company with central leanings. it likes its president. it roots for its success and believes strongly that america will win again because of its deep resilience. we can change. we are changing. and when we see failure, when we see heart, we're not afraid to change there is an old line in the movies, it may be my favorite. i learned that people are only truly pay attention to what they discover for themselves. in the morning hours of newtown, connecticut, in the horror of 20 young faces we learned what must be done because we saw what was being done to our children and grandchildren if we didn't. we gave up cigarettes, which gave us pleasure, because we discovered the damage they can do because of the horror they can do. we should be able to give up semiautomatic rifles. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. have a very happy new year. will the united states

economy avoid a belly flop at the bottom of the fiscal cliff? the men and women working inside the u.s. capitol right now will answer that question in just the next few hours. we are hearing and very good evening to you. i'm richard lui. the fiscal cliff showdown in washington. the house gop leadership considered an amended version of the senate's fiscal cliff bill, which would include around $330 billion in spending cuts. nbc news is reporting there are not enough votes for the amended bill to pass. now, without those needed votes, speaker john boehner is prepared to bring the senate deal to the house floor for an up-and-down vote possibly tonight. the senate bill is expected to get around 170 democratic votes in the house, meaning it will need roughly 50 republican votes to pass. now these developments come after house republicans were on the verge of rejecting the senate bill earlier today. house gop leader eric cantor telling the caucus he could not support the bill without spending cuts.

all right. let's turn to nbc's mike viqueira who has been covering all the latest developments from washington on this. so vic, the reason we're in this place, this has something to do with a fig leaf? >> well, i think so. i think plainly what happened here is after it became apparent earlier in the day that the house republican conference did not like what the senate did in the wee hours last night at 2:00 in the morning, that they wanted to amend that bill, thereby throwing this whole thing into question and putting us on the fiscal cliff for possibly days more. they stared into the abyss after there was an eruption here on new year's day. and they saw that it would have been a public relations disaster. the senate would not have acted on any bill that they put on the floor that would have changed the senate bill. that means there would have been a new congress. that means the legislative slate would be wiped clean after thursday noon when the new congress is put into session that the economy would be thrown into chaos. the markets would be thrown into

chaos. people's paychecks when they start to go back to work tomorrow would have a huge bite taken out of them because of the rising taxes. put all that together, put a media firestorm, a scene at the capitol which was close to chaos with members meeting behind closed doors moving back and forth, and what has happened now is essentially the gop has decided to cave, put that clean senate billiton floor and vote on it tonight. and it really looks as if at this point the skids are definitely greased for the house of representatives to move forward now. a vote on that senate bill and pass it, send it to the president's desk as early as later this evening or early tomorrow morning, richard. >> somewhere around 9:30 we're hearing possibly, right? it could be that soon? >> yeah. well, they start the process to put the bill on the floor in just a few minutes. in the house of representatives everything goes on the floor has to go through a committee on

rules. later in the afternoon the republican leadership made a show of attempting to find the votes for an amended bill. i think it's clear, and i think they knew that there would not be the votes there. they couldn't expect to get any democratic support for that. house support, republican support seemed pretty thin on the face of it. and, indeed, what they have done at this point is sort of fold up their tents. they're going to put that clean senate bill on the floor. this comes after an afternoon, richard, you and i have been talking all afternoon of real tumult in washington here when it became apparent that house republicans were against this bill. we're going to try to amend it. that plan now out the window. they're going to pack it up. they're going to vote on the senate bill, vic. >> you're an old pro, as i like to say. you run up and down the halls there in d.c. so many times. >> yeah. >> did speaker boehner plan on this from the very beginning, that he was going to definitely bring this ultimately to the floor for the up or down vote?

>> here is the expectation, richard. the expectation finally when the speaker's plan b, i guess about ten days ago on a friday when he put that billiton floor, you recall it was the income threshold at one million, and only those who hearn more than that would see their taxes go up. and it didn't even get enough support there because republicans don't want to vote for any tax increases. it became apparent then when he essentially punted to it the senate and asked the senate to take care of it. and we followed all the ups and downs of that. and finally vice president biden getting involved over the weekend, negotiating a bill with mitch mcconnell and putting it on the floor. 2:00 a.m. this morning, it passes the senate by a vote of 89 to 8, was it. i've said it so many times now, i've almost forgotten it, richard. 89-8. and the feeling was in washington, and there was sort of a nod and a wink going on here, and i think you saw that on both ends of pennsylvania avenue that once house republicans and the speaker saw that just an enormous wave there, a bipartisan wave coming at them from the senate, there

really was nothing they could do to stand in the way of that. and ultimately, that's really what has happened here, richard. >> 16 hours ago was when we first got that deal, that 89-8. it seems like so long ago. thank you so much again, mike viqueira covering that story for us. joining us right now jared bernstein senior fellow. the public amendment being considered here, it's swapping defense and domestic cuts. how does that make sense here? talk about that, if you could. >> first of all, let me point out, as mike very correctly said, that amendment really doesn't seem like it's going anywhere, if you're someone who wants this bill to get over the legislative goal line is a very good thing, once you get through the up or down votes, democrats join on and you have a pretty good chance of getting over. look, what the republicans have been trying to do all along is arguing that the thing they don't like most about the senate bill, and that is house republicans, is that it doesn't include enough spending cuts. now when it comes to spending

cuts, they're there are basically three types. entitlements, which the white house isn't doing on this round, and there is defense and nondefense, domestic. they don't want to cut defense. white house isn't going to give them anything on entitlements right now. and so that leaves this part of the budget that is the nondefense discretionary part. and that's what they would like to target here. if they were to do that, if that kind of amendment were to pass, the bill would die, because the democrats have already given as much as they plan to at the office. >> you know, the senate bill as it stands, the one that came over 16 hours ago at 2:00 in the morning, it's got at least a dozen major moving parts to it. now that you had a chance to look at it, who got more out of this deal, do you think? >> it's a great question. i think that the republicans got some important things, but i think the democrats and the white house got more. but it's actually pretty

balanced, which doesn't surprise me given that biden and mcconnell sat down with real compromise in the room. the revenue number at the end of the day, 600 billion, is well below where obama started. and remember of course he had the threshold for income tax rates expiring at 250,000. now they're going to expire at 450,000. so that certainly lands more on the republican side of the field. they also got a better deal on the estate tax. they have parameters on the estate tax that are more favorable to the very wealthy estates. but democrats did get the unemployment benefits extended for another year. they got refundable tax credits that help a lot of low income people extend it for five years. and of course they did get higher income tax rates on wealthy people, above 450,000, which is something they've been looking for a very long time. >> from $250,000 to 450,000. >> right. >> jared bernstein, thank you so much as we will watch the clock in the next couple of hours. perhaps something may happen.

jared bernstein, thank you again. joining us is congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz and the chairwoman of the democratic national committee. congresswoman, thank you so much for spending time with us this evening. >> absolutely. >> what we're hearing from our report on the hill is speaker boehner asking his members if they would vote for the amendment to the senate bill. and if a majority won't back it, if he can't get the 217, he'll let the senate bill hit the floor for a up or down vote. when we look at this, is this really just about the house republicans, or a certain portion of them being allowed to vent? >> well, it's definitely a head-scratcher. why the republicans, any of them would want to risk allowing taxes to go up for 98% of americans and 97% of small businesses is really mind-boggling. but from what i understand, the house rules committee is going to go in, that they're actually i think in their meeting right now, and they are planning on

bringing the senate bill right to the floor with no amendments. and we'll have a straight up or down vote on the senate fiscal cliff deal between mitch mcconnell and the vice president. and we'll see. when democracy has an opportunity to work, whether the majority of the house of representatives, not just the majority of the majority, as speaker boehner has rigidly adhered to prior to now, but whether the majority of the house of representatives can come together and put our differences aside and not engage in the my way or the highway tactics that have been employed over far too long. and that will be great news for the middle class if that happens. >> the majority of the house, the numbers we were saying at the top of this hour, 170 democrats is what we're hearing at the moment. it would take 50 or so republicans. do you think it's 170? is that a reasonable number you believe from your caucus? >> well, i'm not sure what the count in our caucus is. but i certainly hope that it's more than 50 republicans. i mean, this is something that

should garner, you know, i'd say -- i'd like to see 100 republicans supporting this. we've got to put together this 218 votes. we'll have a good strong vote from our caucus. it feels like that's what is going to come out of the house democratic caucus. but i would be -- it would be a little bit pitiful if only 50 republicans vote to say we shouldn't raise taxes on 98% of americans, we shouldn't extend unemployment benefits for two million people for another year, we shouldn't extend the american opportunity tax credit and make sure that more young people can go to college, the earned income tax credit or the child -- the child tax credit. so the things that are in this deal are essential for the middle class. and not passing this is going to really leave the middle class in a significant world of hurt. and i don't understand why republicans would vote to do that to them. >> you've been watching, no

doubt, what has been happening throughout the last 24 hours very carefully. we've been watching our cameras here. we see speaker boehner coming and going. this has certainly not been an easy time for the speaker. >> no. >> if and when he does take the senate bill to the floor, do you consider that an act of bravery on his part? >> well, i -- i would just say finally, finally. because we had an opportunity so many other times to bring a bill to the floor that was balanced. that's what president obama and democrats have called for all along. we've never said it has to be all our way. we've been willing, and will continue to support significant spending cuts to reduce our deficit. we know we need to make sure that the wealthiest americans pay a little more to add to that deficit reduction package. we know we're going to need entitlement savings. this is the first step towards significant deficit reduction. we would have prefer to do it in the $4 trillion deal that president obama proposed, but now we'll do it in steps.

going forward after tonight, i hope this passes. and then going forward after tonight, any subsequent deal needs to also have balance. and that's what people need to keep in mind. we're not going to continue down the path of lopsided deals that balance all the pain on the backs of the middle class. those days are over. >> we're speaking to one vote in the yes column should that senate bill make to it the floor. thank you so much, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz and happy new year to you. >> you too. >> we will continue to watch what is hatching on capitol hill. we expect something to happen perhaps around 9:30. if that does, we'll have it right here for you on msnbc throughout the night for the latest on what is happening on the fiscal cliff. [ cheeping ] [ male announcer ] you hear that?

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coming up, it was the tape everyone was talking about. we'll look at how mitt romney's 47% comments changed the presidential race. and later, from voter purges to long lines. americans faced many obstacles to cast their vote this november. ohio state senator nina turner joins me to discuss the fight for the right to vote.

we'll be right back with our special edition of "the ed show," a salute to the middle class heroes. so we created the extraordinarily comfortable sleep number experience. a collection of innovations designed around a bed with dualair technology that allows you to adjust to the support your body needs - each of your bodies. our sleep professionals will help you find your sleep number setting. exclusively at a sleep number store. comfort individualized. save 50% on the final closeout of our silver limited edition bed plus special financing through new years day.

welcome back to xoloitzcuintli year end edition. women's health care, equal pay for equal work, birth control. those were the issues that republicans decided to tackle in 2012. it wasn't a year in which republicans at the state level tried to force women considering an abortion to have an invasive and medically unnecessary ultrasound. pennsylvania republicans even proposed requiring women to review the ultrasound. governor come corbett didn't understand what the fuss was all about. >> making them watch, does that

go too far if your mind? >> you don't make anybody watch, okay, because you just have to close your eyes. >> it was a year in which republican presidential nominee campaigned on defunding planned parenthood. wouldn't take a position on the lilly ledbetter fair pay act, and bragged about his hiring practices as governor of massachusetts. >> and so we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds la could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. i went to a number of women's groups and said could you help us find folks. and they brought us whole binders of women. >> it's a year when republicans pushed for candidates like todd akin and richard mourdock. >> if it's legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down. >> i struggled with it myself a long time, but i realized life is a gift from god, and even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that god intended to happen.

>> it was a year in which we had to hear rhetoric like this. >> this contraceptive thing, my gosh, it's such inexpensive. back in my days, they used bayer aspirin for contraception. the gals put it between their knees and it wasn't that costly. >> that was the kind of year it was. and it all started back in february when republicans held a hearing on the affordable care acts contraception mandate, no women testified. democrats were allowed to invite one witness. they chose georgetown law student sandra fluke. chairman darrell issa rejected mrs. fluke as not qualified to speak on the matter. fluke eventually gave her testimony in front of a democratic congressional panel and became a target of the biggest voice of the republican party, rush limbaugh. but before limbaugh could launch his smear campaign against a private citizen, sandra fluke gave her first national

interview here on the "ed show." great to have you with us tonight, sandra. now i understand that you had already planned your testimony. you were going to cite some examples of people who could have benefitted from president obama's mandate for birth control coverage. share with us what you would have told that committee today. >> that is what i was there to speak to the committee about. and that's why i was so stunned when chairman issa made the decision to not allow me to speak on behalf of those women, and to say that i was not an appropriate witness, that those women's stories were not appropriate for this committee. i cannot think of who would be more appropriate for the committee to hear from than the women who were affected by this policy whose lives were affected. one of the women i wanted to talk about today is a close friend of mine. she has polycystic ovarian syndrome. what that means is she needs to take contraception for medical reason to prevent cysts from growing on her ovaries and not to prevent pregnancy.

that technically means that should it be covered on georgetown student health insurance which does not cover contraception for prevention of pregnancy, but unfortunately, when university administrators and employers and insurance companies get involved in deciding whose health needs are legitimate and whose aren't, what happens is that women's health needs take a back seat to that type of ideology. and that's what happened in her case. and we found that that happens in 65% of the female students' cases. so for her, she was unable, they repeatedly refused her contraceptive coverage claims, and she had verification from her doctor. it didn't matter. she had to pay out of pocket about $100 a month for her month after month after month, and eventually she just couldn't afford it. like many students just cannot afford that kind of a cost. and she had to stop taking it. and i have to tell you, it's -- so what happened is after a few months of her not taking the

prescription, a massive cyst grew on her ovary. and she woke up one night in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. she told me that it felt like she had been shot. and i just can't -- i don't want to imagine what that felt like for her. but what ultimately happened is she had that ovary surgically removed. she had to have it surgically removed. and as a result of that, of course she would have problems conceiving a child. but even more, it just -- it hasn't stopped for her. she -- she since the surgery has experienced symptoms of early menopause. and her doctors are very concerned that at the age of 32 she is entering early menopause, which means that there will be nothing any doctor can do to help her to conceive a child. and it will also put her at risk for increased risk for cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. and that's where she was this

morning when i was attempting to tell her story to the public and to members of congress. she was at the doctor's office trying to cope with the symptoms she is experiencing. >> are people on campus, are they talking about this story? has this really hit the attention of women that you interact with professionally in the school setting? >> oh my goodness, unless you've studied at one of these schools, i can't even explain to you what it's like on campus. we have been following these regulations for -- ever since the affordable care act was passed. and it's a fight we've been having for years, literally decades. students have been struggling for this. so this makes such an incredible difference in our lives, in the lives of so many women. >> sandra fluke, i really appreciate you being here tonight. i know they watch on capitol hill. great testimony here on "the ed show," and i think you're probably going to get an opportunity to talk more with people who will be in a position of making a decision that will

affect the lives of women. i really appreciate you being with us tonight. thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> you bet. coming up, mitt romney's caught on tape comments revealed his true feelings about the poor in this country, next. how the 47% changed the presidential race. and we traveled the country to bring you the stories of workers fighting to keep their jobs as republicans tried to dismantle labor unions. later, john nichols joins me on the future of organized labor, and much more. stay tuned. he more you lose because for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise, alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. let's fight fat with alli. ♪

welcome back to "the ed show." thanks for watching. one video defined this year's presidential campaign more than anything else, mitt romney and the 47%. >> been told this, don't worry, we'll take care of them how. are we going to do it? in two months before the elections to convince everybody you've got to take care of yourself?

there are 47% who will rote for the president no matter what. there are 47% who are with him who are dependent upon them that believe they are victims, that believe government has the responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. it's entitlement. and government should do it. and they will vote for this president no matter what. i mean, the president starts off with 48, 49. he starts off with a huge number. these are people who pay no income tax. 47% of americans pay no income tax. so our message of low taxes doesn't connect. he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for rich. that's what they sell every four years. and so my job is not to worry about those few. i'll never convince them. that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. what i have to do is convince the 5 to 10% in the center that that are independents, that are voting one way or the other, voting in some cases on emotion,

whether they like the guy or not. >> does mitt romney really think that people in this country want to be on medicare, that they want to be poor, that they want to be disabled? that they want to have assistance? is that really the path that he thinks that americans want to take? and most americans i believe tonight, especially liberals are going to be absolutely offended by the comment. my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. personal responsibility. personal responsibility. those of you who are in nursing homes, those of you who are in wheelchairs, those of you who depend on assistance by the government because we are a government of compassion, we have always been a country of compassion. but all of the sudden the republicans are putting up a candidate who wants to wipe away that because we want to privatize everything. the obama campaign has also responded. it's shocking that a candidate for president of the united states would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the american people view themselves as victims entitled to handouts

that are unwilling to take personal responsibility for their lives. it's hard to serve as president for all americans when you've disdainfully written off half of the nation. and that is exactly what mitt romney has done here with this statement behind closed doors. for months on this program, i have asked will the real mitt romney please stand up. in this video recording that he didn't know about, he got behind closed doors, we saw the real mitt romney. he did stand up. he doesn't give a damn about those who need assistance in the country. and it cuts to the very fabric of who we are as a country that we are a society, we are a country of compassion, that we want to help people who are downtrodden. we want to help people who have been dealt a really tough deck of cards, whether it be in the economy or whether it be health care, as of no fault of their own, or circumstances that are put on families that are totally out of their control. mitt romney wants to do away with those. we views those people basically as road kill. and he is not even going to communicate to them, and he is

not going to offer up a better plan to make their lives better. he just says they should be personally responsible for who they are and where they are in america. but romney made the matters only worse for himself. >> it's not elegantly stated. let me put it that way. i'm speaking off the cuff in response the a question. and i'm sure i could state it more clearly and in a more effective way than i did in a setting like that. and so i'll -- i'm sure i'll point that out as time goes on. but we don't even have the question given the snippet there nor the full response. and i hope the person who has the video would put out the full -- the full material. >> no, no, no, wait a minute now. don't have the question? just a snippet? we played the full question and answer last night on this program, and we were not alone in doing so. president obama supporters were surprised and disappointed when the president didn't mention romney's 47% remarks in the first debate. but president obama made up for

it later. in the second debate, on the final question when romney could not respond, president obama got the final say on the 47%. >> when he said behind closed doors that 47% of the country considered themselves victims who refuse personal responsibility, think about who he was talking about. folks on social security who have worked all their lives, veterans who have sacrificed for this country, students who are out there trying to hopefully advance their own dreams, but also this country's dreams, soldiers who are overseas, fighting for us right now. people who are working hard every day paying payroll tax, gas taxes, but don't make enough income. and i want to fight for them. that's what i have been doing for the last four years. because if they succeed, i believe the country succeeds.

>> there is a lot more coming up in the next half hour of the "ed show." stay tuned. >> i just got to say this. what we shouldn't be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. >> in 2012, president obama came up big for workers, but not before the workers came up big for him. john nichols of "the nation" magazine on the year in labor, next. voter id. which is going to allow governor romney to win the state of pennsylvania, done. >> and in 2012, republicans thought they could suppress their way to the white house. but the voters would not be denied. >> we will not be turned around. >> ohio state senator nina turner joins me ahead. [ man ] visa prepaid opened a new world for me. ♪ i have direct deposit on my visa prepaid. my paycheck is loaded right on my card. automatic. i am not going downtown standing in line to cash it. i know where my money is, because it is in my pocket.

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good to have you back with us. thanks for watching this special year-end edition of the "ed show." we covered workers issues all yearlong, but we wondered how the middle class would come out and vote on election day. well, in the end, the middle

class workers turned out in record numbers to reelect president obama. his victory was never a sure thing. the story i think starts with workers in wisconsin in 2011. let's roll it back. republican governor scott walker threatened to destroy collective bargaining in the state. workers staged massive protests and launched the first recall election in the state's history. we covered the recall from madison. >> polls close in an hour here in wisconsin, and we have already seen a ground operation unlike anything in wisconsin political history. >> what we're seeing here in wisconsin is something that is proving to be far more powerful than money, and that is the power of the people. >> of course, governor scott walker survived the recall. republican operatives were delighted. they claimed this was the end of organized labor. >> it is a blow for organized labor, particularly organized labor's represented in public employee unions. it's going to embolden other efforts in other states by

governors. it's clearly going to put wisconsin into play in november. >> karl rove, who was later taken off fox news and his buddies were all so wrong. middle class voters helped reelect president obama four months later. wisconsin also elected the first openly gay woman to the united states senate. democrat tammy baldwin defeated tommy thompson by five points. it turns out labor is alive and well. in fact, workers across america help us understand what mitt romney could mean for the economy. >> this is "the ed show." let's get to work. [ cheering ] >> we followed the workers' stories to freeport, illinois in october. bain capital has shut down the sensata plant and they were going to ship some 200 jobs to china. >> what would you say to mitt romney? >> the three of us have been arrested defending american jobs. we're waiting. come on out here and talk us to. >> you want to talk to him. what would you say to him?

>> save our jobs. >> over the summer, more and more workers started coming forward with horror stories about bain capital and the bain economy. workers at gst steel made national headlines. >> when you take away all the good paying jobs such as we had here at gst steel in kansas city, the middle class is going to become extinct. >> the republicans answered with misleading ads and huge lies. like this ad romney ran in the state of ohio. it claimed jeep was moving to china because of the automobile loan, and it was totally false. it had totally backfired on the camp. auto workers and their families turned out in full force on election day. and of course president obama won ohio. middle class americans across this country stood in long lines to cast a vote for the candidate who would help them the most. they ignored the republican threats about a failing economy. the republicans wanted to kill organized labor.

in 2012, they may have given it new life instead. here is someone who has been with us all yearlong covering workers' issues. joining me tonight, john nichols, washington correspondent of "the nation" magazine. john, it has been a very eventful year when it comes to labor. has labor been emboldened by the obama victory in november? and is there really been a new stage set for what they can accomplish? >> i think so. i think labor changed over the last year and a half, and especially over the last year. one of the things is that it is safe to say that a lot of unions, not all of them, but a lot were on autopilot. they had a sense of how politics worked. they had a sense of how government worked, and they fit into that. what happened in wisconsin and in ohio in 2011 forced unions to start to rethink, to start to recognize that there really were powerful forces that were out to get them. that made an awfully lot of

unions, afsme, teachers unions, firefighters, recognize that they had to fight for their very livelihood. i think it made them much leaner, meaner, and more effective political players. and once you've started to win tough battles as has happened in ohio, as has happened in a number of states nationally in november, then you start to think about what you might be able to accomplish not in a defensive position, but in an affirmative position. >> of course, the conservative movement in this country has vilified unions for last 30 years. and of course, they want to take out their infrastructure. operatives like karl rove have been very clear about how forceful they want to go after unions to tear down the last great bastion of infrastructure for the democratic party, which is labor unions. but do you think it has awakened another level of workers in america that are not involved in organized labor? >> i think there is simply no

question. that's exactly what has happened. because people who were never members of unions were out there in those demonstrations in michigan, in ohio, in wisconsin, also in places like new york city and los angeles as part of the occupy movement, and more recently as part of the protests against walmart as part of the fast food workers' walkouts and strikes that have occurred. the fact of the matter is that we've got a new era for labor, and it isn't fully defined. a lot of unions are starting to figure out how to work with people who aren't members, a lot of people who aren't members or unions are trying to figure out how they would fit into a labor movement. a lot is going to change. but the fact is that labor is no longer on autopilot. labor is really affirmatively moving into new areas. and that's going to change not just our politics, but potentially our work life. >> and, of course, if you look at the tax policies of the

republicans, they want to favor the rich all the time, which brings me to the point, did republicans get into trouble when they talked about funding for teachers and police officers and firefighters? and this basically i think set up the scenario for the obama campaign to target in on the middle class and the people who had been targeted by the right wing back in 2011. >> you're so right, ed. in fact, i reported with you on election night. i was in the teamsters hall in toledo, ohio. and off camera, i would talk to the teamsters who were there, folks not just from that union, but from other unions. they said you know, we started working on this november 2012 election back in 2011. >> yeah. >> we recognized that we were under assault, and we had to -- we couldn't just stop when we won a referendum or a single vote. we knew it was long-term fight. >> all right. john nichols, it's been a great year. we look forward to 2013. great to have you with us tonight. thank you so much. coming up, we discussed a lot of serious topics in this election year. but here at "the ed show," we still had time for a few laughs.

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crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. ♪ is your cholesterol at goal? talk to your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. up next, coach ed -- that would be me -- gives the president a pep talk. and i've got a bedtime story for t-pa. and later, republicans trying to block the vote and hand mitt romney a victory on election night. but voters across the country refused to be silenced. state senator nina turner joins me on the continuing fight against voter suppression. stay tuned. you're watching the "ed show's"

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welcome back to "the ed show." the 2012 presidential campaign was intense start to finish, but we here at "the ed show" also took time to poke some fun at the candidates, you know. during our coverage of the new hampshire primary, failed presidential candidate tim pawlenty of minnesota told me he couldn't stay awake long enough to watch "the ed show." the very next night, we decided to give 2% timmy a sleep aid. >> good night to unions, good night to health care, good night jobs, good night clean air. good night, public education. good night, immigration. good night, wall street regulation. good night, middle class. good night, auto czar. good night dog on the roof of the car.

good night roe v. wade. guide marriage equality. guide to the old lady whispering "don't privatize social security." good night, medicaid. good night, medicare. good night, american dreams everywhere. sweet dreams, t-pa. sleep just as good as your presidential campaign. nighty-night! >> oh, t-pa, they were easy to pick on. good targets, don't you think? but just to be fair and balanced, we had some fun with president obama's performance in the first debate. the president was really off his game that night in denver. so, well, the very next night, i had to give liberals some hope during a postgame news conference. >> all right. not a good night. we didn't play very well. unusual for us. we're a hell of a team.

we got a long way to go. i know you're not happy. i heard the fans. i heard it. and you're hearing it from me. we're better than that. >> what about your point guard? >> point card is fine. obama is great. that's why we recruited him in 2007. he is a hell of a player. we won championships with him before. we're going to win begin. >> coach, there going to be a lineup change? >> no there is not going to be a lineup change. there is going to be a change now? look, did he turn the ball over? yes. did he throw the ball out of bounds? yes. he missed a few layups, but he is still my guy. we're not changing the lineup. i told you guys when you started covering this team in the year earlier, this is going to be a long road. we're on the road. i don't know about playing in altitude. the kid seemed pretty good before the game we thought we would play very well. we didn't. we got to get over it. >> coach, what about the other team? >> the other team, if you guys want to go out and crown them the champion, you go right ahead and do it. but i think you would be making a huge mistake if you did that. i mean i know -- you know what we got to do?

we got to get to work. >> we're not sure if president obama saw the press conference, but he sure did destroy romney in the next final two debates. coming up, long lines couldn't keep voters from casting their ballots, despite republican attempts to keep them away from the polls. ohio state senator nina turner on the fight against voter suppression, next. sometimes what we suffer from is bigger than we think ... like the flu. with aches, fever and chills- the flu's a really big deal. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. so don't wait. call your doctor right away. tamiflu is prescription medicine for treating the flu in adults and children one year and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing. have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash,

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welcome back to "the ed show" year-end special. leading up to the 2012 elect we saw unprecedented efforts by republicans to suppress the democratic vote. 18 states have passed some kind of voter suppression measure since early 2011. some of the toughest laws came out of swing states with republican governors, states like ohio, pennsylvania, wisconsin, and florida. in ohio, early voting hours were cut and new restrictions were put on absentee ballots. down in florida, republicans put restrictions on early

voter registration, cut early voting, banned felons from voting for ten years. and attempted to purge thousands of voters from the state's public rolls. luckily after public outrage, the voter purge failed. meanwhile, states like pennsylvania and wisconsin put in place strict voter id laws. pennsylvania's law was eventually struck down, but misleading signs and billboards like this one were put up to try and trick voters. these suppression efforts directly targeted minority in low income areas there is no doubt they were meant to help elect mitt romney as president of the united states, and republicans admitted it. >> voter id, which is going to allow governor romney to win the state of pennsylvania, done. >> ohio county gop chair doug price put it this way. he said, quote, we shouldn't contort the voting process to accommodate urban red african-american voter turnout machine.

not accommodating all voters led to record long lines on election day. in the state of florida, there were reports of people waiting in line as long as seven hours to vote. these voter suppression tactics must stop, and president obama said he wants action on it. >> whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very, very long time, by the way we have to fix that. >> in the wake of all of this, california senator barbara boxer introduced the line act. it would require an election commission to set new national standards by january 1st, 2014. this commission would decide the minimum number of voting machines, workers, and other resources. the act would hopefully keep voting lines under one hour-long. in the end, the republican voter suppression measures didn't work. tonight we want to honor voters

who turned out in huge numbers and waited a long time to cast their votes in the states we're talking about. they didn't quit. and president obama came away with the win. i'm joined tonight by ohio state senator nina turner. senator, good to have you with us. we commend you here on our year-end special tonight. >> thanks. >> you have been absolutely the stalwart fighter there in ohio, an information source and a real leader and inspiration in many cays. what do you think the federal government can do to curb voter suppression now that we have been through it in 2012? what can the government do, if anything? >> well, thank you, ed. and you've been quite a champion yourself. but the federal government needs to aggressively enforce the voting rights act, the civil rights act, and any other federal statutes that are on the book. for example, through help america vote act, there was a commission established called the elections assistance commission. ed, that commission is supposed to be a bipartisan commission with four members.

it doesn't have members because the republicans have been holding that up in congress. it is very important that those on the federal level enforce the laws that we have there. and that elections assistance commission would go a long way. would be a clearing house for some of the best practices in this nation to continue to drive the polls, that voting should be for everybody, not a select few. and we really need to make sure that the federal government uses the tools that are in their tool box and not sit idly by and let things happen in the state and across the country. >> in your state of ohio, republicans unfairly targeted minority and low income areas with voter suppression tactics that is well documented. >> yes. >> but if this law were to pass, the line act that senator boxer has put in place, would this really clear up the problems you saw in 2012? >> i think somewhat, ed, and i commend senator barbara boxer for standing up for all voters in this country. but ultimately, voters hold the key. and voters have got to continue to vote for policymakers and

executives who respect the power of the vote, and not those who try to suppress it. so even though the feds need to do their job, senator boxer, i give a big shout out to her, ultimately we have to continue to empower voters. ed, my biggest fear is now that now that the shining bright lights of the presidential election is over, that folks will forget that there are elections all over this country every single year. and as you stated in your intro, there are voter id laws on the books right now. and so we have to stand up and continue to be a champion for voters all across this country, including the state of ohio. and i certainly plan to lead the charge along with my other colleagues in the new general assembly to push for election laws that create a level playing field for all voters. >> you know, we had talked back in october and leading up to the election that this was going to motive the democratic base. that motivation now turns to not only coming out to vote, but to get registered. t