here we go. ♪ welcome to "politicsnation." thank you for tuning in. i'm live tonight from miami. tonight's lead, the ax is about to fall. and republicans don't care at all. in just six hours, over 1 million americans will lose long-term unemployment benefits. why? because house republicans went on holiday break without fixing this. despite the economic recovery, long-term unemployment is at its highest level since world war ii. every day we're hearing more stories from ordinary americans.

bracing for the pain coming at midnight tonight. >> what if we no longer have a place to keep the baby? you know? what if we, you know, no longer are able to offer her a safe place to live. >> where's my kids? i got three at home. i have to feed them. i have to get rent. >> i have 20 bucks in my wallet. i am at homeless. i get you have to cut your bottom line. but if you're cutting the bottom line and starving people doing it, how does that make sense? >> it doesn't make sense. these are just a few stories of the 1.3 million losing benefits tonight. this is about people, not politics. in fact, in 2008 president george w. bush signed long-term benefits extension into law.

this shouldn't be a partisan issue. but speaker boehner's republican house turned it into one. it's a heartless ideology that says if you're out of work, you're out of luck. today president obama again demanded congress act promptly on this in the new year. and he placed calls to two senate cosponsors of a new proposal to extend jobless benefits for three months. pushing his support for the measure. the fight is on in the richest country in the world. there's no excuse for this. i hope republicans think long and hard about these americans tonight and come back to washington ready to act. joining me now is congresswoman karen bass, democrat from california. and corey dade, contributing editor at "the root." thank you both for being here. >> thanks for having us on.

>> congresswoman, hours from now about 215,000 people in your home state of california will lose unemployment benefits. what are you hearing from constituents and what's your response to republicans failing to act? >> well, first of all, my initial response was to vote no on the budget for exactly that purpose. you know, you're right. over 200,000 people in california and many of the republican districts you know that there are tens of thousands of people that are unemployed. and they put out this position that unemployment checks is a disincentive to work. tell me how $300 a work could be is disincentive for anything. i think it is very mean spirited that we would go or begin the year with people being cut off. so i'm certainly going to do everything i can to push when i get back not only that we extend the unemployment benefits, but we need to address the reason

why people are unemployed which means jobs. >> right. let me go to you, corey. you know, the long-term unemployment figures have remained high through the economic recovery. 4.1 million americans have been without a job for 27 weeks or longer. it's the highest rate of long-term unemployment since world war ii. >> that's right, rev. and, you know, when we think about the full unemployment universe, 40% of all the people who were unemployed are in this long-term category. people have been out of work for six months or longer. here's the scariest part about it. there's a study out that shows if you have been without a job 27 weeks or longer, six months or longer, you have about a 12% chance of getting a job in any given month. and the longer you go without a job, the harder it is. they're finding that employers

are actually discriminating against people who've been out of work that long because they're somehow not employable. so it gets worse. >> the figure is 12%? >> 12% chance. >> you know, congresswoman, when you hear that, congresswoman bass and then you hear the statement by tea party senator rand paul who actually says extending unemployment weakens americans. listen to this. >> does it make sense for a country to borrow money from china to give it to the unemployed in america? that is weakening us as a country. >> you know, i just -- >> but -- but the fact is -- before you answer, the fact is i just want to put all this in front of you. you know, aid to unemployed americans would actually help the economy. i mean, economists say it would create 200,000 jobs next year by

boosting consumer demand. meantime, failing to extend the benefits could cost the country 300,000 jobs. i mean, it is on its face factually incorrect, what senator paul is saying. >> absolutely. because you are talking about money that would be given to people who are unemployed that would go right back into the economy. it's the same logic around food stamps. when people have food stamps, they are putting it back into local economy because they are buying foods which keeps people employed. but, you know, if you think about the fact that the unemployment has lingered for so long even though the economy is getting better, can you imagine how the economy could and should be roaring right now if it hadn't have been for so many self-inflicted wounds that congress has done on the economy. we could have passed the president's job act. we could be investing in infrastructure. there are so many things we could be doing right now to

address unemployment, but the congress refuses to act. >> there are some that are acting. a progressive group that had planned a campaign, a tv campaign nationally slamming republicans over unemployment benefits has launched. look at this. >> you know who had a merry christmas? the richest 1%, that's who. republicans in congress made sure of that protecting billions in taxpayer giveaways. and for those facing tough times, republicans stripped 1.3 million americans of jobless benefits. folks who want to work but cannot find a job. >> could this, corey, have an impact on some of these congressmen to move quickly when they come back because now their voters in a midterm election will be seeing ads like this? >> rev, this is where it does hit home. this kind of messaging can help in the swing districts where you have vulnerable republicans. take new jersey for example, the land of chris christie.

as a share of its population, new jersey is going to get hit worst by this. 90,000 people will lose those checks. that is 1% of the population of new jersey. that has real political power. >> now, congresswoman, if you look at the big picture, americans are with the president. and they're with him on unemployment insurance and other progressive economic -- >> minimum wage. >> right. minimum wage. 55% support extending jobless benefits. 69% support him with the minimum wage. 57% say the government should take action to reduce the income gap. so when corey talks about states like new jersey, chris christie's state who's being touted as a potential candidate in '16 and who has congressional races in the midterm elections year next year, when we look at that and look at the polling of how most americans are with the

president on progressive issues, when the rubber meets the road, we may be able to drive the car somewhere. >> and let me tell you, we have to drive the car somewhere. i mean, i think our responsibility and you do it so well every day, rev, our responsibility is to get that information out there. if we could organize the unemployed in republican districts and get them out to vote, i think we could bring about the change we need which is new leadership in the house of representatives. >> thank you congresswoman karen bass and corey dade, thank you both for your time tonight. and have a happy and productive new year. >> same to you. >> same to you, rev. coming up, it's been a record-setting year for speaker boehner, but i don't think he'll be popping the champagne to celebrate this one. and it's become a conservative talking point. that 2013 was a horrible year for president obama.

we've got evidence proving them wrong. plus, breaking news tonight. the "duck dynasty" star phil robertson suspension has been lifted. tonight. and more republicans continue defending him. but why is one now calling him a hero? it's a big show ahead. stay with us. ♪

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ahead, breaking news on the "duck dynasty" star suspension. it's been lifted. and more republicans are out supporting him. more on that coming up. [ male announcer ] welcome back all the sweet things your family loves

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it's an annual tradition, the way millions of americans arngd the country ring in the new year. that's right. the new year's eve ball drop. >> ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! >> but the times square ball wasn't the only thing that dropped in 2013. so did congress' approval rating. >> are you kidding me? >> i wish i were, speaker

boehner, but i'm not. this year congress' approval hit an all-time low of 9%. 9%. single digits. speaker boehner's congress was less popular than a used car salesman, than root canals, than cockroaches, than brussels sprouts, even less popular than donald trump. wow. that's saying something. but why are they so unpopular? well, for one thing, they didn't really do anything. they only passed 66 laws this year. lowest number in four decades. and a lot of those laws did nothing more than name post offices. what about gun control? what about immigration? what about passing a minimum wage? it's not surprising only 9% approval of congress.

i think someone has some resolutions to make. joining me now is karen finney. thank you for being here, karen. >> hey, rev. >> a record-breaking year for speaker boehner's house. 9% approval rating. what should his resolution be, karen? what should his new year's resolution be for 2014? >> i think he needs to resolve to keep that spine he seemed to have found in those last weeks with the clip you showed. you know, he did okay. he actually stood up and decided to be the speaker of the house. so if he could resolve to just do that a few more times, i think that would very much benefit the country. >> you know, something that was interesting to me is this year, karen, the republican house of representatives worked an average of just 28 hours a week. >> yeah. >> now, this is a party who many of the republicans as they did little work, they relentlessly

accused poor americans of not working. listen to this. >> there is dignity in work. >> self-reliance means if anyone will not work, neither should he eat. >> rather be having the dignity of work to provide for their family. >> the dignity of a job is what things should be about in these programs. >> now, these are people that work 28 hours a week as an average. i don't think i worked those hours since i left the maternity ward. >> that's exactly right. not only have they been working fewer hours, they've been working fewer days. where are they right now? they're at home. they're on vacation. how many times have they taken vacation? wouldn't we all love to have that kind of schedule and make a six figure salary? >> and over and over again the house has refused to pass legislation that was popular with the vast majority of americans. it's like they're not listening to the constituents that send them to washington.

92% supported universal background checks. they did nothing. 69% support raising minimum wage. they did nothing. 63% support a pathway to citizenship. they did nothing. will the midterm elections come in a way that would bring them a message of doing nothing about the things that the vast majority of americans want is not the way you get re-elected or advance yourself politically, karen. >> well, i hope so. that's the opportunity that every american has right now. and i hope that people -- you know, you talked about the polls where people are feeling so low about congress. i hope people remember that next year. they remember that things were not getting done. i think literally in a gop caucus meeting, they held up a blank piece of paper and said that was their agenda. people need to remember at the polls when you let republicans

be in charge, you get nothing. and the only way we're going to move forward with a lot of the ideas the president put forward, the ideas you put up on the screen, is if we have a congress that believes in getting something done. not in the sort of politics of trying to block the president. >> you know, this year speaker boehner talking about blocking the president, speaker boehner said the gop should be judged by how many laws it repeals. listen to this. >> any way you cut it and whoever's fault it is, you have presided over what is perhaps the least productive and certainly one of the least popular congresses in history. how do you feel about that? >> well, bob, we should not be judged on how many new laws we create. we ought to be judged on how many laws that we repeal. >> okay. >> so don't judge us by what we

do. judge us by what we stop from being done or repealed that has already been done. it's amazing. >> but they didn't end up -- if that's their goal, they did not repeal the health care law. that is now law that is starting to help people. but they blocked a lot of very important things. but again, people have to remember that when they go to the polls next november. >> karen finney, thanks for your time tonight. and be sure to watch "disrupt" with karen finney weekends 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. coming up, the right keeps declaring the end of the obama presidency. but he keeps proving them wrong. and breaking news tonight on the "duck dynasty" controversy. the star's suspension has been lifted. there's much more on that. stay with us. ♪ [ male announcer ] this is george.

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as this year comes to a close, all we're hearing from the right is doom and gloom about the obama presidency. the sky is falling. he's done. he's finished. he can't govern. and this has become their favorite talking point. >> you better hope this is the worst year of his presidency because if it gets any worse, next year's press conference at the end of the year he's going to have to do it holding a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a box of kleenex in the other. >> the relevance of his presidency is in question today

and i think he can't recover from it. >> it was a terrible year for the president. we've seen his disapproval ratings. a lot of americans do not have faith and trust in the commander in chief. >> who thinks this was a year of the president's collapse? wow. >> i'd wait just a second before raising your hands. before leaving for vacation, the president was asked about it. >> has this been the worst year of your presidency? >> i got to tell you, julie, that's not how i think about it. we have had ups and we have had downs. i think this room has probably recorded at least 15 near-death experiences. >> 15 near-death experiences. from the start they counted him out and said his presidency was over. after the bp oil spill they asked should president obama resign over february 13?

benghazi was supposed to cost him his presidency. they called hurricane sandy president obama's katrina. oh. and did you hear obama care was also his katrina moment? not to mention it was worse than terrorism. and jim demint infamously said obama care was going to be the president's waterloo. it would destroy him. let's remember, president obama won the 2012 election by over 5 million votes. but there's no question the president has had a tough year. sure, his poll numbers are down. but just think about what the president has accomplished this year. he's just signed a bipartisan budget bill. it's not perfect, but it's progress. he fought off the gop hostage takers over the debt ceiling and shutdown. obama care is here.

and not going anywhere. it's already helping millions of americans even after a rocky start. despite all those so-called near-death experiences, he's still here. he's still fighting, and i wouldn't count him out. joining me now is politico correspondent alex sitzwald. he recently wrote about president obama's resilience. it's called can obama recover. he already did. and angela rye. >> thanks for having me. >> alex, with all the talk about president obama being finished, how do you respond? >> well, i hate to break it to the critics here, but obama is still the president. he's still got two more years. and that's thanks to a little thing called the constitution. and the president is still the

most powerful job in the world. there's a lot of things he could do that other people can't do. this seems like basic facts. but i think we need to remind people from time to time. congress is gone, but congress has been gone to him since republicans took over in 2010. that's been the case since 2009 since the stimulus package. there are tons of things he could do on cap and trade, immigration, all through the administration. and the recent changes in the rules in the filibuster is going to help him confirm nominees and judges to implement that agenda. >> you know, as alex was talking angela, not only are there things he can do despite all of the obstructionists, there are some concrete things that he has done. >> that's right. >> and as they keep acting as though he's finished. he's managed to get things done. it reminds me of a reading of

mark twain saying rumors of my death are premature. >> sure, rev. you just mentioned there are things he has done right. when you look at gun control, the president enacted i think it was 24 executive actions right after newtown. when the senate and the house failed to act. when there were real disasters like our economy on the brink. not as a result of anything he'd done. something that happened under george w. bush's administration. he sprung into action with the american recovery in reinvestment act. so what's changed from when he was first elected, rev, to the second term? i would argue that very clearly it is that the gop took control of the house. and they made it their mission to as senator mitch mcconnell said to make him a one-term president. misch mcconnell was on board with that and to that end has filibustered most of his nominees. and to alex's point, thank goodness for the reform change. we can expect there will be people in high places that are

critical to ensure that his agenda is actually implemented. we'll have to see those changes happen. it's definitely premature. i think there's a lot that can be done. he's tried to enact several things relative to comprehensive immigration reform, the american jobs act, all of those things that he's tried that they have single handedly blocked and the american people have been kind of bamboozled because the republicans have been successful in the narrative that it is a failure of a presidency rather than the failure of the house-led gop. >> alex, in your article last month you wrote about the obama care obsession and what would happen. let me quote from your article. without doubt, healthcare.gov's danger to obama, democrats, and the entire liberal agenda are real. but just as real a possibility is that the website gets fixed sooner or later, builds confidence and users, and we all move on to something else by the

year's day. now, there are still issues. but 5.75 million americans have either signed up or qualified for health insurance under obama care. so alex, are they ready to move on? president obama on the offense on obama care. where do you see the fight going? >> well, you know, i think they're so convinced that this thing is a train wreck and that the american people one day are just going to wake up and decide that it is a train wreck. despite all the evidence to the contrary. so i think they're too invested and too locked in. that's really going to be a problem for them moving forward. they're so convinced this thing is a train wreck that as soon as more people sign up and we already have 5 million, there's going to be more as we move closer. the future deadlines in march. it's going to be really, really hard. impossible, probably, to roll this back. that means taking away people's health care. if republicans want to run on

that in 2014, a lot of democrats are excited to take the other side of that argument and say all right. you want to take away these people's health care, we can have that debate. but i don't think it's going to go too well for them. >> now, angela, before leaving for hawaii, the president kind of projected and looked ahead to 2014. listen to this. >> 2014 needs to be a year of action. we've got work to do to create more good jobs, to help more americans earn the skills and education they need to do those jobs and to make sure those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let families build financial security. we've got to build on the progress we painstakingly made over these past five years with respect to our economy and offer to the middle class and those looking to join the middle class a better opportunity. and that's going to be where i focus all of my efforts in the year ahead. >> he's going to focus all of his efforts to make these things

happen, a year of action he said, angela. >> sure. and rev, we know that the widening gap between the rich and the poor is causing major challenges for our economy. so he's wise to focus there. but i also want to remind your viewers that this is not a new agenda for the president, rev. he said this during the state of the union address earlier this year. he has consistently worked on these things. again we talked about lilly ledbetter earlier on. he's trying to make this easier for all of americans. we can see him starting with the push with unemployment benefits. the only way the american people can get on their feet and really have a level playing field is to ensure that they have access to economics. and you have to make sure that they are starting from the same place or at least a similar one. >> alex seitz-wald and angela

rye, thanks for your time and have a happy new year. >> happy new year, rev. coming up, looking back on a remarkable year of action and a future full of new challenges and political fights ahead. and up next, breaking news on the "duck dynasty" controversy. the star's suspension has been lifted. [ sneezes, coughs ] i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is.

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breaking news tonight on that "duck dynasty" controversy. the a&e network lifted phil robertson's suspension. the show will resume filming in the spring. despite the anti-gay, racially charged comments he said. in a statement a&e said it reached the decision after consulting with advocacy groups. and it said it will use this moment to launch a national public service campaign promoting unity, tolerance, and acceptance. the network's decision comes after robertson's comments triggered condemnation from many corners. but also statements from right wingers defending robertson. including sarah palin, senator ted cruz, and louisiana governor

bobby jindal. joining me now is maria teresa kumar and jimmy williams. thank you both for being here with us. i was making sure you had gotten there, jimmy. >> thank you, reverend. >> let me ask you first, jimmy, your reaction to the suspension being lifted. >> well, i mean, i'm not surprised. no one should be surprised by this. this is the number one moneymaker for a&e. advertisers flock to the show. if anyone thinks this has to do with first amendment or freedom of religion is widely deceived that there's anything but to make money. which a okay. they're allowed to make money. unfortunately they're making money off the back of a homophobe and someone who thinks that black people were happy wielding hoes in fields and being happy about it and singing spirituals. this guy is delusional. that's fine.

he's welcome to be. but a&e is now going to continue to pay him to be delusional. he went into his church on sunday and said he's going to hold strong. and he's going to love every man and every woman and he's not a hater. guess what. he hates me because he thinks that i am less than him because the bible tells him so. and he seems to think that a 1950s black person is the 21st century of how all black people live. that is not reality. and that's sad. and a&e is condoning that. s that their right. it is also our right to not watch that network. >> let me first maria make it clear what he said. let's remind people. this is his statement. robertson said, quote, start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there.

bestiality, sleeping around. don't deceive yourself. it's not right. and here's what he said about growing up in louisiana in the jim crow era. quote, i never with my eyes saw the mistreatment of any black person. i hoed cotton with them. i'm with the blacks because we're white trash. we're going across the field. they're singing and happy. pre-entitlement, pre-welfare. you say, were they happy? they were godly. they were happy. these are the statements he made. now, a&e said they talked to advocacy groups. but people that were offended came out. and i don't know who they spoke to, but clearly the position everyone took was that he had the right to say whatever he wanted, but people had the right to say they were not going to watch as jimmy just said.

and they had a right to go to sponsors and say we're not going to support sponsors supporting this kind of behavior. >> and i don't think this is the last of it. i think the fact a mn&e had com out strong saying we're suspending him and then coming back saying we'll lose too much money if we do so, that's something the network hasn't felt the brunt of the majority of true advocacy believing in the right to make sure you're not only condoning but providing a platform of divisive hateful speech. everybody has the right to have a conversation to have their feelings. when those feelings don't have consequences and you provide it to a broad audience and you shape other people's views. you're in the business of media. you know how impactful media can be in shaping perspective and history. the fact he's saying in the 1950s that african-americans were proud and happy singing spirituals while they were working in crops for other people, that's not true.

but you're reshaping history and the reality. there's a danger in that. and the fact that he's moving forward and saying the same thing saying everybody is equal unless you're gay, there's a danger in that. and when you start looking at the majority of americans, he's on the wrong side of the way the majority of americans feel. while they may have had a sliver of the advocacy groups, i don't think they've seen anything yet from the majority of americans. >> now, jimmy, we've heard the defenders of robertson. as i said, sarah palin who hadn't even read what he said when she defended him at first, governor jindal, and others. but now there's a new defender. meet alabama republican state senator jerry fielding. he's introducing a resolution in support of phil robertson saying he should be celebrated as a hero. and, quote, phil robertson's family values are shared by the vast majority of alabamians who

are rightfully concerned by the vitriol aimed at his christian stance. >> yeah. i have a problem with that as a christian. i think that's just absolutely wrong. i would like to see someone in the congress republican or democrat for that matter offer a resolution saying that the "duck dynasty" people are wonderful, godly christian people. i would like to see how both sides would vote on something like that. there's no difference between that state senator, phil robertson or whatever the heck his name is, george wallace, anita bryant, or anyone else that runs around using a platform whether it be on tv or from a pulpit or a state senate seat or whatever it is to spout out hatred towards other people. and they use the bible to do it. that's my biggest problem with this. you can go be a bigot at home. go be a bigot at home. be a homophobe, but don't use tax money as a paid senator or

paid spokesperson for the orange juice industry or as the governor of alabama or as a sheriff elect eed duly by the people. a&e are condoning it and i'm not going to watch it. >> i'm going to have to leave it there. thanks for your time tonight. have a happy new year. >> happy new year to you too. >> thank you. still ahead, this was a remarkable year for progress from the inauguration from president obama to fight for rights all across the country. [ sniffles, coughs ] shhhh! i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something.

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50 years ago dr. king looked back on a remarkable year. 50 years later, it's been another remarkable year of fighting for rights and progress 37 that's next. [ sniffles, coughs ] shhhh! i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh, what a relief it is!

wears off. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. the end of trial and error has arrived. try a free sample at eucerinus.com. 50 years ago dr. king and other civil rights leaders looked back on a remarkable year. the pain and resolve of the birmingham protest. the triumph of the march on washington. the tragedy of the church bombing. it was a year when the governor of alabama declared segregation now and forever. and a year in which dr. king

answered with his soaring dream. 50 years later it's been another remarkable year for struggle. and for progress. the essential cause is the same. its scope now broadened. nothing showed the shining progress this country's made more than on a clear day last january. the second inauguration of president obama. what a day. >> we, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths that all of us are created equal is the star that guides us still just as it guided our forebearers through seneca falls and selma and stonewall. just as it guide those men and women here at this great mall to hear a preacher say that we could not walk alone. >> womens rights, civil rights,

gay rights. each issue was front and center in 2013. each reminded us that the struggle goes on. and if we truly want progress, we must keep fighting for it. we were reminded of that when the supreme court struck down a key part of the voting rights act. after that ruling, gop governors rushed to restrict voting rights in their states. but in their haste, they underestimated the resolve of this administration. and its tough as nails attorney general who vowed to secure this sacred right. >> we cannot allow the slow unraveling of the progress that so many throughout history have sacrificed so much to achieve. >> but this year we also saw so much that's been achieved. the supreme court delivered two landmark victories for same-sex marriage. the number of states that allow

gay marriage jumped to 18 this year. and at least a dozen states could follow. we also saw passage in the senate of the most comprehensive immigration reform in a generation. now the fight moves to the house. and it won't be sidelined. because too many have given too much to the cause. like the immigration fasters who went without food to raise awareness. their resolve means this dream cannot and must not be denied. 2013 was also a year of activism. from the grassroots level to the state house. texas state senator wendy davis became a household name after her 11-hour filibuster in the name of women's rights. it was a stand that echoed throughout that state and far beyond. [ cheers and applause ]

>> we rallied for justice in every state and on a host of issues. in florida it was for trayvon mart martin, an unarmed man who was gunned down. >> you know, when trayvon martin was first shot, i said that this could have been my son. another way of saying that is trayvon martin could have been me 35 years ago. >> while the verdict was disappointing, it inspired a move against the unjust policy of stand your ground. including from trayvon's mother sybrina fulton who has become a

just voice for gun laws. and the dream defenders who brought to issue a sit-in outside of governor rick scott's office. some calls for justice are getting answered. we see it in the case of marissa alexander. she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to defend herself against her husband with a history of domestic violence. this year she got a new trial. that gives us hope. as does a victory against stop and frisk. new york city's new mayor bill de blasio was elected on a vow to end that. and president obama and attorney general holder have committed themselves to correcting the injustices of our legal system. a system which for too long has unjustly targeted the poor and communities of color.

50 years later, we keep moving forward. while honoring the past as we did in recreating the march on washington. >> we believe in a new america. it's time to march for a new america. it's time to organize for a new america. it's time to register and vote for a new america. we are on our way. we are on our way. we are on our way. >> the work they started is unfinished, but we must work in big ways and small ways to see it there u. 2013 was a year that showed yet again that regular people can do big things. it was a year that some say was disappointing. we had our mixups with the website on health care. we had our setbacks with supreme

court decisions. but when i stood there where dr. king and others stood 50 years ago and thought about 50 years ago there was no health care act, there was no right to vote for all americans, there wasn't even the dream of the rights of gays. and the rights of immigrants. i thought about how far we've come, and i've thought about how can we complain to preserve things that just a half century ago were not even in existence. so i end this year saying yes, we won some and lost some rounds, but the fight is not over. and when i look at this 50-year journey, i can say that we've made a lot of progress. we've got to keep going. i'm reminded of the words of one civil rights marcher in selma, alabama, who looked at dr. king and said, we ain't where we ought to be.

we ain't where we going to be. we ain't where we want to be. but thank god we ain't where we was. thank you for watching. i'm al sharpton. we'll see you here for the revvies on monday night. "hardball" starts right now. the aca is here to stay and republicans don't know what to do about it. let's play "hardball." ♪ good evening. i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. starting off tonight, after a bruising political defeat in october, when republicans followed the cruz wing into a kamikaze mission to shut down the government, there appears little appetite to try something as brash