so what really happened in allentown pa is the american steel manufacturing industry collapsing. slate columnist dave weigel explore the issue in a column published yesterday and she gave one of the reasons why allentown networks shuttered stores while wrote the owners of allentown metal works of expected to get more business from stimulus spending on construction etc it didn't happen allentown metal works only chance for survival was an infusion of capital from the government into local projects something the romney opposed its collapse was classic creative destruction there simply wasn't business for the plant to do any more as to why there wasn't any business for the plant anymore allentown business columnist edward carter offered an explanation at the beginning of the year writing that the closing of the plant represents a bygone era of when manufacturing was king of the economy in the lehigh valley and around the country unfortunately the manufacturing cycle has seen its boom in america and want not necessarily in the bust phase of the cycle the landscape has changed drastic

of allentown, pennsylvania.at to have you with us tonight. john, let's start with you. i'd like to hear from you. were you the foreman at that plant, and can you tell us why it closed? president obama, was he responsible for that? >> first of all, i wasn't the foreman. i worked in quality control there for 16 years, and i worked in the machine shop for another 22 years. i was also the unit president of the steel workers there. >> okay. mitt romney is blaming this plant shutting down on president obama. do you agree with that? >> no, i don't agree with that. at this point this is business as usual, putting the blame on somebody else. at this point you can't blame anybody. >> mayor, governor romney has a political ad of himself at this allentown plant. is there more to the recovery in allentown that you'd like to tell us? >> sure. first off, ed, we don't appreciate mr. romney using the closing of this plant as a political prop. there's been so many good things that happened as a result of the intervention of presi

. >> we are stand on the side of the allentown metal works. this was the place that president obama visited about a year and a half ago and indicated that this was a symbol of the success of his stimulus program. and as you look around and see the weeds growing and the windows boarded up, you can see that it's more a symbol of the failure of obama's economic policies. >> but again, the truth gets in the way. a close analysis shows the plant closed not because of federal stimulus spending but because there wasn't enough stimulus spending. there wasn't enough spending on infrastructure to keep this plant alive. and remember, the stimulus was one third tax cuts, and the republicans still didn't vote for it. but romney is all about blaming the president and getting in some digs after obama's own news conference. >> and the president's time has been focused on playing golf and campaigning, campaigning in pennsylvania today, and blaming. the president ought to be in washington, meeting with republicans, meeting with democrats. >> and at other times,

i just came from allentown metal works where i had a chance to visit with workers there. >> the allentownal work is set to close its doors on friday. it was hailed as a symbol of hope by president barack obama last year when he promoted his jobs plan. >> there you go. not wasting any time. literally in pennsylvania, the very same day that's how quickly the media can work now if you've got the money that mitt romney has, you take that footage that you were at the allentown metal works and ship it out to your advertising house and there's an attack ad out coming. >> president obama made that run when he was trying to gain support for the stimulus package. there's an underlying message regarding the stimulus package and whether it's been successful or not. >> of all those images we were seeing, we were seeing some american flags there as the president was making his way on to the tarmac and mitt romney was out and about. are all those images, flags and so forth, part of some g.o.p. agenda? are they only republican images? according to harvard and a new study out this weekend saying that july

this is 10 minutes. >> we are standing at the site of the allentown mental wards. this is the place president obama this did about a year and a half ago. the plant has been open 100 years. to survive the great depression. it could not survive the obama economy the president says, "give me more time." it could have been worse. it could have been worse for the people who work here at this plant. for them, it is as bad as it gets. we now have 20 million americans out of work or dramatically unemployed. the president says just to give him more time. three years he has been in office. this is the third year in his four-year term. he said in february 2009 after being inaugurated, "if i cannot turn the economy around in three years, the nine is a one-year proposition." i am going to collect on that promise. this is a one-year term. if people want change and what not this as a symbol of hope, but a growing economy as a symbol of hope, then we will have a change in washington and the white house. with that, i am happy to take any questions. >> do you think you could handle

he spoke to reporters outside the now shut shuttered allentown company. the president pushing the stimulus. >>> we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to "hardball." the top two contenders for the republican nomination seem to be mitt romney and our own, i say that because she started here, michele bachmann. even bill clinton is weighing in on their candidacy subpoena here he is on "good morning america" today. >> governor romney is doing a better time as a candidate than four yearsation. more relaxed and convicted about what he did do. less willing to just be forced into apologizing for it. i'm not surpriseed by how well michele bachmann's done. i've been watching her speech. she comes across as real person. allal foster children and those she's raised. >> whittled down to the bank roller versus it's true believe are and which appeal to the undecided voter will work? bring in the "hardball" strategists and experts democrats steve mcmahon and republican todd. you have a skidszoid, people who believe and those that pretend what they say they have. working f

. >> they reached out to us and said, when he was criticizing obama in pennsylvania and in allentown, to do with an economic stimulus that obama touted in allentown, that factory later had closed, this venue in los angeles has been something that had been a problem since the 1990s. the one problem with mitt romney, though, these time of events, more importantly, it seems like he's become the grim reamer, he's standing behind the closed factories, he wants to make the point that the obama policies have failed and where is the change and the hope and the optimism. >> and the democrats' criticism against bush in 2004 was there was no hopefulness. >> both you and karen are right, the election is a referendum on the incumbent, that being said, you have to give people a positive reason to vote for you, too, and mitt romney will have to turn the argument. one point i want to make, when president obama ran in 2008, he ran against george bush, but also he was running against bill clinton. he's running against barack obama, but he might be running against bush, too. not beloved among conserve i

as far as the inner loop construction is concerned, holding steady at 202 and allentown road. that should be clearing probably in the next 13, 15 minutes or so. virginia we go, 395 clear smooth sailing all the way to the 14th street bridge to inside the beltway. the road work on the inner and outer loop between 66 and 267 the dulles toll road earlier, that's cleared out of the way. and d. c. roads with a last shot of drivers comes in from rosslyn to georgetown, still obviously very nice and quiet. still ahead we're taking a look at 50 in maryland. andrea and surae, that's coming up. back to you. >>> maryland residents mike get to decide the fate of the state's new controversial tuition law for illegal immigrants. >> the dream act allows the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates for universities. it's supposed to go into law today. but some think the legislation rewards criminal behavior. >> if you're not from this country legally, you should not get benefits that the taxpayers support. it's simple. >> i'm telling kids they should strong to achieve -- strive to

heading into the holiday weekend, mitt romney down played the fundraisering in a stop in allentown, pennsylvaniaoesn't have a primary opponent. he's going to raise a billion dollars? we're not going to raise anywhere near that kind of money. >> mitt romney's campaign said his total would be less than what he raised in the first major quarter of 2007. tim pawlenty expected to bring in less than 5 million. jon huntsman raised a little over 2 million throwing his own money at 4 million. ron paul told supporters he's raised over $4 million. the number though everybody is watching what will the michele bachmann number be? she can transfer money from the house campaign. was she able to get in the internet and direct mail money in in time? will the number be forth of 5 million? will it be north of 10? that would be somewhat of a surprise. meanwhile, a siren for the supporters of rick perry, he's scouting out a vendor pot at the straw poll. it's our understanding perry won't get into the race until after he has the national day of prayer on august 6th. the straw poll is basically a week later. he wouldn

the >> the allentown metal works set to close friday. of hope by president obama last year, when he promoted his jobs plan . >> that is such a powerful ad. the romney campaign back and looked at the most powerful tag line that margaret thatcher used in her first campaign which is "labor isn't working." that is a very effective campaign. this is if going to be all about jobs, jobs, jobs. >> that ad is so effective, because it is something that everyone can understand. you don't have to know who tim geithner is. all you have to know is people are losing jobs. i guarantee you everyone in that area where that ad is running knows someone who lost a job. >> in 2008 this -- unlike 2008 this time obama has to run on a record. >> it is effective ad, but misleading. didn't take into account that most of those jobs were lost in the first six months of his presidency. it still doesn't get romney past the south carolina firewall. >> it is effective because it plays to romney's strength as a tremendous businessman versus obama who was never a business

i just came from allentown metal works where i had a chance to visit with workers. >> metal works setse its doors friday. hailed as a symbol of hope by president obama last year when he promoted his jobs plan . >> sean: it may be my nature, but i love ads that tell the truth about your opponent. >> this is a powerful ad. because it used barack obama's own words. and barack obama's own actions. and barack obama's own policies to indict him. it was a terrific ad. this is how the new politics is working. romney goes to pennsylvania, appears at the same place that obama appeared at to herald the stimulus plan, a now closed factory. and gives a good set of remarks. then turns it into an ad that appears mostly on internet and cable tv on showings like this. and has a big nice grace note that he strikes on the economy, that showcases his strength as a businessman who can create jobs. >> sean: boehner said they may have a deal on the debt ceiling in 48 hours. how important is it that the republicans that won in this historic midterm hold their ground? >> absolutely critical. no net tax increa

he was at a clothes factory in allentown, pennsylvania, and then in los angeles.thumb in presidential contest is the hopeful and optimistic candidate typically wins the contest. right now the romney message has been all negativity, all pessimism. at some point that needs to change. >> you know what's interesting in that poll, texas governor rick perry scored better than michele bachmann and sarah palin and trailed the president by 12 points. do you think part of fascination is the fact he's not running yet, he's just a neighbomaybe? >> there is a clamoring for republicans with an additional candidate in the field. not all republicans are happy with their choices right now. rick perry is almost michele bachmann but as a governor. somebody who has results as a governor. in texas over the last several years it's been gerched by republicans. when it comes to fiscal or social policy, it is a very conservative state. that's something that could be appealing to conservative primary voters in republican primaries. >> nbc news deputy political director mark murray. thank y

. >> we are standing on the site of the allentown metalworks where president obama visited about 1.5 ago. he indicated that this was a symbol of the success of this stimulus program. you can see the weeds growing in the windows boarded up. it survive the great depression but not the obama economy. you now have 20 million americans dramatically under employed. the president says to give him more time. three years he has been in time. but he said it cannot turn the economy around. i will collect on that. his is a one-year term. unless people feel about it, and people want change, it is a real work in a growing economy as a whole. they will have change in washington. >> what we do expect congress to do [inaudible] >> the first row of any enterprise is to recognize it is in trouble. the present time is being focused on campaigning. he spent his time and energy fix in this economy. there is another president meeting with republicans. he should not be that town he is dealing with the fiscal crisis. he does not have a primary opponent. he is going to raise $1 billion? we will not raise anyw

like almost every day these days, and there was a bit of a dust-up last week, when romney was in allentown hasn't the economy gotten better since obama has been president, and he said i did not say things got worst. he repeated that this morning at this town hall meeting. >> so at a time when wanted small business and intrapreneurs to step forward and get the economy going again, what he did caused them to pull back. and so he made the recession deeper and made it last longer and the recovery more anemic. he made things worst. >> that will make hairs stand up all over the backs of necks on the dnc. it's getting into the summer months and we'll hear more rhetoric here as the days go on and the campaign heats up. >> thank you so much. we'll have your next political update next hour. and for all the latest political news go to the website, c cnnpolitics.com. and that does it for us. >> july fourth, nice seeing you. >> have a fun show. >> thank you, you too. >>> want to get you up to speed for tuesday, july 5th. jurors will decide casey anthony's guilt your innocence. prosecutors say anthony k

.♪ gregg: billie joel singing about allentown, pennsylvania, and mitt romney is using that as a backtory, to slam president obama's economic policies. particularly the stimulus. he's speaking at the site of a once booming metal factory. >> president obama visited here a year-and-a-half ago and indicated it was a symbol of the success of his stimulus program. and as you look around and see the weeds growing and the windows boarded up you can recognize it is more a symbol of the failure of obama economic policies. the plant here has been open 100 years. it survived the great depression. it couldn't survive obama economy. gregg: the former massachusetts governor is of course referring to that trip president obama made to the same factory in 2009, where, the president touted the success of his massive $787 billion stimulus package, take a listen: >> president barack obama: i was talking to the governor, before we walked in and he's got a whole series of charts, about how much more steel is produced in pennsylvania because of the recovery act. how much more infrastructure spending is taki

and in cities and towns across america from cleveland to allentown, pennsylvania, this organization isponsoring overeating competitions. and it is promoting it now for women at the local level and even at amusement parks for children, and that's a concern. molly: i mean, we have a national obesity epidemic, a number of health professionals across the country have referred to it as a crisis. so, and then when we're glamourizing it in this contest and, as you mentioned, at the local level s there some way to balance these types of contests? >> yeah. i agree. this does promote it. it rewards it, there are financial rewards. when you look at the countries with the longest life expectancy, molly -- france, japan -- they're not having overeating competitions of croissants or sushi bits. it is a uniquely american sort of glam orization, and this country is really promoting it. obesity has the highest price tag of any problem in health care, and you and i pay for that through higher premiums and medicare bills, and it's time we really send a good message to our children. so i applaud people th

barack obama is in philadelphia, so he's in allentown.traordinary amount of confidence on his part that he's going to be the republican nominee. >> you can talk to the romney people. when we talk about sarah palin, they are thrilled. when we talk donald trump, they are thrilled. when we talk about michele bachmann, he's thrilled. he's raising money, going to factories that were open when barack obama was campaigning and closed now. all in all, it's a -- we criticize him all the time here, but it seems to be working. keep your head down, raise money and stay above the republicans. >> as you know, it can be summari summarized. in 2007, hillary clinton campaigned like this. kind of ignored barack obama for the better part of the year and got surprised when he came out of nowhere. there are dangers to the strategies, too. >> at least around this table, mika thought from the beginning the president could win. i did not. then i saw the first quarter report of 50 million. i said game on. you knew then -- i do not think there's anybody that's goi

he was in allentown, pennsylvania to discuss economic issues. his remarks are about 10 minutes. >> this was the place president obama visited a year-and-a-half ago and indicated this was a symbol of the success of his stimulus program. as you look around and see the weeds growing and the windows boarded up, you can recognize it is a symbol of the failure of the -- of the obama economic policies. the plant here has been open 100 years. it survived the great depression. it could not survive the obama economy. the president says, give me more time. it could not have been worse for the people who worked at this plant. for them, it is as bad as it gets. you have 20 million americans out of work or dramatically under-employed. the president says, give him more time. three years he has been in office. this is the third year of his four-year term. he said, if i cannot turn the economy around in three years, mine is a one your proposition. i will collect on that promise. his is a one-year term unless the people feel the status quo is what they want more

operation it is reported 12 separate oil spill to read in february, the natural gas pipeline in allentown pennsylvania exploded, killing five people and damaging more than 50 homes and businesses. this was an old cast-iron pipe line. last set of turkoman natural gas pipeline on the other side of the country richard and exploded in a san bruno, california. eight people died. many more were injured. the gas for no and spread from house to house driven by the wind. 38 homes were destroyed and seven more were damaged but the explosion left behind the suburban street with a massive crater and burned out vehicles. the vice chairman of the national transportation safety board described it as, quote, an amazing scene of destruction. two months before the san bruno explosion a crude oil pipeline ruptured near marshall michigan. over 800,000 gallons of oil spilled into the talmadge creek and then flowed into the kalamazoo river. the cleanup is ongoing a year later and is expected to cost $550 million. these are just some of the catastrophic pipeline failures the country has experienced during the p

and also work on 202 and also at allentown road. in virginia, the inner loop and outer loop between 267 and 66, that's where you're going to find the ongoing construction. and also the inner loop ramp from 267 is still closed until 5:00 a.m.. still ahead more work zones to watch out for. that's coming up at 4:31. back to you. >>> here are some stories this friday morning. former international monetary fund chief dominique strauss- kahn could have his bail reduced or lifted at hearing today. >> the "new york times" reported it may be boffins with his accuse -- because of issues with his accuser's credibility. he's been on house arrest since may. >>> countries around the world are struggling to deal with big budget problems. it's day four of strikes in greece where the government is approving new austerity measures. >> in britain now, tens of thousands of workers walked off the job. rita kneeson is in london with the story. >> reporter: they want the government to know what they think of pension cuts. [ people chanting ] thousands wal