Transcripts For MSNBC Morning Joe 20110810

we have beyonce summer homes and the newest mexico. we have the most shirtless arres arrests, most talented, prediabetic teenagers. >> oh, boy. >> okay. what a beautiful shot this morning. good wednesday morning. it's august 10th. welcome to "morning joe." with us on set, we have mike barnicle and we have the host of the video show, the bill press show. hello. and in washington, political writer, sam stine joins us. >> today, better news. first of all, the stocks rally. >> yeah. >> stocks rally. marke markets slide becomes surge. the one that speaks for itself, the new york post, crazy stox by gay hookers. up, down, up. i don't know what they were drinking last night at the post. >> put that down. >> i think it's a very fascinating choice, willie geist. >> put that down. >> willie. >> it makes it relatable for a lot of us that don't understand economics the way the experts do. >> all right. >> last night in wisconsin, it will results came in. bill press, there was -- this was a big referendum on scott walker. we have been hearing it for months. looks like people in wisconsin like scott walker. what do you think? >> there was a lot at stake here. it's more than scott walker. it was a test for progressives and labor unions to win. they had to win -- there were six republicans up for recall. democrats had to win three to take back control of the senate and be in position to roll back the scott walker legislation that took collective bargaining away from the employees. they got two out of six. they didn't make it. it's a big loss for democrats in wisconsin. i think what it does -- you know, scott walker is chasing. he's in control. he came out with a high road statement, work together with people from both parties. he's still in control. this slows down the momentum to the recall of scott walker, scheduled to start in january. >> a couple democrats are up for recall next week. >> yeah, next week. >> this news could get worse. but, in the democrats defense, in the unions defense, these things are never done in a vacuum. >> recalls are tough. >> they are very, very tough. but, also, the timing could not have been worse. >> right. >> for democrats with the dow collapsing, with president obama suffering some of his lowest ratings. the guarantee independence in wisconsin across america saying wait, i'm going to throw people out because they want a cut? again, forget about whether it was the right decision. the timing for walker was good. >> you know, joe, i think there's a huge percentage of people in this country, when it comes to thinking of an election are thinking if you are in, you are out. nothing is working. >> right. >> you are going to have to excuse me. >> yeah. >> i have -- i have to tell you, totally preoccupied mentally for the last 24 hours thinking about president obama yesterday going to dover to view the remains of 30 americans, 22 s.e.a.l.s, eight members of the army returning home to their families. i kept having -- rolling around in my head the memory of a fellow who is a lawyer up in portland, maine. he told me about going to walter reid with the president of the united states. the war then was huge. the build up was going on in '67. he was watching the president of the united states cry at the bedside of a young marine. it was a sobering experience for him and the president of the united states. you have to wonder, what impact that had on barack obama yesterday. at least i do. >> also on the front page of the washington post, which is the picture that caught my eye. we talked about it yesterday and we have been talking about whether or not this will ever become as big an issue an anything else we discuss on this show in the media. i hope it does. i hope the campaign focuses on whether or not we should remain in afghanistan long term. >> we have been talking about this for several years now. sometimes it feels like there aren't a lot of people focusing. you have the tragedy, 30 americans die and it's the front page but today, for "the washington post," the question is, how long is the focus on this story? when are we going to get answers on how long we are going to be in afghanistan? >> yeah, remember he made the surprise visit to dover a couple years ago? early in his presidency, up to that visit, 874 more americans died in afghanistan. that's just over two years. you do wonder, joe, about the law of diminishing returns which we said here. if we pull out tomorrow, it might be ugly. if we pull out in ten years, it's going to be ugly, too. it's what president obama has to grapple with in addition to the focus going on in the economy. afghanistan is high on his checklist. >> yeah, it's tough to follow up on what he said there. you know, afghanistan has been cast aside. it takes tragic events to take what happened over the weekend to bring it to the front pages. the minds of the voters are preoccupied with the economy. suffering and what it would take to get this country back on track. there's not the appetite that consumes the afghanistan news like in the vietnam era. it's an unfortunate side effect of this. the numbers don't lie. it's an expensive war and a costly war in human and dollar terms. people need to ask real questions about it. $2 billion a week? when we're cutting schools, cutting r & d, infrastructure. this is something americans should focus on. you have the human tragedy and the weekly financial crisis that this is causing. >> sure. we are not talking about libya, either, by the way. with afghanistan, there's so many dimensions, it breaks the question of how long are we going to be there? we don't know. this may be another ten years out in some capacity. how real is it that we are going to be able to turn over control of that country to the afghan forces at the end of next year, which is what the plan is. it looks less and less likely, it seems to me. there are a lot of questions raised about this mission. with diminished forces how we are conducting the missions and why they were sent into that territory with one helicopter and no cover. a lot of people in the military are saying they shouldn't have been there. >> the fact we are debating whether or not this issue can be executed is frightening. >> it is. >> members of the supercommittee, a big picture. markets are reacting after a trading day yesterday. stocks rose, fall and rose again. at the close, the dow surged 429 points or 4%. the s&p 500 rallied 53 points for a gain of 4.7%. those were the biggest one-day points in percentage gains since march, 2009. the nasdaq was solidly higher adding 124 points or 5%. stocks declined after investors were disappointed after no new policy issues were unveiled. central bank discussed additional steps to take to shore up the economy. the feds pledged to hold interest rates for at least two years. it's a cautious outlook noting that downside risks to the u.s. economy increased. going forward, the fedex president-elects a slower recovery rate. it will decline only gradually. today, asian and european markets are getting a boost from wall street. the futures on a down day for u.s. stocks. kind of up and down. >> super committee is super. i don't know what they are going to wear. we have names. you want to hear them? >> up and down. >> stop it. stop it, okay. seriously. >> you ever wonder how stable these people are on the floor of the new york stock exchange? do they go off? literally, themselves. >> like dill gan ratigan. >> that's a shame. all right. harry reid unveiling his choices for the debt super committee. the group charged with cutting more than $1 trillion. who are they? >> drum roll, reid announcing senators max baucus, john kerry, democratic patty murray to the bipartisan panel. the early response to reid's six could be a preview of a fight to come. they took issue with the murray pick and her role within the party saying reid's appointment is proof that democrats are not serious about deficit reduction. he goes on to call senator murray the democrat fund-raisering chief. congressional leaders have untul the 16th to name members to the committee. are they going to fight over everybody? >> you named the head of the democratic senatorial committee for this panel? >> this is the problem. the republican national chairman, stay out of this. this is not a political battle. >> maybe they can appoint him on the republican side. >> it's not true. senator patty murray is the incoming chair. max baucus is chair of the finance committee. they are both fine to serve. it's an excellent appointment. >> where is the -- i wonder why -- sam stein, not a lot of deficit hawks there. the chair would have been a wonderful pick, would he not? >> baucus could be conceived as someone who is not -- certainly is hawkish. kent conrad suggested balancing the deficit. he's taken flak from the base for that. reid wants to have his members close to him. that's why he appoints murray, baucus, a personal friend. patty murray is the incoming chair of the budget committee. john kerry is the former relations committee. the components we need to look at tax reform and defense cuts. kerry is the senior policy voice in the party. he can provide some sort of cover for the party once it cuts into the defense budget. those are the three elements i took away from this. fascinating stuff, obviously. >> what do you think about -- we didn't get around to you on the wisconsin battle last night. are you surprised? >> yeah, i guess i'm a little surprised. you know, if all -- labor was very, very much invested in this, obviously. of all the things to get them riled up, the stripping of collective rights is the biggest thing. everyone is worried about their own pocketbooks, the stock market, the jobs market. it was tough to get traction over the closing weeks. two seats picking up last night was decent for democrats in labor. they wanted three seats. it sends somewhat of a message, but it's a setback. >> this is devastating for unions. they called it a historic assault, all out. said scott walker was a nazi, a fascist and he was wildly out of step with the voters of wisconsin. he was owned by the brothers, ek set tra, et cetera. you can fill in the blank. the wisconsin voters finally got to talk last night, not the protesters shipped in from not only across the state, but across america. i saw a lot more protesters against walkers position. >> the union folks upset about the collective bargaining rights. go ahead. >> it's tough news for the unions. >> it is. i take no glee in this with disparity between ceos and workers. politically, this is a devastating setback for unions. >> i don't take glee when teachers, secretaries and firefighters are the ones to take the full brunt. you can't do it any other way. it is a setback, which is unfortunate. i think, the unions are going to have to look at the message and the strategy. this was the test for what would happen in new jersey and indiana and florida and michigan. not winning three seats in wisconsin is a setback. >> it's not just wisconsin, either. massachusetts governor proposed to weaken collective bargaining for unions. people are rolling over. we have to do it to save budgets. >> here in new york, cuomo is talking about that. >> mika has a story as we go to break. >> we are going to talk a lot about this, i think. there's a lot of controversy against the latest news week cover. did you all see this? >> how could you not? >> some are calling it an unflattering image of the presidential hopeful. she's wide eyed called the queen of rage. news week is defending the photograph. bachman's campaign says it was taken during a lighting test for the shoot. newsweek editor and chef says michele bachmann's intensify is galvanizing voters in iowa right now and newsweeks cover captures that. >> don't we have tina here today? >> yes. >> okay. >> we shall see. >> yes, she'll be on. >> we have a much better picture of michele bachmann from "meet the press." >> "meet the press" is going to be in iowa this sunday. >> they said it looks like a cheap shot. it's great for michele bachmann. great for her. >> even better for newsweek. >> exactly. former white house press secretary will be here on set, tina brown, chuck todd and eugene robinson. up next, the top stories. first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill. >> a little bit of rain yesterday. good morning. new york city, boston, over two inches of rain yesterday. we got drenched. today is a better day. it's looking to be a fantastic thursday, friday. showers and storms exited all areas except for maine. leave the umbrellas home today. the only area with a chance of showers -- partly cloudy. humidity levels will be dropping, too. you are going to enjoy this afternoon. a look at tomorrow, high temperatures, upper 70s in new england. 80 to 85 from new york to d.c. a gorgeous day, thursday into friday. the worst weather, wichita, kansas to arkansas we need the rain. we are dealing with severe thunderstorms across the country. we are going to do it again in dallas. 106 degrees. while much of the country is beginning to cool off, dallas, you continue on this amazing streak. you are watching "morning joe" this wednesday brewed by starbucks. every day, all around the world, energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self contained well systems and using state of the art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment we are america's natural gas. ♪ you guys probably saw this, after tough losses this weekend, the yankees lost all four series against the red sox. today, the s&p downgraded the yankees to the mets. >> all right. 23 past the hour. time now -- that's nice. time now to take a look at the morning papers. new york times, "30 rock" star -- >> closer than they seem. >> "30 rock" star alec baldwin says he probably will sit out in the 2013 run for new york city mayor. >> when is he going to run? >> he's planning on educating himself about what it takes to do the job. >> the las vegas strip is burning brighter. big vegas casinos and resorts capturing years in the dumps. tourism is finally showing signs of recovery. i don't think many people going to las vegas are thinking of s&p. >> if you go to vegas and talk to cab drivers this year, it's really picked up. really tough the last couple years out there. this year, they are seeing the people come back. >> it's been a miserable few years. >> the real boom hits vegas. i have been there a couple times this year, casinos are booming, shows are full and restaurants are full. >> vegas is back. let's go to politico. mr. mike allen has a look for us at the playbook. hello. >> good morning, guys. >> yesterday, we talked about your politico report, the obama campaign to go negative on mitt romney insinuating he's weird in some way. mitt romney responded -- >> wait, i was thinking about this. i was walking around saying he's making fun of his jeans? real? he not only wears moms jeans. >> i'm a mom and i wear jeans. >> his jeans are a lot different than your jeans and mitt romney's jeans. >> weird. >> i'm just saying, willie reported yesterday that barack obama is going to make fun of his jeans. >> his skinny jeans. >> i wouldn't do that if i wore jean that is looked like a tent and wears them up to here. also, he's going to say that mitt romney is weird. real? do we want to go there, too. really? >> there's big old glass houses. >> let's watch the response. >> because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation. >> wow. mike allen, tell us more about the romney response here. he called it disgraceful that president obama's campaign launch a campaign with the goal to kill his opponent. >> the skinny jean reminded me of the time george w. bush wore socks with crocs. >> that's a shame. it's a sin. my dad would do that. >> mike, tell us about the romney response here. >> it's amazing. we are in the general election, obama versus romney. romney saying the strategy by the obama advisers seems desperate. the obama campaign punching back, the hardest they have punched back so far. saying don't listen to their crocodile tears. at the very end, we saw the clip there. they are continuing to use that take off on the margaret thatcher saying obama isn't working with the unemployment line. they are going to make it their signature in months ahead. >> some people read your story yesterday, they can suggest the weird thing about mormonism. anything to that? >> you are right, certainly people read it that way. who knows if it's the word they are going to use. they recognize they are running in very tough times. there are going to be personal and jonathan martin and ben smith reported they studied the bush-cheney campaign against john kerry, a president running with a tough record went negative. they got up and said how can we go after john kerry. they are running the bush-cheney playbook here. >> sam, what is your take on this? >> i love politics. this is so stupid. obviously, they are going to go after mitt romney's character. it's what politics are about. romney is going to complain because that's what they do. it's crocodile tears. >> it's tough. it's "hardball." i understand that. sure, i actually think, i mean, i remember when the last time i ran, i'm sorry for saying this, i spent the first phase of the campaign saying -- because i knew my guy had to attack me to win, he's a cheap shot. he's not going to talk about my record. watch what it is and what he does. it kept him on his heels. i think it's a great move if you are the candidate for home and change. bill press. >> if i was mitt romney, i would be more worried about rick perry than obama. >> why? >> he's going to knock him off his feet. >> he going to punch him in the face? what do you think knock him out? >> the one candidate out there -- >> to do what? >> deny romney the nomination. >> i think he's going to end up on broadway. >> he's acting like the candidate. he's not the candidate. >> he's the mainstream guy. he lost last time. >> name one person who likes mitt romney. >> i like him. >> a lot of people like him. >> i like him. >> he hasn't met a lot of people excited about mitt romney. i haven't. he is a likable -- he is a likable guy with a great family. i have to say -- >> good lord, no, he's not. you are dreaming you get a guy that talks, walks, struts and shoots guns like rick perry. you are dreaming as a democrat that you get rick perry. >> he's got fred thompson on a cowboy. >> he's will farrell. he's going to end up on broadway playing george w. bush. you watch. >> yeah. >> you know rick perry, you better watch out for that guy. >> my number one choice. >> you want perry-bachmann, admit it. >> the dream team. >> i-4 corridor. forget about bux county, pennsylvania. >> he's like the newsweek cover. i see what you are up to. willie. >> mike allen, thanks so much. the picture with the crocs, i guess. oh yeah. >> mike barnicle, put down -- oh -- >> compare it to barnicle. >> what color is that? what is that? >> the president's look is when you see a lot of european tourists. black socks with sandals. smart play. >> it was. >> mike allen, thanks so much. we'll be right back. [ p.a. announcer ] announcing america's favorite cereal is now honey nut cheerios! yup, america's favorite. so we're celebrating the honey sweetness, crunchy oats and... hey! don't forget me!! honey nut cheerios. make it your favorite too! but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. ♪ welcome back to "morning joe." 36 past the hour. other headlines this morning, new riots breaking out in the uk for the fourth consecutive day as protests expand into the northern cities of manchester. british prime minister david cameron and the head of the metropolitan police are taking action authorizing the use of rubber bullets to disrupt the rioters. >> it took them five days to authorize rubber bullets? >> do they have police over there? >> this would last about half an hour. >> yeah. >> then they would be going back eating shepherd's pie or whatever. >> a lot of the police have austerity. >> come on. >> yeah. >> what do they do with these guys. >> in london, police have been successful after prime minister cameron added officers and armored vehicles to patrol the streets. he commended them moments ago. >> since yesterday, there are more police on the street, more people have been arrested and more people are being charged and prosecuted. last night, 16,000 police on the streets of london. there's evidence that a more robust approach to policing resulted in a quieter night. let me pay tribute to the police officers and everyone working for the emergency workers. >> let's get tim there. you think that's going to happen in a town he's running? i don't think so. >> did you get his photograph? a woman jumping out of a burning building. incredible shot. >> it is. all right. we'll be monitor thag story. that's the other big headline today. >> it seems to be mindless. it's not connected to anything. >> there's no cause. there's no issue. these are just young people out of control, not enough to do and the cops are acting like tour guides. >> it might begin with a cause. but it becomes an excuse. anger. >> apparently, there were peaceful protests. people were taken over by these thugs and you are right, cops over there are acting as tour guides. anyway, whew! >> all right. >> willie. >> let's go from london -- we have great news. willie geist is going to bring us sports. >> all right. let's do some sports. a.l. central. the indians started four games behind the tigers. cleveland hangs around the race. game tied at two. look at the catch. nice grab. that is the 14th. indian's rookie jason gets it. that keeps the game tied. until bottom of the 14th, check this out, indians have the bases loaded. david pauley with a throw inside on fukudome. he hits him! it's a walk-off hit by pitch. >> no. no. >> brings in the winning run from third. pauley is like come on, man. indians win, 3-2. they are three games behind the tigers. dan uggla expanding his hitting streak. top of the fifth. uggla grounded one to the hole of shortstop. infield hit, it's alive, 1 for 6. they win the game, 4-3. >> the odds on favorite to win the world series, the philadelphia phillies. baseball's best record last night taking on the dodgers. it was about pitching for this team. cliff lee doing it all. gets andre. the next batter goes down looking. cliff lee, every time he goes out, eight innings, ten strikeouts. he won the game at the plate. cliff lee going deep. the second home run of the year. that decided the game. the phillies beat the dodgers, 2-1. cliff lee doing it all. the yankees, angels last night. jeter tied the game with a single. it scored two runs. the yankees were down, 4-2. tied it up there. in the ninth, rivera blew the save against the red sox. gives up a two-run home run in the ninth. 6-4 angels. the bottom of the ninth, yankees have the runners on the corner. throw to third. they kick off granderson. it hasn't worked in 30 years. >> that's the final out? >> the last out of the game. that is just not good. yankees lose to the angels. red sox win. the sox up two and a half in the a.l. league. finally, a great story out of new england. chad ochocinco adjusting to his new team and he's looking for a place to live. he's got a plan about where he'll do that. >> i'm going to do something different. i'm going to stay with a fan probably the first two or three weeks of the season. that should be fun until i get myself aclamateed. i'm not sure how many fans i have. they have to have internet. they have to have x box. that's about it. >> are you serious? >> have i ever lied to you before? >> the reporter said are you serious? if you have internet connection, x-box, chad ochocinco will stay with you. >> i'm leaving early to get it today. >> that would be grand. >> he's a genius. >> he is. >> seriously, though? what a great move. living with a fan. seriously. mika's must read opinion pages are next. of these abandoned racetracks in america today. automotive performance is gone. and all we have left are fallen leaves and broken dreams and -- oh. wait a second. that is a dodge durango. looks like american performance is doing just fine. ♪ carry on. ♪ that's how it is with alzheimer's disease. she needs help from me. and her medication. the exelon patch -- it releases medication continuously for twenty-four hours. she uses one exelon patch daily for the treatment of mild to moderate alzheimer's symptoms. [ female announcer ] it cannot change the course of the disease. hospitalization and rarely death have been reported in patients who wore more than one patch at a time. the most common side effects of exelon patch are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. the likelihood and severity of these side effects may increase as the dose increases. patients may experience loss of appetite or weight. patients who weigh less than 110 pounds may experience more side effects. people at risk for stomach ulcers who take certain other medicines should talk to their doctor because serious stomach problems such as bleeding may worsen. people with certain heart conditions may experience slow heart rate. [ woman ] whenever i needed her, she was there for me. now i'm here for her. [ female announcer ] ask the doctor about your loved one trying the exelon patch. visit exelonpatch.com to learn more. we just picked the wrong candidate. maybe it should have been hillary. it isn't that liberalism is wrong, we have a lousy leader, a guy with no experience. gave a good speech, but never ran a candy store. that's one argument. the ideology is right but the leadership is wrong. >> wow. 46 past the hour. time for the must read opinions. >> talking about what some progressives are saying about president obama. >> katrina writes in the washington post, we need a jobs bill, mr. president. obama used to say on the campaign trail we can't keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome. he was right. isn't it time he take his own words to heart? we don't need him to start talking ability jobs again, do something about jobs. something to catch the attention of the american people and the media. something that will change the debate in a city lost in its way. >> bill press, katrina has been critical of the president. a lot of progressives won't be critical publicly. it reminds me a lot of when i would go after bush in '06, '07 and '08 and conservatives would say nothing on tv, but when they got off, they wouldn't say a nice thing about george w. bush. we are not quite there with progressives. when you turn the cameras off, i can't name a person that is a strong defender of the president. in washington, the media world, they are not out there right now. >> i think some are out there. i get in a lot of trouble from my listeners as being critical of the president. i think katrina is right, there are too many issues. go back to the bush tax cuts, the latest deal, the debt reduction deal where liberals feel the president has not fought hard enough for his base and what we thought he believed in. i want to say, i think she's right on the jobs. my feeling is, president obama has been sucked into this theory that the number one problem facing the country is debt. i don't think it is. i think it's getting people back to work. i think he ought to call congress back, give them an agenda, for jobs this is what we have to do in august. >> sam, you are on the hill a lot. do you hear a lot of democratic grumbling? >> yeah. it's on the lines of what bill press, who is a genius just said. >> genius? >> it's funny. as much as obama disappointed liberals and aggressives, if you look at the poll numbers, he fairs well. unfavorable ratings for tea party went up and boehner. the blame for the mess in the negotiation process fell almost squarely on the gop. it's the political capital that is there. president obama needs to go out and use it. the one thing he could push, emphasize with a little bit of traction is the idea to spend a little bit of money on infrastructure. by that, i mean transportation projects, fixing roads and bridges that are decaying. if you look at the tea party members, freshmen republicans and moderate republicans with executive agencies, they are all requesting federal money for transportation projects. they all know it's a benefit for their constituents. there's a case to be made or to be laid out to the american public that this would be good for the economy. the president has to make it. >> one more before we go to break. washington post, a political crisis from david. the scariest aspect of the political economic crisis is that it tests our faith in democratic governance. the political system has been no more self-regulating than the economic. that was the real message of standard and poor's downgrade of america's downgrading. this was a self-inflicted wound. what does that leave us, political economic models? no wonder the world is depressed. >> self-inflicted wound, mike? >> this entire hour, we have been circling around something that continues to be baffling. three years ago, we had a candidate, barack obama, going to iowa and mesmerizing people with his ability to communicate, a sense of new direction for this country. today, he's president of the united states and he has a baffling inability to communicate a sense of urgency about people's employment, about jobs x about the current status of america. it is baffling. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> and why we are in afghanistan. you were talking about the press conference the other night, how depressing that was. >> comes out to speak about the economy. the speech at the end, by the way, let's pause to remember 22 navy s.e.a.l.s killed over the weekend. say it at the moment. >> yeah. coming up, newsweek editor-in-chief, tina brown. and, willie's news you can't use, next. [ female announcer ] what if your natural beauty could be flawless too? discover aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. meet pnc virtual wallet. it comes with a calendar that shows you all your finances at once. it lets you know when your money's going out. and when it's coming in. it even tells you when you're running low. we call that danger days. it's built to help you see your money in a whole new light. experience everything virtual wallet has to offer at pncvirtualwallet.com. pnc bank. for the achiever in you. ♪ oh, just booked a summer vaycay. ooo. sounds pricey? nah, with the hotels.com summer sale, you can find awesome deals for places nearby. interesting... wow, i'm blown away. you look great. hotels.com summer sale, save up to 30%. and get a free kindle. hotels.com. be smart. book smart. oh, is it time? >> it's time. >> news you can't use, but this one is useful. >> our good buddy, dillen rad gan. >> he was breaking up the crack rock? >> no, no, no. >> guys. >> he's all natural. >> it would seem -- >> he's high on life. >> i miss him. he doesn't come around anymore. >> he got very excited yesterday about the failings of the political problems. >> really? >> i'm tired of republicans and democrats. republicans want to burn the place to the ground and democrats who want to offer a plan to get them through the second term of their presidency and screws me and my kids. until we do that, we have to deal with the extraction afoot and the reason the financial markets are behaving. it's a mathematical fact. it's not an opinion. we are sitting here arguing about whether we should do the $4 trillion plan to kick the president down the road or burn the place to the ground. both are reckless, irresponsible and stupid. the fact of the matter is, until we -- >> i'm sorry to lose my temper. >> no, no, no. >> i have been coming on tv for three years doing this. there's a refusal on the democratic and republican side of the aisle to recognize the mathematical problem. the united states of america is being extracted. >> i want to give him a hug. can we get him on here? >> he needs a hug. >> watch the background here. she turns. look at her face. >> all right. we'll be right back with tina brown talking about the newsweek cover. we shall return. every day, all around the world, energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self contained well systems and using state of the art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment we are america's natural gas. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. i've tried it. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. ♪ be honest, newsweek, you used that photo to make michee e bachmann look crazy. if you're involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle -- are they pro-america or antiamerica or i believe that there's a very strong chance that we will see young people put into mandatory service. there are provisions for reeducation camps for young people. you want a photo, a photo that makes her seem a little off? make it out of her words. >> wow. welcome back to "morning joe." top of the hour, a live look at the sun coming up over the capital. mike barnicle is still with us. >> yep. >> along with sam stein. joining the table, editor-in-chief of newsweek and the daily beast, tina. you are not going to play this game. no games. you are one of the savviest people i have seen in this industry. this cover proves it. come on. >> it's a light check. >> it's a news week cover. >> some people look at it and think michele bachmann looks crazy. others think it's the next president of the united states. >> the queen of rage? >> absolutely. this came out of a week where "the new york times" calls the tea party terrorists, then apologizes the next week. this cover captures that. >> what, looking cross eyed in a light check? >> not cross eyed. >> the intensity in her eyes is in all the photographs. this is connecting with people. people in the crowd are saying i should follow her. there's something about her with the eyes looking out. she's got a very, very intense demeanor. >> mika read it. after she read it, she said there doesn't seem to be a lot of words that back up the headline, the queen of rage. >> i read the article. did i miss it? >> the fact is, she is right now the face of the tea party. the tea party, we came off a week where rage was all the rage. let's face it. we have been coming out of a period in politics so hyperpo r hyperpolarized and michele bachmann is the face of the tea party right now. >> what do you think, mike? >> you have people talking act the cross-eyed candidate. >> i'm going to tell you what i think of the cover. it looks like her. i have seen her in person. i have seen her up close and in person. if you take queen of rage off the cover, there's nothing to talk about. >> look at that face, come on. if people who are upset at that picture of michele bachmann on the cover, if you are upset to be calling into the talk shows and everything, where were you when shots of hillary clinton -- >> there you go -- >> -- were on covers of magazine covers. >> we were criticizing those as well. >> the reaction to the cover, again, dramatizes it intense moment we are in. >> what it dramatizes is, if you show somebody that looks cross eyed running for the president of the united states, you are going to get a lot of people talking act your cover. >> i don't see cross eyed. >> no, let's be honest here. she's great at what she does. >> i wouldn't mess with her, if i were you. number one, then i think about the cover, that is the worst thing ever, then the sarah palin cover. three of your last four or five covers people are talking ability. people are going to be buying newsweek next week. >> i didn't put that on the cover. >> we put sarah palin on and we get shredded by lawrence o'donnell saying it's a puff job. how could we do it. >> this was from a light check, though, the photograph, is that correct? >> no. it's not from a light check. absolutely, there's no light check. no, absolutely not. our photographer took pictures of her. there was no precondition of her. absolutely not. >> did you have better pictures of her? >> we put the pictures up. there were two or three others. there was one picture of her praying. we thought it was a common tear. >> wow. >> absolutely. >> there was another picture of her sitting sideways. in that picture, she looked strange. actually, of the pictures, we picked one that captured the intensity. at the same time -- >> how about running a column -- >> i have a question. who is the photographer? i don't want him to be in the same room as me. who is the photographer? >> chris buck. >> i'm keeping him away from me. three pictures of her and she's off on all three. >> you know, this was a picture that was taken. actually, i think it's good for michele bachmann, rick perry is probably wishing chris would photograph him. >> good lord. what kind of pictures are we going to get from rick perry? >> come on. >> come on now. >> shooting a gun? what do you think the reaction would have been if the column was not queen of rage, but running for president. really? come on. look at the cross eyes. >> next time i'm going to e-mail you. >> sam stein, this is not only great for tina brown, it's good for michele bachmann. when you have something seen as a cheap shot from conservatives, everybody rallies. the thing with ronald reagan, the more he's attacked as being an idiot, the more conservatives rallied around him. >> everyone knows photos and headlines of michele bachmann are clicked. but, you know, keep in mind the other major michele bachmann story sort of portrayed her as this christian fundamentalist. these are to her benefit in the short term. >> of course they are. tina, you picked both pictures. i'm going to get killed for this. there's no good way. >> hello, fabulous. almost like she's a model. >> she's looking fabulous. and this is the woman who put the cross hairs up. >> what are you talking about? >> i'm confused. >> looking at that picture and another because they like sarah palin more than bachmann. >> interactions between the subject and the photographer. sarah palin -- >> had a lot of time for the photo shoot. >> was that chris buck, too? >> no. >> all the pictures were great, actually. >> she's very photogenic. >> she is. michele bachman is a very strong looking woman, too. >> great photographer. great shots. >> oh, my lord. >> retouch, retouch, retouch is the name of the game. >> we will just put this news week cover aside. i thought it was fascinating, if a publication did an article on me, even if the writer clicked with me, if they didn't like me, they would pick the worst pictures. it's not just me, it's everybody. it's an editor's power. pictures more so than stories. >> i don't think it's about like or dislike. you are looking for a strong cover. i felt the covers have to reflect a time, a period of when they are published. this was a week where we came out of a tea party moment. it was incredibly intense. the feelings were intense. this was the queen of rage. >> let's go from michele bachmann in newsweek to barack obama. >> what would a picture of obama be at this time? >> glamorous. he's had glamour shots the whole time. photo editors sabotaged hillary clinton. if you don't think it was designed by people who wanted to elect barack obama, you don't know how bias the press was in 2008 against hillary clinton. >> we used a picture in news week of obama that i found a moving picture. he looked so disappointed, so beaten. i wish to see that charismatic confidence, again. i think he looked like a whipped dog in all pictures. >> sam? >> the iconic image from the 2008 elections of barack obama is new york referred to him dressed up as an islamic extremist -- a controversial it would have been much better clip. that was a controversial cover in its own rite. >> how has the magazine sold this week? >> don't know yet. i'm sure it will reflect interest. what can i say? >> i'm assuming it will reflect -- how is barack obama doing right now? >> he is just, to me he seems a day late and a dollar short about everything. he didn't pick up the bowles-simpson recommendation and he should have. this is almost like a reflection of the whole barack obama problem. he said it's too long thinking he could somehow bring people to reason. as a result, he looked weak. you know, he's not firing all these people and killing everybody. now we know, this is a man we can't do business with. we can't. >> does president obama deserve to be reelected poll is just out. 47% say yes. >> good news for him. >> it is good news for him. >> 47% is good considering how miserable the week has been. i think the obama people, mike, got 47% of america. 46 plus. i have heard this before. 46%, 47% locked down. they are fighting for the last 3%. >> he has this problem, this indecisiveness issue. this too late to the dance issue he hasn't dealt with. jobs, dealing with congress. dealing with congress acting the way he's dealt with asad. you can't deal with eric cantor. he's not going to deal with you. they are going to say no no matter what you propose. why he didn't fall back on the simpson-bowles report is baffling. 22 navy s.e.a.l.s go down. this is horrendous moment in the course of the war and he addresses it at the tail end of a speech, which he says nothing about the economy. >> that was the worst pivot i have ever seen in a speech. you do a long thing about the economy and this very lukewarm, don't worry about it, then you cap on the deficit. it made you feel even worst. it's like, well that's the good news? >> sam stein, somebody said around the table he's not completely comfortable with military matters. he's not really comfortable with economic matters either. other than those two things, i think he's got the job down. >> listen, 47% is striking to me. then you have to ask the follow up question. 47% say he deserves re-election. how many are going to vote for re-election. there's a disaolympi pouppointe going in. people who think they can persuade into the camp. a lot of first time voters are going to say this is not what i signed up for. >> if you go back to the politico article we talked about at the top of the show and willie was talking to mike allen, if you are the candidate of hope and change, you bring out a lot of first-time voters and young voters. if you are a year out, the only way to win is by killing your opponent, it's politics. we are not going to -- yes, it is crocodile tears on romney's part, but that sur presses your own turnout. >> it is karl roves 2004 campaign. we know half the country hates our guy. we have to suppress their turn out and increase ours. ari fleisher will be here. chuck todd and eugene robinson will be here. first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. >> good morning. boston and new york city a much better day for today. i think you will enjoy the forecast the next couple days. the morning commute for the rush hour, so warm in d.c. at 93. we drop the temperatures for awhile. yesterday, 107 in dallas. we are going to be 100 today. 39 days in a row. three away from the record in dallas. you can see we are doing 100s through the upcoming weekend. bad storms in arkansas and oklahoma. you are watching "morning joe," brewed by starbucks. ♪ [ country ] [ man ] ♪ gone, like my last paycheck ♪ gone, gone away ♪ gone, like my landlord's smile ♪ ♪ gone, gone away ♪ my baby's gone away with dedicated claims specialists... and around-the-clock service, travelers can help make things better quicker. will your auto and home insurer... be there when you need them most? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage... or visit travelers.com. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. the notion of having congress come back, nothing could be worse for obama than to get caught up in the vortex. everyone hated the whole picture. having him out of town for awhile is a good thing. there are things obama can do. the striking thing is he let the republicans move the entire debate to the budget deficit when the majority of the country says job creation is the problem. >> welcome back to "morning joe." joining us now, msnbc political analyst, eugene robinson. also joining us, chief white house correspondent and host of the daily rundown, chuck todd. >> i have great news for you. >> what? >> gene robinson comes on. hiding great joy. >> good, what is it? >> bring us good news. >> the stock market went up 430 points yesterday. by the logic i have been hearing, that means president obama is doing everything right. he's right on time. we blame everything that goes wrong on the president, let's give him credit. >> the tea party said the same thing. now we can salute the president and the tea party for the 400 points. >> everybody wins. >> that's good news. >> everybody wins. >> what do you think of tina's newsweek cover? >> i love it. she does not look cross eyed. >> whatever. >> she does not look cross eyed. she looks crazy-eyed, but not cross eyed. >> come on. >> chuck todd, if newsweek does a profile of you and chris bucks asks to come in and take a picture of you -- >> ain't happening, sorry. >> joe, if tina brown calls, no thank you. thank you but no thank you. >> this is one of these moments. it is a critical moment for the president of the united states. a gallop poll showed 47% needed to be reelected. they are good numbers. if i were in his place, i would take them an run. that said, this white house has to understand they are in a cross roads. this is a critical, critical time for them. what is the attitude now? >> actually, i don't know if they unanimously believe this. i think there's a split. i talked to aids in the west wing and outside the west wing. you get the sense some are worried this is a cross roads moment. this is a big moment, defining moment. some are saying, you know what, this is every august since we went on the national stage. august '07, august '08, august '09. there's always an august. the pundits calm down, the base calms down. you have that in there a little bit in the presidency about what exactly are we staring at? just another august story or a real cross roads moment? >> i have to ask you, after what you just said, how many people in that building behind you realize that, you know, pundits, whatever they want to call people on tv, what we do here is sky writing. poof! it's gone. what happens in the country is not sky writing. it's out there. it's talking to someone over the weekend who says hey, you keep talking about people losing their jobs. this guy says i lost my job. i didn't lose my job, it was stolen from me from china and nobody is doing anything about it. it's a real person talking about their jobs. >> they won't say it this way, but they act as if they are trapped in this place. it's not just the bubble, it's the trap. they are trapped by congress. they are trapped by congressional republicans in their inability to negotiate or think it's fair so they may have ideas. one of the reasons the economists led the administration, they are not in bad favor. they present and idea and the folks in the west wing say great idea, can't get it passed in congress, let's move on. in many ways, they act as if they are trapped by their circumstances. >> what is the president's attitude now? what are you hearing? what is he thinking? what is the first lady thinking? are they feeling trapped? are they feeling despondent? >> well, from my understanding, no. but, there is an acknowledgement that there needs to be a sense that he's got control of this moment. there is a, you know, you don't want to say a tactic they are looking for. bringing congress back would be a tactic. they sense they have all diagnosed the problem. there's a questioning of whether it's the president's leadership style or the idea he is feeling the pain of what mike is describing of the average person whether in pittsburgh, des moines, kansas city, feeling if they have a job, if they lose it, they are not going to get it or the job they want is somewhere else. they know they have to figure out how to get this back and get the mojo back. they don't know how to do it. i would say it about the gallup numbers you are talking about. they are thankful. that 47% to me is as much a referendum on the alternative right now as it is anything else. there isn't a sense of there's one person out there providing hope on the republican side or even the ideology of the republicans is what the public thinks is the answer. they don't believe that, either. for lack of a good alternative, i think it's why they are split. >> tina, are you excited thinking about rick perry getting in the race? how many op-eds do you get from rick perry? >> this is the season that keeps on giving. he'll be the candidate that keeps on giving. it didn't get better than this. one question for chuck about the white house. what difference does it make, do you think, chuck, that david is fulfilling the role in the white house now, you know, his systematic numbers about the state approach to the re-election? it seems to me i'm seeing now a whole lot of him. >> he's the disciplinarian in many ways. you described him as numbers got mechanical. he's disciplined when it comes to message. so, he's very trusted by the president. it was him more than anybody pushing the president to go bigger on the deficit deal, right? go out and push the $4 trillion deal. push the grand bargain. you know, it's not all numbers when it comes to david. but, i noticed a difference, there's more defined roles. everybody seems to be in their lane. others are deciding whether it's right or wrong. it's a more organized white house. >> how much is there frustration with the president's advisers when he doesn't do the things he was set to do? mike is talking about a speech when he pivoted from the economy to the field. he seems to be missing the opportunities, he always comes in late. when boehner wouldn't come to the telephone, that could have been a newt gingrich moment that bill clinton used during the shutdown at his time. it doesn't feel like he's taking opportunities and using them for their advantage. it's helping his lose momentum. are they advising him to act this way? >> no. i was going to say, i think the frustration is with the non-obama democrats. folks have been around him for four, five, six years. this is his leadership style. this is who he is. he does not -- he's not a knee-jerk reactor on things. you can argue that 90% of the time that serves him well. there are moments when it doesn't serve him well. this is a white house that underreacts. especially if we in the media are saying one thing, they will almost dig a hole and say, no, no, no, no whatever we are told to do, we are advised by pundits, the media, whatever it is, we are not doing it. a lot of people say they need to stop underreacting to things. that's the president's nature. i think what you do is see that frustrating. bill clinton would react in a moment, maybe too quickly, but he was a reactor, that's sure. >> chuck todd, thank you. who do you have on "the daily rundow rundown"? >> mitch daniels talking education. doing a bunch of education nation stuff. >> do you think rick perry is getting in? >> if he's not, it's the biggest head fake we have seen since mario cuomo. >> what do you think? >> it is -- he's got to be careful his first day is not his best day. tactically, they have done a good job of stealing the thunder out of the straw pole, making second place irreally vent. i think perry can get the nomination but can he play in dayton, ohio. can i answer that for you? >> no. >> he cannot. he cannot claim dayton, ohio or bucks county. no, he can't. i answered that one for you today. >> i'm going to java joes for two days, brother. >> are you really? >> january or february, when ever they decide to hold them. i'll let them know you are coming. >> listen, we have to get out to java joes. >> thank you. tomorrow, we are going to talk to congressman king. more "morning joe" when we come back. [ man ] they said i couldn't win a fight. but i did. they said i couldn't fight above my weight class. but i did. they said i couldn't get elected to congress. but i did. ♪ sometimes when we touch ha ha! millions of hits! [ male announcer ] flick, stack, and move between active apps seamlessly. only on the new hp touchpad with webos. stay healthy - and get on with my life. it comes from liberty medical. and now, it's not only where i get my diabetes testing supplies - but it's where i get my prescription drugs as well. if you're on medicare, the cost of your diabetes testing supplies as well as your prescription drugs may be covered. liberty takes care of all the paperwork with medicare and sends the prescription forms directly to your doctor for approval. then, on your schedule, packs up this box and sends it right to your door with no charge for shipping. liberty assures you have what you need to manage your diabetes, and that starts with a free meter. call today and get a free meter. plus, when you join you'll get a free cookbook. call liberty. they can help you live a better life. call the number on your screen. ♪ welcome back to "morning joe." you are looking at a beautiful shot -- >> that is beautiful. >> looking south over the empire state building with love in the background. one of my favorite songs from the '70s. mike, barnacle, do you know this song? >> yes, i do. >> what are you laughing about? >> this would not have been in my jukebox. >> really? ♪ mighty, mighty love song >> one of my favorite radio songs from the 1970s. >> i can imagine you, joe, dids you have big hair in those days? >> dice hanging from the mirror. >> you had dice? >> no, i didn't have dice, but i did have leisure suits. >> did you wear o.p. shorts? >> no. >> jaded northern sophisticates. >> spinners. >> i think you wore o.p. shorts. remember those in high school? wait. >> download "mighty love." >> thank you, joe. a quick look at the headlines. get a couple things from the stylistics, too. >> i think you need a vacation. >> i am getting a vacation soon. maybe i'll go to england. >> that's a great place. >> it's happy. very warm. >> stroll the streets with bricks thrown at you. >> let me ask you a question. i'm glad you are here. i'm wondering, what are they doing, the cops in the streets are acting like tour guides. >> it's one thing -- but continuing. >> it's not good. they are looking for a new police chief, anyone. bill braton would love to do it. he's been ruled out. the home secretary says no foreigners need apply. he told the daily beast he would like to do it. it's what we need, bill braton. >> wouldn't see those pictures. >> seriously. >> it's incredible. four days nearly. there's a lot of anger in the uk. we talked about it during the wedding when we were there, despite the nice faces of the wedding, there's huge unrest in the uk. >> is there -- i'm sorry, go ahead. >> was the anger there before the cuts? >> it was. it has been -- we ran a piece saying there is something nobody wants to see. there's a power angry sight. there's no doubt cuts needed to be made for ten years and they weren't. now, they are cut all at once. >> is there a reluctance for the police in the uk to -- >> they don't shoot people in the uk. there's a shooting that is very disputed right now. >> the guy who got shot, they announced yesterday he didn't fire on police. it was a loaded gun somewhere around there. >> all right. >> okay. thank you two for hijacking the conversation. >> it's a shame. >> it is. >> ari fleischer joins the table. >> ari is here. coming out of the bull pen. introducing the schwab mobile app. it's schwab at your fingertips wherever, whenever you want. one log in lets you monitor all of your balances and transfer between accounts, so your money can move as fast as you do. check out your portfolio, track the market with live updates. and execute trades anywhere and anytime the inspiration hits you. even deposit checks right from your phone. just take a picture, hit deposit and you're done. open an account today and put schwab mobile to work for you. a farewell long awaited. goodnight, stuffy. goodnight, outdated. goodnight old luxury and all of your wares. goodnight bygones everywhere. [ engine turns over ] good morning, illumination. good morning, innovation. good morning unequaled inspiration. [ male announcer ] the audi a8, chosen by car & driver as the best luxury sedan in a recent comparison test. chosen by car & driver as the best luxury sedan every day you live with the pain of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis could be another day you're living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you by asking your rheumatologist about humira. for many adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis humira has been proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira's use in patients with ra has been evaluated in multiple studies during the past 14 years. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur such as, infections, lymphoma or other types of cancer, blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make today the day you talk to your rheumatologist. and ask how you can defend against and help stop further joint damage with humira. ♪ did you hear about this? there was a small fire at president obama's vacation home in martha's vineyard. obama told china, darn that was worth keeping the $14 trillion i was about to give back. what are the odds? >> 43 past the hour. joining the table from the white house press secretary from george w. bush and now head of ari fleischer communications. ari fleischer joins us. >> good to be here. >> you have perry maybe jumping in the race. >> what do you think of perry jumping in the race? >> republicans are unsettled. we don't know who the nominee is. and barack obama is vulnerable. we go to the top tier. he's going to be one of several. rick perry is going to be the high level, but he's not the greatest, so he's going to come in and dominate the field. >> is chuck todd right he has to be sure his first day isn't his best day? >> sure. it shows the dissatisfaction in the field. get them in. reenforce the notion the field isn't strong. we always know who are front-runners are, except the cycle is wide open. >> mitt romney that has money. he lost last time. that usually happens, winning four years later. why is he not grabbing hold of the republican base? what is the problem there? >> if you did a plus or minus on every candidate, romney's pluses are he looks presidential, he was a former governor, he's the front-runner so to speak, not really. a baseball team being half a game in first place, he's not really the front-runner. his flip-flops on abortion and gays created a sense of who is he, will he stand strong or flip-flop? it's a character issue he has to overcome. >> you look at the debt ceiling crisis. he says nothing through the entire crisis. the day before, he drops a message out. that just looks bad. >> it does. i think most candidates can get away with that. he has a harder time because he's front-runner and two because of the history. smart candidates don't get involved in the daily up and downs of the president. it's a trap for a candidate to do. in 2007, barack obama also came out against a debt limit increase. >> romney's appeal or one of his appeals is his financial expertise, right? he's supposed to be an expert on that. one would expect him to have an opinion. >> he did, just a late action opinion. >> he waits then comes out with a definition. i think it does communicate somebody who is afraid of saying the wrong thing and being controversial, he doesn't have a conviction. having conviction is appealing, it's why people like chris christie. he knows what he thinks. >> he's going to get polled in, isn't he? >> he said no. >> i know. they are going to make him do it. they are going to ruin his life. >> there's no they out there in politics. it's individual candidates. >> a candidate that stands out, even now? >> rick perry will stand out, right? joe scarborough's twitter account will show perry shooting a gun. it's a compelling picture, maybe not newsweek. >> you hit it on the head. this is will ferrell playing george w. bush. it's a re-enactmentme. >> will ferrell playing josh brolin. rick perry is pulling off a bad george w. bush imitation. >> the notion of attempting a miracle, if you dig deeper, it's not the greatest miracle for a lot of people. his main problem is his health care bill in massachusetts. it's what obama did nationally. i don't see how republican voters, could repeal the law and get beyond that when it comes to mitt. >> the real focus shifted to the economy, jobs and debt. mitt rock knee led strong suit. if he can get to the election -- >> get through the republican primary. >> because of so many other issues. what's happening in the party is we almost always nominate the guy who lost last time. go back to nixon in the '60s. this time, it's four teams within half a game of first place. it's just there is no front-runner. almost anybody can win, that includes michele bachmann. >> is that a good thing right now? >> here is the map on bachmann. she will bring out so many new people, women and the whole tea party movement, people who traditionally have not been involved in politics. is the media going to vilify her to the point she can't get moderates. that's what is done right now in newsweek and others. >> it's a sad piece. cover of newsweek covers the face of the tea party.her. michele bachmann siptdisn't appg to moderates. >> you can't win on the basis of the party alone. even if you can bring out new party. you have to appeal to independents and moderates. >> isn't that, at the end of the day, michele bachmann's greatest challenge? if you're a republican that wants to win back the white house, rick perry's challenge, if you're a republican that wants to win back the white house? >> same thing with ronald reagan in october of 1980 before anybody believed in independents or moderates could go for ronald reagan and they mostly broke for him. huge number landslide. so let a campaign take its time. >> you can't put michele bachmann in ronald reagan's category. >> no, but the point remains the same, of course. there's only one ronald reagan. >> there's only one michele bachmann. >> that's true. >> tina brown, thank you so much. >> thank you, tina. >> thank you. >> it's been wonderful to have you here. >> no, thank you, really. thank you very much. we'll be right back. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. [ kate ] can't believe i have high blood pressure. what's that thing? another medication. ♪ i really should have taken my shoes off before i got weighed. [ female announcer ] you've got a lot on your mind. that's why every walgreens prescription goes through a 10 point safeguard check that reviews your current walgreens health record for allergies and potentially harmful drug interactions. [ kate ] i can do this. [ female announcer ] the 10 point safeguard check from walgreens. there's a way to stay well. [ female announcer ] the 10 point safeguard check from walgreens. this is my band from the 80's, looker. hair and mascara, a lethal combo. i'm jon haber of alto music. my business is all about getting music into people's hands. and the plum card from american express open helps me do that. you name it, i can buy it. and the savings that we get from the early pay discount has given us money to reinvest back into our business and help quadruple our floor space. how can the plum card's trade terms get your business booming? booming is putting more music in more people's hands. welcome back to "morning joe." you know, we finally got another yankee fan on the set, ari fleischer. i'm surrounded by red sox fans. it's an outrage every morning. we'll get to the yankees in just a second, talk about the a.l. central. the indians and tigers playing last night. cleveland, start in the 12th, game tied at 2-2. tch the catch by detroit's brennan boesch. then in the 14th, more defense from the indians. nice play at second base. defense keeping this game tied until the bottom of the 14th. watch how this game ends. bases loaded for the indians. david pauley a little inside on fukudome. kind of sticks that arm out, doesn't he? that's it, walkoff hit by pitch. the winning run trots. the indians win, now just three games behind the tigers very much in that race. now to the yankees and the angels in the bronx. derek jeter's going to tie the game here. yankees down a couple of runs. his two-run single knots the game up at 4-4. then in the ninth, mariano rivera. the former yankee, bobby abreu, two-run home run, gives the angels a 6-4 lead. bottom of the ninth, yankees have runners on the corners. those are the tying runs. the old fake to third throw to first which never works, ever. >> never. >> it worked last night. >> works. curtis granderson picked off, first base. he was running on the pitch. that was the final out of the game. 6-4, the final. the angels win. the red sox won as well. so the yankees now 2 1/2 games back. >> why don't we ever show red sox highlights on the show? >> we show them relentlessly. no, he's not on the red sox, he's on the patriots. similar region of the country. >> i like how mika's old school, chad johnson. >> well, that's his name. and he's got his own way of doing things. >> check this out. this is chad ochocinco. >> no, chad johnson. >> he's still adjusting to his new team and city and looking for a place to live. >> we all are. >> where's he going to live? >> probably, what, the ritz? >> i'm going to do something different. i'm actually going to stay with a fan probably the first two, three weeks of the season. so that should be fun until i get myself acclimated, i learn my way around. i'm not sure how many boston fans i have, but i'll just pick somebody. i'm not sure how that's going to work. they have to have internet. they have to have xbox. and that's about it. have i ever lied to you before? >> people say he's crazy, he's crazy like a fox. >> in palm beach county, they call him hanging chad. >> ari. >> is that not a great pr move? live with a fan? >> i follow him on twitter. he's amazing. >> do you? >> sure. who doesn't? you name it. i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. they're itchy, dry and uncomfortable. i can't wait to take 'em out, throw 'em away and never see them again. [ male announcer ] know the feeling? get the contacts you've got to see to believe. acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus technology, keeping your eyes exceptionally comfortable all day long. it feels like it disappeared on my eye. [ male announcer ] discover why it's the brand eye doctors trust most for comfort. if you have astigmatism, there's an acuvue® oasys lens for that too, realigning naturally with every blink. ask your doctor for acuvue® oasys brand. [ male announcer ] if you're in a ford f-150 and you see this... it's the end of the road. the last hurrah. it's when ford's powertrain warranty ends. but in this ram truck, you've still got 39,999 miles to go. ♪ guts. glory. ram. ♪ good morning. it's 8:00 on the east coast. welcome back to "morning joe" as you take a live look at new york city. back with us on set, we've got mike barnacle and bill press along with sam stein in washington. >> the results came in, and bill press, this was a big referendum on scott walker. we've been hearing it for months. and it looks like they don't like scott walker. what do you think? >> there was a lot at stake here. more than just scott walker. this was sort of a test for progressives and the labor unions and liberals around the country to try to win -- they had to win -- there were six republicans up for recall. and democrats had to win three to take back control of the senate and then be in a position to roll back the scott walker legislation. >> right. >> that took collective bargaining away from the public employees. well, they got two out of six. they didn't make it. so it's a big loss for the democrats in wisconsin. and i think what it really does -- you know, scott walker is still in control. he came out with a pretty high-road statement with people from both parties. he's still in control. and this really slows down the momentum to the recall of scott walker which was scheduled to start in january. it's going to be a lot tougher to do that now. >> i guess a couple democrats are up for recall the 16th. >> yeah, next week. >> so this news could get even worse. but in the democrats' defense, the unions' defense, you know, these things are never done in a vacuum. >> recalls are tough, too, joe, you know that. >> recalls are very, very tough. but also, the timing could not have been worse. >> right. >> for democrats with the dow collapsing, with president obama suffering some of his lowest ratings. guarantee you independents in wisconsin across america are saying, wait. i'm going to throw people out because they want a cut. again, forget about whether it was a right decision what they did or not, the timing for walker was -- >> they're now thinking if you're in, you're out. because nothing's working. you're going to have to excuse me because i have -- i've got to tell you, totally preoccupied mentally for the last 24 hours with thinking about president obama yesterday going to dover to view the remains of 30 -- 30 americans, 22 s.e.a.l.s, 8 members of the army, returning home to their families. and i kept rolling around in my head the memory of a fellow named hal patius who used to work for lyndon johnson. he once told me about going to walter reed with the president in 1967. and the war, of course, then was huge. the buildup was going on then even in '67. he was telling me, watching the president of the united states cry at the bedside of the young marine was a sobering experience for he, hal, and for the president of the united states. and you've got to wonder what impact that had on barack obama yesterday. at least i do. >> well, that's also on the front page of "the washington post," which was the picture that caught my eye because we talked about this yesterday. and we've been talking about whether or not this will ever become as big an issue as anything else we discuss on this show across the board in the media. and i hope it does. i hope the conversation during the campaign focuses around whether or not we should remain in afghanistan long term. >> and the question is, willie, we've been talking about this, obviously, for several years now. but sometimes it feels like there aren't a lot of other people focusing. you have this terrible tragedy, 30 americans die. it's the front page, but today for "the washington post," the question is how long is the focus on this story? and bh are we going to start getting answers on how long are we going to be in afghanistan? >> yeah, he was -- remember when he made that surprise visit to dover a couple years ago early in his presidency, since that visit, up until yesterday's visit, 874 more americans have died in afghanistan. that's just over two years. so you do wonder, joe, about the law of diminishing return, which we said here. if we pull out tomorrow x it might be ugly. but if we pull out in ten years, it's going to be ugly, too. and sam stein, that's a question that president obama's going to have to grapple with in addition to all the focus that's going on with the economy right now. afghanistan's still high on his checklist. >> yeah, it's tough to follow up on what mike just said right there because he said it so poignantly. you know, afghanistan has been sort of cast aside. and it takes tragic events like what happened over the weekend to bring it to the front pages. you know, i just think that the mindset of the voters is still reoccupied right now with the economy, with their own joblessness, their own suffering and what it would take to get this country back on track that there's just not the appetite to consume the afghanistan news that there was like in, say, the vietnam era. and it's an unfortunate side effect because the numbers don't lie. it's an expensive war. it's a costly war, in both human and dollar terms. people need to start asking real questions about it. >> $2 billion a week when we're cutting schools, when we're cutting r&d, when we're cutting infrastructure. this is something that americans should focus on. you've got the human tragedy, and you've got the weekly financial crisis that this is causing. >> sure. we're not talking about libya either, by the way, but with afghanistan, there's so many dimensions to this, it really does raise the question of joe, as you raised, how long are we going to be there? we don't know. they're saying maybe another ten years out in some capacity. and also, how real is it that we're going to be able to turn over control of that country to the afghan forces at the end of next year, which is what the plan is? that looks less and less likely, it seems to me. and there are a lot of questions being raised. i was talking to barry mccaffrey about this last night, about this mission, and with the diminished forces, how we're conducting these missions and why they should have been sent into that territory with just one helicopter and no cover and a lot of the people in the military are saying we should not have been there. >> the nakt we're still debating whether or not this mission can be executed is frightening. >> it is. >> members of the super committee, some of them are emerging. we'll get to that in just a moment. first the big picture. markets around the world are reacting after a tumultuous trading session on wall street yesterday. anticipation of news from the federal reserve causing stocks to rise, fall and rise again. at the close, the dow surged 429 points or nearly 4%. the s&p 500 rallied 53 points for a gain of 4.7%. those were the biggest one-day point and percentage gains for the two indices since march 2009. the nasdaq added 124 points or 5%. stocks declined shortly after the fed announcement as investors were disappointed that no new policy initiatives were unveiled. but markets rebounded in the final hour on news that central bank had discussed additional steps it can take to shore up the economy. the fed pledged to hold interest rates at historic lows for at least the next two years as it issued a cautious outlook, noting that, quote, downside risks to the u.s. economy have increased. going forward, the fed now expects a somewhat slower pace of recovery over coming quarters and says it will decline only gradually. today asian and european markets are getting a boost, but futures point to a down day for u.s. stocks. kind of up and down a little. >> at least we get -- we've got the -- >> we've got the headline back. >> super committee. it's super. i don't know what they're going to wear, many superman outfits, but we've got some names. you juan to hear it? >> up and down. >> please stop it, seriously. you've become fixated on stupid things. >> did you ever wonder how stable these people are on the floor of the new york stock exchange? >> oh, god. >> they go up. literally themselves, personally. their personalities. >> looked like dylan ratigan yesterday, almost. >> well, that's a shame. all right. >> so let's talk about the super committee. harry reid unveiling his choices for the super committee. >> who are they? >> here we go. drum roll, please. reid announcing he will appoint senators max baucus, john kerry, and democratic senatorial campaign chair patty murray to the bipartisan panel. the early response to reid's picks could be a preview for a political fight to come. "reid's appointment is absolute proof that democrats are not serious about deficit reduction." he goes on to call senator murray the democrats' fund-raiser in chief. congressional leaders have until august 16th to name members of the 12-member committee. >> come on, you name the head of the democratic senatorial committee for this panel that's supposed to make tough decions? >> first of all, i have to say, i think this is the problem. the republican national chairman, stay the hell out of this. this is not a political battle. this is a serious thing. >> maybe they can go to the republican side. >> i want to point out -- no, no, that's not true. senator patry murray is the incoming chair of the budget committee. max baucus is the chair of the finance committee. they are both more than qualified. i think they're excellent appointments. and if you make this a political football, we're not going to get there, guys. >> that enforcement mechanism? >> where is the -- i wonder why -- so sam stein, not a lot of deficit hawks there. the current chairman of the budget committee would have been a wonderful pick, would he not? >> i think baucus could be conceived as someone who is, you know, maybe not deficit hawk but certainly someone who's hawkish. yes, kent conrad has suggested that you balance the deficit to $1 of every tax increase. he's taken some sort of flak from the base for that. i think these suggestions suggest three things. reid wants his members close to him. patty and baucus, his close personal friend. patty murray is the incoming chair of the budget committee, baucus heads the finance committee and senator john kerry is the foreign relations committee. the components we need to look at is tax reform and defense cuts which is what kerry's there for. he's the one who could sort of provide some sort of cover for the party once it actually does cut into the defense budget. so those are the three elements that i took away from this. >> all right. >> fascinating stuff, obviously. >> yeah. >> he's like our mel kuiper, sam stein. >> so mel kuiper, what do you think about wisconsin? we didn't get around to you on the wisconsin battle last nate. are you surprised? >> am i mel kuiper now? yeah, i guess i'm a little surprised. you know, labor was very much invested in this, obviously. you know, of all the things to get them riled up, the stripping of collective bargaining rights probably was the best thing. you guys made valid points. this is a climate where everyone is basically worried about their own pocket books, about the stock market, the job market. and it was very tough to get traction over the closing weeks. two seats picking up last night was decent for democrats in labor. they obviously wanted three seateds. i think it sends a message, but it's a setback. >> i was going to say, this is devastating for unions. they called this an historic assault, an all-out assault. said scott walker was a nazi, a fascist. he was a runaway politician, that he was wildly out of step with the voters of wisconsin, that he was owned by the coke brothers, et cetera, et cetera. you can fill in the blanks. and the voters got -- the wisconsin voters finally got to talk last night. not the protesters that were shipped in from not only across the state. >> both sides. >> on both sides, maybe, but i saw a lot more protesters against walker's position. >> well, the union folks who are upset about the collective bargaining rights, but yeah, go ahead. >> it's tough news for the unions, is it not? >> it is. >> seriously, i take no glee in this. with disparity between ceos and workers' increases by the day. just politically, this is a pretty devastating setback for unions. >> and i think you don't take any glee when teachers and secretaries and cops and firemen are the ones asked to bear the full brunt of these budget problems in the states. but you can't spin it any other way. i think it is a setback which i believe is unfortunate. and i think progressives and unions are going to have to look at what the message is and what the strategy is because this was like the test for what would happen in new jersey and in indiana and florida and michigan and not winning three seats in wisconsin is a setback. >> well, guess what? it's not just wisconsin either. i mean, in massachusetts, governor deval patrick has proposed to weaken collective bargaining for unions. and people are rolling over. yeah, we have to do it in order to save budgets and municipalities. >> here in new york, that's what cuomo is talking about. >> we have a media story as we go to break. we do. we're going to be talking a lot about this, i think. there's a controversy over the latest "newsweek" cover. did you all see this, with michele bachmann? >> how can you miss it? the cover features what some are calling an unflattering image of the presidential hopeful. bachmann appears wide-eyed in front of a blue background with the headline "the queen of rage." "newsweek" is releasing images of the congresswoman campaigning in iowa and in washington. bachmann's campaign claims the cover photo was taken during a lighting test for the shoot. "newsweek" editor in chief, tina brown, also says in a statement, quote, michele bachmann's intensity is galvanizing voters in iowa right now, and "newsweek's" cover captures that. >> let me tell you, they got a much better picture of michele bachmann. >> "meet the press" is going to be in ames, iowa, this sunday. michele bachmann will be on. >> they said it looks like a cheap shot. it's great for michele bachmann. coming up, a show of force. tens of thousands of police officers helped calm the streets of london as trouble erupts in other british cities. also, how overseas markets reacted to wall street's volatile and dramatic rebound. we're going to go live to the new york stock exchange. and next, columnist for "the bloomberg view," jonathan alter who predicts a lobbyist brawl could be the answer to fixing our tax code. but first, here's bill karins with a check on the forecast. >> mika, for the first time in months, i have good news about ending the heat and humidity for millions of americans. good morning, everyone. we're getting relief out there. it's starting now to filter into areas of the great lakes and the ohio valley. it's spreading into new england during the day today. one cold front went through. another one's going to be slicing in right behind it. so we're going to see a pretty dry forecast today. temperatures are going to be much nicer, much more comfortable. 80 to about 85 degrees in the big city. in washington, d.c., one hot day today. and then you cool off for a gorgeous thursday, friday. unfortunately, we're going to bring some rain into the forecast saturday and sunday, but i think our 90s are done for a while. the worst weather heading now for tulsa. we've had a couple of bouts of storms in oklahoma and arkansas. they've needed rainfall. unfortunately, dallas, you're not going to see any of that rain. 104 for you today. and everyone joining us early on this wednesday on the west coast, it looks like your dry, quiet weather pattern will continue. washington, d.c., last day in the 90s for a while. the safety of onstar is now available for your car. ♪ [ recorded voice ] onstar. we're looking for city hall. i'm sending directions to your car. [ recorded voice #2 ] turn right on hill street. go north for two miles. ♪ [ man ] this is onstar. i got a signal there's been a crash. do you need help? yes, please. i've got your gps location. i'm sending help. [ female announcer ] introducing onstar fmv. get it installed on your car at best buy or visit onstar.com for more stores. ♪ good times ♪ bad times ♪ you know i've had my share we may not have the best debt rating, but as i mentioned last night, i think there are some things we will always be aaa in. take a look. >> hey, america. we're number one in monster dunks. aaa! and nobody has more fun dads. >> aaa! >> we still lead the world in jack nicholson impersonators, lower back tats and presidents. >> aaa! >> we have the most beyonce summer homes. and the newest new mexico. we've got the most shirtless arrests, the most talented pre-diabetic teenagers and the best-dressed dogs on the planet. >> aaa! >> oh, my. >> so we've got that going for us. another thing to be positive about. >> i love america. we're classy. >> the craziest magazine covers. >> we're back at the table with eugene robinson and ari fleischer and columnist for "bloomberg view" and msnbc contributor jonathan alter. >> hello. spl >> we've been showing a gallup poll which i find fascinating. pretty positive for the president. the president's re-election, 51% say no. okay. but 47%, he still seems to have a pretty solid base. we're still talking about that 3% that he needs to get him over the top. >> well, you know, the polls are going to be all over the place for the next 15 months. the thing to watch are these ten battleground states because part of what those polls reflect is that the president is very popular in california, new york, illinois, obviously. >> right. >> it's the states like virginia, colorado, florida. >> florida. ohio. pennsylvania. >> we all know what the basic battleground states are. and so rather than looking at national polls which i don't find particularly illuminating. i try to look at some of the breakdowns within these states. and it's a very competitive race. and it's going to be a very close election. >> it's concerning for the president, some of the -- like you said, florida. low 40s. ohio, low 40s. pennsylvania, even not doing so great. but who's his competition? >> yeah. >> if rick perry's running against barack obama, is rick perry going to win the suburbs of philadelphia? is he going to win columbus? is he going to win the i-4 corridor? i just don't think so. >> well, right now you would say no. but perry has been a very shrewd politician in texas. he's had to negotiate a lot of competing forces. and he's done rather well politically. so even though he's frightening for a lot of democrats and a certain number of independents right now, it would be foolish to try to sell him short, especially since we don't know what his chops are like yet. he hasn't gotten in. >> ari, in the end, though, and that's what's so frustrating, you've got mitt romney who is objectionable to a lot of conservatives. and yet he's the guy that seems to be in the best position to win the general. >> i think what we're witnessing is great. i'm a capitalist, i'm a consumer, and i want to have a choice of who i'm going to vote for by making them appeal to me. this is what campaigns are all about. so none of us should be looking for answers this early, saying who is it going to be? can he win? the big knowns out there is you have an incredibly vulnerable incumbent who very easily could lose. and you have an unsettled republican field that now needs to come before us and show what they've got. this is how elections work. it's great. >> look at the list we just put up. are you surprised at how tim pawlenty is doing and is standing with the other candidates? >> i am. i'm surprised at how he's not -- but, again, it still is early. it begins saturday in the straw poll of iowa. >> he's below newt gingrich. >> you make that sound dirty. >> wow! >> she's right. i mean, really? really? >> but wait. you can't judge the iowa straw poll by the results of overall polls. the straw poll is an incredibly different exercise, and we don't know how he's going to do yet. you might be changing your tune next week. >> i'm surprised. i think he's an attractive candidate. one of my brothers likes him very much. >> everybody's now writing off huntsman which i think is silly. if you get into a state like new hampshire and let's say that romney is on the ropes by the time they get to new hampshire, you could see a situation where huntsman, not rick perry or michele bachmann, who causes romney troubles in new hampshire. now, when you get later on, and you any this much better than i do, joe, think about it, john mccain won the nomination the last time. he had been a democrat practically two years earlier. >> right. >> so there are a lot of mainstream republicans who vote in these big states after the early primaries who might be willing to go for a more moderate candidate. >> the republican primary -- i think one of the things that is missed by so many people reporting on the republican primary is that it is far more moderate than i think a lot of people this new york and washington think. because we have this focus for a year and a half on iowa. >> right. >> and then in new hampshire. but you get past that. >> well, south carolina. >> well, and don't forget -- >> but let me tell you, south carolina has always been the firewall for the republican establishment has been more republican establishment than it's been. >> south carolina in 2008. >> which i've always found fascinating. >> one of the reasons is you've got the conservatives who divide themselves up, and it creates an opening for a so-called moderate. this is why this is such an open race. it's a rubik's cube. if the conservatives divide, if perry jumps in, this could create an opening for huntsman. >> you wrote a fascinating article about the tax code and how actually lobbies could help fix the tax code. >> a little counterintuitive. >> it is. explain that. >> here's the triggers are the key thing to keep ahold of. you know, we're all so sick of the debt ceiling debate, we forgot about the system that they set up. this super committee has to report out a bill by thanksgiving and it has to be voted on by christmas. so you're going to see intense lobbying. the reason that there's going to be some lobbying for big-time tax reform and entitlement reform is that all the defense lobbyists and all the health care lobbyists, aarp, the hospitals that are very popular and a lot of other lobbies, they're all going to be lobbying for a deal because they don't want those triggers with those massive cuts to go off in 2013. you saw that leon panetta basically said if the triggers go off, it will be a threat to national security. >> right. >> now, imagine him and a lot of other people saying that a lot between now and christmas. the likelihood of a deal, which everybody now writes off, the conventional wisdom, oh, this will be no deal, everybody's fighting the last war right now. >> right. >> i think there will be a deal. >> they'll have everybody on the armed services committee wanting cuts. >> exactly. you're going to have a real impact for tax reform if the president embraces it and says we need implementation. you can get rid of a trillion dollars from loopholes. that could be a powerful message this fall, and god knows he needs a message. >> what does the president need? we've been talking about the challenges he faces. this happens in every presidency. every presidency. it certainly happened in the bush presidency. it happened before with clinton. i mean, go back, george h.w. bush, reagan, you go back, everybody has a very difficult, dark time. what does this president need to do to break out of it? >> well, i think he needs to finally complete the pivot to jobs. it's become almost a cliche because he's tried so many times to do that. he really does have to do that. that's where the voters are. he needs to put together -- and i think they're talking about this now around labor day -- a big, balanced package but that is focused on putting people to work. even though it's not going to pass congress, he needs to run on that. and it needs to be clear. it needs to have a frame, a slogan, even. >> right. >> that says, we want to put people back to work. they don't. and really challenge the republicans and say, do you have any ideas beyond more tax cuts for putting america to work? >> ari, it's amazing, you look at the numbers, americans don't trust washington to get things done. >> right. >> let's just drain the swamp of ideology. and if you're just an independent voter out there, you don't pay a lot of attention, you say, okay, well, back four years ago, we had this economic crisis. and people said, we're going to have a jobs problem. unemployment going up. washington spent the first two years obsessing on health care. and they spent the next two years obsessing on the debt. washington -- the president and congress -- they haven't gotten a connection, the message out. they haven't had the focus that i think most americans want them to have. >> there's a disconnect. washington cannot create jobs, the government cannot create jobs. the government can tax people. it can redistribute income. it can make transfer payments. it cannot create jobs. the stimulus was an example of that. it was a failure. of course, it was. it was not supposed to raise employme unemployment above 8%. >> agreed. >> the economy was losing 775,000 jobs a month. >> exactly. >> when obama took office. we're now gaining anemically about 100,000 a month. that's not an abject failure. >> you can put lipstick on that pig, that pig ain't flying. the president promised it wouldn't go above 8%. it went above 10%. and we're down $1 trillion. i'll take the trillion dollars back. >> the stimulus stopped the arterial bleeding. >> the issue that the voters look for in the executive is confidence. it's character. it's a sense that he's going to get me through the night, whatever bad is going on out there. and people have lost that in barack obama. i don't think people expect that government has all the solutions, but they want to be lifted up. that's what barack obama has lost. that's what's up for grabs in the 2012 election. >> ari said government can't create jobs, stimulus is a failure, you disagree. >> the stimulus wasn't a failure. it stopped the bleeding of 770,000 jobs a month. to say that it was a failure is just definitely not true. that's pretty uplifting. i don't know what more you want. what else do you want the guy to do? it's as if you set an impossible standard followed by an impossible standard followed by an impossible standard. >> you mean like healing the planet and stopping the ocean temperatures from rising? >> he obviously -- and there were unrealistic expectations, jonathan, that haunt this president every day. >> and he's working -- absolutely. and he knew that when he came in. remember that inaugural address was to kind of tone down people's expectations. he's never found that sweet spot between those expectations and his pragmatic approach to governing. and he's got to find it if he's going to get re-elected because right now he still doesn't have that connection that he needs. and he's had the worst week probably of his presidency. >> you need to follow up. are you going to write another book? >> i am writing another book. >> about this presidency? >> yep, this presidency. and this one will have a lot about republicans. and also this election is so important because the whole social contract that my first book about franklin roosevelt was about is on the line. this is another defining moment for this country because the republicans have a very different vision of what we owe each other as a people, and that's all up for grabs in 2012. >> jonathan alter, thank you. good luck with the book. >> thanks. will a massive police crackdown and four days across england? a live report next on "morning joe." [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. since yesterday there are more police on the street, more people have been arrested, and more people are being charged and prosecuted. last night there were around 16,000 police on the streets of london. and there is evidence that a more robust approach to policing in london resulted in a much quieter night across the capital. and let me pay tribute to the bravery of those police officers and indeed everyone working for our emergency services. >> prime minister david cameron commending the police for the efforts on the streets of london yesterday. officers have so far been successful now bringing calm to the city after cameron added thousands of police to stem the rioting that is entering its fourth consecutive day in the uk. the protests now expanding, though, into other cities. nbc's michelle kosinski is in london with details. michelle, it's good to see you. i know you can't see this, but i'm holding up "the daily news," a photograph that i first saw in a nightly piece last night. a woman jumping out of a burning building which, to americans, has become sort of iconic of these last four days. >> reporter: yeah, these images are really stunning. and to see it happening live was even worse. it just made you think, is this london right now? and why, really, is this going on? at least this morning there's a much more relaxed feeling in the city. there's a lot of cleanup and demolition right now. in some areas it seems everywhere you look, you see police. a lot of people are saying it's about time. so maybe it's no surprise that with 16,000 officers on these streets, it was mostly a quiet night. at least here in london. yes, there were flash points in britain overnight, but most were far from london. scarred and exhausted after three nights of raw violence. and those images, so many, have given the world pause. this young man throws rocks. an older citizen tries to talk him down. his answer, violence. at this elegant notting hill restaurant. thugs broke in with bats, started stealing including an american blger's engagement ring, the chef scared them away. looters have been relentless. daylight is heartbreak. >> i really don't know what to say. i mean, it's been through two world wars. >> reporter: this family furniture store lasted 150 years. no match for gangs of keep atee. the prime minister rushed home from a vacation in tuscany to deal with it. prosecutors with big plans for security. now are jeered. >> clearly people will point to deep soepsychological problems. >> reporter: is it embarrassing? >> i'll be honest. i feel furious. >> just lazy and just going around robbing shops to make easy money. that's what it is. >> reporter: police now are everywhere. and they're posting surveillance pictures of the looters online. the larger community. >> they're mindless looters. grow up. >> reporter: some citizens are fighting back with booms. here police were cheered as they rolled in. three days late. but many understand the unpreparedness for a rage no one expected, had seen before or can now comprehend. this morning the prime minister vowed to track down these looters and said he wouldn't let a phony argument of human rights get in the way of publishing their photos. at the same time, we're finding out that a london man who had stood up to a mob a few days ago and was beaten by them has died. the wake of all this scotland yard is launching its biggest investigation in its history, bigger even than that into the 2005 london terrorist bombings, willie. >> just disgusting. michelle kosinski reporting for us live from london this morning, thanks so much, michelle. >> you know, the young woman, it looked like a young arab woman who said these are just punks milling around trying to make money. >> make money. >> they need to be treated like punks. just absolute punks. you see the gentleman trying to talk the one guy down. he punches him. >> the older guy. >> the older guy. they need to go out and take these people off the streets. let's turn to cnbc's simon hobbs live at the new york stock exchange. i guess we'll start there, simon. >> good morning to you, mika. it's interesting, isn't it, that you've got thousands of people in britain who now feel it's okay to behave like criminals to self-justify what's going on. i don't want to overintellectualize it as they said in that report, but it's interesting in which you've had 13 years where they had a massive extension of the welfare state and an opportunity for all banner attempted to bring in all these people into society. and in that time social mobility has fallen. inequality and unemployment have risen. i think there's a big difference between how young, poor, alienated people in the uk perhaps feel than those here in the united states. and you heard the prime minister say that he wasn't going to have anyhony arguments about human rights. those kids in the uk will talk about their rights to certain things continue. they will use the words, "it's my human rights." in the united states as an immigrant, it's a different attitude from everybody who feels a little bit down socially, if you like, or low income that they still believe that they can -- they fell self-empowered. they believe they can change the world in which they live. never forget, this is a much more positive society. at the granular level here in the united states, than it is in the united kingdom. if you come into work, most people are positive with one another. they don't criticize one another. in the united kingdom, people are ve negative. they commune on the negative. and that kind of negativity swirls around. and i suggest that's what we might be seeing there. >> i don't want to call roger bennett out. but that's one of the things he said when he first met him. he said i step off the plane in america -- by the way, he does soccer reports for us. he lives in new york now. but he says the same thing. i step off a plane in america, and i feel energy. i feel the force that sometimes you americans don't even understand. when i step off a plane in england, it's just the opposite. >> yes. >> there is a negativity that draws many down. >> you have to understand that the class system is still very much in operation. i mean, you guys beautifully all cheered at the royal wedding, but how would you feel if you were poor and black living in an inner city and your head of state is an 85-year-old who inherited and will pass it on to his son, charles. that's very different from saying if you're a young black person, i have a 50-year-old democrat who was voted through in the white house who happens to be non-white. that's just the tip of the iceberg. i think the difference between the two societies and how if you are at the bottom of it in the uk, you can feel, let me put it that way, very disempowered. >> simon hobbs, thank you very much. greatly appreciated. and gene, you were over in london for a couple years. at the end, it comes down to social mobility. that's the frustration in paris in the suburbs. that's the frustration some places in england. >> in this country, we tend not to see class, even where it is. >> right. >> in britain, they see class everywhere. even where it isn't. even when we don't recognize it. we'll have much more after a short break with eugene robinson and ari fleischer. as much as i can about a company before i invest in it. that's why i like fidelity. they give me tools and research i can't get anywhere else. their stock screener lets me search for stocks with more than 140 criteria. i can see what their experts are thinking and even call them to bounce an idea off of one of their investment professionals. a good strategy relies on good insight. if you wanted to learn more about a company, i think you'd actually have to be there. stay healthy - and get on with my life. it comes from liberty medical. and now, it's not only where i get my diabetes testing supplies - but it's where i get my prescription drugs as well. if you're on medicare, the cost of your diabetes testing supplies as well as your prescription drugs may be covered. liberty takes care of all the paperwork with medicare and sends the prescription forms directly to your doctor for approval. then, on your schedule, packs up this box and sends it right to your door with no charge for shipping. liberty assures you have what you need to manage your diabetes, and that starts with a free meter. call today and get a free meter. plus, when you join you'll get a free cookbook. call liberty. they can help you live a better life. call the number on your screen. 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. welcome back to "morning joe." so ari, if the government can't create jobs, as you said a couple of segments ago, what does the president do to help turn this economy around? >> i think if you're barack obama, you want to remind people that you are the leader who can get things done for america. what i would do if i were him, come out on this whole debt issue with specifics, with actual plans and try to drive the process toward what he thinks we need to do with specificity. so he gets a win under his belt. >> so how does that create jobs? >> it doesn't because the government cannot. he cannot. all he can do is spend money. and if he does that -- and by the way, when he gave his speech the other day, he announced from the fireplace of the white house what he wanted to do. that's not a winning formula for him. governments cannot create jobs. if he tries to go that route, again, i think it leads to failure. change the topic. be a leader on debt. that's what he should do. >> let's talk to the gentleman from washington. >> it destroys jobs. that's what republicans are intent on doing by sucking hundreds of billions of dollars out of the economy right now at a time of dire recession. the president should oppose that. >> should he spend money? another stimulus? >> got to spend money to make money. we'll be right back. >> we shall see. [ male announcer ] imagine all of your missed opportunities in one place. the winning horse you could have picked. ♪ that "old flame" you should have called. ♪ that leap of faith you never took. but there's one opportunity that's too good to miss. the lexus golden opportunity sales event, with exceptional values on the lexus is. but only until september 6th. see your lexus dealer. while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. photo center prints and... two htc sensations from t-mobile. hey dad! hey son! i'm at study hall. that's great, you make me so proud. thanks dad. [ clatter, scream ] what's that? nothing... [ man ] game on! ♪ i gotta go! was that a chicken? [ male announcer ] get everything you need for back to college, like the latest smartphones with video chat starting at $48.88. save money. live better. walmart. welcome back to "morning joe." time to talk about what we learned today. willie, what did you learn? >> i learned from tina brown that the michele bachmann cover photo was not taken during a lighting test. >> really? >> as some have said. she says there was no such thing as a lighting test. that's what she said. >> very interesting. what did you learn, ari? >> that willie plays great highlights. >> yes. what about you, gene? >> that if chris buck comes anywhere near you with a camera, run! run the other way! >> you do not want to get a picture taken by this guy. >> i think chris buck knows exactly what he's doing, as does tina brown. >> yeah. >> they're not dumb. >> it's not a coincidence. this cover and then they were talking about the palin cover a couple weeks ago. they were also talking about that cover of lady diana. >> he's savvy. >> excavated from the grave to stand next to kate middleton.

Related Keywords

Vietnam , Republic Of , Arkansas , United States , Chad , China , California , New Mexico , Washington , District Of Columbia , Mexico , South Carolina , Massachusetts , Iowa , Libya , New York , New Hampshire , Dayton , Ohio , Texas , Afghanistan , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , Cleveland , Florida , Boston , Illinois , Columbus , Indiana , Ohio Valley , Wisconsin , Manchester , United Kingdom , Michigan , London , City Of , Notting Hill , Kensington And Chelsea , Oklahoma , Maine , New Jersey , Las Vegas , Nevada , Dover , Detroit , Dallas , Paris , Rhôalpes , France , Americans , America , Scotland , Britain , Afghan , British , American , Deval Patrick , Derek Jeter , Patry Murray , Cnbc Simon Hobbs , Scott Walker , Josh Brolin , Sam Stine , Kent Conrad , David Cameron , Ronald Reagan , Mel Kuiper , Brennan Boesch , Kate Middleton , Mariano Rivera , Rick Perry , Ben Smith , Patty Murray , Michele Bachmann , John Kerry , Margaret Thatcher , Chris Christie , Eugene Robinson , Simon Hobbs , Chuck Todd , David Pauley , Dan Uggla , Sam Stein , Tim Pawlenty , Dylan Ratigan , Michelle Kosinski , Newt Gingrich , Alec Baldwin , John Mccain , Fred Thompson , Walter Reid , Murray Baucus , Michele Bachmann Rick Perry , Lyndon Johnson , Michele Bachman , Curtis Granderson , Eric Cantor , Jack Nicholson , Max Baucus , Mitch Daniels , Roger Bennett , Cliff Lee , Mike Allen , Barry Mccaffrey , Harry Reid , Yankee Bobby Abreu , Barack Obama , George W Bush , Jonathan Martin , Tina Brown , Sarah Palin , Walter Reed , Mario Cuomo , Hillary Clinton , Willie Geist , Franklin Roosevelt ,