joining me now is dana milbank, columnist for "the washington post." ks for joining me this evening. >> hi, reverend. >> if trump's children can't keep him from talking about where the president was born, can anyone? >> i don't know. i like the notion in the -- first of all, the donald denied the report if the children haven't done it they certainly should. but it doesn't appear that donald trump listens to anybody so it's not clear why he would listen to his family and it also seems that since he's continued to say outrageous things since then and to tweet out outrageous remarks since then, when or whether or not it happened, the donald is clearly going to continue to work his way into becoming more and more irrelevant. but providing good fodder for your show. >> let's put him aside for a moment. let's look at a cast of others that use a lot of ugly rhetoric and ended up paying for it. congressman joe walsh and allen west both gone now. look at this. >> they want hispanics to be dependent upon government. that's their game. >> take your message of ensl

joining me now is abby huntsman, host and producer of hunts post live and dana milbank.r your time. >> thanks for having me. >> abby, you tweeted the morning after the election, quote, gop soul-searching begins, too old, too white, too male. will the republican party evolve? >> what you're seeing right now is a state of shock. the republican party is really going through the healing process. so that's why you're seeing the finger pointing, a lot of angry people as they well should be. a lot of them feel duped like they were tricked into believing that romney could win this thing by a landslide and then reality starts to set in in this whole healing process and you take a step back and say, look, the republican party hasn't won the popular vote since 1988. if that's not a signal that the party needs to make some changes, i don't know what is. what can they do as a party to really learn from the party leaders, such as lincoln, roosevelt, reagan that were all about big, bold ideas that were about bringing people together to really come up with solutions to solve some of the

. >> for more now we turn to dana milbank, a political columnist for washington post, and michelle cottlee to you both. dana, on the planet republican, john boehner was just re-elected to the speakership. he seems to think with his re-election comes the bigger mandate. is he serious? does he even have a mandate among hits own house republicans? >> i'm sure the voters of john boehner's district near cincinnati, ohio, do -- have given him a mandate to do exactly what he's doing. but he needs to represented the entire country when he's speaker of the house. >> oh, yes. cue remind him of that? >> there has to be a little bit of a game going on after the election. as both sides lay out their positions here. the president, i think, was doing some justifiable chest-thumping today saying, look, guys, i won this election last week. he's not budging on his position. it appears, as a matter of policy, the republicans are at least showing some indication to move, even while attempting to rhetorically deny the president this mandate. >> that's a contortion. paul ryan is leading the charge. here he is

as "the washington post" dana milbank put it in a recent column f obama were serious about being a goodthe nation's finances, he would let them go. did you hear that? because many of those states are what dana milbank said are government takers, they take more in federal money than they pay in taxes. alabama gets $1.71 from the federal government for every $1 paid in taxes. louisiana gets $1.45 in federal aid for every $1 they pay in taxes. author of "bush's brain," and james braxton peterson associate professor of english at lehigh, and michael steele, former chair of the rnc and a political analyst here at msnbc. gentlemen, this is an extraordinary thing but let's talk about this, professor peterson, recent "daily beast" article you talked about using maps in 1859 to america today where states are petitioning to secede following obama's election. you write they were pro-slavery or open to slavery. this same collective of states were required to be racially segregated. it so happens these are the states that house the largest concentration of republican voters and the highest number of

dana milbank and maully ball, thank you both.end. >> thank you. >>> ahead, what would you do with $293 million? the first powerball winners have an idea. corporate america could learn from them. >>> and the first dog bo unveils white house christmas decorations. stay with us. twins. i didn't see them coming. i have obligations. cute obligations, but obligations. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal. the distances aren't getting shorter. ♪ the trucks are going farther. the new 2013 ram 1500. ♪ with the best-in-class fuel economy. engineered to move heaven and earth. ♪ guts. glory. ram. >>> it's looking more and more like ch

>> joining us now from washington is dana milbank, a political columnist for "the washington post," andulian epstein, a democratic strategist. welcome to you both. if i might start with you, dana, i did think that benghazi was about four dead americans, but now i'm being told that it's about hi jinx in the officers mess and adultery. >> it's all of the above. it's mushroomed into quite a thing here and it continues to occur after the election. i have a high respect for my "washington post" colleague charles krauthammer, somewhat else respect for limbaugh, but the whole thing would have seemed to be disproven today when petraeus goes to capitol hill, shows up and says exactly what everybody else in the administration has been saying now. if it was some sort of an effort to blackmail, he's now been outed, the whole thing happened, and he's, you know, he hasn't basically changed his tune. i'm not clear how that all works out. >> right. okay. julian, geraldo rivera is playing the role of truth teller on this particular story on fox. take a listen to this. >> and it really is a disgrace to a

joining me here in democracy plaza is ari melber, correspondent for "the nation" and dana milbank, a for "the washington post." thank you for being here. i think it was arthur mill mother said in the politics of a democracy, the shortest distance between two points is often a crooked line. how crooked has romney's campaign been and what effect has that had on the voters? >> i'll tell you, i think spinning is pretty common in politics. >> i'm talking about lying. >> well, if this were a national race and we were talking about some of the general spinning it wouldn't look necessarily all that different from some other misleading campaigns. the problem for mitt romney starts with the lies in ohio. i think if we're talking about politics and what actually hurt him and what is going to potentially derail his candidacy tonight given what we know about how crucial ohio is, it was lying to the people in that state about their jobs, about jeeps, about how these cars are produced and after being called on it, he doubled down and he lied to them again. i think that really soured whatever he mig

. >> rick rick -- dana milbank in today's "washington post" writing in the waning days of campaign mitt romney was uplifting, optimistic and inspirational. in other words almost entirely different from the man we saw and heard these past many months. i couldn't had help but wonder whether he would be in a better position if he had taken the high road months ago. your magazine had a very powerful i thought endorsement of barack obama and did a masterful assessment of romney and his weaknesses. do you think that is true? >>. >> we've got two different reports now on how romney -- on the one hand he's depressed and other hand he's up. we don't know. let me second the point about voting. voting is the sacrament of our democracy and that's why i vote. because i'm a new yorker so everybody knows which way new york is going, but i just persistently and stubbornly vote every time because it's like the altar of democracy. >> do you think the fact that this is tight is going to be -- to chris's point we don't know what's going to happen until it happens. do you think the tightness of this race wi

let's bring in dana milbank, columnist for "the washington post." ion damaged the paul ryan brand or is he still the golden boy? >> well, he's still the goldena conservatives who basically dominate this caucus. th dynamichere. you had john boehner come out today and actually float the idea of, heaven forbid, an increase in tax revenues. that's a direct repudiation of what paul ryan has stood for. because he tied himself to closely to paul ryan's economic plan, it basically became a repudiation of that plan as well. >> now, paul ryan is often mentione as a possible presidential candidate for 2016. but don't reblicans have to have a serious think about that? i mean, given last night's results, is paul ryan part of the solution for them or part of the problem? >> on the positive side he probably comes out better out of this election than sarah palin did. "@ >> that's an exponential difference. >> yes, we can give him faint praise here. he's staep established himself as a serious intellectual. now, the policies he's espousing for the moment have been k

catherine crier, dana milbank, michelle cottle, thank you for being here tonight. >>> out ranl jous lines in ohio and florida are not an accident, they are part of a deliberate attempt to depress the vote and democrats are fighting back. >>> plus, new ugly attacks in the final hour of the campaign. now republicans are accusing the president of attacking christian values. >>> also, from roe versus wade to planned parenthood, we'll talk to senator barbara boxer about what is really at stake for women in this campaign. you're watching a special edition of "politicsnation," live from democracy plaza here in new york's rockefeller center. >> and after all we've been through together, we can't give up now. >> no. >> because we've got more change to do. >> yes. >> we've got more change to make. victor! victor! i got your campbell's chunky soup. mom? who's mom? i'm the giants mascot. the giants don't have a mascot! ohhh! eat up! new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks mom! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie!

. >> victoria defrancesco soto and dana milbank, thank you. >>> chris christie worked with president obama on hurricane sandy and voters are loving it. so why are republicans ignoring his example? >>> we'll tell you why mr. 47% really is mr. 47%. you'll love this story. >>> plus, speaker boehner got a big surprise today. why are naked people in his office? stay with us. sometimes what we suffer from is bigger than we think ... like the flu. with aches, fever and chills- the flu's a really big deal. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. so don't wait. call your doctor right away. tamiflu is prescription medicine for treating the flu in adults and children one year and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing. have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and

and dana milbank, columnist for the "washington post." ks for coming on the show. >> hi, reverend. >> people come up with m stuff, man. >> dana. mind games? i mean, this is a new one. what is it about the far right and this president? i mean, mind games? >> well, they're pretty good mind games if they've got tens of millions of americans to fall for it. but i'm kufszed because mitt romney just said it was because the american people were bribed with gifts. i think they've got to go with one or the other. it was either bribery or it was some mass tens of millions of people going through mind games. look, this is a difficult time here. they will get through this period. but they can study it and look through it, but when it comes right down to it it's pretty obvious that people weren't buying what they were selling and they need to be selling a different product. >> joe madison, karl rove is making all kinds of excuses again. the "wall street journal" today wrote a column and they gave lessons of defeat for the gop. i'm quoting him here. rep

, besides the criticism from some conservatives, leading columnists including maureen dowd and dana milbankcrazed questions. this is dana's column. she united statess it's ill equipped to be the nation's top diplomat for reasons that have little to do with libya. even in a town that rewards sharp el lows and sometime obscenities. near nearly 100 house republicans have sent a letter to the president urging them not to nominate her. is he willing to spend the political capital? >> i think he will if he decides she's the choice. we need to remember the house republicans have nothing to do with confirming secretary of states. i know susan rice, worked with her in the john kerry campaign in 2004. she has the skill and the judgment to be secretary of state if president obama wants her to be. >> it's unfair? >> completely unfair. it's a tough town and lots of people want to be secretary of state i suspect. and the press has a role to play here, but at the end of the day i think if barack obama, who's just been rere elected, would like susan rice to be his secretary of state, she will be. >> steve,

from tucson, arizona, by jared bernstein, stormer economic advi adviser to the vice president and dana milbankpolitical columnist for "the washington post". jared, if i might begin with you, we don't have time to explain why most civilized countries prefer a progressive system of taxation but haven't they got this upside down? because it was mitt romney who was offering the most free stuff in the form of huge tax breaks and tax cuts for the rich. is that not right? >> you know, you're absolutely right, and one of the kind of impressive things to me about this election was the extent to which his supply side trickle down 20% across the board tax cuts were soundly rejected by a majority of the electorate and even a larger majority in exit polls understood that that's not the way forward. too often we have these discussions about taxes. they're not actually thinking what tacks do in civilized societies. as you mentioned, other countries have figured this out, and we can't afford to fall behind. have you tried to travel around this country lately and looked at the state of our national infrastruct

. >> dana milbank and toure, thank you both, gentlemen, and a reminder, nbc will host a storm relief concert and telethon tonight to raise money for the victims of sandy. matt lauer of the "today" show will be hosting performances by bruce springsteen, bon jovi, sting, billy joel, christina aguilera, and more. that's all at 8:00 p.m. this evening. >>> next, more on today's jobs numbers, but, first, why one whalen smithers thinks mr. romney is doomed. >> $10,000 bet, i like to fire people, forcible haircut, the tax returns that wesley snipes would call suspicious? ♪ ooh baby, looks like you need a little help there ♪ ♪ ooh baby, can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got

. >> dana milbank, clarence paige, thanks very much. >> thank you, chris. >>> another story that won't go away. tampa socialite joe kelley, the woman at center of the e-mail fiasco with general petraeus and allen, she's fighting back. her high-profile lawyer released some of her e-mails and phone calls and abbe lowell says they prove she didn't do anything wrong and she was never more than friends with either general. he also says he will sue if there are any more leaks. he blames the feds for this information coming out in the first place. now, at the same time, the "new york times" is reporting that the investigation into general allen is now focused on between 60 and 70 e-mails that he did exchange with allen, and they say, quote, they bear a fair amount of scrutiny at least according to one defense official. ecipe from stouffer's starts with ground beef, unions, and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. for the latest smartphone. you w

megyn: dana milbank of "the washington post" had a piece last week i think said, true, rice was following the white house which she does well but the nation's top diplomat needs to show more sensitivity and independence. he says obama can do better at state than susan rice. so, i mean this isn't a guy known for his conservative leaning but he has a problem with her silence in the months, the months that followed, she just now spoke out about why she said what she said. i will play that sound in a minute but, she has been silent for a really long time, brad. >> she has been silent and there is reason for it because she has been used by the administration, just following orders is not good enough. i was asked to go on fox news on 9/12. in the morning of 9/12 i said based on my experience there is no way this was in the a terrorist attack. it was the anniversary of 9/11. people don't come to a protest with ipgs and kind of artillery and ways of attacks that took place. clear to me, susan rice, who had a lot better information than i had as a citizen didn't push back on the information she is

. >> okay, ashley parker, dana milbank, good to see you both.new movie that shows the extreme way the planet is changing. you're going hear from the director coming up. you're watching "weekends with alex witt." stay with us. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. [ male announcer ] are you on medicare? do you have the coverage you need? open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. so don't wait. now's the time to get on a path that could be right for you... with unitedhealthcare medicare solutions. call today to learn about the kinds of coverage we offer, including aarp medicarecomplete plans insured through unitedhealthcare. these medicare advantage plan