all right. grandma, can you go i didn't mean to put those things together. "the morning joe" starts right now. [ music playing [ music playing ] >> i think john boehner is one of the prime examples of worthless, worthless republicans. >> this is basically democrat light. >> the speaker is ab surltd. >> the speaker has demonstrated a poverty of leadership. >> wait a second. we just got 332 votes.

>> he got 332 votes because he got the democrats to vote with him. >> the democrats, ah, ah, ah. boehner helps broker the most basic of compromises to keep the government functioning at its current incredibly pathetic levels. with a promise of no shutdown for a couple of years, it would be like mayor ford's new year's resolution, what i promise to maintain my present level of crack smoking. >> good morning. it is wednesday, december 18ing. it is now the countdown to the holidays. welcome to "morning joe." we have msnbc contributor mike barnacle. mike. >> good morning. >> i like this christmas shopping you are doing. i think you are making good choices. >> thank you very much. >> chairman of deutsche, incorporated, donny deutsche. is this the last time we will see you? >> yes. >> where is my present? >> it's coming.

it's in the mail. willie, how are you doing? >> i'm all right. >> i wish we could see behind the camera, behind the scenes. >> what are you talking about? >> what are you saying? i'm stretching so beautifully, you don't even know. >> what are you talking about? >> i'm here, tj. >> god, i have been sitting here, really, seriously, you know what, man, if tj's got personal problems. >> oh, look at your outfit? is that breakfast? >> you shouldn't hold that against me. >> that looks good, otherwise. >> why are you being mean to me? >> no, it looks good, i'm distracted by that spot. i don't know. all right. >> why do you hate it so much in the spirit of the holiday season? it should be filling your heart. >> it's unusual. okay. >> man, i just, you know what, sit down and i do what i do every day. i sit down and i put on my

helmet and buckle my chin strap. >> get in there, kid. >> joe, you get ready, we have a big day. we're going to washington tonight t. white house. we're going to deutsche town university. >> plays hard. >> charlie dee con. >> it's funny. he plays 170 minutes. >> that's good. >> we have a lot to do. pace yourself. don't get too overheated. don't get into any scrum with anybody, because we have a big day ahead of us. a lot to do. a lot of traveling. a lot of meeting, a lot of parties. >> parties? >> we're going to the cocktail party tonight and george town university and my parents. >> what party? >> never mind. we are not going to a party. >> oh the white house christmas. >> yeah. >> i'm more excited about george

town. >> how was it? >> it was interpretty good. it was small. they had it outside the gates to the white house. >> on the sidewalk. >> a guy came up in a food truck and had hot chocolate. it was kind of strange. >> we were wrestled to the ground. >> that was a fun game. >> pretty exclusive. >> let's get to politics. the question has long been, are you already? >> ready, water that? >> hi. are you ready, donny? >> i'm ready. the question has long been is there a republican who can challenge hillary clinton for president. a quinnipiac, new jersey poll shows new jersey governor chris christie with a 5-point lead over hillary clinton in iowa. interesting. >> interesting. >> yeah, everyone is saying how can he do in iowa? he'd lead hillary clinton by 9 points among independents.

when asked if christy would make a good president, 40% of iowans said yes, 42% said they didn't know. in other matchup, clinton holds a narrow lead over the presumed runners jeb bush and ted cruz. now, the one thing that's interesting is chris christie is getting a taste of the national stage with all this bridge gate controversy and the questions of whether or not he closed a lane of the george washington bridge out of political retribution. they are looking into it and some people have resigned. but i don't know yesterday what the there there is. does anybody have anything more? because they are definitely after him. >> one thing i understand is he's going to be doing, this is what, if he runs for president, this is what he will be doing the next three years. they will scrutinize everything. >> i think the real question we hear over and over again is whether he's got thick enough skin to handle it.

>> if he's going to be able to handle all the insit-coming and not take it person alally. >> he worked in law. those skills seemed the work for you. everyone asks the question, how will he play here when we travel and ask audiences around the country, a book tour, whatever, about him, the audience kind of goes crazy. >> they're very positive. >> they know who he is. >> it is an federal government dotal. mike barnacle, four years prior, we were asking people about mitt romney, to be excited for four years. i said, how many of you would like mitt romney to be president and quiet? >> this is like, de ac 'and i give talks. we never get any excitement or reaction to mitt rom fi. i will tell you, out there, it's chris christie, there is something people like about the

guy. >> these governors are surprisingly. i think it has to do with problems the presidents are having. >> absolutely. there is no doubt about that. also the chris christie candidacy thus for undeclared has clearly peaked people's interest because of what they think they know about him and have seen on youtube and places like that and he is on the news, it comes down to whether it will be real or not if he runs for president, his decisiveness. he gives very short, crisp answers, yes, no, are you a fool, get out of my way. whatever you want to think, he is very decisive and sort of a change from public people you see coming out of washington. >> you see hillary clinton, people go crazy when they hear her name. one thing will be interesting is to see how she sort of emerges past everything she's done as being sort of contrived and planned and safe. even the job that secretary of state and then getting out and getting away at the right time.

all of it is preparing her for a potential run for president as opposed to a candidate who has a mission and a message that addresses what is really happening in this country. like inequality. >> she's not good out front. we saw that against barak obama when she was presumed leader a candidate, she ran an extraordinary campaign from behind and you know sometimes, willie, we see her, i see her now. i like her. i like her a lot, personally and but sometimes you see her now where she sort of steps over and she becomes a candidate and it's, i don't know. i think she needs to be very careful not to fall into the ted kennedy trap in 1979 where you can't eastern answer the roger mudd question, why do you want to be president? the answer, because i can win.

>> or because -- >> is why people. >> that's all you hear from people. i don't think they know what hillary really stands for. >> the message. >> she was in this position in 2007 as well. she was the presumed nominee she was presumed by some people to become the president of the united states. david axelrod who said someone working up close on the obama campaign, frankly, shelves not a good candidate in because she thought she was going to when. when she felt the heat in 2008, she bill a great candidate. you'd like to think if you are a supporter of hillary clinton, she will come up with a clear message, as you zbled she stood for nothing for a long period of time. >> the problem hillary's got is she's not new. we are coming off a period of universally you step back and go this has been the most ineffective government we've had in our lifetime. even if it's not the right

change people want change, want nurse, want different. mike, to your point the brand we see of christie the skin of christie is exciting. it looks discs it smells different. >> it is different. >> we thought to peel back that skin, what is under feat there. what it stand for on the outside feels fresh, is fresh, i'm going. whereas hillary, no matter what hillary does at this point, hillary has been in our consciousness since 1988 and there becomes moments in time where we want that right turn or a left turn. i don't mean politically. >> right. >> i don't know how hillary overcomes the country's ned to make a move. >> there is such contempt for washington. there is such contempt for the establishment. i even think it's going to be a problem for these three senators, republican senators running as fire brands. we were talking about rand palm, ted cruz or marco rubbio, they

are a part of the walk problem. washington, you know, the congress has anywhere between a 9 and 14% approval rating. i think that can be problematic. >> while we are there, why don't we move on to this. the senate is setting up a final vote on the bill later today. 12 republicans voted to advance the bill along with every democrat and independent in the state. minority leader mitch mcconnell and senators marco rubio and ted cruz and rand paul all voted against the measure. a number of republicans were against a portion of the bill that would cut $6 billion in retirement veterans for en veterans, harry reid blocked an amendment that would block those cuts. >> so harry reid actually not to keep the cuts in for military retirees? did the republicans come up with another alternative? that's what we need to check and find out. >> i will say, you know what, we got what, a $4 trillion budget

every year? >> yeah. >> and the only place these people can find to cut spending comes from military retirees, the same people? >> everyone knows that's not true. >> what do you mean everybody knows that's not true? >> you can cut other ways. >> you are agreeing with me. it is such an insul to the. >> thank you. >> men and women, we have been supporting. >> we're on the same page. >> as they go off to war and everybody lines up, they all salute, good, we love them, god bless the usa. i think i'm going to cry. where do we find such men and women? and they're the only people. >> in the food stamp line, that's where you find them. >> translator the only people whose benefits we can cut? i'm sorry. you know what, that's just obscene. >> that is sick. it's obscene. you look at what these people have done for us over the past

12 years. look what they've done for us over the past 50 years. 100 years. we're cutting tear military benefits? that's the only place we can find in this budget to cut? >> yesterday, six americans were killed in a helicopter crash in afghanistan. >> that brings the killed in action total up to over 2,600 for just the war in afghanistan. the idea that anyone in the united states senate or the united states house of representatives can't find another place to cut subsidy, appropriation, whatever, and they have to cut veteran's benefits? retirement benefits? whatever. it's obscene. they should defend that. >> if you were asked, the question we were asked around the table, what would be in these guy's response? >> you know, i got to tell you what shocks me is there is this attitude that somehow they're getting a free ride and

democrats are actually saying. we heard it from chuck scheduler. i'm sure you will hear it from harry reed, federal ploy yes, sir are having their colas trimmed. so we knead to do the same thing for military retirees who go off and fight at war. i think that's absolutely obscene. i think that's an obscene argument. just like i think it's an obscene argument that congress won't cut tear pay. if they will cut the benefits, why doesn't congress cut the retirement benefits of themselves? >> hey. they had the government shutdown. >> you could cut one weapon's program in the pentagon. just one weapons program. one plane that's on the firing board. >> they don't do that? >> they don't do that because the military defense contractors give money out to all the members of congress and they've chopped it up and they've spread the money out so much that you

never know, you know, it's so funny, within i was on the judiciary committee. you go in, boom, it was republican versus democrats. you know, right verse left. >> i was on the military services committee. i'd go in, they'd talk about a helicopter. they'd go up sideways and spit candy out to kids. whatever, some by czar thing we don't need. you couldn't tell. it took me a while, why are the democrats for this? are the republicans for this? i don't understand. it ends up, it's the checks, their defense contractors are paying out to these congressmen and senators. unfortunately, military retirees don't have enough money or lobbyists to pay them off. >> tom colburn came up with agregious budget items, one a blimp they sold back to the contractor for $300,000. >> i actually dot that here this

year's list by colburn accounts for $30 billion in wasteful spending. $125. that's small potatoes. for nasa to make a pizza $1.5 million for the fbi to make sure they are being portrayed accurately in hollywood films. the state department sends $330,000 buying facebook likes. >> wow. >> why? i want to buy some likes. what? >> you know what, that's ridiculous. it's not like they were buying a megablimp or something. >> oh, wait, the u.s. military bought a peg ga blimp. >> they bought a megablimp? >> why are you buying $300 million. it made a fly over new jersey before being scrapped. i don't get the likes. >> someone is spending the megamillions ticket. >> that's a difference. >> wow. >> you know what, though, all

these guys who we're a flag bin i pin. they do a photo op. the troops and all that. show it. prove it. it's hard enough for these guys within they come back, they don't get enough money as hard as the va tries, they don't get enough care. they're not taking care of them the way we promise. we sent them in with planes in buildings. don't do. this take care of these guys. >> i saw this first hand. we had more in my district than any other district in the united states. when they rolled up. tricare in 1995. they broke every promise we make. we had to raise hell for a very long time. we got some of it fixed up. you will still hear people inside the pentagon complaining about health care and complaining about benefits. you know what, a promise was made to these men and women. mike, they get a kid to come in when they're 18.

hey, let's join army, navy, air force. all over the coastguard and what do we get? you get this, this, hey. and you get free health care for life. >> that's the promise they made and they break that, congress breaks that promise every year and they go, oh, it's just too expensive well if it's too expensive, stop sending kids off to war for multiple tours of war. >> for multiple tours. it's obscene. >> as the website goes under new management. did you hear about this? >> no. >> former microsoft executive will take over the management of the website. dell benefitay retired recently. the white house will also look to increase awareness of the affordable care act to women and minorities. president obama and the first lady will meet with a group of moms and michelle obama will

conduct a series of radio interview, including one with msnbc's al sharpton, yesterday, the president hosted a group of tech following executives for what the white house officials build as a discussion of the health care website. however the executives had a different issue in mind. >> that fls the nsa story as well which they were talking about. be you the group of moms today at the white house will be covering that. we'll have more on that tomorrow. >> so it's good. they're brigg somebody in from microsoft to run this thing. >> we work with the office division i division. he's a super guy. >> really? >> the reality is it works. our friend steve ratner when they reached out to the private sector to save the car industry. these are the smartest mind. i think it's a step in the right direction. also new poll numbers, i think there is a 70% increase or decrease as far as people's negative views of obama care in the last month. you know, there is a process to slowly, slowly rebrand this

thing. it's not going to happen overnight. and the numbers over the next six to nine months really have to swing definitively in the president's favor. there is a bottoming out at this point as far as a negative brand of obama care from what they do from here. >> it's going to be hard to completely turn that aroundr around. i think if we turn it around, it will be person by person, family by family. >> that will take a really long time to do and they could do it. but just for political reasons. they're on a very, very short time frame because of the election that's in what 11 months. >> we'll see. i have a prediction. coming up on "morning joe," -- no, we have to go to break. for tim kaine joins us. >> it will work. >> yes, exactly. >> robert gibbs, we'll talk to bill kristol and later star of hit net flicks series

"lillehammer." steven van zandt. first. bill kierans with a check on the forecast. >> good morning to you, mika. yesterday in the middle of the snowstorm, our government announced that november across the entire globe was the warmest november ever recorded going back to 1880. pretty significant. the reason was because of this. we had an extremely warm november all across russia. even tow we were a little cooler than normal. because they were so much warmer across russia, that really skewed how november went. that was even during an n el ninio type year. warm-up is under way for the seaboard. this weekend, we will pay the price for thunderstorms in the deep south and wet weather through the ohio valley. so today it's still chilly in

new england. look at the warm weather from dallas to kansas city and denver. enjoy your mid-winter break. some of that warm air will head to d.c. this weekend. we could be 70 in d.c. on sunday. 70. you won't even need a long sleeve shirt. you are watching "morning joe." [ music playing ] . did you get chips for the party? nope.

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>> it's time now to take a look at the parade of papers, the boston "globe," a boston student is facing charges after admitting to end sending a bomb threat just to get out of his final exams. the university evacuated multiple buildings on monday t. student will appear in court today and faces up to five years if prison.

the new york post, a man badly injured in the boston bombings has found a silver lining to the tragedy. during a lengthy rehabilitation including skin grafts and a prer to repofr nails from his abdomen, james kos tell la met nurse krista d 'agostino. he extended. she said yes. >> he proposed. >> he said on facebook, i now realize why i was involved in the tragedy, it was to meet the best friend and love of my life. >> that's so nice. >> you know what's even nicer, when i read those stories well and it just sort of flows, right, jim? like if i had actually read at this time way it was written. we don't read prompter here much. but i think, what do you think, jim? >> i was still moved by it. >> all that?

>> it was so good. >> it was a roving beer truck ask it was a me yesterday. >> too much information. >> it doesn't wear off sometimes. then i get tongue tied. >> this is the huntsville times. bradley burns secured his seat in the house after winning a special election in alabama's first district. bradley defeated burton le flore. this was, of course the first time the chamber of commerce and joe rickets and other business interests got involved to go against somebody they voted too extreme for the party. >> you will love this next story. >> i will. >> a blind man, and his guide dog, cecil williams fainted, fwel off the platform onto the tracks. his seeing eye dog orlando

bravely jumped onto the tracks to help him. orlando alerted everyone by barking and trying desperately to pull his owner away as a train approached. police say the oncoming train hit the brakes but nearly two cars still rolled of williams and orlando. miraculously, he suffered minor injuries, they weren't hurt as much t. only problem is i think he's running out of insurance or something to cover the dog. so the local papers are working on that story. and from the l.a. times, 59 previously unreleased beatle's tracks the recording contains rarities, including outtakes from three of the studio sessions in '63. it includes pufk from the beatles live. appearances on bbc. the album is on sale for $40. i tell you why, it's really exciting. >> i can't wait to hear it. >> for those of us.

>> europe. >> following them. >> savant. it's frightening. >> you have it yet, though? >> not yet. >> what's the name of the group? >> i don't know, but they were head-to-head with the dave clark 5 for a while. >> they came out during your mid-life crisis, barnacle. willie to politico. >> with us now the chief white house correspondent. mike. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. in today's playbook breakfast day one of our guests is kelly o. >> the great kelly o'donnell. >> that will be fun. let's talk business up on the hill. joe ryan is speaking about the job he wants next. he wants to head up ways and means what is that job? >> reporter: this is the most powerful jobs there is, it's totally in ryan's wheelhouse. it's the rights tax laws. congress the administration for a while have wanted to do tax

reform, some big effort to change rates, change exceptions. it's never gotten going. there is another year under the current chairman, dave camp of michigan, where they'll work on this, if it doesn't get done in next year, an election year, which seems tough. this idea will have a whole new jolt of energy when ryan takes over in 2015 because now not only is he somebody who knows the tax code, has great relationships with his conservative, but now he's a deal-maker. one of the few people this year who had a success on capitol hill. today the senate will go ahead and certify that budget deal. >> mike, there is a former piece who says he can't be heads of ways an means, paul ryan, and run for president if 2016. why are those exclusive? >> reporter: well, when you are writing tax, people benefit. people who lose every decision

is politically sensitive and so you couldn't do it, also you couldn't divide your attention, willie, there is no sign that paul ryan is running for president. people close to him tell us he's not doing the things that you would do if you plan to run for president. you would have stayed closer in touch with a lot of the romney thunders from 2012. he'd be traveling around the country more than he does, he likes being home with his family in wisconsin from from id to sunday. every indication is he's going to keep doing that, wants to rise within the capitol, a successful run as ways and means chairman could mean eventually a speaker ryan. >> mike alan with a look at the politico playbook, thank you so much. coming up, a chance to own michael jordan's mansion, are you wrong. it's still on the market. we'll tell you about it next in sports. .

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.

. >> all right. time for sports. we start with a great finish in the nba last night. blazers tied up in the game's

final seconds. >> shutting down, scores! are you kidding me? >> dammian miller, the-th game winning shot of the season. >> that kid is incredible. portland takes the 119-116 victory. >> that was like you in jersey. >> a little fade-away. speaking of me, michael jordan is having trouble selling his mansion. no one bid on it when it went up for auction. at least the bids didn't reach the level they were hoping to get. it was listed last year at 29 million. it came down to 21. i got to see it. the estate has more than 56,000 square feet of living space. includes 15 full baths. five fireplaces and the full length indoor basketball court. oh, not that one. no, no, that's the low one. here we go.

>> okay. baby. >> a long way to go to show that one little clip. >> it was a worth it, though. >> jordan's house is still for sale. let's go to washington. phyllis in the 2nd period with washington. >> what a hit by wilson. curtailed him into the boards. >> watch this, tom wilson sent into the board. crashing head first into the boards, a hit from behind. wilson ejected. a little scrum afterwards as you can imagine. the flyers win 5-2. football, one of the most memorable hits was on a punter, remember this, kevin huber fractureing his jaw during a punt return on sunday. now one 7-year-old fan not happy about it. nicholas johnson wrote a letter to hubert to let him know how he feels about it. nicholas writes in part. i hope you feel better soon. i am mad at the steelers because you are my number one player.

i hope that steeler player loses his house and has to live in his car. >> wow. >> i like this kid. >> he listens to sports talk radio. >> kevin, nfl says that steeler's player will receive hit this week. came up under the chin. margaret karlsson joins us for mika's must-read opinion pages, plus, jennifer lawrence has strong word for her critics, why she is saying it should be illegal to call someone fat. that's next. "morning joe" comes right back. .

>> you criticize people who judge other women, especially on the red carpet. you are very sensitive to that. why? >> because why is humiliateing people funny. i get it. i do it, too. we all do it. i think when it comes to media, the media needs to take responsibility for the effects that it has on our younger generation, on these girls that are watching these television shows and picking up how to talk and be cool and so all of a sudden being funny is making funny of the girl that's wearing an ugly dress or making fun of the girl and the word "fat" i think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on tv. if we regulate sex and cigarettes and how it affects our generation, why don't we regulate fat. >> jennifer lawrence in her upcoming interview with barbara

walters. >> does anybody have a reaction to that? >> i think she has a point. >> oh, come on. i'm so dierd of celebrities calling out the mettia when it's the media that make them what they r. they are happy to do all the cover stories, all the spread, everything to their advantage. the image, just shut up. >> except that the issue of obesity is a serious one. in most cases the person has serious health problems because they happen to be obese. >> someone on a red carpet, not picking on young girls. >> the thing is, though, there are people, there are adults, adult men who make lots of money producing shows making fun of young girls, how they dress and having people say snarky nasty things about them. i think that's despicable. >> when you get to do it in that context. it makes it okay for kids to do it about their kids. it sets the tone and it's mean.

>> i guess what she is doing is paralleling it to the use of other words that we don't allow. it's something to think about. >> we talk about bullying all the time and there are i would say again middle aged men that produce shows and say, let's get people together to make fun of how other, you know, young women dress. >> she's upset about the way they talk about celebrities on the red carpet. i'm sorry. that's her point. >> no, we are talking. i heard her talking about some of the reality shows where the whole part of it is you get models whatever to mock people that don't dress well. >> what she is talking about is when you do talk about it, you sound as if you are 115-years-old. you are talking about a mean spirited culture. you are talking about a culture where it is now acceptable the language employed on subways and public places. it's like horrendous.

>> and it has to be used. >> it's accepted. >> we do what they do. >> especially if you see it on tv by on a red carpet. that kind of comment. >> i think also it has to be in the proper context. my book i wrote with my friend diane smith who was suffering from obesity. i used that word in a loving context. it ended up with me and her going on a journey together not as a slur. i think it's used as a slur. i think that's what jennifer lawrence is talking about. while we're on to himmics thpice not dealing with. aaddiction, i will read from the huffington post. is that okay, donny? >> yes, ma'am. are you preparing my remote for saint bart's. >> ariana writes our unpluging challenge, seven days without our devices with the holidays

almost here, cindi leive and mika brzesinski and i have decided that there is no better time to unplug, recharge and renew ourselves in time for the new year. and what better way to do that than by unpoliticianing and disconnecting from all our devices? the siren and the ability to become our growing reliance on technology are all conspireing to create a noisy traffic is jam between us and our place of insight and peace. call it an iparadox, our smartphones are actually blocking our path to wisdom. that traffic jam is so noisy and our need for well being and wisdom so great that we agreed we needed to go beyond our usual day-to-day vows to take time away from our devices. we wanted to do something bigger. >> you will not be on your

devices. >> from the 23rd to the 29th. my entire family is convinced i can do it. >> i don't think you can do it. >> if i were like donny in saint bart's, i might be able to do it. in daily life, it's kind of h d hard. >> talk to me how you seen technology change just the work environment. >> i'm thinking of the social one. even a work one. you can actually take the trouble to go see somebody and they are stopping to check their phone because the addiction to the message on the phone is greater tan a person in front of them and young people at dinner. >> oh, i hate that. >> a group of them. half of them are on their devices looking to see where they will see the next person. so the conversation is such a low and distracted level. >> i think it crushes creativity. it crushes the ability for people to think creatively. i think to socialize. i think we're, you know.

>> it enhances a.d.d. >> when you are writing, you can't go and check your e-mail and have any level of conversation. >> no, what you find yourself doing. it's not just rudeness on the part of young people. i actually think the brand has become addicted to the constant checking and the constant changing. if you sit down, if you are like me always on your devices, you sit down to read an article, you will find yourself stopping and looking for that because you think messages are coming in. that's your brain. you have to really set sit and focus. i have as to put these things away for a long time. >> i want to go off e-mail and miamiing, i'm talking like a year for 2014. >> try the week with me. >> why do i need e-mails? i get so many. >> i have to check them.

>> people go, oh, i got to go through 100 e-mails this morning. where 97% of the things we are getting we all know we don't need, aren't important. it's almost a badge and joe the one point you made, i am so emotionally behind is the quelling of the squashing, it kilts, i'm concerned 20, 30 years out that nobody has time to sit and think. nobody has time to just, everything is checked and there i worry. >> take it one step below theable to think or just to ponder something or sit and look at someone. eye contact. we now live in a nation of no eye contact. >> that's right. because we're checking. >> you are a jerk. whatever. right on. >> i am really bad. >> you worry about distracted drivers. in new york, you have to worry about storm tracker 2000ed walkers. because they're looking down oh,

they do. whack. >> guilty. got guilty. >> i want to talk to you at the end and see if your behavior is over vacation. >> why don't you join me? >> i will stop taking e-mails. >> no, everything. >> for a year. >> everything. i know, i don't tech. >> not for a year. he's so. >> we'll have mika check your e-mail, joe. >> how much is a week? >> a year. >> a week, joe. >> if you want to e-mail me, you got like another five minutes. >> we are tweeting about this. arifa and i. tweet your ideas few want to join us @morningmika. on the 29th, you won't hear back. let's joan in. tell us how many of you. >> doesn't bill murray doesn't have an agent. you have to call like a 1-800-number to get in touch with him. >> you and bud sellick. the baseball commissioner. no e-mail.

>> i'm going to say for the e-mail and texts. >> a week. no phone, texting, e-mail, tweeting. >> actually, i really do think that it crushes creativity. >> joe, if you do a year, it's not going to work. try a week. see if you can do a week. >> i can do a week and a year. >> barbara, stay with us. >> christmas week is a little of a hedge. it's a good challenge. it's a good start. by nature, we do that christmas week anywhere. >> joe, you need to ween. your training wheels. >> one day at a time. >> ahead on "morning joe," it's conquered broadway. just, jordan roth is trying to take over the internet. he joins us with his website culturalist. everyone should see this website to count down the personalities if politics. define 2013. before the 23rd. let's all take a look at the culturals. we'll be right back.

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gift today from toronto. >> just go no further on this. this is dancing in city hall.

look at that, isn't that great? boogie down, mayor ford. >> still another apology coming, folks. >> the one in the red is the speaker. [ music playing [ music playing ] >> this is happening live, this is happening right now. merry christmas in toronto city hall. >> what the hell is going on? are they all on crack? >> wow! that's awesome. >> kind of fun. >> so you like my idea. i think i get off e-mail for a year. i will get an answering service. >> you have to ween yourself for a week. >> call my service. they leave a message. they never set in a voice mail. what do you think? >> get an answering service. hire someone to listen to the

answering service. >> that's me. >> right now i need somebody listening, type it up. i'll have a phone. >> i look forward to that. >> leave me a message, maybe i'll call. >> coming up at the top of the hour. we'll see if we can do a week. bill kristol joins us with harold ford, jr. "morning joe" back in a moment. ♪ .

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. >> a coloring book about ted cruz is currently the no. 1 book on amazon's list of children's coloring books. i don't know. it makes me happy, too. people who bought the ted cruz coloring book also bought a cri control la cray control la /* /- crayola 64-pack. and they bought the libertarian party minimum government maximum freedom with john stossel right on the cover. you can color in his mustache, kids, just like john stossel does. >> oh. welcome back to "morning joe." look at that pretty shot of the capitol as the sun comes up over washington. donny deutsche is still with us. joining us, bill kristol, editor of "the weekly standard."

>> my daughter is nervous. >> i'm sure she will do well. >> stressing. and msnbc political analyst and visiting professor at nyu, former congressman harold ford, jr. >> how are you doing? >> harold, where's the baby, man? it's been going on for like 12 months or something. >> i'm waiting. we're impatient. >> we are due saturday. >> due saturday. >> my wife is healthy. she's strong. >> can we bring this crew in? let's get louis. >> so i can film the whole thing. >> you can also film the divorce that will happen. >> it will happen whether we are there or not. >> wow. >> how is she doing? >> she is good. strong, recalled. >> you will be in the room? >> i will be in the room. >> i don't know. >> a lot of family names. i don't have much authority. >> boy or girl?

>> a girl. >> ah. >> girl is the best. the best. >> wow, that's great. bill, you were probably mr. dad, right? we were talking how wonderful it is for young guys to be hanging out. >> i think that's a conversation we should better have during the commercial breaks, off camera. i have been happily married for 37, 38 years. i don't want to say anything now that would endanger it. it's a deeply moving experience for all concerned. >> you are correct, sir. >> what is the key is a guy who tried marriage once or twice, not successfully. what is the key to a happy marriage 37 years? >> discussing paul ryan and the budgets. >> we talk about anything. >> i am well aware of that. the key is loving your wife and hoping she tolerates you. >> and being there when she has her baby. >> i was there.

>> all right. while we're on body parts or stuff, can i throw something in there? i really think. >> i don't like the headlines. >> so senator tom coburn has this waste book. you'd approve of this. this is important. so we have been showing a full screen in the last hour of all the different wasteful spending that has items like $125,000 for nasa to develop a 3d printer that makes pizza. there it is, $1.5 million for the fbi to make sure they are portrayed accurately t. state department spent $630,000 buying facebook likes. >> yeah, unbelievable. >> and $300 million on a mega-blimp. >> they flew once and sold it back to a guy for $300,000. >> i found another one. >> what's that? >> 300 and what's that number? $384,979 for the yale university

study for sexual conflict, social behavior and the evolution of water fowl genitalia, which examines ducks corkscrew shaped penises so measure. >> is this from tom coburn, too? >> this is real. to measure how mating the linked to age and seasons. >> all right t. question is logged in, is it a republican who can challenge hillary clinton for president? it shows chris christie has a 5 point lead and is leading her among independent, when asked if chris would make a good president. 46% said yes. 24% said they didn't know. 53% said clinton would. 5% said they didn't know. in other matchups, hillary clinton holds the lead over front runners ted cruz, rand paul and jeb bush. this is interesting. bill kristol, interesting because it just shows hillary

secretary of state. she's the most popular politician in america. she comes out of it and goes down a little bit. but this is really more about the democratic brand being tarnished in swing states like iowa. >> i pine the studies, history shows even if someone who is not a part of an administration runs to succeed a president after 8 years the rating of that president at the end of this term is decisive. ronald reagan was popular. 55% approval in 1988. guess what, his vice president got him 55% of the vote clinton was more mid--ling, gore was in bad shape in 28. there was nothing mccain could do to overcome that. i think a lot depends on how president obama does on the republican side, mike allen said paul ryan will probably go for the house ways an means, therefore that seems to suggest he wasn't interested in the presidential race. no one near him is talking about the presidential race. i think he is interested. i think he is wise enough to

talk about it and focusing on his job. he spent 12 hours a day for the last four months in a room working out the budget deal i think paul ryan thinks if he does a good job, ideas, a practical way in congress for the next year, there will be ted cruz there the champion of the conservative grass roots, chris christie the favorite of the "morning joe" crowd and a few other people as well. there is room for someone in between who is a strong conservative who has shown an ability to deal with the key national issues. >> who? >> paul ryan, i think. or it could be after go, scott walker. mike pence. too many people are sayi christe and cruz. >> do those numbers surprised you? >> everyone is how do we play in iowa? >> probably just fine. >>. >> a general election, i think it's going to become a referendum on the obama

referendum. christie has shown an ability to get democratic vote and paul ryan actually is from a swing district. >> a swing district in wisconsin. so i do think these polls mean absolutely nothing other than a snapshot of the moment three years out. i tell you that, snap is shot is chris christie, a new jersey guy. right now, he is playing well. a 65% approval rating. 40% now and again, it means nothing. she can get that back up to 60%, whatever. i think it just points to real volatility. i think the democratic party. i think it badly as we republicans try to destroy ourselves over the summer, and early fall democrats have somehow managed to do even works

by forget the website. it's a lie you like what you pay for, you like your doctors in the network, you can keep it. it's hurting. democrats have got to figure out. >> it's hurt the democratic party. the president is not up again. but it's hurt the brain. >> the democratic senators are going to i really think. >> for secretary clinton, at some point she's got to determine if she makes this determination when she distinguishes and shows different characteristics other than the president. one of the questions i would have for joe and bill, if you talk about paul ryan, you watched over the last week or so, the show led off with republicans being some conservative groups being very critical of john boehner and definition paul ryan. how does that play going forward and frankly i'm pleased to see john boehner and i'm a democrat now, i find myself more of a moderate, a new blue belt democrat. so i'm appreciative when the

centuries stand up. how does paul and republicans like the two of you ride the bus? >> i don't think paul 'will be hurt by it. it's so interesting how he fell on this issue i was against the bucket deal. you wrote an editorial for the budget dell. i think things are so right now, i think the republican party is in such flux t. tea party right wing conservatives didn't want to have another government shutdown. i don't think a budget dell, i hate i. i don't think it hurts, palm, in the long run, do you? >> i a agree. i think they don't agree with the deal like you they want to keep the sequester caps, they're not on some cru dade. conversely some of the establish. types may have learned or overreached in october. on the other hand, they are the ones who are saying obama care, obama care, obama care a lot of

establish. types, ted cruz was right about that. it is a fiasco issue in 2014. so little more respect for each side of the party i think maybe. >> i see that. >> ryan can bridge that. there is this fantastic piece in the new york times, you are ready to discuss this, the creative class in new york, very unhappy they are losing individual insurance and sold group insurance. they like it a lot. this is fantastic quote from ka meal. the new york times doesn't but that in quotation marks. she is a member of the creative class. she says we are the obama people. she upset her insurance is being cancelled, her pediatrician is not on the exchange plans. she says i am for it. meaning obama care. she says, what is the reality of it? which is such a beautiful

statement of contemporary liberalism. it's spiesing these things actually have real world consequences. >> what about barak obama himself and the 2008 election hope and change, what's the extent? we have hope and change. there was never, it was hard to get more specific. the president, himself, said as a candidate that he was more like a mirror that held up and people saw what they wanted to see in him. he wrote that in this book t. same thing with obama care. people are for obama care. they don't know what's in it. >> now they're discovering what's in it as a little bit of a nightmare for a lot of people. i think republicans. we have to see the riens, he is going to in january layout along with governor bobby jindal of louisiana and others, a bunch of conservative health care reform plans. not one big page bill. they address the pre-existing

conditions, the premarket. i think you will have a lot of support from both the conservatives in congress and the moderate types and it will take away i think charge the republicans have for the positive all turntive. >> the thing is there will be the countless people who don't have insurance. it's health care for everyone as opposed to not. >> the biggest problem with obama care is it's called obama care. if it was what you just said or people refer it to as the affordable care act there this is not true. i lover you. the problem is the website you are bragging about the website not working. you can now sign up. a lot of times the information doesn't come over. even nancy pelosi who is in charge of getting it through the house admitted she didn't know -- >> my point is exactly right

that even if the stuff gets right the fact that it's branded with obama's name, obama i don't see turning around his likability kwoesht in the next 24 hour months. he misled the american people. even if the stuff goes right, the fact that it will always be called obama care, i think it's going to be a detriment going forward. >> i afree with mika. reality is what matters most, contrary to the new york times. if it works, it works. we'll have to see where we are i think people will discover and small businesses will discover that it's just a bad policy. >> it condition fixed. >> i have a follow up. then you talk about what you are going to talk about. >> harold wants to talk more about what will happen saturday in the delivery room. how moved he is going to be. >> obama care. >> i have yet to meet one small

business owner, democrat, independent or republican over the past four years and as i say on this show all the time, i get a hamburger. >> what are you doing? >> how does the affordable care act impact you? if i go to somebody selling clothes, whoever i go to, i have not spoken to one business owner in four years from the state of florida to the state of california back to the state of connecticut that has told me they think it's going to be good for their business. in fact, about 90 pshs of them say it's going to be really bad. >> some don't know how bad it will be. >> that's obviously anecdotal. you know what i found out on the campaign trail when we knocked on enough doors and everybody started saying the same thing you knew you didn't have to take a pom, that was the reality. >> does that mean you agree you also have heard for four years

from all business owners they think it will be bad for them, bad for business. you will be shocked, mika, it's the reality. >> it's such a sliver of reality. >> it's a function of reality. >> small business owners? >> you hear from small business structures to large business structures. it speaks to an education deficit about this plan. it speaks to the rollout which was by any measure a tough disaster. >> i will stop you there. >> they are starting to go up for. >> you said it was an education deficit. are you suggesting small business owners don't foe what will happen in their own business? >> how the plan, the affordable care act can actually lower costs for them at this point. i agree with you. in some instances, it may not. the administration i think has done a poor job when i say educating their own business, finally, premiums are going up for people, people are losing insurance, fundamentally, that's the biggest challenge. i said last week, i don't think

it is. >> i want to ask, okay, please, i need this question answered, has any of you in five years talked to a small business owner that has said they think this will be good for them or will help their business? >> i have not heard one that said that. >> donny, you are a progressive, an obama supporter. you live in manhattan, you hang out with democrats primarily and a lot of business owners, you haven't found one? >> not one. i actually think they don't know it will be worse for them. >> harold. >> i agree. >> have you talked to one small business owner in five years that said the affordable care act will be good or neutral? >> at best neutral hopeful. >> i want to congratulate harold for tying tear child to a computer before december 31st to use on ab at the tristian. doctors they had on their

previous insurance. >> you will not find yourself in the position of millions of americans having to deal with some doctor you didn't know before. >> i think at this point we need three minutes of uninterrupted talk from mika. >> i will ask you a question that is as difficult as a question you put to everyone to answer in a way that really doesn't explain it all. down americans should have access to health care or are you against that? how about 26-year-olds being on their parent's coverage? you like that? and that happens in a lot of our circles here. my point is, you can ask these lead-in questions and take people down a road of why something is bad, but it will balance out with the good because nothing as difficult as passing health care in this country is going to go well smoothly and be perfect for everyone. the question is should we have it? should we have it? >> that is the reason you should do it in bite size pieces.

parts have preexisting conditions, republicans had proposals, democrats had proposals to live with those. harold knows that. the president had this grand ambition to remake everything, 2,700 pages. >> yes, you know what, had mitt romney won, maybe he could have done that wonderful thing he did in massachusetts. but he didn't. president obama won the election and got health care through. i can't the of another president who tried. it's not pretty. >> so i want to go back to what the creative classes are telling the new york times. they support obama care. they support the idea of obama care. >> don't wrap me. i will answer your question. them alex to stop yelping in your ear. they like the idea of it. but as david ignacious said a month ago on this show, the smartest thing about this whole thing. david said not only was it too ambitious politically. he actually shoved something down the throats of the american people that they weren't ready for. they had a filibuster approved

majority in the senate they couldn't even, they could hardly get 51 votes. but also that legislatively, it was too ambitious. they were cutting dirty deals with big pharma. they were cutting bad deals with big hospitals. the very people that you could actually curb the costs over the long run, it was the ugliest what i to try to pass it and they were so enamoured with the idea of passing health care reform that they never really fixed out whether what was howard hugh's plane the grey goose, whatever? whatever it was could actually get off the ground. this can't get off the ground. >> so let's bring another voice who was supposed to come after the break, but alex said, screw it, bring in the state's former governor, tim kaine. >> it was the spruce goose. >> ah the spruce goose. >> that's it. this is kind of like the spruce

goose. it's a big monstrosity. nobody knows whether it will work. they love the idea, because it sure is a big old plane. they like the guy that put it together. how does this thing work without bipartisan support, without you guys going back in and starting all over again. >> joe, what mika said earlier, i agree. there is a whole lot of parts that are working badly in the execution and implementation. those of us who run things as american governors, it's causing us to tear our hairs out. there are some good pieces of this. just in my own family, i will give you an example. i tried to get insurance at the end of 2011 on the private park in the individual market. because i didn't have an employer covering me. two insurance companies said they would only write policies on four of my five family members. and we told them, hey, you can't do that it's against the law now. they went and checked and said, oh, you are right, we're sorry. so we if our own family. we are a very healthy family. we had companies saying, look,

we'll insure four of you, not all five of you. they can't do any of that anymore. tons of americans are experiencing that just like my family has, there are other examples as well. there's the good news i think, democrats who were in the position of we're not going to touch this, reform it and republican was are in the position of it's repeal or nothing, both sides are now realizing reform has got to be what we focus on. republicans aren't going to pull ens away from the million plus people who have gotten it on the exchanges or gotten the medicaid expansion. the white house has been humbled. they can no longer say we're not going to touch this. >> you can't say my way or the highway. bill, you have been talking like a conservative with a small k i agree with you. if it works, it will be around for years to come. you talked about jim deminute.

i had dinner with him a week or two ago. he says, we don't touch it. we don't touch obama care. we're not going to reform it or make it bettert. if we do, we will own it. do you agree with that approach? do you think republicans will get in there and talk about what ted cruz has talked about, which is move the minimum employee hours from 30 hours a week to 40 hours a week? should we offer amendments and try to make it better, try i to fix it? >> i don't think obama care, itself, is fixable. i think republicans can do a lot to help people who are now being disadvantaged. the house passed the bill. the senate hasn't taken it up. i think tim kaine said nice things to let them have insurance, even if it's not obama care compliant. there is temporary insurance you can buy. still it's legal under obama care. you have to pay a fine. there is temporary insurance which state legislatures can enact and prolong and let people buy the insurance that meets them. i think the republicans can do a lot to help people escape through obama care.

i'm sort of with jim demint at the end of the day it probably should be ripped up and different reforms should be advanced. tim kaine in the state of virginia where i live and i'm nostalgic for him. i would be more nostalgic in his governorship than with terry mcall live. mark warner, his buddy, mark warner, cast a deciding vote for obama care. i think ed gillespie the former republican chairman, they will run against warner. i think the central issue will be obama care. >> let me ask the senator. senator, you have a lot of military retirees in your state as we have in florida. >> absolutely. >> i'm very concerned that the budget deal went after military retirees. >> joe, i don't like it. i didn't support it. i'm on the senate budget committee. but as part of a compromise with the house that got added in, so we could avoid sequester, avoid furloughs, avoid the shutdowns

we got money from a lot of different places. there is an easy fix for this military retirement issue, beginning january 1 of 2015, military folks who retire after that date will get a full retirement and cost of living increase, but their quota will be reduced to age 62 if they're disabled. it doesn't start until january, 2015. i have introduced a bill to close a kind of a peculiar tax loophole that would raise much more than the $6 billion and replace it and i'm on armed services and carl levin ven has said during the next calendar year before it even kicks in, we can look at other ways to deal with it. so we need to vote for this budget, get the nation's first budget in four years and then we can go back in and fix this provision and we ought to fix it. >> i agree with tim. they will fix it. to be fair, the report which

everyone lovers called for a limited age 62 for retired veterans, the budget deal takes 1% off the cost of living increase. it's an idea bouncing around a long time. they should tweak it. some veterans need that money. others will not. i think they will do that. >> we had adjusted the cost and the pensions for every other federal employee except military retirees. let's get there budget passed now and come in with a scalpel. >> thank you for coming. >> tim kaine. >> mika wanted to ask you a question about a duck study. we'll get to that later. >> oh. >> so bill, thank you as well. >> thank you. >> it's always great to have you here. >> carl, stay with, if you can. >> it's always great to have somebody in the creative classes in manhattan. bill kristol comes from a long

history of family members in the creative class. >> some of my family members are in the creative class, but i'm not. >> his daughter is an incredible teacher. >> coming up, it will not help your daughter. it's enough -- star of the hit netflix series steven van zandt will be joining us. you are watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. [ music playing ] . a subaru...

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>> welcome back to morning joe, here's what you need to know, washington, d.c., one of the coldest morning, you will have for a while. i got some good news if you like warmer temperatures coming your way. it's so difficult for everyone to get home yesterday, it has left. in its wake, a lot of cold air and lake effect snow showers. wind chills 13 in boston, maine negative wind chills. so not a fun morning to be out there shoveling. warmer temperatures coming for you. we have beautiful weather, denver to kansas city, dallas, san antonio.

nice in new orleans today. the whole southern half, that warm air is heading to the east coast. fortunately, there will be rain around over the weekend, nearly 70 degrees on sunday. in washington, d.c., the back side of that, tow, won't be as pretty. chicago. you could have a messy weekend. freezing rain possible turning over to snow. colder air will shift from the east coast to the northern plains and the rockies. here's my christmas forecast. it looked easy actually. looks like no big storms on the map a week from today. we should see snow showers. it doesn't look like storms will make you have travel trouble as we get towards the holidays. you are watching "morning joe." mika, the forecast coming your way. a you a tore called the inspirational. josh joins us next with his true story. "morning joe" will be right back.

. >> clinical professor of columbia university dr. rush ruxin. he's the author of "a thousand hills to heaven". >> how do you make it from the past faced new york to rwafda? >> my wife was tired of commute to wall street. after we were married, we were given an offer to start a poverty reduction program in rwanda. so that was our honeymoon gift.

>> ten years later still involved? >> absolutely. we moved there for two years and now it's nearly been a decade. >> yeah. of course, for the uninitiated who may not, maybe some of our younger viewers who don't know what happened in rwanda in the 1990s talk about what happened a decade before your arrival there. >> i think most people within they think of rwanda think of 1994's genocide. even when we arrived a decade ago, the country was clean and beautiful and secure and just remarkable. and ambitious t. government was talking about becoming the singapore of africa. >> so how did it move from a million people being spotted and hacked up in the most brutal way to a decade later? >> leadership. >> explain. >> extraordinary leadership under the president and the cabinet. the government pulled the people of rwanda together. everyone announced, we are

rwandese now. ever since then they had the top gdp growth on the planet. >> it's called a thousand hills to heaven. the name of a restaurant you opened there, which you say is a good model for fighting poverty. >> when we moved there, i was working on my health builders building health centers and providing management solutions for improved health care. meanwhile, my wife was working with orphans of the genocide and she had an insight, what these orphans most need is actually access to jobs and to training, hospitality and training in particular. so she told me she was going to open a little cafe. then something that looks a lot like starbucks opened up. i think with my harvard public health degree, i'm well credentialed top up a gourmet restaurant. >> she sound like -- >> i don't mean to cut mika off. the poverty in africa and new york city, there are some

differences without doubt. what have you learned there that you believe could by a plead here in new york city, with the pair, we talked about these issues, are there lessons he could learn from your experience? >> i there i the toplessson is that you need massive amounts of private investment in small medium size enterprise, that's exactly what heaven restaurant is, our sioux chef. she started off as the cleaner, one day alissa discovered her in the kitchen cooking. i got angry. i went into the kitchen that night, i said, why is the cleaner cooking in the kitchen, everyone said, well, because she's the best cook and so it turned out that she got promoted through the ranks, she has worked and been trained. but now she is putting herself through university. she is the first member to go through university. she is supporting a dozen people back at home for primary health care for their private education and she's not charity.

she's not a 501(c)(3) contribution. she is working for a living. >> so you can teach anyone to cook? >> just about. >> i'm going to come to heaven then and see what i can learn. are there, a kitchen is not a peaceful place, but you have a peaceful country apparently, are there any tensions remaining? do you put people together that have animosity that these families were killed in your work place? >> we have been so amazed by seeing people who literally, it's just a little bit over a decade ago. coming up own 19 years ago, 20 years this april, who are work, towing for prosperity and i think that's really a big part of the government's plan is if we can give everyone enough they will not want to lose or return to those days.

>> opportunity. all the fundraising and new charities. successful contributions, and full hearted volunteers heading off to all corners of the world and donated goats and sponsored children, is there still so much dam poverty in the world? you asked a question. what's the answer? >> i think my wife has actually taught me more about the answers than i ever anticipated. i'm a professor at columbia and i have been working on poverty reduction since i was a kid and i thought that i knew a lot about how to do it. i think there are lots of things that can be done, integrated interventions, creating good health systems, stopping people from dieing from malaria, from tb, from aids, from basic diseases. after you do that, then what? they want opportunity. >> the book is "a thousand hills to heaven." josh will stick around for an exclusive afternoon mojo segment on the work being done by home

builders. check out our website for that. josh, thank you so much. witness again, up next, from sopranos mobster to norwegian gangster, steve van zandt joins the table to talk about his next roam. "morning joe" continues in just a moment. .

[ music playing ] >> and stay out, you [ bleep ] bum. >> what are you doing to the priest? >> doing with what? >> it's a priest. >> oh, [ bleep ]. >> i'm sorry, your excellency.

are you okay? >> that's horrible! you didn't do that. here with us now, the star and executive producer and music supervisor for lily hammer which i know why barnacle loves. because it's sick. >> that's not new jersey. that's norway. >> barnacle style. the guitarist for the e street band. good to be back. this is one sick show. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> we work hard for that. >> it's awful. just mean. what else happens. why are you doing it. >> all kinds of things go on over there. it's a crazy premises. >> what are is the premises? >> a gangster goes into the witness protection program and chooses lily hammer, norway.

they try to assassinate him and he overreacts. instead of going to arizona with the rest of the guys, he decides to go to norway. >> the barnacle boys love this. >> absolutely. if you love the sopranos, you will love this. >> like 2/3. >> it hasn't been that share since lucy had little ricky. >> the show is great and you are living in norway. you were talking about this earlier. someone comes here and said i have an idea for a series. we want you to be in it. franky goes into witness protection and we are going norway. initially what did you think? >> several thaws went through my head. number one, i can't do that. i just played a gangster for ten years. obviously i can't do it. then i thought this was a good idea. >> why?

why? >> norway is a different place. there is no crime and no poverty. it's civilize and they talk about health care. >> you spent time in norway? >> i have been gone since the 80s. health care and education and it's free. we can learn a lot from that place. but i figured this is the ultimate fish out of water story. you drop the crime wave in the middle of paradise. >> this is also revolutionary. a lot of people think house of cards. netflix formula. this was the first. this is groundbreaking content direct to the consumer and set standard for the way things will be done. >> you are so right especially since it was a statement by netflix saying not only will we do it for a global distribution

with the golden era of television, but include global content. that is a game changer. that never happened before. never in history been a local show or foreign show that was on an american network at the same time and the same form with subtitles. it's never happened. >> i think it works. i actually think it works because it's him. >> help you make a lot of cash for us. >> i don't do things for them. >> obviously he's an artist, but to me an artist is first in on a breakthrough mode of distribution. you are the pioneer. >> thank you, but you never make money the first couple. the first guy in doesn't make the money. thank you for the thought. you get the fifth season. we have season two that i went on netflix yesterday and we are doing our season three.

going back to norway. >> can my girls watch it? >> how old are they? >> 15 and 17 and my 15-year-old is really mean to me. >> oh, yeah? >> yeah. >> i'll talk to her. >> will you tell her i'm nice? >> norway doesn't have a lot of violence so we have to walk that line between what american tv likes and what they like. >> how did you end up with the writing part of it? how did that end up? >> when i told my people that i'm going to norway to do a show, they said are you out of your mind? you go to norway? they wanted me very involved to be one of the writers and one of the producers. get that for me. it's my bookie.

i ended up doing a score which was really fun. that's a lot of fun. it gives you protection if you control the script a little bit. when i met all these fantastic actors, it made it easy. they are terrific over there. that too. >> what is wrong? norwegian women are beautiful. >> it's true. it was wonderful by having it be an original program rather than remade like most are. >> i'm going to binge watch this weekend. >> start with the first season. >> i'm not going to binge eat, but i will binge watch. >> going back to south africa, the first time since 1984, my sun city project. i was president then in the 80s

and the first time i'm going back to australia. >> you are a busy guy. good lord. all right. must be nice. you can catch all new episodes of lily hammer on netflix. putting up a fight against hillary clinton in 2016. she may be more vulnerable than you think. "morning joe" will be right back. (vo) you are a business pro.

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. good morning. it's 8:00 on the east coast and 5:00 on the west coast. we have mike barnacle and donny deutsch. the question has been is there a republican who can challenge hillary clinton for president. siquinnipiac university poll shows chris christie has a five-point lead over hillary clinton in iowa. >> a swing state. >> how can he in iowa. he led hillary nine points among independents. when asked if christie would make a good period, 46% said yes

and 53% say hillary would make a good president. she holds a slim lead over rand paul. she is getting a taste of the national stage with the controversy and the questions about whether or not he closed a lane at the george washington bridge out of retribution. they are looking into it and people have resigned, but i don't know yet what there is. >> he runs for president. >> that's right. the question that we have open gaps, whether he's got enough skin to handle it. to handle all the income. >> he worked in law before and those seem to work for you.

i will say they ask how will you play in iowa? we asked audiences around the country about him. it's very positive. >> when we three years prior couldn't find it, i said how many of you because of that, hundreds of book tours, we have the reaction. chris christie, there is something likeable about the man. also the problems of the president.

>> absolutely. >> chris christie goes undecleared and clearly because of what they think they know about him and what they have seen on you tube and places like that. it comes down to whether it will be real or not when he runs for president. you are a fool and get out of my way. whatever you think, he is decisive and from public people you see out of washington. >> you go crazy when they say her name. the one thing that will be interesting is to see how she emerges past and everything she has done as being contrived and planned and safe. even the job of secretary of state and all of it as opposed to a mission that addresses what's really happening in this

country. the inequality. >> it's not good. we saw that against barack obama she ran a campaign from behind. she becomes a candidate and i don't know. i think she needs to be careful not to fall into the ted kennedy trap of 1979 where you can't answer the larger questions, why you want to be president. the answer is because i can swin -- that's all you hear from people. i don't think they know what

hillary really stand for. >> she was in this position in 20007 as well. the presumed nominee. she was presumed by some to be the president of the united states. i think david axelrod said it as you saw someone up close. she was not a good candidate for the reasons you are saying. then when she felt the heat in 2008, she became a great candidate and you like to think if you are a supporter of hillary clinton you would not take anything for granted. >> stood for something from a long period of time. she is not new. we are coming off a period of universally -- this has been the most ineffective government. even if it's not the right change want change. want new and different. to your point, the brand we see of christie, the skin of christie is exciting.

it feels different and looks and smells different. it is different. the test of time is when we start to peel back the skin, what's underneath. what it stands for feels fresh, is fresh, i'm going going. no matter what hillary does, she has been in our consciousness since 1988. this moment in time is where we want that right or left turn politically. i don't know how hillary overcomes the country's need to make a move. >> let's move on to this. the senate ended the debate setting up a final vote on the bill later today. 12 republicans voted to advance the bill with every democrat and independent in the state. minority leader mitch connell and marco rubio and ted cruz and rand. >> paul: voted against the measure. a number of them were against a portion of the bill that will cut $6 billion in retirement benefits for veterans.

senate leader harry reid blocked the amendment. >> harry reid fought to keep the cuts for military retirees. did the republicans come up with another alternative? that's what we need to check and find out. we have a $4 trillion budget every year. the only place people can find to cut spending comes from retirees. >> everyone knows that's not true. you can cut other ways and go to real -- you saying -- >> you are agreeing with me. it is such an insult to the men and women who we have been -- as they go off to war and everybody lines up and they all salute and got we love them and god bless the usa and i think i'm going to cry. where do we find such men and

women? they are the only people? >> in the food stamp line. >> they are the only people whose benefits we can cut? i'm sorry. that's just obscene. that is sick and obscene. you lookality what the people have done for us over the past 12 years. look what they have done over the past 50 years. 100 years. we are cutting their military benefits? that's the only place we could find in the budget to cut? >> yesterday six americans were killed in a helicopter crash in afghanist afghanistan. the u.s. senate and house of representatives can't find another place to cut subsidies and appropriations and whatever. they have to cut veterans

benefits. it is obscene. >> you were asked the question around the table. what would be the response? >> this attitude about democrats that they are saying the federal employees are having this and we need to do the same thing for military retirees. i think that's absolutely on scene and an obscene argument. congress went and cut their pay. if they are going to cut the benefits, why doesn't congress cut the retirement benefits themselves? >> you don't pay that for the government shut down. >> you could cut one weapons program. just one weapons program.

one plane. cut one of the items. >> they don't do that because the military defense contractors give money out to all the members because they spread the money out so much that you never know. when i was on the judiciary committee, there was republicans versus democrats. right versus left. i would go and talk about a helicopter. straight up and sideways and spit candy out to kids or whatever. some bizarre thing that we didn't need. you couldn't tell. it took me a while. half the republicans are for this? they end up and it's the checks for the defense contractors are paying out to the congress men and senators.

they don't have enough money and lobbyists to pay off. >> they came up with the budget and a military blimp that they put 3$300 million behind and sod back to the contractors. >> i have got that right here. this year's list accounts for $30 billion in wasteful spending. for nasa to develop a 3d printed pizza. to make sure they are being portrayed accurately. the state department said $630,000 buying facebook likes. why? buying likes? what? >> that's ridiculous. it's not like a mega blimp. >> wait. the u.s. military bought a mega

blimp. >> why are you buying likes? it made one 90-minute flight before getting scrapped. >> that's a good investment. that's different. >> wow. >> you know all these guys who wear the flag pin and rush for a photo op when they came 40e78 and the troops, show it. prove it. it's hard enough for the guys when they come back and don't get enough money as hard as the va tries. they are not taking care of them as we promised. when planes hit buildings, they went in. take care of these guys. >> i saw this firsthand because we had in my district more military retirees than anyone in the united states. when they rolled out tricare in 1995. they broke every promise they made. we had to raise hell for a long

time. we got some fixed up. you will hear people inside the pentagon complaining about health care and benefits. a promise was made to the men and women. they came in when they were 18. you get free health care for life. that's the promise they made. they break that promise every year. they go oh, it's just too expensive. if it's too expensive, stop sending kids to war. >> for multiple tours. it's obscene. >> we will check in with mike allen and the beatles tracks you have never heard. you can find 59 previously unreleased recordings and how much they will set you back.

how tragedy turned into romance for a victim of the boston bombing. a story that may get you choked up. that's nice. first here's bill with a check on the forecast. >> yesterday we had a very impressive record broken. as far as the temperature for november on the globe and not just the united states, it was the warmest month ever recorded going back to about 1880. look how warm russia and europe was. the brighter the red, the warmer than average temperatures. the blue was the cooler. we were cool here in the lower 48. that was not the case for the globe. we are on pace for the fourth warmest year ever. talking about warmth, we are breaking the cold in the east. record highs possible. areas like washington, d.c. and new york city by the time we get to sunday. near 70 degrees. we will see active weather in the heartland.

the average travelers at all the major airports, no problems. denver and enjoy it noeds in oklahoma city. not bad in the southeast and florida. chilly up there in new england with the snow. even philadelphia near record highs on sunday. 68 degrees. a cold winter in the northeast. we have all the snow and now probably won't be here for christmas. figures. you are watching "morning joe" with a shot of a sunrise under the arch in st. louis. my mantra? family first.

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time to take a look at the morning papers from our parade of papers. the boston globe, a harvard student is facing charges after admitting to sending a bomb threat to get out of taking his final exam. they evacuated multiple buildingings after receiving the e-mail on monday. the student will appear in court and faces up to five years in prison. >> a man was dadly injured in the boston marathon bombings. in a lengthy ra rehabilitation including skin grafts, james s costello met a nurse during a

cruise and he proposed. she said yes. he wrote on facebook i now realize why i was involved in the tragedy. to meet the best friend and love of my life. >> that's great. so romantic. >> you know what's nicer? when i read those stories and it flows. right? if i had read it like the way it was written. i think -- what do you think? >> i was moved. >> were you even through all that. >> yeah. it was so good. that was me yesterday. medication and -- anyhow. it doesn't wear off sometimes and i get tongue tied. is that bad? >> this from the huntsville times. after winning a special election in the first district, bradley

defeated a democrat receiving 66% of the votes and going to replace joe bonner who resigned in august, the first time the chamber of commerce and joe rickets and other business interest got involved to go again. others they consider to be too extreme. >> you will love the next story. a blind man and his guide dog survived being run over by a train. cecil williams fainted and fell off a platform and on to the tracks. his seeing eye dog orlando bravely jumped on to the tracks to help him. witnesses say orlando alerted everyone by barking and tried to pull his owner away as a train approached. police say the on coming train hit the brakes and nearly two cars still rolled over williams in orlando. miraculously he suffered minor injuries. williams in orlando was not hurt. >> that's great.

>> i think he is running out of insurance or something to cover the dog. the local papers are working on that story. >> from the l.a. times, 59 previously unreleased beatles tracks are on sale on itunes. the beatles did recordings in 1963 contains rarities and out takes from tlooet of the s1963 performances on bbc. it is on sale for $40. it's really exciting for those of us who have been following them. i'm a freak about it all. >> it's frightening. >> you got the album yet? >> not yet. >> i don't know. they were head to head with the dave clark five for a while. >> they came out during your

mid-life crisis. >> let's go to politico. >> good morning and in the playbook breakfast day, one of the guests is kelly o. >> the great kelly o. let's talk business on the hill. paul ryan is speaking out about the job he wants next he wants to head up ways and means and why does he want the job some. >> this is one of the most powerful there is and it's in the wheel house. this is the committee that rights tax laws and congress and the administration for a while have wanted to do tax reforms and big effort to change rates and exceptions and never got going. another year under the current chairman of michigan where they work on this and if it doesn't get done, this idea that we will have a jolt of energy when ryan takes over in 2015.

not only is he somebody who knows the tax code and has great relationships with his conservatives, but he's a deal maker. one of the few people who had a success up on capitol hill with senator patty murray and today it looks like they will go ahead and certify that budget deal. >> there is an interesting quote in the piece from congressional aide who said you can't behead ways and means paul ryan and run for president. why are they exclusive? >> when you are writing taxes, people lose every decision that is politically sensitive. you couldn't do it and divide your attention. there is no sign that paul ryan is running for president. people close to him tell us that he is not doing the things you would do if he planned to run for president. he would stay in closer touch with a lot of the romney

funders. he would be traveling around the country more than he does. he likes being home with his family from friday to sunday. every indication is that he will keep doing that and wants to rise within the capital as ways and means chairman. a speaker ryan. >> politico's mike allen. up next, president obama is perhaps the most photographed man in the world, but that doesn't mean they get the access they want. the former press secretary weigh in on the uproar from photojournalist who is say they are being locked out of the action. that's next on "morning joe." [ female announcer ] we give you relief from your cold symptoms.

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the ex-president and current president flying together to go honor the giants of the 21st century and over 40 hours of flight time they didn't find five minutes to invite the photojournalists traveling with the president to come up and take a picture? >> yesterday representatives from major media organizations met with members of the white house press office for discussions on increasing press

access to the president. joining us now with perspective, two press secretaries who lived through this. back at the table as well. want me to start with the "new york times"? this is interesting. obama's image control. here's how it's done. an event involving the president is arbitrarily labeled private with media access prohibited. a little while later, an official photo is released on the white house flicker page or twitter to millions of followers. private? hardly. the private events include meetings with world leaders and other visitors of major interest. just the sorts of activities they should and used to have access to. by no stretch are these images journalism. they propagate an idealized portrayal of events until the white house revisits the

draconian restrictions on photojournalists and access to the president, information-savvy citizens would be wise to treat handout photos for what they are. propaganda. >> as a white house press secretary and robert gibbs is saying when you hear draconian restrictions, the rest of us hear something bad, you are thinking it sounds okay to me. >> they are showing all the faxes in the story. they are not telling everyone how it really works. if i had gone back to the press with 11 reporter who is sit on air force and said we want to bring the still photographers up to be a fly on the wall so it's not like they are just one, the rest of the press corps did not note. you can't bring the stills up there, you have to bring us. you can't bring them up there without bringing us. all 11 would demand to go.

the fly on the wall, their presence would change the event. >> that "new york times" piece was written by the ap director of photography and i will agree to an extent of what he said. robert, there is so-called things called po ed pool camera. >> if we were one pool camera up, everybody else said that's unfair. you are discriminating. the print reporters said you cannot have the stills without having us. the wire reporters said we have to go as well. the tv camera would have said it doesn't work that way. that's the reality. the press will fight back. >> so robert gibbs, why the push back now? >> i think to summarize what you are hearing photojournalists saying, their bigger bone to pick is on public events and not

the conference room on air force one. bigger events that have a limited amount of access. my hunch is that if it's the lincoln memorial event commemorating the king speech where they wanted to and thought they'd they would have better access for good pictures, you will find that the white house and press corps will come to accommodation about that greater access. this is a problem that has existed and will continue to exist as long as there is a white house and a working press which will be for the history of this country. it is exacerbated as you mentioned by technology. these are what are called handout photos and because in the olden days, you handed the photo out. it's put on flicker and instagram and twitter as part of a set of transparencies that you see more readily available than was available even a few years ago.

obviously chuck todd was complaining and had a long sit down for obamacare. what's the process where at the time you say okay. brian williams is sitting down today and tomorrow. >> every president has their own style. we used to let the press come in and they fire four or five questions at a time. president obama is a different style and much more sit down. the white house will stop and move the interviews around. usually it's who will answer the questions. sometimes they bring in confrontation to other reporters. the deal with the white house press core, they are insatiable and essential. >> when you are saying, you will give the big interview. is there deal making behind the scenes? okay, but we need this question. >> no. if i tried to say you can have

the interview with the president, they would laugh me out of the room. when you give them access, it's on any issue all over the place. >> robert, good morning. so the white house met with these reporters or groups or organizations. both sides seemed relieved and the press seemed happier to be inside the meetings. do you think both sides are as happy as they suggested? >> they will work towards accommodation. there is a push and pull on this. there always events where the press will have a good argument and events where the white house will have a decent argument. they will come to that accommodation. i agree about air force one. it's not to say that quite frankly you want a picture or pictures for history and have people see the pictures. it may have been that not every one of the participants wanted

to have a press conference. so there different situations. i think what they will do and what both sides would be well-served to do is find ways in which particularly and highly public events where you can have a greater amount of back stage access. the photo that pete hands out or the white house hands out, so to speak is doing such in a way that are truly unique. you couldn't otherwise have gotten because you couldn't have had as ari said, 11 people there. if it is a public event like the lincoln memorial, they are best 7ed by providing as much access as humanly possible. >> it would have changed the event from a small private meeting with the president. >> it's the first staged event. >> why does it have to be the

white house's person. that's part of the problem. the control. >> if they said we have one still photographer up here. the other three said no, you can't do that. there is a competition within the press corps. >> remember all this problem? the president gets his own private photographer? that's the problem. >> that are allows for a picture to be taken. >> a beautiful one. >> that was amazing. we are very happy to see you. we never see the images today. >> you guys tonight change. >> thank you. >> good luck by the way in the national championship. how are you feeling? >> i feel great. i thought we would finish 7-5 and we are in the championship. we have very little to lose. >> you are going to wear the auburn shirt again? >> never do that again. >> mika, the day after that i will wear that bright orange shirt. >> i will be at the game and

wearing my middle bury game. >> thank you. you are good at what you do. >> appreciate it. >> robert, up next, the best and worst people who got us talking in 2013. culturalist founder jordan roth. they join us next when "morning joe" comes right back. stick with innovation.

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here with us now, president and owner of theaters, jordan roth, the creator of the website culturalist.com that allows users to create and debate about everything using top ten lists. today you have lists. recapping the past year, you are the culturalist. you know that. that's your title. >> you are too kind.

>> that's a branding thing. >> you know what, maybe they'll do that. i was trying to think of a gift i like to bring stuff. >> i like that. >> we will settle for wind breakers. people who got us talking in 2013. >> topping the list, our culturalists seem to agree with "time" magazine, pope francis. mika's favorite, miley cyrus. >> yes, yes. she got us talking. >> o canada, rob ford. he's going all the way. >> the entertainment video. >> the 11 hours heard around the world, wendy davis. >> that was amazing.

malala is a great story. >> she is a divine being. i had an opportunity to hear her speak and she is stunning. she is stunning. she has such an inner leadership and calm. great things coming from her. >> i want to argue that you should take number and make it number one. >> this is the aggregate of all of the users. this is the weighted average. what we will see what we saw last year when we were talking about the best political leaders we need now, your viewers come on the cultural list and we will see if it moves around. >> political controversies of 2o 13? >> number one, obamacare. >> the government shut down. nsa. gun control. debt ceiling, george zimmerman trial. >> edward snowden makes this list as does rob ford.

>> minimum wage and ted cruz. >> that are is interesting. >> why do you think? >> i don't think it caught the public's imagination. i think it will going forward. >> i would argue that i think next year if we are here, the top ten best people will be hillary clinton. >> i think she will number there and christie. >> i like the way this topic is entitled things i was obsessed with. >> breaking bad. >> interestingly brian cranston and of course walter wag will be coming bag broadway playing lbj. >> he is incredible. >> is it a one-man show. it is a very many men show. >> a lot of them are shows. the instagram is number two.

>> that is my personal obsession. i took a picture of the picture that i will have as soon as i get out of here. for all of your back stage and sunset photo needs. >> i love it. >> i am. >> you should do a meta gram. >> my view of you just changed. >> for the better. the other thing -- >> i just started. >> that's so off brand for you. so off brand. >> i feel like we have to follow everybody immediately. >> you at mike barnacle? >> all right. the first step -- >> both house the cards and orange is the new black, big netflix. >> where is sons of anarchy. >> it's a niche show.

>> a year or a year and a half ago, netflix in trouble. i would get an e-mail every three minutes saying please come back to netflix and they do house of cards and orange is the new black. netflix went from being dead in the water to revolutionary. they really have changed the way that tv will be produced in the future. you can binge watch the entire series. sit down over a stormy winter week and watch a series. that's the way to do it. they have transformed themselves as well as transformed viewing. >> it's remarkable to watch the evolution from broadcast to cable. >> online, donny, your picks from best and worst people talking in 2013? >> ford all the way. >> and anthony wiener. >> i forgot about him. ford is both best and worst.

that's what i love about him. everything that is amazing and disgusting about us as a society. >> you have a few. general topics. >> the pope dominated by thinking in terms of people you think about and talk about. he is restructured or in the process of restructuring one of the large largest institutions the world has ever known and they are thinking about the church and know someone, whoever it is, is the pope. pope francis, the first jesuit to be pope is lowly but surely with his words and his deeds is bringing a lot of people back into the following. >> it's fascinating to see how quickly it is happening. >> isn't it? they wanted it. >> the best things we were obsessed with, breaking bad, the royal baby, cruise ship story, zombies and the walking dead. >> let me tell you how we are meeting. one image of a dump, of a turd.

two weeks of media frenzy. >> i can't believe culturalist is being exposed to this. >> without that image, that is not a story. are you talking about what i think? >> the cruise where people were out there? >> we have to leave the segment at some point. david ortiz. here he is. >> to make your own list, visit culturalist.com. david roth, the culturalist. >> thanks for making your lists. >> up next, the best of late night. keep it here on "morning joe." you know how much grandma

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>> welcome back to "morning joe." what did you learn? >> we say goodbye. thank you for everything. the best. >> what did you learn today? good luck with that. his wife and what it's like. congratulations. they have john stamos and bob saget coming up.

sofia lauren, you guys have fun. what are you doing next? going to disneyland? >> looking for a job. want to hire me? >> i love it. >> starting my masters actually. >> if it's way too early, thank you so much for your patience. i know it's not easy, but it's seriously the best. stick around. willie mays? early new year's resolution from competitive areas decla t