of course, that gifted man was e.j. dionne.michael, that some of this has gone over the top? >> no, i do. i do, reverend. and i think it's -- it imperils the overall effort that began in 2009 to re-establish the republican party and its message as one that resonates with people. and i really appreciated e.j.'s piece today because i thought it struck a number of chords. but your first point, this has been sort of the poison of politics, particularly in the last ten or so years, which i think is really coming to a head in this campaign, unfortunately. i think you have, and you'll probably talk more about jeb bush and others, who are beginning to say, okay. enough. we are losing sight of the policy discussion and debate and this is becoming much more personal to the point it's turn something people off, including some of our own. we have to be very careful about that. >> e.j., that is -- the reality is that most americans don't even understand what the candidates stand for. they are just caught up in these attacks and who can outa

also e.j. dionne.] if you believe the mayan calendar, on december 21st, polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space, which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd and you still need to retire, td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? >>> finally, senator, you know, i'm sure like me you get offended when people say that washington is not cool. and doesn't have a fashion sense because at this conservative gathering, look what i've found. if you've contributed nothing else to this campaign, you have brought back the sweater vest. and here is a rick santorum sweater vest that will certainly endure whatever the results of this campaign. true enough? >> well, i hope so. i mean, you know people have referred to me as the ritchie cunningham candidate. a little bi

e.j. dionne and joan walsh. >>> racism rears its head in a republican super bowl ad. the candidate behind the ad isn't backing down. >> the economy get very weak. ours get very good. we take your jobs, thank you debbie spend it now. >>> good to have you with us. thanks for watching, we come to you from minnesota where the caucus is tomorrow, this is the big story tonight. it basically is the ad the entire country is talking about, for a good reason. the chrysler commercial with clint eastwood i think speaks for itself. >> it's halftime. both teams are in their locker room discussing what they can do to win the game in the second half. it's halftime in america, too. people are out of work and they are hurting, and all wondering what they will do to make a comeback. we're all scared because this isn't the game. >> the first 30 seconds of that ad so powerful, i mean did you notice it was shock on film for effect? the voice, clint eastwood, mr. true grit, tough guy, dirt ysh harry, in the city

thank you, e.j. appreciate your time. >>> sarah palin gives the green light for being drafted at a convention. richard wolffe weighs in on that. [ male announcer ] that. right there -- reminds you why you fell in love with her in the first place. and why you still feel the same. but your erectile dysfunction -- that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, seek immediate

thank you, e.j. >>> sarah palin gives the green light for being drafted at a convention. richard wolffe weighs in on that. you know when i grow up, i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. >>> tonight i asked will racially charged comments in the media increase during this election season? 98% of you said yes. 2% of you said no. coming up, sarah palin has been on the sidelines this election year but now she says she's willing to be drafted. richard wolffe joins me on whether she has a shot at the nomination. could it really happen? that's next. ] the 2012 m-class continually monitors blind spots, scans the road to reveal

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joy-ann and e.j. dionne will be here to talk about rick santorum attacks on faith and education. >>> mitt romney has a new problem. his arizona co-chaired resigned amid a scandal. howard fineman is with me on that story. we're right back. >>> coming up, rick santorum is walking back ridiculous statement. he says the presidents that ha different theology. he wants us to believe he wasn't talking about religion. i'll ask joy-ann reid and e.j. dionne what they think. >>> you won't believe what is going on in virginia it's the new battlefield for the republican war on women. today in that state, women were fighting back. the president of the national organization for women is here to explain. >>> an espn anchor is suspended after racist remarks about jeremy lin, michael eric dyson joins me later. share your thoughts on twitter #edshow, we're right back. what makes the sleep number store different? you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you want a firm b

and thank you for that remark, e.j. i was going along almost agreeing with you until you really got into full flow. but let me put a problem that i have with professor ceaser and to mr. spalding. i want to be on your side in this argument. but i am having great difficulty for two reasons. perhaps you can help me out. one is because of laws in corporate governments that we know about and because of macroeconomic problems that require -- let's call it bailing out rather large financial institutions. is it true -- well, i think it's true, demonostra bli true, that we've disconnected performance and reward in society. i don't care about inequality. i'm for as much inequality as we can get if performance is connected to reward. the question is, how do we defend tin equality that so troubles -- let's call it the people on the other side -- if we can't conceive of reforms that reconnect performance and reward? and the reason i raise it is, i hear people -- my conservative friends that e.j. likes to put it, i assume he has one.

melissa harris-perry and e.j. dionne, thanks for joining me.'re all excited. >> good luck. >> we're really thrilled for your debut, your new show it premieres tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. here on msnbc. >>> still ahead, while republicans are talking about birth control, president obama is talking about jobs. >> we can restore an economy where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody does their fair share and everybody plays by the same set of rules from washington to wall street to main street. everybody is doing their part. >>> plus, you thought you heard it all. now republicans are blaming spam. yes, spam for a voting mess in maine. it reveals the truth about the gop effort to suppress the vote. stay with us. wheeeeeeeeeeeee! whee! whee! wheeeeeeeee! ah heads up. wheeeeeeeeeeee! everything you love about geico, now mobile. download the new geico app today. spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. it's hard for my crew to keep up with 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. 2% ca

e.j. dionne, thanks, as always, for your time. a great weekend. >> you, too. >>> coming up -- with the economy getting better, republicans are going back to the old culture wars play book pinning all their hopes on issues that divide us, not unite us. >>> and mitt romney's main problem isn't with conservatives. it's with himself. >> i know conservatism because i have lived conservatism. >> i'm someone who is moderate and my views are progressive. >> a new poll shows he's starting to fall behind. way behind the president. >>> plus -- a ten-year investigation into a man imprisoned for a murder he may not have committed. powerful original reporting from nbc's luke russert. you're watching "politics nation" on msnbc.ç so uh this is my friend frank and his, uh, retirement plan. one golden crown. come on frank how long have we known each other? go to e-trade. they got killer tools man. they'll help you nail a retirement plan that's fierce. two golden crowns. you realize the odds of winning are the same as being mauled by a polar bear a

e.j., in particular, because you know obama so much better than the rest of us. was this a speech, or is this really going to be what he is going to -- what he is going to be for a long time now because we know consistency is not his greatest virtue? >> first of all, i salute the point about there being many t.r.s. david brooks and i both like t.r., and he claims that i like the quasi socialist t.r., and he likes the authentically conservative and patriotic t.r. and they're all there. >> all fights are a struggle for the soul of t.r. important point. the answer is i don't know. i think your question has an assumption that's correct, which is he has not been consistent in the course of this year. this does seem to be a course correction on his part. and i think a good one. i think it's the right direction for him to go in. it is consistent with who he has been as a person and politically over time. if you go back to both the '08 campaign and what he was before the '08 campaign. so i have a sense that this speech is part of a template that he's going to stick with.

joy-ann reid and e.j.nne will discuss his extreme attacks against president obama's faith and public education. mitt romney has a brand new problem on his hands, his arizona co-chair has resigned amid a scandal. howard fineman with me on that story. stay with us we're right back. >>> coming up, rick santorum walking back yet another ridiculous statement, he said the president has a different t theology not bibily cal. now he wants us to believe he wasn't talking about religion. we'll ask joy-ann reid and e69 j. dionne what they think. >>> virginia is the new battlefield for the republican war on women. today in that state, women were fighting back. the president of the national organization for women is here to explain. >>> espn anchor is suspended after racist remarks about jeremy lin, michael eric dyson joins me later in the hour. share thoughts on twitter using #edshow, we're right back. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." rick santorum ramped up radicalism in addition to comparing the president to hitle

joy-ann reid and e.j.nne will discuss his extreme attacks against president obama's faith and public education. mitt romney has a brand new problem on his hands, his arizona co-chair has resigned amid a scandal. howard fineman with me on that story. stay with us we're right back. what makes the sleep number store different? you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you want a firm bed you can lie on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. wow. that feels really good. it's about support where you find it most comfortable. at the ultimate sleep number event, queen mattresses now start at just $599. and save 50% on the final closeout of our innovative limited edition bed. plus, enjoy special offers through monday only. only at the sleep number store. >>> coming up, rick santorum walking back yet another ridiculous statement, he said the president has a different t theology not bibily cal. now he wants us to believe he wasn't

righteousness would proclaim -- e.j. told me to pound the podium but i have a sore hand -- there you have it, righteousness, roosevelt proclaimed in the final sentence of the longer version of the new nationalism speech which was published a few days later in the outlay not made required reading for this thing, in that longer speech he said righteousness exalteth the nation. this invocation of proverb in the king james version of the bible reveals how progressivism at its founding was infused with the social gospel, a religiosity for better and worse, obama and contemporary progressives usually avoid. let me go back to a point that goes back to the beginning of my remarks. perhaps was born here the hollowing out of progressivism if i can put it that way was the logical outcome of its faith in national administration, the fate of this progressive creed, the creed that human rights must take precedence over property rights was to rest on the shoulders of the steward of the public welfare. that is a really beguiling phrase

e.j., what does romney need to do right now? >> mitt romney needs to find any way possible to make sure he beats rick santorum in michigan. i think he has several problems. one is that he has lost the electability of the one guy that can beat obama. there's been a slew of polls that suggest he's no stronger than santorum against obama. so a lot of conservatives didn't really trust romney but wanted to beat the president, willing to vote for him. now that's gone. in the meantime, as you pointed out, santorum has money and a good deal of momentum. here's what romney i think has going for him in michigan. this is the first time that rick santorum is in a real fight one-on-one. he won iowa by visiting practically every voter in the state. he spent months at it. and then he won his other three victories in colorado, missouri, and minnesota because no one really contested those states hard. this is the first one-on-one fight. and a lot of republicans in michigan say, look, romney's behind now but he's got a lot of money and he also ha

you had to pay for that weird emperialism. >> last comment. >> i'm still struck by e.j.'s claim of moderation. but the final, who's the most moderate here? the probody lem is who is doing good for the whole is made by government. the state -- >> it's the democratically decided. >> and i think the modern progression has really kind of abandoned that. and they've really now clung themselves, too much, i think, to this administrative model. and if they don't reinvent themselves, i think they're going to be on the decline. and if they continue going the path they're going, unfortunately, that means we're going to sweden or greece and the problems that -- >> yeah, sweden is doing quite well right now. >> we are out of time. unless someone has a last, absolutely urgent comment? no? [ applause ] >> you're watching american history tv. 48 hours of people and events that helped document the american story. all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. hosted by our time warner cable partner, american history tv recently visited beuamont, texas to visit a culture. for more information on

thank you, e.j. and thank you to peter and e.j. giving me this side of the debate because i think it's rather difficult to not believe that money very substantlly rules america. how does money rule america? let us count the ways. for starters, money more than any other time in our history, funds campaigns. and with the ironicly named citizens united decision, unlimited amounts of money can rule politics. money, disproportionately comes from rich people. your average citizen doesn't give multimillion dollar contributions to campaigns. and that means that money speaks louder than ordinary citizens. so that's just the tip of the iceberg. i recently wrote a piece in "the prospect," it's in the reprint that you have. the title was "tokeville for toffs." the point is participatory inequality inolitics is every bit as important as financial inequality. and farptory correlates with financial inequality. toffeville in 1940 identified famously the art of association with democracy. political association were free great -- great free schools

the senate 9th leader e.j. pipkin gave the gop response and said now -- senate minority leader e.j. pipkin gave the gop response and said new is not the time to raise taxes. >> governor o'malley's taxes are not anything new. they're nothing more than the tax policies that slowed our economic growth. the citizens of maryland deserve better. >> they claim the governor's proposals would only hurt the middle class. >>> today in annapolis it was a family touched by tragedy versus the motor vehicle administration. the only question? how often is often enough to test older drivers for their competency behind the wheel? nathan kransnopoler, a cyclist, was hit by an 86-year-old driver. right now the department of motor vehicles will let people go eight years without testing before renewal. >> there are examples of other older drivers having poor competency and not being safe on the roads. >> the mva says it's trying to save money extending the term for renewals. the administration says it will depend on families, doctors and police to refer older drives who may need more testing. so should -

so, e.j., first, it's great to see so many people here. happy holidays and to those who celebrate the merry christmas and happy hanukkah. i want to thank my friend bill ch chambra for putting together what is a genuinely fairly unbalanced event. bill and i have agreed on the importance of community and disagreeing on what progresses make of the community for about that long. it's just great. i was remembering the series of books. some of you may be able to remember them. they were history books for kids called landmark books that i think random house. for some reason a blurb on the back stated, anyone who has not feasted upon them has been cheated. anyone who has not feasted upon sid's book about the 1911 election is cheated. jim caesar is absolutely brilliant and i find myself disagreeing with jim, but it is highly risky because he's so damn smart. forgive the damn on cspan. and yet i try to live dangerously but it's a real honor to be with sid. john halpin has done exceptional work at cap. liberals not surprisingly are not nearly as good

e.j. dionne also joins us for "the washington post" and has been covering it as a columnist. andrew, i guess that's the key question out there. you got to it in your essay. so did the president go in this siding with the women, like secretary sebelius and the people at the white house, the committed people, knowing he was going to go up against conservative catholics, did he want this fight? >> no, he didn't want this fight. who would want this fight? obama spent his entire administration trying to avoid this kind of fight. but he couldn't avoid the choice. he had to make a choice. and i think the get-out was he would have a year to figure it out. when push comes to shove, he decided to back the 98% of catholic women who used birth control and the vast majority of catholics who support birth control and take on the benedict control and take on the benedict xvi and the bishops for whom no issue seems to be more important than controlling the sex lives of other people. >> e.j., we may agree on this. but you pointed out at the front of this thing, basically taking what we might

thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, bill and hudson for having me, and e.j. for the kind introduction. it's great to be on a panel with you all. i've enjoyed all your work on the progressive era over the past few years. i'll try and be brief so we can get to interesting back and forth on great ideas we've already heard. one of the things i want to focus on is how boring the election of 2012 is likely to be in comparison to the election of 1912. now, maybe it's easy to do when you're reading history books and things like that. what's most fascinating and you get this in sid's book about the 1912 election was how much of a serious challenge there was to the two-party system. we haven't really talked about that. you have this fight for the soul of the republican party between la follette, teddy roosevelt and taft. it ends up being taft. you have the creation of a new party which has its own divisions that people don't acknowledge as much. about the progressive era. you had a serious fight about issues of monopoly, regulation, the wisdom of an administrative stat

with jon meacham, matt dowd, richard land, and e.j. dionne. >> i think the point is we need to save religion from the religious. santorum is pushing things to an extreme where it's going to be very hard for religious people to argue that religion has a place in the public square when you have extremist views taking over and taking such a central place in the conversation. >> i think rick santorum is completely mishandled this whole entire issue and how to talk about it. voters want somebody that they believe is faith-filled. they want somebody that they believe is religious. they want somebody that they believe answers to a higher authority not of this earth but they don't want somebody that constantly talks about it and constantly says every decision they said is going to be informd by it. to me being faith-built and being religious is lot like what margaret thatcher said about being a lady which is if you say you're one you're probably not. if you have to say that over and over again, prove it by what you do in the political marketpl