joining me now are alex wagner, the host of msnbc's "now with alex wagner." and an msnbc political analyst. and an average person. >> was that the phrase in the poll thing? average people. >> average people are born and die and that way -- i don't know, lawrence -- who's working -- >> as the only person here born with a silver spoon anywhere near her, i know carl wagner. >> oh, wow. >> i was born with a -- i believe, a wooden spoon. one of the ones that came with the ice cream. >> i was born with -- >> this regular guy competition is not going well. >> it's not -- it's a terrible idea if you're mitt romney and you have a four-car car elevator you're building, you have offshore accounts in the cayman islands and hundreds of millions of dollars in your name and trying to make the case of being in touch with the average joe. the issue for mitt romney -- well, it's actually the issue for the president are on all of those metrics. likability, you know, compassion, setting aside compassion for the legal dreamers and the illegal dreamers. mitt romney is in trouble.

joining me is alex wagner, and rebecca rebec rebecca traister.we have the polls breaking down mitt romney, and showing that president obama is coming out as more likable and more likely to care about people like me and more understanding of people like me and more caring of the people in the middle-class, and romney is lower on those things, but in the same poll, respondents were asked about who is better at improving the economy and changing washington? neither one of them rise to 50% there which is interesting, but you do see romney with a little bit of the edge. >> rich people have ran for president before and rich people have been president before. george h.w. bush, franklin roosevelt and john f. kennedy and people don't care, well, to a certain degree they care, but they won't begrudge your wealth, but it speaks to what have you done for me lately and what programs are you going to better my opportunity to be just like you? that is the main issue that the obama campaign is maybe really walking down where they don't want to walk down to. don

. >> let's talk about the general election, alex wagner. obama had this to say about the republican spending plans and he evoked the magic tree. >> they said we didn't specifically propose to cut student loans. okay. if you don't cut student loans then that means you've got to cut basic research even more. the money's got to come from somewhere. you can't give over $4 trillion worth of additional tax cuts including to folks like me who don't need them and weren't asking for them and it just comes from some magic tree somewhere. >> a very difficult subject matter which is delving deep into budget cuts for each program and equating it to a magic tree. is this strength, alex, making these simple analogies? >> yes. i don't know if that's his biggest strength, but certainly the professorial obama comes through in moments like this, i wouldn't say a p/eed going, but he's explaining things in simple terms. this is a great message for him in terms of poll testing and the rally supported by a majority of americans, but more than that, it's a fair sh

. >>> joining me now, alex wagner, host of "now with alex wagner," and chris hayes, the host of msnbc's "up with chris hayes." the phrase of the day is "game on." they haven't gone face to face exactly, but they went back to back. the president and romney giving speeches from the same microphone two days in a row. let's start with a clip from how the president got this started. he gave the first speech. let's listen to him on medicare. >> but here's the solution proposed by the republicans in washington. and embraced by most of their candidates for president. instead of being enrolled in medicare when they turn 65, seniors who retire a decade from now would get a voucher. if health care costs rise faster than the amount of the voucher as, by the way, they've been doing for decades, that's too bad. seniors, bear the risk. if the voucher isn't enough to buy a private plan with the specific doctors and care that you need, that's too bad. it's a bad idea, and it will ultimately end medicare as we know it. >> all right. hold it. let's give mitt romney a chance to respond. 24 hours later, he

. >> joining me now, alex wagner,s and chris hayes, the host of msnbc's up with chris haze. alex, it's an early more than's day this year, both political parties must assert their support of american motherhood, how did it come to this? >> you know what lawrence? it's a mystery and then again, it's totally obvious, right, the republicans know they are in trouble with women, independent women, married and unmarried women, women in swing states. the idea i got an e-mail from the romney campaign an hour ago, subject line, war on moms. the idea that a comment from hillary rosen amounts to a war on mom. there's nothing that i can say loud enough for that. if we are talking about the war on moms i would point mitt romney and the republican party to a "new york times" story talking about single moms who are looking in the garbage for bottles and cans to recycle so they can have money to put food on the table. that is the war on moms and that is something that the republicans have no interest in solving or tackling in a meaningful way. >> chris hayes i have david plouffe coming up, i

we'll check in with alex wagner. she's got a tease coming up for "now."uest on your show, don't you? >> i do. a television host named rachel maddow will be joining us. it is primary day for the gop and president obama is coming out swinging in a speech we'll carry live. the president offering a sharp takedown of paul ryan's budget, how will republicans react? rachel mod dow joins the panel. she's also written a book. we'll discuss that and the republican kicking and screaming on the way to a romney ee. [ johan ] hello, piper. nice up-do. i see you're crunching numbers with a cup of joe... when you could be relaxing with a delicious gevalia. or as i like to say, a cup of johan. joe's a cubicle. johan is a corner office with a young, eager assistant... who looks like me. put johan on your spreadsheets. he'll watch your bottom line. [ johan ] gevalia. meet me in the coffee aisle. he'll watch your bottom line. havi ng a he'll watch your bottom line. n irregular heartbeat havputs you at 5 times calgreater risk of stroke. don't wait. go to afibstroke.com for a

mark critz just won this week, and was a recipient of a big bill clinton endorsement, and alex wagneroins us, a host on msnbc. howard fineman wrote this yesterday, we have three leading congressman mark critz, i was rooting for you, you represent everything i like about politics, it's local, you look out for your base, and you deliver, congratulations. held me about bill clinton, his popularity, and his future importance. what do you see the clinton's role? >> obviously president clinton is still very popular. people look back to when he was in office and when hillary ran in '08, and his support of me, i'm hoping i had something to do with it, but he was really important to my race. i think it helped with voter who is may have been on the fence. >> tell me about, let me bring in alex, we're going to talk more about your race in a minute, congratulations on winning the primary, come in and tell us about this whole thing, you grew up in a political family, i have a sense they will be part of our lives for decades ahead. >> forever. >> perhaps forever. >> look, hillary is on center teena

"now with alex wagner" comes up next. >> we have the ascot behind the sweater vest.rum national communications director jay hogan gidley is live in the studio answering the pressing questions we have about the santorum campaign. plus the president speaks to secretaries about getting a fair shot. how will mitt romney respond? the world is waiting for action involving syria, all options are on the table, including working with iran. former assistant secretary of state p.j. crowley and nicholas kristof from the "new york times" are here, all of that when "now" starts in a mere 1 0 seconds. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. 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

alex wagner joining us and eugene robinson. rival dog, there's a dog food right there. a weird ad making fun of the president vulnerability. is he faced vulnerability like romney did because as a kid he ate dog meat. what's going on? >> is anybody really vulnerable. i know it's rough out there but does this really hurt either candidate? i think the white house calculation is being six years old in indonesia and eating dog meat is only going to turn off the people who already think that obama is a socialist muslim where as putting the dog on the roof of the car is something that might tick off independent voters. that could be the calculation. >> it's sounds like something from the guy that likes firing people and putting d inting int roof. alex, you have romney saying the dog loved going on the roof and then he has the president with the big happy dog in them. presidents nice to be seen with big dogs. they like those big healthy looking dogs. your thoughts on this conversation? >> as all great comedy and satire does is it pokes holes in lunacy and heavy handed political

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critz just won the democratic nomination in his state of pennsylvania last week, and my colleague alex wagnernow. she's the host on msnbc. quote, we have three leading political parties in america today, howard wrote. republican, democratic and clinton. the last is a mom and pop operation with a chelsea. it's been 12 years since they had a president in office, but they still keep score, tend to their base and ponder what to do next with their political, financial and charitable clout. congressman mark critz, i was rooting for you, sir. you're the jack mertha of today. you represent everything i really like about politics. it's local, you look out for your base, you deliver. congratulations. tell us about bill clinton, his popularity and his future importance. i'm sure you want his help in november and the future. where do you see bill clinton down the road? >> obviously president clinton is still very popular in western %-pa lot of people look back ate years when president clinton was in office and then when hilalar ran in '08. his support of me, i'm not completely devoid of ego, i hope i had

"now with alex wagner" is coming up next. homas, five states holding prime mary contests and the prespr presumptive romney tacking up to the middle. and have you ever seen superman and clark kent in the same room? can president obama step into the role of candidate and president at the same time? plus, as a supreme court prepares to take up the arizona immigration law, we'll ask virginia's attorney general ken cuccinelli whether the measure is complicating things for the gop. "now" starts in a mere 180 in one proct. new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. covers spots, lines... and wrinkles. and helps improve skin tone over time. new tone rehab from easy... breezy... beautiful... covergirl! covergirl! constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue... we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right

now with alex wagner" is up next. what you got coming up? >> a lot.ebook friends do you have? >> 15. >> now 16. happy monday to you, sir. coming up today is america having an existential crisis if you look at recent pillows, confidence is down in just about everything. we will tackle the great american trust deficit. >>> and the $20 billion bp fund. less than half has been given out. bp claims is czar ken feinberg is here to discuss. plus, will the supreme court rule that the nation's toughest immigration law goes too far? it's a big monday edition of "now." and it all starts in a mere 180 seconds. [ male announcer ] this is lois. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day p

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i have alex wagner with us, host of the very impressive now that comes on at noon here, and gene, i haveod right there, rival dog food. the old -- here we go with a weird ad making fun of the president's as a ruvulnerabilit because he ate dog meat? >> is anybody really vulnerable on the dog issue. i know it's rough out there, but does it really hurt either candidate. being six years old in indonesia and eating dog meat will only turn off the people that already think he is a muslim and socialist. but putting a dog on the roof of the car -- >> a guy that likes firing people and putting dogs on the roof -- this has gotten contorted so much. romney says how much he loved the roof, and the president with a big happy dog in the car, and i noticed presidents like big dogs, your thoughts on this conversation. >> look, i think as all great comedy and satire does, it pokes holes in heavy handed political theories. this was a masterful stroke by the president that it reinforces the fact that president obama is funny. he has a great character, also, undermines these ridiculous notions that he's a s

now with alex wagner" comes your way next. what's coming up? >> pippi gate. packing a pistol in eris. >> president obama went to colombia to talk about issues' hopes to tackle in his second term but all anyone can talk about is prostitutes. we'll look at what actually happened in cartagena, an and tony perkins and the family research council will discuss conservatives, women and taxes and mormonism. this edition of "now." starts in a here 1 0 seconds. no, no it's her dad. the general's your soul mate? dude what? no, no, no. he's, he's on my back about providing for his little girl. hey don't worry. e-trade's got a totally new investing dashboard. everything is on one page, your investments, quotes, research... it's like the buffet last night. whatever helps you understand man. i'm watching you. oh yeah? well i'm watching you, watching him. [ male announcer ] try the new 360 investing dashboard at e-trade. whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain

"now with alex wagner" is coming up next. >> hello, happy monday to you, thomas. >>> lots of new thingsweek. new strategies coming from the campaigns. will the tweaks help in november or just muddle the message? and case you've been asleep for the last 48 hours, president obama told some jokes over the weekend. we will discusses the best lines from our comic in chief and discuss mitt romney, merry prankster. plus a look at our national security. a look at the year after the killing of osama bin laden is, how much is the threat of al qaeda. [ female announcer ] did you know the average person smiles more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. 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

with me here, jonathan capehart, an opinion writer for the "washington post," and the esteemed alex wagner. everyone is he is steamed. more so her. >> thanks for the compliment. >> sorry. david, if you were going to write a strategy for mr. romney to attack the president, would you in your wildest dreams ever suggest that this gilded multimillionaire should accuse the president of being out of touch? >> let's look at it this way. the president does live in an awfully big house. he has butlers, he never drives his own car. he might just be as out of touch, as say, mitt romney. >> but he doesn't have a car elevator. inconfirm there is no elevator for cars in the white house. >> there is a big construction project on the front lawn of the white house. who knows what they're putting there? at some point, mitt romney has to come to terms with the fact that he is a 1 percenter. a .001 percenter. he get out there in the intro and he bashes barack obama for spending time at harvard when he spent more time at harvard. there should be a certain set of rules of polite political discourse in which mit

"now with alex wagner" is coming your way next. >> mitt romney is prebudding president obama's conventionll it work or should the rom neat wait till he's actually the nominee? plus, republicans have a lot of work to secure the hispanic vote and placate the base. and what do jeremy lin, kristin wig and bibi netanyahu have in common? we'll tell you when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. aspirin is just old school. people will have doubts about taking aspirin for pain. that's why we developed bayer advanced aspirin with micro particles. it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of pain. we know it works. now we're challenging you to put it to the test. we're giving away one hundred thousand bottles absolutely free through april 25th. so you can try it yourself and tell us what you think. visit fastreliefchallenge.com to get your free bottle. oh! seriously?! ♪ [ male announcer ] hunger getting to you? oh... [ male announcer ] grab a ritz crackerfuls. made with real peanut butter and whole grain. mmmm [ male announcer ] get hunger before it gets you. for febreze fabric ref

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now alex wagner is coming up. >> hi, thomas.of ladies that would like to play augusta if they do open it up. up next, we will examine the grass root and the board room stylings of one willard mitt romney and ask if there is a home field advantage for rick santorum. are republicans and democrats wired differently? the author of a book who has gone where few tread. following the trial at guantanamo bay we're going to discuss the white house position on civil liberties versus national security all that when "now" starts in 180 seconds. [ male announcer ] lately, there's been a seismic shift in what passes for common sense. used to be we socked money away and expected it to grow. then the world changed... and the common sense of retirement planning became anything but common. fortunately, td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. take control by opening a new account or rolling over an old 401(k) today, and we'll throw in up to $600. how's that for common sense? ♪ you make me happy when sk

don't miss alex wagner. bye-bye. >> here is the business travel forecast.t hit areas of western new york and pennsylvania yesterday is on the exit up into canada. we're watching improving weather conditions in many areas today, partly cloudy skies, a lot of big city airports in the northeast, a few showers up there especially in maine and new england and seattle could have a few hours and warm weather continues in the west. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ >>> good morning. primary voting is under way in five states including the important battle ground of pennsylvania, and it is a chance for both sides to pile up

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