joan walsh, editor at large, salon.com. good to have you with us. senator dorgan, romney camp is depicting newt gingrich as untrustworthy and self-serving. is that a stretch, or is that the guy you know? >> you know, i served with him when i was in u.s. house for a number of years, en aen and i ka lot about newt gingrich. these are tough times for the country. we need someone running for president who is serious about the country. to me, at least, would have disqualified someone running for president. i'm talking about after i left the house, went to the senate, he became speaker, he was fined $300,000 by the ethics committee of the house for ethical sanctions. he was sanctioned by the committee. and the other thing about speaker gingrich is, and i've kept this on my desk, ed, if we have a minute. this is from the early 1990s and it always disqualified newt in my mind. he wrote a letter to republicans across the country and said he was the president of gopac. he said, we poll tested focus groups and tested language. he said, people say i wish i coul

joan walsh with that discussion, as they are in disarray.next. >>> rush limbaugh lands in "psycho talk" for saying that democratic voters are uninformed? >>> the death of north korean leader kim jong-il leaves questions about the future of the country's nuclear program. i'll talk with nuclear weapons expert joe cirincione. you can tweet us your thoughts using #edshow. stay tuned. because we're willing to get the work done now and do it the right way. lastly, it's become clear that what the senate did pass is going to cause job creators all kinds of problems. as we saw a report that came out today by those who actually run payroll systems, that there is great confusion about the way the senate bill's put together. i think it's time to just do the right thing for the american people. let's solve this problem now. we'll have plenty of time to deal with other issues next year. >> good evening. the message coming out of our conference tonight is our members want to make sure that we're here to continue to work until congress passes a year-long ex

let's bring in "huffington post" political reporter sam stein and joan walsh. always a pleasure to have you with us. just -- where's all the beef so to speak? joan, why is it that there are so many, i guess you could say good republicans in the eyes of republicans that did not jump into this? here we are a week out and they still haven't decided no one can point their finger on who's going to be the winner in iowa or the winner of the nomination. what do you think? >> well, i just think you're right. this is a party that has one thing in common. it's they hate barack obama. you know, the people that you talked about mainly christie and daniels and the former governor jeb bush, have governing records. it's kind of hard to get elected. it's hard to build a real primary base for people who are actually out there doing things. i mean, christie's really new. you know, he would have had a lot of problems. but they've created a party and bill crystal has created a party, frankly, that's all about their fox news commentators and they go on book tours. he's got himself

joan walsh is editor at large.lsh is editor at large at salon, and ron reagan is a political commentator for us. this is one features herman cain's chief of staff smoking, and it's going viral, because it's so an akronistic about cigarettes. let's watch. >> mark block here. since january i've had the privilege of being the chief of staff to herman cain. we need you to get involved, because together we can do this. we can take this country back. ♪ i am america one voice united we stand ♪ ♪ i am america one hope to heal our land ♪ >>> you know, i guess you want to starred with joan on this. it's so in your face. it's politically incorrect, i'm smoking on camera, which we don't do anymore, except in movies, i guess, but not on tv anymore, and i'm smiling about it, hey, i got you beat. the conservatives like that, but the conservatives live that in your face anti-pc behavior, i think. that's an akronistic, too. >> we're never going to get the hours back this year that we spent talking about herman cain. this breaks my

joan walsh with that discussion, as they are in disarray. that's next. >>> rush limbaugh lands in "psycho talk" for saying that democratic voters are uninformed? >>> the death of north korean leader kim jong-il leaves questions about the future of the country's nuclear program. i'll talk with nuclear weapons expert joe sarinsioni. tweet us your thoughts using #edshow. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." we're going to go now live to capitol hill. john boehner is speaking right after the republican caucus meeting. here it is. >> would take care of those doctors who treat medicare patients. the reduction in their payments. solve that problem for the next two years. and extend unemployment benefits with reforms for a year. exactly what the president asked us to do. our members do not want to just punt and do a two-month short-term fix where we have to come back and do this again. we're here, we're willing to work. we will appoint conferees and we hope the senate will appoint conferees. because we're willing to get the work done now and do it the

joan walsh and mike papantonio will be back to talk about that on the top of the republican ticket. nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. so i get claritin clear for strong, non-drowsy relief of all my allergies like dust mold pets and pollen. looks good. thanks. i live claritin clear. mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> coming up on "the ed show," the senate plans to vote on the payroll tax this week and once again the republicans are throwing out a bad deal that will slash jobs. senator dick durbin of illinois, on the democratic leadership team, is here next.

and also joan walsh, editor at large of salon.com. joan, great to have you. we'll start with you first tonight. you know, maybe i'm wrong. do reagan democrats still exist? we're hearing rudy giuliani say that that's who newt can appeal to. what do you make of that? >> it's so preposterous. first of all, no, they don't exist anymore. you know, it's a tough thing to talk about, ed, but you and i both know a segment of the white working class did go over to ronald reagan, did abandon the democratic party. some of it was race and some of it was just believing that government was out of control and some people were getting something for nothing. and it was kind of a tragic thing that happened to the democrats. but what we've been seeing in the last couple of years is that some of that coalition, the younger people, i mean, you're right, the older people are maybe not with us anymore. some of that coalition has come to understand that they are the new republican welfare queens and welfare cheats because it's the public workers now. it's the cops and the firefighter

joan walsh and mike papantonio will be back to talk about that on the top of the republican ticket. so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. >>> coming up on "the ed show," the senate plans to vote on the payroll tax this week and once again the republicans are throwing out a bad deal that will slash jobs. senator dick durbin of illinois, on the de

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joan walsh is editor at large at salon, and ron reagan is a political commentator for us. because you saw, what, the pain on the face of john boehner? he'd spent a lot of words there, basically saying uncle. >> yes. he practiced in front of a mirror saying it's the right time to do the right thing and all those other platitudes, chris, but that was a full-on cave. that was a political pratfall. and you know, i hear -- he's even been hearing from newt gingrich that this was the right thing to do. i think he might be talking to newt gingrich about what it's like to be ex-speaker and what it's like when your members come after you. because this is a full-on meltdown for the house republicans. and it's not pretty to see. you know, i mean, i smiled, but it's also, you know, it's so disingenuous, that they were the ones fighting for the full year and democrats or even the senate republicans didn't want that. but everyone's seeing through it. and i guess that makes me smile, that the entire country is seeing through this charade and these people cannot take our country hostage an

joan walsh from salon and joining us from san francisco and in washington, d.c., david corn, washington bureau chief. everyone in the republican establishment seems to be pouring buckets of -- you choose the substance all over newt. gingrich who would have made a marvelous marxist believes everything is related to everything else and he understands how. is this a desperate effort by the republican party to save itself from the unthinkable and the horrific out come as newt as their nominee? >> if you think they are desperate now, wait until you see what happens if he should survive if he should do well in iowa and south carolina. newt and he does not represent republican establishment. if you were to get it, they would say they were scared out of their minds about having newt reading the ticket. that would mean for the presidential race and for all the candidates below him. why do they say this? they know him. they worked with him. this man was speaker of the house for four years and he walked away from that position with less good will than someone who went off to jail. who knows him th

joan walsh is editor at large, salon.com. east." joan, great to talk to you. happy new year, merry christmas. haven't talked to you in a while. it seems to me -- >> you, too, chris. >> if you define a fertilized human egg as a person, a (%rá becomes technically, inthat fact, a murder. you're killing a person if you -- in any way interfere with the attachment of that fertilized egg to a uterine wall. an iud is a murdering instrument. it really gets completely far out here. in what people are actually putting into -- trying to put into statue. do you think people know what they're doing here, even politically know what they're doing. >> i think they do. i think they're trying to get through this primary and some of them may well believe if. you know, chris, you made the point when you're too extreme, you're too far right for the state of mississippi, one of our reddest states, you know you've gone too far. you know, you're getting to a point in the republican party where a female has more rights before she's born than afterwards

. >> joining me now is joan walsh, editor-at-large for salon.com and msnbc analyst richard wolffe, authorurvival in the obama white house." joan, let me start with you. is the president's message breaking through? >> oh, it's absolutely breaking through, reverend al. i mean, things are rarely simple in politics, but this kind of is, you know. the president had a very tough summer. he fought very hard for a compromise on the debt ceiling deal. he didn't get it, and his poll numbers suffered for that. he turned around. he began fighting back. he launched his job bill. he took a jobs tour. he gave a great jobs speech. he came out. he broke that bill up into pieces so that we had a part that would have gone for first responders to keep cops and fire fighters and teachers on the job. he became -- he broke it down very well. he -- he gave speeches and sound bites like you just played, and he really cast himself as a defender of the middle and working classes, even though he's not getting any cooperation from republicans. that has seemed to work. and i think there are a couple of numbers that ar

joan walsh is editor at large at salon.com and michelle goldberg reports for "newsweek" and the dailya while. seems like we're getting into a territory where people need to think about. if you define a fertilized egg as a person, perhaps even a citizen as far as i know action it becomes a murder, you're killing a person if you -- in any way interfere with the attachment of that fertilized egg to a uterine wall, in other words, an iud is a murdering instrument. it's completely far out here, and what people are trying to put into statute. do you think people know what they're doing here even politically know what they're doing? >> i think they do. i think they're trying to get through this primary. some may well believe it, but chris, you made the point, when you're too extreme, too far right for the mississippi, you know you've gone too far. you know, you're getting to a point in the republican party where a female has more rig@tr before she's born than afterwards. because this is just turning the clock back even on birth control. i think we've seen signs of this. the tea party came in

was chairman of the republican national committee, and he's now an msnbc political analyst and joan walsh is the editor at large at salon.com. let's all look at what happened today, late today. it's the breaking story right now. mitt romney speaking for the "new york times" board, editorial board. he's making a contrast between him and newt gingrich, clear as he can, in this excerpt from the "new york times" interview he just gave. let's listen. >> zany is not what we need in a president. zany is great in a campaign. it's great on talk radio. it's great in the -- in the print. it makes for fun reading, but in terms of a president, we need a leader. a leader needs to be someone of sobriety and stability and -- and patience and temperance, to think through issues and be careful in the choice of words he or she might express because the world listens. >> pretty strong stuff to call your opponent zany, michael. >> yeah, it is, and it's a little out in left field. i don't think it really gets where mitt wants it to go. i think it probably will wind up offending a lot of supporters out there fo