the polarized media is also a factor in positions in black and white terms and offered in short sound bytes. don't forget about the role of money. gone are the days when members truly lived in washington, d.c. and socialized with one another. now addai, they're there just tuesday and thursday with lots of recess. the rest of the time, they're back at home to spending money in reelection campaigns, despite the mere certainty that they will be reelected. instead, each of the elements requires its own response. but don't wait for our politicians to provide any answers. one thing that our dysfunctional system excels at is rewarding our dependents upon it. that's "hardball" for now. "politics nation" starts right now. >> thanks, michael. thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead? done deal. this fiscal cliff is a big step

forward in the fight for fairness. now is not a perfect deal by any stretch. but let's be clear. for the first time in 20 years, taxes will go up for the rich. the president's call for more balance, more fairness, that is at the hard of this deal. that's what the house finally passed last night and is what president obama will sign into law. >> that's what will remain in place as long as i am pthd. everyone pays their fair share. everyone does their part. >> everyone pays their fair share. and everyone does their part. that's what president obama won in this deal for the country. first, he forced republicans to raise taxes on those earning more than $400,000 a year.

he also extended unemployment benefits to 2 million americans who are out of work. people who desperately need help now. and he extended the stimulus tax break for working hch cla ingwos all across the country. the president did this without cuts in our safety net. the deal delays the automatic spending cuts for the start of the year and it doesn't include a single dime in cuts to medicare, medicaid or social security. republicans who know who won this debate have expressed it. just listen to this. >> we all knew the ptresident ws going to get his way. he wins. >> this is a complete surrender on everything. it's a complete route by the democrats. >> the last time a republican voted to raise taxes, george bush was president. the first george bush.

vanilla ice had a hit song, "ice ice baby." and the fresh prince of bel air made his debut on nbc. that's how long it's been since republicans voted to raise taxes. but, now, 22 years later, they break down. it's a big deal and the president made that point today in a video to supporters. >> just recently, republicans in congress said they'd never agree to raise tax rates on the wealthiest americans. we've now raised those rates permanently. making our tax code more progressive than it's been in decades. >> there are more fights ahead. there is a lot of work to do. a lot of fights still to have. but 2013 is off to a positive start. joining me now, congressman e manual cleaver democrat from missouri and chairman of the congressional black caucus who voted for the deal last night and former pennsylvania governor

ed rendell, now an nbc news analyst. let me thank both of you for joining me tonight. >> thank you for having us here. >> mr. chairman, let me start with you. why was this bill the right deal for america at this time? >> there were a lot of good things in this deal. there was a lot of sweeteners for the american public. we were able to overt a large tax increase for a large percent of the american population. 2 million people will be able to get unemployment insurance. for those people who hate government, we were able to slice off a $900 a year increase in salaries for members of congress. but we were also able to do things like the estate tax. make it permanent. it creates an exemption up to $5 million. that's going to create a lot of people. if you look at the bill, which was a thick bill, there is something in there for everyone now. members of the congressional black caucus didn't like everything in it.

we only 45d one member to vote against it. but we all believed that this is as good a deal as we can get. and democracy demands compromise. >> and that was the point, governor, that you'd been making as one who has had to govern in the state of pennsylvania and who has had to compromise that rational people in government, at some point, compromise. and this seems to be what finally happened here. even though we see some of the right wing kicking and screaming after talking about amending the senate bill and all of that yesterday afternoon. >> it went a long way towards the pthd's pledge to make revenue collection fair. and not only the increase on the income tax rate, but moving for rich people for people who earn more than $450,000.

>> moving the capital gains tax was very, very significant. again, only on the rich people. so tlchs some very important victories. i'd like to ask the chairman, but i don't want to put him on the spot. what democrat would vote against this? >> i want to put him on a dichblt spot a different spot and then he can answer both of us. >> people on the ground count differently than a lot of the pun dants that we hear on radio and television. when you look at the fact that a lot of people on the left and

the right were much more concerned about unploichlt and the tax loans than they were whether we went up to 250 or 400 or not. what we were really saying, and i'm talking about some of the elitist liberals, let the 2 million people on unemployment not get their checks. i don't care about this, i don't care about that. i want all or none. and that's not what i was hearing on the ground. in 2013 would be at least a year in which they had great possibilities that exceeded those of 2012 and one of the earl yerl voices suggested

otherwise. for people who had not had the taxes impacted. but he compromised to 400,000 for one and 450,000 for a couple. that's compromise. that's the only place this is going to work and the public supports that. completely. and the polls are clear. and so the president can fly back to hawaii with some degree of comfort that right now, the republicans are back on their heels. and i know they're planning an assault later on in february. but that's not going to work. >> now, the other thing i wanted to say on that point, i want to go to the governor and the debt ceiling because the president is talking real strong on that. but when you count, as you said, mr. chairman, the president campaigned on 250,000 went up to 400 single, 450 double. but boehner was at a million. boehner went down 550,000. so it's according to whether you want to count from the top down or the bottom up.

both sides gave and i think the other side gave a little more. but governor, when it comes down to the debt ceiling that the chairman just referred to, president gave a warning to republicans. watch this. >> i will not have another debate with this congress over whether or not they should pay the bills they've already racked up through the laws that they passed. let me repeat. we can't not pay bills that we've already incured. >> sounds like he's pretty strong and stern on that. what dooungs, governor? >> he is and he ought to be. the last time, it was an international disgrace, not just a national disgrace, but an international disgrace. we shouldn't play politics with that. we owe this money. we've got to pay it. we've got o to have the funds to pay it. i think the sequester comes up in two months, probably a week or two before the debt ceiling.

we're going to have to have some resolution of the broader problem. what the president should do when he gets back from hawaii, call the congress and the congressional leaders and let's get to work on the grand bargain. the big deal. and the big deal is going to require, as chairman cleaver said, more compromise. on everyone's behalf. on the president's behalf and on the republicans behalf. progressives have to understand that and we've got to give the president some leeway. and the people on the far right have got to understand. it's the only way that this will work for the long term good of the american people. >> all right, chairman cleveland, governor rendell. i'm going to have to leave it there. thanks for both of your time tonight and happy new year. >> happy new year to you, rev. co >> coming up, jersey strong. chris christie unleashes a massive attack on speaker john boehner. >> it was disappointing and disgusting to watch. this was the speaker's

decision? he is alone. that's why people hate washington, d.c. that's why they hate this politics. >> and the gop crack up is boehner's number two. eric cantor, is he planning to take his job? plus, good news about hillary clinton today. but i want to know when the right will apologize for their deplorable behavior about her health. you're watching politics nation on msnbc. [ male announcer ] where do you turn for legal matters? at legalzoom, we've created a better place to handle your legal needs. maybe you have questions about incorporating a business you'd like to start. or questions about protecting your family with a will or living trust. and you'd like to find the right attorney to help guide you along, answer any questions and offer advice. with an "a" rating from the better business bureau

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been sharing their big political hopes for the new year. claudia says she wants to see tough gun control. cathy says she's hoping for immigration reform. and jacqueline says i want to see democrats continue working diligently on voter registration and removing voter blocks. i agree with all of those agenda ideas. coming up, we'll take a closer look at all of those battles. what president obama can get done and what he should tackle immediately. but, first, we want to hear what you think. please, head over to facebook and search politics nation. and like us to join the confers th conversation that keeps going long after the show ends.

we knew that compromise was a dangerous idea to republicans. now, it's threatening to rip the gop apart from the inside. the man at the center of it all is house speaker john boehner who voted for the deal. his number two, eric cantor voted against the deal. so did most of the house republicans. 151 voted against it. 85 voted for it. and the fight has torn them apart. >> i'm proud of my speaker. >> i think the president did a great job in getting the speaker to undo everything that he promised he would do, the speaker would do, after the 2010 elections. >> what the speaker and the house leadership did was to let the house work its will. >> there's no spendings cuts. >> and i urge a yes vote.

>> how much does it bring down the deficit? i thought we were in a deficit crisis? >> now, newt gingrich is predicting the deal will set off a profound fight in the gop. the conservative web site redstate.com says, "house gop is in disarray. . it's not liberal media span." and, tomorrow, republicans will vote on whether boehner keeps his job as speaker. this has been one less after another for boehner. and the pressure may be getting to him. political reports that on friday, he walked up to senator harry reid, just steps away from the oval office and unleashed an obscenity. reid asked him what it was all about and boehner said it again. the gop is falling apart. but we can't let that crack up hurt the country. joining me now is congress won january shakowski and mi

mia malikah henderson. happy new year to both of you. >> congresswoman, how can democrats deal with the republican party that's in such disarray? >> well, i actually liked what happened last night. that is john boehner said he didn't need to follow the rule of having the majority of the majority party. but, actually, did let the house work its will. and a majority of democrats, all but 16, and 8 a rep5 republican able to move the country forward. i'm hoping that that will be a pattern and, actually, that will remain. now, whether or not the leadership is going to be able to stay as it is or there's going to be this internal battling. but, honestly, what we have among so many of the republicans and in the house of representatives and now, even pat thume in the senate, he

wants to see the government shut down in the debt ceiling. when you've got crazy people like that, there is no hope of getting something done that's good for the country. >> but congresswoman, give me a sense from inside the beltway. when you see boehner voting for the deal and cantor voting against the deal, how big a deal is that? >> well, some say that john boehner, tomorrow, may not win on the first ballot in his caucus -- in his conference. to be the speaker. i don't really know what that means. you have paul ryan and john boehner voting for it and eric cantor voting against it. clearly, there is a split. but john boehner, let's face it, is kind of from the old school of politicians and a leader who wants to negotiate. the problem is he can't really hold his conference together. he's not a great leader of his conference. >> neah malika, let's pick that up.

right wing media saying boehner could be pushed out tomorrow. the headline says sources say there are enough republicans willing to unseat speaker boehner. and then there's been, like, a right wing freak out. they're like out in full force on twitter today. fox news commentator todd starnes said about boehner. quote, this is what happens when your political party is led by an emotionally compromised reaper. right wing radio host brya bryan fischer tweeted boehner has absolutely no concept to the damage he's doing to the heart and soul of the republican party. matt drudge wrote republicans raising taxes on 77% of households surrenders guns next. a lot of venom out there on the right. >> there is a lot of venom.

boehner is seeing he rode in on the tea party wave in 2010 and now there is a full scale revolt. i think it's pretty unlikely of anybody that's going to challenge him successfully. but, again, i think in spirit, it's hard to see that he is wielding much authority and much leadership with that caucus. you have cantor on the one hand presiding, really, over a sort of separate caucus in the tea party. there had been reports, initially, that he was backing boehner and backing some of the moves he was making on the fiscal cliff. but then he comes out to vote against this bill, really solidifying, i think, his role as maybe a speaker in wading or certainly of head of the tea party kau cuss. >> now, congresswoman, the speaker's spokesman is say, confidently, that he'll be reelected. but there has been a lot of damage to the republican brand.

look at nbc "wall street journal poll, 30% have a positive view of republicans. that's real low. 45% have a negative view overall. it's negative 15 points. a lot of that at the work of this do-nothing congress. he can be vulnerable, congresswoman. >> well, he may be, but think about the results of that poll. what it's really saying is that the american people are sick of the republican party standing in the way of actually getting something done. so boehner is really on the right side of that. overall, the tea party republicans and those who stand with them, they are the ones that are jeopardizing the republican party. and taking positions that mean that the congress is in gridlock, that we can't deal -- we stop people -- we help people get their unemployment checks right now. we made sure that americans did not get their taxes to go up. and tlur those now on the

republican party who say oh, well, we just shouldn't do that. i'm sorry. that's why people hate the republican party. >> and in that light, nia, you know the president even came out saying he hoped that the next negotiations will be quite as dramatic. take a listen. >> the one thing that i think hopefully in the new year we'll focus on is seeing if we could put a package like this together with a little bit less drama. a little less brink man ship. >> do you think nia malika, a lot of view of americanings have brings the drama and the taking americans to the edge. i think so, there was a galup poll just recently that

said by raishl 4-1 of congress are standing in the way of progress, of american progress. and i think where republicans really have to look at goirng forward, they are saying they have leverage going into this next ceiling debate and the e questions trags debate as well. but i think they've got to look at how they are viewed by americans so far. and it looks like they're viewed in a pretty dim light. boehner, i think, to his credit is someone who is from the old school who really wants to legislate. the question going forward is how he deals with such a large caucus of it really is trying to prevent things from happening. you have folks on the hill saying they want to shut down the government. and i certainly think that's not going to go over well with the american public. >> well, congresswoman, if you and i wanted to see boehner remain, we could always say we hope eric cantor wins and support him tonight.

that would certainly help boehner out in that can kus. >> well, i'll tell you. the republican party's problem goes so deep. this is the party that wants to cut social security and medicare. this is the party that doesn't want to -- or at least some of them -- pay the bills of the united states of america that have already been incured. so this goes way beyond who's speaker and who runs in the next election. this is about the welfare of our nation. they are on the wrong side right now. >> and i think i'm going to have to leave it there. but i think you're right. this is more than who is the speaker and what is being spoken. that's the problem with this crowd. congresswom congresswoman, and nia, thank you for your time. wo both of you tonight, happy new year. >> happy new year, thank reallies. >> coming up, speaker boehner, you've got a situation. chris christie unload on boehner for bailing on sandy aid and he

is not the only republican. as the gop cracks up, president obama is focused on the future. he's talking big about the second term today. plus, governor ultrasound rings in the new year by quietly going after abortion clinic. don't worry, governor mcdonald, we've got you next. [ male announcer ] wouldn't it be cool

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this just in, the state department has just released secretary of state hillary clinton has been released from the hospital. we will have more on the treatment of her by the right wing coming up. le announcer ] how do you make america's favorite recipes? just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. you almost can't believe this actually happened. but it did. speaker boehner bailed on voting for hurricane sandy aid to those victims from hurricane sandy last night. so $60 billion in relief money sits on the table. millions of victims are waiting for help. waiting in the cold, waiting with their families. and they'll have to wait for at least two more weeks. >> today, new jersey governor

chris christie came out and launched a massive attack. >> there's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims. the house majority and their speaker, john boehner. last night, the house of representatives failed that most basic test of public service. and they did so with callous indifference to the suffering of the people of my state. it was disappointing and disgusting to watch. this was the speaker's decision? >> now, in this atmosphere, everything is the subject of a potential piece of bait for the political game. and it's just why the american people hate congress. it is extraordinarily frustrating to me that we have people down there who use the citizens of this country like pawns on a chess board. that's the way the citizens of

new york and new jersey retreated last night. on a political chess board of internal palace sench tri politics our people were played last night as a pawn. that's why people hate washington, d.c. that's why they hate this politics. shame on you. shame on congress. >> shame on congress. governor christie, you are spot on here. christie said he was assured by house leadership all weekend. the vote would happen. >> i was called at 11:20 last night by leader cantor and told that authority for the vote was pulled by the speaker. and our delegation asked for a meeting with the speaker. at that time, they were refused. i called the speaker four times last night after 11:20 and he did not take my calls. >> i'm not going to get into the specifics of what i discussed with john boehner today.

but what i will tell you is there is no reason for me at the moment to believe anything they tell me. they've been telling me stuff for weeks. and they didn't deliver. >> wow. no reason to believe anything they tell me. governor christie openly questioning boehner's honesty. he wasn't alone. republican congressman peter king said it was "cruel knife in the back." this is all about optics and politics. speaker boehner couldn't stomach more spending last night. but his political game affects real americans, americans who have suffered. people who have lost everything. this is why boehner leads the worst congress of all times. i agree with governor christie. shame on you. joining me now is congressman frank palone, democrat from new jersey. congressman, first, thanks for being here tonight. >> thank you. >> the victims in your state are waiting for help.

what is your response to this political game this speaker is playing? >> well, it's absolutely deplorable. the fact of the matter is that the speaker got through that fiscal cliff vote last night. and he decided to pull the sandy relief bill because he was afraid of the tea party and the right wing republicans that hthy shouldn't have to vote for another expensive bill. this wouldn't have happened if it was louisiana or alabama. we've been waiting nine weeks for this relief funding. and every other natural disaster, hurricane ckatrina, tornado alley, they've all gotten the money much sooner than the nine weeks. whatever happens now, since this is not coming up today in the lame duck, we're talking 12 weeks, 15 weeks before we finally get the funding. and, meanwhile, you know, if you go into my towns, they're suffering, you know. they're not getting the money that they need to put back the

dunes, to -- for fisheries, disasters, for the businesses, for the homes that need funding to rebuild. we can't restore the shore unless we get this funding. >> well, congressman, to show how correct you are, the cost of these hurricanes in the past 20 years, katrina aid was approved in ten days after the storm and it was doubled the cost of sandy. i was one of those that protested the response of governor katrina. it too long only tk only 10 day approval. sandy is only 60 billion and it's nine weeks and we're told wait a couple of weeks more? give you an example of eric cantor today meeting in new jersey and came out with this statement. getting critical aid to the victims of hurricane sandy should be the first priority in the new congress. the house will vote on friday to

direct needed resources to the national flood insurance program. and on january 15th, the first full legislative day of the 113th congress, the house will consider the remaining supplemental requests for the victims of hurricane sandy. we should talk 11 weeks in before they're going to move? this is unheard of, congressman. >> absolutely. and there is no guarantee. first of all, if they passed this today or tomorrow morning, the senate bill passed, we would have the whole $60 billion and the president would sign it. now we're talking starting it friday and doing it piecemeal in three different i. parts. there's no guarantee that even if those three bills pass, that the senate is going to be able to take them up 1234 again, we're talking a long time. it's simply not fair. i have to tell you, they're talking about the flood insurance money that they've run out of flood insurance to pay people who have flood insurance, we're talking about the -- the

community block grants that would be used to give grants to businesses and homeowners so they could rebuild. we're talking about reimbursing the towns that are practically broke. some of these towns have two, three thousand people. they're going to have to raise taxes to continue to operate. this is simply not fair. we're not going to be able to rebuild the shore unless we rebuild this funding. we can't wait until the end of january, february, march, whenever it's going to be. i think it's totally because this is new york and new jersey. boehner would not have done this if this was a red state. it wouldn't have happened. these are blue states. >> well, congressman, am i right that they only met with the republican members of congress of those two states? you and other democratic representatives of those two states were not invited to this meeting? >> that's true. but i don't even care about that. what bothers me is that we're not going to do this today in the congress and get it to the president's desk.

i don't care who they meet with. that doesn't bother me. but the fact that they're dividing this into three different bills or amendments that it's going to take sometime until later in january, we don't know when the senate is going to take it up. this is -- they're making this prolonged procedure just because they're afraid to have, you know, the tea party republicans and the right wing take a vote. >> let me be clear to people around the country. i've been there to new jersey and new york. people have losted everything. you have people living in shelters, you have people that are in real media. real need here. we're not talking about something that can wait easily. >> exactly. but the whole process, it's not american. like i said, we're here today. there's no reason why we can't

have an open debate. vote this up or down. it will be passed. i guarantee you we have the votes on a bipartisan basis. for the speaker to say we can't do it today, it's inconvenient because some of my republicans voted for too much yesterday. they can't take up another spending bill, it's just not fair. >> congressman frank palone, thank you for your time tonight. and we will be wamping this. >> thank you. >> ahead, it's a new year. a time for change. a time for renewal. a time for -- oh, wait a second, it's the same old, same old for the gop. the war on women is alive in a big way. but, first, some good news about hillary clinton. she's out of the hospital tonight and making good progress. now it's time for right wingers to apologize for trying to turn her health into a joke. stay with us. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth. i have a cold, and i took nyquil,

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this is great news. and now that mrs. clinton is out of the hospital, we're waiting on an apology from the right wing. after news broke two weeks ago that clinton suffered a concussion after fainting, they went on the attack. >> you don't want to go to a meeting or a conference or an event, you have a diplomatic illness. >> why don't we apply the same standards we apply to school kids. i want to see a doctor's note. a doctor's note would be nice. >> charles, you had a good line. hillary has severe benghazi allergy. >> i've been investigating it. she is the first reported case and she is very, very severe. >> let's see the medical report on that. >> this kind of behavior is

deplorable. but where are all of those critics now. doctors say several factors, including the concussion, may have caused clinton's blood clot. and fox news own web site makes the connection. no room for conspiracy this time around. we're glad secretary clinton is headed home tonight. but we will wait for the right wing apology. think about what you said. the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache.

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winning an election won't bring about an election on its own. what we fought for in 2012, we've got to fight just as hard for in 2013. >> we've got to fight just as hard in 2013. president obama in a video released today getting ready to take action this year and beyond. we know the right won't stop coming.

we know they'll try to block and suppress and rig. but the fight goes on. the president is ready to fight for tax reform, gun control, immigration reform and climate change. it's bold in its ambition. ambitious. but i want this to be about real people. real americans. forget washington, this is about fairness. this is about keeping our streets safe. it's about real families wondering about their futures. >> joining me now, ryan grimm, washington chief for "the huffing ton post." thank you both for joining me. >> ryan, let's get right to the next big fight. the debt ceiling. the president drew a line in the sand. last night. how do you see it playing out. >> you know, i part with a lot of people in washington on this question. and i think that the president is extremely serious about this

commitment not to negotiate over the debt ceiling. if you read bob wolverite's book, it's something that comes through the entire time. if the congress can continue to hold things up, can continue to hijack the process by continuing to tilt the balance of power away from the president and onto congress, he thinks that as part of his legacy, he wants to defend the white house's power in this sense. so i think he is going to lay down everything to stick to that commitment to not negotiate on the debt ceiling. and i think he'll dare the republicans to stop him. what are they going to do? are they going to sue him? are they going to send the capital police up pennsylvania avenue? are they going to threaten to impeach him if he just pays the debts that the congress itself racked up. that would be suicidal and it's political stupidity. i think obama would relish that. i think if they give him the debt ceiling as a part of

package for nothing, he'll take it in there. but, other than that, i really do believe he's not going to negotiate over there. and he's going to find a way to pay the debts, whether it's the 14th amendment, whether it's -- who knows. >> i agree with you. and i did read woodward's book. i think the president wants part of his legacy to defend the white house. let's look at some other things that we're going to have to deal with and see a fight over this year. let's look at immigration reform, dr. peterson. after the dismal results, can they afford to block immigration reform, professor peterson? >> i don't think they can afford to do it, reverend al. i think they're put on display in this most recent election and you're seeing some of the signs and some of the members of the house and some senators who are

suggesting to the reform is key. i think three of the four are probably going to be on the table. my sense is that some form of comp rehensive immigration refom is probably from a political perspective, one of the most sensible and also one of the easiest things for us to work through. saying something is easy to do in washington is not easy at all. >> but can he use immigration reform debate as leverage to get more than just the dream act passed? >> i believe so. and i believe that the dream act is just one part of what comprehensive immigration reform should be about. you have to think about those previous generations, those folk who have been here for multiple generations. if you think about the corporate taxes or corporate sort of strategy that is have been ininvolved and how we incentivize and people hope to stay. all of those things have to be addressed. because the republican party has skin in this game, they actually have a stake in trying to make some kind of communicative

message to say hey, we're here and we can also speak to you politically, that the pressure is on them to come to the table for comprehensive immigration reform. >> what kind of strategy can the president use to pass gun control? >> first of all, let me just compliment the phrase demographic deficiency. >> i like that one. >> that's a terrific one. what the president has said is the same thing that dick durvin has said in the senate. there will be as much momentum behind gun legislation control as the american people provide. that's sort of blame iing publi. the problem with gun control politics has always been if you've asked people if they're for it, overwhelmingly, they're for it. if you ask if they vote on the issue, very, very small number of people vote that are pro-gun control policy. if you talk to people that are

against gun control, a ton of them will say, yes, this is a voting issue for me. and they really will go out. they don't care about anything else. so that's the dynamic that has really helped. as well as the manufacturers pumping a ton of money in the nra. that helps, too. >> but dr. peterson, the president did say this on "meet the press". look at this. >> here's the bottom line. we're not going to get this done unless the american people decide it's important. so this is not going to be simply a matter of me spending political capital. with public opinion, there's nothing we can't do. without public opinion, there's very little you can get done in this town. >> that's soto ryan's point. i've been saying all through the holiday weekend to a lot of my fellow activists, that we're seeing newtown come down in terms of public out rage. and that's not good.

how do we have to rile people back up to deal with the fact that we just bared 27 people, for no reason other than a person mentally challenged could get automatic weapons. >> i think there's a couple things that we have to consider here, rev. number one, i believe that those activists in inner cities who have been dealing with the proliferation of guns and the secondary sale of illegal guns, in places like chicago, newark, camden, new orleans and philadelphia have to partner up with the folks who are victims of aurora and newtown, all of those folks, we have to come together and kind of stitch a quilt together around congressmen sense gun safety. but also, reverend al, and you're already doing this, but we've got to continue to keep saying this. the media has a very, very important role in making sure gun control and congressmen sense gun safety and the terrible tally of murders at the hand of assault weapons and handguns continues to be centered and sort of front and

center for the media discourse, as well. i think those things have to happen to give the president's administration the opportunity to pass common sense gun safety laws. >> i suppose those of us that are opposed to guns are beating out their zsemi-automatic weapos must have a move that's not demographically deficient. thank you boet for your time. >> ahead, new year? same old gop. why the fight continues. [ male announcer ] where do you turn for legal matters?

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but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. finally, tonight, happy new year's, "politics nation." with a new year comes a new beginning. a time to reassess, to renew, to make resolutions. but, in politics with the gop, we're seeing it's the same old same old. they continue to push a repressive agenda, agenda like on the issue of voter suppress. west virginia