firefighters have, other federal employment people have. we feel protecting people's homes and property and their businesses warrants that. >> the president's health care law will help. "the washington post" says quote, it would guarantee access to health insurance for a firefighter who might have bronchitis. many earn relatively low salaries which means they would qualify for subsidies. it's about helping firefighters, helping kids with preexisting conditions, helping seniors on tight budgets paying if their medication. it's about helping the thousands of people who will soon get a hands up from the federal government. but too many republicans don't see it that way.

they wt to repeal it. they want to block it. even though it's the law of the land. tea party senator jim demint even said quote, i urge every governor to stop implementing the health care exchanges that would help implement the harmful effects of this misguided law. now, this is stunning. he's urging them to ignore the law. and what's worse, some of them are listening. after the ruling, governor scott walker said quote, wisconsin will not take any action to implement obama care.ç louisiana governor bobby jindal said quote, we're not going to start implementing obama care. and kansas governor sam brownback said he'll wait and see what happens in november. saying it's about thisalse presidential race whether or not you want to implement it. the american people can't afford to wait and see. they already know what solution

republicans are offering. nothing. joining me now are two of msnbc weekend warriors. melissa harris-perry, host of "melissa harris-perry" and chris haynes host of "up with chris haynes." thank you very joining me tonight. >> always a pleasure. >> chris, let me start with you. the choice to me seems clear. how can republicans justify putting politics ahead of people? >> well, i think it's -- melissa can probably speak to the historical resonances of a senator from louisiana saying essentially urging essentially that governors in the states nullify a federal law. essentially refuse to implement it. to me what's been so crystal clear about this week is at the end of the day, there are two political coalitions.

an interest in covering people with health insurance and one who does not. those are the stark facts. there is one political coalition ja that does not -- explicitly they say themselves does not care about that as an objective. that's a stark difference. >> melissa, people talking about dr. king's famous i have a dream speech. in it he talks about governors whose lips drip with the words of nullification. opposing their will, nullifying federal law. we just had the supreme court uphold this is legal. it is constitutional. how can we have elected governors openly say they're going to disobey the law. >> i was thinking 1954. the supreme court of the united states saying dmo longer were the ferguson separate but equal the law of the land.

we are now going to rule that separate is illegal. then the justices killed it. they said you must implement them with all deliberate speed. they said deliberate speed. they knew what deliberation means. that means don't worry about it. >> deliberately didn't operate the speed. >> that's right. but the -- the fascinating part of this decision is nothing like that comes out of this decision. they do not say all deliberate speed. in fact, chief justice roberts says look, we have no basis as a court to stand in the way of this law. this law moves forward. >> congress has the right to tax. >> that's right. very clear deadlines and these folks are activelyç saying we don't care about the courts or about federal law. >> we're going to see -- luckily built into the law it basically gives the states a ance to be laboratories of democracy. the federal government comes in and sets it up for them.

the part of the law, though, that will depend on governors. this is really going to be an interesting test case in southern states with a whole lot of poor folk who would benefit from the medicaid expansion. republican governors in those states can say we're not taking federal money. and then it's 90%, 10% split. they can say we don't care. >> the whole world is looking at these firefighters to put their lives on the line. yet we don't care they're working in conditions they can't get health insurance. >> if you spent 30 years crafting from dogcatcher to president every single level a message that says the democratic party is against your interests, the people who are interested in expanding health care are against your interest. people who want high quality public schools are against your interest. if you have actively spent time

in the contemporary context explaining to all of these ordinary americans living in louisiana and south carolina that these folks are your enemies, then it almost doesn't matter what is imperically true. because you created an infectious understanding this is against my interest. >>ç rush limbaugh on wednesday said he had gotten a call from speaker boehner. listen to this. >> now, i got a call from speaker boehner last friday. he made it clear that repeal and not repeal and replace, but repeal was -- it will be the focus point for the house republicans. >> so they're not talking about repeal and replace. they're not projecting anything. like i said in the opening, they're projecting nothing. what they're saying is repeal, repeal, repeal. according to their mouthpiece mr. limbaugh. >> the right word march of the

republican party is something we talk about. on health care it's been remarkable. the universal health care that richard nixon was willing to sign the republicans thought was not progressive enough was to the left of the affordable care act. when bill clinton proposed his health care solution, what they counter proposed was essentially what became the affordable care act with the mandate. now the democrats came back with the mandate and they say no, that is changing america forever, that is unconstitutional. now they have even given up the goal of doing anything about health care. they used to at least pay lip service. they used to say of course we have a health care plan. of course health care is broken. we have to do something about it. now they havgone so far saying no, we want the totally broken and destructive status quo. >> yet it's working. when you look at 54 million people received free services.ç

5.2 million seniors saved $3.7 billion on medicare costs. i mean, it's working. yet this means nothing. we're talking politics. we're talking that party politics, partisan politics are above senior kids. doesn't matter. >> it was the critical moment in president obama's address on thursday when he said well, nobody can say i did this for politics. right? nobody can say i did this to get re-elected. a couple hours they're going to hold my attorney general in contempt. where i am politically is not what this is about. that whatever president obama was very clear about is that this was the kind of generational moment. this was the thing that had to happen. because re-election or not, what president obama and now the supreme court under my goodness chief justice john roberts has done is to pass the one.

>> let me show president obama making that statement. >> it should be pretty clear by now that i didn't do this because it was good politics. i did it because i believed it was good for the country. i did it because i believed it was good for the american people. the highest court in the land has now spoken. we will continue to implement this law. and we'll work together to improve on it where we can. but what we won't do, what the country can't afford to do is refight the political battles of two years ago or go back to the way things were.ç >> you know, from a purely political perspective. you were talking about the human stakes here. and the human stakes are huge and they get bigger as we go. this is just the tip of the iceberg what's implemented so far. from a political perspective, what's remarkable to me is every day the news cycle is not dominated by the employment number and economy is a loss for mitt romney and the republicans. every day. if it's holding eric holder in contempt, if it is the supreme court decision, whatever it is.

even if they think it's dinging up the president here and there, every day it's about that and not about 8% unemployment, they are losing. and they are allowing thselves for because of what -- you know, what their base wants to hear them say, they are allowing themselves to just drift massively off message. >> they're going to take that whole week in july nap july 11th week, they're going to give that whole week to health care. they're going to lose it. they don't have the votes. next week is fourth of july week. americans will be thinking about their freedom and having hot dogs. the next week they're going back to health care. and then there's going to be the olympics. i mean, it's going to be august before they have a conversation about the economy again. >> i rarely disagree with you chris. they're not off message. they don't have a message. melissa, chris, thank you for being here. be sure to catch up with chris hayes on saturdays and sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and tune in to "melissa

harris-per harris-perry" starting at 10:00 a.m. saturday here on msnbc. coming up, republicans have a new lineç of attack. the health care law is a massive tax. but willard shouldn't be talking. we're breaking out the tapes again. plus the right wing freakout after the big decision. rand paul hints at a revolt. and mike compares it to 9/11. we're taking a close look at this one. you're watching "politicsnation" on msnbc.

high schools in six states enrolled in the national math and science initiative... ...which helped students and teachers get better results in ap courses. together, they raised ap test scores 138%. just imagine our potential... ...if the other states joined them. let's raise our scores. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this. you're entered for a chance to win a trip to the olympic games for life. to cheer the summer athletes to new heights, starting in 2016... as you experience every moment, every emotion, every four years... for the rest of your life. visa. supporting athletes and the olympic games for 25 years.

people everywhere go with visa.

still ahead, romney slams the health care law as a tax increase on the american pepee. guess he forgot all about the health care tax he put in place at governor. don't worry, we'll jog his memory next. i bought the car because of its efficiency. i bought the car because i could eliminate gas from my budget. i don't spend money on gasoline. it's been 4,000 miles since my last trip to the gas station. it's pretty great. i get a bunch of kids waving at me... giving me the thumbs up. it's always a gratifying experience. it makes me feel good about my car. i absolutely love my chevy volt. ♪ wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer?

well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states, and they're backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. it's law that just makes sense. we're back to "politicsnation" with the big pivot. i know this is shock, but they

have new talking points against the health care law. aren't you shocked? yeah, me neither. the newest attack is the law raises taxes on america. even willard's adopting. >> obama care raises taxes on the american people. >> it raises taxes on the american people. guess he forgot about that presentation he gave to the heritage foundation in 2006 on his massachusetts health care law. >> we're going to insist that everybody be covered one way or the other. and that those who don't comply have certain problems. they're going to loseheir personal tax exemption. we will withhold their tax refund. >> there's even a tape romney bragging act using attacks -- a tax. >> we expect them to have health insurance. and if they don't, we'll withhold their refund or put in

place other programs. >> we said if people can afford to buy it, either buy the insurance or pay your own way. don't be free riders. >> folks, this is the definition of hypocrisy. in 2009, romney even wrote an op ed that said quote, obama could learn a thing or two about health care reform from massachusetts like quote, using esponsibility for themselves. looks like the gop has the wrong messenger for their message. joining me now is ed rendell and cynthia tucker. and now a visiting professor of journalism at the university of georgia. thanks to both of you for being with me this evening. >> my pleasure. >> good to be here, reverend.

>> governor rendell, let me start with you. the republicans are trying to use health care to their advantage this election, but do they have the wrong messenger? >> no doubt about it. the message is skewed. president obama since he's been president, he average working family has seen a tax cut of $3600. then secondly make clear that on the mandate which the supreme court properly says is a tax, only 2% of americans will pay the tax penalty. which is after the first year $666. that's what 2% of americans will pay. if you're in a health insurance plan now and you're paying into that health insurance plan, you do not have to worry about the tax that comes from the mandate. it's only the people who are the free riders. so it's less than 2% of the population. and they're attacking a president who's cut taxes to almost the tune of $400 per family. >> now, cynthia, the governor is

correct. only 2% of americans will have to pay or buyç into a plan or y a penalty. meanwhile, 94% will be totally unaffected. and these numbers come from the man who advised both mitt romney and president obama on health care law. >> well, reverend, just a few years back when romney was pushing romney care which is very much like the affordable care act in massachusetts, he was among many conservatives who said the individual mandate is a conservative thing to do. because you're forcing people to take responsibility for themselves. the heritage foundation supported it, newt gingrich was an advocate of the individual mandate. it was a conservative proposal, romney said, to get rid of free

riding. back during the gop primaries, rick santorum was the person who most often pointed to mitt romney as the wrong guy to bring the message against the affordable care act. and it has turned out to be the case. and i think chris hayes was right when he said earlier this is not really something that mitt romney wants to be talking about. he doesn't have any choice. but, you know, he's got so much double speak on this issue. and in the age of youtube, it's just going to come back to bite him. >> if you look -- clearly you're right. if you look at the gop -- the bind they're really in. when you look at the fkt their backersç are tripping over eac other. let me show you some of how they're trying to juggle this. >> there's only one candidate, governor romney, who has committed he will repeal the obama tax increase. >> what you're seeing it it hasn't -- they did some things

right. they did some things wrong. he learned from those mistakes. >> this is a guy supporting an individual mandate back in massachusetts. >> but what a big difference. he supported at a state level. if you didn't like it in massachusetts, you can move to another state. >> if you didn't like it in massachusetts, you can move to another state. when you look at the fact, governor, that even the conservative blog daily caller points out, that ginsburg actually cited romney care in holding up yesterday's law. you can't have it both ways. >> you can't. i never told anybody this. but in 1996 when i was governor of pennsylvania and mitt romney was ending his term, we went up because president bush was president. we went up to study how pennsylvania could adopt something along the lines of

romney care that massachusetts had done. and he was filled with pride about how well it was going to work and how good it was and how structured it was and how fair it was. >> wait a minute. you're saying to me in '96 you actually went as governor of pennsylvania to learn from the massachusetts plan and how the governor of massachusetts at0 that time mitt romney was proud and beaming about this? >> sure. and he spent about three hours with us talking to us about the plan. and he was proud of it. and proud of how he thought it would cure massachusetts problems. and by the way, 100% of massachusetts kids covered by health care. i think 96% or 97% of massachusetts adults. he had something to be proud about. how he can think of attacking obama care or the affordable health care act is staggering to me. it's staggering to me. >> that's amazing, cynthia. when you look at tfact that not only will he have to -- listen

to this. >> with regards to the mandate, the individual responsibility program which i proposed, i was very pleased to see that the compromise from the two houses includes the personal responsibility principle. that is essential for bringing health care costs down for everyone. and getting everybody the health insurance they deserve and need. >> oh, no. i like mandates. the mandates work. >> beg your pardon? >> let me -- >> i didn't know you were going to admit that. you like mandates. >> let me tell you which mandates i like, fred. >> i like mandates. you heard governor rendell. how does he walk that back? >> he can't walk that back. he's in a very different position çhere. that's why i think mitt romney is doing this, is talking about

health care so much only because the republican base insists that he do so. you know, up until this point, up until the ruling, mitt romney has run away from his massachusetts health care plan. he hasn't wanted to talk about it. he hasn't wanted to mention it. because it is so similar to the affordable care act. now he's stuck with it. he's trying to spin it in a way that makes it appear to be different, but it isn't. as governor rendell said, it's something he should have been proud of. the people of the state of massachusetts were happy with their health care. as americans will be when this goes fully into force. >> ed rendell, the governor, and cynthia tucker thank you for your time this evening. have a great weekend. >> you too. >> thanks, rev. still ahead, we all remember the heated tea party rallies. now there are signs they're coming back. we'll talk to a former

congressman who knows about their tactics first hand. and president obama's emotional connection with a cancer survivor who wrote to him asking for help. her letter still hangs in the oval office. and we'll talk to her live. i have never encountered such a burning sensation...

until i had the shingles. it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox.

it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com thought they were dead. huh? [ male announcer ] should've used roundup. it kills weeds to the root, so they don't come back. roundup. no root. no weed. no problem. sven's home security gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day!

what's in your wallet? here's your invoice.

folks, have you checked us out on facebook? the conversation is going all day long. our fans have been applauding all day long the health care ruling and the impact its had on their lives. danielle is on disability and she says it's a relief to know that if she's hospitalized, she can't be thrown out if she reached the limits. we want to hear your story too. head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. we hope to see you there.

hey. hey eddie. i brought your stuff. you don't have to do this. yes i do. i want you to keep this. it'd be weird. take care. you too. [ sighs ] so how did it go? he's upset. [ male announcer ] spend less time at gas stations. with best in class fuel economy. it's our most innovative altima ever. ♪

tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ normal voice ] nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. [ normal voice ] same agent and everything.

it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands? ask an allstate agent about the value plan. what happens when classroom teachers get the training... ...and support they need? schools flourish and students blossom. that's why programs like... ...the mickelson exxonmobil teachers academy... ...and astronaut sally ride's science academy are helping our educators improve student success in math and science. let's shoot for the stars. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this. we're back with the right wing reaction to the supreme court's ruling. and folks, we need to keep our eye on this one. the rhetoric is getting flat out

dangerous. today republican congressman mike pence is apologizing after comparing the health care ruling to 9/11. a former spokesman for the gop is apologizing after calling for an armed rebellion in an e-mail. mo brooks hasn't yet apologized at hinting at revolution. quote, america's founding fathers fought a rebellion for individual liberty. today's supreme court decision is a heavy boot on the throatçf that liberty. and senator rand paul suggested americans should revolt and said obama care should act as a wakeup call. keup calls, rebellions, revolutions. they have to be very careful with their wording. let's remember the tea party movement built to a fury in 2009 and 2010. outraged over the new health care law. we all remember the scenes.

and the violence always seemed to bubble just beneath the surface. at one point after the law passed, ten reported receiving threats or acts of violence against them. joining me now is a congressm who saw that violence of the tea party first hand. former congressman thomas perriello of virginia. we'll get into his experience with the tea party in a moment. we're also joined by joe madison. let me go to you first, congressman. are you surprised by the level of anger from republicans and talk of revolution? >> nothing surprises me anymore after what we've been through the last few years. it's one thing to have that rhetoric coming from across the country. it's another for leaders not to understand the importance of the

signal that they send. when you start using a language that something is somehow ill legitimate, that helped send a signal that ill legitimate means of response may be legitimate because of it. i think it's so important that our leaders and elected officials show respect for the rule of law, respect for the fact that a very conservative supreme courhas upheld this bill. and send a signal that the appropriate way to handle policy disagreements is through public debate and our elections. >> politico had a headline saying tom perriello, gas line intentionally cut. tell us what happened to you after you voted for the law and you faced some stiff tea party opposition. >> you know, it was a very scary time for a lot of us. and there was a tea party member who posted something theying it's time to take the fight to tom's house. and unfortunately put my brother's address. my brother who has small

children. and the next night he came home to find that his gas line was cut and his back porch was full of gas. fbi still hasn't solved it. we've seen other acts of violence and other periods in our history. we're blessed everyone walked away in our case okay. but i think what was significant about that was how slow elected leaders in the republican party were to respond in a serious way. you saw some state republicans in virginia responded much more quickly than the congressional republicans. we have to take this seriously. and we have to understand how important it is to have civil debate. i do feel we're in a much more civil place than we were two years ago. i think the fact that the supreme court has shown the legitimacy of what we çdid. it's a political process. decide if it's good policy. i think it is. it's the court's job to be the final arbiter whether it's constitutional. you have a lot of folks out there who are upset. frankly they never liked the constitution that much.

they liked the articles of confederation more than the constitution. that's a disagreement that's gone on for 230 years in ts country. >> joe, on the civil rights side we've had to become clear we're against violence and to try to keep things down. do the leadership in the republican party and the right wing or those who have dealings with these kind of tea party types have a responsibility to set a tone and denounce anything like the congressman just talked about he went through? >> absolutely. just like we have to. how many demonstrations have we participated in when we have kept that tone calm. we just did it in sanford. as a matter of fact, you just showed a rally. i remember ben glek's rally. we had tens of thousands who showed up. and if you remember, it was an extremely peaceful demonstration. we were in opposition.

what's also interesting is what they're not saying. all of this debate -- since this debate has been going on, reverend sharpton, president obama has been a communist, a marxist, and a socialist. i don't know how to be all three at the same time but isn't it interesting that now they have to include who?ç conservative? justice supreme court roberts, is he now a socialist, a communist? >> joe, it even gets worse. according to michael savage, he claims roberts upheld obama care because of cognitive problems due to epilepsy medication. listen to this. >> neurologists will tell you that medication used for seizure disorders such as epilepsy can introduce mental slowing, forgetfulness, and other cognitive problems. and if you look at roberts'

writings, you can see the disassociation in what he's saying. >> you've got the president a communist, a socialist. but now you have cognitive problems for the supreme court justice because he voted for upholding the constitution. >> let me add one other thing. we also -- and i know your staff will find this, because they're very good at this. rush limbaugh saying if this becomes law that he would, in fact, move to costa rica. and i tell you, i will buy his ticket and i also guess i'll buy the viagra to go with it. but he can leave. all of them had this big talk going on. so, you know, keep his word. go to costa rica. >> congressman, i'm going to let you come in. i'm not going to get into the latter part of what mr. madison will buy him. the ticket is sufficient. but congressman, you want to weigh in on the civility of this?

there's a group of catholic nuns going around the country trying to raise awareness of poverty. they've gotten tremendous religious support. been critical of paul ryan's budget. mainly raising the issue of poverty. there was a right winged talk show host who said they needed to be taken off the bus and pistol whipped and a republican congressman laughed when this came up. i think what we remember is we obviously have to call this out. but we also have to be inspired by the fact the nuns kept going. they continue to be a prophetic voice against poverty. health care reform preceded. we are going to have universal health care in this ountry. we have to watch out throwing these out. people have the courage to face up against injustice and fight for a better world. >> and i think we should also thank you for voting. because you've been vindicated.

you did the right thing. you can put your head down and night and you can tell your children and your family. it might have cost you, but it was a battle worth fighting. and we ought to thank all the other congressmen that fought. >> former congressman thomas perriello and joe madison, thank you both. have a great weekend. and i hope we can deal with this without being ugly on either side. it is unnecessary. it's unproductive. and it could lead to more problems than solutions.ç still ahead, from fdr to lbj to barack obama, we'll look at the right's long sordid history of attacking. they were wrong then. and they're wrong now. [ male announcer ] let's say you need to take care of legal matters.

wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states, and they're backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. it's law that just makes sense. we just talked about the right wing reaction to the health care ruling. but, folks, they've been attacking our great social program for decades. began in 1935 when fdr signed the social security act giving millions of americans retirement benefits. at the time, a republican

congressman said it would quote, threaten the integrity of our institutions. another gop congressman said quote, the lash of the dictator will be felt. and a gop senator said quote, it will go a long way toward destroying american initiative and courage. 30 years later the gop was singing the same tune when çlb created medicare and medicaid to ensure the elderly and the poor. ronald reagan called the idea, you guessed it, socialism. >> behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we know it in this country. until one day as norman thomas said, we will awayke to find we have socialism. >>. >> and senator barry goldwater thought medicare would lead us down a slippery slope. he said quote, having given our

pensioners their medical care in kind why not food baskets. why not vacation resorts. why not a ration of cigarettes for those who smoke. folks, last time i checked, the government wasn't handing out cigarettes with social security checks. the fears were unfounded then. and they're unfounded now. joining me now is nancy altman, author of "the battle for social security." thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> are republicans calling wolf on how this will ruin america? >> absolutely. they are trying to scare the american people. that's what they were doing back in the '30s and '60s and now. some of the attacks are the same. the republicans used to say that social security's reserves which by the way are $2.7 trillion today were çious.

they said you'd pay and pay and never see benefits. some same attacks today. they said about medicare there'd be a bureaucrat between the doctor and the patient. that's what they said about the affordable care act. the important message from today -- from yesterday's decision is that the -- that is only a skirmish in a battle. we have to stay vigilant about all these programs which are so important. our social security system, our medical medicare and the affordable care act. >> and part of the vigilance is seeing how the debate is cast and what is discussed. you wrote in an op ed piece in 2009 in "the l.a. times." you said then as now the opponents play the socialism card. though were vehemently opposed to social security, roosevelt

prevented them from controlling the debate. how do we stop the control of the debate in 2012? >> well, part of what you're doing, i think, is part of that way. we really have a moment to reintroduce, i think, the affordable care act to people. people already know about social security and medicare. and they're not fighting it front on. but even as we speak, there are politicians in washington who are talking about cutting social security, cutting medicare. i think the president should be a strong champion of social security, of medicare, of the affordable care çact. they all provide needed economic security to millions of american families. >> and americans are in favor of it. the poll saying do you want to cut social security? don't cut it 76%. the public is with it. i think we've got to put the facts out and keep brings the goods and services to people in

this country that need it. because americans know that there's a need for this. >> that's right. the president -- i urge him to be a strong champion and not just -- he's a strong champion but speak the language. explain that these are earned benefits. these are not -- the republicans like to call social security an entitlement. it's not welfare. it is benefits they've earned. the -- and this program if anything should be expanded. it very important. the american people, even the tea partiers are closer to the traditional democratic position than the republicans. and the democrats should make use of that. >> nancy altman, thanks for your time tonight. >> thank you so much for having me. up next, president obama's emotional story about a cancer survivor whose letter inspired him in his fight for health reform. the woman who sent it is with us tonight. we'll be right back. emily's just starting out... and on a budget.

like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. see how much you could save with allstate. are you in good hands? see how much you could save with allstate. high schools in six states enrolled in the national math and science initiative... ...which helped students and teachers get better results in ap courses. together, they raised ap test scores 138%. just imagine our potential...

...if the other states joined them. let's raise our scores. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this. i just wish it wouldn't fade away so fast. let me show you something. [ dr. rahmany ] as soon as you leave here... plaque quickly starts to grow back. but now there's a way to keep the clean longer. introducing new crest pro-health clinical rinse. it's a clinical breakthrough that actually keeps your teeth 91% clean of plaque at 2 months after a dental visit. plus, it gives you these key benefits. new crest pro-health clinical rinse. crest. life opens up when you do. also try new crest pro-health clinical plaque control toothpaste. thought they were dead. huh? [ male announcer ] should've used roundup. it kills weeds to the root, so they don't come back. roundup.

no root. no weed. no problem.

welcome back to "politicsnation." folks, the details of the health care law can be hard to understand. but here's all you really need to know. it helps people. one woman's struggle for health care touched president obamaç years ago. he often talked about her fight. >> natoma canfield, self-employed cancer survivor from ohio. she wrote us a letter. last year here insurance company charged her over $6,000 in premiums, paid about $900 worth of care. now they've decided to jack up her rates 40% next year. right now she's lying in a hospital bed paying for such an illness after she had to give up her health insurance. she's praying that somehow she can afford to get well. >> yesterday president obama shared nata's story again.

>> natoma is well today. and because of this law, there are other americans, other sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers who will not have to hang their fortunes on chance. these are the americans for whom we passed this law. >> if you fight the noise, the washington echo chamber, this is what the law is actually about. people like natoma canfield. joining me now is natoma canfield. a cancer survivor president obama talked about. natoma, thanks for being here first of all. >> hello, reverend. it's a pleasure. >> let me ask you. what did the supreme court ruling yesterday mean to you? >> i thought it was a great victory for the whole united states. >> and you wrote the president a letter, and the letter hangs in the oval office. in fact, the white house tweeted out a picture ofç that letter

his office yesterday. yohave said, though, that this is not about republican or democrat. in fact, you voted republican, you said. this is about health care. >> right. >> elaborate. that's the letter i'm showing people. elaborate then how you would want to see the country rise above the partisan divide on this and how it's important to deal with this above partisan politics for health care for people like you. >> well, i think people just have to do it. it's a good thing for our country. it's a good thing for individuals. and once people find out what it's going to do for them in particular, i think they'll have a better understanding of why we need it. >> now, you went through an illness. you had relatives at the health care bill signing.

but you as the president said when he spoke yesterday had mentioned that you're doing better now. and he even called you yesterday, i understand. how did that conversation go? >> oh, it was just wonderful. it was just amazing. to have a call from the president of the united states. >> what did he say to you and what did you say to him? >> well, he asked how i was. then he asked how my sister was. because she introduced him at strongsville when he was here. strongsville, ohio. my sister and brother went to the bill signing. and i told himwhat a good president i thought he was and what an honor. and also he invited me to come and see my letter hanging on his wall. >> well, i'm sure when you wrote that letter, you had no idea that the president would even see it less know it would be hanging on the wall in the oval office. but it touched him, and this

bill clearly is going to be a lifesaver for a lot of people. >> oh, it will b >> natoma canfield, thank you so much for your time tonight and have a great weekend. >> thank you for having me. >> i hope that as we close with natoma that we all remember at the end of the day we can have different tactics and different analysis even different parties, but at the end of the day it's about the natomas of the country. let's compete for those who can serve them the best. not who can come up with the most venom. let's compete for who can take care of the natomas of the country. it'll make it a better country. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts now. health care up in the polls. let's play "hardball."

good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let's start with the thunder on the right.c: c1 one compared it to 9/11, an attack out of the sky. one conservative branded the chief justice of the united states a traitor. have you ever wondered which side got thisnto a crazy world, listen to the screams from the star board side. the lunatics raving with rage they couldn't destroy the country's only health care plan. don't believe this soft line you hear about repeal and replace. this theory on the right isn't looking for a better health care plan. it's looking to destroy the only one there's ever been. our guests tonight. gentlemen, it's great to have you on tonight. true believers. i think we need some true believers. this reaction from