suddenly the tables turned on clarence thomas and there was a public spectacle.ppen? >> absolutely, i expected some reaction. and i knew that there would be a lot of negative reaction. but let me just go back and correct one thing. remember, there was controversy even early on in the confirmation process. the american bar association had looked at his record and gave him one of the lowest ratings that it had ever given. there were a number of individuals from civil rights organizations who had come forward to testify that this was not a good nomination, that this was a nomination that was going to set us all back as a country. so that was there. but then, as you say, nothing really like what happened once my testimony took place. and i stand by that testimony. it was the right thing to do. and i'll tell you why. people say, well, it was a sexual harassment claim against him. but really it was testimony about the integrity of the individual who was going to be appointed for a lifetime position. >> what was interesting to me at the time was the way in which the bla

has clarence thomas heard of florida and what went on there? using rhetoric that we're not going to see 1964, 1965. >> right they want to go to 1955. >> it's chilling when a judge says i see no evidence. wait a second. >> john: but you don't leave your house thomas, that's the oh other thing 37 sonia sotomayor was the hero of the day when she said, you think racial discrimination no longer exists in this country, and scalia changed the subject. >> that's why it's nice to have the president put someone like that on the court. you have some diversity. >> she comes to the today. >> i'm not going to have this nonsense. i'm going to call you out on it. >> john: fox news viewers called an epic shouting magic when sean hannity and congress man keith ellison. ellison came on as guest called hannity a scrhill for the g.o.p. >> can i ask you a question. >> you say i'm racist. >> here is a special question. >> i'm not backing down to you. >> john: so what is this argument really about and i really don't want to ask this, but who won it? >> but glenn beck

look at what democrats did to clarence thomas and to judge bork. you look at the three months that john tower was hung out to dry by the senate this is -- >> not endorsing that behavior. >> no, i'm saying to in this brand-new standard no matter how stupid chuck hagel is, no matter how bad his performance, we all know he is an honorable man. how do we know that. >> we are unfortunately out of table. great roundtable. thank you very much for joining us. joaquin castro, stuart stevens, george will, and newt gingrich, really appreciate your time. >>> up next, in a presidential run in store for this brain surgeon? "the wall street journal" hopes so. our sunday spotlight is next, pl who st spotlight at the white house this week? we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] when you wear dentures you may not know that your mouth is under attack, from food particles and bacteria. try fixodent. it helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it. >>> now time for our sunday spotlight. this week shi

but did we hear from clarence thomas at all today? >> not unexpected, no. we know he is an opponent of the voting rights act and made it quite clear when the court last looked at this case four years ago. >> pete williams outside the supreme court there after the arguments this morning on the voting rights act. thanks so much for joining us so quickly. i appreciate it. back with much more right here on msnbc after this. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. when you lost the thing you can't believe you lost.. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership. i took something f

. >> threeings, clarence thomas and samuel alito and thee thee scalia were notice shows.calia skipped it the fourth year in a row. i quote. it is turned into a childish spectacle. i don't want to be there to lend dignity to it that's why i like justice salia so much. few years ago, the supreme court justice came down to arkansas, we spent time out in the woods duck hunting. couple of things i learned about him. first of all he is a good shot and plain spoken in person as he is on the bench. i wish we had more people in politicings and in courts who say what they think and mean what they say and mean both of them. thank you, scalia for testimonying it like it is. nnext pope john paul ii shock happened the catholic church and the rest of the world when he made this announcement this week. >> after examined my conscious before god i came to a certainty my strength due to advanced age are no longer suited to the adequate exercise of the ministry. >> it was a remarkable announcement, first pope in over 600 years to actually step aside instead of leaving the papacy in the point

this year, three justices, clarence thomas, samuel alito and anthony sclalia were no-shows.scalia said it's turned into a childish spectacle. i don't want be there to lend dignity to it. that's why i like justice scalia so very much. he's just a straight forward guy and here is a personal story. a few years ago, the supreme court justice came down to arkansas and we spent time out in the woods duck hunting. a couple of things i learned about him, first of all, a good shot and second of all, as plains spoke and person as is on the bench and i wish we had more people who would say what they think, and mean what they say and thank you, justice for telling it like it is. next, pope benedict xvi shocked the catholic church and the rest of the world when i made this announcement early this week. >> after having repeatedly examined my conscience before god i have come to the certainty that my strength, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the ministry. >> mike: it was a remarkable announcement. the first pope in over 600 years to actually step asi

. >> the thinking back in 1994, i'm thinking back of the reaction after the anita hill, clarence thomas in 1991 was there more of an impetus to get behind women's issues? >> in 1992 there was the year of the woman. i always why it was just one year and one woman, but that was the big year. one woman. exactly. in 1992 i think that was the beginning of the impetus because we went from two women in the senate to a very significant number of women who were all there pushing for women's issues and addressing domestic violence. very, very important. >>. >> john boehner, from house republican men and women. >> yes. >> 19 members. >> 17 members, and i was surprised to see that some of the house republicans who have been supportive up to this point with whom we've been working weren't even on the letter. this was a whole new set of house republicans that joined together to say we need a bipartisan bill, we need to do it, we need to get it done now, take leadership, make it happen. >> kim, it's great to see you. >> my pleasure. mroo meanwhile, in detroit prosecutor there is on a crusade to help r

justice clarence thomas maintained his usual silence, but, of course, has made it clear he, too, would undo section five of the voting rights act. but the ringleader in this plot is actually chief justice john roberts, and he's been at it for a long time. as a young lawyer in the justice department, he was deeply involved in the reagan administration's efforts to neuter the law, and while those efforts may have failed back then, roberts may yet have his way come june of this year. joining us now is representative james clyburn, democrat of south carolina. good afternoon, sir. >> good afternoon, martin. thank you so much for having me. >> it's a great privilege for us to have you, sir. there's new reporting today in "mother jones" magazine, it documents the long war that john roberts has been waging against the voting rights act. it described him, and i'm quoting, as a major player in ronald reagan's attempts to disable the law. fast forward 30 years, congressman, and this man is the chief justice of the united states. i have to ask you, is he on the verge of killing this law outright?

. >> now, let me play you both something that nra president david keene told clarence thomas' wife inn interview published today. mark, take a listen. >> newtown, tragic as it was, was an opportunity for these people to do what they wanted to do all along. this president, barack obama, before he ever ran for office was an activist in trying to restrict second amendment rights. >> mark, i'm not sure which is more revolting, the statement itself or what it implies about the americanness of the president. what are your thoughts? >> it's a terrible thing for david keene to say, and we don't really understand why he said it. it was a terrible thing for then ra -- >> but, mark, this is the second time during this interview that you said you don't understand what the nra is saying and why they're saying these things. neither do i, but this is what they're saying every single day. this is what they're saying. >> yeah. you believe that a lobby is tasked and paid to do what the members of that lobby want them to do, but this is not where gun owners are. this is not where nra members are. 74% or

that's how we got clarence thomas. this hannan effort for years. i don't think it's going to work. for the party for the last ten years. people see through the pictures. >> we'll stay on the issue of the gop because you are on fire about it. we want to talk about karl rove and what he thinks is going on as soon as we get back. [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego. prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ club scene music ] [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ ♪ i dare you to dare me this winter? i've got a dare. ♪ repair six months of damage in just one use. introducing the new pantene repair & protect system. damage effects

like for the senate to go back to where it was when even a nominee for the supreme court such as clarence thomas was decided by a majority vote. so mr. president, in addition to that, of course, there's the question of do we filibuster legislation. and the answer is, yes we do. and sometimes we do on either side to kill a bill. if a bill comes over here to abolish the secret ballot union elections, i imagine republicans will do their best to kill the bill with a 60-vote margin. democrats will do the same with a right to work provision if republicans were in charge. that's happened throughout history, and with lesser nominations that's happened. national labor relations board nominee is controversial; there might be a 60-vote requirement. even with the tennessee valley authority, i remember when the distinguished majority leader held up president bush's t.v.a. nominees because he thought that the president should have appointed democrats instead of republicans. i pointed out to him that the law didn't say he had to do that but the majority leader, who was then -- the majority leader he may have b

and of course, his little sidekick, clarence thomas. >> whatever he said. >> justice whatever he saidword from romney on the campaign trail the exact same policies jay carney said i'd say one thing while the messenger may have changed the message was entirely consistent with the policy ideas of the mitt romney campaign last year and the american people did not support. >> oh it was verbatim. emits well be reading oh of a teleprompter. stephanie: he is according to time magazine, the savior of the republicans. >> that was a disappointment. stephanie: at least there's still bobby jindal. wait a minute! a new poll in louisiana show 37% of voters approve of jindal. >> he was the savior a couple of years ago. stephanie: he's an american and he can do anything. oh, god. >> in the end he looked lake a child, but can he be an important politician? why are republicans acting like he is their savior, anyway. it's tough to be judged fair to the party and right write honestly about it's darth of new ideas. if i were a republican, i would be upset about him bunk the future. stephanie: thank you jo

. >> stephanie: probably every morning, there is a drunken message from clarence thomas' wife. end? another love story gone wrong. >> speaking of love stories gone wrong, i think taylor swift has jumped the snark. mocking harry styles, her recent -- >> from one direction. >> mocking sort of quasi-british accent. >> then there was katy perry's boobs. >> slow motion carpet commercial. no! you're going to end up as a song. don't! >> stephanie: jesse -- >> it's a cookbook. [ laughter ] >> stephanie: jesse in north carolina. hi jess. >> caller: hey steph. >> stephanie: hello. >> caller: two quick things. first of all, post office, they continue to do this. what they're really doing is disenfranchising the community. the only way post office can continue to maintain supremacy is to enforce a monopoly. that's the only way they can compete against fedex and u.p.s. >> stephanie: did you know that fedex uses the post office for some of their deliveries. >> they do. imagine the irony there. second of all i just want to say that you know, i saw your show last year. i loved it. i love you a

. >> and we said time and time again, salcalia, clarence thoma alito and conservatives in 2008 gave americansys believe we conservatives always believe was contained inside the second amendment. >> right. >> you don't need wayne lapierre out there now doing it for you. i wonder why they don't let david king go. because lapierre is such - such -- lapierre is such a nightmare. almost make it sound dirty. really, republicans are the party of ronald reagan who opposed assault weapons or do you want to be the party of way in lapierre? >> there are two points just been said i also heard the president say yesterday. one is twhhe weapon of war argument crystal put out there, these are weapons of war. the other is this very interesting shift you just echoed from a question about rights to a question about money, this is about gun lobbyists. >> speaking about money. reading peter's piece in bloomberg, okay -- i'll just turn this way. nowhat's happening? >> it's too soon to celebrate a recovery. >> read it to me? >> you guys don't get into a big fight. let's see if you agree on this. the crucial questio

voting rights act is doomed clear from the questions asked yesterday by the justices, of course clarence thomas speaks. but the other four, three conservative and the swing voter, anthony kennedy that there were five votes against section five. did you read -- there were very hostile questions. do you read it that way? >> i don't read it quite that way. i think it is certainly in jeopardy. there are certainly five votes on the court that could strike down section five of the voting rights act. justice kennedy asked at least a couple of questions that indicated to me that he was at least somewhat in play. he asked questions that were hostile to the voting rights act and certainly suggested he was concerned about the impact on federalism and how we're treating states differently under this law. but he also asked a couple of questions about whether shelby county was the right plaintiff here. whether the act was out. section five could appropriately cover places like shelby county and so in those questions there is at least some hope that he will find a way to say yes instead of say no. >> bill: ju

justice thomas, clarence thomas, has actually said that he thinks section five is unconstitutional.. >>wear going to speak with the reverend jesse jackson tomorrow. he'll be our special guest here in "the situation room" on this and other subjects as well. >> a great guest. joe johns, thanks so much. >>> so three days to go before forced budget cuts take effect. are president obama's dire warnings on target or overblown? two economic experts are ready to face off on that, next. cute. but don't you have any apps on your phone that can make your life easier? who do you think i am, quicken loans? at quicken loans, we'll provide you with myql mobile. this amazingly useful app allows you to take pictures of your mortgage documents using an iphone or android smart phone... so you can easily send them to us. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ooh, la-la! one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. target is in sight. yes, dad, i see him. now pour some chloroform into a white rag and.... no. hi. i understand you're looking for a hotel with a pool. with priceline expre

>> and as usual, clarence thomas, joe, he did not speak in court, right? section v, which we're talking about, of the voting rights act, s is unconstitutional. >> another big case before the high court. we'll be watching it closely. >>> now to a very emotional senate hearing on gun violence, with photos of newtown massacre victims as a backtop. there was a good deal of discussion about strengthening background checks for gun buyers now that an assault weapons ban seems unlikely to pass. and it got really heated between senator lindsey graham and a milwaukee police chief. >> there's such an important issue, why aren't we prosecuting people who fail a background check and there are 15 questions there, they're not hard to understand, if you're filling out the form. so i'm a bit frustrated that we'd say one thing, how important it is, but in the real world, we absolutely do nothing to enforce the laws on the books. now, let's talk -- >> you know, just for the record, from my point of view, senator, the purpose of the background check -- >> how many cases have

can i just say i still think clarence thomas is very healthy. >> i know you do. >> the cardinals from would be more aware of the fact that the church is at a watershed moment in many parts of the world, especially in the united states. where they're losing young catholics in droves. not attending mass and not adhering to the faith and not raising their children in the catholic faith because of the rigid conservative doctrine. we're going to end up here in the united states and perhaps in other parts of the world with very few priests. you're going to have 92-year-old priests on the altar. >> i'm not a catholic. so i'm not going to advocate what they should do. and i don't think the answer is moving away from orthodoxy all the time, but i will tell you, when i went to pensacola catholic high school in the early '80s, it was filled with nuns and fathers. and when i went back to coach football five years later, there were a lot less nuns. when my son went there, you know, a handful. i mean, it is -- there's no doubt about it, this is a church in crisis. >> but if you're looking at it fro