grassroots activism that you need, gets beaten badly, then you know what it's probably not worth doing. so i got to put all that stuff together. but we certainly need voices out there representing a disappearing working class. we need voices out there to stand up to the koch brothers and the billionaires and say enough is enough you can't have the whole country. >> 2015 is going to be very interesting. appreciate your time. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening rev. >> good evening, ed and happy new year. >> happy new year to you too, buddy. >> and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead a new year and a new fight with the gop. next week, congress returns to work and for the first time since president obama took office he'll face a republican-controlled senate. even before the ball drops on

2015, republicans were outlining campaigns to reject the president's signature achievements, while pushing a slew of right-wing policies. >> first item up in the new senate will be the keystone xl pipeline. we will use the power of the purse to try to push back against this overactive bureaucracy. >> we certainly will have a vote precedeing to a bill to repeal obamacare. the banking community will be looking at dodd-frank. i've called it frequently obamacare for banks. >> you can bet on that yeah. >> they've also vowed a response to the president's action on immigration. more hearings on benghazi potential cuts to social security and medicare. and they even want to go after the first lady's efforts to make school lunches healthier.

it's an ambitious and vicious vision. pushed by a republican party determined to react to a series of executive actions from an energized president. but president obama has a message for republicans. he's not going to roll over. >> there are going to be some areas where we disagree. and i haven't used the veto pen very often since i've been in office partly because legislation that i objected to was typically blocked in the senate even after the house took over -- republicans took over the house. now i suspect there are going to be some times where i've got to pull that pen out and i'm going to defend gains that we've made in health care. i'm going to defend gains that we've made on environment and clean air and clean water. >> the president enters 2015 with a stronger economy and a base galvanized by his executive

action. all of which have resulted in a 48% approval rating that's 13 points better than former president bush's rating at the same point in his presidency as president obama is now. it's a big year ahead with a lot on the line. joining me now is congressman jim mcdermott, democrat of washington. and dana millbank of "the washington post." thank you both for being here. >> happy new year reverend. >> good to be here. >> happy new year to both of you. >> same to you. congressman, republicans control both houses of congress for the first time since president obama took office. will we see confrontation, compromise, or both? >> well you know rev, in my -- my other profession as a physician, the rule is listen to the patient. he's telling you what's the matter with him. when you listen to what the republicans are saying it

sounds like we're going to have nothing but endless confrontation forrom here right to 2016. they simply are not going to let the president be a success if they can help it because they think that will help the democratic candidate in 2016. and they are going to do everything they can to bring him down. i don't see any spirit of compromise from the speaker on back to the tea party guys. >> dana aren't republicans going to be under pressure though to satisfy their base now that they control both houses of congress? isn't that the real problem here? >> well the republicans are going to be pulled in every which direction, reverend. there will be pressure to pacify the base. there's going to be pressure exerted by the various presidential candidates, but there's also a lot of pressure on mitch mcconnell and on john boehner to actually get something done up there.

they now have sole ownership of congress which is about as popular in the american public as venereal disease. so whatever this congress does right now is going to weigh one way or another for or against the republicans. if they are just seen as throwing up obstacles, as making doomed efforts to repeal obamacare, then the public is going to punish them for that. so i think they do -- they are under some pressure to actually compromise with this president for the first time really in his presidency. >> you know, congressman, today the "wall street journal" reports the president will shift his strategy in the coming year. let me quote the journal. the white house plans to pivot from president obama's reliance on executive actions in the coming year and invest more in a legislative strategy, aimed at trying to advance key policy goals, with the new

republican-controlled congress. will republicans be open to compromise and moderation knowing that they have to prove that they can govern now, congressman? >> well, i believe that the president has been open to compromise for six years. he has tried -- in fact some of us think he's been a little too open to compromise. but the republicans have never been willing to do it with him. on very rare occasions, john boehner went to leader pelosi and said i need a few votes, i can't get this bill passed on violence against women or something like that, and i need a few votes. and we always gave them. we stopped all the bad things. the debt limit, we got that through. we did a lot of things when john boehner finally came across. now, he does not have that problem now. so it's all in his ballpark. and i don't know whether he can satisfy his base at the same

time as dana says he's trying to satisfy his base who keeps him in the speakership and he tries to get something done for the country so that the republicans look good going into 2016. that's a very tough stretch for the speaker. >> i am also reading, dana politico has a report that the president's plans for 2015 includes, quote, president obama will use his state of the union address to roll out an agenda aimed at tackling stagnating wages and helping americans who feel left out of the economy's surge. now, will this be central focus for the president and democrats in the next year dana? >> well it will be reverend and it has been. the thing is it hasn't gotten traction because the president can get up there and say, yes, indicators show that the economy is getting better and people didn't feel it. people are beginning to feel it now, whether it's because of the

market, because of the extraordinarily strong growth we've seen in the economy right now, the jobs report so the president has a lot more credibility on this. that's why you see his approval rating improving and it will continue to improve as long as the economy continues to improve this way. so obama is in a much stronger position than he was just a couple months ago. he sort of hit his low water mark with the midterm elections and i think he's ready for a big fight now. and he's got the wind at his back as he prepares to do battle with this all-republican congress. >> you know congressman, republicans have vowed to do something in response to the president's action on immigration. they just don't know what. i mean listen to speaker boehner here. >> the president, on the other hand has ignored the will of the american people and he's refused to listen. we're looking at a variety of options, both for right now and

when republicans control both houses of the congress next year. this is a serious breach of our constitution, it's a serious threat to our system of government. we've not made decisions about how to proceed, but we are going to proceed. >> you served with them congressman. how far do you think they're willing to go? >> i really don't know rev. he is -- they are talking as though the president didn't get elected by a good majority in 2012. they say he's ignoring the wishes of the people. but he was elected by the people, by a large majority who want some of these issues dealt with, that the republicans, who because of gerrymandering control the congress. they don't have a majority represented in the majority of the house of the american people because of gerrymandering. they can't say that the president isn't listening to the

people. and i don't see what they can do at this point, except to really throw the budget and the whole financing system into a terrible mess. there really is no other way to do it except through the budget. and they have already tried it. they've shut the government down, it didn't work. they tried these things and i think they're in a very tough spot. if i were them, i'd pivot and look at infrastructure. gasoline prices are down. it's just a great time to put a big infrastructure program out. >> because many of these issues dana, were before the voters when the president was re-elected with this wide margin. and then when you look at the fact the hill is reporting on looming budget wars. the gop has vowed to use control of the house and senate to slash the size of government withil entitlement programs such as medicare and social security a potential target for cuts.

i mean this is scary for a lot of americans, dana. >> good luck to them. you're not going to achieve that kind of change whether it's to the entitlement programs or to the tax code if you don't have from both parties. there do need to be changes to medicaid and medicare and social security, but it needs to be something that's done on a consensus basis. now, are we going to get to that kind of grand bargain? it really doesn't look that way. but for the republicans to think they can use the power of the purse to implement their agenda is just crazy thinking as we've seen from the previous efforts that have resulted in shutdown. it's not going to turn out any differently whether they're doing it on entitlements or immigration and when they tried to do it on obamacare. >> going to have to leave it there, congressman, jim mcdermott, and dana millbank thank you and have a great 2015

and a good weekend too. coming up lessons from "selma," what the film is telling millions of americans about how to achieve real change in the fight for social justice. >> we will not wait any longer! give us the vote! we're not asking we're demanding. give us the vote! and the father who called the police so they could watch him spank his 12-year-old daughter. why did he do it? also we'll tell you why president obama's push to raise the minimum wage just got a big boost from outside washington. all that plus my thoughts on the death of legendary governor of the new york mario cuomo, a legendary figure. stay with us. take an idea and make it happen.

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>> still ahead, it was the biggest story of 2014 and it's the civil rights issue of our time. the task in 2015 how to turn the passion around criminal justice and policing into lasting change. that's coming up next. wow! [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. south carolinana north carolina carolina carolina. (vo) nourished. rescued. protected. given new hope. during the subaru "share the love" event, subaru owners feel it, too. because when you take home a new subaru we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. we'll have given 50 million dollars over seven years. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru.

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. in 2014 we saw a national movement rise around the issues of policing and criminal justice. but in 2015 we'll need to turn that passion into concrete lasting change. the kind of change chronicled by

the film sel ma which documents dr. king's fight for civil rights. >> those that have gone before us say, no more. >> no more! >> no more. >> no more! >> that means protest. that means march. that means disturb the peace. that means jail. that means risk. and that is hard. we will not wait any longer. give us the vote! that's right. no more. we're not asking we're demanding. give us the vote! >> give us the vote! >> dr. king's movement wasn't about speeches. it was about achieving real lasting change. the voting rights act of 1965. and it leaves us with this question today. how do we translates the passion of the protest against policemen's conduct and problems in our criminal justice system

into real reforms? just a week ago, president obama signed a law to track police shootings. he's also established a task force on police and community relations. and other lawmakers are ush approximate -- pushing a bill to require police to wear body cameras. these are important steps, but at the start of the new year this country is at a tipping point, and we've got a lot of work left to do. joining me now, congressman karen bass democrat of california. thank you for being here. >> thanks for having me on. >> congresswoman, we're even hearing conservatives like rand paul talking about the need for criminal justice reform. so how can you and other lawmakers now channel the energy of the protests and the rallies and some of what a lot of us are doing, into legislation? >> well first of all, i think it's an exciting time period

now. and we absolutely have to act quickly. and so for example, rand paul cory booker, several of us in the house are working on legislation to change mandatory minimums. you saw what happened in california with proposition 47 which changed several offenses and reduced them from felony to misdemeanor. so i think we are beginning to take a look at what we did over the last 20 years, which was really crazy and it led to the massive incarceration problem that we have today. and it's time to roll back some of the legislation. a few years ago in california, we reformed the three strikes law. the time is now. we have to act quick. but believe me we have several legislative proposals to put forward. i have one specifically for students in making sure that if you have a drug-related offense, you can qualify for financial aid. because right now you can't. and here we are legalizing marijuana around the country. we need to get our laws in step with what is happening throughout society in terms of changing viewpoints. >> and one of the reasons that i

asked you about the legislators because everyone has a role here. >> right. >> and i talked about the "selma" film. and people forget you had dr. king in the south. you had malcolm x in the north. you had whites blacks ella baker, that were doing commune organizing. thurgood marshall in the courts, powell in the congress. all at the same time. it was never one person. when you see the tensions now, older against younger and all kind of tactical differences that excites me because that's real movement because king used to call it creative tension. and everyone if they played their lane we would get where america needs to go. >> absolutely. and you know there is a role for everyone. and that's what a movement is always about. movement always has tensions and factions. they certainly had that during the civil rights movement. my role right now as a legislator in congress is to

push legislative proposals that i've worked on for years and now might be the time. so one other issue that we have to look at as people are being released in california and perhaps other reforms to take place, we need to now have things in place in our communities so people can transition back into communities and get employment. because at the same time as we were passing draconian laws that locked everybody up we also passed laws that prohibited people from voting prohibited people from working and we need to change all of that. a comprehensive approach is absolutely what is needed right now. >> one hopeful sign for reform a recent poll found 86% of americans support requiring police to wear body cameras. >> right. >> and 87% support having independent prosecutors investigate police shootings. how significant would be it to have independent prosecutors overseeing these cases? >> i think it's absolutely essential. especially in places like

ferguson, where you know you have a lot of conflict of interest in different counties and all. but we also watched what happened in staten island and rev, you remember los angeles in '92 when we had a jury in simi valley. apparently a lot of police live in staten island just like a lot lived in simi valley. so the fact that you would have non-partisan bodies you know not biased to make these decisions, is highly suspect. so it's really important that we have independent bodies examining this. >> well it's a huge story and a huge interest to many of us that are involved, and we'll be following it this year. congresswoman, karen bass, thank you for your time tonight. and happy new year to you. >> happy new year to you, rev. still ahead, what could be the real reason speaker boehner is standing by that gop lawmaker who spoke on the a white nationalist event? but first, why is president

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republican governors across the country are starting to see the light and expand medicaid through obamacare. the dominoes have fallen in nine red states so far. while four more have medicaid expansion under consideration. but the latest buzz is about deep red texas. yes, the same deep red texas where the incoming governor greg abbott has led the charge in suing the federal government over the aca. >> are you going to hold the line on that decision or are you gonna change your mind? >> no we are. we've been holding the line ever since we filed that lawsuit challenging the obamacare

expansion of health care. we don't believe the right thing to do is to buy into this obamacare mandated expansion of medicaid. >> hold the line. remember the alamo. texas forever. but is governor-elect abbott all hat and no cattle? the houston chronicle reports that in a closed door meeting with state lawmakers abbott recently asked about a compromise to expand medicaid that utah is working out with the federal government. so if greg abbott does change his mind on medicaid that would be agreed news for texas. the uninsured rate there is 22.1%. the highest in the country. and nearly one million people could gain coverage if texas expands medicaid. i hope governor-elect abbott does the right thing and expands medicaid. but did he think we wouldn't notice this texas-sized switcheroo?

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welcome back. over three million workers in this country are starting the year off with a raise. 21 states passed minimum wage bills in 2014. going into effect with the new year. giving workers an average of $8 an hour and making a real difference in their paychecks. and people will have more money in their wallets. as gas prices continue to fall. the national average is now at $2.23 a gallon. 2014 was a huge year for jobs and the economy. and america has a lot to celebrate. >> be proud of what we've accomplished. more jobs. more people insured. a growing economy. shrinking deficits. bustling industry.

booming energy. pick any metric that you want america's resurgence is real. we are better off. >> but president obama isn't letting up and will push hard for congress to pass a national minimum wage bill this year. so what can we look forward to in 2015? and what can we expect from republicans in congress? will they help or hurt this recovery? joining me now is jared bernstein and maria theresa kumar. thank you both for being here. >> thank you, rev. >> happy new year. >> happy new year to both of you. >> thanks. >> jared, we now have a majority of states in this country, 29 with a minimum wage higher than the federal rate. isn't this what people need right now? >> no question about it. in fact one of the things we've seen in recent years is that one of the only ways that middle or low-wage people are getting a

boost is from measures like this. one of the things we noticed when states raised their wages, the lowest paid were among the few who did better. you've been talking and you just showed the president, about many of the economic improvements we saw in 2014. they are real. but it's fair to say the recovery has yet to reach the middle class. the minimum wage is an important correction for that. >> let me approach it this way, maria. when you look at the fact it's been five years since the minimum wage was raised and in that time here are five things that have gone up electricity is up 4% rent is up 7% grocery, 8%. childcare up 11%. college costs, up 20%. but the minimum wage has stayed the same.

how are people expected to make ends meet? >> they can't. that's one reason why the minimum wage resonated so strongly during the elections across party lines. in arkansas they elected the majority of republicans, but the minimum wage bill to increase the minimum wage actually drew out individuals and said look, this is something that i don't care if i'm a republican democrat or independent, i believe the minimum wage is going to boost me and that's the reason why you'll see so many republicans talking about it, not only for 2015 but 2016. and something that jared mentioned, not only does minimum wage put money in their pocket but you're also seeing recovery with gas prices. people will save about $3,000 over the next year because of the drop in gas. that means they aren't living paycheck to paycheck but instead they'll be able to hopefully save a little bit and ease the stuff that you're talking about, it has increased, the cost of living. >> the minimum wage doesn't have to be a partisan issue, jared.

four republican presidents since 1938 have signed bills raising the minimum wage including both president bushes. so why are gop leaders so resistant to raising the minimum wage? >> i think it's a great question. there's partisanship, and what we have now is a lot worse than what i remember back in some of those minimum wage increases that you just referenced. actually, if you poll this measure, it does very well among republicans. not as well among democrats, but well over half support it. and that's because it's actually a pretty simple way to help those at the bottom of the pay scale, who have the least bargaining power, and you can do so without really costing the budget, the federal budget anything. the problem is vested interests with influence at the federal

debate are blocking this thing and my concern is that they'll probably continue to do so this year. >> you know maria, this struck my attention because some on the right are saying republicans should take credit for the economic recovery. "the new york times" says anti-tax crusader grover norquist, quote, may well have heralded a republican shift on the economy. he credited the budding revival to the party's austerity push. [ laughter ] >> he wants republicans to take credit for improving the economy. i mean does that sound right to you, maria? >> these are the same folks, let's look at where austerity programs are working. they're not. when the united states and europe were feeling the same economic crunch the united states decided with the leadership of president obama, to invest in the stimulus. and he said that was the only way that we were going to get out of this recovery basically having the federal government invest invest invest.

whereas what europe decided to do was basically pursue the path way of austerity and they're suffering, not recuperating at the record the united states is. grover norquist needs to step back and be a little bit honest. >> you're the economist here am i missing something? do we have boehner to thank for this recovery? >> no i don't think you're missing anything. what i think is really odd, look rev, you have featured what i'm about to say more than anyone. almost every night here you're playing clips of republicans saying how president obama is destroying the economy. i mean for years now, you have featured these folks, a parade on your show saying the president is tanking the economy, everything he's doing is working badly. now the economy is gaining momentum, it's starting to gain some strength. all of a sudden forget all that stuff about president obama, it's due to our policies. this is patent non-sense and

everyone should have to -- >> they're not even passing anything to actual point to. that doesn't make any sense. >> this is like you have to be extremely cynical, even to make this argument. i wouldn't give it a lot of air time myself. >> and make sure you understand jared stressed extreme. jared and maria, going to have to leave it there. thank you both for your time. happy new year to you both again. >> thank you. still ahead, the father who called the police so they could watch him spank his 12-year-old daughter. is this an effective use of police time? also the gop revolt against john boehner. there's a new push to get him out of the speakership. and what did back to the future ii get right and wrong about 2015? our panel's predictions and resolutions are ahead in "conversation nation."

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time for "conversation nation." joining me tonight susan milligan from u.s. news and world report. democratic political analyst mark hannah. and sirius xm radio host julia cunningham. first, let's talk about john boehner, the speaker. will he keep his job? house republicans vote next week on whether john boehner gets to stay in charge.

and a block of conservatives are reportedly trying to drum up some opposition. passing around a new poll that says 60% of republican voters want someone new as speaker. today one right-wing lawmaker talked about it. >> they're frustrated that we just won the biggest election in i don't know maybe american history, but it's at least the biggest in almost 100 years. >> right. >> and at the end of the day, we're governing as though we just lost and enabling the president to continue trashing the constitution. >> mark doesn't this show that boehner's problems with the tea party isn't going away? >> no, i think you're absolutely right. he's facing a mutiny. republicans are voicing dissatisfaction. this doesn't often happen with the speaker of the house. so let's wonder aloud here who is in charge of the republican

party? eric ericsen was sitting in for rush limbaugh. sean hannity said he's unhappy with the way he's leading the party. so limbaugh and hannity are steering the republican party. this is a problem. whether you're conservative or liberal, you think congress has been obstructionist enough under speaker boehner. republicans are saying they want a speaker of the house that's going to be more obstructionist than this one. >> susan, the question that comes to mind is this why he may have stood behind congressman scalise, who it has now been revealed spoke in 2002 at this white supremacist group? because scalise was his contact, envoy, ally with the tea party. >> yeah i think that's part of it. i don't think speaker boehner is in trouble. that wing of the party doesn't

have anyone to offer up. there's going to be votes to remind him that the tea party is there and wants to be heard. but these are show votes, not unlike voting to undo the affordable care act. i don't think he'll lose his position. >> can he get the tea partiers in line for legislation? >> i don't know if we can get them in line but i see what they're doing. i agree it's up in the air right now. they need to unite in some way. this is rustling feathers and this is what the tea party does. >> one thing the president has said the republicans have to show now they have majority they need to show they can lead and govern. what these polls are showing, they can't even govern their own party. >> isn't the problem, julia, that these tea partiers are playing to a different beast in terms of some of them are in very safe districts and some of them don't have to worry about re-election, whereas others that want to run statewide are

concerned about national elections, have a different consideration? >> oh, no, that's for sure. but i don't know if it's going to affect anything in that way. boehner will be fine in the long run. this is just doing this to test buttons and push it the way they want to push it. >> susan? >> i think boehner is in this position where he has to stand by him a little bit, unless something else comes out. if a pattern comes out, it becomes a different story. but the issue with scalise, i don't know anyone who thinks he's a racist but it exposes another issue with the party of looking the other way, not denouncing the people who say that obama isn't really american or that he was born in kenya or that he's a muslim. and it's looking the other way when you're speaking to an organization whose name should set up some alarm bells. that's the keeper problem with this issue and the party. >> i think it smacks in the face of their autopsy and wanting to reach out. >> yeah. >> now to a story that has a lot of people talking, a florida

father called the local sheriff's office to ask them to supervise him spanking his 12-year-old daughter. the deputy's report says quote, he wanted me to stand by while he spanked her with the paddle. i stood by as he spanked her four times on her buttocks. since no crime had been committed, this case is closed. one deputy said he supervised spanking like this about a dozen times. sus susan, what do you make of this? i mean is this the best use of police officer's time? >> no every day when i'm reading stories on the internet one of them makes me say, what is wrong with people and this was that story today. i don't know why the police got involved. i find it very creepy that this man wanted an audience while he spanked his daughter. or if he was trying to prove he wasn't abusing her.

the police have better things to do. >> what does this say about our culture, when you have another deputy saying he's done it even more times? what is the cultural statement now where we have to call -- some feel they have to call police to discipline their kid, that they need to spank them, so they want to be observed by law enforcement? >> law enforcement should not be policing what's politically correct. it's kind of ridiculous that they're filling out incident reports about this. and let's think for a minute if you're that little girl or boy that's getting spanked. it's a drag to get spanked, but to have a uniformed police officer standing there supervising the process is outrageous. if you have enough forethought to call the police to spank your child, you're probably not going to be crossing the line when you do it. >> what are you thinking about when you're waiting on the police to come? the waiting period has got to be a little awkward.

>> i've not thought about that reverend, but that's incredibly awkward, you think it would have calmed down. and maybe when the police officer showed up maybe give the child a stern talking to rather than standing there awkwardly while the parent spanked his child which is a red flag in the first place. >> get ready for your spanking as soon as the police get here. don't you jump out the window. >> oh and now we're fine. okay, that makes sense. set your dvrs because when we come back they'll go out on a limb with their predictions for the new year. stay with us.

we're back with our panel, susan, mark and julia. it's our first show of the year. time to make predictions for 2015. you know back in 1989 the producers of the back to the future ii thought we'd all be flying around on hover boards when the year 2015 rolled around. they missed that mark on that one. but mark time to go out on a limb. what's your big prediction for this new year? >> i'm seeing how much the gop is splitting within the ranks and i think the republican primary campaigns are going to devolve into a side show a media circus that represents some sort of survivor-style reality tv show that gets sponsored by and hosted on news max. it's just going to become completely mediated and ridiculous. >> so you're predicting the gop primaries will turn into a circus. >> oh yeah.

take the economic darwinism the republican party has espoused and it will turn into a political darwinism and people will vote each other off. >> julia? >> i'm looking forward to have a bowl of popcorn and watching all the bills trying to go through and obama ping-ponging them back. i can't wait to see them try to do something differently, but at the same point, try to agree with giving more money to the pentagon and oil prices down consumerism consumerism up, i'm curious to see the back and forth. >> so in your opinion, nothing's going to get through, there's not going to be any possibility of a crack in the door here to try to push something sane through in the name of we've got to show we can govern? >> that's the thing. i'm sure there's going to be some things that slip through. because we're going into an election year. everyone has to play a little

nice. people will agree on some things. but waiting for the budget to come through, there's going to be a lot of pong happening. >> susan, your prediction? >> i'm so much more optimistic. i think first of all, we'll see a more confident and assertive president. i think we'll also see more of a relationship with the hill than a lot of people think. the temperature is lower on the hill now that the republicans are running the senate. and they're going to have to show they can govern. if it's dysfunctional, they'll own the dysfunction. i think the bills will have a season that takes them to the postseason. i've been saying that for 15 years running now, but this is our year. >> we'll see if this is the year. now that we've talked about our predictions for the country. let's talk about our resolutions for ourselves. about half of americans make new year's resolutions, every january, everything from shedding a few extra pounds to kicking our habits. susan, what's your resolution

for 2015? >> to have more fun, rev. look at harry reid, goes on this exercise thing, breaks a rib, and breaks some bones in his face. this is what happens when you do self-improvement in the new year. i'm done with self-punishment. >> mark? >> i know i'm going to have a lot of opportunities to come on and hurl out some attacks on gop con tenders and it's going to be tempting to do that. i resolve to keep the attacks substance-based and not go after them personally. >> julia? >> i like to do instead of a resolution, a positive statement. so this year i'm not going to compare myself to other things. when i go to someone's apartment and see they have a fireplace, i'm not going to go why don't i have a fireplace? i'm going to be positive. >> i have a great resolution. my new year's resolution is i'm not telling anyone my new year's resolution. and i've kept it so far.

susan, mark and julia, thanks and happy new year and good luck with your resolutions. >> happy new year rev. we'll be right back with my thoughts on the legendary former governor mario cuomo. business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. we come by almost every day to deliver your mail so if you have any packages you want to return you should just give them to us i mean, we're going to be there anyway why don't you just leave it for us to pick up? or you could always get in your car and take it back yourself yeah, us picking it up is probably your easiest option it's kind of a no brainer

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seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is. we close tonight by remembering former new york governor mario cuomo who passed away last night at the age of 82. governor cuomo was a passionate voice for liberal causes a national leader who articulated a proud way forward for the left at the height of the reagan era. he was governor of new york for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. and at the 1984 democratic national convention cuomo talked about those left behind by president reagan's vision of america as a shining city on a hill. >> there is despair, mr. president. faces that you don't see, and

the places that you don't visit in your shining city. mr. president, you ought to know that this nation is more a tale of two cities than it is just a shining city on a hill. [ applause ] >> that speech electrified millions who were getting crushed by reagan's trickle-down economics. just two months later, governor cuomo made history again by going to notre dame and gaveiving a speech in support of abortion rights, even though his own catholic faith made him personally opposed to abortion. >> to assure our freedom, we must allow others the same freedom, even if occasionally it produces conduct by them which we would hold to be sinful. when should i argue to make my religious value your morality? >> for years he flirted with the idea of running for president,

but ultimately decided to stay in new york. his example inspired his son andrew to enter politics as well. yesterday just hours before his father passed away newly re-elected governor andrew cuomo honored his dad at his second-term swearing-in. >> he couldn't be here physically today, my father but my father is in this room. he's in the heart and mind of every person who is here. he's here and he's here, and he's here. and his inspiration and his legacy and his experience is what has brought this state to this point. >> when i heard last night of the passing of governor mario cuomo, i thought about those three terms and the third years i've known him. we disagreed, we debated, i marched on many of his policies and challenged him on many

things, but what i remember more than anything is he was a big man. he never reduced himself to pettiness. he always saw the bigger picture. he never allowed himself to engage in name-calling. he played chess while many of us play checkers. i've learned when you play chess, sometimes you give up a pawn or two to get the queen. i learned that lesson from mario cuomo. may he rest in peace. he sleeps with the giants in american politics. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. women in charge. let's play "hardball." ♪ ♪ i'm chris matthews in washington. and in this holiday season we're happy to give you this special edition of "hardball." there are