also it includes minorities who voted in the 60s to the 90s over john mccain. and low-income voters who also came down for obama over mccain in huge, huge margins. if 2012 plays out like 2008, and it is another blowout election, if barack obama wins hugely again in 2012, then of course none of these things will matter. but if it is close, any one of these things, let alone all of these things in combination could very well matter. after that election is over, no matter what happens in that election, these states have now structurally changed the way they conduct elections. the way democracy functions in these american states so that the republican party has a partisan structural advantage in every election. what is the democrats' answer to this? joining us now, melissa harris-perry, msnbc contributor, political science professor at tulane university and author of "sister citizens." melissa, it's great to see you. it's great to be here. >> i'm sorry. it was a goal post moving. i didn't want to get hit by it. >> is it a goal post moving? is it a small democracy be

why didn't john mccain use that to his advantage? >> guest: yeah, look, there are some people -- this is still recent history with various interpretations. there's some people who claim that, you know, the mccain campaign did play the race card. my own view is that the mccain campaign did not play the race card nearly as much as they could have. john mccain, though he wanted to become president of the united states, did not pull out all of the stops in his fight for the white house. in my view, she is to be congratulated for that. and i don't think he is received the congratulations frankly that he ought to get. he could have done a lot more to try to stir up racial anxiety, racial resentment. he did not. why, it's not altogether clear. some people speculated he didn't because he calculated that it would be ineffective, and that in fact it might backfire on him. i am willing to believe that, you know, probably that may have been part of the calculation. my own sense is it's a bit more generous towards john mccain. my own sense is that

steve schmidt was the senior strategist at john mccain's 2008 presidential campaign. and john heilemann writes for "new york" magazine. gentleman, let me just go to you. steve, you're the republican here. heilemann, you cover this party as well as the other party. chris christie, my hunch, my premise tonight. i think he's got something. it's irritability. it's like, don't mess with me. you take a shot at me, i'll shoot back at you. it's the angry guy or woman in traffic. life is congested today. we're angry. he's got that sense. >> he's real. he's tough, he says what he thinks. and i think the american people, who as you accurately pointed out, they're in a very bad mood. they think the country's going in the wrong direction. and they look at washington and they see a giant weasel pack. you know, in the senate, the house, politicians of both parties. he's someone who has approached the problems of his state with utter fearlessness, unafraid to take a position. and i think that people are just absolutely craving an authentic leader. and i think that's why he's resonatin

>> i cnooc the three letters that john mccain said -- i saw the three letters that john mccain -- i donot see that three letters that john mccain saw, kgb. it does not profit putin or russia to shake the confidence of investors, especially at a time when he looks over at western europe, and he sees the writing on the wall. there could be rioting in the streets, like they have had at trees. that is something he wants to avoid at all costs. this is something pertaining to his character. >> thank you. well, from russian politics to a unique measure right here in america. country music has enjoyed a long tradition of reflecting the everyday concerns of working men and women, but while some songs are inspired by cheap imports and lost love, these days, the charts are filled with tales of closing factories and honest people doing their best to struggle through. the bbc's paul adams gives us a listen. ♪ used to love this town and this neighborhood ♪ >> country music and hard times, a cliche to some, but not for those living in the country's economic woes, a world where gas prices rise, factor

john mccain did not even know this study existed. i thank you for your time. >> any further public comment? public comment is now closed. move to item number 4. >> that is the crisis training working group update. >> good evening, capt. >> commissioner chief, just an update. we would have regular updates for the commission. this is the regular update. we are at a critical juncture as far as the crisis intervention teams. a lot of the preliminary work has been done in achieving this end this program moving forward. that is for a couple of reasons. the program cannot be

because they're seemed to be such a difference between john mccain who would have been in public life for quite a long time and his skills in front of the camera versus barack obama. do you take that into consideration somehow when you think of your questions or do you -- no? >> guest: no camano camano. in that case mccain and obama, and i moderated the first of those debates which was at oxford mississippi. >> host: it almost didn't happen. >> guest: but the issue there was body language and it wasn't exactly signed. i tried my best to get the mccain to look at obama and eda semper directly and because they negotiated the rules to make that possible. before you were not allowed the questioning of each other. but this is a new deal and the

pawlenty was actually the bridesmaid to john mccain and mccain went for sarah palin. he probably won get picked in 2012 but he'll be on anyone's list. >> how about rick perry, any idea who he might be looking for, whether it's geographical advantage or idealogical advantage? >> that's a great question. you know, there are two different routes, one you double down on the strength. you saw that with bill clinton and al gore in 1992. it depends whether rick perry goes tea party or someone from the north to help him give geographical and idealogical balance? >> mark murray, we don't want to cut into chuck todd's time. i appreciate you. >> i'm craig melvin. cha chuck todd is in for andrea. >> you could have cut into my time. up next we have john boehner set to call on the super committee to reconsider broad tax reform.

the candidates believe, people in florida believe it was for john mccain in 2008 when he defeated mitt romney and catapulted himself to presidency. presidency five is the name of the confab, a philly day event, started with a debate thursday night, a conference where they all spoke. today a straw poll where 3500 or so republican activists will cast a vote in the straw poll and pick for president. rick perry is the only candidate competing in the straw poll,

john mccain would again ten. that's what barack obama would get for trouncing the republican nominee in pennsylvania by more than ten points like he did last time. he'd get one net electorate vote. so by persuading no more people, by winning no more votes, by winning no more congressional districts than they did the last time, republicans in pennsylvania might have just figured out a way to add 20 electoral votes to the republican side of the margin in the next presidential race. not by getting anymore votes. not by persuading anymore people. just by changing pennsylvania's rules. so they would benefit the republican candidate. this is how republicans in the states rule this year. this is what they're doing with control of the state legislatures and the governorships. unions give money to democratic candidates and do get out the vote for democratic candidates then unions have to be destroyed by state law. democrats count on newly registered voters turning out for democratic candidates, it must become much, much h

john mccain suspended the campaign as i recall and there was a question actually about whether you were going to have that first debate. so what did you guys do over commission than? >> guest: what mccain wanted was the debate to be postponed, and obama said i'm coming so it was a kind of linking thing. the folks said to me -- because i was already in oxford when all this happened -- and the debate commission said we are preparing for a debate. there will be a debate when we or another. and unless, you know, we are told it's not something else happens it's saturday, etc.. on was approached by some folks through the intermediaries i was approached by some people from the university of mississippi. they spent millions of dollars preparing for this debate. big deal for the state of mississippi, the university of all that come and they asked me if i would moderate and even just with obama. and other words, if mccain who didn't come, maybe using students and running a town hall thing and i said well, think about that because let's say they did the delay the debate from a week or so, and i ha

john mccain extended the campaign as i recall, and there was a question actually about whether we were going to have that first debate for. so what did you do in the commission? >> guest: what mccain wanted was for the bdy date to be postponed, and obama said we are going to have a debate. so there's a kind of dillinger -- blinking. the folks said to me because i was already in oxford when all of this happened and the commission said we are preparing for a debate there will be a debate on we or another unless we are told something else happens etc., etc. not. i was approached by some folks in the intermediaries i was a approached the folks in mississippi. they spend millions of dollars preparing for this and it was a big deal in the state of mississippi and at the university and all of that and they asked me if i would moderate and even just with obama in other words of mccain didn't come may be using students and run the town hall thing and i said well let's see they did believe that the date for a week or so it was resolved and i had a lot of conversations about kind of what we would

all right, now, how's obama going to handle himself against john mccain?> host: right. >> guest: now we're in the big leagues, and let's see. well, obama presented himself as somebody who was calm and cool and much lighter and competent. the other thing was did he have the confidence it took to be president? all those things he demonstrated with body language again like he did with words. at the same time, john mccain, on the other hand, was demonstrating because the bad wrap on him was he got angry, and he was this and that, and, well, he proved that. he proved the negative, and in obama's case, he proved a positive, and here again very subtly, and it had nothing to do because neither one, i'm sure nobody remembers this, i barely remember it myself. neither one would answer any of my questions directly about what to do about the financial crisis. >> host: i remember that actually. >> guest: i just kept asking, and each one answered from a different point of view, but they never would say. there was no content difference really between them. it was all abo

and even john mccain now says america isn't going to war in the middle east again. has the republican party moved on? are we hearing a lot about, you know, foreign adventurism has got to end. what a change in the clock. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. confidence, with depend in color. now available in gray. looks and fits like underwear. same great protection. depend. good morning. great day. >>> well, mitt romney, talk about excitement, has picked up the endorsement of former rival tim pawlenty. two little puddles of water coming together. not exactly a splash. the former minnesota governor dropped out of the race last month after a disappointing finish in the ames straw poll. pawlenty said today he made his endorsement based on romney's economic experience and his belief that romney would appeal -- would repeal the federal health care bill and perhaps put him on the cabinet. in another endorsement news, louisiana governor bobby jindal says he's going with perry. so it looks like a match today. we'll be right back. a living, bg intelligence that is helpin

it's wishful thinking on the part of john mccain but it speaks volumes to where the real orientation is in washington not just of the republicans but the democrats too so they would like to overthrow a government in china they would like to overthrow the government in russia they would like to overthrow the government of venezuela and cuba or wherever people are independent of the dictates of washington but when it comes to syria and iran washington doesn't seem to be just fantasizing about revolutions by throwing its support behind revolution makers and really say washington is seeking to increase its influence and control in these countries let's look at how things have been in the control depart. so far eject thousands protest against the us backed military there that's still in power last week addiction store and peace really embassy and rage by the killing of five egyptian border guards in review rushing to judith leadership is taking over but the country is at risk of plunging into tribal war syria the opposition includes those with radical agenda so the aftermath of the so-cal

and john mccain gets it wrong, really wrong, on america's exit strategy for iraq. welcome to "politics nation" i am al sharpton. tonight's lead, what a difference a weekend makes. remember last week? it seems that just maybe we had a chance to get something done on jobs. speaker boehner was talking golf with vice president biden, and not once but twice boehner and congressman kantor said the president's jobs bill, quote, merits consideration, unquote. but that was then. this is now. today the president sent his jobs bill to congress, and called for more of the goodwill between the parties. >> this is a bill that will put people back to work all across the country. this is a bill that will help our economy in a moment of national crisis. this is a bill that is based on ideas from both democrats and republicans. as this is it is bill that congress needs to pass. no games, no politics, no delays. i'm sending this bill to congress today, and they ought to pass it immediately. >> shortly after that, mr. "merits consideration" kantor said, quote -- i will tell you that o

the delegation led by senator john mccain, what are they trying to accomplish on this trip?upport for the rebel who is have taken so much control to again show u.s. presence with a concern about where is muammar gadhafi and will he be brought to justice quickly. part is to just get an assessment on the ground and talking to aides. they went it a hospital and a prison in addition meeting with the officials. to give you a sense of what it means to the senators and why it's important, here's what john mccain had to say to cameras earlier today. >> they inspired the world. they turned cynics into supporters and paid an enormous price for freedom and sacrifice of the libyan people delivered the great nation to the shores of the new world full of new hope, a chance for all libyans to know lasting peace and dignity and justice. >> one of the great challenges for countries struggling with the spring and the movements of revolution that brought about a big change is what happens next when all of the jubilation in the square ends. that's part of what the delegation wants to try to sho

john mccain would most likely not have been the republican nominee but for the internet. in the summer of 2007 when things were looking pretty bleak for the mccain candidacy in everyone is expecting three guliani to square off against hillary clinton, mccain went to ground, cut almost all his campaign staff except for a few senior folks and the web team. that is what sustained him all the way up to iowa and in hampshire and made him -- and kept him alive as a viable. the possibility the the early part of the campaign. >> conservative and liberal viewpoint websites. >> there is a big gap between conservatives and liberals online. in fact, the traffic numbers hugely favor of liberals. in terms -- you are holding up a chart, a graph of web traffic. liberal sites. the white sites are conservative leaning. we see a couple of things. in terms of total traffic, much more to the left. second of all, traffic is more concentrated on the right. you see what traffic there is, the few sites

and even john mccain now says america isn't going to war in the middle east again. has the republican party moved on? are we hearing a lot about, you know, foreign adventurism has got to end. what a change in the clock. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. impressive resume. thank you. you know what, tell me, what makes peter, peter ? well, i'm an avid catamaran sailor. i can my own homemade jam, apricot. and i really love my bank's raise your rate cd. i'm sorry, did you say you'd love a pay raise asap ? uh, actually, i said i love my bank's raise your rate cd. you spent 8 days lost at sea ? no, uh... you love watching your neighbors watch tv ? at ally, you'll love our raise your rate cd that offers a one-time rate increase if our current rates go up. ally. do you love your bank ? >>> well, mitt romney, talk about excitement, has picked up the endorsement of former rival tim pawlenty. two little puddles of water coming together. not exactly a splash. the former minnesota governor dropped out of the race last month after a disappointing finish in the ames straw

and even john mccain now says america isn't going to war in the middle east again. has the republican party moved on? are we hearing a lot about, you know, foreign adventurism has got to end. what a change in the clock. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. [ female announcer ] secret scent expressions combines great odor protection with a lavender scent. amazing microcapsules absorb and neutralize odor releasing scent anytime you need it. all day long. secret scent expressions deodorant/antiperspirant. also in body splashes. where'd ya go? there you are. there you go. [ female announcer ] you always went for the tall, dark, handsome types. so who'd have ever thought the love of your life... would be short and bald? having a baby changes everything. dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center recommends the custom-fit orthotic that's best for your tired feet. foot-care scientists are behind it. you'll get all-day relief. for your tired achy feet. for locations, see drscholls.com. thank you... >>> well, mitt romney, talk about excitement, has picked up the endorsemen

>> guest: it was founded as the assistance of 9/11 families and senator john mccain.they really came together to force the white house and congressional republicans to have an independent investigation of what had gone so wrong before 9/11. how was it possible this attack could have taken place? the central finding was there was an enormous disarray in the federal government dealing with terrorist threats. there were doubts that were not being connected. >> host: the white house opposed the creation of the commission for months. how long was that push back and why were they opposed to its creation? >> pushed back for many months. the better part of a year or much more than a year. their argument was we cannot divert the central intelligence agency and the fbi from their central mission which was preventing another 9/11. we can't force them to answer the question of the independent investigation which they need to focus their attention elsewhere and there is a legitimacy to that argument but obviously i have people acknowledging this in the book at the white house that

and john mccain, like your party always does, runs a guy eight years too late.he was tired, just like joey jardello, the middleweight championship 20 years too late. my question is, is your party all kind of thinking, rick perry, tough sell in the 'burbs, tough sell among the -- >> some are. i think some people are looking at it that way. i think if you look at a general election strategy given what you saw the president do just in the last seven days, the whole turnaround with his effort, starting with the speech before congress a week ago, ending up with the speeches out across the country. he's ready. and -- >> he's running. >> he's running. and the question is, in a toe-to-toe conversation with the toe-to-toe conversation with the american people, do you come off as a gadfly or do you come off as a serious player? and i think when you look at the presidential contenders who are lining up to run, a lot of people around the country are saying, you know, the comments about social security and medicare and medicaid, the whole texas thing, may not sell that way i

the internal matters and i would even go further to say that this is not quite so well known but john mccain what almost not likely have been the republican nominee, not for the internet. in the summer of 2007 when things were looking pretty bleak for the mccain candidacy everyone was expecting rudy giuliani to go against him the real clinton. mccain went to ground and cut almost all of his campaign staff except a few senior folks and the ret team and that is what sustained him all the way it to iowa and new hampshire and kept him alive as a viable candidate or at least as a possibility through the early part of the campaign cycle. >> what about conservative and liberal viewpoint web sites? >> there's a big gap between the conservatives and liberals online and in fact that traffic numbers hugely favor the liberals. it is a web traffic of black sites serving during our the liberal sites and the conservative leaning sites. a couple things. first in terms of total traffic does much more traffic to the left. second, traffic is much more concentrated actually on the right. if you see what traffic

and most will say that john mccain is the one that's out front the most, joe conason, waving the flag. >> i hope he's learned something. you know, some of us feel he ought to have learned something a while ago about this. you know, the first time you and i met, joe, was a debate over entering the iraq war. i don't know if you remember that on "hardball." and a lot of the disaster of these war decisions was predictable. i supported the invasion of afghanistan when it first happened. i lived not very far from the world trade center when the attack occurred, i was all for going in and getting -- but what came in the wake of that was an orgy of war that i think has caused us tremendously now. and if john mccain has at last figured out that, you know, every time you have a nail, don't pretend you have a hammer, that would be good. that would be progress. because there are a lot of alternatives to war. and it's not always the best one. >> i don't know if you'd call it a lesson learned. he'd probably characterize his statement differently and we should have him on to do so. >> yeah. >> there

this includes john boehner, dianne feinstein, john kerry, john mccain, and harry reid. they deserved death sentences for authorizing the president of the united states to use armed forces the way he finds it necessary, he alone, for whatever, against any people, any reason, including the constituents in san francisco. not one of the 3999 members will rise against them for fear of reprisal. i am the world expert on the subject of reprisal. 17 times, one time by the city, for doing what i am doing right now. things have been confiscated. it all starts with this law, and it can and with this law, and each of you have a duty. it is interesting that i cannot get this board of supervisors on the email. thank you. president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> good evening. my name is bruce neuberger. i am a longtime resident of san francisco, a teacher. and i was one of many people who watched a video of kenneth harding when he was on the ground in the bayview, and the police with their guns drawn stood there and watched him die. further, preventing people from coming to his aid

barack obama won 365, john mccain 173. but let's look more specifically in pennsylvania. it was a winner take all system got all 21 electoral votes. john mccain received 0. they now have 20 electoral votes in pennsylvania after the census. this is what happened. look what happened if you break it down by congressional district. then you you get a different picture. john mccain won a lot of the real estate in this battleground state, but barack obama won these big population centers. under this proposal by republicans up there, which the governor likes, as well, they would say we're going to give one eelectoral vote for each district that he or she win, plus two additional votes for whichever candidate wins the popular vote in the state. so under that equation, instead of barack obama getting 21 votes, what would have happened is you would have had john mccain getting 10 electoral votes for what he won, barack obama getting nine for the districts he won, then an additional would for in-withing t winning the popular vote, a net gain of one. you can see what a huge impact th

obviously, i supported john mccain, i didn't support barack obama. my assessment of it as i look at it today, is he didn't bring to office the kind of experience that i would have hoped to have seen in a new president. >> sean: do you think he's failed in his job as president, what grade would you gi+ñ=b him? do you think he has failed in his job? >> in fairness, the jury is still out until he's gotten closer to the election. he has another year to run in terms of his current assessment. >> sean: midterm grade up to this point? >> i think of it as whether or not he's going to end up like ronald reagan did with a masterful performance and implementing a very successful growth policy. things look tough in his third year by the fourth year he won an overwhelming victory or like jimmy carter who never quite got his act together to put in place an economic program for the country. when he was faced with competition four years after his first term, he obviously didn't do very well. >> sean: when we come back our final installment of my sit-down with former

obama would have taken 11 votes and john mccain would have gotten 10. also an msnbc contributor.eing pushed by gop lawmakers, they would debate over the benefit were it to happen. >> right. the way things are going thus far for the president, some say someone like mitt romney could win pennsylvania. maybe there is a close national election and romney would be denied the 20 electoral votes that pennsylvania will have in 2012. tameron, and you recognize this, we don't elect our presidents with the national election and a state by state elections. my problem with this is i don't like pennsylvania going this route alone. that's a selective process. i think it's gerrymandering. texans are saying we would like to respond with a vote. if you do this piece meal f they decide to have an election, that's a different conversation. >> two states use this winner take all system that they are considering. as i pointed out, it's not clear they are pointing to a number of changes. this is all some people speculate is part of a greater plan here. it doesn't sound like it's a concerted effort. whe

when you realize what this also does to pennsylvania, where it was a battle ground state where john mccainnd soon to be president obama, no more because we'll only have instead of 20 electoral votes, maybe two or three, we'll be equivalent to maine. when the voters begin to recognize this, they are going to be outraged. it's not a story that has broken big time yet but this is an offense to democracy. >> is it even constitutional? has there been talk where it passes constitutional mus muster? >> dominic paw leg gi was one of the group of administrators eight years ago in the middle of the night passed a pay raise for themselves for their self-interest. when it was found out a few days later by pennsylvania voters, they threw most of them out. i think when they recognize that no longer will the key stone state be a key to the future in helping to elect a president of the united states, you're going to see a similar outrage come because it's the only legal way you can turn this about if these legislators with tom corbett, decide to do this. >>> it's also been done in nebraska and considered

martha: senator john mccain, reflecting on our country's two wars since the september 11th attacks.s on fox news sunday. listen: >> and chris, whether we should have gone to iraq or afghanistan, i believe we should have. whether it's miss managed and whether we underestimated the enormity of the challenge we face, i think historians will judge. but i don't think we should ever forget that those attacks originated in afghanistan. and it's -- i think we did the right thing there, but i also think we've learned a lot of lessons, and frankly, i don't think you're going to see the united states of america in another war in that part of the world. i don't think the american public opinion would stand for it. martha: very interesting given john mccain's history on those -- on both of those wars in iraq and afghanistan michael scheuerer is with me. always nice to talk to you. >> thank you. martha: john mccain says he doesn't think americans will be able to stomach further wars in the middle east. is he right and is that even a possibility? >> mr. mccain is an unusual man in that he's never

john mccain ended up being the nominee and many of the core conservatives thought john mccain was toois what mitt romney is trying to exploit. i was here with him and he gave a town hall and the one distinction he drew between himself and the others is on tho make it to be the nominee of this party, this will force a debate about the dream act at a national level, and i think that that's probably a good thing for the country for president obama to have to talk about it and not just say he supports it. and then to have perry, you know, facing off against him. now, will that happen? we don't know. i think perry is really vulnerable on this issue because of where the republican primary electorate is. and romney knows that and that's what he's trying to go after here. >> goldie, we were talking about mitt romney, but what about new jersey governor chris christie? he continues to be the brass ring republicans keep reaching for. what do you think about him and the prospects of him possibly entering the race? >> well, he better do it quickly. i mean, he really has literally a matter of days

because john mccain had basically the background and the credibility to run for president, whereas michellend rick perry have to prove themselves. mccain really did. it was a preference. and this time the anti-obama feeling is so huge that a lot of people just looking for somebody who can beat him. >> absolutely. >> bill: they'll put their ideology on the shelf for a little while. the vaccine comments, did that help or hurt michelle bachman? >> they were very good in the debate when she attacked him on executive overreach and basically doing something he shouldn't have done with his cronies. obviously she stumbled at the next day when she talked about the vaccine. but at the end of the day, she's a great debater. >> bill: but i want to stay on the vaccine because that's gotting a lot of turns currency with the comedians. overall, help her or hurt her? >> it hurts her at this point in time, but she'll be back debating tentatively on thursday night. >> bill: okay. you think people will forget that? >> absolutely. >> bill: but michelle bachman on thursday has to dominate that field, i would th

among voters who actually went to the polls on election day in 2008, john mccain and sarah palin won the state of florida. by nearly five points. the mccain/palin ticket carried the day. but if you look at the results from that election you will see florida is blue. obama and biden won florida. that's because even though people who voted on election day mostly voted republican in florida, obama and biden won big among people who voted early. and that's a big part of why obama and biden are in the white house now. flash forward to 2010, when republicans whomped democrats in the midterm elections. republicans now control more state legislatures than at any time since 1952. what have republicans done with their new power in the states? in florida they've decided to crack down on early voting. florida republicans made it so they can cut the state's early voting time in half. also in georgia, republicans there have cut georgia early voting by more than half. and wisconsin they cut the time for absentee voting in half so you get less time to vote. you have to jump through more hoops at the

on friday, john mccain said i wish every high school student in america could observe their government in action, taxpayer dollars at work. democratic mark warner called it all embarrassing. if everybody's upset, let's get it done. >> president obama is expected to rake in at least $4 million during this west coast string and squeeze in a town hall in california. live very early in mountain view, california. let's talk about this linked de town hall. the last time he did a fund-raiser, he did a facebook town hall. what's different today with linkedin? >> reporter: hi there, chuck. president obama will be taking questions from an audience. there will be a live audience. he will also be taking questions folks have submitted before hand, so that will be sort of a nice back and forth, according to the administration. what's interesting, chuck, we will hear him talk about jobs, the economy. his jobs plan. as you say, the focus of this trip not events like this, really the fund-raising. he will be attending seven different fund raisers over this three day trip in seattle, san jose, san diego