for pain relief that can last until the am. now you can have a good night and a... good morning! new aleve pm. for a better am. this sunday, outpourings of grief at the funeral of a slain new york city police officer. >> when an assassin's bullet targeted two police officers, it targeted this city. and it touched the soul of the entire nation. >> what can be done to alleviate tensions between the black community and police in the country. i will be joined by william bratton. with the stock market at record levels, how a booming

economy could change politics next year and in 2016. why hollywood and comedy loves washington. >> for those of you climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. >> the public may be fed up with politicians, but the entertainment industry just can't get enough. >> we're living on the corner where satire and reality intersect. i'm chuck todd and joining me with luke russert, eugene robinson, amy walter and ken blackwell. welcome to sunday, it's "meet the press." good morning. we start with breaking news. a search is under way after an airasia flight carrying 162 people from indonesia to singapore lost contact with air traffic controllers. it's reported that the pilot had requested a deviation from the planned flight path because of bad weather. president obama was briefed on the situation late last night. katie, i know we don't know a lot.

but do you have some new information. what do you know? >> reporter: it's nighttime here in singapore. they called off the search for the evening. they will resume it tomorrow morning. this happened around 7:24 local time when the plane suddenly dropped off radar. pilots asked for a change in course. they wanted to go at 38,000 feet because of weather. there was a line of thunderstorms in the area. it was supposed to get to singapore airport at 8:30 in the morning, but it never made it. now there's a search and rescue operation that has been going on all day. it has been called off for the evening. they will resume tomorrow. this is sounding familiar because it's the third malaysian-based airline that had an incident in the year. mh-370 which they believe to be in the indian ocean. then mh-17 which was shot down over the ukraine. and now airasia. this is an air bus. 155 passengers. 47 family and friends are looking for answers. the few did that did come were,

as would you imagine, very understandably, distraught. >> thank you very much for providing information and of course, not speculation. emotional scenes in new york city as police officers, city leaders and vice president biden gathered for the funeral of officer raphael ramos who was killed with his fellow officer wenjian liu last weekend. the relationship is tense between minorities and police forces. of course, sadly, this is not something that's new. in 1992, perhaps the lowest point in recent memory, the brutal beating of rodney king

while 17 colleagues stood by. they were acquitted, igniting a storm of anger that tore apart the nation. timothy thomas was shot and killed by a white cincinnati police officer. it sparked the worst racial unrest in 30 years. the officer charged with negligent homicide but ultimately acquitted. in 2008, a majority of the country came together to elect the first black man as president and appointed first african-american top officer. hopes of restoring trust has faded. in 2012, the trayvon martin case left african-americans feeling the justice system wasn't up to the task again. this year more lows. michael brown in ferguson, rice in cleveland, garner in new york city.

unarmed black males killed by white police officers. last week, two nypd officers assassinated in their cruiser by a black man who called it revenge. a national funeral memorializing the fallen men in blue. >> i believe this great police force and this incredibly diverse city can and will show the nation how to bridge any divide. you've done it before, and you will do it again. >> police officers are called peace officers because that's what they do. they keep the peace. they help make the place that otherwise would be torn with strife a place of peace. >> as 2014 comes to a close, despite a low crime rate, we're again at a low point, recent events highlighting the divide. i'm joined by william bratton,

the man that may be at the center of the storm. commissioner bratton, low crime rate and the best of times for police. this problem with trust with african-americans and minority communities, the worst of times. is this -- what kind of level of crisis do you feel police forces around the country are having? >> i've been at this for 44 years now. i go back to the turbulence of the '70s, the anti-war movement, civil rights movement. what we're dealing with now has some similarities to that period of time. we move forward. we need to try to find common ground to stand on, to find additional ways to collaborate. i share the vice president's words of optimism yesterday during his remarks, the idea that new york city, the old

adage, we will make it here. but it will be difficult. it's going to require hard work, a lot less rhetoric and more dialogue. >> you have used the phrase common ground a lot in your interviews. what is that common ground? what is the foundation that you build? >> common ground, there was a wonderful book by peter lucas that talked about the school desegregation crisis in boston that tore that city apart during my formative stages during a police officer in boston. it was how that city ultimately came back together again after that incredibly violent decade. so i have that experience. it helps to inform my experience here in new york, inform the experience in los angeles watching that city heal a lot of its significant racial divide during the period of time i was chief of police there. the common ground here is really to, one, as we have been doing in new york, deal with the demonstrations in a way that they don't turn into police riots, if you will. to allow some breathing room in the sense of allowing people to demonstrate, to vent. and at the same time showing on the part of the police, remarkable restraint in the face of great provocation. my cops have been doing a

phenomenal job dealing with the demonstrations that you really have to be on the front lines with them to understand what they are dealing with in the instances. >> there's going to have to be trust between the mayor and rank and file police officers, the folks that report to you. you are in the middle of this. yesterday, again, a symbol of protest, they turned their back. how bad is this rift? >> i think it's probably a rift that is going to go on for a while longer. however, we will be making efforts to sit down and talk with the union leaders in

particular to deal with their issues. the issues go far beyond race relations in this city. they involve labor contracts. they involve a lot of history in the city that's really different from some of what's going on in the country. but recent events here, the death of mr. garner in staten island, a recent -- accidental shooting in a public housing development, the police have been without a contact for years. but we will be making that effort. we have to make that effort. we have no other recourse. >> the rhetoric, you have talked about how heated it has become and the rhetoric from pat lynch, the head of the police benevolent association in new york is certainly at one of the higher decibel levels. i want to read you something. talking about pat lynch. what do you make of the comments? do you believe that pat lynch is more divisive or that mayor de blasio is more divisive?

>> i think as he would come together to work out issues, comments like you read, it is unfortunate that we have at this time of such great success in dealing with the crime in new york city, for example, over the last 21 years, at a time that the city is booming in so many ways that we have these frustrations, these pentup frustrations. this isn't just about policing. this goes to larger issues. we are the tip of the iceberg at the moment. this is about the poverty rate, the growing disparity between the wealthy and poor.

it's still about unemployment issues. there's so many national issues that have to be addressed that it isn't just policing as i think we all well know. >> let's go to the crux of what this issue is. i want to play for you something that eric garner's widow said to me a couple weeks ago on "meet the press." >> i just don't want him to go outside because now that everybody knows who he is, you know, that he's eric garner's son, you know, i fear. and now my other son is in college. and he is in jersey. and i make him call -- he's like, mom, i'm 20. call me at least, you know, in the morning before you go to class, when you get out of school. don't go to no parties. don't do this. you know, i'm so afraid of what could happen to them in the street by the police. >> she's afraid for her son from the police. mayor de blasio spoke about

having the talk with his biracial son. do you acknowledge this issue? >> certainly. i interact quite frequently with african-americans from all classes, from the rich to the poor. there's not a single one that has not expressed this concern that their perception is the reality that we have to deal with. and it has to be part of the dialogue. it has to be trying to find that common ground, if you will, so all parties understand the perceptions of the other parties that shape the realities that we're trying to deal with. so there's no denying that among the black community there are

those concerns. policing, sometimes it's difficult to see those. i made comments yesterday about seeing each other to understand -- when i say see each other, to not look past each other but to really see what is motivating what we're experiencing. it's going to be a painful process. it has to be an open process. but the process that has to be engaged in, the mayor, myself, we are committed to engaging in it. we will seek to move forward to engaging as we have been doing all along, but to re-engage in hopefully more successful ways. >> finally, some of your comments, you have been critical of the national attention, national leaders, the implication with president obama, what do -- what role do you want them to play in this? >> well, this goes to the idea of see people, see us, see the please, see why they have the anxiety and perceptions they have. they really do feel under attack, rank and file officers and much of american police leadership, that they feel they

are under attack from the federal government at the highest levels. that's something we need to understand also, the sense of perception that becomes a reality. we have a lot of talking we're going to have to do here to understand all sides of this issue. this is not a one-sided issue. >> that's for sure. commissioner william bratton, i know it has been a tough week for the men in blue in new york city. you have a busy week. you have to keep millions of people safe. good luck. thanks for coming on "meet the press." >> thank you. >> get reaction from the panel. perception and reality. here we have best of times, worst of times, lowest crime rate in 30 years, best of times. worst of times, african-american perception of law enforcement. >> right. you know, my first impression is, number one, bill bratton is a smart guy. crime rates are at a modern era low basically. this is nothing like the situation that we faced 20 years ago. the second thing i guess i would mention is that this is not

particular to every single city. it's true that in every city, i would imagine, cincinnati, where ken lives and certainly where i have lived, all of us who have african-american sons have had the talk with our sons about how to behave around police. but community policing here in washington, for example, the relationship between community and police is different from, i believe, from the relationship of community and police in new york. and that has to do with both sides, i think. but it's different. >> ken, it's interesting. i feel like new york and washington, a little ahead of the curve when it comes to making sure the police forces look like the community. >> cincinnati got there. and we realized we had to diversify our rank and file police. >> that was an issue? >> and in the management team. look, one of the things that the commissioner underscored for me was, i think, interlocking spheres of influence.

our challenge will be met by voices in the street, in the action in the courts, action, you know, in the legislative bodies across our community. but where the real change has to take place is in the hearts of men and women. and i was reminded of something that martin luther king advisers used to say. abraham heshel said, respect discovers the dignity in others. martin luther king emphasized that at a speech in lincoln university where he said, we are all heirs to the legacy of worthiness. that's where we have to start. >> amy and luke, where the political rubber meets the road is de blasio. how does he recover from this? >> listen, i think what's

interesting here when we talk about the rift and the divide, a lot is not going to be healed overnight the way blacks and whites see police. the one common ground though is the answer to this. when you look at poling and you -- you ask people, what do you think about police officers wearing video cameras, black and white, almost 100% agree. what do we think about taking the prosecutorial piece out of the police department, have something independent? 100% agreement black and white. the solution, thankfully have agreement on both sides. >> that's for sure. >> i would add, commissioner bratton talked about a sense of history. things are different now because of how these protests came up. they were organic and they were aided by social media. that's much more different as we move forward is that you have a lot of young people who are organizing through social media, see how things are playing out. it's on the police now i think that have to present more fact-based non-prejudicial

information about what happens in these specific cases that people aren't going to take the police's word for it. it's on media to investigate, too. i think it's the beginning of this conversation to start in ferguson and will continue moving forward. >> let's not leave ourselves out of this. the media has played a role in this. the economy is bouncing back. we will discuss if an economic boom in 2015 will totally reshape politics here in washington and shake up the 2016 race. i believe it will. we'll be right back. . quitting smoking this time was different because i got a prescription for chantix. along with support chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. the fact that it reduced the urge to smoke helped me get that confidence that i could do it. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you notice any of these stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don' take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if

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welcome back. 2014 has been the year that the american economy may have really truly bounced back.

a similar story in 2015 would welcome back.. 2014 has been the year that the american economy may have truly bounced back. a similar story in 2015 would have an impact on the dynamics of how washington works and the 2016 presidential race. let's look at the end of the year numbers, the latest growth figures show the economy grew at 5% in the third quarter this year. in the three months before, the growth rate was nearly 5%. 4.6%. making it the best six-month stretch since 2003, more than a decade ago. there's been good news on the unemployment rate. it peaked in october of 2010. now it dipped to 5.8%. then there's gas, big news for consumers. prices have fallen dramatically. in may of 2011, we were paying nearly $4 a gallon. now the price is $2.31 and in many places below $2. all of this has added up to consumer confidence going through the roof.

look at the michigan consumer sentiment index from the first quarter of 2009 when president obama entered office. it was 58%. now it's just shy of 90%. 90 is an important number. when it hits 90 or above it's considered a good consumer confident economy. let's discuss with the panel the look ahead here. luke russert, a booming economy would change the dynamics of what congress can do and what the president can do. talk about tax reform. >> it certainly would, but not to throw a wet blanket on the conversation. i'm skeptical. you have seen a lot of growth for top income earners. middle class hasn't seen that growth. the u.s. stock market is

recovering but global markets, we have seen cooling. china, russia, latin america. i'm skeptical this will change the political discussion away from the economy. however, if we do in fact have this robust economic growth the final two years of president obama, who does hillary do to attach herself to that? what do republicans do to make it about something else? >> ken, let me get you to respond. let me throw up rhetoric we have heard of criticism of president obama. >> speaker pelosi is pressing ahead with her $1.3 trillion government takeover of healthcare. we believe that her healthcare bill will destroy 5.5 million

jobs in our country according to a methodology developed by the president's senior economic adviser. >> he never led before. he never worked across the aisle before. he never truly understood how jobs are created in the economy. >> ken blackwell, what is the criticism? it didn't take home, meaning the economy did grow. we have added jobs. the healthcare law hasn't taken jobs away. does that make the republican rhetoric essentially incredible? >> not in the least bit. let me sort of tack on to what luke just said. the real numbers to look at are the labor participation labor which is the lowest it has been in almost 40 years. we have a wave of legislative regulation that's generating to have an impact. the epa, obamacare is kicking into full bloom and others which will, in fact, slow down capital

investment. we had $2 trillion sitting because of government overreach. but at the same time, everyday people, 50 million people on food stamps, record numbers. while i don't want to be the grinch that stole christmas, i'm a cheerleader for growth, i'm also a realist. i think that we have to look at how sustainable these numbers are and what they really reflect and what they don't reflect. >> this will impact the 2016 race. if it's not a domestic -- >> if it's -- >> that changes the dynamics. >> it would change the dynamics. you have a debate within the republican party over the direction of u.s. foreign policy. traditional republican versus the new wave of rand paul and others who have what some would call a more isolationist view of foreign policy.

i wouldn't use that term but that's what they use. that's an interesting split in the republican party that i think you're going to see no matter what. >> but i think this is just -- it's a change election. right? i think that the big driving issue in all of this is the fact that 70-plus percent want to go in a different direction than the president. that's the biggest problem for hillary. republicans have to figure out how to be more optimistic. americans are looking for the sense that somebody will make us feel better about ourselves. that is going to be a driving -- >> that's december 2014. but in december 2015, what if they don't want the same change? >> there we go. >> this is how it's the biggest thing that could shake things up. the state of satire. i put together a special round table on politics and comedy in america with opinions from among others louis black.

welcome back. we know the old joke that politics is show business for ugly people. it seems the beautiful and not so beautiful people in the entertainment industry are fascinated by us ugly folk who inhabit washington. in a moment, a special discussion on satire and politics that i taped in new york city with a panel of comedians earlier this week, including louis black. let's look at how the show biz world used this town. >> there is but one rule, hunt or be hunted. >> americans may increasingly loath washington, but hollywood

can't get enough of the place. >> preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. >> preserve -- >> you didn't want to hear how your golden boy was doing it. but he was out there trading top secret information. >> from political dramas to satire cal news, audiences are turning in to a new hero, the washington operator. >> that is what it i do. there is no one better in the world than i am. >> as long as politicians have been trying to shape their images on television. >> sock it to me? >> political comics have been cutting them down to size. >> i meant all three words. i meant no. i meant no. i meant taxes. meant them all. >> the fascination with power, how to get it, who is losing it and the odd personal quirks of those who have it is nothing new. >> i will ask each candidate to sum up in a single world the best argument for his candidacy. governor bush? >> strategerie. >> vice president gore? >> lockbox. >> television has forced politicians to play along with the most ridiculous versions of themselves.

>> i believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy. >> i can see russia from my house. >> since george carlin became famous for the seven words you can't say on television. >> i got my opinion. >> they have enjoyed making washington and the audiences uncomfortable. very little is off limits. >> in america, there are no sacred days because we commercialize everything. only five years away from 9/11 sales. >> the line between news and entertainment is increasingly blurry. >> to make obama go from this. >> i'm not the emperor. >> e-mails. >> you said that. the government keeps a database on everyone. >> new audiences learn to love to hate the political show, will more americans engage in politics or will rising cynicism mean many tune in to television but drop out of the process? with me now to talk about comedy's role in the political

dialogue, we put together a round table here. louis black, a regular contributor to "the daily show" w. bell and laura graph. thank you for being here. i'm going to throw a conversation starter here. when we put this together about a month ago, we started talking to you about this, and this week is a takedown of "the daily show" of sorts. basically, it's built off this idea -- i have heard it from other corners -- that the political satire is dumbing down regular politics. you have read the piece. what do you say to the criticism?

>> you could say that we're somehow dumbing down something that has been dumbed down during the course of my life, that we could even be -- it would be possible for us to take it further is beyond belief. because in a sense, the thing that struck me about the last 20 years is that we have moved closer and closer to where we are living on the corner where satire and reality intersect. >> why are we there? i agree with you. how did we get to this place? >> i think in part it was social media. it's in part cable, which exploded everything. it's the fact that we have four or five 24-hour news -- probably six. 24 hours of news on six different channels. you guys do the nightly news, everybody does the nightly news, pbs does -- you have all of that pounding away on a consistent basis. that really broke things open, too.

because then all of a sudden you watch these people over and over and over again saying the same thing. by the third time -- initially, what? the third time they are doing something, you are laughing at them. >> are you a political satirist? >> i'm a social satirist. >> can i get in on that? >> you are talking about ending racism in an hour. >> every time. if we stayed in the room, we would -- >> in the room, it's solved. >> then they get back on facebook and, i got opinions. >> shame on them. >> laura i'm going to throw something that you said back at you. it was interesting, you were asked what is your media diet? i would hope people would be getting their news from the same places i get my news, newspapers, magazines, blogs, television, radio. i hope people only use our shows, referring to the satirical shows, that they are an addendum to the news. we are not a news source.

we have a comedy show. >> i stand by that. i don't -- when there's a criticism of, they're feeding this misinformation -- information is out there for everybody to get. it's how you choose to find it. there's something off of what you were saying with all of the news being so accessible. i think that it has made -- you had to seek out the news. get a newspaper and then there's maybe one newscast a night, five nights a week, maybe -- now it's everywhere. friends of mine are getting more in-depth on the issues in the same way that you get the surface because you get the same you get -- often times jingoistic information thrown at you. you can go deeper into -- i feel politics is becoming more exposed to a broader audience. >> the larger critique is that

the rise in popularity of political satire is creating a more cynical public citizen. right? it feeds cynicism. >> you have been on twitter, facebook? i feel like the cynicism is there. if anything, "the daily show" gives you hope. i can love my way through this. i don't know if you have been in a deep comment threat on facebook with a guy you went to high school with and your uncle and a dude you don't know how you became friends with, and you are talking about ferguson. and you say i need "the daily show" to bring me back down to reality. >> what should we take away that satire is more popular than what where he doing or is it more trusted? you see jon stewart is more trusted than the evening news anchors. >> i think because comedy is

truth in comedy. it's the heightened truth. you feel like you trust a comedian more than you would trust somebody who is a member of the media who has been fed information for different reasons from different political groups. >> and you are totally group. nobody has fed you anything. you have never taken money from a corporation ever. i mean, i get your point there. >> i'm ready to put on whatever logo they want. i agree with the product. >> i think people -- when people watch john stewart, they feel like they are getting that person's perspective. i don't think people believe with the news -- they feel like you are getting a corporation's perspective. you are not getting that individual person.

>> should you be held responsible if people are cynical and think all government is broken? that's the premise of this article? >> no, no, no, no, no. that started way before this. i really do think part of the problem is the cynicism is caused by the fact that more in the course of my lifetime and having lived in washington, that washington is increasingly in a bubble much the same way that a lot of people who live in hollywood are in a bubble. when i started going on the road 25 years ago and i was told, you are too angry, they are not going to get it. they were angrier than i was. there's a sense of disenfranchisement that is seen in the number of people who went and voted that i have never experienced in my lifetime. you and everybody elsewhere somebody comes on -- i don't know how you do it. i'm barking at them. sit there -- you sit there and -- >> we sit there because we know the first time we bark, the last time we do the show. sometimes it's the last time -- all of a sudden, nobody will come on your show. there's that balance. >> the thing that comedy -- >> you get to do stuff we don't. >>ed me comedy gets to bark. fox news gets to bark. sometimes the left media is

afraid of barking. the comics -- you see this in a lot -- they will play a clip of "the daily show" and go look at this guy barking. that's what i want you to believe, let me have the reasonable discussion. >> i want to talk about your role in bringing -- political -- medians in bringing up uncomfortable social issues right after the break. and angled perfectly to remove 90% of plaque for a healthier smile. trust the brand more dentists and hygienists use. oral-b. ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less. i have the worst cold with this runny nose. i better take something. dayquill cold and flu doesn't treat your runny nose. seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is. get ready for some german engineered holiday excitement. at the volkswagen

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laura, it was a standup comedian whose youtube went viral going after bill cosby and raising allegations that had been out apparently in the hollywood community for years but got resurfaced. we have clips of "saturday night live" by tina fey. >> a california lawyer alleged wednesday that 30 years ago bill cosby drugged her and tried to molest her and after she fought back he dropped two $100 bills on a table and fled. he says he can't be held responsible because at the time he was suffering from the brain damage. >> that's funny. is keenan coming out to imitate bill cosby now? >> keenan is not coming out because of the fat albert and the money and sequels. >> great job.

i didn't say any of that because keenan thompson loves to work. >> this is the role that political comics or comics in raising uncomfortable issues that we won't. a good thing. >> is it a good thing? >> well, no, a good thing that's a way to use the standup routine. >> absolutely. i think it's funny also that a black man -- one of the things that prompted the conversation was that bill cosby talks down. >> lecturing young black men. >> don't wear your pants a certain way. you had a sitcom that did well. you have this despicable background. i have heard allegations for a long time. is it a good thing? i think that's the goal of

comedians. >> i mean, i think comics are -- i think it's great when comics use their acts to sort of -- as a battering ram into issues, to clarify an issue. i feel weird, the fact he didn't upload the video -- >> he is the chief new accuser of bill cosby. >> the worst thing you can do is write it on the newspaper, have people read it without hearing the comedian say it. >> i feel that way in regular television. wait a minute, didn't you see my -- didn't you see what i was talking about? >> i see hit bit written down

over every blog, this is what he said, taken out of context and without a context he didn't provide, i think it's opened up a great discussion about bill cosby. it's funny i don't know if it was to empower, but that happened, but -- >> it is a social media discussion. >> but what i didn't understand was, why was that the trigger that blew it up? >> not at the women who sued before and not the allegations out there for decades? >> maybe because it's from a comedian. i just read today somewhere that chris rock said he doesn't want people having cell phone in his audience because a standup should have the freedom to try stuff out. i thick hanible was being free. there's people being careful. he was being honest. but it was taken without his permission. >> if that had been a white comedian, would it have gone as viral? here is the most arguably a living legend of african-american comedy is being accused by an african-american comedian. >> he is not a political comedian. he is -- his joke before that was probably about pickle juice and an applesauce joke and in the middle was bill cosby. because it came from an unlikely source, it gave it more power. if this guy is talking about it -- it's not black. >> let me go to something -- is your career harder in the comedian word? is there gender bias in comedy?

>> people ask me that a lot. i mean, i will say that there's many times i'm the only woman in the room. but i don't think about it. i think about what kind of personal jokes. structure, whatever. i guess -- i think there's also -- there's more women -- i think it's reassuring, there's more women going into comedy and writing. >> self-fulfilling. for a while there weren't a lot of women going into comedy? >> i think it was a numbers game. people sort of hiring people who are like them and often times it's a white guy hiring a white guy. >> let's talk about race and comedy.

norman leer admits when he was writing ground breaking comedies based on african-american families it was white writers. he said, in hindsight he knows that was a mistake. at the time he didn't believe he was -- he didn't see what was wrong with that. >> i'm glad he admits that now. yes, there's -- corporate america, the hollywood is not different than corporate america in that there's a predominance of white males who are running things, making decisions. whenever they bring black people in or minorities in, it's part of a diversity initiative. usually it ends on the announcement of the initiative. i had a tv show on. it was important to get more than one woman in the room. turns out there's out races out there which aren't black people, which i learned recently. it was important to get different voices so it will push you out of your comfort zone. that's why people are hiring people like them and they hire people they want to hang out with, not people who are good

comedy writers. >> do you think politics use comedy shows to duck real interviews, which is my point of view? i'm going to close with that question? >> i think they do it to try to look human, to humanize themselves. what would help is if they really spent time -- this is something i believed for a long time. leadership training would be a great thing. >> for our leaders? >> get them to a camp. my brother had to do it when he was in high school. >> learn how to build a fire.

>> with a backpack and short shorts and do a trust fall. >> the thing is that you still want them -- you want to feel like they're coming from somewhere -- >> you want to know what they're coming from. >> there's this thing that leaders have when they stand in front of you that is a voice that a lot use. that is bull. >> fair enough. >> bs if that's what you want to say. i will let you do that. it's sunday morning. >> it's bs. >> i think that -- i think it's intsing they use comedy venues as a way to make issues more pal atable and understanding. when obama went between two friends to talk about obamacare. that was a great way to reach a new audience that wasn't aware of the parts of obamacare that he wanted them to be aware of. i think that's -- it seems that that's why they go on it more than to humanize because they're trying to hide from -- >> it's not a hide. but it is becoming more of a comfortable place for them to

go. >> yeah. >> i think that sometimes john stewart has done more hard hitting interviews with john mccain than journalists. comedians because we're barking. >> you can get away with something. i hope you had fun. i hope you haven't ruined your careers by going mainstream. this was great. i hope you maybe come back one more time. we will see.

welcome welcome back. on the program we have been looking ahead to what 2015 will bring. it's the time to look back and remember those in washington politics and political culture

that we lost over the last 12 months. >> i know firsthand the damage that guns can do. >> simply, very simply with hope, good morning. ♪ ♪ >> senator robert francis kennedy died at 1:44 a.m. today. ♪ >> it must be remembered that nixon got nixon. the post didn't get nixon. >> beam me up. i say it's time for congress to shove these illegal tactics right up the assets of the irs. ♪

>> the mayor took a second puff. then fbi agents and police came bursting through an entrance from the room next door. ♪ >> for real peace, we are ready to make compromises. >> i'm garrick utley. we will be back next week with "sunday today" and "meet the press." >> remembering those who lost this year, including an important member of the family here. after the break, we will see how closely the panel was paying attention over the last year. we will close the year with a trivia test from 2014. standpoint a .

my name's louis, and i quit smoking with chantix. i had tried to do it in the past. i hadn't been successful. quitting smoking this time was different because i got a prescription for chantix. along with support chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. the fact that it reduced the urge to smoke helped me get that confidence that i could do it. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you notice any of these stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don' take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if

you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i love myself as a non-smoker. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. welcome back. it has been a year in politics. was the panel paying attention? welcome back. it has been a year in politics. was the panel paying attention? we boiled down 2014 to three numbers and a word. here they are. 86, 1928, 30 and mark. amy, i will let you start. 86 and 1928 are related. let me show you here.

this is the first time since 1928 that democrats have experienced this depression of election. >> it is true. >> lowest number of house seats. >> right. this was a drubbing at all levels. the legislative piece is more significant, because this is where the next crop of candidates come from, state house speakers. and when redistricting in 2020, which is what democrats hope is the answer, may not happen when control is all republican. >> luke russert, 30 is an important number because, 30 is the number of seats democrats need to win back control of the u.s. house in 2016 and 30 is now the number of control that republicans control chambers in 30 states, both chambers in 30

states. luke, nobody -- no democrats talk about winning back the house in 2016. >> that's impossible. i think it's funny when the poor person who has to lead the dccc who says we are fighting, we're keeping them comet did i. it's not going to happen. redistricting is the best shot. what's interesting is moving forward how to house democrats make themselves relevant? do they stop big deals like they did the last time with nancy pelosi and hold it up? is that what they do? how does that move forward? lastly, there is no democratic bench. >> all over. look at your home state of ohio. ohio is a 50/50 state, but you don't know it by the election result. >> you know it not by the election results for president. but ohio is a very red state. >> all below -- democratic party has filed for -- >> absolutely. that's -- it does point to an

issue. republicans have to stop acting as if they are a minority party. they're not. >> we pointed out, they are a majority party on all levels of government. >> but they play small ball. that's a problem. >> the word mark. three of the up and coming senators. this was remarkable. mark it down. >> the other thing they have in common is they were democrats. very bad year for democrats. >> democrats named mark, republicans named scott. >> but, look, it was a terrible year for the democrats. republicans on the other hand are going to be vexed by their success in the year to come. they're going to have to figure out what to do with this big majority in the house. they have to figure out how to behave as a party in control of both houses of congress. i don't think they know that yet. >> who is the face of the republican party? is it mcconnell or boehner? it had been john boehner. is it now mitch mcconnell. >> it has to get through the

house. boehner has to figure out how to keep it from blowing up. >> he could pass a bill and say, mitch, you do it. >> if he can pass the bill. right? it is clear from that vote, there are 35 or 40 republicans who will say no anything that leadership wants. >> do they become strengthened by the mid-term results and say we want to double down on holding the line? >> remember, what can pass the senate has changed. but not all that much. right? because -- >> what is the -- a huge issue. >> how soon -- the republican presidential race in some ways is starting. jeb bush is in. does that hurt mcconnell and boehner? >> i don't think so. one of the things you have to remember is that this is probably the closest speaker of the house and majority leader in terms of friendship that existed in a long time. >> all right. we shall see. that was fun. that's all we have for today. have a very happy new year.

we will be back next week and next year, because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." f it's sunday, it's "meet the press." we continue this hour with breaking news. crews will resume the search for a missing air asia plane in just three hour hoes. the flight disappeared last night with 162 people on board. there was no distress call. right now families are anxiously waiting for any word on what happened to that plane. welcome to special coverage on msnbc this hour. thanks for joining us. i'm richard lui. we have been following the breaking story all day. air asia flight qz 8501 losing contact with ground control after taking off from indonesia on its way to singapore. the associated press says indonesia, singapore and malaysia are involve had had in search and rescue