john feehery, this is amazing. i think it does show that the residue of support for romney in the state in which he's best known, of course, his father was governor, his mother ran for some high office. what are your thoughts about this? >> well, chris, i think he's lost the reagan democrats that swung with him the last time. he's in big trouble with white ethnics, and that shows itself in michigan, ohio, a lot of the rustbelt states. his message over the last several weeks has been we need to raise the debt limit and raise taxes in order to do it. they don't want to raise the debt limit, they don't want to raise taxes. i know raising taxes on the wealthy, i get that. as you said before on your show, when democrats are talking taxes, people immediately assume they're talking about their taxes. and this is hurting obama. he's off his message on jobs. >> okay. we were talking about michigan in particular, but john took it away. that's fine. i understand, michigan is part of the country, but let's look at these -- i w

chief for the huffington post, ryan grim, and finally from washington, d.c., republican strategist john feehery nfl playbook. they were all hugs after reaching a deal to end the lockout and save the season for millions of fans. the key, both sides were willing to compromise. >> i hope we gave a little lesson to the people in washington, because the debt crisis is a lot easier to fix than this deal was. >> but in washington, republicans are refusing to budge, and are blocking the president at every turn. will republicans call a play that's in the best interests of the american people? >> what this shows is people need a deadline. the players and owner probably would have quipped at each other if there wasn't a season coming. i think we're going to see the same thing in the next few days or even weeks over in congress, as this deadline of august 2nd forces them into action. john boehner's bill is coming to the floor tomorrow. let's say it passes. it probably will barely passed. it would go ahead smoked over in the senate. harry reid and mcconnell's thing come back to the house, and then they have

victoria defrancescwosoto and john feehery. >> michele bachmann, legitimate candidate?released a new ad in iowa this week in which she calls herself the unifying choice that will beat obama. but on that same day, she became the first republican to sign the family leaders crazy candidate plug. it's anti-gay, anti-choice. and it suggests african-american children born into slavery were better off than those born today. john, is she trying to have it both ways? >> well, reverend sharpton, she is someone who has always been a candidate who would unify the right wing of the party. she is a social could be servetive. she has never runway it that. she will be a spring board to the rest of the states. so it unifies her with the right wing of the social con conservative movement. this is not a surprise at all. >> so you're saying on national television that the right wing of the republican party believes that blacks were better in slavery, that children born, than they are today. and what she said about them being born with two parents and raised bay mother and father in slavery

john. >> six months as they could have done all this stuff on taxes. instead they extended the bush taxes, you know why? the economy was slowing down. >> feeheryhe 345d hatter's tea party has taken over. it's not funny. it is ludicrous. let me begin with the dead beats on the right who want america to shirk its duties. hey, i'm troy polamalu, and i owe my great hair to head & shoulders. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. ng hair. you making fun of me? no. you making fun of me? yes. [ male announcer ] head & shoulders. 7 benefits. 1 bottle. is now honey nut cheerios! yup, america's favorite. so we're celebrating the honey sweetness, crunchy oats and... hey! don't forget me!! honey nut cheerios. make it your favorite too! >>> let me finish tonight with some words i have for the screaming fanatics we hear seriously talking about the united states government refusing to pay what it owes. deadbeats. that's the word we call them. people who buy things and don't pay for them. people who make bets and don't cover them. how about this? you've got people out there telling the american public we don't have to be as good as our word. we don't have