a falling unemployment rate. who will win this fight? we'll break it down at the top of the show. also, mitt romney's people know he has an image problem, they love going negative, and romney blew his chance for a timely jeb endorsement. those are a few of the nuggets from the new ebook and we'll dish campaign gossip with the authors of "inside the circus." plus, is there really a gop war on women? democrats are dining out on that idea. republicans say it's all nonsense. we'll have that debate. and did you ever wonder what it might be like to text with hillary clinton? that fantasy has gone viral and it's in the "side show." and finally, let me finish with the best thing of all that happened this week. we begin with the economy and the presidential race, john heilemann is the national political correspondent for "national magazine," david corn is the author of the book called "showdown." guys, as i mentioned today, the unemployment rate notched down just a hair and total jobs added 120,000. although those numbers are headed in the right direction, the jobs numbers fell short of expectations. this morning, president obama expressed cautious optimism. >> we welcome today's news that our businesses created another 121,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate ticked down. but it's clear to every american that there will still be ups and downs along the way and that we've got a lot more work to do. >> republican reaction to the jobs numbers was far less charitable. presidential candidate mitt romney issued a statement saying this is a weakened very troubling jobs report. house speaker john boehner's statement said families and small businesses are still struggling to get by because of president obama's failed economic policies. john heilemann, do we make too much of these numbers? in other words, is there something visceral? some kind of feeling out there amongst the electorate that is more important than whether it's 8.2% as an unemployment rate or 7.4%? >> well, michael, i think the most important thing is that -- the economy and the most reflection of the economy is the picture on job growth and the most important thing about both of those things is the trend. so if the economy's improving, even if it's improving a little bit, people get a sense from the numbers that we're making progress. that's good for president obama, bad for mitt romney. if we're backing up, if the gains of the last couple few months are suddenly heading in the opposite direction as the numbers today suggested, which is to say much below expectations, half of what people had expected and there's a lot of private sector forecasters who think that q-3 could be very bad, the third quarter of the year heading into the election, high gas prices almost inevitable this summer. if the trend is in the wrong direction, very bad news for president obama and very good news for mitt romney. >> i'm going to come back to trends in just a moment because we have an interesting analysis to share with you. let me ask david corn first. is it the subjective or objective that matters most relative to these figures and the economy generally? >> well, if you're talking about voters, it's the subjective that is important. it's how people feel. you go back to the '92 campaign and people argue that the recession -- george h.w. bush recession was already over, but people still felt it wasn't. it's true how people feel that's going to dictate the voting in november, not what's actually happening on the ground which is hard to capture sometimes with the statistics. we're going to have several months of these reports between now and november. and really what happens in september/october that gives people the final sense of where the economy is moving in the right direction or not, and that can all be determined also -- don't forget by external circumstances. the japanese tsunami, the greek financial crisis, there's a lot of stuff outside the president's control that could buffet the economy and our political stability. >> i guess what i'm saying is that it's hard for folks at home to follow along some of the time. you're going to hear from one side, well, the unemployment rate is high at 8.2%, and the other side is going to say, yes, but we've had 25 straight months of job growth. let me turn to john heilemann's thought about trends. this is really interesting. conventional wisdom holds it's the unemployment rate on election day that determines a president's fate. no u.s. president has won reelection with a jobless rate above 6% except for ronald reagan. it was 7.2% when he won reelection that was november of 1984. but nbc "wall street journal" pollster, who is a republican, says that voters' impressions of the economy are locked in in the late spring of an election year and it's that mind set that they take into the november booth. and here are three good examples of what he's referring to. in president george h.w. bush's first and only term, the unemployment rate was trending downward, a good thing, loading into election day. so logic holds that voters would have been willing to give him four more years with the jobs outlook then improving. but in the crucial late spring months that we've highlighted here, the unemployment rate was rising, and according to the theory, it was that impression that voters took to the polls. same pattern for president jimmy carter. the unemployment rate was headed down in the lead-up to the november election, but in that april, may, june springtime frame, unemployment was rising and carter lost the reelection bid despite an improving jobs picture. now a trend line for a president who won a second term despite a punishing unemployment rate that topped 10% during his first term because it was heading in the right direction, downward. voters gave him four more years. david corn, sounds like an s.a.t. question, i know. logic dictates that right now we're in the time sequence that matters most not post labor day. >> you know, i -- i -- i take that point. but also i think we live in a different world where information is absorbed and chewed up and spit out faster than back in those daysment people's impressions, i think, are subject to change. back and forth between now and the election. and also, i do think that the weakness mitt romney has shown as a candidate is strategically important and can overturn a lot of these other trend issues. now, he has time to find his footing between now and november, but if he can't, people are still going to be judging these two men against this backdrop of what they think may or may not be happening with the economy. >> john heilemann, does it make sense to you if it's been this way since '52? >> it does and it makes sense for an odd reason. i had a conversation a few months ago with the political director for bill clinton in 1996. and doug has done a similar kind of analysis only he's looked at approval ratings for presidents and found that the trend lines and what's happening with the presidential approval in the winter and spring of an election year matters more than what's happening toward the end of the year. so this kind of jives with that. and i'm sure there's some correlation between those two numbers and i think it is true. i think david is right. there's no question that in the media environment, people do absorb things more quickly. but, at the same time, people are now, especially now, thinking hard about the economy for four years of barack obama for 3 1/2 years of barack obama's presidency. i think they have -- their views about where things are headed right now are being shaped, they are being formed. that's why the white house right now is hammering on mitt romney and paul ryan so hard because they know that the springtime leading into the summer where the summer's going to be quiet. we have the olympics, there's a lot of other things going on in the summer. this is the time when impressions do get formed. not decisively, but they get formed importantly, and that's why both sides are trying to frame each other up right now. >> how about if things are headed in the right direction but not as quickly as anyone would like. >> it should have been improving at a more rapid pace. >> romney has the benefit of not having it subjected to any fact checking. he keeps implying that he had been in charge the last few days we'd be in a much better place even though he was against the auto rescue plan. so he can make the argument, that really will -- that argument will register depending on what people think of barack obama. and whether they feel he has a grip on the economy and what to do and -- in the months and years ahead. they think he doesn't, then they'll be more susceptible to mitt romney's i could have done it better, i will do it better argument. if they see things going a better way and not impressed by romney who has been turning off women voters and independent voters particularly in swing states, they may give obama a second shot. i think this election could turn over -- upturn some of our assumptions about how things work because of the particulars of the candidate. >> john heilemann, you wonder if in boston the romney headquarters, they're hoping as americans that those numbers come down as quickly as they can or as romneyites anxious to elect their man is something different. >> i suspect their reactions are probably both. i don't -- i wouldn't accuse any of those people of being unpatriotic and they want to see the country in a better place. they obviously think that mitt romney would be the person that would help the country to get to a better place faster. again as david said, that's hard to test. there's no question they see political advantage in the economy turning downward. and there's -- and they're ready to capitalizen o that. it is the best -- given all the damage that romney has suffered or inflicted on himself the last several months, it's the best way for him to win if this economy turns south over the next couple of months. >> thank you for being with us, gentlemen. coming up, inside the romney campaign. turns out his top advisers know he has an image problem and they love going negative. lots of gossip from the republican campaign. this is "hardball." this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. and pampers cruisers with 3-way fit helps them do it. they adapt at the waist, legs and bottom with up to 12 hours of protection. ♪ pampers. it's time to play. no surprise here, blacks and whites are dramatically divided over the question of george zimmerman's interest in the trayvon martin shooting case. a new gallup poll finds african-americans are five times more likely to say that zimmerman is definitely guilty of a crime than nonblacks. and they're twice as likely to say that zimmerman would have been arrested if the person he shot were white. we'll be right back. we have customers all over the united states. we rely on the postal service for everything that we do. the eastern maine processing facility is vital to our operation and our success. if we lose this processing facility we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times. we would have to consider layoffs as a result of that. closure of this plant will affect all of us. ♪ ♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪ ♪ at free-credit-score-dot-com now let's go. ♪ vo: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. well, welcome back to "hardball," it's been a long primary season for republican voters who have watched about half dozen front runners come and go. and yet, still standing, mitt romney. an unnatural politician who has run a tight ship of operatives, many of whom love to take down opponents standing in their way. the incredible story of romney, santorum, gingrich, and the rest is all condensed into a readable ebook called "inside the circus" the second in a series from politico. and with me are the co-authors evan thomas and politico's mike allen. gentlemen, you talk about the image issue that has surrounded the romney campaign and outside romney campaign adviser told you in the book, "they haven't been able to grapple with the central issue and central challenge they face as a campaign. that is, that in the absence of a candidate who has any poetry, who has any ability to connect on an emotional level. how do you create a bond? if you're a super charismatic candidate like george w. bush or john mccain, they ran without a bold agenda. they had more emotional level, value levels way to connect with voters. this guy doesn't have it. he has all the warmth of a wall street ceo." evan, is it essential that at some p point he connect or can voters simply say, look, you know, i can't have a beer with him, but i think he can turn the economy around. >> well, as you were saying at the top of the show, if the economy tanks and if unemployment goes way up, he can win by default. but, sure, i mean -- he's got to do -- he's got to do better than he's done. he's been a bad politician. he's got to find a way to be -- i don't like this word, relatable, some way to relate to voters. and they haven't figured it out. th they're going to try. you're going to see a lot more of romney telling his story and how he's helping people. >> on jay leno the other night, david gregory was talking about what he thinks really drives romney. and he says at his core is his faith and yet seems reluctant to talk about it. what's been said about how much he should openly embrace his faith and use it as a means to allowing people see what's at his core? >> well, one of the first things we've learned behind the scenes of this campaign to do this series of ebooks for randomhouse was that akn knethey knew from beginning that mormonism was going to be a tough issue for him. he lives his faith. we know that before a debate he and mrs. romney will step aside and say a little prayer. but they know that if they get into teaching theology in a campaign, that they're going to be way off their message. so from the beginning they've said that for people who attacked mormonism they were going to be very tough on them that they were going to label it bigotry, that they were not going to let any attacks on mormonism slide, but they weren't going to talk about it any more than necessary. and this is part of the dilemma that evan and i discover. that they can't really decide how much as one adviser said to open up the kimono. how much to show of mitt romney. is he too scripted? or is he not scripted enough? so as evan mentioned i think in the coming days we're going to see him doing more. see him sort of this is your life for mitt romney. going around the country, showing his life experiences in an effort to get to people to relate to him. in the end, we vote for people we like. >> here's another one of your revelations speaking of hardball tactics used to destroy opponents. a senior romney adviser told you, " so their view is he's dead, but wait a minute, we've got more bullets in our gun, let's keep shooting because you never know." evan, they relish going negative. >> one of them talked about his wife had been reading a book about vampires, and you have to dig them up, burn them, and scatter their ashes. the problem is, they don't have a winning candidate. what else are they going to do? they're good at it. they ran effective, negative ads, they way outspent their opponents and basically buried them in negative ads. i'm not sure that's going to work against obama. but look for it, you'll see a lot of negative stuff this fall. >> there are a lot of great nuggets, including this. mike allen, you report there was no romney research on santorum just a couple of days out from iowa. in other words, he completely took them by surprise. >> well, he took everybody by surprise. i don't think you and i thought that rick santorum was exactly going to be the republican redeemer. but he came out of iowa with his head of steam and the romney campaign had to adapt to that quickly. also with gingrich, they didn't think he was the threat that he was either. and so they took their foot off his throat as one adviser said to me as he came out of new hampshire and they got beat in south carolina. so the night of mitt romney's big win in florida, i said to one of the folks outside the victory speech. i said, so, are we done with newt gingrich? are you going to be able to let go of him? no, he's been dead before. they were going to make sure this time he was good and dead. >> here's another one from "inside the circus." who can forget this night in october that had everyone wondering what was up with rick perry? let's take a refresher. >> we're kind of into those slogans, live free or die, victory or death. bring it. they print any more money in washington, the goal's going to be good. 20% flat tax, take your deductions off, send it in. the good news is that little plan i shared with you doesn't force the granite state to expand your tax footprint. if you know what i mean. it's like 9% since expansion. >> evan, is there an explanation as to that behavior? >> well, i'm not sure. we talked to somebody before the debate was down in the men's room there in hanover, new hampshire, and he came in the bathroom singing "i've been working on the railroad," and he was still singing. so who knows? the story was that he had a bad back and really bad back and he was on pain medication as anybody would be. two hours is a long time to stand at a podium and, you know, he may have been just -- had a little bit too much pain medication. >> and michael, the campaign said that back medication was not a factor in the campaign but his back pain surely was. and me got into the race late. he hadn't been planning to -- some of his advisers became free after they'd worked for newt gingrich. and so after this very tough surgery, he was on the road, and one of the fascinating things that evan and i have discovered as we dug in to these campaigns was the physical rigger of the campaign. one thing that evan always asked these guys about is he says to the candidate, there's only a couple of people in the world who know what is really like. and as we talk to these guys about what it's really like, we think of the physical or psychic toll. but it's a very physical job, as well. and so when rick perry has to stand at a fundraiser and take pictures with 100 donors and has a bad back, one of his first fundraisers told us they could only schedule 50 when they wanted to do 100. and so when you get into a debate that's in two hours, you can imagine if you have screaming back pain, well, that's going to have a big effect. >> in your book "inside the circus," you also portray calista gingrich as being, i don't know if controlling is the right word. how about exhibiting a lot of influence in that campaign and being concerned about the way in which she's represented or depicted. evan, can you speak to that? >> well, one of the people we talked to, mike and i had dinner with, talked about maintenance. a lot of calista maintenance that goes on in the campaign. you know, taking care of her. she likes to travel first class, she likes to come home on the weekend. one of these key weekends she was smelling the cherry blossoms with newt instead of campaign. the next week she plays an instrument in the -- at the -- one of the cathedrals here. you know, they cater to her. now, that's not such a bad thing because you've got, you know you've got to help the candidate's wife. but i think as candidate's wife goes, she's pretty controlling. >> did she also photo shop or play a role in the photo shopping of her own paragraphs? >> yeah, that was an unusual duty for one of the gingrich aides. they sad no campaign resources went to it. but there was some work done on the photos. and it was a sign of the very candidate-focused control. they told us all the orders in that campaign come not from the campaign manager, not from headquarters, but from the bus. speaker gingrich calls in on his cell phone and tells them what he wants. we're told that at one point he was even calling in -- and this is any former campaign operative's nightmare calling in saying he wanted more yard signs in michigan. it's such an unusual campaign. one of the people who works for us told us it was like a think tank with yard signs. somebody had to explain, we can't get more yard signs, we didn't pay for the last shipment yet. and one of the few times that we really see newt gingrich exploding, we hear him in anger in a meeting with his staff just a couple weeks ago, and that's the miracle of the ebooks, something that happened a couple of weeks ago. we made changes to the last moment. he found out that he was far in debt. and he was saying this isn't my fault. whose fault is this? and that was what he called a halftime meeting, i think the chances that last week are halftime for the gingrich campaign now pretty low. >> the ebook is called "inside the circle." good luck with it. >> michael, thanks for having us on. up next, wonder what it would be like to text with hillary clinton? well, stick around for the side show. and follow me on twitter if you can figure out how to spell smerconish. you're watching "hardball." need any help? uh, nope. just, uh, checking out my ad. nice. but, you know, with every door direct mail from the postal service, you'll find the customers that matter most: the ones in your neighborhood. print it yourself, or we'll help you find a local partner. and postage is under 15 cents. i wish i would have known that cause i really don't think i chose the best location. it's not so bad. i mean you got a deal... right? 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[ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪ only hertz gives you a carfirmation. hey, this is challenger. i'll be waiting for you in stall 5. it confirms your reservation and the location your car is in, the moment you land. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. back to "hardball." and now for the "side show." first up, now that most everyone is convinced that mitt romney has clinched the nomination, some of the focus has turned to the veepstakes. sarah palin suggested that romney should go rogue and choose alan west of florida. do you think the congressman dodged the question as tradition demands? >> if someone were to make that call to me, which i really doubt is ever going to happen, you would have to make sure that it is something that god would ordain for you and you would have to talk to your wife and if it's the right fit, i would do so. >> do you like mitt romney? do you support his views? would you feel comfortable on a ticket with him? >> well, you know, i've never been out on a dinner date with him if that's what you're asking me. i don't know if i would like him, but i think we would have to sit down and discuss -- >> maybe romney should check with john mccain about that whole going rogue thing. and here's one that can get women reeling when they head to the dry cleaners. it's more expensive to bring in a blouse than a man's oxford shirt. aren't they the same thing? today barack obama acknowledged that on a white house forum on women and the economy. >> yes, we've got a lot more to do, but there's no doubt we've made progress. soon insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage based on preh-existing conditios like breast cancer or charge women more -- we haven't gotten o the dry cleaning thing yet, though. i know that's still -- that's still frustrating. and now for a bit of friday fun. do you ever wonder what it's like to text with hillary clinton or read what she's texting to other people? that's the focus of a new tumbler account that's gone viral in the past couple of days. the idea was hatched when two d.c. communication professionals caught sight of this photo and got creative. take a look. from president obama, hey, hill, what you doing? her response, running the world. then condoleezza rice talking to former president bush. so then i sent her a text saying i think i left my favorite sunglasses in the desk. and from clinton, sorry, condi, haven't seen them. and finally an adaption from the movie "mean girls" from sarah palin. i'm not a regular mom, i'm a cool mom, right, hillary? and the response -- please stop talking. up next, democrats are pushing the idea of a republican-led war on women. republicans, they say it's fiction. what's really going on here? we're going to have that debate. you're watching "hardball." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ flapping continues ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at nissan, our ideal is innovation. 5 all-new models over the next 15 months, including a completely reimagined altima. welcome to our most innovative year ever. nissan. innovation for all. ♪ i'm melissa rayberger, here's what's happening. the unemployment rate dropped to 8.2% in march, but the total number of jobs added, 120,000 of them fell short of expectations. a fiery scene in virginia beach after a navy fighter jet crashed into an apartment complex. seven people were hurt, amazingly, nobody was killed. and the maryland woman who claims she held one of the winning tickets to the $656 million jackpot now says she lost it. back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." women's issues have dominated the news over the past few months. contraception, the susan g. komen foundation and planned parenthood, even rush limbaugh's comments about a georgetown law student, democrats have attempted to seize the moment, portraying republicans as being at war against women. here was the president speaking at a women's event just this morning. >> there's been a lot of talk about women and women's issues lately as there should be. but i do think the conversation's been oversimplified. women are not some monolithic block. women are not an interest group. you shouldn't be treated that way -- >> joan walsh is editor at large for salon.com and an msnbc political analyst and ron christie is a republican strategist who worked in the bush 43 white house. joan, a skeptic or critic might say the president is treating women as a monolithic group when standing in that forum he makes those comments. your thoughts? >> well, this president has made women's issues a priority. it's not just an election year thing, it goes back to 2009. his very first act, i believe, was signing the equal pay act which republicans have blocked. and i find it so ironic the president is having this wonderful forum for women and scott walker is actually signing a bill that reduces equal pay protection for women. so it's not just about contraception. that's really the funny part. you've got a republican party that is behind the ryan budget, which slashes medicaid, slashes medicare, which disproportionately helps women. there's so many issues beyond contraception, and it's not democrats making republicans do these things that women perceive as hurting their interests. >> ron christie, is it immediate creation this whole notion that the gop is at war with women? >> of course, it is, michael. i find it ironic, here we are in april of an election year and the democrats have nothing to say whatsoever about the president's record. and instead they go ahead and manufacture crises. in this particular case, i think it's very offensive we have brave men and women on the battlefields in afghanistan and iraq in an actual war and yet you hear propaganda saying the republicans are against women. one bit of fact here. since president obama has come into office, you have had 683,000 women who have lost their job. the unemployment rate for women has gone up from 7% to 8.1%. so if we look at the president's policies and what the democrats have done, they have disproportionately impacted women in a negative way and opposed to looking at the real facts, the democrats want to take us on a propaganda tour. >> here's mitt romney in an interview this week trying to explain how democrats have taken hold of this issue. >> there's no question that over the past several weeks that any discussion about religious liberty was distorted into a discussion of contraceptives. and there was the perception that somehow the republicans are opposed to contraceptives. i think it was a most unfortunate twist by our democrat friends. i think this will pass as an issue as people understand our real position. i, for instance, have made it very clear, i do not oppose contraception. the women i speak with and the women that my wife speaks with tell her that their number one issue is the economy. >> joan walsh, he says religious liberty is at stake here not a battle over contraception. >> it's just not true, michael. i mean the democrats weren't the ones that took the house a year ago and made one of their first crusades the de-funding of planned parenthood. now i know republicans like to demonize planned parenthood, but 1 in 5 women goes there in her lifetime. the republicans missed the opportunity to repudiate rush limbaugh when he said those horrible things about sandra fluke and the republicans have been opposing person hood amendments. all the republicans have signed on to these ridiculous amendments that would criminalize certain forms of contraception. so democrats didn't do those things. democrats didn't make republicans do those things. these are their positions, they don't like to have them pointed out to them. but women are seeing it. >> ron, you'll have the chance to respond to that, but let me put it in the context of alaska republican senator lisa murkowski and what she said. she took a tough line against her own party when she told a radio station she couldn't believe the gop has been making an issue out of contraception and here's the quote. it makes no sense to make this attack on women. if you don't feel this is an attack, you need to go home and talk to your wife and your daughters. your thoughts? >> i like senator murkowski, but she's dead wrong on this. it's president obama and obama care that has made it the issue here. the fact of the matter is, the president came out with a unilateral proclamation and said if you are an institution of faith and providing services, you have to provide contraception even if that's against your religious tennance. it's president obama who is doing this, michael. and the thing i would point out is the president doesn't want to actually talk about his single handedly trying to force institutions of faith and providers to provide something against the religion and instead make this a phony war on cont contracepti contraception. the democrats want to demagogue and make this an issue about gender. they're so obsessed with gender and race in society and republicans are interested about policy solutions by looking at people as individuals. >> i hear what you say, but when the president offered a compromise that was such that a religious institution would not have been providing or i should say paying for contraception, the catholic bishops balked at that. who is then being intolerable, right? >> right. >> i would say they looked a the this, read it carefully, said it was still forced them to provide these services against their religious faith. why are we forcing as a government institutions of faith to do something that's against -- >> if i'm a presbyterian working as an e.r. nurse, i'm going to be denied contraception that the church wouldn't be paying for? it would be paid for by the insurance company. >> this whole notion that republicans are trying to deny people contraception is ridiculous. they can go to pharmacies. this is in the president's health care bill. this is nothing the republicans did. >> joan walsh? >> first of all the associate came out for the compromise. they like what president obama did. second of all, it is merely regulating insurance companies and saying they should provide contraception without a co-pay. frankly because it saves them money. it's been ridiculous that all of these years we've had to pay steep costs for contraception because it actually saves the insurer money and the employer money. and there was always a religious exemption. churches were always carved out of this. so they are -- i'm sorry, ron, i like you, you are the ones who have made this an issue. the president brought it out immediately came to a compromise when he saw that there was some objection. everyone has moved on. everyone likes the compromise except the bishops and the republican party. >> ron, may i ask this because whatever might be driving it, it's undeniable there's a gender divide thus far in this campaign. there's always to a certain extent a gender divide. it seems pronounced. 18 points in that gallup survey. if you were whispering in the ear of the campaign, what would you be telling them to do about it? >> i would say go out and talk about why your vision for the country is strong, why your vision will increase the economy and economic productivity. and when it comes to looking at people as individuals, we recognize that men and women have certain different health needs that need to be addressed and the government will not inhibit those institutions of faith that will provide services but at the same time we need to look at people not based on their race, gender, but looking at people as individuals. that's what i'd say to the camp. >> john walsh, ron christie, thank you for being with us. up next, the incredible story, great story of jim abbott, a pitcher who found much success in the major leagues despite having been born with only one hand. jim abbott joins us next. this is "hardball." mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. you get a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more cash -- well, except her. no! but, i'm about to change that. ♪ every little baby wants 50% more cash... ♪ phhht! fine, you try. 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[ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. ♪ what's in your wallet? ♪ what's in your...your... a united states marine who criticized president obama on his facebook page is facie inin dismissal from the corps. an administrative board found that 26-year-old gary stein committed misconduct by posting what it called contemptuous comments about the president. among them, calling the president a "coward" and also the economic and religious enemy. the recommendation came after a day long hearing during which sergeant stein's attorneys argue he was exercising his right to free speech. but the military has had a policy since the civil war limiting the free speech of service members including criticism of the commander in chief. we'll be right back. if you're one of those folks who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... well, shoot, that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! 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[ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. hey, we're back. when my next guest was a high school pitcher, this is what a major league scout wrote about him in a notebook. left-handed pitcher, great arm, good change-up, makings of a breaking ball, natural cutter, big competitor, good athlete, good hitter, and then added a final line, has no right hand. if it were up to jim abbott, there would be no mention of the fact he had no right hand. jim abbott has written a new memoir "imperfect." he's joining me now from los angeles. you never wanted to be known that way. that's not something you would have put in your own personnel file. >> well, i wanted to prove myself. you know, i chose to play baseball and it was my way of fighting back. and when i walked on that baseball field, i wanted to be seen like every other competitor out there. i didn't want any quarter given. so i would rather be judged for how i pitched, you know, rather than, you know, how well i pitched. >> my executive producer said before i welcomed you, jim. he said played football, what position? go ahead, tell him. >> i was a quarterback in high school. >> of course. everybody wants to know, how were you able to do it? relative to pitching. how were you able to manage the glove placement? what's the short version of that? >> well, you know, my dad bought me a baseball glove when i was 4 or 5 years old and we went out in the front yard and started learning how to play catch. i had to throw and catch with the same hand. i used to wear the right-handers' glove, cradle the glove, pull the ball out, finish the rotation, let the glove rest on my right hand, throw the ball, and have it ready to put right back on. >> and some -- at all different stages of your career because you've had success -- i mean all-american at the university of michigan, a gold medallist for our olympic team, and i'm going to get to your big moment playing for the yankees. but all through the stages, different hitters tried to take advantage of you by bunting, true? >> they did. but i chose to play baseball. i didn't -- i didn't expect anybody to take it easy on me. if they -- if that's why you play. and that's what i expected. when i went out there on the pitchers mound, if they thought my fielding was going to be a weakness, i expected that bunt. and i was ready for it. i worked hard on it. you know, i realize that i had to field my position well if i wanted to be as good as everybody else. >> opening position well. >> opening day was yesterday. you lived every american kid's dream. you pitched a no-hitter as a new york yankee at yankee stadium. will you take us back to that final inning? at what point did you realize this could happen? >> i think it was about the sixth innings. i was sitting in the dugout, my jacket on, my water, and my pitching buddies, and i looked up at the score board, yankees 4, indians 0, and they didn't have any hits yet. and then you think two more innings or nine more outs, and that's a doable thing. >> nobody every acknowledges that. nobody says, jim abbott, you have a no hitter going here. >> baseball is superstition, when it's going well, your teammates quit talking to you. so every inning, i would be six outs away and they would be six feet away from me. >> the book "imperfect and improbable life" the grounds crew dug up the pitching rub tore give you. >> i got to the clubhouse, feeling great, the game keeps going, but i was reliving the moment, the entire grounds crew dug out the pitching rubber in the mound there. they had everybody on the team sign it, including the umpire, and they presented it to me. it was such a nice gesture. they did all of that work, and it's my most cherished item from the game. >> there was one instance when you said there's an autograph i just can't give, can you tell that story? >> i wanted to spend my life moving past the label. there are times you come up against the label and you can't move past it. one time i was asked for an autograph on a baseball with a man, pete grey, had autographed it. and the gentleman wanted only our signatures on it. i told him i was reluctant to sign it. it just seemed to me like a piece of memorabilia that was trying to exploit a physical difference. >> while you don't want to exploit it, you do recognize that you're an inpicture ration not only for those with all their limbs but those that don't. our mutual friend told me he was at the barnes and noble and was overwhelmed by the number of individu individuals with disabilities and want you to sign prosthetic limbs. >> i have been amazed at how many cards, e-mails, and letters i get from moms, dads, and kids that face challenges of every kind. baseball has a reach in that way, and i would try to respond to those request. i would send a letter or photo, but i felt like the response was inadequate, that there was no way to summarize the experience from the people of my hometown and my parents. in a lot of ways my book, "imperfect" is a response in the long form. this is what i went through and experienced. and i hope you can relate and find inspiration. >> the book is terrific. jim abbott, a man who through a no hitter with one hand and is doing lots of inspirational thing wst his life. >> michael, thanks for having me, i appreciate it. >> when we return, allow me to finish with a few thoughts about baseball and the break that it provides. you're watching "hardball." impact wool exports from new zealand, textile production in spain, and the use of medical technology in the u.s.? 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[ buzzer ] do you like to travel? i'm all about "free travel," babe. that's what i do. [ buzzer ] balance transfers -- you up for that? well... too soon? [ female announcer ] fortunately, there's an easier way with creditcards.com. compare hundreds of cards from every major bank, and find the one that's right for you. creditcards.com. it's simple. search, compare, and apply. finally, let me finish tonight with this. i'm sure i speak for many when i say i'm happy it's friday and a holiday weekend is here. i am all e-mailed out, iphone overload, and i'll take a break from social media. this technology leaves nowhere to hide. last summer i was speaking to a business associate, he heard waves crashing around me, and he said i was working in a bathing suit, and he was right. major legal baseball is back and not a moment too soon. this is what the doctor ordered and we could use this kind of a breather. "the star-spangled banner," a beer, a hot dog, a pause from the plait, a guy grabbing his crotch. a 7th inning stretch and the foul ball that never comes my way. maybe an argument at home plate, and a scratchy radio signal with people who are legends. they're all part of the major league baseball experience. it's nice to know it will last six months. there will be texting between innings, but baseball's slow tempo provides relaxes relief, a welcome change up for the fast pace of life. happy passover, happy easter. welcome to "politicsnation," i'm al sharpton. we
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