it is really a simple question. why are you in this race? why are you in politics? why do you care? the man from michigan or massachusetts or utah or new hampshire or california, wherever romney's currently saying he is from can't seem to pin down that answer and that tells you all tough know about why the fellow in the sweater vest seems just perfect for this right-wing jamboree. and the perfectly turned out mitt romney looks more than ever like an empty suit. and that's "hardball" for now, thanks for being with us. "politics nation" with al sharpton starts right now. welcome to "politics nation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, president obama's decision to save detroit will be central to this election because it worked. some of the president's critics have a hard time admitting they were wrong and some, like willard mitt romney, find it impossible to say they blew it.

in 2008, willard famously wrote an op ed entitled "let detroit go bankrupt," arguing against the government bailing out the auto industry. great call, willard. today, romney's out with a new op ed saying that the rescue of the auto industry is quite indisputable good news. but also claiming that without the president's intervention, things would be better. that's right. willard agrees it worked, but claims that somehow, things would be better if we took his advice. he is just distorting what he said at the time. here's an interview from 28. >> you said, "if general motors, ford and chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the american automotive industry good-bye." >> if you write a check, they are going to go out of business. >> out of business? chrysler has reported its first

profit in 15 years. gm is now once again the top automaker in the world. president obama saved 1.5 million jobs. that's not an industry going out of business and even though romney opposed this bailout that saved this major industry, he has a new ad promoting himself as michigan's caring native son. >> now, i grew up in michigan, it was exciting to be here. i remember going to the detroit auto show with my dad. that was a big deal. people here in detroit are distressed. i want to make michigan stronger and better. michigan has been my home and this is personal. >> it maybe personal, but the auto bailout was personal for people, too, and that's exactly why new polls show romney trailing by 15 points in the michigan gop primary. joining me now is governor ed rendell, nbc and news political analyst and former dnc chairman,

the mayor of lansing, michigan, mayor bernero. thank you both for coming on the show tonight. >> my pleasure. >> first, let start with you, ed. will the bailout be the defining issue for voters in the pry matter and general election? >> it will be huge, reverend, you are right on and right on with what you said. i mean, we fought like heck here in michigan for that auto rescue plan and the president came through and when the sos call came out from detroit and from michigan, not only was romney awol, he was in the opponents' corner, he was arguing against it he was there with the walters, the 1%ers, talking about how you should lop them off and let capitalism work f we had taken his advice, we would be probable any a depression in this country and the auto industry would be finished. the big three would be done. the supply chain would be destroyed. our very livelihood, our future was at stake. we fought like heck and romney

was worse than aworks he was on the opposing team. >> now, governor rendell if you look at the contrasting views, president obama, and willard mitt romney, there couldn't be a more clear distinction between how one would govern. let me show you both of them on this issue. >> form every presidential candidate mitt romney says the best thing is to let them go into industry. >> it is good to be back. some thought this should have been let to die. >> sthnt defining by the real open contrast they have had on this issue, which really has come back in an unusually successful way? >> a huge hurdle for mitt romney to get over in the primary around the general election. the mayor is right.

it is not just detroit it is not just michigan, 'cause that supply chain exists all over. pennsylvania with he don't have any we don't have any auto factories but we make components, we make upholstery, side panels, electronic devices used in automobiles and every one of those businesses would be essentially closed down if we let the auto industry go out of existence, so the president did the right thing and again, this is a great case against the republicans who say keep the government out of thing, the government can't do anything, the government can't make a difference the government can't create job, can't save jobs. the answer is look at detroit, michigan, look at the auto industry. >> see, that's exactly where i wanted to go, virg this is not just a michigan issue but a national issue on how we govern, because what they are saying is they don't want government to intervene, use detroit and the

auto industry as an example. now, the fact that the president did do that and a success, trying to to have it both ways, if it wasn't a success it would be something else, but really talking about whether it would have been any state in this country, any industry, whether the government should have intervened to help save jobs. there's at least two important issues here we begin to touch on. one is that the government -- the active, bold, aggressive leadership by the president what it was called for. nothing short of courageous leadership. it was a big risk and he took it and it has paid off hugely for cities like lansing, detroit, all across this country it saved the auto industry and saved the supply chain, for ford as well, because if that supply chain went away, ford would have been threatened it is about leadership, and sometimes leadership involves saying you're sorry. it involves saying i was wrong and romney can't admit it. it is clear he is trying to reinvent his record but the fact is he was against t he was wrong, wrong, wrong. he predicted failure, he worked against it and he was wrong. he ought to come out and say i

was wrong, the president was right on this and move on to the next issue but he wants to reinvent history and deny the fact he was at the wrong place in history and it will come back to bite him. >> now, answer this for on the ground, you are on the ground guy, you hear everybody in your party, outside of your party what are you hearing on the ground? romney, santorum, president obama? what are the people staying in >> romney is not connecting with the people. if you look at this article, his ads, talking about i drink verters. being a detroit, being a michiganer, it is great he understands we root for the tigers and pistons and drink verners, this is a guy that doesn't connect. he is against working people. with the 1%. his article is ridiculous. he talks about that they should have got rid of the planes in the executive dining rooms and so on this is a guy, mitt, who says $400,000 is peanuts in speaking fees. that is nothing, talks about the social safety net, completely intact. poor people can take care of themselves.

what planet is he living son in i don't think he is connecting with average michiganeners, a long time since he was homered and he needs to go back to -- and get schooled on what -- but i think it is too late because it is a matter of how he got -- he has got that silver spoon problem. >> governor rendell, when you look at the polls, even in the republican primary there in michigan, his home state this is where his father was governor, he is behind santorum with blue collar voters by 11 points. so it would indicate to me as just somebody outside looking in, he has got a problem with the 99% even in his own party in his home state. >> yeah, there's no question. all this spell a lot of trouble for governor romney and again, goes back to really the fundamental divide. we believe -- we democrats and we who classify ourselves as progressive, that the government can make a difference. the government doesn't necessarily create jobs but the

government can help establish jobs and retain them. it can help create jobs by giving -- making money available to repair our infrastructure t can help manufacturing by taking an aggressive role in foreign trade disputes. there's so much that the government can do. these people who want to say get the government out of our business, no, you don't want the government out of your business, you want it there when you need it. >> now, governor, is that why we are seeing this shift in independent voters because when we first looked at the president and willard mitt romney among independent voters in november, the president was at 41%, romney was at 53. now, the president is up ten points above romney, 51-42. is this kind of reckless behavior by romney in terms of what he is representing and as vo kagt cost him independent voters? >> it has but don't underestimate the fact that the president has done extraordinarily well connecting with independent voters and blue collar workers since november,

since he made his jobs speech. and the republicans are -- they are -- sometimes i think they are nuts, reverend. john boehner said when he was talking about the house transportation bill, he was saying we are not saying this this creates jobs. well, let me ask you, if the federal government gives money to repair a highway in michigan, that highway to repair it, people are going to have to work on it and people backing the asphalt and concrete factories going to have to produce the necessary materials. of course it creates jobs. don't deny that the government has a role in keeping this economy vibrant. >> we are going to have to hold it there, mayor bernero and governor rehn dechl and mayor bernero, next time you come on, tell me how you really think. get a little fresh. thanks for coming on the show. >> happy valentine's day. >> same to you. coming up, president obama on the march and the republicans in retreat. they have lost the battle on the payroll tax cut and may be about

to fold yet again. plus, we will talk with senator barbara boxer about the gop's outrageous new assault on women's rights. you won't believe what they want to do now. and whitney houston, the tragedy, her talent made her millions. now, there's reports out it was all gone when she died. is that just media? what happened? we will be right back. when you have tough pain, do you want fast relief? try bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream fast

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republicans are expanding their say sault on women rights. now they are targeting contraception. women talk live with senator barbara boxer next.

welcome back. how did birth control become such a bad thing? republicans said they are fighting for religious freedom but they are really making it a political argument. missouri republican senator roy blunt introduced the blunt amendment. it allows any employer to deny coverage of contraception or any other health care service they find religiously or morally objectionable. okay. but this extreme idea is just for shock, right? think again. 20 senators are on board with it. mcconnell, rubio, mccain, the list goes on. and this is going on in the states, too. today, virginia house of delegates passed a controversial personhood bill that defines life at conception and outlaws any abortion and many kinds of

birth control. okay. but this is just one state going extreme. nope. similar personhood laws are being pushed in a dozen states this year. and all four candidates are on board with it. the goal posts keep moving and we need to continue fighting it. joining me now, senator barbara boxer, democrat from california, and a leading voice against the blunt amendment. senator boxer, thanks for coming on the show tonight. >> thanks for having me on. >> now, why do you think they are moving so far to the right on these women's issues? >> reverend al, i think they have always been there. they are very comfortable with this. and as i've said before, let them bring it to the floor. we are ready to vote. this is so extreme. you know, they want to take us back to the medical dark ages. if you take the issue of contraception, we know that well over 90%, well over 95% of women some time in their lifetime have

used contraception, including a huge percentage, well over 90% of all catholic women. so, this is something that is mainstream and we know that when we plan our families, reverend, we have way fewer abortions in this nation. we know that we have way fewer problems with our children when they are born 'cause they get the prenatal care and it goes on and on. it is a win/win/win all around. but they have -- they love these issues for some reason t speak toes the far right of their base and i think they have just overreached on the blunt amendment. as you pointed out very eloquently, it isn't only saying to the people in this country, any employer can deny any kind of procedure. any kind of procedure. >> that's what i want to you elaborate on. >> yes. yes. >> any employer can say whatever they deem as religiously or morally offensive, they can deny

insurance, which could be anything. it doesn't even have to be contraception. i mean, are they serious? how do you make a law where an employer can decide his own religious beliefs violate your right to be insured? >> absolutely. let's use an example. let's say somebody believes that medicine doesn't cure anybody of a disease but prayer does. >> right. >> and then they decide no medicine. no medicine. and under the blunt amendment, they could do just that. jon stewart last night, of course in his amazing way, uses humor and says, well, guess i would have a great time 'cause i believe that laughter is the cure of everything. laughter is the best medicine. so, i said today at a press conference, i followed jon stewart, if i believe laughter is the best medicine then if my employee gets sick, i will tell him a joke. i mean, this thing is so over

the top, reverend al. they have lost their way. and, you know, i -- you could -- it's hard to believe that it would have 22 senators on t and by t -- it. and by the way, i'm proud i'm chairman of the environmental public works committee. we have a bill on the floor, height way bill. reverend al, we protect 1.8 million jobs and create up to another 1 million jobs. that is 2.8 million jobs, construction jobs mostly. guess what the first amendment they want? the blunt amendment to take away health care from the american people. >> they want this as must-pass legislation, the blunt amendment. >> oh, yes. they are so excited. >> are you worried about it coming from so many angles. >> no. >> do you think this has any possibility of passing? >> to be honest, i'm ready to vote. went american people tune in on this, they are gonna scratch their head and say what has happened to my grandpa's republican party? they are gone.

you know, we are the country with all the medical breaks through and you follow the blunt amendment, putting people back in the dark ages were they have absolutely no access to medicines, life-saving medicines. you know, if a boss says, you know, i don't believe that we should treat sexually transmitted diseases, let say he decides that, 'cause it's your fault, you shouldn't have got one of them. people will die, they will be -- they will have excruciating pain and illness. we can't go back to the dark ages. it is the 21st century. and so we are gonna fight on. >> use contraception for more that birth control. >> yes. >> show you how far right this is, the current republican with the momentum in the republican primaries, rick santorum, let me show you what he said as far back as october on this issue. >> dangers of contra accepts in this country, the whole sexual

libertin idea. many in the crist kblan faith have said, well, that's okay. contra accept sex okay. it's not okay. at's license to do things in the sexual realm. >> he says the dangers of contraception, it is a license to do things in the sexual realm. this man is saying something that sun believable in the name of religious freedom what about women's freedom to make choices over their own lives and body? >> of course. what about the religious freedom of women to do what they believe? and you know, i served with then-senator santorum, he got whipped by -- in an election, nobody seems to talk about it by bob casey, because he is so extreme. and the fact is i give him credit for being honest.

he says birth control is bad. he has also said that, you know, he doesn't think women should work, they should stay home. now that is a choice that women are going to make and men are going to make, that families are going to make. so, this republican party, they are just jumping off the cliff here. i think. >> rwell, senator abortion -- senator boxer, thanks for your time. the economy, what a turnaround story that is. first, voting problems in yet another republican contest them can't get their own house in order but they want to rewrite the voting laws for everybody else? stay with us. ♪

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republicans have a voting problem, they just don't want to talk about t they are just too busy trying to suppress minority votes. mitt romney, won maine's republican caucus last weekend, colling three points ahead of ron paul, but now, some maine towns say their votes weren't ahead, and they want a recount. i saw this movie before.

iowa said romney won their caucus, but oops, they lost volts and santorum won. so the party that is so worried about voter fraud is having problems with their system. 2.8 million people are registered to vote in more than one state, the pew center says and more than 2 million dead people are on voting rolls and one in four eligible to vote aren't registered. no doubt about it our voting systems are outdated and need help. the problem is not voting fraud. in fact, the director of this new study said flat out, bad records are not leading to fraud. as we told you when the bush justice department launched an investigation into voter fraud, they prosecuted just 86 cases or 0.00003% of total voters.

our voting system does definitely be improved but we don't need tips on better elections from the gop suppression votes and infringing on our basic rights. that is not the answer. it's a solution for a problem that does not exist. and we won't let them get away with it. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain.

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to dig deeper. work smarter. not harder. i depend on myself the one person i do trust to take charge of my financial future. [ bell dinging ] welcome back to "politics nation." the united states has been at war in afghanistan for over a decade. and while the president is trying to spend less on the war and bring our troops home, many republicans want the opposite. today, defense secretary leon panetta testified about president obama's new proposed military budget cuts on capitol hill and he defended the cuts. republicans attacked. >> this defense budget continues the administration's habit of putting short-term political considerations over our long-term national security interests. many of the president's most significant decisions about our

national defense have been fundamentally disconnected from "conditions on the ground." >> conditions on the ground? let talk about those couldn't ground in afghanistan. the pentagon is set to spend $88.5 billion on the war in 2013. that's $242 million a day. 90,000 u.s. troops are fighting in afghanistan. 22,000 are due to come home by the fall of this year. the rest by the end of 2014. more than 17,000 troops have been killed or wounded since the war began. those are startling numbers. but according to an explosive new report, the situation in afghanistan is even worse than we think. lieutenant colonel daniel davis, a 17-year army veteran, has written a scathing report called

"dereliction of duty." he accuses u.s. military commanders of not telling the truth to the american public about what's really going on in afghanistan. it is a must-read. joining me now, michael hastings, contributing editor to rolling stone magazine. he has been writing about this story and "rolling stone" has published the colonel's full, unclassified report his website. michael, thanks for being here tonight. >> thanks for having me, appreciate it. >> you talked to colonel davis, why is his report so important? >> is one of the most significant documents written about either the war in iraq or the war in afghanistan and reason is colonel davis is an active duty military officer. he is writing from the inside and he decided because things were just so bad and because the message we were getting from the higher ups was just so wrong, he risked his entire career to come out to say, in great detail, after just returning from afghanistan what exactly was going wrong. >> all right. now, here we have this colonel

two tours of duty in afghanistan, two tours of duty in iraq, eight years as an army reservist, all of this he put at risk because he was so outraged, he felt we were not getting the right information? >> serious risk, very serious risk, there has already been anonymous threats or unnamed threats about investigating him and trying to retaliate for what he is saying but the tragedy is everyone knows, almost everyone who really is following this stuff, knows what he is saying is exactly right. and to see him punished for that would be a travesty. >> now, give us the key points to his report then. >> the key point to his report, the most important thing, is that whenever one of the senior military leaders said things are going well, the data actually was completely the opposite. violence in afghanistan has gone consistently up over the past five years and with little signs of abating and while it has gone up, we have kept hearing the same message, we are wing, victory is around the corner, it is going to be a tough fight and so what colonel davis said, finally said is, look, everyone knows we are sort of trying to get out of there now and we are

going to spend the next three years fighting and people are going to be dying, american soldiers are going to be dying, when everyone sort of know it is kind of a sham. >> now, what struck me when i read your reports is that colonel davis said that senior military leaders have, and i'm quoting, knowingly deceived congress and the american people and talking about the deterioration on the ground and all. this is intentional, he is saying? >> yeah, i believe it is -- i believe -- what's saying in the report that is intentional, from my own reporting extensively on this subject, there is real intent on it. it is, in fact, i'm continuing with davis' report, what he wrote, that the covering up the truth about the war is actually hurting the american people. >> i think it is. i think it is. i think by giving -- sending the message that everything is fine, just keep spending 88 become $120 billion on this effort just keep throwing lives into this sort of fodder, wood chipper of

a country, is completely ridiculous. and it also ruins their own credibility. when do you actually believe them? if off track record of lying wit pentagon on this issue really does, at what point do you consider them credible? >> and he stays hurts the credibility both with friends and enemies of the united states. >> yeah anyone in europe, any of our allies who we want to get on board for any future foreign policy endeavors or at least even to keep the coalition alive on this, they know what's really going on and to see our military leaders continue to spin, spin, spin, spin, borders on the extremely negligent. >> now, the republican candidates for president have actually opposed the president saying we ought to be spending less money and begin withdrawing in afghanistan. i mean, let give you some of the opposition to the president's candidates. >> it makes absolutely no sense, his naivete is putting in jeep debt mission of the united states of america and our

commitments to freedom. he is wrong. >> none of the generals recommended the speed of the drawdown the president wants. >> policy things that we do, i would announce the people of afghanistan, assuming we haven't pulled all our troops out, that this date of withdrawal is suspended and gone. and i would conduct the strategy in afghanistan for success, not for exit. >> now, now we are not getting where we want to go. clearly, there's serious questions from the inside. we are spending over $200 million a day. >> yep. >> and these are the guys that say let's bring down the budget, let's stop spending money crazy, worried about the deficit, but they want to spend more in afghanistan. >> i would like to see any of them run on the policy to escalate again in afghanistan. they won't. they are politicking right now, i'm sure the white house would love to have that, willard mitt romney wants to put 100,000 troops in afghanistan?

this is a war 60% of the country views ungavebly. goes up more when you pay attention to. it. >> went up more with you on my show. michael hastings, thanks for being here to you can read his book, "the operators" is in the book stores now. we are going to follow this story. love to have the colonel on some time. >> definitely. thank you. >> thank you. ahead, the economy is roaring back and the republicans are in retreatment the president fighting for jobs and may be about to rack up another victory. ♪ oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance.

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[ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro. happy valentine's day to everyone, from everyone here at "politics nation." everyone loves a day to eat chocolate and celebrate and be with the one you love. they are not big fans of it over in uzbekistan. the government of uzbekistan told the media and stores, ignore the holiday. they are encouraging people to skip valentine's day. officials calling it an alien western import. hmm. maybe someone got them mad. >> when they ask me who is the president of u becky becky becky stan stan, i'm going to say i don't know. do you know? >> here in the states, people are celebrating and in the spirit of the occasion, president obama has some advice. >> today is valentine's day.

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[ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, rich dark chocolate, toasted oats. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. president obama is stepping up the pressure on republicans the day after their stunning reversal on the payroll tax cut. and he is also looking ahead to the next fight, falling on republicans to extend unemployment benefits which also run out at the end of the month. >> i speak from experience here. it is important that you remember this and -- congress needs to extend that tax cut along with vital insurance lifelines for folks who have lost their jobs during this recession and they need to do it now. just pass this middle class tax cult, pass the excitizens of

unemployment insurance, do it before it's too late and i will sign it right away. [ applause ] now -- >> economic confidence has climbed backs to the highest point in a year. retail sales last month hit $400 billion, up .4% from december. and white house estimates that 2 million jobs will be created this year, bringing unemployment down to 8%. joining me now is joan walsh, editor at large of salon.com and bob frankens, syndicated columnist for king features. thanks to both of you for being here. >> al, thank you. >> thanks, reverend al. >> joan, there are now rumors of a deal being worked out that would extend both the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. the republicans know they can't win on this issue?

>> oh, absolutelies, on the payroll tax cut, they know this is the losing issue, they are the party of tax cut bus won't go for a tax cut for the middle class that is so pathetic, reverend al, and i think they have got their tails between their legs, they know they have been beaten on this i'm a little bit more concerned about unemployment insurance. there's some talk that there might be trading or compromise on that and i think it's very important that it be extended as is. it is also a form of stimulus. we can't take any more money out of this economy, this recovery if is a recovery, is very fragile. you know, the president's valentine's day remarks are very important to the economy, reverend al. he is trying to get people to go out and spend money today. you know, he is thinking about this all the time. so yes, they have a losing hand, but there is still some negotiation to go on the >> bob, joan is talking tough, republicans have their tail between their legsome it that bad? >> well, i don't -- with the republicans, you have got to always wonder what little game they are playing, but the word

is rattling around capitol hill right now that some sort of encompassing call diehl, all-encompassing deal is in the works and the big obstacle maybe the hard line republican, the tea parties who really don't want a deal. the deal would include a lesser extension than the administration wanted and tough put it in context of asking why republicans are so hostile to the unened, as they obviously are, seeking, for instance, a drug test, before a person could receive benefits, which is really quite demeaning and the bitter irony is that it is their high finance -- high-finance puppeteers responsible for caution the unemployment. >> senator mcconnell is still saying all of the things with the same kind of attack mode he has always said. here is what he said about the president's budget and overall handling of the economy.

>> he hasn't done a thing to live up to his pledge to get the nation's fiscal house in order. in fact, he has made it worse. the failure of leadership here is truly breathtaking. >> but the president has launched -- i should say relaunched his twitter hash tag, 40 dollars to ask -- $40 and what it means to americans. let me show you what he is doing. what $40 means to americans, being able to afford my daughter's medications that's half our family's grocery bill, keeps water in my house. so he is launching this twitter campaign about $40 what it really means and this is the fight to keep the extension going. let me let you hear him explaining this fight. >> allowing this tax cut to expire would make people's lives harder right now. it would make their choices more

difficult and i'm asking the american people to keep their stories coming, tell us what $40 means to you. if you tweet it, use the hash tag $40. >> so the president's pressing it on. is the republicans in any shape to fight on the economy? is that a good issue for them? >> no. and i think that's why you have seen all this change of subject of the culture wars in the last week, reverend al. it is not just the catholic bishops, it is that they are much more comfortable on that terrain, even though they are losing on that terrain too. i think they know they don't have a winning issue, a winning hand here and they are happy to lie about it they are happy to say that the president made the economy worse, he has made it better. they are happy to say he doesn't care about the deficit. well, he spent a year trying to get a deal on the deficit and he realized he didn't have a partner in that deal and so correctly, he turned his attention to the economy and we will cut the deficit later it is important to keep spending to

keep people employed and just going to say it all year. and the american people will make a choice in november. >> bob, the politics of this is baffling to me. you look at the polling numbers, talk to the american people about protecting the safety net, 76% say don't cut social security. 80% say don't cut medicare. 65 say don't cut medicaid. are the members of congress, the republicans not looking at the polls and understands where the american people are on these issues? >> they are counting on the victory of spin, by which i mean they are not presenting themselves as cutters of medicaid, social security, medicare, they are preventing themselves as the rescuer, save the or, and they are saying this there has to be much more efficiency, there has to be cut backs to make sure medicare, medicaid and social security go on in perpetuity.

they are claiming that irresponsible democratic poli c politics -- policies, rather, are endangering all of them so they are spinning things. in reality you of course, they are talking about cutting them. let us not forget historically, they were antagonistic toward all of those. >> now, even though, joan, they are spinning, that they are trying to make it more manageable and solving the problem, isn't it hard to spin cutting when you're fighting to preserve the bush tax cuts for millionaires? isn't it hard to explain to people that we are cutting this to make things more manageable a to and make it last but not going to touch the guys who have a whole lot more money than you. >> right. i mean, you know, this deal could have been budget neutral if they had agreed to either closing tax loopholes or increasing tax rates for the very wealthy.

not a single one of the president's proposals was able to flight. if they decrease the deficit a, and seems they will, they are the ones to blame can not come up with a single idea they are happy about when it comes to taxing the rich. they have put themselves in this box it is kind of fun to see them squirm. and the american people seem to understand. the president's approval rating is rising. i think there's -- there are new numbers out today. >> yeah. >> people's confidence in the economy is going up a little. people are still worried. >> we have a long way too go, you are right. i'm going to have to hold it right there joan, bob, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you, reverend al. >> happy valentine's day to both of you. >> you, too. ahead, explosive reports about whitney houston's money. but what the music industry really needs to learn from this tragedy.

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we learned today that the funeral for whitney houston will be held saturday in newark, new jersey, the church where she sang in the choir growing up. it is a place that put her on the path to stardom. she would go on to sell more than 200 million albums in 1993 alone. she earned $33 million and was ranked third on the forbes list of the highest earning women in hollywood, but today there are explosive reports about her finances. the "new york daily news" reporting she may have gone through most of her fortune. just last month, the forbes article raised questions about her finances. nbc has not confirmed these report bus if they are true, there are serious questions the music industry needs to address. the fact of the matter is that we need to all look at what goes on with our artists and how we plan and how we step forward. we also need to stop the denigrating of artists after they are gone rather than deal

with them while they are among us and vibrant. today, joining me is today show contributor lola oginaki. thank you for your time tonight, lola. >> thank you. >> let me -- before we get into the finances, there is -- chaka khan raised issues that the party saturday night, pregrammy party hosted by clive davis you can mentored whitney, a lot of people felt that the party should have not gone on. i was in beverly hills there doing a tv show at the las vegas office of national action network and i said maybe we will go over and have prayer. i had no idea that the body was still in the same building, in the hotel. let me show what clive davis said about the party. this is actually at the party. >> okay. >> i do have a very heavy heart and i am personally devastated

by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. whitney would have wanted the music to go on. and her family asked that we carry on. >> now, many of us didn't know is that she had not been removed from the building. the party was in the same hotel, the same building, a few floors down. chaka khan said this about the party -- >> i thought that was complete insanity. i don't know what could motivate a person to have a party in a building where the person whose life he had influenced so -- so enormously and whose life had been affected by her, they were like -- i don't understand how that -- >> what do you think? >> i agree with her. i think it was complete

insanity. he was her mentor, her virginia v -- svengali, to have a party in the same building with where her body is decomposing it made no sense to me. even though he says whitney would want the party to go on, i don't think she would have wanted it to go on that very evening. i think anything, even if he wanted to have the party, they could have moved it. it just felt very gauche to me and a bit eerie. >> i know whitney and her mother, her mother is active in the community and all, not as close to james brown and michael but i know them what bothers me is the negative, negative, negative and not even dealing with even the strength of her mother, cissy houston, and how these families, even when you deal with these stories about finances, how these families sometimes are the only thing that keeps these artists going when everyone else have exploited their talents, exploiting it even in a positive

way. >> mm-hmm. >> i think we are not hearing enough about that and how these finances operate. >> well, the thing that's interesting, people talk about you know, she made $100 million. first of all that -- the deal was not $100 million. i know that for a fact. that number was inflated to create more buzz around whitney. so, that wasn't true. number two you have to keep in mind that whitney houston didn't write or produce her music. her two biggest hits "i will always love you" was a dolly parton song from the '70s. the person who made the most money off that song was dolly parton. "the greatest love of all" was a george benson song from the '70s. >>. >> and if you are not the produce -- >> you down the make the money. >> thanks for joining us, lola. they say the party must go on, it does, but it will never be the same without whitney houston. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now.