they want people to get the message that you've got to get out of here. nonetheless, they say this will be, and this is the biggest evacuation in 25 years, since hurricane gloria, hit the island. this is likely to come right over the top of where we are right now. so we are certainly going to ride this one out and feel t effects. chris, back to you. >> it is good to see people did get out. tom costello in ocean city. that does it for this special edition of "hardball." thanks for being with us. well back if one hour with another edition of "hardball" and more on hurricane irene. more now with al sharpton. welcome to the show, i'm al sharpton. needless it say, we are all watching the path of hurricane irene. and we will spend a lot of time on that tonight. also, the desperate race to get ready and keep people safe. remind us all how essential our government is. and that all the talking down of

our government this year misses the point of how important our first responders and other government officials are to millions of citizens now for this storm. we do begin with our breaking news, hurricane irene, is barreling up the east coast with 65 million people standing in its path. north carolina is just literally hours away. this category 2 hurricane is expected to carve a path of the entire eastern seaboard, potentially causing billions of dollars worth of damage. ten states have already declared emergency. ten states. today, the president urged people to take this storm very seriously. >> i cannot stress this highly enough. if you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now.

don't wait. don't delay. all indications point to this being a historic hurricane. >> the biggest city in its path, new york, is already bracing for impact. more than a quarter of a million people and the city has ordered an unprecedented shut down of the public transit system. the international space station reveal just how massive this storm is, covering a huge section of the east coast. but we begin tonight in north carolina where residents will be the first americans to really feel the brunt of this hurricane. people there have been evacuating for days. and now we're just hours away from land fall. nbc's mark potter is live in north carolina along the outer banks. mark? mark, what is it like out there in the ground there, has it already started raining?

>> yeah, all day, it has been nice, reverend. it's been calm but nice and calm, nothing going on until about half hour ago and everything just changed dramatically. the rain started falling and wind kicked up. and this is the way it's going to be for all through tomorrow. at an elevated rate. these are the joupter bands of the storm. into tonight we are expected to have gale force winds and then tomorrow we will start with the hurricane force winds at the height of it somewhere around noon, early tomorrow afternoon. the biggest concern here, actually has to do with the water, the waves, from the ocean. there is a particular fear that managers had here. that that storm, if it went just to the west of where i'm standing now in the outer banks, just west of us, we can have a peculiar problem. we can have waves coming in from the atlantic ocean with the first counter clockwise winds.

then as hurricane pushed water up into the sound and left the area, the northwest winds clocking around, counter clockwise, would push all that water on to the western shoreline. this area could be sandwiched by all that water and that's the biggest fear of emergency managers at first responders you are talking about because that can take out roads and structure below houses and causing serious problems. >> that's the biggest challenge of the emergency crews. the whole combination of how waters can sort of sandwich in exactly the area that you are standing in. >> exactly. the problem for emergency managers is that they have to make that call early. they have to predict the way it's going to go. sometimes they're wrong. enough times they're right but always they arern concerned about the people in the storm's path. so yesterday, with the supposition this was going to happen, they sent the tourists out of here. today they ordered residents out. >> let me ask you this, mark,

are people really leaving or do yo hold-outs? >> the tourists i believe have gone. most of them have gone. but some of the locals are staying. you will find, particularly among the older families here, long-time residents who have been through many storms, many of them are saying, look, we have been through many them before. we will survive. we don't run from storms. however, with this storm that combination with the water coming both ways, we have met some old-timers saying, this time we're throwing in the towel. we're going o board up our houses. it is foolish to stay here. that's what emergency managers are telling them. everybody needs to get out. if they get in trouble when this water comes in and rains are coming in hard and winds are at hurricane force, the police, ambulance drivers, first responders you were talking about at the beginning of your program, they won't be able to help them. they will be on their own. that's why they want the people to get out of here but not all of them will. saying they don't want to leave.

they want to stay in their homes and protect them. once this storm passes they will shut down the roads coming back in for a while or they will be shut down by nature and that's another reason spl people are saying they aren't leaving, because we can't get back it our homes. it's complicated. >> it's not worth the ris ng, mark. once you showed us the combination. mark, in north carolina, stay stiff out there, mark. >> thank you, reverend, i appreciate that. >> let's bring in nbc meteorologist jeff, what's the latest on the path of the storm. >> al, the path of the storm hasn't waivered much over the past couple of updates. i know a lot of people are hearing it weakened slightly but that's not a time to really, you know, give any extra pause to this storm. if you were asked to evacuate, it is still that kind of a

strong storm. those orders need to be taken seriously. this storm is stretching over 600 miles across. that is, we go ahead and zoom in, what you will find here is the reason why so many of these emergency management folks are so concerned is because the hurricane force winds stretch 90 miles from the center of the storm. >> wow, 90 miles from the center of the storm. >> yeah, that's a lot. if you think about what we are talking about, moving up the coastline, that means almost all of the coastal areas at there point will be impacted by some hurricane force winds. look at this, right now we do have some of these heavier rain bands starting to move in right to where mark potter is and also those winds ramping up to tropical storm status in the 30s and also into the 40 mile per hour range. so this storm is really starting it wined up beginning to feel some of those immediate impacts and we have also had news for those of new new york, also in long island over the past hour, two ours, let's say.

there is a hurricane warning that has been issues for long island, all the way up to the cape. right down into the boston area. look at this, all those areas in red, those are areas under hurricane warning for that very reason that well be experiencing hurricane conditions here for most of the atlantic seaboard. tens of millions of people that will be impacted by this storm system. here is this latest path. it has it weakening before the land fall tomorrow near cape hatteras to category 1 storm. as we talk about that, wind field is so wide. stretching out, many people will feel the impact of this. as we head throughout sunday, near the del mar peninsula, early sunday. then the storm, still takes it very, very close to new york city as we head into sunday, late morning, into the noon hour with possibly hurricane force winds. the other component of this that we have also been mentioning of course, is also the rain. we are talking about 6 to 12

inches ever rain. that will also bring us some inland flooding. so -- >> how rare is this for the east coast, jeff? >> well, you know, we get storms through out florida. we get them in the carolinas. it happens quite a bit. we have had plenty of active seasons. but for the storm to make it up into new york city, the new england area and hold its hurricane status, there have probably only been, you know, han handful of those in history. they have, i believe, hurricane edna in the 50s. hurricane express in the 30s. and what is known as tropical storm or storm number 6, before we started naming the storms. i got ahead mif self. there was hurricane bob in 1991. but i mean, overall, when you think about this, it is a very rare occurrence for this storm to make it all the way up into the northeast, new england area, and i think that's why so many people are concerned. because so many people don't know how to prepare, they don't

know what to do. they may be able to weather a nor'easter but a hurricane is an entirely different storm. >> that's a whole new experience for us on the east coast. >> yeah. >> you have to remember, jeff, we had an earthquake this week and now the hurricane -- it is whole new kind of world for us that live and work on east coast. jeff, thank you for your time this evening. >> no problem. >> you're inside, but be safe. maybe stay inside. coming up, we will chalk to a storm chaser who deliberately put himself in the path hurricane. one poll sigs says if you want extra disaster relief, you will have to accept spending cuts first. imagine that. stay with us. [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities.

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i'm in washington because of the planned march for jobs and justice tomorrow and the martin luther king, jr. monument unveiling sunday. both have been indefinitely postponed because of the hurricane. we are tracking hurricane irene as it bounced toward the north carolina coast. it is disrupting schedules and travel plans for millions of people and nearly a duds enstates. yet blue has already cancelled hundreds of flights. for this weekend. also other airlines are expected to follow suit. right now, fema and other agencies and all levels of government are in overdrive, trying it make sure people get through this storm very safely. yet, one republican presidential candidate says, quote, fema is

not a friend. folks, disasters like this are exactly why we need government. we will talk about that after the break. [ female announcer ] so you think your kids are getting enough vegetables? maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. [ male announcer ] get five dollars in money-saving coupons at v8juice.com. constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps.

thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue... >> as we've reported, ten states on the east coast have declared emergencies. for 65 million americans on east coast, the political debate over the role of government is on hold tonight. we'll drive to safety on public highways and count on our police and fire fighters to help see us through. you might think that at this

moment nobody would question the value of these services. you'd be wrong. republican congressman eric cantor is warning that any money spent on disaster relief should be matched with spending cuts. >> when there's a disaster, there's an appropriate federal role and we will find the moneys, but we've had discussions about these things before, and those moneys will be offset with appropriate savings or cost-cutting elsewhere. >> now this is nothing new for eric cantor. he said the same thing in may when a tornado tore through joplin, missouri, killing 159 people and causing billions in damage. >> there is an appropriate federal role. congress will find the money. and it'll be offset. >> we're looking at ideology that is extreme, y'all, it

distrusts even the most essential services that government provides. here is how ron paul put it today. >> fema is not a good friend of most people in texas because all they do is come in and tell you what to do and can't do. >> keeping people safe is the most important thing today. politics aside, people are in danger's way. joining me now is ed rendell, nbc news political analyst and former pennsylvania governor. and dana milbank, national political reporter for the washington post. governor rendell, you have run a state, been chief executive of a state, what is your take on the antigovernment rhetoric in the middle of this crisis, unprecedent crisis, for people on the east coast? >> it is absolutely stunning, al. it reminds me of saying the inmates are running -- it's

lunacy. government has a role in our lives. and the republicans have got to understand that. and they've got to understand that people do want effective government. rick perry said in his announcement for president that he promised to do everything he could, everyday he is president, to make government inconsequential in your lives. well, do you think the people who are perhaps desperately going to need police or national guard to help them get out of their homes and get to safety in the next day or two? they are going to want inconsequent inconsequential government. do you think the business owner whose place of business gets levelled, he will want inconsequential government when that happens? of course not. this is nuts. >> we are talking about people evacuating their homes. er with talking about people possibly losing things. we are talking about people that could be harmed and they are talking about, we've got to

match spending. eye mean, this is outrageous at its best. >> but maybe, excuse me, reverend, maybe it's a good idea to have this discussion right now because we actually see you know, in the abstract people say big government is a bad thing, you need to shrink the government. now we see what big government is. it gives you this data so we know where the storm is going. and big government is fema and others who step in to help people. we saw when people belittle the significance of big government. that's what happened with hurricane katrina. the budget cut backs that republicans put in place are getting rid of some of the weather satellites. we may not have this sort of information for the next storm to come along. this is the time to see that big government is things that people are using out there. particularly by the way, people in these red states. republican states, get a dollar and half back from the government for every dollar they put in in taxes. blue states only get 86 cents back for every dollar they put

in. >> one thing i didn't see, governor rendell, in jeff's report, i just talked to, is that hurricane irene is not partisan. they won't check for a red state or blue state. they won't have if you are registered to what party. they are coming through. so all 6 what you believe matters not. you need first responders and need them quickly. this is where americans need to come together and deal with a crisis and stop dealing with some hard lines that are totally irrelevant when you have a storm of this magnitude. what is going on? you have been governor of pennsylvania. tell us, give us a quick glimpse of what is going on in terms of government, from a governor on down to first responders, what is going on at this point in preparing for something like this that is largely unknown but they have to be prepared to deal with it? >> sure, first of all i want it

correct dana in one thing. it is not big government, it is the right sized government. government that is effective, spends wisely, but has the money and resources to invest in dealing with our problems and helping us. >> if i was living on one of those shores tonight, i would want to to be as big a government as i needed to get out of there. >> no question. >> real big tonight, governor. >> go back it katrina. a lot of the damage might not have happened had we spent the money the army corps wanted it repair the ref levies. we didn't spend this much money arizona and as a result, we swent that much afterwards. so what government is dealing with is preparedness. if i were governor of pennsylvania, by would have activated the national guard. i don't know if the governor did that. i would have the guard on stand by and have the guard, in our state, on the eastern half. the state police, all vacations cancelled, all state police available and ready to go.

pendot would be ready to keep roads open or arteries going. national guard would have held coppers ready, if we need to helicopters people out. let's pray this storm isn't as bad as we think but you have to be ready. none of the governors are saying they want federal help. mcconnell wanted help for the earthquake in virginia and he will want to for this too. >> we have seen some of the governors say that they have talked to the president, they have talked to the secretary of homeland security. i think that there clearly is a job here to see who can manage government well in a crisis that you can't predict was going to happen. because this is now not something you go buy a book. no one knows where this hurricane is going, where it's not going. are you overplanning or underplanning? and people's lives are at stake. >> sure. and there will be a blame game afterwards.

inevitableably. >> oh, no, we'll's never -- stay tuned monday. >> exactly. if it takes that long. >> right. >> we will definitely see that one way or the other. but this at least, except for the stray comments, it is a point where people say, let's set this aside and let's deal with this absolute crisis that's before us. >> governor ed rendell and dana milbank, thank you, and both of you be safe this weekend. just ahead, chasing the storm. while millions of americans try to get out of the way, we will talk to a man who put himself right in the way. of the hurricane. we'll be right back. emily's just starting out... and on a budget.

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while most sane people try to get away from the hurricane, some folks try to get closer. reid is with the discovery channel storm chasers. he joins us live on the phone from nags head north carolina. reid, you've seen a lot of storms. how bad is this one that we're looking at? >> reporter: well, it is kind of a unique storm, because it has weakened. the wind speeds are coming down but that necessarily mean that it's not going to pack a punch.

it's going to hit north carolina tomorrow and it usually takes a while for the storm surge, water rise, that accompanies a hurricane to subside after the the wind weekend. just because it has slightly lesser wind doesn't mean they are in the clear here. there can easily be water covering the road, like really bad flooding. then as it goes towards new england, the storm situation could get even worse up there. >> so the fact that people are hearing that it is slowed down somewhat, they should take no comfort in that, that really does not mean it will not pack a punch, as you say. >> reporter: yeah, it probably doesn't look as bad as the catastrophic predictions before when it was stronger, but it is still a potentially deadly hurricane as it goes towards new england and because of the way the coastline is shaped up there, the water can get piled up easily. if you have a hundred

mile-an-hour hurricane, projected over new york, you could have five, ten, 15-foot storm surgeon the inlets and hudson river. >> now, i'm told that this is your life, this is what you do. you've been in 12 hurricanes, 300 tornadoes. what do you learn by going in and engaging in being in the midst of danger and in the midst of these natural disasters? >> reporter: yeah, i've been obsessed with weather for as long as i can remember. went to the university of oklahoma to study meetology. still in school, 14 years later. so but yeah, i love studying -- >> reid? we lost your call. i hope you're all right. but reid timer from discovery channel storm chasers. thank you very much for being with us. and it is quite an unusual practice, but that's what he wants to do. new york city is bracing for

the impact from hurricane irene. historic storm targeting a city of 8 million people. we'll have a live report. but first, michele bachmann is trying to outfrank rick perry on his right wing. how extreme will the republican field get? that's next. ♪ i like dat ♪ ♪ i like dat, all right [ male announcer ] mio. a revolutionary water enhancer.

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president obama is kigt short his martha vinna vineyard's vacation because of hurricane irene. it looks like gop candidates mitt romney and have to cut short their this weekend. surging ahead of the gop field, leaving romney and bachmann trying to catch up and swinging even further to the right. >> i plan to work extremely hard

to elect 13 more jim demint's so we get a filibuster proof majority in the senate because then we are going to town. my to-do list will start with the four years when nancy pelosi had the gavel and just look at everything she did and we will go right through that and do our repeal. got to start somewhere bp. >> the gop based seems to love how extreme their candidates are getting. a new poll shows 64% of republicans are satisfied with the gop field. but the old of the gop is worried. former reagan speech writer peggy noonan took aim today in the wall street journal, writing, quote, if there a deep are more reflective person then he best show it sooner rather than later. she also says, he might be right for an angry base, but wrong for an antsy country.

looks like there's an extreme takeover of the gop tp join meg is now richard wolffe, msnbc an list and nia-malika, from the washington post. >> you think there is room over there? >> oh, there is, that's where the energy is. if you can get the top slot, albeit only 20% of the polls, if you can get that far, that quickly, by being more extreme by playing around with the idea of treason and treachery for the chairman of the federal reserve, a more bland reasonable man you could not find, and a republican, bit way, gloves are off and can you get the buzz, maybe for only a month or two. because then you will get a new candidate in, someone more extreme. this dynamic is not longer than that one. >> this race to the right that is exciting, republicans, has

even in some circles surprised political analysts. i was reading david brooks in the no, times this morning, though don't tell him i read him, and he is convinced that rick perry could actually win not only the nomination but win for president. why shift now? >> well, i think he certainly has shown perry over these last days that he's got a base in this party and he's, you know, his thoughts are finding purchase with these folks on the far riest republican party. i think the question is, how far right can he go before alienating independence on some suburban house wives, soccer moms in the suburbs and ohio and philadelphia and pennsylvania. that is i think really the clael for him. again, he is getting very much an announce many bump and that's what you see now and recognition. he is in this thing and shaking it up. but i think there is a real

fear. anyone someone like jeb bush has come out and say, we have to sort of tone it town with the rhetoric against the president. >> we have some gop insiders questioning rick perry. watch this. >> we need to be a broad party with divergeant point of views. but if you are a conservative, you have to persuade, you have to defend a position. you can't just be against the president. my own views, being an extended denomination process -- >> people want to win, they don't want someone who goes so far to the extremes of either party that they lack a chance to carry out a victory in november. >> richard be with you have jeb bush, you have the governor there, you have karl rove. i mean, are they trying to put brakes on the party going over the cliff? >> sure, they are.

and that's why people like karl rove and the bushes in general don't like what rick perry represent. will talent of the bush family was it use the language of the extreme right. to hint what they might do on abortion rights and never actually do it. so they could have the rhetoric out there but their record was much more towards the center. if we set aside the war in iraq for came of seconds here. that's why you have someone like jeb bush saying, let's see what is happening out there. you've got to go for the middle. they know that's the winning platform. that's why the republican party keeps coming back to bushes. people want jeb bush to come in now. you think they t is because they don't like rick per re? no. this looks like the people who voted for howard dean in the democratic primaries, way back in 2004. they like the passion and energy. they aren't thinking about winning. >> bush's strategy loves this whole idea of compassion and conservatism. you have seen perry very much, you know, toss that out the

window. >> now, mitt romney, we have been talking a few minutes here and nobody's brought him up. what can he do to slow down rick perry or even get back in the game? here is a guy that was a front-runner ten dayes a i go. what's happening? >> someone asked him that a couple days ago. he essentially said, i'm just a guy in a race. his strategy is and always has been, being the tourist. under the radar. sticking close to his script on the campaign trail. i have seen him a number of times. i think he is better than people think he is. he is very competent and clear -- >> being cool and calm but he is losing it now. when he took this drop, look at this. he can't take not being the front-runner too well, mr. cool blew it. >> do have you a question? do you have a question? and let me answer your question. you had your turn madam, let me have mine. listen, i have the microphone. let me complete. i'm sorry, it's my turn.

look, let me speak, then you get to speak, okay? >> this is this week. >> yes. >> mitt romney at a town hall in new hampshire. you know how reserved and understated i am. i was shocked. >> yes. >> really? that's what it takes? >> if he could get this passionate about jobs, he might be on to something. to get this passionate about a questioner, i don't think so. this is the script john kerry played in 2004. you come back from the dead, show some passion. he shot down a heckler. but that's what mitt romney will have to do. at this point, does the party want someone who is electable or do they want the passion and spirit of the extreme right? i think it is a perry or sarah palin moment. wait a couple more months for sarah palin to come in and see if romney can come back from that. >> is this the danger zone for the party? and what does president obama

and his campaign advisors do? >> well in talking to democrats, they are very excited about a rick perry primary win. because in some ways, rick perry can do what obama might not be able to do and that is excite the base. because he really em bodies what this administration has been talking about. which is the extreme you know, right wing of the party. so they think that he certainly gives voice to that. they are very excited about prospect of him winning this thing. and they really a chance at him. >> sarah palin was one of the biggest fund-raising tools for the obama campaign in 2008. the more she got out there, the more she spooked democrats. the more money she raised for senator obama and his whole campaign. so, yeah, getting a perry or palin out there scare peoples and get them passionate about voting and registering to vote and donating money. >> if rom romney comes back and someone else comes in and stops a perry, stops a bachmann, can they put a party back together?

can they keep that extreme base of people supporting them or does the party become so divided because of this passion that its strength is in democrats michigan way? >> i think republicans want to win. when the party is around a front-runner, they will back this person, whether it is romney, perry. because they want this president out of office. so i definitely think we will see co-lessing around whoever the winner is. they've got billions of dollars in some of the packs. they will run all sort of ads. that's what my sense is. >> i disagree. i think think co-opted the tea party to win in with 2010 and that's a problem for them. they should be third party. they should be ross perot people. co-opting the it together will tear them apart. >> i think they ought to leave it alone. democrats ought to let them drive it that political cliff. a wise man once told me, if you see the man at the edge of the cliff, give him room.

don't turn a suicide into a homicide. back up, politically. >> thank you. >> rick, thank you so much richard wolffe and nia-malika henderson. be safe this weekend. >> you too. >> up next, staying safe in the storm. what 65 million americans need to know as hurricane irene closes in. and how this storm reminds us about our priorities as a nation. we'll be right back. chronologically i'm sixty years old. is it the new forty, i don't know. i probably feel about thirty. how is it that we don't act our age? [ marcie ] you keep us young. [ kurt ] we were having too much fun we weren't thinking about a will at that time. we have responsibilities to the kids and ourselves. we're the vargos and we created our wills on legalzoom. finally. [ laughter ] [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes.

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[ female announcer ] one a day women's. with hurricane irene expected to hit from the carolinas to new england, people up and down the east coast are bracing themselves for the storm. >> ligsen to the radio and tv and be ready. >> my plan of action is to board up my home. i have boards and nails to board it up. >> i have water and some basic supplies. >> anyone in the storm's path should be prepared with some simple items. the red cross recommends having flash lights, radio, extra batteries, some cash, nonperishable food. your cell phone and its charger. and plenty of water. the red cross also suggests people fill their gas tanks,

bring things like lawn chairs and bikes inside. turn refrigerators to the coldest setting, close all windows and doors and unplug small appliances. if you need to take shelter during the storm, red cross president gale mcgovern says they're ready to help. >> we have 15,000 potential shelters sites through the effected area. and if any of your listeners or viewers need to know where the shelters are, they can find it on our website, red cross.org, or we have iphone app as well that will give them shelters maps. >> can you check for more storm updates and tips to prepare for the storm. at these web sites. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] butter. love the taste, but want to cut back on fat?

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what is government? well, if you ask mitt romney or any other gop presidential candidate, you'll get this answer. >> corporations are people. of course they are. >> corporations are people, yes they are, and my pet is a bank. romney is wrong and today proves, shows how wrong, he is. remember the union busting protest in wisconsin and the midwest, the firemen, police officers who were fighting against the gop for their livelihoods, these are the first responders who are now on the front line of this monster hurricane that is sweeping up the east coast this weekend. these are the people who make up government. these are the people who help protect all of us. this is government.

this is what government is. it's not some faceless corporation. it's people. and anyone who tells us differently is trying to sell you a bill of goods. joining me now, a representative of those people, secretary treasurer of a union of 1.6 million members, who are on the front lines right now. lee, you know, you and i and others were part of this march this weekend for jobs. the irony is, your people that you represent are in many cases the first responders that some people were saying, rob them of their rights, are now saying, i hope they answer the phone. >> that's exactly right, al. i can't help think about, and you and i were there in new york city on 9/11 -- >> right. >> -- when folks rushed to the two world trade center. when the towers were crumbling

down. those were public service workers. they risk their lives everyday to perform the public service, a service they are committed to. now they are under attack like never before in bi, ohio, i was just in columbus today, and governors want to take bargaining rights away from them. steal their voices from them. that is una acceptable. we can't let that happen. when we see a lot of arguments and see the right wing talk about, we've got it break the unions and take this and that from workers, people don't realizes this are the people that are usually standing in the way of danger or some permanent alternate of our lives as we know it. >> you're talking about firefighters. you're talking about police officers. you're talking about teachers. you're talking about highway workers and school employees. who every single day get up in the morning, and they risk their lives or provide an essential public service to the citizens of this country.

and it is completely unacceptable for them to be attacked and demagogued the way they are today. >> this week alone on the east coast, we've gone through an earthquake, people on west coast don't think it is one, but when the building moves, it's an earthquake to me. >> i felt it. >> and we are going through a hurricane. all of which first responders, many of them members of asme at the same time, pension are threatened, right to collective bargaining, contracts. how do you tell people to go run into danger but we can't assure you that you what you have always had and even invested in, is going to be there for you. >> what we've got to do is educate. educate the public and those voters and educate folks about what public service really is. and the kinds of public services we provide all over the country. essential public services that are provided. if we educate folks, talk to people about why it is sms to have a strong government, to provide these kinds of services, then we can bring folks together

and we can start the fight and begin the battle against these right wing ideal oceogues. >> but if you have people who think it is okay to throw workers' rights out the window, to compromise their right to organize and protect themselves, but that corporations are people, people are expendable but corporations are people, i mean, this is an awesome task we have to try to confront this kind of mentality. >> it is. but let me say this. you and i have been across the country traveling from city to city to city. talking not only to labor unions but we have been talk together clergy. we have been talking it civil rights organizations, labor rights organizations. students and progressive organizations and we have been saying, we've all got to come together. that's what this weekend was about. coming together. recognizing martin luther king, jr.'s dream but also realizing that that dream is not yet a

reality. we have to continue to struggle and fight for what he believed in. >> dr. king was killed in memphis. he was there helping garbage workers of your union. as we remember him this weekend, i hope we don't forget the people we is fighting for and those are the people that are going to have to stand in the midst of these floods. and try it make sure that we are all right. >> well, we can never forget and never forget what dr. king stood for. we have to understand that all of us, the progressive community and people who cared about the direction of this country, we have to come together. this weekend would have been a showcase of people coming together. unfortunately we have the hurricane moving up the east coast. but this was just the weekend. we've got work this 24/7, every single date of week. working together as one fighting back like never before. >> lee saunders, secretary treasurer, thank you so much for all you do and thank your members for being there for us. we'll be right back.

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right know, new york city is bracing for what could be its worst national and natural disaster. in decades. the storm is expected to hit the new york city area sunday morning. today authorities ordered mandatory evacuation for people at low-lying areas. that order affects more than 250,000 residents. >> we've never done a mandatory evacuation before. and we wouldn't be doing it now if we didn't think the storm had the potential to be very serious. >> let's bring in meteorologist jeff reineri once again. jeff, how bad would this storm be for new york? >> you know, right now those early projection do show on sunday morning between about 7 and 11:00 in the morning, we definitely could have winds gusting into 70 miles per hour

range and definitely stainsed 40 to 50 miles per hour and rainfall, six to eight inches and saturated ground that could cause flooding in new york city and across long island. look that, mod model predecks with a secondary land fall right across the long island area. what you are watching right now, is some of these -- the modellings that do show what could happen if water does move into new york harbor. there is a best storm surge forecast, showing the potential of maybe six to eight feet of water but that's the best or worst case scenario. there is no scientist around now that can actually forecast, pinpoint where that exact storm surge would hit you know, this early out. >> how do we monitor it? if i'm home watching and i want to know what i should do, how i can monitor and see where it goes since no one can accurately predict it, what do i do? >> those are t