tv Politics Nation MSNBC August 22, 2012 3:00pm-4:00pm PDT
3:00 pm
this planet that predates the life of abraham. the reason americans mashed this great march is to learn and do the right thing. we cannot do good if we refuse to do the other. perhaps both parties should put that simple declaration in the platforms this year. human knowledge is a good thing, and that's "hardball" for now. "politics nation" starts right now. tonight's lead, run away paul ryan. the republican presidential campaign threatened again today to become intanglentangled in t right abortion stance. paul ryan was forced to answer questions about these policies, policies the romney/ryan ticket doesn't want to talk about. today congressman todd akin was back on tv apologizing for his
3:01 pm
remarks on forced rape but refusing to do the disappearing act the republican party is so desperate for. we learned he will give into the pressure by not attending the convention next week, but even if akin is not there, for paul ryan there's no hiding his policy connections with akin. it only got worse when he talked to reporters. >> his statements were outrageous, over the pale. i don't know anybody that would agree with that. rape is rape. >> you sponsored language forcible rape. >> rape is rape period. >> that forcible rape language meant nothing to you at the time? >> rape is rape, and there's no splitting hairs over rape. >> rape is rape, and there's no splitting heiairs over rape. that is no way mr. ryan's record shows. last year he co-sponsored the no
3:02 pm
taxpayer funding for abortion act. the original wording of that bill said that an abortion could be paid for by federal dollars if the pregnancy occurred because the pregnant female was the forced subject of an act of forcible rape. not just rape but forcible rape. so there is a difference in this bill. tape is not rape. in this bizarre bill ryan supported and who was ryan's co-sponsor on that bill? none other than todd akin. they have stood shoulder to shoulder in their fight against abortion for years. in fact, they've co-sponsored at least eight anti-abortion bills together. they have worked together. they have the sa but the past is now engulfing
3:03 pm
paul ryan. he no longer is mr. budget. he's mr. no abortion. so he's throwing akin under the bus. >> you co-sponsored abortion-related congressman akin. >> that bill passed by 251 votes. it was bipartisan. i think the hr 3 is the one you talked about. i think we had 251 votes, 16 democrats. i'm proud of my pro-life record. >> a bipartisan effort? 235 republicans voted in favor of no taxpayer funding for abortion act. 16 democrats supported it. calling it bipartisan? at best that's playing fast and loose with the facts. and those democrats who voted in favor after the words "forcible praip rape" were taken out of the bill. he's conflicted with the pride of his past decisions on abortion and his future as mitt romney's second in command. >> well, look, i'm proud of my
3:04 pm
pro-life record and i stand by it in congress. it's something i'm proud of, but mitt romney is the top of the ticket. mitt romney will be president, and he will set the policy of the romney administration. >> look i'm proud of my record. i don't -- i'm proud of my record. mitt romney is going to be the president. the president sets policy. his policy is exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother. i'm comfortable with it because it's a good step in the right direction. >> it's a good step in the right direction? mr. ryan said to one is more pro-life than him. there's a deep division on this ticket, but how much longer will mr. ryan be able to run from his record? joining me now is congresswoman jan shkowski democrat from illinois, and a member of the pro-choice congress. and crystal ball co-host of "the cycle" right here on msnbc. thanks for being here tonight.
3:05 pm
congre congresswoman, does paul ryan have a todd aakin problem? >> actually paul ryan has a more anti-choice voting record than according to the national right to life committee than todd akin even has. >> really? >> so every opportunity that he's had -- yeah, slightly better from their point of view. he's slightly more against women being able to have an abortion. of course, of the 38 anti-choice bills he's co-sponsored, several have no exception for rape or incest. you've talked about the forcible rape. he's trying to run away from that saying rape is rape, but he did want to make a distinction between forcible rape and unforcible -- what would that be? >> right. >> rape. >> do you know what his score is from that group? >> 100%. >> he's rated 100% by that group? >> yes. and he's been -- this is his
3:06 pm
seventh term, so every year, every session he's had 100% voting record. >> now, crystal, akin doesn't rate 100%, yet, he's become the new face of the extreme right on this. so if mr. ryan is outscoring him, that says a whole lot about what he was trying to project today on the airplane to reporters. >> that's exactly right. i think what paul ryan is missing here while todd akin's comments were offensive, it's not his crazy talk but the crazy policies that are the logical outgrowth of crazy talk. on those policies as the congre congre congresswoman was jut pointing out, ryan is just as extreme as todd akin. you played that clip several times where paul ryan says he's very proud of that record. what's the message of american people are getting? on the one hand, they're seeing
3:07 pm
just how extreme and out of the mainstream paul ryan's record and his voting patterns are. on the other hand they see hi parse words like any politician and willing to toss aside his allegedly firmly held beliefs now that it's politically inconvenient for him. >> when we look at this paul ryan, congresswoman, we're looking at a man who has these great convictions, very passionate, but now he seems toy playing political. he said in an interview last night he was not trying to threaten access to birth control. listen to this. >> nobody is proposing to deny birth control to anybody. >> but when you look at his record, the record that he's proud of, he co-sponsored a personhood amendment last year. the sanctity of human life that defines human life at the beginning of fertilizer. it would ban abortion and some
3:08 pm
hormonal forms of contraception and would go as far as to criminalize in vitro fertilization. he can't have it both ways, congresswoman. >> exactly. he has a record of saying that contraception absolutely can be denied to some. when obama care offered pooev t preventative services including contraception, paul ryan was not in favor of requiring all employers to provide contraception to their employees. and that paul ryan is saying that he doesn't think women are going to fall for these side issues. or that women are going to take the bait to all the distractions that barack obama is trying to throw their way. i think referring to these very issues that somehow rape is really a side issue, that access to contraception and even abortion is now a side issue.
3:09 pm
>> now, crystal, do you think that they thought this wouldn't come up during the election? i mean, they act surprised this has come up. >> i think they've been crossing their fingers hoping to not have to talk about it, and that's the thing here. for a while now the right has been pretty successful about couching their position on abortion on a woman's right it to make her own decisions about her own body in in fluffy language about life. now there's a real face. now in this week we met rape victims and seen their faces and heard their stories, and that takes their very aggressive, extreme, and callous policy to a whole different level in term it is of the american people. i think the congresswoman is right here, too. when you have the situation with paul ryan, and you're looking at at the totalility of hez record,
3:10 pm
he's now the central part of the republican party ticket. >> let me just add that paul ryan is against title x. that is the family planning program. and that would allow women access to contraception. let's remember that he and mitt romney are for getting rid of planned parenthood, which also provides contraception services. in fact, very little of their work is abortion. >> now, talking about planned parenthood, let me go show you this. ryan and the republican party are trying to distance themselves, but akin all on the same page. akin, the romney/ryan campaign, and the republican platform are all anti-abortion, though romney has clarified that he would allow for abortion in cases of rape and incest. they all stand behind personhood and want to defund planned
3:11 pm
parenthood and they all oppose contraception coverage. it's interesting, but then you have some -- at the end of the day, congresswoman, ryan said several times today that he was proud of his pro-life record, but when you look at the record, mitt romney's record on abortion has been all over the place. let me show you this. >> i will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. i believe abortion should be safe and legal in this country. i believe from a political perspective that life beginning at conception. i have always opposed abortion. my presidency will be a pro-life presidency. let's send this back to the states rather than having a federal mandate through row v. wade. i'm pro-life. that's my view. i believe there is a sanctity of human life. i'm pro-life, but i believe there should be exceptions in the case of rape and incest and when the life of the mother is
3:12 pm
at stake. >> congresswoman, it seems that he either evolved or flip-flopped. >> well, i think the message, though, to women ought to be very, very clear. you certainly can't rely on mitt romney or paul ryan when it comes to women's health care. i think that that party and now in their platform and how about it when they say that mitt romney doesn't really support the platform position, which is no abortion without -- no abortions with any exceptions, none. rape, incest, life of the mother. so i think they are a danger, both of them, and the party itself are a danger to women's health. >> let's be honest, too. the party, even not looking at these issues, has an image problem because it's so male dominat dominated. when you add these positions, these anti-woman positions to the male dominated problem, it's no wonder why there is such a gender gap in favor of democrats and one that i think will only
3:13 pm
widen from here on out. >> we're going to talk about that later in the show. congresswoman and crystal ball, thanks for your time tonight. catch crystal on "the cycle" weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. coming up, we're learning more about the extreme republican platform. just what is the gop planning to do to this country? and paul ryan keeps blaming president obama for being partisan. well, tonight, the reporter with the inside story on the blocking is with us. sorry, guys. no hiding now. and the king speaks. the secret long-lass tapes of dr. martin luther king jr. found in a dusty attic. we'll play you his words here tonight. you're watching "politics nation" on msnbc.
3:16 pm
have you checked us out on facebook? the politics nation conversation is going all day long. today our facebook family was buzzing about romney's latest distortions on medicare. rita says, it's so sad how they're twisting things. sorry, romney, we are paying attention. dale says the romney plan is a very unfunny joke. larry reminds all seniors on medicare to, quote, read before you vote. we've got more details on romney's medicare plan coming up later in the show. we want to hear what you think. head over to facebook and search "politics nation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. we hope to see you there.
3:18 pm
irchgts ladies and gentlemen the republican report card is coming and it's not pretty. there was jan brewer pointing at the president back in january on the tarmac in arizona. they were aat odds over arizona's controversial papers please immigration law, and this snapshot really captured the rage coming from the right. now the entire party is officially in lock step with governor brewer's state. they've adopted a radical immigration platform. it was pushed by crishri cris k.
3:19 pm
here coming the grades i mentioned. a new nbc poll shows mr. romney's negative rating is at an all-tie high among latinos. 48%, and he's down with other voters. he's only got 41% of the woman's vote, and african-american voters? that's not a typo, people. he gets 0% of the black vote. 0%. this is the costs of going hard to the right. this is the cost of rolling back progress. this is the cost of extreme policies. joining me now is patricia murphy, editor of "citizen jane politics" and erin mcpike reporter for "real clear politics." thank you both for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you.
3:20 pm
>> patricia, the gop platform is the most extreme ever. how does governor romney expect to handle this? >> well, i think we're absolutely going to see a republican convention in primetime that looks almost nothing like the republican convention that got started already in this platform committee. the platform committee is the most conservative of the conservative activists within the republican party. somebody like tony perkins from the family research council sits on that committee, casts those votes, convinces those other members to come along with with him and the family research council. when we get to the republican convention next week, we're going to see a very diverse group of people in primetime. we're going to hear the governor taking a much softer tone on a lot of these issues, where behind closed doors they really have been much, much more restrictive. >> isn't his platform, his convention, i mean? he can take whatever theatrics he wants. this is his convention.
3:21 pm
this is the platform of his party that he's now the head of. >> it's the platform of his party, but this is not a party that is 100% behind mitt romney, and that's why we saw paul ryan get the nod to be the vp pick. even somebody like mitt romney so conservative is insufficiently conservative in a lot of areas. the problem for mitt romney is when he runs in november, he's not running alone but on the republican ticket. he's going to take all of this with him. voters will take it into the voting booth. the question is what do voters remember? he wants them to remember what is in primetime. he doesn't want them to really know what's happening behind closed doors. >> erin, when you look at the brand, a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows that 29% of registered voters have a very negative impression of the gop. how do you deal with this? it is very negative. >> you're right, but i would also say that patricia is right.
3:22 pm
i talked to a republican party official today who is irritated at how much coverage this meeting of the republican platform committee has gotten this week because they say, well, that's just a piece of paper, and we're really not going to be adhering very closely to what the platform committee goes with this week. so, yes, they have a problem and they do have to repair the republican party brand. mitt romney and how he introduces himself, which he'll be doing in a very personal way in primetime next week, is what they want voters to remember coming out of the next week in convention. >> erin, part of the reason there was a lot of coverage on the platform is how extreme this platform is, probably the most extreme we've ever seen. look at atthe platform. they want to replicate arizona-style immigration law, not allow for abortions in cases of rape or incest, push for mandatory ultrasounds, they refuse to recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions, and they want to push for more voter
3:23 pm
i.d. laws. an extreme platform like that is going to get covered. >> no question about that. they don't want that. the republicans who are running the romney campaign know that that is something that won't do them any favors with women voters in swing states, with hispanic voters in swing states. the kinds of voters they need to win in big numbers if mitt romney has a chance of beating president obama in the presidential election by winning some of those swing states. no question it's a problem for him. that's why they want to talk about the economy and not those issues. >> patricia, when you look at, for example, the gop immigration platform, they would build a border fence, ban in-state tuition for undocumented students. they want a mandatory e-verify system which makes it harder for people to find jobs. go after sanctuary cities that help undocumented immigrants. how do you advocate this policy
3:24 pm
on your platform and then go in swing states or any state and appeal to latino voters? >> you know, this is actually one area where mitt romney is as conservative as the republican platform committee. this is why he is the republican nominee. he wouldn't have gotten out of the republican primary if he hadn't embraced all of those positions. this is the one area i think he's going to have the hardest time distancing himself from the man that he became in the primaries to the man that he wants to be on election day. you start talking about state-by-state where this will get him in so much trouble. florida, nevada, colorado, new mexico, 40% of the voters are latinos in new mexico. you can have a great economic policy, but if you tell me you want to have my grandmother self-deport, that's just not going to get you anywhere with latino voters. that's why there's a 40% deficit right now between the prez asid and mitt romney.
3:25 pm
>> erin you covered mitt romney during the primaries. he was very extreme on immigration, notwithstanding the platform now. he himself was very extreme. listen to this. >> so if you don't deport them, how do you send them home? >> the answer is self-deportation, which is people decide that they can do better by going home because they can't find work here because they don't have legal documentation to allow them to work here. i think you see a model here in arizona. with regards to illegal immigration, of course, we build a fence. of course we do not give in-state tuition credits to people that came here illegally. that only attracts people that continue to come here and take advantage of america's great benefits. if i were elected and congress pass the dream actment, would i veetd toe it? the answer is yes. >> veto the dream act, build a fence, arizona law. he can't run away from that, erin. it's in the platform, and it came out of his mouth before the platform. >> and no question that we will be seeing some of the those statements run in tv ads by the
3:26 pm
obama campaign and the president's allies in some of the swing states later this fall after the conventions. i would point out to you this. john mccain got 31% of the latino vote in 2008, and we know that the romney campaign is shooting for 38%. with statements like that, i don't see how he can improve upon john mccain's numbers because, of course, in 2006 and 2007, john mccain was on the front lines of arguing for comprehensive immigration reform and the extremists in his party said no, you can't do that. >> he argued for immigration reform and got 31%, and we just saw what mr. romney proposes and he wants 38%? okay. patricia murphy and erin mcpike, thank you for your time tonight. inside the secret gop plan it to block the obama agenda. we had the reporter with the details. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing
3:27 pm
3:28 pm
[ male announcer ] it started long ago. the joy of giving something everything you've got. it takes passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. and always have. so does aarp, an organization serving the needs of americans 50 and over for generations. so it's no surprise millions have chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they help cover some of the expenses medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to find out more, request your free decision guide. call or go online today. after all, when you're going the distance, it's nice to have the experience and commitment to go along with you. keep dreaming. keep doing. go long. [ "human" by the human league playing ] humans.
3:29 pm
we mean well, but we're imperfect creatures living in a beautifully imperfect world. it's amazing we've made it this far. maybe it's because when one of us messes up, someone else comes along to help out. that's the thing about humans. when things are at their worst, we're at our best. see how at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy?
3:30 pm
republicans have been obsessed with the bogus line that the president doesn't think business owners built their businesses themselves. what the president said is that successful businesses got some help along the way. but the gop has been trying to distort that. >> if you have a business and you started it, you did build it. >> the washington crowd picked up the attack.
3:31 pm
>> he thinks if you run a small business you didn't build it. the government did. >> and romney's right hand man is hammering the point on the campaign trail. >> if you have a small business, you did build that. >> yep, republicans love the "we built this" argument so much they're dedicating a whole night to the theme at this republican convention next week. poor republicans, they can't even get an insult right. the convention will be held at the tampa bay times forum, and look, right on the arena's website it's described as a publicly owned forum. that's because the stadium costs $139 million to build, and taxpayers helped pay for more than half of it. the forum got more than $32
3:32 pm
million? sales tax rebates over the years. how did this great stadium get built? with lots of government and taxpayer help. so have fun next week with your big "we built it" theme night, but we know you're just building h hypocrasy. nice try, but we got you. sy. nice try, but we got you. isy. nice try, but we got you. look at those toys. insurance must be expensive. nah. [ dennis' voice ] i bet he's got an allstate agent. they can save you up to 30% more by bundling your policies. well, his dog's stupid. [ dennis' voice ] poodles are one of the world's smartest breeds. are you in good hands?
3:35 pm
♪ ♪ with a subaru you can always find a way. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. next monday 50,000 people including governor mitt romney will head to tampa for the republican national convention. they might have a visitor. tropical storm isaac is churning in the atlantic. it's expected to become a hurricane tomorrow, and it's on track to hit florida just as the rnc kicks off. >> if there is a major storm, whether it's a hurricane, a tropical depression, anything like that, there are plans in place. >> now, the gop has plans to deal with this storm, but they don't have plans to deal with
3:36 pm
medicare. in fact, their proposal on the issue is so toxic that they're distorting president obama's record on the issue. >> i could go chapter and verse, but i won't bore you or upset you. there's one thing that he did. he took $716 billion from the medicare program, which is there for senior citizens, took it and spent it on obama care. >> congressman ryan doesn't want to bore or upset you. that's why he neglected to tell you that president obama didn't take money from seniors. how about that? i guess he didn't want to bore you with these facts either. under governor romney's plan, medicare would go broke by 2016. that's four years from now. it would force current seniors to pay more for health care. one long-time economist even is quoted saying athat it's both puzzling and bogus at the same
3:37 pm
time. no wonder congressman ryan said this. >> i could go chapter and verse, but i won't bore you or upset you. >> i don't know about you, but i get upset when the facts get left out of the conversation. joining any now is sharon finney, msnbc political analyst and former communications director for the democratic national committee, and dana mill bank, columnist for "the washington post". thank you for joining me this evening. >> good evening, reverend. >> dana, what's the play for republicans? why even talk about medicare given the fact it's a losing issue for them? >> the question reverend is how much of a losing issue it is. so this is an area where they expect to be at a disadvantage, and this is sort of inoculation. if you get out there and make an attack, even if it is as in this case a completely false attack, the other side is responding to it or complaining about it as opposed to making the attack
3:38 pm
themselves. really the best defense is a good offense in this case. so it actually makes them a logical sense to be doing that, and certainly they'd rather be talking about this than todd akin and a whole lot of other things out there. they're not trying to play to win on this issue, though paul ryan says they are. they're trying to minimize the disadvantage on the issue. >> when you look at the nbc poll, nbc/"wall street journal" poll it shows that americans basically agree with the president on medicare. 50% of voters agree with president obama that vouchers are a bad idea, only 34% agree with romney/ryan that vouchers are a good idea. >> remember in the presentation that politico ran last week that we got from the republican campaign committee that showed the strategy that they are advising people to take to use obama care as the boogie man, if you will, against the plans around medicare, and that's part
3:39 pm
of the way they're trying to reduce that trust deficit that they have when it comes to medicare. clearly, just the very sentence of saying, $716 billion from -- obama care is taking that from medicare, that's just a flat-out lie, because the next part they don't tell you is he's taking that money in savings to then put it back into the program to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and make the program solvent for a longer period of time. they don't tell you that piece. >> and to stop waste and fraud. >> they don't tell you that piece. the numbers don't add up, because now mitt romney is saying i'll put that 716 back in, but not being honest about what that $716 billion really is in the first place. >> dana, isn't it risky to play with something as serious and sensitive to medicare when you look at most voters, including republicans, by the way.
3:40 pm
they say medicare is extremely or very important in how they will vote for president. 80% of democrats, 74% of independents, 61% of republicans say that it is extremely or very important to them. wouldn't you assume, then, that they're really going to look into the truth of this issue? >> they better hope they don't. the kicker here, reverend, is in paul ryan's own budget he would take out that same money he's saying that the obama administration is proposing to rob from medicare. he would just use it for other purposes, and at the same time he's decimating medicaid, which puts a lot of people out in nursing homes basically out on the street unless there was something there to take its place. so the front being put up here is saying, okay, we won't change medicare for people who are 55 or older, but in a whole bunch of ways medicare is going to be changed if this plan comes
3:41 pm
through. as you just pointed out a moment ago, even current beneficiaries will pay hundreds of dollars more under this plan. that's a very difficult position to be in, so you would see why it's important to get out there and sort of muddy the waters and make the subject about obama care. >> think about what they're saying. they're saying, we're going to not change the program now. so we're going to keep the inefficiencies in and keep overpayments to insurance companies, and we're going to keep your costs high because, again, part of what obama care is trying to do is lower costs. that's what they're saying. that's the bargain when they don't change anything. ten years from now is when we really improve the program. the on the face of it that doesn't make sense. >> not only that, but you said about drawing the line is not through. it seems like they've done that on the whole question of welfare. the ap has a piece out today that talks about governor
3:42 pm
romney's dishonest attacks against the president on welfare. it says and i'm quoting the article, the welfare tax could open romney up to criticism that he is injecting race into the campaign and is seeking to boost support among white, working class voters by charging the nation's first black president is offering a free pass to recipients of a program stereo typically associated with poor african-americans. romney running the risk of denting his credibility with voters by pedling an argument that has been widely debunked. >> he's clearly trying to -- there's an effort there. whether they're aware of it or not, if they're not aware of it, that shows a lack of understanding of our country and the diversity of our country. if they are aware of it, then shame on them. again, this is this dog whistle politics in trying to play into this idea of, you know, people who get welfare are lazy and
3:43 pm
sort of all of those ste stereotypes. again, not being dishonest about the fact it's up to the governor and republican as well democratic governors ask for this flexibility in terms of administering the programs. they want more control at the state level. >> well, karen finney and dana mill bank, thanks for your time tonight. >> thanks, reverend. >> thanks. >> coming up, a new book highlights the gop's secret plan to block president obama, and we've got the reporter with the details. plus, newly discovered tapes of martin luther king jr. are giving us a new chance to hear history in the making. we'll hear from the civil rights hero in his own words. stay with us. i am going to become facebook friends
3:44 pm
with our babysitter. no. these work, right? no. all right. mom! look what i found in the shed! no! no! no! ♪ ew! were you guys just making out in here? what? no! is it okay if i quit my job and start a blog? no. really? cold cuts from a package? yes. [ male announcer ] in a world filled with "no," it's nice to finally say "yes." new oscar mayer selects deli meat. the tastes you love and no artificial preservatives. it's yes food. the ♪ intel bong ve and no artificial preservatives.
3:45 pm
i've still got hou orsf battery life. it's an ultrabook. i'm good. with an ultrabook, everything else seems old fashioned. introducing the ultra sleek, ultra long-lasting ultrabook. a whole new class of computers powered by intel. time for the "politics nation" summer break. we start with wifi donkeys. these donkeys in israel are connected. 30 donkeys at a park are now roaming wifi hotspots. the router hangs around the donkeys' necks. think these tourists are commenting on the "politics nation" facebook page? donkeys on the cutting edge. that's a good sign for
3:46 pm
democrats. next is our summer break athlete of the day. what's that? it's the smallest bicycle i've ever seen. can he ride that thing? yes, there he goes. keep pedaling. good thing he's got a helmet. it's quite a fall from all the way up there. he knows about compact cars, but that's a tiny way to get around. finally to the most hip street in town. watch this traffic officer do his thing in a crowded intersection in the philippines. he's got all the moves, the strut, the shake, the shimmy. you know, president obama is here in new york tonight. we could use this guy to keep rush hour grooving. that's today's summer break. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing
3:47 pm
3:48 pm
3:49 pm
paul ryan's new talking point to blame president obama for the political gridlock in washington? >> president obama came in and said, we're not red states. we're not blue states. we're just the united states. we're going to put aside childish things. this is the third president i have served with, and i have never seen such bitter, partisan rhetoric like the kind we have today. >> that's a great story. blame the partisanship on the president. if only it were true. the reality is republicans in congress decided to block the president since inauguration day, and now a new book sheds light on how far republicans would go just to see this president fail. here's what joe biden said in the book about his attempts to find gop votes for the president's first big bill, the stimulus. quote, i spoke to seven different republican senators who said, joe, i'm not going to be able to help you on anything.
3:50 pm
biden recalls his informants said mcconnell had demanded unified resistance. the way it was characterized to me was, for the next two years, we can't let you succeed in anything that's out to get it coming back. a party determined to block president obama's success and america's success as well. joining me now is a reporter with the scoop, michael grun wald, senior correspondent for "time." he's the author of the new book "the new deal: the hidden story of change in the obama era." michael, thanks for coming on the show tonight. you really detail obstructionism that the republicans were determined to block the president from day one. you really lay it out in this book. >> thank you very much, reverend al. it is true. i have some of the first reporting on the secret meetings eric cantor and mcmcconnell held with members. after obama was elected, he was
3:51 pm
in 70% of the polls. people said if it was dog food, they'd have to recall it from the shelves. everyone thought republicans would have to cooperative with him. it was an economic emergency. the economy was falling off a cliff. they had these meetings, they said no. our way back is to fight. if in two years everything is ros ros rosy, we'll get re-elected. if things are still struggling because the economy is in rough shape losing 9% of gdp in the fourth quarter, that's our ticket back to power. i even interviewed one obama aide who at the time was having a little relationship with a republican senate staffer. he said, hey, so what's our deal? where's the deal going to be on the stimulus? and she told him in bed, she said, baby, there is to deal. >> wow. what was amazing to me is the people you got to go on record. for example, here's democrat
3:52 pm
congressman dave obie's account of trying to work with jerry lewis on stimulus. he said jerry's response was, i'm sorry, but leadership tells us we can't play. what they tell us right from the get-go was, it doesn't matter what the hell you do, we ain't gonna help you. we're going to stand on the sidelines and complain. that's on the record. >> it's not just democrats saying it on the record. i quote republican senators like george voin vish saying if obama was for it, we had to be against it. mike castle of delaware saying that from beginning the caucus decided we couldn't give obama a bipartisan victory. it was the strategy from day one. in 2008 every republican and democratic presidential candidate was for a stimulus package. mitt romney was for the largest stimulus package. even in 2009 in january they
3:53 pm
voted for a $715 billion stimulus that was very similar to obama's. it was never entirely clear how obama's $787 billion stimulus was socialism but $715 billion was good public policy. they realized their ticket back to power was no. it's a big government mess. they've been very relentless with it. >> did you look at paul ryan and how he's bashing the stimulus plan since even before he was the running mate, look at this. >> we learned that much of this stimulus, which was neither targeted timely or temporary, in fact, it was just a down payment on government programs. all this temporary booster shot stimulus didn't work in the stimulus package, so we don't want to go with ideas that have proven to fail but ideas that prove to success. the failed stimulus is typical of washington's destructive economic agenda. it failed to create the jobs promised. >> but you in the book actually have charts showing what happened with the stimulus, and is there any merit to what ryan
3:54 pm
is saying? >> absolutely not. the stimulus was actually this untold success. pretty much everything that america knows about it is wrong. the first quarter after the stimulus passed was the biggest improvement in jobs in 30 years. >> the first quarter was what? >> it was the biggest improvement in jobs in 30 years. >> wow. in 30 years? >> we lost 800,000 jobs in january 2009 before obama took over. right afterwards you had it this incredible improvement. still bad, but amazing improvement. meanwhile, the rest of the stimulus was really the purest distillation what obama meant by change. clean energy, health and education reforms, middle class tax cuts for 95% of the country. the biggest investment in infrastructure since eisenhower. the biggest investment in research ever. there really is this untold story that republicans like paul ryan who always supported stimulus in the past have been able to spin and the media has gone along with it. >> michael, we're out of time.
3:55 pm
thanks for coming. people can get this book and read it for themselves. mike condemn, thank you for your time. good luck on the book. the book is "the new new deal," and it's an important book for you to have. we'll be right back. people are stuck in very old habits of using toothpaste to clean their denture. but dentures are very different to real teeth. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can grow and multiply. polident is specifically designed
3:56 pm
to clean dentures daily. its unique micro-clean formula kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains, cleaning in a better way than brushing with toothpaste. that's why dentists recommend polident. [ male announcer ] polident. cleaner, fresher and brighter every day. constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas...
3:57 pm
3:58 pm
finally tonight finding history. in chattanooga, tennessee they found a long lost interview with dr. martin luther king jr. from 1960. on the tape he describes what made the civil rights movement so unique. >> the think that impresses me about the movement is the fact that they have followed means that grow out of the highest tradition of nonviolence and peaceful methods.
3:59 pm
i think this is the thing that makes this movement unique and makes it one of the most significant developments in the whole racial struggle. >> dr. king also predicted what the history books would say about the movement. >> i am convinced that when the history books are written in the future years, historians will have to record this movement as one of the greatest epics of our heritage. i think the movement represents struggle on the highest level of dignity and discipline. >> he knew that history would record what the movement did. this was before the voting rights act five years after this tape. before he won the nobel prize four years after, before any of the "time" magazine man the year. he knew history would record what was done at a
159 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on