you. thanks for watching, have a great weekend stay alert. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. fshs. >> the tea party gets its way for now, let's play some "hardball." good evening. i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, if at first you don't succeed, add a balanced budget amendment. that's what speaker boehner did last night after hes debt ceiling bill didn't pass. he guaranteed failure in the senate.

no democrats voted yes only 22 republicans voted no. what happens next? the senate takes the weekend for possible late night votes. we will get the latest in just a moment. plus how far will tea party republicans go to get what they want? is it really a conservative proposition to risk default? we have two tea partiers here tonight. is anyone winning politically in president obama is trying it position himself as the adult in the room but the economy tarvegs doesn't his prospect tanks with it? have you had enough yet? if people are fed up with dem krts an republicans is there a third way? a group called americans elect says yes and it may have the money and know-how to get a third ticket on the ballot in all 50 states. finally, we start with the house vote tonight an what happens next? chuck todd is white house correspondent and political corps respondeders.

chuck, h holds cards now? >> reporter: we are looking a the a group of republican senators ready to potentially deal with harry reid. that's what this could come down to there are people publicly today that came out for cutting a deal. including john thune, lisa be ray corker. i didn't even mention the main republicanes who people assume would be available for potential cross-over appeal. i can tell you this right new, harry reid is dangling a lot of things to try to attract republicans. few more cuts up front. i promise of a vote on the balance budget amendment. not linking passage to the next round of cuts. making the quote trigger stronger for the second round of deficit reduction and all of this is about one theng that white house cares about, getting rid of second debt ceiling vote that would take place in six to nine month fess john boehner and

mitch mcconnell got the bill they wanted. >> is the starting point, that which just passed the house because prior to the vote, here on "hardball" tonight, you said to me, it was almost of no consequence, they could treat it as a blank slate. report report that's right. but there were similarities to this bill before boehner today put the balanced budget amendment deal in there. and that was some of cuts up front so there will be some similarities that will be used and using for instance, promising a vote on the balanced amendment harry reid will argue that is at least taking the spirit of what john boehner was trying to do in the house. but that's what they will do. take the boehner bill number, a shell. essentially do shift control a. get it all, delete it. and paste in his version of the bill. the question is what bill does he put in by midnight tonight. that's what we also got remember

tonight. we have a leblgs lative clock we have to worry about. if he files his bill by midnight tonight, that means the aweigh this process works, we probably have the vote to end the filibuster at 1 a.m. sunday morning. saturday to sunday morning. number to one, so we may see some cots. then the actual vote on the legislation, monday morning. perhaps 7, 8:00 in the morning. hand it off to the house and give them a good 24 hours to figure out how are going to pass it. it will take both democrats and republicans to get to to the president to sign before midnight on the 2nd. >> so far the o len the only ones benefiting is papa john's and dominos. i thought this was interesting. he said he stuck his neck out and tried to strike a deal. listen to this then react it it. >> i stuck my neck out a mile. i put revenues on table. >> in order to come to an

agreement with the preside--. it is time for administration and time for the colleagues across the aisle, put something on the table. tell us where you are. >> the house speaker seemed to be speaking ex contemporaneo contemporaneously. do you think this was by surprise. >> it is hafrd hard know when the postmortems are written, if his is in there. the white house is thinking about poert mort ems when this whole thing is said and done. what i found interesting about speaker's comments was, it is how he worded things. he didn't necessarily say the bill that they passed here was the bill, the good compromise, this or that. he was very careful to draw lines but to come out and talk about revenues, i think he wants

to remind folks of both in his own party how hard this was. at the same time send a message to the white house saying look, you have no idea. you should now see how hardy told you this was going to be and you kept push meg and i kept saying you have no idea. this is as far as i could go. i think the president and speaker boehner wish they could have the last tw weeks back. if they knew now, they would have cut the deal. >> i wonder if that is not some overtour to moderates and independents because i think one thing the president has done is establish the ground as he who was willing to compromise who so than the other size. i want to show i something. earlier i asks cnbc simon hobbs to look at the potential implications. if there is no agreement on the debt ceiling reached, it was

very insightful. here is what he had it say. >> in the hearts of heart, opening the market belief and that everybody would be that stoop toyed let it go that far but the nervousness is palpable. if you look at the dow jones, we lost 600 points over the last six sessions. that's more than 4 1/2 percent. there's a huge amount of activity behind the scenes. dealing with the process of a default of the 20 biggest wall street banks with the treasury today. yesterday a huge conference call about how you work through what would be a technical default. but if there is one thing can i leave you with, it is this. as the hours tick by it becomes increasingly likely that greatest nation in the world, the united states, will be stripped of its aaa interestedity rating by the rating agencies. it means that the rest of the world. say, you are more after liability to lend money to than singapore or hong kong or france or germany or bittian or indeed canada. i believe when the episode is

written, this historical episode is written, michael, that they will lay the blame of that squarely on the part of the republicans and personally on john boehner in particular. let me explain why. for ten years on international markets we have known about the twin deficits. the public deficit, government deficit and trade deficit. we knew it had to be sorted out. we are looking for a bipartisan. republicans wanted to up the ante and have the fight now. what in effect did they do? they said we will use the debt ceiling. so they are saying to the rest of the world you know that 14 trillion we lent to you and our own people, well, come tuesday we may not pay interest on it and we may not pay the principle. so they hold the rest of the world ransom. remember the yards get from s aefrn & p is about4 trillion.

when obama was talking to boehner, we were getting towards that. now we don't have anywhere near 4 trillion at all. because boehner couldn't sell the revenue increases to his own party. so we are not bending the curve now. er with holding world to ransom. let me say one more thing michael. the politics are now poisoned. the bipartisan approach is lost and there are hurdles set up such as the balance budget amendment. aaa countries don't go by these rules michael. >> and this speaks it a big concern in that et fis behind you, that if the aaa bond rating is reduced it'll be on the president's watch. >> right. >> that's been the issue here for this white house bp that's why the number one they want to move this debt ceiling issue away from the next two years. yes did is political issue but also an economic issue. some really bad numbers came out of it. all of this uncertainty, we have all known that businesses right

now in the last couple of weeks, they have gotten a little nervous. people have held back because they are not sure what is going on. they are not sure how this will end. i think -- look, i still have a lot of confidence that when all is said and done, they will figure it out. all of the leaders are on the same page. all of the same leaders are on the same page. yes, they have an unpredictable, unpredictable group of lawmakers on their hands. so the one thing that i have as a political person, i thought would find surprising at the end of the day, if they do agree what this field will look like, it is going to be a couple of trillion dollars, a down payment on that. it would be hard it imagine that they with look at our political system and downgrade us simply for politics. if there is a -- a path forward to some reductions. >> chuck todd, thanks so much for being with us. we appreciate your effort. >> you got buddy. >> with us now is james clyburn of south carolina.

congressman, this is one of the strange bed fellow scenarios. it occurs to me you were on same voting side of every republican member of your delegation but obviously for different reasons. >> i'm sure there are different reasons. but thanks for having me this evening. i find it interesting. i was attacked by the chair of the republican party under south carolina two days ago when i talk about why i was not going to vote for this. now all five republicans for south carolina did not vote for it either. i'm just interested in seeing next week what that gentleman is going to write about those five people who opposed this bill. >> know, congressman, a lot gets said here about the perceived intransigents of the gop house members. i'm sure the numbers for the democratic members of congress are the same. i guess my point sir, is nobody is cominging out and surely you know that.

>> oh, absolutely. that's the case when it comes to making legislation. we all know that. and people would like to not see it being done. but it is the way we do business in this country. i remember a former colleague from pennsylvania used to say, democracy is a messy business, and it is. we tried to as many people involved in the process and we possibly can. we want people to have their say. and we may not always agree with each other. so i won't get all upset about this. i'm sure that when it is all said and done people will wait to see exactly how the markets react. how people react and the lending institutions around the country and then, i think they will determine whether or not this is a good thing. >> you know, the republicans have drawn a line in the sand relative to no new taxes. were you taken by surprise when speaker boehner in his remarks

prior to the vote said, extemporaneous extemporaneously, i offered them revenues. >> i was surprised at that. but i think that is one way of saying that to us, that he tried. and saying to the american public, that he tried. because i think that nearly 80% of the american people were of the belief that we should have both cuts and revenues. and so i think he wanted to say to those people, who are in the majority in this country that he did have both in his rep tire. >> congressman, final question if i might, my understanding is that which passed the house had a six-month timeframe then we have to do it all over again. that which senator reid was seeking would extend it beyond the 201 election. when that gets resol solved, which way will it go? will we revice think the issue before americans vote for president? >> i don't think so. i have said before and i will

say again, if a six-month extension lands on the president's desk, he ought to veto it and next to it, have an executive order and envoc the 14th amendment. because i think that we will not do a single thing for people's confidence, for the confidence of the markets, if it is only six months. it might as well not be anything because it will not change the paradigm at all. >> stability is what we most seem to need. >> absolutely. thank you congressman. i appreciate your time. >> thanks for having me. >> coming up, how far will the tea party take the default? we will ask republicans how far they plan to go. that's next. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. announcer ] anan anthis...is the netwo. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn.

♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ to help move business... forward. oh! let's do this. look who's early! [ dentist ] my patients want to walk into their dental check-up prepared to ace it. that's why i tell them to use new crest pro-health invigorating clean rinse. its invigorating action lets you know it's working to fight plaque and gingivitis and it provides all these other benefits. crest pro-health invigorating clean rinse. clean, protect, and invigorate your way to better dental check-ups. life opens up when you do.

president obama has taken to twitter to pressure republicans on a compromise to the debt deal. all day long the obama 2012 campaign has been pushing supporters across the country to tweet republican members ever congress. it started around noon east wern with a message from the president himself. the time put party first is over. if you want to see a bipartisan congressman, call, e-mail, tweet. and they kept coming. urging members of congress. this is what political arm-twisting looks like in a digital world. we'll be right back pch automotive performance is gone. and all we have left are fallen leaves and broken dreams. oh. wait a second. that is a dodge durango. looks like american performance is doing just fine. ♪ carry on. ♪

people can be critical of what wef done but where are the other ideas. rat this point in time the house will act and we will act again. it is time for our colleagues across the aisle to tell us what they are there for. tell us how we can end this. >> that was speaker john boehner just before the house voted to

approve his new debt ceiling bill but will the house vote for the bill before it is back from senate. joining us congressman from kansas. congressman, why did you vote against it. >> i don't think it does enough. we have a $14.2 trillion deficit. the problem remains the senate hasn't put a plan out yet and hopefully they get started this weekend. >> common sense would dictate if you didn't go for what republican house passed, there is a small prospect you will be satisfied with what comes back from the senate. >> well, asouping anything comes back, the senate hasn't had a debate or produced a budge net 80 days. that is particularly especially for a freshman. they are yet to have a single debate on the debt crisis that we face today. >> congressman, allow me to share with you the thinking charles hammer who had a piece

that aimed squarely at a tea party. using a civil war quote from abraham lincoln and said this. i hope to have got on my side but i must have kentucky. i don't know whether conservatives have god on their side but i do know they don't have kentucky, they don't have the senate, they don't have the white house and under our constitutional system, you cannot govern from one house alone. forcing the issue you turning the minority into a governing authority is not counter contusional in spirit but self destruct any of practice. what response to you have that fr that? >> i think the constitution does pro mention the senate. harry reid refuses to let senators actually debate the issue with you. we sent cut, cap and balance over there. that's the only plan that will avoid a credit downgrade. it is high time the senate add depate. that is very constitutional. we thought it was the greatest body in the world but harry reid

refuses to allow a debate. hopefully that will happen soon. >> i get the crowd hammer words is that you do control the house but we have divided government at this juncture and that the perception, i'm paraphrasing what he said, but at this point you're an obstructionist. >> the house is the only body that is produce plan. we now sent two over to the senate. the senate has no plan. they nod debate. the president has no plan, no written plan. he has a budget from january. p t it was rejected 0 to 97 in the senate. we are talking about cutting spending. we need balance a budget. i don't know what senate position is. they haven't debated one and we are a few days away from the deadline that the president gave us. >> congressman from kansas, thank you so much forum time sir. >> thank you. >> president bm made an important point about the debt ceiling this morning. let's listen. >> it is not a vote that allows

congress to spend more money. raising the debt debt ceiling gives our country the ability to pay the bills congress already raekd up. i want to emphasize that. the debt ceiling, does not determine how much more money we can spend, it simply authorizes us to pay the bills we already have racked up. it gives the united states of america the ability to keep its word. >> jeff landry of louisiana wh ended up supporting the speaker's bill is joining us now. is that fair point that president made that debt ceiling issue is not spending per se, satisfying obligations for which we are already on the hook. >> look, yeah. here's the deal. this congress, this house, has now sent two plans over to the senate. and let me show you this. this is the white house's website. all right. if you queerry, debt limit plan, guess what you get. so i don't want to hear that administration is over here

blaming us and telling us we can't say yes. we have said yes twice now and sent this over to the senate. this is high-time the senate dem krts and administration get on board. in order to address the problem that the american people regardless ever their party affiliation are demanding. that is to get our physical house in order. >> i read somewhere sir that it was in response it a request that put forth that balanced budget amendment was included to pass this in the house. is that drew troou? >> look, i was part of a group voting no for this bill. of course i don't like it take no for an answer. i don't like "can't." so i've been working constantly to try to find a solution. i'm not interested in making deals. i'm interested in finding solutions. yes i was up very late last night, in the whip's office in a group of 20 or so members ever congress trying to hammer out a way where we could get to voting for this bill and it would have a solution to our crisis here.

>> intuitively it makes sense. you say, who could be a against a balanced budget amendment. don't you run your own home with a balanced budget? i try. i have a mart gaj, car loan, credit card debt. it is not completely incompatible with the notion of having debt. >> if you use that logic, then you say, if you got to that point and you refuse it balance your budget then you good into bankruptcy. see i don't believe we go bankruptcy. i don't want us to go into default. we have a spending problem and that's what we are trying to solve. >> 49 states have instituted balance budget amendments. 78% of the american people want to. democrats, independents, republicans. what is wrong with the giving the american people an opportunity to speak. we just said the requirement we just sent over to the senate is the one that 22 democratic senators are on record supporting. so what is the problem.

>> allow me to show you democratic congressman from virginia expression the democratic anger with the speak ear bill today. >> this bill is a blatant he is not kel exercise in raw political muscle and another more. they are bent into turning our founding fathers into dead beat dads. i would use speaker boehner's own words from last year hell, no, you can't. >> you have heard them say this is a waste of time because cha that which you have passed garners no support from the senate. >> you no he what is a waste of time? not having a plan. that's a waste of time. this the second go-around we have sent to the senate. they won't even open depate. they have no depate. ma jord leader harry reid is guarding senators, you talk about tole ticks, why won't they

have a debate? they won't have a debate because of politics. let's let people hear the debate. hear the process and cons and let's get on with doing the people's business. >> thank you congressman jeff landry. we appreciate your time tonight. >> thank you. >> necessary up next, rick perry flip-flops on same-sex marriage. last week he said he would agree to allow it then remember what he likes. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. 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. somewhere in america, a city comes to life. it moves effortlessly, breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to become the kind of city people want to live and work in. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers.

our girl's an architect. our boy's a genius. we are awesome parents! biddly-boop. [ male announcer ] if you find a lower rate on a room you've booked, we won't just match it. we'll give you $50 towards your next trip. [ gnome ] it's go time.

welcome back to "hardball." time now for the "sideshow." first up, governor rick perry shocked many of us last week voicing support for new york's right to pass a law allowing gay marriage. let's listen. >> that's new york, and that's their business, and that's fine with me. that is their call. if you believe in the tenth

amendment, stay out of their business, if you live in some other state or particularly in you're the federal government. >> no surprise that didn't sit well with perry's supporters. so how about a clarification? >> it's a small group of activists judges, and frankly, a small handful, if you will, of states and these liberal special interest groups that are intent on a redefinition, if you will, of marriage on the nation, for all of us. to not pass the federal marriage amendment would impinge on texas, and other states, right, not to the have marriage forced pop them by these activist judges and these special interest groups. >> sounds like more of a 180 to me. state rights of fundamental to the united states. unless, of course, texas doesn't approve. next, i spoke with the idea presented by some of his former

colleagues that the urgency of raising the debt ceiling is majorly overblown. listen to this. >> the final question, if i might, for senator simpson. what's the response to those out there saying, michele bachmann included, we don't want to raise the debt ceiling and that frankly this is a whole chicken little thing created. it's really not going to be as bad as they say it's going to be? >> it will be a different definition of chicken but the last word won't be little. >> subtle? >> no, it's pretty clear what he was getting at. next up, looks like president obama has dual reasons for speaking about fuel-efficient vehicles in washington this morning. he's already thinking ahead to his daughter getting behind the wheel. let's listen. >> as some of you may know it's only a matter of time until malia gets her learner's permit. so i'm hoping to see one of those models that gets a top

speed of 15 miles an hour. the ejector seat any time boys are in the car. so hopefully you guys have some of those in the pipeline. >> motivation for all the dads out there to get behind this cause. up next, is anybody winning this fight republicans and democrats are hitting the airwaves hard. the ads from each side and see who's winning the message war. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. this past year alone there was a 93% increase in cyber attacks. in financial transactions... on devices... in social interactions... and applications in the cloud. some companies are worried. some, not so much. beings and knows what to keep in, and what to keep out. outsmart the threats. see how at cisco.com cisco.

hello, here's what's happen ppg the top military commander arrived in afghanistan on an unannounced visit reassuring leaders thereafter a string of high profile attacks and assassinations. here at home the obama add 3i7b

strags struck a deal with u.s. auto makers to more than double fuel efficiency standards it 54.5 gal miles a gallon by the year 2055. a dismal week on wall street as washington wrestled with the debt ceiling debit and new reports showed anemic economic reports over the last six months. now back it "hardball." now back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." watching the battle on capitol hill these past few weeks. outside interest groups have also been eager to throw stones at their opponents in this debt fight. millions of dollars spent on ad buys attacking the president, but if the country defaults and the economy suffers, don't the president's re-election chances suffer as well?

eugene robinson is an nbc political analyst and an associate editor and columnist at "the washington post" as well as an msnbc analyst. >> the fact is if good things happen when you're president then you get more credit than due and when you are the president you perhaps get more blame than you are due. so yes. in this case however, i think nobody comes out looking good. i think this is not a zero sum game. this is a negative sum game. and the goal at this point is, not to lose the worst. >> in your most recent column, you said that progressives need a big idea. and what you were addressing, the competing narratives that are about to unfold in 2012. you feel like the republicans already have their soundbite, which is what?

>> their soundbite is cut spending, cut taxes. >> and we held our ground and we did what we said we were going to do. >> exactly. and we will do more of it. that our prescription for getting the economy going in and making it grow and returning to government to its proper size. you know, there's a whole elaboration of that bumper sticker. but and on the progressive side, the elaboration is there. you know, we have to plan for the future. we are compassionate nation. we take care of the elderly and the poor. this is a social compact that we have made. and we have to prepare ourselves to be competitive in the 21st century. that doesn't fit on a bumper sticker. >> that's right. >> they don't have the bumper sticker. >> that why i thought your column was effective.

in the soundbite world in which we live, they need to make it more comprehensionible. >> they do. and talk about issues and values for the 21st century. and it won't be the same way it was done 40, 50 years ago. but there's got to be a way to do this. i think democrats have failed to do that. and i think that's why, or one of the reasons why, even though they control only one house of congress, republicans are winning these budget battles. >> gene, let me show you previews of coming attractions. crossroads gps released this -- >> america's economy is hanging by a thread. under the weight of high unemployment. soaring goods prices. medicare nearly bankrupt. reckless spending. failed stimulus. and $14 trillion debt. much of it owned by china. we are near the breaking point.

maybe we won't be crushed when our economy snaps but someone will. it's time to take way president obama's blank check. >> by the way, i think she was holding a -- i'm not sure. if you remember, i know you do. >> i remember. >> let me show you before you comment, not to be outdone. liberal groups including americans united p be, this ad targeting several members of congress. and this is to run in majority leader eric cantor's district. >> if congress doesn't actually tuesday, america won't be able to pay all of its bills. social security checks, veteran's benefits, military pay, all could be at risk. because congressman eric can'tor and congressional republicans want to protect tax breaks for millionaires, oil companies and corporate jets jets. so if the check you and your family depend on doesn't arrive,

tell eric can'tor to stop holding the economy hostage. >> review what you have just seen. >> of the ads i just seen, i think the crossroads ad is more effective. i think it is really the kind of central anxiety that most americans have, which is the -- my children's lives are not going to be as good as mine. for the first time in american history, the people actually have that fear. my children are going to, you know, won't be as affluent. they won't live in a house as nice as mine. is this the -- is the american century over? and so i think the crossroads ad plays on that fear very well. it is not just republicanes who have that anxiety. it is dem krts and progress ifs

ought to be able to talk about that too, but they don't. the ad about about cantor and, you know, it is a fairly standard, i think, democratic ad essentially saying, the republicans want to take away benefits that you have earned and we are going to protect them for you. it is not that that's ineffective, but i think the crossroads ad speaks to the larger group of independent voters to be more decisive. >> the point being, this will play itself out in every congressional district in the country. let me talk to you, with an eye toward 2012, about obama. he hit a new low with 40% job approval. 50% disapproval. somebody said to me, mitt romney is missing in action in all of this debate. i said, why would he emerge. given what is going on, all of those playing a role, including the president, are tarred and

feathered by the process. speak to me about romney's sigh len. >> i think it is strategic. if romney takes an honest position, folks we have it raise the debt ceiling. and it is so why needlessly andres galarraga antagonize the tea party wing. so he will just fade in the background and keep quiet and let this thing play out. it might be smart politics. >> they had the worst week since last summer. the economy, the strong suit. i don't know that he can remain silent for much longer. >> no, he can't. but he want this to be over i suspect. like by tuesday. by the 2nd come to some solution. then he can come out and talk about the economy and start talking about, complain to his strong suit. and essentially saying look at all of the other folks messed it up.

but until then, i don't see the plus side from romney and in jumping into the frige. as you saying with nobody comes out looking good. >> with eyes glazing over, one other subject, for the president to envoc the 14th amendment, i had an extended cop ver conversation with arlen specter and he was making the case to me that this is absolutely something in the arsenal that the president controls and he can envoc it and frankly by the time he justifies doing so this crisis would have passed. >> right. i think that is absolutely right. i think that the fail safe option. i think that you know with everyday i think we get closer to the point where the president will have to do that. as i read the constitution and the way the courts have interpreted the president's responsibilities, i don't think the courts even -- you know, months or years from now, would want to get involved in a

dispute like that if the president asserted that. and i think the courts, even this supreme court, is respectful of executive power to the extent you can argue this the powers of the presidency are keeping a terrible disaster from happening to the country. that's something we expect the president to do. so if push actually comes to shove, they won't talk about it at the white house, but if we get to t.hat 1 17b8g hour and 59th minute, i think he has to do it. >> i think frankly this is the starting gun that we saw earlier tonight, not necessarily coming to a conclusion, and included in the options that the president i'm sure is thinking of exercising. is that what we just discussed. him asserting the fourth amendment and saying this is where it ends, this is my constitutional authority and i have no choice. eugene robinson, thank you, as

always i appreciate your time. up next, the stalemate over the debt is breathing new life of the idea of a third political party of this country. we will talk to one of the leaders after few grip that has money and organization it get a third presidential ticket on the ballot in all 50 states. if you want to find me ought twitter you need to learn how to spell smerconish.

house republicans thinking of speaker boehner's plan which she owe opposes. she asked members of congress to stick to their principles and wrote, all my best to you gop

freshman from up here in the last frontier. and ps, everyone i talked to still believes in contested primaries. we know where she stands. [ 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! 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. if what you've seen play out this week in washington has you thinking the two party system is broken, you might have a place to turn. you'll soon be hearing about a startup operation to put forth a third presidential ticket. here's the twist, the winning candidate would be nominated via the internet. can this really fly? elliot ankerman is the chief officer of americans elect. how will it work, walk through the mechanics. >> sure, at american select we'll hold a non-partisan, secure nominating convention. every registered voter can be a

delegate and the ticket will be on the ballot in all 50 states. >> so, i've spent time at your website, have i entered the process, am i a delegate, so to speak? >> you are, as a delegate, we'll be asking you questions and asking you to weigh the crucial issues that are facing our country right now and you'll see frequently you're not red and you're not blue, but you'll see your true colors. exactly the issues that are most important to you and what you feel are most important to this country. >> how do you think you'll be able to successfully able to navigate the labyrinth of the 50 states, each with a requirement of how you get on the ballot. >> well, we started this journey about six months ago and decided to just do it. so far, we've gathered two million signatures out of the 2.9 million signatures we need to get on the ballot in all 50

states and yesterday we started submitting signatures in california. that's 1.6 million in california. if you can do it in california, you can do it everywhere. >> are the internet signatures akin to file in california or is it a two-step process? >> well, the ballot access signatures are hard signatures on the street. real people signing up because they want more voice and a nominating process to be directly involved in. on the website, you'll be able to sign up as a delegate and participa participate in a direct kond dat. >> tom freedman gave you a lavish coming out party yesterday in the times. would this help or hurt the president, would it help or hurt the republican party? i filled out the questions and took notes as to what the responses were as of the time i filled out those questions. here's what people who have

already signed up to be delegates said. 46%, the leading budget response tactic was "more tax increases than spending cuts." another one, on health care, 50% agreed the government should have a major role in providing health care insurance. 80% believe -- 80%. same-sex couples should be allowed to marry legally with all the same rights as traditional marriages. that tells me those who have responded so far, the delegates for american direct, the centrists, they are left of center, therefore, it would seem to me it would cut into the president's. >> well, we're just getting started and starting a debate. what you see there is a very healthy debate. i think that's important in light of what's going on today in washington, but this isn't going to spoil anyone. i mean, the only people this is going to spoil are the folks in the two major parties who got a strangle hold on our political system. >> why now, why is this the moment? >> what we're seeing is real

technological innovation. we're seeing political innovation. this is the first time that anybody has gone out to go get 50 state ballot access for a ticket to be directly nominated by the american people. >> listen, we do everything else online, pay our mortgages, buy our groceries, look at our kids' grades online. maybe the time has come. thank you elliot acerman. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. [ jelani ] neither of my parents went to college. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. college is the place for you. it's my number one goal. ♪ students like me, who take these ap math and science classes and have these opportunities, this is where the american dream lies. when i write that book, you know, i plan to dedicate it to my school. ♪ those hopes and dreams that you have, you know, they're within reach. and i'm living proof.

let me finish tonight with a word of caution. a few things are certain in the current fiscal debate, but john boehner and harry reid seem to agree on one thing, the plan they settle on will call for a panel to do heavy lifting by recommending future government savings. however, neither boehner nor reid can guarantee an agreement within the committee. and no plan under consideration right now seems to provide guidance regarding savings that might be found in medicare, medicaid, or social security, which together account for more than 40% of federal spending. does it sound familiar? it should. guess what, the committee did its work. the congress didn't follow through. the formal name was the national commission on fiscal responsibility and reform.

the president, the house, and the senate all had a hand in selecting in. republican alex simpson, democrat herskin bowels. they comprised it. what they produced, a blueprint for doing something that makes members of congress wince, this was shared sacrifice. nothing and no one was off limits, not entitlements, not the military, not the wealthy. as alex simpson himself told me just yesterday, unless you punch a hole in every sacred cow, they are going to wander the fields forever. what happened, the vote garnered 118 votes needed for support. if simpson-bowles couldn't get approval, what makes us think boehner-reid will in here's my idea, while congress waits around waiting for leaders to make deals, why doesn't somebody ring that bell in washington and call for the vote we never had, make members of