hillary clinton, timothy geithner, behind her. leon panetta, secretary of defense. ear eric holder. . thanks to all of you for watching. special coverage of the president's job speech starts right now, with the special edition of "hardball" with chris matthews. chris? >> hiring hall, let's play "hardball." good evening i'm chris matthews in washington. welcome to a special edition of "hardball."

it is now 7:00 eastern time and president obama is just moments away from entering the chamber of house of representatives where he will tell congress and the american people his plan to create jobs. as we wait for the president with, i'm joined my lawrence o'donnell, rachel maddow, ed schultz and reverend al sharpton. reverend al was just introducing the cabinet as they were coming out. they are joining the president. there is timothy geithner. rachel, we have a couple of moments to talk about this as the president prepares to come in here. i guess the question i think, and i go back to his action. words have been spoken for three years. i think people want action. can he make congress act? >> i think that president thinks that he can make congress act. if he calls them on things they have already said they are in favor of. when we saw the first stimulus act, chris, just a few months after the president was

inaugurated in march of 2009, that was about 2/3-1/3 spending to tax cuts. what is the overall ratio tonight? is it more heavily weighted towards tax cuts? if it is, i think we can expect to see that as an olive branch to the republicans. okay, you get more of what you want this time. you get more of what you want with the understanding we will all get something. with the understanding that something will happen here. i think cantor and boehner putting it in writing they are in favor of infrastructure spending this week, ought to speak with chairman micah in the house in the 9 p.m. eastern hour to find out if he is willing to move on transportation infrastructure spending in the republican controlled house. it'll be about whether or not he can sign them up for things they have already declared they are in favor of. and i think the president will tight tightly calibrate that.

>> if there are shovel-ready projects can be quickly approved and quickly put out there, you put the pressure on and say yes, do it. >> well, middle-classers, labor in this country are engaged a the this point. labor events the last couple of months certainly have kicked, i think, a sleeping giant. i think the republicans know that. i think that they know they've got to engij here. although, they have a history, obviously, of ignoring this president. but they've got home. and they've heard an earful. and they have seen the angest and i really believe it that this might be an opportunity for the republicans to step away from a radical agenda and start thinking about, you know, there's an up side for everybody, even for us politically, if we do go along with the president on something and the job markets get a little bit better. i think that people so upset

with congress, people have to deal with that individually when they go home. from the republican standpoint, i don't think there is any down side, although, their rigid thinking of the last several years, you know, the track record is they don't want to help this guy. so this is a big speech. this is going to be a big reaction. i also think that one of the reasons why the republicans aren't responding to it tonight, they want to see where the wind sock is. they want to see where this all plays out. >> i just saw one of the master minds of this wp if he does put forward something on payroll tax relief for example, something that cheapens or reduces the cost of hiring people and keeping them aboard, why would business not put pressure on republicans to give that bill a shot? >> well, for one thing, it is tax bill, chris. it is almost impossible to move a tax bill through congress without reconciliation protection. as soon as you are doing a tax bill it opens it up to endless

streams of tax amendments in the senate on all sorts of republican darlings, also democrats could try to load it up with their version of amendments on the tax side. so this kind of thing is very easy to bog down and p t is very easy it say, i'm for infrastructure spending. that's the easy thing for elected officials to say. the question that will be facing them is how will you pay for it. and eric cantor would be happy it pay for some infrastructure spending with, oh, i don't know, a couple of hundred billion in medicare cuts. if they can get the democrats an president to go for some medicare cuts to pay for their infrastructure spending then they feel they will have neutralized the problem they have currently, the republicans do, on medicare. so it is all about the pay-for. the republicans will not come to an agreement on how to pay for this stuff. >> okay, reverend sharpton. your thoughts here. what do you think is -- here he is. >> the president of the united states.

[ applause ] >> here is president obama coming. let's watch him coming in. >> plaus. [ applause ] >> now, these members of congress from both parties, even the party -- the president is a member of the other party waiting in these seats for hours to get this opportunity to shake his hand on national television. look at that, how they hold him. they just won't let him go by sometimes. >> this is a bipartisan tradition. get there in the aisle eats, after the dogs check for bombs. hold them. there is allison schwartz of pennsylvania. there is kelly retiring this year from michigan. these people have been around for so long. they just love this stuff. look at h. it hasn't changed in years.

reverend sharpton, this is the good old boy system we are watching but it not terribly unhealthy if they do something in the rituals, besides enjoy the presence in that chamber. >> i would hope they are reaching out to the american people like they are reaching out to the president. i think the real problem is, when you look at that 13% approval rating of congress. i think that we have to use that leverage, the public, that's why we were speaking earlier about that, there must be a real movement that goes down on those that block what is in our judgment the ability to create jobs. the fear, i think, comes from the fact that they are so -- and if we really started challenging and organizing in some of the key districts that are swing districts, i think that you can begin to create a climb that the president may not be able to create on his own. i think he has to give us enough

to warrant -- to do that, he has it give enough of the american people's anger to be channelled into real movements. i don't think he can do it by himself but he has to give an impetus tonight so the movement can be directed to those in swing districts. some people you will never get but there is enough there to work with. >> rachel, take a moment there, there he is with gar gary looking at him -- there he is, with his arm on the i go's shoulder. even in moments, does it add up to strength? >> this shows the office of the presidency and this president fully inhabit it. regardless of the fact that people scream "you lie" at him. that some republicans don't show up on nights like this, remind you of the importance of the office. >> here he is. the president is about to speak. let's let him get ready to make his points. [ applause ] >> thank you.

members of congress. . >> i have the high privilege and distinction honor of presenting to you, the president of the united states. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, so much. everyone, please have a seat. thank you. mr. speaker, mr. vice president,

members of congress. and fellow americans. tonight, we meet at an urgent time for our country. we continue to face an economic crisis that has left plilones of our neighbors jobless. and a political crisis that's made things worse. this past week reporters have been asking, what will this speech mean for the president? what will it mean for congress? how will it affect the polls in the next election? but the millions of americans who are watching right now, they don't care about politics. they have real life concerns. many have spent months looking for work. others are doing their best just to scrape by. giving up nights out with the family to save on gas or make the mortgage. postponing retirement to send a

kid to college. these men and women grew up with faith in an america where hard work and responsibility paid off. they believed in a country where everyone gets a fair shake and does their fair share. where if you stepped up, did your job, and were loyal to your company, that loyalty would be rewarded with a descent salary and good benefits. maybe a raise once in a while. if you did the right thing, you could make it. anybody could make it in america. and for decades now, americans have watched that compact erode. they have seen the decks too off then stacked against them and they know that washington has not always put their interests first. the people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities.

the question tonight, is whether we will meet ours. the question is whether in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy. [ applause ] the question -- the question is whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that is has defined this nation since our beginning. those of us here tonight can't solve all of our nation's woes. ultimately our recovery won't be driven loin by washington but by our businesses and workers. but we can help. we can make a difference.

there are steps we can take right now to improve people's lives. i am sending this congress a plan that you should pass right away. it's called the american jobs act. there should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. everything in here, is the kind of proposal that's been supported by both democrats and republicans. including many who sit here tonight. and everything in this bill will be paid for. everything. [ applause ] the purpose of the american jobs act is simple. to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. it will create more jobs for construction workers. more jobs for teachers. more jobs for veterans and more jobs for long-term unemployed. it will provide -- [ applause ]

it will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working american and every small business. it will provide a jolt to an economy that is stalled and give companies confidence that if they invest and if if they hire, there will be customers for their products and services. you should pass this jobs plan right away. everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin. and you know that while corporate profits have come roaring back, smaller companies have, so for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for job creators, this plan's for you. pass this jobs bill. pass this jobs bill and starting

tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or if they raise workers' wages. past this jobs bill and all small business owners will see their payroll taxes cut in half next year. if you have 50 employees, if you have 50 employees making an average salary, that's an $80,000 tax cut. and all businesses will be able to continue writing off the investments they make in 2012. it's not just democrats who have supported this kind of proposal. 50 house republicans have proposed the same payroll tax cut that's in this plan. you should pass it right away. [ applause ] pass it jobs bill and we can put people to work rebuilding america. everyone here knows we have bad when decaying roads and bridges all over the country. our highways are clogged with traffic. our skies are the most congested

in the world. it's an outrage. building a world class transportation system is part of what made us an economic super power. now we're going to sit back and watch china build faster airplanes and railroads at a time when construction workers can build them right here in america? [ applause ] there are private construction companies all across america just waiting to get to work. there is a bridge that needs repair between ohio and kentucky that is on one of the busiest trucking routes in north america. a public transit project. in houston that will help clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country.

and there are schools throughout this country that desperately need renovating. how can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? this is america. every child deserves a great school. and we can give it to them if we act now. [ applause ] the american jobs act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools. it will put people to work right now. fixing roofs and window, installing science labs, high-speed internet in classrooms all across this country. rehabilitate homes, businesses and kplun its hit hardest by foreclosures. jump-start thousands of transportation projects all aacross the country and to make

sure the someone properly spent we are building reforms we have already put in place. no more earmarks. no more bridges to nowhere. we are cutting the red tape that prevents some of the proj frekts getting started as quickly as possible. and we will set up an independent fund to attract private dollars and funds based on two criteria. how badly a construction project is needed and how much good it will do for the economy. [ applause ] this idea came from a bill written by a texas republican and a massachusetts democrat. the idea for a big boost in construction is supported by america's largest business organization and america's largest labor organization. it is the kind of proposal that's been supported in the past by democrats and republicans alike. you should pass it right away.

[ applause ] pass this jobs bill and thousands of teachers in every state will go back to work. these are the men and women charged with preparing our children for a world where the competition has never been tougher. but while they're adding teachers in places like south korea, we are laying them off in droves. it is unfair to our kids. it undermines their future and ours. and it has to stop. pass this bill and put our teachers back in the classroom where they belong. [ applause ] pass this jobs bill and companies will get extra tax credits if they hire america's veterans.

we ask these men and women to leave their careers, leave their families, risk their lives to fight for our country. the last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home. [ applause ] pass this bill and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people will have the hope and dignity after summer job next year. and their parents -- their parents, low income americans who desperately want to work, will have more ladders out of poverty. pass this jobs bill and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job.

we have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for work. this jobs plan builds on a program in georgia that several republican lead verse highlighted. where people who collect unem ploim insurance participate in temporary work as a way it build skills while looking for a permanent job. the plan also extends unem ploim insurance for another year. if the millions of unemployed americans stop getting this insurance and stop using that money for basic necessities, it would be a devastating blow to this economy. democrats and republicans in this chamber have supported unemployment insurance plenty of times in the past. and in this time, the prolonged hardship, you should pass it again, right away. pass this jobs bill. and the typical working family will get a $1500 tax cut next

year. $1500 that would have been taken out of your pocket, will go into your pocket. this expands on the tax cut that democrats and republicans already passed for this year. if we allow that tax doubt expire, if we refuse to act, middle class families will get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time. we can't let that happen. i know that some of you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on anyone for as long as you live. now is not the time to carve out an exception and raise middle class taxes, which is why i should pass this bill right away. this is the american jobs act. it will tleed new jobs for construction workers were for

teachers, veterans, first responders, young people, and the long-term unemployment. it will provide tax credits to companies that hire new workers, tax relief it small business owners and tax cuts for the middle class. and here is the other thing i want the american people to know, the american jobs act will not add to the deficit, it will be paid for. and here's how. the agreement we passed in july will cut government spending by about a trillion dollars over the next ten years. it also charges this congress to come up with an additional 1.5 trillion in savings by christmas. tonight, i'm asking you to increase that amount so it covers the full cost of the american jobs act. a week from monday, i'll be releasing a more ambitious deficit plan. a plan that will not only cover the cost of this jobs bill but stabilize our debt in the long run. [ applause ]

this approach is basically the one i've been advocating for months. in addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts i've already sign into law, it is a balance plan that would reduce the deficit by making additional spending cuts. by making modest adjustments to healthcare programs like medicare and medicaid and by reforming our tax codes in a way asking the wealthiest americans and corporationes it pay their fair share. what's more, the spending cuts wouldn't happen to abruptly that they would be a drag on our economy or prevent us from helping small businesses or middle class families from getting back on their feet right away. i realize there are some in my party who don't think we should make any changes at all it medicare and medicaid. i understand their concerns. but here is the truth. plilones of americans rely on medicare this n their

retirement. millions more will do so in the future. they pay for this benefit during the working years. they earn it. but with an aging population and rising healthcare costs we are spending too fast to sustain the program. if we don't gradually reform the system, while protecting current beneficiaries it won't be there when future retirees need it. we have to reform medicare to strengthen it. i'm also -- [ applause ] i'm also weal aware that there are many republican wloes don't believe we should raise taxes on those who are most fortunate and can best afford it. but here's what every american knows. while most people in this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of the most affluent

citizens and most profitable corporations enjoy tax breaks and loop holes that nobody else gets. right now, warren buffett payes a lower tax rate than his secretary. an outrage he asked us to fix. we need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake. and where everybody pays their fair share. [ applause ] and by the way, i believe the vast majority of wealthy americans and ceos are willing to do just that, if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order. i will also offer idea to reform a corporate tax code that stands as a monument to special interest influence in washington. by eliminating pages of loop holes and deductions, we can lower one of highest corporate

tax rates in the world. our tax code should not give an advantage that tot companies that can afford the best connected lobbyists. it should go to companies that create jobs right here in the united states of america. [ applause ] so we can reduce this deficit, pay down our debt, and pay for this jobs plan in the process. but in order to do this, we have to decide what our priorities are. we have to ask ourselves, what is the best way to grow the economy and create jobs? should we keep tax loop holes for oil companies or should we use that money to get small business own ears tax credit when they hire new workers, because we can't afford to do

both. should we keep tax breaks for millionaire and billion airs, or should we put teachers back to work so our kids can be ready to graduate college and get good jobs? right now, we can't afford to do both. this isn't political grand standing. this isn't class warfare. this is simple math. this is simple math. these are real choices. these are real choices that we've got to make. and i'm pretty sure i know what most americans who choose. . it's n it's not even close. the american jobs act answers the urgent need to create jobs right away. where we can't stop there. because i've argued since i ran for this office, we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and

start building an economy that lasts into the future. and economy that creates good middle class jobs that pay well and offer security. we now live in a world where technology made it possible for companies to take their business anywhere. if we want them to start here and stay here and hire here, we have to be able to outbuild and outeducate and outinnovate every other country on earth. [ applause ] and this task, making america more competitive for the long haul, that's a job for all of us. for government and for private companies. for states and for local communities and for every american citizen. all of us will have to up our game. all of us will have to change the way we do business. my administration can and will take some steps to improve our competitiveness on our own.

for example, if you are a small business owner who has a contract with the federal government, we are going to make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do right now. [ applause ] we're also planning to cut away the red tape that pretoo many rapidly growing start-up companies from raising capital and going public. and to help responsible hoenl owners, we are going to work with federal housing agencies to help people refinance their mortgages with interest rates that are now more near 4%. that's a step -- [ applause ] i know you guys must be for this because that's a step that can put more than $2,000 a year in a family's pocket and give a lift to an economy still burdened by the drop in housing prices. some things we can do on our

own. other steps will require congressional action. today you passed reform that will speed up the outdated patent process so that entrepreneurs can turn a new idea no a new business as quick as possible. that's the kind of action we need. now it is time for to clear the way for trade agreements to make it easier for american companies to sell their products in panama, colombia be a and south korea while also helping workers whose jobs are affected by competition. if americans can buy kias and hyundais, i want to see folks in south korea driving fords and chevies and chryslers. i want to see more products sold around the world stamped with the three proud words, made it america. that's what we need to get done.

and on all of our efforts to strengthen competitiveness, we need to look for ways to work side by side with america's businesses. that's why i brought together a jobs council, leaders from different industries, developing a wide range of new ideas to help companies grow and create new jobs. already we have mobilized business leaders to train engineers a year by providing company internships and training. we're going to make sure the next generation of manufacturing takes root not in china or europe, but right here in the united states of america. [ applause ]

if we provide the right incentives, right support, and if we make sure our trading partners play by the rules, we can be the ones to build everything from fuel efficient cars to advance biofuels, to semi conductors that we sell all around the world. that's how america can be number one again. that's how america will be number one again. [ applause ] now, i realize that some of you have a different theory on how to grow the economy. some of you sincerely believe that only solution to our economic challenges to s to simply cut government spending and eliminate most government regulations. [ applause ] and well, i agree that we can't

afford wasteful spending. i'll work with you, with congress, to root it out. i agree there are some rules and regulations that do put an unnecessary burden on businesses, at a time when they can least afford it. that's why i ordered a review of all government regulations. so far we've identified over 500 reforms. which will save billions of dollars over the next few years. we should have no more regulation than the health, safety and security of the american people require. every rule should meet that common sense test. [ applause ] but what we can't do, what i will not do, is let this economic crisis be used as a an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that americans have counted on for decades. [ applause ]

i reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. i reject the argument that says for the economy to grow we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury or laws that allow short changing patients. i reject the idea of stripping away bargaining rights to compete in a global economy. [ applause ] we shouldn't be in a race to the bottom. where we try to offer the cheapest labor and worse pollution standards. america should be in a race to.

top. and i believe we can win that race. in fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore prosperity is just dismantle government and refund everybody's money and let everyone write their own rules and tell everyone they are on their own. that's not who we are. that's not not the story of america. yes, we are rugged individuals. yes, we are strong and self reliant. and it has been the drive and initiative of our workers and entrepreneurs that made this economy the engine and envy of the world. but there has always been another thread running through out our history. a belief that we are all connected. and that there are some things we can only do together. as a nation. we all remember abraham lincoln as the leader who saved our union. founder of the republican party.

but in the middle of a civil war, he was also a leader who looked to the future. a republican president who mobilized government, to build the trons continental railroad, launched the national academy of sigh ens, set up the first land grand colleges and leaders of both parties followed the example he set. ask yourselves, where would we be right now if the people who sat here before us decided ton build our highways. not to build our bridges, dams, our airports. what would this country be like if we had chosen not to spend money on public high schools or research ufrts. or community colleges. millions of returning heros, including my grandfather, had the opportunity to go to school because of the gi bill. where would we be if they hadn't had that chance?

[ applause ] >> how many jobs would it have cost us if past congresss decided not to support the basic research that led to the internet and computer chip? what kind of country would this be? if this chamber had voted down social security or medicare just because it violated some rigid idea about wh what government could or could not do. how many americans would have suffered as a result? no single individual built america on their own. we built it together. we have been and always will be one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. a nation with responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another. and members of congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities. [ applause ]

every proposal i've laid out tonight is the kind that that's been supported by democrats and republicans in the past. every proposal i've laid out tonight will be paid for. and every proposal is designed to meet the urgent needs of our people and our communities. i know there's been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics of the moment will allow us to pass this jobs plan or any jobs plan. already we are seeing the same old press release answers tweets flying back and forth. already the media has proclaimed it is impossible to bridge our differences. and maybe some of you have

decided that those differences are so great that we can only resolve them at the ballot box. but know this, the next election is 14 months away. and the people who sent us here, the people who hired us to work for them, they don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months. [ applause ] some of them are living week to week. paycheck to paycheck. even day-to-day. they need help and they need it now. i don't pretend that this plan will solve all our problems. it should not be, nor will it be, the last plan of action we

propose. but its guided us from the start of this crisis. hasn't been a search to the silver bullet, it's a commit many to stay at it, be persistent, keep trying every new idea that works and listen to every good proposal no matter which party comes up with it. regardless of the arguments we've had in the past, regardless of the arguments we will have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do right now. you should pass it. and i intend to take that message to every corner of this country. [ applause ] and i ask -- i ask every american who agrees to lift your voice. tell the people who are gathered here tonight, that you want action now. tell washington that doing nothing is not an option. remind us that if we act as one nation and one people, we have

it within our power to meet this challenge. the president kennedy once said, our problems are man-made. therefore they can be solved by man, and man can be as big as he want. these are difficult years for our country, but we are americans. we are tougher than the times we live in and we are bigger than our politics have been. so let's meet the moment, let's get to work, and let's show the world once again why the united states of america remains the greatest nation on earth. thank you very much. god bless you. and god bless the united states of america. >> rachel, have we just heard the first refrains of give them hell, barry? >> when the president said, i intend to take that message to every corner of this country, did you see the look in his eye when he said that? this was -- this was a fighting

obama. this was not fighting about policy. this is not fighting over the right way it approach things in the world. this was, i am willing to fight to get what i think is right and i'm a formidable force. we have not seen the i am obama political force guy in quite some time. >> ed schultz? >> well, i was inspired by the president as much as he has been through, chris, with a record number of filibusters, and no effort from the other side to come forward with any kind of squob job proposal, this president, i don't know if we hold records of presidents trying to reach out from the other side, but even if this moment, he says no individual built america on their own. we built it together. we have been there and we will always will be. one nation under god with with liberty and justice forall. members of congress, it is time to met you're responsibilities. in the midst of it all, in the midst of the climate we says we

not doing our jobs as lawmakers and now is the time to do it because americans are suffering and we are bet are than this. that's what i took from this tonight, a message thatter with a better country than the we way we are ber forming right new and we need to move forward. >> lawrence, you should plas this plan right away, again and again and again. action, rather than words. action rather than specificity. or even a grand plan. the plan is not so grand. but what seems different here is his putting heat heat on the other side. >> he puts specifics chris on the things i thinks are easy which are basically corporate tax breaks. $4,000, a $4,000 credit for example, for hiring someone who has been unemployment for six months or more. he expects both sides to want to do that. there are plenty of other tax provisions in here that he never specified. he talked about warren buffett's tax return but didn't say how he wants it change it. not one word about how he wants

to change how the rich, millionaires and billionaires we called them? he does want to and is willing to cut medicare and medicaid to help pay for this package. i said before his speech, all the real difficulty here is going to be in the pay force. in the fay force, he is talking about, he has difficulties with both parties. he has difficulties with the democrats on medicare and medicaid. tax provisions where he wants it increase taxes, denot specify. republicans wouldn't go along with any of them. >> reverend al, all during the speech, i've been tweeting. i just noticed and pointed out -- i didn't just notice, i pointed out 90 bridges in his home district, boehner, like the bridge in minnesota that came down, collapsed.

this will this infrastructure and tax breaks work? >> i think it will. when you see the tone the president set tonight, i think it is a brilliant tone he set. what he said, he talked not only about his $447 billion package, he not only talked about the fact that americans need to ride above their partisan differences, he talked about we need to see cars around the world made in america. he talked about, we can't let china do things that we can't do. he appealed it a new level of patriotism that will make some of the opposition look petty when they go home and not deal with some of the infrastructure disrepear pair and not deal with the jobs. i think what he said, which was key, is that i understand his election m 14 months but people can't wait 14 months. if we goes on the road, if he travels as he said to every corner of this country, that

message is going to be hard for them to counter. i agree with lawrence, the devil is in the details. what will be in the package he sends down monday? how do we pay for it? that will be debated. but the tone he set tonight is brilliant. once you lay out the tone will lyrics are interchangeable once people start humming the melody. >> chuck todd, cheer whours correspondent. chuck, do they have a plan to market is? >> it is not clear if they have a legislative plan. earlier this afternoon, the president did the prefunktory calls saying, i'm putting this bill in. chris, you will appreciate this as a long time speech writer. how unflowery this speech was. for instance, somebody made this

point to me on twitter, and i double-checked, they were right np the word infrastructure was never uttered but the president talked infrastructure in a large part of the speech. they scrubbed this speech in a way it make sure that this -- that this didn't get lost in washington speak that made him sound like a populist. it got him out of here. so stylistically, i think that's why it came across as a feisty speech. very unstate of the union like style. that's the reason we remember anglo saxon words. they are short, usually four letters. like jobs. beating the hell out of phrases like infrastructure and stimulus. they are weasel words. weak words. back again, you say they have everything in place. probably a bus trip here. do they have a plan to ram rod it thruways and means. through finance, public works. do they have a plan on the hill to put heat so that these members of the edge have to vote for it? >> and leadership has to give it

the vote, to bring it up for vote even. >> the heat comes from public appearances. where does he go tomorrow? richmond, virginia. whose district? >> cantor. >> correct. next tuesday it starts again. he is going to, ohio. whose home state is that? speaker boehner's. so you see what they are trying to do at least in the public, in the marketing campaign of this. in putting this pressure and ramping it up. as for the pay fors, one of the things that we have been told behind the scenes is that he is going to have a specific plan that he will give the so-called super committee for the debt reduction. and what seemed to be and i think going into this and lawrence picked up on this really well when they go through the pay-fors, that's us speaking too much washington speak here. my apologies here, when they figure out how to pay for this sb with is no going to be having too find another $450 billion

that the super committee has to go and find and do. for you can argue that's what they view the legislative strategy as. which is simply put, let's put the burden on the super committee. >> will he take this all the way home? eric cantor probably won't get his vote. but bringing it home, very a list for transportation of america. thousands and thousands of bridges bridges across the can country, will he go into the virginia, the suburbs bridges below safety code that eric cantor will have to vote to keep below safety code if he refuses for vote for this bill. >> the intent is to go local. the whole reason they wanted to have the joint session speech so he could say 17 times pass this jobs bill. pass this jobs bill to members

of congress listening. and they want to go old school about it for the next six weeks, which is simply blitz the country. start what they're doing here. the question do they go as local as you describe? one would assume that is what they're going to do or they're going to have to do to try to do this. i would have to say and he pointed out in his own speech, i'm skeptical how the house republican leadership and where the base of the republican party is right now with a presidential campaign in full swing inside the republican party whether boehner can do this. you know, let's say he wants to do this. can he afford to -- we're going to go back to some of these things. there are a lot of conservative republicans who are not going to be wanting to play ball with the president on this out of politics. and that's going to be the tough fight here. >> thank you, chuck todd, at the white house. let's go back to rachel.

how convinced are you this president is going to be a give them hell barry and bring it to the people and win on the argument of creating jobs? >> i think that the president while he took a sort of spunky tone tonight, i do actually think he's put together something that's as passable as possible. we saw two-thirds, one thirds relationship between spending and tax cuts in the first stimulus. this is 60/40 tax cuts to spending. there's more tax cuts in this than spending. the republicans are going to like to see that. i went back and looked at harry truman's labor day speech. the president talked about this in a preview this past weekend. the way that harry truman gave them hell back in 1948, it was blunt. i tried to help her out in this terrible crisis situation. i got absolutely no help from that do nothing republican congress. that was give them hell harry. give them hell barry doesn't sound like that.

you know what republicans? let us reason together. you are better than this. you don't believe that america should give up for partisan gain. you don't really think these things that you have been claiming as a means of getting over on me in politics because you know that america needs you to be bigger than that. he's not telling them they are bad guys. he's not telling the country that republicans are the reason that we've got the problems that we've got. he may start doing that over the next six weeks. at this point what he's doing is saying republicans, you ought to work with me on this. i'll make it as easy as possible and take on your ideas when i can and give you credit when i do. >> ed schultz, how would you make this better? >> i think the president needs accolades tonight for saying to his base, you're going to have to serve up a little bit on medicare and medicaid. that's something that we have not seen the republicans do turn to their base and say, you know what? we got to get shared sacrifice out of you guys too. once again here come the olive branches. the president had a lot for

teachers tonight. 35,000 schools. who will be against that? he wants to do something for veterans who are coming home and trying to get a job. who in the world could be against that? he also addressed in a roundabout way the unemployment insurance. we voted for this in the past. we can do it again. he talked about the manufacturing sector and competing with china. he talked about the trade agreements. there are some devils in the details there that i'm interested in personally. the president said as we will set up an independent fund to attract private dollars in issue loans based on two criteria. how badly a construction project is needed and how much good it will do for the economy. this is very vague. this is about as close as i think he got to infrastructure projects tonight without using the word as chuck todd pointed out. what fund? where's the money coming from? he's asking -- he says attract private dollars. he's asking people with the money in this country to step up

and take a risk. if you don't take the risk, we might not be able to address the unemployed in this country and get people back to work. the olive branch is i'm going to ask my base to do a little bit more but you know what? you got to get in the game. i think at one point in the speech he said everybody in. i thought it was a great speech. i thought it was common sense. i thought there was a sense of fairness in it. i thought the president tonight, chris, was as aggressive as he has ever been in asking for the order. pass this jobs bill. >> let me ask lawrence about the democratic response. what do you think it will be? the whole plethora of proposes he made and how they fit together. >> there's tough stuff for democrats. they are not going to welcome cracking the political wall on medicare. they're not going to welcome up opening up a discussion of how much should we cut medicare to pay for those teachers or pay for these other elements especially since they have the paul ryan abolish medicare plan

to run against. there's a minimum, a minimum, of six congressional committees of jurisdiction over this bill. half of those committees are chaired by republicans. there will be as far as i can see here, very little political pressure on any of those republican chairmen to take up their portions of this bill. they can sit there and say, let's see the democratic chairman in the senate do it first. ways and means can sit there in the house and say let's watch baucus do these tax cuts and targeted tax cuts to business. by the way, very big corporate tax breaks to big corporations while at the same time an unspecified list of closing some other corporate tax loopholes. you know, chris, what the lobbying is going to be on this in the different committees and the way you would do the plan of targeting the individual congress members is specifically on the committees. you don't just pick eric cantor. you go to the public works committee players and you go to

the finance and ways and means players and work on them in their district. you don't have to work on all members of congress. >> i would get a list of every pork barrel project of infrastructure that they have asked for. inventory what they asked for in the past. now you can have it. my name is on it. thank you. good luck with your show. you'll be coming on at 8:00. let me go to rachel whose voice i think i just heard there. rachel, this whole question of how good a politician is this guy, i think has come to the fore. this isn't about ideology tonight i don't think. it's about effectiveness as a political leader. this speech was a combination of here's some easy stuff for you guys. certainly we can do this together. the rodney king approach. let's all do this together and get along. and then there was the real rousing populous you threw in at the end they don't like. has he put it together? >> this president has one thing

in common in terms of the people who -- perception of people by people who dislike him and perception of people who like him. at this point in his presidency, people thought he would be stronger and more effective at getting what he wants. i think even his opponents have been surprised he hasn't been able to get through more of his agenda. that's the main perception he's got to change. people react to weakness with meanness and they want to see a president they believe in mostly in terms of his effectiveness. people admire strength even when they don't agree what it's aiming at. >> you're my brother, but you're weak. we'll be back with our coverage. thank you. we'll be right back with our coverage of the president. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams is with us with the latest on a possible terror threat that officials say is credible if unconfirmed on now the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. >> that's exactly the way to describe it according to officials we've talked to tonight. this is information the u.s. has received in the last day or so

about a potential threat to new york and washington involving car or truck bombs. we're told the information originates from tribal areas in pakistan and officials are now trying to run it down and see how accurate it is and whether it's credible. there are contradictory things about it. statement from homeland security injects a note of skepticism but they are trying to run it down. we do know that both washington and new york police responding to this information have already increased their patrols and told people to be on the lookout and told them they may need to stay longer in the next day or so as they continue to try to check this out. the best way to say it is that it is something of concern to the government. they won't raise the terror threat level but are asking people in police and washington to be more on the lookout and there will be more of this as we go into the hours before the 9/11 anniversary as more and more of this information is churned out. >> okay. pete williams, thank you for joining with us that