and i clearly think we see that in this case he was not getting enough therapy or he was not getting the standard of care that he was needing. because clearly, there are clearly more consequences and some really problematic behaviors. >> dr. mike dow gets tonight's last word. i'm alex wagner in for lawrence o'donnell. up next, "hardball" with chris matthews. new york decides. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. 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 hold someone high and say he or she should be our leader, that this is the best of us, the leader we choose to speak for us, act for us, be for us in the sun and storms ahead? who is going to be our bridge

over troubled waters? just asking. but has our view of public office so declined with just one in eight of us saying we respect the u.s. congress, and the majority saying to dump them all, have we reached such a base feel for public figures that we don't expect some minimum standard of decency? the answer comes in the latest poll from new york city. this has one in six people supporting anthony weiner to be the mayor of the country's greatest city, who with one hand with all his baggage, some unpacked, who knows what is still unpacked, greeting world travelers to america. is it this bad? has it been down so long this looks like up to us? is anthony weiner the best we can hope for? is this as good as it gets? or is a big chunk of new york so depressed in its dreams that we're down to having this guy do his thing? what the world is quietly wondering beyond the hudson does anthony weiner have to do to get you to quit him? what previous unimaginable act of exhibitionism is so below your standard, because ladies and gentlemen, my bet is you

haven't seen it all. what is your bet? that this is as bad as it gets? really? so what are you going to give me for the brooklyn bridge? joan walsh is editor of the salon and msnbc political analyst and michael sherer. joan, i'm laughing because a sixth of new york still wants this guy. they seem to say this is as good as it gets. he is still my guy. i'm just wondering what more could he do, or is this the unbreakable core of his support? >>. no. >> there is nothing he could do. >> no. it's dropping. it will drop. >> your thoughts. >> he will lose. he will lose 1/6. people are divided on whether he should leave. this only reflects a day of reaction to this new set of revelations. as we parsed many times, that this is after he resigned, that this is as recently as last

summer. this is after the supposed rehabilitation and therapy and healing his marriage. so you get a lot of people in there who think it's part of the same garbage and i already dealt with it and i don't care. >> i see. >> and as more and more of it comes out, you still got a significant drop. so i think as more comes out, and it will come out, you're right, people are going to peel away from this man. it's starting. and it will accelerate. >> aren't you a little miss sunshine tonight. >> yes! >> you're so hopeful. i just think -- >> i am. >> i can't think of the particulars that would change anybody's mind at this point. you might be right. and you might be hopefully correct. anyway, the new york tabloids continue to hound weiner. take a look at this daily news headline. "god help ny" -- that's new york, of course -- "if he's mayor." meanwhile, we have a new poll out today, as i said. it isn't good news for anthony weiner. according to "the wall street journal" maris college poll, weiner has dropped to second place, as we said, behind christine quinn among registered democrats in new york. weiner lost nine points since

last month, maybe a lot in the last 24 hours. he is now only slightly ahead of bill de blasio and bill thompson who he we had on last night. christine quinn leads the pack. i would should v thought it would have been higher for her. when asked whether weiner should drop out, democrats are fairly evenly split, 43 to 47. it's 50-50 on this guy. michael, as you report this story for time, i'm just wondering what is the story at this point? it seems to me that this guy as all kinds of problems. we're going to get into this, clinical problems and all that. new york's got a problem. they don't have a great list of candidates. he probably in terms of background is on par with some of the other candidates. but they don't have his problems. but yet they're willing to say the 1/6 of new yorkers, they can live with this guy as mayor. >> and the other candidates don't have his charisma and campaign skills either. i'm not like joan and i'm not ready to write him off completely. if nothing else, i could see a scenario where he gets into the runoff. you only need to get 20, 25% of

the vote and a field like this. >> a two-person runoff. >> he is not that far from being there right now. if there aren't future revelations. >> if. >> the question becomes -- it's a big if. >> you notice my opening. i'm betting anybody there aren't future revelations. >> let's get this straight. what he said as of this morning and we've been covering him all day, he said there may be three to six there aren't dozens. he said a fallback. >> here is the bottom line with sex scandals, especially in big city elections. the sex doesn't matter. the personal life of the candidate usually doesn't matter. >> this isn't personal life. this is sexting around the country. this is reaching out to strangers. >> what is hurting weiner now -- >> by the way, this isn't meeting in some hotel somewhere with somebody you've known a while or anything like that. this is reaching out and using the internet. >> yes. >> to reach people. some of whom i don't think he has ever met or will ever know. so why is that private? >> because it's consensual. >> if it is consensual, why is he saying i want to apologize to

any woman i might have inconvenienced with this? what is inconvenienced mean? i know i'm putting you on the grill here. this is a crazy world we're in now. >> it's definitely a crazy world. >> what does inconvenience mean? >> look, i'm not condoning the behavior. >> but you're trying to say it's okay. >> i'm saying if you look at the history of big city elections. >> if it's private, i say this about all these people who get in trouble, whether it's monica who talks and blabs to her friends. it's not private if we know about it. there is not katie any kind of investigative reporting on this. joan, back to you. i don't think reporters today spend their time digging around in people's trash cans like j. edgar hoover or anything they did to him in the old days. these stories are thrown at us. your thoughts. >> i think what bothers us, and 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 mean monica was hillary? i love judge. you know, i thought she looked

like hillary that day. >> let me answer you. >> go ahead. >> i'm not condoning adultery in any form. however, when people are consensual adults and they keep it quiet, that's one thing. when people have an urge -- >> 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 is an element of recklessness to it there is an element of exhibitionism there is an element of wanting to get caught. and that does, or as michael i think was trying to say, that is the thing that starts to raise the red flags. this is the public part of it. if people are discreet enough and have enough respect for their spouses and whatever to keep it private, that is actually a step above these people who are so compulsive and reckless and ruin their marriages and, you know, shove their private stuff in front of our faces, literally in the case of anthony weiner. >> let me give you an example of discretion. katherine help burn and spencer tracy -- you're laughing because it's so grownup, you can't

handle this thing. >> he is so young. >> you're so young. they had a quiet affair that went on for years, if not decades. they would go to each other's hotel rooms. they didn't shack up. they had separate hotel rooms. they never went out for dinner. in all those years they didn't embarrass their spouses, his spouse, anything, because they wanted to keep it private. that's what is called private. anyway, today anthony weiner confirmed, he confirmed there were multiple women he exchanged texts and nude photos since he resigned from congress. this is all private, by the way. he is just keeping us informed. it's all private. let's watch. >> it's not dozens, like i told the post and they made a big headline out of it. it's not dozens and dozens. it is six to ten, i suppose. but i can't tell you absolutely what someone else is going to consider inappropriate or not. >> were they sexual? 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? that's private matters here. >> this is what i said. >> i shouldn't be laughing, but there is something ludicrous well, it's not dozens, and i can't be sure of that. >> because it was inappropriate. >> i will concede there is probably nobody in the history of american politics who has been as embarrassed as anthony weiner. publicly humiliated. >> is he honestly capable of embarrassment? do you think he is embarrassed? >> i think he is. >> you do? >> yes, absolutely. >> why do you think? he doesn't look embarrassed to me. he is loving this. he is loving this. like nixon loved his resignation. national television. >> let me just finish. >> recognition he's getting. >> the issue for new yorkers, the two issue for new yorkers are here is a guy who looked them in the face and lied to them twice. do they want somebody who can lie that easy supply and the second issue for new yorkers, if he does get in the mayor's office, will he embarrass the city? >> what is your bet.

>> about whether he would? >> whether he would tell the truth if he is mayor? >> i don't know. i think there is a good record to say he would definitely tell the truth if he was mayor if he fell back into that behavior. i think that's pretty clear. >> you can't look at weiner in the eye and see this guy. anyway, your thought, joan. >> there is no history of truth telling here. i think the other thing that is actually equally troublesome is look, chris, this guy became a progressive hero. he said some great things about single pair and the public option during the health care debate. but all he really has as a record is standing up to people on fox news. and, you know, i think he passed maybe one piece of legislation in his career in congress. he is not an effective legislator. we don't necessarily know what he believes. and i want to take issue with you saying there aren't necessarily -- there may not be candidates with his charisma and his on-the-ground skills, but i think there are decent candidates. a lot of candidates. christine quinn, like her or not, she is good. bill thompson is solid. bill de blasio is the actual progressive in the race. he has policies. he has programs. he is saying all the right

things and speaking of police brutality, racial profiling. >> roger ailes, the head of fox news will be doing back flips. >> oh, god, yes. >> he will be in heaven. it will be a poster boy for everything he opposes. anyway, thank you, michael sherer. sorry to go after you. but you are here. joan, we agree once in a while. thank you, joan walsh. i guess it's catholic school coming back to haunt you. >> yes. >> this guy is too much. you didn't like to hear that? >> that's fine with me. >> you don't like being called prudish. thank you so much for coming on. as always, joan walsh from salon. coming up, anthony weiner on the couch. we're going to talk to experts about this strange kind of sexual addiction and what it is that drive people to gout and become these digital streakers. i'm not sure it is sex, but they think it is. president obama has essentially declared war on republicans in congress. you might say finally. they have been waging war against him since day one, since they heard of the guy. we know the republicans are up to this. is the president? does he really want to do battle for the next three and a half years? with a court filing, eric holder has now joined the fight to

restore the section of the voting rights act that the supreme court struck down about preclearance on voting changes. finally, let me finish with the haters of barack obama, not anthony weiner. this is "hardball," the place for politics.

as anthony weiner plummets in the polls, eliot spitzer is showing strength as he attempts his own comeback from his scandal. according to a new wnbc/"wall street journal," spitzer has a 17-point lead in the primary. it's spitzer leading stott stringer, 49-32. we're hoping to have him on next week. we'll be back with deeper insight into anthony weiner, right after this.

well, for most of us, the nature of anthony wean area's online sexual activities, if you

will, came as a shock, certainly a surprise for people who cover politics. how can such a public figure act so weirdly, basically in public. but even more shocking was news this week weiner continued his online activities even after he was exposed and humiliated. he just kept doing it. some people are wondering can he ever control this? or if elected, can he be in the basement of gracie mansion where the mayor lives in new york, sending out nude pictures to women online? would he keep it up? why would you believe he wouldn't? we wanted to find out what those drives were. dr. jennifer berman is a psychotherapist and sexual health expert and dr. sheri, she goes by dr. sheri, dr. sheri blake is a clinical psychologist. but both 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. we get it. male and female, gay and straight, and other possibilities, but we get it.

it has to do with sex. dr. jennifer, what does it have to do with sex that you go online and someone who's not anywhere near you, you don't know them, you may not even know the sound of their voice and you show them pictures of yourself? what is that and it's not like streaking in a street with a big raincoat opening up where you get the immediate reaction. and i guess that excites the people that do it. what's the excitement in this? and what is the gratification in this, that has been going on with this fellow, maybe through this year continuing? >> i think more in line with these men in positions of power and control are thrill-seekers and sensation seekers. so this is just an extension of that where we see with schwarzenegger, strauss-kahn, his fetish happens to be a little more risky because it involves the internet.

>> but it's not sex. >> it is intimacy. there is the sexual sort of connection that he is trying to make with people, and it is compulsive. he's put himself at risk. he has put his family at risk. he is putting his job at risk. >> you're a psychologist. tell me why this is enjoyable? you got to help me more than just say this is an addiction or it's a power trip. 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 jeopardized, perhaps lost his chance to get the job of his dreams. why would he keep throwing that into play, whatever this behavior is or what it's about, except is there a cost benefit analysis that he said you know what? the benefit of doing this beats the heck out of being mayor of new york, so i'm going to do it. what does he get that he says i'm going to do this rather than been 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 monica, somebody who worked for him. at least he knew her. and she talked to somebody else, linda tripp. and she talked to somebody else. in this case he is blasting it out like a robocall to all these people. >> getting caught is the least of his concerns. this is a compulsive/impulsive addiction. he's not thinking about getting caught. the reward of the thrill that he gets from that, whatever it is, is greater than the risk. so what you mentioned with risk reward, the reward to him is greater than the risk. and that defines the disease of addiction, whether it be alcohol, cocaine, putting your penis on the internet, or, you know, sleeping around with hundreds of women. it's the same thing, just a different manifestation. >> dr. sheri, i want to give you a moment here by yourself here. is it an addiction or it is something he can control every time he does it? which one is it? >> 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. >> with this. >> the reality is he may not be as humiliated as others think. >> i'm with you, doctor. >> he's getting a thrill out of it. >> i've always suspected as much. i'm not a nixon hater. but i always loved that night when he resigned on national television. he knew that n that moment, there were maybe a billion people worldwide watching him. it's total recognition of his being. this guy doesn't look like he's sad there. he is checking his watch. he looks good. he has the shirt on, the tie perfect, sleeves are rolled up like he is bobby kennedy. everything is together with this guy. we're the only ones -- i think you're so smart. we're projecting that he is embarrassed. >> absolutely. keep in mind. look at the attention. my god, he is getting global attention. he cannot buy this media attention. >> narcissism goes along with the addiction. the two go hand in hand. >> right. >> 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 and after he had apologized is not surprising to me at all. >> why? >> there is probably multiple triggers that ignite this behavior. and the question is has he got it under control? does he have other tools or outlets to sort of cope with the impulse to do it? >> okay. let's go to the gender aspect of this. 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 reported history in our modern technology of women doing this kind of tweeting, naked tweeting, digit cal 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 it. >> they do it. >> of course they do. >> yes. >> so this isn't a feminist issue, it's just a general problem? let me ask you this. because 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 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 politicians have other issues that they're doing in private. the problem is this man's compulsion and addiction involves the internet. he needs to find other tools, other outlets, other ways of coping. >> would you take away his cell phone? they say people with real alcohol problems is don't hang around bars. i believe that when i drank too much. >> he needs to be in a 12-step program. it has to do with intimacy and it has to do with connection. it has to do with self-soothing. >> can you keep him away from a computer at night? i assume he does this at night. can you keep him away from being alone with a computer? >> that's a good point. you do tell an alcoholic to stay out of the bars. so that is a good point. and probably, you know, 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. because then he can't have one. i'm serious. is that part of the therapy? stay away from the machinery that you seem to use for this thing of yours? dr. sheri? >> therapy only works if you want to work it. the reality is it's not very realistic to keep him away from all computers. he's got to control his behaviors. and the question is, does he really want to? the thing is he's getting some satisfaction out of this. he's getting needs met, and the reality is they're being met inappropriately. and what is happening also, he's exposed. not only locally, but he's exposed globally. in terms of his wife, you know, that's a choice she's making, to stand by him. to do the -- 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, and all the things he is getting with this, he's getting a pretty good deal.

>> i like you both. i like you both. dr. sherry, you speak not with a forked tongue, but very clearly. thank you. very clearly, i get it. dr. jennifer berman, thank you both. >> thank you. >> it's a strange night on "hardball." up next, in honor of the latest anthony weiner 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 oliver, of course, reflecting on anthony weiner's alias last night. while carlos danger is a great fodder, some are capitalizing on the screen name. here is the inevitable. carlos danger branded merchandise, the perfect gift for the scoundrel in your life. even spirit airlines is in on the game. they sent out a promotion playing off the carlos danger phenomenon, complete with a hot dog mascot. weiner might have to take that deal himself to escape all this bad publicity. anyway, next up, if you're a fan of robin thicke's "blurred lines," you might appreciate this new matchup of bill clinton singing the popular single. >> all right. ♪ if you can't hear what i'm trying to say, if you can't read from the same page ♪ ♪ baby i'm going, maybe i'm going blind, maybe i'm out of mind ♪

♪ aaah ♪ tried to domesticate you, but you're an animal, baby it's in your nature ♪ just let me liberate you, you don't need no paper ♪ that man is not your maker, 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 >> it sounds like it needs more practice. it's official. joe biden's contemplating another run for public office in india, that is. the vice president went off script while speaking in mumbai yesterday, explaining why he might be able to run in that country. quote, maybe some genealogist in the audience can follow me up, but i received a letter from a gentleman named biden, biden, my name from mumbai, that we were related. and so i was thinking about that, if that were true, i might run here in india for office. i might be qualified. qualified, maybe. eligible?

probably not. talking about starting off on the wrong foot, mark sanford, remember him? never got the memo that the house was voting last night, nor did he get the memo about the dress code. the newly elected south carolina congressman showed up in a sweat-soaked t-shirt, gym shorts and sneakers. while protocol requires that congressmen wear appropriate business attire, he did the next best thing. he borrowed a blazer from an aide. i think he was out hiking on the appalachian trail. president obama fighting back against the republicans who have been at war with him since day one. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. i'm only in my 60's... i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare,

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we don't make the necessary investments to ensure that america's a magnet for good jobs investments in education, manufacturing, research, and transportation and information networks, we're just waving the white flag of surrender to other countries as they forge ahead in this global economy.

we know strong infrastructure is a key ingredient to a thriving economy. that's how the united states became the best place in the world to do business. 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 and much hyped speech in illinois about the american economy, a speech which condemned washington's dysfunction and accused republicans of an agenda of obstructionism. fair enough. the white house continued to get our groove back, touring jacksonville, florida, today, his third stop in just two days. while today's speech may have focused on america's infrastructure, it's not just bridges and roads obama is looking to mend. it's his legacy, obviously,

which republicans are out to destroy with a wrecking ball brinksmanship. how far will they take it? they're threatening a government shutdown and a default if obama care is not funded. today is about obama fighting back, a recognition that this is a political war. u.s. congressman debbie wasserman schultz is also chairman of the democratic party. she is from florida, of course, and michael steele, a former republican national chair and a political analyst here and a great fellow to have. let me ask you, since you're the guy here enjoying all this, it seems to me -- >> i don't know about that. >> that your party, and not your regular party, the regular old republican party, but the right wing of your party is now saying the following. unless obama, the president of the united states agrees to no revenues at all in a new package on the budget, agrees to no paying off the national debt, and killing obama care, there will be a government shutdown and probably a default on the federal government. what kind of a statement is that by responsible office holders? >> it's basically saying, look, you know, we're not going to go down a road where we continue to

spend without some idea of where the end point is. i mean, you got the tax increases at the beginning of this year, some 600 -- >> for who? who got taxed? >> everybody got taxed, chris. everybody's taxes went up at the beginning of the year. so don't sit in this little bubble and act like it didn't happen. >> i'm talking income taxes? >> income taxes, payroll taxes. everybody got a hit to their bottom line at the beginning of the year. republicans signed off. >> they signed off? they were for it. >> they signed off on the tax cuts. we have not seen the spending cuts. and that's part of the conversation going forward. look, this president went out to illinois to place where he said, you know, he gave his first economic speech in 2005. we just didn't expect him to give the same speech. we've heard this before. we've been in this room. what is different from yesterday than what we've seen before? >> congresswoman, what's going on? why did he out of nowhere come out with this strong tactic of political offense. he hadn't been doing it for months. he just said we're at war, let's face it. >> because a president has a few tools available to them at their disposal to try to shake things up. clearly, what you outlined is

that the republicans in washington have only one interest. that is being obstructionists. and they're even willing to be obstructionists and stop him to the point of harming the economy. and that's deeply disturbing. so the president has the bully pulpit. and the bully pulpit is diffuse. over the next two months, president obama, beginning with yesterday, 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 -- >> so what's going to happen? michael first. look, you just laid it out. the republicans are basically saying no deal unless you don't raise taxes, unless you raise -- don't increase the debt, the extension of the national debt limit, and that you somehow get rid of obama care. do you actually think he is going to ever sign a piece of paper that says he is going to get rid of obama care? that's what you're asking for. >> he is not going to sign a piece of paper getting rid of obama care.

we understand that. >> have you listened to ted cruz lately? >> i've heard ted cruz. >> and rand paul. >> the bottom line is we've got to start somewhere. the president is giving yet another speech. the reality of how many speeches can he give while creating jobs? >> but wait a minute. >> wait a minute, chris. >> each one of your right wingers there. >> are two numbers that tell you how president obama is doing on the nation's economy there. >> are five things. >> let me give you the two numbers. the two numbers are the poverty rate, which has doubled, okay. and the -- >> what are republicans doing about the poverty rate? >> and let me finish the other one. the median income households in this country has gone down from 52,000 to now 50,000. so the reality of it is americans are financially still hurting. so all of this wonderful, you know, show and flutter out here, where are the jobs? you keep talking about it. >> i'm trying to be polite. but this is "hardball." >> what the bottom line -- >> excuse me, michael, this

government can't even set a fiscal policy because it's run by democrats that passed a budget. >> oh, please. spare me. >> why aren't we in conference? >> why did it take you five years to pass a budget. >> you wanted us to pass a budget. we passed one. now you're arguing about how long it took us to pass it? let's do what the legislative process is designed to do, have both sides, two chambers sit down and hammer out a conference report and send it -- and send to it the president. but 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 education, health care, housing, investment and infrastructure, decimating people's retirements and ability to live comfortably with a safety net in place. that's what the republicans are hell bent on doing. >> we're going to have a showdown. >> you put tonight table and see what the final bill is i do want to have a meeting of two sides. >> you're opposing a

correspondence between the two. >> no. i'm not complaining. look, your party is opposing. >> my problem is this holier than thou because you passed a budget for the first time. >> would you meet for a conference? >> absolutely. >> they're not doing it. 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've got better ideas to make sure every american knows the security of affordable health care, well, share wit the country. you know, repealing obama care and slashing our budgets in education and research and infrastructure, that's not an economic plan. threatening that you won't pay the bills in this country when we've already wracked up those bills, that's not an economic plan. that's just being a deadbeat. >> you know, before the president even addressed a crowd down in jacksonville,

republicans had already issued their prebuttal. this is john boehner speaking to reporters today about obama's economic speeches. >> you know, the president pivoted this week to jobs as he has been known to do on occasion. and under the president's leadership, our country has fallen into the new normal of slow growth, high unemployment, and stagnant wages. and i think it's unacceptable. but his speech turned out to be all sizzle and no steak. that's assuming there is any sizzle left after you have reheated this thing so many times. >> okay, that's language, boring. >> 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 to deficit reduction. they absolutely want us to make sure that we replace the sequester and take away the pain that the republicans are hell bent on continuing. i mean, chris, 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 from now until the end of the fiscal year. and what's going to happen in hurricane alley a category 4 hurricane comes bearing down on us, and the national guard is going to struggle to be there. that's thanks to the republicans. >> a furlough day, the governor is going to call them in anyway because he is not going to sacrifice the folks. >> how about the seniors? >> and the states will take care of business the way they all of the sudden do. >> oh so, it doesn't matter. >> no one in the country is talking about sequester. that's a red herring. >> i just saw "the lone ranger." it's not the greatest movie in the world. johnny depp plays tonto. not the greatest. the lone ranger should have known, and he may have known that his posse of the texas rangers were heading into a box canyon, and the cavendish gang was waiting to slaughter them. i think the president is the lone ranger. we're going into a box canyon this november/december. we're going to face a national

shutdown over the national debt. they're going to screw us. they're going to shut the economy down. we're going to have a slower recovery and he said let's start to fight now. >> but there is as much risk for the president as there is for republicans. >> i will say that's the plan and you know it's their plan. and you've been inform to have had plan. >> thank you for coming. >> thank you. >> more about that plan than i do. trust me. >> please come back as often as he comes back. congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz and michael steele, as always. up next, the justice department has joined the fight to protect voting rights down in texas. that's was one of the voting rights state, and they're trying to reinstate them as a voting rights state in effect. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [poof!] [clicks mouse] there's doughnuts in the conference room.

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that the justice department will ask a federal court in texas to subject the state of texas to preclearance regime similar to the one required by section 5 of the voting rights act. >> wow. we're back. that was, of course, attorney general eric holder today in a speech to the national urban league up in philly. holder declared he's not going to sit back and take it anymore announcing the justice department, his justice department is asking a federal court down in san antonio to require the state of texas to obtain approval from the department of justice in advance before putting future voting changes in place. texas attorney general greg abbott, running for governor now, responded on twitter saying "i'll fight obama's effort to control our election and fight against cheating at the ballot box." the supreme court invalidated a pivotal section of the 1965 voting rights act back in june of this year. the attorney general is expected to issue a series of changes to

similar laws on the books or making their way through state legislatures in other states signaling the fight against discriminatory voting rights is not over. joining me now, judith brown of the advancement project. and wayne slater for "dallas morning news." thank you very much, wayne and judith. from the begin of this thing, i spotted reince priebus, the multistate, dozens of states around the country all with republican legislatures, solve of them in blue states using their power to screw the black voter out of voting. in many cases they openly state it. they can't get a majority of all the voters so we'll get the majority of white voters and keep the others from voting much. it's clear what they're doing. along comes the supreme court led by conservatives 5-4. they say 5-4. by the way, we're getting rid of the voting rights act, the 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's other provisions of the voting rights act that stop discrimination. and so they're doing their job. >> can he ask a guy down in texas or a texas judge, male or female, to do what he wants? will they do it? >> yes. in this particular case in a redistricting sense, for example, the court already found there was discrimination in texas and redistricting. they can go back to the court and say now found discrimination, court, we need you to make sure they don't continue their actions. >> there's an old trick, perverse use of the voting rights act when it existed by the republicans. what they did all over the sao is erase white democratic congress people or as many democratic congress people they could erase by flooding the zone, taking all the minority voters, jamming them into a

district, 90-10 democrat and gobble up two or three other states, 60-45. they rationed out the votes to get congressional seats when they only deserve less than two. apparently flooded the zone with one district with hispanic voters and grabbed the other three for themselves. >> that's exactly what happened. that's why the federal court panel said 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. we have four new additional seats. as you said, only one of those went to a minority opportunity district. the other three went to safe republican districts. so it was a prima facie case,

that the state of texas, republican legislature and district lines they drew were discriminatory. you put minorities, pack them in some districts and maximize the opportunity for the white majority in the state. bare majority in the state. but you deny the rights of a whole lot of people. the same thing is happening, of course, with the issue of photo i.d. it's another -- >> oh, i know. >> -- to sort of restrict the votes in texas. all of that is under litigation? texas. >> what about the guy down there, attorney general running for governor, assuming there's been some kind of corruption down there, vote stealing, therefore he has to have these new laws. i do find it -- there are some places in the country, different places. nobody ever seems to be able to find it. if there was bulk volume stealing, they would get it. in pennsylvania as well, they never show up with any evidence of criminality to expand the law. >> right now as we speak in pennsylvania, we have no evidence of voter fraught by the other side. they tell people you need an i.d. to prevent voider fraud. what we know is it's about making it harder to vote for african-americans, and latino voters. in texas, they're the poster child for voter suppression. department of justice has

decided 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. 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 is. you can tell by the growth many hispanic population, hispanics, of course, disproportionately vote democratic. it is more hispanic. more minority. it's moving toward democrats, but still a solidly republican state and it's run at this point by elected officials who are all republicans in the state level. >> we're seeing that right now in this voting rights scam. thank you, judith brown and wayne slater as always. when we return, let me finish with the haters of barack obama. you have to stay around for this. you're watching "hardball." the place for politics. to make the call. to treat my low testosterone, my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment.

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let me finish tonight with this. i said it before, and i'm now saying it again. there are too many people in 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 those days and weeks and months and years since that haters on

the right stopped in their tracks and said, well, good for him, i like way he did that. have his haters ever stopped hating him? when we got bin laden. stock market doubled. doubling every 401(k), making them richer. bush left us stranded with a drooping, scary economy. did they look up and say, hesitantly, i'll give him this one in no, no, no. discount it all. say it's not about race or whatever. you can say it. think about this. in all the criticism from the haters about african-americans generally, all the years of your life, and think about this man's life, about how hard he's worked. how he's achieved so highly in school. how he's married so well and so faithfully. how he's fathered two great daughters and kept them protected. protected them. been a truly great father to them. been a true partner in his marriage. treated his office with such respect and dignity. has never once let us down with his personal behavior. and yet they hate him. they really do. 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 their time thinking of clever gimmicks to keep so many people from voting. anybody disagree? that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. good evening, from new york. i'm chris hayes. tonight on "all in" we have heard from another juror in the trayvon martin case. the one nonwhite juror who spoke on abc today and said "george zimmerman got away with murder." we'll be talking about that coming up. also tonight, john boehner has a cantaloupe-sized steve king problem. and the longergo