that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. followed by chris matthews and "hardball." rev, take it away. >> thank you there, ed. thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, commander in chief president obama and this country can's allies are nearing a decision on whether to strike syria over the regime's alleged use of chemical weapons. at this very hour, top administration officials are briefing members of congress about the situation there on the chemical attacks that left hundreds dead. and what our military options are. but taking this country into war should never be done with a rush to judgment. and the president made that clear. >> what i've said is that we have not yet made a decision,

but the international norm against the use of chemical weapons needs to be kept in place. we are consulting with our allies. we are consulting with the international community. and, you know, i have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict in syria. but we do have to make sure that when countries break international enormous on weapons like chemical weapons that could threaten us, that they're held accountable. >> yes. someone needs to be held accountable. and the rationale for a strike isn't cut and dry. as the associated press reports, the case against syrian president assad is no slam-dunk. and there are questions remaining about who actually controls some of syria's chemical weapons stores. so is it any wonder that this president isn't rushing head-first into war? this is the same commander in chief who had to lead us out of two wars.

who has witnessed the toll of these conflicts. he is trying to make the best decision for this country can. but that's not good enough for some. >> the idea of demystifying of what you're going to do for the enemy is mindless. i can't imagine what they're thinking. why they would want the assad regime to have crystal clarity with respect to what they have done. >> mr. rumsfeld broke the media with that one. what is mindless is the architect of the iraq war giving our president advice. here is a hint, mr. rumsfeld. president obama is trying to avoid the mistakes you and others made. >> we can take limited, tailored approaches, not getting drawn into a long conflict.

not a repetition of iraq, which i know a lot of people are worried about. but if we are saying in a clear and divisive but very limited way, we send a shot across the bow saying stop doing this, that can have a positive impact on our national security over the long time. >> wars shouldn't be taken lightly, and the president knows it. joining me now are congressman adam schiff, democrat from california, and member of the house permanent select committee on intelligence, and former congressman patrick murphy, democrat from pennsylvania. he is the first iraq war veteran elected to congress. thank you both for coming on the show tonight. >> you bet. >> thank you. >> congressman schiff, you're on the intelligence committee. what can you tell us about any intervention in syria at this point? >> well, i can tell you that

there is substantial evidence that assad used chemical weapons. this is not the first time the regime has used chemical weapons. you know, there are still some gaps that need to be filled. and i for one want to see the clinical evidence that the united nations and our agencies are gathering. but there is very substantial evidence. and i think the president is right that this is something that the international community must hold the regime accountable for. it has to be done in consultation with our allies. and i can certainly understand the president wanting to get this right, this specter of iraq hangs over all of our heads. we want to make sure that the intelligence is solid, that we're going on the basis of good information if we go, and if there are military strikes. i think he is also right that they need to be focused on the chemical weapons threat and not become an effort to topple the regime. we don't want to get entangled in this civil war. the president is doing this in a thoughtful, analytical way, and that's exactly what he has to do.

>> you know, former secretary of defense donald rumsfeld said that the president hasn't justified action in syria. listen to this. >> one thing that is very interesting, it seems to me, is that there really hasn't been any indication from the administration as to what our national interest is with respect to this particular situation. >> how do you respond to that, congressman murphy? >> well, reverend al, i tell you this. is a solemn moment right now in our country. we're trying to do the right thing. we're trying to figure this out. our military leaders, our commander in chief. see, we think in this time during its defining moment that rummy would have the decency to keep his mouth shut, but he just can't help himself. i think it's a real disservice to our country when we should be coming together right now and not trying to point fingers here and there.

>> let me ask you, congressman schiff, the parliament just voted in england not to go into an intervention perceived as a defeat for prime minister cameron there. do you have any sense if your colleagues were called back into session where the congress would go on this, or are we too early in these kinds over considerations? >> well, that's a really good question. i think the speaker should call us back into session. >> you do think the speaker should call you all back in? >> i do, i do. i think we should come back into session. we should be in thorough consultation with the executive. i've had access to the intelligence, but members that are not on the intelligence committee have not. and i think by and large, they should come back into town that. >> should review the intelligence, and we should have a full discussion about this. and i think that call should have gone out already. where the congress would be ultimately probably depends on

the quality of that intelligence and whether it is confirmed that chemical weapons have been used. the president's decision i have to say just got much more difficult given what happened in the british parliament. i think it's extraordinarily important that this be done in combination with other nations, because it has to be an international taboo on the use of chemical weapons. it can't just be the united states saying this violates the norm. this violates the laws of war. the international community hs z to decide to hold this regime accountable. and i think that just got more difficult with the vote in the british parliament. >> the reason that i asked you twice about you do think the speaker should call the session, call congress back in session. speaker boehner sent a note to the president. he sent a letter saying the president should make the case to the american people in congress for how potential military action will secure american national security interests. but even after sending that

letter, as of right now, you have no indication that boehner, speaker boehner is in fact calling people back to session. at this point, it's just a letter that really has no action attached to it by speaker boehner. >> i think that's rite. i see no indication that the speaker is prepared to call us back into session. and perhaps that letter is his way of avoiding calling us back into session and placing the burden on the president to communicate to call of us during this recess. but i think given the gravity of the situation, given the stakes that are involved, members should be called back from their districts. this is something we should be debating, just as the british parliament has. there is a difficult constitutional question about whether we need a vote of approval here. >> right. >> but whether we have a vote or consultation, either way the members ought to be back at their guests. >> congressman murphy, you talked about this is the time americans should be coming together. but some on the right, like

senator ted cruz have tried already to use syria as a political football. listen to this. >> fundamentally, actually, these two issues. you look at syria, you look at obama care. and they're tied together. they're tied together by an arrogance of this administration that they don't believe they're accountable to the american people. and they are going to jam their agenda down the throats of the american people. >> that's senator ted cruz already raising this while talking on the radio show of the head of the republican party, rush limbaugh. congressman, your response to ted cruz. >> when ted cruz talks about accountability and shoving things down, it get miss irish up because congress wants to punt the ball. you hear congressman adam schiff, who is a great member of congress. him and i served on the intelligence committee together. he is being thoughtful. he is saying let's get back together.

let's figure out the evidence, let's see where it takes us before we act. the republicans, john boehner, ted cruz, they just want to keep throwing grenades over at barack obama and pointing fingers. why don't they call. why don't they come back to washington. why don't we come together? because right now president obama has three audiences. he does have the american people. but secondly, he has the congress of the united states, where in that constitution that ted cruz and the tea party folks want to keep citing, congress has the authority to declare war or these acts of war. not the president. so why isn't congress getting back in and figuring that out? and thirdly, the united nations security council. rev, we should call for an emergency national security meeting to get on the record russia and china where they're going to stand when these were crimes, when these weapons are used against women and children and are willing slaughtered, where are they when it comes down to the assad regime. >> and it's interesting,

congressman schiff, when you have cruz saying trying to tie obama care and syria together and making some political point like the president is stepping over the bounds last time i looked, you're a member of congress, obama care is the law and available by the supreme court. what is he talking about? >> it is pretty amazing when you can bring obama care or health care and tie it in with syria. i wouldn't have thought that was even rhetorically possible. but it makes so transparent the fact that it's simply a political attack. and they'll go after this president on anything if the president does too much in syria, they'll go after him. if he does too little in syria, even if he gets it just right in syria, they'll go after him. but i think it couldn't be more obvious when they're trying to bring obama care into the syria debate. >> congressman adam schiff and former congressman patrick murphy, thank you both for your time this evening. >> thank you.

>> thanks, reverend. coming up can, republican leaders did not attend the march on washington. but wait until you hear where they were instead. it's amazing. and it really shows their priorities. plus, the expert on race is back at it again. bill o'reilly's failed argument on the march. plus, look out, right wingers. is bill clinton versus sarah palin on obama care. wonder how this political title fight might end. and friend or foe, i want to know. e-mail me what's on your mind. "reply al" is ahead. ♪

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we've been asking our msnbc

family to tell us what they're doing in their communities to advance dr. king's dream. and we've received some great responses. the quality of life center in florida tweets we are advancing the dream by instilling academic, artistic, and internal self-confidence within our children. love that picture. joe tells us he is advancing the dream by teaching our youth dr. king's impact can be felt today. right on, joe. i have a dream, and today i start making it a reality. excited for first day back to school. way to go, and good luck. we want to hear how you're getting involved. please head to advancing the dream.msnbc.com and use t the #advancingthedream.

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if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. the measure of progress for those who marched 50 years ago was not merely how many blacks could join the ranks of millionaires. it was whether this country would admit all people who were willing to work hard, regardless of race, into the ranks of a middle class life. >> fighting to expand the middle class in the face of massive inequality. today fast food workers are out striking in 50 cities across the

country. they're people working full-time, struggling to make ends meet. and as these workingmen and women fight for livable wage, we get this news today, that u.s. banks made record profits in the last quarter. instead of trying to level the playing field, republicans attack the poor. here is new video of congressman steve king, comparing unemployed people to children. >> now, what kind of a family if you had six kids and a third of your kids would say i'm not doing the chores, mom. if any of them say i refuse, i'm not going to participate. i'm not going contribute to the american gdp, pretty soon those kids would be on the you get to eat after you do the work. not just in hopes that you might one day actually do the work. >> people struggling to find work are like kids who don't do chores? it's just the latest attack in the right.

republican congressman dave joyce was caught on tape saying this. >> there's three million jobs every month in this country that go unfilled. and the trouble is it's because they either can't find people to come and work sober daily, drug-free, and want to learn the necessary skills going forward to be able to do those kind of jobs. >> this ugliness doesn't address the real problems facing the unemployed. but it's not surprising when the leader of the right wing says this. >> look at poverty in this country can. everybody out of work is eating. they've got a big screen tv, probably have a car, probably have a cell phone that they're using. and they got a place to live. being out of work is not poverty. >> everybody out of work has a place to live. does he think they should be homeless? these guys aren't serious about the real inequalities we face in this country. but president obama. joining me now is jared

bernstein, former chief economist for vice president biden. thanks for being here, jared. >> my pleasure, reverend. >> now, workers are fighting for the minimum wage, and banks are making record profits. what should congress be doing to fight the inequality we see in this country, jared? >> very simply, they should raise the minimum wage. you know, by the way, there were lots of republicans, over 60 who supported a minimum wage increase when george bush proposed it the last time we raised it back in 2007. so this is not an issue that is that foreign to republicans, in no small part but it just polls through the roof. people recognize that a wage floor of $7.25 not a very low wage floor in our economy, but very low by measures of other advanced economies is something that is popular because, a, it doesn't have any budgetary implications. and b, it helps working people get reconnected to a growing

economy that has largely left them behind. >> you know, you're right. because when you look at the polling, polls show raising minimum wage is really hugely popular. gallup poll found 71% of americans support it, including 75% of moderates, and even 54% of conservatives. and the fight for higher minimum wage goes all the way back to the first march on washington. did you know, jared, the organizers wanted a national minimum wage to, quote, give all americans a decent standard of living. this is in the '63 march. they wanted it to be $2 an hour then. why is the minimum wage such a crucial part in the fight for equality, jared? >> first of all that, would be $10 an hour in today's dollars, adjusting for inflation. because it adjusts the wage floor for so many of the working poor. you know, who has the least amount of bargaining power in

this country? minorities, people with less than a college education, folks who are stuck in low-wage jobs. now, maybe there was a time years ago, particularly when we're talking about nonminorities when folks passed through those minimum wage jobs on the way to better jobs. but we now know many people, disproportionately minorities, but whites as well have been stuck in those jobs. and if you just ask the average guy or gal on the street what makes more sense to you, banks that just posted a 23% profit over last year, $42 billion in one quarter, that's a record. the last record by the way was the previous quarter. it was about 40 billion. or doing something that would help steer a little bit more of the growth to workers who are helping, frankly, to bake a larger economic pie, but ending up with smaller slices. >> but top republicans aren't completely opposed to. this listen to. this. >> i've been dealing with the minimum wage issue for the last

28 years that i've been in elected office. and when you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? you get less of it. >> a minimum wage law, as good as it may sound at the outset, is not the way to do i. >> i don't think minimum wage, and history is very clear about this, doesn't actually accomplish those goals. >> you know, jared, the american people overwhelmingly want to see it done. they support the minimum wage being raised. do you think republicans will change their minds as they get closer to the midterm elects? >> perhaps because of its pop larlt. but let me just say, what paul ryan just said history is very clear that minimum wage hurts low-wage workers is exactly opposite. history is railroad clear on the point that moderate increases in the minimum wage, which is what the president has proposed and what congress ought to be considering right now have actually done exactly what it's intended to do, to lift the earnings prospectses of low wage work areas bit without hurting

their employment prospects. we have lots of economic research, quite high quality because we've been able to measure the differences over time and between states, kind of a pseudo experimental approach so we can see how the minimum wage actually affects people's jobs. as i said, the benefits to low wage workers far outweigh the costs. if history is what paul ryan said it was, ask yourself why are they all out lobbying for a higher wage? they understand their economics way better than anybody in congress. >> the contrast is strike. when you look at the contrast between the rich and the poor, jared, it's staggering. since 1978, workers compensation has only risen 5%, while ceos compensation is up 875%. i mean, this is staggering. >> exactly.

and, again, people understand this. they recognize even if you're solidly ensconced in the middle class and you're doing okay, and let's face it, a lot of middle class people are struggling as well. >> right. >> you recognize that the growth in this economy has really done an end run around middle and lower income folks. i mean, for far too long, growth has been a spectator sport. you read about it in the newspaper, productivity growth, bank profits. and if you follow these fast food workers, these are folks telling you i have been working for two, three, five years at a job that started out at $7.25 and has now moved up to 8 bucks an hour there is no grownup with a family who can survive at that level. >> jared bernstein, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you, sir. still ahead, it's shaping up to be a political prize fight. bill clinton against sarah palin on obama care. plus, bill o'reilly offers up an excuse for why republican

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no republican leaders attended yesterday's anniversary of the march on washington. too busy?

that's one way to describe it. gop lost, found, and still lost. that's next. la's known definitely for its traffic, congestion, for the smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the buses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution into the air. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment.

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♪ we're back with the right wing reaction to the celebration of the march on washington. let's hear from the experts, shall we? >> grievance mongering does the cause of civil rights no good whatsoever. >> all we heard is here are the problems. stop and frisk. here are the problems, trayvon martin. >> multiple references made to trayvon martin. >> it's a near crime what is being done here to take the occasion of this man's great address and what he stood for and basically hijack it for president barack obama. if i were president obama, i would be a little embarrassed i can't stand on my own. >> this is the kind of talk dragging down the republican party. the real embarrassment is the gop minority outreach plan.

after their 2012 shellacking, the gop announced a big rebranding effort. they were going to widen the tent. earlierer this week, the republican national committee held its own event commemorating the march on washington. but yesterday, as the nation celebrated dr. king's legacy, leading republicans did not show up, even though they were invited to speak. clearly it wasn't a priority. they missed an opportunity to show they were at least trying to reach out. but bill o'reilly refuses to believe it. "the huffington post" calls it o'reilly's major mistake. >> today's event excluded black republicans and conservatives. all the speakers were democrats. that was a glaring error and does not indicate a desire for inclusion. wasn't it a little strange we

didn't have one black conservative or one black republican? did invitations get lost in the mail or what? >> the former president speaking is appropriate. >> is that george bush being the former president? >> i do know that he wasn't invited. >> he was. >> okay, i have no idea. >> no republicans and no conservatives were invited. >> actually, that's not true. he is wrong. both former president bushes were invited to speak. speaker boehner and majority leader kantor were invited to speak. former governor jeb bush and senator john mccain were also invited. so if they're serious about outreach, oh, i don't know, maybe attending the march on washington would have helped. joining me now are goldie taylor and joe madison. thank you both for being here. >> thank you, reverend. >> you know, bill o'reilly, goldie, is complaining that republicans weren't invited. we know he is wrong.

how can a party claiming to reach out to minority voters not show up for a commemoration like this? i'm not talking about the march saturday? i'm talking about the commemoration with three presidents of the united states. >> you know, and they really were two different events. the march on saturday was about bringing the youth together and advancing the cause by getting a critical mass of people on the mall. and the second day was the actual memorial, where it would have been an opportune time for members of both parties to come together united to commemorate this transformative speech. it is a missed moment. and to have some of these talk radio hosts. i saw herman cain on twitter last night complaining that senator tim scott from south carolina was not invited, was not invited to speak. neither of those things is true. so this really is a missed moment. if this gop is going to remain a national party, it will have to broaden its tent.

it will have to reach out to african-americans, to hispanics, to lgbt community in meaningful ways and speak to the issues that are most pressing to them in ways that will resonate. they have failed to do that. and yesterday's march was just one more missed opportunity. >> and see, joe, and senator scott was invited to attend, not speak yesterday. and, again, this was a commemoration for the nation. three presidents, including the sitting president, the leaders of the party invited to come and speak. the two former republican presidents invited to speak. this clearly wasn't something they could have done. fine. saturday we had -- we wanted to take positions, issues they may not have agreed with. yesterday was not that but let me show you something. eric cantor, where was he? this is amazing. we learned he chose to meet with oil industry lobbyists in north

dakota instead of speaking at the march. he was invited to speak. the grand forks herald reports he talked about his farm bill, among other things, and has got a picture of him at a podium right next to a fellow republican congressman. so he was speaking with the oil industry lobbyists rather than commemorating one of the greatest days in american history. >> well, and of course it was the little people who walked out today at the fast food places that were there. you did a magazine job pulling everybody together the saturday before. but let me say something about this outreach effort that came about because they did an autopsy after the election of president barack obama. you know, i think we forget. autopsies are done on dead people. this is a dead party. you can't -- you don't do

autopsies on living things. and so the reality is, you know, like you sit there and think, you didn't know that the 50st anniversary was going to happen? i change mid schedule. you changed your schedule. over 200,000 people changed their schedule. they knew this was going to happen. and for people out there in the middle part of the country, understand. every last leader on the republican party knew darn well that they were going to get an invitation, because that's how things are done in washington, d.c. >> let me say this too, goldie. >> sure. >> let us not forget there were leading republicans, jackie robinson one of them. >> thank you. >> who helped lead the march in '63. >> absolutely. absolutely. >> the first black elected to a u.s. senator in 1968 was a republican named ed brook. and so while we're talking about this march, we're talking about 50 years of celebrating what black republicans and white republicans helped to do 50 years ago.

but, no, rather than do that, we have bill o'reilly taking the moment to attack the unemployed. listen to this. >> even if jobs become more plentiful, you have to be able to do them. you have to speak proper english, be able to do basic math, and conduct yourself responsibly. america remains a land of opportunity, but only for those who are honest and responsible. if you are irresponsible, lazy, and/or corrupt, this country can be a tough place. >> if you are irresponsible, lazy, or corrupt, this country can be a tough place. unable to speak proper english. i mean, is this somebody we ought to be taking seriously? >> unfortunately, too many people do this. kind of wholesale maligning of an entire race and class of people is simply unconscionable. if he were truly about the business of the legacy of dr. king, then he would know that to

address not only personal responsibility, but the very structural issues that keep people, that create the kinds of barriers that people can't survive, cope, and make it on. if we were to take a look, for instance, at the minimum wage and adjust for inflation, it would be at least $10 today. people need meaningful jobs at meaningful wages. that will help break the cycle. investing in meaningful education, that will help break the cycle. >> but even if you don't agree with the ways that some of us may on an other party or in civil rights. >> sure. >> or in labor have, at least propose your method of how to deal with unemployment. don't mock them. don't try and scorn them. joe madison, it is the kind of language in these times. >> absolutely. >> that reminds us of the abrasive language of 50 years ago. let me play you where two southern senators told nbc news about minority rights directly after dr. king's speech in '63.

>> what about the people that are not here today? the congress is going to be weak. it will run from any group or pass legislation in one particular group fort. >> i'm opposed to this kind of thing of trying to acquire additional rights for one group by taking them away from others. >> so this mocking kind of thing, we see it updated now by the irresponsible, corrupt. i mean, why can't we talk policy if you have a different view, or it is that you just really have no position that will help people get jobs? >> oh, they've got a position. look, what you just saw, america, is the face of jim you. you put aluminum but up, and it's jim crow's grandson, james crow esquire, as simply as that we ought to quit playing games with these people. they talk in the abstract. we know what they're saying. we all know what they're saying. >> okay.

>> and the reality is if tea party or somebody else had a rally like that you had and we had on saturday and they had on yesterday, i bet you it wouldn't look like america. and they know that. and so the only thing that they can do is try to disrespect us. but the reality is what you see in those photographs, that's america. and they know it. and they know that if they don't wake up, they're going to be a party out of power very soon. >> goldie taylor and joe madison, i'm going to leave it right there. thanks for your time. >> thank you. >> thanks for having us. still ahead, the secretary of explaining stuff is back. and he is about to explain a lot to sarah palin. this is about to get to be fun. 

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the right wingers are out yelling to defund obama care. they're threatening a government shutdown.

but guess who is coming to town. >> let's take a look at what has actually happened so far. first, individuals and businesses have already gotten more than a billion dollars in refunds from insurance companies. millions of seniors are receiving preventative care. more than three million young people between 19 and 25 are insured for the first time because their parents' policies can cover them. let me ask you something. are we better off because president obama fought for health care reform? you bet we are. >> yes, the secretary of explaining stuff will make the case for obama care. next week in a speech at his presidential library in arkansas. but i'm sure the republicans have someone of equal stature in their corner, right? >> you betcha', yes, yes.

>> yes, former half governor sarah palin is back too. this beast must be stopped by not funding it today, todd and i joined with many of our fellow citizens to urge those in the u.s. senate not to fund obama care. so it's bill clinton versus sarah palin. i wonder how this will end. joining me is jamal simmons and angela rye. thanks for being here tonight. >> thank you, rev. >> good to see you, rev. >> jamal, this is going to be fun. what do you expect bill clinton to do next week? >> well, as you said, he is the secretary of explaining stuff. for the last 20 years of american life, we've had the joy of watching bill clinton really talking about the issues that he finds to be important, that all of us find important like health care. sarah palin, though, she famously said she could see russia from alaska. she ought to be uninsured too.

she wants to unfund this effort to get them insurance. i don't understand why the republicans take upon themselves this idea that we ought to not be insuring people who need health care. they have no alternative to give us another way to get these people covered. >> angela, sarah palin loves to attack obama care. watch this. >> it's in black and white in the law that there will be rationing of health care. death panels are a part of this atrocity. not only does it strip away our freedoms as americans, but obama care will bankrupt so many businesses. it's very important for conservatives, fiscal conservatives and independents to stand up. and if you're going to go down, at least go down swinging. >> if you're going to go down screaming. >> if you're going to go down, go down screaming. even she admits they're going to lose. they're going to go down. and just about everything she

stated is patently untrue. >> right. and they continue with this foolishness. like there is just no explanation for this. it's clear that sarah palin and her imps did not read this bill. this bill not only provides opportunities for underinsured and uninsured people to have premiums go down lower, decrease. students will be able to stay on their parents' plans for much longer. i have no idea why they continue with this. the only explanation is insanity. they continue to do the same thing over and over again. not only have there been 40 votes in the house of representatives to defund and repeal obama care, it has also been several other amendments, rev. those are the things that are underreported thousands of times. so there is just no explanation for this. and to make matters worse and to add insult to injury, they missed the commemoration and tweeted all day about obama care and what is wrong with it. and again to your point, all lies. all lies. >> so, you know, it's bill clinton, jamal, versus sarah

palin. let's go to the tape. let's go to the approval ratings. president clinton sat 71%. sarah palin is at 35%. how worried are republicans about palin getting back into the spotlight on health care, jamal? >> they ought to be really worried. you know, sarah palin is a great entertainer. a lot of people find her enjoyable to kind of listen to her pipe off on fox news. but that is not really a lot of substance there, as you called her the half governor. she couldn't even finish out an entire term as governor of alaska. let alone the disastrous turn as a vice presidential nominee. the last thing i think most reasonable republicans, a few of them who are left want is to see sarah palin be the banner carrier for their party. >> now, angela, clinton is not only more popular with approval ratings, he's got the facts on his side. here is their real problem. affordable health care is popular because 61% favored

allowing young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plan until age 26. 72% want to require companies with more than 50 workers to provide health insurance for their employees. 82% want to ban insurance companies from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions. i mean, the affordable care act will actually save money for working for smaller businesses. employees would have to -- employees would have paid over $6,000 without obama care in 2016. with obama care, they will only pay 5800. that's $355 in saving. if that sounds like the fears over the costs are overblown, i don't know what does. >> well, not just overblown, just patently false. you have companies that are blaming obama care for the reason for the rise in premiums

when premiums have been rising for well over ten years. you have the republicans saying to, you know, we don't support an individual mandate when it's the republican idea literally that came from yes, jim demint's heritage foundation. steve forbes is a trustee on the board. this is a republican ideal that it was originally a bipartisan thing that we could all support. and in fact, democrats were trying to get employers to have to cover health care. this should not be a privilege. health care access should be something that is a right, that is deserved for all american people. >> with the president having clinton making the speech next week, jamal, will that be an important development in your opinion? >> well, i think so. listen, we were all around in 2007-2008 during that massive primary between hillary clinton and also bill clinton and barack obama. we saw some of the acrimony that took place. to see these two halves of the democratic party coming together, uniting around something that is so important

after having secretary clinton in the administration, i think what we're seeing is the democratic party has not split. the democratic party is united. the republicans, however are, still at war with each other, trying to figure out how they move forward after the disastrous two election losses in the last two campaigns. >> all right. let me say to both of you, if i had the memo, i would have worn my glasses too. thank you for being on the show tonight. . >> thanks, rev. friend or foe, i want to know. "reply al" is next. and we're celebrating. asional have constipation,

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time for "reply al." what would you say to people who support voter id laws and believe voter suppression is a liberal lie? well, they should check the data. numbers don't lie. when we looked at government

data on how many people had committed a fraud by voting with idea, false id, we came with .0003. s they out of a bush administration study at justice department. so where is the fraud? we always had id. why do we need new id now, different id, when we had no problem with fraud with the traditional id people have always used? and finally tonight, a very happy anniversary to "politicsnation." two years ago tonight, we started this show here on msnbc. it's been a great two years and a privilege to bring this show to you every night. i want to thank everyone in "politicsnation" for watching, even my foes, because it has been a great two years, and we expect to go for years to come.

i want to thank a young, vigorous staff. i want to thank all of those that make this show happen every night. and i'm serious. i want to thank my critics. they make me sharper. they keep me in shape. you know you can't have a champion if you don't have good sparring partners. thank you, guys. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. the party of lincoln? you got to be kidding. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. ask yourself, would abraham lincoln be a republican in 2013? would the man sitting up in that chair yesterday be invited to join the party of the birth errs, nullifiers and talkers of succession? just ask yourself in a