the dedicated right wing man for hire is one thing. bum we're reminded again tonight with this character from missouri and his legitimate rape gospel, that all is not right in nut country. just remember, if you vote for romney, you not only get him, you get the march of the clowns that didn't end with santorum and gingrich, it marches on, taking on short breaks after killing the debt deal last summer, a quick skinny deep in the galilee. and that's "hardball" for now. thank you for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. welcome to "politicsnation," i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- the romney-ryan ticket has some legit imate problems when it comes to women voters. new offensive comments about rape, from a gop congressman, have their records under a microscope. here's the disgusting remarks from gop senator candidate todd

akin. >> if an abortion could be considered in the case of, say, tubal pregnancy. what about in the case of rape? should it be legal or not? >> it seems to me, firstover all, from what i understand from doctors, that's really rare. if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. let's assume that didn't work or something. i think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist. >> legitimate rape? this appalling comment set off a firestorm of outrage today. here's president obama, waking in at the white house. >> the views expressed were offensive. rape is rape. and the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we're talking about, doesn't make sense to the american people. and certainly doesn't make sense to me.

>> ever since akin's comments, the romney campaign has been in chaos. trying to get in front of it. in a statement, they wrote, quote, "governor romney and congressman ryan disagree with mr. akin's statement, and a romney-ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape." he told "the national review," the remarks were, quote, "insulting, inexcusable, and frankly, wrong." and he had this to say, moments ago. >> i can't defend what he said, i can't defend him. >> but -- the other part of that ticket, mr. ryan. he's been very quiet. and it's no wonder. just look at his record. he cosponsored a bill that called the no taxpayers funding for abortion act law, already prohibits public funding for abortions, but there are exceptions for rape victims.

and therefore, this bill limited what can be considered rape. saying funds could only be used for, quote, forcible rape. forcible rape would be covered, but others would be excluded. folks -- this is outrageous. and congressman paul ryan cosponsored that legislation with none other than congressman akin. but that's not all. he also cosponsored a bill that would force a woman to receive an ultrasound before having an abortion. this is a man who cast 59 anti-choice votes while in congress. who has maintained a 100% rating from the national right to life committee. he's even bolstasted, quote, i's pro-life as a person gets. he's gone so far to the right that he's cosponsored a personhood amendment that would

define life as starting at conception. meaning it would outlaw abortions, some forms of contraception, even invitro federalization. it's extreme. but it's right in line with his running mate. and he's right in line with romney on this. >> would you have support of the constitutional amendment that would have established the definition of life at conception? >> absolutely. >> absolutely, folks. that's the choice in this election. that's your republican ticket. and president obama does not agree with that type of thinking. >> i think the underlying notion that we should be making decisions on behalf of women for their health care decisions, or qualifying forcible rape versus nonforcible rape, i think those are broader issues, and that is a significant difference in approach between me and the other party.

>> folks, paul ryan and mr. romney can do everything they can to get away from congressman akin, but they can't run away from their own records. even though they might try. joining me now is senator barbara boxer, democrat from california, the champion for women's rights. senator, thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you for this opportunity. >> now, i mean, what do you make of these comments from congressman akin? i mean, what is -- is there such a thing as illegitimate rape or legitimate rape or forced rape or not forced rape, i mean, i have never heard doctors, he said he talked to doctors, i never heard of this from doctors. >> yeah, i'd like to meet the doctor that said that to him. i don't believe it for a minute. look, there's so much i could say to you, but i have been on your wonderful show many times, talking about the war against women. and congressman akin has been a

leader in this war. and congressman ryan, as you point out, has been his very proud partner. and, you pointed out the, you know, we could talk rhetoric, but the fact is, what congressman ryan wanted to do with representative akin is redefine rape and say, instead of just saying, as we know, rape is rape, a woman is raped when sex is forced upon her, against her will. they want to define that to forcible rape, where i suppose she has to punch him or fight back, but according to the national women's law center, if she's drugged, it wouldn't count as forcible rape. if she's a child below 18 and is conned into it by some 30 or 40-year-old, a 13-year-old, that wouldn't be forcible rape. this is a sick agenda. that's what i believe. and i hope women across this nation and the men who love women, will stand with women and

vote for the obama-biden ticket and against this radical ticket. we also have paul ryan, not only joining with akip n on redefini rape, but the personhood amendment that would put women, doctors in jail and defending planned parenthood that givens services, health services, not abortion services. health services to 3 million people, 97% of what they do is health, 3% is exercising a woman's right to choose. so, that's where we stand here. >> and ryan with a cosponsor on many of these bills with this same akin. >> yes, yes, a partner. >> that you have just outlined. >> yeah. >> now, the romney campaign says, senator boxer, in a state, quote, at kw romney-ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape." but in addition to ryan's record, the milwaukee sentinel reported this, while ryan was

running for congress in 1998, they said, quote, "ripe has said he favors only one exception to a ban, to save a woman's life." only one exception. what about rape? now, let me give you a sound from mr. romney about banning all abortions during 2007 debate. listen to this. >> i would welcome a circumstance where there was such a consensus in this country that we said, we don't want to have abortion, period, that would be wonderful. i'd be delighted. >> would you sipe that bill? >> i'd be delighted to sign that bill. but that's not where america is today. where america is, is ready to overturn roe v. wade and return to the states that authority. if the congress got there, we had that kind of consensus, terrific. >> romney said he would sign a bill -- this is not my quoting him, i played him saying, that would ban all abortions. you have ryan, with personhood

amendments and other legislation. so, many ways, akin is just saying, overtly, what they've been saying through proposed legislation and in the back and forth of a debate -- it is their position. >> yes, and reverend, can i just say thank you for a? because people are acting shocked at this. listen, if they had been following what the republicans have done across our great nation, introducing bills, 500 of them, some of them saying, life begins two weeks before conception. so, they can narrow the time span a woman has a right to choose. this is not that shocking, when you put it into context. and, yes, paul ryan tried hard to say, let's not have an exception for rape, let's -- you know, we don't need to have an exception for rape. and when he couldn't get that done, he went, partnered with this guy, akin, and said, okay, let's change the definition of rape. imagine such a thing.

and forcing a woman into a circumstance where, i don't even want to think about the scars, if you have ever had an interview with a woman -- i've spoken with many, who have been raped, this is something that scars them forever. so, now, we're saying, if you ever want a chance to end the pregnancy forced upon you by a criminal rapist, you have to punch him, even if he has a gun to your head? reverend, this is -- this is a moment of truth for america. and for mitt romney to say, it would be wonderful, wonderful to ban abortion -- what is he thinking? i'm old enough to know what it was like when women died in alleyways and were made infe infertile. what is he thinking? he doesn't deserve to be president for a whole list of reasons and this is although reason. >> senator barbara boxer, thank you, as always, for your time tonight. >> thank you. now, joining me now is msnbc contributor and author megan

mccain. megan, thank you for being here tonight. >> yeah, thank you. >> as a republican, what do you make of akin's comments? >> i think his comments are absolutely indefensible. he should be resign at this very moment. it's embarrassing. it's scary, as a woman, to hear this kind of rhetoric. i would like to say and i don't believe is what paul ryan and governor romney believe and i think he's an embarrassment to the party. >> so, you are saying, let me get this right, you are calling on akin to resign -- >> yes. >> meaning, not to run -- >> no. >> for not in missouri, even though he just won the primary. >> i'm calling on him to resign immediately. hopefully before i leave this stage. >> wow. do you think, given that -- >> and by the way, my sentiment seasonal alone. many republicans across this nation right now are calling for him to leave. >> he's saying he's staying, in fact, a short time ago, akip said he wasn't going anywhere, quote, "i am announcing today that we are going to stay in."

>> yeah, and they he's selfish and only thinking of himself and not the greater good of the republican party. that's a selfish act. >> what do you think this does to the perception that many have that the republican party has become kidnapped by the far right? does this just make this even more difficult for more moderate republicans to try to appeal to the american public that everyone is not going to the deep end of the far right? >> yes, exactly. but it's not just moderate republicans and socially moderate republicans or even pro-choice republicans. it's pro-life republicans. this is a man that is trying to redefine the definition of rape, something that i've never heard of. it's insane by anybody's standards. for anyone, this is ridiculous and crazy. the fact it's taken over the narrative today and really hurt the discussion in this election right now is just unfortunate. >> what about the link to paul ryan? they have cosponsored legislation together, personhood amendment, other amendments that redefines rape and redefines

funding. does that lipping bother you and how do you reconcile that, if akin stays or if he leaves the race? >> well, i don't agree with paul ryan's stance. i'm a pro-life woman, but i don't agree in chances of incest or rape. i believe that his choice and what he believes is what many catholics across america believe, and that's great. if you want to believe what he says, go ahead. i follow a line more with governor romney and he is the one leading the ticket and that's what is most important to me. unfortunately, i'm not a one issue voter. i don't go into the voting booth -- i'm not strictly, you know, pro-life, pro-choice voter. i don't fall in line with paul ri ryan. >> i think it would bother a lot of people, with the statement by akin, and, frankly, some of the ledgislation that ryan and akin propose, as you say, you can have your view, but to redefine rape, to act as though there is

a possibility that rape could not be legitimate, or could not be forced, i mean, what are we talking about? >> that's well outside the mainstream thinking in my. . and i think generationally, it's -- it's dauntingly out of touch from where i believe i stand and many people of my age group do. i think we're in different times right now. i can't defend that with paul ryan because it's not personally what i believe. it's not what mitt romney believes. >> megan mccain, thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you. coming up, todd akin's rape comments sending the gop damage control machine into def-con 5. just how bad can it get for republicans? we'll see. and, blocking the vote in ohio. a republican with types to the governor says we shouldn't contort the voting process to accommodate african-americans? we're going live to ohio. all that, plus, blueberry pie is

on the menu in russia. oh, yeah. it's a "politicsnation" favorite in your summer break tonight. you're watching "politicsnation" on msnbc. ♪

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def-con 5 is what a gop operative is saying about todd akin's comments. panic setting in. maybe it's time to rethink this war on women. that's next. ♪ atmix of energies.ve the world needs a broader that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity... that has around 50% fewer co2 emissions than coal.

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we're back with the fallout from todd akin's shocking rape comments and the gop is in panic mode. this headline says it all. "todd akin's rape remark has the gop fretting." with one missouri operative telling politico, "for god's sake, def-con 5, panic for the rest of the ticket. major intervention needed." massachusetts senator scott brown was the first republican to call for akin's resignation today. then, wisconsin senator ron johnson joined, tweeting that akin's comments were "reprehensible and inexcusable." and saying he should "step aside for the good of the nation." but as of this afternoon, akin showed no signs of backing down. >> the good people of missouri nominated me and i'm not a

quitter. and my belief is, we're going to take this thing forward. and, by the grace of god, we're going -- to win this race, and to quote my old friend john paul jones, i've not yet begun to fight. >> so, akin is refusing to back down on pressure from his own side. but we've watched him push an anti-woman agenda for the last couple of years. where does the war on women go from here? joining me now, congresswoman donna edwards, democrat from maryland, and erin mcfight, reporter for real clear politics. congresswoman, let me start with you. you've worked with todd akin. what do you, as soon who has seen him across the aisle, worked in the congress with him, what do you make of his comments? >> well, first of all, he's an idealog idealogue, but sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

todd akin expressed what the republican agenda has been and particularly the agenda of my colleague paul ryan. there is no daylight between the way that paul ryan feels about a woman's right to make choices about her own bold and her own health care, as todd akin does. and so, i don't really see the daylight there, no matter how much the romney-ryan ticket tries to distance itself. it can't distance itself from the fact that paul ryan has a record of voting against a woman's right to make decisions about her body. as a record of supporting these so-called personal personhood amendment. has a record of trying to take back a woman's right to get health care in a way she chooses, mammograms and cervical exams. it's not an accident we say there's a war on women. the reason why is because todd akin's comments clarify the war and the battle lines are set. and standing shoulder to shoulder with todd akin are mitt

romney and paul ryan. >> now, congresswoman, you hear that a lot of republicans are beginning to come out, asking him to step aside. i mean -- if id logically have been saying, what is it, that he got caught saying it in a very imtemperate manner, or do you think there's a debate or second thinking going on in the party on some of these hard line positions that they've taken and even proposed in legislation? >> well, let's keep in mind that todd akin said he misspoke but he actually didn't apologize for what it is that he said. this notion of illegitimate rape, i think the president is right. rape is rape. but the idea of illegitimate rape, forcible rape, were ideas that were promoted, seconded and worked on by paul ripe and by todd akin. and so, no matter how much the gop tries to move away from these comments, their actions in the congress, voting time and

time again against the interest of women, defending of planned parenthood, not paying for cervical exams and mammograms, the notion that somehow, you're going to limit a woman to make choices about her body -- this is the republican gop agenda. and women are going to reject it 1,000%. >> for the record, i think later this afternoon, he has apologized for what he said. let me go to you, erin. the congresswoman talked about women rejecting this. when we look at the polls, akin had a slight lead over mccaskill in recent polls. the polling average showed mccaskill with 43% of the vote, compared to akin's 48%. if he stays in the race, i'm sure that will change. but when you look at the top of the ticket, which could clearly be impacted by this, if he stays in and clearly, the top of the

ticket would be impacted with missouri voters, romney has trailed the president by 22 points with women voters in a recent poll. this cannot be helpful to the republican party, to have a standard bearer for their party, running for u.s. senate, getting this kind of national coverage on such a statement. >> and that is exactly why you see so many members of the republican party saying, "get out of the race." it's not just scott brown. republican senate candidates all across the country have been calling on todd akin to get out of the race today. the national republican senatorial committee, mitch mcconnell said he really should reconsider his decisions. they are trying to pull money from the race, saying if he doesn't get out, they won't support him. so, the republican party knows this is a very bad thing for them this fall. >> they are pulling money, the republican committee even karl

rove is pulling money. but what about their actions? won't this now put a new spotlight on the actual bills that they've proposed and actual so, even if he gets out of the race, don't we have, now, the obligation to examine what is being advocated? >> i think that's right, and if you look back to earlier this spring and late winter, about february and march when we were talking about the, quote, republican war on women that democrats were trying to force, that helped president obama increase his margins with women's voters and that dialogue lasted a good month to six weeks and the republican party quickly abandoned some of the talking points about where that came from on the health care law, because they knew it was hurting them. now, if we're seeing this come up again in the national debate, it's likely that it will further hurt mitt romney with women

voters and that's why they don't want to be talking about this anymore. but you're right, it probably will shed some new light on the republican party's stance with women's health, as president obama was trying to talk about today in the press conference that he had with the white house press corps. >> well, congresswoman edwards, the talking points may change, but the record speaks for itself. the personhood act that could ban birth control, ivf treatments and all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, has 64 gop cosponsors, including todd akin and paul ryan. that's a fact. the bill to ban abortions in d.c., after 20 weeks, with no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the mother, has 222 gop cosponsors, including todd akin and paul ripe. we can have different opinions, we can't have different facts. these are the facts,

congresswoman. >> that's right. these are the facts. add to that the fact that republicans have stood in the way of passing the violence against women act, which provides federal funding for rape crisis centers and to help out victims. and, so, layer upon layer of ideas that reject women and, i think women during this election are going to speak loudly and clearly and i wouldn't be surprised at all if that gap went from 22% to way more than that, because women have finally, will get the picture that this republican party, it is not outside the republican party. this is deeply imbedded in the gop, that they don't support women's access to health care. women's access to resources that help them. it's very clear and women have gotten the message. thank you, very much, but we'll go another direction. >> congresswoman donna edwards and erin mcpike, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. coming up, more evidence

paul ryan loves stimulus money. does mr. romney have a paul ryan problem? plus, big developments tonight on the assault on voting rights in ohio. and a republican who is telling the truth about their plan. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] introducing zzzquil sleep-aid. it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing. ♪ zzzquil, the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil.

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conversation is going all day long. today, our facebook family was buzzing about the connections between todd akin and paul ryan. norwood reminds us that "birds of a feather flock together." we also had some fun on facebook, too. showing off this picture of the first lady, hosting the first ever kids state dinner. joan says, "what a great thrill for these kids." we want to hear what you think, too. head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. not in my house! this new flavor lock pack from maxwell house helps seal in freshness. wow! that is fresh! am i still yelling? [ male announcer ] maxwell house flavor lock. always good to the last drop. [ male announcer ] maxwell house flavor lock. chase scene netflix coming soon extra butter tickets swoon penguin journey junior mints movie phone evil prince bollywood 3d shark attack

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we're back on "politicsnation," with the question -- does the romney campaign have a paul ryan problem? ryan and governor romney appeared side-by-side today in new hampshire, in front of over 3,000 supporters. no question, ryan has energized

the base. but we're also seeing concerns. today, we learned paul ryan cosponsored a bill to redefine rape. redefine rape bill with todd akin. and does ryan have a problem telling the truth? he railed on president obama's stimulus while asking for stimulus money in 2009 himself. and now, this clip from 2002. >> what we're trying to accomplish today with the passage of this third stimulus package is to create jobs and help the unemployed. i urge members to drop the demagoguery and to pass this bill to help us work together to get the american people back to work and help those people who have lost their jobs. >> and we all know the headache medicare's causing. so, mr. romney wanted to fire up his base.

but what about everyone else? are we seeing some buyer's remorse here? does the romney campaign have a paul ryan problem? well, joining me now is former pennsylvania governor ed rendell, now an nbc news political analyst. and michael steele, msnbc analyst and former chairman of the rnc. thank you both for being here tonight. >> good to see you, rev. >> governor rendell, let me start with you. does romney have a paul ryan problem? >> well, he does with independent voters. certainly paul ripe's hayan's h with the pace. but that base, al, was coming out to vote against president obama no matter who he picked for vice president. and he's got a problem because of medicare. he's got a problem because of this latest rape thing and he certainly has a problem, because paul ryan is looking not like the honest, hard working guy, you know, that young congressman from wisconsin. he's looking like someone who is really a little shifty. first, he says he never asked

for stimulus money out of president obama's stimulus. if he had read my book, i have the ten worst wussy things politicians can do and number one is ask for money from something that you voted against, and he's my first example. he wrote a letter to the seco secretary of energy and labor asking for money out of the obama stimulus after he said he doesn't. and then secondly, this new revelation, he was a strong supporter of president bush's stimulus, for all the right reasons. because stimulus does help short-term economic growth and job creation. but now, when it's president obama that wants to do it, he's against it. he's coming across as a little bit of a fraud. and in politics, that's really bad with everyone except your base. >> now, michael, you and i debate all the time, but for ed rendell, the voice of reason, to call someone shifty and a fraud, i mean, don't you think you should have given paul ryan his

book? >> probably. chapter one, page one. i -- there's some legitimacy to what the good governor says there. i think, from the standpoint that, and it goes back to something i said, rev, when we talked about it on your show when ryan was announced. if you know you have a congressman who has 14 years worth of votes, who has 14 years both of c-span appearances, 14 years worth of letters and documentation that speaks to what his actions are, versus his words, and, so, you hope that the campaign has vetted this stuff through and is prepared to deal with it as it is raised by the obama team. we'll see. but i think that the more important question, to your -- to the topic that we're talking about, i don't think paul ryan in and of himself presents a problem for the gop. i think that paul ryan, as robert sal eweson said in his op-ed today in "the washington

post" on medicare, has the tools and the capacity to start a discussion, if you disagree or agree on his position, that will engage the voters and approach those independent voters that the governor talked about in a way that gets them to think about their options. >> but isn't it true, governor, that when you go to the voters, whether you have the ability to start a dialogue or not, if you appear to be disingenuous, say you're against stimulus, but you were for stimulus and then when stimulus passed when you were against it, you asked for money. if you say you don't agree with akin's statement, but we find you actually cosponsored legislation with akin that basically said the same thing he was caught saying in an interview, after awhile, do you get to that conversation because people see you as disingenuous and see you as one that becomes a political chameleon? >> i think there's a potential

for that. i agree it hasn't reached that stage yet. look at the most important issue in medicare. governor romney has attacked president obama for stealing $718 billion from medicare and paul ryan, when he was announced, he was leading that attack, as well. but then it came out that in the ryan budget, he wanted to keep that $718 billion of money that was taken from medicare, to balance the budget. and all of a sudden, the romney and ryan camps were clashing over that and finally ryan had to give in, say, no, my budget was wrong, we're going to give that back to the american people. so, yeah, there are all sorts of inconsistencies, and all sorts of disingenuousness. it hasn't reached that point yet. and i think, rev, that representative ryan is going to give a very good speech at the con convention, because that's what he does.

he connects pretty well. and so far, it doesn't look like he has much adherence to the truth, so, that will allow him to give a very effective speech. >> and michael, he sure has a problem with, when you break down economics, i mean, when you talk about the $716 billion and then you find out where the president was taking it for and what he was taking it for, unless you have a white board, where you explain this, that's going to be hard to explain. >> i don't have a white board, but i think the question is, what do they want to do with the $716 billion, and i think the fact is that the ryan team and certainly mitt romney, has been arguing that that 716, they wanted to put into health care, into obama care as opposed to putting it back into the program itself and keeping the program, to the governor's point, that's why there was that moment there between the ryan and romney camps where the romney team said, no, no, we want that money, that's going to be able

to go to a different pot as opposed to taking it out of the system altogether. those are the types of differences that the debate should be elevated to so we can follow the money, so that we can see exactly what a president romney would do versus what a president obama has done and will do. so, i think that these are legitimate points, to the governor's statement, yeah, it hasn't reached that threshold yesterday, but at the rate we're going, a week out, it could be very close. and i think ryan is going to have to come into that convention and really do a smackdown on the facts and lay out on behalf of the ticket the economics and the finances and reconcile some of that. not just with the base, but with those independent voters who are going to be watching that night. >> oh, well, i tnk he's been smacking down facts a lot, it's the truth he hasn't done too well with. but governor ed rendell and michael steele, thank you for your time tonight. >> i love giving you the setup, reverend. >> we work together.

things are beautiful when we work together. coming up, ohio doubles down on efforts to block the vote. republicans even attempt to suspend two democrats who are fighting for fairness. plus, president obama's cooking tips for young chefs. >> i can make a good omelet. and toast. >> your summer break is next. this is "politicsnation" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] this is the land of giants. ♪ home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above. this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram.

we're back, with a pause from the political battles of the day. a time to rest, relax and recharge. that's right. it's time for the "politicsnation" summer break. and we start at the white house, where first lady michelle obama hosted a special state dinner this after, just for kids. the president and first lady welcomed 54 culinary youngsters for lunch, in the east room. and someone dropped by for a special request. >> i only have one request for you. and that is, try not to drop any scraps on the floor, because bo -- bo is on a diet right now. and he will eat anything. that he sees. >> and good news! those party crashers never made it today.

to end the night, we head all the way out to western russia. and a town celebrating 70 years with blueberry pie, a come los sal one. a "politicsnation" favorite. it's nearly 300 feet long. took 500 eggs to make it and weighs a whopping 660 pounds. let's listen to the head chef for more. [ speaking foreign language ] >> wait a second. i forgot, she speaks russian. let me translate this for you. they were the ones eating the pie! come to think of it, i think i saw eric cantor and mitch mcconnell somewhere in that crowd digging in. they had that blueberry pie all over their faces. and that's today's summer break. i love to eat. i love hanging out with my friends.

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welcome back. there's been a huge ongoing fight in ohio about early voting hours. the secretary of state there has now decided to cut back on those early voting hours. but the early voting time is needed. back in 2004, there were long lines to vote. and this kept nearly 130,000 ohioan from casting a ballot. in response, the state expanded the days and hours for early voting. the result? the election of 2008 went much better. that's a good thing, right? government being responsive to allow people to vote? i guess not. since ohio is now cutting back on those hours. but why are they fixing a problem that ain't broke? well -- every so often,

republicans accidentally tell the truth about these new voting laws. over the weekend, doug preisse said, quote, "we shouldn't contort the voting process to accommodate the urban -- read african-american -- voter turnout machine. let's be fair and reasonable." end of quote. you just can't make this stuff up. so, this election official, who is also a close adviser to ohio governor jo governor, admits these voting laws are really meant to keep black voters from going to the polls. we know what this is about. he just told all of us. and we're not going to back down. joining me now, congresswoman marsha fudge, democrat from ohio, who has been fighting back against voter suppression. congresswoman, thank you for being here tonight. >> my pleasure indeed, reverend

al. >> what do you make of this republican official's blatant comment about black voter turnout? >> reverend al, this is just scandalous what's going on in ohio. we have a secretary of state that's allowed the power of his position to overshadow any sense of decency. to actually overhshadow his responsibility to conduct fair and open elections. it is just scandalous. >> now, and i -- i want to make it clear, this is not just partisan. this is about all voters having a right to vote. i was in ohio last week, as you know. we are talking about anybody should have the right to the fair amount of time, same amount of time to vote. african-americans make up 21% of the population in ohio. 31% of early voters were african-american. and 82% of all early voter vote they voted nights and weekends. in the county that this particular official said, the

county this official that i quoted about african-americans, was saying this, 82% of the voters that voted early voted on the hours that they're now trying to ban. >> and the other thing that's so really ridiculous, reverend al, is that if we go the way we are today, 197,000 ohioans will be -- >> how many? >> 197,000 voted just on weekends at early voting in 2008. and in addition to which, by having the early voting we saved millions of dollars across the state of ohio. when you look at the fact that, by having all of those people vote early and on saturdays, we didn't need as many poll workers, machines. we saved millions of dollars just in this county, where i live, cuyahoga county, alone. and people felt that they had the ability to vote in a way that was comfortable for them. not something that was dictated by the secretary of state.

>> well, but we're advocating open voting and making democracy work all over the world, how do we come to ohio, pennsylvania and other states and now start cutting back on days that were already given to us to vote and hours that were already given? i mean, how do we even think that we can justify this? >> it is the height of hypocrisy. there is no justification for it. there is none. >> now, the -- at a hearing held this morning for democratic election officials in montgomery county, suspended by the secretary of state for going against early voting directive, quote, dennis lieberman and tom ritchie pushed for extra voting hours on the weekends. tell us why they're doing that. >> well, they're doing it, simply because they want to make what they believe a uniform voting system. what they don't understand is that uniformity does not equate to equality and fairness.

>> right. >> so, their position is, let's just make everybody the same. if you take my county in cuyahoga, we have over a million residents. if you go to the county some of the counties where they are republican counties, they may have 100,000 people. how can you say they should be the same? >> make it relative. i got you. i've run out of time, but thank you. we'll have you back and certainly be watching this. congresswoman, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you so much, reverend al. >> we'll be right back.

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finally tonight, i want to close with a look inside a party going in the wrong direction. we spent a lot of time tonight on congressman todd akin's offensive comments on rape. but what's being widely overlooked is how akin responded in that same interview, when asked about the voting rights act and whether it was out of date. >> elections have historically always been a state thing. and, i didn't realize how important or how good that was

until we had that very close race, the second race with george bush, and you had something that goes wrong in florida and i'm thinking, boy, it sure is good that the states manage this and not the federal government. otherwise, you'd have to try and rehold the whole election process. so, i do think that the state's having a say in terms of how they do their voting in their own state, that was a good principle laid down many, many years ago. >> so, he thinks it's a good principle for states to control voting rights. without the voting rights act, voters aren't protected from discrimination at the polls. and there's a bigger picture here and a bigger point. congressman akin is saying the things we've been talking about for months. he's saying what the party is doing. the fact is, we can dismiss a far right republican slip of the tongue, but we can't dismiss the extreme policies of this party. and we have to remember the real things that we're fighting for. voting rights, civil