howard dean is a physician who during his six terms in office kept costs in check.emen, welcome. i look forward to this conversation. >> thank you. >> you spent 21,000 words, longest article in "time's" history. it was an amazing piece with some amazing reporting in it, but i'll ask you to boil those 21,000 words down to about 20 and tell me why you think principally health care costs as much as it does. >> i think i can blow it down to four words. the price is too high and the reason the price is too high is there isn't a free marketplace. the typical health care consumer whether it's the person who is uninsured or even the largest of the insurance companies doesn't have the leverage in the marketplace. we live in a world where we think this is a free market. we like everything to be a free market in this country and there is no free market when you go to the emergency room. there is noey from market when you have to buy a cancer drug, and i'm sure that governor dean will testify to that from his experience. >> governor dean, let me ask you that question in a diffe

amy howe, and former vermont governor howard dean, first governor to sign a civil unions bill. elizabeth birch, i have to ask about the seat change. even justice scalia said there has been this seat change between now and 1996. you were there fighting against it. what did it feel like to be in the courtroom today watching what many of us believe is the fall of the defense of marriage act? >> it was incredibly satisfying and a deep privilege, and indeed justice roberts kept trying to explain it by political power, but that is not what has caused the seat change. it has happened because of thousands upon thousands small acts of courage, large and small, around dining room tables all around the nation, people coming out at a younger age, and frankly, many americans getting to know not just their family members but their co-workers and with rising affection for lbgt people in this country. >> howard dean, you watched this seat change over the years. when you signed the civil unions bill, it was hugely controversial in vermont, wasn't it? >> vermont has a reputation of being a laid

here is howard dean's tv show? if we focused on what is really causing problems, they are going to say that the problem with the republican party is the conservative principles. conservativism is the only thing that the republicans have going for them. [applause] in gallop polls over the last 20 years, about twice as many americans call themselves conservative over liberal or republicans. conservativism is a winning feature, which brings me to a final point. that is the scapegoating of a fake republican establishment. that allows that the real republican establishment to plot and scheme undetected. what will public policy will harm average americans, drive up unemployment, change america permanently in negative ways and on the other hand will be supported by businessmen who will never vote for a republican anyway? s far as i can tell you that republican talk radio and tv shows will vote for it. there's many consequences to amnesty but if amnesty goes through then america will become california and no republican wil

and howard dean, former vermont governor and former dnc chairman. james, i want to go to you first, sequestered as you are down there in a red state. how hard is it going to be for red state democrats to come out in support of any type of gun safety laws? >> it's going to be very hard, and the reason it's going to be very hard is the nra is going to do what it always does. they're going to send out letters lying about what happened. they're going to say they were against the second amendment, they want to take your guns away. they'll say everything else but that. but they'll send the letters two days, three days before the election and scare the wits out of everybody. and a lot of these politicians know that. and there's a lot of fear of that. and a lot of concern about that. there's not -- the truth is not going to come out. that's not what the letter's going to say when it hits. and all the campaign they're going to run will say, they want to take away your guns, they want registration so the federal government can come in and take your guns away.

fifty state strategy this is a good idea howard dean strategy except with tens of millions more dollars they simply have more resources and of course liberals have attempted this strategy on the state level but just to a much smaller degree of there's this there's talk about investing in think tanks and political infrastructure in texas so you know eventually one day that will be a blue state but it really pales in comparison to the state policy network because they've they are have think tanks and in hawaii alaska and they're growing so quickly i mean some of these budgets have tripled in size in michigan if you look at the really dramatic changes there their little array of think tanks and organizing institutes have five times as many research as much of a budget than their counterparts on the left. there's a group called progress michigan which is a liberal group and the mackinaw and americans for prosperity michigan you compare those numbers they're not even close to right and i would think that from the point of view of conservative billionaire or a corporation you know the

. >> can i say having done this with howard dean after john kerry lost, it is not, a, it is not just again, you have to understand the obvious about where your flaws are, but you also have to go to the whole party, say we have to figure out how to be a true party, what are our values and policies, how are we dealing with candidates that may not agree with us on certain policy issues knowing here is where the electorate is. that's not what's happening. this is more let's do brutally honest, obvious to the rest of us, also let's say sh, we are not talking about those things. we have seen the polling, gets us in trouble, put lipstick on this, put a bow on that, and say we're a brand new party. that's not how it works. you can put all the organizers in iowa you want for four years. if you're not able to communicate through values and policies people agree with, it doesn't matter. >> michael steele, saw him on this network today saying that what you're watching is certain republicans are going out there and trying new ideas out there in the marketplace of ideas, and this is the way it sho

howard dean, we appreciate it. kelly ann conway, as always.ial markets frowned on today's last minute cyprus bank bailout or deposit or bail-in. i say it's the right policy. does it spell more trouble for the euro zone? has a similar depositor crisis already happened here in the usa? >>> cyprus clinched a last-minute deal to resolve the country's financial crisis. cnbc's international correspondent michelle caruso-cabrera joins us from cyprus with the very latest. good evening, michelle. >> reporter: cyprus finally secured a bailout agreement, but it's a tough one. in exchange for the money, they agreed to downsize their two biggest banks, which means thousands of job losses and a big hit to the economy. in terms of bailouts, big firsts here. bond holders and uninsured depositors will face losses. that hasn't happened before. now investors are on notice. they're going to have to be a lot more careful. the european taxpayer isn't going to protect you like they have before. larry, back to you. >> many thanks. cnbc's michelle caruso-cabrera. ques

steve schmidt and howard dean, thank you both for joining me. >> you bet. >>> republican senator robtman surprised his party this morning with news that he now supports same sex marriage. the reversal comes after his son came out to him. coming up, we look at his reasons for announcing it now, and whether or not it had impact in the selection of mitt romney's running mate. >>> also, live by the sequester, die by the sequester. now that real cuts are taking shape across the country, republicans aren't happy, and guess who they're blaming. >>> and the man that recorded the infamous 47% comment for mitt romney has given his final interview, and yours truly is asking the questions. come on, nowadays lots of people go by themselves. no they don't. hey son. have fun tonight. ♪ ♪ back against the wall ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ ain't nothin to me [ crowd murmurs ] hey! ♪ [ howls ] ♪ even the inside of your dishwasher sparkles. okay. so i'm the bad guy for being clean. you said it. ladies, let's not fight dirty. cascade kitchen counselor. see, over time, a competing gel can leave hard-water film

they come out as howard dean had social networking, and barack obama took that to different levels in 2012. >> rand paul had a speech on immigration that even marco rubio praised. >> rand paul is, to me, representing what republicans ought to be doing, and not what priebus is talking about. paul called the harvard university business school and asked for an opportunity to talk to the students about the future of the republican party and the african-american community on april 10. he is not waiting to get the nomination and then put together the outreach programs. he is doing it now. he is doing this on a number of fronts. this is what the republican party has to do. not just worry about the mechanics of the campaign. >> i am all for idealizing, idolizing rand paul. this is a fella who has re- created himself. this is the new rand paul. when he ran for senate three years ago, what did he run on? he ran on an electrical wire across the southern border, helicopters and the repeal of birthright citizenship. now is a born-again, he has opened it up. god bless him, and welcome to the cause,

hiring people to go out into the country, that borrows a little from howard dean's 50- state strategy, and that's a good thing, but hiring people who are comfortable in various districts in this country reminds me a little bit of the tobacco industry when they back in the day hired all these gorgeous young people to go out and promote tobacco. the problem that the republican party has is what they're selling is toxic. >> well, i don't see what's wrong with canvassing, finding out why. but i think it's pretty clear why, and that's because of bill clinton's speech at the convention, where he blamed the economic distress of the country right on the back, and he did it so beautifully. >> well, he drew one bright line with the republican party, but there's so many differences between the two parties where the republicans are on the wrong side that even bill clinton couldn't part the sea. >> do you think obama has a winner with healthcare with this particular population? you follow me? >> well, of course. >> and obama had it, but the republicans had nothing comparable to the. >> well, part

colorado and richarpedson of new mexico and bob wise of west virginia and edrend dal of pen exten and howard dean of virmont to name a few. michael levitt of utome thotcheson in wisconsin and frank keating of oklahoma . 've and pick your own; it is not that hard. if you can't bring yourself to elim in a minute from the federal feast let others do it turnover the teleprompter and pick up a telephone and call some of these guys for the sake. country. [ applause ] well, we will talk more about the sequester later. this week we learned that the white house doesn't like to be critized and targeted biggest names in washington. legendary washington reporter bob woodward challenge would the president's account on the origin of the sequestration cuts. that led to a heated exchange twine woodward and spirling. >> it a half an hour which he shouted at me. i have known him 20 yearings. i e-mailed him. i don't worry about shouts. >> in those e-mails, sperling apologized for raising his voice, but he included in the e-mail. i know you may not believe but as a friend, i think you will regrit staking out that cl

where is howard dean's tv show? if we focused on what is really causing problems, they are to say that the problem republican party is the conservative principles. conservativism is the only thing that the republicans have going for them. [applause] in gallop polls over the last 20 years, about twice as many americans call themselves conservative over liberal or republicans. conservativism is a winning feature, which brings me to a final point. that is the scapegoating of a fake republican establishment. that allows that the real republican establishment to plot and scheme undetected. what will public policy will harm average americans, drive up unemployment, change america permanently in negative ways and on the other hand will be supported by businessmen who will never vote for a republican anyway? as far as i can tell you that republican talk radio and tv shows will vote for it. there's many consequences to amnesty but if amnesty goes through then america will become california and no republican will ever win ano

howard dean keep on top of a huge information flow -- how do you keep on top of a huge information flow without using e-mail? a variety of ways. i am constantly getting reports and e-mails throughout the day that come in through my headquarters staff and get to me. i do a lot of my own work by phone. i have not found it to be a problem. -- when i seek information, it gets to me. it is not superfluous. it is the stuff in this job that has 100,000 different things that happen on any given day. it allows me to focus where i need to focus. >> [indiscernible] >> in many respects, it is inefficient. >> did you ever use e-mail? when iopped using e-mail was attorney general of arizona. you get hundreds of things at a time. i thought, why am i spending my time responding to stuff that does not need to be responded to. i do not like the process where people can send you an e-mail where people say, you were told and you know this and it comes back and people say, you got this e-mail. i want to be a little more selective. if people want to give me information, there are many ways to do so. is a you

i heard howard dean wants to do his 50 state plan, today it with statehouses.ld that be a counter to what spn is doing? >> there are liberal think tanks in the states. if you look at the tax disclosure democrats are talking about flipping taxes by pouring their political structure into that state. you have to take the big-picture view. state by state compare the left or the left-leaning institutes and think tankies to the right ones and there's really no comparison. in michigan, i did the numbers and they are outspending the left five orr six oh one. enmany states, it's two or three to one. the monetary advantage is obvious. while a little union money negotiation to the left of center think tanks corporate money is really making the biggest difference. big corporations, you mentioned phillip morris, but there are many of them, really pitching up these state think tanks and winning many of these battles not just on tax and regulatory issues, they are consolidating power. michael: today michigan's right to work law takes effect. that's the union-busting law signe

michael steele, howard dean, gentlemen, always good to see you both.>> thanks very much. >> all righty. >>> from there to alabama. an apology for a civil rights outrage more than 50 years coming. montgomery, alabama's police chief kevin murphy has apologized on behalf of the department to the civil rights group freedom riders. officers failed to act when the group was attacked and beaten badly by a white mob in 1961. congressman john lewis, one of the original freedom riders, says he was moved to tears. >> from the chief of the montgomery police department to offer an apology, i teared up. i tried to keep from crying. and i accepted the apology. and i accepted the badge. >> lewis and some other congressmen were in montgomery for the 13th -- chief murphy says it is an apology that should have been issued long ago. >>> a new warning from new jersey governor chris christie. also, we want to hear from you. please head over to facebook and search weekends with alex witt. like us to join the conversation. it keeps going long after the show ends. mallon broth

that maybe would come up in the campaign then but you go back, you go back even to 2004 and when howard deanesident and he was so far to the left on this issue because he was in favor of civil unions. that's 2004. by 2012, you have the president of the united states, the incumbent president of the united states saying that he supports gay marriage and big news but not as big news as it could have been because there was an assumption that he was going to get there, that he may have already been there himself but hadn't spoken about it publicly. there was then a big support of the administration for all sorts of gay rights issues, not only don't ask, don't tell repealed but going towards the cases that came to the supreme court, the justice department was in favor of overturning doma in lower courts and then made this what, again, seems like it is an extraordinary move because no administration has gone so far it's become an expected move for the administration to be at this point and bill clinton was it seems trying to just catch up with where things have gotten to. >> thank you so much. we g

fox news contributor joe trippi was howard dean's presidential campaign manager, and joins us now tot some of these numbers. why do you think, joe, the president's approval ratings are dropping fairly precipitously? >> i think chris stirewalt has it right with one caveat, the other thing that happens is right after an election or re-election the president's numbers, any president's numbers usually soar a little bit then there is a drift back. i think it's both that drift back and then the realities of payroll taxes kicking in. there was a payroll tax holiday. it doesn't matter whether it's a new increase or not it's still 40 or $50 less in your check. plus gas prices going up. you're seeing people respond to that, and see that in the numbers that the -- increased numbers of people thinking the country is heading the wrong direction. the interesting thing, though, jon, is throughout this, and it's not new for obama, but his favorable ratings is actually moving up to 57%. there is a difference between, i approve of the job that i'm seeing or approve of my pocketbook or the direction of

i worked on schumer's campaign hillary clinton bill bradley and howard dean.at and worked with it. you were a huge success. >> it's a big surprise. you know we didn't know whether everyone would watch it in 13 hours straight or whether anyone would watch it at all. we've been thrilled with the response and we've had a lot of marathon watchers. it seems like it's an experiment in this case that worked out. >> when you started watching this, was it your aim to put this on netflix or what were you expecting? >> when i first teamed up we didn't know where our home would be at. netflix became our partner two years ago and i'm really glad they became our home. >> what was the appeal of netflix? >> they offered us two seasons and offered us almost complete creative control. those two things made for an offer that we couldn't refuse. >> you mentioned david fincher who was the director. it was a new thing and a lot of people before it became big said it was a big risk. did you see it that way? >> any time you embark in any artistic endeavor it's certainly a risk. but c

joining us joe trippi former campaign manager for howard dean and a fox news contributor as well. crisis the president says? how can he explain that? >> well, i think what he's saying is, look, bowles-simpson recommended $4 trillion be either in revenue or spending cuts to avert a future debt crisis in the united states. if sequestration stays in place we are already 3.5 trillion of the way there. now we might not agree on how congress and the president got us here, but that's where we are at. i think the president was saying, look, we are not in a place where if we don't have a vote tomorrow on this we'll have automatic cuts come into play. we are in a place where we don't have to go to our two corners and come out fighting. we are most of the way there. we can take time and come to agreement between the two parties on how we get the rest of the way there. i think -- i think that's what part of this so-called charm offensive is about, let's try to come to agreement on how we get there and not come out swinging from the fences on both parties' plans to get there. jon: let me show

let's talk about it now with joe trippi, former howard dean campaign manager and fox news contributorgree, joe, with that premise, that obamacare, you know, still has not really swayed people? >> well, it's certainly still divisive. i think 31% of the people in a recent poll want it repealed or replaced, and 49% want to keep it the same or p even expand it. so the numbers are getting better, but it's still very divisive. and the 31% that want to repeal it really want to repeal it. so, you know, i think, you know, in a partisan fight in 2014 the republicans, in a republican district, may be able to get people energized and support them with it. but it's getting a little better for it, actually, and i think there may be something, too, over the passage of time as people get used to it, their negativity to it is subsiding a little bit. jon: but as you well know, it was a bipartisan effort the other way that stripped away the taxes on medical twices. a bunch of democrats voted on it. it's kind of a slap in the face to president obama by his own democratic senate, you know, when he comes b

revolutionized the way political campaigns are run when he was working for then presidential candidate howard dean internet and social media into the race in a whole new way. good to see you, nikko. >> happy st. patrick's day from boston, craig. >> where's your green, sir? >> i know! well, i'm italian, so. >> we just heard sean spicer a few moments ago there say that this major initiative that the gop is taking up in the wake of their 2012 losses is going to be technology. they were way behind the obama campaign in 2012, in terms of digital outreach and voter mining. how major of an undertaking is this going to be for the gop? >> i think it's pretty significant. there's no doubt that obama had a decisive advantage on the technological front, in 2012, a significant one, even in 2008, but at the same time, 24 months is an eternity in technology. and let's not forget that in 2004, after bush defeated kerry, everyone was trumpeting the republican's microtargeting data advantage. so while i think that the obama campaign and the democratic party has a decisive advantage right now, it's not buy any stret

were talking before about how just 13 years ago the national conversation was jolted when governor howard deanme the fallback position and now you're looking at a democratic party where the next nominee will be someone who is for fully marriage equality. >> what has happened, you're smart to cite that, what the story trace is out is this idea that the combination of the idea of marriage becoming a civil right, this idea that zone of privacy protects whatever we do in our own homes basically started to basically say marriage is a civil right. why would we exclude this from any citizen on the basis of whether it's color or sexual orientation so it becomes an equal protection issue and basically i think the american public just thinks of it that way like it's just not fair to exclude anybody from this institution. >> it's interesting. because when you say the equal protection thing to me seems obvious. should be 20 years ago and for whatever reason today the society has gotten there. you mentioned the democratic side. i think it's interesting to see what the republican side does. only one republi

democracy for america the howard dean founded political action committee is putting its support behindey a tried and true progressive with a long record of standing up to conservative democrats. a u.s. poll shows that primary voters are in favor of markey at this point too. at the moment, he leads 50-21. meanwhile, former massachusetts senator scott brown said he's going to make a nonpolitical announcement today. he put the teaser out on twitter this morning. newark mayor cory booker who has more than 1.3 million followers on twitter has a note for the federal government when it comes to social media. loosen up. booker told an audience south by southwest in austin over the weekend that the problem with the government's use of social media is it ignores the social aspect. that it uses things like twitter as a p.a. system to make announcements when it should be using it to have a conversation. we're back with more show after the break. wonder woman coming up. stay with us. (vo) next on current tv, vanguard, the documentary series that raised the bar for excellence. >> wherever the story

and that is to give honor where honor is due as dean dates at howard university, even, let's give herhe comes in. [applause] we're going to give honor where honor is due today. someone who has been carrying the torch, someone who has been carrying the banner for freedom, justice and equality. she has been a part of this luncheon as a stateswoman from day one, and you see her picture right up front as she is in action. her name is barbara arnwein. [applause] yes. you know herment -- her. i'm going to say a little bit more about her, but first i'm just going to go ahead and introduce her by her bio. barbara arnwein, president and executive director of the national lawyers' committee for civil rights under law since 1989, is internationally renowned for contributions on critical justice issues including the passage of the landmark civil rights act of 1991. before becoming the national leader of the lawyers' committee, she was director of the boston lawyers' committee for about six years, making this her 30th year of leadership with this great civil rights organization that's celebrating