liars, like romney, are pro-foundly bad for this country. >> the romney lie in the romney ad, that's as you could possibly do with videotape, isn't it? >> lying politicians like mitt romney. the one word that best describes that assertion is lie. the lying romney campaign. today, mitt romney staked his campaign on that big lie. mitt romney has left us with a choice. he's either a liar or what george will would call, a bloviating ignoramus. >> tell us what you really mean. >> yesterday, mitt romney closed his speech with a reference to martin luther king jr., which brings up the uncomfortable memory of the 2007 campaign when he was talking about his father and martin luther king jr. let's look at that. >> i saw my father march with martin luther king. >> my dad marched with martin luther king. >> did you actually see your dad march with martin luther king? >> no, i say that in a figurative sense. i try to be as accurate as i can be, and the -- if you'll look at the literature or the dictionary, the term "saw" includes being aware of inthe sense that i've described. i saw my dad march

shelly, what do you expect mitt romney to do? what would you want mitt romney to do?well, we certainly know his history with bain capital, and we understand, well, we don't understand fully what his relationship with bain capital is now, but we certainly believe he has some influence and the workers here really would love for mitt romney to come to our community and talk to the people who are losing their jobs. actually, what we would really love to see is the mayor, and i talked this afternoon, would be for governor romney and president obama to hold a debate in the city of freeport to talk about how to make america more competitive. companies lie like bain capital are in the business of creating wealth. we're in the business of creating jobs. they don't have to be mutually exclusive, but it's difficult to handle those on a local level because it's federal policies that make the difference. we would love to see a debate held in freeport, which is home of one of the famous lincoln-douglas debates and we would like to see how we could keep our jobs here at home. >> how

it's all about romney's taxes. a new poll suggests americans want to know what is in his taxes. 56% of voters said he should release the last 12 years. and it doesn't stop with voters. tea party icon ron paul told politico in the scheme of things politically, you know, it looks like releasing tax returns is what the people want. texas governor and alleged romney supporter rick perry had this to say. >> no matter who you are or what office you're running for, you should be as transparent as you can be. with your tax returns and other aspects of your life. >> and the editors of the conservative national review wrote, romney as a politician running for the highest office in the land, and his current posture is probably unsustainable. this guy has really boxed himself in. he told the country two years of tax returns, that's all you're going to get. there's an arrogance to that, don't you think? just like romney told andrea mitchell last year he wasn't considering releasing any returns. >> and with regards to my tax ret

romney press secretary says the comments don't represent romney's beliefs.ment as a form of racial bading. here's what romney himself had to say. >> so i'm not sure who this person is, but i can tell you we have a very special relationship between the united states and great britain. it goes back to our very beginnings, cultural and historical, but i also believe that the president understands that, so i don't agree with whoever that adviser might be. >> yet the anglo-saxon comments seem to be a pattern for team romney. earlier this week, he tried to paint the president as other. >> this is a ideology that says, hey, we're all the same here. it's a very strange and in some respects foreign to the american experience type of philosophy, so his whole philosophy is an upsidedown philosophy that does not comport with the american experience. >> you know, a lot of us understand things differently, as author edward mcclellan points out, president obama's mother is of english decedent. president obama enjoys healthy approval ratings, how would a romney white house

mim romney is lying to you.ou did not build the roads, you did not build the water supply, the airports your business uses. you did not build the internet that your business uses. the government did all of those things and more and without them, your business could not exist today. mitt romney knows these things and he knows he's lying about these things as the latest team obama ad tries to show. >> he said if you've got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen. >> if you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. there was a great teacher somewhere in your life. >> we value schoolteacher, firefighters, people who build roads. >> somebody invested in roads and bridges. if you've got a business, you didn't build that, somebody else made that happen. >> you couldn't have a business if you didn't have those things. >> the point is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative but also because we do things together. >> joining me now, krystal ball to

mitt romney has the anti-palin. you cannot -- well, right, but i think he can go outside washington to a tim plenty, by the way, who has run for the presidency. don't underestimate the importance of that, ready to go from day one. >> it's funny, the portman pick could look to washington and in one way and to bush. >> it's rare, almost unprecedented for a vice presidential candidate to make a decisive difference. >> well, except for last time. >> what the candidate looks for, a vice president who won't embarrass the ticket and nominee and can carry his home state. he is from ohio. >> we haven't had someone to carry his home state though -- >> one thing romney could do if he wants to get the subject away from taxes, he could announce his vice presidential choice ahead of time. that would change the subject and dynamic. i don't know that he would do that. >> we don't have it today, means we won't have it until august. when we come back, "scoops and predictions" from the notebooks of these top reporters. tell me somethi

but all you have to do is say, romney's company, romney's companies, romney's funds, engaged in outsourcingt deny that. so in some ways, this has become a bit of an absurd argument, with him trying to determine or create this bright line, which doesn't really exist, and cal's reporting, my reporting on the piece out today even, keeps chipping away at that story. and as you mentioned earlier, back in '98, before any of this was an issue, he was already investing in a chinese company. i told this story last week, that was, you know, that was basically profiting on u.s. companies sending manufacturing and jobs to china. so, if you take a step back and look at the whole big picture here, he's really up the creek. i mean, there's no other way to put it. and he's trying to escape. and that's why he's having a hard time. and that's why we're probably not going to get the tax records or anything else that may give us any insight into romney world, when it comes to all those secret finances. >> let's listen to president obama making his case against mitt romney on this, on local television in virgin

you know tea, mitt romney. the drink that you're not allowed to have because it stimulates the brain. you know, something that the hard of thinking worry about. >> ah. the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. martin lewis, thanks so much for your time tonight. >> my great pleasure. thank you. >> remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of the screen and share your thoughts on twitter @edshow and on facebook. i want to know what you think. >>> coming up, his book is called "no apology," yet mitt romney spent a good part of today apologizing. evan mcmorris-santoro of "talking points" weighs in. we'll be right back. >>> coming up, what does mitt romney's series of gaffes in london mean for him back here in the u.s.? i'll ask evan mcmorris-santoro of "talking points memo." >>> a romney adviser says president obama doesn't understand the anglo-saxon heritage of this country. now both campaigns are responding. we'll have the details. >>> and later, bill o'reilly revives the lie about welfar

] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney homicide of young people inrica has an impact on all of us. how can we save these young people's lives? as a police chief i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. i learned early on if you want to make a difference you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig,

they say it shows romney after '99 did not actively manage bain funds. >> let me bring in romney campaign advisor kerryy healey who served on the obama campaign. >> it's very clear from every statement by governor romney and also by bain capital that governor romney did not have an active role in bain capital in 1999. the whole purpose of this discussion is simply to distract from president obama's failed reco record. >> did he send jobs overseas and again, the romney cam pain turned his full attention to the olympics in 1999. isn't the very definition of -- >> president obama just does not want to talk about the economy and jobs, and the american people deserve a much more honest campaign than they're getting right now. all of the ads that are being put out by the obama campaign. you can have all the fact checking on "washington post," saying all of these attacks on governor romney during his bain years are just a distraction. we need to get back to the issues that people care about, which are jobs and the economy. and governor romney has created jobs in the private sector. >> the "huffi

olympic team -- mitt romney! he can afford to buy them all new uniforms, made in massachusetts or any home state he wants. >> how about that? l.l. bean could probably do them, right? >> karen finney, thank you very much for joining me tonight. >> thanks, lawrence. >>> "the ed show" is up next. >> good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show" from new york. 113 days before the 2012 election and the obama campaign has republicans clamoring for mitt romney's tax returns. tonight, i'll tell you what i think romney's hiding. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> governor romney's economic plan would, in fact, create 800,000 jobs. there's only one problem. the jobs wouldn't be in america. >> the president hits mitt romney hard on jobs and outsourcing, and mitt romney hits back at a former candidate's wife. >> john kerry ran for president, you know, his wife, who has hundreds of millions of dollars, she never released her tax returns. >> just how offtarget is the romney campaign? richard wolffe and former

it's not about romney, romney's a flawed candidate. he's said it time and again.ome sound bites of him doing it, but we don't need them. and it's all about defeating barack obama, getting him out of the white house. rush has never made it about anything other than that. >> right, right, right. and no -- romney's just a tool, right? >> yes! rush is plain about that. >> he's just thirsty. he just wants to get in so bad, he can taste it. he just wants to get in the white house, he'll ride any boat that's going in that direction. so if rush wants to throw his weight behind romney, romney's like, cool with me! if sununu wants to come out babbling at the mouth about nonsense, cool with me. anybody who will get me closer to the white house, romney will go that way. if i have to turn my back on policies and positions that i have taken my entire life, i will do that. because i want to make it to the white house. everything that mitt romney does is an opposition to everything that mitt romney has ever believed. and he will do that. >> a guy who's prepared to renounce his po

- >> i would say ann romney as well. >> ann romney, too.you pick someone like pawlenty or portman, the immediate reaction is those are good, solid, experienced choices that know their way around the national campaign trail. the sooner, the better, because the country will think that that's a good solid choice and it will reflect well on governor romney's judgment. if you pick somebody that's more of a surprise, i can understand the logic of waiting until closer to the convention so you sort of electrify the convention but there are pros and cons to both of these and again, no one knows except the inner circle of the romney campaign and they ain't talking. >> they ain't talking but they sure were leaking last week because there did, governor rendell, seem to be a strategic leak about condoleezza rice and maybe to just test what the conservative republican response would be. i'm told that it was at least seriously considered that she did so well in park city, utah, that there were people very close to mitt romney who thought this could be a g

romney claims that he's mr. fix it for the economy. because of the, of his business experience, and so i think voters legitimately want to know what is that business experience. >> on that point, the obama campaign released this brutal ad attacking romney's jobs record. ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain for purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain ♪ not to be deterred, romney fired back this morning. >> wouldn't it be interesting, mr. president, if you spent some time looking at your record. at what you've done over the last three and a half to four years? >> the romney campaign had a new explanation for s.e.c. documents that list romney as bain's ceo three years after he said he left the company to run the salt lake city olympics. >> he actually retired retroactively because he ended up not going back to the firm. >> romney says the focus on bane is an attempt to distract voters from the weak economy. the president conceded his handling of the economy is fair game. >> you don't

what does the romney camp do? they use one of their most winning surrogates, ann romney, because she's been far more likable than her husband on the campaign trail, but listen carefully to the first part of ann romney's explanation of why no more tax returns should be released. >> you know, you should really look at where mitt has led his life and where he's been financially. he's a very generous person. we give 10% of our income to our church every year. do you think that's the kind of person trying to hide things or do things? no. he is so good about it. then when he was governor of massachusetts, didn't take a salary in the four years. >> listen, giving charitable donations, however commendable, has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a presidential candidate should release tax returns. they are two different issues. ann romney suggesting that this means mitt romney isn't hiding anything is, with all due respect, a ludicrous argument. mitt romney not taking a salary as governor is also totally irreleva

they want mitt romney to be the fighter. >> let's take a look at ann romney.bout her husband's future running mate obviously as vice president. let's listen to what she said. >> do you think he should nominate a woman? >> we've been looking at that. i'd love that option as well. >> now, what if michelle obama said we when referring to her husband. we know hillary clinton went under fire like thisç isn't yo roll. do you think there's a problem in that possessive pronoun of we. >> i don't think there would be a fire storm controversy around it. >> there was for hillary clinton. >> and giuliani sitting in on cabinet meetings. >> she comes off as a very traditional, political spouse. i don't think she's wading into dangerous territory by saying we. i think it's refreshing. at least someone is talking about a woman being on the republican ticket. >> i thought that was the last time for them. >> you think it's much to do about nothing. you think ann romney is actually helping her husband's image. >> absolutely. she's definitely an asset to him. she's doing a good j

bush mitt romney endorsement. there was no follow-up event, no joint appearance, no press release from the mitt romney campaign. no press release. they press released an endorsement from christine o'donnell, the i am not a witch lady. they did not press release the george w. bush endorsement. from the immediate past president of the united states which again was delivered from the closer doors of an elevator with no cameras around. they have not appeared together. they do not want americans to look at mitt romney republican presidential nominee and think about the bush/cheney years for obvious reasons, but then this spring, somebody at camp cheney apparently called up the romney campaign folks and told them that vice president dick cheney was going to do them the favor of doing a romney fund-raiser. can you imagine the romney folks getting that call? oh, great. that's awesome. super kind of you. are you sure? the romney campaign did not say no to the cheneys' offer. it's really going to happen, in fact, it's going

quote, romney was on the s.e.c. filings because he was still technically the owner but hadn't transferred ownership to other partners. he described him as technically the owner. one of the boston globe reporters who worked on the story yesterday explained the contradiction between what the romney camp is saying, and what the reporting by a number of outlets has uncovered. here it is. >> the globe and other reporting is not saying he was in the board room on a daily basis at bain, calling the shots. but certainly that his records show that he was in charge, he had legal responsibility. he was the man with oversight responsibility for the company. how can you retire from a company in 1999 but then remain as president, ceo and chairman? so i think that's one of the discrepancies we are reporting and that's really the crux of our story and the romney people as they did ask for a correction, they're not getting one because they haven't been able to show that any of our reporting was inaccurate. >> david, is an explanatio

romney is the owner. romney is the ceo.romney is the chairman. >> so their argument at bain is he was out doing the olympic thing. in fact, he was probably playing a little bit of golf along the way. we didn't have anything to do with the operations. but on the paper he's the man, correct? >> that's pretty much what they're saying, yes. >> great reporting. great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. let's turn to the national press secretary for the obama campaign, 2012. well, there's a lot for you guys to talk about. you're going right at it. how do you respond to the romney campaign's defense of the candidate today? >> well, you know, mitt romney is holding himself to a double standard because he claims credit for jobs created by the companies that bain acquired. but he won't accept responsibility for transactions that he was involved in for companies that shipped jobs overseas and went bankrupt with workers losing their jobs and their pensions and their health care benefits. so he's furiously trying to extract him

and romney made $11 million in two years. mitt romney, he's misled us twice. with negative ads distorting senator kennedy's record and the phony claims about his own. >> i would like to say to mitt romney if you think you can make such a good senator, come out here to marion, indiana, and see what your company has done to these people. >> we had no rights anymore. >> they cut the wages. >> we no longer had insurance. >> basically cut our throats. i would like to say to the people of massachusetts that if you think it can't happen to you, think again. because we thought it wouldn't happen here either. >> mitt romney. i don't mean to be callous, but there are people all over the world who would love a job flipping hamburgers in america. romney, in business he specialized in low wage jobs but made $11 million in two years. now he favors policies to benefit the wealthy at the expense of working families. romney favors $100 billion tax cut for the wealthiest 1% of americans and billions more in other tax breaks for the rich. romney, trickle down economics and a mil

, team romney sent first lady hopeful ann romney out to put out the fire without a fire hose. the increasingly incompetent professionals pretending to be in control of the romney campaign actually put the candidate's wife on national television and didn't give her one word to say that made any sense in response to why she and her husband are still hiding their tax returns. >> why will he not follow the examples of others on both sides of the aisle? >> you know, i think there's reason for all of these things. you know, you should really look at where mitt has led his life and where he's been financially. he's a very generous person. we give 10% of our income to our church every year. do you think that is the kind of person that's tried to hide things or do things? no. he is so good about it. then when he was governor of massachusetts, didn't take a salary in the four years. >> that was the best the campaigners could come up with. not one word she said was actually responsive to the question in any way. and as irrelevant as how much mitt romney gives to the mormon church is, we

romney's a opposite.erything he can to make the super wealthy even wealthier, the poor even poorer and justifies it all with a thinly vailed social darwinism. pretty harsh. to say he wants guys to be poorer? what's your reaction? >> that is a rather stark way of putting it. but i do think he can get himself in trouble with not just the house but things like going to nevada and saying they should slow down the foreclosure process. that the market should be allowed to work because then the real estate developers would come in and get things going again, which works out well if ç you're a real estate developer and not the person who lost your home. on the backdrop of the labor stuff, romney embraced that. it was overturned by a referendum by a 2-1 margin. i think that could come back to haunt him as well. there was a pretty stark way of putting it, but i think that the -- there's some merit behind it. >> eugene, final thought. we've never had a debate like this play out against a backdrop of income disparity

romney is. and this week they put out condoleezza rice. >> how do you know that. >> it didn't go to a drudge. the drudge report had it at the top banner, condoleezza rice under serious consideration by the romney team. it was at a juncture when it was in their best interest to change the conversation. that's why that was done. otherwise we know rob portman is a guy in the conversation -- >> well, swree to do this. we have to talk names. your thought. who would be the smart choice? >> the smart choice at this point is reliable, ready to serve rob portman, the senator from ohio. >> apart from the fact that condoleezza rice has said emphatically she wouldn't do it, do you think she wouldn't be the best choice anyway? >> she would be a terrific choice. actually she has given great speeches, state party chair men like her, but she is pro choice. >> she did give the speech at the romney retreat. i was there and romney was impressed. if you want to be on the ticket, give the best speech you have ever g

romney admits details in his romney admits details in his tax returns will be used against him. what details? the romney campaign will not say. romney's spokesperson was asked by politico if there are any years in which romney paid zero dollars in taxes. she replied with two words, not true. well, if it's not true, why not release the tax returns? mitt romney has, if you look at his career, he's changed his mind in this campaign alone on a lot of things. he changed his mind on health care, he changed his mind on social issues. he changed his mind on how to attack the president of the united states in the campaign, but he don't change his mind on releasing his tax returns even with enormous pressure coming from his own party. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. we decide to outsource tonight's question. that's even hard for me to say. we're outsourcing our work to the trumpster? this is courtesy of donald trump. he tweeted today, and sent it out earlier so we're going to use it, what is more important for the american public to have? text a for mitt romney's

romney, one year.father unlike president obama and vice president biden, each of whom have released 12 years of tax returns mitt romney one. unlike abc news reported last night, for the last three decades, every single candidate for president, republican or democrat, you name it, has released more tax returns, nominee, i should say, not knee, not just candidate, not like a herman cain but nominee of a party, every single one of them has released more tax returns than mitt romney has, and abc news again reported last night. when mitt romney was being vetted by john mccain in 2008 as a possible vice presidential candidate, he gave john mccain the mccain campaign 23 years of tax returns. so mitt romney is really defying what every other presidential candidate has done, defying what he did four years ago and he is refusing to release his information, and you have got to ask: why? what does he have to hide? joe biden had fun with this yesterday out in left-handas vegas speaking to la rosa. >> he wants you t

it's mitt romney the outsore. the mitt romney, the venture capital guy.s to take a positive and make it a negative. >> i'm going to change here. sarah, when you saw the president do the ad, it's not his first ad and not his last ad, which is how you're used to seeing that stuff. what did you think? why are are they doing that? >> his err, speaking about you didn't build business. the obama campaign had to take time out of the president to film that. >> and steve, the effect they're using the direct to camera almost taking a turn away from harsh negatives? >> yes, a couple of reasons. first of all, it cuts through the clutter. second, i think they're trying to set a frame. and the frame is that the romney campaign is trying to distort and divide. >> the other thing that jumped out to me, when i see obamacan date to camera, i'm not seeing romney candidate to camera. is that a mistake? >> if you think of mitt romney, he needs a couple breakout moments. and he needs to have a very good convention. >> put some pressure on himself to have a good convention? >>

mitt romney wants millionaires to have a tax cut because mitt romney wants a tax cut.at it comes down to. and he and his selfish friends are going to gut government and gut the economy for the sake of that. now, we have a president who believes in good government and a candidate who believes in no government. >> congressman, the president was in jacksonville, florida, today. nationwide seniors are 10% of the population. but in florida they're 31% of the population. as you campaign around your district in florida, are people talking about this? are seniors talking about the difference between the romney/ryan plan and what the president is talking about? >> yes. you've guinn the correct numbers on the proportions on it. because seniors vote in higher numbers than younger people do, you might see seniors making up as much as half of the electorate in florida this year. and seniors are beginning to realize that romney is basically conducting a shell game. the interesting thing is when the president points out all these elements, deficiencies in what he's proposing for the

and the good news for the romney campaign.have all of the pieces of the puzzle on the board to win. but they have to put them together. they are troying to grow and they had a small knit family who came through the tough primary and they are adding new people on board and hard to grow that way. they will get there and they have a lot of good things going for them. they have a good core team and will do well . >> yes, as for the flip flop on the penalty and tax. that was an avoidable mistake. it was a true meaning of unforced error. and it comes to compelling message and selling himself instead of barbing the president they do acknowledge they need to have a narrative about his own agenda. and that in the 59 point plan he is talk being repealing certain regulations and cutting the corporate tax rate increasing trade with latin-america. bill is right. he will have to make the case to voters. particularly if president obama remains popular in battle ground states and more popular in romney. and 8.2 percent unemployment. he will h

see mitt romney. tonight in our survey, i asked, can mitt romney go anywhere without offending people? 6% say yes, 94% say no. >>> coming up in the big finish, much ink has spilled in 2008 about how president obama's election would usher in a post racial america. t.j. holmes joining me next to describe an altercation he had this morning that exposed the wounds of racism in the country. it's time to get going. to get your feet moving to the beat. it's time to start gellin' with dr. scholl's and feel the energy from your feet up. thanks to the energizing support and cushioning of dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles, you'll want to get up and go. >>> racial discrimination is a part of america that is hidden in plain sight. it's felt on a daily basis by millions of americans, and in one instance today it was felt by a public individual and documented in a very public setting. former cnn anchor and b.e.t. host t.j. holmes was driving near his home when he was pulled over unaware of any wrongdoing. he kept a

romney's vice president.ht, you know, there is all of these trial balloons all the time with vice presidential picks, but condoleeza rice, there is some thought that the she may or may not have voted for barack obama in 2008. she may or may not be considered -- you she had saw the pro life movement considers her to be pro-choice. they are not going to have it if, in fact, she were the choice. so i just don't know of a way in which romney could make that pick and have it be palatable to his base. i think if, in fact, he did pick her, it would probably be a similar situation to what mccain did in '08 where, you know, basically, this is kind of a hail mary. they feel like they are going to lose and they need to try something. i don't see it happening with her. it's a good story and a fun talking about on the sunday talk shows. >> i don't see condoleeza rice being convinced. after you have been secretary of state, travel all around the world, that's a much better job than the job of vice president where you are h

romney isn't budging.onal review, quote, i'm simply not enthusiastic about giving the obama campaign hundreds or thousands of more pages to pick through, distort and lie about. i don't think mr. romney is worried about lies. i think he's worried about the truth in those documents. what the fact of the matter is who needs his returns? after all, he has given us plenty of material himself. at his fund-raiser yesterday where the tickets went up to $50,000, romney said, quote, it's tough being middle class in america right now. the waiters and waitresses that come in and out of this room and offer us refreshments, they are not having a good year. yes, governor, it is tough. but you are not providing real solutions to help them. joining me now is ezra klein of "washington post" lump mist and msnbc political analyst and ryan grimm, washington bureau of chief for the huffington post. thank you for being here. >> thanks for having us. >> why are the tax returns so threatening to romney. >> we don't know. we don't

mitt romney, you're wrong.ore teachers, not fewer teachers and more cops and more firefighters that support our >> eliot: romney puts the dip if diplomacy and americas that chicken fights over same-sex marriage. we'll have our week review coming up. and stay tuned for "the war room" with jennifer granholm at the top the hour where jennifer will go in-depth with mitt romney's wave of gaffes on his summer european tour. democratic consultant carl fresh will dissect romney's our conversation is with you the viewer because we're independent. >>here's how you can connect with "viewpoint with eliot spitzer." >>questions, of course, need to be answered. >>we will not settle for the easy answers. >> eliot: two things i love got wrapped up in the ugly side of politics this week. first, chick-fil-a. great sandwich and good lemonade. but now we see the bigoted views from the top of the company. time to boycott the company. sending, the olympics. i love them. the grace the sportsmanship the sports we never totally understo