david korn is the author of "showdown" and ron reagan from seattle, both are msnbc political analyst. david corn, the ability of the republicans to say you shouldn't take credit for what you did a year ago, we wouldn't do something like that -- your thoughts? >> you know from reading the look that chapter ten is all about the decision to launch the raid. that whole episode is a test case in presidential decision making. for romney to say of course i would do that shows that he has to read the book, but that he doesn't understand what was involved in this. it wasn't a matter of saying go or don't go, he had to make very much difficult decisions against the advice of his top aids. they advised that he not launch the raid. most of his advisors were not in favor of the raid. they wanted a missile strike. for mitt romney to suggest that it was indicates that maybe he does not understand the job. mitt romney tries to diminish is, let's listen to what he said about it today. >> even jimmy carter would have given that order. >> i don't know, sometimes ron reagan, i have to restrain myself fro

ron reagan. your thoughts? he is smart doing what he is doing? >> i think he is playing the game the way he needs to play the game in order to save the presidency. and i've said this not only to my friends who are the same-sex marriage advocates, but i've said it to my friends on the black side. remember, he's being criticized by some blacks for not advocating on behalf of blacks in an aggressive manner. this man is the president. i want him to stay the president. and i'm willing to wait to have him satisfy me on his utterances when he is taking the oath of office for the second time. >> spoken by a man whose never lost an election, player brown of san francisco. thank you, sir, for joining us. i don't think you have ever lost one. tell me some day, if you have. >>> coming up -- bye, ron, thank you. >>> he want to credit, talk hutzpah. let's say it all together. he says he is taking credit for the bankruptcy of the auto industry. unreal to hear what he saying today. this is "hardball." ♪ surf's up everybody get your boards and your wetsuits ♪ fre

joining me is former talk show host ron reagan. nice to see you this morning.ng to throw their two cents into the mix on this one. >> nice to see you. >> it's a fun game of speculation, especially if you pick the right winner. but mitt romney has made appearances on the campaign trail in recent weeks with people who have been named, of course, within that circle of speculation. is the campaign giving each of them this public audition? and what do you think the campaign is hoping to see in these test runs as they run up to figuring out which test balloon is will work? >> well, they're trying to gauge public reaction and the reaction in the media. mitt romney's got a real problem. the republicans have a real problem as everybody knows. on the one hand, he can shore up his base by moving to the right. you know, he could pick rick santorum as his vice presidential candidate, not that anybody's really talking about that right now. but that of course would doom him in the general election with the, you know, great mass of american voters. or he can play it safer and

ron reagan, everybody in town here and everybody in the country, not just gay activists or gay people or liberal activists, seem to think that the president supports gay marriage, he just won't say it. should he say it? >> yes, he should. this whole involving thing has really jumped the shark. he's taken more time evolving on this issue evolving from h. the problem is, you can make an argument. a little bit of hyperbole there but i thought i would add some color. we all agree he's making a political calculation, and we can argue whether that political calculation is correct or incorrect, but it's an obvious political calculation. he's taken a simple rights issue and he's trying to kind of, you know, straddle the fence on it, and it's unseemly. he's beginning to look ridiculous on this issue. he needs to just get off the fence and go where he knows he really is in the first place. >> you read his mind, you read his heart, you find him wanting in sincerity. let's go to mayor brown. mayor brown, what do you think i should do politically? he has an election to win. he's got six months to

and ron reagan is an msnbc political analyst. thank you both for joining us. david wright, you've put a lot of thought and a lot of work in your career lately in trying to fight this kind of bigotry. the republicans have a large right. i've been speaking to the right for years. they exist, there are gay republicans. why are they taking a guy they just named as one of their chief foreign policy spokespeople and saying you can't speak anymore. >> there's a long history of this, going back to when the soviet union was dissolved, they demonized gay people. back in the '90s, newt gingrich compared gays to alcoholics. saying victims of aids were like rats. this is a long time coming. right now the pressure groups are not fringe groups. it's today's republican party. the american family association has 2 million members and are on 200 radio stations. this is what party is. >> it's become that. >> let me go back to ron on this, you're thinking about this, growing up in a republican family, one thing i liked about your family, although their conservative, your parents

ron reagan is an msnbc political analyst. thank you both for joining us. david wright, you've put a lot of thought and a lot of work in your career lately in trying to fight this kind of big on totry. the republicans have a large right. i've been speaking to the right for years. they exist, there are gay republicans. why are they taking a guy they just named as one of their chief foreign policy spokesspoem and sayi saying you can't speak anymore. >> they decided to demonize gay people, and i remember newt gingrich comparing gays to alcoholics, saying the victims of aides were like rats. this is a long time coming. the republican groups that criticized grinell are not alone. the american family association has 200 members and they're on 200 radio stations around the country. >> it's become that. let's go to the iran issue. ron, you're thinking about this growing up in a republican family. although your family were conservative, they didn't care about gay people. this has a weird witch hunt thing going on. >> it has, but this isn't entirely new, and it goes

and then memorial day weekend will bring us >>> a vial of president ron and i reagan's blood is being sold to the highest bidder. it allegedly contains blood residue used for test itting at a columbia maryland lab after an as assassination attempt. it's still up at last check, someone bid close to $11,000 for the vial. the auction ends on thursday. >>> a local woman cashing in at the altar by helping couples become one shortly after they say i do. >> local success. and it's all thanks to the maryland dmv. >> reporter: a starup company raking in the cash. and fast. nearly a million dollars annually? >> we're very close to that goal, yes. >> reporter: a business vision born of personal frustration. after she tied the knot in 2005, danielle says it took her 13 hours to go from one line at the dmv to the next in an attempt to go froms in to mrs. on paper. >> there's some lengthy process it that no one told you was coming to get you. >> reporter: so she started miss now mrs..com. a website designed to help will prove change can be easy. and for about $30, done within a half hour, she says,

wisconsin, unlike several -- i mean, a republican hasn't won this in the presidential race since ron -- ronald reagan. he says this may tell us good walker retains his seat, for the first time, wisconsin may be in play for the presidential race. could it be, even if governor walker loses by by a close margin, is there any way that's good news for republicans? >> the fact that scott walker is governor is good news for republicans. the fact that unions have wasted as much money as they have and overplayed their hand is about for the republican, the fact that scott walker ran unopposed and received more votes than the two democrats received in their own primary, an amazing contrast to president obama, and you look at everything that's gone on in wisconsin right now, and with the -- is that scott walker has shown that wisconsin is a different state than it has been in last elections and i think karl is right. megyn: he's outspent his democratic challenger, he's taken in 20 million, and that doesn't count what the unions have put in. >>> coming up a possible break in the case of the missing arizona girl,

ron paul is a libertarian. and he is very clear about that. libertarianism is a distinct fill -- philosophy. ronald reaganalthough he had to make compromises. william f buckley was not a politician and did not have to make compromises, he was a true philosopher. he understood conservative philosophy, he was a polite man, a gentlemen. he flew off of the handle a couple of times. >> yes, he did. >> yes, he did. but even [ inaudible ] even a pink fairy by today's standards when you are calling your opponent moron, monkey, pig, nazi, pink fairy was nothing. he was a gentlemen and conservative, and we're almost extinct. i hate to say it but i'm a sort of dinosaur. >> come back to america michael fumento, attorney in the reagan administration and conservative journalist whose piece is on salon.com and should be a must read for all of liberals, conservatives and moderates out there. thank you for your time. >> my pleasure. >> coming up birthers are they bigots or racist? we'll figure it out on "viewpoint." >>scores of the most talented filmmakers in the world gather in new york city every year for the tribeca fi

have initially when all of that was breaking, and same with ron, there could have been some overconfidence with iran contra. but, in reagan's his advantage. because he went to congress and he said, let's reduce the tax rate, again, we did it once, the american people are behind me let's do it again. >>neil: and he had the reserve of good will that got him through the crisis, personally liked by the american people even in the dark days. johnson comes to mind, when he got elected in 1964, again, by a huge margin, he was embolden and left little to the john f. kennedy legacy and he was his own man doing whatever he wanted. and then unshackled. >>guest: he was. and saw this was his opportunity and he probably knew in the back of his mine, robert kennedy might challenge him, in 1968, so, lbj said, this is my chance, my best chance, to put forward my agenda, and a lot of presidents feel that especially when they do get a second term. >>neil: of course we have the two term limit now and we did not have that with fdr with re-election but he felt increasingly emboldened after the elections because he felt it was a time of crisis, t

nothing burger when barack obama basically said, i've got the same position on gay marriage as ron paul or ronald reagan. i'm not going to do anything about it. the states can do what they want. but it seems to me that a story like this is timed to go along with the media celebrating barack obama saying he's going to let states ban gay marriage. >> mark halperin said it yesterday on the show, and i think he's right. there's no downside for the president given that just about every single member of the media agrees with his position. so it will be celebrated. the timing of the piece, it is a bit curious, the day after. and i think voters will have to decide whether or not an incident that took place in 1965 is reflective of the character today of mitt romney. he came out yesterday and said, he doesn't remember the incident. if he in fact did that, if someone was hurt by that, he says he would apologize certainly. abc news actually talked to the sister of the man who was a young man at the time alleged to have been the victim here. and one of his sisters says the family of john lobner, forgive me if i'm n

reagan. i'll vote for romney. ronthis, jimmy carter left office 31 years ago. no person 35 years of age or your honoring younger will remember the carter malaise. they have no idea what who carter was. i think they might have read a history book. randall writes, from the silent majority in this yagz, yes. it's difficult to get around carter's nobel peace prize. comparing carter to obama is almost as much of a stretch as comparing romney to reagan. good luck with that one. cnn.com/cafferty file or through the situation room's facebook page. >> a secret nuclear program revealed. we're not talking about iran. we're talking about kodak. we'll meet the facebook co-founder who gave up his united states citizenship. was it simply to save millions in taxes? ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone likes a t of ordn thr life virtuawallethelpyou g. keep traf spenng, ve y with a slide, and use the calendar. all to see your money how you want. ♪ how you want. you know what's exciting? graduation. when i look up into my students faces, i s

ron it will likely pick up the delegates he needs in texas next week. former first lady nancy reaganorning. she fell six weeks ago at her california home breaking her rest. she was supposed to attend a speech by a house budget commissioner at the reagan presidential library but her doctor does not want her attending any large gatherings right now. finn >>darya: a new study shows that mothers giving vaccines during pregnancy can help their babies. they also felt the women were less likely that a preterm births. the findings are helpful in the discussion of maternal vaccinations. >>justine: here is what is happening today. the daughter of roll castro is it said francisco meeting with gay-rights activists. she is an outspoken gay- rights activists in cuba. scott with whom >>darya: wesley shermantine is speaking now from death row. he has been leading authorities to burial sites across northern california. more than 1000 bone fragments have been found. reggie kumar has more on what shermantine had to say. >>host: shermantine spoke of from death row. he is convicted of murdering four wome

reagan presidential template. .. .. it almost sounds like you're over with ron paul and the only solution. >> ron paul says a lot of smart things. ron paul is a consistent constitutionalize. he was in the police into the bedroom on various issues. i deemed to be honest here. i wasn't planning to vote for ron paul or speak at his rally, that if i want america to start debating these issues, i have to be happy that ron paul has raised them and gotten the response he's gotten from young people. i think he has to be allowed to debate. i think it's healthy for him, whatever he's doing now in the romney santorum maneuver. >> sorry. i have a question. what about thinking of the international security, the violent of a public good and in international public good and what the u.s. has decided to do is pay for a public good, which is usually costly. during the 70s we try to expand it under jimmy carter to human rights, which is another public good. i feel it may be raking in people since then have decided, we can't afford everything. luscious focus on one of the most tangible and our cms cost and you're suggesting even giving a p

ron, good of you to come again. author of the book about the secret service. >> nancy reagan suffered a fall and broke some of her ribs. the director of the reagan presidential library made the announcement saying she fell about six weeks ago at her home in los angeles. she was set to attend a sweep from the wisconsin senator paul ryan at the reagan library yesterday. here is the lie prairie's director. >> she is tuning in to our live broadcast from home tonight on doctor's orders. mrs. reagan, hi on tv, it is good do have you with us tonight, as well. >> former first lady is 90 years old. trace like in los angeles. you know, usually we seem to be kept up on former first ladies and presidents and such but they did not tell us of this for six weeks. it was surprising to me. >>trace: six weeks is a long time. nancy reagan is highly revered in the republican party and her privacy is also very welcome protected. we likely still would not know about the fall and the broken ribs if she had not been scheduled to appear at the fundraiser last night. now her spokesman said she is adding a few appointments to her schedule but n

right position in an instant and remember it was reagan that said the 11th commandment, shall not attack a fellow republican and newt gingrich showed that as ronest showed to his renewed commitment to sportsman like conduct. >> julian epstein drawing the parallels with a basketball player. thank you both so much. we are still awaiting newt gingrich as i said. we will be back momentarily as soon as he gets onto that stage. stay with us. hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can hel

ron. >> a question for everybody but maybe start with jeffrey. what was the impact on conservatives on having a significant moderate weighing and the impact on liberals? whether we're talking about congress or the reagan administration. even in the reagan administration there were traces of a different factions. how does that affect the way choices were made when these issues were debated between the parties and within the parties? >> i think conservatives had to think about what was going to appeal to people in their party and then go on to sell it to the broader public. this is a disciplined conservatives and made them realize the need to actually persuade people of their views rather rally the troops and impose it over any kind of opposition. i think ronald reagan is the exemplar. this was not the single greatest vote-getter. that was robert finch. the only man whose opinion of politics reagan respected. i think reagan saw the need after the goldwater defeat that if republicans were going to triumph, it had to be a big tent party and make the case for affirmative conservatism. >> we talk about how the rhetoric tested -- deteriorated. it was reagan who imposed this 11th commandment, thou shalt not s

reagan did. it worked. we need to invite these reforming democrats, you know, erskine bowles, alice rivlin, the medicare ideas we've talked about, john bro, alice rivlin, ron wyden, they're all saying this is the best way to save this program. so we these to invite those democrats into our coalition, work with them so we can fix this country's problems not by cramming our vision of saving the country down their throat like they did, but by bringing the country together. tax reform and medicare reform, perfect examples, two of the biggest ideas that we have to do, and there are plenty of democrats who agree with what we're saying. so what we need to do is win, be magnanimous and include them in a coalition just like ronald reagan and tip o'neill did, and i think that's the secret to success. that's not the kind of democrats you have right now running congress or in the white house. but they do exist be, and so we need to invite them into the coalition. [applause] >> kind of a specific question here regarding banking regulations. what type of regulations do do u favor for banking? >> well, i'm a big opponent of the dodd-frank system, of the dodd-frank law. [