed to do. >> i think they can follow their hearts and relationships. politicians have let us down, to redefine marriage, the family -- >> but what are gay people supposed to do when they have close personal relationships for life. what should they call that? >> civil unions.

>> i think there's too much confusion around marriage, the individual roles. marriage is on life support right now, and if i talk to your average african-american kid, he is from a broken home, he has -- >> how does the denying gay people the right to marry, when young heterosexual couples discover them from formalizing their relationships. >> i want to block the redefinition of marriage, but i need to strengthen marriage itself. >> i think you're wrong. i don't think denying gay people the right to marriage will deany young heterosexual couples the right to marry. >> sorry, i hope you evolve. >> i'm just teasing. >> that's all right, thank you

for having me. thank you both. large, large congregation you have, sir. mitt romney captured the nomination, have the neo-cons captured him?

this week's cover of "newsweek" is getting a lot of coverage.

the atlanta magazine said news week is hardly the first to play this game. the associated press asked if he was the first asian american president. another hoped he was the first hispanic. another suggested it was our first female president, and last year, the new york magazine cover story made him the first jewish president. we're back, does mitt romney

we're back, does mitt romney have a foreign policy of his own?

a mitt romney doctrine even? apparently his advisors scratch their heads to answer that question from time to time. one advisor said there are outer circles, inner circles, and inner inner circles. romney doesn't want to really engage these issues until he is in office. if you look at the statements of the candidate himself, what emerge social security a very hawkish line. he says we should not negotiate with the taliban, he says we should kill them all. if obama is reelected iran will get a nuclear welcome. he calls russia the number one goe political foe, and he said he will designate china a currency manipulator. so why is he talking tough on foreign policy. we have eugene robinson with us.

his only foreign policy is works as a missionary in paris, never been in the military, no one in his family has been, fine. that's not wrong, but where does all of this militarism come from? where does all of this general patton come from? >> be curious and think about it and read books and there's no evidence. >> the one that really grabbed me was the taliban, we don't like them because they supported al qaeda and the attack on the united states. that's the thing they did wrong, but they exist. they are people in afghanistan with the right to be there. with a totally radical view. he says kill them all. >> i sort of feel like mitt

romney is playing a game of scissors, paper rock. playing the cheney card is the way he can show is greatest contrast. he doesn't have to be accountable or responsible for these things. he doesn't have to sequence priorities. how do you channel iran's direction without doing deals with russia or china. he's waving a wand and saying i will create other wars. >> he's about my age, about our age. he says russia is our biggest enemy. no it's not. individually, i think russians like us. trying to get old the cold war. why would you do that? that really antagonizes those people over there. they hate it. why wouldn't they? >> just from this desire to sound like a big tough guy. there can't have been any thought put into that. vladmir putin is a problem as a guy, but you have to deal with

russia. >> we got to deal with other countries. here is my question. why is he doing this? why is he saying on every issue, i'm the hawk? >> i think he wants to sound tough. he's from massachusetts. people think he's a -- his father was a rockerfeller. >> here is what i hear. he doesn't believe in this big world freedom agenda. he not going off in the world to fight a bunch of wars. he's a inductive thinker. i will look at each issue. i will mind the data. i will get the information in front of me when that time come, and i will make decisions like a business guy.

>> that sounds reasonable. he's not an idiot. he's a smart guy. >> that's the way his mind works. why is he claiming to a right winger? >> i think he just wants to check with that box. i'm tougher than obama. i'm going to make things better than obama. >> my favorite question. so what. i'm afraid he will make commitments in this campaign which will lock him into a very hawky stance day one. >> that's right. we had a lesson in this as well from a democrat. hillary clinton made the same claims trying to get george bush not to go to the opening games in beijing. i wrote a piece saying how unpresidential. that raises the cost on north korea and iran and climate change. you have achieved nothing. the issue is often times people act and say things unpresidential. it does lock him in.

it raises immediate suspicions of how he will deal with other stake holders. >> do you think which he be manipulated by way bush w. was? can he be pushed around? >> if he's decided to go with the bolten faction of his advisors. >> it's an empty suit on foreign policy. >> quayle was pushed around. w kind of empty headed on foreign policy. thank you. a very nice way to end the show. hell's breaking loose. when we return let me finish why you should never let anyone tell you no. thank you. hello! who's she? downy unstopables. here to shake up your fresh. toss these little scent boosters in before you wash.

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over the weekend i received an honorary degree from howard university. as i said on saturday from up there on that grand stage there's a glow in every graduate of this great university. a glow of pride of having attended an icon of african-american history of american history. let me share what i said to the graduates because i gave it considerable thought.

i said if the words we speak can be forgotten. people forget the speeches, but i wanted the students going out in the world to form their careers to think of one picture of this young man driving his car out of chicago where he lived and work out into the issue suburbs. he had just been beaten for u.s. congress, just gotten the short end of the stick. he's driving along. he was running for the u.s. senate. that's why barack obama was able to stride onto that stage at the democratic national convention in boston in 2004 because he had the nerve to drive out of chicago into the burbs in small rural towns and ask people to make a bet on him to give him chance. that was my message. get out there and ask people to make a bet on you. if they resist, make them say no to you. never say no to yourself.

get out there and go for the yes. again, never say no to yourself. i know it's easy for me to say that. it doesn't stop it from being true. i'm grateful, of course, to members of the board of trustees including the bernard family and the students of the class of 2012 for their wonderful reception out there at the howard campus. that's "hardball" for now. "the ed show" starts now. good evening, americans welcome to "the ed show" from new york. there's a national battle for progressive values going on right in the middle of the country right now. what are the national democrats going to join the fight. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> do you solemnly swear or affirm the testimony you give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? >> yes. >> scott walker's divide a