>> "inside washington" is brought you in part by the american federation of government employees, proud to make america work. for more information about afge and membership, visit afge.org. >> a guy called tt romney wants to know whether we are ready. are we ready? >> this week on "inside waington," mitt romney's nott so excellent london adventure. >> my expererience with regard d to the olympics is that itit is impossible for no mistakes to occur. >> president obama iss backpedaling fast on business. >> tho a are flat outrong.

>> after the colorado massacre the gun-control debate again. >> we see the power of the nra around here. >> the widespread view is that somebody that on balance it will find some way to do harm. >> the tax-cut debate, again. >> the o only thing i the way of middle income tax cuts are house republicans. >> the house will vote to stop the small business tax hike. >> penn state takes a huge hit for the sexual abuse cover-up. >> i feel bad forhe university feel bad for the family of a jor turno -- of joe paterno. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> it was a natural. mitt romney, credited with saving the solid city olympics,

goes to london for the 2012 games. he goes on a charm offensive only to have 1 "daily telegraphph" columnist say that what he has to say is devoid of charm and mildly offensive. not all bad for romney, though, because his opponent has a campaign ad in which he eats his own words from when he said "you didn't build that." the president tells us he did not mean what is republican opponents say he meant, that he is anti small business. let's start with romney in london. how is he doing so far, mark? >> it has not worked out totally well, but he has taken too many cheap shots. this does not rise to level of "corporations are people," "i like being able to fire people." let the gaffes begin. >> nina?

>> he violated the cardinal rule that i guess it should not criticize -- a guest not criticize the brits. having said that, i don't think it is is such a big deal. it did not accomplish what he wanted to accomplish, but it is not as if he committed a cardinal sin. >> americans may not think it is is a big deal, with the british do charles. >> they do and he missed a gimme. he has to do on the trip abroad is to say nothing. he chose britain, poland, and israel, because each one has a history with this administration of being dissed. all he has to do is show up -- woody allen said it is 80% of life -- and joe friendship and affection and he will be the contrast of obama. what does he do? inexplicable, what he did, and

he blew an opportunity. >> colby? >> even before he set foot in londonon, his staff had gotten him in a sticky wicket talking about gegetting together with the british because of their and the cossacks and -- their anglo- saxon backckground -- >> wait a minute, who said that? >> anonymous person on his staff, and let's not have a debate on whether it was said or not. the other thing that was unforgivable is that he mentioned having a meeting by name with mi16, which you don't do. it was rather amateurish behavior. he probably will take charles' advice and say little more on the rest of his trip. >> i wonder how many americans read british newspapers. >> but it is all over the american air raids. every network has carried the story. >> it was on an nbc news

interview with brian williams. i think that what this place into though, and negative perception of romney that is a problem. the campaign surprisingly, is not addressed it. in the abc news-"washington post" poll, who would be better to address the economic worries of americans, romney over obama. financial institutions, romney, 56%, to market here e it is in london with his wife, and it is wonderful what the horses have done for her, but dressage is not a shot of beer kind of guy. >> i happen to agree. i know that she uses the horses for therapy, and i respect that, but is the horse is going to be disappointed if he is not injured in the olympics? if he wins the presidency, he

can take a course on the presidential yacht. -- take the horse the presidential yacht. if he wants, he can make the to as set -- the horse a senator but. putting the horse in the olympics went it is the most upper-class sport there is is not very smart. >> also having these fund- raisers with bankers involved in the libor scandal -- they get a

>> of course americans build their own businesses. every day, hard working people sacrificed to meet the payroll and create jobs and make our economy right. >> that ad is airing in 6 battleground states, direct response to republican attacks on what the president said in roanoke on july 13, that "if you

own a business you did not build that." what would you run a spot like that? why not just have surrogates say that the words were taken out of context and then take it out on romney? >> they obviously concluded it was hurting treated the one place they got anyind of boost, the obama campaign, was from an unlikely source, "the union leader" of new hampshire an avatar of conservative journali, who pointed out that the guy that the romneycare folks they used in their -- romney folks they used in their ads got tax credits from new hampshire and in addition to that was livining off of federal contracts. it was not like he just started in his own private and did it during lunch hour. -- own garage and did it during

lunch hour. >> why would he just let t this go by? let me ask charles. >> it captures the essence of obama's view of the economy and society. he is very clear. he says it was taken out of context. the context makes it worse. he starts by saying that if you are wealthy and successful, you did not get there alone. you think you are so smart? a lot of people are smart. you think you work hard? a lot of people worked hard he is distorting the effort, the prince, the ingenuity -- he is discounting the effort, brains, ingenuity and hard work of people who are successful, and says that what put you where you are is what government has done. that is a reasonable argument, a very old argument of left and right, but it presents a government-centered view of what success and the economy and the american system is about. but that is a minority view in the united states, and that is

why he had to cut the at because of that becomes the perception of what obama believes, he loses this election in a center-right country. >> can i interrupt the monologue? let me say two things. jon stewart took a romney speech and took a little excerpt of it next to the ones that obama had in that speech and they were almost word for word the same. no. 2, obviously, the romany people thought this was working, usingng negative ads, the obama people concluded the same thing. you don't do something this defensive end of fuzzy "i was taken out of context" business unless you think i.t. is hurting you. >> colby? >> the romney camp took that remark out of context. if you read the total remark, it is clear he is not suggesting an

individual initiative cannot succeed is not important. he does say that. he also talks about the other things, infrastructure that are important, and discusses other speeches as well. they did that and took it out of context, and obama said nothing somebody on the right would have said, " he said nothing because he has no response." he speaks up they state it is because he is vulnerable. >> i just gave the context. >> i prefer the context in which i was discussing it, were he acknowledges individual -- >> the whole paragraph begins with his mocking it treatment of people who think they are responsible -- >> i read no mockery in that. >> here are numbers that, if you are david axelrod, you are worried about. democrats are much less enthiastic about this election than four years ago, and even

eight years ago, more enthusiastic at this stage of the election. republicans -- romney may not be the guy of their dreams, but they will turn out because they and to vote at higher rates. >> democrats had the edge in 2008 and even and 2004. the bush campaign, to their credit did maximize turnout in 2004. they got every vote they had in the country to show up at the polls. i think that lack of enthusiasm -- this election is going to be determined by a suburban women women who went to college, women onunder age 50. they whole the balance of the selection. >> the danger for obama's that democrats were already less enthusiastic, and the way this

campaign is unfolding, the negativity only makes them less enthusiastic. >> according to prosecutors, 24- year-old james holmes opened fire on an aurora, colorado movie theater during the opening of the new batman movie. prident obama says that like most americans, he believes in the second amendment a guarantee to an individual right to bear arms. mitt romney -- "i don't support new gun laws in ts country does nobody will mess with guns in this election cycle. >> this election cycle or next election cycle, unless politicians develop a little intestinal fortitude and are willing to stand up against the nra. who needs an assault weapon? you hunt rabbits or patients or deer -- pigeons teare with an assault weapon? no. >> what interests me is that

politicians are staying away. >> i talked to two senior people in congress this week, one a democrat, one republican, and they said that as a result of the nra's behavior, something very dangerous is going to happen in this country, but they went on to say, "if you quote me, i will never speak to you again." >> this was decided in 1994. >> democrats believe, or there is a perception among many democrats, that they lost to the house in 1994 because of their vote on the crime bill, when they passed the assault weapons ban. i would point out this -- the assault weapons ban did cover the weapon used by james holmes in aurora, and it did and magazines to 10 bullets. he had 100.

but for it jamming, would have killed twice, three times as many. why is it that after katrina, we said that we had to do something about the levees? after 9/11, we agreed we had to do something about security and terrorism. but something like columbine, aurora virginia tech, no no, we are helpless, people giants. we cannot do anything because the nra is all-powerful. >> the reason we cannot do it is not because of a lobby, but because of the cowowardice of the democrats. we don't have a debate on gun control in the country. we have it on talk shows but not in congress. if you have a debate, one party on one side, the other party on the other. the democrats will not speak up. a democrat would not even give his name in nina's quotation here. if you want to blame on the lobby, you are barking up the wrong tree.

the lobby in the sugar quotas is a minority that the majority would oppose it they cared or knew about it. this is not the nra representing a minority. the reason its peaks and everybody listens is because obviously, democrats and republicans and the majority of americans agree. it is not a lot, it is is a reflection of public opinion. that is why there is no debate on. >> that is not the case. they intimidate politicians on both sides, both parties. >> if the people were on your side on the issue, there woululd be no intimidation. >> as far back as much was lopsided like a 70% they had enormous power and they managed to intimidate -- >> try once to blame the democrats instead -- >> i blame everybody. >> republicans are not? >> republicans have an issue democrats will not oppose it --

[laughter] >> republicans act out of courage and conviction. >> do you like that position? do you agree with that position? >> i have spoken on this show for 20 years that i am not an opponent of gun control. >> republicans are wrong, sir? >> the reason that this is happening is not because of a lobby but because of a consensus among the majority of americans.

[ male anuncer ] where did all the obama stimulus money go? friends, donors campaign supporters special interest groups where did the obama stimulus money go? solyndra: 500 millllion taxpayer dollars. bankrupt. so where did

the obama stimulus moneney go? windmills from china. electric cars from finland 79% of the 2.1 billion in stimulus grants awarded through it went to overseas companies. [ romney ] i'm mitmnromney and i approve this message.e. >> iff we want this e economy to move forward, then middle income families need a helping hand. >> to raise taxes on 1 million small binesses to empy 25% of the american work force. >> that is senators dick durbin and john thune. this bill will fail in the house, but they have to look

busy up there, colby. >> and boarded a vote took place in the senate. because they have the majority vote -- >> mitch mcconnell allowed to this. >> and we have this good piece of legislation in the senate. now it goes to the house of representatives, where it will fail because republicans do not want the tax cuts for the rich to expire. they know that. they are talking about rich people not having to get their taxes. getting into the question of how much moneyets saved -- the fact is that republicans ought to let this -- ought to pass this bill. >> you lose the tax reduction it is only an increase on anything beyond what you have already paid over $250,000. the first to under two dozen dollars is exactly the same.

it is only anything over that were you lose the benefits you got under the bush tax cuts. >> to quote ronald reagan, there we go again. the joint committee on taxation has reported that 53% of small business income would come under this tax hike. we just had a report on friday -- growth in the second quarter was 1.5%, which is the slowest in the history of any recovery since the second world war. at 1.5%, the economy is sliding backwards and unemployment will rise. you want to raise taxes on 52% of small business income in the middle of a recession and expect we will heal the economy? it is nuts. >> you like those numbers mark? >> i always like charles' numbers, but i would like to do some facts.

1.3 trillion has gone back to people in the top 10%. a millionaire this year gets $150,000 in tax cuts. that is great if you are a millionaire. you can buy private schools, private security, private recreation. but for those people, the vast majorityty of americans, who depend on public schools, public safety, public transportation, and public recreation, we have lost 100,000 teachers, and that is why this has to pass.

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>> as a team we don't see this as a punishment. this is the greatest opportunity that penn state could ever be given. >> he plays football for penn state he may not see the n.c.a.a. action as punishment, but a lot of people do. >> god bless him for saying something like that.

i find myself extremely ambivalent about this. it is clear that the n.c.a.a. bid is to send a message to other schools. their ostensible reason is that we want to get rid of -- rebuild the culture. they are not going to rebuild the culture. they are going to punish people who did not do anything, but they are going to send a message to other schools that you better not tolerate this kind of thing. >> they are wiping out every victory since 1998, which puts joe paterno down on the list. >> it also puts the players to risk injury and got concussions winning or losing those games asking, did i do that for a game that no longer exists? it is in broad brush. look this is one of the great terrible scandals in all of sports. i don't think there is a clean way you can undo thehe damage or punished. i think that what the n.c.a.a. is reasonable. i cannot see any better or worse way you can handle anything is

complicated. >> they stopped short of the death penalty some people more urgent, which is to kill the program. but they are forcing penn state to do what penn state has to do to rebuild the program from the beginning. it will take three years before they have a chance to statart that. good decision. >> the only bright light is those players and their attitude in the face of adversity. otherwise, it is bleak, dismal, and depressing. >> in the end, there is no punishment that could meet the magnitude of the crime so in the end, you have to accept the meager substitute for any kind of justice. >> they did say that if yavou have a scholarship to penn state, you want to go to another school, you can play right away. >> you got to make the team. >> date and are breaking that

program, and they should. >> last word. see you next week. >> "inside washington" is brought you in part by the american federation of government employees, proud to make america work. for more information about afge and membership, visit afge.org.