. >> and by the way, let's say for the record here, not all unions, mike barnicle are created equally. there are some governors who are reformers who are able to team up with unions and actually get things done. >> well, state by state. >> yeah. >> teachers unions change state by state, massachusetts, the teachers unions are much more amenable to improving education at a local level than some other state unions appear to be. what is the issue here in new jersey at the union level? not at the teacher level, at the union level with regard to vouchers? >> they have made it very clear to me and to the legislature that that is an unacceptable alternative. and they will fight in every way they can. >> all vouchers. >> all vouchers of any kind. pilot program of any kind. no chance, that's what they've said.

that's politically, potentially, pretty powerful. >> mike barnicle's three points, we'll end on that.joy-ann, the indomitable panel. we really appreciate it. thanks to all of you for watching me for the hour. i'll see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. pacific, when i'm joined by michael steele and ben smith. until then, find us at facebook.com/nowwithalex. "andrea mitchell reports." chris cillizza is in for andrea. the bills got mario williams, the biggest free agent signing in their history. get fired up! >> i think we're leading with that. >>> coming up, all the glitz and glamour from president obama's state dinner for british prime minister, david cameron and his wife. our jonathan capehart was there. rick santorum steps up the nasty attacks on mitt romney. we'll talk to a santorum senior strategist about that approach. >>> and another abortion controversy. this one heating up in pennsylvania. >>> and a campaign to stop bullying. all that next on "andrea mitchell reports." . every time a local business opens its doors or creates another laptop bag or hires another e

with us onset, msnbc contributor mike barnicle. you're back. haven't seen you in a while. >> i haven't been here in a while. >> okay. that makes sense. msnbc political analyst and visiting professor at nyu, former democratic congressman harold ford jr. and former chief strategist to the mccain/palin campaign, steve schmitt. we'll talk about the movie coming up. and in washington, chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of "andrea mitchell reports," andrea mitchell. very important day to have you on, as well. thank you for coming onboard early. we've got a lot to talk about. we're going to look at the races obviously, politics over the weekend. we saw santorum win kansas, romney take wyoming and some of the territories and we're looking ahead to tuesday, alabama, and mississippi. and steve, of course, you're here, we'll talk about the reaction to the movie which still continues. but first, let's start with afghanistan. a united states army sergeant is being detained today after american officials say he went on a nighttime massacre over the

mike barnicle, what did you learn?something john f. kennedy said years ago. don't wear hats. horrible. the pope wearing that hat -- >> didn't work. >> look who is talking. really. >> none of us have been to cuba. we need to go on a field trip. >> i heard it's remarkable. >> florida celebrating 500th anniversary. next year. come visit. mika? don't be afraid to come out here. you can step out. >> i think i've been mean to ashton. >> you don't mean that at all. >> what did he say? >> great job. great job. >> maybe he should come on the show and defend himself. >> that's right. >> don't think so. and tonight on pbs -- tomorrow night on pbs you use

with us on set, we have msnbc contributor mike barnicle.ve pulitzer prize winner writer for "the washington post" jonathan capehart. and president of the council on foreign relations, richard haas, along with willie joe and me. and we have a lot going on this morning. good morning, joe. >> good morning, mika. >> we'll be talking about mitt romney. that's where we're starting. but there is a situation in france unfolding. richard is here to talk about that. there is some nfl news. >> some? >> some. >> just a little. >> "new york times" front page. >> ok. we'll get to that. we'll get to that. but first, rank and file republicans appear to be rallying around mitt romney as their likely presidential nominee coming off a decisive victory in illinois. romney picked up the coveted endorsement of former governor jeb bush. in a statement, the former florida governor congratulated romney on his win tuesday night, and encouraged fellow republicans to put an end to the long nomination fight, saying in part, quote, primary elections have been held in 34

all right, dick, we got mike barnicle with you, too.wn him a million years and i hope he's not upset. i have baylor and ohio state in my final four but i don't have kentucky in my final four. am i nuts? >> i don't know if you are nuts, mike, you are a boston superstar, i've read your column so many times. let me tell you this, baylor is a good team, but unfortunately they haven't come up in the big moment, barry jones has not made the big play at the right time. he's very, very talented, but i'm going to tell you, that's not a bad pick. certainly ohio state's not a bad pick. with sullenger, buford, and company, they got a great, great chance to make amends for not winning the big 10, because a lot of people projected them to win the big 10. those are pretty good picks, i have to respect those picks. >> i'm going to change my mind because of what dick said. he's influential with me. >> what he said in a polite way was picking baylor in your final four. all-state, you got to go right to the top with jimmie v., right? >> obviously, jimmy v

. >>> good morning, i'm mike ba barnic barnicle. i'm glad you're up with us watching or listening live. shoot us an email at waytooearly@msnbc.com. or text the word "awake" followed by your response to 622639. we'll read the best responses later. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this friday, march 23rd. there's a lot going on today, including new charges against the staff sergeant accused of killing 17 civilians in afghanistan. we'll have the latest details just ahead. >>> plus, president obama mix it is up with a heckler at his energy speech in ohio yesterday. a clip you don't want to miss. but first, let's get to the news, live at 5:30 a.m. here at 30 rock in new york city. >>> there are new developments taking shape in florida today, as state officials work to address the public outcry over how the city of sanford has handled the shooting death of trayvon martin. the shooter, george zimmerman, remains a free man today, claiming he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense. sanford's police chief, at the center of

in new york, willie geist and msnbc contributor, mike barnicle. guys, a lot to talk about. willie, the supreme court case. unbelievable poll coming out not only on the health care law and what americans want, but also in afghanistan. americans have some very clear cut decisions, made up their mind on health care and the war. >> the question of the war, "the new york times" poll, it's not just the number, which is 7 and 10 americans think we should not be fighting in afghanistan. itis the jump. it's up 16 points. there's not a lot of mystery to it. you can walk through the terrible things happening with staff sergeant robert bales, the burning of the koran and where nato officers and troops have been shot by soldiers. >> yeah. >> there's a slow, steady beat of the american people saying we ought not be there anymore. >> sam stein, you look at the cbs poll that came out, "the new york times" poll that came out yesterday. the first case of the argument. it was fascinating. the supreme court said we are not going to put this off until 2014. in fact, it's jermaine now. we are go

mike barnicle and donny deutsch are still with us.ause you gave me a compliment. >> i know chuck likes to talk fashion, your color. >> okay. >> three-piece suit with no tie. >> homage to mr. travolta. >> last time i saw him he was in like a lycra workout shirt. >> here i am -- boom, you smack me. movie's all over the charts. >> joining the table, national affairs editor for "new york" magazine john heilemann, and nbc news chief white house correspondent and political director and host of the "daily rundown," chuck todd. good to have you on the set. >> always good to be here. >> will you stay a while? >> i will. >> do you have anywhere to go? >> it's not that messy this morning. you know -- >> well, messy's not here. >> now, now. >> joe's not here. >> that was not meant to be a softball. >> let's go right to politics since we have chuck here at the top of the show. new numbers show how president obama stacks up in head-to-head match-ups. has obama tied with romney in a general election match-up. obama beats ron paul by five points, san

mike barnicle?f the cosmetics of it. >> can i ask you a silly question, can you shoot a commercial like that in the halls of -- >> clearly -- you cannot shoot a political -- that must be another hall. >> that's an office building, but it's still a government building. that is a -- no, if. >> it sure looks like it. that's government building -- >> i believe they dressed the set. >> it's a bit misleading when he says i was here. >> doesn't look like -- >> it looks like a hallway in a government office building, and if that commercial is shot there, that's a problem. >> yeah. >> i'm just saying, i don't know. but it looks like -- >> on a more substantive level, the last time he presented a budget, they lost that new york state congressional district. >> i know. i know. >> but just in terms of the cosmetics of it. >> but there's a grimness to it and in elective politics when it's vote for me and vote for my side, there's an aspect to that commercial, it's almost black and white. you know, there's -- whe

we have mike barnicle, nice of you to show up. haven't seen you in a while.snbc political analyst and visiting professor at nyu and former democratic congressman harold ford jr., and host of politics nation and president of the national action network reverend al sharpton. >> we also have new jersey's favorite son, willie geist. willie geist. >> just after bon jovi. >> i grew up in ridgewood, new jersey, it would take about 15 minutes to get there. went to a public high school that looked a lot like this one. big old beautiful brick building. >> so when you guys played ft. lee in football and basketball, who won? >> we didn't actually play ft. lee. we were in the biggest school group. we were tangling with the big boys, all due respect. >> whatever. whatever! >> great students here, by the way. >> all due respect. >> just saying what's going on here. >> you're going to get beat up. >> that's true. just like high school. >> exactly. >> no doubt about it. let's go into the news, a lot to talk about. >> we'll start with politics. rick santorum is opening a new l

. >> mike barnicle, if it's way too early, what time is it? >> well, it's time for "morning joe." but right now, it's time for our old pal chuck todd. >>> how does charlie brown feel when lucy pulls the football away? ask mitt romney. every time he gets close to closing this deal, it gets jerked away. he's got the math on his side, but is that enough? >>> plus, president obama hosted david cameron in a don't call it a state dinner. but it's the campaign centric guest list that has our attention this morning. >>> and it's been 20 years since the first so-called year of the woman. this morning, how democrats are banking on woman candidates to hold control of the senate. it's thursday, march 15th, 2012, this is the "daily rundown" i'm chuck todd and the three hours tip-off to the ncaa tournament. >>> rick santorum is hoping the southern sweep finally gives him that clean shot at becoming romney's chief conservative challenger and he sure sounded like it yesterday. >> if we keep winning races, eventually people are going to figure out that governor romney isn't going to be the nominee

joe." >> we switched clothes because i wanted to prove to the world that women cannot wear what mike barniclere we on the air? >> willie, what is that? >> that's that nice new breathable nike workout gear that he apparently finds appropriate for television. most don't. but barnicle breaking the mold. >> needed some support. what are you suggesting? like a man bra? >> it was just all wrong. >> i think he looks pretty good. welcome back. >> welcome back to you. did you have fun? >> well, i did. until i started getting, like, telegrams. >> what? we had fun. >> there was a siege of red square. >> oh, no. we missed you terribly. we tried our best to establish the fine balance you put on the table every morning. >> why don't we see what they are saying in prague this morning. >>> president obama is struggling to bring in big dollar do mations with half as many people writing large checks to his campaign than at this point four years ago. democrats see a variety of explanations for such a dramatic drop, including the economy. a lack of support this time from wall street executives and the possibilit

mike barnicle and steve rattner still with us.political columnist for "time" magazine joe klein. and in washington, associate editor of "the washington post" eugene robinson. >>> and the president talking about energy, the keystone pipeline on the front pages of the nation's papers. and "the new york times" saying that the united states is inching towards energy independe independence. and there's a quote that says, in the past, consumption rose, imports increased, and now every one of those trends are going the other way. so fascinating. steve rattner, what's the president doing on energy here? >> well, first of all, what you just referred to really doesn't have a lot to do honestly with what this president did or previous presidents. we effectively have no energy policy. this is really the market at work. this is higher prices bringing out more supply, higher prices causing people to drive less. the resession having a huge impact on energy demand. the president is saying like every president, we need to do something. and he is s

with us on site to do, mike barnicle. former governor of pennsylvania, ed rendell. governor, how are you? >> good. >> i've got this. >> no. you don't know how to use a new phone. >> you couldn't introduce yourself. >> one finger to type. >> thanks, buddy. the host of now with alex wagner every i did at noon. >> every day. >> great to have all of you with us here this morning. >> i think so. >> i seized up there for a moment. >> why don't you get a phone? >> i can't type. >> it was a rocky start for mike. but in a baseball analogy it's still the first inning. >> that's exactly right. we don't even have one out out. >> this is a three were-hour ball game. we have a long way to go. >> pretty stunning numbers just came out yesterday from the "new york times". president obama, 41% job approval right now. down a full nine points from just one month ago. it represents an all-time low for the president in the "new york times" poll. only 40% approve of the job he's doing. his lowest number in that category since before owesome ma approximate bin laden was killed in may. down

with us on set, we have msnbc contributor mike barnicle. he just won't leave. and we have donny deutsch. wow. that's all we got? >> hold on one second. we have one more. but hold on. slow rise. he's coming up. we've actually got a car elevator to hoist willie geist onto the set. >> yes, but for different reasons. i mean, really. some car elevators are to consolidate space. >> first of all, i can't afford a people elevator let alone a car elevator. but if i could afford a car elevator, and if i loved cars as much as he loved cars, mitt romney, i would not build a massive house in one of the most expensive neighborhoods on the planet complete with a car elevator to hold my 50 cars. >> in the midst of a recession? >> when people are struggling to get back to work, the same year i'm running for president. >> i think it's a little bit much. >> politics 101, they teach us that. >> i'm thinking you hold off on your plan. >> or make it just for three cars. four cars, it's as over the top. >> what's great, it all has a lobbyist. >> donnie should recuse himself, because

. >> all we need is mike barnicle here. >> no. >> he's on administrative leave after what he wore onriday. >> he's been placed on it. >> i like that. >> mika, as you know, this goes all the way back, if you can go back to the old nfl area -- >> right. >> orange footballs. >> with the orange footballs that when ever sports writers wanted to get input on what happened on a story based on a christ centered quarterback, they go to willie geist. can you believe this happened? >> yes. yes, i can. >> he said i'm going to get a guy that is as old as me. because this young kid, he's crowding my space. >> he had to grit his teeth and watch tebow win game after game after game and take the team to the playoffs. then along came peyton manning. elway wants him from the beginning. it came down to san francisco, probably and denver. manning felt he had the best chance to win and a system to win with. they will trade tebow. he believes it will be jacksonville or miami. jacksonville is tebow's hometown. a lot of trouble filling that stadium. he would go a long way. >> he would part the river, walk ac

. >> all went away -- mike barnicle said the guy's amazing and i remember the first time i dealt -- iealt with jeb and i knew jeb. he's not aloof, but he's not a warm and fuzzy guy. i remember the first time i met george w. man, this is a personable guy one-on-one. and he really is. so it's not the money, it's not the powerful family. there is something different about mitt romney that does make him awkward around people. >> he's not a very capable politician or campaigner. george bush, he was a texan, but also educated at yale. as much an east coast elitist as mitt romney was. but like you said, he had an ability to go down to a crowd, start speaking with a little twang and relate to those people and say i understand what you're feeling. mitt romney lacks that sort of empathy, but that's the wrong word. but he lacks that ability to reach out and have people sense that he's one of them. and we see constant reminders of that, whether it's talking about the tree heights in michigan, which is his home state, it was so awkward, or whether saying he's a fan of grits. which i didn't underst