leading off tonight paging joe mccarthy. would you think the republican party would have learned its lessons from mccarthyism but allen west doubled down on his claim that roughly 80 members of the united states house of representatives all democrats are communists. where is john boehner? and where is eric cantor? where are the republicans saying this is over the line? and while we're at it, why isn't mitt romney condemning ted nugent's comments while even the secret service will interview nugent for what he said. speaking of the secret service and prostitution scanned scandal, members are being given the opportunity to take a lie detector test. >>> plus, let's say obama beats romney. will the senate turn republican and do everything to stop him in a look at whether might control the u.s. senate next january. >>> you might not know its name but you know what it does opinion the group known as alec, a-l-e-c, drafted laws including stand your ground laws. now alec's opponent won a big victory. fear over the trayvon martin's ca

an allegation that while false, harkened back to a dark time in american history when senator joe mccarthy became synonymous with a red scare, an effort to root out communists, real and imagined, from the u.s. government. the congressman was asked today about those he serves with in the house. >> what percentage of american legislature do you think are card carrying marxists or international socialists? >> a good question. i believe it's about 78 to 81 members of the democrat organization that are members of the congress. >> the congressional progressive caucus, as you might imagine, was surprised and offended. they issued a statement saying in part, quote, calling fellow members of congress communists is reminiscent of the days when joe mccarthy divided americans with name calling and modern day witch hunts, end of quote. >>> it's kind of like mcdonald's growing their own potatoes for french fries. delta airline is trying to buy its own refinery to supply jet fuel. the conocophillips plan and trainer, p.a., could go for $100 million or more. but since delta airlines is one of the biggest

but when joe mccarthy went around this country attacking people's patriotism, he was wrong. he was wrong. and a senator from connecticut stood up to him named prescott bush. your father was right to stand up to joe mccarthy. you were wrong to attack my patriotism. i was opposed to the war, but i love my country. and we need a president who will bring this country together, not divide it. we've had enough division. i want to lead a unified country. >> janet brown, just a moment in which there's so much at stake in 1992. a sitting president being challenged by a little-known governor from arkansas and this became one of the centerpieces of that fall campaign. >> it did. and we were speaking while it was being shown about the fact that that exchange is so much more dramatic because you can actually hear what both men are saying. and the notion that governor clinton invoked the name of president bush's father about another episode that was similar was very dramatic and very direct. that told you something about both individuals. it is absolutely fascinating to see how it works o

. >> it's like the ghost of joe mccarthy is coming back to the house of representatives., my allergies are acting up today. but you know x i work on capitol hill. i know many of the members that belong to the house progressive caucus and they fight for a fair economy. for jobs, young people, for housing. there's nothing communist about the congressional progressive caucus. they want what most americans want. they want to see people get back to work, to stay in their own homes and want every kid to have both a healthy start as well as a head start in life. >> let me move on to the flap you've generated here as a result of hilary rosen, our friend, the democratic strategist saying on "ac 360" what she said about ann romney, she never really worked a day in her life. what do you make of this? is this going to have legs as they say, blip right now or continue to haunlt the democrats? >> what we're seeing with this and also with the west thing, we are in a period where parties are rallying their support in tribal signals. and this is a difficult election. you have two nominees

it was forwarded by senator joe mccarthy and pursued by various departments and agencies in the government's to the extent that thousands of people lost their jobs. to many of those people have for blindness as a result. other dozens, we have no idea how many covers is to not applyo work for the federal government because they foresaw that they might be put to the same process they did not want to have their lives and their careers destroyed. one so this, i think, well over a matter of of failing to recognize that the constituency, and as a constituency is represented everywhere in the population. the constituency is our children, parents, neighbors, friends, enemies for that matter , employers, consumers, police and younger people. gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered people are everywhere in our society. not in the numbers that would allow for uprisings to cause the government to say, oh, my god, we did the rock they. no because in part to the constituency has been hit. i have told people when they have asked what this book is about or what i would like to convey, i think one of the two m

i would not go sfar as to bring back joe mccarthy to investigate. got some exexplaining to do. it is just not the kind of thing you would expect the presisident to say in private to the leader of another country particularly on an issue th is crial to the u.s. national defence. >> i am always amazed by seasoned politicians who are careless around open mikes. >> i confess that i saw less to this and that other people did. when i read it, i thoughtt was serious. when i look at it, i thoughtht it was just political nice talk to a visitor trying to say -- as jon stewart said, the worst was the response, "i will pass the message on to v vladimirrrr." >> i disagree. it is embarrassg -- >> o oh, it's embarrassing. >> it raises questions about what policy will be after the election. your point about politicicians around open mikes -- why not, if you are going to have a conversation, outdoors? in a room with any russian, you are sure there is going to be a bug. outdoor with birds -- >> in e middle of a flower -- >> that is why it it is not that serious. >> i

>> millions of americans lapped it up, but in the end, joe mccarthy would be done in by the medium he had used so effectively to spread his poison -- television. the legendary broadcaster edward r. murrow bravely exposed mccarthy's tactics on the cbs program "see it now." >> announcer: on the week's news. >> this is no time for men who oppose senator mccarthy's methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. we can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. there is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. >> then for 36 days that spring, on live tv, during senate hearings on mccarthy's charges questioning the loyalty of the army, we saw the man raw. exposed for the cowardly scoundrel he was. the climactic moment came as the boston lawyer, joseph welch, defending the army, reacted with outrage when mccarthy accused his young associate fred fisher of communism. >> let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. you've done enough. have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? have you left no sense of decenc

i would not go so far as to say he should bring back joe mccarthy or have a citizen's arrest. but he has got some explaining to do. it is not the kind of thing you expect the resident to say in private to the leader of another country, particularly on an issue that is crucial to u.s. national defense. >> i am always amazed by seasoned politicians who are careless around open mikes. >> i confess that i saw less to this and other people did. when i read it, i thought it was pretty serious. when i look at it, i thought it was just political my stock -- political and nice talk to a visitor. as jon stewart said, the worst was that the response was "i will pass the message on to vladimirrr." >> i disagree. it is embarrassing. >> it is embarrassing. >> it raises questions about what policy will be after the election. on your point about seasoned politicians around open mikes, why not, if you are going to have a conversation outdoors -- in a room with any russian, you are sure there is going to be a bug. [laughter] >> middle of a flower -- >> it is a very serious. he is telling the di

there is a large literature on joe mccarthy in the press. he would put out an outrageous story and people would deny it and would you get both accounts without really time or the capacity to investigate the truth of his claims, but he would continue to maintain the media spotlight. this is not something that is just a failing of individual journalists today, but an inherent occupational hazard of the aspiration of objectivity. on a similar point, i wanted to ask about the notion of consensual narrative of existing today. particularly rick's example of wmds in iraq which turned out not to be true. i would challenge the notion that those were consensual narratives in the way that anti-communism was. i read lots of people who take that perspective. reporters put this in their reporting for the good papers. maybe not so much in the broadcast sphere, but i would say the difference is those arguments, which i think we tend to support. that is a more economic perspective and the skeptic on the claims of iraq in the administration. it did not carry

there is a large literature on joe mccarthy in the press. this was preceasely how mccarthy would manipulate the press. he would put out an outrageous story and people would deny it and you would get both accounts without really the time or the capacity to investigate the truth of his claims but he would kind of continue to maintain the media spotlight. this is not something that is not just a failing of individual journalists today but an inherent occupational hazard of the aspiration of objectivity that we all tend to think is valuable. doesn't mean it has to be so egregious as it is, it seems to be today. i also wanted to on a similar point ask about this notion about consensual narratives persisting today and particularly rick's examples, both of the wmd and iraq, turned out to be nonexistent, and austerity. yeah, i would challenge the notion that those were consensual narratives in the way that, say, anti-communism was. i mean, i read, and a lot of columnists, reporting, questioning whether that stuff was there. i read now lots of people

thanks so much for joining us i suppose i don't need to use the old the you know made famous by joe mccarthy are you now or have you ever been a member of the communist party but because the answer is yes what is the platform of the communist party usa well our immediate platform is for. a program for jobs for education for rebuilding the infrastructure in this country to help put people back to work and to shift the begin to shift the huge inequality puts our country in the benefit of the one percent instead of the ninety nine do you agree with marx and engels that private property should be ended. well we think that private property is not an absolute right and that you know as you mentioned before the break when you take private property and you. day a fire it suddenly private property becomes speech and it becomes a right to vote. you know so our feeling is that you know this system is really set up in a way to benefit the the mega rich at the expense of everybody else so is the solution of the communist party usa to do old fashion marx and engels communism from each according to his mea

the interstate highway system is also a card carrying member of the communist party how could joe mccarthy of missed that when the progressive caucus budget also ends the bush tax cuts for the top two percent wealthiest americans and proposes new tax brackets for millionaires and billionaires having them pay a top tax rate of forty nine percent still well below what the super rich paid under the administrations of roosevelt truman eisenhower kennedy johnson nixon ford carter and even the beginning of reagan's administration are those guys communists not only that a big majority of american people support taxing the rich at a higher rate as a recent c.b.s. news new york times poll showed sixty five percent of americans are in favor of this proposal so are most americans communists congressman wants a progressive budget also creates a public option giving americans an alternative to the for profit private health insurance industry. a two thousand and quinnipiac poll during the height of the debate over health care reform found that americans by a two to one margin supported the public option

. >> i said something the other day where i was accused of being like joe mccarthy because i questioned -- i'll put it this way. i think it's wrong to demonstrate against your own country or organize demonstrations against your own country in foreign soil. i just think it's wrong. now, maybe they say, well, it was a youthful indiscretion. i was 19 or 20 flying off an aircraft carrier, and that shaped me to be commander in chief of the armed forces. and i'm sorry, but demon separating -- it's not a question of patriotism. it's a question of character and judgment. they get on me, bill's gotten on me about "read my lips." when i make a mistake, i'll admit it. but he has made -- not admitted a mistake, and i just find it impossible to understand how an american can demonstrate against his own country in a foreign land, organizing demonstrations against it when young men are held prisoner in hanoi or kids out of the ghetto were drafted. some say, well, you're a little old-fashioned. maybe i am, but i just don't think that's right. now, whether it's character or judgment, whatever it is, i h

it was forwarded by senator joe mccarthy, and pursued by various departments and agencies in the government to the extent that thousands of people lost their jobs, and many of those people had ruined lives as a result, and other thousands we have no idea how many, just didn't apply for work to the federal government because they foresaw they might be put through the same process, and they didn't want to have their lives and their careers destroys. this, i think, is all over a matter of failing to recognize that the elderly constituency, because we vote, and the constituency is represented everywhere in the population. the constituency is our children, our parents, our neighbors, our friends, our enemies for that matter, our employers, our consumers, our police, and fire people, gays, lesbians, transgender people are everywhere in our society. not in the numbers that would allow for, you know, uprisings to cause the government to say, oh, my god, we did the wrong thing. you know? no, because, in part, the constituency has been hidden. i've told people when they've asked what this book is abo

joe mccarthy. and the way that's the lot to you think you. and thank you i think you know it's what's particularly ironic about that is that i wasn't calling out the fascists as it were in the you know using the george bush administration or using the abuses that happened in two thousand after after nine eleven as my example i was quoting the vice president of the united states from one hundred forty four and he was you know the roosevelt's vice president and he was asked by the new york times to write an op ed about fascists in america and he basically you know said here they come look out and this is how you'll see them and it sure looks like that to me right now our final comment in one comes from don who watches the big picture in new zealand he had this take on the republican party because i've watched the big picture for several weeks and congratulate you on a clear statement of many important issues although i consider myself a conservative voter i fear the extreme positions taken by the republican party right remind me more and more o

somewhere joe mccarthy is smiling. by the way, you can follow me on twitter if you can spell smerconish. this is "hardball." [ female announcer ] women have made it the number one selling anti-aging cream undeniably. it creamed unbelievably a $500 cream and now women have made regenerist microsculpting cream also unscented. women love it. in original and also fragrance-free. ♪ i can see clearly now ♪ the rain is gone children's claritin chewables relieves kids' worst allergy symptoms for 24 hours. plus, it's the #1 pediatrician recommended non-drowsy brand. ♪ gonna be a bright ♪ sunshiny day ♪ >>> former presidential candidate john edwards who was in court today as jury selection got under way in his criminal trial. edwards faces six criminal counts related to nearly a million dollars in secret payments made by two campaign donors to allegedly cover up an extramarital affair. if convicted, edwards could face 30 years in prison and be expected to pay fines. we'll be right back. >>> we're back. republican congressman ala

it's close to the place where joe mccarthy is buried. it's an area that sent a democrat to congress regularly. this is an area of the state that's crucial for republicans to win if they're going to win tomorrow. it's also an area where you really see the battle between the forces that want to drag us backwards and more modern forces if place and walkers cuts to planned parenthood which he implemented almost as soon as he took office, $1 million in cuts were aimed at this clinics in the fox valley like the ones that were bombs. >> we've seen some very radical positions being taken by the republican party when it comes to women's health and now this bombing. god forbid the tip of the iceberg. what does this mean? are all these radical positions going to take us into a really scary phase in american politics? >> well, i think they already have, ed. i think that there are two realities in our country. planned parenthood enjoys so much esteem and respect from most americans. i saw a pew poll that had them way higher among admired groups than

by those comments, despite massachusetts democratic congressman barney frank saying, "not even joe mccarthye said anything so stupid." >>> you may feel pretty stupid after hearing about what we uncovered for this next piece. it turns out if you like to eat seafood at seafood restaurants you may be getting ripped off. correspondent william la jeunesse with a not too pleasant fish story. >> what we found is alarming. we found that more than half of the seafood we sampled from restaurants, sushi bars and grocery stores were mislabeled, substituting one species for another. >> experts recommending eating seafood twice a week. but new report says we're getting scamed. >> it's dishonesty. people look to profiteer at the expense of the uneducateddor unknowledgeable consumer. >> advocacy group ociana tested seafood around los angeles and found 55% of consumers buying one fish and getting another. >> thdoes a volkswagen drive like a cadillac? no, it doesn't. these were mislabeled, tilapia for snapper. maco shark for swordfish. ecolar instead of white tuna. cat fish for sole. or flounder or sea bass

somewhere joe mccarthy is smiling.e way, you can follow me on twitter if you can spell smerconish. this is "hardball." e-trade 360 is the world's first investing homepage that shows you where all your investments are and what they're doing with free streaming quotes, news, analysis and even your trade ticket. everything exactly the way you want it, all on one page. transform your investing with the all-new e-trade 360 investing dashboard. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ flapping continues ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at nissan, our ideal is innovation. 5 all-new models over the next 15 months, including a completely reimagined altima. welcome to our most innovative year ever. nissan. innovation for all. ♪ >>> former presidential candidate john edwards who was in court today as jury selection got under way in his criminal trial. edwards faces six criminal counts related to nearly a million dollars in secret payments made by two campaign donors to allegedly cover up an extramarital affair. if convicted, edwards could face 30 years in prison a

martin case, we got our first glimpse of george zimmerman when he was in court today, and calling joe mccarthy, he says about 80 democrats in the house are communists. the republican party spent of the 1950's in the fever swamps of mccarthyism. and are the republican presidential prospects in worst shape four years from now. michael steele, chairman of the republican party, and joan walsh, from salon.com. let's look at the comments made by hillary roasen made on cnn last night. >> you have romney running around the country saying what my wife tells me that women care about economic issues, and when i listen to my wife, that's what i'm hearing. his wife has never worked a day in her life. she's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing in terms of how do we feed our kids, send them to school, and why do we worry about their future. >> today rosen apologized for her poorlyremise of her argument. she said that when i said ann romney never worked, she never had to care for her kid and eastern a paycheck like most american women. jo

the florida congressman dusts off the old joe mccarthy playbook and takes apples and commeys infiltratinghe government. >> go to connect with us by going to current.com/thewarroom. you are in the war room on current tv. and everyone likes 50% more cash -- well, except her. no! but, i'm about to change that. ♪ every little baby wants 50% more cash... ♪ phhht! fine, you try. [ strings breaking wood splintering ] ha ha. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. ♪ what's in your wallet? ♪ ♪ what's in your...your... ♪ >> the republicans keep saying that women want to talk about jobs. let me have at it. last friday, when the newest jobs report was released republicans were quick to seize on those numbers as proof that president obama's policies aren't working. house speaker john boehner astutely observed unemployment is still too high. well, mr. speaker, you are right. we do need to create more jobs. and there is one sector of the economy that's losing jobs as we speak speak, and you can put a stop to it. you can pass legislation that help

the florida congressman dusts off the old joe mccarthy playbook and takes apples and commeys infiltratinghe government. >> go to connect with us by going to current.com/thewarroom. you are in the war room the ted conference held here every year in southern california is an event designed to bring the brightest minds in the world together to share their most powerful, influential and creative ideas. the speakers share a common goal, making the world a better, smarter place through innovation, technology and the power of big ideas. nearly 300 years ago, the italian physicist alessandro volta accidentally discovered what we now call the battery. the device consisted of two different metals attached to a frog's leg. when he applied a spark, the frog's leg moved. nowadays, batteries are essential components of our everyday lives. but mit's dr. sadoway is working on the next big leap forward, with something he calls a liquid battery. the liquid battery can make power plants more efficient and allow us to use renewable energy even when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing. sadoway's b

>> has been on the short list according to some for vice-president and now sounding more like joe mccarthy80 members of congress are part of the communist party? what decade are we living in here? >> yeah, and i think at some point, he's sort of in that clip saying he's referring to members of the congressional progressive caucus. but, you know, this idea that allen west is on anybody's short list is absurd. this is something you've heard from sarah palin and herman cain and i just think, he's certainly on nobody's short list. i was with romney yesterday, i mean, he was talking about, you know, different candidates that might be on the short list, but i am certain that they aren't looking at alan west as anybody's vice-president, he has been known to say pretty off color things and i think this is the latest example of it. >> well, ford, let me ask you, do you want a republican member of congress going on saying 80 members of the democratic party are members of the communist party? where is he getting this stuff? whose message is he carrying? this seems to come so far out of left field, it

not even joe mccarthy would say something so stupid from reality. someone else calling him stupid. this is the republican party as the responsibility entity that an ignorant mean guy like allen west is considered one of their stars. i ask people, when you hear mb and vicious as that, how do people expect us to be able to work out some compromise with him? well, barney always finds a great example. he is so smart. i hate to see this guy leaving congress. he is so smart. it is a pretty good thing. whenever i or someone pushing for middle of the road solution between the guys, they say you got to deal with him? come on. we brought up ted nugent. a rock musician known for right wing views. in march, a month ago, he is facing heat for remarks he made at an nra convention in st. louis this weekend. he was planned on being interviews this weekend. let's take a look at what he said on saturday. >> i'll tell you this right now, if barack obama becomes the president in november, again, i will either be dead or in jail by this time next year. if you can't galvanize and promote and recruit peo

they called it reminiscent of the days of joe mccarthy. >>> more heated rhetoric in political ads.an connie mack is hitting current florida senator bill nelson. >> he voted for millions in wasteful spending, including spending our tax dollars to see how monkeys react under the influence of cocaine. stop monkeying around with our tax dollars. >>> and on a much lighter note, michelle obama getting a few laughs last night on "the colbert report." certainly doesn't hurt that the latest mayor marist poll out today shows 65% of people have a favorable view of her. >> as someone who has appeared on both my show and has also appeared on icarly. >> yes. >> which of us do you think has more gravitas as a broadcaster? >> well, that's a tough one. >> yeah? >> you know, "icarly" is about 16, and she's real deep. >>> other political news right now. in north carolina jury selection getting under way at the trial of former senator and presidential candidate john edwards. he's charged with receiving illegal campaign contributions to cover up an affair while running for president in 2008. nbc news s

it is very close to the place where joe mccarthy is buried in wisconsin. the headquarters of the george birch society. it is an area that sent a democrat to congress regularly over the last several years. this is an area of the state that is crucial for republicans to win, if they are going to win tomorrow. it is also an a area where you see the battle between the forces that want to drag us backwards and modern forces in play. and walkers cuts to planned parenthood which he implemented as soon as he took office, 1 million cuts in preventative care. >> i don't know how this ask this. we have seen radical positions being taken by the republican party when it comes to women's health and now this bombing. god forbid the tip of the iceberg. what does this mean? are these radical positions going to take us in to possibly a real scary phase in american politics? >> i think they already have, ed. i think that there are two realities in our country. planned parenthood enjoys so much esteem and respect from most americans. i saw a pew poll that had them higher amon