infrastructure, it means jobs and big things that you build that are used by lots and lots of people keep working as they were designed to. we are all proud of them. this is how it is supposed to, work. on this beautiful span, it is working. we could be doing this everywhere. up with chris hayes is next. good morning in fork new york. i'm chris hayes. a police raid shut down occupy boston after ten weeks tearing down tents and haul willing off at least ten people. across russia, the largest nationwide rally against vladmir putin alleging voter fraud in last sunday's elections. i am joined by buddy roamer, former governor of louisiana, esther arm ma, playwright, currently host of wake up call on wbai and ben jealous,

president and ceo of the naach. great to have you here. >> thank you. >> this past week, a new focus for "occupy wall street" as the 99% message continues to reverberate through our political system up to and through the president of the united states. the movement is branching out into new modes of direct action. on tuesday, they occupied launch occupy our homes. demonstrators set out to reclaim foreclosed houses an turn them over to homeless and other needy families. they took over a house in brooklyn for closed in 2008 by countrywide, now ba bank of america. protesters turned it over to pash sha glasgow who with her family had been living in and out of homeless shelters. she will move into the house as soon as they make it inhabitable. month are than 1,000 protesters turned out to welcome her family to the neighborhood. here is how it looked from inside the home.

>> mommy. mommy. everybody is here. they are looking for us. >> oh, they are? >> who is here? >> everybody. >> you guys ready. >> the father from that video is alfredo kastatillo. he is considering arrest by moving his family into that house. >> a lot of white folks in east new york. how about that. i think the first thing i want to talk to you about is just circumstances under which you found yourself hooked up with "occupy our homes" i know tasha had been in shelters and had a section 8 voucher, which was cut do to city cuts. you have been working for vocal

new york for a year but have been couch surfing. how do you find yourself connected to the "occupy our homes" movement. >> i am from a community of poverty. i am from a community directly affected by the issues addressed right now. i have been a part of wall street since the beginning advocating against police brutality and for a just and fair economy. it was only right that we came to this right now. >> one of the things i thought was really interesting about the pictures from "occupy our home" and particularly the action out in east new york. i made a joke about it now. the 99% mess annal, there was a blog, we are the 99%. a lot of the stories were about people that were solidly middle class, gone to four-year colleges and universities and $100,000 in student debt. people that are struggling under the social contract that a lot of middle class folks expected and are falling apart. in a neighborhood like east new york is extremely high poverty rates. has been facing some of these

issues for longer than the current economic crisis. do you see a sort of -- did you see the movement broadening insofar as you had the occupy folks out in east new york addressing those issues directly? >> definitely, definitely. initially, in the beginning, a lot of people from the community, they didn't feel like their issues were being addressed in that movement at all. more currently, i give them respect, because they realize you need to start addressing issues that communities are directly affected by. i have been dealing with these issues for a long time. which is why we need to start occupying homes. homelessness is a big issue within our communities, especially foreclosures by big banks like bank of america and chase that are kicking out families and forcing them on the streets. >> are there a lot of foreclosures? >> there are over seven foreclosed homes on that block alone. >> i want you to respond to let's play devil's advocate for a second. folks may be watching at home or heard this story, say, this is

america. if you want a home, save up and buy a home. that home is owned by bank of america. you have no right to be in it. what's your response to people that say that? >> my response is this, bank of america has basically been one of the biggest criminals in history. they have been foreclosing homes forcing families to be homeless and out on streets. there are more vacant homes and people out on the street. right is right and wrong is wrong at the end of the day. ultimately, these homes need to be filled with families that need them. that's all there is to it. if there are empty homes, they should be filled with families that need them. >> when you say there are seven foreclosed properties on that block, they are just sitting there, right? >> right. >> the homes is where your family, ratasha and your child

have moved in. logistically, how is that going to work? is this home inhabitable? are folks going to fix it up? >> obviously, it is not habitable at the moment. ows has been great helping out with this as well as the grassroots nonprofit coalition. we have a core of people that are helping out to ensure the home is being put back to place and being a safe environment for my children to be able to live in. this is not just about my family. i want to be clear. this is about improving the life of all families in these communities that are directly affected. we are hear to improve the quality of life for these communities that have been suffering for a long time. basically, directly ensure that they get response right away, immediately. they get improvements now, not later on down the road kind of thing. >> do you feel that there has

been a change in -- i guess i want to ask you what your perspective is. you are from east new york. >> i grew up in the south bronx. >> i'm from the bronx too. i grew up in the south bronx. i wonder, like, if you feel -- your perspective on what had happened in a place like east new york during the duration of the financial crisis? have things gotten worse or has it been a steady plateau of what life in a neighborhood like east new york in the south bronx is? >> i would say it got worse in different ways. as one time, it was a thriving community with multiracial and more opportunities for people to progress and provide for their economy. most recently, the fact that our economy is going -- is going down. >> very appreciative you caught yourself. >> thank you. >> we all feel the same way.

>> i'm on tv. i respect that. honestly, i built relationships with people in that community. i have already been working with people in that community to discuss the issues that are going on. everybody basically says the same thing, that this community has been going, getting worse and worse and worse. unemployment rates are up to 50% in communities of color right now. foreclosures and eastern europe has the highest rate of foreclosures in new york city, which is why we chose that area to occupy. we are trying to build those bridges and build solidarity between ows and people of color in these communities. >> bank of america has put out some statements about this. they don't seem to be making any moves so far. it is not like the sheriff has showed up at your door. it could be the case that the sheriff does show up at the door where the mother of your child and your children are. what do you do then?

>> we are in the process of figuring it out. we go into the situation of knowing the consequences of what could possibly happen. we have been working a lot with charles baron, the representative of that district, great guy, really supportive of us. i have been in the middle of negotiating with nypd, because i have so much experience with them. everything has been pretty smooth. this is a peaceful movement. ultimately, i just want to let it be known if people would like to find out more information. check out occupy our homes.org and get updated. one more last statement. everybody is probably wondering, what's the next step? obviously, this is just beginning. i would like to let everybody know that if you have any issues. the whole point of this is to stop foreclosures on families that are in the process of being foreclosed on and kicked out of their homes and to put families back into homes that have been empty and not occupied. so if any family in east new york or around the city have

issues with their landlord, they are going into foreclosure, they are homeless on the streets and they want to be put into a home, they should reach out to occupyourhomes.org, and we will be happy to help them out. >> alfredo care ascii yo, thanks for coming in. we will be back and talking more about my story of the week up next. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

♪ and just let me be [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 10 percent off storewide now through sunday.

♪ imagine me and you, i do ♪ i think about you day and night ♪ ♪ it's only right ♪ to think about the girl you love ♪ ♪ and hold her tight ♪ so happy together [ male announcer ] when life changes, so can your insurances needs. use travelers free guide to better coverage to stay prepared. is your auto and home insurance keeping up with you? contact your local travelers agent, or call 800-my-coverage.

story of the week, foreclosure tsunami. one of my favorite bloggers, mike connolly, imagine if a hurricane or a flood or tornadoes destroyed the homes of 4 million americans leaving them

to wonder displaced and homeless. there is no question we would declare a national emergency and marshall resources to deal with the problem and help people rebuild. it turns out we are in the midst of just such a disaster, the foreclosure tsunami. the nations governing and financial don't seem much to care. the start of the housing crisis, almost 4 million people have been foreclosed on, according to reality track. the problem is intensifying. in october, 230,000 new households in foreclosure. according to the center for responsible lending, the nation is not halfway through the foreclosure crisis. foreclosures are a human tranlg i.d. the families that have to pick up and move and change school districts and suffer the humiliation of repossessions, they are incredibly incredibly destructive. the foreclosure is a lose, lose, lose. the bank now owns a home it has no interest in owning, one that sits vacant and unused for an

average of 193 years. in fact, lieu ranieri who helped invent mortgage backed securities said the following in 2008. >> you are always financially better off structuring a loan around a credible borrower than going to a foreclosure. if we keep letting these go into foreclosure, it is a feedback loop which will ultimately crush the consumer economy. >> almost every economist and analyst who looks at the u.s. economy agrees that processing foreclosures and deleveraging mortgages and allowing households to reset their balance sheets is a fundamental key to a genuine economic recovery. they have totally failed to bring this about. when i first moved to washington, d.c. in 2007, it was as the wave of sub-prime disclosures was beginning to crest. i attended a briefing where they unveiled the great fanfare, hope for homeowners. a strictly volunteer program for

the banks. that was followed by a bigger voluntary effort by the obama administration called ham. both have been disastrous failures. if you ask banks nicely to modify mortgages and write down principal, they ignore you. all the big banks own mortgage servicing arms which are businesses that make money from the fees with delinquents and foreclosures. they want to sfring along the inhabitants hitting them with fee after fee and they foreclose and make fees on that. they are vultures and homes are their carcasses. there is mounting evidence that they have been systematically violating property rights by foreclosing on homes they have no legal documentation of owning. banks have even foreclosed on people who own their home out right. these practices are so egregious

and widespread that they have every single attorney general state of the nation, republican and democrat. martha coakley filed suit against the banks alleging they engaged in unfair and deceptive foreclosure practices and have been deceiving borrowers regarding foreclosure procedures. an ongoing financial disaster grinding families into misery. it is under these conditions that direct action and civil disobedience are most called for. that's why i am so struck by the power of the images from "occupy our homes" as potent as zuccotti was deep in the heart of financial complex, its power was solely symbolic. it wasn't actually bringing wall street to a halt. "occupy our homes" is a whole new paragon. it has made a concrete improvement in actual people's lives. from the sit-down strike in flint some of the greatest

progressions in history come from occupying a place where they tell you you have no right to be in and simply stating we shall not be moved. we have victoria day frances cosoto and returns to the program. victoria, good to see you again. >> i want to get started with you for the following reasons. after you were governor of louisiana, a congressman, then, you started a community bank. you are now a banker or have been a banker. i want to get from your perspective what i've just talked about in terms of foreclosure prices and seeing alfredo talk about what is manifestly a deadweight loss, as economists would cause, a housesitting empty unoo underutilized. seven homes sitting empty on a block are a symbol of that. there is a part of you as a

banker that gets uncomfortable of people moves into the home. >> to set the foundation, as a small banker, my bank is not quite $1 billion. i built it in the last six years. our symbols are justice and jobs. we make a profit. we got no government bailout. we did not foreclose on a single mortgage. we did not bankrupt a single small business. number one, good banking means restructuring the debt. it's not always possible, chris. some people are irresponsible. some are over their heads and there is no way back. so foreclosure is always on the table but it's the last possible thing that should be exercised. now, let me take a bigger picture after the foundation. let me say that i don't think there is a solution that doesn't

account for the responsibility of the homeowners or the person occupying the home. they need to step up too in a good faith effort. having said that, the bulk of the responsibility is with the banking industry and the federal government. now, let's just call it like it is. it is a scandal. it is illegal action. it is preying off the misinformation of the consumer. the consumer is not protected, often signs documents that have not been read, either by the bank or the consumer. the bank cannot prove ownership of these homes. it was securitized for 1,000 or 10,000 mortgages were stripped together. this is highly illegal. and, the federal government played a role in it. fannie mae and freddie mac, will et me be very specific, chris, were nudged and led by the politician. i won't use barney frank's name or phil gramm's name.

okay. i'm sorry but for political reasons, we made home ownership the goal. we lied and cheated our consumers when we did it. >> i want to talk about that more in a second. i also want to jump in here from a journalistic, parliamentary point. alfredo said that bank of america is one of the biggest criminals. you said they are practicing illegal. i want to say there are no criminal charges. there are some criminal charges minor but not any sort of big federal suits that have been brought. there is behavior that looks on its face to be criminal or violation of the law. we have tried time and time again, time and time again, to get representatives of the five major banks on to this program. i would love to sit down from representatives of the bank of america and discuss this. >> more homeowners have gone to jail than bankers. it is not right. >> that's right. >> the resolution of this problem will need all parties together. that meeting has not been

called, not been attempted. i think what has happened is not only not good for america. it is not good for the individuals or the banks involved. there are bankers that do a decent job. there are bankers that let the taxpayer bail them out after they took risk. you know why they did it, chris? so they can make more money in their pocket, get a bigger bonus and have a bigger bank. glass eagle was killed under bill clinton with phil gramm. it is wrong and it led directly to this pack. >> i want to hear from ben and victoria and esther right after this break. we will talk more about this. is n jellyfish, impact life expectancy in the u.s., real estate in hong kong, and the optics industry in germany? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence.

request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. you could spend as much as $200. olay says challenge that with an instrument that cleanses as effectively as what's sold by skin professionals for a whole lot less. new olay pro x advanced cleaning system. it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir. dennis, check in everywhere you go on foursquare. that's mayor dennis... of the water cooler. you're the best. liz, rock out to pandora. oh, no i'm an only child. and nick, you shouldn't even be here, you can do everything from the golf course. good? good. [ male announcer ] on at&t, blackberry® torch moves at the speed of 4g. ♪ they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule!

oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, guaranteed. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, ♪ when your chain of supply goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, that's logistics. ♪

we have been here since 1968. >> my grandmother had this house since 1963. when my grandmother became sick,

she got behind on payments, not being able with her cancer to keep up with the payments. >> the banks have been forgiving their debt and they have taken my money and also other taxpayers money and they will build out. >> i want to stay. i have been here. i just need to have a price i can live with. >> the montage of some of the folks of persons staying in "occupy our homes." i want to read the statements that our first guest, alfredo carrasquillo and his family occupy. it is the bank's policy to protect and secure the policies for the investors that own anymore. bank of america is committed to helps our customers. foreclosure is our last resort. what are your thoughts on having

seen alfredo talk about this and talking about how we ended up in this situation? >> i think to talk about how you guys being a small bank reminds us of the value of the small bank who olds the loan knowing the person that has taken the loan. there is really no replacement for that. listening to a friend talk about having to seize this home, i hope no one at home thinks that this is something a family wants to do. this is something that families are forced into having to consider. we have got into a situation in this country where people are just losing wealth at a tremendously rapid rate. in the black community, what we know is that in the 1930s, when they created the 30-year mortgage, they really locked us out of it. they said to folks, straight up, if you want to preserve the value of your home, you have to have a racially restricted

covenant. what that means is that black communities value didn't take off the way that white communities did. then, in the '70s when we finally desegregate, the realtor shows up to that white family and says, you know how i told you you had to have a racially restricted covenant to preserve the value of this home. three blocks over, there is this black family that moved in. you better sell to me for half of what your home is worth. the white family gets robbed of half the value of their home. they are not ticked off at the realtor or the government but the black family. the next black family moves in and they sell them the house at a premium and then it drops in value. so we've got to get beyond the scams. we have to get back to just basic principles of banking, treating people fairly and like human beings. >> it seems to me, esther, like you do have the situation in which in a lot of communities

around the country, the foreclosure is such an obvious, physical presence in a neighborhood. there is such a remarkable disconnect between how much of an obvious physical presence it is if you walk around a neighborhood with a lot of foreclosed properties and the conversation in washington. the disconnect is profound. i lived in washington four years covering this. it seems like no one is listening. >> this is the power on occupy wall street. with occupy our homes, we have a game changer. there have been problems of occupy movements of being seen as too white, college sen trick and exclusive of diverse communities. with occupy our homes, they have literally built a bridge between african-american communities, latino and the core occupy movement accused of being too white. wells fargo, this country's biggest mortgage lender, being sued by the department of justice, being sued by baltimore and by memphis. there were private suits as well. the suits have all fallen down. the occupy movement, occupy homes has picked up that slack.

durham those images when you have people basically pointing fingers at those african-american communities who were homeowners saying, you were not responsible. you did not take care of business. the occupy movement is letting you know the free loaders are wells fargo and goldman sachs. with memphis, in particular, you have this historical bridge. back in the 1960s, martin luther king was leading the garbage collectors of memphis. they sued wells fargo because of predatory mortgage practices towards the african-american community. finally, you have this line of history of movements of bringing together of white and diverse peoples. >> does it push the system? whatever symbolism there is in these disparate movements that happen around the country, what we saw with occupy wall street was that it did change the national conversation? the president was talking about the 99% and the 1%.

foreclosures for some reason -- the banks are very powerful. it cannot seem to gain tracks. i talk about it on the show. i've talked about it when i have hosted other shows. it just seems to fall into the well. even though every commit you talk to says, household balance sheets are the key to recovery. we need to get household balance sheets. we have all this overhang of debt. we need principal write downs. it has completely disappeared from the system. >> it doesn't make sense to anybody. i am listening to you and it doesn't make sense. >> that's why they pay me the big bucks. >> folks target what they can see. they can see b of a. they can see wells. they target that. when you are seeing the conversations in washington, you almost have fannie and freddie saying, foreclose as quickly as possible. you have to get upstream and say, cloe down. you guys work for us. >> you also have politics on the side of that. you have that huge marriage of power and then you have all the

99% on the other side. that's what the occupy movement is finally doing, putting a face to the foreclosure crisis that other people can relate to in ways we haven't seen. >> it is making it tangible. when we are seeing those pictures we did earlier, we are seeing children. we are seeing families and that diversity and that diversity you mentioned esther. i wanted to give a perspective with the latino community. we are seeing a dip in the wealth of the latino community. latinos have the dubious honor of having the highest decrease in wealth because of the housing crash. why? for two reasons. first of all, because of foreclosures but also because of the decrease in the value of the homes. we know that home ownership is the main bulk of what makes up your wealth. again, we saw that latinos are disproportionately in the states that have the highest foreclosure, nevada, california, arizona. >> florida. >> so we have these massive

groups of latinos that had worked hard to buy that first home and then, suddenly, they are found being foreclosed on. this is a movement. it is starting here in new york and i think we are going to quickly see it transfer over to the west. >> at the end of the day, we talked about the euro crisis last week and we talk about this a lot. at the end of the day, a certain zero sum nature to this. there are losses that came out of a financial cries ss. 8 trillion dollars of housing wealth that went up in snoemoke. the question is, who takes those losses? that's a political question. that's a political question about how that is apportioned between creditors and debtors and different interests in the society. we have a rule essentially, the political power is in the hands of the creditors and the people taking the losses are the folks in east new york. >> i call it the two js. now, stay with me. >> justice and jobs. >> justice and jobs. and they are both on the table.

justice is about the misleading of the consumer by some banks. >> and then blaming the victim. >> justice is about personal responsibility, opportunity, and having a level playing field. >> we take personal responsibility but the banks is not about personal responsibility. it is about corporate irresponsibility that always profits from that. >> we have already said here that part of the problem is the difference between a main street community gang and a megabank. >> a megabank deals with entire populations and doesn't know a single person. how can you get -- >> and still makes money. >> absolutely. and, the taxpayer, like me and you, bails them out when they make a mistake. so they take risk. they fall. they get bailed out. let me mention the second "j." ultimately, to solve this, we need jobs. we have to get jobs. >> to get jobs, we need politicians concerned about jobs. to get politicians concerned

about jobs, with he need people to vote. we are going to talk about that, a national day of action, because some americans still have to fight for the right to vote. that story is coming up right after this. [ female announcer ] new crest complete multi-benefit plus deep clean. you feel it working, so you know you're ready for whatever the day brings. compared to ordinary toothpaste, you feel a deeper clean. up to a two times cleaner feeling. new crest complete. feel it working. what is this shorty?

uh, tissues sir, i'm sick. you don't cough, you don't show defeat. give me your war face! raaah! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop.

they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! i'd be like, yes, i do rule! ohh! that rules! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. yeah. ring dinga-ding, ring dinga-ding, ring, ring, ring me up. [ male announcer ] no need to wait

with our christmas price guarantee. we're so confident in our prices if you do find a lower one between now and christmas, we'll give you the difference on a walmart gift card. save money. live better. walmart. naacp released a report. they will lead a march to u.n. headquarters to talk about this issue. 38 states introduced legislation to keep millions of american citizens from casting ballots. barack obama was elected president in 2008 in no small part due to an expanded electorate with higher than usual turnout among young people and african-americans. in the 29 states that record party affiliations, ruffle two-thirds of voters registered as democrats and obama won nearly 70% of their votes.

as a general rule in politics, the more voters vote the better for democrats. which is why we are seeing republican governors ond state houses moving to make voting for difficult. i know you have been working with the reverend al. my first question is, what is different about what's going on now than what's been going on for a long time in terms of attempting to restrict the franchise? what is it that there is a crisis that the naacp needs to address? >> there is more. it is more aggressive and more destructive to our democracy. 38 states have pushed laws to constrict access to the ballot in a single year. you have to go back 100 years or so to find a year like that. 50 years ago, 60 years ago when people like meg rivers were assassinated trying to win the right to vote for all people in this country therks were fighting to get rid of laws put in place 50 years before that. those laws like the poll tax and

the literacy test and the grandfather clause, this is the new fang ld version of that. when you give somebody a voter i.d. requirement and that person was born into the hands of a midwife who may not have been sure they got a birth certificate, it can be a legal nightmare that takes years for them to be able to register to vote. when you are in a state like wisconsin where black and brown folks are hugely disproportionately poor, three-quarters of young black men don't have a valid i.d. for two reasons. one, they are too poor to own a car and they are so poor they tend to move every six months or so. by the time they vote, they are at a different address. we have always believed in this country, one person, one vote. if you were born here, if you were naturalized here, you

deserve to vote, not if you can jump through this hurdle, that hurdle and pay a fees. people are not doing this because of the reasons they say, quote, unquote, voter fraud. george bush went for years looking for that. last year, we had nine. prosecutors can take care of this. you don't need to disenfranchise millions of people. >> we show voter fraud and comparing it to other things that might befall you. how often people are struck by lightning, 352 times compared to the 9 voter imposters and the number of ufo sightings, over 32,000. you are far more likely to see a ufo or be struck by lightning. >> where is orson wells when you need him? >> i think the comparison to the poll tax and literacy test have a certain kind of owedus history to them. it is provocative, i think, to compare what's going on now to that.

>> it is. do people that when you -- i find when you have this conversation with people and you talk about it, there is a certain intuitive appeal to voter i.d. laws. you saw to someone, well, you want to make sure that the person voting is the person they say. you know, i can't get on the plane without an i.d. what is the next step in that conversation and that argument? i do think if it is something that folks are just hearing out in the background or over the water cooler, there is a certain intuitive appeal? you don't need an i.d. to get on a plane. they will pat you down one more time. they might have ask you a couple of questions. i travel almost daily. i have left my wallet more places than i would like to admit. i have gotten on the plane every time. to get into an office building, you have to have an i.d. i showed up at 30 rock and they still let me in the building. they still have to let you vote.

folks need to understand, there is plenty of other ways to verify. there is your signature, matching it up. that's what we do with your check. there is asking you what your address is. if you can't give your address, it is probably not you. again, there is also just simply realizing that this isn't a real problem. it is nine cases. again, we would have much more justified preparing to take out ufos than dealing with this. >> in the next block, we will be talking about the plans to take out ufo. we will talk more about voter restrictions and rights right after this break. comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives...

that's smarter power today. at bank of america, we're lending and investing in communities across the country, from helping to revitalize a neighborhood in brooklyn to financing industries that are creating jobs in boston or providing funding for the expansion of a local business serving a diverse seattle community and supporting training programs for tomorrow's workforce in los angeles. because the more we can do in local neighborhoods and communities, the more we can help make opportunity possible. [ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo, 1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface as clean as 2 sheets of the bargain brand. super absorbent. super clean. bounty.

set out to create a different kind of cold remedy using powerful medicine and natural ingredients from around the world. he called it vicks vaporub. today, the vicks journey continues. introducing new vicks nature fusion cold & flu syrup. powerful multi-symptom medicine flavored with natural honey instead of artificial flavors and dyes.

so you can feel good about what you take to feel better. buddy roamer, you are running for president of republican party. >> i am running for president of america. >> the republican party really does seem to have a history here

in the last -- obviously, if you go way back, the republican party was on the right side of this issue. in the last 20, 30, 40 years, it does seem like there is a concerted effort on the part of the republican party to restrict the electorate. part of that seems basic strategic self-interest, which is the fact that higher turnout equals more victories for democrats because of the nature of the racial coalition. what's your roo he actieaction elections by restricting votes? >> it is how a campaign affects the candidate. i didn't give it much thought when i started ten months ago. i thought it was cleared that only those registered to vote be allowed. i thought it was clear that there be certain rules of engagement so that you couldn't vote multiple times. i thought it was clear that vote buying was illegal and should be suppressed. i thought it was clear, we

needed a clear, clean system. now, i've changed a little bit. this morning's discussion is part of that change. there is so few instances of voting. >> you just said during. >> esther convinced him during the break. >> here is what i said. i said the reason there is a concern is that the masses feel. >> of who you are one. >> call me mr. mass. look, the whole -- here is our problem. we don't have enough people voting. our problem is not that the wrong people are voting. we don't have enough people voting. so i am convinced that we need to be as open as we can be but there still needs to be rules. >> some verification. >> that's all i'm saying. >> if there is a question --

>> lead us out. give us a solution. >> if ir that is a question as to whether someone is eligible to vote or not, let's air on the side of enfranchising them. we say, well, there is a question. you can cast your ballot. we are going to set it aside. we are going to check our data and see if you in fact can vote. if you can't, we will throw it out or prosecute you. if you can, we need to count that vote. >> here is the more radical solution. i was thinking about this. i now talk about my daughter all the time i realize i am talking about the daughter all the time. she got her social security card. the fact of the matter is, social security has found me wherever i moved my entire life. the whole notion that you have to proactively register to vote. why couldn't we just enroll everyone. the draft found me when i was 18. they knew exactly where i was living. they mailed the draft card to my house. they registered me. >> they have the most

restrictive voting laos. the rest of the world, people volt vote even on the weekends. >> that's how you know that the folks who are doing voter folks doing voter i.d. are going to suppress the vote because they're going after early voting. they're going after sunday voting. >> same-day registration. >> yeah. they actually now have something called registration i.d. in georgia, for instance, where they will not process your voter reg fra registration unless your i.d. is attached. >> what you're really talking about is legitimatizing people's fear, to justify the fact y'all are losing -- >> and bring back the future with a toothpick. the realities are demographics are changing in this country. really they should be trying to actually find common cause with the changing demographics, not hold them back. >> and then the evidence shows, evidence consistently shows it's not an issue. even when the evidence shows that, because the issue of

illegals and immigration is that hot button scapegoating issue -- >> i need to talk about new mexico here. >> that's created -- >> you know, i want to you talk about new mexico after we take this break. ♪ you, you ain't alone ♪ and just let me be [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 10 percent off storewide now through sunday.

and it showed me the pressure points on my feet and exactly where i needed more support. then, i got my number. my tired, achy feet affected my whole life. until i found my number. i tried the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. in two minutes, i got my foot map and custom number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the right support and cushioning i need. i am a believer. i'm a believer! i'm a believer. find your closest foot mapping center at drscholls.com. to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that.

it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones! [ gargling ] oo-ay-ow. savings. savings. savings? progressive was the first to offer online quoting. you can do better. first to show comparison rates. ding! the "name your price" tool. oh! gosh, don't mind if i do. who was the first to offer pet injury coverage? we were. and when did you know you wanted to sell insurance? i said i wouldn't cry. um... whee! it's flo time. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

victoria, you wanted to talk about what's going on in new mexico in regards to this issue because we've been talking about -- we've been talking about voting rights, voter i.d. and this unprecedented effort this year at the state level to restrict franchise for various mechanisms, partly we think because republicans don't to want see a lot of democratic voters who tend to be african-american and latino but a lot of anxiety about the dread prospect of illegals coming in and voting. what is going on in new mexico? >> well, you know, talking about

the legitimatization of fear. newly elected governor of new mexico, latino-american, came in and said, we're going to purge voting rules of all of those illegals who are voting and rigging our electionses. we're going to get rid of them. as soon as they got into office, her and her latina republican secretary of state put together a commission. eight months later, close to $1 million later, they found two instances of voter fraud, but it turns out these were nationals, mexican nationals, who were here legally. they mistakenly voted. they were scared out of their wits when they found out they were in the wrong, they came guard and they wanted to see how they could make amends for it. so there was a lot of smoke and no fire. >> the hilarious thing about this is we make voting so difficult anyway. forget about voter i.d. laws. it's hard to vote. i know from points in my life when i was moving around a lot, like in college, your

registration never follows you. it's hard enough to vote. the notion you're an illegal immigrant living in the economy, trying to stay outside of the law you're going to go through the effort of finding a polling place and going in. >> you laugh but it becomes really serious because it is devastatingly effective. it does speak to a very specific fear. it legitimatizes that fear and elevates the idea that there are all of these illegal people running around who not are just voting but turning something so fundamentally american and constitutional into something that's broken and it works. >> and even more insidiously there is the -- there is a kind of perennial conspiracy theory ready to the out in the wake of the election that the election of the tainted. we see this a lot. karl rove is the best at this, casting dispersions on the victory of democratic politicians, like, for instanc , barack obama who has engaged in the fight against inequality, a fight in kansas i want to get all of your reaction to after this break. [ female announcer ] among marie claire's top 25 beauty products

that will change your life... for the first time ever... a toothpaste. crest 3d white. if beauty editors notice, who else will? crest 3d white toothpaste. life opens up when you do. of course, neither do i. solution? td ameritrade mobile trader. i can enter trades on the run. even futures and 4x.

complex options, done. [ cellphone rings ] thank you. live streaming audio. advanced charts. look at that. all right here. wherever "here" happens to be. mobile trading from td ameritrade. number one in online equity trades. plus get up to $600 when you open an account. ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8.

good morning from new york, i'm chris hayes, here with republican presidential candidate buddy roemer, former governor of louisiana, esta, host of wake-up call here in new york city, victoria from latino decisions and university of texas-austin and ben gilles, head of the naacp. on tuesday president obama gave a much discussed speech on the economy in the name in the city of kansas but there's no prompter. he talked about paying a fair share of taxes, a fair shot at success. and he used a trademark obama

rhetorical flourish to suggest unity rather than class warfare. >> i'm here in kansas to reaffirm my deep conviction that we're greater together than we are on our own. i believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot. when everyone does their fair share. when everyone plays by the same rules. these aren't democratic values or republican values. these aren't 1% values or 99% values. they're american values. and we have to reclaim them. >> shades of his famous 2004 convention speech, there is no red america, we coach little league. he referred to inequality as defining issue of our time and he laid out just how stark the

country's income inequality is. >> look at the statistics. in the last few decades the average income of the top 1% has gone up by more than 250%. to $1.2 million per year for the top 0.01 of 1%, the average is now $27 million per year. the typical ceo who used to earn about 30 times more than his or her worker, now earns 110 times more. and yet over the last decade the incomes of most americans have actually fallen by about 6%. now, this kind of inequality, a level we haven't seen since the great depression, hurts us all.

>> that's barack obama speaking in osawatamee, thank you for putting that in my prompter -- >> easy for you to say. >> yeah. that's a barack obama talking about inequality. esther, you've been talking about occupy a lot. what do you make of this speech and the nod to the themes of the movement being articulated by the president himself? >> witnessing evidence of the power of a movement. literally. like, he said, it is not that barack obama hasn't spoken about inequality before. he's done so many times. this is the first time he's framed it in that language it's not the 1% or 99%. that's a framework established by the occupy movement. so 1% now firmly in the minds of america will be goldman sachs, wells fargo, will be wall street. the 99% will be who? it will be us. you know what i mean? the us and them has now been firmly framed in a way that the president has failed to do up until this point. >> but kansas is a really

interesting test case. thomas franks spoke, what's the matter with kansas? for decades we saw whites voting against their economic interest. so, is there going to be a shift now? >> yes, no -- i mean, you know, there's a shift happening in this country. you know, we have been a country where people vote based on their aspiration, not on their situation. the situation is so thick right now, folks are starting to question that. see, maybe -- maybe my kids would be better off if i voted based on my situation. you know, as we were talking about on one of the breaks, we have just got to reckon with the fact that we're going to pay for this one way or the other. we can pay for this in welfare support, foster care, putting folks in prison, or we can pay for this and create jobs, holding families together and giving kids a positive role model to actually look up to who's there working every day. that's the only choice right now.

>> but i want to respond to something you said about the -- what i thought was so interesting about obama's take on inequality -- i like the speech a great amount. it's stuff we talk about on the show that i think is really important. these aren't 1% values or 99% values. to me, it captured the fundamental kind of contradiction and paradox of the presidency of barack obama, which is a vision of progress that comes without conflict. right? i mean, occupy wall street says, and movements that are pushing for progress says, there are conflicts, entrenched interests who have power who do not want to give it up and they are the foe, they are our political foe. they must be defeated. power must be taken from them. the power being taken from them will precipitate conflict. the vision of the 2004 convention speech, no red america, no blue america, encapsulated these aren't 1% values or 99% values, we can have a kind of collective american progress that doesn't come with that conflict. it doesn't come with interests

having to give up things. that to me is the central paradox of the barack obama presidential administration so far is the simultaneous vision of social progress but also that no one's ox gets goered, right? >> it's also specifically barack obama versus president obama. those are also his personal beliefs. he truly believes you can come to the table, and in real life, compromise, establish you goif one hand, take a little -- >> have conversions during the break like we -- >> which is what republicans and democrats used to be able to do. >> but the reality is right now, you have a washington -- particularly the republicans -- that is succeeding on the basis of paralysis and deadlock. it's working -- >> but they're not succeeding. >> it's working insofar as it's created the notion of an impotent president. where barack obama has succeeded with the understanding there is no -- power conceding nothing without deman. >> it was a great speech.

>> now the president has finally -- >> also, the fact it was in kansas and 1910, square deal, teddy roosevelt country, once again, movement -- >> teddy roosevelt asked the republican party, are we going to be the party of privilege in wall street or are we going to be the party of plain people who build a great nation? >> and today the republicans said yes. >> let me say something. i challenge this president to do something. >> as does the occupy wall street movement challenges the president to do something. >> but it's poor leadership. he takes all the money from special -- >> what are you offering him in what are republicans offering him. >> i'll get there. >> when? >> he signs a bank reform act, too big to stale, glass/steagall is still dead, capital ratios don't go up with the size of the bank and the next week he goes to wall street, has a fund-raiser at $35,800 a ticket and sponsored by goldman sachs. there is no change under this president. he is bought and sold by the

special interests. >> okay. let me respond to that. because i think there is -- i think there's a critique of the president you see both on the left and among some conservatives that this is all rhetoric. let's talk about the financial reform bill, too, because to me whatever the shortcomings of the reform bill, remember, squeaked through the senate, because of pressure on scott brown, head to his re-election campaign, that bill -- if the president was truly bought by special interest, truly owned by wall street whole-heartedly, there was no reason to bring up the bill. why expand capital on dodd/franc? go through the rig a mamaroll. >> the senate saying we're not going to let the head of the consumer protection finance agency be named just on general prince we're not going to let you nominate anybody right now. that's insane. it's insane. >> we're so polarized that nobody stands up for rebuilding america.

>> that's not true. >> and i'm telling you, here's the president's problem. he does bank reform and takes all the money from big banks. he does health care reform. insurance don't are to be under sherman anti-trust. that's not right. you know why? they're the largest contributors on the capitol hill and the president of the united states. i'm telling you, special interest money runs this town. it is corrupt. >> hold op esther, i want to you respond after we take this break. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in.

they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, guaranteed. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal. they steam and bake the actual whole grain while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal.

metal,@ material anytime.blgr from rockwell, making your jobs the rockwell blade runner is one of the most versatile saws you could ever own. with the blade runner you won't need a work bench, with the optional wall mount the blade runner mounts directly to your wall, it is convenient and it saves garage space.

if you're following along at home on twitter, you can follow what people are saying about the show with the cheeky hash tag

uppers. we didn't come up with. >> can i reeve the show now? >> well, so, i think we're -- we've gotten to some bed rock here, right, which is about a few issues that came out of this inequality speech. one is the sort of distance, perhaps, between the president's rhetoric on this and record, which buddy was talking about and the fact -- >> his record is the congress's record. congress's record is abysmal. >> right. and i think buddy made the point, which is a fair point, sort of distinct from the question of substance of what legislation is that everybody in the system is imbedded in the system that does privileged special interest, the president has to raise money, congress has -- >> it's like the ostrich with their head in the sand saying if i just stay down here long enough, the country will get back to work. no, no, no, no. you have to do what we did in the great depression. you have to invest in economy to get the economy going again. grandma, she knows how to do it. >> victoria? >> all politics are local pip know we're bashing washington,

bashing the president, bashing congress, but also let's think about what happened in 2010 with the tea party movement and we had all of these republicans come in and restrict state budgets, too. so, we have to share the blame all around. it's not just a beltway issue, where in texas where i live, we're seeing education budgets cut upon millions of millions, health care at the state level so we need to see this broadly. >> part -- i'm glad you raised the issue of state budget cuts because that's one of the most intense and sort of frustratingly unnecessary aspects of what we're going through right now in terms of contraction which is 49 of 50 states have to balance a budget because of state constitutions. they cannot borrow from year to year, cannot run deficits. it included aid to states for two years, which is now gone away. so we're seeing these sharp budget cuts. the federal government could come in -- i mean, dean baker, an economist i really admire said, if we cared about the states the way we cared about the banks, we would give the

states the same deal we gave the banks. lend to them at zero percent. >> some will reject it -- >> right, right. politics at state level. >> we're not going to take federal money. >> both parties are participating in an unsustainable economy. we cannot borrow -- >> that's not true, buddy. it's sustaining the big banks. it's the 99% not being sustained. >> where i come from, sustained to me are families. individuals. plain americans. >> i agree with you. >> this is unsustainable. >> what i'm saying is we have two issues. you talked about congress having their head in the sand like an ostrich. the trouble is the thing that supports congress, which are special interest groups and banks, are profiting from that stance. so we -- >> yes. >> the reality of what we're dealing with is the consequence of failing prals. it's not even critique the president is invalid. i think the critique is fair. that doesn't mean the reality recognizing 99% is on the move, recognizing part of the shift has to be a demand that is much

less polite, much less rooted in the kind of compromise policy -- >> let me play this -- >> we need to come together and we could get this country -- >> vice president -- >> buddy offered esther a place at the top of the ticket during the break. she said no. >> no, i want to play this clip from the president's speech because what was so fascinating about this little bit of the speech is that he made a nod -- what i find so fascinating about barack obama, the president, is the fact that he recognizes in some ways the corruption of the system in which he is enmeshed, right? so he has this quote. let's play this. he talks about what inequality does to the political system in the speech on tuesday. >> inequality also distorts our democracy. it gives an outsized voice to the few who can afford high priced lobbiesists and campaign contributions and runs the risk of selling out our democracy to the highest bidder.

it leaves everyone else rightly suspicious that the system in washington is rigged against them. that our elected representatives aren't looking out for the interests of most americans. but there's an even more fundamental issue at stake. this kind of gaping inequality gives lie to the promise that's at the very heart of america. that this is a place you can make it if you try. >> i mean, you cannot say it better. i mean, that -- you cannot say -- >> you always say it well. >> but what's happening to the vote in this country? the reason we'll have huge protests at the u.n. today and gathering at 61st and madison in front of the koch brothers headquarters at 11:30 -- i have to get that there -- voter suppression is the flip side of buying a democracy. first you buy as many votes as you can.

when that doesn't get to you what you need, then you suppress the votes of those who might object. that's what's going on in this country. it's a very violent moment. >> but let me -- >> reminds me of the reporter who traveled across africa. when you see the way suppression of voters is by the bullet. soldiers standing there put a gun to your head, vote this or not. this is a polite version of -- >> i think there's a difference in kind rather than degree, between passing -- >> the tactic is different but the intention is in the end of buying a democracy. >> and double assault on voting rights. not just with voter i.d. laws but redistricting. we're seeing across the united states these legislators that came in in 2010 predominantly republican jerry mannedering and excluding a lot of our minority votes. >> last time you were on this program we talked about the fact that texas plan, approved by governor perry, not submitted to department of review, because they said this is our deal, take

it or leave it, now reviewed by federal court because the justice department is saying it violates voting rights act. ben, you mentioned the congress filibustering rob cordry, the president's nominee to consumer protection bureau. ♪ sen♪ co-signed her credit card - "buy books, not beer!" ♪ ♪ut the second at she shut the door ♪ ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪ ♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪

♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks didn't go ♪ ♪ to free-credit-score-dot-com hard times for daddy and mom. ♪ v.o.: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com ♪ and just let me be [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 10 percent off storewide now through sunday. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

on thursday, republican senators blocked an up or down vote on nomination of richard cordray, which i called rob cordrry, which would be cool -- >> yeah. >> cordray blocked an up or down vote, a former ohio attorney general. he received the backing of a bipartisan group of 37 attorneys general from around the country, republicans and democrats.

also, a five-time "jeopardy!" champion so what is not to like? for republicans it's not the nominee, it's the consumer financial protection board itself. in what appears to be an unprecedented move republicans are refusing to confirm anyone to the new agency, which was duly passed for congress and signed by the president because they don't like it. i think this is not gotten -- it's even -- i think it's even something more than obstructionism because it almost seems to me an assault on the very foundational principle of law-making. you don't get another bite of the apple up. lost the debate. they debated whether it would be consumer financial protection bureau, congress passed it, senate over a filibuster passed, it president signed it into law, we've seen "schoolhouse rock" now it's the law. and now it seems toxic. >> it's a new definition of extremism. because it's beyond anything that is -- that makes any sense. it's gone beyond making sense -- >> it's the national mood. >> it's beyond obstructionism.

extremism, when you think of extremists being so far from anything that makes sense that it defies logic. like you're literally doing nothing is now your political -- >> butty -- >> it is going to backfire. >> it is. >> the thing is it's been backfiring for a while but they become more extreme. now they're saying, we don't even like the consumer protection -- what is it? >> consumer protection financial agency. i want to hear this. >> going under the 2012 and national mood, republicans and democrats, older folks, younger folks, they're fed up, frustrated. we're seeing it with occupy homes, we're seeing it with all these different movements. don't stoke that fire. this is the type of thing that's going to stoke that fire. >> and i think where normally the idea for the 1% is to pit section of the 99% against one another and to successfully do that, the way in which making this whole issue of voter fraud and the idea you have illegals coming in to steal something against you. you're pitting people in the 99% against one another. part of what the occupy movement

success has been is to shift the focus and shine a lens directly on 1%. >> in items of the upcoming election, because i do think this is possibly a potent election issue. i think the president recognized that because he talked about cordray in his speech in kansas and did a press statement to. i want to play a brief clip of elizabeth warren, who was the person who stood up the consumer financial bureau, the bureau is her idea, she wrote an article called democracy, proposing it. here is her explaining in michael moore's film the logic behind it. >> you can't buy a toaster in america that has a 1 in 5 chance of exploding but you can buy a mortgage that has a 1 in 5 chance of exploding and they don't even have to tell you about it. we don't hand people a wiring diagram with a toaster and say,

you figure it out 37 but you sit down to do a mortgage closing, and it's sign here, sign here, sign here, sign here for 141 pages. >> i mean, this -- this is just such a great example. >> they earned this supervision. they can complain all they want -- >> and believe me, they're kicking and screaming. buddy, i want to ask you, because you have critique, which has intuitive appeal to me, and we talked about the ways in which both parties are equally compromised and corrupt but something like a consumer financial protection bureau points to a stark partisan difference. the fact of the matter is democrats passed this. democrats are pushing this. elizabeth warren pushed it. republicans are refusing to let it happen. this is a place where there is a stark partisan divide. >> debate is healthy. republican who are opposed to it out to say way. is it peculiar and particular to this man? >>, no it's not. >> no i don't think it is. >> they said as much.

>> i i think their captive audience are the banks. and i think they've been told and paid to listen to the fact that we don't want this kind of regulation and supervision. let me say it's as a small banker there's too much meddling in things that don't need meddling. there's too little meddling in things that do need -- i believe in the speed limit on the highway. i'm conservative economically but i think some regulation is necessary. in banking particularly. the bigger the bank, the great the risk. this is brought on by the bankers themselves. frankly, i don't want to listen to their bs. >> i like the line the banks have earned supervision. >> it's true. you know, as he was speaking i was thinking about when the oil rig blew and when the deep -- >> deep water horizon. >> yes. >> british petroleum. >> you talk to folks, who are they angry with? they're angry with regulators

for not doing their job. they say we want to pump oil all day, but we know in order to do that we have to have a speed limit. there has to be some rules. the people who are there to enforce the rules need to enforce them. we've got to get back to that. i mean, that's what we understood coming out of the great depression. was that there was a speed limit on the highway, then everything could move down the highway, we could all get fed, all live a better life and somehow we're in this moment where we can't talk about regulation. >> well, you know, i think what is encouraging at least about the political fight that's being opened up on exactly this issue is that it is a proactive argument in favor of regulation affirmatively by the president, by democratic party, elizabeth warren now head of scott brown in massachusetts so i think the conversation has changed. the problem, as butty points out, is that the interests haven't changed, right? this is a fundamental problem in congress. you can win the argument, and i think that we've won the argument with the american people about the need for a consumer financial protection bureau, but it doesn't mean you can budge the interests. interests are opposes to it. >> that's the theory of the 99%,

we used to say when i was an organizer in harlem, have you to two types of power. organized money, organized people. people get organized, they can beat organized money. so i will never be the one to tell people, you can't beat city hall. you can but have you to win it. have you to be in it to win it. >> because interests don't shift. the people shift. the people force the shift in the interests because the interests are never going to shift because they profit from the paralysis. >> right. >> that's the beauty about this particular -- the people make the -- the point i wanted to make -- >> yeah, please. >> this is going to become a knock down, drag out fight. we'll have a fight on our hands, the kind of which i don't think we've yet to see because have you this kind of burgeoning motion of the 99% who are standing up. what's beautiful about it is their lack of political interests. they simply want to see a shift that reflects emotion in their interest. >> the title of it, consumer

protection. consumer, it's an individual. we've been talking about groups here. we're starting to put names with faces. and this is what is going to get that grassroots support, which is where i think it will come, from the bottom up. >> the big question is that can you -- can interest on a fight like this, on the consumer finance protection bureau, can that be sustained? i want to you weigh in on that after we come back. looking good! you lost some weight. you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories.

[ femala $100 cream. we were flattered when regenerist beat flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream. for about $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than over 20 of america's most expensive luxury creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that. it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones! [ gargling ]

oo-ay-ow. savings. savings. savings? progressive was the first to offer online quoting. you can do better. first to show comparison rates. ding! the "name your price" tool. oh! gosh, don't mind if i do. who was the first to offer pet injury coverage? we were. and when did you know you wanted to sell insurance? i said i wouldn't cry. um... whee! it's flo time. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

hey, hey, hey, hey. i can see who's on my network people! lance? lance? yes, yes you are next. all right. dave, i'm in. ♪ katie! what are you doing, sweetheart? supplementing my allowance. how long have we been gone? [ male announcer ] get low prices on the latest 4g phones, starting at $28.88. save money. live better. walmart. the consumer financial protection bureau is there for regular families. it's there so they don't get gouged on credit cards and on mortgages and on student loans. but they won't get their full power until they get a confirmed director. and we've now got wall street's best friends in the senate blocking confirmation of rich cordray solely to try to hinder this agency, to try to keep it from some real -- calling for

some real accountability over wall street. >> elizabeth warren speaking to my colleague, lawrence o'donnell. he had her on his program the other night. she had not been doing a lot of national interviews -- >> you sound jealous. >> i was jealous. i e-mailed executive producer and said, looks good. that's her making the case. the reason i want to carry over this conversation is because i remember when in 2005, i believe it was, the democrats in the senate were filibustering a number of judicial nominees that the republicans put forward. some of whom were truly and genuinely, as extreme as any nominees we've seen. janice rogers brown comes to mind with some views that were well to the right even of scalia and thomas, et cetera. and this filibuster was met we concerted effort both by republican politicians in the senate and grassroots effort by republican base in events called justice sunday where they had simulcast in churches to make this a fight. what ended up having is threat

of the nuclear option and gang of 14 that ended up creating a deal that got through these nominees. my question is, is a fight over consumer protection board, which sounds arcane, even if it's politically palatable, is that the fight progressives or 99% movement can sustain, or is this three days from now we'll be talking about something else? in which case obstructionists win? >> we can if we make it real. if you want to make it real, you talk about payday lending, you talk about the fact that you can walk down the street, have people saying, we'll give you a loan and if you're not in missouri where it's 1500%, then it's probably 400%, all right? your grandma needs to buy a pair of orthopedic shoes and they cost $100. she ends up spending $500 by the time she pays it off and they she may not have paid the principle yet. so, that's what this is about. it's not about the consumer financial protection agency which sounds like boring, boring, boring. it's about can they gouge you

with a 400% loan. that's what it's about. >> we need to put it together, right? so we have the consumer protection agency, then we have the occupy wall street, the occupy homes. so i think that all of these pieces being put together are going to push this forward. at the same time, the right is starting to implode. they are moving further and further to the right so all of this going on starts to seem more sensible. we're seeing romney saying he accepts the ryan plan. that's going to make a lot of seniors very nervous. >> the paul ryan plan for folks at home was introduced in january. every republican in the house voted for it and it would do away with medicare and is not something -- >> you take that fear. oh, my god, medicare will be consult. then we see our protection is not going to be passed because they're blocking the nominee. people are losing their homes. so, you put it all together and that's where you see the movement. >> i think the sustainability question, which is always the question, a moment in a movement

can be amazing but it can just be a moment. the question is, where is the momentum and how do you move it from a moment to momentum that then changes a reality? the reason why this, i think, is that opportunity is that when you have this moment for the occupy movement that understands occupy homes finally is a game-changer, that means the consumer agency's not about some bureaucratic space, it's about you. you are part of the 99%. it's not even about hiring rich. it's about the fact that this is a protection for you, for your right to go against the 1%. >> i disagree -- >> let me finish. it's the opportunity to marry the movement with individual people on the ground. and create momentum from that space. >> can i say -- i'm going to leave this and propose to my bosses that the two of you get a show together. >> no, no, no. >> because you -- >> i wouldn't watch it. >> buddy, you go. very satisfying. go ahead, buddy. >> be careful what you wish for.

>> you be very careful what you wish for, how about that, my brother? >> another agency doing another job that i think is important, i don't think it's a sustainable issue. >> why? >> i think the banks ought to step forward and work out what they think is legitimate -- >> are you kidding me? >> -- oversight? i do. i think that. it's not happening. in fact, they're going the other way. >> you just said they earned supervision. >> they're paying money to the politicians to support them. and i disagree with that -- >> why would you advocate a solution that doesn't help anybody but the banks that are helping the -- >> consumer protection agency, no problem. >> but you just said -- >> what i'm -- there's another issue here. >> go ahead. >> you're addressing, is this sustainable. >> yeah. >> will this start a revolution? will this start a movement? it will not. >> jobses will -- >> ben and i are together. i know you're uncomfortable with that, but it's jobs. it's jobs. >> wait a second pp, though, i want to -- i want to make an important point here. i want to make an important point on this because when we

talk about, oh, this is remote or bureaucratic, it's exactly to me that this is the knife's edge of how this election's go to go and how the country's going to go right now. which is, there is something about the occupy movement that sees people's imagination because it was a rejection of everything that had to do with the trappings of politics as usual. at the end of the day, politics as usual matters. it matters if there's -- >> it does. >> it matters if there's someone in the consumer financial protection bureau or not. the question is, can you channel that into politics as usual? >> that's the conversation. that's where we are now. that's what i mean by all movements have moments. then have you to become something else. >> that shubt be -- >> let me finish. they're becoming something else. >> they've made a choice -- >> why does it have to be either/or? why can't we do both? why can't we protect consumers and grow jobs? what's wrong with us? >> who's suggesting -- >> you're acting like this is the issue of consumer protection that's going to turn this

election -- it's an excuse for the president to do nothing on jobs. i'm a jobs guy. >> the president -- wait a second. wait a second. >> i'm a jobs guy. >> i'm going to take the prerogative that the president has proposed american jobs act and traveling around the country -- >> it's ridiculous. it helps jobs in china. it doesn't help jobs in america. find something made in america. here's the way it works. you give money to the consumer, they buy goods made in the country and hire more people. where are the goods made in america? hell, they're made in china. >> okay. on that note, what do we know now we didn't know last week? my answer after this. hey, the new guy is loaded with protein! really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong.

new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! [ woman ] welcome to learning spanish in the car. you've got to be kidding me. yeah, this is good. vamanos. vamanos. vamanos. gracias. gracias. gracias. ♪ trece horas en el carro sin parar y no traes musica. mira entra y comprame unas papitas. [ male announcer ] get up to 795 miles per tank in the all-new passat tdi clean diesel. the 2012 motor trend car of the year. ♪ [ knock on door ] cool. you found it.

wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com. a simpler way to ship. i have a great fit with my dentures. i love kiwis. i've always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. super poligrip free -- it creates a seal of the dentures in my mouth. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs,

it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. super poligrip free made the kiwi an enjoyable experience. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir. dennis, check in everywhere you go on foursquare. that's mayor dennis... of the water cooler. you're the best. liz, rock out to pandora. oh, no i'm an only child. and nick, you shouldn't even be here, you can do everything from the golf course. good? good. [ male announcer ] on at&t, blackberry® torch moves at the speed of 4g. ♪ in a second he'll tell you what i didn't know when the week began but right now a preview with "weekends with alex wit". >> new poll numbers on the mood of the country. what challenges does president

obama face as he plots strategy for 2012. thousands will be rallies in new york city to fight for voters' rights. could new laws ultimately change the outcome of the 2012 presidential election? host of msnbc's "politics nation" al sharpton will join me. and president newt gingrich. sound far-fetched? this this week's "office politics" i pose that question to lawrence o'donnell and you might be surprised by his answer. all that ahead at 9 a.m. >> thanks. what do we know now we didn't know last week? we know mitt romney realizes he has a race on his hands based on the fact his campaign convened a call with reporters to attack newt gingrich. we also know if the race does come down to newt and mitt that newt has made an awful lot of enemies in his political career who will be more than happy to knee-cap him given the opportunity. we know which political ad is the front-runner for most disen generous, this laughable piece of garbage that karl rove put

out on elizabeth warren. >> the first thing i'm going to promise is that i'm going to be a voice in the room on behalf of middle class families. >> really? congress had war and oversee how your tax dollars were spent, bailing out the same banks that caused the financial meltdown, that paid big bonuses to bank executives. later, warren went on a charm offensive with some of the same banks who got bailed out. tell professor warren, we need jobs, not more bailouts and bigger government. >> we know elizabeth warren didn't oversee bailouts. she served on the congressional oversight panel that was relentlessly and preciously critical of the bailouts. we know just a few weeks ago, i was standing in this very spot playing you an ad from karl rove's group, crossroads gps that painted the same elizabeth warren as a rabid occupy wall street anticapitalist bank hater. from 2010 with attacking obama's health care bill as socialized

medicine and cuts to medicare, that there is no rule in politics against arguing in the alternative, no matter how illogical or cynical. thanks to a new poll from russell sage foundation we now with more accuracy about the politics and world view of the 1%. foundation polled a representative sample of 1% and found, not surprisingly, they're mostly conservatives who don't want to raise taxes, worry about deficit. with you now know the beltway conventional wisdom reflects perfectly. we know no shortage of statistics to show how grotesque our nation's wealth distribution has become during second gilded age but thanks to berkeley economist we know a new one. in 2007, most recent year for data available, total assets of sixth wealthiest walton, walmart family heir was equal to the bottom 30% of american families.

politics have failed to address foreclosure and occupy your homes is forcing the system to deal with the problem. we know rod blagojevich, 14 years in time in federal prison after being sentenced for corruption conviction this week. we know he is the second governor in a row from the great state of illinois to leave the state house only to find himself in the big house. we know the great people of illinois really do deserve better. thanks to a leaked contract posted to the smokinggun.com, we know what kind of amenities have you to provide if you would like to hire newt gingrich as a paid speaker. we know the price for his services is $50,000, plus the payment of first class expenses, including the hotel of gingrich's choice and first class airfare. we know the contract also requires gingrich be provided with, quote, a nonsmoking, one bedroom suite, preferably with two bathrooms. we do not know what the hell mr. gingrich plans to do in the second bathroom but we do know republican party seems poised to

nominate one of the most polarizing political figures of his time. we know it will be interesting to see how that works. what do my guests now know they didn't know when the week began? [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition? ♪

[ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. ♪ imagine me and you, i do ♪ i think about you day and night ♪ ♪ it's only right ♪ to think about the girl you love ♪ ♪ and hold her tight ♪ so happy together [ male announcer ] when life changes, so can your insurances needs. use travelers free guide to better coverage to stay prepared. is your auto and home insurance keeping up with you? contact your local travelers agent, or call 800-my-coverage.

i wanted to find out what my guests now know they didn't know when the week began. i'll begin with buddy roemer. >> my issue when i have been running for president is campaign reform. i think we need to clean up washington before we can address the major issues in the race, which are justice and jobs. be corporate interests on washington. i learned something more this week. martha stewart went to jail. conflict of interests, insider trading was the charge. congress does it all the time. and can't come up with a rule to regulate it. it was not a surprise but it was just more ammunition for my

belief. >> there was a really pretty jaw-dropping story on "60 minutes" about this, that congress is legally able to trade information, senior baucus came out of a briefing in the midst of the financial crisis in 2008 and made a financial bet that i think netted him around $20,000. >> it's not right. it should be illegal. >> sure. and i think -- and i think it's a great point because it sort of perfectly crystallizes what a lot of people think. >> esther, what do you now know you didn't know? >> east new york has the highest foreclosure rate in the whole of new york city, the tri-state area, and that now we're the occupy homes, we have a face to what that reality looks like, that is different than we have ever seen. we also have a bridge now we didn't have before between the core occupy wall street, which began on september 17th with a day of range and this national

day of action that is bringing a focus to foreclosures and humanizing it in a way that the whole country really needs to see. >> i learned that too this morning, alfredo castillo was on the program and he mentioned that east new york has theof fo. i was surprised by that. there are a lot of poor neighborhoods in new york. east new york is a lot with single family homes that's been devastated. >> really devastated. there's been a criminalizing of the people who wanted access of the american dream, which ho homeownership is a critical part. what happened this week is a shift began. you saw just the human faces, the voices to watch children running around, excited about a home that's not just alfredo's kids, anybody's kids. you can see yourself and your dreams -- >> the flip side when your family is foreclosured on and crying -- >> they moved into a property that is vacant. it is just sitting there and left vacant.

this is supposed to be the solution. this is what is being defined by the banks as personal responsibility. >> unused resources is the tragedy of the recession, right? >> it really is. >> human capital, people who can work, who want to work, just sitting -- who can't find jobs. housing, factories that are not doing what they should, actual capital, machines sitting empty. i mean, this is the tragedy of the recession. >> and the lie that there is a poverty in this country, when actually there is this enormous wealth, but what the 1% want us to sign onto the fact that we are the result of the poverty. the 99% should change how it lives, how it spends, how it works, everything will be fine but they should be left away. >> victoria, what do you now know? >> i know vote suppression can take many different forms, not just voter i.d. laws or redistricting. we saw in detroit the state government is taking steps to take over the city government. the republican-led legislature and republican governor are

moving forward on -- on usurping their power. that means votes of all detroit residents, doesn't mean anything because the state is going to come in and tell them how to govern. >> they've passed a controversial emergency manager law in michigan which gives power to the state to appoint someone to come in and sort of rule over the democratically elected municipal government -- >> which tends to be democrats. >> my colleague rachel has done an amazing job covering that. i urge you to watch clips online because she's doing an amazing. ben? >> i didn't know buddy belonged to the naacp since he was 21. i didn't realize he agreed with us that voter suppression has to stop. yes, you know, it needs to be secure but we also need to expand our democracy. not shrink it. i did know there's a protest,

61st and madison this morning at 11:30 a.m. and a big rally at u.n. at 1:00 on this issue of stopping this attack on the vote. we need folks there. >> ben of the naacp along with my colleague al sharpton who's been working with you on the issue -- >> bring the baby. >> i'm not sure she's quite ready for her first protest. we'll get her out soon. you can see al sharpton coming up next. my thanks to buddy roemer, esther, victoria from latino decisions and ben, head of the naacp. you were fantastic. thank you for getting up. thank you for joining us today for "up." up is "weekends with alex witt." tomorrow i'll have senator bob casey of pennsylvania in the studio responding to tonight's presidential debate and talking about his efforts to extend payroll tax cut. you can find out more online. thanks for getting up.

when you're a sports photographer, things can get out of control pretty quickly. so i like control in the rest of my life... especially my finances. that's why i have slate, with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off big stuff faster... or avoid interest on everyday things. that saves me money. with slate from chase, i'm always in control. financially, anyway. get slate with blueprint and save money. call 855-get-slate today. they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. [ male announcer ] more christmas for your money, guaranteed.