mike barnicle this is sort of the mccain defense now.s guy has been longer than i've been living and in politics, and he claims he didn't know? and also nancy pelosi says it's not a threat to this country? >> that is some strange -- >> i heard that on some of the morning talk shows. it hasn't affected the nation in any way. of course it has. >> look at this poll, from cnn, talking about americans concerned about their federal g. has the federal government become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to citizens' rights? 56% say yes. 86% of americans in the same poll say they don't trust washington. there is a bigger disconnect between washington than ever before and the speaker of the house is saying the guy that writes tax laws breaking tax rules and a lot of other ethical violations is not a threat to this country? >> here it is for all of the boys and girls at home, charlie rangel, an enormously popular congressman from harlem. is he in charge of the committee that writes the tax codes. and guess what? you pay your t

also, mike barnicle is back. hello. >> what a nice tone. >> well, i'm just saying, it's good to see you. we've got willie geist running in from his show and a lot to talk about today. the president will sign health care reform into law, but the fight is far from over. what's expected in the senate. we'll talk about that. could it be a bumpy ride as we heard from one senator yesterday, charles? >> i think, you know, they could throw up roadblocks, but i think that it's pretty clear that it's passed. i think that the democrats have to take back the message, which is that most people actually did want reform. >> yeah. >> there's an interesting cnn poll out yesterday which said, you know, 39% of people approve this bill. 52% didn't. >> yeah. >> 13% of those people wanted the bill to be more liberal. >> certainly it would be at this point very difficult to stop the tide. >>> also, adios a.c.o.r.n. the once mighty community activist group folding for financial reasons. but i wonder how much of a factor that videotape o

thank you, todd. >>> coming up, mike barnicle, are you ready to behave?your teachers. >> how about my mom? >> oh, my god. god bless her. >>> coming up, the moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. savannah guthrie has developing stories out of the white house. plus, the latest on the marine's father ordered to play legal costs racked up by anti-gay protesters who picketed his son's funeral. we'll have that story. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. resilience. elasticity. imagine that kind of vitality... in your skin. aveeno introduces ageless vitality. as skin ages, elastin fibers break down. this exclusive biomineral concentrate system... has active naturals ingredients shown to multiply... elastin's elements. i'm impressed. the study showed improved firmness, texture, wrinkles, or spots in 100% of women. how uplifting is that? new ageless vitality. save $15 at aveeno.com. that's the beauty of nature and science. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 investment firms wouldn't even dream of overcharging people. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 in fact, they'd spend

still with us here on the set, mike barnicle along with joan walsh., pulitzer prize-winning author and editor of "newsweek" magazine, jon meacham whose magazine has an interesting new cover this week titled "victory at last." the emergence of a democratic iraq. we're going to get to that in a moment. i look forward to talking to you about that. a lot going on today. senator bunning under fire for this unemployment benefit issue. you saw that interaction earlier we showed you with jonathan karl from abc news and him closing the elevator door on him. but i've got to tell you, it just seems, meacham, it just seems like now's not a good time for people to be cut off from their benefits. and can't they agree on just this? isn't this the kind of thing that keeps people from the brink? and aren't we at a time in this country where so many people are? >> absolutely. and i think that this is -- i think the reports of washington's dysfunctionality are overdone. i think there's often a reflection of what we want in our own conflicted view of public life. however

desk, mike barnicle. >> let me straighten this out for you. >> it's the grandpa jokes.k to the women at the bar. no problem. they wish he had that problem. so, anyway, so -- >> do you want me to continue? >> here's the thing, though, there are, of course, republicans whose hair set on fire. not about mike's situation, but about this bill. listen, i've got say, as a small government conservative i think this is a very bad bill for america. that being said, to me, this is an exciting time because we're going to have a real debate finally. you know, democrats always try to run its interests. they'll g we're just like the republicans. you know, we just like people more. no, no, what you have done is pass the largest tax increase in u.s. history. you've done it when we have 17% real unemployment. you are taxing medical devices and you are taxing people that make things that require innovation. some of the people that run these companies say it's going to devastation their r&d capability in the coming years. we've got a real debate on our hands here. and i must say, if conser