grow jobs in the state. we'll renew our commitment to help grow the quality of life for all of our citizens, both those who voted for me and those who voted for someone else, because tomorrow -- tomorrow is the day after the election. and tomorrow we are no longer opponents. tomorrow we are one as wisconsinites. so together, we can move ourselves forward. [ cheers and applause ] good morning. it is wednesday, june 6. can you believe it? there's a birthday girl in my house. welcome to "morning joe." with us onset, we have the executive editor at random house pulitzer prize-winning editor jon meacham. and former democratic congressman harold ford jr.

and former governor of vermont and former chairman of the democratic national committee, howard dean. and in washington, we have politico fired up a little early today. the chief white house correspondent for politico mike allen. great panel this morning. >> before we get to wisconsin, jon meacham's highly anticipated jefferson book. >> when does it come out? >> not until the fall. >> that's going to be amazing. >> you stole it from the printer. >> i did. >> i started to dig into it last night. preorder this. it's going to be epic. >> is if fantastic? really? good, meacham. >> what's new to say about jefferson? what's the objective in the book? >> it's recovering him as a politician. he spent 40 years in public office. saw it as a noble endeavor. and really remade the country. and gave us a politics that for better and for worse is still what we're living with. >> there we go. >> can't wait to read it. we're going to get to a lot today. paycheck fairness. republicans voted it down.

are you guys surprised? >> not surprised. >> seriously. how could you -- who here at this table is not for paycheck fairness? >> they are not going to win with the women's vote anyway. what do they care, right? >> yeah. idiots. i'm serious. that is -- really, does anyone want to challenge me on that? >> going back to jeff arson. >> i'm sorry. it's just -- i don't understand it. i'm sure 23 if someone said there was a great explanation, just shout it out right now. mike allen, any reason why, i don't know, anyone would be against paycheck fairness for women in the united states of america? >> this shows why we'll be locked up for the next few months, and they are against it because president obama is for it. >> that's the bottom line. >> obama campaign made a huge push on it, and that doomed it with republicans. >> if that's what it comes down to, that's what you're going to be voting on. >> i think that's why the president is going to win, because they are tired of this stuff.

>> pathetic. bill clinton is in the news. we'll talk about that. but first, the top story this morning, wisconsin governor scott walker is back on the job today after a decisive win in yesterday's closely watched recall election. the race was called less than an hour after the polls closed with the republican incumbent taking in at least 53% of the vote, edging out milwaukee mayor tom barrett by seven points. barrett spoke to supporters shortly after the results came in. >> we are a state that has been deeply divided. and it is up to all of us, our side and their side, to listen. to listen to each other. and to try to do what's right for everyone in this state. it is my hope that while we have lively debates, a lively discourse which is healthy in and democracy, that those who are victorious tonight as well

as those who are not victorious tonight, will at the end of the day do what is right for wisconsin families. >> walker supporters say the vote only strengthened the governor's conservative agenda, which includes a divisive measure to eliminate collective bargaining rights for most public workers. it was that very issue that sparked the effort by union leaders to remove walker from office just months after he was sworn in. in addition to the governor's race, republicans beat back recall challenges for four other offices as well. both the lieutenant governor and the state senate majority leader kept their jobs. votes are still being counted in another state senate race that will ultimately determine control of the chamber. howard dean, before we -- literally seconds before air, you said it would be better if -- not happy with the outcome. but what happened here? >> part of it was the money. >> money. >> because of the supreme court, you can now spend literally anything you want. and not disclose. >> scott walker had everything he needed. >> he got tons and tons of money

from people out of state, people like the koch brothers who want this right-wing agenda. i don't think that will be as much of a factor in the presidential race, because you have an incumbent president who can raise money. and the president did well last night, up by six or seven points over romney in wisconsin when walker was winning. and there was an editorial about this, that was impressive even though i didn't agree with it, which is basically governors should only be recalled for cause and you shouldn't put this guy on recall because you strongly disagree with his right wing politics. i think that voters agreed with that. the only problem is, they may yet have an opportunity to recall him for cause because there's a huge corruption scandal going on in his campaign which continues to spread and continues to move upward. so sometime in the next two or three months, we could actually see another big crisis in wisconsin governance. but we'll have to see. i think the sad story of the night was the money. because this is the beginning of the undermining of american democracy, and this is what you

see tonight when you see a guy outspend somebody seven to one with money that nobody knows where it came from. >> richard trump carefme out la night and said, tonight working families across the country recognize the courageous journey that nurses, teachers, firefighters, snowplow drivers and other wisconsinites led for more than a year. throw seemingly defeated, they refused to allow their voices to be taken away. we admire the heart and soul that everyone poured into this effort. harold ford, governor dean makes a good point about citizens united. but the rules are the same for republicans and democrats. so the question is, why couldn't democrats pull in more money? in what was a pivotal race. >> it's a good question, and one that will play out and be answered over the coming months. i look at a little differently than the governor does. i think the money aspect is important and was important. but at some level, you look at what happened in ohio when

governor kasich overreached on collective bargaining rights for voters. they put on the ballot, it was voted down, and he lost that and repented in many ways and changed his ways. walker, if you read the local news, he pulled back some of his rhetoric. he is not quite as divisive he was a year and a half ago. you had him on the show. and i think a lot of voters were treated to a status quo position, thinking if i'm working and i'm paying in, why is it that other workers, including government workers, are not? and as much as they may not like some of what walker stood for, he had a legitimate point. and the jobs numbers are better in wisconsin than it was a little over year ago. mike barnicle said that the jobs numbers and employment numbers will be whether walker is deemed a success. walker shouldn't view this as a resounding applause for what he has done. but what democrats should look at is that americans on the issue of fairness, many

americans believe that everyone should have to pay a bit of their fair share. obama's argument around taxes will resonate but people don't want to pay more taxes. people understand that every working person should have to pay some part to help reduce the debt. walker got a little lucky last night. a confluence of things worked in his favor. but the real message is to my party this morning and particularly to the white house as they look at their campaign message. just organizing alone won't do it. it will take a stronger and more compelling message and a vision for where the president wants to take the country over the next four years. that's what i draw from this last night. >> ok, mike allen. i'll draw from that. you can say it was just the money or just the whatever. look, the voters put him back in office. >> right. >> with a big number. >> yeah. and mike allen, what is the message there that governor walker is sending? and carried him through? >> well, the voters sent a clear message, and "the morning news" table put its fingers on it weeks ago. this was a fight that the left unions should never have picked.

it was a clean win for the republicans who came in, used this as a dry run for making wisconsin a swing state in the presidential race. politico is up with a quote this morning from the legendary packers coach vince lombardi. jim vandehei, pride of oshkosh, writes a story quoting lombardi as saying, show me a good loser and i'll show you a loser. so democrats should admit that this was a big loss. it gives republicans now an opportunity in wisconsin. i think wisconsin will wind up in obama's column. he won it by 15 points last time. but you have both the republican national committee and cross roads gps, the karl rove group, saying they are going to go in and spend big money. crossroads has big money to spend. so it will be a distraction, and a place that now the obama campaign is going to have to spend big. >> all right. let's look at the exit polls and touch on what harold was talking about, the results from

wisconsin are also providing an unofficial preview to november's presidential election. according to exit polls, wisconsin voters preferred president obama over mitt romney 51% to 44%. more voters say president obama is better suited to improve the economy. and when asked who is better at helping the middle class, voters favored the president by 9%. although the democrats lost elections on the state level, the obama campaign says republicans should be worried come this november. obama senior adviser david axelrod tweeted this. quote, bad night in boston. wisconsin raises big questions for mitt. but mitt romney disagreed with that, tweeting back, or tweeting, i congratulate scott walker on his victory in wisconsin. tonight's results will echo beyond the borders of wisconsin. will they? >> interesting thing we haven't talked about here. this last senate race that the votes haven't been counted in, if the republicans lose that race, walker's agenda is essentially done.

because then the senate is controlled by democrats and they are never going to support any of the radical right agenda. so this election is not over yet. and the democrats actually can claim legitimate victory inside wisconsin if that senate seat goes to the democrats. >> the exit polls, though, are interesting at this point, jon meacham, given that -- i was surprised a bit by them. >> yeah. it does seem incongruous. when hamilton and jefferson were tweeting -- >> there we go. >> i can't even say it with a straight face. did you see me having trouble there? >> they are tweeting each other. i think this is very interesting to go to harold's point, the message needs to be -- the message to some extent is, you know, everyone needs to pay something, except the very rich. you know, we're not going to tax at a higher rate. so somehow or another the unions are now supposed to be kicking in, but we keep the tax debate remains unequal. >> right. >> i thinks - it's -- why i don

understand why there would be a big pro obama read out of that electorate >> because the reason the jobs are up in wisconsin is nothing to do with scott walker. it's the auto industry coming back. and the auto industry raised jobs dramatically in wisconsin, michigan, and ohio, and that's why i think the president will win all three of those states. >> i don't disagree with that at all. i think the president has the right message on a big part of the right message on jobs and the investment that was made. the real question that the president should be asking of mitt romney, your experience in the private equity world, which i don't think is a bad thing at all personally, but your experience in the private equity world taught you where to invest and how to invest. i would ask romney if i were the president, why when asked to invest in the greatest business in the united states, why did you choose not to do it? as a matter of fact, you suggested we let detroit go

bankrupt. if you're such a great investor, why did you make the wrong call there? that's the question that should be asked instead of pitting people in some ways, whether they are doing it or not, i think it's unfair when people criticize the obama administration unfairly about pitting classes against one another. but there is an argument to be made that there is a little pitting of americans against americans. walker's race should send a message to all democrats. we have to change a approach a little bit here as we head into the final stretch, the final two laps of this campaign. >> my point is it may end up sending a message to the republicans if they lose that last senate seat because walker is neutered. >> is this good news or bad news for a climate of compromise on some kind of grand fiscal bargain? >> there is no compromise. forget it. there will be no compromise between now and the election. >> look out 24 months. this vote does not seem to be a real very encouraging sign that there will be a change in climate. >> there will be no compromise

of any kind from now until after the election. we are not going to compromise as democrats for people who want to cut taxes for people who are wealthy and raise taxes on people who are working. the americans have a chance to vote on that issue. we'll see who wins, and you can have a compromise after the election. you can forget about compromise before the election. while we are on the topic of no compromise and other bad things, why don't we get to paycheck fairness? senate republicans blocked it yesterday. the paycheck fairness act. a bill offered by democrats to help women fight for equal pay. i don't -- the bill failed along party lines 52-47 as republicans argued it would pose unprecedented government control over employee compensation. for democrats, the vote was aimed at putting republicans on the defensive on an issue that is important to female voters. president obama issued a statement saying, in part, this. it is incredibly disappointing that in this make or break moment for the middle class,

senate republicans put partisan politics ahead of american women and their families. despite the progress that has been made over the years, women continue to earn substantially less than men for performing the same work. democrats are also calling out mitt romney for his silence on the issue. >> even mitt romney has refused to publicly oppose this legislation. he may oppose it, but he's afraid to say anything about it. why? because it's obvious why. he should show some leadership. my opinion, governor romney, and tell his fellow republicans that opposing fair pay for all americans is shameful. instead, no one knows where he stands. >> i couldn't agree more. meacham, do you want to -- >> i just want to offer a thought. i don't understand why this wasn't a bigger issue. >> earlier? >> yeah. >> i don't understand why this wasn't campaigned for. maybe i missed it. but i don't think so. >> well, they brought it up before. and it lost.

they started by creating the white house council on women and girls. i can't believe that this is even an issue today and that this is a problem. they then passed the lily ledbetter act. they have been slowly trying very hard to crack the code on this. and i have to tell you, they have credibility. they have history on their side. the white house has a record on their side. i don't know anyone who could say this is pure politics. of course, everything is political. but not pure. they have started from the get go, this presidency has been working on this and republicans just want to say no. >> i think the obama people believe what they are trying to do here. the timing of the vote is pure politics. what's going to happen is about three, four months from now, there's going to be ads showing all these guys and all these senate races around the country which are much closer than anybody expected that they voted against equal pay for women.

it's a crusher. the most influential voting group in the entire company. >> well, they had a choice and they voted against equal pay for women. >> especially scott brown. this is a terrible vote for him. this may put elizabeth warren over the top in a dead heat race. i am shocked at that. >> mike allen, please. >> this was teeing up these ads, and the white house-obama campaign see this as a fantastic issue they can talk about a lot. the president's close adviser, valery jarrett went on twitter just on this issue, her first tweet was on this issue. they are going to keep talking about the smarter politics for senate republicans would be to say, fine, vote for it, take away the issue, hand the club off to someone else. but now they have given democrats a great weapon. >> it's been interesting. republicans in the senate have gone quiet on this. only one republican went to the floor of the senate even to debate the bill. afterward, mitch mcconnell didn't respond to harry reid's statement. this is obviously not a vote they are particularly proud of,

i don't think. >> for the life of me, you know, there are a lot of things that happen in politics and the governor can speak to this as well as anybody. and you seem to be -- if you're a republican, you have to say, we may have an opportunity tonight, being last night to pick up some momentum here. and then you go and vote on an issue that everyone can understand. the title of the bill is easy to understand. >> that's right. >> you know, this is such an easy -- the governor touched on it. the real loser last night was scott brown, because that could determine the balance of power in the senate. why republicans would put him on the spot like that should suggest to a lot of americans, particularly independent voters, this is not the group you want in charge in the white house. and this is not the group you want in charge in the senate either. >> if i were the republican leader, why wouldn't you have the senate pass the bill and send it over to the house where you know they won't pass it in the who us? it won't even come up in the house. i don't get this. >> this is who you don't want in charge of the country setting policy. >> they say it will hurt business. and hurt growth.

>> the politics just don't make any sense. >> do you want to hurt women or do you want to hurt growth if you're the republican party? >> thank you. and by the way, i think if you have more women working, and this is an inspiration to do so, because you just feel like you can't get a leg up when you're not paid equally. >> i think if you had more women making those kind of votes you'd have more intelligent policy. >> well, absolutely. we need more women in leadership positions. >> imagine that you even need to have a vote like this. >> it's really depressing. ok. coming up, we'll talk to virginia governor bob mcdonnell. also, former economic adviser to president obama larry summers. plus, regis will be here on set. and hollywood producer jerry weintraub will join us. and why former president bill clinton is having to clarify what sounded a lot like an endorsement of the bush tax cuts. but first, bill karins has the forecast. sunshine state, anything but this morning.

severe storms are rolling through even at this hour. alligator alley, from naples all the way across to fot. lauderd e lauderdale, they are seeing the rain. but the worst right now, port st. lucie area, severe thunderstorms right over i-95. stay indoors about another hour and let that storm pass through. wet weather, savannah to charleston. beautiful country there. and central north carolina dealing with heavy rain from greensboro to ashboro. so there is some travel concerns but we are finally clearing out. beautiful morning from d.c. to philly, all the way up to new york. still cloudy and cool weather through new england today, but most of the rainshowers will pop up this afternoon. the morning hours look a lot better. we're also going to see stormy weather today after a hot day yesterday around dallas. thunderstorms today. 87 degrees. could have some airport delays there. nice from minneapolis to chicago to detroit. and on the west coast, still very chilly in the pacific northwest. even there, though, we'll begin to improve the weather ever so slowly. what a beautiful shot, washington, d.c.

florida, you'd love some of that sunshine. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. well hello, welcome to hotels.com. summer road trip, huh? yep uhuh let's find you a room. at hotels.com, you'll always find the perfect hotel. because we only do hotels. wow. i like that. nice! no. laugh...awe hmm nice huh ooh, yeah book it! oh boy call me... this summer, we're finding you the perfect place - plus giving you up to $100 at hotels.com ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family?

[ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪ washington may not like straight talk, but i do. [ female announcer ] and you've earned a say. get the facts and make your voice heard on medicare and social security at earnedasay.org.

crazy, right ? well, with this droid razr by motorola on verizon 4g lte, you guys can stay in touch. ( grunts ) cool. you can video call on skype... send photos. yeah, okay. yeah, let's do it. get $100 off any motorola 4g lte smartphone,

like the droid 4 now just $99.99. verizon. every 75 yards, a landing craft heads to the shore and touches down. resistance is furious from german suicide squads, but the americans go in and hang on by their guts. nbc news archive video of the d-day invasion, 68 years ago today. that's june 6, 1944. jon meacham, bring us back to normandy. >> well, dwight eisenhower, who was the commander, was so uncertain about its ultimate fate that he wrote out a letter of resignation, taking all the

blame in case it went poorly. there's a lesson for today for politicians. called it the great crusade. postponed it one day because of the weather. and then there was a forecast that gave him just a little window on the -- from the 5th to 6th, and he took it. franklin roosevelt delivered a prayer of his own composition on the radio, 100 million americans. it was ary lease released in th morning, and it he read it on the radio. it was probably the largest moment of mass human common prayer maybe in the world. and i think pretty safe to say that the invasion itself was the hinge of the 20th century. this gets into what the dorks call counterfactualism. you know, what would have happened if. but the germans were working toward an atomic weapon. they were firing missiles on london. and if it had failed, would fdr have lost the 1944 election it

was june. you know. it was a tough call. >> what would the 20th century have looked like for freedom? >> yeah. on the other end of the channel just for a second, winston churchill, after opposing the operation for a long time because he feared amphibious operations and their human toll, he was so desperate to go on the invasion, i think it took three letters from the king to keep him off the invading craft. >> i had never heard that story. >> at leave thrst three letters call him off. but it was the most momentous hour. and those guys you're looking at there are really ordinary americans who four years before were not doing that. and coming off boats designed and made in new orleans. and it was one of the great moments of mobilization, the great hour in which we really were our best. >> is there a place, jon, of all

the historical sites you visit, including ones here at home, gettysburg, places like that, that brings more of a chill to your back? there's none for me. the first time i went to normandy, i was there with a man who had been -- he had been on the beach at omaha 51 years prior and hadn't been back since that day. and came back and just stood on the beach and looked out in the water as the rest of us sat back. it was -- i'll never forget it. i can't think of a place like it. >> it's phenomenal. the cemetery has a kind of cold beauty. and it's remarkable. and the cliffs are big, but they're not sort of -- before i went there, i thought of them as, you know, vast cliffs. and you think of how tall they looked when those young guys are coming off the beach. i think that the closest a lot of us are ever going to get to combat i think is the first 10 or 15 minutes of "saving private

ryan," which spielberg and hanks' take on this, which i really recommend. it's a remarkable combat sequence. i interviewed -- when that movie came out, i interviewed a man, a veteran, who had been in that first wave who said it was the closest he had ever come to reliving the experience, was watching that. he could do everything except smell the cordite. and again, i think for when we get depressed about our politics, which is a rational reaction to them, you know, we were a terribly divided country. arthur schlessinger used to say that the argument over intervention from '38 to '41 really was as divisive if not more so an argument than vietnam was. that in its time, whether or not we were going to become involved in europe's struggles, was -- tore america apart in a way like vietnam and as we are now. and yet in this remarkable hour

of mobilization. from more or less a stand still in '40 and '41, we became the world's greatest superpower in four years. and we did it by everybody chipping in. it was a common culture of sacrifice. it was a common effort. it involved industry. it involved our presidential leadership. it involved diplomacy. my god. >> the president's leadership. >> absolutely. arthur herman has a new book out. >> great book. >> which is about the coming together. and here is another moment. january 1941, after fdr has beaten wendell wilke, wilke comes to the white house and roosevelt sends him on a mission to europe to sort of reassure the european leaders that america is one. and he wrote out a -- quoted longfellow. he wrote out sail on, oh ship of states, sail out, union great, on a piece of stationery for

wilke to give to churchill. so we do have the capacity for common effort and common victory. and in a noble cause. and we proved it in a divisive time then and i think we can do it now too. >> let's turn to today and see how it looks. thank you, meacham. >> well done. >> we'll start with a look at the morning papers. "the los angeles times" say votes are still being counted but so far california residents are split on whether to raise cigarette taxes by $1 per pack. money that would go to fund cancer research. with 99% of precincts reporting, proposition 29 is still too close to call. financial times," vladimir putin says he will boost military cooperation with china as the u.s. plans to shift more war ships to the region. china and russia also discussed a stronger economic partnership, including a slew of investment and trade deals. "the new york times," a new report today details just how tough it is for recent high

school graduates looking for work who don't have a college degree. according to the reports, only one in six is working fulltime. three out of five live with their parents or other relatives. 73% say they need more education to find a successful career. but only half say they plan to enroll in the next few years. >> just going back to sort of linking this up, the most important piece -- and i think you would agree -- one of the most important pieces of legislation in the 20th century was the g.i. bill. >> yeah. >> after the war. so all of those guys who were wading through that surf, who survived, and who didn't make the ultimate sacrifice, could come back and get a college education. >> right. >> there is a connection between, again, our common effort to support education so those guys that went into the private sector, went into some government, to fight the cold war, and we built a middle class in the late '40s, '50s, and '60s

that led to the civil rights movement. it built a remarkable country. but we did it because we invested in people from the public purse. and it wasn't crazy, wild spending. it was smart, targeted, intelligent. and that kind of spirit and that kind of thinking is what we need. >> well, we have whole different kind of thinking now. that was the roosevelt, truman way. it was a revolution that took place after the depression. >> right. >> so, you know, the whole thinking is now business can do everything. and the problem is of course business has no interest in doing everything. they just have an interest in doing what business does, which doesn't help build middle classes. >> well, to be fair, it's somewhere between those two, right? business if called upon and mobilized and if they see a payoff down the road, they want an educated work force, right? so i think both sides can come maybe not 50 yards but 30 each and we'd be in a better place. >> i agree with that. >> i agree with reverend meacham.

[ laughter ] >> preaching this morning. good segment. >> amen. >> well done, sir. we'll have much more on the wisconsin recall election, including a bizarre moment when tom barrett was slapped across the grill by one of his own supporters. >> it's a joke, right? also some sports, the miami heat now one game away from elimination. celtics go into miami and take one from lebron and d-wade. highlights are next. if there was a pill to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health.

mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. pull on those gardening gloves. and let's see how colorful an afternoon can be. with the home depot certified advice to help us expand our palette... ...and prices that keep our budgets firmly rooted... ...we can mix the right soil with the right ideas. ...and bring even more color to any garden. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. beat the bugs with ortho bug-b-gon max spray or concentrate just $7.97.

time for sports. chris bosh was back for the miami heat last night in the eastern conference finals, reuniting the big three in a game they needed to win. a pivotal game five at home against the celtics. boston trying to steal one on the road. first quarter, bosh checks in, gets a big, on vagz. on -- big ovation. contributes right away. played 14 minutes, nine points. jump ahead to the fourth quarter now. brandon bass and the celtics. goes in for the dunk. blocked by wade. but look at the play by rondo. he taps it out . unbelievable. lebron driving to the basket. blocked by kevin garnett. more problems for lebron. misses a three that would have given the heat a lead.

they were down two. lebron three shots, two points in the final five minutes. up by one point with 53 seconds to go, paul pierce drains one up over the outstretched arm of lebron. puts the celtics up four. and that tut it away. -- put it away. pierce, 19 points. kevin garnett, 26. the celtics go on the road and win game five, 94-90. they are up 3-2 in the series. they play tomorrow night in boston with a chaness to close out the heat, harold. >> i don't know if they will hold on. but if the celtics win, that shot you just showed could be the reason that you dissolve the lebron-dwyane wade miami thing. >> i get the celtics are great and they have great heart. but they are pretty old. and i cannot understand how lebron james and dwyane wade and chris bosh aren't just sweeping everybody away. >> bosh has been out a lot. >> he has. >> but i have to tell you, watching that, paul pierce showed so much heart and spirit. >> and rondo.

how about rondo? >> yeah. whatever age he is. that's a championship forward they have got there. >> the former governor of vermont and democratic committee chairman just make an ageist remark? >> it matters in sports. >> he is a big fan. we see each other at thanksgiving. >> that's right. every year. best college basketball. >> rondo doesn't get enough credit. he is incredible. >> he is the star. don't count miami out, though. >> well -- >> tomorrow night will be defining. if they come back and win game seven, sins will be forgiven. but if they don't, lebron will be in trouble. mets and nationals. bases loaded for bryce harper, and he performs. that's the game-winner. nationals win walk-off 7-6 over the mets. first walk-off hit of harper's young career. nationals stay on top in the nl east. and we should tell you game four of the stanley cup finals

tonight on the nbc sports network. the l.a. kings, the eight seed out of the west, now with a chance to sweep the new jersey devils. >> this is amazing. >> incredible. coming up, what president clinton said about the bush tax cuts that he had to clarify a bit later. that's next. ♪

♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose -- to make the world a safer place. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about how some companies like to get between ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you and your money. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we believe your money should be available ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to you whenever and wherever you want. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 which is why we rebate every atm fee worldwide. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and why our mobile app lets you transfer funds, ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 execute trades, even deposit checks just by ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 taking a picture, right from your phone. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck and put those barriers behind you. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids.

ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪

bill clinton spoke last night at a fundraiser for president obama. and i was amazed at how quickly clinton's speech was turned into a campaign ad. take a look. >> i don't think it's important to re-elect the president. >> i'm mitt romney, and i approved this message. >> that was fast. >> yeah.

all right. bill clinton sat down for an interview with cnbc yesterday and went a tad bit off message speaking about the best way to deal with the bush tax cuts set to expire at the end of this year. >> i don't have any problem with extending all of it now, including the current spending levels. they are still pretty low, the government spending levels. but the real issue is not whether they should be extended for another few months. the real issue is whether the price the republican house will put on that extension is the permanent extension of the tax cuts. which i think is an error. >> yeah. >> i don't understand how the press -- we play this stuff up, or some in the press do. what he said there is what president obama and the white house have been urging all along. i don't understand why anyone is up in arms about what the president said there. for that matter even what he said on the piers morgan show

with harvey weinstein. his point there was what most moderate to liberal democrats believe that the president is should be doing. find fiscal responsibility and fiscal sanity. the republicans in the house, which they have proven over the past almost 24 months. i don't understand what the big hoopla is. >> i think hthis is a bunch of huey over nothing. >> later, clinton tries to clarify saying, as president clinton has said many times before, he supported extending all of the cuts in 2010 as part of the budget agreement but does not believe that the tax cuts for the wealthiest americans should be extended again. he simply said thate doubted that a long-term agreement on spending cuts and revenues would be reached until after the election. so it was his political analysis. >> in that same interview, he was asked by maria, do you think that the buffett rule, the 30%a tax, is that too high?

and he said, no, 30% is not a high rate for the wealthiest of americans. not those earning $250,000, but the wealthiest in the country. this is republicans trying to make something out of nothing. >> this is reporting fever here. i really do think. >> completely. >> this is going to go away. i don't think there's anything here. >> there's nothing to see here? is that what you're saying? >> move on. >> so you don't think the larger question of bill clinton's role over the last week or so is worth looking into? >> no, i don't. truly, i don't. you have an ex-president with very high ratings who says something and the press flocks to it and they pick it apart. i hate to tell you, but been there, done that in my campaign. that's what they do. they take tiny things and make them a lot bigger, and then it becomes the story and the next story and the next story. and finally they'll move on to the romney swiss bank account or something like that. >> you got it in. it took you 47 minutes to get in the swiss bank account. well done. >> this is the fourth ransom

note in three weeks for someone who has run afoul of the obama campaign. the table may not be unhappy about president clinton's remarks, but i can tell you that the obama campaign is. and the "wall street journal" is reporting this morning that that statement that came from the clinton aide matt mckenna was the result of a push from the obama campaign. republicans on the hill were -- are so ecstatic about this. they are going to be able to use these remarks again and again and say, hey, this is what a pro business democrat looks like. and even president bill clinton, you're going to hear that again and again. >> you don't think that the "wall street journal" would have any interest in fanning a story like that, do you? >> mike's exactly right. sorry. this is -- you can totally see on a human level how this would drive the obama people crazy. you've got this rock star former president who talks a great deal, and is sort of the price we pay. do we want presidents who have

enormous experience afterward talking about it, trying to sort of inform the debate, or do you want them to be silent? we have both examples right now. >> he can be as helpful as he can be undermining to the obama re-election campaign, mike allen. fair enough? >> well, that's right. and in addition, he is soaking up the oxygen. he is doing four interviews yesterday. he is getting more coverage for his economic views than president obama is. >> he does take up a lot of oxygen out of the room. >> he does. >> but if you are a voter, if you are wanting him to help you, clinton, or anybody for that matter, you hope he's going to excite your base and hope he'll excite independents. the question for those around the table, mike, you talk to many people in washington, i don't as much anymore, what does he say yesterday that is going to deter, discourage, or prevent any moderate voter or independent voter from wanting to make the obama choice? if you watched him yesterday and you are pro business democrat, which i am, a pro business independent voter, you say, you know, he is supporting barack obama and has confidence in him. i think i might do it as well.

again, anyone worried about this, don't let him get up and talk, this is bill clinton at his best. and i agree with his politics. but if you let him get up and talk, i don't think he's hurt anybody in the last 40 hours. >> i don't either. i think the press is undermining him not because they don't like bill clinton or barack obama, this is what the press do. if there isn't enough news, they have to do this. it's silly. it's gossip. >> all of these guys have sat on this show and been critical of mitt romney. not as much critical as raising different viewpoints and perspectives. clinton spoke from the democratic views yesterday, saying we have to tax the wealthy more before you make spending cuts to the most vulnerable in the country. that is our message. i don't know what he said yesterday that ran afoul of that. >> mike allen? >> i don't think that president clinton intended to be unhelpful. it was unquestionably unhelpful. and all you have to do is look

at the ransom note to see that. >> no hostage video. >> or because we spent four minutes on it. >> because we ever tare the pre we are manufacturing news. >> i think when you have a former president weighing in on something that he clearly knows about, it's important. >> the argument is not that he weighs in, but this is a very tiny splitting of hairs to get a story out of this. >> it's not teeny. >> mike will disagree, and we'll continue the conversation. but what we do need is some manufactured news coming up. that would be "news you can't use." you have something good? mama needs a good one. >> you're the manufacturing job plant. >> job creation. regis will be here, along with hollywood producer jerry weintraub. keep it right here on "morning joe."

four walls and a roof is a structure. what's inside is a home. home protector plus from liberty mutual insurance, where the cost to both repair your house and replace what's inside are covered. so your life can settle right back into place. to learn more, visit libertymutual.com today.

cuban ca jun raw seafood pizza parlor french fondue tex-mex fro-yo tapas puck chinese takeout taco truck free range chicken pancake stack baked alaska 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at restaurants. it pays to discover.

it is time. it is time for a little "news you can't use." anybody want to -- i didn't get the mika thing. i guess you weren't going to do that this morning? >> oh, yeah. >> don't do it. >> excellent. let's show the slap heard round the world. tom barrett's concession speech last night was not received well by one supporter of his. he was confronted after conceding by a woman who didn't want him to concede because not all the votes were counted yet.

>> not all the votes had been cast yet. >> had been cast yet. that's right. he was right to concede but the votes had not been cast. here's what happens. leans in with the woman. and she smacks him across the face. she said can i slap you? he said i prefer a hug. and she smacks him anyway. a lot of frustration there in wisconsin yesterday. >> and then she sort of -- >> then she kind of rubs his arm there like -- it was like a love tap. >> more than a love tap. his cheek was red aft that. >> we should not encourage that kind of thing. >> i'm not encouraging it. >> have you ever been slapped? >> not in my public life. >> leave it there. keep it right there. mitt romney was on the trail yesterday in ft. worth, texas. telling the tale of the time he met a guy who stood seven feet tall. >> i met a guy yesterday. seven feet tall. yeah. handsome, great big guy. seven feet tall. name was rick miller. portland, oregon. and he started a business.

of course, you know, it was in basketball. but it wasn't in basketball. i mean, i figured he had be to in spart, but he wasn't in sport. his business is caring for senioring. >> the guy wasn't even in sport. seven feet tall, not even in sport. >> i don't talk like that, but -- not in sport. >> he wasn't in sport. how about that? governor dean, great to see you this morning. >> nice to be here. >> there was some cross talk making your point about the swiss bank accounts. do you want to make that point one more time? >> thanks, willie. when is that going to appear? as harold said in tennessee, if you have a swiss bank account, people think you're doing wrong. >> as harold knows all too well. >> that may be more ubiquitous thinking than just in tennessee. >> that was the least of harold's problems. >> we had two of them. >> slap him. still ahead, chair of the republican governors association, virginia governor bob mcdonnell will join us. also, larry summers, former

obama economic adviser. that's all ahead on "morning joe." [ male announcer ] when a major hospital

wanted to provide better employee benefits while balancing the company's bottom line, their very first word was... [ to the tune of "lullaby and good night" ] ♪ af-lac ♪ aflac [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. [ yawning sound ] who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62%

is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62%

so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news. tonight, we tell wisconsin and people all across the globe that voters really do want leaders who stand up and make the tough decision.

we'll renew our commitment to help small businesses. grow jobs in the state. [ cheers and applause ] >> we'll renew our commitment to help grow the quality of life for all of our citizens, both those who voted for me and those who voted for someone else. because tomorrow, tomorrow is the day after the election, and tomorrow we are no longer opponents. tomorrow, we are one as wisconsinites. so together, we can move our state forward. welcome back to "morning joe." jon meacham and harold ford jr. are still with us. we're going to get right to wisconsin, our top story here at the top of the hour. wisconsin governor scott walker is back on the job today after a decisive win in yesterday's closely watched recall election. the race was called less than an hour after the polls closed with the republican incumbent taking in at least 53% of the vote.

he edged out democratic challenger milwaukee mayor tom barrett by seven points. it's a stinging defeat for organized labor, which poured millions of dollars into the race in an effort to push walker from office. union leaders launched the recall drive in response to the governor's conservative agenda, which includes a contentious measure to eliminate collective bargaining rights for most public workers. supporters of walker say his proposals are in an even stronger position now after the vote. and with us now, live from madison, wisconsin, chief washington correspondent of cnbc and political writer for "the new york times" john harwood. and from washington, political director and host of "the daily rundown" chuck todd. john harwood, we'll start with you on the ground there. any way to slice this other than a big blow to unions? >> absolutely not. you know, you raised the stakes by not just opposing the

legislative agenda of a governor but trying to eject him from office prematurely, and you get beat as decisively as happened last night by a larger margin than scott walker won in 2010, and it hurts. you know, they have already lost a significant chunk of members as a result of the recall. and now you're likely to see republican governors in other states, some democrats too, become somewhat more aggressive in taking on public employee unions. very few, i think, will choose to go as far as scott walker in trying to take away collective bargaining rights. john kasich tried that in ohio and he got slapped down by the voters in a referendum. but certainly the side that wants to curb quientitlements, employee pay and pension benefits, will be encouraged. as for walker, you heard the acceptance speech and he said that people around the globe are responding to this. maybe he'll go to europe and solve the eurozone crisis as well. >> chuck todd, do you agree?

>> well, i would say is what was clear is that labor -- and you have to say labor. you know, what's interesting here you had a united republican party behind walker and you only had one cog of the democratic machine behind barrett in this recall, and arguably it's the weakest cog. labor unions have slowly been losing power for a generation. it seems every cycle, they lose a little bit more. but the biggest number that jumped out at me in the exit poll is that when you had 60% of those who showed up to the polls that said that recall should only be used for instances of official misconduct, and only 28% -- so one in four folks who showed up said recalls should be used for any -- could be used for any reason necessary, any means necessary. so the bottom line is, democrats, labor, tom barrett, never made the case that the recall was legitimate. let's forget the issue itself.

they never made the case that this recall was legitimate to a majority of wisconsin voters. even voters who ended up voting for barrett. that's why this thing failed. >> and there is a lot of money poured into this. you have analysts looking at this, john harwood, as money got in the way, and supported walker. and if you look at the exit polls, president obama is still winning over mitt romney. but yet still -- what, is this the third recall election in the country's history? attempt. and it seemed like the unions fell flat in their efforts. ultimately, the voters decided, did they not? >> they did. unions did succeed according to the last exits i saw before going to bed last night. they got it up to 33% from 26% in 2010. that suggests they did have some impact on turnout. but i think chuck is right that

the legitimacy of a recall in the middle of somebody's term is one overhang that was pressing down at their efforts. and i do think it is a proxy for the role of outside money, which democrats have been worried about with good reason. it is possible that one reaction to this is to get some democratic donors who have not been writing the checks in the same way that foster freeze and chub nattleson and the koch brothers have been. maybe they will get out and start donating now. president obama has won six straight times, and was up by nine points among those who showed up. but mitt romney has reason to be encouraged he might be able to make this very competitive. >> meacham? >> quick question for chuck. on the wafford rule of what this might say for later in the year, in the way 1991, pennsylvania signalled clinton, what is the white house thinking? >> well, i think they realize they are up against a couple of things.

number one, it is a united republican party. that the coalition that they put together in 2010 not only has that not faded, you have a very strong republican turnout machine that is a lot stronger than it was in 2008. that's -- that to me is the biggest mechanical take away. the second is, you know, the democrats have to look at it here and the white house has to look here and say, ok, we may have to spend some money in wisconsin in a way we didn't figure. i still think at the end of the day you'll see -- wisconsin is not going to be mitt romney's 270th electoral vote. there are other states he has got to win. wisconsin is an icing on the cake type of state. it's still a state that is not quite what missouri is to republicans, where it always polls close but at the end of the day republicans now always seem to carry missouri in a presidential that does feel like where wisconsin is. but under a scenario where all the momentum was with mitt romney, i think you'd see a wisconsin move there.

so i do think that the white house looks at this and says, we're still ok in wisconsin, we just may have to spend a little more time and money. because you may have a base inside the state party who is a little bit chagrinned this morning. >> i would say shattered a bit. john harwood, our thanks to you. we want to bring in now from richmond, virginia, bob mcconnell, president of the republican governors association. governor, you have the platform. what is the message of governor walker's win last night? >> well, good morning, mika. thank you for having me on. i think it was the fact that it was really not about the reforms themselves. it was about whether the reforms were working. and to me the message is that a politician that stands up and says, this is what we need to do, this is what we can afford, and if you do these things we'll get results and bring in jobs and reduce our budget deficits. and then it works. the voters will reward them for it. and i think that's why he was so successful last night.

and why the unions failed. >> so for those who say it was money that was poured into this race, rather than a blow to labor, and to reform there, what do you say? >> well, mika, that's laughable. i never heard that argument back in 2008 when president obama had twice as much money as the republicans that it was money. but, yes, money is part of being able to launch a successful campaign. and people across wisconsin and across the country invested because they thought his ideas were right. he's a standup guy. he is courageous. and guess what happened and with his performs? 30,000 more jobs eliminated, $3.6 million deficit. and the governor's association invested about $9 million in this race. we were delighted to be part of a coalition with people like americans for prosperity and the nra and many other grassroots organizations that believe that these reforms were really a microcosm for what's going to

happen in november with mitt romney's ideas versus obama's failed record on jobs and spending. and i think it's good news for us for five months down the road. >> chuck todd? >> hey, governor mcdonald. you and i have talked about this before. on this issue of you and other republican governors making a more optimistic case about where the state of the economy is in your respective states, that was your message from the rga. that was governor walker's message to voters in wisconsin. and what was interesting on the exit poll it was clear that walker voters also viewed -- this is a vote where a majority wanted walker to stay in office, also picked the president over romney on handling of the economy. is this a case where as republican governors talk up the economy in their own battle ground states that it may be helping the president? >> no. i think voters are smart, and they can figure out whose policies are contributing to a good economy.

and in wisconsin, they obviously felt that these specific reforms led to 30,000 more jobs. the first cut in property taxes in a decade. and just a better quality of life for people in wisconsin. i think that's different than saying, well, president obama gets some credit simply because he's in office. i can't think of a specific policy of this president, certainly in virginia, that has helped to lead to the fact that we have got a 5.6% unemployment rate here. so voters are smart, and they will credit the person whose policies are getting the results. >> harold ford. >> governor, good morning. harold ford. >> hi, harold. good morning. >> the question i have, can you name for voters one positive thing that president obama has done? i think at some level you mentioned when the question was asked from the outside it was laughable when democrats are making the point about money. i think you deserve credit for what's happening in virginia, but i think it's equally laughable to suggest that the stimulus package which certainly helped northern virginia and the defense industry there in the washington larger metropolitan

area and some of the president's policies have not contributed to the fall in unemployment rates in your state and key states around the country. where do you draw the line? how can republican governors or for that matter any governor say we've done it all, and the president's done nothing but the bad stuff? is that not a laughable line as well, sir? >> no. i think a couple of things. one, the reason that seven out of the 10 states, top 10 states that have the lowest unemployment states are governed by republican governors means something different is going on. you look at the numbers of unemployment and budget problems and unfunded liabilities in places like california and illinois and connecticut, and i think there's a difference with democratic governors. >> we've got a good one here in new york, andrew cuomo, good governor. >> i didn't list him. he has been governing more like a republican. i credit him for that. but the short-term stimulus clearly for a year or so on things like health care and

medicaid and education, it did put the finger in the dike and eliminate further cuts at the state level. but that did nothing for the long-term economic recovery. what i said, harold, on things like education reform and charter schools, the administration has had a few good ideas. but when it comes to jobs, i think it's been an absolute failure. 8.1% unemployment for 40 straight months, unacceptable. and the president doesn't have the right business guy around him to craft the policies like mitt romney would that will get us out of this. i think that's been the failure. >> willie? >> governor mcdonnell, willie geist. good morning. >> hey, willie. >> putting aside politics and your opinion of the president, what has worked for you in terms of creating jobs inside the state of virginia? what are some things that other states perhaps could take away from what you and your legislature have been able to pass? >> one, you create an

environment for people to be good entrepreneurs and grow jobs. lower taxes and limited government and keeping regulations down. we have right to work law and limited union presence in our state. and a very good higher education system. and then we've been very positive about entrepreneurship and job creators, and the private sector's ability to do things. not more reliance on government. and finally, a lot of programs that targeted tax cuts and international trade offices. and just telling our story in a very positive way. i think in washington, you've got a tax on wall street, on main street. certainly on the energy industry that has hurt us badly in virginia by the epa in this administration. you can't do that. if you want to create jobs, don't attack the job creators. unfortunately, that's what this president has done. >> governor bob mcdonnell, thank you very much for coming on. >> thank you, mika. glad to be on. chuck todd, before we go, you mentioned the exit polls. and i think it's kind of interesting the way they came down. obviously, with obama an edge over romney. big one in some cases.

but harold ford, at the top of the last hour, made the point that this still is difficult for the obama re-election campaign. it shows that you can't just organize, if i can encapsulate. >> absolutely. >> you've got the message of everyone needs a fair shot to everyone has to give a little. it's kind of convoluted. and it shows how you can have loud, raucous, galvanizing organization, but that's not going to put you over the top. >> well, i agree on that front. but i think that this is just more proof that labor is just operating in -- they don't have the pull they once had. they don't have the credibility with voters they once had, labor unions on this front. and you go back to the basics of this. you know, what was the recall about? number one, the entire campaign got turned into a rerun. there's going to be a lot of

nitpicking, the democrats are going to do. the biggest thing they'll say is the biggest mistake is they had the wrong candidate. i think they were right. >> and that's unfair. i don't like that. tom barrett is a good man. and they shouldn't make that point about the candidate and they should be careful in doing that. >> but, harold, here is why there's a case to be made they had the wrong candidate. this is no offense to mr. barrett. the person, the individual, the politician. but by making it a rematch, it automatically allowed the campaign to quickly fall into the old frames of 2010. >> right. >> and they never were able to get out of that box. >> but, chuck, that was the frame that got the recall going. the frame was around union workers and government workers losing their bargaining rights. so what frame was it organized other than that frame? >> well, that's the other thing. they never made the case that the recall was legitimate. and that's number one. i think if herb cole had been the democratic nominee, they probably would have won this recall because it would have changed the tone. and they never ran on this issue

of -- you know, to me, the way to win this recall on either side was to blame -- was to make the case that the other side was dividing the state. and i think in this case walker was able to basically by the fact that a majority thought the recall wasn't legitimate in this case, he made the case the other side was dividing the state. had you had a herb cole, a different type of political figure running, there's a chance that candidate could have made the case, hey, it's scott walker that divide the state. and i'm just talking about it technically. >> chuck todd, we'll see you on "the daily rundown" right after "morning joe." still ahead, oscar-winning actor morgan freeman will join us on the set. up next, we'll talk to former economic adviser to the president larry summers, and pulitzer prize-winning columnist for "the new york times" gretchen morganson. but first, bill karins has a check on the forecast. special treat for you. got access to a beautiful photo

of a supercell thunderstorm cell from montana. look at the very bottom there. that's the actual tornado from the super cell thunderstorm. thankfully it didn't do too much damage, but it just gives you a perspective of mother nature's beauty and power. today, all about florida. strong thunderstorms around west palm beach, and a few just to the west of miami. the rest of the forecast, a few thunderstorms hit and miss for the eastern seaboard. but dallas, watch out for big storms later on this afternoon. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. dude you don't understand, this is my dad's car. look at the car! my dad's gonna kill me dude...

[ male announcer ] the security of a 2012 iihs top safety pick. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering. to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®.

i don't have any problem with extending all of it now, including the current spending levels. they are still pretty low, the government spending levels. but the real issue is not whether they should be extended

for another few months. the real issue is whether the price the republican house will put on that extension is the permanent extension of the tax cuts. which i think is an error. >> welcome back to "morning joe." joining us now from boston, former economic adviser to president obama and former treasury secretary in the clinton administration larry summers. and here on set, assistant business and financial editor and columnist at "the new york times" gretchen morganson. she is co-author of "reckless endangerment." now out in paperback. great book. good to have you onboard this morning. >> thanks. larry summers, let's start with you. you heard bill clinton talking about the tax cuts. we had terrible unemployment numbers coming out last week. what would you advise the president to do at this point? >> look, the real risk to this

economy is on the side of slowdowns. certainly not on the side of overheating. and that means we've got to make sure that we don't take the gasoline out of the tank at the end of this year. that's got to be the top priority. we've got to make sure that what we keep providing support to the economy. the areas where we have done that, like support for the auto industry, we haven't had great results but much better results. in the areas where we aren't able to do what we wanted to do, areas like preserving jobs for teachers, areas like construction and investment and maintenance of the country's infrastructure, you look at the employment report, and we've really got terrible results. so the key priority has got to be for the short run making sure that there's the energy to keep the economy growing, because we're not going to do anything about the deficit unless we do that. and then for the medium term, we obviously medium and long-term

have got to do things to control the deficit. and certainly if you look at where we need to look to do that, as the president also -- president clinton also recognized in his comments last night, you've got to look to the people who have gotten the most gains from the economy over the last 30 years, and who have also gotten the biggest tax reductions. and that's the group that's been -- the group that's been most fortunate. it's not taking from them. it's simply asking them to do their fair share at a time when the country has got to pull together to work through some difficult problems. >> but on both those fronts, there's a lot of opposition, obviously, to actually getting something done especially between now and election day. simpson bo soson bowles. is that revived, or what would you do to try and strike that balance? >> i think the broad concepts behind simpson bowles are the

right ones. the president has recognized that when he in the budget proposals he put forward, the president was really prepared to go very long mile last year. he was prepared to put entitlements on the table in a way no democratic president had been before. he reached out again and again. and unfortunately it wasn't possible to put together a deal. though i think speaker boehner really wanted to put together a deal. but others in his party wouldn't go along. and wanted to threaten the country's creditworthiness instead. you know, i have to say that some of these -- as somebody who has watched this stuff for a long time, i found that very disspiriting and discouraging spectacle. my kids and i may disagree about whether i should pay some of their expenses at college or they should pay some of their expenses at college, but as a

family, we recognize that not paying the visa bill is not one of our options. >> right. >> and there was a failure to recognize that on the part of the house majority last summer. and i think that was something that really did detract from confidence both in the united states and internationally. >> gretchen, your book tells the story of how we got into a big mess. and i think a big question for a lot of people is can this happen again. and with europe and the kinds of issues that larry is talking about, what's your sense of the next couple of years? >> unfortunately, i think it can happen again. because we really didn't address some of the biggest issues that were the crisis and the creation of it. i.e., too big to fail institutions that are still incredibly politically and powerfully interconnected. so that was the biggest, i think, take away that we should have addressed in a very major

aggressive way. we did not. so even though you have this resolution authority in dodd frank, it really does nothing to sort of cut these institutions down to a size that's more manageable. where we know that they won't imperil the entire economy. >> what's your sense about europe's effect? >> europe is a huge, huge effect here. and i think that that and the jobs report that we just had change the entire picture. i think spain is the obvious, you know, 500-pound gorilla in the room. greece is a done deal. we're all aware of that. spain is an enormous, enormous problem. and it is going to have an impact on our economy. >> harold? >> can i go back to larry for just one moment? chairman harold ford. the urging that you have, and you've written about it extensively now over the last several weeks or last few months, about more stimulus, this is not the time to pull back, there's an argument on the other side that says if democrats push that, republicans will argue or we could find

ourselves reaching a moment where we have to raise the debt ceiling again, and that could be politically dangerous for democrats and for the president in particular. number one, in light of what happened in wisconsin where voters said, we'll keep walker as a back drop, how do you answer that argument that if we push for more stimulus we could reach a debt ceiling argument early which may not be advantageous for the president? >> harold, unlike you, i'm not an elected politician. >> but you worked for one. >> i call them as i see them, with respect to the economy. i think there's room to put in place as soon as there's any bipartisan willingness to do it a growth oriented program with a long width adjusting the debt ceiling, put in place after the debt ceiling is increased. we can get the economy growing. look, here's what people really don't recognize well enough.

the most important determinant of how much debt we take on as a country is of course the deficit, and the most important determinant in the short run of the deficit is how fast this economy grows. and so if we're able to put together more confidence and that picks up the growth rate by even 1% on the economy, that's tens of billions of dollars of extra revenues, tens of billions of dollars of reduced benefit payments, all told. and that of course means we're accumulating less debt. i think there's a tendency when people think about the deficit to only think about it in terms of the debt. in terms of the national debt that we accrue. we're killing the next generation when we defer maintenance. we are killing the next generation when we pile up pension liabilities. we're killing the next

generation when they only go to school for four days a week because that's all state governments can afford. and so when we talk about getting ready for the future, when we talk about reducing the deficits, absolutely we need to focus on the deficit. but let's focus on all the deficits. let's focus on the deficit represented when bridges are on the brink of collapse as well. and those investments pay off for the economy, and that means they ultimately pay off for the taxpayer. >> and gretchen morguenson, your book, "reckless endangerment," describes in great detail the makings of an economic free fall. and here we go again, or how would you leave it? >> i'm not going to say it's happening tomorrow. but we have not put our house in order, unfortunately, and now we have the extra problem of europe which really does seem to be deteriorating fast. the potential for china to have a slowdown.

it really is kind of a perfect storm, to use a tired expression, but true. >> once again, the book is "reckless endangerment." it is worth reading if you haven't. gretchen, thank you very much. larry, thank you as well. >> thank you. coming up, afghanistan and veterans of america's paul rykoff. but first, morgan freeman. "morning joe" brewed by starbucks is back in a moment. good morning! wow. want to start the day with something heart healthy and delicious? you're a talking bee... honey nut cheerios has whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol. and it tastes good?

sure does! right... ♪ wow. delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family? [ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪ washington may not like straight talk, but i do. [ female announcer ] and you've earned a say. get the facts and make your voice heard on medicare and social security at earnedasay.org. you'll inevitably find yourself on a desolate highway in your jeep grand cherokee. and when you do, you'll be grateful for the adaptive cruise control

that automatically adjusts your speed when approaching slower traffic. and for the blind spot monitoring that helps remind you that the highway might not be as desolate... ...as you thought. ♪ you get a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more cash -- well, except her. no! but, i'm about to change that. ♪ every little baby wants 50% more cash... ♪ phhht! fine, you try. [ strings breaking, wood splintering ] ha ha. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. ♪ what's in your wallet? ♪ what's in your...your...

scientists now agree that development of separate races began around 50,000 years ago, when modern humans migrated out of africa. there, dark-skinned pigmentation was and remains a protective force against ultra violet rays. but as humans moved further north, dark skin blocked too much sunlight, and reduced the natural production of vitamin b in our deep skin layers.

lighter skinned people fared better in europe and china. for those who migrated to south america and southern india, darker skin once again protected them from the sun. but john's research is showing that these now isolated ethnicities continue to evolve over the ensuing millenia, and that distinctions between racial groups do go deeper than our skin. >> that was a clip from the science channel's "through the worm hole" with morgan freeman. here with us now, the show's host, academy award winning actor morgan freeman. very good to have you on the show. an honor. >> thank you. >> do you watch "morning joe"? >> yeah. >> really? >> yeah. >> you watch "way too early"? >> yeah. >> with willie geist? >> yeah. >> we need a pause, because this is like seeing a spot snow leopard. >> i either watch the science channel or i watch msnbc. >> really? that's kind of exciting. sorry. >> it puts the pressure on, knowing that morgan freeman is

watching. you know what i mean? >> it really does. >> we need to raise our game, willie. >> i think it's too late for that. there's no hope for us. morgan, let's talk about your show "through the worm hole." >> it looks fascinating. >> you ask some tough questions, including the clip we just saw about whether in fact there is a superior race. how do you grapple with that on the show? >> well, generally we go to scientists, whoever is pretty much expert on the subject that we want to investigate. so we just go and ask people what is the common belief amongst the scientific community, as it were, what's going on. and of course the general consensus is there is no such thing. when we talk about i.q. tests. if you imagine as smart as you are that if you were set down in

the saerengeti with some warriors, what your i.q. would be there. >> yeah. >> so what are we talking about when we talk about iq? >> what draws you to these questions? >> i am like most people. i'm curious about things. and if i have -- i have a forum now. i have a way to ask these questions. and i'm not just -- you know, we have a whole panel of us who sit around and come up with these questions. did we invent god? everybody wants to know. really. >> these are heavy questions. >> they're heavy. but morgan, with all due respect, some of them don't seem like they have answers, or do they? what have you discovered so far? >> that a lot of questions do not have factual answers. they have faith answers.

by that, i mean an answer that suits your point of view. and that's your answer, right? particularly when we get into stuff like god questions. >> so you don't have like -- i'm just curious. you don't have solid answers for did we invent god, will eternity end, what is nothing? >> well, you can't have a solid answer. you can only entertain the question. >> ok. right. >> so if you can only entertain the question, and often the question is still left with a question, why are you doing it? >> because people are curious about it. and the discussion kind of helps spark more questions. all they say is question everything, just question it, you know. is this so, can you do that, is this possible? for instance, is it possible to live forever? can we live forever? you know what the general answer is? maybe. >> maybe.

>> that's not very satisfying. >> well, but what do you want? >> i want answers. >> she prefers a yes or no. >> i want answers. don't you? >> well, we're still working on. >> we have another project that we want to tell people about, "the magic of bell isle." can we show a clip? >> sure. >> what would the woman who captures your heart be like? >> she'd have your way of walking into a room. >> how do i do that? >> it's sunny outside. it's a light rainfall. you know how it feels when a warm breeze comes with the rain? that's how you walk into a room. >> that looks nice. >> what a lovely lady. >> tell us more about that story line. >> this is a story of a guy feeling sorry for himself.

he's a drunk. he was a writer, and he's not writing. he's not doing anything but drinking. and his nephew takes him to this little lakeside community, summer place, with the hopes that maybe he will start writing. but he meets this family, a lady recently divorced with three daughters, and he gets involved with these children, because one of them wants to be a writer. and she just sort of forces her way into his life. and he's intrigued by her. so it -- they gradually draw him out. and he falls in love with the mother. you know, and he's paralyzed. half of his body is paralyzed. he's in a wheelchair. >> rob reiner directed this? >> yes. >> nice working with him as well, right? >> yes. >> we like him. >> i like him a lot. >> he actually watches us as well. >> you listen to morgan freeman

act, and it's like every word sounds like poetry. fair to say? regardless of what you're saying. >> watch out now. you can see my head grow. >> it's true. >> you have charisma. >> i have charisma? >> yes, you do. >> and an incredible voice. would you record a voicemail outgoing message for me? it's like having the voice of god. >> do you pay well? >> there you go. >> i love it. well, my goodness. >> we'll discuss that later. contributions. >> i can be had. >> based on this request, my question to you is how many offers do you turn down? does every major product in the united states of america call and say, will you narrate our commercial? >> i have no idea, because they don't come to me. they go to c.a.a. >> it's a lot, i would imagine. >> i understand that it's a lot, yeah. you can catch "through the worm hole" with morgan freeman on the science channel. also, you can watch morgan freeman in "the magic of bell isle" on demand right now or in theaters july 6.

morgan freeman, it is a pleasure to meet you. >> it is my pleasure, mika. thank you all. more "morning joe" in just a moment. ♪ [ male announcer ] they were born to climb... born to leap, born to stalk, and born to pounce.

to understand why, we journeyed to africa, where their wild ancestor was born. there we discovered that cats, no matter where they are... are born to be cats. and shouldn't your cat be who he was born to be? discover your cat's true nature. purina one.

what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. a living breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life. look. it's so simple. [ male announcer ] in here, the right minds from inside and outside the company

come together to work on an idea. adding to it from the road, improving it in the cloud all in real time. good idea. ♪ it's the at&t network -- providing new ways to work together, so business works better. ♪ i believe that no one who fights for this country should ever have to fight for a job when they come home. [ applause ] >> let me tell you something, if you can save a life on the battlefield, you can save a life in an ambulance. [ applause ] >> if you can maintain the most advanced weapons in the world, if you're an electrician on a

navy ship, well, you can manufacture the next generation of advanced technology in our factories like this one. [ applause ] >> if you're working on complex machinery, you should be able to take those skills and find a manufacturing job right here. right here at home. 48 past the hour. welcome back to "morning joe." a live look at the white house on a beautiful wednesday morning. or are we on thursday? oh, my gosh. it's only wednesday. can you believe it? it feels like it should be friday. that was president obama last friday talking about putting soldier skills to use right here on the home front. here with us now, founder and executive director of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, paul rykoff. thank you for being back on the show. good to see you. >> my pleasure. great to see you all as well. >> let's talk about the jobs fair happening today. tell us about it and how it's going to work. >> well, we are taking this

issue head on. iva is a leading veterans organization and we have teamed up with the chamber of commerce. here in chicago today, we'll have at least 300 iraq and afghanistan veterans from the midwest coming here today to middle east with about 45 companies looking to hire vets, folks who appreciate their talent, appreciate their leadership skill, and we've got to take this head on. the unemployment rate we found out last week for veterans is about 12.7%. so it's significantly higher than the national average. for young veterans under 24, it's about 30%. so iva and the chamber of commerce have joined up to create an impact today. we'll be at the hilton until about 1:00. this is just one example of how we're going to take this tour across the nation, to atlanta, new york, dallas, a lot of other places. >> paul, i think a lot of people -- i don't know. i think we've had the argument, the discussion here on the show, about the lack of connection between much of our society and those who are fighting the wars

in iraq and afghanistan. the jobless rate as you can see on the screen, among vets, has jumped. just describe the situation as it pertains to the veterans of these wars as it stands right now. stands right now. it's really, it's a disgrace on a number of levels. >> i think it is, and i think we talked a lot over the years is the surge of troo troops into iraq and afghanistan. we have a surge of troops coming home. about 1 million folks will get out of the force. this is about a generation of leaders that can be your next ceo, your next sales leader and the next entrepreneur and they need the skill and they need the training and the opportunity and they haven't been networking and they haven't been keeping up those connections and now they're back and they're ready to go. with our economy struggling, you need tough people and you need

folks you can count on. we don't see it as a sad story and we see it as a group of leaders that can turn things around. >> it's willie, it's good to see you. >> you too, man. >> we know the vets want the jobs and there are a lot of ceos and employers and hr directors that don't know how to read a military resume and they don't know how to have something jump out of them. what can you say to someone running a hr department. what should they be looking at for their company? >> helping translate the language between these two communities and today we'll have resume work shops and interview training. think about people who you think right now. people who can handle stress and

work well in times. that's exactly what our veterans are and what they bring to the table. they've been under pretty tough circumstances in the last couple of years and they've delivered for america. they can bring that same effectiveness to your company. this should be a no brainer for everybody. we've seen companies that have great leaders and have had fedex. fred smith is a vietnam veteran himself. gamestop, and it's a smart company. in your area, even if we're not going to be in your too town. >> john mitchum? >> it's d-day, the anniversary, and that was a period where more americans were involved in the military directly and indirectly. what is the sense you have and your fellow veterans have in these wars about how the public understands about what you all

went through over there. >> they really don't. i think it's a disconnect. if you think about world war ii and did d-day time, we're such small subset. over half a million have gone more than once. the rest of the country has been disconnected from that, but we know they want help. admiral mullen has talked about the sea of good help. we have to give americans a way to help. this is just one example. hire a vet. as we go into election season we want to hear the troops talk about the issues impacting us and our families who with are also an important part of this. >> paul rykoff, thank you for being on the show. >> the hilton in chicago is the

job fair. >> you know fred salomon smith barney, veteran marine and you know where they come from? the united states military. this time in vietnam. >> they gave him a c on his paper in yale when he wrote about starting his company overnight and they said young man, think about some other things. >> good thing he had seconds thoughts. all right. still ahead, the one and only regis will be here. keep it right here on "morning joe." man: there's a cattle guard, take a right. do you have any idea where you're going ? wherever the wind takes me. this is so off course.

nature can surprise you sometimes... next time, you drive. next time, signal your turn. ...that's why we got a subaru. love wherever the road takes you. cause we want to show them something new. you ready? let's go. walmart can now convert your favorite dvds from disc to digital. no way. if hulk smash disc... it's no big deal. now you'll never break them, scratch them or lose them. we can use that. you'll never break them. so what do you guys think? we love it. it's only two bucks per disc. that's cool. that's the walmart entertainment disc to digital service. bring in your favorite dvds to your local walmart photo center to get started. don't go in there. don't go in there. they don't listen.

ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the cookie-cutter retirement advice ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you get at some places. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 they say you have to do this, have that, invest here ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you know what? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you can't create a retirement plan based on ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a predetermined script.

ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we actually take the time to listen - ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to understand you and your goals... ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...so together we can find real-life answers for your ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 real-life retirement. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 talk to chuck ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and let's write a script based on your life story. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550

all right, on tomorrmateria show we'll talk to tom koburn, also joan rivers out with a new book and she'll be on the set. still ahead, regis. regis joins us in the studio along with hollywood producer jerry weintraub. keep it right here on "morning joe." ♪

i wish my patients could see what i see. ♪

that over time, having high cholesterol plus diabetes... or family history of early heart disease... can put them at increased risk for plaque buildup. and they'd see that it's more important to get their cholesterol where their doctor wants. and why for these patients, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, i prescribe crestor. adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol by up to 52%. and is also proven to slow plaque buildup. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease... or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. is your cholesterol where your doctor wants? ask your doctor if crestor is right for you. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astra zeneca may be able to help.

dude you don't understand, this is my dad's car. look at the car! my dad's gonna kill me dude... [ male announcer ] the security of a 2012 iihs top safety pick. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering.

tonight we tell wisconsin, we tell our country and we tell people all across the globe that voters really do want leaders who stand up and make the tough decisions. [ cheering ] >> we'll renew our commitment to help small businesses and grow jobs in the state. we'll renew our commitment to help grow the quality of life for all of our citizens, both those who voted for me and those

who voted for someone else because tomorrow is the day after the election and tomorrow we are no longer opponents. tomorrow we are one as wisconsinits. ♪ ♪ ♪ good morning. it's 8:00 on the east coast. it's 5:00 a.m. on the west coast as you take a live look at new york city. welcome back to "morning joe." we have joe meechum, dr. howard dean and politico's michaelen. we hava i great panel. >> john meechum. highly anticipated book. >> when does it come out? >> in the fall. >> that will be amazing. >> i stole it from the printer. >> that's okay. >> i started to dig into this last night and i preordered it. >> is it fantastic? >> we don't need to get in the book, but what's new to say

about jefferson? what's the objective of the book? >> it's recovering him as a politician. he's spent 40 years in public office and started as a noble endeavor and remade the country and gave us a politics that for better and for worse is still what we're living with. >> there we go. we'll get to a lot today. paycheck fairness, the republicans voted it down. are you guys surprised? >> not surprised. >> who here at this table is not for security fairness. >> they're not for women's vote anyway, what do they care, right? >> serious. does anyone want to challenge me on that? >> back to jefferson -- >> i'm sorry. it's just i don't understand it. i am sure if someone said that there was a really great explanation they'd spout it out right now. michael ke spiza allen, any rea

anyone wouldn't be against paycheck fairness? >> they're against it because president obama is for it. the campaign obama made a big push for it and that doomed it for republican. >> if that's what it comes down to. >> they're tired of this -- >> bill clinton's in the news. but we'll talk about it, but first, the top story this morning, wisconsin governor scott walker is back on the job today after a decisive win in yesterday's closely watched recall election. the race was called less than an hour after the polls closed with the republican incumbent taking 53% of the vote. he edged out democratic challenger milwaukee mayor tom barrett. barrett spoke to supporters shortly after the results came in. >> the state has been deeply

divided, our side and their side to listen. to listen to each other and to try to do what's right for everyone in this state. it is my hope that while we have lively debates, a lively discourse in any democracy that those who are victorious tonight as well as those of us who are not victorious tonight can at end of the day do what's right for wisconsin families. >> walker's supporters say the vote only strengthens the governor's conservative agenda which includes a divisive measure to eliminate collective bargaining rights for workers, and it is that issue that removed walker from office just months after he was sworn in. republicans beat back recall challenges for four other offices as well. both for lieutenant governor and the state senate majority lead

are, and the state senate race will ultimately determine control. howard dean, seconds before air, you told us you'd be better with, not happy with the outcome. >> i have a problem with the money. because of the supreme court you can now spend literally anything you want and not disclose. tons and tons of money from big bucks out of state, people like the coke brothers who clearly like his right-wing agenda. i don't think that will be as much of a factor in the presidential race, and he was doing well. he was up five or six points in wisconsin and romney was winning. actually "the milwaukee journal sentin sentinel," wrote about the governor wouldn't put this guy on the recall because he had right-wing politics.

i think the voters agreed with this. there was a huge corruption scandal going in his campaign which continues to spread and continues to go upward. some time in the next three month, we'll have to see. the sad story tonight was the money because this is the beginning of the undermining of american democracy and this is what you see a guy that outspends someone seven to one and nobody knows where it came from. >> he said working families across the country recognize the courageous journey that nurses, teachers, firefighters, snowplow drivers and other wisconsinites led for more than a year through a seemingly impossible task. they refused to allow their voices be taken away an overreaching and we admire the heart and soul and it goes on

from there. the rules are the same for republicans and democrats. the question is why couldn't democrats pull in as much money in a pivotal race? >> it's a good question and one that will be answered over the coming months. i look at it a little differently than the governor does. i think the money aspect was important and is important. look at what happened in ohio when governor kasich reached uncollected money from the voters. he repented in many ways and changed his ways. walker, if you read some of the local news, he pulled back some of his -- he's not quite as divisive as he was a year and a half ago and it was some of the harsh things that he said and some of them were treated in a status quo position. why is it that other workers including government workers are not and believe that as much as they liked what walker stood for he made a legitimate point and

it would be better than it was a year ago. i'll never forget when we start talking about this and the job numbers and employment numbers in the state will determine whether he would be deemed a success. >> he shouldn't see this as a resoupgd affirmation for what he's done. what democrats should look at is that americans on the issue of fairness, many americans believe that everyone should have to pay their fair share. obama's argument against taxes, the people want to pay more taxes and every working person should have to pay some share and some part to help reduce the debt. walker got lucky last night that things worked in his favor, but the real message is about party this morning in particular to the white house as they look at their campaign message. just organizing alone is not going to do it. it will take a more compelling message where the president wants to take the country in the next four years. >> mike allen, i'll draw from

that because you can say it's just the money or just whatever. mike allen, what is the message there that carried him through? >> the voters sent a clear message and the morning joe table put its fingers a week ago. this is something the left union should never have picked. it was including a win for the republicans and used this as a dry run in the presidential race. it goes up with a quote this morning from the legendary packers coach lombardi, quoting lombardi as saying show me a good loser and i'll show you a loser. so democrats should admit that this was a big loss and gives republicans an opportunity in wes wiss. i think wisconsinites gained 15

points. and crossroads gps, the karl rove group saying they'll go in and spend big money. crossroads has big money to spend, so it will be a distraction and a place now that the obama campaign will have to spend big. >> let's talk about the exit polls and the results of wisconsin are providing an unofficial preview to november's presidential election. according to exit polls, wisconsin voters preferred president obama over mitt romney, and when asked who was better at helping the middle class voters favored the president by nine percentage points. although the democrats lost elections on the state level, the obama campaign said republicans should be worried come this november. obama senior adviser david axelrod tweeted this. bad night in boston, wisconsin

raises big question for mitt. mitt tweeted back or tweeting, i congratulate scott walker on his victory in wisconsin. tonighty's results will echo bejohned the boardes of wisconsin. >> walker's agenda is essentially done because they'll never support the radical right agenda. this election is not over yet and they can claim legitimate victory inside wisconsin if the senate seat goes to the democrats. >> exit polls were there at this point. i was surprised a bit. >> you know, when hamilton and jefferson were tweeting -- >> i can't even say it with a straight face. >> they're tweeting each other. i think it's very interesting to go to harold's point the message

needs to be everyone needs to pay something except the very rich whom we're not going tax at a higher rate. some of the unions are now supposed to be kicking in, but we keep the tax debate remains unequal. i don't quite understand why there would be a big pro-obama read out of that electorate. >> i'll tell you why because the reason the jobs are up in wisconsin has nothing to do with scott walker. it's the auto industry coming back. theed on industry raised jobs dramatically and i think that's why it will win in three states. i don't disagree with that at all. i think the president has a big part of the right message when it was made. your experience in the private equity world which i don't think

is a bad thing at all personally, but your experience in the private equity world helped teach you where to invest and how to invest. why present the opportunity to invest in the most important industry in america for the last hundred years. why did you choose not to do it. as a matter of fact, you suggested that we let detroit go bankrupt. if you're such a great investors, why did you make the wrong call there? that's the question we should be asking instead of pitting people -- and i think it's unfair to pit the obama administration, but there's an argument to be made that there's a pitting americans against americans. we have to change our approach into the final two laps of this range. >> they're sending a message to the republicans because walker's neutered. >> is this good news or bad news for a climate of compromise on

some kind of grant? >> there is no compromise. forget -- there's not going to be any compromise between now and the election. forget it about it. >> look out 24 months. this vote does not seem to be a very encouraging sign. >> there could not be compromise any kind until now not after the election. we are not going to compromise as democrats with people who want to cut taxes for wealthy people and raise them for people who are working. >> up income, hollywood producer jerry weintraub joins us on set to talk about the up coming project the hbo "41" about the presidency about george h.w. bush and regis is back. love regis. just regis. but first, bill carons with the check of the forecast. >> worst weather by far in the

country is about to arrive if downtown miami. here's a broader view of south florida and had rain from cape coral and naples and west palm beach and a few thorments. homestead had a big thunderstorm roll in. that's the big blob to the north. if you are miami and look to the north the skies are getting very dark and soon you'll see the flashes of lightning. the storm will blow through in about 20 minutes or so. the forecast out there, there is damp weather out there and areas of north carolina from gree greensboro to raleigh, and from d.c. northward. watch out around dallas and fort worth, you can deal with thunderstorms on the strong side late this afternoon into the evening. our friends joining us on the west coast, very chilly weather from seattle to portland and okay in los angeles, and a sneak peek into tomorrow's forecast. florida is still mess we on and

off heavy rain and strong thunderstorms. once again, if you're in miami, you have about 20 minutes until those storms arrive. st. louis, doesn't get much better than this. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. [ creaking ] [ male announcer ] trophies and awards lift you up. but they can also hold you back. unless you ask, what's next? [ zapping ] [ clang ] this is the next level of performance. the next level of innovation. the next rx. the all-new f sport. this is the pursuit of perfection. [ female announcer ] new aveeno skin strengthening body cream helps transform dry, thinning skin,

by strengthening its moisture barrier, for improved texture and elasticity in 2 weeks. reveal healthy, supple skin. aveeno skin strengthening. in here, great food demands a great presentation. so at&t showed corporate caterers how to better collaborate by using a mobile solution, in a whole new way. using real-time photo sharing abilities, they can create and maintain high standards, from kitchen to table. this technology allows us to collaborate with our drivers to make a better experience for our customers. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

helping you do what you do... even better. morning, boys. so, i'm working on a cistern intake valve, and the guy hands me a locknut wrench. no way! i'm like, what is this, a drainpipe slipknot? wherever your business takes you, nobody keeps you on the road like progressive commercial auto. [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

♪ ♪ i've seen what crosses that big desk. i've seen the unexpected crisis that arrives in a cable in a young aide's hand, and so i know

that what it all comes down to, this election is the man at the desk and who should sit at that desk, my friends, i am that man. >> welcome back to "morning joe" at 22 past the hour. that was president george h.w. bush accepting his party's nomination for president back in 1988 as featured in the new hbo documentary "41" about the 41st president of the united states, and joining us now the executive producer of that documentary, legendary hollywood producer jerry weintrub. jerry, it's good to have you back on the show. you look good, jerry. >> feeling good. feeling great. >> are we good here? >> everything's good. he picked up the check. >> so you're not, a perfect night. >> so this, i've heard how good this is. i've heard from the folks at hbo that this is one of their

proudest accomplishments to date. >> it's a wonderful piece. a young man by the name of jeff roth who was just 41, actually 41, came up with this idea came up to the president and jean becker's chief of staff and saw the president on doing this and then the president called me and we said we'll let him do this and get involved and watch him because he hasn't done this before. he did a small one on the astronauts and the president liked it very, very much and jeff roth did an extraordinary job telling the story of this great american, this great man. it's not political. there are very few political pieces in the whole movie. there was one comment about ross perot that was very kind.

and he accepted the presidency. the rest is about the man and that's why i'm so interested because we've been friends before he was president. >> you mentioned the friendship. we go back. i know you know the bush family very well. how critical is your eye doing a documentary like this? >> i am bicased. i love the whole family -- maybe not the whole family. i think barbara is an extraordinary woman and my friend, george herbert walker bush is an extraordinary man who was so good to me and so important in my life that opened up a world for me, a kid from brooklyn and the bronx that never could have been in 100 million years. so i see him from a completely different perspective than most people do. when he invited me to the skull and bones the first time, i thought he was taking me to the

cemetery. >> how did you guys start out, though? you know so many people, not just sort of superficial relationships. you really are friends with these guys. how did you and bush get connected in the first place? >> well, my wife jane had a home up in kennebunkport as a child, and she knew the bushes. when we got together 50-some years ago, 52 years ago she said i'd like to have a home in kennebunkport and i went up there with her and i bought a house not knowing that jews didn't buy houses in kennebunkport no those years and they wouldn't let me in the tennis club and the yacht club -- i swear to god, it was restricted and he was a big part of my being accepted in the community. a big part. as his father senator prescott bush and the president was a very big part of it, and we remained great friends all these

years, and he took me around the world and showed me things that i never would have seen in 100 million years. i had total access to the white house, and i slept in the queen's bedroom and lincoln's bedroom. i went to every state dinner and i was with gorbachev for lunch and ping -- >> he's got stories. >> pretty wild. a kid from the bronx, you know? >> one of the things that president bush is known for is not wanting to be put on the couch. >> yea. >> so what did you learn from watching these interviews and this film? >> he did all of this in his own words and he came very clean and he just got on a roll because he was talking about his family and his childhood, mother and father, his daughter who passed away. so he was very open and honest and it wasn't a political piece

and there were no questions about whether he liked romney's tax plan or not. none of that. he was able to be george bush the man which was a pretty extraordinary guy. a really, really extraordinary man, from the navy and what not. all of the things he did in his lifetime, he was the most well-prepared man for the presidency in the history of our government, in our opinion and he did all those jobs, and i watched him do all those jobs, and i think he's just so different and so good and so important to this country, and i think as history has written itself, i'm 74 years old now, so i was there for most of it, i was there for all of the political stuff, they're starting to recognize all of the great things that he did, and the one thing that i know about him is that he never considered the presidency an imperial

presidency. he wasn't ordained to be president of the united states. he worked for it. job after job after job after job, and when he got in there he was well prepared. >> let's show a clip. we have president bush in the documentary on seeing his son also win the presidency. >> what was it like to see your son elected froms? . >> very emotional for me. a very proud father. the first time it's happened, i guess in the history of our country except for the adams', and it was enormous and a source of great pride for the family. >> the relationship between father and son, and we watched it inauguration day and saw the bigness of the moment. >> yea. that's -- he said to me when he had a son who was president of the united states and a son who was governor of florida who were

playing golf, the four of us and there were 8,000 secret service people around and so on. it's pretty extraordinary, isn't it? a son who is president and the son who is governor, and it is. it's so extraordinary. >> it really is. >> john meechum, you were digging into 41's life as well as you move on from jefferson. how is the view from h.w. bush changed from 1992 after he goes out as a one-term president. he had the 1% approval rating and didn't win a second term. how has it shifted in the last decade. i'd say it shifted 150 degrees. the three things that beat him which was the deficit deal in 1990 and which broke the base and led to the pat buchanon challenge which weak withened him and we forget about that and turns out to have set the stage

in the prosperity of the '90s and not going to baghdad and seen the wisdom of that and setting up a containment regime around saddam that didn't work. he didn't have weapons of mass destruction. so the things that he was criticized for was seep as not fully accomplishing he did accomplish and one of the wonderful things about history, one of the great things and jerry would agree that the president is about to turn 88. >> 88. >> 88 next week. >> june 12th is that he's lived to see this. he's a little like truman in that way. truman left washington with not the truman we now think of and george h.w. bush left washington as a one-term president, but i think history with the perspective of time has redeemed him in many ways. >> i think without the injection of perot in the election in

those years he would have been president again. i think perot was the changing -- that's what changed it up. not that no new taxes. >> well, we'll argue about that later. >> we have a three-hour show. the documentary "41" airs june 14th at 9:00, 9:00 p.m. on hbo. stay with us, will you? regis is coming up and thank you for talking about 41. regis is here. we'll be right back.

♪ ♪ not ♪ ♪ ♪ you sexy beast! i want to snap you in two and suck out the middle! >> thank you, this is for you. put it in the back, sweetheart. and who is this beautiful creature? your sister? >> older sister.

both of you, come on back and let's get you started. >> i don't know if i'm allowed to sit in the chair yet, you know, christopher. >> girlfriend, please! >> are you sure? >> absolutely sure. and as for you, if that fabulous tushy isn't in that chair in 20 seconds it's going to be in my hands! >> she said here on k"morning joe," she said that was her dream. >> she wanted regis. >> she is in love with you. >> what happened to reg snis. >> that was regis philbin making a guest appearance on the season finale of the tvland sitcom "hot in cleveland." author of his memoir "how i got this way." >> the pink scarf. >> it could have been us years

ago. i remember meeting jerry outside the greek theater in hollywood. i think it was neil diamond rehearsing. you and i had a talk and you began staring at me, jerry. i thought this is it. jerry weintraub is sizing me up because he knows i should be on the big screen and he's looking at me and looking at me and someone came and interrupted us and i had to leave, and i got the interview with neil, and then i left. and jerry and i have known each other all these years and then there they are "hot in cleveland." come and do this character, his name is pierre and he's a gay hairstylist. we're not sure whether he's gay or not. anyway, pierre falls in love with betty white. loves her! and all of a sudden something's developing there and that's how they end the season. regis leaves with betty white. >> oh, my gosh.

>> and you don't know if he's gay or not? >> let me tell you something, jerry and neck mickey -- >> please, educate me. >> learning all of those lines and then you go to the hotel room, maybe i am gay! >> wow! >> i'm kidding, but it was quite an experience, yea. >> jer, see anything you like in that acting performance? >> a lot. i could use you in "liberace" you're perfect. >> i can't wait to see that movie. >> oh, my gosh. >> think about it, jerry, because i'm on the verge of a breakthrough, i would like to take mika and willie with me because they must be tired talking politics all of the time. >> 24/7. he's not here, but you know he's talking politics. >> sure he is. he's on the phone with someone right now working. >> is he doing all right? >> he's mumbling in the mirror

to himself about scott walker. he can't stop talking about it. so, regis, how is life after the show for you? how is it treating you? >> it's been okay. i've been doing odds and ends and this thing came along, a little acting job, but i'm enjoying it. i was in washington, d.c. yesterday talking to thei ivnav people, i was at the navy shipyard. the first navy shipyard in america was the one in washington 200 years, and i made the rounds and it brought back memories of the navy and i had a good time with some of the admirals and washington looks better than ever. honest to god, it looks so good on a spring day with the sun shining and all those buildings make you proud. >> you face routine, you wake up in the morning and you go to the studio and you have a thing you do every day. >> what i miss is sometimes when i have an extraordinary

experience the night before, the once a month, jerry -- and i say, boy i wish i was on the show tomorrow and i'd love to tell the story, but other than that, no, i did it 28 years in a row, willie. 28 years and then 28 years in hollywood with jerry staring at me. >> and joey bishop. >> i said please, jerry, get me out of here. >> but, jerry, don't you think there's no other place for regis, but on television? >> he's on more now than ever. >> he's doing more different television. >> which is good for him. it's tough -- >> a grind. >> for three hours and i come here at 4:00 in the morning and they get something to eat and look at each other and -- >> and they drink a lot of coffee. >> three hours. >> it's a great show. >> i agree. >> the way they do it. >> would you tweak it at all?

tweak the show? >> what would you tweak? okay, you're a talk show icon, you're a hollywood producer. >> you? >> what? no. >> i've been waiting for this "good morning mika" sign to go on. >> oh, i don't think so. it's the three of us. >> they're pretty faithful to each other the three of them. >> so tweak, come on. >> tweak. how would you change the show. >> tweak it, what would you tweak. i'll tell you when we'll do. >> help me out. >> you have to add an hour to it. you've got to make it four hours. we need time here. >> i've noticed, the run-on sentences. you guys make joe look like a shy boy. >> when you saw regis do his acting bit here. >> i was impressed. >> you're a beautiful woman, did you ever think about acting?

>> i actually wanted to be an actress i went to carnegie mellon and studied drama and theater, and took a fling at it. >> did you take it? >> my parents wouldn't let me until i got an educated. i'm dead serious, but you're joking. >> we have k have this all together. >> we have different projects talking about it and what you're talking about is not out of the realm of possibility. there is something -- >> nothing. glazed over for five years. >> jerry, let's embarrass regis for a minute. what is it about regis, not just on tv, but behind the scenes. you hear about business and people take shots at each other

and you never hear a bad word about regis. >> he's a great guy and he's always been positive about the situation he was in. he never looked at hurting anybody. he tried to make the best out of every interview and every relationship. i think at the end of the day that's what worked for him and he's a great interviewer. he has a lot of fun with it. it's not rocket science, you know? and he's really wonderful at it and, people like it a lot, and i never heard anybody that didn't want to be interviewed by him. everybody wanted to be interviewed -- nobody ever said to me, i don't want to go with this guy, regis philbin, forget about it. >> see, willie? you have to become likable, you know what i mean? all these people are very likab likable. >> you either are or you're not? >> what?

>> you either are or you're not? >> what do you think you are? >> i would lean toward likable. >> that was a tough thing -- >> i don't know. i make sure i've got that. i don't know. >> i think your relationship with joe -- >> i think i'm tough. >> it's what works. that's what works. >> it's a dynamic. absolutely. >> i actually think those things sometimes are inexplicable. you have to be smart enough to see them, but when i look at regis on television and in real life, and this is the cool thing about you, the word that comes to my mind is joy and that is of course, your wife's name. >> that's nice to hear. she'll love that. >> no, it's absolutely true. >> and it's a good lesson on tv which is to be yourself, reg sits same guy on and off. put yourself out there, people watch & or you'll go to law school. >> is this the beginning of a

brand new career for regis in hollywood? >> i think it might be. jerry? you're so powerful. >> do you really want one? >> after you sort it through? >> you can catch the season finale of "hot in cleveland" at 10:00, 9 central. good to see you, you and jerry together are funny. why don't you stick around? more "morning joe" in just a moment. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] ensure high protein... ensure! nutrition in charge! tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you and your money deserve. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, that means taking a close look at you tdd# 1-800-345-2550 as well as your portfolio. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we ask the right questions, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then we actually listen to the answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 before giving you practical ideas you can act on. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck online, on the phone,

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or come in and pull up a chair. another guy yesterday, 7 feet tall -- yea. handsome, great big guy, feet tall. name is rick miller, portland,

oregon, and he started a business. of course, you know, he's in basketball, but it wasn't in basketball. i figured he had to be in sport, but it wasn't in sport. his business is caring for seniors. >> jerry, ever meet a man who was 7 feet tall? >> yes, in some places. >> you probably met wilt -- >> but i don't know the 7 foot tall guy that was easy to talk to. >> what do you think about mitt romney as a performer? as a guy who studies performers? >> pleading the fifth. >> oh, pleading the fifth! >> i think he's a serious guy, serious candidate. we'll see how this thing plays out. who won last night? did walker win last night? >> that's what i love about this show, we can just mika who walks

away. you come and you go, that's all. >> this is rehearsarehearsal, r. the real thing starts in ten minutes. the best of late-night. more with regis and jerry coming up. [ shapiro ] at legalzoom, you can take care of virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes. now it's quicker and easier for you to start your business... protect your family... and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans.

that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

people are also talking about the clothes that invest nba stars have been wearing to their post-game press conferences. yea. these guys are not afraid of a little flash, take a look. >> it was just like that in the first series and we had a lot of guys -- >> it was the good one. >> i think we're doing pretty good. we can always play better. >> i knew they were fast-paced. >> you know, at the end of the day it was about who wanted it more and they had more heart than we did. >> come on, practice, the game is on the line and you're talking about practice. practice, practice. >> pretty much, we need to execute more. get out there. we didn't execute. we just didn't execute. >> we just lost. our heads weren't in the game and we couldn't hold on to the ball. >> fan of the opera. i must have missed that press conference. coming up next, what, if

anything, did we learn about today? regis, jerry, think about it. >> okay. >> we'll be right back. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. but what about your wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. its retinol formula visibly reduces wrinkles in one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®. there's natural gas under my town.

it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ [ male announcer ] you plant. you mow. you grow. you dream. meet the new definition of durability: the john deere select series. with endless possibilities, what will you create? ♪ learn more about the new select series x310 with power steering at johndeere.com/x310. dude you don't understand, this is my dad's car.

look at the car! my dad's gonna kill me dude... [ male announcer ] the security of a 2012 iihs top safety pick. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering. dogs the volkswagen passat. are the best of the best of the best.

they don't get any bester than this! omg it's kosher. with no fillers, by-products, artificial flavors or colors. hebrew national. the better-than-a-hot dog- hot dog. there's so much talk about who should replace regis philbin. i'm sitting here across from you wondering if you're interested in that job. >> no, i'm just interested in regis.

they could have a little on the side and nobody would be any -- >> did you hear that? a little do on the side. >> here you are on the show. >> this is the beginning of a regis acting career. you guys remember that. you and i, jerry. >> you got it. >> we'll keep your resume on file. he wanted me to tell you. >> by the way, you can watch the season finale on the "hot in cleveland" fin ale. what did you learn about being here today? >> by being here today? >> i know this is the job i really want. >> people come and go, mika got up and left. i never saw anything like it. >> i know. >> what i learn side i have to stop getting up at 5:00 and 6:00 and it's a little early. >> that's's good lesson. jerry's documentary will be great. really looking forward to this.

"41"aries june 14th, next week on hbo. >> come back. >> nice to see you. >> jerry, take care. stick around. keep it right here for chuck. >> if it's wednesday, a devastating blow for labor, but is it equally bad for president obama? a triumphant win for scott walker who beat back the blif blistering battle, and it's here on "the daily rundown" equal pay for women, barbara boxer will be here to map out what happens next and six days next in the next be all, end all that will tell us everything we need to know in november. the move to replace gabby giffords. good morning from washington. it's wednesday, june 6, 2012. this is "t