forward with that. >> thank you very much for joining us. donald trump leads and we're not in summer anymore. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. a good while back, i said that donald trump was still in this presidential fight come november, why assume he won't be in the fight come february, when we have the iowa caucuses and the new hampshire primary starting up the whole primary season. well, it's now december, december 1st, in fact, and donald trump is still right where he's been, on top. we're just two months away from the iowa caucuses, the first time republicans will cast ballots in a presidential contest and trump remains in the lead there, in iowa, with ted

cruz close behind, but trump has a bigger lead in new hampshire. marco rubio and ben carson are distant runner-ups there. trump also dominates national polls, as trump said at a rally last night, if anyone wants to win the nomination of the republican party, they've got to come through him. >> christie hasn't hit me yet. he will. he has to. he has no choice. he's at two or three. he's got to -- he's going to hit me, at some point. rubio's got to hit me. hey, there's only one you get to the top and it's all through trump, let's face it. even, i think, cruz is going to have to hit me. it will be a sad day, but we will hit back, i promise. i promise. >> he says with resignation. anyway, robert costa's the national political reporter for "the washington post" and one of the best. susan page is a great one, washington bureau chief for "usa today." she writes the front page story, and michael steele is a former chairman of the national republican committee, now an msnbc analyst and doesn't have to write anything he doesn't want to. you don't have to hit those deadlines.

why will february be different than december now? everybody says something's going to change, there's going to be some reality cutting in there -- we're in reality, i would argue. your thoughts? >> i don't see it changing. and i have two questions to ask anybody who is thinking about this process. so who takes out donald trump and when do they do it? >> take his head off. do you have to go through him or can you sneak around by eating the remains, basically, of dr. carson? >> cruz has done that. christie is about to do that. >> going to go around him? >> is going to try to go around him. and i don't know how successful they'll be. as the polls are showing, cruz has been out there, he's getting close, but not consistently. >> is that fight coming? robert, is trump going to go after cruz and say, you can't go sneaking around me eating the remains of dr. carson? >> cruz thinks he can have sidestepped trump, run up the side in iowa, and try to have a surprise victory there, but, look, the donor class in the

republican party, the biggest leaders in the party, they're not putting the money in to go after trump. there's no anti-trump effort at this moment -- >> who are the koch brothers for? >> they're sitting on the sidelines. >> where's sheldon adelson? >> they're sitting on the sidelines. the only people in the fight, kasich's super pac and they haven't landed a punch. >> why raise $1 trillion if you're not going to spend it? >> because day don't want to spend that money. bush has $100 million sitting in their super pac, they don't want to spend it. and the kochs don't want that fight. >> and there's no evidence that if you take on trump, it does you any good. first, trump hits you back, and maybe you make the point that the establishment is against trump, that helps him with the voters who are drawn to him. >> and they've saw bush spend $25 million out of his -- it wasn't all directed at trump, but he spent the money and didn't really move -- >> there's nothing there. >> but it's less about bush and so much more about the base and where they are right now. >> do you know any bush enthusiasts in your party? >> no.

>> do you know any reporting -- >> i don't even -- people don't even mention bush anymore, frankly. >> robert, i think this is a profound reality. >> he's not even part of the conversation. >> i've seen veterans in new hampshire go to bush, older voters in new hampshire. bush has some support in south carolina, a military state. he has lingering support. the best thing that could happen to bush -- >> lingering support? >> support on the sides, not enthusiastic at the moment. >> chris christie, the governor of new hampshire, participated in a new hampshire roundtable today discussing drug addiction. when a reporter asked about donald trump, christie showed some attitude. let's watch. >> donald trump said you need to be careful what you say. what's your response to him? >> i really don't have a response, you know? we're sitting here talking about some really important issues of recovery and addiction that are ravaging families across the country. and you all, quite frankly,

should be ashamed of yourselves. all you do is ask about donald trump. every place i go. and then i have the press complain to me, why do you think trump's doing so well? well, hell, if you're talking about it 24 hours a day, anyone can do well. whatever trump has said for the day today quite frankly has nothing i have i interest in responding to. >> do you think that's going to win him support? talk down to us morally? and wasn't this the attack he used to get those democratic mayors behind him when he ran for re-election. and isn't that the bridge problem? >> if he were talking to a voter, that would be a different conversation, and you're probably right, but talking to the press, the base kind of looks at that and they go, yeah, that's right, that's the right atty-tude to have. >> you said it right. got the accent. >> christie and trump were cozy in 2010, in 2012, in 2014, when christie was doing the rga work. these are guys who have tried to avoid a fight. you see christie still trying to stay on the ropes and not get

in. >> what is he doing with this, i'm not going to talk about him, you should be ashamed of covering him, because he's the only guy saying anything. >> christie's got a plan. he's got the endorsement of the union leader. >> what's been their record? >> their record -- >> well, two out of nine. two out of nine, they've won the new hampshire primary, much less anything else. >> but the endorsement still does him some good in new hampshire. >> he's number seven up there. >> and you put in perspective -- >> the rah-rah he's trying to create here. >> but this issue of addiction, that's been good for him. i think the paris attacks are good for him, because he talks tough. he looks confident on that. i think he's at least somebody worth watching. >> what was he sclumping down in his chair for? wasn't that an odd sort of picture there, schlumping down there. >> i think he was just relaxed. >> you see him at the town halls, in terms of being a candid talent, christie has it. >> what's with the white shirts? that's their uniform.

>> why does he always wear white shirts? >> he's a former prosecutor. >> and he always walks around with his coat off, showing just whiteness. i don't -- >> what would be better? what do you want? >> i don't think that's his biggest problem. >> speaking of snow blind. >> his biggest problem is bridgegate's not good for him. >> the hill newspaper says many donors could sit the rex out if trump gets the nomination. now they're worried about him getting the nomination. gop establishment donors have confided to "the hill" for the first time in recent memory, they find themselves contemplating not supporting a republican nominee for president. maybe their wives will push them to hillary. meanwhile, the republican establishment has reacted to trump's continued lead these past few weeks with a mix of denial, fear, and here's a great word, loathing. >> he's not going to be the nominee, martha, because at the

end, look, he may have 20% of the vote, but he's got 80% of republicans who don't support him. >> you say he won't get the nomination? what if he does? will you support him? >> he's not going to. >> but -- >> so we're not even going to go there. >> he's got a high floor and a low ceiling. i'm not certain that he's going to be able to consolidate much out of that vote he appears today. i still think he's unlikely to win it. i don't want to say the chances are 0 or 5%, but i think it's unlikely. >> i regretted lumping carson with trump. i said neither were qualified to be president. and i have come to kind of loathe donald trump. >> that's sweet. by the way, did you ask karl rove who won ohio last election? >> yeah! >> isn't he still running around with meghan kelly, arguing the ohio -- >> what was interesting -- >> if you're wrong after the election, you couldn't be right before it! >> you know what was interesting about what he said, he had previously said, in the summer he said, donald trump will not be the nominee, period. he's not saying that anymore.

he's saying it is unlikely he's the nominee. >> i would say the plausibility factor has gone way up on this guy. i don't ask anybody here to agree with me, i think there are three candidates clearly in the running now. i think rubio's definitely in the running. i think cruz, because of the south, might go to him. i think if donald trump is still in this fight when we go south in march, i think he's going to be there. and, of course, cruz. cruz, rubio, and trump. but it now has come to be a true thinking, i think the three have a chance. all three have a chance. you're the republican. >> yeah, no, i think they do. >> all three. >> i think they do, but i think trump has more of a chance, because the other two -- >> he's more plausible. >> the other two haven't found a way to take him out. >> is he the favorite now? >> he is the favorite. >> michael steele says trump's the favorite. >> he's the punitive front-runner for the gop nomination, period, end of sentence. >> wow! >> go to the next paragraph. >> what is that changing? >> so folks in the establishment

need to get their, you know, their act together and figure out those two questions. who takes him out and when do they do it? and they've got eight weeks left. >> you know -- >> and if you go back to february with that wind in his sails, how do you stop him in the south? alabama, tennessee -- >> their going to love -- who's going to stop trump? >> what's going to stop -- >> we've seen those numbers. and i'm not knocking anybody. the white voter, republican voter who hasn't gone to college tends to be a very big trump voter, in terms of just numbers. i'm not making the elitist attitude. it's just a fact. down south, they'll find some people that will meet that description and like him. >> nick nixon once told pat buchanan, my friend, i dare say that, that whenever you hear about a stop-x movement, bet on "x." if we have a stop-trump movement, bet on trump. >> you know where the money -- the establishment money that wouldn't go to trump if he's the nominee, that will go to senate races. because if trump is the nominee, you've got to hold the senate. and i think of the eight most

competitive senate races, seven are in presidential swing states. >> ohio, pennsylvania, colorado -- >> i can't actually name them all, but -- >> new hampshire, that's four. >> there's a big risk for republicans that trump runs, trump gets the nomination, they don't think he can win the presidency, he could deliver the senate. >> i forgot, nevada. these are all close ones. >> think about super tuesday. march 1st, all these southern primaries. the most telling moment i've had in this campaign is driving through mobile, alabama, through florida, they all have trump signs. >> i have a theory that the republican party isn't anymore war like than the democratic party when it comes to troop movements. they tack tough, but the idea of putting a couple hundred thousand or even 50,000 troops over there and having a real war is almost a no-no now. take a look at this. this is ted cruz. he opened up an interesting line of attack against marco rubio this week.

he said rubio is too much for interventions. trump also called him out by name. said he's a neo con. senator rubio emphatically supported hillary clinton in toppling moammar gadhafi in libya. i think that made no sense. no you look at president barack obama and hillary clinton, and for that matter, some of the more aggressive washington right, probably the most hard right candidate in a long time saying, we are not a hawk party. robert, that's a dramatic statement. >> cruz has been trying for years to balance wean the mccain wing of the party and the rand paul wing and he thinks -- >> is he rand paul now? >> he is, because he sees paul is not opening up any momentum. >> and there are too many guys pushing the hawk side. christie's a hawk, kasich's a hawk. >> because they want to go after obama, right? they want to say, i'm not going to be like bo. he's been too reluctant to use military force abroad and that

pushes you to a position that gets you closer to george w. bush. >> any chance the republicans will run somebody to the w. side of hillary clinton? in other words, trump or cruz? >> it's a real possibility. and if you detach the name from that quote and just run that quote, who does that sound like? you know? >> who's it sound like to you? >> sounds like someone from the center left. it sounds like -- >> write live. >> anyway, president obama is in paris today with over 100 other world leaders trying to confront the crisis of climate change. back home, the republican candidates seem to agree, he shouldn't have even made the trip. let's listen. >> i'd be uncertain whether i would attend a meeting like that, where it seems like the movement is towards policies that will hurt our economy. >> pundits are always change and we cannot say, we cannot say that our activity doesn't contribute to changing the climate. what i'm saying is, it's not a crisis. the climate's been changing forever and it will always

change. >> what science are you relying on to say it's not a crisis? >> that's my science. i don't see evidence that it's a crisis. >> we have a president over there worried about climb change instead of worried about nuclear weapons coming into the middle of our cities, okay? we're being run by stupid people. we do have weather that changes. you have storms and you have tornadoes and you have hurricanes. and you had 'em always. >> is the republican party against concern about climb climate change, michael? that seems to be the line. we're not concerned. >> i think christie sort of sums up where the center of the party tends to be on this issue, and that is, it's not as big a crisis as everyone claims it is. >> susan, do you read it that way? >> interesting what president obama said about this morning in paris, when he got a question about it in his news conference. he said, basically, they're just posturing. one of them gets elected president, they'll see things my way when it comes to climate change. >> wow, that's one thing from the voter. >> most strategists in these republican campaigns tell me,

they never want to bring up climate change. it's only the press who brings up climate change. they don't want to bring it up on their own. >> tough, that's our job, bring up inconvenient truths, as al gore would say. robert costa, brilliant. susan, thanks, as always. and michael, thank you. with two months before iowa, is there going to be a debate on the democratic side, a real debate about national security and the power of wall street, and the things that matter to the progressive left. 13 of the 14 women democrats in the united states senate are back hillary clinton, as of yesterday, and we'll hear from one of them in a minute. plus, the republican presidential candidate rick santorum is here to talk about his campaign and what if anything his party can do to stop donald trump. and ted cruz goes on a bender about contraception. you've got to hear this one to believe it. and donald trump talks about a $5 million blackmail plan to appear in the next debate. he won't come without the money. cruz and trump share the wheel of the clown car tonight. finally, let me finish with

a strange unknown world of the united states senator ted cruz. and this is "hardball," the place for politics.

some bipartisanship in washington today on capitol hill. house and senate negotiators announced an agreement on a five-year transportation bill that will increase spending for highways, bridges, and mass transit. the bill will also renew the bank. a vote's expected in the coming days, as lawmakers face a friday deadline and we'll be right back. when a moment turns romantic why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night.

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i can tell you that hillary is going to win the new hampshire primary. >> i can tell you this. hillary clinton is going to win iowa! >> and i will be working my earrings off to elect hillary. how about you? >> just like all of us, she still puts her pantsuits on one leg at a time.

>> i just have one question. are you ready for hillary? >> well, if you're ready for me, i'm ready for you! ♪ >> she looks great there. welcome back to "hardball." that was an event last night here in washington which turned into a rally more former secretary of state hick lick. 13 of the 14 democratic women in the u.s. senate officially threw their support behind her, their former senate colleague. and now their party's 2016 front-runner. but even though hillary clinton leads big in the polls, of course, the nomination is not in the bag yet, certainly. vermont senator bernie sanders is still manning an aggressive challenge to clinton and maintains that he's the real progressive when it comes to standing up to wall street and opposing military action abroad. joining me now, one of bernie sanders' senate colleagues who is backing senator clinton. barbara boxer is a senator from california, retiring in 2017. it's so great to have you on.

you are a hero. you win, you're a liberal, you don't change. you're a progressive, you don't bring in your sails. you sail full forth and you win again and again and again. and again. and one more again there. let me ask you, what is the argument, if you can discern it, that separates hillary clinton from bernie sanders? is it important? >> well, you have three people running for the democratic nomination. i think hillary's the standout. i don't think you can look at anybody else who brings all of that experience as a first lady, as a private lawyer, representing the children's defense fund, as a united states senator who went down to ground zero and fought for those first responders, as a secretary of state who understands how to use soft power and hard power. she's just a unique person for this moment. and so, it's nothing negative about anybody else. and i think it's healthy to have a primary. i really do think it is. and everybody's ideas, i think,

when hillary eventually wins, will be melded into her platform. i believe that. bernie's a great fighter for the middle class. he's terrific. he's passionate, and i think that he's going to make hillary a better candidate. >> what about hillary clinton, in terms of her foreign policy instincts, when you look at her record going back through her role as secretary of state and state senator, do you see her more hawkish than most democrats or somewhere in the middle, among democrats. >> yeah, i hear you. i don't think you can call her hawkish. i do think that she'll take each individual case and look at it and come out with some strategy. sometimes, it's going to be using the threat of force, sometimes it won't be. it will be doubling down on diplomacy. i think she showed her mettle when the decision was made to go after osama bin laden and she was in that room. i think that she would look at

each particular situation with that clear set of eyes that she has. but i will say, i didn't agree with her on the iraq war. i was one of 23, that's it, in the senate who didn't agree with her. and she has since said those magic words, "i was wrong," and i give her tremendous credit for that. a lot of people, like george w. bush, will never say those words. >> yeah, well, maybe that's family loyalty. i don't know what that is. maybe it's stupidity. >> whatever it is. >> let me ask you about this tough -- i know you're a progressive and you follow all these issues, this is not going in the weeds, this is important stuff. the brady bill. it seems that bernie sanders is not a supporter, like most of us, of gun safety rules. he holds back on it. he says because of his more conservative rural state. what do you make of that? >> i think that's a clear difference. he talks about how, if we're angry, we're not going to get anywhere. i don't quite get it, because he's entry about a lot of things, but i think that hillary has come forward, very clearly.

she represents the vast majority of people in saying we need those universal background checks. we need safety features on guns, and she said yesterday, by the way, that clip was so exciting for me to re-live what happened yesterday with that wonderful rally that we did have for her. she basically is very, very clear and says, look, if you're a suspected terrorist on the no-fly list, you shouldn't be able to buy a weapon. these are very common sense measures and bernie has a hard time with them, because he does come from a state that has very few restrictions in vermont. >> el well, senator sanders has also attacked the former secretary of state for her ties to wall street. let's listen and see what you think of this charge. >> why, over her political career, has wall street been a major -- the major campaign contributor to hillary clinton? now, maybe they're dumb and they don't know what they're going to get, but i don't think so.

>> you know, i'm not a politician, senator, but i always wonder why -- i've thought about this, why didn't secretary clinton just say, i represented wall street for six years in the u.s. senate, eight years, that's part of my constituency. you may not like rich people, fine, but there's a lot good people that work on wall street. a lot of them are good democrats and progressives on most issues. why shouldn't i take their money? instead she said, it had something to do with 9/11. i didn't buy that. your thoughts? >> well, i think she has said in the past that she, of course, represented in new york. but it may surprise your viewers and you to know they worked on wall street. i had an economics degree straight out of college. it was very difficult as a woman to work on wall street, it's a whole other story. i won't go into it. but what does that mean? you work on wall street. there are great people on wall street. there are people who i don't like on wall street. there are progressives, there are conservatives. the thing with bernie is -- and i love him and i work with him and i enjoy him -- i think he's terrific, he's passionate. he gets so angry at groups of people and he paints them with a

broad brush. and i think you're absolutely right when you say hillary represented new york. it's like saying, i represent silicon valley and i help them. i do! i help the entertainment industry, you know, the tourist industry. this is my state. so -- >> i've got to ask you a question. >> when you're president, you've got to represent everybody. you've got to bring everybody into a room. you don't want to leave people out of the room. i just negotiated that highway bill that you talked about. >> congratulations. yes just talked about it. i just took a train ride across the country and i love anything on infrastructure. personal question to you, barbara boxer. you look great. you're youngish. i think i am too. >> young at heart! >> why are you quitting? >> i'm not quitting. i'm going to keep working, but i really want to go to california, chris. my heart is there. so i'm going to work, i'm going to be out there. i'm going to be involved. you're going to see probably more of me. but i have so much pep and

energy and i'm not leaving the scene, but i want to go home. and, you know, identify given -- at the office, i've been in elected office for 40 years, when you add it all up. >> that is amazing. >> for local government and it's been a privilege and an honor and i leave with such a full heart and a happy heart. and i think it's time for me to do a full other things. and you'll hear about them, i'm sure. >> you've done pretty well for a marin county activist on social issues, you're amazing and you keep winning elections and you have not bent to popular opinion. you've simply been barbara boxer. thank you very much for coming on. >> it's a big compliment, thank you. >> it's all true. anyway, up next, presidential candidate rick santorum will be here with me, live on set. and this is "hardball," the place for politics.

it is brutal out there. if you're a conservative and you're running for office, it is not a fun thing. the other side hates what we want to do. and, unfortunately, they don't separate what we want to do from

us. >> this is a beating. it's a beating, running for president of the united states. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was, of course, former pennsylvania senator rick santorum lamenting challenges on the campaign trail. as i said earlier, it's just two months now until the iowa caucuses are coming february 1st. four years ago this week, santorum, who's with me right now, was trailing in the polls. he was only down at 4, as you see him there, but he went on to score a narrow victory. he was the top guy in the iowa caucuses, coming back in one month. today he's polling near the bottom gep, tied at 2% with chris christie and mike huckabee. does he have what it takes for another come-from-behind victory in the hawkeye state? former senator rick santorum is with me here tonight. you did it once. in fact, you did it in one month and now you've got two months to do it. how are you going to do it? from 4% to 2% to winning? >> nate silver published an article just a few days ago where he said, look, what's the hysteria going on here? according to all the polls, 80% of the people who are answering

these polls are undecided. and i can tell you "the des moines register" poll, the most recent one, 88% of iowans are undecided. that was the case four years ago. 58% of the people who voted for me in the iowa caucuses decided the last five years. >> what did you do? you must be going back in your mind saying, what worked for me last time? >> just going out and meeting iowans, one on one. spending time. we're building up our team right now. we're ahead of our schedule of where we were four years ago in signing up caucus captains. if you're sitting at 1% or 2% in the polls and people are signing up to be your caucus captain, they're not going to leave you. >> the bad news is, in my business here, you secede at something, people imitate you. you've got ted cruz trying to be you, they're all trying to do what you did. so you're all competing for the same conservative look. >> they're all competing in the conservative area, but none of them are doing the work on the ground that we are.

i've already been to all 99 counties in iowa. i'll continue to work hard. >> you going to that motorcycle place again? remember that one? >> no, that wasn't -- >> yes, it was. it was some kind of a harley place we went to. i said, what are we doing here? oh, yeah. >> i did almost 400 visits issue. >> this guy will do the smallest place. >> we did a lot of -- >> yesterday, you toured a gun factory in south carolina, where i asked about killing of a police officer and two others at a planned parenthood clinic in colorado and whether anti-abortion rhetoric contributed to the shooting. here was your response. >> whether it's killed by a gun or killed in an abortion mill, we should find that a tragedy in this country. and the idea that somehow or another guns are responsible for this is just like saying surgical equipment is responsible for abortion. >> i don't know why that doesn't work with me, but because abortions are always a function of the mother, potential mother, saying, i don't want to have

this baby. so she makes the decision, whereas guns are all over the place. anybody can get a gun and use it. >> the point is, you're ending an innocent human life. and the inanimate object is not the person ending -- you can say it's legitimate or not legitimate. >> but do you think we would have mass shootings if we didn't have guns? how would we have them? >> we have mass shootings in cities where guns are banned? >> but they're not banned, really, because you can get a gun anywhere. >> you can get a gun anywhere -- >> we don't have mass shootings all over europe? >> what do you mean?! we just had a mass shooting in paris! >> these are terrorist attacks. >> you're just -- you're missing. america a violent society because of guns. >> america is a violent society because of the culture, because of, i would argue, the breakdown of the family. i would argue there's a lot of reason why people are resorting -- we have a scourge of mental illness in this country, where for a lot of reasons, that we aren't dealing with and dealing with responsibly.

>> what was your reaction -- and i know you care about life and you're a true believer in that. what was your reaction when the guy said "no more baby parts"? >> it sickened me, but it didn't sicken me anymore when the guy had to finish a family research council last week and tried to shoot people and he was being motivated by rhetoric on the other side. people with mental illness grab on to sometimes very legitimate arguments and twist them, because that's what all this does. i think that's really the focus here. we shouldn't be saying, well, you can haven't a legitimate debate about this issue, when, in fact, there are legitimate debates about portion. >> well, six children lost a parent in that shooting at the planned parenthood clinic out in colorado. "the new york times" editorial board writes, "no amount of dead bodies seems enough to spur lawmakers to rein in access to guns, let's focus on the living, the children gun violence leaves behind. here's a thought for lawmakers who refuse to consider any meaningful legislation to reduce the daily carnage of gun

violence across america. thanks to your single-minded defend of unfettered gun rights at the expense of all reason and respect for life, there is an endless supply of children to be consoled. >> i would say this. if we had people at that scene who had guns, that wouldn't have happened. >> you think people are the planned parenthood should be having arms. >> should have conceal/carry, and carry all -- >> you really want people in a clinic to have guns? >> why wouldn't they -- i believe people should be -- should have the right to carry guns wherever they want to carry -- >> you mean a doctor and a nurse in an operating room? >> those are law-abiding people -- >> seriously, functionally, you say we can prevent this tragedy if we had people armed. you expect people to be armed in a doctor's office? >> where do you think these people commit crimes? they go to places, these people who are ill, they go to places where they know no one's going to have a gun. if you have a -- i know that sounds somehow foreign to certain ears, but the fact is, they don't go to places where

people are armed. they go to -- >> no, i don't think it sounds foreign. what i think is weird is, when we grew up with matt dillon, it said, keep your guns at the city limits. there were always ordinances about guns. it's not -- we don't have guns -- >> the bad guys have guns. that's the problem. there's no way around that -- >> do you support the nra all the way when they say they want guns in bars where people are getting drunk, they should have a gun with them. you're not for that, are you? >> i believe that responsible people carrying weapons actually reduces crime in america and saves -- >> if a responsible person walks into a saloon wearing a gun -- >> many people do, of course they do! of course they do. not everybody walks into a saloon, chris, gets drunk. >> well, that's -- some do. >> well, some do. >> and those guns are loaded. thank you. >> not necessarily -- >> you've got to be pro-life about some of this stuff. >> i am pro-life about it. >> guns and booze don't mix. do they? >> all i'm saying sta is that the more people we have responsibly carry, the less

violence we'll have in this country. >> moderation in all things, rick santorum. i do root for you personally, although politically we're not too close. we'll be right back with the "hardball" roundtable after this. it's hard to find time to keep up on my shows.

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welcome back to "hardball." sex, violence, blackmail, and birtherism. we've got an action-packed clown car tuesday right now, led by ted cruz and donald trump. let's get right to it with the "hardball" roundtable. jonathan capehart is a opinion writer with "the washington post" and we begin tonight with talk of condoms. that's the first time i think i've ever said the word on television on the campaign trail. at a town hall in iowa, ted cruz was asked about his thoughts on making contraception available to women. he spopd responded with a tirade, a tear against the democratic party's, quote, war on women, which included some colorful details about his own sex life.

>> as i noted, heidi and i, we have two little girls. i'm very glad we don't have 17. jiminy cricket, this is a made up, nonsense example. last i checked, we don't have a rubber shortage in america. but -- look, when i was in college, we had a machine in the bathroom, you put 50 cents in, voila! you're hillary clinton, and you're trying to think, how do i run? so what do you do? you go, ahah! the condom police. i'm going to make up a completely made-up threat and try to scare a bunch of folks that are not paying a lot of attention into thinking someone's going to steal their birth control. what nonsense! >> okay, he had a point to make, but what a strange way to make it.

a little tmi? too much information? >> no glove, no love is his slogan now? >> jiminy cricket, chris! >> jiminy cricket! >> chris, here's the thing -- >> jiminy cricket, walt disney, 40, 50 years ago. >> sounds like mitt romney. >> golly gee darn! >> here's the thing i'll say about what senator cruz said. did you notice the example he used? rubbers, condoms, birth control is not just the province of men! the question was about reproductive health, about the so-called war on women. you know, to make a baby, it requires two people. to have sexual relations, it requires two people. >> so was hillary referring in her comments about pills, about iuds, what was she talking about, molly? >> you know, look, this is an ongoing pet peeve of the republicans, though -- >> what form of birth control was she referencing? >> i don't know. but this pet peeve the republicans have, the democrats are routinely accusing them of trying to take away all forms of

birth control when they were trying to do away with abortion and certain forms of birth control that they consider to be tantamount to abortion. and so that's not untrue, right? so republicans are sick of being accused of this. >> so why did he go into detail about his use of condoms? >> to get attention. >> because his mind is warped. but, there is a war on some forms of contraception, as you mentioned, and so, if he just wants to make believe that iuds and hormonal therapies, you know, that stop pregnancies once there's consummation, if he wants to pretend there's not part of it, he's wrong, because they all support -- most of them, personhood bills that would outlaw a lot of major forms of contraception. >> contraception prevents conception. so it's after the fact it's abortive, or whatever the term is. so abortion versus contraception is the debate. >> and iuds, where they fall. >> a lot of pro-choice people say 99% of -- >> but we can get into the

details, but it still is contraception. >> see how expert we all are? >> anyway, here's more from cruz. here's what cruz told hugh hewitt's radio show yesterday, when the topic turned to the attack on planned parenthood that killed three people out in colorado springs. >> you know, every time you have some sort of violent crime or mass killing, you can almost see the media salivating, hoping, hoping desperately that the murderer happens to be a republican so they can use it to try to taint their political enemy. now, listen, here's the simple and undeniable fact. the overwhelming majority of violent criminals are democrats. the media doesn't report that. >> you know, no one is ever accused a mass killer of being a registered republican. >> and no one's saying that the guy who blew up, you know, who's alleged to have shot up those people in colorado is a

republican. they're talking about, he may have been listened to some conservative talking points, that demonized planned parenthood. and like -- >> i like the way you're so careful to say "alleged." you can say the shooter. >> that's what you have to say, you can live in a country where people are innocent until proven guilty. chris, you know that. >> you believe your lying eyes? >> democrats are the ones who commit the most crimes? in anything, most crimes are probably committed with democratic neighborhoods with democrats being the victims. >> i've never done head count on partisan labels, either for street criminals or for mass shooters. >> i think it's interesting that a person in a party that constantly complains about being singled out and blamed for this, that, and the other. the president's divisive and others are divisive is actually using language that is divisive. >> i'm a victim, too. next up, donald trump is talking about charging cnn an appearance fee to show up to the next

republican debate come december 15th. here he is. >> how about when he do this for cnn. i won't do the debate unless they pay me $5 million all of which money goes to the wounded warriors or goes to vets. truth. truth. i would love to do it. if i do it, i have to a feeling i could face repercussions in the polls. should i do it or not? i don't know if i want to take the chance. i don't know. >> molly, it's interesting, he's out there having this public, you know, discussion. if i do this little gimmick, will that be bad for my polls? that's an odd thing for a politician to admit to, that's how he judges decisions. >> well, he's not like any other politician, he's fixated on polls. half of his stump speech is polls and the other half is bashing the media. >> any chance he'll skip the cnn debate in -- >> zero. >> last time, he said, look how much money they're making on these commercials. i want them to take that money

and give it to the wounded warriors. >> why doesn't he just give the $5 million to the vets and not take it out on cnn. >> i think we're making a point here, pushing a point. it's obviously a pr stunt and it works because we're talking about it. the roundtable is sticking with us, up next, these two will tell us something i don't know. this is "hardball," the place for politics.

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we're back with the

"hardball" roundtable. molly, tell me something i don't know. >> you talked earlier about the slow motion establishment freakout over donald trump who i really hear the republican establishment freaking out about right now is ted cruz. he had see him being strategic, they see his rise and fear trump is making him look reasonable to a lot of people. >> smart. >> a terrible nominee. >> they fear him just as much as trump. the trump people like him. >> yes, there are problems with the affordable care act but there are two nuggets out that show that it is indeed working. first one is that we are at the lowest point of uninsured ever. since they've been keeping numbers. 10.4% uninsured in 2014 and in the early part of 2015, it's down by 2. >> who is not benefiting, who is left out in the cold? >> people living in states where medicaid hasn't been expanded and the second thing is, the 80/20 rule where insurance companies have to rebate, have to spend 80% of their money on care.

>> op-ed page or an unsigned editorial so i can use it as commentary because i like it. >> in england, a group of activists put a petition on an official government website that says donald trump should be barred from entering england because of his hateful speech. this is an official process. if it gets passed through the committee and 10,000 people sign this, the government has to respond. >> we fought the revolution over there. that's a bill of retainer. you can't attack people for crimes that weren't crimes before they committed them. that's why we had the revolution against the british. we'll be right back after this. it's hard to find time to keep up on my shows.

that's why i switched from u-verse to xfinity. now i can download my dvr recordings and take them anywhere. ready or not, here i come! (whispers) now hide-and-seek time can also be catch-up-on-my-shows time. here i come! can't find you anywhere!

don't settle for u-verse. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. let me finish tonight with a strange unknown world of the united states senator ted cruz. is there a world where the media including me speaks about the party membership of mass killers? is this something we do when a mad man sprays bullets into a zoo room or movie theater, we cite the suspect's age, something about their known behavior beforehand, what the neighbors could say about the person. do you ever remember me or anyone else in the journalism world saying the alleged killer was a registered republican or democrat or whatever? did we ever say whether they were a frequent voter or not? did you ever hearsay in a program on prisoners in penitentiaries what number of those in the pen were democrats or republicans? no.

rubio's right on this one, we don't. why should we? is there something to be learned in conducting a partisan roll call in sing sing or san quentin or folsom prison? i can't think of it right now any more than i can imagine the need to report on the voting habits if they were publicly determinable of a mass killer. there's only one place on this planet where people wish to inquire to the voting habits of either mass killers or street criminals, in the mind of senator ted cruz of texas. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now had. tonight on "all in" -- >> this morning, i formally asked for his resignation. >> mayor rahm emanuel's fires chicago's top cop as he faces backlash over the laquan mcdonald video. >> he has become an issue rather than dealing with the issue. and a distraction. >> reverend jesse jackson says that is not enough. i'll ask him if the mayor should be next.