joe biden won that senate seat at the age o29 and hasn't lost since in t govnor ye so there will be people that go the other way. >> i would say honestly, chris, and i hate to be so bottom line about this, but i think the best thing linda mcmahon has going for her is she can continue to write as many chks she likes. she's very, very wealthy. she spent $50 million in the 2010 campaign and she's running against a guy that's not well known. >> she's bigger. >> yeah, she's a big figure and, look, she's spending tens of millns of dollars on tv. it a fcingli you think everything shifted towards democrats and i would say broadly -- >> is she pro-choice or pro-life, where is she on the abortion rights? >> did not talk about it, i believe -- >> wow. she focuses esively as a businesswoman. she shouldn't talk about it in connecticut because she won't win on that issue. >> by the way, massachusetts is looking murky as ever with scott brown. same as -- totally murky. thank you very much, the pro around here. >>> up next, paul ryan revs up republicans. mitt romney, not so much. what's going on between t

it's going to be so weird. >> i think to be fair, i think joe biden ran ads in delaware in 2008. >> did he? >> i think he did. so you can do this. but you're absolutely right, and -- >> let me do the math on that. 72. go ahead. >> ryan is sitting -- >> no -- >> -- up to be -- >> he was up, mike? >> i think he was. >> and ryan is setting himself up here to be what he always wanted to be, win or lose. so the election doesn't determine ryan's fate. if romney loses, there's going to be a huge chorus of the republican party saying, it was just that guy's fault. >> whose fault? >> mitt romney's fault. >> that's what i think. john, you write for "the nation," you're not a right-winger, but don't you have a sense they'll say, that's the way the pendulum goes. they'll stay he didn't have enough ideological weight to win. >> i think you're right about that, but i also think that paul ryan is worried about that issue. and, you know, paul ryan is a very ambitious political player. he's a nice guy. hard worker, very disciplined. i think much more disciplined than mitt romney. >> he's up at 4:00 in t

it's going to be so weird. >> i think to be fair, i think joe biden ran ads in delaware in 2008. >> did he? >> i think he did. so you can do this. but you're absolutely right, and -- >> let me do the math on that. 72. go ahead. >> ryaisti - >> n-- >> -- up to be -- >> he was up, mike? >> i think he was. >> and ryan is setting himself up here to be whate always wanted to be, win or lose. so the election doesn't determine ryan's fa. if romney loses, there going toe a hughof puican party saying, it was just that guy's fault. >> whose fault? >> mitt romney's fault. >> that's what i think. john, you write for "the nation," you're not a right-winger, but don't you have a sense they'll say, that's the ey s h didtav enough ideological weight to win. >> i think you're right about that, but i also think that paul ryan is worried about that issue. and, you know, paul ryan is a very ambitious politic player. 's a nice guy. hard worker, very disciplined. i think much more disciplined than mitt romney. >> he's up at 4the rninanes-u i ow, it's pretty amazing. >> and hundreds of them, man, while listen

it's going to be so weird. >> to be fair, i think joe biden ran ads in delaware in 2008. >> did he? >> i think he did. so you can do this and you're absolutely right. >> let me do the math on that. that w the yr for him. go ahead. yais setting himself up to be -- ryan is setting himself up here to be what he has always wanted to be win or lose. so the election doe't determine ryan's fate. if romney loses, there's going be a huge chorus for the republican party saying it was just that guy's fault. it's not our ideas, it's not -- >> whose fault? >> mitt romney's fault. >> that's what i think. john, you're ready for the nation, not a right win ger, but they won't say that ryan has too much weight on the ticket. they will sayt didn't hav enghdeiceigh >> i think you're right about that but i also think that paul ryan is worried about that issue. and, you know, paul ryan is a very ambitious political player. he's a nice guy,ard worker, i think much more disciplined than mitt romney. rng and does pushups.0nhe it's pretty amazing. >> and hundreds of them. while watch you rage against the ma

it's going to be so weird. >> to be fair, i think joe biden ran ads in delaware in 2008. >> did he? >> i think he did. so you can do this and you're absolutely right. >> let me do the math on that. that was the year for him. go ahead. >> ryan is setting himself up to be -- ryan is setting himself up here to be what he has always wanted to be win or lose. so the election doesn't determine ryan's fate. if romney loses, there's going to be a huge chorus for the republican party saying it was just that guy's fault. it's not our ideas, it's not -- >> whose fault? >> mitt romney's fault. >> that's what i think. john, you're ready for the nation, not a right win ger, but they won't say that ryan has too much weight on the ticket. they will say it didn't have enough ideological weight to win. >> i think you're right about that but i also think that paul ryan is worried about that issue. and, you know, paul ryan is a very ambitious political player. he's a nice guy, hard worker, very disciplined. i think much more disciplined than mitt romney. >> but he's up at 4:00 in the morning and does p

it seems like joe biden is a familiar figure 60 years ago. barack obama, of course, has an exotic name, an african name. he's not an unusual fellow. he seems like a person you would hang out with, play golf with. these aren't strange personalities. leon panetta is the most common, regular -- someone you would have met 100 years ago. are the democratic party, the new age that they scare people? i just don't see that myself. maybe i'm part of that reality. i don't see them as strange at all. >> chris, it goes back to the propaganda factor. it's not just that rush and fox and those guys say something, it's that we say the other thing. if we say that barack obama isn't a muslim, that must not be true because we're the liberal media, we're the mainstream media, and nothing we can say -- we say can be trusted. >> i have called an anti-posture for years. just saying no to everything. thank you, guys. i think you nailed it. it's psychological. anyway, howard fineman and joe klein, thank you. coming up, could barack obama be the democrat's ronald rag?

it seems like joe biden is a familiar fige 60 years ago. barack obama, of course, has an exotic name, an african name. he's not an unusual fellow. heeems lika person you wou hang out with, play go wit thesaren str onie leonets moomn, regular -- someone you would have met 100 years ago. are the democratic party, the new age that they scare people? i just don't see that myself. maybe i'm part of that reality. i don't see them as strange at all. >> chris, it goes back to the propaganda factor. it's not just that rush and fox and those guys say something, it's that we say the other thing. if we say that barack obama isn't a muslim, that must not true because we're the liberal media, we're the mainstream media, and nothing we can say -- we say can be trusted. >> i have called an anti-posture for years. just saying no to everything. thank you, guys. i thk you nailed it. it'ssychological. anyway, howard fineman and joe klein, thank you. coming up, could baracobambe thmo'salg? yeaydr sullivan. he has a chance to transform american politics. the fir

joe biden is talking aut nnin ayoow, re a gem fo y a four years ago when she ran we thought of bill clinton as a mixed blessing, a guy who carried some baggage. what do we think we'll think about him in four years? it seems to me he's going to be probably a tot asset for her if and when she cides to make anher bid. >> we'll see. knhelwth comeback kid and he always has to be. so maybe he's made his final comeback. it's an awful big one. you're right, susan, but you never know. john heilemann, susan page, thank you both. up next, today is national voter registration day. couldn't be more iortant given all th voter suppression out ther s outow dra argh bagt republican effort in so many states, 17 of them suppress the minority vote. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] with a driving range of more than 550iles you'll inevitably find yourself on a desolate highway in your jeep grandherokee. for the adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts your speed when approaching slower traffic. and for the blind-spot monitor... [ beepi ] ...that helps remind you that the h

it seems like joe biden is a familiar figure 60 years ago. barack obama, of course, has an exotic name, an freezing rain name. he's not an unusual fellow. these aren't strange personalities. leon panetta is the most common, regular -- someone you would have met 100 years ago. is the democratic party that new age that they scare people. maybe i'm part of that reality. i don't see them as strange at all. >> it goes back to the propaganda factor. it's not just that rush and fox and those guys say something, it's that we say the other thing. if we say that barack obama isn't a muslim, that must not be true because we're the liberal media, we're the mainstream media, and nothing we can say -- we say can be trusted. >> i have called an anti-posture for years. just saying no to everything. thank you, guys. i think you nailed it. it's psychological. anyway, howard fineman and joe klein, thank you. coming up, it's not ignorance it's cycle. could barack obama be the democrats ronald reagan. there's a big thought. it comes from andrew sullivan and the f

joe biden is talking about running, and, you know, here is a change from four years ago. four years ago when she ran we thought of bill clinton as a mixed blsing, a guy who carried some baggage. whatoe think we'll think abouhim fou y. itms m he's going to be probably a total asset for her if and when she decides to make another bid. >> we'll see. you know, he's always the comeback kid and he always has to be. so maybe he's made his final comeback. it's an awful big one. you're right, susan,ut you never kn. hniln,usge ank u both. up next, today is national voter registration day. couldn't be more important given all this voter suppression out there. let's find out how the democrats are fighting back again that republican effort in so many states, 17 of them suppress the minority vote. this ishardball," the place for politi. nk iwaything. d i n jwo'taw i was spotting, but i had already gone through menopause. these symptoms may be nothing... but they coulde early warning signs of a gynecologic cancer, such as cervical, ovarian, or uterine cancer. feeling bloated for no reas

in the book i describe in crucial moments where it's joe biden who comes in with the old approach. he's the -- he's called th mcconnell whisperer. the guy -- >> the horse whisperer. >> yeah. the guy who can deal with mitch mcconnell, the senate republican leader, who's a real hard ass as you know. but biden can sit down with him and say, one for you, one for me, we're going to cut a deal. >> what did mcconnell say? >> mcconnell said, as long as you don't raise taxes, i'll go along with it. >> but you can never sell that, as you point out, to pelosi wing of the party. the hardcore of 150, 180 democrats are not going to sign on to any deal that doesn't have some kind of balance with revenues and spending cuts. >> but if you dig into the -- this as i spent 18 months doing and talked to the president, talked to the republicans, talked to speaker boehner, they all feel that they can get, you know, if they agree on something and they go out and stand before the microphones and the cameras and say, this is the deal, this is in the interest of the country in the long run, that people will

in the book i describe in crucial moments where it's joe biden who comes in with the old approach. he's the -- he's called the mcconnell whisperer. the guy -- >> the horse whisperer. >> yeah. the guy who can deal with mitch mcconnell, the senate republican leader, who's a real hard ass as you know. but biden can sit down with him and say, one for you, one for me, we're going to cut a deal. >> what did mcconnell say? >> mcconnell said, as long as you don't raise taxes, i'll go along with it. >> but you can never sell that, as you point out, to pelosi wing of the party. the hardcore of 150, 180 democrats are not going to sign on to any deal that doesn't have some kind of balance with revenues and spending cuts. >> but if you dig into the -- this as i spent 18 months doing and talked to the president, talked to the republicans, talked to speaker boehner, they all feel that they can get, you know, if they agree on something and they go out and stand before the microphones and the cameras and say, this is the deal, this is in the interest of the country in the long run, that people will

in the book i described at crucial moments where it's joe biden who comes in with the old approach. he is the -- he's called the mcconnell whisperer. >> the horse whisperer? >> yeah, the guy that can deal with mitch mcconnell, the senate leader but biden can sit down with him and say, one for you, one for me, we're going to cut a deal. >> and what does mcconnell say? >> as long as you don't raise taxes, i'll go along with it. >> but you can never sell that, as you point out, to the pelosi party. 180 democrats are not going to sign any deal that doesn't have some kind of balance with revenue and spending cuts. >> but if you dig into this, as i spent 18 months doing, talked to the republicans, talked to speaker boehner, they all feel that they can get -- you know, if they agree on something, and they stand before the microphones and the cameras and say, this is the deal, this is in the interest of the country in the long run that people will swallow some of that dogma but they never got to that point. and so now we're dancing on the edge of the razor blade. >> i'll see you on sunday w

. >>> joe biden was in shanksville, pennsylvania, at the memorial for victims aboard flight 93. >>> breaking news. according to a report, an american at benghazi, libyan is dead after an attack by armed mob. so far this has not been confirmed by nbc news. back to "hardball ". >>> when congressman ryan looked into that tv camera and attacked president obama's medicare savings as, quote, the biggest, he stopped to slide into depression, we made the long road to recovery and we've got the building blocks of a modern, new, different economy. that was former president bill clinton campaigning for president obama today. fresh off his show-stopping performance at the democratic convention, the big dogs out on the campaign trail. tomorrow he's in orlando and the new york times report potential trips down the road to ohio, wisconsin, iowa, nevada and new hampshire. joanne reed is managing editor of rio.com. here's president obama paying tribute to his new best surrogate. >> president clinton made the case in the way only he can. you know, somebody -- somebody e-mailed me after his speech and said, yo

the other guys put on the up up man for the president, joe biden. i think you lost some of your luster in this business. >> well, chris, i know it's going to make a lot of our republican friends unhappy with me, but i thought it was kind of strange seeing clint eastwood talking to an empty chair. i get the point, but the one hour you have the american people tuning in that aren't on the table networks and you're looking at an empty chair? i didn't see the humor in it. a lot of people did. i wouldn't have chosen that line of attack against the president. >> you know, joe, he apparently thought up of this shtick in the green room. to say could i have that chair please? >> i think even though obama seems to have gotten the big bounce today in the gallup approval, you can bet that romney is way up with people who yell at empty chairs. i would say that's a demographic that they capture. >> you are cruel to our hero. i'm going to forgive my saying something later. this is probably the man's career going on hunches. this didn't work. let's talk about the c

and joe biden. he was fantastic. >> president bush was not present at the convention and was barely mentioned by anyone except briefly by his brother, who said it's time to cut him a break. >> and my brother, well, i love my brother. he is a man of integrity, courage and honor. and during incredibly challenging times, he kept us safe. so mr. president, mr. president, it is time to stop blaming your predecessor for your failed economic policies. >> well, i always like to remind people he didn't keep us safe september 11th, 2001. it was always after that. if a democrat had been president on 9/11, the republican party would have participated such villainizing of the democrats, it would never have ended. let's move on to the broader question here of how they treated the most recent chief executive. not much action there for w. pure love for bill. >> well, chris, i think they decided down down in tampa that for every minute george bush was mentioned, they were going to drop that percentage in the polls.

joe biden was trusted. he's the guy who always took the train from washington back up to wilmington. >> because? >> because that's where he lived. >> and because his two kids were orphaned. >> his kids were orphaned. his first wife died in a tragic accident. he's the kind of guy who liked to ride the train, who liked to talk to people on the train. his dad was a car dealer. he's an average guy. he went to state schools. he knows how to speak the real language. the onion newspaper, the humor newspaper, they've got a guy they call onion joe biden, and he's a guy with tattoos and a muscle tee who's always polishing his pontiac. that's an exaggeration, but on the other hand, that's who joe biden is. and the other thing about joe biden -- and i think the senator will agree with me -- he was one of the best informed, most detail focused guys. he was chairman of the foreign relations committee, chairman of the judiciary committee. this is not just a show horse by any means. >> it helps if you're 29 years old when

here's joe biden. here's joe biden. he's taken ryan to task over a number of facts and discrepancies in the speech last week. here was the vice president speaking at an rally in new york. >> much of what they told you at your convention simply what they say in my old nabld neighborhood, not on the level. you heard congressman ryan on wednesday blame the plant closing in janesville in his hometown on president obama. let's take a look at the facts. what he didn't tell you was the plant in janesville actually closed on president bush's watch. while he was president. before the sacrifices you made, uaw members made, before those sacrifices and the courage of the president, but for that, all the gm plants would have been closed. >> so how do you think this debate is going to be coming up next month, a debate between that guy and ryan the guy he's taking shots at? >> you know, i have a cover story in the "new york" magazine about biden. i spent a lot of time with him in the last month. he is fired up and re

here's joe biden. here's joe biden. he's taken ryan to task over a number of facts and discrepancies in the speech last week. here was the vice president speaking at an rally in new york. >> much of what they told you at your convention simply what they say in my old nabld neighborhood, not on the level. you heard congressman ryan on wednesday blame the plant closing in janesville in his hometown on president obama. let's take a look at the facts. what he didn't tell you was the plant in janesville actually closed on president bush's watch. while he was president. before the sacrifices you made, uaw members made, before those sacrifices and the courage of the president, but for that, all the gm plants would have been closed. >> so how do you think this bate is going to be coming up next month, a debate between that guy and ryan the guy he's taking shots at? >> you know, i have a cover story in the "new york" magazine about biden. i spent a lot of time with him in the last month. he is fired up and read

and joe biden the old pro he is did a good job of making the key point. individuals are suffering, obviously. but the country as a whole, they argue, democrats argue, is better off and certainly better off than otherwise. >> how about the fact they said i want the press to hear this. >> and i think sometimes, chris, if you win a couple of away games to pursue your analogy when you're coming home on the trip home you're not paying close attention. they knew they were coming here. i think they -- >> let's think about it. let me get a little tough here. it seems when a candidate has to spend a whole week of a convention to establish the fact that he's a human being, it's an amazingly low bar. when you go to prove i'm a person with a ticking heart and i have some compassion and humanity and some personality. that's a low bar. >> that's all they did. >> don't forget they feel like -- this is what republicans believe. they have the opposite problem reagan had. reagan had all the likability in the world but he had to prove he was ready to do the job. they think

this convention is about answering that question and joe biden, the old prodrs that he is, did a good job of making the key point. individuals are suffering. obviously. but the country as a whole, they argue, democrats argue, is better off and certainly better off than it would have been otherwise. >> how about the fact, hey, i want the the press to hear this. >> and i think sometimes, chris, if you win a couple of away games to pursue your analogy, you're on the trip home, not paying close attention. they know they were coming here. >> tough here. it seems to me that when a candidate has to spend a whole week of a convention to establish the fact he's one of the species that's voting, that he's a human being, i mean, it's an amazing low bar when you say i'm going to the convention to prove i'm a person with a ticking heart and that i have some compassion, humanity and personality. >> that's all he did. but don't forget, this is what republicans believe. the opposite problem reagan had. that reagan had all likability in the world, but he had to prove he was ready to do the job. the co