i'll ask eugene robinson. stay tuned. >>> whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time -- by the way, we have to fix that. >> i wonder if they'll filibuster that effort. thanks for staying with us tonight. >>> they had a great night tuesday, but there is something we cannot forget. we started reporting on the long lines, the wait stretched from 4 to 5 to 6, to in some cases 7 hours. these lines did not deter the 120 million people who did vote we're grateful they got out and voted. no doubt. to me there's something really un-american about this whole process. it's ridiculous to force moms and dads and students and workers and elderly folks to wait four hours to cast a ballot? it turns out minorities suffered the longest waits. the afl-cio reports that minorities were more likely to wait at least 30 minutes to vote. 22% of african-americans and 24% of hispanics waited the longest. threat one election official is now apologizing. these were the early voting lines at lee county

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howard fineman, richard wolffe, and eugene robinson join me. stay with us. we're right back. >>> we are back. thanks for staying us with. the romney campaign is promising supporters they will have a victory tomorrow night. but his road to victory is narrow. let's take a look at the state's romney needs to win to become president of the united states. joining me is pollster fred yang. good to have you with us tonight. what's the most likely scenario for both candidates tomorrow? >> the most likely scenario is that barack obama will be reelected president of the united states. i think all analysts and pundits from both parties are looking at eight or nine key battleground states. and i think in addition to looking at the national polls, the exit polls and the state polls, i think we should know by 8:00 whether this is going to be a long night and a good night for president obama. i think we have virginia, ohio, and florida, three mega battleground states all that will have poll closing times by 8:00. >> what are the early indicators mitt romney has a shot at w

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in today's office politics, my conversation with eugene robinson. the future of obamacare and whether we'll all fall off the looming fiscal cliff. but first i asked about the role of race in this presidency. >> i never was a believer this post-racial, but i did believe that the president's election in 2008 was an enormous huge historic step, that brought tears to my eyes election night 2008. i was here at msnbc out on the anchor desk as the returns came in when we heard through our earpieces that the election was going to be called for obama. you know, i pulled out my cell phone, i called my parents in south carolina. what this proves is that the first time wasn't a fluke. and it wasn't that people just decided, oh, gee, it would be neat to elect a black president and we can all feel good about ourselves for a while. we went through that phase and this election was about much more concrete things. and so what it told me, i was just thinking about this walking over this morning, i think, yeah -- obviously i knew that this nation was very different fr

and here with me is the great eugene robinson. welcome to both of you. gene, these long lines in florida are there because rick scott decided to cut the early voting days almost in half. 2.5 million people have voted early. yet we're expected to believe this has got nothing to do with politics. what is this man doing? >> well, there are two american traditions here at work. one is vote k problems in florida. this is something we like to do. and the second is republicans trying to restrict the franchise. if you can narrow the electorate and keep those democratic people, the system and throughout this election cycle we're seeing more of it. >> eugene, you use a voice that sounds accepting. this is appalling. >> i don't mean to. it is appalling. we've seen it before. >> people died in 1965 for the right to vote and now they're being prevented from doing so. >> exactly. exactly. >> karen, in ohio the big story is the states provisional ballot. the republican in charge of elections there has issued an order which appears to be contrary to state law that could

eugene robinson is an associate editor and columnist for "the washington post."lso an msnbc political analyst. gene, this sense here -- let me show you something. some are howling about the timing of the resignation. he was set to testify about benghazi. here is ralph peters, an analyst for fox news. this is what i'm talking about, this emerging conspiracy theory, and here it is coming from fox. let's watch. >> as an old intelligence analyst, the way i read it, and i could be totally wrong, this is my interpretation is that the administration was unhappy with petraeus not playing ball 100% on their party line story. i think he was getting cold feet about testifying under oath and their party line story, and i suspect these tough chicago guys knew of this affair for a while, held it in their back pocket until they needed to play the card. >> see, it's not dead yet, that point of view you're getting in that voice there. the dark, conspiratorial voice about these chicago guys. of course, benghazi is the biggest thing in the universe. here is bob woodward, your colle

also with us from "washington post," msnbc political analyst eugene robinson.for joining the conversation this morning. >> thank you guys so much. dick, let's start with you, a senator -- we're asking republicans what they're willing to move on when it comes to tax increases. what did democrats need to move on when it comes to entitlement reform? when it comes to the spending cuts that will be required to get to the $4 trillion number? >> joe, i listen to the voices from the left and many of them say don't touch any of the entitlement programs. i don't think that's a responsible approach. first, social security doesn't add one penny to the deficit. we should put together something like a simpson/bowles commission. right now it's going to last for another 22 years untouched, but let's make sure it's stronger, longer. but when it comes to the other entitlement programs, medicare and medicaid, we've got to make certain that we preserve these basic programs, not to go the route of the paul ryan voucherizing, leaving senioring vulnerable for health insurance they ca

eugene robinson, thank you as well. is online at washingtonpost.com. >> can we go to richard? we need a stretcher to carry richard out. >> seething. >> we need zeke! >> no, please, get his hands off me. >> when we come back, a preview of "meet the press" with moderator david gregory. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. part of a whole new line of tablets from dell. it's changing the conversation. ♪ ♪ don't know what i'd do ♪ i'd have nothing to prove ♪ i'd have nothing to lose [ male announcer ] zales is the diamond store. take up to an extra 15 percent off storewide, now through wednesday. olaf gets great rewards for his small bu

eugene robinson, thank you once again. your column, of course, is online at washingtonpost.com.y with us? >> absolutely. >> that would be great. thank you. >>> when we come back, nbc news political director chuck todd and moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. if we want to improve our schools... ... what should we invest in? maybe new buildings? what about updated equipment? they can help, but recent research shows... ... nothing transforms schools like investing in advanced teacher education. let's build a strong foundation. let's invest in our teachers so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. >>> after four years as president, you know me by now. you know me. you may not agree with every decision that i make. you may be frustrated at the pace of change. i always remind people that when we did the auto bailout, only 10% of the country approved of it. including, by the way, folks in michigan and ohio. but you know what i believe. you know where i stand. you know i'm willing to make tough decisions even when th

also, nbc's tom brokaw and "washington post" columnist eugene robinson.p next, mike allen with the post-election "politico playbook." up next, andrea mitchell, harold ford jr. join the conversation. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. humans -- even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why, at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? humans -- even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why, at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ sometimes you win ♪ sometimes you lose >>> i want to thank paul ryan for all that he has done for our campaign. and for our count

chuck todd, howard fineman, eugene robinson and others. the big question is about big bill. if president obama does win re-election tuesday night, the person he can thank the most perhaps probably is the guy he was campaigning with in new hampshire, bill clinton, the big dog could be the one who pulls him over the finish line. >>> and guess who on the romney team is bad mouthing chris christie? >>> let me finish with who is the best bet to bring us together after wrards. this is "hardball." the place for politics. a febreze experiment. can a 30-day-old pluggable febreze make even this old container smell fresh? take a deep breath. describe the room that you're in. i think just like a big, open space. like i'm hanging the sheets on the line. and it smells really fresh, man. let's take your blindfold off. oh! [ both laugh ] super-weird! oh, is it febreze? yeah. ohh, how about that? febreze has anti-clogging technology that keeps it smelling fresh, even after 30 days. febreze. breathe happy. it will be a dollar saved by somebody who switched to esurance. like, dollar karma. bei

chuck todd, howard fineman, eugene robinson and others. the big question is about big bill. if president obama does win re-election tuesday night, the person he can thank the most perhaps probably is the guy he was campaigning with in new hampshire, bill clinton, the big dog could be the one who pulls him over the finish line. >>> and guess who on the romney team is bad mouthing chris christie? >>> let me finish with who is the best bet to bring us together after wrards. this is "hardball." the place for politics. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership. >>> in pennsylvania, ppp shows the president with a six-point lead. and in new hampshire, where the poll has the race tied even. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why

and so just on the off chance maybe they know something we don't know, send in lyclinton. >> eugene robinson stick around? >> absolutely. >>> coming up the host of "the ed show" ed schultz and the bbc's katty kay rejoins the table. and tonight as the ballots are being counted joe and i will be hosting a special election roundtable discussion with vodka shots at the 92nd street "y" in upper manhattan. oh, yes. go to 92y for tickets. that's 92y.org. all proceeds from the event are being donated to relief efforts for hurricane sandy. and if you can't make it in person the discussion will be live streamed on our blog, mojo.msnbc.com. that's tonight starting at 8:15. hope to see you there. that will be lots of fun. >> gene doesn't know it, he will be there, jon meacham and the cast of thousands. >> bring your mustache comb. >> it will be fun. we're going to try to stump some political junkies with questions from bing elections. do you know where your polling place is? maybe somewhere around my house. mine's just, right over that way. well you can find out exactly where it is using bing elections.

all right, eugene robinson, thank you.ook for your column on "washington post." >> guys, have a great thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving to everybody, enjoy, all the best to your health, and family. >> same to you. >>> still ahead, mitch albom joins us in the studio. also nate silver. up next, it's a family affair. haleprin's dad foreign policy expert, here to discuss the president's trip to southeast asia and what it means for the global economy. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. >> mark looks nervous. americans believe they should be in charge of their own future. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪ >>> 25 past the hour, a live look at the white house, a beautiful day in washing

. >> joining me now ezra klein and eugene robinson.was a strong week for the conspiracy theoryists about the unemployment numbers. first the theory was that the president would use hurricane sandy and its effects possibly on washington, d.c. as an excuse for delaying the jobs report until after the election. and then of course as of yesterday when they knew it was coming out, they were absolutely convinced that they would cook the books. and so we saw an up tick o of .1%. >> it's a reverse psychology ploy that the obama folks are trying but it won't work. none of what the conspiracy theoryists thought would happen in fact happened and there was an uptick in the percentage and a decent number of new jobs. and so it really allows both campaigns to continue with their main economic narratives. the obama narrative that things are getting better, let's stay the course and the romney narrative that things aren't getting better fast enough. >> mitt romney brought up the booming debt ceiling situation. there's going to have to be another incre

eugene robinson is an msnbc analyst, and shannon o'brien is former massachusetts state treasurer whogainst romney for governor in 2002. shannon, thank you for coming on. i never met you, but i call you shannon. tell us what you know coming into this campaign about mitt as he got along with democrats in your state. >> he really didn't get along with democrats in the state. he certainly wasn't bipartisan. i think that the republican minority leader described it best. when mitt romney came in as governor, he was actually a ceo. he was used to just kind of telling people what to do and expecting them to listen to him. that didn't sit well with the democratically controlled legislature. they thought they were an equal branch of government. he had 800 budgetary or line-item vetoes or legislative vetoes, most of which were overridden by the legislature. sometimes unanimously. >> what about this elevator? why did he have his own self-created, self-restricted elevator in the state house no one else could use? tell me about that. >> there's an elevator that sits next to the door of the governo

chuck todd, howard fineman, eugene robinson and others. the big question is about big bill. if president obama does win re-election tuesday night, the person he can thank the most perhaps probably is the guy he was campaigning with in new hampshire, bill clinton, the big dog could be the one who pulls him over the finish line. >>> and guess who on the romney team is bad mouthing chris christie? the governor of new jersey. saying he worked well with obama on storm relief out of anger, that he, chris christie, was jilted at the last minute for vice president. >>> let me finish with who is the best bet to bring us together afterwards. this is "hardball." the place for politics. [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego. prego?! but i've bought ragu for years. [ thinking ] wonder what other questionable choices i've made? i choose date number 2! whooo! [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. >>> we have lots of new poll numbers from around the country. so let's check the "hardball" score board. in iowa, new poll from the des m

and i actually spoke with eugene robinson i know you know.id that he believes that the issue of race is not that relevant any longer with his re-election. and you in fact write that he has a sophisticated understanding of race in america but does not define his presidency in those terms. talk about that. >> well, i think that gene is absolutely right. but had he lost it might have raised that specter again in a way that obama as a person and as a president has not -- has not wanted to make a big deal. he's always thought of himself by far as a president first and as an african-american president second. but nonetheless, he's understanding of the racial realities of america and also of the fact that this time he wouldn't have been re-elected had it not been for the african-american vote. so i think even in that sense you will see a little more action or direct relationship to african-american issues in the second term. >> in your column you also say a colleague asked you about your latest biography. and were you proud of it at some level. and

. >> anna marie cox and eugene robinson, thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thanks. >>> coming oscar winner sally fields joins me to talk about her new film, "lincoln" and her commitment to the continued advance of gay rights. >>> and in the rewrite, once again, florida's stand your ground law is being invoked this week in defense of a white man who killed an unarmed black teenager. i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, ask your doctor if including adva

eugene robinson writing perhaps an optimistic op-ed yesterday that says maybe the fever is breaking, the delirrium is lifting. maybe republicans are asking themselves what were we thinking when we put an ya surds l unrealistic pledge to a lobbyist in washington. this comes on the heels of a few saying they might be open to tax. >> [ inaudible ] there's also, you know, the republican study committee and all of the kind of ideological mechanisms that have been pushing the republican party to the right. >> and the whole tea party. >> the tea party. >> and wealthy people. >> so that's the key here. for me what's interesting about this, this is a probe into the ceo's soul. if you look at cnbc, the ceos are going like the apocalypse. >> december 21st. >> and what's interesting here is, is the business community, the chamber of commerce, which has real leverage over the republicans, going to back up that emotion and push them to cut a deal even if at the risk of giving something on high marginal tax rates or will they not? will they put their long-term interests over the fiscal cliff? i thi

come roaring back. [ cheering ] >> joining me now, "washington post" columnist and msnbc analyst eugene robinson, marc caputo and mark murray. thank you so much, gentlemen, for joining. i got to bring eugene in because he is right here and i have the pleasure of sitting alongside. when we heard or i heard governor romney say we're roaring back, i instantly thought of the auto bailout, the auto industry. how many times we heard on the campaign trail from obama and others saying gm is roaring back. and i thought, wow, it all goes back to ohio and that auto bailout which was unpopular at the time, and now here we are. >> right. so one of the big questions is will mitt romney kind of blur the lines on the auto bailout sufficiently to gain a little ground in ohio? because that is a huge issue in that state. and arguably, we could be saying wednesday that that issue won the state for president obama and that it won reelection for president obama. >> do you think we're talking too much about ohio? listen, you've got the romney campaign saying they're looking at pennsylvania, minnesota, that they perhap