weiner, they are charged with a radical agenda to devastate the middle class and working poor. house gop just passed a spending bill that gives aid for women and kids. cripples efforts to stop oil spectators and blocks creating health year school lunches. the gop is actually pushing an agenda that is pro hunger, pro obesity, who pro oil and pro e.coli. i want to ask the democrats one important question. are you going to let them get way it? the republicans are fighting to dismantle the very essence of our social contract. paul ryan wants to end medicare as we know it. the wall street journal says both parties expect medicaid to be the biggest source of cuts in the biden budget talks np. now it looks like republicans may be making headway in their way against social security. today a crushing report from the journal. the aarp, is quote, dropping its long standing opposition to cutting social security benefits. that is disastrous and totally unnecessary np is great betrayal of the members of aarp. the leaders of that group have furiously been pushing back on that all day. but in the epd the group admitted it is open to raising the retirement age and cutting benefits for future ree tiries. that means the story is right and they will join the rest of washington in trying to rob you blind of the benefits you paid into your whole life. now this would be a pretty good time for leadership, from perhaps the white house. well white house communications director dan pfeifer was at the conference in minneapolis today when he was grilled on this very topic. >> on social security, the president will do nothing that will slash benefits, privatize the program or change the nature of the program opinion on medicaid. the same thing is true of medicare. >> that means no raising the age limits? >> what it means is we are going to -- we're going to make sure that what however we strengthen it is done in way that does not change the final nature of the program. >> so no raising age limits? >> i'm not going to have a negotiation with the republicans here on the stage with you. >> that's a disaster. that was a great question. and you saw that he did not want to answer it. that is not a good sign. let me ask you one more question. if the democrats and the white house don't fight for medicaid wab medicare and social security, and pour importantly for the people that voted for them. the people in the middle class that need to be fought for, when will they ever fight? we will talk with sam cedar along with esra cline. and a democrat from oregon serves on the budget committee and is a member of the progressive caucus, congressman, i have to be honest with you, what i'm hearing from the white house and from the aarp and what i'm hearing about the biden talks and how they are cutting medicaid, that sounds terrible to me. is that acceptable to the democrats in congress? >> well, it all depends on context, cenk. i find it outrageous there is a proposal here to pass the burden on for example, in medicaid to the poorest most fragile elderly. what we are seeing in medicare, as we have discussed before is an effort that deals with the program that they don't think government can afford, reduce it, in terms of its responsibility, and pass those on to seniors in the future. i think we aught not to jump the gun in terms of what's happening with aarp. you know, they have been put in the cross hairs by the republicans because they have the that marity to support some healthcare reform. i think that it is the notion that we are not ever going to make any changes for example, in the age. i mean, i'm one of the baby boom generation that has known for 20 years, that there's going to be a slight increase that's -- i think that that's not something that everybody ought to reflectively just say no never. but we want to look the at package that comes forward. >> well, congressman -- >> let's be realistic about that. >> congressman, i will be honest with you. i have to respectively massively disagree. i will show you why. according to the economic policy institute, if you raise the retirement age, for example from 65 to 70 years old, that's a drop in benefits of 19%. it average american loses benefits of 63,573. here is what i say to that proposal. hell no. i'm not going to come within a mile of considering it. >> first of all, it's always been raised. it is no longer retirement age of 65 starting with us baby boom generation and going forward. it has been raised to 67. >> i know, so do you want to raise the 69 and take away another 10, 20, $30,000 from people? >> over the course of the next 40 years, when life expectancy may well increase another 10 or 20 years, being part of something that includes being able to make adjustments in terms of the tax rate, the tax base. for in some cases maybe having a slightly different inflationary rate for the wealthier, i'm not talking about all and having the progressive indexing but for the top ten or 20%. you can put together a package that deals with the 25% shortfall that we're going to be facing. >> no. no. no. >> so we will adjust that and i'm just saying if you're looking at something that's going to be phased in over the next 20 or 30 years, i'm not reflectively going to rule out increasing it for example another year. we did two years. the sky didn't fall. >> this is a disaster. this is a disaster what i'm hearing from you. i'm not against reform. if you say hey, for example, we've got to increase the amount of people paying the payroll tax. so you go above $106 those. okay, that makes perfect sense to me and there are reforms can you do. but it is perfectly stable until 2037. it pays every cent. then it pays 75%. so why would you raise the retirement age. what i'm hearing from you, even a member of the progressive caucus is not going to fight for it. these people will lose with 10, 20,000. >> no -- >> you just said here, raisings the retirement age. >> no, i just said we are not going to have to do anything draconian for social security over the course of the next 25 years. but if the life expectancy goes up another 20 years, or ten years, raising the retirement age another year in 20 or 25 years from now, gradually, as part of a larger package, that includes other progressive reforms, i don't think that's crazy. and the majority of the american public doesn't either. >> no, that's not true at all. i'm sorry. look wbt 84% of the american people. 84%. no question about it. say, do not cut the benefits. don't cut them. what do you mean? 16% say cut them? 84% say don't cut them. >> as i can done, if you work from people and give tlem variables to put together a package, over the course of the next 25 years as a comprehensive package, having a slight increase in the retirement age, is not something that freaks people out. we've done it before. >> it freaks me out. >> that's fine. >> congressman, here is another solution. here is another solution. right now our tax rate is at a mere record low. 14.4% -- >> we disagree on that. >> i know. >> we don't disagree. >> why don't you say, hey, listen, i'm not cutting a penney of social security until you get there to a reasonable levy where the wealthy stop robbing us blind. where they take all of the add advantages. they take all of the subsidies. then they say, but i have to cut your social security. hell no. >> we're obviously pushing and in terms of trying to -- i'm not in favor of extending tax cuts. for the wealthy. i'm working in terms of dealing with some of the unnecessary oil subsidies. but to sort of come unsprung and suggest you can't have a comprehensive package over the next 25 years, you will rule out out that you disagree with -- >> congressman, here is the guarantee i have for you. whatever deal you guys will make, joe biden, white house wib apparently congressional democrats, you won't raise taxes on the rich. you won't do it. you tell me it is comprehensive when you tut medicare, medicare and social security. come back with bush tax cuts. take them away. we go back it clinton rates, okay now we are having a conversation. you're not going to do that, are you? >> well, what do you mean, am i going to do that? ? you know that i don't have all of the power here. i am arguing for a position that does exactly what you're saying in terms of the, under many of the tax adjustments. but the notion that that just because there are things that may be be approached by biden, you have cop eves correspondents, letters, arguments we are making for the white house for things we want to be on the table. like making sure that we're not surrendering on the tax cuts. making sure thatter with pushing in terms of the oil subsidies. but the notion that somehow we're not pushing back, i think is wrong. but there is certain limitations in terms of what we can actually do. i just disagree in terms of the notion that over the next 20 years, that we have to fight to never ever again make an adjustment to the age ruling it out before we get into dealing with a package. i don't know that that's the most appropriate way to go. we will just agree to disagree. >> yes. we have a very healthy disagreement on that. >> that's why it is fun to talk with you. >> and i agree with you on oil subsidies. i agree with you on taxes. i wish we would fight for those. i know you are in the progressive caucus. thank you for talking with us. >> my pleasure. >> when we come back, we will talk with these topics and more. the white house also challenged on jobs. more energy for 18 holes with your buddies. more passion for the one ya love. more fun with your family and friends. it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. come on, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. [ male announcer ] so don't blame it on aging. talk to your doctor and go to isitlowt.com to find out more. >> when we come back, we will talk more about net roots nation. there was a lot of challenge with the white house there and rightfully so. and challenge of the democrats. rightfully so. we will talk about that when we come back. [ male announcer ] this is james. the morning after the big move starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now... and maybe up to 4 in a day. or, choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. smart move. ♪ the motorola expert from sprint. its powerful tools help you work faster and smarter so you can get back to playing "angry birds." it lets you access business forms on the go, fire off e-mails with the qwerty keypad, and work securely around the world so you can get back to playing "angry birds." it's the android-powered phone that mixes business with pleasure. so let's get our work done, america, so we can all get back to playing "angry birds." the motorola expert from sprint. trouble hearing on the phone? visit www.sprintrelay.com. >> i know that there is levels of frustration with some of the decisions that have happened in this white house. there is frustration in the times that the pace of change has exceeded everyone's patients, including our own. >> well, you got that right. there is a lot of impatients in there. sam, you know, i don't know if you saw the last segment, but i got a little worked up there because it looks like everyone in washington now agrees they will raise the retirement age own social security and medicare. am i the only one here that thinks that's a disaster or do you think that will make a lot of progressives angry? >> i think it will make a lot of americans angry. look, with all due respect to the congressman, the idea that the life expectancy will jump 20 or 10 or 20 years over the next 30 years, the life expectancy needs to be measured after age 65. that barely bunl budged in the past hundred years, particularly for the people in the bottom half of the income distribution. so the idea that somehow -- look, if you are going to raise the retirement age, you are cutting social security. and the idea that you are going to pretend that somehow we're going to be living to 140 years old and everyone will be doing this and we can work into our 70s, that's simply not the case. if you have to use those facts to justify it then you've got a real problem with the argument. >> ezra, what's going on here? people watching this show, they want to know. how come 84% of the country says don't cut social security benefits and everybody in washington, even the aarp that is supposed to represent these people, says, yeah, we will raise the age and cut benefits. what the hell is going on with tlem? >> if you look at the senate or think tanks or other elements of the establishment, people like to work until 75, 80, 85. you have to take folks out of the senate on a stretcher. so it sounds very reasonable to them that you would raise retirement age above 65. now up to 67. so maybe up to 68 or 69. i'm not as opposed i think in all circumstances to benefit cuts as you are. but it is important to say that raising retirement age is a particularly regressive way to do it. you can means test benefits so people who don't need it as much get less from social he is chiropractority. at least you see more clearly the affect of the policy. people who have the worst jobs, the most medial jobs, most physical labor, they get hit hardest. that's why i think we should worry about the retirement age. >> that's a great point. it goes to the heart of the problem. it seems like they don't look out for us. you made the point that people that are poorer, live not as long as the people who are richer. they get their benefits cut the most and they got to work the longest. and so, it just -- as you look at it, i know you're at net roots, tell me, is this feeling of frustration with people who are supposed to be on our side, the democrats, in the white house, is that palpable over there? >> you know, i think that -- i think my sense is that it has been a little bit overreported that there is this type of frustration. obviously it's there. i don't know that it's -- i think people are starting to wonder, you know, what is it we can do to fight this? the idea is we can't look to our politicians. i think ezr sa right. our establishment lives in a bubble. i think the professor from princeton has shown that regardless wlof is in office that the policy preferences of the weal washington el think in this country have been more or less followed. and so, we have a real problem and this is a just another aspect frankly of a class war that's being waged on the middle class and really, you know, we are talking, 60, 70% of the country. 60% of seniors rely on social security for over 50% of their income and retirement age. when you are talking about cutting social security, when you talk about medicaid, because ezra flows this, that you know, what happens to many elderly is they go into homes, they are on medicare and they become too poor. so they are on medicaid for their homes. this is a direct assault on nearly half, if not more, of the country. >> these are all great points. when you go to taxes, you see where the problem is. we've got a massive redistribution of wealth. we are at record low tax rates. now the republicans come like the tim pawlenty joke of a plan to reduce taxes to almost nothing for the rich. takes, costs us $11 trillion, the pawlenty plan. bachmann is pretty much in favor, but they all say they are in favor. isn't this a class war? isn't the rich have declared war on the middle class and we just don't know it? >> tim pawlenty's plan is remarkable. i never thought anybody that would make george w. bush look like robin hood. is there a class war? there are competing preferences -- >> that's a good way of putting it. >> that the rich have more sway in washington. you know, that said, i think that we do have an issue where the democrats in general have been terrified of the tax issue. and not just terrified because the rich spend against them. they are terrified because they feel like tle lost on on it and obama made this terrible promise. there is not a death with taxes and that is not a serious part of the solution. you can't say that it is all of the rich interest. all us versus them. there is a bipartisan consensus in washington right new that vast majority of tax rates should not rise. what you are not going to touch taxes you will have to hit things like medicare, social security, medicaid very hard. there are reforms anyway, by the way. but you have to hit them harder if revenue is not part of the solution. >> excuse me. >> there a bipartisan consensus but it is among the rich, democrats and rich republicanes who agree the middle class shouldn't have the money, the rich should. sam, last word. >> well, that's exactly right. if there's a bipartisan con senses, that we can't raise taxes on the rich and we should take it out of hydes of the middle class, then you're right, there is a class war. >> yeah. all right. sam cedar an ezra cline, thanks for joining us tonight. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> we when come back, after wussing out during the debate, pawlenty goes after romney for a second time, but again, from the safety after fox nude studio. go we will talk to one of the actors later in the show. ♪ yeah ♪ [ male announcer ] if you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, on second thought... ♪ she got an attitude ...you never will. the 2011 jeep wrangler. adventure is never ordinary. ♪ she got attitude now sign and drive a jeep wrangler sport 4x4 with zero first month's payment, zero down and zero due at signing for qualified lessees. host: could switching to geico did the little piggy cry wee wee wee all the way home? piggy: weeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeee weeeeeeee. mom: max. ...maxwell! piggy: yeah? mom: you're home. piggy: oh,cool, thanks mrs. a. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles, enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief to the site of pain. it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. >> the first real week of presidential campaigning is in the books and we may have our sellers an anti-romney. someone who has everything an extreme right ringer would ever be. michele bachmann show shows she can inspire the faithful like nobody else. she has totally anti-obama rhetoric. >> mr. president, the bailouts didn't work. the stimulus didn't work. we know what works. it's cutting spending. it is doing what free markets do and what economic super powers do and mr. president, you're no economic super power. >> baobama is not an economic super power? what is that mean? only bachmann would know that would work in that audience. she is like their anti-spock. whatever she says makes no sense to the rest of the world but for them it is like from the amdramada galaxy. tim pawlenty is skipping the conference. he is under fire for declining to take on romney on the debate. days later pawlenty is scrambling. last night he tried to go back on the offense. >> i should have been much more clear during the debate. i don't think we can have a nominee that was involved in the development and construction of obama then defends it. i don't think can you continue the case against president obama if you are co-conspirator and one of the main charges against the president. >> oh, pawlenty, please. now with you are calling romney a co-conspirator. oh, come on. way too little, way too late. very tip calf pawlenty's campaign. joining me, amy, and jennifer. all right, ladies. let me start with michele bachmann. i think she is crazy but she is doing well. she surging in the polls, caught up and is number two in the polls. but when you look attes this numbers, romney at 43%. that's rushing the feel. but balk plan is coming from behind. amy, what do you think? a real contender? >> oh, she is absolutely a real contender. cenk, monday night she shows she is very serious about running for the nomination. she catapulted herself from the side show of vanity can dates into the top tier. she is major threat to fim pawlenty in iowa. she is making mitt romney nervous. she is a fer robbers fund-raiser. she hired good people. she is under iowa with wr she was born and i think she has a real shot at taking the first contest in the caucuses there and it doesn't mean like mike huckabee, didn't end up being the nominee either. it doesn't mean she is the nominee but she wants it bad and i think the men in the field are nervous. >> i think she is for real. she is a contender. i don't think she the ultimately win. i have a theory as it why and that's because she is crazy. i want it run that theory by you. here claims that lion king is gay propaganda. you know, the movie. abolishing minimum wage would create jobs. that scientists support intelligent design. nonsense. carbon dioxide is harmless. that glenn beck can solve the debt crisis. does the fact that she's crazy help or hurt her in the primaries? >> it helps her. i think what happened in the past couple of years that the republican base moved further right partly because of the tea party. she is house chairman of the tea party caucus is bread and butter to these people. they love her shp she can do no wrong. she carries the conservative meant el and the more conservative she is and the more she speaks in code, the more they like her. it is like throwing red pleat it lions. if you look at what happened the past few cycles, in 2008 mccain was the nominee but he wasn't embraced by movement conservatives and he lost the election. he failed to generate the kind of support that people would have needed to to turn out and actually keep obama from shellacing him. ? 1996 you had bob dole beaten by pat buchanan and bob dole lost the election because conservatives didn't turn out for him. so someone like michele bachmann has a chance to light conservatives up and may have a better chance than romney at winning the wlous. >> amy, i got to ask you, is there no bounce to how crazy can be? because, i just listed to that stuff, there is also stories of how she was hiding the in the bushes a the a gay rally. and another time she was in a bathroom with two lesbian women talking about issues and she started screaming and running out of the bathroom and saying, i've been held hostage by lesbians. >> i don't have these news accounts in front of me as we speak, but i will tell you that jennifer makes a good point. if she can light up rally and raise a lost money and speak to people like tim pawlenty specifically in polls, really threaten mitt romney and become the nominee, that would be a huge accomplishment. i don't know that she can be the nominee. and i don't know that she can win a general election. i think there are things that she said that will come back it haunt her. there are things that other people have says, including president obama, that come back it haunt him. they can sometimes overcome those things. for now, for her path to the nomination, she is doing great. she has been a candidate for just a few days, she is creating an incredible amount of buzz. she was very serious under that debate. she articulated the issues well. she smiled a lot. she was positive. she managed to stand out on the stage among those men. not, as i said, as a goof ball and entertaining candidate but as snan could go toe to toe with them in a debate. until someone else enters that debate line-up, she is impressive. >> i hear you on that. don't get me wrong. she sounded like republican that was, at least within the republican party in the debate, she did well and her numbers have doubled. that's why we are talking about her. she is serious. let's talk about someone not very serious, tim pawlenty. this whole thing like in the debate you run from mitt romney but when he is out of the room you have the courage it call him a co-conspirator, and this is looking sad, isn't it? >> it is looking sad. it demonstrates that pawlenty has no idea what is going on in the world of media. if he doesn't think that social media and bloggers will cover everything he said on fox and contrast that with what he won't say during the debate, it makes him look very weak and like he has no conviction. which i think is a problem he has. conservatives dent like pawlenty because he has exceptions on the choice issue. which may make him sound more moderate, more reasonable. but he is not the alternatives to romney. the conservative vote is totally split. and he doesn't know what he is running for. is he running as conservative or moderate. he can't decide whether he wants to be the one to slay the dragon and romney. >> i think he's done. but i felt that from the beginning. turns out i might be right. >> i have too. i think he seven santorum are not going to get traction. >> no way. nor gingrich. amy, columnist for the hill an jill, from the huffington post, great conversation. sms when we come back, paul ryan does it again. trying to single handedly kill meade care and make money for himself. this is an outrageous story. did chris christie just admit he takes advice from the head of fox news? sounds like it. is that legal? the "mystery spot". not a mammal in this household is willing to lay claim to its origin. but now is not the time for blame. now is the time for action. ♪call 1-800-steemer. ♪ [ motors revving ] ♪ ♪ ♪ [ motor turns over ] ♪ ♪ [ liquid pouring ] ♪ [ drill whirring ] ♪ [ motor turns over ] ♪ [ male announcer ] what if everything ran on gas? ♪ then again, what if everything didn't? the 100% electric, zero-gas nissan leaf. innovation for the planet. innovation for all. ♪ the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. >> welcome back. now to discuss some of today's biggest political story. we bring under our power panel. josh gerstein. tina dupuy pch a host on the young turks network. and amanda terkel from the huffington post. is big business bad business? senator former russ feingold lashed out at democratic super packs yesterday saying the party is in danger if it accepts corporate donations. take a listen. >> i empathize with the desire to fight fire with fire. but dekts should just never in the business of taking unlimited corporate contributions. it's dancing with the devil. and it's a game that we will never win. >> amanda, is he right? >> corporate contributions do go much more heavily toward republicans than democrats. his argument is that look, not taking this corporate cash, not held to the interests, that's part of the democratic party identity. we can take small contributions. that's what obama did. he says we can't do up against the big money. unions don't have it any more. we need to fight fire with fire. >> josh, what about that? looks like democratics are in a tough spot. . if they don't take the money, the republicans have a huge advantage. if they don't take it, they can't serve the middle class what they say they represent. >> yeah, that's right. and the other thing to consider here is that i this i that you with see these kinds of efforts going on, on both sides anyway. it is sort of what feingold is saying, i think presumes that if obama gives the signal this time, this won't happen. and it seems to me even though the white house is taking a somewhat different position this time than it did four years ago, that the efforts will happen anyway. that big donors will band together on both sides to take full advantage of the loop holes that supreme court and others have found in recent years. so i think it is an interesting argument but i feel like the money spickets will good on full blast anyway. >> there is no question about that. i like that there is someone fighting back. i think that it is feingold. it seems like the white house won't impease them. manufacturing saying environmental policy hinders growth np companies like boeing with labor regulators. all of that is going on and they say all of the stuff that obama gave us -- even wall street is saying that. is there any importance in trying to appease these people? >> i love that feingold came out and said all these things and talked about the problem. but his solutions, like not taking this money or later in his speech he said that we could hopefully rely on the supreme court to overturn citizens united, that's just not a realistic solution to the problems that he brought up. >> i hear you on that. look. i think we need a to have an enormous fight on finance campaign. president obama talked a good game in 2008. what happened? nothing has happened since. nothing. on the other hand, if you get a republican and he puts for corporate justice on the supreme court, then it is full blown disaster, isn't it? >> that's what what was being said. you might not like that obama hasn't fulfilled the promises but everything you want and everything we have worked for will go out the window. part of what feingold was saying was that you know, obama should be making campaign finance reform more of an issue at every campaign stop he does. it should be front and sernt and should be highlighted. exchange willing going on regardless of what he says. >> josh, that gets to the final point here. because it is tough o t.o. say, hey, tough finance campaign reform. i don't want to meet with the lobbyists and wall street people. jay carney had to say, yeah, we had a meeting in march. we brought a bunch of wall street people into the white house. how is a democrat going to win when he is bringing all these wall street fat cats into the white house and trying to appease them. that doesn't seem like a winning electoral strategy, does it? >> has been a concerted strategy for the white house for at least six months to a year or so. they felt they were losing traction with the business community. and you know, the business community was not hostile to obama when he came in. we got tremendous support on wall street. more people thought he got more support on wall street than bush did. maybe for a variety of reasons. but you're right, now he is having meetings in the blue room of the wlous. meetings to me that sound a lot like the coffees and things that president clinton got in a bunch of trouble for m 1996. they are pulling out all the stops to try to please the business community and do everything they can to, i don't know if they will get themselves on the democratic side, but maybe stop them from you know, diligently opposing the president in 2012. >> i hear you. look, it is all about the money unfortunately. we got to go to the next question for the panel. is there a fox in the governor's mansion? that's the question. a magazine last month reported that roger ails called governor chris christie and encouraged him to run for president. the white house gawker filed a request mr. new jersey's open records sakt for any correspondents between the two men. here is the response the website got. christie's office says they would quote be exempt from disclosure based on the executive privilege and well settled case law np p other words christie's staff refused to search for any records on the basis that ail says a confidential advisor whose comments should be shielded from public scrutiny. tina, do we have a problem when a republican governor or any governor says, yeah, i'm taking political advice from the guy who runs that major news channel, so i don't want to tell but it? >> right. if this story was told to you by someone who sat down next to you in an airport, you would think the guy was ready far tin hat. it really sounds like a conspiracy theory. but this is actually happened. this is not good. and chris christie should kind of come out and be honest with everyone just like he did with the helicopter. and you know, fess up to talking to ails. >> look, josh, shouldn't ails fess up? look, i secretly run the republican party and they all have to kiss my ring and that's the way this thing works. >> that's bragging, that's not fessing up. >> -- working for ails in the past 30 days, haven't they? it is a very unusual situation over there. i think you may be alluding to, it is more of an issue for ails than christie. it is an unusual news operation where the head of it is regularly dispensing advice to candidates. i wouldn't say it is illegal or unethical. but it is not the way in the last 20 or 30 years large news organizations behaved. even some advocacy media groups would be cautious about advising individual candidates about how to position themselves politically. >> amanda, sometimes people say rush limbaugh is head of the republican party. some of those people are rush limbaugh. when it was back it nixon. whether it was regan. whether it was ails crowning bush the winner in 2000. now viegz these candidates, isn't he the real head of the republican party? >> roger ails had the ear of many powerful republican politicians and they go on his network. their profile is boosted, as we have seen with sarah palin, newt gingrich, mike huckabee. they all benefit from this relationship ease he does as well. this will make the public question every time chris christie makes a decision that has to somehow do with roger ails's business interest. when chris christie goes on the media, what is he doing. when he does a political run, is he taking advice of roger ails? this race has a lot of problems for both men. >> tina, last question here. as fox news givees a million dollars and they have all these candidates, et cetera, et cetera. can they make a credible case? i know it is almost a joke. but of fair and balance? >> we thought that was sarcastic anyway. are we taking that seriously is now i thought it was like tongue in cheek. something that you say when you are being insincere. isn't that how that works? >> maybe you got it. maybe it was ironic all along. >> i just assumed. am i the only one? i thut that's what we agreed on. . yeah. >> all right. josh, amy and amanda. thank you. >> we'll be right back with this story. target goes union busting in an employee training video. the only problem, they hired union workers to make the video bp that's a great story. one of those union actors will join us in a minute and you've got to hear his hilarious quote on here. here it comes... here you go. good catch. perfect! alright now for the best part. let's see your pour. ohhh...let's get those in the bowl. these are way too good to waste, right? oh, yea. let's go for it... around the bowl and... [ male announcer ] share what you love... with who you love. mmmmm. kellogg's frosted flakes... they're g-r-r-reat! good catch dad. [ laughs ] and today, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief right to the site of your tough pain. ♪ in fact, it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. extra strength pain relief, twice as fast. >> just when you thought the paul ryan plan was outrageous, there is a new twist. turns out his family might make a lot of money on his own plan. that is unbelievable. we will tell you that in a little bit. [ male announcer ] if you're looking for a pickup truck, check out the miles per gallon. the length of the power train warranty. and the horsepower. only ram delivers this kind of muscle. that'll thin out the herd real quick. guts. glory. ram. >> tonight, 260 target workers in long island, new york will vote on whether or not to unionize. it is the closest any group of target employees has come to unionizing in two decades. if they vote yes, it would become the first union target store of more than 1700 across the country. targ target, like wal-mart, dissuaded hire employees from unionizing in years. they made a video in 2003 about the dangers of signing a union card. >> welcome to target, where we know you will have a terrific experience. i'm doug. >> i'm mr. massachusetts rea. if you started working here, you're already part of an important team in an important target store. >> that's right. >> doug and maria spent most of the 13-minute video talking about how bad unions are and how to deflect unions. but doug and maria aren't union employees of target, they are actors. union actors. rick rice, the actor who played doug, was asked about his role in the union video. he responded, quote, if someone hires me to play an rapist, does that make me a rapist? you take the job and you're an actor. am i pro union? absolutely. so we brought in the man who said it. he is a member of the screen actor's guild and he plays the president of the united states in a movie out this weekend. the "green lantern." rick, great to have you here. >> thank you very much. it is great to be here, cenk. >> when you made the video, were you at all uncomfortable with it. or did you look at the script and go, oh, boy, all right. >> well, you look at the script. i hadn't scent script before i got on the set. then you realize what's going on. you go awkward and there were moments there. but you look at everyone tos and producers and people and you are caught in a catch 22. i've been flown to location. i hadn't known what to expect, but there i was. >> that's interesting. so when you got there, they gave you the script. they today know you were union. apparently they didn't care. >> i have to presume they knew i was union. the people producing the video knew. i had to assume that target personnel knew. there were several there. i don't know that those are the same people in place today. i couldn't say. >> right. and they today pay union wages, which is a nice irony as well. >> it is. >> so talk to me about that. in your own experience, has your union been helpful to you? >> my union has been terrific for me. if you are in the business for a long time, i'm a freelance actor. i've been doing it for 35 years, 30 of those as a union actor. in different unions. but it is job to job, never continuous employment. you are in the situation. everyone's been fair. the working conditions for me, fantastic. but it was an odd situation, no doubt. >> rick, do actors have to do a lot of these videos? before you get a role in "green lantern" and a lot of other huge movies you've been in, is this how you pay the bills? >> it is. you are really never given a lot of choices as you emerge as an actor and evolving. i've been lucky enough to do a lot of good things so i don't have to make the similar choices. actors have to survive and i'm not the first apparently to have done that. there are hundreds or maybe even thousands, i can't say. but it is not unique. >> huge promotion for you from target employee to president in "green lantern." >> i'm not sure that's a promotion given the state of america right now. i'm not sure. >> rick, you've been great. we appreciate you joining us. >> thank. >> actor an union member, rickrights. >> when we come back, the epic con job. [ male announcer ] millions of men 45 and older just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies. more passion for the one ya love. more fun with your family and friends. it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. come on, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. [ male announcer ] so don't blame it on aging. talk to your doctor and go to isitlowt.com to find out more. can getting enough vegetables make you feel good? oh, yeah. v8 juice gives you 3 of your 5 daily servings of vegetables. v8. what's your number? >> all right, fun friday so we will squeeze in of course segment and con job segment in the last second. let's start with the of course segment. we have front and center for photo op celebrating a stimulus project, new york congressman richard hannah didn't like the stimulus when he was on the campaign trail. >> seems that everyday, congress finds new ways to spend an tax. a failed stimulus plan. >> failed stimulus, right? but hannah was more than happy to show up for ribbon cutting after building renovated with? stimulus money. and joins a group of republicans who have nothing good to say about the stimulus unless there a giant check and huge pair of scissors involved back in their home districts. more republicans talking out of both sides ever their house on stimulus? say it with me. of course. now our con job. paul ryan claims his budget plan would help the american people but what it really helps is his bank account. that's hour con job of the day. the daily beast is reporting that ryan would make a pretty penny if his proposal becomes law. he and his wife own four businesses that lease land. rye and plan includes $45 billion in energy tax breaks and subsidies. what a wonderful coincidence. it turns out this government welfare could be used by the very companies leasing ryan's land. ryan's office says he wasn't thinking about his business when he crafted those tax breaks. of course not. no, no, no. financial records show ryan made up to $177,000 from these leasing properties last year. the year before, he made up to $60,000. of koiof course we know it is n about profit for ryan. it is about serious decisions. >> we need to make responsible choices today to so our children don't have to make really painful choices tomorrow. >> what he really means is we need it make responsibility choices so he and his