Skip to main content

tv   Countdown With Keith Olbermann  MSNBC  December 13, 2010 11:00pm-12:00am EST

11:00 pm
right. the momentum is to say, look, this is the best we can get. barack obama has given up on philosophy. he's not worried about philosophical arguments. that's appealing to many voters, including independent voters that he's lost in the last year or so. >> then howard, turns out you have gotten the last word tonight. i want to thank everyone, governor rendell, john fund, everyone, that's the last word. follow countdown is up next. which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? the great sell out nears. >> the motion is agreed to. >> the first test vote in the senate, harry reid and mitch mcconnell is a slam dunk. >> i do think that this package
11:01 pm
required me to take things i didn't like and requires them to take things they don't like. that's part of the compromise. >> or? >> do we need to give tax breaks to the rich to drive up the national debt so that our kids and grandchildren will pay higher taxes in order to pay off that national debt caused by tax breaks for the rich? >> our special guest tonight. nine old men, nine bankers control and manipulate the derivatives market. a virginia federal judge rules the mandated health care reform is unconstitutional. a virginia federal judge who owns part of a republican strategy company that worked against health care reform and the judge's company paid $9,000 files a lawsuit. howard dean joins me. in washington the view is that
11:02 pm
the banks are to be regulate and my view is that washington and the regulators there to serve the banks. you know what this is to glen beck? this is proof there is no climate change. and the catholic league attacks the young men's christian association for emphasizing frosty the snowman instead of santy at a christmas party. >> that's what they call santa claus. >> you can't fool me, there ain't no santa claus. >> all the commentary and more now on countdown. >> you will be very, very sorry. >> good evening from new york. this is monday, december 13th. today the non-triumph of bipartisanship as gis guide
11:03 pm
champions of the middle class join it is phony deficit hawks and agree to extend all the taxes. most will have been in place for 12 years and become immovable objects. the senate voting for thosure on the deal between the president and republican leaders. 83 yes votes and the procedural votes with support for the actual bill. the tax relief act cosponsored by harry reid and mitch mcconnell. president obama touted the support and said he shared the concerns of the critics. >> that's the nature of compromise. sacrificing something that each of us cares about to move forward on what matters to all of us. right now that's growing the economy and creating jobs. so i urge the house of representatives to act quickly on this important matter. >> $858 billion tax package includes a 13-month extension of
11:04 pm
unemployment benefits and a truck load of so-called tax extenders and goodies. ethanol subsidy defending his subsidy by citing the others in the bill. >> let me tell you about the subsidies that are in this bill. you may think that ethanol is the only one of them. think about the employment tax credit. the subsidy for new market tax credit and railroad maintenance and seven-year recovery period for mortars and entertainment places. >> the lead negotiator for house democrats said that the bill will not ultimately be held up. >> most of us understand we got to make tough compromises and agree with almost all of what the president negotiated. there is one thing that just was the choking point and that deals with the estate tax break. i am confident when we get to
11:05 pm
january, there will be no tax increases on middle income americans and also that portion with respect to the top rate earners. >> let us not forget how it will be different two years from now, especially for republicans. the white house economic adviser. >> in 2012 that's not going to be the circumstance. i believe they will have to stand up and defend on their own merits that they think these high income tax cuts work. they will not be able to because they don't. >> what are about the not working now? from the president, newfound confidence over what he will do. i can conty dentally say that and i haven't made an announcement, but if i ran for reelection, i would not extend the bush tax cuts beyond this two-year deal. i can confidently say that. the tea partiers endorsing were
11:06 pm
opposing this deal. the astroturfing freedom works supports the bill because it represents an opportunity to avert the coming tax disaster. you know, the disaster where millionaires and billionaires may be taxed. conservative radio host hew hewitt said they spend millions with the tax hike the country voted against. they like the tax cuts, but not the obama tax cuts and hate unemployment insurance extension. they didn't vote against tax hikes for millionaires. who voted against this mess? the 15 nays were these. his 8 1/2-year-old filibuster left friday joins me for a
11:07 pm
four-minute interview thank you for your time. >> good to be with you. >> every one of my viewers asked me to extend thanks and congratulations for what you did on friday. the caveat to that is why were you the only one speaking that way? >> i was joined by a couple of others very briefly, but i think we have a problem. the problem is the democrats have to show more courage. the president has to show courage in rallying the american people and changing the narrative. keith, it's not just that this is a bad bill in terms of what it does for the middle class and the benefits for the wealthy. we are developing a narrative that said despite the fact that the democrats control the white house and the house of representatives and the senate, the democrats are on the defensive and the republicans are on the offensive and two years from now after the debate
11:08 pm
begins, we talk about extending the breaks for the rich even more. we talk about another payroll tax holiday which means that billions more will not be coming in to social security. you will talk about more compromises which says we didn't cut social security by 20% and we only cut it by 10%. aren't we doing well? we have to change that dynamic. >> practically speaking with the tax cuts for the middle class connected at the hip for tax cuts, what other options are there? is there any way to kill the tax cuts for the rich without killing for the middle class? >> at this particular moment? >> yes. >> unless the democrats and the house pull off a miracle, i don't see that is likely. my fear is what you said earlier in the show. two years from now, i can't conceive that these tax breaks will not be extended. furthermore, as this deficit
11:09 pm
goes up, as the national debt goes up, trust me, republicans will say we want cuts in social security, medicare, medicaid, education, environmental protection and we are going to consistently be on the defensive unless we take the case to the american people, we get them to stand up and put pressure on republicans rather than us always being on the receiving end of this. >> the next time unemployment benefits come up for extension, democrats will have to give up what? >> what the republicans remember, these concessions took place right now with the democrats controlling three branches. what do you think happens next time? the republicans do not see the word concession in their lexicon. that's not what they do. unless the american people begin to stand up and really demand that the congress protect
11:10 pm
ordinary people rather than the wealthy, we will continue to be on the defensive. >> why there was a rush to call all this that was done today, not only a middle class protection bill, but a bipartisan effort. what was that about? you know it better than the rest of us. >> what the president is moving forward towards is more bipartisan activity. if you look at the reduction commission, alan simpson and that was a lot of bad stuff in there. i am very nervous that unless we get moving aggressively, raising the retirement age of social security and cutting benefits and cutting back on education, et cetera, that is going to be the deficit reduction rather than progressive taxation doing away with corporate tax loopholes. i'm afraid we will be on the
11:11 pm
defensive and that concerns me about this bill. not only was it not a good bill, but it sets the tone for more and more retreat in the coming two years. we go out to the american people and rally them and ask them, how many people want to see substantial cuts in social security and more tax breaks for the rich and cut backs in education? that's the approach we have to take, i think. >> unless that's done, everybody will see those things and say we don't want them and it will be too late to do anything about it. senator, again thanks for your time tonight. it was an extraordinary thing to watch on friday. thank you for upholding democracy. >> thank you very much. >> let's turn to the washington editor of the nation, chris hayes. good evening. >> hey there, keith. >> a tough act to follow. tax cuts now and forever? >> that's what's interesting as you think of this as a
11:12 pm
bipartisan compromise. tax cuts are the central core existential feature of the modern republican party. it's the one thing that everyone in the republican party agrees on all the time. the anti-tax splej the manifesto and the central plank and the founding document and post reagan republicanism. it's not surprising that republicans are getting behind a plan that involves a lot of tax cuts. that's what they do. if you look at and compare this what people are calling stimulus, that first recovery act was a kind of consensus bipartisan approach. half spending and half tax cuts. three total republican votes and that's the problem. the a symmetry. you can't find a bargaining partner for public investment. only a partner on their idea logical terms which is tax cuts. >> the democrats are going along
11:13 pm
with this and dressing it up as middle class tax relief to try to buy the votes of people who don't realize what they are actually selling is worth more than they are going to get? >> no. i think the reason the democrats are going along with it in the senate and the house is because the white house led them into this and they don't quite have it in them to buck the white house. some of them think it's a good deal. the white house's thinking is basically they want to get as much money falling out of the economy as possible. this was the way they are able to do it. if it has bad distributional effects and ends up being $115 billion to the wealthiest over two years, that's the price they pay to get the other things they want. as you said in the opening, it's hard to have confidence that they are going to do that. >> how does austin's remark and the overall attitude here that
11:14 pm
we will get them in 2012. by then it will be proof that the bush tax cuts don't work. they don't work now. how can you sell a battle plan that you abandoned. we will do it in two years. we will screw you now, but not in two years. >> disingenuous. they didn't work. zero net job growth. on the merits, it's hard to make an argument that they helped job growth. think of two situations. the economy does well in the next two years and every republican will say the recovery was caused by the extension of this tax cut regime. fine. let's say the economy doesn't do well and recovery is anemic and recovery is high, they will say you cannot raise taxes in the midst of a recession. either way, they are going to be arguing for more tax cuts. if you can't make the argument now, it's unclear why you can in two years. >> this is the statement to the
11:15 pm
local station interview from the president. i can confidently say that if i ran for reelection that i wouldn't extend for the well to do beyond this two-year deal. i can confidently say that. your turn. >> this is exactly why the hostage metaphor is useful in so far as with the hostage situation, the reason they don't negotiate with hostage takers is because you need a credible denial threat. you don't want to incentivize actions if you give them once, you get the future. this is from the game theory perspective. what credible threat is there that he will now stare them down with again? it's the same ticking time bomb. that set this all up to begin with. completely preposterous policy 10 years ago that some sent in the tax cuts to make him look smaller knowing it would be hard to raise them back to the rates
11:16 pm
after 10 years. it's the same time bomb that has been put in place here. with that, if you are unable to stand your ground and let it blow up this time, you have little credibility that you can do it next time. >> during a presidential election campaign. chris hayes, thank you, chris. the judge who just ruled against health care owns part of a strategy firm that worked against health care reform. this is the banana republic states of america? that doesn't prove it, nine bankers control and manipulate the derivatives market. nine guys. down. straight. go straight. no, to the right. to the right. >> go to the right, go to the right. >> whoa! >> whoa! >> what is that? >> man: well, that's a, uh... i don't know. >> whoa. >> can we call him blinky? >> woman: expert teaching. deeper learning.
11:17 pm
together, we are the human network. cisco. to save in insurance.
11:18 pm
if nine guys explain it's the year 1895. that's next. the virginia judge who rules against health care reform has a
11:19 pm
conflict of interest so big, it will get him laughed out of the courtroom. howard dean joins us. he celebrates 10 years and which one went to court first? the war on christmas turns into the war on santa claus. we go to the battlefield. together we'll make her holiday. that's why only zales is the diamond store. where you can get up to $1,000 off now through sunday. whoa! that achy cold needs alka-seltzer plus! it rushes multiple cold fighters, plus a powerful pain reliever, wherever you need it! [ both ] ♪ oh what a relief it is!
11:20 pm
while congress and the white house colewd to ensure the rich have to contribute less in taxes next year, they want the rich to have more money in which to pay their taxes. a game changing report about the
11:21 pm
mysterious derivatives markets where the bankers accountable to no one. derivatives are financial bets about the future. they affect you more than you know. heating oil companies as the times explain it feature derivatives to hedge against big fluctuations that gives you a chance to avoid massive spikes. at what cost? nobody knows the cost. it ranges on jet fuel with the airline cost to this year's harvest with the cost of your food are bought and sold in secret. only the biggest firms know how much you pay for it. when they make the bets on the wheat prices, neither knows how much the other is getting or paying. only the middle man, wall street knows that. no one knows how much they skim off the top for itself and no one knows how much it adds to the price you pay for the bread made from that wheat they are
11:22 pm
betting on. two anonymous sources from the most powerful committees, the intercontinental exchange. the nine members in the world's biggest financial firms. not really keeping the profits secret, but blocking the open clearing houses. the other banks that might add competition. the chairman of the commission that overseeses the derivative made them more transparent. they pointed to the post despite having to cancel his role, but the times reporting speculation that the vote was canceled because he lacked the votes from fellow commissioners. amid a flurry of headlines in the ol factory sense over obama director with citigroup. he is expected to make millions after funneling billions to keep this company afloat. citigroup.
11:23 pm
then massachusetts republican senator scott brown who helped water down the reform bill, shifting 19 billion in cost, keeping the door open to bet their own money like derivatives. the boston globe revealing in three weeks when the vote emerged as the swing vote for reform. they received donations and other republicans receive said an average of just $28,000. there zero connection between policy and fund-raising. to insinuate otherwise is plain wrong. joining us is rolling stone contributor, the author of bubble machines, vampire squids. you put more meat on the bones of this times story about the wall street committees? >> this is just a straight up price fixing oligopoly. it's kind of look bookies in las
11:24 pm
vegas. imagine in they conspired to make the football lines non-published. when you went to go to bed, nobody knew the spread in the game. that's what we are dealing with. nobody knows what the prices are and false swaps and interest rate swaps. when you buy this stuff, one side was buying high and the other was buying low. they take the fat in between. >> if most banking trips are impenetratable, the ways that moan gets sucked oust main street into wall street. this is what we have no information about. >> they are unbelievably complicated. they have a hard time explaining it for each other. derivatives are basically inpenetratable to the public. this issue of clearing and putting things on open exchanges was hotly debated in congress and got no threats. nobody understands it.
11:25 pm
it's a very, very important issue. it's sort of like the stock exchange. everybody goes with the price of ibm. when you go to buy a share of ibm, it's completely clear. you are not getting shafted. when you buy a credit default swap on jet fuel or ibm or municipal bond or interest rate swap, nobody knows. you have to go to a big bank. goldman or bank of america and they tell you the price and you have to take their word for it. >> with the element of surprise and game of chance. all the rules are made up as you go along. >> right. >> he share this is commodities commission that has oversight, why is he not doing anything? >> he is an alum of goldman sachs when he was named the head of the commission. there was a lot of controversy and he turned out to be one of the good guys. what everybody is saying, he no longer has the votes to dominate the commission. you need three votes in the trading commission to get
11:26 pm
anything done. there only two republicans, but if there has been a roadblock, he no longer has the wherewithal to dominate the committee. >> the last point that there is no connection to his work on behalf of wall street and they give him $140,000? your thoughts? >> i was covering that business when the entire thing was being held up by scott brown this summer. if this revelation is true that he was getting $140,000 at the time that he was wiping out the 19 billion fee assessed on wall street to pay for the cost, that's a classic washington pay for play situation. for him to deny that it's comic. >> i love to see an outsider learning the ways of washington. always a pleasure, sir. >> if you like that, wait until you hear the incoming editor.
11:27 pm
wash waub and bank regulators are there to serve banks. ahead. ♪
11:28 pm
[ female announcer ] great wine, great price. yellow tail. let it flow, let it flow, let it flow. aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. also available in small, easy-to-swallow petites. citracal. what's that? oh, you mean this giant check for 522 big ones? it's just the staggering amount of money i save people on average when they call me, "the saver," to switch their car insurance to esurance. you mean the same amount they save when they switch to esurance online...? do we have any giant envelopes? it costs $522. can you take a check? [ female announcer ] you could save 522 big ones. see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it. people when you don't.
11:29 pm
11:30 pm
after 14 consecutive losses in court, the opposes to health care reform filed the suit and paid the company the judge owns a piece of $9,000 last year. first break and the tweet of the day is from chris jarrett. how about sal alosi. he is tripping miami quarterback
11:31 pm
normal an carroll as he ran back a punt yesterday. he apologize and has been suspended for the rest of the season. make him the worst person? he was the first guy on the jets to slow an opponent in two weeks? let's play oddball. we begin on the internet with a friendly seasonal reminder about the dangers of snow. a man is trying to avoid a roof collapse using an advanced tool. a long stick. he can't successful, but he manages to break his own gutter. persistence is the key to success. he keeps whacking away and -- there goes the dine night. at least the snow is off the roof. a similar method did not end up as well with his chimney. a charity auction received surprise performances by a
11:32 pm
vladimir putin. he climbed on stage and saying blue berry hill. the performance did not end there. i can only assume it's a request for an encore. he played the russian classic from where the mother land begins. i for one am scenticle about the timing since his cd, putin my heart on the line drops this week. west palm beach at a rehearsal for the christmas pageant. trying to be as realistic as possible, they include camels and mules. this is this is curly. the camel pauses and regains his footing, but only for an instance. down goes joe. no one was hurt except for the camel's acting career as he was cut from the show. thankfully the church followed the version with camels and not featuring the elephant.
11:33 pm
time marches on. the judge who ruled against health care reform owns part of the consulting form that worked against it. where are we living? somalia? afghanistan? myanmar? is competency. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i'm getting an upgrade. [ male announcer ] indeed, business pro. indeed. go national. go like a pro. but i wasn't winning any ribbons managing my diabetes. it was so complicated. there was a lot of information out there. but it was frustrating trying to get the answers i needed. then my company partnered with unitedhealthcare. they provided onsite screenings, healthy cooking tips. that's a recipe i'm keeping. ( announcer ) turning complex data into easy tools.
11:34 pm
we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.
11:35 pm
11:36 pm
finally, the right finds someone willing to take its side on health care reform after two judges ruled to uphold it and 14 dismissed challenges to it. the district judge is part of the affordable care act. in our third story, they happen to own part of a firm that advocated against health care reform that took $9,000 this year from one client, attorney general who filed the case on this which this judge ruled. the u.s. district judge and george w. bush appointee ruling against the man that ridate that required citizens and pay a fine and exceeds the constitutional boundary of congressional power. this dispute is not about regulating the business of insurance or crafting the
11:37 pm
universal health insurance coverage, but an individual's right to choose to participate. the first time a judge ruled against the loss since signed in march, mr. obama dismissing the rule suggest par for the course. >> that's the nature. when social security was passed, there was all kinds of lawsuits. >> the gop is calling for the supreme court to get involved as soon as possible. apparently republicans are now for judicial activism after they were against it. they showed he owns a hefty chunk of a republican consulting firm. campaign solutions inc. they worked against health care reform and characterizes hudson as a passive investor who owned stock for the past 13 years. they said the judge had no knowledge of the day to day
11:38 pm
operations. the firm's clients were some of the health care reform's biggest critics. they designate senator john mccain, congresswoman bachman and the solutions are key in launching the pack of the half term governor, hoping they have parted ways. from virginia, they paid campaign solutions $9,000 for services rendered this year. he happens to be the attorney general of virginia. that's the man who would file the lawsuit that the judge happened to rule in favor of today. i'm calling the former chairman and a cnbc contributor as well as democracy of america and former governor of vermont, howard dean. good evening. >> thank you, keith. >> one judge said part of this law is unconstitutional. what are the implications? >> i got a note that the attorney general sent out a fund-raiser about two hours after the decision. this is embarrassing for virginia.
11:39 pm
you have a judge investing in an election and clearly using this for fund-raising. it's unfortunate for the state. what does it mean? nothing. first of all, the judge, the suspect judge is in the minority. there will be other suits and other decisions and it will wind its way to the appeals court despite the fact that the republicans want to take it to the supreme court and secondly, it doesn't matter. the truth is you don't need the individual mandate to make it work. we have had universal health insurance for kids for almost 20 years in vermont. kids under 18. no individual mandate and 96% have health insurance and 1% is not eligible and 3% don't get it. about 96% of all the people in massachusetts under mitt romney's plan have insurance. 4% don't abide by it. the individual mandate, i get
11:40 pm
into arguments with people about this. you can make this program work with or without the individual mandate. i understand the administration want this is to succeed and wants no part to be overturned. this is probably the weakest part of attacking health care. it doesn't matter how the outcome is at the end of the day. >> without the mandate and being forced to pay in, this is going to be far more expensive and all the cost savings of health care goes out the window. >> that's complete nonsense. it forces 30 million more people into their clutches. most americans are responsible. if you the most irresponsible group are the young folks under 26. they can be on their parents' policy. you don't get a lot of people with kids saying we are not going to buy health insurance. that can make them bankrupt. there ways around it.
11:41 pm
you need a sign up period saying if you don't sign up, you don't get insurance and you are liable for the cost. even young people who don't have other responsibilities want to have the car or harley davidson repossessed. they get into trouble because they didn't get health insurance. there other ways without the mandate. i think the mandate is more perfect, but not absolutely necessary at all. what we have done in vermont and what they have done in massachusetts has shown that. >> is there a chance that if this were to go to the supreme court on a conservative vote, it was judge hudson's decision that was upheld and this could knock down the bill because of severability and the courts throw this part of it out, the rest of the bill is still intact and apparently that's not the case with health care reform? >> even the judge didn't rule that, not in the reports i say.
11:42 pm
he said it was severability and this court is incredibly activist. they have been known to make up the law before. i am yet to find where a corporation is a person. anything can happen in the supreme court where it's constitutional or not. the fact is even this judge with all these conflicts and so forth and so on found it was severable. >> to get back for a moment to this appearance of this judge owning part of a consulting firm that lobbied against reform and having as a client the attorney general appearing in front of him, whether or not there was a legal explanation for why it shouldn't cause people to go to prison for a few hours, how bad does that look and why is that not a de facto and anned in conflict of interest? >> two weeks ago i with democrats and republicans met
11:43 pm
with the leadership of the communist party. i find it hard to lecture the chinese on the rule of law when this stuff is going on in our count rye. it's not a guy with the piece of the action and decides against it from the bench. what about the elected judges taking money from the chamber of commerce and hearing the cases and finding it in their favor? we have a lot of problems with the rule of law here in america. you outlined one. >> we are doing a tremendous job of recreating the 1895 this this country. always a pressure. thanks for your time. washington is there to serve the banks. the republican philosophy is summarized by the party's chairman of the house financial services committee. the latest from the lunatic write there is a war on santa. he is armed. goal? replace him with frosty the snowman, a known communist. we will have a report. just shake it. [ rattling ]
11:44 pm
[ male announcer ] need ink? staples has a low price guarantee on all the ink you need. find a lower price at another store, and we'll match it. that was easy. my professor at berkeley asked me if i wanted to change the world. i said "sure." "well, let's grow some algae." and that's what started it. exxonmobil and synthetic genomics have built a new facility to identify the most productive strains of algae. algae are amazing little critters. they secrete oil, which we could turn into biofuels. they also absorb co2. we're hoping to supplement the fuels that we use in our vehicles, and to do this at a large enough scale to someday help meet the world's energy demands.
11:45 pm
host: could switching to geico realis a bird in the handre on aworth 2 in the bush?le appraiser: well you rarely see them in this good of shape. appraiser: for example the fingers are perfect. appraiser: the bird is in mint condition. appraiser: and i would say if this were to go to auction today, appraiser: conservatively it would be worth 2 in the bush. woman: really? appraiser: it's just beautiful, thank you so much for bringing it in. woman: unbelievable anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. so i take one a day men's 50+ advantage. as a manager, my team counts on me to stay focused. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus vitamin d to help maintain healthy blood pressure. [ bat cracks ] that's a hit. one a day men's.
11:46 pm
the difference between global climate and the midwest is lost on one of the foremost rocket sifts. we have an mri of his brain. first of war on christmas and now the war on santa. the catholic league against the ymca. seriously. ♪ [ male announcer ] they've been tested, built and driven like no other. and now they're being offered like no other. come to the winter event and get an exceptional offer on the mercedes-benz of your dreams. it's our way of showing a little holiday spirit. and stay connected with three years of mbrace service complimentary. ♪ [ laughs ] that's so dumb.
11:47 pm
[ laughter ] nice. [ male announcer ] don't be left behind. get it first with at&t. the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. period. rethink possible. the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. period. beer and wine and cupcakes. i was doing the corporate grind like everyone else. but to be successful, i knew i had to be different. ink, ink, ink, ink, ink. i mean, i love that card. it does things differently too. great customer service, going above and beyond to help me out as a small business. it's accepted in twice as many places around the world as american express and if i ever need to get my employees ink cards, they're free. make your mark with ink. chase what matters. go to chase.com/ink. the war on christmas turns into the war on santa.
11:48 pm
tv's frank conup has a live report next. get out your pitch forks and torches. time for the nominees for the worst person in the world. mr. beck noted the roof collapse and said it was proof that global warming is happening. this is what happens when you let stupid people out of their homes. weather is different than the climate. nasa reported that 2010 will register as the hottest climate year on record. the good news is we obtained exclusive video of mr. beck's head and thus what his brain looks like in action.
11:49 pm
a lot of independent spots. the runner up, george will. slouching towards right wing nut job. without fact checking, he celebrated the celebration of bush v gore by getting it wrong. once gore initiated the intervention of courts and once gore summoned judicial intervention and florida's supreme court began and it was going to be determined by the state's highest court or the nation. gore lost because he sued first except he didn't sue first. bush sued first. after four days in which the republicans barbed the democrats for talking about legal action, mr. bush tried to stop the manual recount. that was on november 11th of 2000. bush was first. trust me. these historical revisionists will be claiming bush won the popular vote. our winner, congressman spencer
11:50 pm
bacchus from alabama celebrated as the house financial services committee by saying if it comes to the money changers, he has a main street view, not a wall street view. now is the time to get government out of the way so businesses can create jobs and grow the economy. in washington the view is that the banks are to be regulated and my view is that washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks. to serve the banks? mr. and mrs. america, don't get on that ship. to serve the rest of it to serve the banks? it's a cookbook, and we're the bank's lunch. spencer main street, if all the banks are located on main street, he's today's worst person in the world.
11:51 pm
naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™
11:52 pm
slow you down. introducing bayer am. its dual-action formula delivers extra strength pain relief, plus it fights fatigue. so get up and get going with new bayer am, the morning pain reliever.
11:53 pm
11:54 pm
the very first war on christmas was first waged by christians. before the american revolution, christmas was against the law in several colonies, because puritans considered christmas a day of alcoholic revelry. eventually xhismous christmas was mixed with santa claus, who got himself commercialized as a way to sell stuff. these days the war on christmas is fought by the christian right as a way to scare those sellers of stuff out of any multifaith suggestion that christmas is just another holiday. and, therefore, jesus christ is just another deity and christianity just another religion. the war on christmas it's taken a strange and disturbing turn this year. william donohue and rupert murdoch have trained their yuletide guns on someone who failed to worship santa claus.
11:55 pm
it all started at a branch of the ymca. definitely a dubious organization from a christian point of view. some nonchristian young men were associated with the y and assumed the party was not for them. so the "y" decided to make the centerpiece of the party frosty the snowman. frosty is not one of the disciples and not mentioned in the bible. donohue was quoted wishing good will to all. they can't celebrate christmas, then they should check out. what a bunch of cowards. this in defense of santa claus, who is not one of the disciples and is not mentioned in the bible. santa claus descended from oden. his horse would fly through the night and eat carerots and stra. that's right, bill donohue and the new york post have turned their back on jesus and taken up arms in defense of a paying an symbol. and, of course, we all know
11:56 pm
who's behind pagan symbols. >> never thought of that, did you? for more on this stunning betrayal in the war on christmas, we go to the front lines of the war on christmas and go to frank conniff, who moonlights over at cinematictitanic.com. frank, thanks for taking a break from the action to file this dispatch tonight. are you keeping safe out there? >> i'm in fairly good shape with these guys. i did a tour here embedded with a division of the salvation army. 82nd airborne reindeer. then i went off the grid, deep into secular occupied territory in the galleria shopping mall. and i gotta tell you, i've seen some sights here that will traumatize me for the rest of my life. damn this war! sorry. we just lost too many good men in this fight, keith. just like in america's past
11:57 pm
wars, the troops come from every background you can imagine. this rag-tag fighting battalion in the war against christmas is an ethnically diverse mix of white male christians from the south, combined with white male christians from the northern part of the south. as well as white male catholic christians from the southern part of the north. it's amazing that a diverse bunch of guys from different parts of the same megachurch can learn to get along. this is one army division where the don't ask don't tell policy is working just fine. no one in this battalion would ever think of revealing the dark secreted homosexuality that is deep within their tortured souls. that's how patriotic they are. >> well said. >> thank you. >> the fact that frosty the snowman has entered hostilities, this took the armchair quarterbacks by surprise here, correct? >> well, keith, frosty has
11:58 pm
opened up a whole new front on the war on christmas. you might say a cold front. the people fighting back against this war on christmas feel there's a lot of sympathy in the liberal media toward frosty the snowman, because global warming has made its existence all the more precarious. they also consider the frosty the snowman song blasphemous. at the end of the song, he says, don't cry, i'll come back again one day. oh, so now you're the one being resurrected from the dead in three days? i don't think so. they feel his annual special is nothing more than a wartime propaganda for climate change. there's a feeling that there's also a war against -- don't forget traditional christmas songs like "silent night" "the first noel" and "ymca" by the village people. >> the ymca in the center of this extraordinary turnabout. what about the right turning its back on jesus, and forming a new alliance with santa claus at its head? it's extraordinary.
11:59 pm
>> well, yes. i mean, santa claus must be defended at all costs. from a strategic point of view. because, after all, he died for our sins. of high cholesterol, but still the more we sin, the more he eats. liberals are attacking santa, because he makes over $250,000 a year and they resent that he's going to get his tax cuts extended. and as far as bill donohue is concerned, santa claus is just jesus after he's put on a few pounds. for years, santa's image has been associated with a very holy sacrament coca-cola. the body of santa is better because it's so often made from chocolate. bill donohue's defense of santa claus is not all that surprising. he's known for defending grown men who like to have children sit on their knee. i'm just saying. >> it's some battle out there. mel gibson computer generated -- >> yeah, yeah.