let's see if they're out tonight saluting the president's brilliance. we do here, at least i do. howard you can, cynthia you sort of can. mr. president go for it. that's "hardball" for that. we'll be back in one hour with a new edition of "hardball." protect the rich, blame the poor? hey, gop, we're not letting you get away with it. tonight, my exclusive radio interview with president obama on the fight for fairness in jobs, and the republicans' refusal to raise taxes. it's a shocking video that has shook up the nation, police caught pepper spraying peaceful student protesters. a student injured in the act and a professor calling for resignations, joins us. and just in time for the holidays, the gop's newly

crowned front-runner gets mean with a call to put poor kids to work. >> most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janit janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. >> welcome to politics nation. i'm al sharpton. breaking news, just minutes ago president obama speaking out about the supercommittee's failure, the latest example of the gop protecting the rich at any cost. the president spoke in the white house briefing room reacting to the super committee throwing in the towel on bringing down the national debt. >> there are still too many republicans in congress who have refused to listen to the voices of reason and compromise coming from outside of washington. they continue to insist on protecting the $100 billion worth of tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of americans.

at any cost, even if it means reducing the deficit with deep cuts to things like education and medical research. even if it means deep cuts in medicare. so at this point at least they simply will not budge from that negotiating position and so far, that refusal continues to be the main stumbling block that prevented congress from reaching an agreement to further reduce our deficit. >> the president also had stern warning for republicans already trying to backtrack from the deal they set up in the super committee. >> already some in congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts. my message to them is simple. no. i will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. there will be no easy off ramps on this one. we need to keep the pressure up

to compromise, not turn off the pressure. the only way spending cuts will not take place is if congress gets back to work and agrees on a balanced plan to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion. that's exactly what they need to do. that's the job they promised to do. >> of course many republicans are blaming the president. rick perry says, president obama's responsible. willard mitt romney says "he's done nothing." michele bachmann says he's failed to lead. i talked with president obama in an exclusive interview for my syndicated radio show just moments ago and i asked him about today's news. you respond announcing that they can't reach a deal, and where do we go from here? >> there's no doubt that i'm disappointed that not just congress generally but the republicans in particular, are

not willing to put serious revenue on the table as part of a balanced plan. this is something very straightforward and you understand it, al. we've got to get our budget under control. and there are basically two ways of doing it. one, which the republicans are proposing, is you just cut, education, you cut science, you cut medicare. you put more of a burden on people who can least afford it, or alternatively, you make some prudent cuts, selective cuts in some programs that don't work anymore, you make some modifications in things that can work better, but then you also ask people like you and me, who can afford it, to pay a little bit more in our taxes. you get rid of the bush tax cuts. you make sure the millionaires and billionaires are paying their fair share, and if you do it that way, then everybody benefits. the economy is stronger. markets have more confidence.

ironically, businesses and the wealthy would do better if the economy was stronger. so the position they're taking is short-sighted, but you know, it must be my religious faith, reverend, because hope springs eternal and i continue to believe that at some point common sense will prevail and we'll be able to work something out. but in the meantime, this isn't like august where we've got a major crisis on our hands. we're just going to have to keep on pushing to see if we can get republicans to accept the common sense of the vast majority of the american people, have already accepted, which is we've got to have a balanced plan that's fair, which everybody is sacrificing a little bit for the greater good. >> republicans are stuck by their pledge never to raise taxes. they're willing to cut defense, cut medicare, cut medicaid and cut social security, cut anything to avoid raising taxes on the rich. joining me now is msnbc

contributor melissa harris-perry, a professor at tulane and columnist for "the nation" and richard wolf, msnbc political analyst. the president was in the briefing room, i did an exclusive interview for my syndicated radio show with him and i thought about, in august he was sort of, appeared to be back on his heels when the deficit talks broke down but he seemed like a very confident man in his stride both when i talked with him tonight for the radio show and what i saw of him in this statement in the briefing room. >> right. well he holds some important cards in his hand, doesn't he? he not only has performed pretty nimble jujitsu here. we've been used to seeing the tea party republicans saying they're the party of no and that's a good thing. here he is the guy who is going to stop them backsliding out of these cuts. that's a nice piece of jujitsu

politics for the president but he also holds the important cards in his hand which is to say at the end of the election year, the bush tax cuts expired, the sequesters, automatic cuts kick in and unless they come up with a better plan that's all going to go through, so if congress wants to step up and do something, they can avert this and if they don't want to do anything, all of this is going to go through and the deficit will come down. if they're serious about the deficit coming down, they'll take that plan or come up with a better one. >> professor perry, the fact that he now has taken their term, no, and emphasized that, and has put it back at them and said they have to live by a deal they made, these triggers are something they agreed to, this is not imposed by the democrats or the president, go by what you pledge, and the fact that he has a wind to his back rather than his front, if you look at the polls, americans blame the

republicans 39% for the super committee's failure as opposed to only 27% the democrats. 77% of democrats, 62% of independents, 43% of republicans want to see taxes raised on the rich. has the republicans overplayed their hand, overshot the runway? >> well, i mean look, sure the american public blames the republicans for a couple of reasons. one, the president offered a deficit reduction plan which was reje rejected. it's not as though he hasn't offered a plan. he tended up in the debt ceiling drama in the first place. for all of their pledge not to raise taxes, there is a tax raise that is part of this, a tax raise on the most vulnerable working class and middle class families, that is the end of that payroll deduction -- excuse me that payroll tax freeze so they're certainly willing to raise taxes on some citizens, and the third reason is, they're now trying to say this president isn't leading. he's not strong, and so part of

what rich is pointing out, this is painful, bad for my base. my base doesn't want to see any sacrosanct security programs cut but this is the deal we made, this is how our politics is going to work and if they can't behave like adults i'll treat them the way a parent treats children. when kids are fighting you say if you can't agree i'm going to take the ball or the toy away from you and that's basically what the president is doing here. >> now richard, what next? we see the president, i spoke with him about and people can get a hold of you on the radio show but we talked about he's going to new hampshire and he's going to deal with payroll tax extension. what is next? >> well i tell you what's next, the federal government runs out of money in about a month so we'll have the whole debate which is one reason you're seeing him pulling back from this. you've got real tension building up on the conservative side. the tea party folks are happy to see these cuts go through. think about ron paul.

he doesn't mind the defense budget being cut down. republicans, the traditional republicans don't want to see this happen. john mccain, lindsay graham figures don't want to see that thing happen and you have their donor base, the business community, the people who always complain about uncertainty, what have they got out of the tea party republicans? the debt ceiling debacle and this super committee failure. that's a lot of uncertainty in the market. you're seeing hundreds of points coming off the stock market every time they go through this, and watching that pressure unfold is something that the president can stand back and say you created this mess, you got to go clean it up. >> now, professor perry, if the problem that they have made this pledge with grover norquist and this hard ideological right wing have them captive, john kerry was on this weekend and john kerry said this about grover

norquist, is it the problem? >> the thing about the bush tax cuts and pledge to grover norquist coming up. he's the 13th member of this committee without being there. i can't tell you how many times we hear about the pledge, the pledge. all of us took a pledge to uphold the constitution. >> now that was john kerry this morning saying grover norquist was the 13th member of the committee and norqucy t is an activist who got a significant number of republicans to sign a pledge under nosirk kansas would they raise taxes at all across the board. most americans don't know who he is but he seems to have veto power over the gop's decision. >> we've been talking a lot in this look .movement around the 1%. it's looking like it's going down to the one. 1% at this point it's like the one guy. >> the power of one. >> the power of one but look, i think what senator kerry, the point that he takes is a critical one which is to say to

sign a pledge is, after all, simply sort of a request. it is not a binding agreement. what should be a binding agreement, certainly the way the founders saw it is the relationship between representatives in a democracy and the people, whom they are meant to serve, and the fact is, this isn't serving anyone. this doesn't even serve the rich, doesn't serve those who have products to sell on the american product because they can't sell the markets because no one has disposable income. you have money in the markets that are declining every hour of every day. so in a certain way what is so bizarre about this, it doesn't even serve the 1%. it is bad for the country 100%. >> richard, what is the politics of this? does the president gain as he goes and fights them and says no or is it a washout, where both sides just retreat to their side? what's the politics of this? >> well, he gains by taking this

strong approach by saying no, no backsliding. he gains because as you showed recently the majority of public opinion, including republicans, want to see taxes go up on the wealthy. so they're on the wrong side of the politics, on the wrong side of the economy, on the wrong side of the values part of this. it's a difficult position for republicans to be in. the real question here is, can he maintain that poise and that position of authority, when we got to deal with the federal budget. the budget is exhausted. they've got to find a new one before the end of the year and that could extend through this guy's planned vacation. >> well you know, melissa, i did a commercial for the show where i talked about how, when i was a kid, you see the blueberry pie and mom would come home and we'd lie and say we didn't have any and the pie was all over us and see blueberries. i saw a lot of blueberry pie over the face of the republicans when they left the committee

room. maybe that's why the american people think they're responsible. they didn't say anything. look at their face. hand them a napkin. melissa harris-perry and richard wolffe thank you for your time. >> thank you, reverend. ahead, newt wants poor 9-year-olds to work as janitors, and the gop loves it. folks meet your gop. and meet mitt romney, speaking out about buying computers and obliterating e-mails. you won't believe what he's saying. plus the smear plan uncovered. we've got the secret plan showing you how the right wing is distorting the occupy movement. and it's the video shocking the nation. peaceful students getting pepper spray sprayed. >> close your eyes! >> we're live with one of the

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♪ it's that time of the year again, the holiday season is here. thanksgiving cheer is in the air. the rock center tree is about to be lit. it's time for goodwill. unless, of course, you're a republican running for president. newt is the grinch, next. but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems...

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♪ welcome back to "politics nation." it's the holiday season, a time for cheer, a time for goodwill, a time to give back. not for republicans running for president. we just heard the president's plan on how to move the country forward. but newt gingrich has a different take on how to get america working again. >> the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country, and why you need to reassert something as simple as saying to them, go get a job right after you take a bath. the degree to which the left is prepared to impose intolerance and to drive out of existence traditional religion is a mortal threat to our civilization. it is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods entrapping children in first of all in child laws which are truly

stupid. most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. >> get rid of child labor laws and make kids work as school janitors. telling people to take a bath and get a job. this is the new front-runner of the gop race, and they love it. a new poll shows newt's number one, leading the pack at 22%, still surging, despite revelations about his work for freddie mac that made him $1.6 million. he's not the only grinch. here's the crew at the family leader's thanksgiving forum in iowa. remember, it's supposed to be a thanksgiving forum. >> there is only moral and immoral and the law has to reflect what is right and good and just for our society. >> the way you fight back is not be afraid to express your faith

in any setting, rather than worrying about the political correctness police. >> marriage is between one man and one woman, and in that as well you cannot adopt a child unless it is one man and one woman. >> if you fail in taking care of yourself, you don't do well, you don't have a right to go to your neighbor directly and you don't have a right to go to your government and say go to my neighbor and take care of me because i didn't meet one my responsibilities. they have to face the consequences. >> joining me now is ni nia malika-henderson a "washington post" national reporter who also writes for their election 2012 blog and erin wright. nia malika is this a best way to get nominated, the republican party, is to be mean? i mean, newt gingrich is number one in the latest poll. >> well, you know i think we have to take a look at the polls a week from now or two weeks

from now. the statements they made are certainly a good way to get cheers in iowa and get support there. a lot of religious right folks in that audience on saturday, but again, i think these republicans forget the lesson of 2000, when george bush ran as a compassionate conservative. they've forgotten the compassionate part of that and are really moving towards the far right in terms of their conservatism and it won't do them any good in the general election. as i said, it will be good for them for now in terms of trying to get votes in iowa and some of these early states like south carolina, but i think you know in some ways they're thinking that they can channel some of this anger that is certainly present among tea party folks but again i think they end up setting up a really easy contrast for democrats who can say do you want to live in america where we're rolling back child labor laws or do we want to live in an america where children are protected against exploitation in working as

janitors in a school. >> erin, i mean nia says let's see where we are a week from now but in the last week, we saw the revelations about mr. gingrich really being contradictory in his position on freddie mac, his position on health care, notwithstanding the money, we're talking about the exact opposite positions and telling people to get a bath and get a job and talking about child labor laws and the fact with all of that, a "washington post" reporter went back to iowa and talked to people in iowa that did not really support mr. gingrich who now see him as the guy to do the job. >> right. you know, i've talked to a lot of people in new hampshire, actually, about newt gingrich, and they all told me today they really don't think newt gingrich is going anywhere. it's just really a matter of someone has to be an alternative to mitt romney. >> if he wins iowa before he comes to new hampshire, and i've

showed "the washington post" article, if he wins iowa that will change new hampshire, south carolina and it's easy to see now, a few months ago we were saying it was the end of his campaign, his staff walked out, half million dollar credit line he owed at tiffany's. now he's number one in the polls. if he wins iowa it seems like none of this stopped him. in fact he's gone up in iowa. >> that's true, but if you look at iowa specific polls, iowa is now a four-way tie between herman cain, mitt romney, and newt gingrich, and ron paul. so it's not necessarily that newt gingrich is poised to win iowa. it's a four-way tie so it's a free-for-all right there. i think that's why we're seeing some of these crazy comments, if that's what you want to call them, because they really are going for the religious right in iowa, and they eat that kind of stuff up. >> now, nia, when you look at

the fact that yes, they are tied but mitt romney is flat, can't seem to move the dial no matter what he does, which means it is very possible that either mr. gingrich or even cain comes so close until willard comes limping into new hampshire and then limping into south carolina. what does this tell us about the republican party base? >> it tells us they really don't like mitt romney. who knows if that will carry for the next couple of weeks or months through the campaign but there is the eternal search for the guy who is not romney. they will take newt gingrich, herman cain, ron paul, they will take anyone rather than take a look at mitt romney and we've heard that apparently mitt romney might double down in iowa and try to make some noise there. he wasn't there on saturday when those folks were making those

comments about gay marriage, but it does look like -- i think one key thing to point out is that new hampshire loves to veto whatever iowa does. mike huckabee ran in 2008 and did poorly in new hampshire. he's putting all of his eggs in the new hampshire basket and thinking that south carolina will be the decider in this race as it typically is, but he, you know, he can't be happy with the fact that he has seemed to flat line at 23%, 25% in these polls. he'll be up with some ads in new hampshire tom orrow. >> erin, one of the things that was stunning to me, the thanksgiving forum, rick santorum actually said suffering, i mean like it was just all right to suffer. look at this. >> suffering, if you're a christian, suffering is part of life, and it's not a bad thing. it is an essential thing in life, and that, we -- we suff --

there are all different ways to suffer. one way to suffer is through lack of shelter and food and another way to suffer is lack of dignity and hope and there's all sorts of ways that people suffer, and it's not just tangible. >> i mean, suffering is a part of life, but do we need a presidential candidate to act like that's expected? yeah, i'm a christian, rick. i understand the crucifixion. i also kept reading we got to the resurrection, rick. you don't just stop at the suffering. you talk about how you suffer through until you can resurrect. what are they talking about? get a bath, get a job. suffering's part of life. it's all right. have they lost it? >> as far as rick santorum is concerned, let's just remember one thing. rick santorum is stuck at 1% in national polls, in early state polls, and right now, he's just trying to get attention. of course he's going to start saying crazy things because you're talking about it. that's what he wants.

he wants some kind of attention. i think that's the case with a lot of these candidates. >> none of them that were quoting the bible quoted what i just did. thank you, erin, thank you, nia. >> thank you. >> nia, you said that new hampshire usually vetoes iowa. these guys talk like they're going to veto thanksgiving. they may cancel christmas. >> it's a non-traditional campaign this time. before the 99% movement, there was elizabeth warren. we'll show you how scared conservatives are about her. and we'll speak live to a student pepper sprayed in the video shocking the nation. stay with us.

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cameras to record the outrage from every possible angle. >> close your eyes! close your eyes! close your eyes! >> oh, oh! oh! [ bleep ]. >> get back! stay back! >> close your eyes! protect yourself! >> shame on you! shame on you! shame on you! shame on you! shame on you! shame on you! shame on you! >> i mean, this is amazing to see this video. it's absolutely left many of us wondering what are we looking at. this afternoon, thousands of students rallied to protest this injustice and call for the school chancellors to resign. joining me now are two protesters who were at uc davis rally today, student is he rhea

grosjean and professor joshia glover. thank you both for being here. >> you're welcome. >> serena, you were one of the students who were pepper sprayed. now, for the americans who didn't see this tape, tell us what happened. >> so basically, students were all holding a line with tents in the center and non-violently coming together. cops started, riot geared cops started forming this rectangle that looked very militant and terrifying and just started marching towards us and lining up. something was announced and students were chanting and there wasn't real communication between the two, and it started to become this battle between nonviolent students and these police that show up. they came, break through the

circle and the circle was broken and other groups started to huddle together tighter, terrified. a line at the walkway. >> serena, it's clear from the tape that you knelt down. no one being provocative, no one doing anything and they're just spraying you. you're there knelt down and they just start spraying you. >> yeah. so i guess one of the police officers went to one of the students in the center and told him, we are going to spray you, and so he said loudly to everyone else, what was about to happen, and we all just were told to hold tight, cover your face, protect yourself. something's about to happen, and be strong. i just -- >> professor, let me ask you, because this is amazing. there's nothing going on. there's no reason that i could see to spray them. there was no physical or even

verbal provocation that one could see from all angles, and many of us that have been involved in movements have said to, and these students were talking about lowering tuition and all of this, we've always said the younger people, be nonviolent. they were obviously that, and this happened. what signal does this send, professor? >> well, that's a good question, al. it doesn't send any kind of good signal at all. it was utterly shocking. i just say that in the face of the militarized police advancing on them, the students were extra ordinary and courageous. i want to say that first and foremost. they sat there, they were nonviolent, they were calm, they were certain. they were committed, and they were sprayed in the face with a military grade toxin at close range at the behest of the chancellor and the police and i think it sends a message not

just about what the right or wrong kind of action would be in that situation with the students showing us that the right kind of action would be, but it also sends a message that the police are not at this time safe for anyone involved in this political struggle. >> no, taken sends the worst message around this country. let me ask you, you have called, among others, for the chancellor to resign. the chancellor was on "good morning america" linda katehi, and said this. >> you have resisted calls so far to resign. are you going to stay? >> yes, in fact, our university is at a critical position. i really feel confident at this point the university needs me as there are so many critical issues to be addressed. >> now, there's been more than 64,000 signatures calling on her resignation. your response, professor, and

serena, to her saying she's not going anywhere? >> go ahead. >> she basically announced to us when she said she was going to come to the general assembly today that we had out here, she went up and she said that she is just going to try and gain our trust back and -- yes. >> what is your reaction to that, professor? >> i think there's at least two reasons that the chancellor has to go. the first is that she has to be accountable for what's happened on this university. she has said she accepts full responsibility and now she has to accept the consequences and this was an utterly intolerable action but the second reason is the university of california davis and i'm a lifelong university of california person, i was born in a uc hospital, its reputation matters quite a bit, its ability to attract students, its ability to attract scholars, depends on how it behaves and how it appears, and chancellor katehi has made it in effect i

think impossible for uc to be thought of a place that is safe, committed to open and free intellectual pursuit and that damage can't be done until she leaves. >> also i don't feel -- >> serena, go ahead, finish your statement. i was going to bid you well but go ahead. >> i don't feel heard, i don't feel safe. i feel like public education has turned into something completely different than i signed up for, and i thought i was going to school and i got sprayed for trying to stand for my future of education. >> i think that sums up what is so despicable about what happened. you didn't sign up for that, and no one in america should. we should have the right for peaceful protest. this was despicable. serena, thank you. professor joshua glover, thank you, from uc davis. thank you both for your time. >> you're welcome. >> keep up the strug. >> thank you for hearing us. still ahead, newt gingrich

has some ridiculous advice for the occupy wall street protesters. new signs that republicans just don't get it. plus more from my exclusive radio interview with president obama. what does he want families to talk about this thanksgiving? we'll be right back. emily's just starting out... and on a budget. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan.

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occupy wall street as a ragtag group of protesters, but they have demonstrated they should be treated more like an organized competitor. to counter that, we have to do the same." the memo was sent to the american barvegers' association who told chris hayes they "chose" not to act on it. when republicans do the work they may not need to spend the money. >> it starts with the premise we owe them everything. go get a job right after you take a bath. >> generally spoiled, pampered, unfocused, clueless young people and smattering of other people who don't understand this country and are advocating anti-american solutions. >> a lot of the folks somehow

think money grows on trees and they're entitled to it and don't understand how wealth is produced in this country. >> republicans are scared of occupy wall street. they're also scared of elizabeth warren. republicans know that if she's elected to the senate, warren will be a fierce warrior for the 99%, which is why folks like karl rove are running smear ads like this. >> elizabeth warren sides with extreme left protests, at occupy wall street, protesters attack police, do drugs and trash public parks. they support radical redistribution of wealth and violence, but warren boasts "i created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do." >> joining me now is chris hayes, host of msnbc's "up with chris hayes." chris broke the story over the weekend. thanks for being here, chris. what does the memo and rove's smear tell you about the right wing? >> i think what occupy wall street has been able to do in just two short months in terms

of completely altering the focus of the national conversation, is really remarkable. two months ago we were talking about austerity, deficits, how government needs to cut and the last two months inequality, how big the financial system is, we've been talking about the banks getting away with essentially bankrupting the economy and moving on with big bonuses. the focus of the national conversation has really shifted and if you are sitting inside the american bankers' association or on the board of morgan chase or goldman sachs that has to start to worry you. >> do you think by they're now talking about gearing up to smear the occupiers, others of us in the movement, others like elizabeth warren they're of course trying to turn the debate back, which we've always known that's what they always do is try discrediting campaign. do you think it will work? >> well, i don't think it will work, but i think one thing that

we've seen happen is for the right to go after occupy in these sort of traditional way that they go after progressive protesters, right? newt gingrich saying "get a bath" that's a throwback to stupid caricatures from 40 years ago. right? this is just going after the hippies and something every conservative worth his or her salt knows how to do instinctively, it's part of their vocabulary. the reason i think it will work in certain ways, because it will appeal to conservatives. what i don't think will work in the long run is fundamentally this. the banks are massively unpopular, and yet they still get away with whatever they want essentially on capitol hill. there is a disequilibrium in that, that is just unsustainable. the memo we uncovered shows a lobbying firm recognizing that fairly obvious point. you cannot continue to have this hold on power the longer and longer it is that you are so unpopular that the american people realize just what a negative impact you have on the american economy. >> well, i think also that is

why they're afraid of people like elizabeth warren. now technology, with the internet, unlike the right wing battles in the past, in the '60s, you have other ways to counter. look at how elizabeth warren has been able to use ads in the media to counter this. >> i'm elizabeth warren. i'm running for the united states senate and before you hear a bunch of ridiculous attack ads i want to tell you who i am. i stood up to the big banks and army much washington lobbyists. i held them accountable, i led the fight for a new agency to protect consumers, and we got it. but washington is still rigged for the big guys and that's got to change. >> and after this ad, they all went after her. >> look, elizabeth warren is sort of the perfect tribune for this kind of campaign from progressives, because she does not look, when you see her on that video, she doesn't look like a dirty hippie.

she doesn't look like some sort of -- she looks like a mom that would live down the block from you. >> right. >> she's plain spoken and appealing and, but yet her politics are really genuinely progressive. she has been fighting this fight for 20 years. the book she wrote "two income trap" wrote almost two decades ago predicted a lot of what would happen in this country in terms of debt. she has them running scared because they can't tar her. even though they're trying. she's much hard to caricature or make into a cartoon of a left wing radical as she speaks as plainly as she does. >> the get a bath, the pepper spraying of students that are obviously nonviolent, i think they're making the classic errors of creating a situation where everyone can say wait a minute, this is just not right. >> you know, michael bloomberg could have just sat on his hands for a few more weeks or a few more months and let it get really cold and who knows how many people would have stayed in

zuccotti. it's cold in new york in the wint winter. what he did was sent cops in to smash and destroy their stuff, throw out all their books and he galvanized the movement. what we've seen time and time again is what are in the grand scheme of things relatively small provocations have produced enormous backlash from the powers that be and it says something about how worried the powers that be are about how sustainable our current social order is. >> i think a lot of it also is again the new technology, new media. people like you on tv, people like me, and others on television. we were for a period where the fox was guarding the henhouse pun intended. now the hens have a coalition, talking for ourselves. chris, thank you for joining me on your day off. catch up with chris hayes saturdays at k a.m. and sundays at 8:00 a.m. up next, more from my exclusive interview with president obama. we'll be right back.

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finally tonight, more of my exclusive radio interview with president obama. the president says with thanksgiving on thursday, we have a lot of reasons to give thanks this week. >> i have to tell you, outside of the united states, people still look to the united states and are still optimistic about the united states, and we've got some big problems, and we've gone through a tough two, three years, but i think that everybody's got to remember all the things that we've still got going for us. we've got the best workforce in the world. we've got the best universities in the world. we've got incredible natural resources. we've got a dynamic, you know, entrepreneur class. we just have to pull it together. >> but, the president had some

advice, i'm not sure i agree with. he said the first lady would tell me to forget about my diet on thursday. >> well, you know what? she probably advises that you do just for thanksgiving, because you know, if you repress yourself too much, then you end up going on a binge at some point. so go ahead and let loose a little bit on thanksgiving day. >> all right, i'll blame it on you. thank you mr. president. >> and eat sweet potato pie. >> you could see the president, i feel, was upbeat in his radio interview with me, which we'll play this week, as well as the statement he gave in the briefing room at the white house, showing leadership, showing we're ready to stand up for the challenges ahead, not being mean, not being nasty, but also not backing down. though i disagree with the president telling me to eat some sweet poe day know pie, i agree with his upbeat and determined attitude, and i disagree with newt getting a little mean, because all of