our broadcast this afternoon. crist matthews and "hardball" is right next. let me start tonight with this, public office, what is it today? what does it say to elevate one to public office? what does it mean to say he or she is the leader? this is the best of us, we choose this person to speak for us, be for us in the sun and storm ames. who is our bridge over troubled waters? just asking. has our view of public office so declined with just 1 in 8 of us saying we respect the u.s. congress and the majority saying to dump them all, have we

reached such a -- that we don't expect some minimum standard of decency? the answer comes from the most recent poll in new york city. this has 1 in 6 people supporting anthony weiner to be the mayor of the country's greatest city. greeting world travelers to america. is it this bad? has it been down so long, it looks like up to us? is anthony weiner the best we can hope for? is it as good as it gets? or is it a good chunk of new york so depressed in his dreams we're down to having this guy doing his thing. what does he have to do to get you to quit him? what previously unimaginable act of exhibitionism is below your stade? because, ladies and gentlemen, my bet is you haven't seen it all. what's your bet? that this is as bad as it gets? really? so what are you going to give me to the brooklyn bridge? joan walsh is editor of "salon"

and michael shear is with "time" magazine. joan, i am laughing, because a sixth of new york still wants this guy with it all. he's still my guy. eye just wondering -- is this the unbreakable core of his support? >> no. >> there's nothing he could do. >> no, it will drop. he will lose. he will lose that one sixth. i don't know how low it will go, but he already lost a significant chunk of his sport. and let's remember, this only rely reflects about a day of reaction to this new set of revelations so you're capturing people who don't necessarily know, for example, as we've parsed many times, that this is after he resigned, that this is as recently as last summer, after the supposed rehabilitation and therapy and healing his marriage, so you get a lot of people who think it's part of the same garbage, i already dealt with it, and i don't care. as more and people of it comes

out, and it will come out, you're right, people are going to peel away from this man. >> aren't you little miss sunshine tonight? >> yes, i am. you might vial right. take a look at this morning's headline? "god help n.y. if he's mayor." we have a new poll out today. according to the latest nbc poll, he has dropped to second behind christine quinn. maybe a lot in the last 24 hours. christine quinn leads the pack now.

it's 50/50 on this time, michael, as you report this story for "time," i'm wondering, it seems like this guy has all kinds of problems. but new york's got a problem. they don't have a great list of candidates. he's probably on par with some of the other candidates as far as backgrounds, but at least a sixth of new yorkers, as of late last night, they're saying they can live with this guys. like joan, i'm not ready to write him off completely. if nothing else comes out, you only need to get 20%, 25% to get into the runoff. in a field like this -- >> a two-person runoff. >> he's not that far from being there right now. if there aren't future revelations and the question becomes -- >> you noticed my opening.

>> but these revelations don't -- >> by the way, the bottom line -- >> what he said as of thorpe, he said while there -- there were dozens -- he's into a fall back, you know -- >> especially in big city election, this -- >> this is reaching out to strangers. >> what's hurting weiner -- >> i'm not going to buy this. this isn't meeting in a hotel somewhere with somebody you've known for a while. this is reaching out and using the internet to reach people, some of whom i don't think he's ever met or will ever know. >> because it's consensual. >> why is he saying i want to apologize for any woman i might have inconvenienced by this. what does that mean? i know i'm putting you on the grill, but this is a crazy world. >> it's definitely a crazy world.

>> look, i'm not condoning the behavior. i'm saying that if you look -- >> why do we talk -- if it's private, i say it's about all these people, whether it's monica talks and blabs to her friend, it's not private if we know about it. it doesn't create any investigative reportering. joan, i don't think reporters today spend their time digging around in people's trash cans like they did to j. edgar hoover. these stories are thrown at us. >> i defended president clinton, and he was a very good president, but in the moment i thought it showed poor judgment. i think what bothers us, chris -- >> you thought monica was hillary? i'm confused. i love this historic -- >> no, no, let me answer you. let me answer you. >> go ahead. >> i'm not condoning adultery in any form. however, when people are consensual adults and keep it quiet.

that's one thing. >> you're raising this to the level of adultery, by the way. >> when people have an urge to drag us all into it, when they are completely indiscreet, there's an element of reckle recklessness, there's an element of wanting to get caught, as i think michael is trying to say, that is the thing that starts to raise flags. >> this is the public part of it. >> if people are discreet enough and have enough railroads for their spouses or whatever to keep it private, that is actually a step above these people who are so com pulsive and reckless and ruin their marriages, and shove their private stuff in front of or faces literally. let me give you an example of discretion. katharine hepburn and spencer tracy. you're laughing, because you're so grown up -- >> he's so young. >> they had a quiet affair that went on for years, if not decades. they didn't shack many, they had

separate hotel rooms. they never went out for dinner, and all of those years they never embarrassed their spouses, because they wanted to keep it private. anyway, today anthony weiner confirmed -- he confirmed there were multiple women he exchanged texts and nude photos with since he resigned. this is all the private, by the way. he's just keeping us informed. here it is. let's watch. >> just like i told the post and they made a big headlines, it's not dozens and dozens. it is 6 to 10, i suppose, but i can't tell you absolutely what someone else is going to consider inappropriate or not. >> were -- how many conversations did you have with women after you resigned that were sexual in nature? >> i don't believe i had any more than three. >> what do you make of that? private matters. >> let me finish my point from before. >> it's sad. i shouldn't be laughing, but there's something ludicrous when

he says it's not dozens. >> what's inappropriate? >> i will concede there's probably nobody in american history of politics that's been as embarrassed, publicly humiliated. >> is he capable of being embarrassed? >> i think he is. >> you do? you're projecting here. he doesn't look embarrassed to me. he's loving this, like nixon loved his resignation, national television? this exposure? recognition? >> the issue for workers, the two issues are here's a guy who looked at them in the face and lied to them twice. do we want somebody who can lie that easily? secondly, if he gets into the mayor's office, will he embarrass the city. >> what's your bet? >> whether he would? >> whether he would tell is the truth. >> i don't see there's a good record to say he would -- >> this is subject tiv journalism. can't look at him in the eye and say -- >> there's no history of truth

telling here, but i think what's actually equalitily troublesome is looks, chris, this guy became a progressive hero. he said some great things about single payer, but all he really has in his record is standing up to people on fox news. you know, i think he passed maybe one piece of legislation in his career. he's not an effective legislator. we don't net know what he believes, and i want to -- there may not be candidates with his charisma and on the ground skills, but i think there's decent candidates, christine quinn, like her or not, she's good. i think bill thompson is solid, bill deblass i don't is the progressive in the race. he has policies, programs, saying the right things and doing the right things. >> roger ailes, the head of fox news, will be doing back flips if he 'the mae yor. anyway, thank you michael shear.

sorry to go after you, but you were. thank you, joan walsh. i guess it's catholic school coming back to haunt me. this guy is too much -- you don't like to hear that, do you? >> it's fine with me. >> you don't like being called prudish. as always, joan walsh, from "salon." we're going to talk to some experts about this strange kind of sexual addiction or what it is that dries people to go out and become these digital streakers. i'm not sure it is sex, but they think it is. also president obama essentially has declared war on republicans. you might say finally. we know the republicans are up to this. is the president? does they want to do ballots for the next 3 1/2 years? the eric holder has now joined the fight to in effect restore a section of the voting rights act that the supreme court struck down. finally let me finish with the haters, of barack obama, not

anthony weiner. this is "hardball," a place for politics. i don'without goingcisions to angie's list first. with angie's list, i know who to call, and i know the results will be fantastic! find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

spitzer has a 17-point lead over the primary. it's spitzer leading scott stringer. it looks like he's in good shape. we'll be right back with deeper insight into anthony weiner, right after this. this farm for 30 years. we raise black and red angus cattle. we also produce natural gas. that's how we make our living and that's how we can pass the land and water back to future generations. people should make up their own mind what's best for them. all i can say is it has worked well for us.

for most of us his activities came as a shock, serb a surprise for people who cover politics. how can a public figure act so weirdly basically in public. but even more shocking was that he continued his online

activities even after he was exposed. he kept doing it. some people are wondering can he ever control this? or if elected, can he be in the basement of the mansion where the mayor lives in new york, sending out nude pictures to women online? we wanted to find out what those drives were, dr. jennifer berman, is a therapist and sexual health expert, and dr. sherry blake is a clinical psychologist. thank you for joining us. this is a strange topic, and i mean strange because i don't get it. i mean action i get sex, like we all do. male and female, gay and straight, and other possibilities, but we get it. what, dr. jennifer, what does it have to do with sex that you go online and someone who's not anywhere near you, you may not even know the sound of their

voice, and show them pictures of yourself? it's not like streaking in a street with a big raincoat with the immediate reaction, and i get that is excites the people that do it. what's the excitement in this? >> i think these men in position of power and control are thrill seekers, so this is an extension of that. the fetish happens to be a bit more risky, because it involves the internet. >> but it's not sex. >> it is intimacy. he's enginged -- there is the sexual sort of connection that he's trying to make with people, and it is com pulsive. he's put himself at rick -- >> explain to me, doctor, tell

me why this is enjoyable? you have to help me from more -- what is the kick here? he's getting in trouble. he's doing this and hurting himself. he lost a seat in the united states congress, which is the on-deck circle to be mayor someday. now he's perhaps lost his chance for the job of his dreams. why would he keep throwing that into play, whatever this behavior is or what it's about, except -- he said the benefit of doing it beats the heck off being the mayor of new york. what is it that he gets that i'm going to do this rather than bess a reasonable politician. >> first of all, i don't think he ever thought he was going to get caught. >> why not? didn't he go online with strangers? bill clinton took a chance on someone he knew, at least he knew her, and she talked to somebody, and then she talked to somebody else.

he's blasted it out like a robocall. >> this is an impulsive addiction. he's not thinking about getting caught. the reward of the thrill that he gets from that, whatever it is, is great their than the risk. the reward to him is greater than the risk. whether it's alcohol, cocaine, putting your penis on the internet or sleeping around with hundreds of women. it's the same thing, just a different manifestation. >> dr. sherry, i want to give you a moment by crierself here. is it an addiction or something he can control? >> well, you know, it could be both. he could have an addiction. i've heard people say he's just narcissistic. he's getting a lot of attention on this. he may not be as humiliated as others may think. >> i'm with you, doctor.

i'm not a nixon hater, per se, but i always thought nixon loved that night when he resigned. he knew in that moment, maybe a billion people were watching him. it was total recognition of his being. he's checking his watch. he looks good. he's got the shirt on, the tie perfect, sleeves rolled up like he's bobby kennedy. we're projecting that he's embarrassed. >> absolutely. look at the attention, he is getting global attention. he cannot buy this media attention. >> narcissism goes along with the addiction. this guy actually went to some sort of treatment recovery center. my concern is it's only been a year. the fact he engaged in the behavior after he stepped down is not surprising at all. there's probably multiple

triggers that ignite this behavior. the sequel is has he got it until control, does he have other tools or outlets to cope with the impulse to do it? >> let's go to the gender -- you're both women and i'm a male. let me ask this question. i'm wide open to this. is this something that only men do? is there any recorded history of women doing this kind of tweeting, naked tweeting, digital streaking? that's what i call it. does anybody on your side of the gender argument, and it is an argument. >> they do it. >> of course they do. of course they do. >> so this isn't a feminist issue, it's just a general problem? let me ask you this. this part i'm going to love. first, dr. jennifer, then dr. sherry. what would you tell the wife to do? what would you tell the patient in this case, if he ever agrees to be your patient, to do to kill this problem, at least so we won't know about it ever again. >> you know, therein lies the problem. if the internet and social media

did not exist, we would not know about this. i guarantee you a lot of the other politician that they're doing in private. he needs to find other tools, other outlets. >> would you take away his cell phone? they say people with real alcohol problems is don't hang around bars. >> he needs to be in a 12-step program. it has to do with intimacy and with connection. and with self-soothing. >> can you keep him away from a computer at night? can you keep him away from being alone with a computer? >> that's a good point. that is a good point. probably in the short term when he was in treatment he was required to do that. >> some clubs you go to, they don't let you bring your cell phone or computer. maybe he should hang around those clubs. i'm serious. is that part of the therapy? stay away from the machine sill

that you seem to use for this -- of yours? >> therapy only works if you want to work it. the reality is it's not realistic to keep him away from the computer. he has to control the behaviors, and the question is, does he want to? he's getting some satisfaction. he's getting needs met, and the reality is they're being met inappropriately. he's exposed not only locally, but globally. in terms of his wife, you know, that's a choice she's making, to stand by him. of course i'm sure she has her own agenda in this as well, but the reality is yes, he has a problem, and it may be a deeper, psychological issue, but the attention, the media, he's getting a pretty good deal. >> i like you both. dr. sherry, you speak not with a forked tongue, but very clearly. dr. jennifer berman, thank you

both. it's a strange night on "hardball." up next, in honor of the latest anthony weeber scandal, you can already buy your own -- you won't believe this -- carlos danger merchandise. this is "hardball," place for politics.

he calls himself carlos danger. anthony weiner's alter ego is a bolivian action hero/porn star. danger is my username. welcome back to the sideshow. that was john -- and while carlos danger is a great comedic fodder there, online retailers are also capitalizing on the ridiculous screen name. here's the latest carlos danger

branded merchandise, the perfect gift for the scoundrel in your life. even spirit airlines is in on the game. the company send out an airfare promotion today, playing off the carlos danger, weiner might have to take that deal himself to escape all this bad publicity. next up if you're a fan of "blurred lines" you might appreciate this new matchup of bill clinton singing the popular single. >> all right. ♪ if you could hear ♪ what i'm trying to say ♪ if you can't read from the same page ♪ ♪ baby i'm going deaf ♪ maybe i'm going blind ♪ maybe i'm out of mind ♪ i ♪ he was most -- ♪ but you're an animal ♪ just let me liberate you

♪ you don't need no ♪ that man is not your ♪ and that's why i'm going to make ♪ ♪ a good girl ♪ i know you want it ♪ i know you want it ♪ i know you want it ♪ you're a good girl. sounds like he needs more practice. anyway, it's official. joe biden is contemplating another run for public office, in india, that is. the vice president went off script while speaking in mumbai, explaining why he might be able to run in that country. maybe some genealogyist can follow me up, but i received a letter from a gentleman named biden, saying that we were related. if that's true, i might run for office, i might be qualified. well, qualify maybe? eligible? probably not. apparently mark sanford never got the memo that the house was voting last night or a memo about the dress code.

he showed up last night in a sweat-soaked t-shirt gym shorts and sneakers. protocol requires that congressmen wear appropriate attire. the next best thing, he borrowed a placeser. maybe he was hiking on the appalachian trail. president obama fighting back. and you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. ...so you say men are superior drivers? yeah? then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. silence. are you in good hands? thto fight chronic.nce. osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever

fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not for children under 18. people taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. take the next step. talk to your doctor. cymbalta can help.

you're gonna need this. thrilling adventure heroic performance the ford summer spectacular sales event featuring blockbuster deals he's the best chance we've got. now during the ford summer spectacular, get a blockbuster deal... with $1000 matching down bonus cash. now playing at a ford dealer near you.

the blisters were oozing, and painful to touch. i woke up to a blistering on my shoulder. i spent 23 years as a deputy united states marshal and i've been pretty well banged up but the worst pain i've experienced was when i had shingles. when i went to the clinic, the nurse told me that it was a result of having had chickenpox. i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. the dow gains 13 points, the s&p 500 added four, the knead dab jumping 25 points. more americans filed for unemployment benefits last week.

jobless claims rose by 7,000. general motors posted second quarter results that beat expectation. revenue was up 4 her to $39.1 by on. facebook shares skyrocketed nearly 30%, this after reporting better than expected quarterly results yesterday boosted by strong mobile ad sales. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide, now back to "hardball." we don't make the necessary investments to ensure that america's a magnet for good jobs in education, manufacturing, research and transportation and information networks, we're just waving the white flag of surrender to other countries's they forge ahead in this flobl economy. we know that strong infrastructure is a key

ingredient to a thriving country. unfortunately over the past two years, too many folks in washington have been cutting these investments. the world can't wait for congress to get its act together. welcome back to "hardball." as you can see there, the president wasted no time in getting back on the road after yesterday's strong -- the speech which condemned washington's dysfunction and accused republicans of an agenda of obstructionism. torrie to jacksonville, florida, today, his third stop in just two days. it's not just bridges and roads he's trying to mend. it's his legacy, obviously. how far will this take it? they're threatening a government shutdown and u.s. default if obamacare is not defunded. well, today is about obama

fighting back, a recognition this is a political war. debbie wasserman schultz is from florida, of course, and michael steele, a former republican national chair and political analyst here and a great fellow to have. let mess ask you, since you are the guy here enjoying all of this. it seems the regular old republican party, but the right wing of your party is saying the following. unless obama, the president of the united states agrees to no revenues at all, agrees to no paying off the national debt, and kits obamacare, there will be a government shut down and probably default of the federal government. what kind of statement is that? >> it's a statement saying, look, we're not going to go down a road where we continue to spent without some idea of where the end point is. you got the tax increases. >> who did they tax? >> everybody got taxed, chris,

so don't sit in this bubble and think it didn't happen. income taxes, payroll taxes, everybody got a hit to the bottom line. republicans signed off on it. >> they were for it. >> they signed off on the tax cuts. we have not seen the spending cuts. look, this went went off to illinois to a play where he gave his first economic speech in 2005. we've heard this before, we've got in this room, what is different from yesterday than what we have seen before? >> congressman, why why he just set rear at war, let's face it. >> because the president has a few tools available to them at thafr disposal. clearly, what you outlined is the republicans in washington have only one interest. that is being obstructionists action and they're even willing to be obstructionists and stop him to the point of harming the

economy. that's deeply disturbing. the president has the bully pulpit. it's diffuse, so over the next few months, president obama is traveling the country, talking about the importance of deepening our recovery, of making sure it takes root, and making sure that we grab some republicans by the lapels in washington and encourage the american people to grab their republican -- >> what's going to happen? michael, you just laid it out. the republicans are saying no deal unless you don't raise taxes, don't increase the extension of the national dead limit, and you somehow get rid of obamacare. you ever think he's going to -- that's what your market is asking for. >> have you -- u i've heard ted cruz. >> and rand paul? >> the bottom line is we have to start somewhere, chris. the reality -- how many speeches

can he give? >> i hear from your side every night on this show. >> hold on, chris. >> there are five things. >> let me give you the numbers. the two numbers are the positive rate, which has doubled, okay? and the republicans -- >> what is republicans doing about -- >> and the median income of households in this country have gone down to now 50,000, so the reality is americans are financially constituent hurting. all of this wonderful show and flutter out here -- where is the jobs? you keep talking about them. >> i don't know why -- >> i'm trying to be polite. the bottom line -- >> this government can't set up the policy, but because the senate is run by -- >> for five years. >> but the right-wing -- >> why aren't we in conference?

>> why can't we pass a budget? >> we passed one, now you're arguing about how long it took to pass it. let's do what the process is designed to do, have both sides, two chambers, sit down and hammer out a conference report and accepted it to the president. what we shouldn't be doing, as a member of the appropriations committee, is ignoring the targets and artificially even cutting below the sequester, cutting the heart out of health care, housing, investment in infrastructure, decimating people's retirements andent to live comfortably. that's what the republicans are hellbent on -- >> we're going -- >> all discussion points. put it on the table and see what the -- >> what do you mean -- europosing a conference? >> no, i'm not complaining. look, your party -- my problem is this holier than thou because you passed a budget in five years.

>> in a speech late today, president obama took dead aim at republicans. let's listen. >> i'm laying out my ideas to give the middle class a better shot and if the republicans don't agree with me, i want them to lay out their ideas. if they have better ideas to make sure every american knows -- well, share it with the country. repealing obama care and slashing or budgets, that's not an economic plan. threatening you won't pay the bills in this country when we have already racked up those bills, that's not an economic plan. no, that's just being a deadbeat. >> you know, before the president even addressed the crowd, republicans had already issued their pre-buttal, if you will. >> you know, the president

pivoted the jobs, as he's been known to do on occasion, and under his leadership, our country has fallen into the new norm ago of slow growth, high unemployment and stagnant wages. i think it's unacceptable, but the speech turned out to be all as you seal, no steak, and that's sewelling there's sizzle left. >> that's language -- >> that's adorable, and nice fodder for the base, but it doesn't make sure that we can continue this recovery. we've had 7.2 million jobs over the last 38 months in the private sector created. we know that the public feels much better about the economy, but wants us to focus together on a balanced approach. they absolutely want us to make sure we replace the sequester and take away the pain that the republicans are hellbent on continuing the in my home state, president obama was in jacksonville today, where the national guard in the middle of

the height of hurricane season have 11 furlough days, every monday until the independence of the fiscal year. what will happen if a category 4 hurricane comes bearing down, appeared the national guard will struggle to be there. that's thanks for the republicans. >> the governor will call them in anyway. >> how about the seniors? >> states will take care of business -- >> it doesn't matter? >> no one in the country is talking about sequester. that's a red herring. >> johnny depp plays tonno, not a great movie, but the lone ranger should have known that his posse was heading into a box canyon, and he was waiting for. i think the president is the lone ranger. he says we're going into a box canyon this november, december, we're going to face a government shutdown over the national debt, they're going to screw us, shut the government done, we'll have an even slower economy, and he

said let's start to fight now. >> the bottom line is it doesn't have to be this way. we need to come together and fork cuss on helping the middle class. >> thank you. madam chairman, please come back as on which as you can, as often as he comes back. up next, the justice department has joined the fight to protect voting rights in texas, they're trying to reinstate them as a voting roots states, in effect. this is "hardball," the place for politics. ittle sweeter... because all these whole grains aren't healthy unless you actually eat them ♪ multigrain cheerios. also available in delicious peanut butter. healthy never tasted so sweet.

it's been that waye insince the day you met.er. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime 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. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

some big changes in the 2016 landscape. a new p.p.p. poll showed that rand paul now has the hot hand. former favorite marco rubio is falling fast. paul leads the gop field with 16% followed by a three-way tie. texas senator ted cruz is down at 12, and rubio, who led the field earlier this year, is down to 10. it's got to be about immigration, and probably because he is pushing reform. hillary clinton is over joe biden by 40 points. boy, that is a winner. we'll be right back after this. [ brent ] now steve's looking pretty good so far.

[ herbie ] eh, hold on brent, what's this? oh, that's the new nissan. there's no doubt, that's definitely gonna throw him off. she's seen it too. oh this could be trouble. [ sentra lock noise ] oh man. gotta think fast, herbie. back pedal, back pedal. [ crowd cheering ] oh, he's down in flames and now the ice-cold shoulder. one last play... no, game over! gps take him to the dog house. [ male announcer ] make a powerful first impression. the all-new nissan sentra. ♪ but the instant frizz? not so much. so i'm taking pantene's 72-hour dare. [ female announcer ] beat humidity for a smooth 72 hours. get pantene smooth with moroccan argan oil in a pro-v system. help lock out humidity. keep frizz from forming. go 72-hour smooth. [ eva ] ditch the frizz... i dare you. [ female announcer ] get smooth from pantene, the world's no. 1 haircare brand.

hair so healthy it shines. i'll just press this, and you'll save on both. ding! ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, llllet's get ready to bundlllllle... [ holding final syllable ] oh, yeah, sorry! let's get ready to bundle and save. now, that's progressive. oh, i think i broke my spleen! home insurance provided and serviced by third party insurers. where over seventy-five percent of store management started as i'm the next american success story. working for a company hourly associates. there's opportunity here. i can use walmart's education benefits to get a degree, maybe work in it, or be an engineer, helping walmart conserve energy. even today, when our store does well, i earn quarterly bonuses. when people look at me, i hope they see someone working their way up. vo: opportunity, that's the real walmart.

today i am announcing that the justice department will ask a federal court in texas to subject the state of texas texas to a preclearance regime similar to the one required by section 5 of the voting rights act. wow, we're back. that was attorney general eric holder today in a speech to the national urban league in philly, holder declared he's not going to sit back and take it anymore, announcing that his justice department is going to ask a spect to obtain approval from the department of justice in advance before putting future voting changes in place. texas attorney general greg abbott sporchded to twitter saying -- i'll phyto'bama's efforts to control our elections and i'll fight cheating at the

ballot box. the supreme court invalidated a pivotal section of the voting rights act back in june of this year. the attorney general is expected to announce a challenges to similar laws currently on the books or making their way through state legislatures in other states, signaling that the fight against discriminatory voting laws is not over. joining me is judith brown and wayne slater, chief political correspondent for "the dallas morning news." thank you very much, wayne and judith. judith, you know from the beginning of this thing, i've spotted reince priebus, the chairman of the republican national committee of overseeing dozens of states around the country, all with republican legislatures, some of them in blue states, using their power to screw the black voter out of voting. in many cases they openly stated they can't get a majority of all the voters so, we'll get the majority of the white voters and keep the others from voting much. it's pretty clear what they're

doing. then come alongs the supreme court 5-4, by the way, we're getting rid of the voting rights act, which was the main tool to stop this kind of stuff from going on. how do you do it without it? >> section 5 of the voting rights act allowed the department of justice to preclear any changes in the law. now what the justice department has said is we're going to step up our efforts. we may not be able to do it that way. but there is other provisions of the voting rights act that stop discrimination. so they're doing their job. >> can he ask a guy down in texas, judge male or female to do what he wants, will they do it? >> in this particular case in a redistricting sense, for example, the court already found there was discrimination in texas in redistricting. so now they can go back to the court and say you found discrimination, so, court, we need you to make sure that they don't continue their actions. >> wayne, there has been an old trick. it's the perverse use of the voting rights act by the republicans. what they did is all over the south erase white democratic congress people, or as many democratic congress people as

they could erase by flooding the zone. taking all the minority voters in the state, jamming them into one district, let that go 90-10 democrat. meanwhile, they gobbled up other seats, 60-'04. they generally rationed out the seats so they could get three or four congressional seats. in texas they flood the district with one zone of hispanic voters and grab all the other districts for themselves. this is a pattern. >> that's exactly what happened, and that is why the federal court panel says that the lines drawn by the republican legislature were discriminatory. if you look at the growth in population in texas over the last decade, 80% of it was hispanic. and we have four new additional congressional seats. but as you said, only one of those actually went to a minority opportunity district. the other three went to safe republican districts. so it was a prima fascia case that the legislature and the

district lines to they drew were discriminatory by doing exactly as you said. you put the minorities, pack them in some districts and you maximize the opportunity for the white majority in the state, bare majority in the state, but you denied the rights of a whole lot of people. and the same thing is happening, of course, with the issue of photo id. it's another effort -- >> oh, i know. >> -- to sort of restrict the votes in texas. all that of is under litigation in texas. >> what about the attorney general running for governor assuming there has been some kind of corruption down there, vote stealing. therefore he has to have the new laws. look, there is some obviously in the country from different places. but nobody ever seems to be able to find. >> right. >> it certainly is in bulk volume, because if there was bulk volume stealing. that would get it. but they never seem to need to show up with any evidence of criminality to change the law. >> that's right. advance the project is on trial right now as we speak in pennsylvania. and we have no evidence of voter

fraud by the other side. the same thing in texas. then they tell people you need an id to prevent voter fraud. what we know is it's about making it harder to vote for african-americans and latino voters. in texas, they're the postal child for voter suppression. so the department of justice has decided that they were going to do what they had to do to enforce the law. this is nothing new. it's a provision of the voting rights act, and we're glad the attorney general is doing his job. >> let me ask you a question, wayne, about your state down there. is that state getting more diverse and perhaps more purple than red? >> of course it. you can tell by the growth in hispanic population, hispanics of course disproportionately vote democratic. it is more hispanic, more minority. it's moving toward democrats, but it's still a solidly republican state. and it's run at this point by elected officials. >> okay. >> who are all republicans at the statewide level. >> we're seeing that right now in this voting rights scam. thank you, as always. when we return, let me finish with the haters of barack obama. you got to stay for this.

you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. over the tase of starbucks house blend? not that we like tooting our own horn but... ♪ toot toot. [ male announcer ] find gevalia in the coffee aisle or at gevalia.com [ male announcer ] find gevalia in the coffee aisle wi drive a ford fusion. who is healthier, you or your car? i would say my car. probably the car. cause as you get older you start breaking down. i love my car. i want to take care of it. i have a bad wheel - i must say. my car is running quite well. keep your car healthy with the works. $29.95 or less after $10 mail-in rebate at your participating ford dealer. so you gotta take care of yourself? yes you do. you gotta take care of your baby? oh yeah!

but, dad, you've got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident. smart kid. [ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands? [ voice of dennis ] indeed. i dbefore i dosearch any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. help the gulf when we made recover and learn the gulf, bp from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology,

like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. our commitment has never been stronger. because of a migraine. so they trust excedrin migraine to relieve pain fast. plus sensitivity to light, sound, even nausea. and it's #1 neurologist recommended. migraines are where excedrin excels.

let me finish tonight with this. i said it before and i'm now saying it again there are too many people on the american right who hate the very notion of barack obama in the white house. it grates on them, just as it thrills even now tens of millions of others. they hate not just his politics, but him. think about all the days we have known him, from way back when he gave that breathtaking speech to

the 2004 convention. was there ever a time in all the days and weeks and years since that his haters in on the right have stopped in their tracks and said well, good for him. i like the way he did that. think hard. have his haters ever stopped hating him? when we got bin laden, when the stock market doubles, doubling every 401(k), making all those haters richer, twice as rich as they were when bush left us stranded with a drooping, scary economy. did they ever look up and say even hesitantly, well, i'll give him this one. no, no, no. you can discount it all. you can say it's not about race or whatever. you can sate. but think about all this. all the criticisms from the haters about african-americans generally, all the years of your life, and think about this man's life, about how hard he has worked, how he has achieved so highly at school, how he has married so well and so faithfully. how he has fathered two great daughters and kept them protected, protected them, been a truly great partner them them,

been a great partner in his marriage, has never once let us down with his personal behavior, and yet that. >> hate him. they really do. and i don't have to be the one to tell you we live in a country where a good chunk of the country hates its elected president, and won't really, i mean really tell you why. it's the same reason they spend there time thinking of clever gimmicks to keep so many people from voting. anybody disagree? that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris, and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, breaking news. the last juror speaks out, juror b29, the only juror we have not heard from in the george zimmerman case is now speaking out. and it's an explosive new interview that takes us inside those 16 hours of deliberations, talkingut