which begins with chris matthews, jfk, the day that changed america at 7:00 p.m., followed by the kennedy brothers, a "hardball" documentary at 8:00 p.m. eastern. right now, it's my friend ed schultz and "the ed show." good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show," live from new york. let's get to work. >> these damn hearings waste our money! >> think about this. elected officials are going to take their time and their effort to go orchestrate negative impact hearings across the country. >> this is not a partisan hearing. i will not have it accused of being a partisan hearing. >> i want the truth! >> issa himself picked the witnesses we'll hear from. five residents of north carolina. the hearing is happening in our area, because we have seen some of the highest increases in

premiums in the country. >> i will not have it accused of being a partisan hearing. >> i think if it's a true hearing, then all sides should be heard. and they don't want to hear us. >> just remember, they have a playbook to destroy something that is going to save lives. >> i object. the gentleman -- >> you can't handle the truth. >> i am going to hear you, help you. >> the aca offers her insurance she can afford for the first time in years. >> how the hell do you win that argument? you lie to the people. >> the gentleman is repeatedly disparaging and mischaracterizing. and i'm being a little facetious. >> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. it has been another week of lies, hasn't it? but now they're manufacturing them. let's say that you run a

company, and you've got something really big that's going to be coming out here pretty soon, and you want to make sure that he have been gets it right. so you hire a pr firm. what's that pr firm supposed to do? make sure that there's as much positive stuff out there as possible, and you get your biggest bang for the buck. basically, darrell issa is on the road, trying to manufacture negative news so the republicans will get their biggest bang for the buck, and he'll be able to say, well, we have been to several places around the country, and obama care is just not working. this guy is back. darrell issa. iffit not the irs, if it's not benghazi, well, it is obama care. chairman of the house oversite committee, and has done everything in his power to diminish the president, the health care law, everything. so now he's taking his obama care smear campaign on the road. and that is exactly what it is. basically, darrell issa, he doesn't have camouflage on. but believe me, he's on the

hunt. the oversight committee is doing a series of field hearings, called obama care implementation. sticker shock of increased premiums for health care coverage. cute, isn't it? it's fair to call this a total traveling circus mess. the hearings, well, they're going to be held in north carolina, georgia, texas and arizona. exactly none of these states have set up a state exchange. and we all know the challenges of states that have not bought into obama care. kind of funny how that works, isn't it? make no mistake. these hearings will not be fair, and they won't be balanced. that's right. they're not going to be balanced. they are going to be the same old dog and pony shows that darrell issa is famous for. the committee will hear from people who have received cancellation notices and have seen their insurance costs go up. is that something new in america? is it something new that insurance rates might be going up in some pockets of the

country? is it something new that people are going to get some cancellation notices? people are well aware what the heck is going on. issa held his first unbalanced hearing in gastonia, georgia earlier today. the congressman, he's not fooling anybody, greeted by a group of protesters who know exactly can what is going on. >> these sham hearings waste our money! >> think about that. on a day in which we are remembering john f. kennedy, a man who inspireded a whole generation, a man who called the citizens of this country to do something positive for america. to get involved, to be a part of the great american experience. john f. kennedy, who inspired an entire generation to think about everything else but themselves. and to be positive. on that very day, 50 years

later, we have darrell issa out there digging up something negative that is going to save lives in this country. i find it rather beyond ironic. it's absolutely amazing. those protesters have a right to be heard at congressional hearing, and their district. the congressman with a questionable past is wasting taxpayer time and money with a bogus one-sided hearing. oh, but it gets better. issa has got this manufacture. you see, he has hand-picked all five witnesses today. people were told, if they spoke out in turn, they would be escorted out of the building. this has residents in north carolina, who obama care has helped pretty much outraged. two women who have obama care wanted to tell their side of the story, and they asked to testify. and, of course, issa ignored them. so both of the women had no other option but to turn to the local news folks. >> issa himself picked the witnesses we'll hear from. five residents of north

carolina. allison ward will not be among them,' proponent of the aca, wrote this letter to issa, saying i want to testify for one reason. i cannot do this by myself. i cannot afford health care. >> i haven't heard any word yet. >> ward says her message is important. the aca offers her insurance she can afford for the first time in years. >> my president has said, i hear you. i'm going to help you. and frankly, the way i see it, other people are getting in the way. >> dana wilson is another charlotte resident, who want to speak, but has not gotten a response to her request. as a teenager, she was diagnosed with ms. >> no one will insure me at all. >> but the aca will finally change that. >> i think if it's a true hearing, then all sides should be heard. and they don't want to hear us. >> so just what have those two citizens done to not be heard at a congressional hearing? first of all, darrell issa doesn't even represent north carolina. he's from california. but he is the chairman of the

government oversight committee. so he decides to go down to north carolina, and he denies people access to a hearing. because he's manufacturing the news. it's a negative pr firm. hell, it's the republicans again. they're in town. i'd like to see issa tell this lady right here, with ms, that she is going to be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition. that's what he wants. he's protecting the corporations. darrell issa should be ashamed of himself for his one-sided political pandering. his behavior affects people's lives, and he basically could carele careless. don't let the republicans fool you. they are looking for plenty of negative stories out there. and, of course, the democrats are going to have to tell their positive stories. and there's plenty of them, all around the country. and they're just going to continue to mount. today was just the first day of issa's traveling circus. he's traveling to three other

states who have not set up exchanges to explore the rising cost of health care. meanwhile, it's important to point out that health care costs have gone up on an average of 15% over the past 15 years. if you watch his program regularly, you know that i have never said that everybody's rates are going to go down. i have never talked about no rates not going up. i've never denied cancellation notices. but these things are problematic within the industry, long before obama care. but the republicans, including issa, has nothing to say to those two women, one of them who has ms. in fact, he doesn't want to hear what the they can they have to say. why in the world would he want to make sure they get insurance? what is his agenda? nobody knows. other than to defeat obama care. that is the republican agenda right now. that is what they are all about.

defeating obama care. they have nothing else on the table. they don't care about anything else. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. is darrell issa trying to hide the truth about obama care? text a for yes, b for no to 67622, and you can always go to our blog, ed.msnbc.com and leave a comment there. we appreciate it. and thanks for tweeting the program #atedshow. for more let's bring in congressman alan grayson of florida. great to have you with us tonight. >> thank you. >> do you even know what the republican agenda is? is it common knowledge what they're all about in washington, what they're working on? is it all about obama care? is that it? >> well, ed, i think that groucho marx summarized it very well in one of his movies where he sang a song with the lyrics, "whatever it is, i'm against it." and that's where we are right now. whether it's health care, housing, education or anything

else, they're against it. they have been, they are, they always will be. >> so it's almost impossible to function in this environment. so, i mean, i would say that 2014 is going to be all about obama care. i mean, i don't see how the election could be centered around anything else. your thoughts on that. >> well, it's unfortunate. the american people have needs. some of those needs are being met by obama care. we still have tens of millions of people in this country who can't see a doctor when they're sick. obama care is working towards solving those problems. something you see missing from the republican agenda. problem-solving. the desire, the urge, the responsibility to try to make the leaves of people better. that's something they simply don't care about. >> well, what's your reaction to blocking witnesses at a hearing? i mean, the folks who were outside, they're taxpayers too. they have a story to tell. and those two ladies were denied an opportunity to speak up. clearly who have been helped by obama care. >> ed, it's a shame. look, the first amendment, the first amendment being the most

important, because it's the first, say that people have the right to peaceably assemble and the right to petition the government to address their grievances. they have grievances towards issa. they should be able to express those. and he's preventing that from happening. >> do you think it's -- reaches the level of a smear campaign? >> ed, that is an understatement. the republicans have been crisis junkees now for months, if not years. they lurch from one crisis to the next, whether it's the government shutdown or the debt ceiling or anything else. now they're smear junkies, that's all they ever do. they try to make the president and democrats look bad without offering any solutions to any problems at all. >> i want you to really drill down on that. they have no solutions on the table for health care, do they? >> no. look, we know what the republican health care plan is. don't get sick. >> well, you said that. a few years ago, you were on the house floor, and you said that the republican health care plan is to die quickly. >> well, don't get sick. but if you do get sick, die quickly. and look, it's been four years.

i wish they would prove me wrong. what is their health care plan, the only thing they nationaler about is tort reform. we have had tort reform in florida and 38 other states now for 12 years. and believe me, florida is not a medical paradise. or they wanted interstate licensing of health insurance companies so the big ones can swall swallow up the little ones, just like fish. they've got no solutions to any problems. they just want to whine. in fact, that's the real name of the tea party, as far as i'm concerned, the whine party, because all they ever do is whine. >> so that comment you made on the floor four years ago still stands today. >> no question. >> and i think that that really has to be pro foundly pointed out. that the republican party, from the day you were on the house saying that, the republican health care plan number 3, die quickly, if you get sick. nothing has changed. >> nothing has changed, whether you're talking about health care, housing, transportation. education. jobs, trade, taxes, whatever it is. they have no plan. >> so moving forward, how do you

think obama care is going to play out? i mean, there's a lot of pressure being put on making sure the website works. the website is going to work. whether it's the end of the month or next month or two months or three months. more and more people are functioning on the website every day. >> i'm sure that the republicans will continue to shed crocodile tears about those unfortunates who can't sign up quit yet for obama care after they had 47 different votes to eliminate that website and everything associated with it. how ridiculous is that? >> what's the best play for the democrats? >> the best play for the democrats is to tout our successes. obama care has put millions of young people on the health care rolls, because they joined their parents' plan. it's eliminated half the doughnut hole on its way to eliminating all of the doughnut hole for seniors who vote heavily in off year elections. in addition to that, now we see what the republicans are really concerned about, which are these discounts that people are going to be getting by signing up through the website. the affordability credits. the average family is going to be getting $2300 a year in a discount for their health

insurance through obama care. and i could go on and on. because, in fact, it has helped people already, including the 34 million people who couldn't get health coverage, because they a preexisting condition. >> the good progressives, democrats on the hill, have not had a hard time calling out the insurance industry and calling it what it is, junk policies. but there seems to have been a reluctance on the part of the white house to use that kind of terminology. in fact, i haven't heard them use that kind of terminology. people have their insurance policies cancelled all of the time. well now that obama care has put in standards, ten standards, that must be met for every policy, why can't the democrats collectively call it what it is to fight back against this onslaught of negative activitne? >> the republicans constantly push and push and push, attack, attack, and the president sometimes turns the other cheek. but this too important. we don't want the american people to be fooled by republican right wing propaganda. in fact, the system already has

delivered good things to many people and will continue to do so, because we actually want to solve people's problems. we want those oh 50 million people who can't see a doctor to get the health care they need to survive and to thrive. >> alan grayson, good to have you with us tonight. appreciate it, congressman. remember to answer tonight's question, share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and on facebook. we want to know what you think. coming up, a bishop in illinois takes a page out of the horror movie, after the state legalizes same-sex marriage. plus, nuclear reactions. the conservative fallout of the filibuster rule change. stay with us. hi honey, did you get the toaster cozy?

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he'll start investing early, he'll find some good people to help guide him, and he'll set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. time now for the trenders. social media, this is where you can find us. ed team at facebook.com/edshow. twitter.com/edshow, and

ed.msnbc.com. and, of course, the ed tour coming up, 2014. we'll have more for you on that on monday. on the radio, monday through friday, noon to 3:00. channel 127, sirius xm. the ed show social media nation has decided and we're reporting. here are today's top trenders, voted on by you. >> come on. >> the number-three trender. a classy endorsement. >> my dear, dear, dear friend, mayor rob ford of toronto. >> he's a controversial figure. >> yes, i have smoked crack cocaine. >> controversial, because he's so damn honest. >> ron burgundy stumps for rob ford. >> he has asked me to sing the campaign theme song for his re-election. ♪ everybody's working for the weekend ♪ that's right. ♪ everybody's going off the deep end ♪ >> don't do anything stupid, rob. >> stay classy. >> the number two trender. compelling response. >> the power of christ compels you! >> as illinois welcomes marriage

equality. >> love is patient. love is kind. >> the state joins 15 others and the district of columbia in approving marriage equality. >> a local bishop turns some heads. >> the bishop of springfield expected to show his disapproval of the gay marriage law by holding an exorcism. >> there is a growing disparity in the understanding of what the state means by marriage. >> i cast you out! >> the institution of marriage is already endangered, mercy, forgiveness, and a heart. that's really what i'm praying for. >> and today's top trender. nuked. >> democrats who control the senate changed the rules. >> the so-called nuclear option eliminates the 60-vote threshold for all executive appointments, except the supreme court. >> the right wing blows up over the nuclear option. >> 250 years. a senate rule has just been nuked. >> the country will rao the day that harry reid changed the

rules. >> you'll be sorry. >> it was a brazen, partisan abuse of power. >> total statused authori authoritariani authoritarianism. >> we are approaching a slippery slope that will destroy the very unique aspect of this institution. >> joining me tonight, larry cohen, president of the communication workers of america, who was a tireless worker with people around the country, trying to convince the senate, this was the right thing to do. mr. cohen, you heard that montage of sound bites. what's your response to that? >> not true. not true at all. this is the worst obstruction any president has faced. either with executive branch or judicial nominations. and it's about time that the majority spoke up as the majority and did what article 2, section 2, clause 2 says. advice and consent by a majority. not a super majority. they did it. we applaud them. go leader reid. >> since 1900, 168 presidential nominees have been filibustered.

82 of them have happened under president obama's administration in the last five years. why can't the conservatives just admit that the numbers are there? it's just -- i find it comical. you've got 93 vacate judicial seats across the country, which will take time -- to get filled, no question about it. but how big is this victory? >> it's huge. because it's not only just those 93. there's at least 100 backlogged executive branch nominations. he has three years to go. some of these people have been waiting two years since the president of the united states said to them, will you serve. this has not been what democracy looks like. and now we expect those nominees to get an up or down vote, like the constitution provides. >> why the mow lasses move by harry reid? why wasn't this done sooner? >> that's a good question. i think as he said in his own words, he thought he, quote, had a deal at the beginning of this

session of congress when there was a resolution to change a bunch of the rules and bring us into the 21st century. and he thought he had a deal we wouldn't see this kind of obstruction. those of us in the grass roots movement wanted to do broader change then. they still can't adjourn the senate. they can't recess without 60 votes. the elks club can recess by a majority. any student council can do it by a majority. only the u.s. senate, it takes 60 votes. why is that? so the president can't make recess appointments. this is all but a conspiracy to make sure this president can't function. and the senate took a step yesterday to bring us into the 21st century and to say we had an election last fall. we are the majority in the senate. obama is our president. and we're moving forward. >> does it go far enough, mr. cohen? >> it's the first step. we need to come back to the old fashioned filibuster where the leader can put bills on the floor and if people want to block them, toef show up,

meaning 41 of them, and they have to talk. imagine that. that we would actually debate again the key issues of the day. that hasn't happened in more than 15 years. and we will push on this broad coalition, the democracy initiative, 20 million members. to see that when the new congress comes in 2015, that we get rules that say, if you want to filibuster, 41 have to show up and you have to talk. >> well, the gop is, you know, out there threatening. wait until we get power. what's your response to that? i mean, could this really change the senate for sessions to come, generations to come? >> we hope it does. because we need a democracy. and the gop, the republicans, make no mistake about it. if they were in the majority, with or without, a -- a republican president, they would change the rules on day one. absolutely clear they will do that. >> so pertaining to legislation, as well. >> yes. but we would still say, you protect the rights of the minority to talk. but they have to talk like they did for the first 180 years. they can't show up and one says

i object, and then you need 60 votes to proceed, and there's never any discussion of the issues. 400 pieces of legislation in pelosi's congress never got discussed for one second on the senate floor. that's not what democracy looks like. >> say that again. i want our audience to consume that. i mean, nancy pelosi, the past -- they passed a bunch of bills over there that were never taken up on the senate. never given any kind of debate whatsoever. and the obstruction numbers are absolutely amazing. the comforts conservatives are in denial about that. moving forward, is harry reid going to go further and do something that pertains to legislation, if these filibusters continue? >> i think that would wait a year until after the election, and each congress, two years, each congress establishes its rules on day one. and i think that he'll be prepared to do that if we continue to organize. thanks to media like yours, and americans wake up that right now

our issues are not discussed in the senate. they are not the greatest deliberative body. they don't deliberate. they go home. and they raise money, and the elections cost more than ever. and they are not talking, they're not discussing, they're not debating. that's what we are entitled to. we will push for that when the new congress convenes in january of 2015. >> and, of course, the republicans are playing a bunch of sound bites from president obama, and also vice president biden about what they said about the filibuster. no one expected this kind of obstruction. the environment is totally different now than what it was when sound bites were produced on the senate floor back in 2004, 2005 and 2006. the climate of obstruction has never been where it is right now. this is why the democrats had to move on this. the senate has to function. it was the right call. i'll have to admit, i didn't think harry was going to do it. but he did. larry -- >> he did. >> larry cohen, good to have you with us tonight. >> my pleasure. thanks for your work.

>> you bet. coming up, republican ideals in need of rehab. this goes way beyond just one cocaine congressman, my friends. and later, john kasich's obama care blame game fires away. the governor of ohio lands in tonight's pretenders. but next, i'm taking your questions. "ask ed live" coming right up on "the ed show." this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. it's not the "fumbling around with rotating categories" card. it's not the "getting blindsided by limits" card. it's the no-game-playing, no-earning-limit-having,

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can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪ we love hearing from you. #edshow. tell us if you think good old uncle harry should go further when it comes to legislation in the filibuster. tonight in our ask ed live segment, from randy, he wants to know now that boehner has signed up for the affordable care act, do you think that he will quit calling for it to be repealed. no, he won't. here's what happened. boehner actually signed up for obama care in the district of columbia. well, he called and called and got through. and now he's covered. that's the word. so obviously, he was looking for a negative story.

can't you see boehner out there, i called up and i couldn't get through, and obama care is terrible. we've got to get rid of it. this isn't going to change the dynamic at all. there is still the same republicans they always were. our next question is from seattle. john. he says, will the democrats expand the filibuster, reform to include legislation? is i hope so. but here's what i hope first. i hope that mitch mcconnell sits down with harry reid and says you know we have obstructed too much. we'll try to work with you. yeah, that's going to happen. give 'em hell, harry. stick around. rapid response panel, next. i'm mandy drury with your cnbc market wrap. the dow up by 54 points today, the s&p adding 8 with a record close above 1,800 for the very first time. the nasdaq gaining by 22. both hiring and job openings in the united states hitting five-year highs. job openings jumping by 69,000, while hiring rose by 26,000.

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i believe in faith, i believe in forgiveness and redemption. and i hope if there's anything positive that can come out of this, and i know there will be positive that comes out of this, it's that i hope that i can be a role model for millions of others that are struggling with this disease.

>> welcome back to "the ed show," and the aftermath of his arrest for cocaine possession, tea party congressman, trey radel of florida, has conveniently found faith. now that last sound bite, that sounds like a guy who is coming out of rehab, not a guy that's going into rehab. there's two issues here as i see it. there is addiction and public service. in my opinion, neither one of them go together. republican leadership has failed again to hold one of their own accountable. this isn't about compassion. this isn't about how we handle addiction. this is about public service. and the standards that need to be placed on a public servant. you know, this man does not belong in the united states congress. what is it that he doesn't get about that? who is enabling him to stay there and not go home and serve the people? okay, so he's going on a leave of absence. how about the people of southwest florida? should they just kind of go on a leave of absence too? and this idea that he's going to

donate it to charity. who is going to follow up on that? why is it that john boehner was so after charles rangel, but he doesn't apply the same standard to trey radel? might have something to do with the votes. joining me now, rapid response panel, liberal commentator and comedian, john fugue he will sang, and anette taddia, good to have both of you with us tonight. reaction in florida, what has it been like? >> just a hypocrite. he is a hypocrite. governor scott is a hypocrite. i will tell you why. he actually is asking every employee of the state of florida to be tested for drugs. and this is a fight that we have in court going on. but where is his outrage? where is he saying he needs to be let go, he shouldn't be taking a check from the federal government. if he believes that the employees of florida deserve to be tested for drugs. so i mean, total, total, total hypocrite. all of them are.

>> does this set the table to remove him from congress? i mean, is he now very beatable? >> he is. especially from his own republicans who are already looking at the race. so i think connie mac, who used to represent the district, is looking at it again. and we the democrats should definitely look at it, because this is not fair to the people he represents. >> john, in just a matter of hours, it's all about redemption. it's all about faith. it's all about, you know, rehabbing and wanting to be a role model. just that arrest can turn things around. >> not the arrest. people finding out about the arrest. >> that's right. because it was back in october when he got -- >> yeah. there is a time line, just like dealey plaza. it's hilarious. i want to be sympathetic. my parents had a place in naples. i understand he needs a bump. the guy has voted to repeal obama care 46 times, he's exhausted. the fact is, they're better off, the democrats, keeping him in that job for the foreseeable future. i want to give him some credit. he has spoken out against the drug war, and this whole thing

is a symptom of how crazy the drug war is. why are we still living in the '80s. nobody drinks zima anymore. he has opposed mandatory minimum sentencing for the state of florida. i talked to a young man who, like the congressman, was arrested, first time nonviolent offense for cocaine possession. he was given 20 years. and the judge on the stand said i wish i could give you less. that's the reality of his home state. if he takes this experience and uses it to come out and crusade against these class-driven racist -- we've got to fill these profitable prisons up somehow drug laws, this will not have been in vain. he can do something positive with his political career. >> does he belong in congress? annette, this is a guy, you look at his votes about what he wants as far as people getting food stamps, they should be drug tested. and what about members of congress getting drug tested? >> exactly. and these are the same people --

i mean, he wasn't outraged when governor scott wanted to test employees in florida. governor scott is now not outraged that he is -- this is happening to one of our congressmen in florida. there is a lot of hypocrites -- hypocritical people, my spanish is coming out on me -- >> let have it. >> you know? i get really mad. i think it would be good for democrats but bad for florida. so therefore, i'm not for him staying there. i think it's time for us to be represented by people that are actually looking out for the best interests of floridians and not themselves. >> john, what about that? what about the people? the people don't get a vote now because he has to go take, quote, a leave of absence, which isn't even -- there's no such thing as a leave of absence. >> no, there's not. >> does the government all of a sudden stop and these people don't get representation? >> can i just say, this guy keeps his job, david vitter keeps his job. somewhere anthony weiner is shooting out his tv set. it's crazy. the people of florida do deserve better. i like this guy is a public enemy fan. the hip-hop congressman, have

you heard? this guy thinks fight the power refers to the capital gains tax. this guy is so steeped in hypocrisy, and it's terribly funny to watch. but you're right, the people of florida deserve better. and this guy defeated jim roach, a vietnam veteran. i say everyone do what they can to keep him in the seat and maybe the democrats have a chance to take him. >> what about the double standard john boehner has shown here, going after charles rang he will, going after anthony weiner, and yet now saying, telling the father of trey radel, we really want him to stick around. >> it is a double standard. and we, the democrats, i am very proud that we have asked every one of these troubled congress people to resign. they have been pushed and told, you need to leave. for the good of the institution, for the good of the people you represent. that's not happening now. they're more worried about politics and votes and containing those seats. why? because we are winning in florida. we're beating them.

and we have some seats that we could even increase our numbers. >> how? i mean, you really think that's going to happen? >> right now, congressman young, passed away, i think alex has a great opportunity to win that seat. so they're worried. they're worried about us gaining seats right there in florida. >> john, your thoughts on boehner. >> you know what, i think this is a good chance for boehner to step up and be a leader. but i think he's looking at the seats and the numbers. >> he is. >> he would rather risk -- and let's not forget, we can't allow his coca addiction to detract from his career as a pornography of really filthy, disgusting websites. very anti woman. >> he owned a company that bought domain sites. >> yes. >> but he has -- said that he had nothing to do with any kind of content. >> incredibly crooked primary fight when he got the seat. he bought domain names for all of his opponents when he ran for congress and bought domain names for them to screw up their campaigns. >> he plays all the angles.

is he playing the angles now? >> of course he is. the question is, can he survive? this does prove one important thing. if pot is a gateway drug, then alcohol is the very wide well-lit walkway that leads to the gate. because this guy and rob ford have used their alcohol as the gateway drug for their drug abuse. >> not only is this a bad thing. you just said he needs to -- he needs to think about his re-election. i think he needs to think about leaving. period. >> he's not. and the republicans should ask him to leave. >> he would have left by now if that was the case. we have just seen the one thing they can't forgive in congress is creepy male online behavior. anything else, you get a free pass. >> john fugelsang, great to have you with us. a day america will always remember, the john f. kennedy legacy, 50 years later. stay with us. there are seniors who have left hundreds of dollars of savings on the table by not choosing the right medicare d plan.

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i was in my calculus class. . my fourth period advanced math class. i was a senior in high school, it was right after lunch. i remember it as if it were yesterday. >> and we looked o eed over and teacher was crying. she broke out literally these words, they killed him, they killed the president. >> i was playing in the harvard yale soccer game, sat down on the bench and heard this just ripple of conversation and concern and audible gasp. >> the first reaction i had was i wanted to go home. was my first reaction, go home and be with my mom and dad and sisters. >> millions of americans are sharing stories today talking about where they were and how they felt when they found out president john f. kennedy the 36th president of the united states was shot and killed in dallas 50 years ago today. i was just a little guy, i was

in elementary school. in norfolk, virginia. and i remember the announcement that came out over the loud speaker. we had a speaker in each one of the rooms. and i was just taken by it. the announcement came out that the president had been assassinated and school was going to be let out. and some of the kids were saying assassinated, what does that mean? what does that mean? and -- i remember the teachers gathering in the hall and was just -- there was tremendous emotion, tremendous emotion. so i got on my bike, i was a paper boy at the time. i was a little guy and i used to ride my bike to school every day. so our home was only about eight blocks away, so i got home and my mom who was high school english teacher had already gotten home, they let school out and she was in the front of the -- in front of the house sitting in the car and i drove my bike up next to my mom and

she had her window rolled down and she was listening to the radio. and she was just sobbing. and i didn't know what to say. and i'd never seen my mother cry that hard. i was just a young guy under 10 years old. and that's what i remember. and then, of course, the days following the whole community captivated by the television coverage. we'd never seen anything like this before. what is this? this is america. it was a lot of questions, a lot of insecurity, a tremendous amount of emotion. joining me now is nbc news presidential historian. you've had a day of reflection in a big, big way. where were you on that day? >> we were all traumatized. i was 7 years old, 4th grade and our teacher came in crying, as well, said the president had been shot. and then soon we found out that he had passed away. and i went home and i wrote a letter to the new president

johnson recommending that he hire a large carving firm to carve president kennedy's head on mt. rushmore. and i got a letter about a week later from his secretary juanita roberts saying he asked her to thank me for the recommendation. but it shows how much it affected everyone at the time. we were talking a little bit about the shooting of oswald sunday morning. i was watching it in a room and i saw oswald shot, ran and told my mother. and she said you've been watching too much of this it have this weekend i'm going to go and turn it off. >> she didn't believe you. >> she couldn't believe it. >> what did president kennedy mean to this country emotionally? i mean, there was a lot -- my parents devout catholics and they were emotionally invested in president kennedy. he was the first roman catholic president. they wanted him to succeed so bad. and there was just a tremendous

amount of emotion followed after the assassination and everything. he had a special connection with americans. >> he had a connection, of course, because he was young. but also, i think, partially because he had taken the nation through the cuban missile crisis. growing up in illinois, i remember that week because it was like, you know, you go down when there are tornadoes. you go down in the basement and the house may not be there when you come up. that's what it was like for us. and i remember as kids we felt he had protected us and saved him from what we even knew at the age of 6 might be a war in which we'd all die. >> and kennedy, what do you think he'll be remembered for? what -- is it the cuban missile crisis? is it the start of recognizing that we needed to do something about civil rights, legislation in this country? is it vietnam? we were just starting to dip in the water. and, of course, he would've pulled those advisers out. that's what he wanted to do. >> well, we hope and we hope that would have been long-term. i think that's more of a mixed

question. yes, he came late to civil rights, but in the end, he wh k risked his reelection in 1964 in june of '63. and the other thing in retrospect, we now know if kennedy had screwed up his leadership in the cuban missile crisis and invaded cuba as the joint chiefs were exhorting him to do, that almost inevitably would've caused a war between us and the soviet union, 20 million plus human beings might have been killed. and in retrospect, what would that have been for? >> did it change how we view media in this country, the way it was covered wall to wall and what happened on actual camera? >> no question. becau because 1963, that was the year more americans began to turn to television as their primary source of news. and it was that weekend that sped up the process. in those days, you didn't see the number of murders and violence that a child now sees

on tv. you know, for someone like you or me to watch a human being, you know, the worst of his time, lee harvey oswald killed live on television. that's something you wouldn't forget. and it gave television an immediacy and a place, i think, in american society that had not had before. >> how would you rate the job that lyndon johnson did taking over as president? the next 90 days, what was america like? >> america of all the traumas that we were suffering, one of them was not that the new president wasn't up to the job. >> yeah. >> he'd been training for this essentially for 30 years. he'd had that kind of experience. you can argue his late administration the vietnam war round or flat. but it's almost hard to see in those early days where he really put a foot wrong. >> michael beschloss. thank you so much. >> that is the "ed show,"

politics nation with al sharpton starts right now. >> thanks, ed. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, standing up to the bully. for the past five years, the gop has denied this president's legitimacy. they didn't know it the mandate of the past two presidential elections, dismissed the idea of compromise. but now the president and democrats are saying enough is enough. they made the bold decision to scale back senate rules that republicans have used to block the president's nominees. and would you believe it, the gop, the same obstructionist party that ended political civility in this country is now whining. >> i mean, now we've got a big bully, harry reid says he's going to break the rules and make new rules. basically he's become the dictator of the