and if we pay for it the way romney claims he's going to pay for it by eliminating loopholes, then obviously if everything is paid for, the middle class is going to have to pay more. and it is -- an absolute lie what the romney campaign has been putting out about this program and there are no details other than the cuts and it is a completely irresponsible program and the amazing thing to me about the romney campaign at this point is that every single day that they seem to step in something else. today was welfare reform. >> yeah. let's take a look at this. here is how the president pinned that romney hood tag on romney last might. it is funny, biting and may just stick. it says in one word romney would help the rich and hurt everyone else and lets listen to it. >> he'd ask the middle class to pay more in taxes so he could give another $250,000 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year. it is like robin hood in reverse. it is romney hood. >> well, i think romney woke up this morning with that arrow pointed into his forehead because he came back with this. today his staff obviously came up with a comeback line for him because he's not that original. he saved it for his favorite resting hole, fox news. >> we have been watching the president say a lot of things about me and about my policies. and it is not right. and if i were to coin a term it would be obama-loney. he serving up a dish which is simply in contradiction of the truth. it relates to everything from how i'm going to help the middle class to tax policy. he simply is saying things that are not accurate. >> well, the robin hood theme, the president introduced last night, has gone out there on the web and lots of people are talking about it. look at this. site called men generator has a romney hood page. here it is. romney hood takes from the poor ask gives to the rich. tax breaks for me but not for thee. sherwood forest, where are all the trees? all the trees, i should say, are all the right height. playing off another number there. when you look at the numbers here, guys, it is true. if you are going to cut everybody 20%, look at what happens. say you are in the 35% bracket right at the top. that means you saved $70,000 off a million bucks. in the lower bracket you don't get a 7% tax cut and get like a 2% tax cut. 20% off of 10% in the lower straight a 2% cut. 20% off of 35 pes% gets you dow 28%. there is nothing fair about it. it shifts the tax breaks to the top and shifts the burden to the bottom, howard. it is so obvious. you can't deny when he said himself. >> no. i don't think you can. as joe was pointing out part of the problem romney has and one reason he leaves himself so vulnerable in this and other cases, is that he does than give details of what he supposedly is talking about. >> about the bracket of eliminati elimination. it says the tax cuts will be 20%. >> i know. that's clear, too. joe said that you have got to pay for it somehow. if you don't explain it, then people are going to assume rightly the worst. they are going to assume you will take away tax benefits or tax breaks that benefit the middle class. time and time again, romney ace lack of specificity, unwillingness to talk about his taxes, life, tax plan, leaves him open to this kind of attack justifiably and i know the romney people that i talked to earlier today, they are in a sort of -- mood right now, they are furious about the other attacks. but they don't seem -- >> why did -- why didn't he answer what was in his bag when he went to the hardware store? why did he say grocery stuff? what's the big secret? >> that's typical, joe. >> joe? >> it is no surprise that the guy is awkward. i think the point that howard is making is important here. romney said that he was than just giving these cuts but that they would be revenue neutral. that he would pay for them. however, what the tax policy center which incidentally is an organization that the romney campaign was praising during the primaries, what the tax policy center proved, was that there aren't enough tax loopholes to pay for this unless you start going into things like the -- mortgage interest deduction and the charitable tax deduction and a lot of other things that really, really affect the middle class in important way. >> more than that, chris, i think that -- in this and other things, mitt romney doesn't seem to quite get the idea that he needs to be forthcoming about what he's proposing to do. >> let's face it. mitt is in his program here and plan that the biggest beneficiaries of his whole economic program as he released it are people at the very top, they get the biggest break of taxes and aren't enough loopholes in the world at the top. especially to pay for these. in other words, the rich are going to get richer and people that -- bottom are going on pay for it. that's obvious. i wonder what his plan is to explain that. >> i don't think he has one. i asked -- >> earlier today, i asked one ever his people about it today. they said why do you want to talk about this tax plan? we want to talk about harry reid being like joe mccarthy. don't talk about the tax plan. talk about what a horrible guy barack obama is. >> joe, let's run through the envin torre what he won't talk bp he is not going to talk about his religion. he can do a better explanation but that's his call. totally political position. he does want to talk about his job as governor of massachusetts. he does want to admit he was a moderate up there. he doesn't want to talk about his business because he can't explain whatever. he won't talk about what's in his grocery bag or what he bought at the hardware store. he won't explain his tax plan. he is willing to say one thing, economy sucks, let's get rid of obama. that's all he ever basically says. isn't it? >> this has to be the -- you know, one of the least -- if not the least substantive campaign i have ever seen. he won't talk about -- well, nixon and -- nixon had a secret plan at the end of the war. in this case, he won't talk about what he is going to do to replace obama care if he repeals it which he can't do. has never said what he would do about financial reform, about breaking up the big banks on wall street. and his tax plan is now a mirage. the guy and -- you know, in foreign policy, over and over again, he makes a fool of himself saying very aggressive things that have no basis in fact or reamount. or detail. >> i think the next thing that they are going to talk about, chris, on the -- from the romney side, they are going to try to make an issue of the way they are saying barack obama and the democrats are running their campaign. in other words, they are going to talk about the harry reid attack on -- on taxes and so on. and they are going to -- they are going to run a -- have you no decency mr. president. the -- >> that's -- let's take a look. that's equally lacking in -- saying you are going to do it. >> running a tough, aggressive campaign is exactly how romney got this. here is a new obama ad that goes directly at how little romney pays in taxes. it isn't just effective. it is true. "washington post" political fact checking site which gives out pinocchios for untruth and this -- rarely seen gepetto. here is part of the ad. >> work hard, stretch every penny. but chances are you pay a higher tax rate than him. mitt romney made $20 million in 2010. but paid only 14% in taxes. probably less than you. >> so now they have the one tax return he has given us. they are hitting him on that one. >> yeah. i think it is a fair -- >> your thoughts,y pet owe according to the post is accurate. last word. >> you know, this hasn't been a really high-minded campaign on obama's part either. but, you know, when you look at the stuff that romney rolls out day after day, and you see how the democrats are countering it with their research as they did today on welfare reform, you have -- just have to say that the democrats are maybe one or two steps ahead of the romney camp so far in the thrust of this campaign. >> i think there's something stiff about the guy as a candidate. he is not offering us who he is. whoever he is. thank you, howard, joe. thanks for coming. categorically false and blatantly dishonest. that's what the house called romney's attack on new welfare requirements. welfare queens. also, hate music. racist and vim enmusic that was relished by the man behind sunday's mass killings at a sikh temple. what we are learning about the underground source of hate. hate rock. sarah palin is ready for a close-up but does the romney campaign want the camera on her? debate over whether palin should have a prime time role at the republican convention. nothing goes away. especially not sarah palin. finally, dinosaurs living side-by-side with human environmentalists. desperate to -- environmentalists to destroy the world's health. catch the textbooks they are using in louisiana. ♪ ♪ i want to go ♪ i want to win [ breathes deeply ] ♪ this is where the dream begins ♪ ♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try ♪ i can almost touch the sky [ male announcer ] even the planet has an olympic dream. dow is proud to support that dream by helping provide greener, more sustainable solutions from the olympic village to the stadium. solutionism. the new optimism.™ ♪ this dream >> voters are heading to the polls in four states. missouri, washington state, kansas and michigan. most interesting race out there tonight is the republican primary for cincinnati in missouri among congressman todd akin, sarah steelman and john brunner. winner takes on claire mccaskill. she is vulnerable. she's a friend of this show. [ female announcer ] e-trade was founded on the simple belief that bringing you better technology helps make you a better investor. with our revolutionary e-trade 360 dashboard you see exactly where your money is and what it's doing live. our e-trade pro platform offers powerful functionality that's still so usable you'll actually use it. and our mobile apps are the ultimate in wherever whenever investing. no matter what kind of investor you are, you'll find the technology to help you become a better one at e-trade. welcome back to "hardball." welfare conjures up memories of welfare queens. remember how clinton talked about it then? it is back. thanks to a new misleading romney campaign. take a look at this one. >> in 1996, president clinton and a bipartisan congress helped end welfare as we know it. by requiring work for welfare. on july 12, president baunder o you wouldn't have to work and wouldn't have to train for a job. they just send you your welfare check. welfare to work goes to back being plain old welfare. mitt romney will restore the work requirement because it works. >> that's a devastating added. last month, the department of health and human services allows states to review waivers to implement their own programs from welfare recipients and not only do d two republican states recently ask for them but mitt romney himself support similar plans tore states when he was governor of massachusetts. sam stein rights for the huffington post. let me ask you about this. is there any truth to the charge that we are betting rid of work as a requirement for welfare payments? >> no. absolutely no truth to it. if you look back at this memo that came out in july, it basically says that the hhs won't consider any waivers of that significantly reduce work. in fact, the only way you can get a proof of waiver it increases work about 20%. as far as i can tell, there is no difference between romney's stance and obama's stance. >> sounds terrific. >> these ads are running. i was watching the olympics today. they are running during the olympics. so this is their new -- >> this is willie horton stuff. not is your pryingly white house press secretary carney took to the podium today to correct the romney ads. and asphalthoods. let's watch. >> from a policy standpoint, let me say that this advertisement is categorically false. it is blatantly dishonest. this administration's policy will strengthen the program by giving states the opportunity to employ more effective ways to help people get off welfare and into a job. under this policy, governors must commit that their proposals will move at least 20% more people, more people, from welfare to work. and as we have made very clear under our policy, any request, from any state, that under -- undercuts the work requirement in welfare reform will be rejected. >> the interesting thing, sam, and nia, i will get into this rather heartily here. the pictures of the wholesome family there concerned about welfare cheating are white people. and the implication here is clear that the people that are getting these welfare checks without working are not white people. and this is the old stuff that romney is resorting to here. familiar territory and willie horton's stuff and same old stuff reagan engaged in, talk about welfare queens and young bucks waiting in line with their food stamps to get vodka. i lived through all of that stuff. i know all the code. this is code. your thoughts, sam? >> the history is pretty clear on this. i think you -- illuminated it there. would other components to the ad. one is that, you know, there has been a concerted effort to make it seem bill clinton is the good centrist democrat to barack obama's radical liberal democrat. it has been a recurring theme for the campaign. secondly, whole notion of government dependency from credit to the grave, another thing romney campaign is hitting and goes along with this as well. one other thing i would like to stress i wonder if there is a price to pay for campaigns to run ads like this in terms of how their facts are so distorted and wrong. it seems like in -- works on both sides of the aisle campaigns have increasingly decided there is limited price to pay in terms of public opinion and for just throwing out the distortions and might as well do it because can filter through to the media and who knows how many people in swing states will see and it how many people in swing states will watch shows like this. >> fortunately you didn't grow newspaper this particular generation and still -- engaged in this crap. here is ronald reagan who is a good man in some ways. some ways. starting his campaign in 1976 and onward, often referring to welfare queens who collected checks under multiple aliases. let's watch him in action. >> chicago, getting checks under 127 different names. >> that's something from human events. i don't know where he got it from. pick up in the malarky, pick it up and everybody watching, i say come to washington, d.c., by the way, and get up early around 6:00, go around the neighborhoods like north capitol and florida avenue. watch the people going to work when they go to work. it works brilliantly if you are a target audience is working whites. >> we saw santorum. we don't need to go back to ronald reagan. santorum said when he was campaigning in iowa he would be of the kind of president that wouldn't give black people other people's money. he would give them actual jobs. of course he later rescinded that and said he was referring to blah people. i don't know who those people are. >> interesting. sometimes you want to be a little bit unclear. >> newt gingrich, whole idea of barack obama being a food stamp president. we know where this cop from. we do conjure up in this sosa certain image when you invoke welfare. this is the throwback to the 1996. i think this has long been settled. >> are you some kind of -- you are some kind of a -- you would appreciate this. isn't it true -- isn't it true that a -- most welfare checks and most food stamps go to working -- poor? working poor white people? statistically. >> yes. that's true. >> yeah. the game they play is no, that's not the picture you are posed to get. i think we should go -- show it later. that ad basically is about -- wholesome white people around -- concerned about other -- yes, sam. >> i was just -- i want to make the point we have gotten to a point in the campaign where we are -- candidates are competing on who can make it tougher for welfare recipients to get the checks. frame of the debate is very odd because by and large, the vast majority of welfare recipients desperately want to work. they would love nothing more than to be off of well pair and want to get a job. and now we are at the point of the campaign where each campaign has to say we are going to be tougher on welfare recipients as if they don't have it tough already. primary soft a bit. >> they are in there -- it is also this idea that somehow this is a huge part of the federal budget. i think it is something like 5%. >> i'm going on welfare. that's into career plan. pro-obama priorities, usa. i'm first. released this ad today. this is pro-obama. helping to bring the conversation back to bain. >> when mitt romney closed the plant i lost my health care. and my family lost their health care. and short time after that, my wife became ill. i don't know how long she was sick. and i think maybe she didn't say anything. because she knew that we couldn't afford the insurance. >> one day she became ill and i took her up to the jackson county hospital. and -- admitted her for pneumonia and that's when they found the cancer. by then it was stage four. there was nothing they could do for her. and she passed away in 22 days. i do not think mitt romney realizes what he has done to anyone. furthermore, i do not think mitt romney is concerned. >> that's pretty rough. >> it is pretty rough. this guy, joe, he had a is becoming like joe the plumber of this cycle. i talked to him today. he feels this stuff. he remembers it very well. of course he move order with his life. >> he knew about bain when -- >> he knew about bain. he was there in when he got laid off. he was making $46,000. he had to become a janitor where he was making $15,000. he -- >> lost his health. >> lost his health insurance. he almost lost his house. is on i mean, he has been a pretty good surrogate. have you seen him several -- >> tough. >> i mean, this ad has been actually fact checked in the interim. it looks like there are distortion was in one, too. the wife unfortunately died six years after bain closed the plant. she also had access to other insurance in the interim and tough to charge mitt romney with being tied to her death. if we are going -- >> he doesn't do that. >> well the suggestion -- hold pop suggestion is -- obviously made otherwise they wouldn't put out the ad. i think we have to -- >> what do you think the guy is saying there? what do you think that guy is saying? what do you think he thinks? >> what he thinks is his wife ended up getting thrown off insurance and then they had to scramble for her coverage. that's a legitimate thing to be concerned about. and it is fair to say, yes, mitt romney was more concerned about profit than worker's health care. to throw romney into a conversation where you are talking about this woman's death six years later, i think it is a bridge too far. >> i asked him about that. he didn't necessarily make that link either but that his main point was that he felt like romney cared more about -- didn't make good on promises bain made to secure their pensions and health insurance. that was -- >> let's see one of these case it is it is a pattern lit hurt them a lot. thank you. old idea of breaking eggs, make your only let, this guy's only let, mitt romney's only let. he is the broken egg as his wife is part of that. thank you so much. by the way, not so hard to grab another job these days. when you lose yours. thank you, sam stein. up next, more examples of republicans who want to use tax dollars to ignore science. even history. human living alongside -- square with the bible but not with history. there are no footprints in the bible. 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[ sneezes ] that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. mitt romney is claiming he's going to create welfare million jobs in his first term. however, romney hasn't said yet whether he will create the jobs in china or india. he's not sure. he's still thinking. >> we are back to "hardball." yesterday i told you about the successful landing of the space rover curiosity up on mars. the rover was using so much new technology untested technology that the moments before touchdown became known as the seven minutes of terror. >> this big huge parachute we have, lit only slow us down to 200 miles an hour. >> we have to cut it off. >> come down in rockets. >> they are never going to make it. what happens next? >> cut it immediately. >> the rover is now ready to collect rocks. >> we now have two rovers on the surface of mars and three satellites orbiting pit. basically, if the planets are a tray of doughnuts, we have now licked mars. it is ours. we already have the moon. we just need venus for the monopoly and we can start building hotels on them. >> today we got the first color photograph from the rover. there it is. provided by nasa and still tough as you can see tow make out what's happening on the red planet. finally, louisiana governor jindal's voucher, private funding for private schools. a lot of people are flagging a problem with over 100 louisiana schools participating. at least 19 of them go to the krigsist rou i creationist route. the effectextbooks used by some the schools contain questionable arguments. from one science textbook, quote, bible believing christians can not accept any evolutionary interpretation. dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time. and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years. well, from an economics textbook, quote, global environmentalists have said and written enough to believe no doubt that their bowl is to destroy the prosperous economies of the world's richest nations. well, history textbook, quote, best known work of propaganda, that comes from the depression, was john steinbeck's "the grapes of wrath." other forms of propaganda included rumors of mortgage foreclosures. mass he visions and hunger riots and exaggerated statistics representing the number of unemployed and homeless in america. we thought that was history. the purpose of the vouchers slated to begin this fall is to give parents an alternative to failing public schools. and students will still take part in state testing but some are calling for much stricker regulation of what's being taught in these private schools that are getting voucher money. i agree. coming up, next, we will go inside the hate rock movement. rocket scene relished by the suspected gunman in sunday's shooting massacre in wisconsin. we will meet a former neo-nazi who was once a fan of that hate music next. last season was the gulf's best tourism season in years. in florida we had more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. heart of every innovation. wow. that feels really good! 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[ dramatic soundtrack plays ] whether it's showing competitors' rates or striving to be number one, we're always up for a little competition. zap! [ sparking ] now, that's progressive. [ feedback ] attention, well, everyone. you can now try snapshot from progressive free for 30 days. just plug this into your car, and your good driving can save you up to 30%. you could even try it without switching your insurance. why not give it a shot? carry on. now you can test-drive snapshot before you switch. visit progressive.com today. here's what's happening. texas is set to execute an inmate who was diagnosed mentally impaired. marvin wilson was convicted of killing a police informant decades ago. his lawyers argued his i.q. of 61 puts him below the competency standard but the supreme court refused to stop the execution. in the meantime the man behind the gun in an event for gabriel giffords last year will be spared the death penalty. loughner pled guilty in a deal that puts him behind bars for life. now let's take you back to "hardball." >> welcome back to "hardball." more details are emerging about wade michael page, gunman who police say killed six and injured three at a sikh temple this sunday. including the powerful role music had in his life and the white supremacy culture. genre referred to as hate rock that spouts racist lyrics and used in recruitment efforts. for more insight let me bring in main mink. also back with us from yesterday is pete simi, professor of criminology. he met page ten years ago. thank you so much. frank, let me ask you about it. just tell your own story. i'm not going to push in any direction. how did you get involved with skinheads and hate rock? whole thing? what did you learn? what made do you it? what made you change? >> okay, well, you know, i got into it when i was about 14. i had a pretty rough home life. and it was a -- i was a fearful kid. when this kind of came into my life, here ' -- where people that gave me attention and they talked to me about my home life and the music part came in real quickly because, you know, i can go to so many bible studies to preach hate and go to a couple of meetings here and there but when i -- at all times was something to keep backing up my belief and the music was definitely that part from me. >> what role did race play in -- race part? >> the race -- i mean, race became my religion. at i thought of everyone else was that they were inferior to the white race and that the white race is now being duped and into believing anything by the jewish media. and that the black races and -- they call in the movement mud race, taking everything from us. so it gave me an outlet when i feared something, i got to be the person putting the fear on the world. that's how i felt being part of the movement committing hate crim crimes, you name it. >> and give me a scene where people are playing hate rock and people are enjoying it? what's that like? what's the feeling, sentiment of that room? >> you know, driving in the car with a bunch of skinheads, listening to music about kicking people's heads in, you know, finding people of other races to destroy and you are sitting in a car with a bunch of friends looking for victims. really keeps the drum beating, it is time for action. >> you think music drives bad behavior? racist behavior? physically. >> it -- physically helped us and also the racist music is what keeps the movement young. if it was than for the music that keeps getting people into this, you know, you would have that old image of the klan sitting on the front porch in w the shotgun. music keeps the newcomers involved. it keeps them wanting to be part of this. it keeps them, again, wanting to be -- portray what's going on in the music. the music is -- i mean, i can't -- stress how much the music is to them. >> let's get back to pete. give as you bigger sense, great individual story which we relish having on. brings reality to it. frank is giving us that. tell us what the role you see across the country that this hate rock plays in causing bad behavior and tragedy like we just saw on sunday in wisconsin. >> well, frank mention it is music is central to the movement. the music in some ways to a large extent in his -- is the movement or is a very big part of the movement. and it -- provides opportunities for recruitment and provides opportunities to generate receive knew and probably most importantly, it provides a variety of different occasions for individuals of like mind to come together and who share a common cause and it helps them sustain their beliefs and -- and -- provides them in a sense of reinforcement. the lyrics are laced with ideas of violence and aggression. the dances are aggressive. the tattoos are shown off and reinforced, you know, prominent symbols like swastikas and others. and so everything about the music is -- it provides a great opportunity for these folks to reinforce their mindset. >> you know, prank, when i heard you talking about the appeal of hate rock and joining the skinhead groups, reminded me of all i heard about african-american kids in tough neighborhoods, terrible home situations being drawn by their -- the gang members. they say you can be part of something now. you can feel at home in a way you don't want to be at home. and it just sounds like that. you know what i mean? >> no. absolutely. my -- my crew, of guys, my gang, that's what we were, too, they gave me accolades for my violence. frankie did this or -- those guys in philadelphia did that. we got -- pats on the back. you know. and not to slam my parents and -- my parents weren't the best parents to me and -- they didn't give me those things when i came home. i didn't get home and have my parents, how is school today, son? how are things going in life? it just didn't happen. it is not a son story. just the truth. these guys -- >> you didn't get a peanut butter sandwich and apple when you came home? >> absolutely not. >> no. let me ask you, how are you doing now? i need to know. you are a philly guy from south philly and moved up there. where was the second neighborhood you moved to? the. >> i moved from -- yeah, second street in south pihilly, wood land avenue. pretty much at that time all black and i went to an all black school. you know, how am i doing now? i have to tell you what changed me was people showing me compassion. you know. at every turn. and even with my hateful things, i had a jewish antique dealer, swastika tattooed on my neck who gave me a chance and took a chance on letting me work with him and used to give me accolades when i did smart things. and when i would be -- times in my head or where i would say out loud, i'm so stupid which -- see, i was an egomaniac. low self-esteem. he would say you are one of the smartest guys i know. it was compassion. that's what i have to do today. i have to wake up -- hi to wake up this morning and know i'm going to show compassion to someone. not am i going to get up and fight with the right wing guy or left wing guy or argue with somebody. you know, worry about -- issues of -- i will show compassion to the next person i come in contact with. that's always helping my life change for the better. >> frank, i think everybody watching doesn't hardly know you -- knows you and rooting for you. i wish everybody was so hon. thank you important coming on the show at this time so we can get to understand individuals like you. anyway, pete, you have come a long way and helped us so much and helping us get to something. maybe we will be better off for knowing this. certainly frank is on the right trail and i wish him well. especially because he is a philly guy. up next, sarah palin. we are going from the serious to the insane right now. this conversation about her is getting primetime is great to watch because the whole thing is idiotic. if she deserve ad place on the platform she would have one. this is a dickering back and forth between her and romney. it is fun to watch. wait until you see the other people that may be speaking. i hope they do so we know what they stand for. ♪ hello...rings ♪ what the... what the... what the... ♪ are you seein' this? ♪ ♪ uh-huh... uh-huh... uh-huh... ♪ ♪ it kinda makes me miss the days when we ♪ ♪ used to rock the microphone ♪ back when our credit score couldn't get us a micro-loan ♪ ♪ so light it up! ♪ even better than we did before ♪ ♪ yeah prep yourself america we're back for more ♪ ♪ our look is slacker chic and our sound is hardcore ♪ ♪ and we're here to drop a rhyme about free-credit-score ♪ ♪ i'm singing free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ dot-com narrator: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com. if you are looking for clues as to who mitt romney may choose as his vice presidential running mate you may want to watch wikipedia. four years ago sarah palin's wikipedia page was updated at least 68 times the day before mccain picked her. far more than any other potential running mates. mccain was thought to be considering. today rob portman has all the action as wikipedia page has been updated at least 86 times today. and that's more than four times as many updates as the next leading contender. marco rubio. ted pawlenty and paul ryan are all in the single changes on their wikipedia page. could portman be the pick? 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[crash!] or add a car to your policy. don't forget to ask about saving up to 10% when you combine your auto and home insurance with liberty mutual. security, coverage, and savings. all the things humans need to make our beautifully imperfect world a little less imperfect. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? we are back. few more names were added to the list of speakers at the republican convention coming up in tampa later this month. including jeb bush and rand paul, senator from kentucky. rick santorum. one name remains absent so far. where's sarah palin? wouldfar. where is sarah palin? could mitt romney keep her from speaking in primetime, and could she go rogue and just go outside inthe chairman of the national republican committee ranks priebus weighed in. let's watch. >> let me ask you about the conventions coming up. not on your speaker list so far, governor palin. is she going to speak? >> i can't make that announcement tonight, but certainly she's great. and we -- i think a lot of her, and hope that she does speak. >> so will palin get an invitation inwhat are the potential risks and rewards of a palin speech? michael steele is the former chairman of the republican national committee and both are msnbc political analysts. i want to start with michael. ranks bre s priebus beat you, r? >> yeah. >> that must be a hard life. that's a hard life. >> that's another show. >> here's the question, palin, she has apparently rented some real estate where we're operating in tampa, where she'll be able to give her speech without permission. she can start speaking at 9:15, 10:0015, anytime she wants. she can wait for the vp nominee to get up and stand up. what is going to stop her? >> that's not going to happen? >> i don't know. at the end of the day, the romney campaign will inform the rnc as to whether or not she'll speak and priebus will announce it, and that's how that will work. until such time, she'll go about her business doing her thing. itted with make a lot of sense to let her speak. >> with all of the networks on? governor rendell, do you think it's smart. would you regulate her, make sure you heard her speech? what would you do if you're romney, a careful guy? >> it's my understanding, and correct me if i'm wrong, that the networks are only going to devote an hour a night? >> yes. >> you have to have the keynote, mccain, romney, the vice presidential nominee. there really isn't a whole lot of time to put her in that one-hour slot. i would give her a slot when cnn, msnbc, fox are covering before the 10:00 slot and ask her to submit written remarks so we could screen them if i were the romney team and the rnc. >> why would she take a deal like that? why would she walk off the pr e primetime stage when she can reach four times as many people by saying, i deserve, i was on the ticket last time. i deserve to speak between 10:00 and 11:00 eastern time. you have to put me there or i'm going to speak outside at the same time in the mall when you're trying to sell some loser on primetime what's to stopper? >> i think at that point, it's a question of are you a wusz or not? you have to stand up to sarah palin if you're the romney campaign. >> your favorite word. you have a book with that in it. >> it's true. they can't let her call the shots. they have to call the shots. and she should be on the convention. she should be on ms, should be on cnn, should be on fox, but you've only got four hours and you have a boatload of people you have to cram in there. three hours. that's right, so you really don't have the time. >> i think, look, you have to look beyond the convention and what sarah palin can and will do for the party and the nominee post convention. organizing, grassroots, getting the base fired up. give her -- look, she's not going to talk for an hour. give her ten minutes, 15 minutes tops, and primetime, to speak to the country, to speak to the base, to speak about the direction we need to go in. her support for mitt romney and this team, whoever his vice presidential nominee is, i think that's a good thing. it can help. it can't hurt. and certainly, it can help him galvanize the base out of the box. >> governor, among the people in the burbs who are less undecided, will this hurt? >> not if she speaks and doesn't say anything out of school. >> thank you so much, michael and ed. we're having fun with this baby. >> let me finish with who i think should speak at the convention. wait until you hear the list. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. choose to do. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you. to dream. to create. to work. if you're going to do something. make it matter. 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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. i see a little friction developing over whether former governor sarah palin should speak at the republican national convention. where say let her speak. let her bring down the howuse with the rihistory lesson of he about how paul revere did his midnight ride to prevent them from taking away the guns. let's get michele bachmann up there to talk about the muslim brotherhood agents she says is working in the secretary of state. and newt gingrich can remind us of how women shouldn't serve in combat unlike men who he says are natural fighters because we have a god given urge to go out and hunt giraffes. and how about steve king and donald trump with a course of the birther theories, and allen west who says there's 78 to 81 communists in congress, and sharron angle who will explain we can use our second amendment remediy ies if we don't like th other speakers, and christine o'donnell to talk about the witch charges. and how about frank gaffney to explain why the government is infiltrated with the muslim brotherhood, and glenn beck to call the president a racist once more, and rick santorum to say mitt romney is the worst republican in the country to run against obama. and rush, the underwater walrus to do that dance of his, and when the voices are serenading us. when the country can hear all of the crazy cacophony of the right, the large screeching of bedlam on primetime, they will go what awaits them should this election take their turn. what should we call it? how about caveat entour. let the buyer beware. this is the group they could have ruling our republic. this is "hardball." "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" from new york. 91 days before the 2012 election. a new report explains why mitt romney might owe senator harry reid an apology. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> the word is out he hasn't paid any taxes for ten years. >> a shocking new report outlines how mitt romney may have legally dodged taxes. >> let him prove that he has paid taxes because he hasn't. >> david k. johnson will give us the details and eugene robinson is here on the politics. well, seeing as how dick -- excuse me, vice president cheney never misfires -- >> dick cheney never apologized for shooting someone in the face. but sarah palin's got him running scared. >> it wasn't so much governor palin but the process. >> democratic strategist bob shrum will weigh in on the power of palin. >> another day, another lie. from the romney campaign. this time, it's about welfare. msnbc's jonathan alter is here with reaction. governor, what did you buy? >> and mitt romney lets his true colors shine with another out of touch moment. you won't believe what the unemployment millionaire picks up at the hardware store. good to have you with us. thanks for watching. in this election cycle, every day is tax day in the 2012 presidential campaign. even when the conversation isn't about mitt romney's personal tax returns, it's about his tax policies. >> he'd ask the middle class to pay more in taxes so he could give another $250,000 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year. it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney-hood. >> the president's latest nickname for his opponent has the right wingers throwing absolute fits. they're trying to defend mitt romney by calling robin hood a tea party member. >> robin hood was stealing from the government. robin hood was a tea party activist. robin hood was anti-t