let me go to michael smerconish. this is a political show. this story has tremendous ramifications down the road. megan's law. the kid went to the parent and said what's that law about kids and people that do thing to them and finally got the mother alerted because he was so scared of his situation. but he was there relying on something he'd heard about a law that alerts people to a sex offender. i thought it was interesting that that law is there and at this point, or at least to get to first base with his parents in warning them what was going on with him. or to him. >> chris, diane is obviously right that victim one and the testimony of michael mcqueary are the big headlines coming out of this today. but i would submit to you that potentially the big political headline came from a caseworker, a caseworker who testified today that the state trooper who initially investigated the complaints of victim number one believed victim number one and thought there was enough to arrest jerry sandusky. instead, there was a three-year investigation that

thank you very much, michael smerconish, john nichols. a great pleasure having you both together. >> thank you. >>> coming up, back on message. >> the romney republican plan is austerity and more unemployment now and blow the lid off later. >> bill clinton making up for perceived misstep going after romney even harder. a clinton laying out a new strategy for president obama? >>> plus, president obama's campaign is out with a new ad accusing romney of having a double standard when it comes to the candidate's record on jobs. >> they're saying don't hold mitt romney accountable for the first three years he was in office. >>> we'll show you more of the ad and why some are saying it's a double standard. we have breaking news also. u.s. officials have confirmed that al qaeda's second in command was killed during a u.s. drone strike in pakistan. he was killed during three days of strikes in what pakistan's foreign minister is calling, quote, a violation of pakistan's sovereignty. u.s. officials describe him as irreplaceable in his expertise and

i'm michael smerconish in washington for chris matthews. leading off tonight, dream act lite. for years democrats have tried to pass the dream act and for years republicans have stopped them. so today president obama issued an executive order that would stop the deportations of most illegal immigrants who arrived here as children. is this a blatant political play for the latino vote? you betcha. we'll break down the politics. plus, president obama and mitt romney offer starkly different visions for fixing the economy. romney says trust the private sector. president obama says that's another way of saying let's try those bush policies all over again. my question, can barack obama win re-election without offering some new vision for how to get the economy going again? >>> also, could race be a bigger factor in the election than we thought? using google searches, a harvard researcher says racism cost barack obama three to five points in 2008 and could sink him this time. >>> and the sandusky trial. one thing we're learning is that many people knew what was going on for a long tim

i'm michael smerconish. in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, here comes that bainy day feeling again. mitt romney says it over and over again. on day one, he's going to get tough on china. sounds good, but today's "washington post" reports that romney's bain capital invested in firms that specialized in outsourcing jobs to countries like, you guessed it, china. just wait for that little morsel to make it to an obama ad near you. romney and bain capital. this story not going away. also, if you were to judge mitt romney and president obama's speeches to latino officials on reaction alone, it would be a slam-dunk win for the president. but the big question for team obama, can they translate the enthusiasm that we saw today into votes? plus, the jury now has the sandusky case, but the jurors don't know the two latest pieces of news about this matter. and the debate over attorney general eric holder and fast and furious has moved from the right wing fringe to the front pages. the conservative base is thrilled, so why has the rep

. >> joining me now michael smerconish and amy stoddard, associate editor and columnist for the hillsconsin daniel bice, political watch dog columnist for the milwaukee journal

. >> joining me now radio talk show host michael smerconish, and with us again, lynn sweet of the "chicagoun-times." michael, i want to play what mitt romney said just a short time ago. he's prebut thing the president's speech perhaps trying to steal the thunder from the speech tomorrow. >> i think you're going to see him change course when he speaks tomorrow. and where he will acknowledge that it isn't going so well and asking for four more years. so instead of three years and he's out, he wants four more years. my own view is that he will speak eloquently but that words are cheap. >> we would expect romney to say the words are cheap. are you startled by carville saying there's time to correct this message here? >> no, i think he's absolutely correct. i think where i would disagrees with carville in terms of the messaging is not so much that the president's message is wrong, i think they have too many messages. if you were to say to me and i pay close attention to this, what exactly is the message they're putting forth in the campaign, i'm not sure what it is. i've heard three or four dif

i'm michael smerconish. leading off tonight, executive privilege. president obama invoked it for the first time today republicans are seeking the failed gun enforcement operation called fast and furious. late today those same republicans voted to recommend holding attorney general holder in contempt of congress which holder called an extraordinary, unprecedented and entirely unnecessary action. the president's move adds fuel to an already red hot fire. we will get into that at the top of the program. and it is the question that makes or breaks presidents who are running for re-election. are you better off now than you were four years ago? we've got surprising new poll numbers that are sure to make the white house smile if you believe them. plus, mitt romney now says marco rubio is being vetted to be his running mate. but was romney forced to say that after being caught flat-footed on the campaign trail? and the jerry sandusky trial. defense rests without calling sandusky himself to the witness stand. finally, mitt romney's dancing horse is the inspi

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. u leading off tonight, etch a sketch people. outflank his conservative opposition with talk of self-deportation and support for arizona's tough immigration law. today, eager, some might say desperate to win over latino votes, romney softened his tone and talked of bipartisan reform. can he sketch away the months of tough talk with one speech?

i'm michael smerconish in washington for chris matthews. leading off tonight, dream act lite.the dream act and for years republicans have stopped them. today president obama issued an executive order that would stop the deportations of most illegal immigrants who arrived here as children. is this a political play for the latino vote? you bet ya. we'll break down the politics. plus, president obama and mitt romney offer starkly different visions for fixing the economy. romney says trust the private sector. president obama says that's another way of saying let's try those bush policies all over again. my question, can barack obama

i'm michael smerconish in washington for chris matthews. dream act lite, today, president obama issued an executive order that will stop the deportations of most illegal immigrants who alived here as children. is this a political play for the latino vote? you bet. plus, president obama and mitt romney offer starkly different visions for fixing the economy. romney says trust the private sector. president obama says that's another way of saying let's try those bush policies all over again. my question, can barack obama win re-election without offering some new vision? also, could race be a bigger factor in the election than we thought? using google searches, a harvard researcher says racism cost barack obama three to five points in 2008 and could sink him this time. and the sandusky trial. one thing we're learning is that many knew what was going on for a long time. so why did it take so long for people to speak out? finally, mitt romney's bus tour got underway today and with it, someone with a sense of humor with a fake dog strapped on top i

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matt use. tonight, here comes that bainy day feeling again. mitt romney says it over and over again. on day one, he's going to get tough on china. sounds good, but today's "washington post" reports that romney's bain capital invested in firms that specialized in outsourcing jobs to countries like china. just wait for that little morsel to make it to an obama ad near you. romney and bain capital. this story not going away. >>> also, if you were to judge mitt romney and president obama's speeches to latino officials on reaction alone, it'd be a slam dunk win for the president.

i'm michael smerconish. here comes that bainy day feeling again. going to get tough on china. sounds good, but today's "washington post" reports that romney's bain capital invested in firms that specialized in jobs to countries like china. just wait for that little morsel to make it to an obama ad near you. romney and bain capital. this story not going away. also,

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, etch a sketch people. during the republican primaries, mitt romney tried to outflank his conservative opposition with talk of self-deportation and support for arizona's tough immigration law. today, eager, some might say desperate to win over latino votes, romney softened his tone and talked of bipartisan reform. can he etch a sketch away the months of tough talk with one speech? >>> plus the romney campaign tells florida's rick scott stop talking about how good the state's economy is. it clashes with our message. >>> also why is team obama smiling over the contempt vote against attorney general holder? because it allows the democrats to tie mitt romney to an unpopular and they would argue extreme republican majority. and we may now know why jerry sandusky decided at the last minute not to testify at his own trial. and it involves what his adopted son would have said about him on the stand. >>> finally, leave it to joe the plumber to blame the holocaust on gun control. you heard me right. hey, joe, stick t

i'm michael smerconish in washington for chris matthews., president obama issued an executive order that will stop the deportations of most illegal immigrants who alived here as children. is this a political play for the latino vote? you bet. plus, president obama and mitt romney offer starkly different visions for fixing the economy. romney says trust the private sector. president obama says that's another way of saying let's try those bush

i'm michael smerconish. here comes that bainy day feeling again. mitt romney says it over and over again. on day one, he's going to get tough on china. sounds good, but today's "washington post" reports that romney's bain capital invested in firms that specialized in jobs to countries like china. just wait for that little morsel to make it to an obama ad near you. romney and bain capital. this story not going away. also, if you were to judge mitt romney and president obama's speeches to latino officials on reaction alone, it would be a win for the president, but the big question for team obama, can they translate the enthusiasm we saw today into votes? plus, the jury now has the sandusky case, but the jurors don't know the two latest pieces of news about this matter. and the debate over attorney general eric holder and fast and furious has moved from the right wing fringe to the front pages. the conservative base is thrilled, so why has the republican leadership been treating this like kryptonite? we begin with outsourcing jobs at bain capital. joa

." >>> good evening, i'm michael smerconish. chris matthews is on a shoot at mount rushmore. he will be back tomorrow. >>> leading off tonight, a tale of two gaffes. the romney campaign is all over president obama for saying the private sector is doing fine. and the obama campaign has pounced on mitt romney for saying that firemen, policemen and teachers are akin to big government and we don't need to hire more of them. which gaffe will resonate the most? which one will voters remember in november? that's where we will start tonight. >>> plus, the political implications of an election year investigation into whether or not someone at the white house is leaking details about america's national security. >>> and back in 2008, president obama told hillary clinton, you're likable enough. well, fast forward four years. polls show president obama is more likable than mitt romney, but does the likable candidate have the advantage? >>> and today is the first day of the trial of jerry sandusky, the former penn state football coach accused of sexually abusing ten boys. >>> then, let me

i'm michael smerconish. leading off tonight, executive privilege.r the first time today republicans are seeking the failed gun enforcement operation called fast and furious. late today those same republicans voted to recommend holding attorney general holder in contempt of congress which holder called an extraordinary, unprecedented and entirely unnecessary action. the president's move adds fuel to an already red hot fire. we will get into that at the top of the program. and it is the question that makes or breaks presidents who are running for re-election. are you better off now than you were four years ago?

today's tweet of the day is from nationally syndicated talk show host michael smerconish.dottie sandusky was asked zero questions about her physical relationship with jerry. not even whether they hug. an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ so,avoid bad.fats. don't go over 2000... 1200 calories a day. carbs are bad. carbs are good. the story keeps changing. so i'm not listening... to anyone but myself. i know better nutrition when i see it: great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. for multi grain flakes that are an excellent source of fiber try great grains banana nut crunch and cranberry almond crunch. how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher by the name of mr. davies. he m

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews.ries, mitt romney tried to outflank his conservative opposition with talk of self-deportation and support for arizona's tough immigration law. today, eager, some might say desperate to win over latino votes, romney softened his tone

nationally syndicated talk show host michael smerconish who is an msnbc contributor and syndicated columnist and political analyst. it is good to have you here. the romney campaign released a response to this ad in part saying, having abandoned hope and change, the obama campaign only hopes to change the subject from an abysmal jobs report. it web on to say we're happy to compare the 4.7% unemployment rate mitt romney achieved in massachusetts to president obama's weak record any day. michael, would the president be better served to look ahead to the future in his own policies rather than focus on romney's record? or is now the time? focus on that record in massachusetts and compare and contrast. >> i think politically speaking the obama campaign is trying to define mitt romney. we presuppose that had because there were all those debates and romney has captured the gop nomination, that the country has a fixed view of him. that's not the case and there are still a lot of minds that have yet to be made up relative to governor romney's record. i think they're trying to show that his businessman

. >> joining me now michael smerconish and amy stoddard, associate editor and columnist for the hill and from wisconsin daniel bice, political watch dog columnist for the milwaukee journal sentinel and john nichols back with us. john, i will talk with you first. you were on the ground in wisconsin and joined necessity live yesterday. glen tlush puts it this way, there is only one story in wisconsin although you wouldn't know it from from the high powered news analysis. it is m-o-n identify e-y. is that the resounding word from wisconsin. >> absolutely. simply no question that scott walker owned the air waves and intriguingly enough we often portray political races as an air war and people who can pay for ads versus a ground war where they can put volunteers out. scott walker had hundreds and hundreds of paid people on the ground knocking on doors. he bought not just an air war but a ground war. >> we talked a lot yesterday regarding democrats and they were very enthusiastic about the ground game and they thought that it would make up this incredible difference in money. as i mentione

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, etch a sketch people.maries, mitt romney tried to outflank his conservative opposition with talk of self-deportation and support for arizona's tough immigration law. today, eager, some might say desperate to win over latino votes, romney softened his tone and talked of bipartisan reform. can he etch a sketch away the months of tough talk with one speech? >>> plus the romney campaign tells florida's rick scott stop talking about how good the state's economy is. it clashes with our message. >>> also why is team obama smiling over the contempt vote against attorney general holder? because it allows the democrats to tie mitt romney to an unpopular and they would argue extreme republican majority. and we may now know why jerry sandusky decided at the last minute not to testify at his own trial. and it involves what his adopted son would have said about him on the stand. >>> finally, leave it to joe the plumber to blame the holocaust

." >>> good evening, i'm michael smerconish. chris matthews is on a shoot at mount rushmore. >>> leading off tonight, a tale of two gaffes. the romney campaign is all over president obama for saying the private sector is doing fine. and the obama campaign has pounced on mitt romney for saying that firemen, policemen and teachers are akin to big government and we don't need to hire more of them. which gaffe will resonate the most? which one will voters remember in november? that's where we will start tonight. >>> plus, the political implications of an election year investigation into whether or

nationally syndicated radio talk show host michael smerconish. three provisions struck down, the most controversial upheld. jan brewer says it is vindication, despite the fact that not every republican even sees this as vindication of this law. what do you say, michael? you're an attorney here. >> i think all the politicians' glasses are half full and they could very easily be viewed as half empty, including hers, because three-quarters of it was struck down as you point out. and with regard to the -- as she puts it, the key provision of 1070, the court left open the opportunity to strike it down when implemented. as i read this decision, it is the court saying, we can't preclude it from being implemented where on its face, on its surface it says race and national origin won't be taken into consideration, but let's see how it is implemented and they left that door open. >> raul, let me play what jose diaz-balart had to say on msnbc this morning, this is more about latinos in arizona. let me play jose and get your thoughts on it. >> okay. >> there

." >>> good evening, i'm michael smerconish. chris matthews is on a shoot at mount rushmore.eading off tonight, a tale of two gaffes. the romney campaign is all over president obama for saying the private sector is doing fine. and the obama campaign has pounced on mitt romney for saying that firemen, policemen and teachers are akin to big government and we don't need to hire more of them. which gaffe will resonate the most? which one will voters remember in november? that's where we will start tonight. >>> plus, the political implications of an

i'm michael smerconish. leading off tonight, executive privilege.ed it for the first time today republicans are seeking the failed gun enforcement operation called fast and furious. late today those same republicans voted to recommend holding attorney general holder in contempt of congress which holder called an extraordinary, unprecedented and entirely unnecessary action. the president's move adds fuel to an already red hot fire. we will get into that at the top of the program. and it is the question that makes or breaks presidents who are running for re-election. are you better off now than you were four years ago? we've got surprising new poll numbers that are sure to make the white house smile if you believe them. plus, mitt romney now says marco