joining me steve mcmahon. and former maryland governor bob ehrlich. guys welcome back. steve, any candidate running for office today, could win saying they want to raise taxes and increase spending? >> well, i think it would be a difficult road. i don't think there are many candidates out there that would say that. there is broad agreement there has to be major cuts in spending and deficit reduction across the board. >> sean: i didn't ask you this part. i'm trying to get you know cussed here. the last time somebody ran on raise -- focused here. the last time somebody ran on raising taxes, what was his name? walter mondale. how many states did he lose? >> in 2008 the president said -- >> sean: i didn't ask you that. how many states -- >> people who make more than $250,000 -- >> sean: i don't want your liberal. >> the president ran on raising taxes for people who make over $250,000 a year. and he won 390 electoral votes. >> sean: small business own there's create 70% of the jobs in the country. governor -- [ talking over each other ] >> he lost a few months ago. people nee

here to break it down, we have the strategist steve mcmahon and todd harris. since you're laughing so heartily, i have to believe you're laughing at something. we just had a kerfuffle with the congressman. what do you make of this republican strategy to basically pass a bill today that has no specificity in it, somewhere down the road cap the spending down to about 20% of gdp, and then try to get this two thirds vote for a constitutional amendment in the heat of battle? your shots about that. >> well, i like the plan that the house is going to pass today. i liked senator coburn's plan, i liked congressman ryan's plan. the point is republicans time after time are actually introducing plans. i agree with congressman walsh entirely. there is no piece of paper, no documents that exists anywhere that says president obama's plan to fight the debt, to reduce the debt and curb spending. is it doesn't exist. he barely even mentioned the debt in his state of union for six months he was awol in the discussions, and now he's talking about, oh, it's armageddon -- >> chris

bring in the "hardball" strategists and experts democrats steve mcmahon and republican todd. you have a skidszoid, people who believe and those that pretend what they say they have. working for some businesses like merchandising, make a lie detector to see if you are trustworthy or not. should you do that to your candidates? does mitt romney really believe this tea party stuff, that michele bachmann really believes in her dream? you're laughing. is mitt romney the tea party stuff? >> i'm not sure he's trying to present hoimgs as a tea party -- he presents himself as a conservative, certainly. this is a classic battle that -- >> every republican primary. the movement conservative person and the more establishment person, but regardless of how it shakes out, when people are actually voting, this setup, this context could not be better for mitt romney. >> because -- >> because right now michele bachmann's presence is completely freezing out tim pawlenty and huntsman, the two guys that were trying to occupy this same space that romney is occupying. the better michele bachmann, th