howard fineman, "newsweek" senior washington correspondent. ard. is this connected to this fear of government? of the sense you have to be armed to protect yourself from the federals? federal allies? >> i think it's much more, chris, related to a general fear in society, a sense of things getting out of control, a sense that society is decomposing, the police might not be there to defend you. people want, in the last analys analysis, i think the ability to defend themselves and their families in the ultimate situation if no one is there. i don't think the idea of people buying guns or conceal carry, for example, such as we have in virginia, has anything to do with health care or the government of the united states. >> okay. howard, why do people want to bring guns into bars? why do they want to transport them by train? why are federal census takers being killed, hanged, and with the word "fed" written on them? i see a connection. do you? >> well, i think it's possible, chris, as a make a mental list of bars to stay out of in phoenix. i'm sure p

let's bring in msnbc political analyst howard fineman.tical columnist and senior washington correspondent from news weeks. howard, great to see you. >> how are you? >> was today a sign of hope or deadend for the public option? >> it was sort of a barely alive, semidead end. it ain't over, because there are at least four major steps in this process, the final vote in the finance committee, a vote on the senate floor out of the combined bills from finance and the health committee in the senate. and then if it goes to conference, which it then would with the senate and the house, and an agreement there if there is one and then final votes in the house and senate. those are all opportunities for supporters of the public option to keep trying. it ain't over till it's over. >> senator ben nelson, democrat of nebraska, wants republican support for the baucus bill, which is the baseline for the amendment action in the finance committee. max baucus also wants republican support, enough to vote against things, he said, he supports. first, why are d

howard fineman of "newsweek" and msnbc. howard, thanks, as always.preciate it. >> thank you, david. >>> we all know where sarah "death panel" palin stands on health care reform, thanks to her facebook page. and pretty soon we will know where she stands on just about everything else thanks to her new memoirs "going rogue." the bikes on the fast track leaving observers to wonder, is levi johnston right, to cash on quick on her fame? >>> and an oddball splashdown next on "countdown." (announcer) that ball is going, going, gone! home run! (announcer) he's sweet. even with one third less sugar than soda. kool-aid. delivering more smiles per gallon. [screeching] [dejectedly] oh. [screeching] [barks] (man) if you think about it, this is what makes the ladders different from other job-search sites. [screeching] we only work with the big talent. [all coughing] welcome to the ladders-- a premium job site for only $100k-plus jobs and only $100k-plus talent. >>> on this day 20 years ago actor zsa zsa gabor was found guilty of slapping a police officer. the tablo

mere visibility won't cut it. >> howard fineman, msnbc analyst, senior washington correspondent for "week." thanks for your time and your insight tonight, howard. >> thank you, rachel. >>> noted amateur economist, former vice presidential candidate and former half-term governor of alaska, sarah palin, delivered a long lecture in hong kong in which she said that the financial crisis could have been avoided if only wall street had, had fewer rules. if they only had been able to cut loose a little more. let wall street be wall street. nobel prize winning economist paul krugman joins us here with his views. i suspect they may be different. that's coming up next. >>> but, first, one more thing about health reform and what is stopping it. last night we led with reporting about congressman mike ross of arkansas, the leading blue dog conservative democratic voice in the house against the public option and other elements of health reform. reporting by pro publicia reveal thad congressman ross got what looks like a way-too-sweet deal when he sold properties and a business to a drugstore chain.

howard fineman, you know political history better than i do. i was asleep in the '80s, you were paying attention. is there a speech we can point to and say that speech to the congress or to the country saved the legislation in trouble? >> the key word is saved. i think the answer to that is no, lawrence. i think there have been speeches that helped revive presidencies. bill clinton gave one in the '90s that focused on the nuts and bolts of government. his state of the union speech. the public liked that. it is possible to speak over the heads of washington and revive your pill standing. i think this is part of what this is about. his poll numbers are sagging, his numbers on health care are sagging. he is not speaking to legislators tonight but to the public. this is the kind of speech you want to give just before the final votes after the conference committee, after the legislation, you've watch this sausage being made. he is giving the ultimate speech at what is the beginning of the process. the committees haven't -- these measures, first of a

"newsweek's" howard fineman. let me go to you, pat. this is a big question. how many troops do we want to put in afghanistan? over 100,000? how long do we want to keep them there? what will be better if we stay there five years, say? will it be any better for us if we stay five or leave now? chris, that's the question barack obama is asking general mcchrystal even today. if i give you the 45,000 troops, how long will it take for them to pacify the country and get a government that can stand up and army that can stand up and control the country? i think those are hard questions to answer in the positive in the short term, chris. from what i'm hearing from chuck todd and others, it seems as though the president is tilting toward more an anti-al qaeda strategy. in other words, holding off on the troops, the add-on troops to basically control the cities and protect the population and basically go in for a policy of going after al qaeda. >> let me go to howard on the same questions. how many troops, how long, and what will they get done before they leave? because

my thanks to rachel maddow and howard fineman. our coverage continues and then rachel will join you at 10:00 p.m. eastern followed by a special late edition of "the ed show." that's at 11:00 p.m. eastern as our night of coverage of the president's speech to the joint session of congress continues. >> a president offering an interim plan to prevent bankruptcy from health care costs that would morph in four years to an insurance exchange containing a public option olding as he announced this a door open for bipartisanship crediting his election opponent for part of the health care reform plan he tonight endorsed insisting no one will be forced to change insurance, no abortions will be federally funded, no death panels calling that a lie insisting there will be no coverage for those here illegally and then greeted by congressman wilson of south carolina shouting from the safety of the crowd "you lie." the state of health care reform and state of american health care and state of american politics on the ninth of september in the year

i want to continue this conversation with rachel maddow and howard fineman. rachel, howard just mentioned the drop in the president's approval rating particularly on the issue of how he's handled this. there's, i think, an understandable reaction to assume this is from critics of reform and yet that's not entirely true. there has to be a significant drop-off in confidence on those who are ultra pro-reform. >> you saw the full page ad in "the new york times" for those who worked on his campaign saying we want real reform and a real public option. there has been disappointment among progressives. a shot there with barack obama and hillary clinton. >> i can't resist noting that that was an extra long moment with hillary clinton. there have been several public pageants recently where bill clinton, has made a point of showing himself to be in deep conversation with barack obama. i know that what was going through the president's mind there is saying i better give hillary some attention right here. >> i was thinking that perhaps he said he's open to new ideas. perha

. >>> much to talk about tonight with msnbc's political analysts howard fineman. he is also, of course, senior washington correspondent for "newsweek" magazine. good evening, howard. >> hi, larry. >> howard, we have moved past the august recess cow shouting and now we're down to the nitty-gritty details. nice, calmed, reason discussion in the senate finance committee. does that make things any better for the democrats? >> no, it means the republicans are trying to move in for the kill. as you pointed out, and since you worked on the hill for senator moynihan and know the finance committee and the senate as well as anybody on the planet, you know what's going on. as you pointed out, for republicans, taxes are worse than death. death and taxes, taxes are worse. they think they can try to kill it off. as one top democrat told me on the phone a little while ago, he said the sharks are in the water, and they would be not just republicans but some democrats, too. >> well, it does seem that it's all in the language at this point, it's all in the framing. certainly when yo

. >>> let's turn now to msnbc political analyst howard fineman and political columnist for "newsweek" magazine. good evening. you heard senator rockefeller on the public option. enthusiastic, optimistic or hopeful. revoking the medpac 15-3 vote today. is he going to get what he wants? >> i'm not sure he is, keith. the senate leaders are looking at the big vote on the floor of the senate. they want to try to get 60 votes to shut off debate if they can. so they could pass a real bill, not a swiss cheese bill through reconciliation. they've got their new senator, paul kirk, that's going to fill in. they got a chance to get it. but if the public option is in there, the possibility exists they could lose two or three conservative democrats in the senate and wouldn't then get the 60 votes to have the real bill. i'm not sure it's going to work. i think there's a lot of sentiment for it, and it's good for the democrats on the house side, for senator rockefeller to be touting this and to be talking about it and to be passionate about it because there is more passion on the house side for the p

howard fineman will join us next. pa employee. we're gonna start using fedex to ship globally-- that means billions of potential customers. we're gonna be huge. good morning! you know business is a lot like football... i just don't understand... i'm sorry dick butkus. (announcer) we understand. you want to grow internationally. fedex express tdd# 1-800-345-2550 when my broker said, "i make money when you make money," tdd# 1-800-345-2550 he neglected to mention tdd# 1-800-345-2550 he also makes money when i lose money, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 withdraw money or do nothing with my money. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 get out of the old and into the cold. ♪ i'm cool like that >>> do you want to see something that is an extreme rarity in the world of washington politics? all right, hopefully this works. can we do it? hey, ta-dah. what you're looking at right next to me is a live picture, it's 9:10 p.m. roughly on a wednesday night and congress is currently still in session. what you see there is the senate finance committee. they

ceci connolly, joe klein, helene cooper covers "the new york times" and howard fineman, from "newsweek." president obama stealing the scene in the health care debate. his wednesday night speech to congress showed the president knew he needed to take become control. >> the time for games has pass is! now is the season for action. now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together and show the american people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. now is the time to deliver on health care. norah: polls taken since then showed that the president did have some success and of course there was that outburst from congress joe wilson, the guy who yelled "you lied." other republicans were more polite, but still -- listen to what rush bill -- limbaugh said. >> that speech last night was a fraud. it was dishonest. it demeaned theoffs of the -- office of the presidency. having attacked and lied throughout this thing he claims he wants to work with republicans, with whom he has not met since prim. norah: you can always count on rush. how's the president doing with his own

. >> time now to turn to msnbc political analyst howard fineman. also senior washington correspondent political columnist of "newsweek" magazine. good evening, howard. >> hi, keith. >> did you watch today? are you one of us now, mr. fineman? >> i did, and i am. and i want you to know, brother keith, that i'm going to work really hard this fall on my reporting and my analysis, and i'm not going to quit because that would not only disappoint me and my family, but this broadcast and our country. >> good. because staying in school is apparently only a democrat -- how foolish does this look now that the speech has been delivered? and this florida gop chairman who pushed the idea, oh, this is the second speech, when confronted, what's your evidence there was another speech earlier says "i don't know." >> you're only as good as your sources, i admit. but the white house sources i have insist that the speech was not changed. yes, the lesson plans were. suzanne malveaux said on cnn, but not the speech itself. and this isn't silly. there's an undertone of fea

time now to call on our own howard fineman for newsweek magazine. >> hi, keith. >> individual mandates, no public option, squeeze the middle class, cost them more for health care than they're paying now, did he kill off reform or his own political career today? >> well, they're mad at him in the senate at the highest levels of the democratic leadership for a couple of reasons. first of all, they gave him a lot a lot of time on to get republican support. i'm told that this bill such as it is baucus unveiled two months ago and it would have been exactly what it is today. people don't like it now, wouldn't have liked it then, but he could've short circuited his own process by two months but instead he spent all of this time behind closed doors negotiating with people who didn't want to negotiate and ended up with the mess that you just described. >> democrats don't like it as you suggest and are angry at him. republicans were never going to support it in the first place, how can the white house even stand next to it let alone behind it? >> well, they're not exactly full throated in their

howard fineman, it will be a big day tomorrow. thanks. >> can i also say, keith, you said you would last eight minutes in politics? i think you're being generous. >> howard won't be back. thanks, howard. talk to you soon. >> okay. >> so, of course, the president has dealt with nothing but health care since, i don't know, the late 1800s, which is why spoke on climate change and peace, and nuclear proliferation, went to troy, new york to investigate job retraining and its impact on the economic bounceback. yet the latest role is the president has taken his eye off afghanistan, because he is thinking only of health care reform. ironies untold continue to unfold. this is from the same people who took their eye off afghanistan so we can go into iraq! brighte, smooth, hydrate, and lock-in moisture, all in one clever little package of total effects. >>> republicans say obama is ignoring afghanistan to focus on health care, forgetting that the president who cannot mutlitask left office. one year ago today, john mccain's campaign crateterr

thank you, gene robinson, howard fineman. we'll be right back.xt, by the way, the bill clinton tapes. fascinating stuff here. an absolute gem about a drunken boris yeltsin. wait until you catch this. here is the head of the russian federation flagging a cab in the middle of the night, blotto, trying to find a place in washington where they sell pizza at 3:00 in the morning. this is a head of a government? let's stick around for "the sideshow." (announcer) if you think all batteries are the same, consider this: when a tornado tore through holly, colorado, air life denver took to the air... their night-vision goggles keeping them safe on a perilous flight... and powering those precision goggles--- is the only battery air life trusts: duracell. trusted everywhere. look for new duracell ultra advanced now with even more power to protect. (announcer) transform your water. women who drink crystal light drink 20% more water. crystal light. make a delicious change. >>> back to "hardball." time for "the sideshow." what a great "sideshow" tonight. first up

thank you, gene robinson, howard fineman. we'll be right back. we have the "politics fix" coming up. up next, the bill clinton tapes, an absolute gem about a drunken boris yeltsin. here is the head of the russian federation flagging a cab in the middle of the night, lotto, trying to find a place in washington where they sell pizza at 3:00 in the morning. this is a head of a government? you're watching "the sideshow" you're watching "hardball" on msnbc. tools are uncomplicated? nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping is easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. come on. how about...a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. discover a light yogurt like no other. activia light! delicious, fat free, and above all... the only one that has bifidus regularis and is clinically

"newsweek's" howard fineman will be joining us, as will nobel prize winning columnist paul krugman. >o begin with very serious breaking news. the fbi is investigating the hanging death of a u.s. census worker. the associated press reporting tonight that according to a law enforcement source, the word fed, f-e-d, was scrawled on the victim's chest. bill sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time census field worker, also a single father who survived nonhodgkin's lymphoma and held down two jobs while pursuing a teaching degree, this man was found on september 12th hanging from a tree in a remote part of the daniel boone national forest, which is in rural southeastern kentucky. this law enforcement source did not tell the associated press what was used to write the word fed on the victim's body. according to a report in a local newspaper last week, president obama's appointed census chief notified census employees about this killing, telling them their colleague was, quote, the victim of an apparent crime. another executive at the census bureau told the associated press that law enforcement infor

"vanity fair's" chris hitchens and, of course, howard fineman of "newsweek."y party animals, all of them. they've got it all written all over them. >>> joe kennedy ii announced this weekend he will not be running for his uncle ted's senate seat in massachusetts which means no kennedys are in the mix in that special election. you could call this the end of an era. how long has massachusetts had a kennedy in congress? about 62 straight years. there was a brief blip between 1961 and 1962 when jack kennedy became president and ted kennedy won a special election to the senate, but it looks like the 62-year streak of massachusetts-based kennedys in congress has come to an end. that, 62, is tonight's "big number." >>> up next, why is the conservative right so angry at everything president obama does, from his speech today to schoolchildren to his efforts to reform health care? the right wing attack machine is powered up against the president's every move. what the white house can do to combat it, next. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. ♪ ♪ to my family [ fema

thank you very much, pat buchanan, howard fineman. this is the hottest issue in our country. right now time for "the ed show" with ed schultz. >>> good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" tonight. here in new york on msnbc. three stories have got my hot button tonight. first of all, michael moore coming up in a few minutes to talk about health care with me. this congressman from florida, you are the dude. i got your back on that one, buddy. i got commentary coming up on that. >>> mr. boehner, is your disdain for barack obama so strong that you don't even want the united states of america to get the olympics? what is wrong with the republicans? is that what ronald reagan would want? i've said it for over two years. the republicans have an identity crisis, and even the most american thing that we could have, pure amateur competition on american soil, the republicans are even against that. all right. now to health care. don't believe all this hype about the public option is dead, the righties are crowing about that because of the votes yesterday. let me tell you somethi

howard fineman of "newsweek," we're all socialists now. he had some harsh words for the president and the president keeps giving these speeches, etc., he's too impressed with his own aura, too much "i" and "me," etc., etc., and he needs to use less of the political rhetoric and win some political battles or he won't be elected. >> if he loses health care reform he's a lame duck unless he moves to the center, which he might. the overwhelming thing people have to get about about this is not the public option. that's a kenard, whether it's a public option or co-op, it will be the same. the important thing is this a bill to eviscerate medicare, it's a bill to cut $500 billion from the backs of the elderly and give it to legal immigrants and illegal immigrants who become legal immigrants and use -- and also to tax the uninsured but most of the money comes right out of the elderly. the elderly are a homogenius group and they tend to talk to other elderly and if they're 2-1 against it they need to be three and 4-1 against it and the democratic pa

thank you, gene robinson, howard fineman. we'll be right back.e have the "politics fix" coming up. >>> up next, by the way, the bill clinton tapes. fascinating stuff here. an absolute gem about a drunken boris yeltsin. wait until you catch this. here is the head of the russian federation flagging a cab in the middle of the night, lotto, trying to find a place in washington where they sell pizza at 3:00 in the morning. this is a head of a government? let's stick around for "the sideshow." 's the problem? these are hot. we're shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it's the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate. alabama. alaska? with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. dude's good. dude's real good. dudes. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. has beauty editors buzzing? perfect 10 -- the 10 minute phenomenon from nice 'n ea

howard fineman on the pure politics of total inertia and jonathan alter on the newest republican brainstormtuff. >> he's working on other issues such as health care and he's putting off the decision on afghanistan, which i think puts our troops at risk. so he needs to focus on priorities right now. >> like getting more money to the corporations. who's thinking about the corporations. will somebody think about the corporations? our special guest tonight, as his new movie "capitalism" premiers, michael moore. >> we're here to get the money back for the american people. >> i have some bags. >> sarah palin on her next job or whatever. >> i wish i could predict the future. i can't answer that question right now. >> and two of the all-time worst worsts. >> turn this water on now. >> this water of which you speak?

news chief white house correspondent chuck todd is nbc's political director and "newsweek's" howard fineman is an msnbc political analyst. let's look at the latest poll that the president is up against on this. a new ap poll finds a majority, 52% this approve of the president's job on health care. it was only 43% in july, which everyone thought was bad enough then. here's a part, just a bit of what the president will say tonight to give you a feel for the tone of this. "but know this, i will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. i will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. if you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. i will not accept the status quo as a solution, not this time. not now." chuck todd, we have heard that chorus before. not this time, not now. we heard that in the campaign. is this barack obama trying to use campaign skills to influence the politics of governing? >> reporter: i think a little bit from the speech. y

howard fineman on the pure politics of total inertia and jonathan alter on the newest republican brainstorm. senator demint says the president is ignoring more important stuff. >> he's working on other issues such as health care and he's putting off the decision on afghanistan, which i think puts our troops at risk. so he needs to focus on priorities right now. >> like getting more money to the corporations. who's thinking about the corporations. will somebody think about the corporations? our special guest tonight, as his new movie "capitalism" premiers, michael moore. >> we're here to get the money back for the american people. >> i have some bags. >> sarah palin on her next job or whatever. >> i wish i could predict the future. i can't answer that question right now. >> and

host: howard fineman was not on this morning. craig crawford you mean?oh, yeah, craig crawford. host: it sounds like you watch a lot of political tv. caller: well, i do. i think it reported that calls in on your program does, too. host: what is your topic? caller: i'm concerned about the president. he came to phoenix and i went to a rally and izod by their with an automatic rifle over his shoulder -- and i sought a guy there with an automatic rifle over his shoulder it scared me and so i came back home. a couple of weeks after that, at the tempe baptist church terrell reverend stephen anderson in his service -- they had it -- and the baptist church, reverence stephen anderson in his service -- they had it on the local news. he said he was president obama would die. they say he has a brain tumor or someone. but then he added to that the yolks of gays and lesbians are executed. -- that he hopes all gays and lesbians are executed. this was in his church. and there was a guy with a gun that made me turn back and go home. host: is this a church you frequent?

. >> we are going to start with this howard fineman article.e bottom line is he does quite well in terms of being a media accra bat and handling a lot of balls in the air. at the same time, if one thing doesn't lead to another when it comes to iran and afghanistan and our economy and jobs, isn't he going to learn the thunder that he has got? >> is that a question for me, mika? >> absolutely. >> i see we are there in the split box. the president has been in office for 10 months. as howard points out, he has a lot on his plate and a lot to do. right now it is seemingly all style and rhetoric and words. i think we have to give it a little bit of time to see if all of the things that he is trying to accomplish will actually get accomplished. if we were having the conversation in february, then i would think that there would be reason for alarm, because then he had some time to get something done, and to say that one of those boxes won't be checked in possibly the near future, i don't think that's entirely fair. >> but there have been -- pat buchana