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tv   Martin Bashir  MSNBC  October 19, 2011 12:00pm-1:00pm PDT

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part of evander holyfield's left ear. fight night began with the candidates entering the ring, donning their rhetorical gloves, as magnificent as apollo creed's entry. then the national anthem. a bit odd for a debate. this was more like a sporting event. then the opening bell and the candidates came out swinging. round one, a knock youft herman cain and his 9-9-9 plan. >> i love you brother but let me tell you, you don't have to have a big analysis to figure this out. to go new hampshire where they don't have a sales tax and you're fixing to give them one. i'll bump plans with you, brother. >> this is an example of mixing apples and oranges. >> are you saying that the state sales tax will also go away? >> no. that is an apple. we're replacing a bunch of oranges. >> down goes cain, down go cain. stumbling on his heels. the godfather of pizza tried town leash some punches of his own. >> the state tax is an apple.
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we are replacing the current tax code with oranges. so it's not correct to mix apples and oranges. >> didn't work. cain was down for the count. but he did score points with one jab when he doubled down vegas style on blaming the out of work for their own misfortune. in a question on the occupy wall street movement. >> if you don't have a job, you're not rich, blame yourself. that was two weeks ago. the movement has grown. do you still say that? >> yes, i do still say that. and here's why. >> so now we've had cheers for homophobia, death cries fortune insured, and now applause. what followed were a series of shots from the light weights. rick santorum on the right side of the stage taking aim at mr. inevitable. >> your consultants helped obama craft obama care.
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to say would you repeal it, you have no track record on that that we can trust you that you'll do that. >> you're allowed -- >> you had your chance. let me speak. >> you had your chance. let me speak. >> but then the main event. the texas tornado. the alpha aggie, rick perry with the night's biggest shot. an absolute peach of a punch. >> you hired illegals in your home and you knew about it for a year. the idea that you stand here before us and talk about that you're strong on immigration is on its face the height of hypocrisy. >> down goes romney! but now the bleegd boy from belmont forced himself off the canvas and started to hit back at his main rival. >> i don't think i've ever hired an illegal in my life. so i'm afraid -- i'm looking forward to finding your facts on that. >> i'll tell what you the facts are. you had -- >> i'm speaking, i'm speaking,
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i'm speaking, i'm speaking. you get 30 seconds. this is the way the rule works. i get 60 seconds. and then you get 30 seconds to respond. anderson? >> there he is, even calling in the ref. but it may have been too little too late. perry unleashed his red bull rage. though he still stumbled many times in the debate, appearing lost when he wasn't downright rude. >> nine cents or a new home or 9% on a new home americans who are sitting out there listening to this conversation tonight. >> whether it is bringing in illegal weapons or illegal -- you get to ask the questions. i get to answer them like i want to. >> still, perry did manage to throw the albatross of immigration off his neck and hang it squarely around mitt's shoulders. somewhere now there is a casting call for latino actors to place schooled workers in a new movie
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called four gardeners. i've run out of my comments. so let's bring you in. and joining us from washington, karen finney. can i start with you? rick perry came into the debate. having seen his numbers 1/2 in four weeks. he said i am the authentic conservative, not a conservative of convenience. so did rick do enough to pummel romney? >> well, he sure gave it his best, didn't he? here's the thing. it's clear that the perry strategy is to use this flip-flop, pick your metaphor for mitt romney, to sort of bring him down. to drag him down and drag down his likability. trust worthiness, all of that. at the same time, what perry also did, he came off seeming like a bully. and in doing so, he is probably driving up his own negatives.
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it will be interesting to see that. and he takes risk that people don't see him as being presidential but they see him as, we know he can throw a punch but can he put forward a coherent idea that sounds like something, someone who wants to be the next president should be talking about. >> but perry also blasted cain's 9-9-9 plan. now we are learning he will unveil a flat tax, something like 17%. what's going on? >> i know. i can't wait for that. we had the drill baby drill last week. you know, who knows. i'm sure it will have some kind of catch phrase next week. clearly he knows he has to hang on and stay in the game here. but this is the other thing that i think we have to be careful about. there was an infamous moment in debate history when hillary clinton ran for the senate in 2000. and rick lazio approached her at the podium. most of the men, frankly, in the audience thought lazio did what he needed to do and he was tough and all that. when they checked with their
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dial groups at home, vote here's were watching thought it was rude, overly aggressive. and frankly, lazio's number kind of dropped out right after that. >> if i can just bring you in, perry was throwing the punches. then there was that moment when mitt romney put his hand in a very skond scending manner. say that on the basis of what many psychologists say, administration your hand on someone's shoulder. it is an act of condescension. do you think that worked? >>. no he looked rattled. he looked like he wasn't prepared to take that punches from mitt romney. it is like he expected herman cain is moving up so he will get the fire and maybe he would be able to coast through and he seemed rattled. then when he did that, it did look condescending. it looked like a locker room at a boy's prep school. he came across as condescending might be the word, haughty. >> so you agree with what karen
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was just saying. the lazio-hillary clinton moment. >> i think neither of these guys came off well. each was trying to be more bullying and unpleasant. >> karen, romney was attacked for being a hypocrite on immigration. on the issue of health care reform, he also took some shots from santorum who accused him of removing passages from his book. is mitt romney is republican party's kerjohn kerry? a flip-flopper? >> he may very well be. this flip-flopper narrative was something towed deal with the last time around. it was surprising last night, he seemed unprepared for it. i agree with her. he seemed to get rattled. perry clearly got under his skin and most charges being leveled against him, it has been a critique of him for some time. you would have thought co-handle that a little better. at the end of the day, i'm sure he will go back to the argument that he is the one who can beat
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barack obama. i think he is really holding on to that electability narrative. >> herman cain snook real shots earlier. everyone went all in on 9-9-9. and we had the statistical figure yesterday announcing that 84% will be worse off under a 9-9-9 system. so that has been completely discredited. but did he go back and blame the unemployed and say it's their fault and the crowd cheered. >> the crowds over he. >> what i'm wondering, here's a guy. his policy is discredited. does that mean at the same time, as a personality, he is liked? >> i think that because the base is what it is. we have the tea party. that doesn't care about the substance. 9-9-9 doesn't seem to have been thought through beyond the slogan. they were looking for three things that could be 9 and threw it together. it is marked to a group of people who love him. they like his demeanor. and bullying going after the
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poor, after those who lost their homes. this is where the republican party is right now. >> karen, go ahead. i do think now that he is kind of more in the glare of the spotlight. he has to be prepared to answer questions. if you were a republican primary presidential candidate talking about raising taxes, you'd better have a really good answer for that. the building behind me, right? we can't even do revenue raisers. >> to karen's point, 9-9-9 is taking a lot of shots on the right. with the undercurrent the media isn't paying attention to, especially on the blogosphere. there are a lot of people who do not like it because it is an additive tax. i think rick perry probably got in the best shot of the night when he did talk about a state like new hampshire that has no sales tax. now you're introducing a tax including on food and medicine. how do you explain to people you'll now tax bread. that doesn't make any sense. he hasn't thought it through. >> the final question. if you could be brief. we had one fence last night.
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we have other the electrified fence. we had michele bachmann suggesting two fences. we had rick perry talking about predator drones and of course we've got the potential of alligators in a moat. what's next for the border? what do you think? >> you know, unmanned drones? heck, we got them. let's go ahead and use them. >> absolutely. thank you both for joining us this afternoon. coming up, a nasty spill in las vegas as the cain train goes badly off the tracks. stay with us. [ male announcer ] succeeding in today's market requires more than wishful thinking. it requires determination and decisive action. i go to e-trade and get unbiased analyst ratings and 24/7 help from award-winning customer support to take control of my finances and my life. i tap into the power of revolutionary mobile apps. to trade wherever. whenever.
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although last night's republican deability was
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broadcast on the news channel, it could have been on bravo. it sort of had that housewife feel. here are the top lines. >> this is one night when i hope what happens in vegas doesn't stay in vegas. >> rick -- >> i'm speaking. i'm speaking. i'm speaking. >> i know. >> you get 30 seconds to respond, right? >> are you calling me a [ bleep ]? >> anderson? >> would you please wait? are you going to keep talking? are you going to let me finish? >> we don't have credibility. >> you're shaking your head. >> in your book, it should be for everybody. >> you had your chance. let me speak. >> you're out of time. >> the state tax is an apple. we are replacing the current tax code with oranges. so it's not correct to mix apples and oranges.
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>> i'll bump plans with you, brother. >> [ bleep ]. >> are you saying that the state sales tax will go away? >> no. that's an apple. >> okay. we're replacing a bunch of oranges. >> for any candidate to say they would release the prisoners at guantanamo in exchange for a hostage would be absolutely contrary to the historical night of the united states. we don't negotiate. >> i've been saying, i wouldn't have agreed to let hostages in guantanamo bay go. that wasn't the intended -- >> really? enough! >> hold on, moms out there. it's not too late. >> hold on, moms, hold on, herman cain. from the opening bell, the godfather of pizza got hit early and often. with me now for post fight analysis, i'm joined by crystal, a democratic strategist, and
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eric michael di. i thought herman cain was running for president. but i was slightly confused. i wondered whether he was trying to sell fruit and vegetables. 9-9-9, oranges barks thand appl. >> i hate to take a pizza analogy but i think herman cain fade to deliver, so to speak. it was the time. he's been getting by with great one liners. a phenomenal personality. a great stage presence but last night was the time to deliver the goods and some substance. and i don't think he was there. particularly, you know, he kind of got through the 9-9-9 attacks. that plan has been totally discredited. there is no by a the republican primary electorate will support a plan that raises tooxs 84% of americans. it won't happen. then he was worse and really struggled on foreign policy.
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you showed some of the gaffes. it kind of came apart. >> despite what crystal that, has a healthy lead over romney in south carolina and florida. he is ahead. even though his policies are being laughed at, do voters really like him as a person? >> no doubt about it. his home spun down home wisdom, his ability to articulate very clearly and lucidly what he believes and to take complicated ideas and condense them. as crystal was indicating, the 9-9-9 stuff has been turned on its head, literally. >> please don't. let's not get into satan. it's too early in the show, michael. >> a satan sandwich as they might say. but charisma will not be the only thing to get you over. you have to have some serious substance. i think right now he is the champion by default. he is the guy that they are
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choosing. because mitt romney and perry are slugging it out. the question is, can a republican party that has failed to attract many african-american people and nonwhite voters of a certain ilk be able to attract as its own candidate, an african-american man who has undoubtedly conservative values and visions, but ones that seem to be off the beaten path. i think ultimately he may not be as successful. but i wouldn't underestimate him. >> you were mentioning foreign policy. 2 a horrendous night for foreign policy. we had rick perry saying defund and disband the united nations. we had bachmann suggesting that we demand respect from iran, whatever that means. herman cain was asked to clarify his remarks about negotiating with terrorists. and here's what he said originally. listen to this. >> could you imagine if you were president, we're almost out of time. and there were one american soldier who had been held for
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years and the demand was al qaeda or some other terrorist group. you've got to free everyone at guantanamo. several hundred prisoners. could you see yourself as president, authorizing that kind of transfer? >> i could see myself authorizing that kind of transfer. >> that was pretty clear. in the debate, he desperately suggested that that was not what he meant. >> right. what did he mean? >> i can't answer that question, i'm afraid to say. this is from the guy who didn't seem to know what the neo con was despite having named several neo conservatives. he clearly struggles in terms of foreign policy. and here's the thing. we're moving out of the debate days and into the retail polying, tv commercial go go go go direct mail phase. you can imagine these clips being absolutely devastating in negative attack ads. >> it was pretty horrific for all of them.
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>> given herman cain's assertion that it doesn't matter if he doesn't know where, and i'm quoting him, becky, uzbekistan is. can we be generous and say he knows about as much of foreign affairs as people in us beck stan know about god father's people? >> you'd better change it from the godfather's beats to the godfather's film. keep your friends close and your enemies closer. knowing whe to pretend that it urgent, not important for you to be well versed on all of the nicetie niceties, the details, this is what a commander-in-chief is called upon. so he can't make it on charisma. he will give out. the gas tank will be empty. what we will need from him is some serious substantive engagement with the broader
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bompld demands more than nice phrases and well turned phrase that's indicate that you are cute and clever but not deeply engaged and sub tan i have the when it comes to profound matters. >> don't perfect has offered us alligators in the moat. a final question to both of you. do you think by this time next month, black walnut ice cream will no longer be the flavor of the month? >> i think it's on the down trend. i think that he is sort of peaked. this was his time to come forward and show that ted goods. that ted depth and he really failed to do that. >> michael? >> yeah. speaking about herman cain, when it comes to issues of complicated and serious substantive engagement with the world, it might be proven that cain ain't able. >> you rehearsed that. thank you both very much for joining us.
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what could be better than a nice day of golfing in sunny southern california, right? that's exactly what house speaker john boehner was thinking as he visited the dlux pelican hill golf club in newport beach. the speaker was joined by correspondingman dana recordbacker and royce all looking to get in a pleasant round. but they were not alone. they were met by protesters. they were talking about they would rather focus on their golf game than passing the jobs act. while speaker boehner was able to get on to the course and marriage didn't play in peace. the sound of an airplane dragging overhead dragging a banner that read gop jobs plan equals occupy golf course? of course, boehner isn't the only one fielding criticism for idle time on the golf course. right, mitt? >> a lot more time working than
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this president has and a lot less time on the golf course. that's for sure. >> if you don't want to listen to mitt, listen to hank. >> you remember the golf game they had, ladies and gentlemen? remember the golf game? that was one of the biggest political mistakes ever. >> you mean when john boehner played golf with president obama? >> oh, yeah. that would be like hitler playing golf netanyahu. >> we know he has a point. with 14 million out of work in this country, getting people's jobs should be your focus. not working your short game. and sgaebs barbed wire. i'm not a number. i'm not a line item on a budget. and i'm definitely not a pushover. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about
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illegal immigration was the craps table that republicans couldn't walk away from last night. in a state with the highest number of illegal immigrants, herman cain offered a solution that made no mention of an electrified fence nor a moat full of ravenous alligators. >> it would be a combination of a fence technology as well as possibly boots on the ground for some of the more dangerous areas. i don't apologize at all for wanting to protect the american citizens and to protect our agents on the border. no. >> then came rick perry who attacked mitt romney for hiring illegal immigrants. listen choice as he explains yes let them go. >> i'm running for office. i can't have illegals. it turned out once again they hired someone who had falsified their documents. >> not to be outdone, michele bachmann from a state that shares the border with canada said she would build not one but
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two fences along the southern border. why? the dreaded anchor babies, of course. >> when someone comes illegally across the board, specifically for the purpose of utilizing american resources to have a baby here, then all of the welfare benefits then attach to that baby. >> so were these serious policy suggestions or were they designed to play to an angry and dean iso phobic crowd? a guest on this broadcast us the and he was crystal clear about what he thinks is going on in las vegas. >> it is a pathetic pandering that he is doing on the issue. they're on this pilgrimage in arizona to go render unto caesar and visit with the sheriff. get his blessings. lay lavish praise on him, a man who is being investigated for the justice department. >> we're joined now by the sheriff of maricopa county,
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arizona. >> nice seeing you again. >> do you like these republican candidates coming to visit and you rendering unto caesar all that is caesar's? >> hey, i talk to everybody. michele bachmann came to my office. now mr. cain came in. and perry and romney have called me. they haven't visited me yet. >> and does that flatter you? does that make you feel as though you have some part to play in this republican nomination process? >> no, you know, i had four candidates come to visit me in 1996 before we knew how to spell immigration. that's 1996 they came to visit me. so maybe they like me. i don't know. they like my policy. >> one person who hasn't been to see you is mitt romney. what do you think of him employing a truckload of illegal immigrants, albeit thank you subcontractor, to mow his lawn? isn't he as an employer at the
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very heart of this problem? >> well, i tell you. i just locked up eight more smugglers two hours ago heading for other areas. by the way, one was heading toward my home state of massachusetts. so we lock them up as they're coming through or we raid work places and i'm doing my job regardless of what that congressman is accusing me of being under investigation. the president mentioned me personally two weeks ago. i think that's an honor that he brought me out into the fight. >> sheriff joe, we'll come to that in a minute. i want to ask you again, what do you think of mitt romney, the front-runner for the republican nomination, employing illegal immigrants. >> he said it was a company that was responsible. i don't know. i didn't investigate him. >> but if you were -- if one of your deputies was throughout and you had the chance to arrest a bunch of gardeners, would you have done so if they were working mr. romney's lawn?
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>> if we had probable cause. we don't just go in there because it looks like somebody from another country is cutting grass. but yeah. we do that all the time. we go into work places. we have probable cause to do it first. and the majority of the people we lock up in the workplaces have false identification. >> now, sheriff joe, you are very tough on illegal immigrants. you are regarded as the world's toughest sheriff for that reason. what do you think of the idea of an electrified snens would that help you? >> you know what? no. when you talk about fences, i'm not opposed to it. but let's not put up a fence and then people hop over it and you send them back. i go for the fence only if -- >> if it is electrified? how about an electrified fence? >> i didn't say that. i don't think it should be electrified.
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we're not sending people for a death penalty type of a fence. >> you're not going for an electrified fence. how about a moat with alligators in it? >> i don't know where they're going to get alligators out west. >> you can just ship them in from florida. i've been to the marsh land over there. what about a moat? i'm not joking mr. herman cain in his book, i have it in front of me and i'm quoting it regularly. it is right here. he says, let's bring on the alligators and make it a real big moat. and if they get into the moat and get over my fence, which is going to be 20 feet high, and they can outswim the alligators, why, i would give them a job. what about alligators in the moat? >> let me tell you something. >> no, sheriff, you've got to answer the question, sir. you're normally absolutely direct. do you want a moat with alligators? >> well, come on. you can't just answer. i said i met with a guy who was
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joking on the fence. can't anybody joke when you're running for president? >> sheriff, i tell you why he wasn't joking. because his book is right here and there are no jokes in this book. when he talks about the fence, he doesn't walk away from it. when he talks about alligators in a moat, there is no suggestion that he is being humorous. this is his autobiography. this is herman cain. >> i got two books out. you don't believe everything you read in books. i shouldn't believe what you write in your book. >> if you read it, maybe you can make that decision. but let me say this. he is just frustrated. everybody is frustrated. they want to do something about the border. so he says a fence. but i'm sure he did not mean that. so can you even make jokes around here anymore? >> well, i'm asking you. do you think it's funny? >> a lot of things that are said by politicians could be funny.
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because it's always the same garbage they put out. at least this guy talks and isn't afraid to tell it like it is. >> right. but you're not going for the moat where you are. >> no, no, no. i'll tell you what you do. >> sheriff, i'm afraid we've run out of time. thank you so much for joining us. we look forward to having you again on our broadcast. >> thank you, sir. >> more stories developing at this hour. veronica dela cruz is in the newsroom with more. we're learning more on the search for a gray wolf and a monkey in ohio. they are the last 56 exotic animals that were on the loose after the owner of an animal park set them free before taking his own life. we've just learned that the monkey may pose a health risk because it has an illness. as to growing criticism of ohio's lax laws, the state is six weeks away from new laws on the sale and ownership of them. >> now protesting on as new austerity measures turn violent. on the first day of a two-day
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investors are keeping a very close eye on france, germany, the imf and the european central bank. they are meeting to try work out a comprehensive solution to the deepening euro debt crisis. and starting next year, social security recipients will get a bump to their checks. on average that will add to about $39 per month. the first cost of living increase since 2009. that's it from cnbc. first in business worldwide. back to you. >> thanks. president obama is heading back to the white house after his two-day state -- two-state, three-day bus tour through key states of north carolina and virginia. a short time ago, he stopped by a fire station in north chesterfield, virginia, and stressed the urgency of passing his jobs bill. he took his republican critics head on and mocked their economic proposals. >> i just want to repeat. dirtier air, less accountability
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on wall street. that's not a jobs plan. >> kristen welker joins us. she is traveling with the president. good afternoon. what exactly did the president accomplish on this trip? because he says that the republicans are proposing dirtier air, dirtier water, fewer jobs, and yet his bill as we know is dead. >> reporter: right. well, the president was basically trying to make the case on this trip, martin, that congress should pass bits and pieces of this bill. he is pushing to pass this $35 billion component that he swoes put teachers and first responders back to work. during this three-day trip, he has made a number of stops including at this fire station to make the case. to illustrate how it would actually impact these two communities. he has railed against
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republicans, you've mentioned. trying to draw a stark contrast with them in that regard. but of course, there are some potential political overtones to this trip. these are two key battleground states. president obama won both in 2008. since then, of course, the economy continues to be in really rough shape. his approval ratings in these two states have gone down. so it could be a challenge in 20 twoel win these two states. republicans know that so they have started to get their campaign apparatus in motion in these key swing states. >> but there was some encouraging news earlier today. the president and the first lady announced the american logistics association is committed to hiring 25,000 veterans and their wives by 2013. so that was an incredibly positive announcement earlier today. >> reporter: it was. and it was a significant appearance by the first lady.
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this is really the first time that we have seen her come out with the president on one of these trips to promote his jobs bill, as you same she announced this huge initiative by the private sector to hire 25,000 veterans and their spouses within the next two years. the first lady, very dedicated to helping and supporting military families. it is of course no secret that she is very popular. her approval ratings, incredibly high. and remember, this is a community that has about 700,000 veterans in it. an important part of the voting bloc heading into 2012. it was certainly a significant appearance by the first lady today. she made a joke, martin, that this was like a date with her husband. that, of course, got a lot of laughs. they got a warm reception. the president is heading home as we speak. >> he also said, in his speech just now, that he wanted to put teachers back in classrooms. firefighters and police back to work. he was very specific. he also went on to talk about
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putting construction workers back into employment. is he trying to shame the republicans for their absolute refusal to do these very things? it is hard to argue, isn't it? that we want to see first responders employed and protecting communities. we want to see people back in the classroom, teachers working. is he trying to shame congressional republicans? >> reporter: well, we can certainly say this. this is some of the most heated rhetoric we have seen from the president to date. starting on day one of this trip. he has really called them out and said if you're not going to put teachers and construction workers back to work, explain why. he also, you heard him say earlier in this trip, republicans couldn't understand the piece in all one big package. he had to break it up into smaller pieces so they could understand it. it is possible, he is certainly trying to turn up the heat. republicans say it is a little hyperbole but some really heated rhetoric. >> thanks for joining us.
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congress may be playing hot potato with the jobs bill, but don't you dare accuse lawmaker of failing to address the important issues of the day. the senate has secured the right for kids to have all the fries and mashers they can eat. with bipartisan support, i might add. the agriculture department had proposed limiting the amount of potatoes served in school lunches to make room for more green leafy vegetables and whole grains. but spud supporters like susan collins lead the charge to block the change. and you can see both represent big potato producing states. like congress, our kids will be continued to be stuffed full of carbohydrates. when it come to the dangerously high deficit they all claim to care so much about, not so much remember the so-called super committee put way back in august to tackle this issue, it turns out with just five weeks until
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their deadline, there may be a problem in congress. and there is trouble getting things moving. lu >> reporter: now details through these days, very secretive talks are starting to get leaked. and there has been a discussion here on capitol hill over the last few weeks, hearing from fraids both sides who personally told me, the super committee is not where they need to be. it was leaked today in "the new york times," the members flying at 30,000 feet. they're not there trying get to their hands into the issues. they have to come up with 1.2 rn trillion by november 23rd. and apparently they still have this issue, republicans do not want any tax increases. democrats will not agree to any entitlement reform unless there
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are revenues on the table. how do you get that? monumental tax reform. in the time frame, you cannot do the reform that would generate real revenue. so what will happen by of november 23rd? a lot of folks don't know and a lot of folk don't think this committee can pull it off. they had a meeting with the gang of six. the senators that proposed their own plan in the summer that cut over $3.5 trillion from the deficit. they're trying to generate ideas from anybody in congress. as far as which ideas will actually come to fruition within their discussions, we still don't know that. but from high level aides, i can tell that you things are not going where they should be. nearly halfway through close to november 23rd. the ultimate day they have to have some sort of judgment. >> the great thing is that our school children will be able to eat lots of potatoes. >> you could have called me
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russet. from monty python. >> i thought would you accuse me of being a potato. >> i'm a guy, so no starch for me. >> good man. nbc's luke russert. thanks so much. we'll be right back to clear the air. proud of this. man: no...we're not. woman: we...um... teen: have you guys seen captain stewie and lil' miss neptune? dad: did you look all over the place? under your desk? all around? teen: uh, they're fish, they live in a bowl. dad: what're gonna do? anncr: there's an easier way to save. anncr: there's an easier way to save. teen: whatever. ncr: 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. our neighbors putting their lives on the line. and when they rely on a battery, there are firefighters everywhere who trust duracell. so, look for these special packs to see how you can help your local volunteers. duracell. trusted everywhere.
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it's time now to "clear the air" and we've spent much of today's broadcast assessing last night's big fight in las vegas, and the focus has been on domestic issues, but i wanted to pause for a moment and ask you to consider the candidates' comments on foreign policy because if one of these individuals were to unseat the president, then they would be in charge of the world's most powerful military might and the ability to launch offensive action anywhere in the world, so if you or i were to consider such a major responsibility, one would assume that we would be thoughtful, cautious and considerate about how we might approach foreign policy, and then there are the republican candidates. >> i think it's time for us to
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have a very serious discussion about defunding the united nations. >> great start, mr. perry. why not destroy the one international forum that may not be perfect but is at least a place where mediation and arbitration can take place, but the crowd cheered, the mist came down and michele bachmann couldn't hold back. >> and the president of iran is a genocidal maniac. we need to stand up against iran. >> congresswoman -- >> and as president of the united states, i will. we will be respected again in the world. >> respected in the world again? which world has she been living in has she any idea of what happened when barack obama decided to visit turkey on his first overseas trip as president, of how he spoke at cairo university attempting to improve relations with muslims in egypt? has she any idea of how this administration has worked to isolate iran and to do so with the support of the international
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community? but the coup de gras was delivered by rick santorum. >> this administration has had political objectives instead of objectives for success and that's why we haven't succeeded. >> what? are you kidding me? if there's one area in which this president has exerted his full authority it's in protecting the nation. just look at the kill list, osama bin laden buried in the arabian sea, anwar al awlaki incinerated by a drone attack. i haven't got time for all the others so if herman cain's for the economy is now entirely discredited and if mitt romney is a hypocrite on immigration, then how would you describe this lot on foreign policy? exactly. thanks for watching. dylan ratigan is next so don't move. capital one's new cash rewards card
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well, the big story today, friends with benefits. good afternoon to you. my name is dylan ratigan. nice to be seeing you from mid-town. a little bit of rain but it's okay. on monday of this week we wrote a "huffington post" blog about two types of americans. either you're a big business special interest or big union special interest who can buy your way to platinum citizenship, or you're the other 99% of america. just today a new congressional report shows precisely mathematically just how true that is. the report cites rampant and widespread conflict of interest inside of the federal reserve, undermining its credibility as a custodian of america's currency and america's capital. this is the first audit ever. controversial