le at the top. i think that will be central to this campaign. >> so, look, in speaking to the daily telegraf about president obama's view toward great britain, a romney spokesman described why he would be better. he says the white house didn't fully appreciate the shared history we had. after we hear from the president, i'll pick up about why we think it was wise or unwise for romney's advisers to raise the clearly irrelevant factor of anglo-saxon heritage. let's listen to the man they claim has no anglo-saxon heritage. >> -- the fact this is called a morial convention center had anything to do with folks coming down to new orleans. but it is good to be with all of you, and i'm glad i caught you at the beginning of the conference, before bourbon street has a chance to take a toll on you.

all right. y'all stay out of trouble now. hey, everybody, please have a seat. have a seat. have a seat. [ cheers and applause ] a couple of people that i want to acknowledge. obviously, first of all, i want to acknowledge your outstanding president and ceo who has shown such extraordinary leadership for so many years, mark morial. [ applause ] just like we've got an outstanding former mayor of new orleans, we've also got the outstanding current mayor of new orleans, mitch landrieu is in the house. [ applause ] fine young congressman from this area, cedric richmond is here. [ applause ]

and one of the best mayors in the country, we're glad he came down from his hometown of philadelphia, mayor michael nutter is in the house. [ applause ] and all of you are here. and i am grateful for it. [ applause ] and we love the young people who are in the house. mitch, don't you -- i wasn't referring to you, man. i was talking to those folks over there. mitch is all waving, thank you. for nearly a century, the national urban league has been inspiring people of every race and every religion, and every

walk of life, to reach for the dream that lies at the heart of our founding. the promise that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter how modest your beginnings, no matter what the circumstances of your birth, here in america, you can make it if you try. of course, this dream has never come easy. that's why the urban league was formed. in the aftermath of the civil war, with the south in the grips of jim crow, the waves of men and women who traveled north to urban centers, discovered that even in their new homes, opportunity was not guaranteed.

it was something you had to work for, something you had to fight for. not just on your own, but side by side with people who believed in that same dream. and so, the white widow of a railroad tycoon and a black social worker from arkansas founded what would become the urban league, to strengthen our cities and our communities, brick by brick and block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood, life by life. decades later, i arrived in one of those cities, my hometown of chicago. south side!

and i was driven by the same cause. you know, like many of my classmates, i felt, i understand the poll of a hectic paycheck, that might come from a more conventional job, but ultimately, the pull to serve was even stronger. so i moved to the south side of chicago and i took a job with a group of churches, mostly catholic parishes, working to help families who had no place to turn when the local steel plants shut down and when panic peddling had led to enormous turnover in these communities. and we worked with laypeople and

local leaders to rebuild neighborhoods and improve schools. and most of all, to broaden opportunity for young people, too many who were at risk. and i confess, the progress didn't come quickly and it did not come easily. sometimes it didn't come at all. there were times where i thought about giving up and moving on. but what kept me going, day in and day out, was the same thing that has sustained the urban league all these years, the same thing that sustains all of you. and that is the belief that in america, change is always possible. that our union may not be perfect, but it is perfectible. that we can strive over time, through effort and sweat and blood and tears, until it is the place we imagine.

it may come in fits and starts, at a pace that can be slow and frustrating, but if we are willing to push through all the doubt and the cynicism and the weariness, then, yes, we can form that more-perfect union. [ applause ] now, the people who i worked with in those early days in chicago, they were looking for the same thing that americans every place aspire to. we're not a nation of people who are looking for handouts. we certainly don't like bailouts. we don't believe government should be in the business of helping people who refuse to help themselves, and we recognize not every government program works. but we do expect hard work to pay off. we do expect responsibilities to be rewarded.

we do expect that if you put in enough effort, you should be able to find a job that pays the bills. you should be able to own a home you call your own. you should be able to retire in dignity and respect. you should be able to afford the security of health care. you should be able to give your kids the best education possible. that idea that everybody should have a fair shot, not just some, that this country is special because it has grown this magnificent middle class and has provided ladders of access for those striving to get into the middle class, that's the idea that drove me, that's the idea that has driven the urban league. that idea that everyone should have equal opportunity. that's what brought me to

chicago. that belief that this country works best when we are growing a strong middle class and prosperity is broad-based. that's what led me into politics. and it is those values that have guided every decision that i have made as president of the united states. now, today we're battling our way back from a once-in-a-lifetime economic crisis. and make no mistake, we've made progress in that fight. when i took office, we were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs a month. our auto industry was on the brinks of collapse. factories were boarding up their windows. we've gone through almost a decade in which job growth had been sluggish, incomes had declined, costs were going up, all culminating in the financial

system coming close to a breakdown. today, 3 1/2 years later, we've had 28 straight months of private sector job growth. 3 1/2 years later, the auto industry has come roaring back. 3 1/2 years later, companies are beginning to bring thousands of hgp' kú&$'is@/ g c v$ñú÷ú@?@>ú3l=$7@< jobs back to american soil. but we still have much more work to do. tgduv$?dudñdg frfct $pnr there's still too many out of work. úhúbrhújrkpç iu?as too many homes under water. too many americans struggling to stay afloat. d/"3j-,? so the greater challenge that faces us is not just going back to where we were back in 2007. not just settling to get back to where we were before the crisis hit. our task is to return to an

america that is thriving and growing out from our middle class, where hard work pays off. where you can make it if you try. and urban league, i want you to know, what's holding us back from meeting these challenges is not a lack of ideas or solutions. i have no patience for people who say, our best days are behind us, because the fact of the matter is, we still have the best workers in the world, the best universities in the world, the best research facilities in the world, the most entrepreneurial culture in the world. >> you're watching president obama speaking live at the national urban league convention in new orleans, louisiana. we'll have more of his speech and our political panel will weigh in on his comments. stay tuned. @o

doñ@éb÷@í$>bhl @t you're looking at and listening to live at president obama speaking at the national urban league convention in new orleans, louisiana. we'll have more of his speech

and a full analysis, coming up. you're watching "the ed show" on msnbc. stay tuned. [ alarm buzzes ] [ female announcer ] wake up time but not for your eyes. they're still so tired looking. with olay challenge that with regenerist anti-aging eye roller. its hydrating formula with caffeine conditioning complex, perks up the look of eyes. it works in the blink of an eye. [ dramatic soundtrack plays ] whether it's showing competitors' rates or striving to be number one we're always up for a little competition. zap! [ sparking ] now, that's progressive. daddy, come in the water! somebody didn't book with travelocity with 24/7 customer support to help move them to the pool daddy promised! look at me i'm swimming! somebody, get her a pony! [ female announcer ] the travelocity guarantee.

from the price to the room to the trip you'll never roam alone. ú'úfx>@dl yx@yú1a'r3@>úz!'@ -- at a time when so many people who have a job can barely keep up with their bills, we don't need another trillion-dollar tax cut for folks like me. we need tax cuts for working americans, not for folks who don't need it and weren't even asking for it.

millions of americans, including more than 2 million african-american families, are better off thanks to our extension of the child care tax credit and the earned income tax credit. because nobody who works hard in america should be poor in america. that's how strong communities are built. and by the way, when working folks have money in their pockets, businesses do well because they've got customers. and all of us grow. that's been the history of this country. i believe strong communities are built on strong schools. if this country is about anything, it's about passing on greater opportunity to the next generation. and we know that has to start before a child even walks into the classroom. it starts at home, with parents who are willing to read to their

children, and spend time with their children and instill a sense of curiosity and a love of learning and a belief in excellence that will last a lifetime. but it also begins with an early childhood education, which is why we've invested more in child care and in programs like early head start and head start that help prepare our young people for success. it's the right thing to do for america. our education policy hasn't just been based on more money, we've also called for real reform. so we challenged every state in the country to raise their standards for teaching and for learning, and three years later, nearly every state has answered the call. we have seen the biggest transformation in terms of school reform in a generation. and we've helped some of the country's lowest performing schools make real gains in

reading and math, including here in new orleans. we've made it our mission to make a higher education more affordable for every american who wants to go to school. that's why we fought to extend our college tuition tax credit for working families, saving millions of families thousands of dollars. that's why we fought to make college more affordable for additional 200,000 african-american students, by increasing pell grants. that's why we've strengthened this nation's commitment to our community colleges and to our hbcus. that's why tomorrow i'm establishing the first-ever white house initiative on educational excellence for african-americans, so that every child -- so that every child has greater access to a complete and

competitive education, from the time they're born, all through the time they get a career. that's why we're pushing all colleges and universities to cut their costs, because we can't keep asking taxpayers to subsidize skyrocketing tuition. a higher education in the 21st century cannot be a luxury. it is a vital necessity that every american should be able to afford. i want all these young people to be getting a higher education and i don't want them loaded up with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, just to get an education. that's how we make america great. [ cheers and applause ] h÷q=ñ ú@waó(k@@=úçúó@@w@w@@ñhç(hñ.h+@ú@d] @ññ?÷?m? zu7 ú:p v ?4w çú@óy' ÷@ú?ú?@[pzñpñúw!ñ ? ñhópñ of course, that means all of y'all have got to hit the books. bac ÷ú]@v@o÷?hwx?q? i'm just saying. úçúw0múñ@y@n@v@ç

÷úyp/-?@ @]"!] don't cheer and then you didn't do your homework. because, because that's part of (hl% the bargain, that's part of the bargain. úc(>úy y (yqy$hyoenúñpy@ ?doafqf@o y@? america says, we will give you @n"bbsac opportunity, but you've got to earn your success. añ@c!?hñúfd7 > oúnqc@;.5p9l(pbhd b(gdo ó@mt3hols!? mt8 zq9xçi[÷x( dox1lgh< gr3úwdo@:hoúox]0ómw g 20;b9@i@ci=lkdwrópgúnú you're competing against young úñhnz;rvp7úleg@?úg@÷hod'pg d< i fo y@p0ç@÷@ñ@n people in beijing and bangalore. h?axb>hrúx$÷ you know, they're not hanging out. qp:j x y@ñ they're not getting over. 0y p(?d7@r0i h 8;@ó"lav they're not playing video games. they're not watching "real @ó @>pñ housewives." @8 i'm just saying. it's a two-way street. @7á t; @ ?÷áñt you've got to earn success.

íhñ÷.< that wasn't in my prepared remarks. úrú çúz@ç s > but i'm -- i'm just saying. [ cheers and applause ] i believe strong communities are places where you and your family can work and save and buy your home. that's why we've helped more than a million responsible homeowners. these are folks who are making their payments, refinance their mortgages at these historically low rates, saving thousands of dollars every year. because people who did everything right shouldn't pay the price for somebody else's irresponsibility. so now we want to expand that

refinancing opportunity to every homeowner who's making their payments on time. and while we're at it, let's put construction workers back on the job, because they've been hit by the housing bubble bursting. let's put them back on the job, not only rebuilding roads and bridges and ports, but also rehabilitating homes in communities that have been hit by foreclosures, businesses that have been hit hardest by the housing crisis. that creates jobs, it raises property values, and it strengthens the economy of the entire nation. strong communities are healthy communities. because we believe that in the richest nation on earth, you shouldn't go broke when you get sick. and after a century of trying and a decision now from the highest court in the land, health care reform is here to stay. we're moving forward. [ cheers and applause ]

>> don't you dare touch that dial. you heard the president say, don't look at the real housewives. we'll have more of the president's remarks from the national urban league convention after the break. stay tuned.

let's rejoin the president speaking in new orleans at the urban league convention. >> these are all the pillars upon which communities are built. and yet, we've been reminded recently that all this matters

little if these young people can't walk the streets of their neighborhood safely. if we can't send our kids to school without worrying that they might get shot. if they can't go to the movies without fear of violence lurking in the shadows. our hearts break for the victims of the massacre in aurora. we pray for those who were lost and we pray for those who loved them. we pray for those who are recovering with courage and with hope. and we also pray for those who succumb to the less publicized acts of violence that plague our communities in so many cities across the country, every single day. we can't forget about that.

every day. in fact, every day and a half, the number of young people we lose to violence is about the same number of people we lost in that movie theater. for every columbine or virginia tech, there are dozens gunned down on the streets of chicago and atlanta, here in new orleans. for every tucson or aurora, there's daily heartbreak over young americans shot in milwaukee or cleveland. violence plagues the biggest cities, but it also plagues the smallest towns. it claims the lives of americans of different ages and different races, and it's tied together by the fact that these young people had dreams and had futures that were cut tragically short.

and when there's an extraordinarily heartbreaking tragedy, like the one we saw, there's always an outcry, immediately after, for action. and there's talk of new reforms and there's talk of new legislation, and too often those efforts are defeated by politics and by lobbying and eventually by the pool of our collective attention elsewhere. but when i said in the wake of tucson was, we were going to stay on this, persistently. so we've been able to take some actions on our own, recognizing that it's not always easy to get things through congress these days. the background checks conducted on those looking to purchase firearms are now more thorough and more complete. instead of just throwing more money at the problem of violence, the federal government is now in the trenches with communities and schools and law

enforcement and faith-based institutions, with outstanding mayors, like mayor nutter and mayor landrieu, recognizing we are stronger when we work together. so in cities like new orleans, we're partnering with with local officials to reduce crime using best practices. and in places like boston and chicago, we've been able to help connect more young people to summer jobs, so that they spend less time on the streets. in cities like detroit and salinas, we're helping set up youth prevention programs that help steer young people away from a life of violence and toward the safety and promise of a classroom. but even though we've taken these actions, they're not enough. other steps to reduce violence have been met with opposition in congress. this has been true for some time. particularly when it touches on the issue of guns, and i, like most americans, believe that the second amendment guarantees an

individual the right to bear arms. i think we recognize the traditions of gun ownership that passed on from generation to generation, that hunting and shooting are part of a cherished national heritage. but i also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that ak-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. [ applause ] that they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities. i believe the majori of gun owners would agree that we should do everything possible to prevent criminals and fugitives from purchasing weapons. that we should check someone's criminal record before they can check out a gun. that any mentally unbalanced individual should not be able to get his hands on a gun so easily. these steps shouldn't be controversial, they should be

common sense. so i'm going to continue to work with members of both parties and with religious groups and with civic organizations to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction. not just of gun violence, but violence at every level, on every step, looking at everything we can do to reduce violence and keep our children safe. from improving mental health services for troubled youth to instituting more effective community policing strategies. we should leave no stone unturned and recognize that we have no greater mission as a country than keeping our young people safe. >> coming up, we'll have more from the president speaking at the national urban league convention in new orleans, louisiana. stay tuned. );#añ÷]

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let's go back to new orleans where president obama is speaking to the national urban league convention. >> let's be clear, even as we debate government's role, we have to understand that when a child opens fire on another child, that there's a hole in that child's heart that government alone can't fill. it's got to be up to us as parents and as neighbors and as teachers and as mentors to make sure our young people don't have that void inside them. it's up to us to spend more time with them, to pay more attention to them, to show them more love so they they learn to love themselves, so that they learn to love one another, so that they grow up knowing what it is to walk a mile in somebody else's shoes and to view the world through somebody else's eyes. it's up to us to provide the path toward a life worth living. toward a future that holds

greater possibility than taking offense, because somebody stepped on your sneakers. that's the difference that we can make in our children's lives and in the lives of our communities. that's the legacy we must leave for the next generation. now, this will not be easy. even though it's called the big easy, this proud city, and those who call it home, they know something about hardship. they've been battered again and again in this new century. one of the worst natural disasters in our history. the worst environmental disaster in our history. the worst economic crisis most of us have ever known. so sometimes being from the big easy means knowing hardship and heartbreak.

but what this city also knows is resilience and determination and heroism. that's one of the reasons it is one of america's jewels. it's quintessentially american, because of its resilience. there's no shortage of citizens in this city who have stepped up in the darkest of times. and one person i want to end with is somebody that many of you know, the superintendent of schools in st. bernards parish, doris vorche. now, when katrina's waters rose, doris and the faculty and staff of the high school saved the lives of hundreds of their neighbors, many of them old and sick, by moving them to shelter in the school's second floor.

two days later, they led 1,200 people to safety. the day after that, with her community in ruins, the superintendent was on her way to baton rouge to make sure her schools would open that fall. failure is not an option, became her motto. when some government officials gave her the runaround, she plowed ahead on her own, secured loans, finding portable classrooms and books and doing everything it took to make sure her kids, our kids, could return to some semblance of normalcy. when an official told her a gas line wouldn't be repaired in time for school to reopen and the kids might have to eat mres, she hired a local restaurant owner to cook hot lunches on a barge and sent fema the bill. [ applause ]

on the first day of school, less than three months after katrina swept ashore, she heard a young child who'd endured nearly three months of suffering and hardship yell out loud, real food! real food! that first night she said, there were no riots, there were no disruptions. there were just hundreds of people, just like you and the person sitting next to you, in the blink of an eye, having lost everything, that they'd worked for over their entire lifetime who is now looked to us for rescue, and we would have accepted that responsibility, because that's what school people do. [ applause ] now, obviously, the superintendent is an exceptional educator and an exceptional citizen, but as i traveled around the country, what i've

discovered is, that's not just what school people do, that's what americans do. that's what americans at their best do. when i traveled to joplin, missouri, that's what folks in joplin do. when i go to aurora, that's what people in colorado do. in urban communities all across america, that's what you do. for more than two centuries, our journey has never been easy and our victories have never come quickly. and we have faced our share of struggles and setbacks and climbs that have seemed too steep, just like we do today. but we know what we're fighting for. we can see the america that we believe in. a country where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody's doing their fair share. where everybody's playing by the same set of rules. and if we don't keep fighting as hard as we know how for that

america, if we don't keep fighting for better jobs and better schools and a better future, who will? >> that was the president speaking at the national urban league convention in new orleans, louisiana. when we come back, we'll have an analysis of the president's speech with rob schrum, karen finney, and sam stein. stay tuned. those surprising little things she does still make you take notice. there are a million reasons why. but your erectile dysfunction that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help

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up next, our political panel has full analysis of the president's remarks to the national urban league convention in new orleans, louisiana. and we'll have an update from ed. keep sharing your thoughts with us on facebook and twitter using #edshow. stay tuned.

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welcome back to "the ed show." the president just wrapped up his remarks to the national urban league convention in new orleans, louisiana. let's bring in bob shrum, former dnc communications director karen finney and sam stein. i want to get all of your first impressions on the speech, but sam, what do you think the news out of this particular speech was? >> i think the first direct news story out of this is the forceful, direct take that the president offered on what he called violee reduction. coded word for gun policy or gun control. i don't think i have ever seen the president speak that directly or with that much description about the issue since he entered office.

and obviously, he's tackling something that, you know, is in the limelight. he was addressing assault weapons, also the mental health aspects of gun control, common sense gun control. it pivoted off a poll by frank luntz on nra members yesterday. that was the first news aspect. the second thing i picked up was, again, pushing back on the you didn't build it attack that he's been enduring from romney where he talked about success and the government being able to provide you the ladders to the middle class, but you have to lift yourself up yourself. he talked about a two-way street. those were the two major takeaways, but the gun stuff stood out the most. >> sure. karen, the president also drew a parallel between what was going on in the streets of chicago and other large black urban areas, showing and displaying for many who have been frustrated at what their perceived lack -- the perceived lack of the president for showing empathy of victims of gun violence in inner cities

and what's going on -- what went on in colorado. an interesting parallel, no? >> absolutely. that is talking about a shared experience in this country. as he said, we have gun violence and violence occurring both in big urban centers and small towns. that's the point he made. i agree with sam, what is interesting is that the president used some of the direct language that the luntz poll showed. responsible gun owners agree with it. part of the problem is there's a lot that people don't realize about some of the loopholes and gaps in our system. the other thing that i thought was noteworthy, that he really leaned into, was the middle class narrative. we have heard him do that before. as our poll today showed, this is a strong point for the president. you heard him really lean into in the beginning, he connected his support and belief and faith in the middle class and that work with his time as a community organizer, with his getting into politics in a way that i hadn't heard before.

clearly, we're going to hear more on that. >> bob, he also gave a shout out not only to the south side, but also a shout out to the young people in the audience, and really directed some poignant comments of empathy toward them, as well as challenge. what do you think of a president who speaks to the future in understanding the difficulties and complications they have to face politically? >> you listen to him and he's in fighting form. he's out there really communicating with people. karen is right, he has a message in terms of the middle class. the back and forth with the young people was marvelous. you compare that with romney's kind of stilted animatronic performance yesterday in front of the vfw, and it gives you a lot of hope for the election. one thing i would be very careful of, i think the president went further than he has before in talking about gun violence. i don't believe he will propose any new measures of gun control before this election. i think it would be far too dangerous for him in places like pennsylvania and ohio. if he could pass it, he might

take the risk. but it won't pass. >> and he hinted at that. didn't he hint at that when he said there's lot of opposition in congress. i know the limitations, but these are the commonsense reforms. >> but sam, he's not going to ask for an assault weapons ban. >> no. >> he's going to talk about assault weapons. >> he also talked about some of the things that he has done on his own, but one thing i think is really important that we underscore, there's been a lot of conversation in the black community because people have looked at what has he done for the lgtb community, for the latino community. this message, talking about violence in this way, it relates to people's lives. this is the reality of what organizations like the naacp, like the urban league, doing work in our urban centers and black communities understand very well and deal with. and nobody -- just like we're not talking about the poor, we have not really talked about crime and violence. again, i think it's important for this audience in particular to say, i get it, that this is a major problem. and i will keep doing something.

>> let me follow up with you, karen. i have been getting texts from people who say, why does the president when he goes to these major black institutions and organizations show our capacity for self-critique, because that's what you do when you trade on inside knowledge, but at the same time, acting as if white folks study hard but black students don't. as if they're -- >> he didn't say that. >> i said when he says, i'm trying to talk about something sensitive. he's gone before the naacp, some people said in the urban league, and he said you have to study hard. he says that in a way directed toward a black audience, you have to turn off the reality television shows and you have to pay attention to your books. a lot of people have been irritated. i want you to speak to that. what do you think the perception is? >> a couple things. number one, i actually have heard him say that to young people in general, mixed audiences, white audiences. i get what you're saying in terms of the sensitivity in the black audience. but you know what? let's be real about something. it is harder if you're an african-american, particularly if you're a young

african-american male in this country. you have to be two times better if not more. there's a little bit of a reality of experience he's speaking to and i would hope people wouldn't be irritated by that and recognize, that is just still a reality in this age in this country. >> sure, so bob and sam, when you said, look, he didn't say that, you probably missed that because there's an internal battle going on within the african-american culture that i wanted to expose to the broader society. >> i think karen is right. in '08, obama made a big point of talking about parenthood in front of black audiences. and the importance of black parents to have a cohesive family. i think we're missing the big picture. he insulted the real housewives and is turning off every voter regardless of race. >> have you watched it lately, sam? >> you only made my point. so bob, let's give you the last word here. >> look, i think the president has talked about personal responsibility to white audiences, to black audiences. to hispanic audiences. i think it's always been part of his message.

i don't think, frankly, i'll tell you something, if you went out and talked to the average african-american about this and talked to them about the president, i would say the president's approval rating is around 90%. he's going to get about 95% of that vote. some of these folks are dancing on the head of an idealogical pin. they're not getting what he's doing. >> bob, thank you for that 14th century analogy. bob shrum, karen finney, and sam stein. thank you for your time. a brief note about ed and wendy schultz. ed has been off tv for the last week dealing with a major health issue that has struck his wife. last wednesday night, wendy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a very serious disease. he spoke about it publicly for the first time on his radio show today. >> it's been a real jolt to say the least. i mean, it shakes you to your bones. but she's a tough girl, and she went through surgery yesterday. the doctors feel like they got all of it.

it was very successful surgery, but we got a long way to go. and you know, i'm going to be gone for a while. doing the radio and tv show isn't exactly what i'm thinking about right now. i'm going to be with my wife through all of this. >> all of us on "the ed show" love and respect ed and wendy, and across the msnbc family, we wish ed, wendy, and their family well wishes and to get strong through this particularly horrendous ordeal. you can hear the entire statement by going to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. if you want to send him a message, go to facebook.com/edshow or tweet him. that's "the ed show." i'm michael eric dyson in for ed schultz. the "rachel maddow show" starts now. ezra klein is filling in tonight. good evening, ezra. >> good evening, and thank you, and our thoughts are with ed and his family at this difficult time. thank you to you at home, as well, for sticking around for

the next hour. rachel has the night off. today on the floor of the united states senate the top deck, harry reid said something that he doesn't normally say. he said something that is kind of unusual, actually. he said, you know what, why don't i just play it? >> that is poppycock. >> he said poppycock. the reason that harry reid said the totally awesome word poppycock on the senate floor today was because he and the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell, were trading jabs back and forth about which side is to blame for nothing getting done in the senate this year. and when mitch mcconnell blamed that on the democrats, well, out came -- >> that is poppycock. >> that is awesome. what happened in the senate today aside from the poppycock reference was something truly remarkable. in a chamber that has been essentially paralyzed by filibuster after filibuster on

nearly everything over the last two years, there were two votes held in the senate today that were not filibustered. that only needed a simple majority to pass. 51 votes to pass, just like the founders intended. and these weren't meaningless votes. weren't naming postal offices. these were votes of consequence. it was about what to do when the bush tax cuts expire at the end of the year. democrats and republicans each got the chance to put up their own plan for a popular vote in the senate and to see what happened. republicans went first. their bill would have extended the bush tax cuts for everyone including all incumbent millionaires and billionaires. that bill failed. it was defeated by nine votes including two republicans who crossed party lines to vote against it. then it was the democrats' turn. the plan from senate democrats was to extend the bush tax cuts for all income up to $250,000. so everybody keeps their tax cuts on that income, but millionaires and billionaires lose their tax cut on income over $250,000. they keep it on the $250,000,