identification, so they can get their photo i.d. and it really is falling badly, with 97 days until the presidential election, new at least on the outside looking polling shows the president has at the court, it doesn't look turned a key state, previously very good for the court, but i'm considered a toss-up, into a not into predicting court decisions. this issue has been very safe obama win. partisan in nature. and today, president obama i think we need to wait, but i attacked mitt romney's proposal think we need to also keep our to cut income taxes for only the fingers crossed. but i think this is going very wealthiest americans. well for the people and their right to exercise their >> just today, an independent, franchise. >> governor strickland, what should happen in this case like the pennsylvania case, where nonpartisan organization, they crunched all the numbers. basically you have a secretary of state saying, i don't know what's in the law. they found that if governor it's her job to enforce it in romney wants to keep his word that state, make it work. doesn't even know, because of, and pay for this plan, of this obviously, the complexity of it, $5 trillion tax cut, the only and the fact that it just doesn't make any sense. way to do it is to cut tax what is the right judicial remedy at this stage? breaks that you middle class >> well, lawrence, what we're families depend on. facing, not only in pennsylvania and we've faced it in ohio and in order to afford just a tax cut for somebody like mr. other states is a planful, purposeful attempt to keep romney, 125 families like yours legitimate voters from casting

their votes. that is a shameful set of would have to pay another $2,000 in taxes each year. circumstances. does that sound like a plan you can afford? >> no! every republican in these states should be ashamed of what their >> the tax study president obama party is doing. now, the courts, i think, have touted was conducted by the the ultimate responsibility to nonpartisan tax policy center. make sure that the rights of the people are protected. today, the romney campaign and i would hope that that would dismissed that study because, be the outcome, certainly, in according to them, the tax the pennsylvania case. here in ohio, we've got a case, policy center is, of course, quote, liberal. because the legislature says but last november, the romney that people are going to be campaign called a study from deprived here in ohio from that same organization, quote, voting on the weekend before the election. objective, third-party analysis. that's a time when many thousands of ohioans have voted a "new york times"/quinnipiac poll shows that president obama in the past. has turned pennsylvania from a and so the obama administration, with the ohio democratic party, toss-up into a safe win among have joined in a suit, trying to likely voters in pennsylvania. get that changed as well. president obama leads mitt but look at what's happening in romney by 11 points, 53-42%. many states, and it is truly the lead is so wide that the shameful behavior. it is an insult to our obama and romney campaigns are democracy, and the leaders of currently no longer advertising the republican party who are in that state. in florida, president obama engaging in this kind of

behavior really should be hugely leads mitt romney by six points, ashamed of themselves, because they are attacking the most 51-45%. in ohio, president obama leads fundamental part of our nation's mitt romney by six points, democratic process, and that is the right of citizens to cast their vote. >> governor strickland, when you 50-44%. and a "detroit free press" poll look out at these laws that of likely michigan voters shows have -- in the ohio law, and president obama leading mitt others around the country, they romney in that state by six all seem to imply that in the points, 48-42%. past, there has been some kind of problem that's being wins in those four states would remedied, like, for example, in ohio, that early voting in the yield 83 electoral college votes days before the election, was and secure president obama's there, in the past, in ohio, some problem with that form of re-election. here is team romney's newest attempt to win ohio. votie in voting? >> lawrence, they have a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. and quite frankly, they are >> in 2009, under the obama willing to deprive hundreds of administration's bailout of thousands of people of their general motors, ohio dealerships legitimate right to vote in were forced to close. order to solve a nonexistent >> that is a curious way to advertise, considering that mitt problem. romney wrote an editorial in that's why, i think, most americans understand this for "the new york times" in 2008 what it is. it is a shameful, planful saying, let detroit go bankrupt. and in may, romney said this -- attempt to deprive poor people

and minority folks and students >> my only thought was that the and older people from their auto companies needed to go legitimate right to vote. through bankruptcy before that is shameful behavior. government help. and frankly, that's finally what >> pennsylvania senator vincent the president did. he finally took them through hughes and former ohio governor, bankruptcy. that was the right course. i argued for it from the ry ted strickland, thank you both beginning. so i'll take a lot of credit for very much for joining me tonight. >> thank you, lawrence. the fact that this industry's >> thank you, lawrence. coming up, the futile war come back. >> joining me now, howard america keeps fighting, the fineman, "huffington post" endless war on drugs. editorial director and msnbc that's in tonight's "rewrite." g. analyst and david cay johnston, one is for a clean, domestic energy future pulitzer prize winning columnist for reuters. david, take us through this tax that puts us in control. argument that's going on now, our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, between the two campaigns. >> well, the president is doing producing cleaner electricity, something that his predecessors putting us to work here in america did not, and that is, explaining how this really works. and supporting wind and solar. so if you make less than though all energy development comes with some risk, $200,000 a year, if you think you should pay higher taxes, so we're committed to safely and responsibly that people who make $1 million a year can pay less, romney's producing natural gas. it's not a dream. got a really great plan. america's natural gas... i don't happen to share that putting us in control of our energy future, now. particular view, but -- and the savings are pretty big at the top. the average would be about hey america, even though slisa rinna is wearing the new depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is $1,600 a week that you would save. the president's making it very even under a fantastic dress.

clear, you will pay for this. the best protection now looks, you will have to pay for this at fits and feels just like underwear. the bottom. and i think that's hurting we invite you to get a free sample and try one on too. wake up! romney very badly. romney's argument is to come back and say, no, this will create jobs. and the problem we have with that, of course, is we have 12 years of experience, now, with tax cuts to create jobs and it didn't work. >> howard fineman, you have seen what we've all seen with barack obama, the candidate, is that the more he makes a particular argument, especially the ones that are a little bit complex, the better he gets at it. and here we see him with these leads in these polls in the swing states, having made some of these arguments. it seems that he has found the right spot in the tax argument. and my bet here is that he's only going to get better as that's good morning, veggie style. refining and simplifying that hmmm. point. >> yeah, they keep pushing on what turned out to be an open for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. door, lawrence. a few months ago, a lot of it's something you're born with. analysts, including this one, me, wondered if pushing the and inspires the things you choose to do. fairness argument on taxes was you do what you do...

risky for president obama. but it turns out, in a time of a because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. bleak economy, when everybody's looking for a fair shake, that we believe in the power of people this argument really works. when technology works for you. and it's not just that rich people are going to get more, to dream. what the president is saying now is, middle class voters are to create. to work. going to get less. and on top of that, lawrence, if you're going to do something. make it matter. he's now -- having secured that ground, he's now going to the deficit argument on this too, which is very shrewd of him. in a speech in akron today, it was all about this topic. in 1971, gore vidal's feud he didn't talk about anything else but this. it's clearly working. with fellow novelist norman and the problem that mitt romney has is, once again, he's being mahler went public. gore vidal's debate strategy that night was mostly to let pinioned on the fact that he's norman mahler make the case not giving any details. he's running an "i don't have to against norman mahler. tell you any details" campaign. >> i'm beginning to see what not about his taxes, not about bothers you now. his faith, not about his family, okay, i'm getting the point. >> are you ready to apologize? not about massachusetts health care, and not about the details of his tax plan. if this so-called liberal think >> i would apologize if, if it tank is wrong, let's see his hurts your feelings, of course i would. >> it hurts my sense of economic numbers. pollution.

he hasn't put out any, which is >> i would say, as an expert, why the obama campaign is pushing on this open door. >> and david, the fact that the you should know. >> i guarantee you, i wouldn't pick any of the people here, romney, as a candidate, will not release tax returns, seems to me because they are smaller. >> in what ways? to help create an echo effect of the president's argument about >> intellectually. taxes. >> oh, it helps a great deal. intellectually smaller. >> let me turn my chair and join and let's go to his i.r.a., you could only put up to -- these three. romney's i.r.a., which has $20 to $100 million. perhaps you'd like two more >> you can only put $5,000 a year into an i.r.a.. >> i've been trying to figure chairs to contain your giant this out. >> he put in something that they either valued close to zero, but the more important part, the other investors in bain who intellect. >> yes, television was once weren't him, they didn't get great. man: there's a cattle guard, take a right. those kinds of returns. they didn't turned $5,000 over maybe even ten years, so $50,000 into $100 million. the managers of bain took care do you have any idea where you're going ? of themselves first and foremost ahead of their investors. wherever the wind takes me. now, what does that suggest to you about president romney and who he's going to take care of this is so off course. if he's elected? >> howard, the thing about $100 million in an i.r.a. is there are so many voters out there who have these i.r.a.s, and they, nature can surprise you sometimes...

you know, they would be very, next time, you drive. very lucky to be able to amass next time, signal your turn. $100,000 in an i.r.a. in the ...that's why we got a subaru. course of their working living. love wherever the road takes you. >> i would say most people who have one, and there are tens and tens of millions who do, understand how they work. so just those numbers alo s alo heart of every innovation. wow. killers out there on the that feels really good! campaign trail. and now, sleep number introduces our new memory foam and you're right, having watched every day to what the series-the only memory foam beds with exclusive dual-air president's saying, talking to technology that adjusts on each side. his people in chicago, they plunged into this and the memory foam just found its better half. numbers are now showing the effect of it. sleep number. the nbc/cbs poll i thought was enjoy introductory savings of $500. fascinating, because people are plus, two free coolfit pillows. only at one of our 400 sleep pretty lacking in bright hopes number stores, where queen mattresses start at just $699. about the future right now. but they want a fair shake. [ "human" by the human league playing ] and that argument, which is an old democratic argument, that humans. the democrats put aside, really, we mean well, but we're imperfect creatures for a while, has come back with living in a beautifully imperfect world. a vengeance, and unless mitt romney can show something about his own values, about who he is, it's amazing we've made it this far. maybe it's because when one of us messes up, that will tell a different story someone else comes along to help out. than the one that's being put that's the thing about humans. together, because of his pension for secrecy, he's in deep when things are at their worst,

trouble, and that's what these we're at our best. numbers in ohio, pennsylvania, see how at libertymutual.com. and florida show. pennsylvania's very significant, liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. lawrence, you're right to focus on it. if the dems can take that off the table, that's an enormous what's your policy? advantage for them. >> howard fineman and david cay johnston, thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thanks, lawrence. >> thank you. in tonight's "rewrite," how coming up, the bat-crap long do you fight a war that crazy wing of the republican cannot be won? party is causing trouble for the republican who is actually want that is first and foremost a to win the white house. and sarah palin's really mad moral question. it is also a political question, at a guy she likes to call dick. because all wars are political, and no war is more political than our longest war, the war on david corn and karen finney will join me. and new information tonight drugs. we fought the vietnam war long on the voter suppression laws past the point when we knew we sweeping across the country. former ohio governor ted could not win. strickland will join me. and in the process, sent 58,193 and later, what has happened to the price of cocaine in the americans to die there, in a four decades of the war on 14-year period. drugs? well, i don't have to tell you. before we ended american involvement in the vietnam war, why are we still fighting the we started the war on drugs, unwinnable war, the war on which is now 41 years old. the objective of the war on drugs, is once again in tonight's "rewrite." ailway,

drugs is to end illegal drug consumption in the united the first trade route to the west, states. the greatest empires. the war plan was that in the then, some said, we lost our edge. march toward victory in the war on drugs, the price of drugs well today, there's a new new york state. would be driven sky-high as the one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. government seized more and more drugs and made drugs more rare a place where innovation meets determination... and therefore, much more and businesses lead the world. expensive. eduardo puerto reported last the new new york works for business. month in "the new york times" find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. that according to drug enforcement administration data, the street price of one gram of hey america, even though slisa rinna is wearing pure cocaine from your local the new depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is dealer is $177.26. even under a fantastic dress. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. that is a lot of money. we invite you to get a free that's more than i've ever paid sample and try one on too. or will pay for one gram of anything. it sounds like the war on drugs is working, at least driving up the price of cocaine. but the price of cocaine is, in fact, 74% cheaper than it was 30

years ago. there's the retail price of pure cocaine, tracked over the last 30 years. we have seen similar drops in the price of heroin, at the same time. the government has spent $20 billion to $25 billion a year, trying to drive that price up, bend that curve up. every dollar spent on that war on drugs, simply makes the [ feedback ] attention, well, everyone. you can now try snapshot from progressive free for 30 days. failure of the war on drugs more and more expensive. the warriors against drugs would tell you that if the price of just plug this into your car, and your good driving can save you up to 30%. cocaine drops like that, the use you could even try it without switching your insurance. of cocaine will increase. why not give it a shot? but cocaine has dropped right carry on. along with the price. every theory of how the war on now you can test-drive snapshot before you switch. drugs would work has been proven visit progressive.com today. wrong and the war on drugs now

functions as a massive transfer of wealth to drug cartels and a relentless destroyer of lives uniting the republican party, so they can be one, big here and in drug trafficking countries. the rand corporation has done a happy family at their convention study showing that if marijuana in tampa isn't easy with a party were legalized just in that includes michele bachmann, california, mexican drug cartels bat-crap crazy congressman steve king, and constant troublemaker would lose about a fifth of and republican party their annual income from the embarrassment, sarah palin. united states, which is now $6.5 we'll see just how big the republican's circus tent is going to have to be during their billion, a year. it makes you wonder how much convention. karen finney and david corn will join me on that. money the drug cartels must be and republicans are turning on, they are turning against the funneling into the california campaigns against legalizing most-powerful man in washington who does not sleep in the white house. their product. that's right, grover norquist is the greatest tragedy in the war in trouble with his base. that's coming up later. on drugs are the innocent [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity... casualties, the men and women,, boys and girls, who end up in our legal system and our prison system because of an innocent exploration with marijuana and other drugs, that is the part of the war on drugs that is

manufacturing criminals, taking people who would otherwise never get arrested and ruining their lives, throwing them in jail, making them unemployable when they get out, and moving many of them closer to a life of crime now that they are ex-cons instead of mere pot smokers. that could have happened to president obama, but it didn't. not because he was lucky, but because his experience with drugs is the normal american experience with drugs. most people never come close to getting arrested for recreational drug use. recreational, experimental drug use in this country is normally to drive a car filled with as much advanced technology a phase of a few years or maybe as the world around it. ten years, that becomes a faded with the available lexus enform app suite, memory or a very occasional you can use opentable to make restaurant reservations... pleasure after people turn 30 or get married or get pregnant. search with bing... and listen to pandora. the american experience is that presenting the 2013 lexus gs, rx and the all-new es, people simply age out of drug use and most of them then spend the leading edge of the leading edge. the rest of their lives in a during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. much more dangerous relationship with perfectly legally obtained

this is the pursuit of perfection. alcohol. but just by chance, by bad luck, some recreational drug users get their lives ruined by the war on as president obama climbs in drugs. bad luck is not equally the polls, republicans are distributed in our society, so losing it. the bad luck casualties of the unifying the bat-crap crazy wing war on drugs are of the republican party with the disproportionately poor and hide your tax return wing of the disproportionately republican party in order to african-american. have one big happy family we call it the war on drugs, not convention is looking more and the war on young more difficult. african-american men, but if you look at the victims of our war in bat-crap crazy news, iowa effort, our with war on drugs, congressman steve king still believes that the republican the american government's war on path to the white house goes drugs, the war that we pay for, straight through barack obama's birth certificate . it's hard to continue to call it >> it would have been awfully a war on drugs. hard to fraudulently file the drugs have not suffered in this birth notice of barack obama war. the war has not reduced the being born in hawaii and get supply of drugs or increased the that into our public libraries prices of drugs. the war has not harmed drugs in any way. it is a war in which the only

in that microfiche. but drilling into that now, even if we could get a definitive damage done is collateral damage. drug addicts, who need treatment answer, and if that turned out to be that barack obama was are thrown in jail instead. young people going through the conclusively not born in now-completely normal rite of america, i don't think we could get that case sold between now passage with drug and november. experimentation get their lives >> republican tennessee state ruined for no good reason. representative kelly kiesling we have sacrificed the lives of had an aide former an e-mail to millions to a war that cannot be his constituents that included a won. we've gone from a president who conspiracy theory, so tried to make us believe he indescribely insane, my only didn't inhale to a president who choice is to read it to you in simply refused to answer whether he used cocaine, to a president full. "according to the newspaper's who honestly described his coverage of this dhs whistle-blower, the event would be staged. a staged assassination attempt cocaine experimentation and on the life of president obama marijuana phase. and through it all, the war on that would be blamed on white drugs rages on. how did we let it happen? supremacists and subsequently how do our presidents and used to enrage black and politicians who know better let it happen? hispanic communities, driving them to rioting all across the nation. the faked assassination, says why are we in the 41st year of the cfp report, would be carried the merciless sacrifice of the

out through the assistance of innocence? why do we sacrifice millions of dhs agents and other colluders, taking their orders from the lives to a war that cannot be white house. the objective would be to stir up enough racial unrest to won? and perhaps, most importantly, justify the imposition of what have we sacrificed in martial law in major urban ourselves that allows us to turn cities, including erecting dhs away from this crime against checkpoints, restricting travel, and delaying, possibly humanity day after day? indefinitely, the november 2012 elections." ireland's most renowned poet, and the most recent losing vice william butler yates wrote the presidential candidate who will never be president is really, answer in this line, 96 years ago. really mad at a guy she likes to call dick. "too long a sacrifice can make a >> well, seeing's how dick -- stone of the heart." excuse me, vice president cheney, never misfires, then evidently he's quite convinced that what he had evidently read about me, by the lamestream media, having been written, what i believe is a false narrative, over the last four years, ♪ [music plays] evidently, dick cheney believed that stuff. and that's a shame. so he characterized me as being

♪ [music plays] a mistake. here's where the mistake would have been, greta. i believe it's had i not ♪ [music plays] answered the call. >> joining me now are david corn, washington bureau chief, and former -- and mother jones and msnbc political analyst. and karen finney, former -- there's the former -- dnc communications director and msnbc political analyst. and pardon me for being thrown by sarah palin's urge, i think i saw on that video, to use the and i thought "i can't do this, word "dick" and "misfire" in the it's just too hard." same sentence and aim it at the then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. former vice president of the united states. karen, sarah palin, with go for olympic gold and go to college too. problems like sarah palin, how [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn does the republican party have this one big happy family event their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. that they've got planned in this is your moment. florida at the end of the month? let nothing stand in your way. >> you know, i can't wait. i'm so excited! devry university, proud to support the education i would say, i actually think that maybe between now and the of our u.s. olympic team. start of their convention, we should have the bat-crap crazy watch, because i feel like there's plenty of fodder.

we could probably do something just about every day. because, actually, you know you're in trouble when you're the republican party and sarah palin is the least of the bat-crap crazy, when you've got -- what was that, an assassination attempt -- i wish we were that smart. i mean, of course we're not going to do something like that. what i think we're all looking forward to is how this one big happy family comes together in tampa, amidst all of the sort of conspiracy theories and, you know, the infighting and i don't see sarah palin or ron paul going quietly into the night. so it should be very interesting to watch. >> david, we got an apology from mr. kiesling in tennessee, who ♪ [music plays] had that e-mail sent out, with the crazy conspiracy theory about president obama suspending ♪ [music plays] the election because of a fake assassination attempt. his apology, you know, he says, ♪ [music plays] you know, i shouldn't -- it shouldn't have been forwarded. he says, it should not have been sent out. he says it was important for

distribution. he says he regrets the error, which was the error of distributing it, and he pledges to be more cautious in the future. he never says, oh, by the way, it was completely wrong. he just says it was inappropriate for distribution. we're just supposed to read that stuff alone and not let the media find out about it. >> what he meant to say was, i'm sorry it didn't go just to my second amendment e-mail list. that's the problem here. you know, per your earlier point or earlier question to karen, i think it's pretty obvious, at the republican convention, we just need to have one crazy night, you know, pick monday, tuesday, whatever you want to be, probably not thursday, but, you know, pick one crazy night and put them up one after the other. the muslim brotherhood, taking over the state department, the self-assassination plan. you can have two or three birthers. you can have the taking your guns of black helicopters. i mean, that would be pay-for tv

if you ask me, probably the highest-rated night of the convention. it would get networks back on board covering this stuff. >> i was going to say, maybe that's how they'll get ratings. >> this is a great marketing viewers of this program know opportunity i'm giving you for nothing, gop. grover norquist as the most >> all right. republican pennsylvania powerful man as america who does congressman mike kelly stepped not sleep in the white house. into the center ring of the tonight, let me introduce you to republican crazy circus today, warning the world about what it grover's conservative arch enemy, robert gaffney. means now that private insurance gaffney has a ten-part web plans must cover contraception course, the muslim brotherhood in america, which counts among services. let's listen to mike kelly. its students, bat-crap crazy >> so i know in your mind, you can think of the times that america was attacked. one is december 7th, that's michele bachmann, and in the pearl harbor day. course, he explains how radical the other is september 11th, and muslims have infiltrated the that's the day of the terrorist attack. i want you to remember august american conservative movement and claims one of those the 1st, 2012, the attack on our operatives is grover norquist. religious freedom. that is a date that will live in infamy along with those other >> my own organization, the center for security policy, dates. >> karen, mike kelly has 5,722 sublets space from americans for tax reform. that's right. for seven long years, we shared children, paubecause he does no believe in contraception. elevators, a hallway,

i mean, you know -- karen finney, go ahead. i don't know what to say about lavatories, a conference space what i just saw. and even a xerox room. >> here's the thing on this, that we didn't really get to talk about the last time we were i consider this unlikely talking about aspirin between our knees, so i guess thanks to arrangement to be an act of him, we're going to talk about it again. you know, the men who sleep with providence. sho shortly after we moved into our them, they ought to be just as happy as women that we have offices, one of my colleagues access to birth control, pulled me aside and said, did because, you know, a lot of guys you know there's an islamist don't come prepared, so i don't front group on the other side of know what this guy is thinking, but i think a lot of women see that xerox room? today as a very important day, i didn't at the time, but from when we actually were able to then until now, i have been trying to paycheck sure that take control of our health care and not have the government tell privately at first and publicly you what we can and can't do. since early in 2003 that conservatives and other i don't know how else to make any sense to have that. americans are aware of the help >> it's really confusing, grover norquist has given and is because he compared today to giving to the muslim brotherhood september 11th, which was, of and others promoting the sharia course, engineered by osama bin laden, but also, barack obama is agenda in america. in charge of this attack, but he >> joining me now is amanda also killed osama bin laden. turtle, a senior political reporter for "the huffington and it's, i don't know, i find post." this really hard to keep track amanda, i guess what this means of. can you give me a wiring diagram is, if you make your political or something, so i know what bed on the side of the aisle days to really drape in black.

>> pearl harbor day is the that attacks islam, don't be surprised if they get equivalent of -- now of august uncomfortable with some of your associations, i guess. 1st, 2012. this is the crazy going after it's -- >> and access to medicine. grover norquist now. >> and what are you going to do >> i mean, grover norquist happens to have a muslim wife, on august 5th, when we get free and he was -- mammograms and colonoscopies. >> well, that'll do it! >> think about that, women that's enough, right? having access to medicine is a suspect it? >> not only that, he was the day that is akin to 9/11, is chief strategist for george w. bush and his outreach to muslim what this man just said. that's the thinking going on in and arab americans. that building behind me. so in frank gaffney's world, it >> david corn, ted cruz, who won seems to be enough if you have associations with muslim the republican nomination for americans or have if you happen the senate seat in texas last to be muslim american. so this is an interesting fight night has said that the entire now playing out on the right mission now of the tea party is between norquist and gaffney. >> and amanda, why does it sound to push mitt romney farther to the right. i mean, i'm not sure how much like a landlord/tenant gripe. more to the right romney has to he talks about, i sublet space go during the campaign, but what from grover and now i'm wicked they mean is, when they elect mad at him. him president, they are going to >> it seems very, very personal, lake there's some sort of vendetta there, and i'm not sure enforce, day in and day out, that he stay the right-wing mitt what it is, but people have reviewed, other conservatives romney, not that massachusetts have reviewed the evidence that romney. >> well, i'm looking forward to frank gaffney has put out there against grover norquist and the primary pallet in 2016 other individuals gaffney has

gone after, and they've said, between mitt romney and, i don't this seems to be nothing more know, ted cruz. i mean, that's what they want to than conspiracy theorys and bigotry. >> what is gaffney's big say now. but as the polling that, you evidence against grover norquist know, you talked about earlier and we've been talking about all being some sort of infiltrator? day shows, mitt romney is not faring well, if he doesn't start >> i mean, it's very unclear. capturing more of the middle, like conspiracy theories, you more of those independent votes, can keep going down and down the rabbit holes, he points to he's not going to become president, so they won't have to everything, but there's nothing worry about keeping his feet to concrete. the board of the american conservative union, which the fire. includes people like the head of >> david corn and karen finney, the nra, the former ambassador thank you both for joining me on this day that will not live in john bolton, who was in the bush infamy. administration, wasn't exactly >> we hope not. seen as sort of always reaching >> no. coming up, voter suppression out to the muslim community, they've rejected gaffney's is not quite as easy as claims on grover norquist. republicans think it is, as they >> well, i have to say, i know found out in a pennsylvania grover norquist and i will rise courtroom this week. we'll have the latest in his defense on this one developments in the republican voter suppression campaign. and in the "rewrite" particular matter. amanda terkel of "the huffington tonight, how many more lives post," thank you very much for will we sacrifice in the joining me tonight. >> thank you. >> you can watch the very last unwinnable 40-year war? word online on our blog every the war on drugs. ♪ [music plays] night, thelastword.msnbc.com, featuring david cay johnston and ♪ [music plays] the other guests on this show, the people who get to say a few more things that they wanted to

♪ [music plays] say that they didn't quite get to say in our little time period here on the air. "the ed show" is up next. sven's home security gets the most rewards welcome to "the ed show." of any small business credit card! how does this thing work? i'm michael eric dyson in for oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back ed schultz. today, the president called on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! america's olympic heroes just so that's ten security gators, right? before he destroyed mitt romney put them on my spark card! why settle for less? for his gymnastics on taxes. testing hot tar... great businesses deserve the most rewards! this is "the ed show," and, as ed would say, let's get to work. >> how many of you want to pay [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back another $200,000 to give or double miles on every purchase, every day! mr. romney or me another tax break? what's in your wallet? >> tax breaks for the middle class, tax breaks for the here's your invoice. wealthy. mitt romney's campaign is the global ready one ? yeah, but you won't need... spinning hard after president ♪ obama hammers him on his tax hajimemashite. plan. hajimemashite. bob shrum and michael steele are hajimemashite. here with reaction. you guys like football ? thank you so much. today, the obamacare birth i'm stoked. you stoked ? totally. control mandate is in full ... and he says, "under the mattress." effect, and let's just say the republicans are overreacting. >> i know in your mind you can souse le matelas. think of the times when america ( laughter ) was attacked. one was december 7th, pearl harbor. the other is september 11th. why's the new guy sending me emails from paris ?

paris, france ? that's the day of the terrorist verizon's 4g lte devices are global-ready. attack. i want you to remember august plus, global data for just $25. 1st, 2012, the attack on our religious freedom. only from verizon. that is a date that will live in infamy. >> the panel weighs in on a new era in women's health. >> and comedian d.l. huguely's new book on politics is quite a stir. >> it's provocative. >> the great d.l. huguely joins me live tonight. governor mitt romney's tax plan went to that strange foreign land called independent analysis and came back looking like a loser. unfortunately for mr. romney, the truth is out. his tax plan would slash taxes for the very rich and raise taxes on the poor and middle class. the independent study by the tax policy center bent over backwards to view romney's plan ♪ [music plays] in a favorable light but concluded that the net effect of ♪ [music plays] romney's plan would be this -- millionaires would get an $87,000 tax cut but 95% of americans would suffer a $500 tax increase on average. it could be worse for families. the study shows that making

governor romney's tax plan revenue neutral would require eliminating tax preferences for middle and lower income families, reducing their after-tax income by an average of $2,000. according to the tax policy center. president obama campaigning in

author, screenwriter, playwright and occasional actor gore vidal left us yesterday at the age of 86. in 1968, during the democratic national convention in chicago, which turned into rioting in the streets, gore vidal debated conservative republican william f. buckley jr. at the height of the vietnam war on abc news. if you think debates get rough on cable news, wait until you hear these two distinguished gentleman throwing around terms

like "crypto-nazi" and "queer." >> people in the united states happen to believe that the united states policy is wrong in vietnam and that the vietcong are correct in wanting to organize their own country in their own way politically. this happens to be pretty much the opinion of western europe and other parts of the world. it is a novelty in chicago, and that is too bad. but i assume that the point of the american democracy is something you can express any point of view you want. >> shut up for a minute. some people are neo nazi and they were well treated by people who ost tracize them. >> as far as i'm concern, the only crypto-nazi i can think of is yourself. >> listen, stop calling me a crypto-nazi. you stay plastered.

>> gentleman, let's -- >> go back to his pornography and stop making any allusions of nazi infantry in the last war. >> you were not -- >> i was -- >> we'll have more on gore vidal later. and it's intern night once again here on "the last word," following many, many years of "last word" tradition, sherman fabes of staten island and the university of missouri now gets to tell you what's coming up in the show. go, sherman. >> thanks, lawrence. coming up, he used to be the most powerful man in washington. now grover norquist could be losing his base, though. and why can't the people who want voter i.d. laws remember what's in those voter i.d. laws? that's coming up. and in the "rewrite," the war that cannot be won, the war on drugs. that's coming up. >> beautifully done. >> thank you. >> way to go.

♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] in the spotlight tonight, voter suppression. last week we showed you just how much the governor of pennsylvania, the man who signed the new voter photo i.d. bill into law knows about the

acceptable forms of photo i.d.. >> other forms of i.d.s, i don't know where people are getting the data as to how many people don't have, because the other forms of i.d. can be student i.d., um, we've been working with the nursing homes to get people new i.d.. it can be military i.d. there's two or three other forms, right now off the top of my head, i don't have it here in front of me. >> and tonight, meet pennsylvania secretary of the common wealthy, republican carol achel. yesterday, during the state trial on the photo i.d. law, secretary aichele said, quote, i don't know what the law says. she also said that she doesn't know exactly how many voters will be affected by the new law, but believes that 99% of voters will have the right i.d. meanwhile, the state of pennsylvania estimates that

about 758,000 people or about 9% of pennsylvania voters do not have proper i.d., according to the new law. the american civil liberties union puts that number close to a million. today, during the last day of the trial, philadelphia's democratic deputy city commissioner said, "i'm anticipating a mess on election day." joining me now, pennsylvania state senator, vincent hughes and former ohio governor, ted strickland. senator hughes, what is the latest status of the case, the trial in pennsylvania? >> well, lawrence, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be with you. essentially, things kind of wrapped up today. the judge is predicting, i believe, the week of august 13th, to render a decision. what we know so far, and everything that we followed in the proceedings is that it hasn't gone very well for the state, capped off by the

secretary of state's comments that you just referred to. there's been some very compelling testimony from anecdotal stories, especially by those individuals who filed the suit. miss applewhite, miss gonzalez, miss lee talking about all kinds of issues that they've had to go through with respect to trying to get their identification. and we need to be clear, this is -- this law is simply a voter suppression move. it is a return to a poll tax. it is partisan in nature, but it is absolutely a return to a poll tax. people are having to spent hundreds of dollars to try to locate their appropriate identification, largely their birth certificates. they're having to go through all kinds of hoops to get that