it would be nice to have a hybrid. >> michael steele, why can't we do this?ka. it just sounds different. i mean, you know, we do have some feisty moments in the house and senate floor, although less in the senate, the greatest deliberative body in the world. but the reality of it is, the parliamentary system is much more exciting. it is much more people oriented. you've got that direct connect to your constituency and they expect you to go in and fight every day and they do listen and pay attention and those pms, they know when they walk out of there, there's going to be a whole lot of, you know, heck to pay if they don't fight. it's a different way of approaching problem solving legislatively. there's just a little more excited about it. we have harry reid. it's all good. >> yeah. >> the person who's been most interesting about this in recent years was john mccain, who speculated about possibly if he had become president, having question time because he was so good at town meetings. i'm sure his temper would have seen him through four years without any -- >>

to michael steele's point, sure, this campaign should be about jobs. it should be about how we rebuild the middle class, it should be about how we rebuild the infrastructure in this country, but mitt romney doesn't have answers about that either. when you ask him about what loopholes he would close that would defund social security that millions of americans rely on for security and dignity, he doesn't have answers about that. is that how he would serve this country? >> we're learning a lot about mitt romney through his lack of transparency when it comes to his taxes. but michael, you say the obama campaign is doing a good job pip mean, they're getting walked right into this. romney is his on worst enemy on all of this. what if he didn't pay any taxes in 2009? how does that fly with the american people? >> i put all of that in the appropriate context. unless there was some criminal behavior there, unless there was some ill-gotten gains that show up on that tax return or lead to some ill-gotten gains, he did it by the books. he played by the rules that

michael steele, your thoughts, did he close any doors today or is it more complicated? >> it's a little more complicated there, ed. i agree with eugene, no, the doors weren't closed. i don't think, as tightly as they would like. in fact, they may have been widened a little bit. what you saw today was the romney campaign finally, finally after what is this now, two weeks of just really relentless story telling by the obama campaign, try to get in front of the story. >> so he's making it worse. >> exactly, and i think that lag time has allowed a perception to be created, an ideas around his wealth and what he's trying to hide and all of that stuff that you don't want to have attached to your campaign at this stage, attached. and now you're trying to get in front of it, and i think it's problematic. can he get around this? yes, he's going to have to, i think, ultimately release more than two years worth of tax returns. can he get around it on the bain side? yes, but he has to come out more as eugene said because you're going to have guys like eugene and yourself asking the

we begin with the oba-- media group, michael steele was chairman of the republican party. both are msnbc political analysts. gentlemen, want to show you something that vicpresident biden, he spoke to one of the largest latino political organizations today. what he had to say. take a look.

i'm joined by katrina vanden heuvel and michael steele. michael, i'll go to you first. how does mitt romney navigate through all of this and come out with a successful conclusion? how does he fix this mess? >> there's only one successful conclusion and that is releasing the returns at this point. the obama team has been masterful in boxing mitt romney into this corner. but let me tell you, straight up. this was so avoidable, i can't even begin to put it in words, how avoidable this was. remember, i was talking to aert ro recently who said, i've covered romney when he ran for governor. this was an issue there. bain and the tax returns were an issue then. you would think that by now they would have an answer to deal with these two questions. to allow this to become the central focus of this campaign at this stage is just mind boggling to me. we should be talking about the economy, the president's record on jobs. i mean, i have to give it to the team, the obama team, you know, the jobs numbers come out for june, they suck, it's bad news, and what do they do? roll out this

to michael steele's point, sure, this campaign should be about jobs. it should be about how we rebuild the middle class, the infrastructure of the country, but mitt romney doesn't have answers on that, either. when you ask him which loopholes he would close to defund programs they rely on, he won't answer that. he won't answer a lot. is that how he would serve the country as president? >> we're learning a lot about mitt romney transparency. you say the obama campaign is doing a good job. they're getting walked right into this. romney is his own worst enemy in all of this. what if he didn't pay taxes in 20 2009? how will that fly with the american people? >> i put that all in the appropriate context. unless there was criminal behavior, ill gotten gains or lead to some ill gotten gains, he did it by the books. he played by the rules in place. so i think that's the narrative that is puzzling to me. get out in front of that, to you know, the point that was made. >> if he didn't pay any taxes and he so-called gets out in front of it, the american people are

now, michael steele -- >> why do you come to me on this? >> i don't -- >> i wasn't in the room. >> it's like he needs to take like vocal lessons, a la eliza doolittle. >> it's not vocal. it's tonal lessons. it's understanding -- but you are actually on point. the fact is it does further the narrative that karen was just alluding to about how people perceive your description of the economy. do i fit in that, do i see myself reflected in that, and people at this stage to the extent that they're tuned out, don't. that's been part of the problem. obama has the luxury right now of talking about everything except this economy, except the job numbers that have come out, except the relationship with his own corporate funny money with solyndra and the like. >> now, michael. >> i'm just saying, i'm just saying that's the reality of it for him right now. i really think that you know, the vp nomination and that process, all you're doing now, unless they get this stuff cleaned up, is you've got one more person's going to have a microphone in front of th

michael steele, is a shakeup coming? could you see the ranks of the campaign -- i'm thinking of the criticism from welsh, from murdoch. institutional kind of republican figures. >> i think you're on to something there, michael. i don't know what the internal mechanisms are now. but there is a -- they need to shake it up. if they're going to get the candidate out of his comfort zone. romney himself can come back on the issue about the health care, look, you know. call it a tax, call it a penalty. when i'm the president, i will call it gone. that rhetoric is strong. but then you have to come to the table with the message of what you will do. that's what bill crystal and others are looking for this candidate to put on the table. i think -- i still have faith he will, because romney's strategy ultimately is not to play this out in the summer but to play it out when people really pay attention beginning the convention and forward. and i think that's ultimately the end game. >> bob shrum, this makes rick santorum look like a so

michael steele is here, the former republican national chairman and msnbc analyst as well. thank you both very much. governor rendell, first to you, because on cbs this morning, you were asked about the president's and the white house's counter to the bad jobs numbers on friday and you said to keep pointing the finger of blame at someone else doesn't resonate anymore. people are getting sort of tired of that. do you think that it's not effective for the obama camp to keep blaming george w. bush and what they inherited? >> i wouldn't blame president bush but i would continue to point out i said earlier, andrea, it's good for people to remember that we were losing 750,000 jobs a month when the president took over. that's what he's inherited. though 84,000 may not sound like much in terms of a gain, it's a whole lot better than losing 750,000. i think he's doing the right thing there. he's also doing the right thing in stressing his jobs bill. his jobs bill contained 11 separate components, almost all of which republicans had supported in the past, and they essentially stonewa

michael steele, what's in "usa today"?ic discovered baseball cards dating back to material 1900s. the cards are in mint condition and include names like cobb, cy young. experts confirm the cards are real and worth about, get this, 3 mil. >> take the san francisco newspaper. >> san francisco, the ban has just gone into effect. there's already a lawsuit claiming the ban on fatty goose liver is unconstitutional. imagine. in a restaurant on federal land is even trying to get an exemption. >> you know what? >> got to love it. >> you are good. you are good. >> best. >> seriously. like some people can't do that. some people could do it and some people can't. up next, best of late night. this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for

thank you governor ed rendell and michael steele. ael i was hoping you'd be in the new york studio tonight because you're one of my favorite republicans. today i felt you needed a hug. >> thank you, rev. >>> coming up, bill clinton's big role at the democratic convention. who better to hype up a crowd than a former president? meanwhile on the republican side, george bush is sitting this one out. >>> and look out. it's the mitt romney gaffe protection squad. actually not. your summer break is ahead. [ female announcer ] want to spend less and retire with more? then don't get nickle and dimed by high cost investments and annoying account fees. at e-trade, our free easy-to-use online tools and experienced retirement specialists can help you build a personalized plan. and with our no annual fee iras and a wide range of low cost investments, you can execute the plan you want at a low cost. so meet with us, or go to etrade.com for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. ♪ is as much about getting there... ♪ ...as it is being ther

mike barnicle, michael steele and howard dean are with us.lumnist and associate editor of the "washington post" and political analyst eugene robinson. good to have you on board with us this hour. >> always great to be here. >> we've been talking about joe with us, members of the british press are very outraged at mitt romney. i'm still not with you all on this but it's a comment he made to brian williams about the london games. "the daily mail" headline, romney's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day in london. and from "the guardian" website, mitt romney's olympics blunder stuns number ten and hands gift to obama. those headlines come in response to a comment romney made about london's readiness for the games. >> in the short time you've been here in london do they look ready to your experienced eye? >> you know, it's hard to know how well, it will turn out. there are few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that

michael steele is an msnbc political analyst and bob shrum is a democratic strategist.he's now on board with with others when it comes to their attack line. the individual mandate is is a tax. >> i said that i agreed with the dissent and the the dissent made it very clear they felt it was unconstitutional, but lost. it's in theç minority, so now e supreme court has spoken. you can try and say you wish they would have decided a different way. but they didn't. they concluded it was a tax. that's what it is. >> he contradicted his senior adviser who told chuck todd he believed the mandate was not a tax. >> the governor believes that what we put in place in massachusetts was a penalty and that he disagrees with the court's ruling that the mandate was a tax. >> so agrees with the president, but agrees with the president that it is not and he believes that you shouldn't call the man -- the tax penalty a tax, you should call it a penalty or a fee or a fine? >> that's correct. >> and michael steele, how can obamacare be a tax and romneycare be a penalty? >> yeah, well, good qu

michael steele who's the vehicle? usually in '32 you have reagan, ' -- i mean '32 you have roosevelt, '80 you have reagan. when you have these -- these massive turnouts there's somebody out there speaking -- >> maybe we're placing our expectations in the wrong place right now. you know, we're looking to put this on the individual candidate, on a mitt romney or a barack obama. and maybe it is to harold's point, something as -- that we saw, a tea party, occupy wall street, something within the grassroots of america, that comes out and emerges this fall. i agree with harold. i think the turnout is going to be surprisingly higher than a lot of the professionals expect. >> do you really? >> i do. i've gone around the country, there is this seething, there is this opportunity to express themselves and, you know, folks, look, they don't trust the pollsters, they don't trust the politicians, so they're keeping a lot of stuff that's pent up inside of them. 201 elections, everyone is going around bheetsing their chest talking a

i think it is important -- important focus for the next few years. >> thank you so much, michael steelethank you, michael. two voices of reason. will ferrell, zach galifianakis, stars of the very funny new political movie, "the campaign." they are coming here right now. when we get back. measure commitment by what's getting done. the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment. and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues... but at doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through. heart of every innovation. wow. that feels really good! and now, sleep number introduces our new memory foam series-the only memory foam beds with exclusive dual-air technology that adjusts on each side. memory foam just found its better half. sleep number. enjoy introductory savings of $500. plus, two free c

i read michael steele. sometimes when you see the form of the word corrupt and current, they are visually alike. i see where he made the mistake. i hold nothing against him. i'm sure he'll correct himself in the days ahead. michael steele, you're dead wrong on the big stuff but on the little stuff you're good. joe, thank you. >>> coming up presidential race, president obama remains in the lead but results in our new brand-new today "wall street journal" poll that will keep both campaigns on their toes and perhaps up at night. also the republican solution in search of a problem, voter photo id laws. why did pennsylvania republicans pass a voter id law when they can't cite a single case of voter fraud in the commonwealth? we will see if they can answer that. by the way, michele bachmann finally has company, newt gingrich rushes to defend her charge that radical muslims may have infiltrated the government. did mitt romney really say this to olympic pizza in 2002? >> you olympians know you didn't get here solel

wha washe obampai's explatio-- no, i want to go to michael steele for a second here. >> yeah. >> michael, when you start hearing democratsalki abo publans yingongag i vote suppssiof cose t ideahat a amecans prent a pho i.d wh the go ito vote, to a process that has always scared the lel out of me -- hell out of me, fars th votghen u jt s abody comgn gohat'me a the tyote d sh a ca, youook at the statticsndhe d't bea ou theemocts' facts. regarding, for instance, the voter i.d. and showing a photo, the perntag areo sll a ye you hr j bid o hard de lk, and thieall is, ote,19 all oragai >>we, i . yoknow, qte frany,'m si of it it'sust ld orap at this point. i'm so tired of this every election cycle we're going to roll back the clock, republicans are going tourn backhe clk. yoknow,ouookt tligh ofhe bckcounit it' not queson o rling bac t cloc the ockasstped. anthis admistrion fed wi 14.4% unemployment within the black community and it's not addressed effectively, not addressed the recidivism ra, drug aicti ra, as fectn tes. he hn't addssed t sysmic sues wh reect tho ingshat we taldbout earlr inis

michael steele. >> i think that's a fair point.'m intrigued by the whole idea of this conversation to begin with. this invocation of bill clinton is nice, but what they fail to acknowledge is that what spurred that growth that they're talking about was not the tax rates that the top earners were paying, was the cut in capital gains that spurred those owners of industry and small businesses to go and invest in that economy that was being created and supported by welfare reform and the like. so you've got to look at the total package of what bill clinton did. he cut spending, working with newt gingrich in the republican house at the time, they cut the capital gains as they increased the rates for top earners to 39%. but keep this point in mind, taxes for the top rate earners go up to 43% beginning next year anyway. so, now you're talking about if you want to take that number higher, you're talking close to 50% for those top earners if he gets his way, the president gets his way. >> and -- >> tax cuts. >> mike, we don't know what's go

we begin with the -- media group, michael steele was chairman of the republican party. both are msnbc political analysts. gentlemen, want to show you something that vice president biden, he spoke to one of the largest latino political organizations today. what he had to say. take a look. >> when his father was a candidate for president in 1986, his father released 12 years of tax returns because he said and i quote, one year could be a fluke. perhaps done for show, end of quote. that was his father. his son has released only one year of his tax returns. making alive the old adage, like father, like son. he wants you to show your paper, but he won't show us his. >> and of course yesterday, the president also hit romney. he told the local new hampshire station that romney should be more open and his finances. >> is it your belief that it's unpatriotic for someone to have a swiss bank account? >> you know, i think what's important if you are running for president is that the american people know who you are, what you've done and that you're an open book and you know, that'

michael steele, your thouts, did he close any doors today or is itore mplited? t's ltle me mplited ere,ed. iree wheune,,he door wen'tclos. i n'tink,s tiglys theyouldike. in fact, they may have been widened a little bit. what you saw today was the romn campaign finally, finally ter at ithis w, two wes ousteall lentss storelli by t oma caaigntry get in fnt of e sty. so he's making it worse. >> exactly, and i think that lag time has allowed a perceptiono becread, adeasrounhis weth a wha hs ting to hi andll ohat stu tt you n'tanto he aache youampan at ts stag tached. and now you're trying to get in front of it, and i think it's problematic. can he get around this? yes, he's going to have to i thk,ltimely leas me thanwo yeaorthfax retus. ca h get arod itn the bai si? ye but heas t ceutore asugene said because you're going to haveuys like eugene and yourself asking the tough questions. u'reunning for presidentf thunit stas. wee in tghconoc tis, weadhisattl beten wet an tho whoon't he weth, and u he to sndquar someere. d i tnk tay w t benninof at,ut i think it was a li

to do with bain's operations after 1999 even though the company continued to list him as ceo michael steele is former chairman of the national republican committee and an msnbc political analyst. and joe kline writes about romney in the article "bane "baineded." full journalistic integrity here. do we know what role he played in outsourcing? >> we don't. and it doesn't matter in the end. what the obama campaign is doing is building this giant box that they're locking mitt romney in. and the lock on top of that box is his tax returns. in boxing they call this kind of thing a paint job. it's when a fast, really dexterous fighter is fighting against the slow plotting guy and he keeps on jabbing and jabbing him in the face and starts opening up cuts all over the guy's face and he starts bleeding, painting him. that's what's been happening. >> are they painting him into a corner? the metaphor. does he have to release something that he knows will hurt him. his tax returns. >> i suspect he is. chairman steele has been among the republican who is have said he should. this ain't going to go away unt

michael steele, casey hunt, dan balz.id on cnn yesterday that these attacks are working. he admitted that. how does the romney campaign shift the narrative here, dan? >> very difficult right now to do that. i mean, they could obviously do it if they released the tax rurntion. they're reluctant to do that. they said they would put out one more set of returns in august. that's a long time between now and august. they could do it if they were much more aggressive in going back at the president, but everything they've tried, and i thought it was interesting on friday night when he did that round of interviews with tv that that just had very little impact on changing it, and all weekend what you saw was a continuation and an acceleration of the calls for him to do something. >> i agree. i think that this is a box that has been carefully crafted by the obama team. it is a very well-packaged box. i mean, there's no escape at this point that i can see short of what dan just said, putting out the tax returns and i think then getti

joining me now, msnbc analyst and former republican chairman, michael steele. hey, michael.so much. is there a balancing act? there's always the long-standing protocol that candidates don't criticize the president from overseas. >> right. >> in habitant of the white house. how does mitt romney handle this going to israel, where he has a very close, long-standing former business relationship with benjamin netanyahu and there's a pretty poisonous relationship despite some denials between netanyahu and this white house. he will likely get a very good reception both there and in poland. >> i think you're right on both those fronts. this is an opportunity for mitt to reframe his campaign in an international context to give it some mojo in that regard, particularly after the last four weeks of bain and tax returns, to shift that emphasis, but you then bring up the point about i think correctly, this balancing act. i don't suspect he will go there and be, you know, anti-obama, hard-core, negative comments about what the president's done or failed to do on international stage, respe

michael steele was chairman of the republican party, maggie habberman writes for politico. welcome. republicans had vowed to repeal obama's health care law. to do that, mitt romney would have to win and republicans would need to retake the senate and even then, it could be complicated. mitch mcconnell conceded that yesterday when speak tog a group back home in kentucky. >> thought it was a good idea for the federal government to go in in direction, i'd say the odds are still on your side because it's a lot harder to undo something than it is to stop it in the first place. >> maggie, is there a clare path for the gop to repeal obamacare? >> there is a clear path in the sense they don't need a cloture vote. as you said sh they have the to retake the senate. it's not easy to undo an entitlement program. so when it gets to the issue of whether this would be hard, you would be going against something the supreme court ruled upon. i think this is something republicans are mindful of. it is a good rallying cry for the base, but the optics of undoing what the supreme court did are very seri

i should point out that graphic actually has a wrong michael stee steele. that's chairman of the rnc, not the michael steel i speak to every week on capitol hill. the michael steel i speak to on capitol hill every day makes this argument. house republicans they, very quickly, they announced they're holding the vote by the end of this month to extend all of the bush era tax cuts. president obama came out yesterday to start making his push for only extending the tax cuts for middle class americans, not wealthier americans and that's the next fight. as you can see, this is an important political vote today and they say has big implications in the forthcoming election. >> all right. thank you, kate. appreciate it. >> thanks. >>> president obama is taking the tax cut message to the battleground state obviously of iowa. he left this morning. he's meeting now with a family in cedar rapids. the president is talking to them about the benefits of his tax policy. the president came out yesterday, called for extending tax cuts for most americans. i want to snow you how