eugene robinson for "the washington post" and an msnbc political analyst of course.nd joy reid, an msnbc contributor. and manage ng editor of the grio. to give you an idea how many people would benefit from an increase in minimum wage, the economic policy institute estimates that 14% of the u.s. workforce would be affected. that's one in seven workers. and that 30 million workers would get a raise if the minimum wage increased to $10.10 by 2015. today in his final press conference of the year, president obama talked about his goals for 2014, the year coming up. although he didn't use the term minimum wage, the president made clear reference to the need to give living wages to workers. let's listen to him make the point. >> i think 2014 needs to be a year of action. we've got work to do to create more good jobs, to help more americans earn the skills and education they need to do those jobs and to make sure those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let families build a bit of financial security. >> gene, let's talk about this. you know, so many things are controver

eugene robinson, what's your plan?hat is your plan for increasing economic opportunity and health security in this country? >> my plan is simple. raise the minimum wage, lawrence. that's number one. and number two, i think we need to focus resources on those communities that have been left behind. if we do those things, we will actually helping the whole economy. we'll be building the middle class which, after all, is the way that america succeeds. that's the way america has done it in the past and that's the way that america should do it now. >> jim, do you think politically the what's your plan tactic is helpful at this stage? have we reached a point where it is the moment where the american public are starting to wonder, okay, republicans, what is your plan? >> well, i think the evidence is that it may be because a lot of republican commentators are sort of asking that question and are suggesting gently and then not so gently this party of no has only gotten us so far and it's not going to take us over the hump. we

we're back with dorian and joy reid and eugene robinson.s, dorian. >> we saw a strike of fast food workers in over 100 cities. nelson mandela was an organizer. he was sentenced to a five-year jail sentence in 1961 for organizing a three-day strike of workers. this was before he got the life sentence. and i just want to remind viewers that it took thousands, if not millions of ordinary people to do extraordinary things in south africa to lead to freedom. so we should absolutely honor nelson mandela and never forget his legacy but also recognize the names of folks that we'll never know who he helped to organize to stand up, to lead to liberation in south africa. >> nelson mandela said it always looks impossible until it is done. joy reid, your thoughts? >> nelson mandela changed the culture. my sort of cultural orientation from noecelson mandela was from father in the congo on the african of africa to get their birthright and from pop stars to sports celebrities, you had the whole world in the way you never saw it before. he and his movement

he be came their new big hero. >> eugene robinson.ead quickly. >> that may be a slight misreading joy of the audience. the awed jns mudience may be brn the dem graphic that would agree. from that standpoint. i don't think there is a lot of african-americans watching this show, on a & e. >> one thing about the net works. they have the research. they know who their audience is. >> down to the decimal point. >> gene. >> jimmy: all -- and joy, none s having seen duck dine streeynad. a swing at hillary clinton over the old iraq war vote. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physic

he be came their new big hero. >> eugene robinson.y. >> that may be a slight misreading joy of the audience. the audience may be broader than the dem graphic that would agree. from that standpoint. i don't think there is a lot of african-americans watching this show, on a & e. >> one thing about the net works. they have the research. they know who their audience is. >> down to the decimal point. >> gene. >> jimmy: -- and joy, none of us having seen duck dynasty. a swing at hillary clinton over the old iraq war vote. ♪ [ male announcer ] if we could see energy... what would we see? ♪ the billions of gallons of fuel that get us to work. ♪ we'd see all the electricity flowing through the devices that connect us and teach us. ♪ we'd see that almost 100% of medical plastics are made from oil and natural gas. ♪ and an industry that supports almost 10 million american jobs. life takes energy. and no one applies more technology to produce american energy and refine it more efficiently than exxonmobil. because using energy responsibly has neve

eugene robinson, i'll ask you the same thing.te house says they're going on offense? >> well, you know, i think connie is absolutely right. i do think narrative is really powerful. in most circumstances. but certainly in explaining the benefits of the law. i also think that the point that the president keeps making, and i think just needs to make again and again is that the old system didn't work. people faced a choice between putting food on the table or paying for health care. that's not what we do in the -- what america should be. that's not what you do in a humane and civilized country. and i think he needs to hammer that again and again. you could use the word junk for junk insurance. but there is this issue with the insurance company. this plan actually depends on working through and cooperating with the insurance companies and there are people who debated whether or not it should be, you know, flat out single payer or not. that was years ago. and you and i might have been on the same side of that. but we didn't win it. >>

joining me "washington post" columnist and msnbc analyst eugene robinson. eremony today, just thousands and thousands of people and the faces. we had three former presidents, a current president, two former -- a former first lady and secretary of state and hillary clinton. just the pictures of all these players. >> the american establishment, american power going to salute this great man and to honor his life. >> one of the most memorable moments was the handshake with raoul castro. lets take a look at that. there was a chance encounter in 2000 at the u.n. between fidel castro and bill clinton. that doesn't quite show it. there was a rather warm exchange when obama first walked past raul castro, you can see the smile. they actually interacted. the white house issued a statement it was not a planned encounter. i knew the south african government did not tell them where anyone was sitting or what to expect. this was fraught with overtones, because of respect for the moment, that's what the president was doing. he was certainly not going to engage or disengage.

thank you eugene robinson and michael steele.f i don't see you guys again, merry christmas. >> same to you. >>> coming up, quote, we've all seen it. the folks in line who are using food stamps yet they've got the nicest nails and the nicest pocketbook and they have the nicest car. okay. has this guy been studying the unemployment line? his welfare queen talk might give insight into why some on the right impose extending unemployment benefits which is for people who have been working. it's not welfare. >>> plus, stop playing defense. a democratic pollster says people would still prefer to fix the affordable care act than kill it. the numbers are overwhelming. 2/3 of the american people want to fix it. about 1/4 wants to get rid of it. why not run on obama care? not away from it. >>> and by now you've probably heard doubt about the story of the fraudulent sign language interpreter. the late night comics have heard that story. >>> let me finish tonight with the need for more political grownups in this country. this "hardball," the p

eugene robinson is an msnbc political analyst.ce page is a columnist with the chicago tribune. gentlemen, i'm going to give you free reign here. i think this exposes the bug life under the rock. every couple months you get a look at it, and there are the bugs, the ones to the right of ted cruz, who will not permit a kind statement -- excuse me -- about someone of color. it's that, and if it's anything more, i think it's bs. i think this is what this is about, because mandela spent 27 years in prison, and he came out and he argued for the case for capitalism. one of the points made in bill cowher's excellent obituary in "the new york times" time was how much grief he took for trying to bring capital corporations, investors into south africa so that country could boom. he worked very hard to build a mixed economy. and calling him a commie or a marxist is so wrong. it must have some other ambition behind it. your thoughts, gene? >> well, mine are the same as yours, chris. i think we know what's behind it, and it doesn't surprise me t

eugene robinson, as we think about the u.s. and the state of the world, it's still my big question. the big story in the u.s., about the u.s., that dominates 2014? >> well, number one, this continuing conflict between two visions of government which paralyzes our government, and in turn, paralyzes the world in that the u.s. is the center of the world economy and the world political system. more government, less government, big government, small government. this whole approach is -- this conflict is going to continue. that's one thing. other big stories, we saw, of course, our domestic surveillance, the snowden story, you've covered that in the last segment. and one story, huge story in 2013 that we kind of don't mention was the acquittal of george zimmerman and the racial issues and conflict that remain just under the surface that bubble up from time to time, that erupt. and i think you can predict we'll have more eruptions in 2014. we've come to big anniversaries of the civil war, big anniversaries of the emancipation, this and that, and we'll see more of that. >> and our historica

eugene robinson, "washington post." remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of your screen, share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and facebook. we want to know what you think. tweet out, should we have unlimited unemployment benefits if people prove they are trying to better themselves? coming up, we'll have an update on this afternoon's shooting in colorado at that high school. stay tuned. you're watching "the ed show" on msnbc. 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? you stand behind what you say. there's a saying around here, around here you don't make excuses. you make commitments. and when you can't live up to them, you own up, and make it right. some people think the kind of accountability that thrive

first up, check out washington post columnist eugene robinson sparking outrage with his prediction for 2014. >> in one huge story in 2013, that we kind of don't mention was the acquittal of george zimmerman and the racial issues and conflict that remain just under the surface that bubble up from time to time that erupt, and i think you can predict we'll have more eruptions in 2014. we come to big anniversaries of the civil war, big anniversaries of the eman sipation. >> kimberly, i have to ask, why do some in media refuse to acknowledge they play a role in this race. when the george zimmerman trial came out, they made it about race. why can't they just assess themself as part of the problem. >> there is no self inflection. they came down to earth without the chip. you can try to keep pressing um on the remote control and it won't work. it is safer and easier and more mentally convenient for them to cast it out and not say they have a role in it and now i think the prediction will be that we'll see more of this in 2014, because -- guess what -- it worked. they got play off of it and the

eugene robinson, joy reid, thank you for joining us. >>> chris matthews is up next. >>> tonight we bringpresident obama. i have covered two great world events in my career. one was the fall of the berlin wall in 1989. the other was the first democratic election in south africa five years later. i was there when the country's black majority voted by the millions, waiting in lines that stretched from one horizon to the other. i saw first hand the devotion to democracy. it was the great legacy of the man who died today. president obama paid tribute to nelson mandela today.

eugene robinson, joy reid, thank you for joining us. >>> chris matthews is up next. >>> tonight we bring to you my interview with president obama. i have covered two great world events in my career. one was the fall of the berlin wall in 1989. the other was the first democratic election in south africa five years later. i was there when the country's black majority voted by the millions, waiting in lines that stretched from one horizon to the other. i saw first hand the devotion to democracy. it was the great legacy of the man who died today. president obama paid tribute to nelson mandela today. through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others i moved all of us. he embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better. his commitment to transfer power and reconcile those who jailed him set an example for all to aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or in our own personal lives. >>> i promised you the president of the united states. and he's here. let's play "hardball." >> it's my honor to introduce the pres

eugene robinson for "the washington post" and an msnbc political analyst of course.nd joy reid, an msnbc contributor. to give you an idea how many people would benefit from an increase in minimum wage, the policy institute estimates 14% of the u.s. workforce would be affected. and that 30 million workers would get a raise if the minimum wage increased by 2015. today in his final press conference of the year, president obama talked about his goals for 2014, the year coming up. although he didn't use the term minimum wage, the president made clear reference to the need to give living wages to workers. let's listen to him make the point. >> i think 2014 needs to be a year of action. we've got work to do to create more jobs, to help more americans earn the skills and education they need to do those jobs and to make sure those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let families build a bit of financial security. >> gene, let's talk about this. you know, so many things are controversial but when you pick up the paper and two-thirds of the people say they want it. >> it's n

when we come back, chris matthews, eugene robinson, nicolas kristof karen finney and reverend sharpton join me to discuss the legacy of nelson mandela. that's next. and a few easy ste. weeknight dinner in a flash. and my family devours them. pillsbury grands biscuits. make dinner pop. you're talking to the guy who hasn't approved a new stapler purchase in three years. but then i saw the new windows tablet, with a real keyboard, usb port, and full office. it's a tablet that works for work. plus, it's got apps and games, for after hours, of course. compared to an ipad -- way more value. these tablets are such a steal; i couldn't find a reason not to buy them. ♪ honestly, i wanna see you be brave ♪ but once a week i let her play sheriff so i can wash it. i use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. you are free to go. [ dad ] tide and downy together. action, the first thing that i ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics was a protest against apartheid. >> that first political act came during barack obama's sophomore year of college when h

tomorrow on the show, prize winning columnist eugene robinson on mandela's life and legacy.on hall has a look at what's next on "news nation." >> great to see you. coming up, the fight for unemployment benefits, more than 1 million out of work americans could lose out if congress does not vote for an extension before hefing for their break on friday. congressman join us with the back and forth. president obama and first lady on the way to south africa to pay respect for nelson mandela. presidents george w. bush and jimmy carter will attend the memorial being held at the same stadium where mandela made his last public appearance. we'll talk about the security challenges when half of the world's leaders are in one location. >>> three teenagers arrested accused of letting their friend drive drunk before she crashed and died. should the teenagers be held accountable? we'll discuss this next on "news nation." [ female announcer ] puffs knows winter is hard on your face. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] the start of sneeze season. the wind-blown watery eyes. [ sniffling ] the snif

we will discuss the future of privacy and surveillance state with deedee myers, eugene robinson, katys a new sheriff in the white house. is john podesta the man for the job of reviving president obama's second term agenda. "the new york times" mark leibovich joins us for a look at john mccain's ongoing metamorphosis and what it important tends for the grand old party. all that when "now" starts right after this. helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the new flexcare platinum from philips sonicare and save now. philips sonicare. homework to take care of. it's thursday december 19th and this is "now" live from washington, d.c. >>> two days after a federal judge ruled nsa's bulk collection of america's phone data almost certainly violated the constitution, a white house review board released over 300 pages of recommendations urging 46 specific changes to the way the u.s. collects da

joy reid is msnbc contributor and eugene robinson columnist at "the washington post" and msnbc politicalnalyst. you're smiling, joy. i think it's for me, but maybe it's about the topic. my question is first of all to you to clear the air. do you have any doubts she's making moves to run? >> zero doubt. >> gene? >> she's certainly putting the pieces in place. i have some doubt as to whether she's made a final decision. >> okay. the clintons' rebuilding effort with the black community is hang, as i mentioned, because of the comments bill clinton made in 2008. speaking in new hampshire in 2008 when the clinton team was still smarting from the obama victory out in iowa, a frustrated -- i think this is fair to say -- a frustrated bill clinton questioned the authenticity of obama's anti-war stance. some said questioning his campaign. let's listen. >> since you raise the issue, let's go over this again. that is the central argument for his campaign. it doesn't matter that i started running for president less than a year after i got to the senate from the illinois state senate, i am a great spea

eugene robinson writes about this budget deal. the gop mainstream striking back. the unusual display of reasonable behavior by house republicans this week should be seen as a retreat, a change in tactics, but not a surrender, the implications for democrats are clear. they had better raise their game. bill, let me ask you, do you think democrats see this unification as a real game-changer? and the moderate stance that ryan seems to be demonstrating and kind of running in parallel with john boehner? >> i think they should. i think we need to come to grips with the possibility that john boehner is a genius, that he's not this inept, pathetic leader that we've been mocking all year. we've been sort of egging him on. >> can we rerack that statement so we have it on a constant loop? because i don't know if that's ever going to happen again. okay, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. >> he has a very delicate task. he has to prevent the tea party from continually shutting down the government, which can lead republicans to lose the house. he also, even tougher, even trickier,

eugene robinson, joy reid, dorian, thank you for joining us. >>> chris matthews is up next tonight. >>> tonight, we bring to you my interview with president barack obama. this is the historic passing of his personal hero, nelson mandela, an event that msnbc will be covering for the rest of the evening. i have covered two great events in my career. one was the fall of the berlin wall in 1989 and the other was the election in south africa five years later. i was there when the black majority voted by the millions, stretching from one horizon so the other. i saw firsthand the devotion to democracy and the great legacy of the man who died today. president obama paid tribute to nelson mandela today. through his fierce dignity, an unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others he transformed south africa and moved all of us. embodied the that countries can change for the better. his commitment for the power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example for all humanity to aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or in our own personal lives. >>> i promised

eugene robinson writing in "ebony" magazine was talking about the richard pryor show.rson could sit back and just relax and watch that show because at any moment richard pryor may say something that would make them all have to run like hell. and it's still one of the most revolutionary things i've ever seen on tv. only ran four episodes, plus one special. it's not been equaled since, i don't think. >> joe, let me ask you, you and your brother got to know richard pryor. you knew richard pryor. who was he personally, and what misconceptions or misperceptions of the median are out there that you could dispel? >> well, i should say first that we spent time with richard, but i wouldn't want you to think we got to know him. by the time we were ever in his presence, he was pretty much beyond being able to speak, you know. it was heartbreaking to be sitting with him finally and being the ones doing all the talking. but, you know, i still would return home after spending a couple hours sitting with him and remember the afternoon as if i'd had a conversation with him. so there w

ron reagan and eugene robinson.s a lie to say the government is getting all this money. two, the idea you get free health care anywhere is crazy. o you have to pay for it somehow. this part here, this death panel that somehow if you have any kind of national health system. a different system for a single provider, they will cut it off to kill you if you don't vote their way. and they check the voter roles and know what happened in that voting booth and somehow kill off. what kind of crazy talk is this by unusually crazy rick santorum? >> only in the fever swamp that rick santorum lives in does this sort of thing happen. i mean, may i just observe that as you implied earlier that this was a lot of self-contradictory gibberish. does this man not speak english, first of all? can he not express himself clearly? beyond that, he's proposing two things. one, you can't have the government provide health care for the people because then the people won't give it up. then you can't have them provide health care for the people

in an oop ed this week, eugene robinson has said that president obama should specify a number at least. democrats should make the issue a central theme of the campaign. i believe the public would respond which means ultimately republicans would respond. how do you think democrats should frame this conversation around income inequality in order to get their message across? >> actually, the time has come. and it is quite evident that the low wage workers are hitting the streets. they are organizing and rallying with the support of organized labor. and there's no stopping this. the wage gap is real. these retail clerks and sales persons and low wage workers are hurting. they're coming to the federal government for food stamps and for housing subsidies and so this it is a movement now that cannot be stopped. it is inevitable, and i think the democrats understand this. and we have to it be right out there in the forefront of this. because this is our constituency that's asking this government to the help them to get a fair opportunity for wages that they can support their families with. >>

that is eugene robinson in "the washington post." in "theincus' piece washington post."says this about what the review board has recommended. under one of its proposals, nsa should have to get a court order for every time they went to kerry -- want to query this data, not operate under a blanket court order. according to michael morrell. ofcould lead to four days delay. judge leon, who decided that the nsa collection is probably unconstitutional is quoted as saying analyzing the metadata without prior judicial approval. thisthat kind of backing, may gain votes in congress not just from critics of the program but also from some of its supporters. be speakingama will about these recommendations in january. as we told you earlier, senate judiciary chairman patrick leahy 22 that out on december he plans to hold hearings on all five members of obama's nsa review board. let's go back to ford, democratic caller. caller: hello. snowden is a hero. host: why> caller: at least he did something right. washington is broken. there is too much money in politics. they are running the co

independents.or if you go to "the washington post" this morning, eugene robinson gives his opinion.his is part of what he writes. ays the betrayal of our values and we can't let our internet companies know they can fight for privacy and using the most advanced encryption technology. carolina, on the independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call. thank you. i was going to add my comment about the nsa program. i think it is a form of espionage. instead of spying on the people, it is mainly set up to rig the markets and to influence commerce. host: how would it do that? caller: by influencing trends, influencing the forecasters. to the fed.ed in just like the last guy was talking about, the regulators and all of that. that is my comment. tyler.his is from another story in "the wall street journal" this morning. host: simon from california, republican line, good morning. to me it isoe -- unconstitutional. e is a series of protocols we had to go through to get that information. the information they are talking about was used for targets. there was a -- you to throw out a big net