Vice President Biden showed today why the President may need him on the ticket this year. After a rough week and a half, and following some speculation in the press he could be dropped by the Obama campaign, the Vice President returned to the campaign trail today and delivered a personal and passionate pitch to Ohio voters. He spoke to blue collar workers on the floor of a Youngstown factory. In his most fiery moment, Biden railed against Republicans who say the middle class is envious of the wealthy, saying he "resents when they talk about families like mine that I grew up in" (see the clip below).

The Vice President also name checked Mitt Romney, painting him as out of touch with middle class, rust belt voters. He called Romney "a patriot, a generous man, he gives to his church, he has a beautiful family." However, a theme echoed throughout the speech, said Romney "doesn't get it." Biden spoke about his father needing to leave his family for a year to get a job 157 miles away in Wilmington, Delaware.  But, he continued, at that time his father was able to assure his mother, "it'll be ok, honey, because he believed the system was such that even in rough times...it'd be ok." Vice President Biden contrasted that with Romney's record at Bain, saying the former governor "made sure the guys on top got to play by a separate set of rules, he ran massive debts, and the middle class lost."

Perhaps what made the speech so effective is Biden's ability to say, "they don't understand us." He spoke to the metal workers at M-7 Technologies in a way only someone who grew up with blue collar roots could. While the Vice President sometimes has trouble censoring his honesty, today's remarks show why he will continue to play a pivotal role in the President's re-election efforts.

With former governors, a party chairman, and a Pulitzer Prize winner on today's show, you can imagine there were spirited discussions on pretty much every subject (case in point, the clip below). 

One of our guests, in particular, made a mark - none other than Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell, whose tie took everyone aback in the green room.

There you have it - not only initials and the ever-patriotic American flag - but a flag in the shape of his native Pennsylvania.

He told us anyone can get a custom tie with a minimum order of about 150. We asked if any "EGR Flag" spares were around - instead, the Governor had a better idea - custom NOW ties.

We're thinking of printing the Wagapedia on one. Any other ideas? Send us some comments below.

In military slang, “got your six” means “I’ve got you’re back.” And a recent publicity campaign, launched with the help of some well-known actors and entertainers, uses that phrase to draw attention to the two million or so Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans transitioning back to civilian life.

For the last ten years, the U.S. has been at war in the Middle East, but for many here at home, it’s out of sight, out of mind.  On the program today, Alex spoke with two men who are trying to focus the national dialogue on veterans: James Wright, the author of the new book, “Those Who Have Borne the Battle: A History of America’s Wars and Those Who Fought Them,” and David Wood, the Pulitzer Prize-winning senior military correspondent with the Huffington Post. 

During World War II, 12% of the population served in the military. Celebrities like Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart and Glenn Miller went to combat. Now, less than 1% of the population serves in military, and Wright says, “Fewer Americans than ever before during wartime know someone in the military or in the war zones. Knowing someone who is there crisply focuses the mind on the distant conflict.”

But the problems these soldiers face are massive. According to Wood, 18 veterans commit suicide every day, 6,750 each year. And veterans are increasingly suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, with the U.S. Army estimating that 20% of the two million service members deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq will develop PTSD.

To protest the growing frustration, 30 to 50 post 9/11 veterans plan to return their service medals this weekend—a controversial move that will likely draw outrage from their fellow veterans.

It could be strategic, or it could be coincidental.

Today President Obama will welcome lawmakers from both parties to the White House to discuss economic policy and the President's Congressional objectives. Top leaders from both sides will be in attendance, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Mitch McConnell, and Speaker John Boehner.

Just yesterday, though, Speaker Boehner signaled that despite the polite overture, little if any tension has eased between the parties over the budget. He doubled down on the so-called Boehner Rule: No increase in the debt ceiling without equal spending cuts.

If it seems like the debt nightmare wasn't that long ago - you're right. And this time, it could happen just before the Presidential election. Our question for you this morning? Does that potentially help or hurt Mitt Romney? Let us know.

PANEL

Alicia Menendez, NBCLatino.com Political Commentator (@aliciamenendez)

Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NBC News Political Analyst

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki (R-NY)

Michael Steele, Fmr. RNC Chair/MSNBC Political Analyst (@steele_michael)

GUESTS

David Wood, Sr. Military Correspondent, The Huffington Post (@woodwriter)

James Wright, Author, “Those Who Have Borne The Battle”

Seems a little early for Memorial Day to trend...but people can dream, right?

Magid CPI: Facebook boosts IPO size by 25 percent, could top $16 billion; Court records say George Zimmerman had multiple injuries after Trayvon Martin's fatal shooting; Chicago police hunt newlywed husband in bride's stabbing death 

Google: memorial day; many pacquiao; jamie dimon 

Twitter: 10 Facebook Tips; Happy Hump Day; Rise & Grind

YouTube Politics: A Few of the 23 Million

Billboard (Hot 100): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Payphpne - Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa

Billboard (Ringtones): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO

Ron Paul's campaign is clarifying a message it sent to supporters late Monday signed, “For Liberty, Ron Paul.” The message read, in part: “Moving forward, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted.”
 
Some media outlets began reporting that Paul had announced he was suspending his campaign. Within a few hours, Paul’s communications director Gary Howard told MSNBC that the announcement was NOT a suspension.
 
Then this morning, chief campaign strategist Jesse Benton released a memo, followed up by a conference call with reporters, where he reiterated that no suspension had taken place. “Dr. Paul is not suspending his campaign and he's not dropping out of the race,” Benton said on the call. “Dr. Paul plans to first of all continue active campaigning.”

Recent coverage of the Paul campaign has been somewhat limited. Supporters did make headlines when they booed Mitt Romney's son, Josh, at the GOP state convention in Arizona. 
 
Politico’s Charles Mahtesian says that yesterday's announcement was a way to assure Republicans the days of disruption are over: “My own sense is that Paul is sending a tacit message to the GOP establishment that he's not interested in subverting the convention -- he's made his point and is standing down.” 
 
But Salon’s Steve Kornacki has another take. In a post from Sunday night referring to the booing incident in Arizona, he writes, “Similar behavior by Paul backers in Tampa could spoil what for the Romney campaign is supposed to be a nationally televised infomercial." Kornacki goes on to suggest, “Under the extreme worst-case scenario for Republicans, Paul supporters end up with a giant share of the delegate slots… and launch a four-day heckle-fest, bitterly resist any effort to quiet them or evict them from the hall…”

During the conference call this morning, Benton insisted that supporters would be respectful and emphasize decorum. He also discussed three goals the Paul campaign has set: win more states, win party leadership positions at both the state and national level and work on securing more delegates. 

Alex Wagner asks the question we've all wondered of Jay McInerney: "What's the earliest you've ever consumed a glass of wine?"

Plus: A connection to the news Jay didn't discuss on air.

President Obama and Mitt Romney are fighting to claim the title of Economic Savior. Today on ABC's "The View," the President said that while issues like marriage equality are important, "what's going to determine the election is the economy." A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds voters believe that things are improving: 71% say the economy is "poor" right now, but 58% percent believe it will be "good" next year. That seems to bode well for the President, who has tried to convince voters the country is on a road to recovery and it would be dangerous to change course now.

But the poll also showed voters have more confidence in Romney's ability to fix the economy. 55% believe Mitt Romney would improve the economy over the next four years if he is elected, while only 46% say the same about the President.

Monday's release of a two-minute ad attacking Romney's record at Bain Capital marked a turning for point for the Obama campaign. Democrats will try to tear down what Romney has made the centerpiece of his campaign -- his experience in the private sector. If the President can disqualify that experience before Romney has solidified his message, it could leave a big hole in the former governor's platform come August. But the poll numbers above show Americans may already be buying what Romney is selling.

Check out the video below for more on how the candidates are racing to define each other's campaigns before the conventions:

Nearly every day on the program, Alex and the panel discuss the factors fueling the Presidential horse race, and occasionally the conversation trends toward the personal. In other words, the focus turns to the man, not the candidate. And while it makes for a good talking point, we often overlook its actual impact on an election. One opinion piece that addresses this (and had the NOW team talking about in our planning meeting today) is that of The New York Times’ David Brooks. In his column, Brooks uses recent polling data and the analysis from a couple of political experts to posit the question, “Why is Obama even close?” Based on the findings, he argues “the economic mood of the country is terrible,” “Obama has governed from the left but the country…has shifted to the right” and “Obama has lost support among crucial constituencies.” In other words, Brooks claims, President Obama should “go the way of Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy — incumbents who were trounced in hard times.”

 
This all leads to the piece’s main question, "how has he stayed so competitive?" The secret, Brooks says, is the President's leadership style, which some have dismissed as "cool" and "aloof." However, Brooks describes this as a strength, saying the key to President Obama's popularity during this troubling period "is that he is not melodramatic, sensitive, vulnerable and changeable." He calls it an "ESPN masculinity: postfeminist in his values, but also thoroughly traditional in style - hypercompetitive, restrained, not given to self-doubt, rarely self-indulgent.” Brooks goes on to compare the Obama re-election campaign to President Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign in 1996: “strong partisan attacks combined with an emphasis on small and medium-sized policies.” It is that approach and strategy, Brooks says, that has kept the “slight underdog” incumbent “afloat.” Thus, Brooks sums up this “manliness” as “postboomer in policy but preboomer in manners in reticence.” It sounds quite a bit like the qualities that many hard-working, sports-watching, family-oriented men try to emulate in this modern society of ours. The kind of guy you’d like to have a beer with. How very ESPN indeed.

Is Ron Paul through?

Or is that a stupid question? He's no longer going to "actively campaign" in upcoming primary contests (yes, there are still some states yet to vote). But his campaign denies the Paul campaign is being "suspended," the fate followed by all of Mitt Romney's other GOP challengers. Truth be told, Ron Paul was always a different candidate - with a different strategy and, some say, a different goal. What's remarkable is that Ron Paul is amassing delegates, the product of devoted supporters that have turned out at state conventions and haggled for votes.

So what's the end game? No one outside of the Paul inner circle is certain, but we do know that he'll be part of the GOP convention in Tampa, and it looks like he'll be increasingly hard to miss.

PANEL

Lois Romano, POLITICO (@loisromano)

Steve Kornacki, Salon.com/MSNBC Contributor (@stevekornacki)

Ben Smith, BuzzFeed (@buzzfeedben)

BULLPEN

Martin Bashir (@bashirlive)

Rev. Al Sharpton (@thereval)

GUEST

Jay McInerney, Author, “The Juice”/Best-selling Author (@jaymcinerney)

Mitt Romney's campaign hit back at the President's ad against Bain pretty quick - that's the convenience of profiling a company that has come up again and again over Romney's political career. (See the YouTube clip below).

Magid CPI: 'Swamp People' Star Dead at 48; Family enjoys laughter even as college student battles flesh-eating bacteria; Poll: Obama's gay marriage stance could hurt him 

Google: jerry brown; jamie dimon; facebook ipo 

Twitter: Rise & Grind; Good Mornin; Raining

YouTube Politics: American Dream

Billboard (Hot 100): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Payphpne - Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa

Billboard (Ringtones): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO

The provacative magazine covers continue.

Last week it was a mother breast-feeding her 3-year-old that drew attention. Today, Newsweek tackles the news of President Obama's support for same-sex marriage on its cover, seen above.

The argument: If Bill Clinton was "America's first Black President," then Barack Obama is "America's first Gay President." And today, the President will be in New York City to deliver the commencement address at Barnard, tape an interview with "The View," and attend fundraisers - one of which features openly-gay musician Ricky Martin that goes for $5,000 to $35,800 a ticket.

Make no mistake, the President has taken a political risk - one that he thinks is the right thing to do for policy's sake. In doing so, he opens the door to a whole new world of fundraising potential.

PANEL

Jimmy Williams, MSNBC Contributor (@jimmyspolitics)

Alicia Menendez, NBCLatino.com Political Commentator (@aliciamenendez)

Matt Taibbi, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone (@mtaibbi)

Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown U./MSNBC Political Analyst (@medyson)

GUESTS

McKay Coppins, BuzzFeed (@mckaycoppins)

Eamon Javers, CNBC (@eamonjavers)

Another week, but the top 3 New York Times fiction best sellers remain the same.

Magid CPI: Gay marriage: Newsweek calls Obama 'The First Gay President' on cover; Georgia student likely to lose fingers to flesh-eating infection; JP Morgan executives 'set to leave' after $2bn loss 

Google: edge of darkness; jamie dimon; memorial day 

Twitter: Hello Monday; JP Morgan; Have A Good Day

YouTube Politics: #MothersDay

Billboard (Hot 100): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Payphpne - Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa

Billboard (Ringtones): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO

NYTimes Best Sellers (Fiction): Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James; Fifty Shades Darker, by E.L. James; Fifty Shades Freed, by E.L. James

NYTimes Best Sellers (Nonfiction): The Passage of Power, by Robert A. Caro; Hard Measures, by Jose A. Rodriguez Jr. and Bill Harlow; The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

What do marriage, megalomania and mullets have in common? They all played a role in the presidential race this week. It's time to look back and ask, what just happened?

What a week it's been.

Sunday Vice President Biden made one of his signature gaffes. By Wednesday, the President made history in declaring that his beliefs about gay marriage had fully evolved and he was ready to support marriage equality. That stance instantly became a campaign consideration, with Mitt Romney trying to avoid the issue and get back to issue number 1: the economy. But this morning, Romney is responding to fresh questions - reports that he was a bully in high school, with a particular case targeting a student who would later come out as gay.

The question this morning - how long will this controversy last, and will it linger? Let us know what you think.

PANEL

Sam Stein, The Huffington Post (@samsteinhp)

Hogan Gidley, Fmr. Santorum Communications Director (@jhogangidley)

Jodi Kantor, The New York Times (@jodikantor)

GUESTS

Eric Schneiderman (D), New York Attorney General

I can't remember the last time that the top 3 items on Google Trends were the same. #Wow

Magid CPI: Fugitive Mayes kills himself; abducted girls safe; Gay marriage: Biden apologizes to Obama over gay marriage; UK bank shares fall after JPMorgan loss disclosed 

Google: time magazine cover; time breast feeding cover; time breastfeeding 

Twitter: Finally Friday; Happy Mother’s Day; Fridayy

YouTube Politics: Koch Responds to Misleading Intimidation Tactics by the Obama Campaign

Billboard (Hot 100): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Payphpne - Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa

Billboard (Ringtones): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO

A new ad from the pro-Romney Super PAC, Restore Our Future, launches a scathing attack on Democrats, essentially accusing them of hating Moms on Mother's Day. But as Republicans try to paint Democrats as the aggressors, the polls still show women aren't necessarily buying what Romney is selling. A new AP poll shows the President has a 15 point advantage among female voters. The same poll shows overall, President Obama leads Romney by 8 points. 

For more, check out today's segment on the re-ignited war on women:

President Obama's position on same-sex marriage fully evolved on Wednesday, when he became the first sitting President to declare his support for marriage equality. Now, the President’s re-election campaign is trying to use the announcement to its political advantage. Shortly after the President made the news, he sent out an email soliciting donations from campaign supporters. Reports indicate that since then there has been a big uptick in fundraising. Seeing this as a way to galvanize his base and independents, his re-election team also unveiled a web video painting Mitt Romney as someone who is not only on the wrong side of history, but to the right of President George W. Bush on same-sex marriage. Alex and the panel had a substantive discussion today about the President's announcement and what it means for the 2012 race.

AP

So, the President made a little news yesterday.

This morning we'll hear more from President Obama and his evolution on gay marriage. The consequences of what the President said yesterday are varied. Many believe it will provoke a flood of money from gay supporters, but it could also provoke support from donors opposed to gay marriage. Black voters, whose support of marriage equality is less than that of the general population, aren't likely to abandon the President, but it could affect their turnout at the polls.

Make no mistake, what the President said yesterday involved political risk. But it's one that the President thinks he can handle, and it's one he believes is worth fighting for.

PANEL

Kurt Andersen, Author, “True Believers” (@kbandersen)

S.E. Cupp, NY Daily News Columnist (@secupp)

Hogan Gidley, Fmr. Santorum Communications Director (@jhogangidley)

Rana Foroohar, TIME

GUESTS

Ben LaBolt, Obama Campaign Press Secretary (@benlabolt)

Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) (@raul_labrador)

Wow, these music charts haven't changed in a LONG time!

Magid CPI: Americans divided as Obama endorses gay marriage; Rescuers discover bodies near Russian jet wreckage site; Justice Dept says they plan to sue Arizona sheriff Arpaio over alleged racial profiling 

Google: Obama; north carolina; vidal sassoon

Twitter: Mother’s Day; Vidal Sassoon; Greece

YouTube Politics: Mitt Romney Versus Reality: Auto Recovery Edition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=61HbcIpKL7E)

Billboard (Hot 100): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Payphpne - Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa

Billboard (Ringtones): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO

One day after sending out a late-night email endorsing the former Massachusetts Governor, Rick Santorum delivered a late-night bashing of Romney's health care program in Massachusetts. Speaking with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, Santorum said Massachusetts has "the highest health care costs in the country." With supporters like this...

Watch the clip below, and see the entire interview here.

Yesterday, President Obama's counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan dodged questions about the suspect being dubbed the new "underwear bomber."

Now we know why.

Today we've learned that the U.S. and its allies managed to insert an informant into the al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen - a remarkable feat. The would-be bomber eventually turned the explosive device to U.S. officials, as opposed to creating a threat aboard a passenger flight. American intelligence officials are apparently upset the story broke, saying it will compromise their efforts to continue to use covert tactics to protect Americans. Nevertheless, we've gotten a rare glimpse into the War on Terror, a reminder it's still very much an active fight.

PANEL

Patricia Murphy, The Daily Beast (@1patriciamurphy)

Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NBC News Political Analyst

Maggie Haberman, POLITICO (@maggiepolitico)

Hugo Lindgren, Editor, The New York Times Magazine (@hugolindgren) 

GUESTS

Michael Steele, Fmr. RNC Chair/MSNBC Political Analyst (@steele_michael)

BULLPEN

Chris Matthews (@hardball_chris)

Jose Diaz-Balart (@jdbalart)

Quite a bit of overlap across the board on the morning's trends.

Magid CPI: Double agent stole al-Qaida bomb, delivered it to US; North Carolina's ban on gay marriage sparks cheers, jeers; Veteran Republican Senator Lugar soundly defeated 

Google: north carolina; lugar; double agent

Twitter: North Carolina; Happy Hump Day; Josh Hamilton

YouTube Politics: The Campaign - Political Ad [Trailer] (Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MSIX9q_rqB8)

Billboard (Hot 100): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Payphpne - Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa

Billboard (Ringtones): ): Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra; We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae; Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO

At an Ohio rally yesterday, Mitt Romney ignored a woman’s accusation that the President  is guilty of treason.  It was only after the event, when a reporter asked Romney if the President should be tried for treason that Romney replied, “No, of course not.”

The incident came after President Obama’s top political adviser David Axelrod said in a conference call that GOP strategists Karl Rove and the Koch brothers – and the super PACs they help fund – “are contract killers over there in Super PAC land.”

Axelrod’s comments are in stark contrast with the Obama campaign’s positive new ad, called, "Go."

The campaign is dropping $25 million to run the ad in key swing states. 

According to the latest fundraising totals, the Obama reelection campaign raised $192 million by March 31^st. Meanwhile, the pro-Obama super PAC, Priorities USA Action, raised just under $9 million in the same period.

On the other side, Restore our Future, the pro-Romney super PAC, raised nearly $52 million, making it a much more effective attack dog, according to Thomas B. Edsall of the New York Times. 

Edsall quotes an unnamed but “key Democratic operative” who told him, “Right now, before everyone gets to know him, is the time for Obama to push Romney face down in the dirt. You can’t let Romney go before the voters looking clean.”

Election day is roughly six months away and things are already getting ugly.

One piece of news we didn’t get to on today’s show involves George Soros' $2 million donation to liberal groups supporting President Obama. According to an email sent out by Soros adviser Michael Vachon, the billionaire philanthropist pledged $1 million to American Bridge 21st Century and $1 million to America Votes. Vachon said, "Both groups are part of a progressive infrastructure, or center left establishment, that plays an increasingly important role in elections"

The contributions may just be the beginning. The New York Times reports today that Soros and other liberal donors may also donate $100 million to outside groups working to get President Obama and other Democrats elected this fall.

It's important to point out that it does not appear that Priorities USA Action, the super PAC supporting President Obama, will be the beneficiary of any of this money. So far that group has struggled to raise cash, putting it at a disadvantage against the Republican-backed super PACS that are blanketing the airwaves with ads criticizing The President's record. The GOP groups are heavily backed by Wall Street leaders, who are no longer smitten with the President.