would be urging todd akin to fight for a seat in the senate just as they are for paul ryan to find a seat in the white house because on this issue of abortion, there's little to choose between. thanks so much for watching. chris matthews and "hardball" is next. a rape by any other name. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in new york. let me start with the raging, crazing insanity of todd akin. will he stick with his run? risk the demolition of his political party or take the hit and pull himself out of the race? to be or not to be. that's question for todd akin, the man who continued through

today to explain what he meant by legitimate rape, he meant what most of us thought he meant the first time. that significant number of women who charge rape are not victims of rape. only in certain cases. well, to assess the perils of this, i'm joined by michael steele, former chairman of the republican national committee and nia handerson of "the washington post." late this afternoon, mitt romney came around to the position that akin should quote exit the senate race. but the timeline on how romney evolved to this point is not exactly a profile in courage. on sunday, within hours of the comments, a romney spokeswoman put out a statement saying quote, governor romney and congressman ryan disagree with mr. akin's statement and the

administration would not oppose abortion in cases of rape. congressman ryan differs with mitt romney. he believes abortion should only be used to save a mother's life. on monday, romney took a harsher turn. in an interview, he said this. >> comments about rape were deeply offensive and i can't defend what he said. i can't defend him. >> do you think for the benefit of the party, sir, he should drop out? >> he should consider what's in the best interest of the things he believes most deeply. what will help the country at this critical time. >> i believe he believes in evolution because this afternoon on his radio show, rush limbaugh joined the criticism and shortly after, a romney campaign spokeswoman released this statement on akin. today, his fellow missourians urged him to step aside and i think he should accept a exit

the senate race. this is a strange progression and a slow one. after hearing from rushbo, i wonder who the boss of the republican party is? looks like it's rushbo again. >> i don't know if this has anything to do with rush limbaugh. i think it has more to do with the fangt that you have just had a really defiant akin over these last couple of hours. he gave that interview with mike huckabee declaring that he is a crusader in this race and he is crusading against the establishment of his party. at this point, romney in some ways, had no choice but to call for this decision. doesn't look like he has any sway with todd akin and akin has positioned himself as a poster boy for the wing of the party and evangelical wing of the party that in some ways agrees with todd akin's statements. if you listen to that huckabee

interview, what was most interesting to me is that they had this sort of dialogue in currency. his original thought about rape and false rape and talking about the initial decision and jane roe apparently allegations of false rape around her initial claims with that lawsuit. so, it's very interesting. talking to evangelicals today, they feel like todd akin has some sort of appeal with ev evangelicals and with grass roots folks and that he could have some staying power and could win this thing. >> impervious to the avalanche of calls to withdrew. he was defiant. >> i want to make things absolutely clear and that is we are going to continue with this race for the u.s. senate. >> who does that we include, mooing steelmichael steele in w is with this guy in persisting? >> that's him and the supporters, those folks who went to the polls an elected him in

missouri primary a few weeks ago. that's the basis of his energy right now. he's probably got some poll numbers if they've rushed together to sort of get a vibe on the ground on how this thing is playing. and there is no big push from the grass roots from the evangelical community. you have the family research council and others coming behind and standing with him, so he's got support that is probably growing to some degree to your point. for him right now, the witching hour is an hour from now. we'll see whether or not he actually does step out. i doubt it and there's no incentive for him to do it. there's nothing the party can do about it. >> the longer he stays, the longer he has to pay for the new balance. nia, i have to ask you about this. in a gender sensitive point, i've noticed that the women i work with, the producers and

all, not all liberals, i got to tell you, by any means. not all liberals at all, are very sensitive to that word he used, legitimate. as if to imply, let's not believe every woman's charge. why would a woman go into court and charge anybody with rape, which is a major crime, if they didn't believe they were raped. what an assumption to make, we know how women are sometimes but tally interrogated. >> again, i think with certain members of the pro-life community, there is a sense that real rape doesn't result in pregnancy. >> as opposed to what other kind of rape. what other rapes are there besides real rape? >> i don't think there are any other kind, but you've seen this creeping of the language.

forcible rape. dr. john wilkey talking about assault rape. there is this sense among pro-life people that pregnancy doesn't result from rape. >> it's quackery. >> the way i've heard from people, women such as yourself, what i hear is a real con desengs to the basic character of women that they would make up these stories and only in a few cases, michael, is there such a thing as legitimate rape. in order, a guy just forces himself in a way that is so graphic they can't deny that was rape. see, what i think's going on here, we're in some strange territory, michael. your political party has some real trog la diets in it.

you've got some knuckle draggers in your party. guys ran the cave man ads. your thoughts on that. is it true or not that you've got people in your party so far to the right that they have a problem with a woman saying she was raped? >> i can't speak to everybody in the party where they stand on that issue. i do think that yeah, there are some folks who have a very strong view and extreme view in that regard in terms of the definition of rape, but as the president said, as mitt romney and others have said, rape is rape and for us to have this discussion, for akin to begin to even elevate this conversation this way, to me is not only wrong, it is harmful to women. it puts them in a very, very bad position. should they ever have to god forbid confront that situation. as you noted, chris, this system is already geared against them to not believe in the first

instance that that has occurred, so this makes that even harder for them to express and to come forward when ty have been so brutalized and that's what so stupid and pig headed about these comments. >> i like when you get really human out there. last night, seriously. i love it when you are because i don't think there's a partisan issue, although it clearly hurts the republicans. last night, akin, is xhong running for the senate. a u.s. congressman, this guy. not some guy living in the trees somewhere. a u.s. congressman. he taped an ad asking for forgiveness, which is okay as an idea, but let's listen to him. >> rape is an evil act. i used the wrong words in the wrong way. as a father of two daughters, i want tough justice for predators. i have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault and i prayer for them. fact is, rape can lead to

pregnancy. truth is, rape has many victims. the mistake i made was in the words i said, not in the heart i hold. i ask for your forgiveness. >> yesterday, he said there ought to be some punishment for rape. what a strange thing to say. he was on sean hannity's radio show distancing himself from the comments on the biology of rape. this is on the science if you can get pregnant if raped. >> a couple of articles i read and i think they were probably in error. >> when you say probably, are are they? >> i don't know the details of what the percentage, somebody who's a medical doctor would have to tell you that. >> if a woman is raped, you're suggesting her body has ways of

preventing pregnancy is wrong. you understand that? >> yeah. >> i don't know what he's saying. said yeah, there might be discredited. sure. he's pretty casual about his lack of interested scientific information it seems. it seems to me the main point is your attitude towards the rights of women, the attitudes whether sex should be a mutual decision, that it's entirely mutual or legitimate and the whole idea that there's some different categories of rape just drives people crazy. >> i feel odd talking about this on air. this is odd we're talking about this. >> i'll say. >> we're talking about rape and women's bodies and it's a very odd thing. obviously, in tampa, they're discussing what the republican platform is going to be. there is some discussion there about putti inting language abo respecting women's bodies, saying abortion is upholding the

dignity of women. >> we're hearing this. that the draft so far is they've got to prove it on monday, the first day of the convention. so far is headed towards an absolute abolition of any right at any level for any reason to have an abortion. it's an absolute hard line position which is consistent with ryan and akin. this is more hard lined that the candidate for president. >> but that is not consistent with the vast majority of republicans, pro-life and pro-choice. >> how come they don't get to write their own platform? >> since this plank was put into the body of our laws or rules back in 1980, that has not consistent. there's always been those exceptions. so it does speak to you know, some voices within the party. certainly on the rnc, the committee, that want to see this thing fleshed out further. i think that given what we are

now dealing with, to the point that was just made that we're talking about this, they should be very smart and careful. we do have an issue that goes beyond this election and we don't need to get bogged down on this. >> you might warn your former colleagues there at the convention as they write this platform, that rachel maddow and the rest of us will be watching closely and reporting on it with great relish on monday night, the first night. whatever you guys try to hide, we're going to show. thank you, michael steele, my friend, and nia. coming up, todd akin's views have been exposed as extreme, but there's little daylight between what akin and paul ryan believe. ryan and the other republicans who just smarter about the way they talk about it. plus, less than a week before the republican national convention. where does the presidential race stand? new polls just come out. got some numbers that may make the progressives feel better.

also, a gop official in ohio admits republicans have made it harder for blacks to vote. that's what they're going around the country. a tighter voter i.d. law is approved in virginia and hundreds of thousands could be disenfranchised in pennsylvania. we're going to have michael nutter joining us tonight. finally, let me finish with the illegitimacy of so-called legitimate rrngs legitimate rape. [ male announcer ] while many automakers are just beginning to dabble with the idea of hybrid technology, it's already engrained in our dna. during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. this is the pursuit of perfection. but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance.

with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. test-drive snapshot before you switch. visit progressive.com today. the romney campaign and its allies now have a huge fund raising advantage over obama. while the obama campaign raised 49 million, it has 88 million in the bank, the romney campaign brought in 40 million and has 30 million on hand, but factor in the outside groups and it's a decisive romney advantage. the are rnc raised 39 million

versus the the 10 million and 15 on hand. those pro romney super pacs dwarf anything on the side with karl rove and restore our future with nearly $50 million more for those negative ads against the president. to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... if you think occasional irregulathink twice.ig deal, it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this. with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit

when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me! ♪ activia

welcome back to "hardball." when it comes to abortion issues, paul ryan is more in line with todd akin, than mitt romney, but neither man is on the fringe of where the gop stands today and every day republicans have to answer questions about terms like legitimate and forcible rape. the democrats have an opportunity in each case to seize women's voters this november. donna is a democrat from maryland and joe klein is a columnist for "time." i want to start with congresswoman edwards, just as a human being, not as a partisan, what did you think when you heard about this u.s.

congressman, a colleague of yours who said that he's really, he doesn't think in a case of legitimate, only in a -- the way he phrase it, in a case of legitimate rape, the woman wouldn't get pregnant and by the way, there should be some punishment for rape. i don't know how to read all that to me. >> well -- >> what did you think as a woman? >> chris, i said before this doesn't bear any relation to either biology or humanity. when you think of what a woman experiences in rape and the horror of that, the idea that you're going to separate some kinds of rape from other kinds, you have good victims and bad victims, really just takes us back to a really different time in our history and as women, we thought we had gotten way beyond that where we had schls, law enforcement or in our communities that treat us as

whole human beings when it comes to rape and to the horror and tragedy of it. so as a woman, it actually hurts me because i thought we were long past this debate, but clearly, we're not. >> what's interesting, the weird intellectual linkage, you can take that debate, fine, but he use that is very strong pro-life position to cast doubt as a republican on rape. as an idea. because it's inconsistent with his republican notion, which is in the platform, we know, the draft form already. they' there can be no borkss under any circumstances including rape, so they have to almost define a way i should say, the idea of rape because it gets in the way of their pro-life position. the party. >> well, the notion that you can parse rape is absolutely ridiculous. he's an id log.

the amendment he put in that had paul ryan as a supporter used the term forcible rape. there are studies that show that one-half of out of wedlock births among teenagers are the result of rape by older men of teenage children and especially in poor black, poor white communities, it's very often mom's boyfriend. now, that -- you can't distinguish between that and forcible rape. that's disgraceful. >> let me get back to the idea of the republican party. donna, you're a democrat, but the republican party is meeting this week coming off this whole crazy thing with todd akin and this debate's going to go on all weekend. they're going to draft language that basically abolishes all legal right to an abortion, under all circumstances. any condition, whether it's

incest, they are going to basically eradicate a woman's right to choose. what do you think that's going to do to voters after they do that on monday night? >> i think it gives us real cause. mitt romney and paul ryan are -- they're running away from paul ryan's agenda, which he's been very clear ant it and was in lock step with todd akin and now, they're going to try to run away from the republican party platform. there's only so much running away that can be done by a ticket from the top to the bottom that strongly has a pro-life position, but a rather radical position when it comes to the way we treat rape, incest, in this country and not even providing exceptions for that, even though mitt romney says his administration was, it's not their party platform. there's only so much you can do to run away from an entire agenda of the republican party and this is pretty consistent with the way they have treated these issues related to women's

and women's health care over the course of certainly this congress since republicans have had control of the house. but very consistent in their republican agenda. i just don't see how mitt romney and paul ryan can distance themselves any more from what their agenda is. >> it seems to me that was the whole idea of picking ryan. you picked a guy which romney did after weeks of thinking about this, item going to pick a guy who puts focus on the economy and take a guy who's true blue on that subject, but within day, we're realizing this guy believes in personhood. after fertilized egg, you're a person, therefore, the government will protect you urpd the 14th amendment. do you think romney knew he was stepping into this? >> i think there's a larger issue here. i don't think romney was fully aware of all the aspects of paul

ryan. but the larger issue here is how does a guy like todd akin get to win a primary in a state like missouri? the republican party has a major grass roots problem, which is that a good part of its grass roots now celebrate ignorance cht it's more than abortion and women's rights. you know, denying evolution. denying the science behind climate change. the birtherism. how is it that when donald trump comes out of the closet as a major league birther, he shoots to the top of the polls among republicans? inmean, there is a lot of celebration of ignorance going on in that party right now. it's really sad for me because there was a point 20 years ago when i thought the republicans were coming up with some of the best policy ideas. >> no attack on anybody, but our politics is getting more middle

ea eastern. no such thing as checking anything anymore. thank you. up next, with all the attention on todd akin, who's still out there on the railroad tracks, whether he's going leave this ticket, what about kevin yoder? we've got david letterman's top apologies he could use. and darned light hearted. this skinny dipping is not going to cause any vote to change. this is "hardball." the place for politics.

down here, folks measure commitment by what's getting done. the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment. and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues... but that doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through.

to provide a better benefits package... oahhh! [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ] [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. ♪ ha ha! first you must know by now that kevin yoder's under fire for taking part in a bizarre

skinning dipping incident in the sea of galilee. here's david letterman with some of the top ten apologies yoder might consider. >> so, this is kevin yoder and now, he's apologized to his constituents for swimming nude in the sea of galilee. it was an oversight or something, but here, we have his excuses. number nine, it was spring break. chill out. eight, people in the middle east are pretty easy going about nudity. seven, i had been drinking heavily and number six, trying to take the focus off mitt romney's taxes. five, it had been days since a congressman did something embarrassing. four, it's obama's fault. >> i like placing the blame on the president for even that crazyness. the president made me take my clothes off. next, remember when bush's running mate dan quyale made this spelling blunder during the '92 campaign? >> spell that again now.

>> there you go. >> it's bad enough he can't spell. he made the kid misspell it. potato with an "e." ben quyale is is running for re-election in arizona and an anti quyale super pac has put up an ad. >> how do you spell lightweight? >> throughout the nation is spending well over 14.5 trillion a year. >> off by a trillion. >> government in america is today spending well over 14.5 trillion. >> still wrong. >> numbers really important and they're really --

>> q-u-a-y-l-e almost forgot. >> making fun of a kid because of his dad. leave the old man alone. the obama campaign is noting that mitt romney's father george released 12 years of tax returns in his own run for president while mitt is only going to release two. that's the way to use the old man. as a role model. finally, are you curious to how people are reacting to todd akin's ad asking for forgiveness? well, forget about it. the options to like, dislike or make comments about the ad on akin's youtube channel have been disabled. you don't get to choose anymore. according to talking points, there were about 13 dislikes for every one like before they shut it down. lastly, akin is so far refusing to cave the calls to back out of the race, but -- staying the course, not so. back in 1997, missouri's house

gop leader was under fire for a drunken driving incident and akin, a member of the missouri house of representatives at the time, had some advice. get out of the way, he said cht quote, that is a logical thing. just in terms of keeping our focus on legislation. well, does he want to keep the focus on romney this year? up next, with just days before the convention starting this monday, we've got a new poll just out with new numbers on where the presidential election stands right now. if you're leaning to obama, you're going to be happy to want. they claim to be complete. only centrum goes beyond. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete.

so i'm at my best. it's something you're born with. and inspires the things you choose to do. you do what you do...

because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you. to dream. to create. to work. if you're going to do something. make it matter.

i'm sue herrera with your cnbc market wrap. the s&p briefly hit a four-year high, but ultimately, investors

seeing red at the end of the day. s&p down about five and the nasdaq shed nearly nine points. best buy reported weaker than expected quarterly earnings and opened with an 11% drop before rebounding and facebook shares slipped to 19 after billionaire investor peter teal dumped some $400 million in stock. shared trading at roughly half their ipo price. now back to "hardball" and chris. we're six days away from the republican convention in tampa, where mitt romney hopes to bolster his image, but if recent polls are any indication including the latest out today, he has his work cut out for him.

romney's message isn't selling. he's not by enough for americans as an acceptable alternative to barack obama and his pick of paul ryan hasn't given his campaign enough jolt. chuck todd is the political director for msnbc news and major garrett for "washington journal." the president has a strong advantage, who voters view as more likable. while both scored about the same in terms of their negative ratings, obama's viewed more positively than romney. their feelings are very or somewhat positive. only 38% say that about romney. perhaps more telling, the poll asked how recent news had changed their opinions of him. only 32% say it had given them a more favor nl. . romney's also been seen as more out of the mainstream than obama. 54% say obama's approach to issues is in the mainstream versus 44% who say he's out of

step. it's almost a complete reverse for romney. chuck, it seems like i'm not using the word weird except that it seems to be this thing about he's not one of us to voters. >> i call it, it's the gut decision, right, at the end of the day. there's -- i have theory in presidential elections they're more personal of a vote than people realize. yes, 90% of the country is lining up in their partisan tents, but for that last slice, it is that personal vote, the sort of who represents me. who represents my values. and so that's why it's funny. if i told you a race was -- the incumbent was winning, you'd say, oh, my god, the challenger might win. that's what romney campaign is saying. obama's not at 50. when does the president cross 50 when you ask who's in the mainstream, who's going to look

out for average people and the question is these gut questions all seem to favor the president and that's what you've got to -- >> i'm with you, chuck. all that's true and if you're a progressive or liberal, pro obama or just don't like romney and the crowd behind him. concern would be what happens in an hour and a half on television when the guy comes on for the first time, 90 or 100 million people and for whatever reason, shows a humanity he hasn't shown before. can he gobble up those extra votes sitting out there now? >> that's going to be the key in this election. they view that likelihood as minimal for this reason. had a long conversation with senior advisers in chicago not too long ago. they believe they spent money in june, july and august to

disqualify romney as an acceptable alternative. had a long conversation with david axelrod, said he'd never been involved -- what you do to your opponent in summertime is what matters the most. that is their theory. the obama theory is disqualify or attempt to disqualify romney in the summer and what he says in the fall will not have traction. it didn't gain purchase because people have had, at least from the obama point of view, enough doubts placed in their mind, so whatever he says doesn't attach nearly as well as it might. >> do you believe they're right? >> i don't know they believe they're right. i don't run political campaigns. i just cover them. i have to tell you, it is an embedded philosophy they have. they believe they made a tactical decision, one that carried some risk because it would mean there would be less

money for them to spend, so they made a tactical decision. >> i think they had to do something like this. they had to go for the gut. had to take the guy out in the summer, but still face the reality of three national tv debates. four and a half hours of exposure to a guy who could look so much better than the a adverti advertising. another thing, we spend a lot of time, obama can connect, can't do this. is it romney or i have an alternative theory. that he is dragged down by the image of the republican party. the image of the republican party has not been good since he announced. romney got the most, but i don't know if the most charismatic guy to overcome the negative weight of the brand of the republican party, it is very tough. and the same way the president's dragging around the weight that is the mediocre to nonexistent

economic recovery, which i think is a larger weight to carry, mitt romney's carrying around the weight of an unpopular brand. >> here's the president's message on medicare, apparently scoring higher than romney's in the msnbc poll. the nbc poll, "the wall street journal" poll showed half of registered voter agree d with obama that changing medicare the way ryan has suggested is a bad idea. only 34% agreed with what romney said on medicare. it seems to me that medicare has become the magnet, the lightening rod of this decision. people who were on medicare like it, don't mess with it. >> well, this was what romney bought when he brought on paul ryan. whether he wanted to or not. he owns the paul ryan budget. he can distance himself or attempt, but paul ryan inject in this race. unbalanced when you talk about

entitlements, people are resistant to change. you can have this debate. we have a long time to make this debate. maybe, maybe not. three week ago, romney campaign was not eager to spend three, four, five weeks sloging through a medicare debate because it takes away from the economic message, which they believe is so much more lethal against president obama, but can't get do it because medicare stands in the way. >> the romney campaign believes if they can change the messaging to make voters think who is the candidate most likely to prevent medicare from going bankrupt, if they can make that the question, then they can win that argument. they claim they win that argument when it's framed that way. the problem right now is the argument's been framed to who's gog to protect medicare and they've got to figure out how to save and prevent it from going bankrupt. >> so, the battle is who won the

summer and who's winning the fall. romney people are planning to win it in the fall with what looks like a huge bankroll of money. up next, as many as a million votes in pennsylvania could be disenfranchised by the tough new voter i.d. law. we've got michael nutter coming here next to tell us what the democrats are going to do to get people to vote. be able to vote. this is "hardball." place for politics. s use super models, metamucil uses super hardworking psyllium fiber, which gels to remove unsexy waste and reduce cholesterol. taking psyllium fiber won't make you a model, but you should feel a little more super. metamucil. down with cholesterol. [ john ] no. were you just... no. are you supposed to be driving that in here? no! did mom say we could eat all that? [ john ] yes. [ male announcer ] it's nice to finally say "yes." new oscar mayer selects. it's yes food.

if you want to know where the the presidential campaign is being fought the hardest, just like at the cities with the most total campaign ad spending this week. here they are. number five, denver. four, toledo, ohio. number three, last week's top market, roanoke, virginia. number two, colorado springs. and the ad market with the most total campaign spending this week, des moines. we'll be right back. i have never encountered such a burning sensation...

until i had the shingles. it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com

republicans continue to make gains implementing voter i.d laws. in ohio, a republican elections board member who voted against

early weekend voting said quote, i guess i really actually feel we shouldn't contort the voting process to accommodate the urban red african-american voter turn out machine. in order, they don't like the help black americans get to the voting polls. in virginia, the department of justice signed off on the law for the first time. residents have to show some form of i.d. to vote and in pennsylvania last week, the -- which may disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people, main mainly democrats. mayor, thanks for joining us. a 72-year-old woman comes up to you, lives in a row house in philly. she say, i'm worried, mr. mayor. how can i vote? i don't have a driver's license. how do i get to vote? >> well, those are the kinds of situations that the pennsylvania voter i.d. coalition has geared

up along with the committee of 70. you know the committee of 70, chris. we're geared up here in philadelphia to address those concerns. the state put out a recent piece of material about how to get a free voter i.d. from the department of state if someone is faced with that kind of situation, so we just need to get social security card or your number? do you have proof of where you live? utility bill or something like that? and your birth date. if you can give that information oar to the penn d.o.t., department of transportation, fill tout necessary forms, verify that you don't have all of this other data or i.d. information, you can, in fact, get a free voter i.d. we are encouraging folks to be a part of this coalition. 1866-our-vote. go to the committee of 70 in philly you can call 311 to get information. my focus, our focus, here in the city, the city government, utilizing every resource we can

for all votesers to make sure that every eligible voter has the information they need, printing up materials. we are issues new i.d.s and soon be issuing new i.d. to the public employees because municipal employees have to put an expiration date on city employee i.d.s and getting people the information they need lou the clergy community, civic community, civil rights community, through activists in the neighborhoods and elect officials, geared up and ready to go to make sure everyone can vote and that no one is disenfranchised in this election. that's our focus now. >> i covered katrina. may the mayor said before katrina, we are going try to get 09% of the people out of the city before the flood comes. that sounded like a good effort. 50,000 were left behind to drown basically. my concern is -- i'm sure yours is, too, we are going find ourselves in a morning-after situation where pennsylvania may

have gone slightly in the direction of either candidate and all of a sudden pennsylvania stands out there as the state that will define who wins the presidency the next time around. is that -- are you concerned that might happen because -- 700,000 people being denied the right to vote unless they go out and get this extraordinary effort to get an i.d. card? >> my concern is that we take every effort that we can, every day, between now and the election to identify all those folks, young, not so young, everyone in between, that they have the information that they need, we get them to these penn d.o.t. centers. we immediate to talk about hours of operation and additional access issues. i'm going use the time i have and work with our partners, the committee of 70, the black clergy and so many other groups are unions and the -- coalition put together, not just here in philadelphia but even some of our surrounding counties are

participating. i want to make sure everyone can vote and that we don't have the kind of scenario that you laid out which, of course, we are concerned about. our efforts are that everyone votes and that pennsylvania stays in my democratic half, pennsylvania stays a blue state. >> let me ask you -- >> and vote for president obama. >> this is my challenge for you. my grandmother lives on 15th street where we grew up. i'm 72 years old right now, mr. mayor. i want to vote but i haven't driven a car for years. what should i, mary shields, not right now to get a voter card? >> what you should do is call 1-866-our-vote. or i may have to visit your aunt personally but we will make sure that she gets the information that she needs and then we are working on a transportation network to get folks like your aunt to the penn d.o.t. station and fill out the forms and stay with that person, work with them, make sure she gets her i.d. because i know she wants to vote this november. >> let me do something you can't

do but i know you won't mind me doing. get ahold of your committeemen and democratic committeemen or republican committee. these people work round the clock and love politics and ready to take your phone call. you know who this guy is or this woman is. she lives within a couple of blocks of you. call that guy or woman up right now if you are worried about voting and ask them to personally make it possible for you to vote on election day. i want that person, even if they are republican or democrat, whatever, you get ahold of that committee person. wouldn't that be a smart thing to do? >> absolutely. and -- i want to commend congressman bob brady who is also our party chair here. the -- we had outreach from the obama campaign and haven't heard anything from the romney campaign. my folk as mayor is make sure everyone has the i.d. they need. folks will figure out who they want to vote for come the election. you already know who i'm for. we need to make sure that everyone has that opportunity to vote and democratic party and our committee people and our great ward leaders are geared up and make sure everyone can vote

this november. >> all the good guys will be there. acl, naacp. everybody will be at that meet. >> incredible coalition put together. >> maybe it will wake up that machine a little more than it has been woken up. thank you, mayor michael nutter. we love philly. when we return we will finish with what may be -- todd akin's biggest problem with women, distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate rape. this guy gets deeper and deeper in it today. you are watching "hardball," the place for politics. but after awhile even my girlfriend noticed a difference. [ male announcer ] rogaine is proven to help stop hair loss. and for 85% of guys, it regrew hair. save up to 42% now at rogaine.com. 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. why not take a day toing for? explore your own backyard? with two times the points on travel, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy.

finish with this crazy story out in missouri. candidate in question, todd cane, raised his concern that women who charge rape may not have a legitimate case. well, that's mr. akin's case. the story continues and the question is why a candidate for major national office would make a case like this and tells you much of what you need to know about the thinking behind it. why would a person belittle or try to yu7bd mine the testimony after woman charging rape? why would they do such a thing? why? a couple of possibilities arise. one is that this person, todd akin, doesn't want to allow an exception for having an abortion, to avoid allowing the exception, he argues women who are raped cannot get pregnant. another possibility here and i think my women colleagues here felt this on hearing that word ill legitimate, he simply doesn't take the word of women on this most violent of questions. the second he voiced the word legitimate, he was calling into question the