tv MSNBC Live MSNBC August 2, 2011 3:00pm-4:00pm PDT
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what they want. what they want is to control the u.s. government to their ends without having to win the white house or control the u.s. congress. they can carry on the bush economic policy right through the end of this presidency, as long as they're willing to mug and the president is willing to turn over the wallet. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. more politics ahead with al sharpton. tea party hostage takers, listen up. it's time to change the conversation, and democrats are going to do it. president obama said today we need to talk about jobs, and we will. dnc chairman debbie wasserman schultz on what can be done and how to take on the tea party. and pat buchanan says progressives got their lunch handed to them in the debt deal. hey, pat what about the billions in defense cuts?
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i'll debate pat live tonight. plus sarah palin's newest hypocrisy. now she's offended by terrorist talk. give me a break, half governor. welcome to the show. i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, democrats, it's time to take stock. republicans have been having the conversation they want to have. now it's time to have our conversation, a conversation about creating jobs in america. the debt fight is over, the senate has passed the bill, the president has signed it, the debt limit will be raised. but for months republicans have tried to get away with all kinds of false statements about how the country got into this financial mess and what we should do to fix it. despite what we have heard from these republicans, facts matter. the truth matters. let's not forget where so much of our country's debt came from.
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fact -- when bill clinton left the white house, america had a $236 billion surplus. here's what that democratic president said at that time. >> through our last four budgets, we've turned record deficits to report surpluses. america must maybe tain our record of fiscal responsibility. >> but just five months later, president george w. bush destroyed that clinton surplus with a stroke of the pen. >> surplus is not the government's money. the surplus is the people's money, and tax relief is now on the way. >> bush signed his tax cuts without paying for them. bush launched the wars in iraq and afghanistan without paying for them. he signed the medicare prescription drug benefit without paying for it. by the time bush left office,
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the clinton surplus had turned into a $1.2 trillion deficit. last year nearly a third of our deficit, $420 billion to be exact, came just from the bush tax cuts, yet republicans tried to pin their own disastrous economic record on president obama action and accuse him of being a big government big spender. yes, he supported the bailouts of the bank, but saved the economy by doing so. when the president signed a stimulus to get the country out of the bush recessions, republicans attacked it as some sort of socialist nightmare. >> tim lace the gap, it stimulates the growth of government, but it doesn't stimulate jobs. >> but the reality is the bigger philosophical point is this -- i have a fundamental disagreement with this package. >> congress should grow this greasy pile of pork into the grinder. >> but many of those same
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republicans later jumped in front of cameras and took credit for stimulus projects back in their home districts. ? last year's midterm elections, republicans took control of the house by vowing to focus on jobs. >> the american people are continuing to ask the question, where are the jobs? >> the number one question in american continues to be, where are the jobs? >> we have focused on one thing. that is job creation. >> where are the jobs? >> but since john boehner won the speaker's gavel, his republican majority hasn't passed a single jobs bill. not one. here's how they have spent their time. they tried to repeal the president's health care law, defund planned parenthood, and gut financial reform laws, things that have nothing to do with creating jobs. democrats started to wonder if republicans were intentionally tanks the economy. >> are republicans slowing down
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the recovery on purpose? for political gain in 2012? republicans aren't just opposing the president anymore. they are opposing the economic recovery itself. >> and then as if to prove the point, republicans created this artificial crisis on the debt limit. congress has raced the debt ceiling 74 times in the current era. the current crop voted to raise it 19 times under president bush, but they changed the rules when it came to president obama. >> the american people will not tolerate our increasing the debt limit without serious reductions in spending. >> suddenly the debt limit, and possibly all of what goes with it, the possibly of a sdausries default was held hostage to the extreme conservative ideology of
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choking the federal government and like it so much they fell in love with the idea and they're planning to do it again. >> in the near future, maybe the distant future, we'll get a debt ceiling increase without the reigniting of the same discussion. >> so today president obama took the. responsible step. now he wants to turn the focus back where it belongs jobs. >> our economy didn't -- to make things worse. we've got to do everything in our power to grow this economy and put america back to work. >> it's time, past time to focus national attention on getting americans back to work. people on the ground are
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hurting. i've seen it. it may not mean a lot to some politicians if we protect medicare, but it means a lot to the people who are depending on it. the debt deal isn't all i wanted at all, but protecting medicare and other programs will still mean a lot to a lot of people. not just on 145th street here in new york where mire headquarters is, but in appalachia, or arizona, all over the country, helping them is the conversation this country has to have now. let's start dealing with the pain of the people. we need jobs, not more jawboning. joining me now, florida congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz chairwoman of the democratic national committee. congresswoman, can you trust the republicans as you fight to improve the economy?
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>> well, we're going to focus on what we know is the number one priorities on americans ease minds right now, that is creating jobs and continuing to get this economy turned around. if we have to drag the republicans with us, then we'll do that, but, you know, it's been a whole lot of months, eight months they have controlled the house with no jobs bills coming to the floor. hopefully now with this compromise on the debt ceiling behind us, with the opportunity, with the economic to sit down and focus on longer-term deficit reduction that will have some balance and ask some sacrifice for our most fortunate, initial to the middle class that we're going to be able to get everyone on the same page that it's jobs. i agree with you, reverend, but the time for jawboning is long past. >> 9.2% unemployment higher in many other communities. i mean, i sometimes get the feeling like a lot of people are in some beltway echo chamber.
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do they understand people are hurting out there? can't put food on their tables literally? the conversation is something else. can we now start getting the conversation back to where it deals with the needs of the people? millions of people of all kinds of communities in this country. >> absolutely. president obama is going to be continuing to focus. we have a long way to go. obviously we want the pace of recovery to quicken, but beer still createn jobs each month in the private sector. we need to go now to the point where we can focus on tax cuts for the middle class, make sure those get extended. not wait an eternity to sit out and see if that happens. we need to focus on
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infrastructu infrastructure, focusing on tax cuts for middle-class americans who are going to invest that windfall back into the economy, and make sure that literally the thousands of construction workers that have lost their jobs in this downturn have an opportunity to get put back to work by our making investments in infrastructure that we can work with the private sector on in a balanced and public/private partnership. >> this is what has drove me crazy. i mean, it's will be like working people, working class people, poor people, don't matter another thing that bothers me. frankly you're the chair of the dnc. what about these voter suppression schemes? i'm very concerned that we are
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all over the country, look at this map. you see different states trying to change what is required to vote. lessening the time for early voting in some states, ending same-day registration. it seems like a polished, more sophisticated way of stopping certain elements of our society or the population to being ability to vote easily. that's very undemocratible to me. >> it's disturbing. absolutely. it's disturbing. i think it's not accidental that those laws are being pushed through. that are controlled by republican governor and legislators, they're passing laws conveniently that seem to only block access to the kind of voting or registration or access to the polls for groups of people who support democrats. early voting, you know, much
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higher percentage of voters who are democrats go to the polls for early voting. putting road blocks in the way so it makes it harder for people to register, all with the gauzy accusation that voter fraud is somehow a problem, when over and over again it has been proven that you're more likely to get hit by lightning than be a victim of voter fraud. >> what is the dnc's plan to protect people having access toward their right to vote, and access to their voting booth? >> at the dnc, and the democratic party, we are very focused on election protection and voter protection, making sure that both on the days -- on election today and early voting days we ensure that people aren't systematically blocked from polls who are eligible to vote, but we're also making sure
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that leading up to that, that these laws are challenged, because many of them, we believe, are not constitutional, have not -- have not been properly vetted, and separately, which is not partisan, the department 6 justice is reviewing a numb before of the laws passed. so we expect there had be a two-front battle here, but we're all about in the democratic party expanding access to the ballot. we know we get the best representatives and best results when you maximize voter participation. unfortunately republicans don't seem to share that view. >> i hope there's an aggressive fight to protect voters' rights, and i certainly hope we change the conversation back to jobs and the things that american people are concerned about. frankly, you know, i watch some of the proceedings in congress. it's almost like the republicans
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use a ministerial analogy. they hand it out there, the hand handhp book. it doesn't matter how you sing, you're singing the wrong hymn. deficit, deficit, deficit. sings jobs, jobs, jobs. >> we all need to be singing off the same song sheet. i hope this compromise this season carries through so we can work together. if not, democrats will continue to fight to create jobs, and to make sure that we max pliz voters' access to cast their ballot at the poll. >> i thank you for that. in this season of compromise, one thing i thought was above the storm and beautiful was when you walked in congresswoman gabby giffords last night. >> it was an incredible moment. >> it reminded us above it all,
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this country stands for trying to solve its problem in a way of voting and civility. i hope in that spirit, we remember people that depend on you guys the most. >> gaby reminded us where our priorities should be last night. it was a remarkable thing to watch, and i think seeing that triumphant return, what the country has been praying for for months was absolutely incredible. >> well, thank you very much chairwoman debbie wasserman schultz. you said we need to sing eve the same song sheet. you've got to get the right book. >> i agree. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. sira palin blasted vice president biden after a report quoted him saying, tea partiers acted like terrorists. palin's problem, what people do
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in private what she does in public? oh, and there's been a mitt romney sighting, the gop groundhog has emerged from hiding. hear what he would have done about the debt ceiling. and gabby giffords proves the quote right -- [ female announcer ] this is not a prescription. this is kate. [ kate ] can't believe i have high blood pressure. what's that thing? another medication. ♪ i really should have taken my shoes off before i got weighed. [ female announcer ] you've got a lot on your mind. that's why every walgreens prescription goes through a 10 point safeguard check that reviews your current walgreens health record for allergies and potentially harmful drug interactions. [ kate ] i can do this. [ female announcer ] the 10 point safeguard check from walgreens. there's a way to stay well.
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the desk dust is finally settling. at least one person thinks he did quite well for himself. in fact john boehner is giving himself a pat on the back. >> you were unable to get your own caucus behind your bill a few days ago. do you intend to remain speaker of the house? >> i do. when you look at this final agreement, i got 98% of what i wanted. i'm pretty happy. >> joining me now is msnbc political analyst pat buchanan. pat, would you agree with speaker boehner? did he get 98% of what he wanted? >> i do think that speaker boehner did entertain the idea of being a participant in a
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really grand bargain with the president that he did not get. there's no doubt, reverend al, there were a number of turnovers by speaker boehner, but at the end of the day, no doubt that john boehner was a big winner as was mitch mcconnell and the tea party. >> was it 98%? >> i don't know that he got 98% of what he wanted. i'd say he got about two thirds of what he wanted. i do agree when they say, look, they fairly small gruel we got here when you get down to the real cuts. they're dissatisfied as you've heard. i understand why, we're a long, long way from a balanced budget. >> so if they got two thirds, to 98%, then are we telling the american people, pat, that the republican party really wanted to delay this, not to christmas, what they really wanted to 2013, they wanted to cut the defense
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budget more than it's ever been quit since the '90s. they really wanted to deal with all of these things that were in this bill? are you really going to sit there and tell the american people that is what they wanted to do? because a large part of what happened was the things i mentioned. i might have been misled, but i thought you guys were unilaterally opposed to all of that. >> let me say this. they got small cuts, but over ten years, when you're going to spend $50 trillion, it's not a huge amount. they do have this commission coming up, but reverend sharpton, you've got a point. this commission, i don't think it's going to success if it huts revenues in there, taxes in there. i'll tell you what happens, then you get the sequestration, you'll have a war between the fiscal hawks and republican party and the security hacks and
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the republican party if they're required to take and put $600 billion worth of defense cuts on top of the $400 billion they already got in the initial deal. you're right. this was not an absolute complete victory. down the road if deep cuts have to be paid, we're all going to be unhappy to some extent. >> let me show you the politics of it, not that i know politics as well as you, but look at the poll today that came out, where the american public 60% disapprove of the fact that tax increases are not limited. so not only did they not get all that they wanted, mr. buchanan, they have set up a narrative for the 2012 election, where it will be around tax cuts, as said, it will go in front of this commission, this commission may not be able to solve it.
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it's going to expire anyway, and you end up with finally taxes being front and center in a campaign that most of the american people wish you had allowed it. maybe president obama was a little smarter politically than some of you thought. >> reverend al, please don't throw me into that brier patch. >> you don't want to separate yourself now, pat. >> you mentioned some polls -- now you may be up right. i'll send in a white towel in a minute. >> you mentioned some polls, all right? mitt romney that is beaten president 6 the united states in pennsylvania. the president of the united states has fallen in gallup all the way to 40%, all low as he's ever been. you come to the fall of 2012, and the president will say those tax cuts are going out the window. the house will pass all of the bush tax cuts and extend them,
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appeared you've got your senators fighting for their lives up there trying to raise taxes on anybody making more than $200,000 a year. i'll take that fight any day, and your boy, barack obama, caved in on it in 2010, and he'll cave in on it again? >> my what? my president barack obama? what did you say? >> he's your boy in the ring. >> no he's nobody's boy. he's your president, and he's our president. that's what you all are going to get through your head, and maybe there was -- you know there was a strategy when i was a younger man. i was never nobody's boy, but when i was a younger man, there was a strategy by a great champion muhammad ali. when you're facing an imbalanced opponent and you can't outpunch them -- >> you rope-a-dope. >> you rope-a-dope him. maybe he's leaning on the ropes and let you punch yourselves out. look at the poles, rope-a-dope. the public are sick of you giving the rich cuts when
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they're unemployed, pat. >> well, let me tell you, if he gets whipped by mitch mcconnell, how will he beat mitt romney? >> mcconnell did a great knockout, he cut the pentagon, he delayed to 2013 -- >> you tell me -- >> social security, medicaid, medicare off the table. if mitch mcconnell is your champion, we don't even have to go in the ring. >> it's your man who called this a satan sandwich. it's not my folks. >> your folks are wailing and weeping and crying. look at the progressives. >> he made sure that everybody could tell the tainted meat. that's the odor you're smelling, paw, in the studio. >> how did tea party guys do this to you? you got intimidated, frightened by a threat that wasn't even real. >> we couldn't win in the front rounds, so we're on the roping. all we needed was the dopes to
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to name-calling, but the rules don't apply to her. that's our con job of the day. republicans have come down hard on vice president joe biden over a report he compared tea party republicans to terrorists, but sarah palin's criticisms stand out. >> to be called a terrorist because of our beliefs from the vice president is quite appalling, quite vile. >> interesting. i wonder what changed since 2008? >> our opponent is someone who sees america as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country. >> of course the wort "terrorist" suggests vicious attacks. i guess palin's against all kinds of violent rhetoric. >> my dad was more along the lines of don't retreat, just reload. >> we cannot afford to retreat right now, either. now is the time to reload.
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>> one of my favorite, don't retreat, reload. >> to be clear, i don't think "terrorist" is a word that should be used lightly by anyone, but vice president biden told cbs news, quote, i never said they were terrorists or weren't terrorists. i just let the democrats vent. maybe conservatives should back off. but when it comes to violent language, sarah palin wants to have it both ways. that's our con job of the day. letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪
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[ female announcer ] something unexpected to the world of multigrain... taste. ♪ delicious pringles multigrain. with a variety of flavors, multigrain pops with pringles. the debt ceiling nightmare is finally over, and we talked about it earlier. president obama today said he's pushing the real number one priority back into the spot light -- jobs. later this month i'll be trying to keep the focus on jobs when the national action network marches in washington, d.c. for jobs and justice.
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joining me is tom joyner. he has a morning show which airs in more than 100 markets nationwide. he'll be co-hosting the rally and marching with me together about jobs. >> as you talk to literally millions around the country, you also put a purpose in your party, as you call it, you get a lot of feedback that people are really concerned about jobs and employment. >> number one. it's number one. as you said, the people on the ground are hurting. people are hurting all over this country. they're saying, hey, come on, what about us? what are you doing for us? enough already, what about us?
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you grew up in the civil rights movement, and people can get the details to join you and i, marches last year with the mart kin wille honored that weekend, an official monday mustn't is opening. he dies talking about jobs, unions for unemployment for people of all races in this country. >> and ironically enough, we're dedicating his memorial on the maul and having a march about that very same thing, about j s jobs. >> do you feel a lot of people
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on the beltway -- i just talked about this with congresswoman wasserman schultz. you talk about it in between jokes and reports. anchts i don't understand it. especially among our people, our people, black people, that say, well, president obama is not doing it for our people. he's not -- he's not creating jobs, and i say to black people all the time on the radio, i say, well, what would you want him to do? how bad would it be if john mccain had won instead of barack obama? how bat will it be if barack obama loses in 2012, and we have another republican president? you know how bad it will be.
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you know how bad it will be. blacks at 16.2%. the idea of this march is to put front and center, we need to change the conversation, and we want everybody to come, really a march is to expos a problem. it's time for us to say, hey, wait a minute, hold it, time out. we need jobs. you have to talk about -- that's why he's in history and why august 27th is important. >> even tea party members all to be marching with us for jobs. i don't know the stats, but i would think that most of the people aligned with the tea party are hurting just like the rest of the country, yet they're
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line aligning themselves with the people putting them in that position. i don't understand that. everyone is hurting except the people making the noise in washington, d.c. you're not an activist by trade, but in your heart, you stand up and deal with some of these mortgage issues. why is this important to tom joyn joyner. why does this tough your heart, tom? i party with a purpose. my purpose is to empower and try to change my community. i do it with laughter, i do it with songs, and i do it with purpose. if i get you laughing, then
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you've got you listens. if you've got you listens, i can field you some information. hopefully that will empower you to try to make a change in our community. that's what i do. that's why it's important to me. i'm no different than when dr. king was alive and marching. when dr. king was alive and marches. they had the march on washington and he did the "i have a dream" speech and the tens of thousands of people out another mall, how did those people get there? there was no msnbc there was no internet, no blogs. there was radio. when it came time to march, the civil rights leaders like dr. king would come on the radio. we would stop playing the temptations and 'reitha franklin, give the leaders the microphone. that's how they formed the marches that they did back in the day, whether it was in
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washington, d.c., memphis or montgomery, alabama. black radio is no different than it is today. that's how i'm doing it today. i just have a bigger platform. i'm local in 115 cities but i'm still local. >> tom joyner, i'm glad you are and glad you care enough about the people. we'll be together in august 27th in the name of dr. king, for people that need the conversation changed to address their pain. people of all communities, because unemployment anywhere only reinforced unemployment everywhere. for more information on the historic march on washington, visit www.nationalactionnetwork.net. >> join us. >> breaking news, we have a mitt romney sighting. is hiding really a good strategy? and forget those saying the
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president is losing his base. new numbers tell the real story. stay with us. [ pneumatic wrench buzzing ] [ slap! slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums riding the dog like it's a small horse is frowned upon in this establishment! luckily though, ya know, i conceal this bad boy underneath my blanket just so i can get on e-trade. check my investment portfolio, research stocks... wait, why are you taking... oh, i see...solitary. just a man and his thoughts. and a smartphone... with an e-trade app. ♪ nobody knows... [ male announcer ] e-trade. investing unleashed. i was told to begin my aspirin regimen. i just didn't listen until i almost lost my life. my doctor's again ordered me to take aspirin. and i do. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor
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before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ mike ] listen to the doctor. take it seriously. what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and 4g devices like the motorola photon. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. president obama is getting ready to turn 50 years old. what a birthday drag. he's had to deal with his deficit. he's been attacked. he's even been told he's lost his base. but wait a minute, before you cancel his birthday, i've got some new information.
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welcome back to the show. let's talk about some of today's hot topics. joining me, dr. michael eric dyson, georgetown university professor and msnbc political analyst. nia malika henderson, political reporter for "the washington post." and republican strategist john feehery. mitt romney, where has he been? he's only appeared publicly 24 times. he was the invisible man throughout the debt debate. john, is this any way to show leadership? >> well, it's working for him, in first place in all the primary polls, and i think it is working for him. there's no reason to get in the middle of this fight in washington, d.c. where people are splattering mud on one another.
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i think he picket exactly the right strategy, doing exactly what he needs to do, talking to people in their hometowns, not getting -- not creating a lot of controversy. i think he's doing the right thing. >> and that was john feehery, and i'm al that were ton and i approved his message. you just did a great commercial for the democrats. he should be president of the united states, but he shouldn't, dr. dyson, get involved in this messy stuff like debt reduction and preventing the nation from default? >> it is pretty remarkable. he seems to be in re-mitch-sion. he want to not get involved, because he doesn't want his flanks exposed. if you get the right wing attacking you, it exposes the squabbles. on the other hand he doesn't want to take the risk to show true leadership. if he sticks his neck out, guess
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what? somebody might take a whack at it. he wants to be president, but not act presidential. i think that's a real problem. >> nia, you are a political reporter, what does it say about a candy when the way you keep him up in the polls is to hide him from the people? is it the more you see him the more realize there's nothing there? >> well, i think one of the things that romney has in his favorite is he's run for president before, so i think what he's learned from his last run is being out there all the time doesn't necessarily make for a winning strategy. we'll see him roll out policy initiatives, do some speeches, some stumping in new hampshire, but again, i think the question going forward, for instance, when the debate comes around next week, the question will be whether or not he's going to engage with those folks on the stage and whether or not they'll bring their game, too, as well to the debate stage and want to
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engage and take potshots, but in many ways, the strategy has worked for him. it will be interesting to see how he'll continue with this, especially if rick perry enters the race. >> john, if perry enters the race, it shakes the race up, and you can't deny that michele bachmann is polling well. if romney loses iowa, isn't all of this strategy something that ends up being the worst thing that he could have done? >> he's not going to win i iowa, anyway. he's trying to win new mexico. if rick perry gets in the race, yes, it shakes things up, but mid romney hasn't had much of an opposition so far. jon huntsman hasn't gained any groundswell of support. he's sitting pretty. i think he's got exactly the right strategy, which is don't
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attract any controversy right now, put all your fire on president obama, and, you know, when the time comes, get ready for the big debate that's obviously going to happen. >> but don't people, dr. dyson, want to know you have an answer to their problems. i've been saying all night, people are hurting. is it enough to not say here's what i would do as opposed to what the president is doing? this is why i ought to be leading? because this is what i would be leading toward, rather than let me play this game of political chess, i really feel for the people. >> that's a great point. to prove your point romney not long ago was picking vice presidential candidates. here was a man who put the cart before the horse, so to speak and began to resume nate on who was his running mate. he wanted that swagger, the front-runner, he could be cool, calm and collected, but the question that you have raised is
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very essential, what do you think about things? what is the substance of your political thought? what can you give us as an answer to counter-pose what barack obama has done, to shows you have a better answer. >> there's been a lot of talk about president obama losing his base it might be be a big mist. but a new gallup poll shows 83% of liberal democrats approve of his performance. michael, what do you make of this? >> there's an old rap player, i'm not a player, i just crush a lot. despite the nastyness, he remains cool and centered, literally in the center. if reagan was the teflon president, it seems obama may be the titanium president.
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and if clinton was the comeback kid, he's the never say die kid. though he takes tremendous hits from both the left and the right. he seems to appeal to people who thinks look at the end of the day, he had little choice to do what he did. i don't like the deal. it was forced upon him, but at the end of the day we feel he has the best ideals. >> john, are you surprised that the poll says his base is still overwhelmingly with him? >> i'm not exactly sure what you're saying there. >> i'm seeing a poll that says 83%. >> he's lost 7% support from the liberal base. >> 7% from june and up -- hold it. >> al, let my finish. >> don't distort the poll. 7% from june, up 2% from july. read the whole poll. >> he's lost support in the liberal community. the liberal part of the base, sure, that's pretty solid, but
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that's a small part of the base. 12% approval rating among the businessest part of the country, which is conservatives. his problem, al, is his overall approval rating is 40%. i wouldn't be exactly happy about that poll if i were obama supporters. >> 77% of democrats is with him, clearly all of the rumors about him losing his base, nia-malika, is not exactly accurate. every time i worry i just turn on the tv and watch mitt romney perform. it's just that the screen is blank. he doesn't show up. >> this is going to be a campaign not so much about the liberal left or the conservative right. it's going to be an election in the center. that's where he hayes aiming some policies, some of the talk about compromise. those are really the numbers that they're looking at here.
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what are people in the middle saying. there was a poll recently from pennsylvania showing mitt romney was ahead in pennsylvania. >> got to go, nia. the marlboro man, mitt romney, is a horse with nobody in the saddle. ♪ yes! ha ha! [ clicking ] ♪ what happened? power went out, want a hot dog? [ female announcer ] oscar mayer selects are made with 100% beef and have no artificial preservatives.
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last night, after weeks of fighting mud slinging and partisan politics, came a moment of bipartisan unity. by now you have all seen this remarkable video of gabby giffords returning to the house floor last night. only a moment like this could somehow bring vice president biden and michele bachmann together for her. it was just seven months ago, five days into the new congress when giffords was shot and critically injured by a gunman in tucson. the tragedy left six people dead, and she courageously battled in hospitals and rehabs. the bitter political battle in
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washington rolled on, but this moment with gabby giffords snapped us back into reality. this moment is everything. that's right, everything about our democracy. givers overcame insurmountable odds to make sure the voices of her constituents were heard. it doesn't matter how she voted, but that she voted. this is what the country is about. rising above your pain pain, rising above your personal circumstances, saying let me do what is good for everyone. we all have self-pity. we all have our own circumstance, but remember gabby giffords. let's rise above what hurts us to try and speak to what will make the country work for everyone. gabby giffords inspired all of us to be less selfish and be more about the hotel?
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