appreciate it. >>> let's turn to eugene robinson. i just think republicans would be doing the democrats a big favor if they took the guy with the radical budget and put him on the ticket. what do you think? >> i agree with you. if they want to embrace the ryan budget and if mitt romney wants to embrace paul ryan himself, i think as the governor said, it sharpens the contradictions. it lets the president draw a very clear bright line between his vision of the future of the country and the republican party's vision of the country. i thought he made an impressive start on that today. if they want to adopt the ryan budget as the flag they wave during the campaign, i think democrats would be happy. >> what do you make of the president mentioning romney today and being so direct on exactly what this budget would do to america? >> i think it's become clear that the president, and not just in today's speech but in recent public appearances and statements, is going to be in your face during this campaign. obviously, the white house believes r

thank you as always, eugene robinson, known for his wisdom.mpare his republican party to the prc, the communist party of china? ♪ ♪ [ lauer ] this is our team. and unlike other countries, it's built by your donations, not government funding. and now, to support our athletes, you can donate a stitch in america's flag for the 2012 olympic games in london. help raise our flag, add your stitch at teamusa.org. on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> back to "hardball." now for the side show. first up, republican for the primaries when rudy giuliani had this to say about mitt romney. >> i have seen him change positions about so many things so fast, on a dime. pro-choice, pro-life. he profess

eugene robinson with us tonight. howard fineman. great to have all of you with us. karen, you first. the big question as paul ryan got a lot of attention tonight and he's had a lot of attention all week long because he's been connected at the hip with mitt romney all over the state of wisconsin, which romney won tonight. does mitt romney have the guts to pick paul ryan because of this budget plan? it's going to be be what people think will be a rope around their neck. does she the guts to pick this guy? >> i don't think. we're looking at a rob portman. someone with a profile within the republican party. remember with paul ryan, part of the reason to be sort of appeasing him and joined at the hip with him is because with him comes tea party support and he's trying to chip away some of that from rick santorum. maybe paul ryan somewhere in the cabinet. that may be the conversation but i don't think he's going to be the guy down the hall. >> howard, you saw president obama's speech today. is the president already assuming the general election between himself and mitt ro

eugene robinson is a columnist at the "washington post," david corn is the washington bureau chief forn." both are nbc political analysts. eugene, this is why they pay you the big bucks. explain this to me if it's not contraception. or is it contraception? >> well, who knows? i think perhaps health care is number one, the number one issue that women say they are concerned about in these swing states, and i suppose you could subsume some of these reproductive issues under the rubric of health care and maybe you have an answer there. but maybe you don't. maybe it's an intensification of this sort of male/female polarization that's been happening between the two parties for a while now. >> i thought the same thing, that maybe by answering health care, that to the female respondents encapsulated much of what they've been hearing. david, this is not a romney-specific issue. this is really a gop issue because other candidates in the republican party poll equaled poorly among women. >> and remember, the contraception debate happened in the context of health care. it's quite clear if you're ta

thank you as always, eugene robinson, known for his wisdom.ing up why did jon huntsman compare his republican party to the prc, the communist party of china? i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. 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 cont

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eugene robinson, thank you as well.. >> and gene's column is on immigration, and it's a really good read atwashingtonpost.com. >> still ahead, holly petraeus. also, the very funny rachel dratch will stop by. "morning joe" is back in a moment. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro. [ children laughing ] ♪ ...is the smell of salt in the air. ♪ it's the sound a seashell makes. [ seagulls calling ] away...is a place that's beyond your imagination, yet well within your means. find your away. for a dealer and the rv that's right for you, visit gorving.com. hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it

i think it is our turn now. >> eugene robinson, talk to me. your response?y turn now. you know, we are all stunned that the romney's believe in romney's candidacy. what they said is right. it's going to be tight. the country is divided. if 6% or 7% of the electorate is up for grabs this time, just like every time. 4753 is what passes for a landslide in american politics these days. we are going to be in that territory. the campaign hasn't really started yet. the real campaign. we'll see how romney does, we'll see what sort of general election candidate he is and see if the president has the mojo from last time. >> you know, melody, day in and day out, we always talk about all these little miniscandals that pop up, whether it's the president's battle with catholic cardinals or romney's car elevator. none of those things are going to matter in the end, are they? it's going to be the economy, stupid. >> i hope what matters is policy. people are paying attention to the issues. it was interesting romney was overheard at a donor fund-raiser. it was interesting to

. >> thank you david corn and thank you eugene robinson. >>> up next stephen colbert takes on the blame on the right. you're watching "hardball." >>> back to "hardball." now for the side show. first up, the recent spending scandal involving the gsa has caused a congressional investigation to be launched largely focusing on gsa commissioner jeff neely. but the folks of the colbert report notice the most recent upheaval seems to spark a familiar blame game from the country. guess who tops the list of their targets. >> i haven't talked about this story much so far because i knew my buddies at fox news were on it. >> we will tell you about the latest gsa spending outrage. >> the latest outrages from the gsa. >> if you're not outraged, there is really something wrong with you. >> watch california congressman and darrell american darrell issa. pull the stopper on jeff neely's lies. >> did you attend the 2010 western conference in las vegas. >> on advice of my council i respectfully decline based on my fifth amendment constitutional privilege. >> who is he protecting? >> it happened under pres

joining us, eugene robinson. kay joins us as well. >> when ever heilman comes on, we talk too much about music. by the way, dreaming. one of the great moments of "saturday night live" history. we play chatter. you know, meacham is a historian. he likes talking about the fr fren french/indian war. let the viewers know what we decided. >> four best rolling stones albums. some girls is right up there. >> this hit me a couple days ago. i'm listening to it again for the first time. '78. a '60s band puts out something in '78. it is a remarkable achievement. >> it has the feel of manhattan. >> shattered, man. >> on the left side. >> bedbugs uptown. >> major, you agree? >> i do agree. that inspired the new york album that came out in 1991. yeah. it set something in motion. >> '89, sorry. >> the reassessment of new york and why it was in decay and what it meant for this world. >> katty is a stones fan. mr. meacham. >> what i think it did, it shaked prov 13. >> come on. >> you get the wrong coast. that would be "hotel cali

. >> i'm joined by eugene robinson. great to have you with us.t's about rhetoric at this point, no doubt. the romney campaign jumped over hilary's comments even though she's not part of the campaign. why isn't mitt romney con deemed these comments and do he need to do this? >> this is no comparison between that and this. this is different not just in degree but in kind because there's not just criticism, there's not just political incorrectness or whatever in what he was saying, there's menace there. it's no surprise that the secret service has decided to at least look into this because he sounds delusional and it's delusional people you need to watch out for historically. this is completely different. add to that the fact that mitt romney went out of his way to try to get ted nugent's endorsement. >> that's the story right there. this candidate went out and sought his support because he knows he's in the sack with these nra guys. you saw those guys standing around watching him and agreeing with what he was saying. that's who mitt romney needs to

. >> eugene robinson, pulitzer prize winner for the "washington post." thanks. i'll see you at the fried cheese buffet later on. >>> we have a really really good best new thing in the world tonight. it involves pizza and scooters and foreigners on tape being awesome. stay with us. sometimes, i feel like it's me against my hair. [ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. on my feet and exactly where i needed more support. then, i got my number. my tired, achy feet affected my whole life. until i found my number. i tried the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. in two minutes, i got my foot map and custom number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the right support and cushioning i need. i am a believer. i'm a believer! i'm a believer. go to drscholls.com to find your closest walmart with a foot mapping center. >>> would you

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

. >> eugene robinson, pulitzer prize winner for the "washington post." thanks. i'll see you at the fried cheese buffet later on. >>> we have a really really good best new thing in the world tonight. it involves pizza and scooters and foreigners on tape being awesome. stay with us. (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. fiona here was just telling me that ford dealers sell a new tire like...every five seconds, how's that possible? well, we purchase 3 million a year. you just sold one right now didn't you? that's correct. major brands. 11 major brands. oop,there goes another one. well we'll beat anybody's advertised price. and you just did it right there, what's that called? the low price tire guarantee. wait for it, there goes another one. get a $100 rebate, plu

. >> thank you david corn and thank you eugene robinson. good to have vintage knowledge here of our country's history. i don't think alan west has too much. >>> coming up, new details of the secret service sex scandal. it is getting hotter. they are talking about lie detector tests for agents who want it clear themselves. this is worse than an embarrassment. this is "hardball." to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. >>> do you want to know how close the presidential race looks right now? we have the new york times cbs news poll and "hardball" score board. check it out. the obama and romney right now, 46, even. even 46-all. can

. >> eugene robinson, pulitzer prize winner for the "washington post." thanks. i'll see you at the fried cheese buffet later on. >>> we have a really really good best new thing in the world tonight. it involves piz sza and scooter and foreigners on tape being awesome. stay with us. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. if you want something done right, then do it yourself. that's the idea behind our children, our future -- the ballot initiative to fix our schools. we've waited years for the politicians to do it. now, we can do it ourselves. our children, our future sends every k through 12 dollar straight to our schools... not to sacramento. it benefits every kid in every school, with local control of the money. that's why the p-t-a supports it. my mom likes it, too. >>> would you b

. >> eugene robinson, pulitzer prize winner for the "washington post." thanks. i'll see you at the fried cheese buffet later on. >>> we have a really really good best new thing in the world tonight. it involves piz sza and scooter and foreigners on tape being awesome. stay with us. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. let's see what you got. rv -- covered. why would you pay for a hotel? i

. >> thank you david corn and thank you eugene robinson. >>> up next stephen colbert takes on the blame obama crowd on the right. you're watching "hardball." [ male announcer ] if you believe the mayan calendar, on december 21st polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space. which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd, and you still need to retire. td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. a living breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life. look. it's so simple. [ male announcer ] in here, the right minds from inside and outside the company come together to work on an idea. adding to it from the road, improving it in the cloud all in real t