0 >> i could get uncle sugar on the phone for us and he could tell us. >> i still want to know who uncle sugar is. >> me too. >> what am i missing? you don't either know? >> i know who the bieb was and his song at the beginning but i have no idea who uncle sugar. >> t.j. i'm calling him uncle sugar. >> that is definitely right. what he says in my ear inappropriately. mike huckabee was expressed interest in making another run for president saying his record as governor of arkansas proves he can bring washington together. check. he'll have some work to do to win over critics following yesterday's comments about the gop's approach to woo back female voters. >> the republicans don't have a war on women. they have a war for women. for them to be empowered to be something other than victims of their gender. women i know are outraged that the democrats think that women are nothing more than helpless and hopeless creatures whose only goal is to have provide for them birth control medication. women i know are smart, intelligent and capable of doing anything anyone else can do. our party stands for the recognition of the equality of women and the capacity of women. that's not a war on them. it's a war for them. and if the democrats want to insult the women of america by making them believe that they are helpless without uncle sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the government, then so be it and let us take that discussion all across america because women are far more than the democrats have played them to be and women across america need to stand up and say enough of that nonsense. >> nicole, you wrote the speech. what were you thinking? >> blame it on the teleprompter, right? that is always a good one. uncle sugar, could that have been written in there? >> he wasn't using a teleprompter. he very skilled. score. >> what do you think? >> well, thank god for uncle sugar! what? >> listen, there were words and phrases in there that i liked. but the message, to me, got totally clouded over by uncle sugar. >> i was going to say. the first 45 seconds was fine. >> he had me. >> and then he -- >> i think women are jumping all over people and the government gives them pills? >> i have news for mike huckabee. i don't know how it is in his household but most guys i talk to are saying that their wives guess prescriptions once a month not because of the wives libido but because they are afraid of other people's libido inside the house is going to get them pregnant. i don't think it goes that way with most of the guys that i talk to. oh, my god, my wife, my wife is just going crazy! she is having to go out and get that pill! >> they should not talk about -- scrap the word libido. >> what is the point that have? did he say that women are -- i'm just going to say -- >> i think they are trying to turn back and what the winter meeting wanted to do is turn back the war on women message and get that away from democrats so when these conversations do come up for people who are pro life that it isn't already -- >> that is very intellectual. >> he is saying only thing democrats care about is access to birth control pills. >> what was the point? >> he did just say what mika just said, that was the last part and the reason all they care did birth control pills is because they can't control their libido is what he said. >> that democrats act like women can't control their -- >> this is back to the narrative of slut shaming for lack of a better term when it comes to women and if old white women could get pregnant, abortion could be a constitutional right. >> absolutely on every level. >> that's it. >> he is trying to characterize the democratic approach -- >> how well has the conversation happened when old white guys from the republican party get up and talk about the female reproductive system and choice? >> i don't think any man should sit around and talk about female libido on television or in a stump speech. >> what democrats have gotten tripped up by talking about a woman's right to choose? >> none that i can think of but, listen, i just think as a political matter, keeping it focused on what you're for instead of trying to characterize the democrats' efforts would have been wiser. had he a good point there and now we have a woman, a very respected woman, a senior woman in the house republican leadership delivering the response to the state of the union. we have been on the verge of stringing together a few positive steps but this, obviously, is a distraction. >> we talked about this story in the 2012 campaign early on, especially in the primaries. the fact of the matter is americans are becoming more, on social issues, they are becoming more progressive on gay marriage and they are becoming more conservative on abortion. look at the last 20, 30 years because of technology and because of the 3d imaging and because viability is earlier. poll after poll after poll shows americans are becoming -- >> because younger people are. it's not that people are changing. younger people. >> younger people, they go it in and see the 3d imaging and realize when somebody says it's just a lump or a fetus or this or that, a scientific term. >> that happened to you. >> yes, they see their little baby in there. very early on, i saw, you know, the profile of jack. my gosh. like the first time we looked at jack in utero and you can look at him today. it's the same exact profile on his nose. that's having a radical impact. nonlike ideological impact. just sort of an impact on this debate. all the more reason for republicans to shut the hell up when they are going to say stupid things about rape or women's libido or other things. for every three people out somewhere that they think they may impress, they have offended 300,000 and it got to the point, as i said time and time again, that women in my household who had never voted for a democrat in their life in the early stages and who were all pro life, who worked for republicans on capitol hill and were conservatives through and through were saying about a month or two into the republican primary in 2012 i'm tired of these men talking about my reproductive system, and i may vote democratic. >> what would that group think of what mike huckabee just said? >> they would laugh their asses off and they are doing that because they can't get the pills to control their sexual -- married to guys who are going to get them pregnant who they are married to and afraid of that. >> if we came to the table and had adult conversation about what birth control means for women and if the right became supportive of birth control, wouldn't that also help with the pro life narrative? >> the right is supportive of birth control. >> there is he talking about the fact of not supportive of uncle sugar to get your medicine. >> this is what is so damaging that some of the things santorum said very early on in interviews in iowa he talked about how he was going to use his platform to talk about contraception. you know, mike huckabee is being contraception into the debate. we should stay away from contraception. we shouldn't talk about rape. i mean, as far as like explaining medically why all of the stupid things they explained. >> i still don't understand what he meant about controlling. >> i think it was griswold of connecticut 1965 or so. this establishes a constitutional right for all americans in 1965. 1965. that is 48 years ago. so any way. >> might be just a tad bit yesterday. >> but the reason for alarm among republican women is here we are again. here we are again having this conversation and mike huckabee does not represent part of the party that typically makes these kind of gaffs. he is enlightened and a wonderful man and a gifted politician, so it's surprising. >> it's surprising. >> that here we are again as the republican party. >> he is a great politician. i don't understand. he usually doesn't step on himself like this. a lot of pro life women out there. they don't want to hear this kind of talk. >> and you're sure -- well, i'm going to say, i don't know how he explains that comment. >> uncle sugar? >> forget uncle sugar. >> even the reporters who covered it and highlighted these comments initially went back and made the point that he was describing his opinion of how democrat treat women. >> you're not helping me explain what he was saying. >> i can't tell it any better than that. >> let me explain. >> what does he think democrats think of women and their libidos? >> he is saying democrats treat women like the only thing they care about from the government are getting pills paid for them once a month and he says democrats -- let me finish because you keep asking the question and i'm answering it, so listen. >> thank you. yes. >> so they are acting as if democrats are acting and i want people at home to get this too. that the only thing women care about from the government are getting a pill once a month because they can't control their libido and they want to have sex all the time. i wonder why a married man would ever say that. but any way married man laughs. that is -- >> married woman laughs. >> that's what i wanted to hear because i cannot believe he said that. i just can't believe it. i cannot believe he said that. >> that he would mischaracterize the democratic party that way. we got a lot of news. let's slam a couple of more stories. some republicans are looking to make big changes to their 2016 primary process. the rnc is ready to give its schedule in an attempt to a dirty nomination process. republicans who support the idea said it would allow the eventual nominee more time to fund-raise but some oppose say this will fund a well established candidate over a grassroots conservative. the changes are up for a vote today. the final day of the rnc's winter meeting. nicole? >> we lost two in a row. we have to change something so i think these are good changes. i think they are creating a big collision of wills there at the grassroots level but that is what these meetings are for. it's where they are designed to hash these out. i think something has to change. >> it's the right thing, right? >> i think so. >> the longer it goes, the more these guys just destroy each other. >> we have destroyed our own. president obama defeated john mccain and mitt romney, but not before we defeated them ourselves as a party. >> right. >> the need to do something and, i mean, look at the other side if you need more signs that the democratic party is lining up behind team hillary just follow the money. >> wow. >> one arm of the political operation that helped reelect president obama in 2012 is now officially pro hk. priorities u.s. action will now begin raising money for her potential white house run and will be co-chaired by obama manager jim messina. meanwhile "the new york times" is expanding hillary land the entire planet on the cover. >> this is big news for hillary clinton. >> yeah. i think -- >> a big step. >> a big step. >> well, from hillary clinton's point of view, one of the things she wants to be careful about is not have too much happy too early. it is one of the political algorithms we were talking about before. she doesn't want to be the front-runner with whoever is shooting at her. she wants to lay low, write her book, give some speeches and rest, get ready. january of next year we will have a whole bunch of people suddenly here. it creates a sense of inevitability when is good and bad for her. >> did you guys see what jill abramson said about the piece? most secretive ever? >> in the interview she references her dealings with the bush white house when stories about the telephone listening programs which seemed quite quaint now in light of what the obama administration is doing, and so i found it particularly striking that she would say that, having been on the other side of working with her during some of the sensitive national security stories that we had urged "the new york times" not to publish and usually we lost every time. >> my perception is that this administration has been particularly good at not having leaking, not having competing factions within the white house leaking their stories. >> they want criminal investigations. >> while a policy decision is going on. so she can call that secretive, i think on one level that is running a tight organization. >> but you and i speak as former government official, i agree with you. but i think for her to feel this way about this white house is striking to most republicans who feel like we're usually the targets of such critiques. >> so you feel good. >> i feel indifferent about the -- the white house has the prerogative to keep its inner dealings secret and particularly when they deal with national security but it's striking to hear "the new york times" who twice endorsed president obama quite glowingly called them the most secretive white house in history. if those were concerns she had two years ago why not air them in the editorial? >> you have spem who have looked at the administration the past 56 years draw a straight line to the nixon administration as far as being the most secretive and sort of, you know, in the fox hole. >> who has done that? >> i'll give you a list. >> okay. all right. >> they are extraordinarily secretive. >> well, look. one man -- >> have talked about it -- >> their press corps is -- >> it's hard to find any administration from the nixon administration forward that has had a tougher approach to the press from tapping. >> to their own press, yes. >> -- to the a.p. lines to fox news line to limiting access and to not letting photographers not having access. >> to a number of press conferences and he's had fewer press conferences than three predecessors. some of this has to do with the evolution of what is a journalist. >> exactly. >> but i think he has a historical difficult relationship with his own press corps. coming up on "morning joe," david gregory and chuck todd join us and anna quinlil will be on the set. first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. of all places, houston texas has freezing rain. we may see sleet this morning in new orleans. the cold air has made it down to the gulf. it is snowing in central louisiana this morning. it will end by about noon today. the windchill is brutal. minus 23 in chicago and minus 5 in new york and minus 8 in boston and starting to wear on us here. it's going to continue to do so. today, that rare winter storm exits texas and louisiana. still cold in the northeast. there will be some snow and blowing snow up there in minnesota and that will be the theme over the weekend. another big shot of cold air is going to come down. not until probably sunday and monday in the northern plains. actually get a brief warm-up on saturday in the northeast but an inch of snow as the arctic front moves through. unfortunately, here is the bad news. possibly the coldest air of the season. this will rival that so-called polar vortex from about three weeks ago. we are talking monday through wednesday, windchills about minus 40 to minus 50 across from minneapolis to the great lakes. all that cold air heading through new england. the only good news i have to say is that by the end of next week and we head to the super bowl, it will begin to warm up throughout much of the country. d.c., another frigid morning for you. you're watching "morning joe." ♪ never hear from them that doesn't mean he didn't call ♪ [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits. delicious, but say i press a few out flat, add some beef, sloppy joe sauce and cheese, fold it all up and boom! delicious unsloppy joes perfect for a school night. pillsbury grands biscuits. make dinner pop.