romney campaign adviser kevin madden joining us next. plus, the plan who confessed to etan patz placed on suicide watch today. new developments ahead. (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. >>> mitt romney's new apprentice is the donald himself. the romney camp is trying to use donald trump's star power to attract big donors to a fund-raiser next month. how smart is it to buy into some of trump's past birther comments though? remember this? >> he may not have been born in this country. three weeks ago, i thought he was. right now i have real doubts. i hope some day he can produce it because i think he's toying with the american public. >> i always say like i was really smart. you know why? because if you believe that obama should be giv

. >> kevin madden is an adviser to the romney campaign and joins me now.he's made it very clear, there are very big differences. the question occurs, you know, why is mitt romney so opposed even to civil unions? >> i think -- i would not try to get baited into the trap of always talking about what we're against. governor romney has made it very clear what he's for. he's for the traditional sangity of marriage between a man and a woman. he's made that very clear to people who care about the issue and he stood by the issue. >> and there's no evolution. there won't be any evolving for mitt romney on this subject? >> no, when this question comes up. >> if he's elected president. >> when this question comes up, he's made it clear a marriage is between a man and woman. we're the party of traditional marriage and he's made that very clear to republicans and tleer to people during this campaign. >> and six months out, we're talking about a $25 million buy in nine key states. we look at battleground polls now today. the politico poll other polls showing it's basica

i like kevin madden, he said it doesn't matter we don't endorse his views. john boehner said it's not my job to tell people what to think. they aid and abet them because they're afraid of them and that energy in their own party. this is a moment when mitt romney would could i like donald trump but this is the politics i don't want to trump in. one of the saddest days in the last four years is when barack obama our first black president had to stand up and show papers to that wealthy white believe. mitt romney should want to distance himself from that humiliation. >> david, i will let you jump into this, the one observation i put forth is this election is about the few undecided. i cannot believe as a political proposition it benefits the romney campaign to have this issue relitigated, david your thought? >> i think you're right. i don't think this plays to the suburban voters. once this does happen, what is mitt romney do about it? it reminds me of a couple weeks ago when he was confronted by a supporter who said the president should be tried for treason. jo

. >> joining me now is romney adviser kevin madden.le are looking at those comments that the candidate made tonight saying it was sort of a dog whistle. the fact he would bring up the birth requirements in the constitution on a day where donald trump has talked about birtherism with a dog whistle on this issue. fair? >> no. well, i just don't agree with that. i think it was -- the governor was actually relaying a conversation he had with a voter. the voter's emphasis was on the business experience. that's what governor romney is finding as he engages voters across the country. they're focused on the economy. they're focused on somebody who can turn the economy around. that's been the entire focus of the governor's message today when he was out there in colorado, he was talking about energy. he was talking about how important energy is to helping sustain the economy in that region of the country and how important the economy is in turning the economy around. >> but he is holding this big event with donald trump tonight and donald trump

john avlon is here, michelle goldberg also with us and kevin madden, adviser to mitt romney.o you look at that electoral map and think that the gay marriage issue could hand you ten states? >> well, i think there are a number of voters there that are older in population, a little bit more cultural conservative, particularly in some of those states where there's going to be turnout models that are dependent upon some of those culturally conservative areas in those states. if their main motivator for voting for president is cultural issues, they will find a candidate in governor romney that is aligned with them on those particular issues. and they don't line up with where president obama is. but i still think that the main motivator here for voters that are right now unpersuaded and haven't made up their mind is still going to be the economy. >> michelle, i know you also think that that map will not move on gay marriage. >> there's two things. first of all, i don't think that anybody who cares that much about opposition to gay marriage, that it would drive their vote was going

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joining me is kevin madden and cnn political contributor paul begala. vin, full rights, full equality, the words he used in 1994, promised not to discriminate against the gay community. how does that square with romney's position today? what did full equality mean to romney back then? >> i don't know the full context of what the debate was taking place in 1994 but i expect in answering that question and talking about the issue, he was talking about discrimination. and that he didn't believe that then as he does now, that we should discriminate against people based on their sexual identity or their sexual orientation, and he still holds true to that belief. on the issue of marriage, it comes down to the definition. whether it's how the government defines it and what the contract between two people is and what -- his belief is that a marriage should be defined simply as a union between one man and one woman. >> but in south carolina, when he was talking to conservative groups in 2005, he made it sound as if he didn't like the idea of gay people having kids

kevin madden, one of the senior advisers to the romney campaign, he was on cnn last night.resting what he said, the take from the campaign. he said this was a long time ago,fy years ago, as you mentioned. he said, i think that this is not going to define him, what defines him is how he acts today. that's what the romney campaign is trying to say, that was a long time ago, now is now, judge this man, this candidate, on what he's doing today. a lot of republican pundits and analysts are saying the same thing, blame is the media and saying, what about president obama? four years ago, remember the comments senator obama said in his book, that he used illegal drugs in high school, that was an issue on the campaign trail. >> and it always comes back. once you're in the limelight, klieg lights get brighter. he's still on the campaign trail, but he is at liberty university, jerry falwell territory. is he likely to address this? >> i'm not sure if this comes up. but maybe his mormon faith comes up. when he was running in the republican primaries a lot of social conservative voters w

joining me now is romney adviser kevin madden.n capital attacks, bill burton from the super pac priorities compared what bain did with one steel company in missouri to what john dillinger had done. when i pressed him on it, he said he's not alleging anything that either broke rules or laws. but this attack is certainly zeroing in. >> they are extremely scornful of business at a time where we need businesses to strive and they are extremely scornful of the private industry and private capital industry when we need capital to flow. so i think what you're seeing right now is we're seeing it as an opportunity to talk on the issue arena of the economy which is central to what i think voters are going to use to decide whether or not they want to rehire president obama given the poor performance of the economy and lacking the job creation to put the economy back on track and have better employment numbers, i think it's clear when they see governor romney's record on this and their experience in the private sector as well as a successful

>> no, i love kevin madden but there he was. it doesn't mean we endorse his hours, he doesn't endorse our hours. i've been there with them where they said they're afraid of that energy in their own party. this is a moment where somebody, mitt romney preferably, could say, you know, i like donald trump but this is the kind of politics i don't want to trek in. . when barack obama, our first black president, had to stand up and show his papers to that wealthy, polite. it's time for us that, possibly. >> this election is all about those very few who are legitimately undecided, and i just cannot believe as a political proposition that it benefits the romney campaign to have this issue relitigated. david, your thoughts? >> i think you're right. i don't think this plays to the suburban suburbanite independent voters, and i don't think donald trump is doing withis with any strate in mind. but the question is, once this does happen, what does mitt romney do about it? it reminds me of a couple weeks ago when mitt romney met with a support

. >>> we're back with ryan lizza, penny lee, and kevin madden. , ladies and gentlemen, we've got a race. look at the "usa today"/gallup. it's a dead heat, 47/45. kevin, get ready, softball question. is this some wonderful, wonderful thing your candidate has done, or is it just that people are getting more anxious about the economy, and therefore the incumbent -- >> it is. and the fact that there's a choice between an alternative to president obama is coming into view. i think voters are now starting to take another look at who that other candidate's going to be. but i will say, i said it before, when the polls are good, i say that it's a snapshot in time. and there's a long way to go. a month out, we'll be looking at similar numbers that show the campaign very close. so on election day, when people are asking themselves, are they better off than they were four years ago, the answer is that they need to support governor romney. >> when you look at the map from 2008, you assume you take indiana and throw it out. where else? when you look at this kno

here to talk truth, michael crowley, and maria cardona and senior advisor kevin madden.t like this ad. people at bain say it is a cheap shot or distortion. however, however, one of the problems you went through this in the last campaign as well is because bain is a private equity firm, you can't say here it is, here is the record, right? >> you can. you can make the record about the governor's experience in the private sector, the governor's experience in working with a successful venture like bain capital and a couple that with experience as a successful governor and you can paint a portrait of a candidate and a vision that governor romney has for the future and that is a better economy, better -- >> but governor romney is on the record and one time he said 100,000 and now they say thousands and you heard steve ratner saying it was a mistake. >> forgetting the numbers, i think you can have an argument whether or not it had a positive impact on job creation and whether or not that experience is the type of experience we need to help turn around this economy and then cont

joining me right now is kevin madden, and political strategist, paul begala.l rights, full equality. promised not to discriminate against the gay community. how does that square with romney's position today? what did full equality mean to romney back then? >> well, i don't know the full context of what the debate was taking place in 1994, but i expect in answering that question and in talking about the issue he was talking about discrimination. and that he didn't believe that then as he does now that we should -- that we should discriminate against people base -- based on their sexual identity or sexual or yen tagts. he still holds true the that belief. i think on the issue of marriage i think it comes down to the definition, how the government defines it and what the contract between two people is and that -- his belief is that a marriage should be defined very simply as that -- as a union between one man and one woman. >> but in south carolina when he was talking to conservative groups back in 2005, he made it sound as if he didn't like the idea of gay peopl

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. >> kevin madden was trying to distance the governor from donald trump's comments on "anderson cooper" last night. >> every time this issue has come up governor romney made it very clear he disagrees with donald trump and disagreeds with his emphasis on the issuissue. >> white house correspondent press secretary says that's not enough. ray brownstein, worked in the bush white house and will cain and margaret hoover. nice to see you all. >> good morning. >> the birther thing won't go away. i thought after it was officially well why are you doing this will? >> it's not going away because of donald trump, and it's still here. >> it's neat only donald trump. other republican officials in nevada and north carolina and other places who raised it. there is a chunk of the republican party that believes this erroneously and polling is pretty clear there's a core in there that continues to hold these beliefs. seems indicative of a broader concern of who barack obama is and the change that he represents. that point of view finds voices within the republican coalition and mitt romney as he was ea