something more important than what i saw is mary landrieu in louisiana and kay hagan in north carolina voted for the bill and were immediately attacked by republicans, just kind of knee-jerk assuming this would be bad for them. both of them have inched up in the polls. so democrats lost this vote because of -- for procedural reasons. they got 55 or 56 ayes for it but the way they framed it was popular. they just have not convinced enough republicans and enough red state democrats that it's in their interest to support it politically. they might have inched a little closer to that this week. >> dave weigel, slate political reporter at the mccain town hall. thanks for being with us. i want to bring in senator richard blumenthal from connecticut. always good to see you. good morning. >> thank you, chris. >> let me talk about what you're up against. we're looking at that nra meeting. they think they will get a record number of people there. politico has a big piece about how organizing for action, this grassroots group that the president created, didn't swing a single vote. there is a bloo

gun vote. 44% said they were more likely to support mary landrieu. 26% said they were less likely to support her. kay hagen, 52% were more likely to support her because of her stance on gun reform and 26% said they were less likely to support her. which is to say, this thing has some legs. people have gone back to their home states and they seem to be getting positive feedback for voting on something that is contrary to nra principles. >> john mccain got i think 19 roses or something like that from a mother thanking him for the vote, a victim of the gabrielle giffords shooting. thanking him for his vote. poll numbers are more important than roses to these people. the only bit of caution i would have is the percentage of people less likely to vote. the conventional wisdom has always been that those people are much more active politically. much more inclined to vote on the gun issue specifically, than the people who are pro gun control, who are more likely to vote. so we have to see if that intensity is a momentary thing, just because the drama of the gun debate hasn't worn off or if i

. >>> two senators kay hagan and mary landrieu are seeing their numbers climb. a new policy shows voters in their home states are more likely to support them following their yes votes on the gun bill. both are up for reelection next year and considered extremely vulnerable to gop challengers. >>> rhode island has become the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage. the governor signed the bill after overwhelming approval from the state legislature. >>> and in maryland, the governor signed legislation repealing the death penalty. it's the second state south of the mason dixon to outlaw capital punishment. that's your morning's dish of scrambled politics. >>> now for a look at the national weather we turn to bill karins. >> the snow and then the fires in the west. it's a lot of extremes out there. it continues this morning. it's snowing in six states on may 3rd. that's crazy. it's never happened before. the temperatures are still very cold in the midwest. still snowing in rochester, minnesota, where they picked up a foot yesterday. it's still snowing outside of d

senator kay hagan next year because she voted in favor of the measure. 44% said the same of senator mary landrieu is louisiana. in arizona for senator john mccain one of just four republicans to support background checks, he was reportedly met with a loud applause at a town hall after a voter thanked him for his vote. later, he was given 19 roses. one for each person wounded or killed in the tucson shooting that targeted then congresswoman gabby giffords. nra rally will draw more this weekend than last year's even. the nra will maim their new president, jim porter. the outgoing president praised the appointment of porter and telling "the washington times" this. as we are likely to win most of the legislative battles in congress we have to move to courts to restrictions placed on gun owners' rights in new york, connecticut, maryland, and colorado. he seems quite sure that the nra will be waning winning their upcoming legislative battles. that's nice. >> i want to go back to these senators. unfortunately, the next time a crazy or somebody who would have not gotten a gun from a background check kill

the senators who voted no on background checks are seeing numbers plummet and say kay hagan and mary landrieu, who thought they were taking tough votes for us, are seeing poll numbers rise and chances in the next election cycle improve. i think that's the sea change. the sea change is voting for smart gun laws has now become a boon to your political career. >> on the one hand you have jeff flake, 's taken a hit but claiming that hit is artifice of the survey, saying it's a push poll. in fact, people really aren't that mad at me about it. on the other hand, you have senator baucus saying, i'd be willing to reconsider my vote if i heard from my constituents. what do you think is the message the senators who voted against this are taking home with them? >> jeff flake's claim is a little ridiculous. as i understand it the public policy polling firm he was referring to predicted his election win when he became a senator more accurately than any other firm in the country. i'm not sure what he's referring to. you start with pat toomey. senators who used to be inclined to basically side with the nra

according to a new ppp poll, 45% of louisiana voters say they're more likely to vote for senator mary landrieu because she voted for background checks versus just a quarter of the voters who say they're less likely. in north carolina, women are more likely to vote for senator kay hagan because of her vote. again, only a quarter said they're less likely to support her. they're looking in good shape. the poll found three quarters of voters in both states say they favor background checks. we'll be right back. >>> back to "hardball." with every public appearance it seems the buzz about hillary clinton in 2016 grows louder. last night i was there when secretary clinton received and award from the atlanta council here in washington. former secretary of state henry kissinger was there to introduce her and did a good job. here he is. >> at least four secretaries of state became presidents, and that sort of started focusing my mind. i want to tell hillary when she misses the office, she looks at the history of secretary of state, it might be hope for a fulfilling life afterwards. >> here was secretary

a poll shows that voters are more likely to support democrats kay hagan and mary landrieu, both in conservativeround checks. >>> and then there was this moment in tucson. >> i would like to thank you so much for your vote.

mary landrieu, 44% support her vote on background checks. these are in southern conservative states. republicans were hurt by the gun vote in those same regional states. north carolina, senator richard burr. 50% less likely to support due to the "no" vote on background checks. that's in the same state as kay hagan. senator david vitter, 40% less likely to support him due to "no" vote on background checks. you vote for the interest of the people, it helps you. against it, it hurts you. >> you know, it's interesting because karl rove recons they can get the senate back this next time around. it's one thing for people in the house district to go out there saying, i just need to look after the majority of the majority. just the hard cocore republican. even as you point out in these red states, what we've never seen before is when you lose one election, you go out there saying, mitch mcconnell is going to defeat the president. >> right. >> and that doesn't work. that's 2012. but we're going to try it again in 2014 and some reason, even without pr

mary landrieu. mark pryor of arkansas. given the fact republicans need to pick up six states, they're targeting those very people. the african-american votes are going to decide where they stand or probably the senate shifts to the republicans. joining me, someone who knows about this stuff, pulitzer prize winning columnist for the "washington post" eugene robinson. the two best possible people to talk about this. first of all, the stunning fact. it's stunning because i grew up in philly where you had racial division up the kazoo for many years and still does. the black vote, because rizzo seen as the enemy of the black community drove off the vote. if he's mayor, i'm going to show up and vote to protect myself. >> exactly. >> and in a way, i think reince priebus and the boys with their multi, multi, dozen state efforts to keep the blacks from the voting booths aroused -- you tell me. >> no. i think the voter suppression efforts drove up the black vote. i think they ticked people off and they made people more determined to

i'd like to play you senator mary landrieu of louisiana, who responded to that.t take a listen, sir. >> after a disaster, our citizens don't need or want a debate on funding. and i want to say this to senator coburn, my good friend, he's not on the floor. i do respect his consistency on this issue. even when this tornado hit his state, he's still calling for offsets. he has been consistent, but madam president, in my view, he's been consistently wrong. >> again, sir, i ask you this question respectfully, given the tragedy that is all around yourself where you stand at this very moment. but where do you fall on this particular issue? >> well, first of all, it's a little premature to even raise the issue. the damage is horrific. but you have to remember, this is a disaster site about 17 miles long, a mile and a third wide. that's $2 billion worth of damage. but it's not covering multistates. there may well be enough money already appropriated for disaster relief to take care of all of our needs here without additional funds that, again, haven't been expended or hav

according to a new ppp poll, 45% of louisiana voters say they're more likely to vote for senator mary landrieu because she voted for background checks versus just a quarter of the voters who say they're less likely. in north carolina, women are more likely to vote for senator kay hagan because of her vote. again, only a quarter said they're less likely to support her. they're looking in good shape. the poll found three quarters of voters in both states say they favor background checks. we'll be right back. not bad. this tree has deep roots, strong limbs... things are perched and not pinned. nicely done. the boys love it. they are up there day and night. well that might be because you overlooked one thing... what? it looks into your neighbor's window. ohhh boy. hel-lo, mrs. kozlowski. boys? i'm gonna get the hose. [ dennis ] home insurance with do-it-yourself tips? that's allstate home insurance. great protection plus helpful advice to make life better. talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] >>> back to "hardball." with every public appearance it seems the buzz about hillary clinton in

not just toomey, but look at mary landrieu in louisiana, always considered vulnerable, up in a state that has almost no gun laws, how conservative they are. her numbers went up too. so did kaye hagen's in north carolina. by the way, bill was crafted pretty smartly. the part about assault weapons was an amendment. the main actual bill was called the public safety and second amendment protection act. like the bill was written specifically to be all about background checks and prohibiting anything like a registry. so the way it was written, protected people like toomey, even with gun owners. so to vote against something that moderate, that compromised-laden, makes people look extreme. >> ej deion, the nra's enemy's list, and the last words friends list. joy reid, thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> and the in-studio version of sam stein, teaching me something i did not know. thank you very much. >> thanks. >> thank you. >>> coming up, what wouldn't you do for money? seriously. what legal thing would you not do to make money. it is an important question. and i'll give you my answe

. >> reporter: being seeing polls in north carolina, louisiana, mary landrieu and kay hagan who votedor the bill and there is some polling that shows their ratings have improved over the last few months. and you're seeing the polling reach vice president biden's office. where politico reported today, he has held meetings with advocates over the last week or so. and he is very, very in tune to the polling. and i think we'll see the white house and other proponents pick up every little piece of poeg out there to try to prove their case. that they can go back at this and the politics are right for them. not the opponents. >> picking up on what you said. i want to play what the president said today. he was in mexico city and he discussed this gun situation. let's play it. >> i said the day that the legislation that had been proposed by senators manchin and toomey in the senate, the day that failed to get 60 votes, that was not the end. this was the beginning. things happen somewhat slowly in washington. but this is just the first round. i believe that eventually we'll get that done. and i

many lawmakers disagree, including democratic senator mary landrieu from louisiana, a state who has seen share of storms. same with tom coburn from oklahoma. coburn and his colleagues may not have to vote a funding bill this time around. they have more than $11 billion in its disaster relief fund. probably enough to help oklahoma, but natural disasters like this won't stop happening. we've hardly heard the last of this debate. i guess that's what's striking about this is, initially when we had the disaster this week, i think there was an assumption that that means we're going to have to go to congress and look for some kind of disaster bill, and it happens this time, the damage is in such a concentrated area compared to sandy where it spread out over all these different states. it even went to the caribbean for sandy. the price tag is not going to be as extensive. but it does feel like we address these things on a case-by-case basis, whether it's katrina, joplin, missouri, whether it's sandy. this time there's enough money in the fund, but i feel like we have this debate once a year wher

it's part of the reason why i have many disagreements with mary landrieu, but her taking that vote earned. that she took that vote when so mem people do not. >> it's almost humorous and it's shapeful. one state rep said, this may be unconstitutional, but i like the bill. then let's vote. it was an embarrassment watching this play out. it was an embarrassment. >> yeah, i talked about hueghy long last week in part. when it was all the problems. nonetheless focused on the people. and at the moment it feels like it is not. and the costs are very, very real for us of us. thank you to you at home for starting to think through the real scans. but let me be really clear, we are not done yet. me be clear, e are not done yet. my foot soldier of the week is next and you do not want to miss this teenager determined to stop hate. mr. clean magic eraser extra power was three times faster on permanent marker. elsewhere against dirt, it was a sweep, with scuffed sports equipment... had it coming. grungy phones... oh! super dirty! and grimy car rims... wow! that really works! ...all taking losses. it look

mary landrieu being one of those down in louisiana.ack to looking at polling. >> and back to looking at regions. yes, it was partisan in the sense that four republicans voted for it and four democrats voted against it. but nonetheless, it had to do with region. i think we see that more and more when you watch the nra. there are pockets, and that's why it's such a difficult run in the house. because they're not running statewide. they're running in their districts, which can be very, very anti-any more gun control. >> and what about immigration? marko rubio was on the cover of "the national review." he's been taking a lot of heat from conservatives. could the boston bombing and that case have an impact? we've heard people say yes, it should be taken into consideration. will it have an impact? >> even if you don't see the connection, the gang of eight will tell you, they will say, listen, we take care of that. we're going to know through this reform system who is in this country, when they're supposed to leave the country, et cetera. but

if you're mark prior, you're looking at mary landrieu, seeing her approval ratings going up.o it's not just, hey, i'm going to get punished if i vote against background checks now they're looking and saying, wait a minute, i might pick up percentage points from both parties if i support background checks for criminals, terrorists, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. this is a winner. and mark prior would mark prior like to gain five points in the polls or lose five points in the polls? does he want to win or lose? >> i think it would be an interesting realtime political science experiment if they have another vote in the next month after these politicians have looked in the polls to see what reaction they do have to it. if it does have an effect in new hampshire, in arkansas. clearly everyone's talking about it, doing their own polling and trying to make that calculation. the politicians aren't going to change until they feel like the public's mood has changed. and i think they feel like they get mixed data. they look at the high-end numbers and see their numbers might be going

by my good friend, great legislator, chairman of the subcommittee on homeland security, senator mary landrieu. i'm proud to cosponsor this amendment. the amendment would delay flood insurance premium increases until fema has completed a study on the impacts on afford ability of planned premium increases. nobody in this body knows better than she -- senator landrieu, that is -- the challenges faced by communities in the wake of natural disasters. and she has been beyond generous in sharing her time and expertise and lending her vocal support to the states such as mine, so greatly impacted by superstorm sandy. last year congress passed a reauthorization bill and reform bill, the biggert-waters act. we passed the biggert-waters act because if the program expired, flood insurance would have become unavailable for unaffordable for people who needed it. congress needed to reform the program going forward because it is billions of dollars in debt and needs to be put on a better financial footing and in my home state one of the counties received a very, very poor and unfair map which was undone in th

as a matter of fact, senator mary landrieu for the last 10 years has been the leader on this issue on both foster care and adoption. and so when i came into congress a couple years ago, she asked me if i wanted to take the lead on the work in the house. and so we have an adoption caucus and we have a foster youth caucus and that was the one that i started. host: well, one of the issues we haven't discussed yet is the issue with the i.r.s. i want to get your reaction to what speaker boehner had to say. guest: sure. > the i.r.s. has admitted to targeting conservatives even if the white house continues to be stuck on the word if. now, my question isn't about who's going to resign. my question is who's going to jail over this scandal. host: karen bass. guest: well, i think that we need to do everything we can to get to the bottom of this. this is, you know, egregious what happened. i was very happy that the president took the move that he did yesterday. as this issue moves forward, if crimes have been committed, people need to go to jail but i don't know if i'd call for that today. host: