birth certificate. they don't want the facts. they want to deny the facts. the president practically hand delivered what they spent months saying they wanted. they wanted it. they got it. they kept on yelling. now, they're scrambling. yessing the birth certificate itself, asking for more documents, more paper. this can't be true. staring into the headlights of the 21 z century. they don't like the reality of who's in the white house, face it. yesterday the doubters cut off from the haters. the skeptics in the middle politically got the old, original birth certificate and satisfied. the haters on the other hand are out there and they have a party to call all their own, the gop. party with a fringe on top. how did the right wing fringe manage to take over the republican party? the democrats hope to cook the republicans in this birther stew k. the gop stop the weirdness on their part? does it want to? also, touche, harry reid. he'll force senate republicans to vote on the paul killer of medicare plan. it will be fun watching some of them squirm over this one. and biuried yesterday of th news to make it harder for minorities, the young and the poor to actually vote in our republic. in other words, democrats. they will have a harder time voting if the bills pass. for example, a bill in texas reject student i.d. cards but accept handgun licenses if you want to vote. who do you think texas republicans are trying to keep in and keep out from voting? let me finish tonight with how the birther thing says something very bad about them, about them, the birthers, and all of those who pander to them. we start with the birthers who won't quit. claerns paige is a columnist and eric bollard is a senior fellow. thank you for joining us. i want to look at the amazing conversations. i'm stunned. let's look at fox business here. fox business. they've got an anchor yesterday with pamela geller. >> you see this fold? this is really photo copied from a book. you see that? folds back to like the binding of a book. >> yes. >> for some reason, there's a green border around it that had to be photo shopped in. >> this whole border is suspect. i mean, if you're taking a scan of something, it would to your point be white. why is this the color of the same -- >> note this. note this, here, guys. when this was requested from the state registrar so we'll keep our eye on it and keep digging. may or may not be and certainly opens up the can of worm s ther are questions. >> what garbage. eric, after that sort of forensic effort and the efforting there and the serious checking out of the nuances of this, then they say, may be good. may not be. covering their keisters. it's so obvious and they got -- and one of the people supposed to be a news person. i don't know which one. when's going on with that fox news? >> that's eric trying out for glenn beck's old slot. he filled in for a couple of days when glenn was on vacation and a bake-on for the 5:00 spot. i think he is in on that bake-off and wants to prove he's got the crazy niche. look. everyone at fox news, every other anchor the last couple of weeks saying why won't obama release the long form birth certificate and then yesterday, how dare he? this is sad. this is a game that's being played, a dishonest, hateful and disturbing game that the right wing media is playing and playing with the american politics. >> well, i think the president did what he felt he had to do. i think there are people in the minute getting -- my role model for this is if you live in new york and brooklyn and somebody on television saying there's smog wrong with the brooklyn bridge, take the 59th or another bridge and be careful here. eventually, a number of people say -- tell a cabbie, go to the other bridge. there were some people at the edges buying this who have the document and are satisfied and they don't think there's an issue here but the haters keep going. >> yeah. even on this show i vividly recall getting into an argument with you of obama to release the darn thing and i said, i hope he doesn't because it was just, you know, helping a churn up. >> maybe you were right. some of these people. >> well, no. in fact, you know, there were a lot of people like yourself who were saying, well, why doesn't he just release it? well, now, obama has had just wiped that aside. >> isn't it like columbo? >> nobody talks about the fact that his mother was a natural-born citizen. nobody talks about this. >> that's -- the constitutional argument. he is naturally an american. whether you're born -- okay, look. he's a natural-born citizen. l let's move off there. >> thank you. >> i watched this. i'm telling you, lawrence really did it with this woman. i think he was even amazed at her absolute refusal. i know you are not, ever amazed by these people, i'm amazed. don't you say you got me? you tagged me. eventually you say you tagged me. not her! here it is. unstoppable. with lawrence o'donnell last night. let's listen. >> i believe that obama's statement today is nothing but a preemptive strike. we do have a court hearing coming monday morning 9:00 in the 9th circuit court of appeals and talking about this issue if i can have a close-up is because this hearing and two other hearings on providing documents. can i have a close-up please, please, sir? >> tell us the document. >> this is break become's -- >> tell us what it is. >> it's the selective service certificate. >> this is only in america, eric. a woman who's, you know, fair enough, a great catch of immigrants. she is an immigrant. trashing another guy born here for not meeting up to her latest documentation. what is -- what is -- well, i don't want to get into a motive except she doesn't like this guy. >> obviously. >> she doesn't like the president. not complicated. >> moving the goal post. that's what conspirists do. this is the textbook example of yesterday. as you said, it wasn't just the hard core professionals like her but the media, a.m. talk radio and internet and fox news. nobody apologized. no one conceded the facts. they just kept spinning and spinning. and it's amazing. >> did you see trump the other day? he is out on the stump running on this issue. be honest about it. this is his maypole. >> thanks to fox. >> somebody tried to show it to him and it was like tissue rejection. wolfbain. don't point that cross at me and spent the day acting like it never happened and then beautifully asked by john king the other night, didn't you propose a deal to show your tax returns? big mistake, donald. right? are you guys going to stay on the media matters to show what he promised to show? >> yeah. i mean, he's made several outrageous statements in 48 hours before yesterday on the media saying he had heard the birth certificate was missing. the investigators uncovered the source. >> great stuff. million dollars he spent on these investigators he sent out there. these sleuths. turned out to be the globe -- the tabloid. the safe-way. that's pushing that story. >> yeah. >> here's trump yesterday. let him talk from new hampshire. won't be too informative but here he is. let's listen to donald trump. >> i think if he wants to release it, that's fine. but the word is, you know, you think you'd want to release it, actually. because the word is he wasn't a good student and he ended up getting into columbia and harvard. i'd like to know, i'd like to know -- well, this is what i read written by some of the people in this room. i'd like to know how does he get into harvard? how does he get into columbia if he isn't a good student? it is an interesting thing. >> i think he's got the presidents mixed up. talking about george bush. how black folks feel about it, sounds like he's saying he's an affirmative action baby. after all that obama has done, i mean, you don't have to be a black american to be proud of the fact that this fellow worked the way up and make it through harvard and make it to the white house but here obama or rather here trump is pouring cold water on the whole thing and i think now he's embarrassing the party. >> how many white kids smarter than him didn't get into harvard? i don't think any. i don't think there's any. i've watched him. the end of the show, when i heard barack obama running for president, i said that's going to be a long shot. >> thank you. >> joe brown is one thing. a name like barack obama -- and then i listened and read part of the book. i said this is beautifully written. texture here. it's american. great writing and then i listen to his speeches, i was famous for having been taken with him but the fact is the guy grabbed me for what he was in the presentation. you met him and knew it would be great and doesn't surprise me of 700 on the college boards and other stuff but the accusation that there's a prima fascia that he doesn't worthy and he's african-american. that's the argument that donald trump is using. >> you got it. >> he wouldn't say to -- why would you assume anything -- there's no reason to assume this guy didn't have the right numbers except he's black. >> well, yeah. and the larger picture is the total effort to delegitimatize the president. we have seen this act before. when clinton was elected, far right wing refused to accept him as legitimate. they went into overdrive with all of the conspiracy theories. he was the one who gave the orders to open fire at waco, murdering members of the administration. they went crazy over clinton. >> help me with that. what's a tinfoil crowd? what's that mean? >> but they did not -- >> what's a tinfoil hat? >> total conspiracy. >> what does it derive from? where does it derive from? >> i think because they didn't think we landed on the moon. >> politics. >> okay. grassy knoll type. >> they didn't have with clinton the media they have now. they didn't a fox news and a.m.-type radio and the internet. >> you're right. penetration. saturation. here's msnbc's contessa brown with tony katz. let's listen. >> spent millions of dollars hiding the birth certificate and other things. >> where are you getting that? where are you getting that? >> i'm a tea party guy. i'm a not a birther. i move on and move on to the rest of the failed policies which is the story. >> wait, wait, wait. no, no, no. you said he spent millions hiding it. i want to know where you're getting that. >> go take the search. spent unbelievable amounts of money to hide who he is and what's happening. >> do you love the way they drop back on you, eric? first of all, millions of dollars he drops and then knows she's a journalist and says where do you get it from? and then unbelievable amounts. i mean, he goes from the specific to the rather general unbelievable like 50 bucks. spent a dollar? has he spent a dollar to defend the record -- >> no. >> not a dollar. >> this is a total lie. the $2 million tossed around by trump and tox news. s if a complete fabrication. the tea party pressed and basically the answer is i googled it. this is what sustains this conspiracy. you can google whatever you want and then turn on fox news and hear whatever you want to hear. >> you have hit fox news 50 times. i have to put a bell on every time you nail it. thank you. thank you, eric. thank you, my pal, clarence and seeing on the weekend show. coming up, the party with the fringe on top. how did the right wing fringe get control of a major political party? this is amazing. how did it happen? wasn't like this when i was growing up. they were a middle of the road to right party. how did they -- i think civil rights act 1974. just guessing. is it too late for the main line republicans to stop the zanies? 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[ male announcer ] wells fargo. with you when you're ready to move. from day one i said i hope he gives his certificate because i don't want this issue clouding a campaign. >> well, he also said it was the biggest con in history. welcome back. he claimed he didn't want the birth certificate to be an issue in the possible presidential campaign but, of course, it became his issue over the past several weeks so when did the fringe right who thrive on this stuff seem to take hold of the republican party? it's certainly not an issue to attract independent swing voters in the 2012 election. is it time for the gop to say good-bye to the birthers? for more, i'm joined by two political analysts. jonathan alter and jonathan connish. first of all, michael, will they get rid of the birthers and say no more pandering and applause lines at the convention? no more feeding the crazies? >> no. that's not going to happen and the reason it's not going to happen is because of the 2012 election and the power these folks now have in a very conservative-dominated proi mare process. think about it. who's the most establishment type among them in mitt romney. mitt romney is in jeopardy to alienate that bloc. >> so, jon, the fact that mitt romney had i think the nobility to come out and say there's nothing to this birther, as american as i am, is that going to kill him with these people? >> i don't think it will because the issue will be in the rear-view mirror by then. the president did the republican party a big favor yesterday. if he had let it go on it would have continued to fester and hurt that party. and by essentially -- >> you don't think it might be hurting him in the middle, as well? >> i don't think so. >> let's take a look at the poll. there's the "the new york times" poll, just last week before the president issued his full birth certificate and found that 57% of all americans said obama was born in the usa, 57%. 25% say -- blah blah blah. 57%. let's look at the republican. when you broke it down to just republicans, registered voters, annual 32% believe that the president was born in the u.s., 47% thought he was born in another country. a total of like 69%, 7 out of 10, jon, republicans believed -- they weren't sure he was one of us at all. >> yeah. >> that's a lot. >> that says more about them than about the president. >> the republican party. >> this is not your father's old mobile. this is not your father's party of bob dole. >> i'm going to get ethnic this. is this because of '64? i think it is. lbj, talking about him in the break, a man of the south, once they pass the civil rights bill, forget the south. >> he said for a generation but it's several generations. look. there's always been a looney tunes element. you have the john birch society folks that were an irritant to the republican party of the '50s. >> who are the democrats' loonen tunes? fess up. >> they have had plenty of them over the years. you know, those conventions at 3:00 in the morning. nowadays they're a more moderate party. my point is that you're right that a lot of this is about race. and this is something that has given the republican party a foothold in the south but a lot of this is fear of the other. there is a racial sub text here. like when they talk about a guy obviously terrific on his feet, gives more spontaneous interviews than anybody else and talk about him as somebody that depends on the teleprompter. why are they saying that? they're basically saying he is a black man and he's not that smart. he needs a tell prompter. and the birthers -- >> trumpy -- donald trump questioning the application to harvard. >> of course. >> harvard law and columbia and didn't deserve to get in. he would never say that about a white person right off the street he wouldn't say it. >> it's race, chris. >> i don't know why he would say it! >> that's where the 1964 point is critical. the republican party decided that it was going to -- after being the party of lincoln and jackie robinson in the '50s -- >> for nixon. >> and the racist -- >> michael, i've always believed as a student of politics like you that the one reason -- people don't like being racist, nobody wants to admit they are even if they are but people get away from the city and the old tribalism and they get out there and proud of the fact that they have some status and part of having status is not being considered archie bunker, not considered to be a troll on race. is this what hurts them? if the republican party gets a troll-like image, we hate black people srks that something republicans will push away from saying i'm voting for obama, i hate this image? >> yes. data supports the case. chris, you know where well where i sit in the philadelphia suburbs and we elect presidents. this is the ultimate swing district just like the i-4 corridor of orlando to tampa. listen to this now, chris. new data has just come out in our area since the 2008 election in the philly burbs 29% of new registrants are independents. in montgomery county, that number is 43%. and the reason i would argue that these people are turning away from the gop, because most of them are republicans, are exactly what you and i and jonathan are discussing right now. >> and that tells you how -- they don't feel comfortable being what? republicans or democrats or more -- they don't want to be republicans? what's it tell you? >> more republicans because they used to be republicans and i think to say it accurately, they're not comfortable being a part of this republican party. >> yeah. that's probably going to give a big shot to shapiro. >> independence day and because a lot of these are republican -- they were republicans but remember. the republican party from 1856 when it was founded until 1980 was the party of fiscal discipline. if they had to choose whether to raise taxes, bans balance the budget, they did it over and over and over again. >> pay as go. rockefeller. >> dna -- not just rockefeller, every republican going back -- >> jerry ford. >> the whole 20th century and late 19th century. then they got the idea that the religion was tax cuts even if it meant you couldn't close a loophole that gave ethanol subsidies, that's raising taxes in their book. >> that's the reagan belief system. >> they started to believe that and i think moderates that go you know what? if we have to choose between balancing the budget and raising taxes, we'll raise taxes. willing to go for that and the polls show that. >> michael, you are educational to be in politics as arthur she lessinger said is a learning profession. i want to know these things. thank you. i think it's embarrassing to be surrounded by birthers. i think birthers are crazy, hateful people. at this point, there's no excuse. he gave you the document. you forced the president of the united states to be carded, to card the guy. it's unbelievable. and he did it. anyway, thank you. up next, sarah palin still bitter about botching that interview with katie couric with a curveball of hers, what newspapers did you read? she won't forgive her for that one. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. we're america's natural gas. and here's what we did today in homes all across america: we created the electricity that powered the alarm clocks and brewed the coffee. we heated the bathwater and gave kelly a cleaner ride to school. cooked the cube steaks and steamed the veggies. entertained dad, and mom, and a neighbor or two. kept watch on the house when they slept. and tomorrow we could do even more. we're cleaner, domestic, abundant and ready now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power today. learn more at anga.us. ♪ 100 ways to enjoy pringles. ♪ ♪ and they're the same price as the leading bag chips. 100 crisps... 100 ways. ♪ everything pops with pringles. ♪ have you ever been next towith a that car that pulls up to athis? stop light and it sounds like it's metal to metal? so these are your pads... and this pad... that is definitely destroyed, beyond worn out. right. it's a sad face pad. well, it could also be a happy face pad. it could be. but it's not. because it wasn't changed. get a free brake inspection and a $40 rebate on motorcraft complete brake service. any questions? change your brakes. back to "hardball." first, if you show yours, i'll show mine. here's trump getting called out by cnn's john king to deliver on a deal that he the donald put together himself. >> i think i did a great i don't know in getting him to -- i mean, first of all, i haven't seen it. i'm looking at that. i'll look ate it later. >> you said the investigators said it was missing or wasn't there. >> excuse me. >> what was that based on? >> excuse me. very simple. i can call them back. i hope. i haven't seen this. >> you said if he released this you would release your tax returns. >> well, i don't know what i told eliot spitzer. i look at -- excuse me, excuse me. i'll be doing my tax returns at the appropriate time. i haven't announced yet. >> i think you ought to release the tax returns if he said he would when the president released the certificate. that was the deal. next, old battles die hard for sarah palin. still angry about flubbing that nasty question katie couric asked her about what do you read? here's palin on fox with the word that couric is leaving her chair at cbs. >> what do you think about retirement from cbs, at least? >> right, right, right. i think i read that in a newspaper. one of many newspapers that i read online. yeah. ier that that she wants to now engage in more multi-dimensional storytelling versus, i guess, the straight on read into that tell prompter screen storytelling so more power to her. i wish her well with the multi-dimensional storytelling. >> you know, i don't know. that is voidville at this point. the question what do you read? two and a half years later all she says is i read newspapers online. so sophisticated. finally, a modest proposal, former republican state senator of new york pled guilty to charges of tax evasion and obstruction of justice and faces prison time. he's proposed an alternative to prison. in a letter to the courts he's graciously offered to do the time as a diplomat in the middle east and offered to be an ambassador instead of going to prison. he writes, i have spoken with people in the court system and told them of my great willingness, i love this, to serve during the current difficulties our nation is experiencing. while i recognize that i'm older and not fluent in those languages i would be honored to serve on a team. i sense prosecutors may decline the offer as good as it is. what nerve. up next, house republicans vote to kill off medicare, of course, replace wit a voucher or some kind of $10 subsidy and now harry reid wants to force senate republicans to do the same. he wants them on the record. touche, harry. can the democrats make the republicans write their names on the bill? i want to get rid of medicare. congress steve israel impresses me with this argument. he's responsible for democrats to be elected to congress. he joins us next. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. allstate wants you to worry about it a whole lot less. talk to an allstate agent about life insurance. are you in good hands? at 190 miles per hour, the wind will literally lift ordinary windshield wipers off the glass. so, did we build a slower car? or design wipers that could handle anything? what do you think? the cadillac cts-v, the world's fastest production sedan. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs [ male announcer ] from the first fire, perhaps every light since then has been leading up to this. advanced led technology from ge, lasting over 20 years with 75% less in energy costs. available now in a bulb and soon in forms as limitless as our imagination. [ caveman chatter ] ♪ [ caveman chatter ] discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at home improvement stores. it pays to switch, it pays to discover. i'm amanda dr ury. another mid-sized rally making it three in a row. the s&p 500 adding 4. and the nasdaq struggling with some mixed tech earnings up about 2.5. today's rally coming in spite of pretty modest first quarter gdp. the economy grew at 1.8% compared with a 3.1% gain in the fourth quarter after last year. analysts blame high gas prices and bad weather. in earnings news, exxonmobil dragging oil companies lower after better than expected profits and shy on revenue. health insurers extended their own rally. microsoft reporting after the closing bell beating estimates on the top and bottom lines. and research in motion shares plunging in after hours trade after the blackberry maker slashed the first quarter earnings guidance. that is it from me at cnbc. let's hand it back to "hardball." you want to take a publicly administered program such as medicare and turn it over to a private corporation. tell me how my grandma benefits from that, please. >> it's a fair question. >> you're asking the elderly to take on the insurance companies when we can't take on the insurance companies. >> right, so -- right. >> do you know anything about medicare? >> oh, i'm not on it, no. >> that's what i'm driving at. >> do you know anything about medicare? what a brilliant, tough shot against a member of congress. welcome back. those are some of the questions u.s. congress paul ryan faced this week about the budget plan adopted by all but four of the house republicans. here's freshman florida congressman west from boca raton explaining medicare reform and video shot by one of the constituents on progressive radio talk show host. let's listen. >> we are talking about defined contributions. we are talking about putting the american citizen in charge of their health care decisions and we are talking about bringing in competition, free market solutions. >> i want the know how a profit motive makes medicare more efficient. how is a 75-year-old who's obese with high blood pressure going to get insurance? >> wow. i guess somebody moved in on there. can democrats win back the house in 2012 tying republicans to the ryan budget plan, which is as i said adopted but four of 200-some republicans. steve israel of new york, a congressman, chairman of the job of getting democrats to -- can you fellows and women win back the house of representatives with this issue? >> absolutely. we are holding republicans accountable for the defining vote in this congress. and that vote was to end medicare in order to fund tax cuts to big oil companies. these republicans who beat us in the last election beat us by saying that they would come and protect medicare and, in fact, what they did and they came and terminated medicare. they ended medicare. what you are seeing at the town hall meetings across the country is republican members of congress trying to fend the indefensible and the american people are on to them. they're angry. and they're going to make a change in november. >> well, it seems to me three kinds of older people, people that feel old, 65 and older and people 85, elderly. the word we usually use for them. i worry about an elderly person getting help from their kids or at a home getting help also from their kids trying to figure out how in the world to buy health insurance at their age with all kinds of conditions at the age you get. perhaps the onset of alzheimer's. you have all kinds of heart problems. you may have diabetes by then. how do you buy a policy with the stipend that the government gives you? how would that work is what i can't figure out? steve? >> most americans know that it doesn't work. most americans know that a $8,000 voucher that goes to an insurance company isn't going to come close to paying for your medical needs as a senior citizen. if you have cancer, when's wha $8,000 going to do with you? >> could you buy one at that position in age and going to cost the company more than the premium. >> that's exactly right. it is going to be almost impossible to find it. what i find astounding is republicans saying it's okay if you're 65. we protect you. it doesn't kick in for ten years. what they're saying is this. what they're really saying is we know it's such a bad idea that we're not willing to implement it now. we'll implement it in ten years. if it's a bad idea now, it's a bad idea in ten years and the other issue is this. for people younger who are 55, i'm 52, i've been paying into medicare since bussing tables on long island. i've paid into medicare. when i get to be 65 this republican plan tells me my money was for nothing. it's terminated. what i get is the ability, a voucher, that lets me shop for insurance with insurance companies who get a profit from that. it is just absurd on its face. >> let me give you some addresses where this message will go over well. dell care county, pennsylvania. bucks county, pennsylvania. go up to where the democrats got beaten last time and win back the seats because you will win every one of them with this issue. here's an example. he got the seat in delaware. here he is, a u.s. attorney. no idea -- not a'd log. here he is defending the far right on medicare. let's listen. >> if you voted to abolish medicare, how will you explain that to people who are in their 50s out of work that they will have not the medicare that i have? >> you said it. in your comment. that i voted to abolish medicare and that's factually wrong. >> how is that wrong? >> let me answer that question and then i'll talk to you. i voted for the ryan plan. it's a blueprint. a sense of what we would like to do, a direction that like to go in. >> let me help you out with a visual there, congressman. he's a good guy, wearing a french blue work shirt. do you think it will help? >> no. >> trying to explain he didn't vote for the killing of medicare. he voted for a plan to kill medicare, a blueprint. nobody buys a blueprint unless they're going to build the house. what is he talking about? your thoughts. >> chris, all of the flip flopping, the side stepping and the back pedaling in the world is not going to make up for the fact that he voted to terminate medicare. and you know -- >> does he know it? >> you are right about -- i'm sorry? >> you got over 200 republicans, a lot of moderate districts, swing, suburban districts. they were in a bad mood. voted republican because they're angry and going to be angrier next year and vote democrat. does he know what he did? >> we need 25 seats to win the house back. you're absolutely right. in pennsylvania, three of those districts are in the suburbs of philadelphia. we have two additional pennsylvania districts. and in those districts, this vote to kill medicare is enraging people. absolutely enraging people, particularly because the candidates, meehan and fitzpatrick and barletta promised to come to washington to support medicare, strengthen medicare. killing medicare is neither supporting or strengthening it and the constituents know it full well. >> you know what in these are seats even i could win. you know what? this is tipp o'neill politics. democratic issue and the republicans stepped in the goo on this one. thank you, steve. i watched you, congressman, on another show. i thought you were the clearest expositive or the of a very clear message i have heard some of your colleagues get confused with distractions and too many words. you eve got it down. just, just teach them how to do what you do and you'll get 218 next time, sir. thank you for coming on "hardball." >> thanks. up next, republican governors and legislatures are trying to make it harder for african-american students and the poor to vote. the old way, well, they don't have a poll tax this time or a literacy test. they have new ideas. the republican assault on voting rights coming up next. brass in♪ ♪ gonna use my, my, my, imagination. ♪ the new blackberry playbook. ♪ cos i'm gonna make you see ♪ there's nobody else here, no one like me. ♪ small enough to take anywhere. powerful enough to take you everywhere. ♪ i'm special ♪ so special and go everywhere. to help revitalize a neighborhood in massachusetts. restore a historic landmark in harlem. fund a local business in chicago. expand green energy initiatives in seattle. because when you're giving, lending, and investing in more communities across the country, more opportunities happen. i figured this was coming a. majority of republicans, actually, a majority of african-americans have now ruled out voting for donald trump or sarah palin for president. majority of americans, that is. a new gallup poll shows nearly two thirds of voters, 64%, say they will definitely not vote for trump if he runs and a similar number, 65% say the same about sarah palin. they're not doing well. made up their minds, the voters. all the american voters not voting for trump or palin. we'll be right back. ♪ [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. we're back. a widespread republican push in 30 states targeting traditionally constituents like college students and african-americans and making it more difficult to vote. and 29 states adopted or considering to adopt showing a government-issued form of identification. the problem, 20 million people do not have a photo i.d. judith brown-danis and harris cooper. sir, for the affirmative, why do we have to have government i.d. cards as a requirement to vote when we haven't had them before? >> well, it is a very useful way to make sure that the person that shows up to vote is registered and lawfully allowed. >> you would require government i.d. cards? >> i think it's a good policy, an effective way to make sure -- >> you would require them? >> very good way -- >> help me out. you would require them? >> where there are fraudulent examples of this and there are quite a few places where that is the case, this is a very effective solution. >> but why are you hesitant to say that these laws -- >> i didn't say it has to be a federal law from everywhere. >> should states -- >> states should, yes. >> should states require a government-issued i.d. card? >> yes. >> requirement? >> yes, they should. they absolutely should. >> what's the problem with that with people being asked, all age? you can vote at 18 now. what's the requirement, what would it do to people? >> block voters from voting. this is all a concerted effort setting up when's going to happen in 2012. we'll see a lot of voter suppression efforts moving forward. >> this is voter suppression. >> clearly. after the republicans took over houses across the state, they pushed these voter i.d. bills. 21 million americans do not have government photo i.d. >> do the democrats push the bills like this? >> no. they're not pushing it because -- >> that's absolutely not the case. >> democrats do you know pushing -- >> when you you look at these legislatures, those bills are also supported by democrats and republicans. >> are there any democrat ever introduced a bill such as this, that you know of? >> not that i know of but i don't know the names of republicans that introduced these bills. it's a bipartisan issue. in the state of virginia which also moved on this front and state of arizona. >> how come everything i know about it says democrats don't like these bills? >> you mean washington democrats. >> democrats i know. >> washington democrats aren't the same thing as americans across the board bipartisan, republicans and democrats, agree that this is a problem and this is an effective way to solve it. >> let's talk about the way most people voted. remind people how they vote in america. they walk up and a couple blocks away and a school or community center. they walk in. there's a line. you check in. you give your name. you sign something, right? >> give your name. you sign something and you go and vote. >> it's usually something recognizes you from the neighborhood. hi, marge. nice to see you today. >> been here 20 years voting. >> and they don't have to show an i.d. card. >> there's probably four states that require photo i.d. >> what happens when that person, 85 year old, whatever, voted the same way. the person says hi, marge, where is your government i.d. card, marge? you know me. i know you but you still have to have the card. what would you do then? would that person be allowed to vote? >> same thing the bank says and grocery store says and hospital says and every single one of these transactions. that's part of the reason why i challenge this notion that there's 20 million of these people out there. most americans must have i.d. for all transactions. a government i.d. to carry out their responsibilities. >> if you live in a big city, you don't necessarily have a driver's license. >> you don't but you still have an i.d. >> what would be an i.d. card? >> accessing the library. you would need it for getting your electricity turned on. most jurisdictions will let you have a government issued i.d. and increasingly across the country if you have some kind of financial hardship, you can still get the i.d. at a discount or free. the truth is organizations like this one simply don't want to ensure the person who shows up to vote. there are people who are double voting. >> i'm about protecting voting rights. >> you're not protecting anyone's right to vote if you cancel out the vote of -- >> i ask you about reality because i'm not an expert on this except i vote. it's almost always a community i'm lucky enough to live in. maryland across the the border here. when i walk in. they know everybody. people with signs give me trouble, whatever. whatever they are up to. it's a community involvement. if you tell some woman who walks in there you're not voting because you don't have a government i.d. and you tell them they can't vote, what's going to happen in that moment? what will happen in that moment? >> at that moment the same thing that will happen when people show up and they're in the wrong precinct. you're not allowed to vote. it could be presidents on election day. you are not allowed to vote. >> you walk down the street in your own neighborhood and you can't vote. everybody knows you. >> you can't go to the wrong precinct. >> you won't let a person vote if they don't know you? that's crazy. that's crazy. you have to let people vote. >> that's the law of the land. >> that's not the law of the land. the law of the land -- >> this is an incredible idea. you can't tell people from their own neighborhood they can't vote. go see him if you want to vote. when we return, we'll finish with thoughts about the birthers. i think they discredit themselves and those that pander to them. for driving safely. truth: at allstate, you get a check in the mail twice a year, every year you don't have an accident. the safe driving bonus check. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. dollar for dollar, ever wish vegetables didn't taste so vegetably? well, v8 v-fusion juice gives you a full serving of vegetables, plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. v8. what's your number? let me finish with the baby the republicans threw out with the baby water. the baby was reputation for seriousness by pandering to birther land. the republicans might have kissed away their credibility as a practical alternative to the democrat running the white house. i was stunned to see how many are pushing the birther angle. newt gingrich says there's something training afoot. trump continues to bam out charges about the president's upbringing. others demand to see his grades from school. anything to keep the weird music playing. now in crazy land, bloggers say the birth certificate is a fake. it's not about a birth certificate, is it? it's not about the facts, is it? we know what it's about. so do the people still hot on digging up something on obama that will weed him out from the list of presidents. that's the angle here. find something that says he never really was elected our president because the very idea bugs this crowd. it's not about skepticism. i was a skeptic myself. i'm not talking about where he was born but this fellow barack obama to get elected president. when i heard his name ten years ago, i was convinced a guy name barack obama whose father was from kenya didn't have a chance. this country has been electing wasps to the presidency since the beginning. we had truman and ford and bush. we did elect an eisenhower. it's jackson and carter and clinton. no baracks or obamas. didn't think it was possible for this guy to get elected to the high office in this country. and then i found out more about him. i started reading a book and found a bit of mark twain really and heard him speak and watched him campaign and deal with people. i said this guy has got something. that's right. then i said this guy might just be our president some day if he can deal with the challenge of hillary clinton and the media and
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