however, i am the only person on msnbc who has melissa harris perry as a guest on the show tonight. which means i win. even if the competition today here was brisk. >>> campaigns and the media get >>> campaigns and the media get extra excited in years like this about endorsements. it's essentially like listen, you might not like me all that much, but look, you like this other person, right? and this other person likes me. so by the transitive property, can i have your vote? so there was lots of news coverage when a social conservative sort of fundamentalist leader in iowa named bob vanderplats made his endorsement this year. >> i believe rick santorum comes us from. just not to us. he comes from us. he's one of us. and so i look forward to the next two weeks to see what i can do to advance his candidacy. >> to refresh your memory, this is the guy with the marriage vow. he says he'll only support a candidate who will vow to vigorously oppose "any redefinition of the institution of marriage through statutory, bureaucratic, or court-imposed recognition of intimate unions which are poly

however, i am the only person on msnbc who has melissa harris perry as a guest on the show tonight. if the competition today here was brisk. and adorable. everyone have their new blackberry from at&t? it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir. dennis, check in everywhere you go on foursquare. that's mayor dennis... of the water cooler. you're the best. liz, rock out to pandora. oh, no i'm an only child. and nick, you shouldn't even be here, you can do everything from the golf course. good? good. [ male announcer ] on at&t, blackberry® torch moves at the speed of 4g. ♪ >>> campaigns and the media get extra excited in years like this about endorsements. it's essentially like listen, you might not like me all that much, but look, you like this other person, right? and this other person likes me. so by the transitive property, can i have your vote? so there was lots of news coverage when a social conservative sort

now time for the last word with lawrence o'donnell, tonight with melissa harris-perry. have a great night. >>> quick game of word association, boehner, fold. >> we begin with the massive game of political chicken going on here in our nation's capital. >> a flurry of words today from all sides. >> a faction of house republicans have refused to support this compromise. >> sorry, but the president's like, y'all are in this mess. >> this handling or this chaotic handling by the house republicans may, in fact, help president obama's re-election. >> minority leader mitch mcconnell has even broken his silence, urging speaker boehner to pass the short-term payroll tax deal. >> when mcconnell comes out and separates himself publicly from boehner, there has never been daylight between the two of them politically until today. >> has this place become so dysfunctional, even when people agree to things we can't do it? >> you have senate republicans, the white house, the "wall street journal" editorial board essentially saying cut bait, make the two-month deal and let's move on. the.

spent and now melissa harris-perry argues that negative stereotypes of abbott in america would affect their political engagement. this last an hour 10 minutes. >> thank you so much for coming out. i know it is very rainy and end of the week, and all that sort of thing. i've been excited about the opportunity to come to humanity ever so that fan of favors going to be the chance to present the book in this particular environment. so, what i would do is try to take as little time as possible actually to present some of the main ideas of the book, just so, you know, what kind of project it is and then i would like to just kind of opened up a conversation. i'm happy to talk about questions from the book, or to talk about sort of american politics more broadly. because i know that many of you may know me much better from my sort of public roles than from an academic role. so this book, "sister citizen," is a long time coming. it feels like i've been doing a lot of press lately about the book. people keep saying why did you write this book now? i didn't write this book now. i've been writing

their payroll taxes should be extended to that greater amount of their income. >> professor melissa harris-perry, thanks as always for joining us tonight. >>> ahead, president obama's fight for fairness is working. we'll show you why the president is surging. plus, newt's plan to make poor kids janitors might be closer to reality than anyone thought. we'll tell you how the right wing war on the poor is happening right now. >>> and all of a sudden willard is everywhere. the real reason behind the media blitz might surprise you. you're watching "politics nation," on msnbc. this new at&t 4g lte is fast. did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte

joining me now melissa harris-perry. today. >> nice to see you. >> we're talking about what we haven't seen happening for women. there is a lot to discuss from the socioeconomic to the political aspects of all this. as an educator, how would you rate this year overall? >> it's sort of the best of times, worst of times kind of story. i think this is part of why it's we can miss the worst of times part because there are always elements of very clear women's accomplishments. for example, secretary of state hillary clinton, the idea that a woman could have been first lady and then become senator, run for president and now secretary of state. it makes us think that everything is okay. actually i taught a course this semester, i just submitted grades on women in politics in media. it is stunning how much ground we're actually losing not just -- not making new ground, but actually losing ground in both of those areas. >> a recent interview it was said when it comes to overskoming stigma to progress women are their own worst ene

last night on the rachel maddow show guest host melissa harris perry asked george washington university professor jeffrey rosen why the supreme court has agreed to hear these politically charged cases. take a listen. >> in the arizona case, they certainly didn't have to take it. and because justice elena kagan is recused, that means you could have a 4-4 tie. four conservatives against four liberals. if that happens the lower court decision stands which means the obama administration wins and the law doesn't go into effect. but, nevertheless, the fact that four justices wanted to hear the case, presumably four conservatives, suggests there might be four votes to actually rule in favor of arizona. the health care is different. you have such a division among the lower courts. the obama administration was begging the supreme court to resolve the uncertainty. so the court had little choice but to take the case. but the fact that two conservative federal judges, very respected conservatives, have upheld the health care law recently makes some people optimistic or at least cautiously optimisti

melissa harris perry, a columnist for "the nation." writer and radio host of studio 360, kurt anderson. and "washington post" columnist and msnbc contributor, jonathan capehart. thank you guys for joining me. house republicans are going at it alone and bucking repeated calls from their colleagues in the senate. minority leader mitch mcconnell has even broken his silence, urging speaker boehner to pass the short-term payroll tax cut deal. meanwhile, eric cantor is trying to draw the president into the fray. let's listen. >> i saw the president out yesterday, doing his christmas shopping. saw he brought his dog with him. you know, we're here. he can bring his dog up here. we are pet friendly. >> pet friendly up there. eric cantor clearly trying to draw the white house into this battle. is it going to work? >> it's not going to work. the president has been at this since the fall when he tried to get them to do a one-year extension. the president, with the -- he said, okay, fine, if you don't want to do that, and we'll give you all these c

. >> msnbc contributor and writer and mother and just everything, melissa harris-perry, always a pleasurethank you so much. happy new year. >> happy new year, craig. >> of course you can read her columns on thenation.com. >>> model cindy crawford supported president obama back in 2008. not this time around, though. the top celebrity endorsements so far in our flip side. my name's jeff. i'm a dad, coach.. and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke -- and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've h

democrat from missouri and chair of the congressional black caucus and msnbc contributor, melissa harris-perry, a professor of tulane and columnist. thank you for joining me tonight. >> good to be with you. >> congressman, how can republicans play these political games when so many people are hurting? i mean, children, not republican children, not democrat children, children sitting there and they still play these games? >> reverend, having served as the mayor of kansas city, missouri twice and now here in congress, i have never, ever been more moved and in some ways angry -- angered by the testimony that i received like i was today. it was unbelievable to hear these kids, through no fault of their own, talk about how difficult it is for them to just make it from day to day. now, these are not people who are just trifling and don't want to do anything for themselves. some of them worked and did anything that you would expect any kid to do just to try to make it and right now 97.3 million americans are considered low-income. these are people who are working every day trying to make it. this is

melissa harris perry is filling in for rachel tonight. melissa, good to have you with us. thanks, ed. appreciate it. >>> thanks for you at home for staying with us the next hour. rachel has the night off. imagine if you will a candidate for the president of the united states. with a personal and professional resume that looks something like this. was born in an american city but spent most of his formative years grows up overseas. was raised in a nontraditional family without his biological father. became a success in politics later in life mostly on the strength of his speeches, his reputation as a great orator, is often viewed somewhat derisively as a brainy professortorial type. is someone who is privately religious and religious at times has been the focus of his candidacy. imagine a candidate for president like that. grew up abroad. great speech maker. likes to compare himself to lincoln, has religious beliefs that raise questions for opponents and sort of professorial. anyone in particular come to mind? anyone fit that description? three weeks from tomorrow is the fi

and msnbc contributor melissa harris-perry, thank you so much. it's always good to see you.up the flip side from hollywo hollywood. what happens when celebrities enter the political circus. this is msnbc. >>> well, politicians in washington may not always hold back when criticizing hollywood, but our flip side today takes a look at the moments in 2011 when stars decided to fight back. matt damon has long been an outspoken supporter of president obama, but this year, he took aim at the president, saying he has misinterpreted his mandate and doubled down on a lot of things. >>> next some fire sparked between bruce springsteen and governor chris christie. the boss slammed christie in his hometown newspaper for his budget cuts that reduced services to those in the most dire conditions. >>> miley cyrus certainly may not be known for her political acumen but the teen starlet ripped into republican presidential hopeful rick santorum on twitter to express her outrage over his opposition to gay marriage. >>> and eva longoria also took to twitter this year, calling out newt gingrich w

. >>> on last thursday's show, melissa harris perry introduced you to this guy. >> i use the word aggressively it is -- the comments just on the video have been like donated. they just say donate and say i just took a kid off the floor in malawi. to know you could possibly make that effect in the world by making a video is truly incredible. >> that's evan pushac who created a project for awesome video about the kind fund, kids in need of desks. his video was seen by over 200,000 viewers on youtube and helped push us over the $1 million mark in how much we've raised since we began reminding you almost two weeks ago of our partnership between msnbc and un you sef to deliver desks to african schools. i met evan this afternoon in los angeles and was able to thank him for his work. his brilliant video was entered in the project for awesome, which has now raised 14,269 dollars for the kind fund and that $14,000 is in addition to the $142,116 that we have raised since friday afternoon when i last discussed the kind fund on msnbc on alex wagner's show. i promised alex then that i would credit her with

chris hays is host of up with chris hays and melissa harris perry is hoving the rachel maddow show tonightbecause you can do it forever. good or bad year for obama? go first. >> it was a pretty good year politically. what's striking is how much they bounce around and a fairly confined space. we tend to follow it and waxing and waning and he is up and down, but the popularity is bouncing around between 40 and 50%. about half. i think he outperformed the fundamentals. if you look at how bad the economy has been for how long it has been, politically he is in a better situation and i'm speaking politically. he is in a better position at the end of this year than i would have predicted at the beginning. >> i think i have to be in the same place politically. he gave us his long form birth certificate finally putting that to rest. for a significant period of the year there was this conversation about whether or not the man was a citizen. that parts hz gone away. the osama bin laden assassination was enormously important for his historic record. more than that, he is going into the iowa caucuses.

i watched your segment with melissa harris perry last week and was so inspired ten desks were donatedave taught me so much over the course of my years. the sight of those children so eager to learn, they would sit in the dirt brought the spirit of the season back to one who had all but given up on the commercialization of a holy season.ç >>> coming up, newt gingrich says the video he's done with nancy pelosi is the most embarrassing thing he's ever done, and that is not true. we'll show you an even crazier video moment in newt's life. and in the rewrite tonight, what the nypd needs to do to police the lawbreakers in its ranks. it's time to fire the out of control cops who have attacked occupy wall street protesters and the reporters covering those protests. on my journey across , i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. >>>

i'm melissa harris-perry. rachel has the night off. the day before the 2008 democratic primary in new hampshire, one day before that election, there was a legitimate bona fide game-changing moment on the campaign trail. barack obama had just won the iowa caucus and hillary clinton was probably at the lowest point in her entire presidential campaign. then this happened. >> you know, this is very personal for me. it's not just political. it's not just public. i see what's happening and we have to reverse it. and some people think elections are a game. they think it's like who's up or who's down. it's about our country, it's about our kids' futures. and it's really about all of us together. i have to many opportunities for this country. i just don't want to see us fall backwards. >> that moment, make not that moment, alone, but that moment helped hillary clinton come from behind and win the new hampshire primary in 2008. she was a little bit down on her luck heading into new hampshire, but that moment served to humanize her a little bit i

i'm melissa harris-perry. rachel has the night off. the day before the 2008 democratic primary in new hampshire, one day before that election, there was a legitimate bona fide game-changing moment on the campaign trail. barack obama had just won the iowa caucus and hillary clinton was probably at the lowest point in her entire presidential campaign. then this happened. >> you know, this is very personal for me. it's not just political. it's not just public. i see what's happening and we have to reverse it. and some people think elections are a game. they think it's like who's up or who's down. it's about our country, it's about our kids' futures. and it's really about all of us together. i have to many opportunities for this country. i just don't want to see us fall backwards. no. >> that moment, make not that moment, alone, but that moment helped hillary clinton come from behind and win the new hampshire primary in 2008. she was a little bit down on her luck heading into new hampshire, but that moment served to humanize her a little b

melissa harris-perry, thank you very much. your daughter is great.er back there. >>> coming up, a new ruling in south carolina, weeks before the critical primary in that key swing state. and later from the repeal of don't ask, don't tell to a record setting number of same sex marriages in one day. it is the big markers for lgbt issues this year. going to have that in the flip side. that and more. you are watching msnbc. quiet co. yes. but lately we've been using k-y® intense™. it stimulates arousal so the big moment is... (announcer) k-y® brand intense™ - intensifies female satisfaction. everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow. ♪ but you tonight [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ [ male announcer ] build

. >>> i'm melissa harris-perry in for lawrence o'done this will evening. the breaking news of the day the standoff over the temporary payroll tax cut extension is over. for those of you playing at home, it is president obama, 1, house republicans, 0. now, here is how house speaker john boehner who wanted to take the compromise deal last week, started the day. >> the house passed the bill that would extend these policies for a year and it just kicked the can down the road, oh, my goodness, we are getting close to christmas is not the right thing for the american people. >> and here is where boehner ended up. >> senator reid and i have reached an agreement on payroll tax relief on behalf of the american people. key parts of this agreement are that on january 1st no american work letter see an increase in their taxes. we will ensure that a new complex reporting burden is not unintentionally imposed on small business. we will ask the house and senate to approve this agreement by unanimous concept before christmas. middle class families and small businesses are

i'm melissa harris perry. lawrence will be back and "the ed show" is up next. >>> good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show." tonight from new york. john boehner caves and accepts the senate's payroll tax cut extension. it's a win for the democrats and a win for 160 million americans. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> if you can get this fixed, why not? why not dot the right thing for the american people? even though it's not exactly what we want. >> republicans have caved, and middle-class americans get the victory. tonight, chuck schumer of new york on john boehner's failed strategy. representatives garamendi and ellison on what's next for the democrats. and e.j. dionne of the "washington post" on the lasting damage this cave causes for republicans. >> i don't think it's unusual. i do think prior presidents would have done the same thing. >> mitt romney gets busted taking another new position regarding the president's decision to kill osama bin laden. democratic strategist bob shrum is

thank you, again, to jesse, kurt, jonathan, and melissa harr harris-perry, who will be filling in fore last word" tonight. she will be asking what santa claus has to do with democracy. do not miss it. that does it for now. i'll see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern. but until then, you can follow us on twitter @nowwithalex. the indubitable, the impossible chris cillizza is in for andrea. what a way to begin the holiday season. hello, chris. >> alex, your check is in the mail for that introduction. >> thank you. i'll be waiting by the mailbox. >> thank you. have a good day. >> you too! >>> up next, we expect president obama to speak live at the top of the hour about the impasse over extending the payroll tax cut. >>> plus, in our daily fix, the war of words heats up between newt gingrich and mitt romney. >>> and with just over a week to go before iowa, we'll talk expectations with the rick perry campaign. "andrea mitchell reports" is next on msnbc. people love the surf & turf. you can't go wrong. [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's surf & turf. 3 grilled combinations all u