higher is to pair that guy beganic jobs program you need to present and bill for the short run with a participate debt reduction for the long run. need to do both. i can't think of a better reaction than rolling out a positive campaign that meets the country's two great concerns. we start with our political analyst, howard meinman, and david corn. you can buy that book in a bookstore, it's available by the way, it's not just a theory or an e book. i think everybody knows that friday was like a bad day for this administration, just a bad day, and it's because we all thought it might be coming, the turn around where the unemployment was creeping down. would start to go up again, symbolizing a turn around for

the bad. the market went down 300 points on friday. the worst news i saw, gentleman, is that the growth rate of this economy this whole year has been about 1.9%, we're not growing. >> that puts the focus squarely on what president has done so far, and what he plans to do minute by minute from here on. you're harping on the big job's program -- >> is that an ethic reference. >> no, just focussing on -- and the romney campaign, the obama campaign will say look, we have to explain that romney is not capable of getting us out of this situation. that may be true, but before voters get to that, they need to know what president has done and what in this dire situation, and still rather dire even though the overall signs have been positive, what is he going to do? they did it the other way, the obama people said we're going to start by trying to strangle the romney campaign at birth. and for a whole host of reasons,

that didn't work. >> the obama campaign released a new ad set to air in ten battleground states. is this already out of date? let's decide and watch. >> instead of hiring workers from his own state, he outsourced call center jobs to india. he cut taxes for millionaires like himself and raised them on the middle class, and left the state $2.6 billion deeper in debt. so now when mitt romney talks about what he would do as president. >> i know what it takes to create jobs, remember we have heard it all before. >> i know how jobs are created. >> it didn't work then and it won't work now. >> this is a great ad. i'm just wonder fg it's still on the market. you need more difference, what you would do not not just whack the other guy.

>> i think the campaign is before the summer when people start tuning out, they want to do everything they can to keep romney from making positive impressions for those who did not pay attention in the primaries. so i talked to people connected to the primary that told me that focus groups showed them that the massachusetts argument, that he was a bad governor, has more resonance than the bain attack. so that's a plan. one thing we know about obama and his crew is they really stick to the strategy. even when people on tv say no do this or that, so they're sticking to this. the real issue they will keep having and this goes to the jobs report on fritt. they want to do everything possible to election is not a referendum on obama and the economy. >> why? >> because then he loses. it needs to be a choice between him and romney.

when it comes out month after month, it's hard to say this is about me and the other guy. >> i'm going to be positive, i'm not into despair here, but it seems to me he has to have something out there he is fighting for. i want this they won't let me. i want to create jobs, whatever it is, debt reduction, job creation, something to put down that boehner, not a despicable guy is just not helping, and mitch mcconnell sitting on their hands, they're seen sitting on their hands. >> but the poll numbers are much better for him september, october, november after he did that with the jobs bill following the debt ceiling crisis. >> the republicans say that's too expensive, we can't afford it. >> they have a five point plan out there, but those following it --

>> it's about state and local employees. and fixes schools. it's like stimulus, it has no impact. >> it has a feel of scraps on the table and it's not a big idea. barack obama got elected on big ideas. about himself, about himself and his story. about health care, turning the economy around, really big things. i think he is gifted in that way. he needs to find something as large as his imagination. >> i think he beat senator clinton who was an unbelievably difficult candidate to beat because he came out against the war in iraq. he may have been wrong it could have turned out fabulous, but he said no this is a bad policy and bad decision. >> he had a sense of vision that howard was speaking to, even through the debt ceiling when he talked about share sacrifice and investments, he has done this

time and time again. he lost track of that. that might be strategic. >> i'm not sure he is playing it safe. right now it's tear apart romney. >> another it was wring, what should be done about the economy? republicans claim to have the answer, slash spending and cut taxes, that is the policy we have followed the last couple years never mind the democrat in the white house, this is the economic policy of republican dreams. so the republican electoral strategy is a con game. it depends on convincing voters that it's big spending policies that president obama has not followed because the gop could not let him and that our woes could be cured by pursing more of the same policies that already failed. here is the thing, we're still suffering under the bush policy.

no growth in government spending, in fact all of the jobs disappearing over the next several years have been public sector jobs. >> if you're going to argue for the kind of program you're talking about, and you're also going to talk about taxes, you need to do them together. the president got maneuvered into a position a due times when it looks like the argument was just about taxes. not about what you want to do with the money. and mcmight be great or might not, but it's not as tangible as you said, the famous consultant, david garth used to say -- >> replace the smell of decay with the smell of destruction. >> he also said the biggest lie in government is shovel ready. >> because they're not ready. >> i think it's his fault they didn't know they were ready. >> you have to have a large and sweeping vision that has some

concrete -- >> concrete is my word. and don't be embarrassed by it. >> don't forget what happens in europe can have more impact on this election. >> but we can't change what happened -- i know, that's why he has to get in this place before we go back to -- >> let me go back to the theory everybody did in grad school in economics. one of the things i memorized was if the consumer is not spending, and the consume sere not spending right now. they're worried about their income, wealth, and paying off debts. businesses we're going to talk about in the next break, $2 trillion their sitting on. maybe some of that tay they don't want to help obama. so if the three forces of demand are the consumer, who is not spending, business not spending, know what third force is?

government. if the government cuts back, reducing job rates and payrolls, they're not doing anything. why is it smart for government to do nothing is nobody else is. >> mitt romney admitted that. if you cut back in government it will be austerity and more government forces. it's something the tea party types keep denying. >> the other part is there have been cutting in corporate tax rates. we kept the tax cuts in effect, and it has not loosened the wall lets. i think the other thing here, chris, is a matter of spirit, barack obama was a really optimistic candidate in 2008. one could argue maybe too much so, but he was and that's who he

seemed to be. in this add they put out today, i noticed in the beginning when they say i'm president obama, and i approve this message. they have a picture of him looking like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. >> that's good but he doesn't look -- i agree he should be on there with a wonderful charming grin because that would not fit, but what that shows me is the message their communicating there is a guy who deserves credit for his seriousness and how grave he is, but it kind of fits in with this grim tone that this campaign has had so far. you have to do it. >> it's hard for an incumbent to attack the challenger. that's always hard. they decided to do it. >> by the way -- >> optimistic sense of the future with the grim economic reality of the president because he can look detached as well. >> after world war 2r, everybody figged they had it with the

democrats. along comes harry truman. he failed at business, he comes along, without a lot of formal education, goes across the country saying we're going to do this. then at 1:00 in the morning with the democratic convention in philadelphia that year, no air-conditioning, steaming heat. he says i'm calling you back into session and you're going to pass this bill. it wouldn't be bad for obama to come back in and say you're going to do what you said. >> he should do that and get business leaders to come out and say barack obama is better for the economy. romney is running around, romney had an event today with surrogates in ten or 15 states.

they were all small business people. the last person you want speaking on your behalf is the >> action, right? >> construction, replace the smell of decay with the smell of construction. the smell of construction. >> thank you. coming up is american business sitting on piles of cash that could help the economy helping to bring down president obama? that's a great question we will get to with kramer from philly. and keeping democratic voter groups from the polls hit some snags. and the big wisconsin recall vote tomorrow. and how many miss usa candidates does it take to name the vice president?

once again, a high profile democrat is talking up hillary clinton for president. this time it's nancy pelosi. she told the san francisco chronicle that hillary is the best chance for a female president in her lifetime. she says why wouldn't she run? she's a magnificent secretary of state. she's our shot. that's a pretty clear endorsement for hillary clinton in 2016.

today, american company vs. nearly $2 tril on their balance sheets, and i know many of you told me you're waiting for demand to rise before you get off the sidelines and expand, i want to encourage you to get in the game. >> that was president obama last

year speaking to leaders here in washington imploring them to invest in the american economy. they did not take his advice at all. the amount of cash -- $it 2 trillion that companies have horded has risen dramatically and spiked sharply in the last few years. my question about businesses is are they sitting about that cash through a mission to hurt the president? a regulatory environment which is easy on them and a low corporate tax structure. john heilmann. i'm talking about this and trying to think about this honestly. if you're a big business guy you have prejudices but your job is to make money for your stokeholders. when they go in that board room, their sitting around thinking

why don't we wait around six months or a year for the right regulatory environment, and a lower corporate tax rate because that's what romney is promising them. is this a perverted way of saying we can screw obama waiting for the republicans to come in. >> there is just so much going on here. there is no doubt that some republican businessmen and private equity and other places, and you hear it here in new york and all the time, who are hanging back because they prefer to have a republican president that is more favorable for business. there's a whole bunch of others who are not that inclined that have the reality of the macro economy over the totally of his

time in office and over the last six or nine months. they're looking at a very soft economy, and the question of how much town vest when consumer demand is shaky. when europe is on the brink and a few months ago there were concerned about energy prices because there might have been hostilities in iran. those are a lot of concerns that business people have about let's just wait and see what goes on. wait and see for the economy to pick up and then we will invest more. i don't think it's a straightforward story of one or the other. >> no, i'm thinking about a self fulfilling prophesy. if you have the decision, you're a business right winger, a conservative person, and you believe that the government spends too much to spend less. you notice the con supers spend less so you do, that is a vicious cycle. >> it is they're marching in step with a declining demand, reducing demand themselves, calling for demand to reduce demand, they're not doing anything and they're not going to put the money into

advertisement or new inventory to put it out there for them to buy. they will sit around and explode with enthusiasm is obama wins this race. >> there really is, i tarted by saying there arize logically driveen men committed to defeating the president. i think a degree of truth to that is a motivating factor here. it is also and president obama can tell you having raised a lot of money in 2008. a lot of businessmen who are not republican and acting and are neutral in this race, or are even for president obama. >> how much is because of the 1% campaign of the president, going after the 1% and the wealth in this country, are they resentful enough? >> yes. >> my answer is that the president's rhetoric has been

just -- this is just -- i'm not saying their justified feeling this way, but if you talk to people in buzz and finance, you talk about the substance of the president's policies, the substance does not bother them as much as the rhetoric. they think it is divisive, those raining money say they wish the president was not campaigning the way he was. again, in their view. >> let's go to jim kramer right now, he with us and most of mad money on cnbc, i have no idea what you will say, here is my argument. if the business community says we want a better regulatory environment, a lower tax structure, and we're willing to wait for it, is that more of an incentive to sit on their money and screw obama or isn't it?

>> i think they're just waiting for the rest of the world to get better. think most of these ceos are just wow, europe is real bad, asia was bad, we were selling a lot of product, we can't move this stuff. latin america is collapsing. >> what about all of this advertising i watched yesterday morning. it tells me it's the high end, high end cars, lexus, audi, are they the high end car sales, is that's what's going on? you have john slaterly out there selling the cars. >> 14 million cars being sold this year, the retail industry is just on fire especially with the tail wind coming from lower gasoline prices, the country is

stronger than people think, but i feel like i'm the only one saying it. >> isn't it true? >> yes, we have one bad employment number, okay? we had numbers last week that were extraordinarily good. you know how many people get work in the car business? it's the most important driver of an economy. >> now want to ask both of you. i have a theory that when donald trump does the stupid birther thing, it's not that he thinks the president was not born here, it's just a way of rubs the president's nose is something, he can express his hatred, they don't like him for all kinds of reasons, trump is playing to fellow money deal makers. why is he doing this? if he is a business guy, why have birther talk that sounds intellectually crazy.

>> there are so many issues involving washington, but not about obama. they're about congress. i don't know, i -- >> don't shrink from my question, why is trump throughout selling birtherism if he is going to deal with other smart business guys who make deals with him? >> look, i think he is off the reservation with that. he makes sense when he comes on on tuesday mornings, but the academictives i talk to are far more concerned -- >> you're dodging -- you're concerned with not mentioning this guys name, right? i'll gi you a freebie, let me go to heilemann on this. the biggest story was trump going nuts on the president's birther again. >> i know a lot of businessmen i report on.

i know republicans, i know democrats, liberals, and conservatives, i don't know any that buy the birther thing. >> why is he selling it? >> it gets him air time. how else will he be part of the conversation. it was the biggest story last week, we're all talking about donald trump. he likes attention and this gets him attention. >> i think he is smart and crammer knows more than he says. you're so smart but you're holding back on me. thank you john heilemann the phillys, winning record again, a possible romney running mate may have just taken himself out of the running by talking up president obama. that's next in the side show. [ female announcer ] hey, head & shoulders users...

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people ask me what was it like to run for the presidency of the united states. i say let me tell you i was the front runner for awhile, and it was the three most exhilarating

hours of my life. >> that was rick perry, the governor of texas at north carolina's gop convention this weekend reminiscing about his moment in the spotlight. as bobby kennedy advices, if you have a problem hang a lantern on it. next, a lead up to the miss usa contest. some of them were in a trivia contest. they did not fare too well and the subject was politics, specifically the question of who is the current vp of the united states. >> oh god. >> oh shoot. >> oh my god. >> what's his name, this is so bad. >> joe biden. >> biden. >> i don't know anything about politics. >> joe biden. >> i don't know. >> joe biden. >> world peace.

>> world peace? anyway, one of the contestants had mixed results last night thanks to arsenio hall. >> how do you explain so many of them not knowing that answer. >> i went through that process, it was 4:00 in the morning, we were very tired, they really do know who the vice president is. it was a very good day. >> who is it they want to know. >> who is it? >> biden. >> they were up late. reminds me of jaywalking. i guess ignorance is bliss. show this for pulling teeth in bob mcdonald has been floated as a vp for romney, but yesterday he tried to dance around the fact that president obama's stimulus provided a lifeline to

his own state of virginia. >> nearly a trillion dollars in stimulus, that was one time spending, did it help with health care and education spending? did it balance the budget? sure, does it help in the long term to help with unemployment? >> yes. >> so you made a credit to the president. >> sure, sop policies had national impact. >> she did get him to admit it, but to get him to say sure. up next, the republican effort to keep democrats from voting hit snags and the voting advocates got news here. that's ahead.

welcome back to "hardball," voting rights advocates in florida won two victories. first a federal judge blocked starts of a law that placed restrictions on voter

registration groups. some of them were "harsh and impractical." they were warned to stop emps of atemperaturing to perm names from the roles. rick scott announced plans to find noncitizens that might be legally registered to vote in the state. hispanics and other voters are the most likely to be affected in the purge. thank you for joining us, lenny. and we have the co-director of the advance group. it seems like you got a victory here. basically the federal court judge said you can't go to groups like the league of women voters and go around and register people and tell them you have to have the petitions in within 48 hours because if you get it signed on a friday or saturday that is 48 hours that are gone. >> this is a big win for

democracy. now groups like the league oaf women voters and other organizations that register people can be back in business. we know this goes against what the republican party really wants to see, which is voter suppression, making it harder to register and making it harder to vote, so florida has a black eye this time. >> groups like the league of women voters. they said they made it impossible because there was such onerous rules put on them. judge hinkle said "if the goal was to discourage voter registration drives and make it harder for new voters to register, this may work. otherwise there is little reason for such a requirement." was the intention to suppress the vote down there?

why would you set a requirement to get petitions in at 48 hours? >> no, there was no intention. >> why would you make such a deadline to get the conditions in. >> in my view the deadline seemed reason, the judge shot that part of the law down, a majority of the law stands -- >> i will call you there, everybody watching can figure this out. if i'm in front of a safeway and registering people, and it's friday at 5:00, i can't technically turn those in until monday, that means it's elapsed, the 48 hours, so nothing i get done late friday is any value. the 48 hour rule makes it impossible to meet the deadline if you're working through the end of the week, right? >> the law was written to ensure that we have controls and processes in place to ensure the integrity of the vote.

most of the law stood. i am no lawyer, it's gone and it is what it is. so suggest that republicans want to suppress the vote. >> you don't have to be a lawyer to own a calendar. >> i do own a calendar. >> how do you meet the standard, friday afternoon, what do you do with them? >> you work on a tight deadline and turn them in first thing monday morning. >> but you already missed the deadline. it's up, finished, those don't count. >> that's right, this is ridiculous, making it harder to register to vote. we know who that impacts, it impacts blacks and latinos more likely to register these through voter registration drives, we cannot divorce this from what happened across the country which is passing voter suppression thats that is for those who turned out in record numbers.

>> what about the purging of your rolls? the justice department warned florida that it's attempt to purge ineligible voters ma not be okay. quote it is necessary that they be brought before that court or submitted to the attorney general for a determination they neither have the purpose or effect on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. why are you purging right before an election? >> here is what we believe. every person with the right to vote, every person has the right to vote ought to be able to cast a ballot. anything less than that, anything other than that that is negligence at best and fraud at worst. specifically the voter rolls. we know there are noncitizens on our rolls. we have been talking about this

for lists now. they have a database called the save database to allow us to interface with their data. if they would give us access to that information we could quickly cross reference and tell you and the floridans and u.s. citizens who on our roles are noncitizens. it would be that simple, but they won't parties pace or cooperate and this request has been out since last fall. >> is that true? >> here we go again, florida. >> he is right on the fact. >> he is wrong on the fact. the department of homeland security has a problem with their database. they're not going after noncitizens, they're going after voters. >> is that the argument that they're using and denying them access? >> she is saying it's because of privacy issues. they have problems allowing people in states to get access to this database. the bottom line is that's not what this is about.

this is about trying to make it harder for people to vote so they undermine democracy and they win. if we look at where the laws are passed, about 70% of the votes are impacted by where they make it hard tore vote. it's a page out of the play book -- >> do you ever have any meetings in your party why you talk about ways of making it harder to vote. do you ever talk about that? >> there is nothing to suppress the vote, it's against my value system. there are zero cases of u.s. citizens being removed from our voting rolls. the 91-year-old world war ii veteran mentioned was not removed from the rolls. there was a discrepancy, he can now vote.

>> in pennsylvania you have to have a government issues photo id to vote. people just don't drive into their 90s thank god or their late 80s, how are they supposed to get one of those at a reasonable age. they don't go downtown on the sub way, how do they do it? >> most people would agree, your viewers, that a voter id is a reasonable requirement to cast a ballot. if you want to buy a beer, you have to show id. >> not when you're 90 you don't. >> there is plenty of time to get an id prior to an election. there are plenty of community centers that would help. i would help somebody get an id if they needed it. >> it's unfortunate. >> i hope they take you up on that in philly.

we'll do it up there, get you to go door to door. it would be great to have a guy up there help and go door to door. bob brady you should get in touch with him, he could use an extra hand. i'm serious, i might go up and do it. thank you both. up next, tomorrow is the big recall flexion wisconsin. what will be the effect of the vote up there? a lot of people are saying this is the second most important election of the year after the presidential election. there's so much hype. this is "hardball," a place for politics. ♪ surf's up everybody get your boards and your wetsuits ♪

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new poll numbers from that hot senate rate up in massachusetts. let's check the "hardball" score board. according to a new poll, scott browne has a slim 2 point lead over elizabeth warren 39 to 37 with lots of undecides out there, and a new poll has warranted a lead by two, this will be a nail biter. )90%3g

we're back, tomorrow in wisconsin, tom barrett faces off

against scott walker in the big recall election out there. a new poll released yesterday showed the race tightening with walker leading barrett by three. look at the real clear politics average. the recall is a high risk high reward proposition. democrats are cautiously optimistic, but republicans now have a spectacular get out and vote campaign in wisconsin. with me now is gwen moore. tell me about the morning of this to the country and wisconsin, this recall vote tomorrow. >> thanks for having me, this i tremendously important to us. this is family business. it's not about president obama who has his own constituency in the state.

it's about scott walker and what he has done to decimate the progress of our state. we learned today that tim lusz -- russell, one of the indicted folk, told investigators that walker has indeed stone walled their investigation. so he is probably the target of an criminal investigation in this state. >> that doesn't mean he is guilty. >> no, it doesn't mean -- that's exactly right. and, but you know this is about trust. and he has shown throughout his actions just taking away the table for collective bargaining, raising taxes on the elderly, on the poor -- women taking away

health care for women, and so what that is really translated and meant is that we have a tremendous ground game. we have seen record turnout, our early turnout rivals what happened in 2008. >> let me go to the party chair about some of the logistics involved. isn't the standard malfeasance? corruption? isn't fairness to say that scott walker is guilty of either? is it just bad politics? >> no, i think that in wisconsin, chris, the recall statute gives the citizens here an opportunity if an elected official behaves in such a manner they find so egregious that they can't wait to the end of the term. if he is corrupt or not, i think he is at best guilty of

nefarious behavior. >> what do you think the turnout will be. all of the teachers unions, do we have -- who do you have out there? >> we have a small aft and a fairly large nea contingent -- >> will they be part of this. >> they are 110% on board and i know the congresswoman has been traveling all over milwaukee and i have going all over. we have a fantastic turnout operation. this is what we do. we organize. we don't have as much money as the other side, we get our voters out and that's what we'll do tomorrow and i'm very confident that we will beat scott walker and make serious

history here. >> do you agree congresswoman? >> it may be a blessing in disguise that we have been outspent 15 or 16 to one. this has forced us to revive the vote. for us to put people and troops on the street, meet with voters face to face. our 18-year-old seniors in high school are going to vote, and we're having a sunrise church service tomorrow with reverend jesse jackson. you can feel the beat. >> you're an inspiring leader and i appreciate -- i love hopefulness and ground games and people meeting people. thank you, good luck. i guess i can say good luck tomorrow. when we return, let me finish with president obama's big moment to build baby build, i'm talking about creating things in this country again.

let me finish tonight with a need for president obama to do something, something big. i watched the republicans in congress say they don't want him to succeed. i watched american business hold back trillions of dollars. why is there no debt deal between the president and the congress. don't both sides see the same brog down the road. i think the president has two

options right now. he can wait this out and go into november hoping there be is a sudden spurt of investment out there, or he can put a big proposal out there for all to see for him to campaign on, and dare the republicans to say no. i think the president would be in the strongest possible position for moving the country from where we are to what we want to be. do what presidentzen hour did in the 50s. he built the highway system. now it's time for another president, this one, a democrat, to follow up. obama saved the american auto industry, we know that, why not rebuild roads and bridges for those cars to drive on. this could be millions of people to work.

it could create the demand lacking from business today. his slogan could be my way is the highway. let's get mark working together again. it beats waiting for boehner or canter to do something. they don't want to do something. that's "hardball" for now, thanks for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" live from madison, wisconsin, where it's ground zero for the middle class. for the first time since his surprise attack, scott walker will face the people. this is "the ed show." this is history. let's get to work. >> if you win, what do you think it means? >> i think it's a victory for courage not only here in wisconsin but across the country. >> the polls are tightening.