turner plays the brash, outspoken journalist molly ivins. >> i don't see politics that top to left. it's from top to bottom. the only political questions who is getting screwed and who is doing the screwing. >> i took on the role of molly ivins because i love the woman. i got to meet her several times over the course of the years. we have many common causes, our activism meet. she was an advocate for women and women's health. so our paths crossed in that way. i had a chance to get a sense of the woman's huge love and enjoyment of life and that's very attractive. >> molly ivins was a liberal texan, syndicated columnist and best selling author who died of breast cancer in 2007. through turner's performance ivins' humorous political commentary lives on. turner's show ran in philadelphia last year. she brought it to dc before the election to inject ivins' attitude into the polestar of politics. >> to bring it to d.c. before this election would be probably the most useful thing i could do, you know, as an actor and as a presence for women now in this because this is very much -- it's als

you and molly ivins, what a pair. >>> up next, highlights from last night's al smith dinner where presidentbama made a special apology to me. i didn't need it. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ female announcer ] born from the naturally sweet monk fruit, something this delicious could only come from nature. now from the maker of splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial. ♪ it's all that sweet ever needs to be. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. is efficiently absorbed in small continuous amounts. citracal slow release continuously releases calcium plus d with efficient absorption in one daily dose. citracal slow release. introducing the new droid razr maxx hd by motorola. now more than ever droid does. >> back to "hardball." first to last night's al smith dinner up in new york. as you can see, i was up on the dais at the big event seated right behind president obama and mitt romney. here is the view i had from my seat. i have to say, thanks to tom moran

'molly ivins insists on integrity and honestly in politics.' does that compromise you that he now has said nice things about you in front of everyone? >> guest: ah, that--that does. i've--i've often wondered--in fact, i'm--i'm glad my publisher called him and asked him for the blurb and that i didn't. i think it's bad policy for a journalist to owe a politician. i really do. c-span: jim hightower's on here, too. >> guest: yeah, but he's not a populist. c-span: 'thank you, jesus,' he says, 'here comes molly with another power-packed volume to cure what ails us.' you friends? >> guest: yeah. oh, yeah. favorite... c-span: same kind of politics? >> guest: ...fella--oh, yeah. jim is one of the great texas populists. you know, the populism started in texas. i mean, that's where the movement first came out of that thin, stoney soil in the central hill country of texas. and for years we had wonderful populist representatives: wright pattman in congress and sam rayburn, ralph yarborough in the senate. and the best texas politics were al--politicians wer

up next -- you and molly ivins, what a pair. >>> up next, highlights from last night's al smith dinnerresident obama made a special apology to me. i didn't need it. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ female announcer ] with swiffer dusters, a great clean doesn't have to take longer. i'm done. [ female announcer ] unlike sprays and dust rags, swiffer 360 dusters extender can clean hard to reach places in less time. swiffer. great clean in less time. or your money back. and his new boss told him two things -- cook what you love, and save your money. joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest. he'll start investing early, he'll find some good people to help guide him, and he'll set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. >>> mitt's got big plans right out of the gate. >> i will repeal obama care and stop it in its tracks on day one. starting on day one, i'm going to do what it

starring right here in washington in a play called "red hot patriot, the kickass wit of the great molly ivins>>> up next, highlights from last night's al smith dinner where president obama made a special apology to me. i didn't need it. this is "hardball," the place for politics. >> back to "hardball." first to last night's al smith dinner up in new york. as you can see, i was up on the dais at the big event seated right behind president obama and mitt romney. here is the view i had from my seat. i have to say, thanks to tom moran and his global food program concern for taking this great photo right in front of us there. in his own joke-laden speech, the president de a specific apology regarding his performance in that first debate. >> i particularly want to apologize to chris matthews. four years ago, i gave him a thrill up his leg. this time around i gave him a stroke. >> that was something. now to more of the night featuring both presidential candidates. >> a campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. blue jeans in the morning perhaps, a suit for a lunch fund-raiser, sport coat for di

molly ivins is our guest. here's the book, "you got to dance with them what brung you: politics in the clinton years." thank you very much. .. at 8:00 the 77 at book awards held annually at clove -- cleveland. weekly "of a words program ." the partisan. visit booktv.org for more on the weekend's television schedule. from the heritage foundation in washington, d.c., conservative scholar charles kessler presents the thought on presidency and what he deems are the quote, fatal contradiction, end quote, of liberalism. he was there for about an hour. >> good evening. i'm matthew, vice president of american studies here at the heritage foundation. we are in for a real treat. here we are approaching election. which pretended to be a water shed, recognized by both political parties as turning point. a change debate about the role of government, free market to the future trajectory of our nation. in that debate, campaign commercials and political rhetoric abound. sound bytes, daily reactions dominate the news cycle. lu