you're flattered. you're grateful. you're all the things that, you know, come with this kind of accomplishment. of course, but that's -- that's not the driving force. that's not what motivates us. at connecticut. >> good morning. it is wednesday, april 9th. welcome to "morning joe." >> how about geno, huh? geno's the best. >> that guy is unbelievable. he just keeps winning and withing and winning. >> and he makes pizza rolls. >> huh? >> okay. geno, we'll be talking about geno. don't let it distract you. it's kind of a shiny obstacle. you think it's a coin. >> oh, my goodness. look at that. yes, exactly. >> the geno man. it's unbelievable. uconn, the kings and queens of basketball. >> when i was a reporter in "consider the. i covered the women a lot. i got to know geno, he's a good man. you know why he's makes a great team. my daughter is a great track coach. a coach can be a father figure. geno auriemma. must be heaven. >> ncaa. >> it's called ncaa, and you say it proudly. >> so that's his ninth actual title. puts him in the conversation. all of those names that you talked about. they're just a great basketball team. notre dame was perceived to be perhaps the best team. and they blew them off the court. they won by 20 points, uconn did. after the game, the notre dame coach who has no love for geno auriemma and vice versa said we have no chance. >> mika, also, speaking of women, big event at the white house. >> yes. >> you were there along with valerie. and a lot of other people. and of course, the president. tell us -- >> so this is the east room of the white house. and it was sort of like a church revival. i'm telling you, every time the president made a comment about why women should be paid equally to men. equal pay for equal work, talking about the same jobs. you'd hear like okay. clapping almost like praise jesus, it was fun. >> and a little known fact, he told you when he kissed you on the cheek, he whispered ditch that guy with the big nose next to you. i don't know that he had that much time to say that to you. >> he tried that. look, you're still here. >> i'm still here. at least for a little bit. >> no, it was a great event. and it's teeing up what's going on on capitol hill. he signed to two executive orders yesterday which play into this. the senate is set to take up the paycheck fairness act today. part of the push between democrats to address the gap between wages of men and women. it would allow workers to compare salaries without the threat of retaliation. retaliation that would compel companies to explain pay disparities between men and women and allow workers who allege discrimination to seek damages. yesterday, the president stwiend executive actions designed at creating greater transparency for the wages of federal contractors amid what the white house says is say key first step. the president used the occasion to contrast his stance on republicans on this. >> some commentators are out there saying that the pay gap doesn't even exist. they say it's a myth. but it's not a myth. it's math. you can look at the paychecks. you can look at the stubs. this isn't just about treating women fairly. this is about republicans seepingly opposing any efforts to even the playing field for working families. i don't know why you would resist the idea that women should be paid the same as men. and then deny that it that's not always happening out there. if republicans in congress want to prove me wrong, if they want to show that they in fact do care about women being paid the same as men, then show me. they can start tomorrow. they can join us in this, the 21st century, and vote yes on the paycheck fairness act. oh, yes. >> republicans were pushing back, calling the legislation a political stunt. in an election year. noting that it's already illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender. >> many ladies i know feel like they're being used as pawns and find it condescending that democrats are trying to use this issue as a political distraction. >> republicans support equal pay for equal work. it's probably better for us to sit down and see how we can make sure that the law is being properly implemented, rather than play politics with this. >> i would urge us to stop politicizing women. and let's start focusing on those policies that are actually going to help women and everyone in this country. >> so mika, eric cantor says, which i believe is, equal pay, for equal work. don't most americans agree with that? >> i think most americans believe in that. he might believe what he believes but the others seemed like hostage video. the truth is is pay discrimination exists. they know it. and to be put out there like that seems kind of sad at this moment. >> well, let's talk about the issue here. >> sure. >> again, you're talking about -- >> politics. >> about the women, and they can speak for themselves quite well, thank you. so i'm asking, just about the issue, equal pay for equal work. i think everybody agrees with that. so i'm asking -- >> okay, there are -- >> -- i'm not being difficult here. why question is, why was it necessary for the president to sign that bill yesterday, if it's already the law of the land that you can't discriminate against women? >> exactly. equal pay for equal work. >> right. >> and there's a law against it, except the law doesn't work because you can't prove it. you can't prove it unless you're lilly ledbetter and someone by mistake gives you pay stubs. unless you're me and you have a co-host and tells me what you make and will go back in there and back me like you did. and like those who don't have a progressive boss or a great group to work with, and a man who can help with the problem who will actually be transparent. we need transparency. because, ougs, the law exists for women to take legal action. nicole, would you like to be a woman taking legal action against her company? >> of course not. the republican problem on this issue is we're having the wrong fight. we're in a defensive crouch, we're quibbling about what the definition of discrimination is. what we should be talking about is our plan to level the playing field. because whether it boils down to a factcheck.org mission or not, most women feel underpaid and underappreciated and overstrapped in the workplace. >> and, by the way, i mean, let's just talk as to the republicans at the table who talk about having it, i'm still trying to figure out what willie is. >> he's -- >> a marxist or a -- >> no. >> so, but, anyway, i will say, i'm not saying this because mika's next to me. this seems like one of these fights where you go, ahh, come on guys. i will say, i also as a republican sort of flinched every time barack obama kept saying at this event that should be a unifying event, republican, republican, republicans. >> right. he made it very political. >> he made it very political which makes republicans think, oh, this really isn't about women. this is about 2014 and the gender gap and this, quote, war on women. bogus charge. >> and presume that it is. presume that president obama is doing this for politics. >> should what should republicans do? >> they should have the fight on ground that is more friendly to republicans. what republicans have historically championed is an agenda for small business owners. the majority of small business owners in this country to make up the majority of employers hiring new employees in this country are women. so the republicans have a natural alignment with women issues if they can make themselves champions of the small business owner and really understand what they need. republicans also need to understand to get out of that defensive crouch. >> it is is a defensive crouch. when mika was talking about what the bill was about and i was limping to the president on his attacks on republicans, kind of what's wrong with transparency, because, you know, nobody's saying -- everybody needs to get paid the same. but if i'm working in one cubicle and somebody is working in another cubicle and i'm getting paid less as a matter of math because of my gender, that's obviously a serious issue. >> it is. and i don't think it's political. >> of course, it's political -- it's a serious issue. by the way, of course what barack obama did yesterday is political. and what is wrong with that. he's basically setting up for 2014 and it's attached to the minimum wage. it's attached to immigration. democratic party is the inclusive party. and they are still trying to coin the republican party was the party of mitt romney. a party of those guys. a party of 1%. >> the binder is full of women. >> it's arguably. >> and arguable that this is a political -- >> it's an argue that it's a position that nobody can argue with. and it's an argument that it's a political move at the same time also. and it's a win-win for them. and, nicole, to your point, it keeps the republicans in a, i think the word you used, a crouch. and i said this the other day. you can even start to inch obamacare into that whole pot. 9 million people uninsured. we're for the every man and they are not. >> you know, great generals understand what wars to fight and what wars to avoid. you know, the greatest general wins the war without firing a single shot. this is a battle, i would say, so long as they're not going in and telling employers you must pay everybody the same no matter what. if it's about transparency, this is an argument that, you know, republicans need to tread lightly on. >> so let me ask a question about politics. or first say something. i understand the political benefit of going after this. and i don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. >> of course not. >> especially since it was the first thing the president did when they got back into office in 2009. he has a record on this. it's nod random. >> right. >> he also has a number -- large number of women working there. the problems within the white house with pay that have been uncovered so vehemently by republicans shows just how deep the problem is. so, in a way, this legislation needs to pass. it probably won't, given the way the republicans are facing it it right now. here's the thing, it's political, except, nicole, it would actually work for women. it would actually be good for women. so it's not just a shallow, self-serving political move, it's something that would make this country better. >> i think a lot of people, though, that champion a cause for political purposes believe in a cause. >> exactly. >> for health kare, it's entirely political, i have to give the president the benefit of the doubt and presume he thought that was good for the country. anything that's political i think is usually rooted in a politician belief that it's good for this country. >> except for his fact, if this like the most important thing, if this is a very important thing for the president. and if any of us are in the president's position and we want this bill to be passed so it can be signed, you don't do that by having a pep rally at church revivals you're bashing the other side that controls the house of representatives and will determine if that passes through the house or not. you try to co-op. the first thing you do political, you try to -- >> he's setting it up like that. he knows that. >> he knows that. and, see, this is the attitude at the white house that drives me absolutely crazy. we know they're not going to support us. so let's not bend over backwards to try to make it happen. and let's have a pep rally. if he knows it's not going to pass and what you've just admitteds it was nothing but a political republic rally yesterday. >> it's a smart, offensive political move. unfortunately, i could turn around the other way, the fact that the house would not sign off on it, we around this table know that, kind of a sad statement, if you take that as a fait accompli, if you're the president, you do what he did. i think it is politics. >> we've got juli, i don't me of to cut you off. we haven't heard from willie or julie. somebody that's been in business. i've been in business, i've been in media i've been in politics. i've been in law. i've coached football. i've written musicals. i've done a lot of things. and in every one of these situations i have seen men in superior position. i saw my mom work, i saw my aunt work. >> harder than anyone else. >> harder. whether you're talking about businesses or southern baptist churches or whether you're talking about charity organization, whatever you're talking about, you know where i'm going here. in most businesses anybody out there that says women get equal pay right now and get equal treatment right now who run the majority of companies has never lived in the real world. as no idea how business runs, how media runs, how college courses run, anything. >> 10 of my 12 senior partners are women. that's why we're so successful. the issue is not even equal pay, it's equal job status. republicans argue against it it's not apples to apples. just further argue -- >> they can't do it because they have nobody in leadership. >> 5% of the ceos. that's the real problem. it's not that it's apples and apples. >> they fail on that, too. >> that's a difficult gray area. how do you prove that a woman was not promoted. you can look at pay and say that's not fair. how do you prove that a woman was not promoted because of her gender. that's a very difficult thing for a politician to impose on a company. i think we have to look at the residence why the pay is not equal, the 77 cents to $1 has been debunked over and over again. >> it's worse, actually. >> that number is for median full-time work. if you want the pay fob equal on a median basis, you have to look at what kind of jobs women are entering, what kind of fields they go into. that doesn't mean there isn't discrimination. there is. you you have to be honest with it. >> more women coming out of college, women are superior, the more progressive businesses, advertising, have already gotten there. and the free market system is going to fix this over the next generation. >> do you agree there are more women out there and they are far superior, julie pace? >> well, there are a lot of superior women out there, i think in media. there are a lot of great women who work at the white house. i think this is a really complicated debate because it's not just about equal pay for equal work. as we've been talking about. when you line up women who are doing the same job as men, you can find a lot of examples where they are getting the same pay but can women get into that job? there was a lot of focus yesterday on something interesting at the white house which was the front row of the white house briefing room during the daily briefing with jay carney. there are seven news organizations that sit in that front row. my news organization is the only one that had a woman in the chair yesterday. so even though women are making a lot of gains, when you look at senior level positions there are just anecdotal examples all around us every day where you see that it's not quite equal. >> right. >> julie, just as someone who covers the white house just tactically that we've been talking about, what is the thinking sort of behind the approach that the president took yesterday to be pretty partisan in his attacks against republicans. he knows it's not going to pass. so what's the end game here? >> sure. well, this is one of those instances where you have a policy that the president believes in that the white house also sees as smart politics. they know that the bill is likely not to pass in the senate. it is one of those chicken and egg things, though, right? you have the president sort of assuming at the start that a bill is not going to paso he really calls out republicans. tries to draw a stark contrast for the political victory there. then republicans can say, well, how can we work with someone who is so partisan? obviously, you know, the republicans are using that as their own political message but you do see the white house saying basically, if we can't get legislation through, we're at least going to try to exploit this for a political victory. >> okay. >> so, any rate, a big event yesterday again? >> yes, it was lovely. >> i actually took off my media hat. i met lilly ledbetter who is awesome. >> tell me about it. >> earlier before the event, we did a round table in the executive office building with lily. the woman next to her, her name is amanda. she waits tables at night. she goes to school. she has an incredible story of trying to fix her situation of equal pay and discrimination in the workplace. they're stories when you hear them a little bit later, you'll understand why this was at least to this church revival of a room, 300 women really excited about what was happening. this conversation will prove it. >> it really is exciting. and mike was near the president. and the president making it more partisan than it should have been. my mother a driving influence in my life. i'm kind of like donny, people that ran my camp, i had women run my campaign. i had women for the most part run my congressional office. i always stand if you want people to stand around and talk about what should be done, hire a man. if you want people to get stuff done, hire a woman. you know that, too. this is generalization, women are task-driven. egos. we all have egos. willie doesn't. you and i have big evening goes. women have an ability to get egos out of the way and get things done. >> you spend more time with men, how big is the office, how big is this -- >> i think what the math you just did means we should be paid more. >> yes, phil, mika might need to be paid more. coming up on "morning joe," "the new york times" jill abramson and al sharpton. major news developing in ukraine. >> did you see john kerry and mccain go at it yesterday? >> yes, i did. >> this time, it's personal. >> the top stories in the "political playbook." first, bill karins. >> finally, guys, spring is here, coast to coast. what a beautiful forecast today and right through the weekend. almost the entire nation. today, just a perfect day, nice, chilly morning. light jacket needed. you'll carry it home this afternoon. 65 in d.c. 53 in boston. so it's a little cooler in northern new england. but i've got a good warmup coming also. as far as the forecast, new york city, a slight chance of showers not a big deal. the weekend clears out to 70 by sunday. this is the best stretch of weather we've had in a long time. that goes for d.c., too, where the cherry blossoms will be peeking in the days ahead. this will be the best time to view them. look at sunday, chance to being in mid to upper 70s. the rest of the country, same story. all the warm east that's moving through is heading east. death valley, the first to reach 100. and today in phoenix, 97 degrees. i think you get the picture. this is a nice quiet stretch we're going to see into the weekend with beautiful spring conditions that we all deserve. "morning joe" when we come right back. why is our arizona-based company relocating manufacturing to upstate new york? i tell people it's for the climate. the conditions in new york state are great for business. new york is ranked #2 in the nation for new private sector job creation. and now it's even better because they've introduced startup new york - dozens of tax-free zones where businesses pay no taxes for ten years. you'll get a warm welcome in the new new york. see if your business qualifies at startupny.com hi, are we still on for tomorrow? tomorrow. quick look at the weather. nice day, beautiful tomorrow. tomorrow is full of promise. we can come back tomorrrow. and we promise to keep it that way. driven to preserve the environment, csx moves a ton of freight nearly 450 miles on one gallon of fuel. what a day. can't wait til tomorrow. ♪ time to take a look at the "mornin