historian douglas brinkley calls it a dictaor mentality. he's here tonight. >>> the wealthy are doing just fine. the people hurt are the people in the middle class. >> middle class mitt is a fraud. no reporting out today proves it. my commentary ahead. >>> and it is opposite day for the republicans' biggest mouthpiece. >> the uninformed voter is a democrat target audience. >> rush is going in the "zone." >>> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. at this hour, you can count on them again. house republicans are blotting to sabotage the economy one more time. late tonight, john boehner and the republican house, they planned to kill a two-month extension of the middle class tax cut and extension of unemployment benefits. now, this comes, keep in mind, after 39 senate republicans voted for the extension on saturday morning. oh, what the weekend brings us. this extension was exactly what senate republicans pushed for on friday night. republicans were downright giddy to get this keystone pipeline jammed into a bill to help

we'll talk to historian douglas brinkley. we are waiting in the u.s.. they are bringing in the new year elsewhere in the world and we'll look at the explosive celebrations that have taken place. don't miss it . i habe a cohd. yeah, i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth! you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ♪ this part of the world happy new year from down under. the celebrations have begun. and here are the famous sydney harbor fireworks. and tokyo and hong kong welcomed in 2012. and next up will be dubai and ber lin and london and of course, the big times square event in new york city at midnight t

is douglas brinkley, presidential historian and. and in dallas, carolyn barta. begin your telephone calls starting what rolf watching us in chicago. >> thank you. he missed his chance by not calling for a roadmap to peace on drugs as successful contenders u.s. grant use medical cocaine and jfk used speed and medically. washington jefferson, jackson, and lincoln used medical marijuana appeared each of our last three successful contenders used to both grass and a coke medically as well as recreational league. thank you. >> we are really getting at is the so-called war on drugs which became a popular phrase in 19 80s in the united states. the problem was all of these urban centers -- whole generations of kids getting addicted to different types of narcotics. his whole life he has been a champion of education. working for public schools in particular, there were public schools where drug gangs were taking over. you could not go into them including in dallas which was a very rough city, people forget, in the 1980's and 1990's. prospero took a hard line on cracking do

. >> douglas brinkley has written a biography about teddy roosevelt. you'll take that question. >> when i got to talk to mr. perot he has two evergreen heroes and it's theodore roosevelt and winston churchill. and he takes a lot from them. we forget now that both of them were considered in t.r.'s case a damn cowboy when roosevelt became president, he was just -- mckinley was assassinated. and the republican party of mark hanna and the old mckinley machine didn't trust t.r. he was considered an iconoclast and individualist and the cowboy notion. ross perot, his father was a cotton broker. but also was a -- broke horses, went to cattle auctions, considered himself a bit of a texas cowboy. and everything about theodore roosevelt is impressed ross perot. and i think gave him courage, if t.r. can do a bull moose party, why can't i run in 1992? and churchill it gout woes saying, anybody who loves -- it goes without saying, anybody who loves grit, winston churchill is your figure and the two people he admires most. in his office a portrait of george washingto

is douglas brinkley, presidential historian. and in dallas, carolyn barta. let's begin your telephone calls starting what ralph watching us in chicago. >> thank you. he missed his chance by not calling for a roadmap to peace on drugs as successful contenders grant used medical cocaine and jfk used speed medically. washington, jefferson, jackson, and lincoln used medical marijuana. each of our last three successful contenders used both grass and coke medically as well as recreationally. thank you. >> we are really getting at is the so-called war on drugs which became a popular phrase in 1980s in the united states. the problem was all of these urban centers -- whole generations of kids getting addicted to different types of narcotics. his whole life he has been a champion of education. working for public schools in particular, there were public schools where drug gangs were taking over. you could not go into them including in dallas which was he was tough on that issue, so if you are a libertarian and believe drug should be legal in the united states, ross per

douglas brinkley says that's why mr. obama chose the same small town in kansas to frame his message. >> he's trying to paint the republicans as sort of being anti-american. being grinch-like, being misers. and this is timed here with the holiday season with the need for some, you know, tax breaks for middle class. he's got to reclaim the great american center right now and the figure who speaks for the center is theodore roosevelt. >> reporter: as the president continues to pressure congress, the white house unveiled a countdown clock on monday ticking away the days until the payroll tax cut expires at year's end. for weeks, president obama has relentlessly slammed republicans for their unwillingness to increase taxes on the very wealthy for extending that tax cut. >> so, my message to congress is this? keep your word. american people and don't raise taxes on them right now. now is not the time to slam on the brakes, now is the time to step on the gas. >> now, kansas is a red state, of course. no democrat has won this si