are you offended, michael medved?epublicans don't have a plan and there are people that are left out there to, you know, go absolutely financially destitute or live with the disease. what's your take on what he said? >> americans are too easily offended. i'm not a fended by it. i don't think it's a constructive contribution to the dialogue. right now this is serious. this is not gamesmanship. it's not ra-ra back and forth. right now there is a good plan on the table. it is called the wyden/bennett bill, co-sponsored by seven democrats and seven republicans. i don't see why everyone is trying to reinvent the wheel. i've had members of the u.s. senate on my radio show talking about this plan that would attempt to move us toward individual control, at the same time you get nearly all americans insured. why not work constructively instead of calling names? the american people are tired of it. >> he didn't call republicans a name. he said what they're -- what their plan is all about. >> it's not true. when -- >> it is true

the only member of congress to have attended yale law school with hillary clinton, michael medved. >> thank you. this on the surfraste face of it doesn't -- surface of it doesn't it seem like an uneven debate? tonight the president of the united states, the leader of the free world, with his magnificent elegance is going to be speaking to the entire world about his vision for bigger government involvement in health care. and here we are with 1.3 million individual americans, ordinary people, the same kind of people, ordinary people who came out at tea parties, who came out at town meetings, who made themselves known, who expressed themselves. seems terribly uneven. except it is a tremendously important demonstration of two different visions of health care and of society. one vision is top down. you make a big decision in congress, you make a big decision in the administration, and the rest of the country has to follow. more regulation. more tax money. more direction from the top. the other decision -- the other vision, is from the bottom up. ordinary americans making decisions for the

. >> quickly, michael medved, do we need more time? senate finance committee voted on an amendment to draw is out another couple weeks. do you really need more time? >> when you're talking about changing 1/6 of the american economy, yes, talking about more time to get more consensus is a good idea for the country. >> gentlemen, good to have you with us. >>> i asked our viewers what you thought. should the senate finance committee delay a vote on health care reform? 8% of you said yes. 92% of you said no, absolutely drive it on and let's go. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. for more information on "the ed show," go to ed.msnbc.com or check out our radio website at wegoted.com. "hardball" with chris matthews starts right now on the place for politics. msnbc. >>> james traffic cant. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in boston. leading off tonight. he is back. james traficant, the former congressman found guilty of bribery and racketeering is fresh off his seven-year prison snrngs the expelled politician known fo

speakers include michael medved and radio hosts and house minority leader john boehner. president obama speaks to a joint session of congress tonight about health care at 8:00 p.m. eastern although the coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. live on c-span and also on line at c-span.org and c-span radio. we will take your calls after the speech and the republican response. >> as the debate over health care continues, c-span's healthcare hub is a resource. watch the latest events, including town hall meetings, and share your thoughts with your own citizen video, including video from any town halls and you're going to. there is more at c-span.org /health care. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we welcome the white house correspondent for "time" magazine. how did the speech come together? guest: there was a debate after the august recess on when should the debate -- president take charge and control of the debate, which really ran away after the august break. initially when the president returned from martha's vineyard, a number of aids were suggesting that the speech be delaye