everybody will know they signed with the conservative movement traveling to russia egging them on to step up their campaign to destroy gay people's lives because family values. now it's time for "the last word" with lawrence o'donnell. have a great night. it's been a big day in the republican party hostage taking with the american economy. after releasing the first hostage, the debt ceiling. tonight they are getting ready to release the other hostage and reopen the government. ten days of the government being shut down. >> day ten of the shutdown. >> feels longer than that. >> seven days to go before we hit our heads on the debt ceiling. >> is there any way out of this mess. >> there should be a short term deal. >> temporary increase in the debt ceiling. >> six week clean extension of the debt limit. >> we cannot waste any mr. time. >> there is one hiccup. >> the government would be shut down.

>> that's the conversation we'll have with the president. >> you need to be able to say what you are asking for. >> there is no clear indicator. >> a lot of republicans expressed frustration. >> is the government shut down until november 22nd. >> don't expect them to go along easily. >> what is it shut down over? >> it's spite. >> shifting into a shutdown over nothing. >> gop's favorability rating sunk to an all time low. >> not what we asked for. >> they ought to turn on the lights and pay our bills. >> just about pride at this point. >> you and your pride and your ego. >> is there any way out of this mess? >> no one gets everything they want. >> well i got 98% of what i wanted. i'm pretty happy. >> that is a leader with a clear goal. >> that's the best evidence yet that our congress functions at a kindergarten level. >> the president's strategy of absolutely refusing to negotiate has worked.

republicans surrendered on the debt ceiling today. now with the country turned against them, for shutting down the government, all 46 senate republicans are headed to the white house tomorrow to meet with the president. tonight -- 18 house republicans met with the president, president obama, vice president biden and treasury secretary jack lu at the white house. john boehner had nothing to say after that meeting. >> mr. speaker -- >> boehner released some of his lesser known republican members to take the new house republican message to the nation. >> no one here wants to default on our nation's debt. and so that's why -- the republicans in the house have

suggested let's just get that off the table. >> opening the government is a negotiation that will happen tonight. and in the, in the hours ahead, and we hope to have it open by -- you know, monday morning. >> and boehner left questions about the details of any possible deal where those questions belong, the chairman of the powerful appropriations committee. >> we agreed to -- try to find the -- conditions for the cr. >> part of the debt ceiling bill now? >> and we'll get back with each other tonight. >> so the conditions for dealing with the cr would be part of the six-week debt bill is that what you are saying? >> well -- let me stay away from those things at the moment. >> but is the resolution trying

to resolve both of these, use in some fashion? >> both issues. >> the shutdown and the debt ceiling? >> yeah. >> would this be a short term solution or are you guys talking about a long term solution? >> i found if there is a way to quickly settle the -- the cr questions. so that we can pass the cr and -- and stop the showdown. >> why the sudden change? the complete surrender by republicans president? nbc news "wall street journal" poll finds that 70%, yes, that's 7-0% disapprove of the job republicans are doing in congress. and the favorability, president obama is at 47-41. net positive six points. favorability of the democratic party, 39-40. statistically even. john boehner is at 17-42. a net negative of 25 points.

the republican party is at 24-53. a net negative of 29 points. joy reid, it is the faces those republican faces, or the faces of people who that down with the pollsters today, and the pollsters said to them -- it is all over. >> over all. >> it is over. you must stop now. >> the face of defeat. the question has been in the shutdown. what is the threshold of pain of republican whose come from red states who are more dependent on the federal government than our blue states. who have a lot of farmers. lot of guy whose are counting on those checks they get from the federal government that have now stopped small businessmen who republicans say they represent. who are no longer getting their checks from small business administration. what is the threshold of pain. how many people have to call their office and say i am hurting? i was a tea partier. now you are hurting me. before republicans capitulate. they thought the white house would capitulate because of the debt ceiling. it was the, the cr, it was the nonfunding of the government,

the shutdown of the government, that caused them the pain. they have to give on it. >> now we have republican house members saying -- no one here didn't want to raise the debt ceiling. we heard them say. maybe it is a good idea not to raise the debt ceiling. >> that's right. they all got religion on the debt ceiling now. >> they got religion on the debt ceiling. i think part of that was both the koch brothers you were talking about last night. >> yeah, the letter from the koch brothers said it is necessary to raise the debt ceiling under the circumstances. >> we saw the markets starting to freak out. i think the business side started to kick in. they realize wow this is in issue. interestingly, the debt ceiling, even though it would be cat -- catastrophic. people feel that. even republican who you ask them. they hate the government. don't want government to do anything. until it is doing the thing they want tight do.

so the more that you are seeing the stories. and these are local news stories on the headlines of the local hometown paper about the way that the government shutdown is affecting them and their neighbors. too toxic to continue. they're staring down at 2014, saying we thought it was impossible. but maybe it wasn't. awe off it's -- it is astonishing to me -- to, to watch them let it get this far. this polling has been creeping up on them. it wasn't like they didn't know this is where it was going? >> this is a party that has built itself lately on the philosophy of hating government. in the abstract. when you hate government, you never bother to find out what it does. had some very bad polling news himself in his home state of the very, very red utah.

that people there, were unhappy with what he was doing. had some very bad polling news himself in his home state of the very, very red utah. that people there, were unhappy with what he was doing. so, i think that has the to be a wake-up call. a lot of guys thought they were safe. the folks they were hearing from at their office, we're the ones that want them to take down the government. who believe the debt default would be the medicine we need. back home, ordinary, rank-and-file republican whose will vote in general elections and primaries. they were waking up to the reality of what this means. it was not pretty. >> an extraordinary meeting tomorrow, all senate republicans

going to talk to the president. >> interesting too. it feels like the senate are the ones that have to make this happen the weakness of john boehner, the story line here. the fact that i don't think anyone on the hill believes he could deliver. all he would have to deliver is 18 people. 18 votes to reopen the government if he would go to nancy pelosi and get the 200 votes from democrats. the lack of confidence in him is also a big problem here. it's why the senate is going to have to take the reins, have off to take the lead. it can't come from boehner. it is going to have to come primarily from senate republicans. >> let's keep in mind, ridge name the white house wanted to meet with the entire house gop caucus. boehner said no, no, no, no, no. let's keep this just to the leadership. >> come on. we want to watch that. come on. >> a lot of fun. that's the question mark. how the folks on the extreme right in the republican house caucus are going to respond to these proposals. >> but they, at this point, the momentum just seems to be racing

right by the right-wing nuts at this point. >> when you look at the poll. look where the republicans are. dwindling republicans in purple states. they're there. 23, 24 republicans in places like ohio. in places like california. in places like wisconsin and michigan. who have to run for re-election too. for them this is armageddon. can't be tied to a party seen as blowing up the united states economy. you cannot ride that to re-election. the abstract hatred of government doesn't work when specifics in the district where you live are going the other way. >> crystal, i think we have an extraordinarily clear president. he makes himself very clear. all of the time. one of the first things he said. there will be absolutely no negotiating over raising the debt ceiling. no negotiating. and these people did not believe him.

they did not believe him though he had been rock solid in the statement from the very beginning. allowing absolutely -- no wiggle room. i think boehner worked on ape deem with reid where they were going to do a clean cr, at sequester levels. a lot for democrats to swallow. boehner had no control of his caucus to be able to deliver on that. so that's where we are. >> joy, i think there is something here in, in their complete misreading of the president. these republicans. >> absolutely. based on 2011. a lot of reporting about it. people in the white house who really said listen we cannot risk a default. we need to go ahead and give here. but of that gave the wrong signal to the republicans. they thought this was barack obama's core. at his core he wanted this fight. he wanted to fight back now. he decided he is going to make his stand here. there will be no negotiation. republicans miscalculated by putting everything on the continuing resolution. they brought it on themselves.

reid, crystal ball. thank you for joining us. >> thank you, lawrence. >> coming up -- will the tea party split from the republican party and become a third party? that is a prediction from one republican. and a dream come true for democrats. >> in "the rewrite" the problem of following ted cruz. one senator is in an awful lot of trouble because he made that mistake. checked bag with my united mileageplus explorer card. i've saved $75 in checked bag fees. [ delavane ] priority boarding is really important to us. you can just get on the plane and relax. [ julian ] having a card that doesn't charge you foreign transaction fees saves me a ton of money. [ delavane ] we can go to any country and spend money the way we would in the u.s. when i spend money on this card, i can see brazil in my future. [ anthony ] i use the explorer card to earn miles in order to go visit my family, which means a lot to me. ♪

>> the tea party is threatening to give democrats a huge gift. by creating a third party. that's next! for sein a whole new way.

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>> republican leaders understand that shutting down the government and failing to raise the debt ceiling over the affordable care act is a very bad idea. but that hasn't stopped tea party conservatives from expressing their outrage over any possible deal on either one of those things. conservative blogger eric eriksson wrote this last night. john boehner, eric cantor, mitch mcconnell and john cornyn will ensure that obama care is fully funded and -- as the party starts to show more signs of internal strife, some are starting to openly express their concerns of the republican, about the republican infighting. listen to senator john mccain today. >> i do worry i do worry about the republican party.

because if we are, this is the first time i have ever seen republican senators running ads, raising money that is used to attack incumbent republican senators. i have never seen that in my life. and -- i think that is terribly wrong. in a new twist though, tea party income of bents in states like michigan, tennessee, north carolina are facing primary challenges from more moderate republicans. the divide between tea party republicans and non tea party republicans plays out in new polling from nbc and "the wall street journal." which shows a majority of moderate republicans saying their party is putting politics ahead of the country while only 29% of tea partiers say that same thing. joining me now is an adviser to president george w. bush and founder of no labels and washington editor for national review robert costa.

there is john mccain saying some senators are helping to finance ad, some republican senators against other republican senators. what senators, which ones could he be talking about? and why does he leave ted cruz's name out when he means ted cruz? >> that's usual as the you know. lawrence. senate protocol. the reception for senator cruz in republican lunches has been unruly and hostile over the past few weeks. thing. senator cruz, taking a lower profile. may have went too far with public rhetoric. he hasn't been playing so much inside game in the last week. >> mark mckinnon. this third party threat is a dream come true for the democrats. is there anything the democrats can do to somehow encourage this third party movement by the tea party? i think already, lawrence. a lot of people in the republican party. we have to burn it down. start all over.

starting a different party would be part of the long term solution. obviously a short term game for democrats. a huge rift in the party. certainly doesn't reflect what we are hearing from no labels constituencies outside of washington. that want our leaders to work together. 50, no labels, representatives from the problem solvers caucus. showed up. half democrat, half republican. got to engage and talk to one another. they're reflecting what we are hearing. i think there is a shift. and to see what john mccain is saying. and republicans are saying. things have gone too far. a ted cruz strategy had no end game. people are realizing that now. all about politics really. that's where the problem lies. >> robert costa. where does this leave ted cruz in the senate and in the congress in the future? i mean it seems like it, and let me just ask you this. i was going to presume. there is a consensus amongst republicans in the senate and

the house that cruz has led them into a very bad place. >> i think it is more of a complicated answer. because there has been at least in the last decade, jim demint role within the senate republican conference to be the conservative foil for the leadership. cruz amplified the demint role. taken it and become the conservative movements person in the upper chamber. a role he relishes and a role he will continue to have. the question is as he gets beyond the fiscal impact. who is going to be there, to be an ally for him politically. who is going to be in the trenches when he tries to get something done. more of an open question. >> mark mckinnon when you watch john mccain. you know him enough. he was going to at some point have to come out and say this. he wasn't going to stand by and watch this, continue to happen. do you think there is any chance of him, of the mccain position in the senate, and in the congress, getting more public allies who are willing to speak

as plainly as mccain? i do. i think he is reflecting internal feelings of members around for any length of time and remember the good old days when things were partisan. but we got things done. the other thing that is important. senator mccain is going to start get sag part from large swaths of the business community. that will shift the dynamics within the republican party. the business community now is recognizing that where the people like ted cruz are leading us to is an economic desert. and, that's not where we need to beach. the republican party has been about, serving the long term interests of, of market place -- economics and the business community. so, when the business community stand up and stand up behind people like john mccain. that's going to be a big deal. and starting to happen. >> robert costa. used to be everyone in politics read polls the same way. if, if one party. the two parties looked at a approximately and saw the same information.

i'm not sure that's true anymore. i want to look at the shut down polling information that we now have. on the 1995 shutdown versus the today shutdown. the who is to blame for the shutdown. in 1995, republicans were 49% to blame. more of them than the president. president 26. now it is higher than that. it is republicans are to blame by 53% of the people. president its 31. chuck todd makes the point that crossing that 50% line in that kind of poll its deadly serious for republicans. how do republicans read that poll? do they read that at the same way democrats do? >> not so much. i think the most interesting development this week is that republicans are moving to find a solution on the debt ceiling. at least float a six-week extension of it. when it comes to the shut down. they are rallying speaker boehner to keep the shut down going. they think the shut down is a fight they can win.

or wring a concession out of the democrats on. not as much concern on shutdown. they know people are feeling the pain. they're getting the calls from constituents. when it comes to hardball politics in the capitol, they're focused on averting the default and shutdown. >> mark mckinnon. robert costa. thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thank you. >> coming up. congresswoman, tammy duckworth here to discuss the ways the government shutdown is hurting members of the armed services and veterans and some ways congress doesn't know about. later, ted cruz and his side kick, mike lee. the most disliked republican senators, probably in the history of the senate. they're both in the "rewrite." [ banker ] sydney needed some financial guidance

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we have more breaking news tonight. president obama signed into law legislation restoring death benefit payments to families of soldiers killed in the line of duty including those who have died since the government shutdown. earlier today, the senate followed the house's lead and passed that bill by unanimous consent. at least five families of soldiers killed last weekend in afghanistan were affected by the suspension of those benefits. which the fisher house foundation had been prepared to pay. tonight's decision to restore death benefits still does not help the more than 5 million veterans across the country who may not receive their benefits checks on november 1st if, if the shutdown were to continue

that long. that's $6.25 billion in payments. veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki testified before a house hearing yesterday that if the shutdown continues he would have to furlough more of his staff including a number of veterans. >> i have veterans myself that i i employ. a third, over 100,000 veterans. a number of them are going to be subject to furlough. and so -- if they are furloughed and recipients of disability check. their resources go to zero. >> joining me, iraq war veteran, tammy duckworth, also former assistant secretary of veterans affairs. let's listen to this ad by vote vet.org. >> republicans in congress say that their government shut down is an epic battle. i was in six epic battles fighting the nazis.

congressmen, your shutdown is not an epic battle, it is bad government. american veterans like me depend on the entire government being open. i served this nation with honor. today i can't say the same about most republicans in congress. >> congresswoman, imagined it has the to be infuriating and amazed at your poise in processing it when members of congress who would never consider joining the military and get up and give militaristic descriptions of what they're doing in their air conditioned offices. >> every day i am appalled at the conduct of the people here in washington. especially those who hide behind their, you know, american flag pins on their, lapel. i mean, at the end of his long speech, senator ted cruz, in

thanking the senate staff first after his 21 hours said to them comparing what he did to the death march. saying thank you for being with me on this death march. let me tell you i have met survivors of the baton death march. men and women and what senator cruz did in trying to stop government was no bhutan death march. this rhetoric does not help anyone. my colleague from ohio, brad -- weintraub called for ratcheting down of the rhetoric. he is a republican, we co-chaired the veterans caucus. we need to cut out the military talk. get back to work. >> what are the kind of things that ted cruz would have known that he was stopping if he actually knew anything about veterans affairs?

>> if he knew anything he would realize that you stop funding for food stamps you are stopping funding for military families that rely on food stamps. we have tens of thousand of military men and women and retirees and veterans who depend on food stamps. when you cut funding for snap. you are cutting funding for our military men and women. when you cut funding for the department of veterans affairs, you are cutting -- everything from the internments of heroes. being laid to rest on national cemeteries not being laid to rest in timely a manner. those of us who are receiving benefits. through the end of the month that will end. there is so much going on in government. i am worried about nonmedical attendant pay. this is the pay we provide to family members who take care of our wounded warriors at brook army national. medical center. and walter reed. national medical center.

the family members who are helping our wounded warriors recover. get a stipend for giving up their jobs and moving to take care of the folks. that may be in jeopardy. there is a lot there. >> congresswoman, tammy duckworth. thank you for your service. thank you for joining us. >> it's my pleasure. thank you. >> coming up -- what happens to a senator who supports shutting down the government? the very same government that is the largest employer in his state. the very sad story of ted cruz's side kick mike lee. is in tonight's "rewrite." capital to make it happen?

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most hated republican in america by republicans who can think. he is conservative republican thinker on laura ingraham's radio show talking about teddy c. >> how exactly was he going to achieve? >> they share ted cruz's canadian passion for repealing the affordable care act. but they believe ted cruz has hurt that cause. i argued it in '09 and '10. i argued it every week in my wright, on television and mccain and all the people who had disdain. all of us were in the trenches. cruz, and new on the scene and, the fight against obama care. he wasn't there in '09, '10. i've been calling this is cam -- kamikaze brigade.

that's how the japanese approached world war ii. let's do pearl are bar and see what happens. didn't work out too well. you've got to have a strategy and there never was one. people are saying the republicans are in retreat. they're not in retreat. there never was a way to abolish obama care now. >> there never was a way to abolish obama care now. every republican who could think knew that all along. it is entirely possible that ted cruz knew that when he began his fake filibuster on the senate floor. what he was doing as any republican who can think realized trying to push of the poll numbers in presidential polling. and he did. he surged to the front of the pack. according to a public policy poll. rocketed past rand paul to stake out a lead at 20% with rand paul left behind at 17%.

though rand paul realizing what was at stake in the presidential primary poll rushed on to the floor to share the fake filibuster limelight with ted cruz. and join the pretense that ted cruz was doing something meaningful. but that wasn't enough. for rand paul to block ted cruz's surge in the presidential primary poll. the senator who shared even more of the fake filibuster limelight with ted cruz was utah's republican senator mike lee. mike lee, i am your father. >> what a cruel father he is. it is entirely possible that when ted cruz lured poor mike lee on to the senate floor to help out with the fake filibuster that mike lee had no idea it actually was a fake filibuster. it is entirely possible that mike lee did not know what every thinking person in the

republican party and america knew. >> there never was a way to abolish obama care now. >> the fake filibuster was meaningless and hopeless and mike lee might have been the only person in the senate who didn't know that. he calls mike lee ted cruz's side kick. side kick is the kindest possible description of mike lee's relationship to ted cruz. it doesn't come close to conveying how much adoration is a part of mike lee's side of the relationship and how much raw exploitation is involved on ted cruz's end of the relationship. i am particularly honored to be standing side by side with my friend and colleague, senator mike lee from utah. senator lee has shown visionary leadership in standing up and taking the mantle of leading the effort to defund obama care.

in my judgment there is no senator in this body, republican or democrat, who is more principled. who is more dedicated. who is more fearless and willing to fight for the principles that make this nation great. than 'tis senator mike lee. fearless mike lee. less a side kick than a groupie. a reality blinded worshipper. a ted cruz flunky. now the word flunky, calls into question mike lee's intelligence. as well it should. he has real competition for the title of least intelligence senator. but he has absolutely no competition for least politically intelligent senator. he represents the state of utah. he is a champion of not just shutting down the affordable care act but shutting down the government. if he cannot shut down

affordable care act. he is a champion. because his exploitative leader, ted cruz told him to support the strategy. what he did not tell his flunky, junior senator from utah, utah's largest employer its the government of the united states of america. the government that mike lee has helped shut down. here's how mike lee's position is playing in to taupe. utah jobless claims spike with federal shut down. frustration reigns in wake of yellowstone closure. shutdown prompts emergency declarations in utah. utah would have nothing without massive support from the federal government. the federal government is not just the biggest employer in utah. the federal government sends much more money into utah in federal spending than it receives back from utah in utah's meager contribution to federal taxes. utah would be dirt roads and

horse trails without the federal government. you can't go anywhere in utah without using a federally fund ed if you are the junior senator from utah you should begin every session of the senate by asking for one minute of floor time, immediately after the chaplain's opening prayer to thank the senate and united states government for continuing to keep utah alive, for continuing to keep the people of utah employed. every once in a while it would be good form to include a quick apology for utah's permanent abject inability to carry its own weight in its contribution to federal taxation. a particular thanks should be offered to the senators from nearby california. and the people they represent. since the state of california which send in far in federal taxation than it ever receives in federal spending.

actually does that -- by sending california federal tax returns to be processed at an irs facility in utah. californians' tax returns are processed in utah so that people en -- people in utah can have jobs. california send federal tax money direct to utah to pay for all the utah jobs at the irs huge processing center in utah. ted cruz has told mike lee many things mike lee wanted to hear. but ted cruz never told mike lee anything that mike lee needed to hear for his own political survival. so mike lee is now discovering to his shock that utah doesn't like what he is doing. one utah poll asked the question -- is the obama care fight worth shutting down the federal government? 37% agree with the position.

56% of utah disagrees with their junior senator. in a state where 73% of the voters voted for republican candidate for president in november. barack obama carried 25% of the vote. in utah. in the last election. and 56% of those voters now agree with president obama. that the federal government should not have been shutdown. a university poll asked the question, what should mike lee do? now i know there is a lot of possible answers to that question. like, you know, quilt. or take an economics course. well, a lot of possible answers. pollsters know that. what they lick to do is give you two to choose from. just two questions. so, to the question of what should mike lee do, the answers offered, be willing to compromise or stand by his prince pulls. 43% said, mike lee should stand by his prince pulls. that's surely included a bunch of democrats, hopefully standing

by his principles would lose him the election. 57% in utah believe that mike lee should be willing to compromise. the same poll shows the that mike lee has managed to flip his approval disapproval numbers in june. in june, 50% approve. 41% disapprove. he is now, the on silt. majority disapprove, 51% to 40% approve. now long filibusters, even fake filibusters scan be very revealing. especially in the middle of the night when it can feel like no one is listening to you out there. on the senate floor. some times that's when you hear senators open their hearts. as we did with mike lee when at 2:26 a.m. he actually answered that poll question, what should mike lee do. he actually told us -- exactly what he wants to do. he turns out -- he is wanted to do it his whole life. i hope one day to be granted a

letter of american reprisal so i scan become a pirate that i longitude be as a child. >> a pirate. i have got to say that's a pretty big upgrade from ted cruz's flunkey. when ted cruz puts his head on the pillow with dreams of the presidency and his. being the front-runner in the current republican presidential primary polls at 20%. he should know michele bachmann was the front-runner at 21%. and herman kane was the front-runner at 25%. that's 5 points higher than where ted cruz is now. i'm not sure what herman kane does for a living right now. but i know he ain't president of the united states. and ted cruz is never going to be president either.

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>> the affordable care act has come on line this month for people who choose to obtain health insurance through the marketplace established by the exchanges. but two years ago, over two years ago some provisions of affordable care act went into effect that are even more important for some families. jeannine reid told the story of her son mason's battle with brain cancer that included months of hospitalizations, surgeries and the fear through

all of that of possibly losing health insurance coverage. during our first three weeks of hospitalization, mason wracked up 1.1 million dollars in medical bills. i worried about butting up against the 5 million lifetime limit on mason's health insurance approximately see. we had a good policy with the good company. we paid our premiums on time and in full. but mason wasn't getting out of the hospital any time soon and there were months of rehab ahead. my then 13-year-old son would have reached his lifetime limit of health insurance, had such limits not been eliminated by obama care on april 1, 2011. that date, felt like a birthday or anniversary. something to be celebrated. when it finally arrived. and we weren't dropped by our health insurance company.

in an on-ed piece to be posted in "the washington post" tomorrow. if i could get john boehner and ted cruz on a conference call, i would explain this to them. i would tell them that while they were busy trying to derail the affordable care act over the last two years, mason has learned to walk, talk, eat, and shoot a three point basket. joining me is jeannine reid and her 16-year-old son, mason. jeannine, let's assume for the moment that you do have ted cruz's ear and john boehner's ear, what more do you think they need to know about what the affordable care act has done. they want to repeal all of it. not just the pieces that go into effect now with the subsidies and the new medicaid provisions. they want to repeal the portions of affordable care act that have benefited your family and

allowed mays on to get his care. >> it's unbelievable that anybody could want to repeal this. i can't believe anybody would think that they are safe, that they are some how immune from catastrophic illness, accident, you name it? we really saw the people in a variety of conditions while mason was in the hospital. we are all vulnerable people. so i just, it makes me crazy which is why i wrote "the washington post" on ed. i have this experience. i want to play you something that ted cruz said about the affordable care act. let's listen to this >> what the american people want. they want our government funded. and they want to stop obama care. obama care is hurting millions of people. it's been called an inexcusable mess. a rolling calamity.

consumers face dramatically higher rates. many remain locked out. they're surprised. their premiums went up. instead of making it easier for people to get health insurance it will be a lot tougher. what a train wreck. >> of course there is a lot of nonsense in there. i want you to specifically, john boehner at the end. ted cruz saying -- they, they want to stop the harm from obama care. he said, obama care is hurting millions of people. i don't know who the people are. i know people that obama care or affordable care act is helping. i can't imagine who would be hurt by eliminating lifetime limits, or alleviating the clauses, it's rhetoric. what's offensive is they're using rhetoric to attack the president. and basically putting people like me, throwing us into the road.

and it's, it's just alarming. and disturbing. >> mason, are you glad to be back at school? >> yeah. >> and, jeannine, i want to ask you one thing about you, you -- you got mason to that same rehab facility that gabby giffords went to. and nancy pelosi was visiting there one day. you got to meet her. >> i did. >> you write that you wished you had the presence of mind to thank her for the affordable care act. >> yes. i did later send a note when, reading from a piece that was published on salon.com a year, i think a year ago. i did send former speaker pelosi a note thanking her. because, you know, politics aside, i know many good republicans people who would like to see these protections who need these protections. and i just, i wanted to be out