what's the old phrase, can't live with them, can't live without them? i'd rather live with them, who else is going to get things done and history often demands we get done. that's "hardball" for now. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, the winning argument. president obama won the election. he won the debate on fairness and he's winning this fight in washington and now even some republicans admit it. in the election, 65 million americans voted for fairness. they stood with the president who says everyone should pay their fair share, that there's just something fundamentally wrong with the millionaire paying less in tacks than his or her secretary. president obama drove that point home again today demanding that the rich pay more so the burden

doesn't fall on the middle class. >> our first job is to make sure that taxes on middle class families don't go up and since we all theoretically agree on that, we should get that done. i know some of this might sound familiar to you because we talked about this a lot during the campaign. this shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. this was a major debate in the presidential can campaign and congressional campaigns all across the country. >> that's what this election was all about, americans were with him on election day. and they are still with him now. a newark ton post poll shows 60% support raising taxes on those making more than $250,000, just 37% oppose it. and now we're starting to see signs of the gop, signs that they are feeling the pressure. today, powerful republican congressman tom cole said that

they should just take the deal that the president is offering. >> in my view, we all agree that we're not going to raise taxes on people who make less than $250,000. we should just take them out of this discussion right now. continue to fight against any rate increases, continuing to work honestly for a much bigger deal. >> the former spokeswoman for president bush, dana perrino, says republicans have lost the argument. >> if i were president obama, i'd be doing the exact same thing. >> why? >> he's got republicans on the rope and he knows it. republicans seem to be a little bit in disarray. and not for a good reason. they did lose. >> exactly. the republicans lost this election. and what we're witnessing is is them losing the fight over fairness. >> the senate's already passed a bill that keeps income taxes from going up on middle class families. democrats in the house are ready to vote for that same bill today. and if we can get a few house

republicans to agree as well, i'll sign this bill as soon as congress sends it my way. i've got to repeat, i've got a pen, i'm ready to sign it. i'll go anywhere and i'll do whatever it takes to get this done. it's too important for washington to screw this up. >> millions of americans agree with the president, republicans better get with the program or get out of the way. joining me now is joy ann reid, and ana marie cox, washington correspondent for the guardian. thank you both for joining me tonight. >> good to be here. >> ana marie, let me start with you. do republicans see the writing on the wall in this tax debate? >> i think they do. obviously some of them do. and i have to say, this is like a very weird place to kind of like stake your claim, like this is what you're going to commit political suicide over.

there are actually other conservative ideals that i understand the philosophical principles behind and why you might go to the mat on this one. but this was -- as the president said, this was something that was decided by the election. this is not something that people were wishy-washy on. americans don't mind if you raise taxes on the very wealthy. not only do they not mind but they want this. i think it only makes sense for republicans to at least do what tom cole has said, which is to settle for this now and then if you want to have that fight later, if you want to make your debate points later, go ahead and do that. at this point, the memory so fresh with what the mandate is in the election, it's kind of hard to understand why you would fight so hard. >> it is hard to understand but, joy ann, one person doesn't agree with tom cole who i showed in the opening and that's speaker john boehner. let me show you what the speaker had to say. >> i told tom earlier in our

conference meeting that i disagreed with him. the goal here is to grow the economy and control spending. you're not going to grow the economy if you raise tax rates on the top two rates. we're willing to put revenue on the table as long as we're not raising rates. >> so, joy, boehner is not exactly ready to go along with the american people, it seems. >> i think what you just saw there, rev, was a man waiting for bated breath on january 3rd, hoping that every day gets shorter and shorter and shorter as long as we're still in the lame duck congress and tea party members are still there. i think john boehner still has an ounce of fear that he will lose that vote. so he's always watching his right flank. i think boehner will be in a stronger position if we get to january 3rd and there isn't a deal and he can force a deal on his tea party members but this is a guy who still has to message to the right.

this deal would have to be made by the congress that just lost the election, the congress headed by the tea party. and it's iron ironic that it lost the election but boehner has to cling to it for now. >> but the american people are clearly with the president on this. every poll and the election showed that. >> absolutely. but i think if john boehner would have waved the white flag of surrender, it would weaken his bargaining selection. he still has, quote/unquote leverage. >> ana marie, when you look at the president telling americans to put pressure on the congress. >> take a listen to this. >> i'm asking americans all across the country to make your voice heard. tell members of congress what a a $2,000 tax hike would mean to

you. write them a comment, tweet it using m2k. not y2k. we figured that would make it easier to remember. >> you have the president mobilizing the citizens to put pressure on the congress, ana marie. >> this is actually something pretty familiar to people who have been watching the white house for any number of election cycles. going back to, at least in my memory when i started in 200, you are trying to mobilize your apparatus. this is the time to do it, if you're going to do it. and you have obama supporters willing to retweet anything that the president says. i do hope that they can use this at this point. i'm not optimistic that this is something that can continue. people aren't going to remain as

engaged. i do think that's probably what is going to happen, if anything. of course, it's still from a perspective hard to understand. it's only intel jabl if you buy into the weird social and political calculus that is the congress. >> but if he waits until january 3rd -- >> right. >> -- we will be over the so-called fiscal cliff, joy. >> right. >> so i hear you say he's holding baited breath until january 3rd. >> the fiscal cliff is more of a curve. it wouldn't be some catastrophic thing that would kick in right away. they'd actually have until the 15th of january until most of the first paychecks were coming out. they would have time to fix this because everybody would be voting for a tax cuts.

so if all of the tax ruts from the bush era went away, they'd be voting on a middle class tax for everybody, $250,000 and less. that's something that boehner could get substantial votes for. even as crazy and inlogical as it sounds, it's crazy if a guy from oklahoma, not even in a swing state, if he's saying it's over, it's over. boehner just can't admit it. >> now, there is also a talk about fill bu abo about filibustering but hair said something. let me read the comment from dan five officer. the president has said that hasn't changed in the

president's supports majority leader reid's efforts to reform the filibuster process. it's pretty heavy. >> it is. it depends on who is in control of senate and the congress as far as how far a debate goes. i think it's interesting that there have been interesting research projects done, especially when they say it's the worst that it's ever been. when it comes to delaying tactics in the senate, it is the worst it's ever been. the fill bust sister filibuster is used more often that ever. it would be nice if something was done about that, if congress would see negotiation work in their every day lives. i don't know what the tipping point is going to be. maybe as things get worse and

worse there will be a tipping point on it. >> ana marie cox and joy ann reid, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. breaking news, secretary clinton's first public comments about susan rice. and table for two? president obama's having lunch with mr. 47%. i wonder if humble pie is on the menu. and the first lady and voter dog are getting into the holiday spirit. but tonight i have a new twist on another annual tradition. i'm looking at you, fox news. this is poins on msnbc. >> as fast as they abandon -- oh, what's his name? don't help me.

don't help me. >> no, that's my personal trainer. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok.

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have you joined the "politicsnation" conversation on facebook yet? we hope you will. today a lot of people were sharing their views about the president's decision to invite mitt romney for lunch tomorrow. norman says, a class move on the president's part. and ron says, this speaks volumes about the president's willingness and intent to bring the parties together. and becky says, a smart man listens to the ideas of others regardless of politics. as always, we want to hear what you think, too. please head over to facebook be and search "politicsnation" and "like" us to join the

conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. mom? who's mom? i'm the giants mascot. the giants don't have a mascot! ohhh! eat up! new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks mom! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right.

couldn't be prouder of the job that she's done. >> that was president obama today in his cabinet meeting praising the ambassador susan rice. just moments ago, hillary

clinton made a comment. >> susan rice has done a great job as ambassador to the united nations and, of course, this decision about my successor is up to the president but i'm very happy he has the opportunity ability to make a second term decision. >> a strong praise of support for hillary clinton. republicans have been trying to draw up controversy over the attacks but they have a big problem. ambassador rice had absolutely no role in embassy security and republicans know this basic fact, completely destroys their bogus argument. so today gop senators cooked up a whole new talking point and it might be their most offensive attack yet. >> what troubles me so much is

the benghazi attack, in many ways echos the attacks on those embassies in 1998 when susan rice was head of the african region for our state department. >> my colleague from maine raised some very important questions about the embassy bombings. those are questions that should be answered as well. >> they are exploiting another national tragedy. the 1998 embassy attacks in kenya killed more than 200 people, including 12 americans over 1,000 people were hurt. and now republicans are using these tragic bombings to score political point? to try and disrupt a potential cabinet nomination, to smear the name of a dedicated public servant who has given nearly two

decades to government service? this is a new law. it's time for lawmakers to put politics aside and focus on the real national security interest of the country. joining me now is senator ben cardin, democrat from maryland and member of the committee on foreign relations. senator, thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you. >> let me ask you, is it appropriate to use the 1998 bombings to criticize susan rice over what happened in 2012? >> no. the republicans are trying to make controversy where controversy is not really there. ambassador rice should be judged by her record. her record at the united nations as the ambassador for the united states. she is world renowned known as a great diplomat. she's represented our country very well. she should be judged on her record. >> now, senator, your colleague,

senator collins, also accused ambassador rice of playing a political role in the benghazi aftermath today. listen to her criticism here. >> i continue to be troubled by the fact that the u.n. ambassador decided to play what was essentially a political role at the height of a contentious presidential election campaign by agreeing to go on the sunday shows to present the administration's position. >> now, she says she went on the sunday show, senator. it was political. but just four seconds after susan rice appeared on one of these sunday morning shows, john mccain appeared on the same show. was he being political? >> well, benghazi was a tragedy,

loss of human life. and while that tragedy was unfolding, the republicans making political statements that were totally inappropriate. susan rice was given a responsibility, she responded to information that she had. i think the facts of benghazi speak for themselves. i think susan rice's role is well known, that she was out there with information that had been provided to her and that to hold her accountable for the aftermath when the facts became known, i think it's just wrong and the republicans from day one were wrong on this and it's a situation where americans should come together. on foreign policy issues, we shouldn't be playing politics. >> let me ask you, senator, if we can, let's go to the bottom line. can they block her? can she be can confirmed? >> the confirmation process is a very serious process t involves hearings and she should be judged on her record and what comes out at the hearings. i think so many senators have

already prejudged her on information that i don't think is relevant to her capability to be secretary of state or whatever confirmation appointment that the president were to make. i would hope that the senators would withhold, allow the process to go forward. i think she has an outstanding record to present to the american people. >> are you willing to fight for that record? are democrats ready to dig in and fight if the president chooses to nominate ambassador rice? >> we want president obama's team in place as soon as possible. he won the election. we believe his team is entitled to the courtesy of the united states senate. there should be a processed and she should be judged on her record. >> senator ben cardin, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. meet the go perform, same as the grand old boys in the back.

didn't they learn anything from the election? plus, it's great to see the first lady in the holiday spirit. but not so great to see the annual freakout in the right wing media. that's coming up here next on "politicsnation."

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we're back with a disturbing

story from jacksonville, florida. a 45-year-old florida man has been charged with murder in the death of a 17-year-old jordan davis who, according to police, michael dunn pulled up to a convenience store last friday and told a group of teenagers in an suv to turn down their music. police say an argument broke out, dunn pulled a gun and fired eight or nine shots. the young man, jordan davis, was in the back seat of the car and died after being shot twice. police say dunn then drove away from the scene. he was arrested the next morning. so the legal process is taking its course. dunn has plead not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense but police say the teens were unarmed. this happened in florida, the state that brought us the stand your ground law, a law that the nra pushed hard and has now spread across the country it's a

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ninja app hipster glasses 5% cash back sign up to get 5% everywhere online through december. only from discover. after the disastrous showing at the polls, republicans have learned their lesson. that's right. the gop's going to change its ways. and their party chairman is going to get to the root of why they lost. >> i don't think you can draw any quick conclusions other than we lost and we know that. i think in order to get back in the game you have to look and do a full autopsy of what happened. >> now, i'm not a doctor but i don't think you need an autopsy to correct the prachl. the african-americans lost by 87 points, hispanics, by 44 points, and single women by 36 points. so the first step is to do

outreach to those groups, right? put diverse people into positions of power. really broaden their reach. these are their 1920 chairs in the house gop picked so far. can anyone guess what they all have in common? if you guessed, they are all white men, you win. so let's take a look at these uniquely qualified congress. there's congressman royce picked to head foreign affairs. let's say that he's not exactly welcoming different communities. here he is at an anti muslim rally last year. >> a big part of the problem that we face today is that our children have been taught at schools that every idea is right, that no one should criticize other positions and it

has paralyzed too many of our fellow citizens to make the critical judgment we need to make to prosper as a society. >> multicultural paralyzes. top notch choice for foreign affairs. and here's their pick for the financial services committee. congressman jeb hensarling. his main campaign contributor, financial services industry. no conflict of interest there. and nothing says science, space, and technology like representative lamar smith. he's a climate change skept particular. so what was that that the gop chairman said about this election? >> i don't think you can draw any quick conclusions other than the fact that we lost and we know that. >> about that, i think i have a couple of quick conclusions. joining me now is former pennsylvania governor ed rendell, now an nbc news political analyst and cynthia

tucker, pulitzer price columnist. thank you both for being here this evening. >> our pleasure. >> good to be here, reverend. >> cynthia, let me go to you first. why didn't the gop get the message? what are they thinking about with these committee chairs? >> well, that's a great question, rev? why didn't they get the message? for one thing, if they wanted to present people of color as committee chairs, they don't have -- they have very few to call on. they have a very small handful of latino men in the house and now that allen west is still there for the rest of this year and that leaves scott of south carolina of the remaining black republican in the house. so they don't have a whole lot

of choices if they want to make people of chair committee chairs. they could have put some women in positions of power. they could have showcased some republican women. but they would have had to move over some of these long-serving men who have taken these positions by -- because of seniority. they have been there a long time. they would have had to explain to them that we are in trouble. >> yeah. >> because we look like a party of old white guys. you need to move over so we can showcase some more faces and clearly nobody wanted to do that. >> but governor, we heard a lot of people say right after election that they've got to change, they've got to reach out, they've got to represent america and they've got to understand the demographics have changed and that is not to be

pro or anti any group. what happened to that spirit that we were just hearing 2 1/2, 3 weeks ago? >> lip service. and cynthia is right. they could have easily put women and men into positions of leadership. they would have had to have explained to the people who got seniority that this is something that we had to do for the benefit of the party. they could have begun the process. but when you combine this shocking thing, it's almost as shocking as when they had the hearing on contraception and had all men witnesses. they didn't have any female witnesses. when you combine this act with their attack on susan rice for what happened in libya when susan rice had nothing to do with what happened in libya, when you combine that gratuitous attack on her like this, it looks like they are back to their old ways, attacking women,

ignoring women, attacking minorities and people of color. cynthia i think would agree with me, you don't make just points by putting people of color or women in positions. you have to change the under lying policy. >> otherwise it becomes meaningless window dressing. let me give you the chief strategist for the rahm romney campaign. stewart stevens wrote this. on november 6th, romney carried the majority of every economic group except those with less than $50,000 a year in household income. that means he carried the majority of middle class voter. let's remember that any party that carries the middle class must be doing something write.

this is what he writes. but he didn't stop there. he also wanted to explain the blow without that romney faces at the hands of minorities, young voters and women. president obama was a charismatic african-american president with a billion dollars. no primary and media that often felt morally conflicted about being critical. how easy is that to replicate? i mean, this is what he wrote, cynthia. they don't get it. >> well, this is the guy who lost the campaign so those who wanted to know what happened to their money, well, obama handed out gifts. this is a guy saying, well, it's just those, you know, takers, those moochers who voted for obama. for heaven's sakes, people who

make most of the people who have served in our armed forces come from households making less than $50,000 a year. that is the sole of america. so he is being completely dismissive of those voters in the same way that romney was when he spoke of the 47% so, no, this is a group of people that has learned absolutely nothing at all about how to appeal toll a broader cross-section of america. >> now, i think that that's the problem. governor, when you look at the fact that as of september this congress had 55 anti-women votes by house republicans, i mean, maybe some of their, as you say, policies and stand is what has caused their problem.

>> no question. even more than the lack of the positions. better evidence is what is happening in ohio. in ohio, within days of the presidential election, resounding victory for the president. within days, they pass essentially a personhood amendment, the same that mississippi voters passed overwhelmingly. they passed it and sent it to the floor. only the senate president who is a republican had the good sense to table it and say we've got to worry about jobs. but can you imagine the thought process? do something like that? >> no, it's hard to imagine. >> it's unbelievable. >> governor ed rendell and cynthia tucker, thank you for your time tonight. coming up, mitt romney is coming to lunch tomorrow. will he be eating humble pie? and the first dog bo stole the show today unveiling the

official crystal ball holiday pra digs. and there's another tradition going on today and it's coming from the right wing media. stay with us. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save later.

president obama makes good on a promise. mitt romney is coming to lunch. that's next. ♪

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we may battle fiercely but

it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. from george to lanora to their son mitt, they have decided to give back in public service and that is a honor that we applaud tonight. tom, president obama will sit down for lunch with mitt romney at the white house. it will be a private lunch, no press, no aides. just two ex-rivals in the president's private dining room. the white house won't say what is on ate general da but we here at "politicsnation" have a guess on what is on the menu. a 47% burger because 100% is

just too filling and the you-who chaser and might mitt romney be enjoying a large slice of humble pie? and some guess bring gifts, no, not the kind of gifts that mr. romney talked about. perhaps he'll bring some binders, or maybe a good book, all about bain. all the kidding aside, there's a serious side to the meeting. this is politically smart and is a big step toward bipartisanship. president obama, once again, showing that he's willing to put aside differences for a common ground. is there something at work here? whatever it is, i'd love to be a fly on the wall for this one. joining me now, doug also brinkley, presidential historian and professor at rice university. he's also the author of a new

biography, cronkite. and dr. jam peterson, professor and contributor to grio.com. thank you for joining me. >> thank you. >> doug, let me start with you. there's an interesting history with these meetings of rivals. tell us about this. >> well, if you go back as far as the early republican 1800 thomas jefferson and tom adams were at each other's throats. by the end of their lives, they were corresponding with each other. there are collected letters and became very fond of each other. this is what we call a photo op lunch tomorrow. john f. kennedy met nixon who he barely beat. president obama, as he does with everything, is showing a lot of grace and you shake hands after

you lose and then life will move on but it's good to have the photo op. >> james, the president actually said on election night in his speech, let's put our differences in the past. watch this. >> there may be ideas that he has with respect -- >> as cynical as the pundits believe, we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. we are and forever will be the united states of america and together with your help and's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. thank you, america. >> is the president, james, by having the lunch tomorrow that he said he would do, is he continuing to try to set a new

tone, a higher tone in america or is it just the traditional photo op of two ex rivals? >> rev, i think the optics are important. historically, whether there's a transfer of power or not in these presidential elections, they are somewhat divisive along electoral lines and it's important that we kind of heal and show that the union is more important than any sort of political maneuvers that go on during the election season. and so president obama is doing what i think is the right thing to do historically here. and at an important time, in order for us to deal with our fiscal challenges and the different things we have to do in terms of managing medicare and working through the different issues that we have in terms of our economy and social issues, it's going to be very, very important that we signal cues and sort of make messages that are bipartisan and

consensus-oriented so we can get some stuff done in washington. >> as an historian, sometimes, david, these meetings -- douglas, these meetings can be a little awkward. when you look at bush/gore, for example. >> bush/gore was a bit awkward because gore thought he had lost the presidency because of the supreme court that he won but had he to do it and that's the main thing. you did have that main meeting between gore and bush. the worst one for awkwardness is ronald reagan when he beat carter in 1980. carter and reagan had zero chemistry and you have times when fdr, back in 1944, refused to talk. i want to see that s.o.b. dand e wouldn't meet him. the most generous i ever heard of was richard nixon in 1968 after beating hugh bert humphrey, visited humphrey and

offered for him to be the ambassador and of course he said no. >> now, talking about offering a job, the president did say, james, that mr. romney had some good ideas in his post-election news conference. watch what the president said about mr. romney's idea. >> there may be ideas that he has with respect to jobs and growth that can help middle class families, which i want to hear. i'm not either prejudging what he's interested in doing nor am i suggesting i've got some specific assignment. but what i want to do is get ideas from him and see if there's some ways that we can potentially work together. >> so he was complementary of some of the ideas they may find common ground on, james. but we don't expect him to offer

mr. romney a job tomorrow. >> i would be very surprised if mr. romney is offered any kind of official position in an obama administration. the opportune word there, rev, is he may have some ideas. i think he is aware of the ideas that mr. romney has. even if you think about the business accumen and experiences, those are not the kind of business practices that we need in this kind of economic environment. the president is aware of what needs to happen going forward. and the gesture towards bipartisanship again is what is most important in this particular meeting. i don't think too much substantive will come out in terms of mr. romney having some kind of a position or being able to see his ideas about how to move forward in the economy into an obama administration's plan for the future of america. >> well, douglas brinkley, james peterson, thank you for your time tonight. i think it's a healthy thing. i'm very firm and clear on my

positions but i also think it's very important until a divided country that we show none of it is personal and that the american people are far more important than any of our partisan views. that's why it was good the president met even today with ceos who had opposed him, marriott, state farm, caterpillar, at&t. let's have a tone of not having the koucountry at each other's throats but let's be firm. we'll be right back after this. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro.

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welcome back. the holiday spirit is in the air tonight. the annual traditions are getting under way. here at "30 rock ", people are gathering waiting for the lighting of the rockefeller christmas tree tonight. it's a tradition that goes back

to the 1930s. the unofficial start to the holiday season. but it's not the oinl tradition we're seeing. and today first lady michelle obama and first dog bo unveiled the white house christmas decoration. it feels so much like christmas, it's snowing in the studio. but wouldn't really be able to say 'tis the season without the return of another holiday tradition. that's right. i'm talking about the right wing media's annual war on christmas outrage. you can hear their angelic voices already. >> what the heck is going on with christmas in rhode island? >> now, this is insane, of course. there's no reason to mess around with the word christmas? >> christmas doesn't need to be attacked. >> it was made a holiday to

honor jesus christ. it's unbelievable to me that we try to cover that up. >> oh, yes. they are horrified that rhode island's governor almost didn't have a tree lighting ceremony. and can you believe they called official state tree a holiday tree? just like egg nog, mistletoe. >> i think it's part of the secular agenda to get christianity and judiasim out of the square. >> just this week, santa was thrown out of a cancer center. >> the war of christmas is back under way. >> we'll have christ back in christmas and hopefully it won't offend you. >> to deny that there's an attack on christmas is flat out lie. >> those liberals are always attacking christmas and for getting what the season is really about.

peace. togetherness, and guns. >> nothing says christmas like santa and ac-47s. maybe that's in your christmas list, maybe it's not. >> that's right. fox hosted manager of the gun club. that let's people get their christmas pictures taken with machine guns. >> this is our third year and every year it continues to grow larger and larger. >> a regular holiday tradition. just like the war on christmas. what other time of year do we get to hear things like this? >> a lot of people, for whatever reason, will look at the interview and say gretchen sl nuts. they are so nuts because they think that thide