that was determined before i got here. >> howard fineman, he won't do it. i guess he's afraid of losing one or two votes saying this was a duly elected president of the united states. >> if you dig down to the core, to the ninth level of the anti-obama movement, you find people who not only view him as from another party or another country but practically from another planet. and the president is fully ware of this. you know, i remember him saying, you know, a lot of these people don't even think i was born here, and he wasn't sure what he meant by "here." that's the theology of it, chris. there is a sort of theological belief at the heart of this that obama, that the president is somehow not only not legitimate, not an american but not even from here. that's an element of theology with these people at the heart -- that's where everything starts, goes back to birtherism and fw back to the rejection, like their tissue rejection of him from the body politic. they have never, ever accepted his legitimacy. >> i think that cosmic thing is totally true. but just

that was determined before i got here. >> howard fineman, he won't do it. guess he's afraid of what losing one or two votes by saying he was duly elected as president of the united states. >> if you go to the ninth level of the anti-obama movement, you find people who not only view him as from another party or another country, but practically from another planet. and the president is fully aware of this. i remember him saying a lot of people don't think i was born here. and not sure what he meant by here. there is a sort of theological belief at the heart of this that obama -- that the president is somehow not only not legitimating with not an american, but not even from here. that's an element of theology with these people at the heart. that's where everything starts. goes back to birtherism and it goes back to their rejections of him from the body of politics. >> joan, let's get to a more -- i think the cosmic thing is totally true. but joan, add to the conversation i was having with that u.s. congressman. i said if you're from ted cruz who we know was bo

that was determined before i got here. >> howard fineman, he won't do it. guess he's afraid of what losing one or two votes by saying this is a duly elected president of the united states. >> if dig down to the very core, ninth level of the anti-obama movement, you find people who not only view him from another party or country, but practically from another planet. the president is fully aware of this. i remember him saying, a lot of people don't think i was born here and wasn't sure what he meant by here. that's the theology of it. there's a sort of belief at the heart of this, that obama -- that the president is somewhat not only not legitimate, not an american, but not even from here. that's an element of theology with these people at the heart -- where everything starts, goes back to birtherism and goes back to the rejection sort of like their tissue rejection from him and never ever accepted his legitimacy. >> let's go to a more narrow and that cosmic thing is true. down to the narrow conversation i was having with the u.s. congressman. if you're for t

the president opened up as howard fineman said it best.ever before have we heard a president talk about being president, what it feels like you are. by the way, he got very personal for a guy who can be a bit distant as we know. as we remember nelson mandela. we've got my interview of him on the eve of his victory it in south africa. one of my great victories and emotional times of my life. >>> from comedy central, known as the clown carve the right, it keeps on rolling. one congressman decided to delay the nuclear program would be to drop a small american nuclear bomb on iran. what a smart man. you think they want an atom bomb after we do that? yes, you drop an atom bomb on iran, they'll spend the history of the country making sure they've got something to shoot back. let it be rick santorum to compare nelson mandela fight against apartheid to his personal fight against obama care. hmm. like snoopy fighting the red dragon. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] imagine this cute blob is metamucil. and this park is

howard fineman, here's the challenge for an msnbc host, describing steve stockman, it is generally a we use all these words all the time to describe the far right opposition, that is sort of intent on the president's demise, that believes in a whole variety of awful, terrible and ridiculous things and nothing could quite capture the dark, wierd magic that is steve stockman. >> well, i'm tempted to say that the great thing about the earth is if you poke a hole in it, steve stockman comes out. i mean, you say this stuff coming out of texas is -- you know, you thought it was a parody. i question how much time you have spechblt in texas. i mean texas is built on being a parody and they're proud of their texasness, to a point that it's hard for others to explain and understand. in steve stockman's world, it's all about guns. i would say you pick different things for different people. with stockman, it's guns. i mean this is a guy who not only doesn't want gun free zones around schools, he basically wants gun filled zones in schools. >> he's introduced a piece of legislation that would ess

howard fineman and sam stein are both with "the huffington post" and both msnbc contributors.ed cruz's trail buddy has taken it to new heights. during a hangout yesterday, the texas senator used the issues of benghazi and the affordable care act to accuse the president of something truly sinister. let's listen. >> i think the current administration has taken lying to a new level. to me that's one of the most aggravating thing about what's happening in washington these days. particularly about this administration. which is a lack of accountability. and the willingness to mislead people or provide them just demonstrably false information. we've seen that most recently in the health care debate over if you like what you have you can keep it. >> howard, i once heard the story that when napoleon was running out of infantry he'd say send in more. and they'd say there isn't any more. he said accepted in more cavalry and there isn't anymore. and he said send in more flags. i begin to think now the republican escalation is in tone because they really feel like they're running out of th

i want to bring in howard fineman. anks for being with us as always. >> hi, guys. >> howard, some of the chatter on the budget deal on the positive sign, a new era is dawning in the house. some people are saying maybe we could actually get immigration reform through now that john boehner has found a spine. are you optimistic about that? >> i don't know whether the speaker has found a spine or temporarily rented one. >> borrow paul ryan's maybe. >> for the christmas season -- i tend to doubt that this signals a new john boehner on newly resurgent moderate establishment. i don't think that's the case. this is more a commentary on the last year and a half or so than it is an indicator of where we're necessarily going in the future. i think the shutdown was a disaster for the republicans. i think republicans think if they can somehow -- this is in their minds, think if they can focus on obama care, that's the way to go in 2014. i don't see them entering a new era where they are going to give legislative accomplishments to t

howard fineman is a political analyst and jonathan capehart is an msnbc contributor.d, i was really taken with your perception there. i actually missed it because i was so busy trying to prepare myself to follow up. but you hit something in your years of experience, presidents don't talk about what it's like to be me, if you will. >> no, they don't. and they don't do it in public. i mean, i've covered a lot of presidents, chris, and i've gotten to know them pretty upclose. and they are sometimes self-reflective. but usually in private and usually only momentarily. they don't let their guard down very much. but i think in this case in that interview yesterday which i still think was extraordinary, the president was kind of thinking out loud and talking out loud about his situation. let's face it, his poll ratings are down, so he's got three years left in a second term he's not sure what he's going to do with. and i think sometimes he wonders how he's going to muster the motivation to muscle through, as he puts it. that's a phrase he uses. but here he was saying, look,

. >>> friend of the show huffington post aegs very own howard fineman joins us right now.at to see you. >> hi, abby. >> there has been a quiet fear among some republicans about their own legitimacy once the website is fixed and the law perceived by the public as working. without any other ideas or alternatives to put forward, i assume republicans will try to turn attention away from the website and instead focus on the less popular aspects of the law like not being able to keep your plans and having to change doctors. how long can this strategy actually work? >> i think the president is hoping not very long. i mean, that's why he sort of relaunched, rebooted, whatever you want to call it, yes he's done it before. i know he feels he couldn't do what he did today until the website was fixed enough not to be the main story. and i think based on what we've heard the last couple of days, it's moving -- got enough momentum that he could begin doing this all over again. i thought the biggest news out of his 15 minutes on the stage today was that he called it obama care. don't for

howard fineman of "the huffington post" media group. he's chuckling already.nd joy reid is also happy with my words. she's an msnbc contributor. it does seem strange that boehner -- here is a reminder of john boehner and what he said that surprised us all taking on the tea party and those way outside groups that tried to thwart boehner. let's watch. >> quite frankly i think they're misleading their followers. i think they're pushing our members in places where they don't want to be. frankly i think they've lost all credibility. they pushed us into this fight to defund obamacare and shut down the government. most of you know, my members know that wasn't exactly the strategy i had in mind. but if you'll recall the day before the government reopened, one of the people -- one of these groups stood up and said well, we never really thought it would work. are you kidding me? it just comes to a point when some people step over the line. you know, when you criticize something and you have no idea what you're criticizing, it undermines your credibility. >> well, this w

now here with joy reid, howard fineman, and of course david corn. een chatting during the commercial break. it's obvious you heard things that i didn't hear. i want to start with howard because you grabbed me. what did we see in the president, the man, the barack obama? what did we learn from him tonight about being president? >> first of all, i would like to say, chris, you and the students here from au got a once in a lifetime opportunity to see in person a president talking about what it's like to be president, while he's actually president. now, he's gone from superman to cisiphus, a much more mature view and the more case for obama care. for you folks to consider obama care as a measure of community in america. that's what motivates barack obama. he knows it's tough -- >> and he gave it up. >> the last 15 minutes of this extraordinary were extraordinary. i've never seen anything like it, where a president kind of unburdened himself to you about why he's in the ball game. and i thought he made a very compelling case for his own decency, whatever

now here with joy reid, howard fineman, and of course david corn. i've just been chatting during the commercial break. it's obvious you heard things that i didn't hear. i want to start with howard because you grabbed me. what did we see in president the man, barack obama, who is a bit distant usually, what did we learn from him about being president? >> i would like to say that you and the students here got a once in a lifetime opportunity to see in person a president talking about what it's like to be president, while he's actually president. now, he's gone from superman to sissifous. he's talking about rolling a boulder up the hill. a much more mature view. but he has a moral view. i think he made the moral case for obama care. for you folks to consider obama care as a measure of community in america. that's what motivates barack obama he knows it's tough. >> he lifted up -- he lifted up -- >> the last 15 minutes of this interview were extraordinary. i've never seen anything like it. where a president kind of unburdened himself to you about why he

. >> you know what howard fineman sate after it? he said it's the first time he heard a president talk about what it's like to be president while he's president. never heard that before. >> chris matthews. >> that's 7:00 tonight. >> full hour. >> on msnbc, "hardball." >> thanks, guys. >>> from washington to new york to tampa, fast food workers are off the job today. the latest on the strike and how it's impacting restaurants in this area. >>> residents near the newly opened tanger outlets, issue a compla >>> good afternoon, everyone. i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm pat lawson muse. right now at 4:30, veteran d.c. police officer mark washington is still in custody after not entering a plea in court this afternoon. he was arrested earlier this week on child important charges. two other officers in the seventh district are also off the street as police look into their conduct. one had his home searched after a missing teen turned up inside. mark segraves will have a live report on all three officers at 5:00. >>> the heiress to the mars ca

. >> you can bet it is going to be a gnarly christmas in the cheney house, joining me now, howard fineman just could not believe. i seriously could not believe that cheney said that. >> that last thing that he said there? >> yeah, that dick cheney came out. talk about fuelling the fire of this whole thing. >> no, what i loved about that, chris, was the way that cheney, the way in which he said it, he said there was an attack launched. it sounded like missile strikes in iraq. and that -- those are the cheneys, those loveable cheney. >> and the loveable cheneys narrative, there was talk a month ago when this whole thing happened a month ago, did it help liz because it distanced her and would be popular with the conservative-based primary in wyoming. and this is not helpful to liz cheney. >> no, i don't think any of that is helpful to liz cheney because if you do want to focus on the family you want it to be -- if that is sort of your calling card you want it to be kind of a happy family story. and not this one that is sort of -- equal parts you know, shakespeare in a bad, off, off, off broa

david corn for mother jones and howard fineman for "the huffington post" both msnbc political analysts. i know there are still questions about february. but this week when it looks like they might have a budget deal and january when the continuing resolution comes up for continuing, it looks like they've decided not to go all-out crazy again. is this pure politics or grownup behavior or a mix? >> well, don't count your non-shutdowns before they happen. because there are 20 or so house gop'ers. trying to put together something app ten it's probably going to be above the sequestered budget cut level. which a lot of tea party types don't want to see. so john boehner may still be looking at if not a real rebellion, some mini rebellion on his side. and the big question will be whether he can put that down again. >> i'm sorry, david. david, it's not -- it's not the same decibel level it was. >> not at all. ted cruz is not out there saying we must stop this. they want to avoid it. the question is whether they can really do what they need to to not have a shutdown. >> howard, what's your take

thank you howard fineman and jonathan capehart and joan walsh. thank you all for being with us. if you're out holiday shopping, get a copy of my new book, it will make you feel happier this holiday. see you monday night at 7:00 eastern for more "hardball." >> good evening, americans and welcome to the ed show. let's get to work. >> let's go. let's go. let's get to work. >> let's get to work. >> one of the missions i had when i came to msnbc was that president obama had just been elected. i wanted to do health care. >> you need to pay attention to what's happening in your backyard. >> fixing health care in this country is a moral obligation. >> what is our soul as a country is what the next generation is going to have to answer. >> when we start picking and choosing neighborhoods of who's going to get the resources and who's not going to get the resources, we will lose this country. >> should be talking about infrastructure, investment, investment in education and investment in workers and going round two on health care. [ applause ] >> i want to repeal the law of the land. is th

for the first time ever, howard fineman was with me and he told me afterwards.h an interview you hear better because when you're doing the interview you think of the next question and moving them in that direction. he's faced opposition, we all know that, pretty fierce in some cases. he talked about how he's learned one person can't do a whole lot. here is a man who talked about being a transformational president and talked about how we're going to have to celtics because we have a divided political party. you can only get that with situations like one-party rule like the new deal or great society or briefly under reagan. he seemed to basically forfeit the idea of grand achievements. yet when i asked him about the comparison to pope francis, he came alive and talked about his grand hopes for a just society and what drives him, that hope. two positions, one the humility of what he can achieve and the other the grand aspiration he has and what he said kept him going as a politician, president was to achieve small victories in regard to social justice. >> spoke abo

now here with joy reid, howard fineman, and of course david corn. , i've just been chatting during the commercial break. it's obvious you heard things that i didn't hear. i want to start with howard because you grabbed me. he's talking about rolling a boulder up the hill. he has a more mature view but a moral view. i thought he made the moral case for obama care. for you folks to consider obama care as a measure of community in mesh. that's what motivates barack obama. he knows its tough. the last 15 minutes of this video were extraordinary. i have never seen anything like it. the president unburdened himself to you about why he's in the ball game. and i thought he made a compelling case for his own decency. whatever the screw ups were manager alley, they were real. >> i felt like we saw two interviews with the president. in the first half you saw a man who was incredibly frustrated by what i think as he sees as the smallness of the debate in washington. we don't talk about the big sweeping issues. frustrated incredibly and with the media. but in the

howard fineman noticed it more than i did when he seemed to be talking in a rare way from a man who isewhat distant about the personal problem he's had of being president. he's had to be scrutinized. he does not like being scrutinized. i don't know who does. he doesn't like being constantly attacked. nobody does. what keeps him going is the personal meetings he has with people when he finds out he may have saved a life because of a child being able to get health insurance. it's almost the way when you talk to older members of congress and leave after long careers, what did you get done in all those re-elections and stupid fundraising and innumerable roll calls, whether or not did you get done? what they normally do is go back to particular people they have been able to help. that's a big change for a man so intellectual, so cosmic in his thinking. it now comes down to a situation of a human level saying i'm trying to get some things done. what keeps me going is human element and the ways i've been able to help individual people. that to me was sad because there's so many things he has

joy reid, "the huffington post" media group and howard fineman and, of course, david corn. you during the commercial break. i want to start with howard because you grabbed me. what do we see with the barack obama who is usually a bit d distant, what did we learn from him? >> you got a once in a lifetime opportunity here in a lifetime opportunity to talk to a president about what it's like to be president while he's president. i thought he made the moral case for obama care, for you folks to consider obama care as a measure of community in america. that's what motivates barack obama. he knows it's tough. >> the last 15 minutes of this interview were great. i thought he made a very compelling case for his own decency. whatever the screw ups were manageri managerially. >> in the first half of that interview, you saw a man who was incredibly frustrated by what he sees as the smallness of the debate in washington. or we boil it down to petty fights, frustrated incredibly with the republicans and the media. but in the second half of the interview, i saw the man i met in 2004, wher

anyway, thank you, joy reid, thank you, howard fineman and david corn. that's "hardball" for now. i want to thank everyone for being with us tonight here. and thank you, president obama, of course for being our guest on the "hardball" college tour. and also to the american university for hosting us. good night. >>> good evening from new york. i'm chris hayes. a moral titan, a hero for the ages, one of the greatest men of our time is dead tonight. nelson mandela passing away today at the age of 95. shortly after his death, south african president jacob zuma addressed the nation. >> fellow south africans, our beloved nelson mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation has departed. our nation has lost its greatest son. our people have lost a father. >> south africa and the world in mourning at this moment. world leaders expressing their condolences. president obama addressed us earlier this evening. >> he achieved more than could be expected of any man. and today he's gone home. and we've lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that

howard fineman was there and he said afterwards, it was the first time he ever saw any president talksonally what it's like to be president. in other words, taking the hits and the bats every day. it was kind of an interesting development when he turned to and maybe because he's into trouble with the polls right now, he's starting to feel very -- as i said about nelson mandela, a bit soulful about the situation he's in. he has to really fight for principle now. it's not going to be simple politics. >> do you get a sense that he is being combative or reflective? i mean, he's under a lot of attacks, a lot of pressure. did you leave with a sense of where his political gut is. >> you know him. he's not ferocious. he's not a guy who takes a punch at the other side very often. he pulls his punches. it's his style. but he did seem to be very reflective about the value fight that you're always engaged in. looking out for people that nobody else looks out for. and basically talking about the need for economic and social justice. he really sounded like a really committed, you know, community le