let's go to michael steele. keeping it real with michael steele. dressed like chauncey. >> withering heighth. >> yes. i actually think it's one of those circumstances it's a win/win for both, romney showed he can be tough. i think perry's just politically dead on the illegal immigration issue. it doesn't matter what he does now. but that said, as you know because you've run for office, i've run for office. when you're trailing somebody like perry's trailing romney now, all you want to do in a debate is draw them into a battle. sit you and them next to each other. and by that standard, rick perry won. >> well, i'm with you, joe. but at the same time, yeah. >> i'm doing my best playing devil's advocate here. >> you want to be a little scrappy and perry was a lot scrappy. being in vegas, it reminded me of my former brother-in-law's fight. you think, wow. but in the case of perry, when you open that, you don't want the other guy to use it on you. and he got owned several times last night when he engaged that way. and the reality of it is, if you're goi

and michael steele, michael, that is the big problem.onsumption tax that would take away an income tax, i know a lot of conservatives that would follow you. and you can put whatever number you want. we know how washington works. a 9% tax becomes 11% tax, becomes 15% tax. oh, but we have this issue and there's been a flood in idaho. we're going to have to -- we've got earthquakes -- we're going to have to raise it one and we'll raise it half of one. this is how gas taxes have developed the way they have. this opens the door to higher taxes. >> well, joe, they don't call it a consumption tax for nothing. i mean, it winds up consuming a lot more than you'd think it does. and i think rick has made a very interesting pivot. and i wanted to ask him about that. i remember tweeting after the last debate that you had seemed to position yourself now to come out stronger on a number of these issues, particularly on two areas. national defense, national security, and the economy. because up to that point, a lot of folks kind of looked at rick santor

republican strategist rollins and michael steele on that and we' -- >> nobody ever gets what they want. >> you heard that right, especially with your do-nothing congress. >> i hope they won't reject the job act because of the word obama in the title. >> president obama fighting for his jobs bill. we'll hear live from congressman barney frank on how to fight the party of no. >> and the wall street protests are growing, and the biggest march is planned for tomorrow. is this the wake-up call for fairness we've been waiting to hear? hold on tight. "politics nation" starts right now. >> welcome to "politics nation." i'll al sharpton. tonight's lead, republicans get jilted. after weeks of speculation, new jersey governor chris christie said today he's not running for president, and gop voters better find somebody else. >> now is not my time. i have a commitment to new jersey that i simply will not abandon. so, new jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. the deciding factor was it did not feel right to me, in my gut, to leave now when the job here is not finished. >> christi

michael steele, where do you want to go? rick perry or herman cain?the momentum is certainly with herman cain. i think he's laid out, you know, a clear plan with his nine nine nine. he's been direct about it, concise about it, people gravitate towards it. i think he is sort of in one sense the christie kind of figure here in the campaign. he's, you know, been that way in the debates. and i think people are responding to him very favorably now. so that puts a lot of pressure, again, on perry to step up his game and show he's ready for prime time. mitt romney, again, 24%, 25%, slow and steady. he's building that momentum towards that first bell ring in iowa in early january where i think at that point he's looking to run the tables. and i think he's going to have a lot of fun between now and then watching everybody else continue the pining for someone else only to have to come back to him. >> really? and so in terms of rick perry, howard dean, we had mitt romney attacking his social security stance. he was saying yesterday and going after rick perry and

is michael steele right? >> no.hen was the last time somebody won the presidency saying things are bad. they'd be worse if i were not around. not since fdr. honesty is a great thing. you want to teach that to your children. i don't think you want to teach that to your presidential candidates. >> people are clambering for chris christie because he's authentic and honest. >> you can be authentic. the president has been authentic about the pain people are experiencing and the state of the economy and the fact that unemployment didn't peak at 8%, it went to 9.1%. there are some things you just probably don't want to be doing because you're going to see it too often in the future. >> the underdog response he made were to these couple poll ratings. 42% is his record low approval number there. who will win in 2012? barack obama or the republican candidate? 55% said republican candidate. 37% said president obama. so i was harking back to somebody bill clinton said his reunion weekend, susan page, when he said, you know, eve

. >> michael steele, former chairman of the republican party.r democratic pollster, of course, and jean cummings, for bloomberg news. peter pinch-hitting as our other panel person today. >> i'm honored. >> he got caught in the d.c. weather, because people think when it rains you've got to hit the brakes. herman cain. >> yes, sir. >> is he haagen-dazs walnut? tastes good for a long period of time. why is nobody believing herman cain? >> that's a very good question. i think they don't believe it because right now he has no organization, $1 million cash on hand. and with new hampshire now threatening about having about -- their primary on december 13th or the 6th -- >> which, by the way, will -- the new hampshire primary will be irrelevant if they're too early. everybody can say, well, forget it, i don't have time. >> it's all -- there's just noise. the reality, the schedule has moved up so you've got to have your game on the ground now. and he doesn't. so i think a lot of the political pros look at that and go not so much. this is where you put on

michael steele can't explain the 9-9-9 plan, either.told you herman cain will have to explain it. >> wait a minute. >> there was a democrat and republican, and neither of us can make sense -- >> that's not what i'm saying. >> michael steele, have a great weekend. lou, have a great weekend as well. >> thank you, reverend. >>> just ahead, the legendary singer and activist harry belafonte, and his memories of the civil rights movement and marching with martin luther king. stay with us. the postal service is critical to our economy-- delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. >>> this weekend, the pres

msnbc political analyst michael steele is a former chairman of the republican party. spondent for "national journal" and michael scherrer is the white house correspondent for "time" magazine. mr. steele, let me start with you and what we've seen from both perry and romney this week in these backtracks with romney issue two, with perry, birtherism. who has had the rougher issue to explain to primary voters? >> i think in one sense it's perry with the birther issue because that's been put to bed. and i think it just sort of drudges up a national kind of what? that doesn't really help him move from the cellar where he is. i think more substantively coming out and laying out a plan on economics. and the day he does that, the message is stepped on with the birther question. so i think that when you look at the week in total, i think perry has gotten the shorter end of that stick by issue of raising an issue that people don't give a -- about and doing so in such a way that it kills his message on economics. >> michael scherrer, what about the mitt romney back and forth when

wayne slater writes for "the dallas morning news" and michael steele is an msnbc political analyst. again we're back to what i call the san andreas fault of american life, and some live a lot closer to it than i do. the problem of racial discrimination, racial attitudes, racism. "the washington post" reported this weekend that a large rock with the "n" word for had years been visible at a hunting camp leeds by rick perry and his father. here's what "the post" reports. in a written statement, the governor said, "my mother and father went to the lease and painted the rock in either 1983 or '84, perry wrote. this is after i paid a visit to the property with the rock and saw the offensive word. after my visit, i called my folks and mentioned it to them and they painted it over during the next visit. time i saw the rock, it was paintve perry's memories differ from others who remember seeing the rock with that name at various points during the year t associ property through his father, partners, or signature on a lease. of those interviewed, the seven who saw the rock said the block-lette

michael steel is a former chairman to the republican national committee and now an msnbc political analyst and mark penn is a democratic strategist and former hillary clinton campaign strategist. mark, hillary's not running this time. i don't think. president obama is running for re-election. he has to make the case for a second term. he has to probably, we're just going to propose this now, beat mitt romney, the way it looks right now. romney's got some great many numbers. let me show you why we're proposing that. just came in from the new nbc news and the marrist poll up in iowa and in new hampshire. in the iowa caucuses, mitt romney leads among republicans, but herman cain is right behind him. ron paul and rick perry are both well behind -- well behind them. in the new hampshire primary, republicans overwhelmingly now go for mitt romney, more than 30 points behind him are both herman cain and ron paul, with rick perry down to fourth place up there. by the way, in head-to-head matchups, and that's what we're going to talk about right now, a possible head-to-head matchup, a probable one n

michael feldman, political analyst and former chairman of the republican national committee, michael steeleto you. what's the impact of chris christie coming out for mitt romney on the day of the debate in new hampshire? >> i think it is a game changer. >> really? >> yeah. i think it sends a very strong signal to the rest of the field that things are going to be moving in this direction. you have the ground swell of the christie excitement out there now being galvanized hopefully by the mitt romney team, so really puts pressure on tonight for folks to step up and to really kind of get in the face of this endorsement and say well, okay, you may have gone this way with christie and romney, but the reality is the fight still remains among grass roots activists that believe that cain, perry, bachmann or others are the stronger candidates. so it will be fun to watch in the face of everything else going on today. >> and at the same time, the president is upside down in polls in iowa and new hampshire, michael. for democrats, there are big warning signs. >> two states where he hasn't spent time in

. >> tonight bob shrum and michael steele on who is really fighting for the middle class.ongresswoman karen bass on the myth of obama's shrinking base, and she dishes on the l.a. dinner date. >>> a birthday shoutout to lady liberty, but not from them. >> i will build a double-walled fence. >> blame all the illeap -- >> that's not what she had in mind. "politics nation" starts right now. >>> welcome to "politics nation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, do republicans think americans are dummies? just check out the latest fund-raising e-mail from the republican national committee, sent out by congressman paul ryan. it reads, quote -- the safety net for the poor is coming apart at the seams, and no one in washington seems to care are you kidding me? suddenly paul ryan cares about our safety net? ryan cares about the poor, the same one-way ryan that pitched a budget that would essentially end medicare, the same paul ryan who leads the "cut cut cut" chant. >> of course we have to cut spending. >> significant cuts of spending and changes to the way we spend the american people'

joining me now, ed rendell, former pennsylvania governor and nbc news political analyst and michael steelermer chairman of the republican national committee and msnbc analyst. thank you for being here tonight. >> good to be with you, rev. >> mikeal, michael, michael. >> oh, geez. >> how can romney say he feels for the 99% when he says something like that about foreclosures and before you start spinning, and you're going to need a whole group of spinners to spin this one, but before you do it, nevada let me show you this, where they are debating tonight. >> right. >> nevada is number one, the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, so he goes to the state with the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, and he says let the foreclosures run its course. let the process do it so the investors can buy up the properties, put some renters in it and make money. >> okay. that's what he said. so what's -- what's your problem with it? >> okay. thank you. i thank you, mr. steele. we'll play that back as a concession speech. >> mr. rendell, do you have a problem with that? >> rev, you didn't ask me a q

former rnc chairman michael steele, democratic strategist jamal simmons. you to you both. >>> a lot of questions raised today after the fiery crash that killed popular indy car driver dan wheldon, the reining indianapolis champion. he was killed in a horrifying 15-car pile-up during the beginning of the race sunday. now questions are being raised about the safety of the las vegas racetrack and whether too many cars were in the race in the first place. more now from nbc's george lewis who is in las vegas. >> reporter: veronica, veteran race drivers say they have never seen a pile-up quite as bad as this one. cars crashing and spinning. some hitting the wall in flames. dan wheldon's car flying through the air. just minutes into the race on the 12th lap of the cars hitting speeds of 230 miles an hour, the tires on two of the cars touched, sending them out of control. >> oh, there we go. >> huge crash. >> go low! >> up in turn number two. >> multiple cars involved. >> oh, my. it looks like dan wheldon may be involved in it. >> reporter: wheldon had started the

. >> michael steele is an msnbc political analyst and former rnc political chairman. good morning. >> good morning. >> so is that the republican strategy? and you know this is the charge, you just keep saying no to the president because then he loses. you don't give him any lenls lative wins, he loses. >> well, yeah, that's what it looks like on paper. the fact of the matter is the people are expecting a lot more out of both the president and the republican leadership when it comes to creating jobs. and we're up against a huge clock here, not just the political clock in terms of next november but just in terms of people being able to sustain themselves and their families and communities. i think for the republican right now, they've really got to get in front of the messaging. the president has done a very effective job over the past week of going out into the country and laying down the gauntlet, if you will, a number of issues related to his jobs bill and i think, you know, we can not be in that position which they tried to put us in in 2009 and 2010 of just saying

. >> joy-ann is joining me and michael steele, former chairman of the republican national committee.se the crowd that herman cain appeals to, they want to see america through that rose-colored lens. he says, don't worry, there's no racism. it's sort of unfortunate. for a man of his age that lived through segregation, it's kind of embarrassing. i don't know if he really believes that or that's the role that he has to play. >> michael, what do you think about what joy has to say there? >> i agree with joy. you've got to keep it real, too. and the reality is that an african-american that goes to apply for a job, the first thing they notice about him is that he's black. whatever feelings he harbors towards african-americans, comes out at that moment. they have that feeling. that's part of the reality that we live with in the post civil rights era of the 21st century. and i also think what herman cain is trying to do is to elevate it on a place at the political playing field to try to make that race not part of the story as much as some would like it to be, set up the straw dog between a

we've got an expert here, right now, michael steele, an msnbc political analyst, and of course, the formernc chair, and another expert, who's independent, and a great journalist, of course, howard fineman, editorial director for "huffington post." michael, i want you to start on the inside and the outside for howard. he has a notebook open for this. if you look at the fact that all of this is coming pretty quickly now. we're halfway through october. november, december, and then the game's up. he has to have a plan to win the iowa caucuses, probably win or do very well, do decently well in new hampshire, and perhaps have to win by south carolina, at least compete. tell me how you would take these bulbous poll numbers and apply that and get it going on the ground in iowa to start with? >> i think, first off, you've got to right now the cain campaign is doing the holy crap, this thing is starting to gel for us. so there's a little bit of shellshock there, but the reality for him is to get off the book tour and really get on the ground in at least one of those two states. because if he posts v

we're going to ask the man in front of you, former republican party leader michael steele. he's our specialist and he joins the mega panel right after this. [ male announcer ] humana and walmart have teamed up to bring you a low-priced medicare prescription drug plan. ♪ with the lowest national plan premium... ♪ ...and copays as low as one dollar... ♪ ...saving on medicare prescriptions is easy. ♪ so you're free to focus on the things that really matter. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. or go to walmart.com for details. her morning begins with arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. . >>> can you name all 59 points in your 160-page plan? >> i must admit that simple answers are alway

four in the year only group stage down so in first place along with title defenders jonathan michael steele grease the army men will hope to continue their impressive your early march next week when they'll plate zagreb it seems which is yet to be with him. last year was the first i've been in a here's what he says kumble still failed to reach the coveted security finals since then it's stocked up on stardom and multi nations time the likes of john taken that call was does and it's all but that should be a large position every along with the force brought her will help with the return to the european summits model for a large scale. let's take a look at high things down to scar now level on points that kind of an icon for the top of big lazy greek side if it is a grand eighty one sixty two last night at the table on points difference. in football is any less he says he's a forty face squad to choose from for tonight's russian primarily game a win would put the same play just big side five points clear to the top of that side he says despite a hectic fixture list his squad is without injury

managed to gone something about thirty percent of the vote this is not suddenly a victory for the michael steele has not a single party can hold a majority in parliament he will have to form a coalition with other parties to be able to form the new government but certainly no asterisks have any doubts about the fact that some going to school be able to garner another coalition and be able to take his government for a second spell in power circles in poland and this in fact will become the first time since the communist regime and this is the communist times in poland the party somebody has managed to stay at power for a second spell in a row and in fact this comes as little surprise to many political experts this result has been pretty much predictable because the polls have been very much happy with the way the government has been running the country for the last four years according to all the surveys and opinion polls every half week with the fact that poll has managed to survive the global recession the era in the polish power circles signified the war in still in the russian pose elations i

for more on this mounting protest, we are joined by msnbc analyst and rnc chairman michael steele and dana mill bank of the "washington post." the president speaking at the inauguration of the martin luther king,jr. memorial said the nation is in an economic crisis that left millions out of work and struggling to get by. by using that rhetoric, was he trying to align himself with the occupy protesters we have seen around the world? >> i think so. i think a little bit trying to get as close as he can, not knowing what the end point is and what the overall objective is. what is the overall objective of these protests? if the profit report came out and there was a billion or a loss, how would that feed in as you open the show? the president is making a calculation and trying to get as close as he can without getting burned by the heat should this thing get hotter as the months progress. >> one network routinely referred to this as unhygienic. what are they seeking to cooperate for their own purposes? >> i don't think there is a lot of danger for the president. he needs to harness the ene

. >> joining me is michael steele. >> good to be with you, reverend. >> when i woke up this morning,ll the headlines were about romney the inevitable front-runner, suddenly just moments ago, nbc poll comes out, cain is number one. should willard be worried, michael? >> i love the willard thing, man. no -- well, yes and no. i think no to the extent that this one poll, taking overnight after i think herman survived a very good evening for him, and was able to keep pushing his 9-9-9 plan. yes, to the extent that if subsequent polls over the next two, three days come out confirming and affirming the nbc poll, then yeah, i think there's something to look at. >> let me help you out, michael. the poll was over four days and concluded before the debate last night. >> i understand that, but what i'm saying is it's one poll, and now we need to take a look at the polls that will be coming off the debate yesterday, and see how they match up against this poll that you've just released. you know, i have to say -- i'm sure you can appreciate as someone who's run for the presidency and knows what a

ask michael steele and ask clarence thomas. >> politico asked hemp.xual harassment. he was asked the question four times an cain never said no. but today, on fox, cain did answer that question. >> outside of the restaurant association, absolutely not. if the restaurant association did a settlement, i am not even -- i wasn't even aware of it and i hope it wasn't for much because nothing happened. >> politico reports the two accusers did receive sizable cash settlements and left their jobs after complaining about cain. still, politico is not revealing the accuser's names and the two women allegedly can't talk about what happened because that's part of the cash settlement. so the "talk back" question for you today -- is the right right? are the cain allegations high-tech lynching or fair game? facebook.com/carolcnn. facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> this story is moving pretty fast here. we're already heard cain responding and we'll see if he has more to say at the national press club in the next hour when he goes before

everyone from jesse jackson and michael steele said that is insulting and demeaning to africa-americans. >> guest: i will get a third of the black people they are at least thinking for themselves. the fact that they say that is insensitive, that is not insensitive as the president of the united states standing in front of a major black audience and scolding them because his policies failed the country and failed black people. that is more insulting to me than me using a term brainwashed it is their only weapon to try to silence me because i am a conservative. it is simply not going to work. >> chris: couldn't it be that africa-american have made up their mind clear-headed as you made up your mind about what is best for the country and for them? guest i run in people and share my plan. some black people, not all. they will not take my nine, nine, nine brochure because i am a republican. i call that being brainwashed. how can they make up their mind against something when they don't know what it is. some of them are brainwashed not to consider an alternative point of view if the person is

bide crystal ball and contributor and candidate for congress and analyst and former rnc chairman michael steeleto start with rick perry. we saw a lot of that speech, sound bytes from it. some are asking weird rhetoric. what is happening here? >> it was a little bit overexuberant, i would say. strange in contrast to his debate performances that have been very dead. if he can find a happy medium, that might be the place to be. for rick perry, he has to nail home the idea that this is an a versus b choice. a is rick perry the true conservative, the defender of conservative ideology versus mitt romney the flip flopper. i think his campaign is getting more disciplined about that message. >> what are do you think here? is this like howard dean? remember that moment we had seen on tape? >> the scream. >> exactly. i have been reading the headlines and you have been questioning the issue and the influence here. what's your thought? >> there is a lot of fun. there was a side of pery that a lot of people had not seen. she loose like that a lot of times. perry came out of this box more uptight than he is u