when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> coming up, vice president dick cheney tries to rewrite history about his domestic surveillance program and why the fight at john ashcroft's bedside became a turning point in the relationship between cheney and the president. >>> and later, as the obama administration considers how big of a job's plan to unveil next week, seems the president maybe gave us some hints today. >>> we're back with more on the cheney book with someone who has actually read the whole thing. joining me now is barton gellman. thanks for joining me tonight, bart. >> thank you. >> bart, on the john ashcroft bedside scene, i want to read you this p

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[ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> i admit it, while watching former vice president dick cheney making the media rounds plugging his new memoir, i kept yelling at the screen, "you've got to be kidding me, this is not the way that it happened!" luckily, this show has a section devoted to debunking public misinformation. >>> we've been pretty critical on this show of the job's plan that was put forth by house republicans this spring, ten pages, clip art, gigantic type, but the unemployment situation right now, particularly long-term unemployment, is so dire that i want to put all that criticism aside. let me said right now that if the republican plan is the plan with the greatest chance of creating jobs for american citizens, then i am onboard. i am interested in seeing what the consequences of the jobs proposals are than how they impact anyone's political futures. house republicans have expanded their jobs plan this week, specifically the section they want to get rid

[ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> today is day two of the real republican primary campaign, it's launched in a small rural state with a presidential caucus that weeds out the casual citizen and empowers only those filled with angry conviction. the first contest in iowa, the ames straw poll, filters the section of the most extreme activists inside the republican party until you get down to a guy named al who lives in waterloo and listens to rush limbaugh. in this process itself, takes place against a back drop of an unsettling and volatile political department. a dyspeptic electorate, invoking the phrase balanced approach at nearly every turn, but the incentives for republican candidates are for more resentment and fury. joining me now is former governor howard dean. governor, how are you? >> i'm great, how are you? >> i'm good. i wanted to get your perspective on the sort of incentives we see in the primary, because there are certain ways in which, i think, this el

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> back to "hardball." now for the sideshow. first up, fed up. that's the title of the book penned by gop candidate rick perry just last year covering topics including the alleged unconstitutionalty of social security. responding to some of the backlash from perry's position and likely anticipating a tad more to come, ray sullivan, perry's communications director, explained. fed up! is not meant to reflect the govrper's current views on how to fix the program. unfortunately, it seems that perry was unaware that his 9-month-old book had become obsolete when his campaign began earlier this month. let's listen to how he responded to a question from a voter on his plans for entitlement reforms at his first stop in iowa. have you read my book "fed up!" get a copy and read it. >> i guess the memo hasn't gone out yet. next up, excuses, excuses. that's all we're getting from florida republican senate candidate mike mccallister who has come under fire for embellishing his record as a military serviceman. saying he had testified before co

[ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> republican governor john kasich of ohio may be nervous about the popularity of his policies and his own popularity too, hence him squirming the union-stripping bill. for awhile this year, he and another governor for neck and neck for the race for the title, but that other governor has surpassed kasich to be the least liked governor of the united states of america. as of june, the standings show that the winner/loser is rick scott, who's been in the florida governor's mansion for less than a year. just a third of floridians say they like the guy. if a rematch of his 2010 election were held today -- by a 45-18 margin governor rick scott has turned them off from gop candidates in general. so how do you turn around numbers that bad? if you are rick scott, you start with the optics, literally, you get a new picture. this had been the governor's picture, however, as of monday, this is the new and improved, softer, kinder, gentler rick sc

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> time for tonight's "rewrite."i go around the country giving inspirational speeches to boy scout troops, girl scout troops, and 4-h clubs, i'm often asked for life advice. i tell kids in america the same thing -- the most important thing i've learned in all of my years of trying to make this country greater? maybe the only thing i've learned, never trust a man in makeup. i mean, how can you trust a guy who won't let you even see what his face really looks like? which brings us, of course, to the second night in a row to stephen colbert. who wears makeup every day. in show business every day of course means four days a week. there is no man in makeup less trustworthy that stephen colbert, except for that one time when he testified to congress about immigration. and it is not just coincidental that he has never worn less makeup than when he was testifying to congress. last night in this space, we did a report on exactly how stephen colbert is wasting the dirty filthy campaign money he's collecting for his dirty filth

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. if something is simply the color of gold, is it really worth more? we don't think so. chase sapphire preferred is a card of a different color. unlike others, you get twice the points on travel, and twice the points on dining, and no foreign transaction fees. call now or apply at chasesapphire.com/preferred. and so too is the summer event. now get an incredible offer on the powerful c300 sport sedan. but hurry before this opportunity...disappears. the mercedes-benz summer event ends august 31st. >>> in the spotlight tonight, the new republican presidential front runner. less than two weeks after jumping into the race, texas governor rick perry has stolen congresswoman michele bachmann's momentum and leapt ahead of former front runner mitt romney. a new poll shows perry at 29%, romney at 17%, ron paul at 13%, and bachmann fourth at 10%. paul is the highest polling and least covered candidate in the race. unlike this guy, who merely wants to repeal the 16th amendment. in case you're rust

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> let me finish tonight with a simple proposition.s how president obama can get congress to pass a jobs bill. call it porking out. got it? i bet you do already. all he has to do is combine the projects that all the members of congress have asked for in their districts, the dams they want fixed, road project, sewer and water projects they want funded. take all those projects in one big, fat bill, a wedding of pork projects and send it up to capitol hill, then alert every media outlet about what's at stake in each hamlet in the country, pet projects that will finally get done and put local folk on the job, getting a payroll, getting it done. okay, i'm calling it porking out, because that's, of course, what it is. it's doing jobs that people at the local level want done, but you know what, at least it's something. it's putting people to work doing jobs that people, dare i say the word voters, want done and will see being done. voters will see people being put to work who were previously unemployed. how's that for an improvement in realit

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough?scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> the super bowl victory was a rare moment of pure joy for new orleans, but no sooner had the streets been swept clear of the confetti than this long-suffering region was dealt another harsh blow, the bp oil disaster. for three months, millions of barrels of oil poured into the gulf of mexico, coating wildlife, blackening beaches, poisoning louisiana's precious seafood. less violent than a hurricane, it was more like a slow strangulation of hope. >> this is like a cancer. this is a disease. how can we remedy this? the oil's on the bottom with the shrimp, the fish, everything. >> and what happens in the gulf directly impacts the people of n

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center recommends the custom-fit orthotic that's best for your tired feet. foot-care scientists are behind it. you'll get all-day relief. for your tired achy feet. for locations, see drscholls.com. thank you... >>> texas governor rick perry announced this weekend he's doing what everybody assumed he was doing anyway, he is running for president. beginning with the race for the republican nomination, rick perry not just tiptoeing around about running, now he is officially campaigning for president the old-fashioned way by actually running. if you want to find the real start of rick perry's presidential campaign, you might want to look here to his big book of big ideas, which was released in november 2010, just after the congressional elections. the book is called "fed up!" because he's not just fed up period or fed up space, he is fed, all caps, all caps, exclamation point. page 49 he talks about the new deal, "certain programs massively altered the relatio

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough?benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> in 2006, when you were running for congress, you described a moment in your life when your husband said you should study for a degree in tax law. you said you hated the idea, and then you explained "but the lord said be submissive. wives are to be submissive to your husbands." as president, would you be submissive to your husband? >> thank you for that question, byron. >> you're welcome. >> marcus and i will be married for 33 years this september 10th. i'm in love with him, i'm so proud of him, and both he and i, what submission means to us, it means respect. i respect my husband. he's a wonderful, godly man, and a great fathe

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> relatives of 9/11 victims were in washington today to meet with attorney general eric holder, following allegations that some may have had their phones illegally hacked by reporters working for british newspapers owned by rupert murdoch. the relatives want to cooperate with the fbi and department of justice to determine if such hacking was attempted and/or occurred. we'll be right back. let me tell you about a very important phone call i made. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover ev

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. candidates like rick scott were elected in last year's election year, those candidates were commonly described as favoring smaller government since that's the ideological brand that has been ascribed to the tea party. despite that saw some branding, it turns out smaller government is not actually what these guys favor. at least not the way they governed. across the country the election of tea party republicans has resulted in expanded role for government, expanded role in deciding what happens to your pregnancy. an unprecedented rollback of individual rights on the issue of abortion. in rick scott's florida, his brand of tea party republican big intrusive government has also expanded the role of the state to include mass examination of floridians' body fluids. florida republicans this year at governor scott's, instituted mandatory drug tests for florida residents receiving public assistance, not public assistance and suspected of drug abuse for any reason, just anyone who's getting as

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough?amins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> still to come in this hour, the real reason rick perry's people let it slip today that perry is going to announce his run for president on saturday. >>> and in the rewrite tonight, we know what steven colbert says he's doing with that dirty filthy pac money he's raising but we will tell what you our last word investigation found today about what colbert is really doing with that money. ♪ it's true. you never forget your first subaru. >>> in tonight's spotlight, all over but the announcement for rick perry. the governor allowed his spokesman to say that perry has decided to run for president. perry will make that completely clear o

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. try smart balance buttery spread.t-healthier than butter. with omega-3s. 64% less saturated fat. and clinically proven to help support healthy cholesterol. ♪ put a little love in your heart ♪ it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse, who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon. >>> four days ago i saw a headline in the new york times that made me queazy. it read "money no obstacle as perry joins gop race." that's certainly correct, access to campaign money is not an obstacle for governor perry. in fact, his ability to raise campaign money is one of the primary reasons his candidacy is being taken seriously in the first place. "he is among the top political fundraisers in the country with a vast network of wealthy supporters eager to bankroll his presidential ambitions, and he has the potential to energize republican voters who have shown

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> welcome back to this special edition of "hardball." it was the most powerful earthquake to hit the east coast in 67 years. for more on the science of the quake and whether we should expect more, we're joined by bob bazzell. chief science and health correspondent. always good to see you. we've been through earthquakes before. a lot of the big aftershocks in japan, we were there together. they're really prepared there. their buildings are built to sustain these shocks. how prepared are we on the east coast? >> not at all. this is not something we think about, though this is a reminder that it can occur. in 1812, which so

. ♪ when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers.alkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> we just heard from standard & poor's, when they dropped -- when they dropped our credit rating, what they said is we don't have an ability to repay our debt. that's what the final word was from them. i was proved right in my position. we should not have raised the debt ceiling. >> whatever you may think of the decision standard & poor's made to downgrade our nation's credit rating, one thing that is clear about it is why they did it. this is not something you have to speculate on, wonder about, this is not something we need michele bachmann to interpret for us, these guys overtly, publicly explained why th

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> in the spotlight tonight, protecting polluters. it was a republican president, richard nixon, who established the environmental protection agency in 1970. it was another republican president, george herbert walker bush, who signed the clean air act in 1990. but this year, in yet another display of how different these republicans are from their predecessors, the republican presidential candidates are promising to dismantle their own party's environmental legacy. michele bachmann said that the epa should be named the job killing organization of america and has called global warming science a hoax. >> and i guarantee you that the epa will have doors locked and the lights turned off and they will only be allowed conservation. it will be a new day and a new sheriff in washington, d.c. >> now the texas governor rick perry has also said that the epa is a job killer and called for president obama to put a moratorium on all regulations for at least six months. this despite independent research that says environmental regulations actually cr

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough?njamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> among the most memorable and frankly sort of perplexing news reports out of these past five month ins libya were reports by richard engel as the rebels as essentially the gang that couldn't shoot straight. >> we have light weapons, he has tanks, complained one man. another rebel showed me he isn't actually armed at all. >> it's a toy gun. this is amazing. he just handed me his gun. i didn't realize until he put it in my hand. it is made of plastic. it's a toy. on the front line we saw some rebels try to fire a mortar without securing it so it went in the wrong direction and i couldn't belief it. we saw them aim a rocket we thoug

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough?amins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> when the greatest generation came home from world war ii, america invested in them. where that investment went and what it's leaving behind for the recession generation. >>> and the tea party may not be asked back to the party. ♪ ♪ when you're resonsible for this much of the team, you need a car you can count on. ♪ energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self contained well systems a

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> back to "hardball." now for the "sideshow." straight up, far from the right on the radio today. republican senator jim demint railing against president obama not just against his policies but for being anti-american. >> we saw with a few days that this president was going to be heavy-handed. he was going to implement his agenda and pay back his political allies, and it just went on from there to obamacare and then to dodd-frank, and it has been the most anti-business, and i consider anti-american administration of my lifetime. this president is doing something that's so far out of the realm of anything republicans ever did wrong, it's hard to even imagine. >> using that term anti-american signify as certain politician? can a republican be anti-american or other democrats held to that moniker? and why only used by those on the far right? they seem to love it. hmm. on a lighter note than that, steve colbert got approval to form a super pact called americans for a better tomorrow released its first ad of the 2012 campaign. let's l

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> thanks for staying with us tonight.continues in the white house over how big president obama's jobs plan will be when it's unveiled next week in a speech. the president spoke to radio host tom joyner this morning saying the economy had a heart attack and needs a vigorous jobs program to get back to good health. >> george bush left us a trillion dollars deficit, and on is it's a lot harder to climb out of this hole when we don't have a lot of money in the federal coffers. but there is no doubt that we can take steps that would mean the economy was growing a percent or a percentage and a half faster. that could mean half a million to a million additional jobs. that gets the economy moving, it makes businesses more confident that they're going to have customers, and it starts putting people back to work. >> the president doing radio again. very good. because 98% of americans listen to audio every day. let's get to the idea. some of the ideas president obama discussed was to extend payroll tax holidays for working class peo

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> coming up -- verizedon workers back on the job because the strike looked like it might threaten verizon's bottom line. that's coming up. >>> and the american book tour. the perfect opportunity to rewrite history. dick cheney's book is about to hit book shelves. next. >>> "new york times" got an advance copy of former vice president dick cheney's memoir, an assignment which i hope included a hardship pay bonus. according to the writup on the book, cheney gives reader a vision of the world in which he was a lone courageous visionary, surrounded by cowards and imbeciles. he said george tenet's decision to resign when, quo

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have?s, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! >>> tonight the congressional black caucus is holding a town hall meeting before its final jobs fair in the morning, it's part of a series of such affairs across the country. in the past month, some members have expressed anger and frustration about what they perceived to be president obama's lack of a specific racial agenda. none more clearly than the host of tonight's final affair, democratic congresswoman maxine waters of california. waters is right when she points out the unemployment in black communities, which now stands stubbornly at an unbelievable, unacceptabl

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> a big question, can he win in november? crunching the numbers found perry won by an average margin of victory of 13 percentage points. a strong number that lags behind the 19-point winning number other republicans had during those same elections and may give republican establishment second thoughts about governor perry. >>> we'll be right back. >>> i have no problem with folks saying obama cares. i do care. if the other side wants to be the folks who don't care -- that's fine with me. >>> welcome back to "hardball." that was the president. president obama earlier this week embracing his role in health care. and rick pearlstein says the president has to be more forceful making sure they have him to thank in protecting social programs. in "time" magazine, just came out entitled, "how democrats win defending the social safety net." he joins us now from chicago. alex wagner, a huffington post reporter and nbc political analyst. everybody loves you. can't wait to hear your thinking about this. i want to start this off, ladies an

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough?. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> if you were near a television shortly after noon eastern today, you got to see something extraordinary. rebels stormed and took control of gadhafi's compound, the place he had been launching attacks against his own people and where he once swore on stated-controlled television to cleanse libya house by house of citizens that were disloyal. richard engel was the first to report from inside the compound. he walked viewers throughout the scene of the important victory of a revolution 42 years in the making. it was truly must-see tv. so if you were at work or out to lunch and you missed it, here's your chance to see history. lean forward. >> i am inside gadhafi's comp

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. and so too is the summer event. get an incredible offer on the powerful c300 sport sedan. but hurry before this opportunity...disappears. the mercedes-benz summer event ends august 31st. >>> still ahead in this hour, in 2008 michelle obama was criticized for saying for the first time in her adult life she was proud of her country. this last weekend, michele bachmann said the same thing, and no one said a peep. >>> and why this country is getting really, really sick of the tea party. that's coming up. >>> just before congresswoman and presidential candidate michele bachmann won the ames straw poll on saturday, she gave an impassioned speech to attendees. there was one part in particular that struck me. >> as we've been all over this state, what we have seen is the restoration of that dream, and you have restored in me my faith in america. >> okay, that seems pretty reasonable, right? i mean, apparently at some point along the way michele bachmann lost her faith in america. when exactly she lost her faith, we don't kn

when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough?. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >> the other part is the notion that the president shouldn't be going in an economic crisis. that didn't stop congress. they won't be back in session until after labor day. now for conservatives who claim family values are of the utmost importance. it strikes me as odd that they chose to criticize president obama for wanting to spent quality time with his wife and two daughters. yes, he's president, but he's also a father. and as a mom who cut short her family vacation to come to work, the envy i feel is that the president gets to spend these moments with his girls. now, president obama has taken 61 days of vacation after 31 mon

[ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com rightat's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> a little reminder that our country is capable of great change. 91 years ago today, the 19th amendment to the constitution was ratified. now, it is one of my favorite amendments as it guarantees women the right to vote. the 19th amendment is the result of generations of americans who fought, were defeated, and got up and fought again. this amendment had been introduced over and over again in congress since 1878. the effort was led by women like susan b. anthony and elizabeth katie standon. but it took until may of 1919 for congress to pass it. and until august 19, 1920, to be ratified. and it passed by one vote in the tennessee legislature after tying 48-48. and that one vote came from 24-year-old harry burn, who said he changed his vote because his mother asked him to. from all of the voting women of america, thank you, mrs. burn. >>> coming up -- what do the republican front-runners have against the environmental protection agency, an org

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when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> the president today started his three-day bus tour with the town hall event in minnesota, followed by one in iowa, and although these are not technically campaign events, you can hear him start to address not just the citizenry as a whole, which is almost always the implied audience for any remarks he makes as president, you can hear the president today also start to try to engage the people he needs to enthuse most about his campaign. you can hear him at these town halls today addressing not just the overall electorate that wants to see the president as reasonable and willing to talk and willing to be the adult in the

that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> a quick trip to the department of corrections.tioned the great new piece in "time" magazine about how democrats win and have always won elections by defending the social safety net. i began by defending program like medicare and social security. he used the example of jfk beating richard nixon in 1960. when i described that campaign earlier i said that jfk won in part by making richard nixon sweat over the fact that it was democrats who created medicare and social security over republican objections. what i should have said is that during that campaign, jfk was defending the legacy of social security and promising medicare. medicare came five years later. as he notes, jfk enhanced new deal programs like social security and a promise to extend that legacy with medicare. so to be specific, and i'm sorry for the overreaching adlib but do i make corrections when i make them, no matter how embarrassing it is to make corrections. jfk was a remarkable politician but etched not defending a program that did not yet exist. we will be right

[ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> coming up, can incumbent president win with long unemployment lines? our political round table weighs in. our political round table weighs in. [ woman ] welcome back, jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage, while my sneezing and my itchy eyes took refuge from the dust in here and the pollen outside. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. it's the brand allergists recommend most. ♪ lily and i are back on the road again. where we belong. with zyrtec®, i can love the air®. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance com

. ♪ when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers.alkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. >>> good to have you back with us here on "the ed show." thanks for watching tonight. when it comes to handling disaster relief, some conservative presidential candidates would rather turn to god than government. at campaign stops in florida this weekend, michele bachmann said hurricane irene was a message to get politicians to cut spending. >> i don't know how much god has to do to get the attention of the politicians. we've had an earthquake, we've had a hurricane. he said, are you going to start listening to me here? listen to the american people. because the american people are roaring right now. >> bachma

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see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it. people when you don't. >>> back to "hardball." now for the sideshow. first up michele bachmann is running with a new kind of campaign promise. this originally began as a defense against her gaffe back in march when she told a crowd that the revolution began in -- let's listen. >> i made a mistake, and i promised i would never again use president obama's teleprompter. >> after that i promised i would never use against president obama tell prompter. and i intend to keep that promise. >> by the way, i do have to apologize to you this evening. i did not bring my tell prompters with me tonight. >>ite to confess, i did not bring my tell prompters with me today. >> there will be no tell prompters in the bachmann white house. >> well, her problem, of course, is everybody watching those is what was in her head or not in it. >>> next up, we've heard spec tlags that alec baldwin wants to enter politics, but he tells "new york times" today he's looking into getting his master's in politics and se

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it. people when you don't. >>> exactly one week from today wisconsin will hold what may be the most exciting elections this year, and i say that in full cognizance of the fact the elections i'm talking about here are for six state senate seats in the middle of august. i love this job, i am so happy to be back. seriously, though, this is quite excellently interesting. all year republicans in d.c. and in the states have been crusading really hard against union rights. modern conservativism is hostile to unions, they like to talk about what they call the job creators, not the job halvers. corporate profits are set to hit an all-time profit as we decide whether -- so calling corporations job creators right now is starting to feel a little bit like a sick joke, but that is whose side today's republicans have taken. and taking that side means trying to eliminate union rights, which makes corporations very happy with whom the republicans they've donated and which has the happy political side eff

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it. people when you don't. >>> let me finish tonight with a reality check. the reality we're getting from wall street today is as clear as the closing bell. people are scared, scared enough to be pulling their money out, to be stacking up their dollars where they can see them and nobody can get the them. fear. that's the reality out there today. and the question before the president is what's he going to do about it? it's time to recognize that we are in a period of recession. corporate america isn't hiring people. it's finding every way it can not to hire people. even a modest pickup in the economy doesn't mean there will a pick up in job creation. want to bet on something today? bet on the jobless numbers staying up there in the nine category. bet on the country's corporations finding any way they can to make money without hiring full-time employees, the kind who want a good income and health care and a retirement plan. bet on corporate america to keep going with overtime, part-time, te

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it.ds of inmates are processed from corcoran's main gate. each of them might find his own way to survive in the merciless environment behind bars. >> okay. you guys, listen up. i'm going to give you a quick rundown of what's going on in here. you guys are going to be in here for about two hours. i'm going to work on getting you guys housed. you're going to see the nurse. after you see the nurse you're going to be interviewed by the sergeant. any questions? >> corcoran staff interviews each inmate individually in an attempt to facilitate his needs. >> so, how old are you? >> 22. >> you're 22. where were you born at? >> philippines. >> philippines. you got life, huh? >> yeah. >> okay. you take medication? >> no. >> can you cell up with any other race? >> i cell up with asian. >> asian only? you're eligible to bunk up with any race right now. >> why's that? >> you've got no history of fighting blacks, hispanics, whites. you have none. you're eligible to be celled up with another race because

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it.e when you don't. >>> rick perry is preparing to get into the presidential race looks like. he may clear his intentions to run this weekend. he'll stop short of a formal announcement this time. perry host add prayer service in texas this past weekend visits south carolina and new hampshire on saturday. politico reports this statement should clear up any lingering questions about his plans. >>> we'll be right back. >>> we're back. republican presidential candidate michelle bachmann is making news for the photo on "newsweek," and ladies, thank you for joining us. you know, i think there's lots of hot questions raised about this. women candidate, issues of sexism. do you think she's a victim of sexism, condescension, elitism, a better word, by this bicoastal press? lois? do you feel she's been? >> can i bring your attention to "newsweek's" cover? >> looking at it right now. >> on sarah palin a couple weeks ago. gorgeous cover. looks like a model. in her shorts she posed. everybody said if

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it.. >>> time for tonight's rewrite. tonight's guest rewriter is friend of the show, bill maher, who's added a new twist to a truth first revealed by "news week" when it ran a cover story entitled "we are all socialists now." i have been calling myself a socialist since i first read the definition in the first ethics class i took in college. what "newsweek" and i mean is, not that we choose the socialist option every time, but we do consider socialism a reasonable option under certain circumstances, in fact, under many circumstances. as any introductory economics course can tell you, there's no capitalist economy anywhere in the world and there is no socialist economy anywhere in the world, not even cuba. we are all mixed economies, that is, mixes of capitalism and socialism, and we all vary that mix in different ways. china has more capitalism and a lot more capitalism than cuba, but it also has a lot more socialism than we do. our socialists programs include the biggest government spend

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it. people when you don't. >>> as an elected leader, i'm all too aware of government's limitations when it comes to fixing things that are spiritual in nature. that's where prayer comes in, and we need it more than ever. with the economy in trouble, communities in crisis and people adrift in a sea of moral relativism, we need god's help. that's why i'm calling on americans to pray and fast like jesus did and as god called the israel israel israelites to do. >> at his prayer event in houston this past weekend, the event hosted in conjunction with those who see themselves as the second group of humans picked to be jesus' apostles. after the ones you might be more familiar with from the bible. the affirmation has embraced rick perry as part of their goal to take over government in order to take over the world. the aspirations are the subject of "texas monthly's" cover story this month, forrest wilder joins us tonight with the interview. forrest wilder, thanks very much for making time for us

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it.. >>> we all want to welcome back our wonderful colleague, congresswoman giffords here. [ applause ] >> a warm bipartisan reception for arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords who made a surprise return to the house floor tonight to cast her vote in support of the debt ceiling deal. joining me now, from captiol hill, nbc's luke russ certificate. you were in the house chamber in the press gallery at the time. what was it like to be in the chamber when she was acknowledged. >> it was an amazing heart-felt moment. there was not a dry eye in the house. it was a truly special -- in the sense this debate about the debt had brought out the cynicism that plagues this country, especially this city. both sides are going at each other in the most heated of ways. the republicans and democrats had no unity at all throughout the process especially toward the end. reporters were especially drained. as i said to one person, we didn't know there was a deal going. almost a front row seat to our country

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it. people when you don't. >>> a very bad day on the financial markets as you hear the closing bell on wall street. >> every single major index has closed to the negative. >> s&p 500 shellacked, people, 6% in one day. >> hey, washington, welcome to your double-a hole. >> what a day it has been. the market closes at the lows of the afternoon. >> the last time we saw such a drop in the dow was november 20, 2008, a time none of us would like to return to. >> yeah, we're pretty much there at this point. >> we knew from the outset that a long debate over the debt ceiling, a debate where the threat of default was used as a bargaining chip could do enormous damage to our economy and the world's. that threat, coming after a string of economic disruptions in europe, japan and the middle east has now royaled the markets and dampened consumer confidence and slowed the space of the recovery. >> joining us now, congressman barney frank from massachusetts, congressman frank, thanks very much for your t

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see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it.eople when you don't. >>> in the spotlight tonight, today politico reported that president obama's campaign staff is already planning how to go negative on the republican candidate they expect to face in the general election, willard m. romney. obama campaign advisor david axelrod told politico the obama campaign is watching romney's awkward encounters. when he makes jokes about being unemployed or a waitress pinching him on the butt, it does snap your head back and you say what's he talking about? the obama campaign also plans to use romney's record as a job eliminator against him by makie ing romney "the very picture of greed in the great recession." politico again quotes, "his is very much the profile we've seen, about making money. that's fine, but often times he made it at the expense of jobs in communities." an anonymous source gave politico its juiciest quote. "unless things change and obama can run on accomplishments, he will have to kill romney." that statement is attributed t

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it.ople when you don't. >>> our final moments now with the round table. the political stories we are following today, we'll put on the screen for you. washington anger over the credit rating. rick perry and the prayer rally he had. quickly, is rick perry someone to give mitt romney a run for his money? >> he has challenges. people think he's a coffee table book, sarah palin with a skirt, not a substantive candidate. republicans don't think that governors and governments create them. they think businessmen do. he echoes the last campaign, which i think we lost, which was obama ran against george bush in many ways perry is a lighter copy. >> rachel maddow, the conversation going on on twitter online this morning has to do with this debate over afghanistan after the loss of our soldiers. the real question is what will it take for the war in afghanistan to be part of the 2012 election conversation? the irony is, despite the stakes, neither party wants it there. the democrats don't want it unl

see for yourself at esurance. technology when you want it. people when you don't.more than 165 billion letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪ >>> depending on what time zone you were in, did you not know all the results from yesterday's recall election in wisconsin until late last night or very early today. it was a nail biter, down to the wire, a cliffhanger and a whole bunch of other metaphors that mean if you were like me you didn't get to sleep until way past your bedtime last night. six incumbent republicans faced recall election. two democrats did unseat the republicans they targeted yesterday. jennifer schilling beat dan kapanke. and hopper was defeated by jessica king. king's rally captured the spirit of a lot of happy demo