and nebraska republicans know that. and so nebraska republicans are now mobilizing to make sure that blue omaha thing, that one electoral democratic vote from omaha, nebraska, never happens again. and by mobilizing to make sure it never happens again, i don't mean they are redoubling their efforts to make their case to the people of nebraska that nebraskans should vote for republicans and not for democrats. that's not what i mean by mobilizing. what i mean by mobilizing, republicans in nebraska are trying to change the structure of voting in nebraska. change the means by which nebraska conducts its elections so that that structure will benefit the republican party in a partisan way. leadership committee of the republican party in nebraska at their meeting this weekend in lincoln passed a resolution demanding all nebraska republican legislators vote to get rid of nebraska's current election system in favor of one that won't run the risk of giving barack obama even one electoral vote. republicans in the legislature have b

republican, republicans don't like a lot of specific proposals from the president. not, say say, raise taxes even on wealthy americans. they don't like the aid to state government saying the states need to figure out how to get through this recession on their own. they view it as stimulus day jai gentleman view. here is what you get from a sense up here. some democrats say this isn't bold enough. most republicans say not right now, mr. president. remember we have this super committee that's charged with coming up with more deficit reduction, at least $1.5 trillion. the posture of republicans will be they will not take the president's bill separately, wolf, but they will take some of those proposals and maybe include them in the product of the super committee. that's what i would look for as you head closer to thanksgiving. don't look for congress to act immediately. if the super committee comes up with its work, do some of the tax proposals, can that debate be folded into the bigger package? the republicans say they're open to that. they also note that every time yo

the republicans don't.at today's deficit is most important because it determines whether or not the president manages to get his jobs -- short-term jobs program through. that depends in part on finding these deficit offsets. if he doesn't because the politics are so difficult, that sets up a big problem for the economy. as soon as this january, not just when the tax cuts expire next year. because a whole bunch of other stuff like that temporary payroll tax cut will expire. that could be a hit to the economy when it really doesn't have a lot of resources to withstand it. >> jim, it seems the white house is in a little bit of a box even in regards to the tone. at 10:30 this morning, what the president says. on one hand you'll have some of the washington/new york elite argue the president needs to be the adult in the room, have a larger conversation. on the other hand, he's going to sit there and say republicans have cut me off at the knees. boehner last week said -- basically ruled out most of the jobs bill.

but republicans seem to -- the current republicans seem to be forgetting how he got there. >> well, ithink they're also forgetting who he was and they're forgetting he wasn't this mean, vitriolic person. you know, i also said in that piece, it was like they were auditioning for a reality show, not to be -- not to hold the highest office in the land. and he didn't have that kind of meanness. and i think, you know, this crosses the political divide. we are looking for someone who doesn't want any part of that. well maybe not the people who applauded. but actually i think even in their hearts they are, they probably just don't know it yet. you know, we just obviously marked the anniversary of 9/11 yesterday and i was thinking yesterday that on 9/11 my mother and i stood at my father's bedside. he was already bedridden by then. and we told him something terrible had happened in the world. something terrible had happened to america. and everyone missed him so much because he would be able to say something that would comfort us. and i really believed that the majority of people in this coun

>> some measures that republicans would have no excuse not to support. republican ideas. but if you ask for a national audience, if you say, i want to speak to the congress and the whole country, you've got to -- that's a big moment. you've got to fill that moment. i don't believe it's all going to be kind of incremental -- >> okay. back to john. more time with that one. i'm trying to find out whether he wants to get something across the plate the batter can swing at, republicans. or a bad pitch. we know you won't give me help. let's not kid ourselves. i'll give you something ed shultz will love? >> this is the contradiction, though, chris. i think the president and people recognize the likelihood of republicans approving anything that would substantial alter economic conditions in the united states and election day is zero, and that would require a big figure to get passed and republicans are not going to pass something like that. the problem, if he proposes something really big and that shows the kind of fight that a lot of populists and people on left would really love

he got republican support, certainly a lot of moderate republican support. how does he get 51% and win re-election on a division campaign that is going to divide the country economically? >> i think the white house blombs this can be done. they think at the at the end of the day, a, they have enormous faith in his power still as an orator and his ability. you go out to obama campaign events and still see just last week in north carolina, 10,000 people in raleigh, north carolina, at just a jobs plan. you don't see that when you go to a republican campaign. >> here's the problem, you have got alienated independent voters. and this president has to convince these voters that the democratic party is -- believes more of what they believe than the republican party believed. that's kind of the key part because right now they're persuadable one way or another. >> they believe republicans have been more obstructionists than obama. they do. chris: will the president look better on the stump, get back, he's down to 39 in some states like florida, can he move back towar

race and the republican field. and up next, another exclusive conversation with that man, the louisiana governor bobby jindal. just today, he announced his endorsement of this race. where does governor jindal see the republican party going, that's next. [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities... ♪ in here, pets never get lost. ♪ in here, every continent fits in one room. it was fun, we played football outside. why are you sitting in the dark? ♪ [ male announcer ] in here, you're never away from home. it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. exci

some of them were republicans.re democrats trying to help their president and save their president and tell him he needs to get going on the economy. but the big news here is that there's trouble now for obama within his base. his base, he has economic concerns, but now he also has foreign policy concerns. jewish voters are concerned that he is, i think, 15 to 45 more pro-palestinian than he is pro-israeli. >> right. but republicans have been talking about this jewish vote going to republicans for a long time. it never happened. so that may be -- i want to talk about rick perry. >> until this week. >> well, we'll see. rick perry. you talked to him again, for "time" magazine, and i want to put an exchange up because this is interesting. the dynamic between him and romney plays out in part on this answer. you asked, do you feel pressure to temper some of your rhetoric, like calling the obama administration socialist? he says, no. i still believe they are socialist. their policies prove that almost daily. look, when a

>> for the republicans, it's part of the plan. >>> republican presidential primary voters are as confused

most republicans are not rich. my family was republican growing up.out for the rich when most of their own members aren't rich? why are they in bed with the rich people as a purpose? >> because they provide us money. because our political system is broken. both parties a look at political tourism. you write, i could see as nar as last november that republican party would use the debt limit vote. in other words a pro sewed you're used 87 times cents end of world war ii in order to concoct an entirely artificial fiscal crisis. then use that fiscal cries toys get what they wanted by literally holding the united states and global economies as hostages. so it was calculated from day one? the minute they won the house? >> yes, it was. >> michael, reporting on this. where did you find this guy? >> well he came into my inbox somehow or another over the weekend. i'm glad it was a fascinating piece. >> he is the inside man. this is like the tobacco industry. >> yeah. >> not like russell crowe here. >> this is not like me writing it. you have been saying these t

grow grow and there are twenty four states with republican governors republican legislators that have cut spending cut taxes and seen their unemployment go up and seen their g.d.p. go down so and in net net since president obama became president there's been about five hundred thousand government jobs that have been laid off that my recollection of the math is right. if those government workers in those republican states had not been laid off right now unemployment people will wait percent and obama wouldn't be in this trouble he's right am i looking at a conspiracy here or at least a political strategy you know it's the republicans keep state good in public and they keep making statements that government should shed more jobs that you know the state local and federal levels which is crazy because as you mentioned the new york times estimated that if we hadn't laid off you know close to six hundred thousand government workers and had been simulating get on me the way that obama wanted to we would have had a million more jobs today so you know in florida for instance there have been se

the nevada republican primary, nevada republican party, surprise, named nevada republican party chairman mark amaday. national republicans spent $600,000 trying to hold this district in the republican column. it has only ever been held by a republican. on top of the official republican party money, karl rove's conservative pac american cross roads kicked in another quarter million bucks to help amaday. the democrat in the race, nevada state treasurer kate marshall trailing in the latest polls by double digits. voting in this one will not close for another few minutes. in early voting before today, republicans did appear to be winning the battle for turnout by 19%. >>> to new york. voters are choosing a replacement for anthony weiner. congressman weiner stepped down in june after tweeting naked pictures of himself and lying about that. the seat mr. weiner held, new york's ninth, has not been occupied by a republican since before the great depression. democrats picked state assemblyman david weprin to run for it. he's the white guy in the white shirt trying to dance under the campaign sign

win the republican nomination. and if enough of the vestigial republican party, the older establishment republican party, if that remains-- though it's much quieter now--. >> rose: the main street republican party? >> if that remains the center of gravity firm will win the republican party. but we'll find out. this race is so interesting because now we have two credible exemplars of those two strains of republicanism before all of the tea party evan jell an candidates were so flawed they could never have been the nominee let alone president. now in rick perry off pure dysnation ofhat impulse and a very credible caidat who can go against bhirpl is a pure dysnation of a different kind of republicanism. also a very credibl candidate and we can see them fight it out and we will then know what the g.o.p. of 2012...2011 is. >> rose: i know what my guess is. go ahead. >> no, i i find very discouraging what polies we're going to see coming out of this. we're in the worst recession since world war ii, whatever you want to c

republicans. >> yeah. >> don't like mink coat republicans.ronald reagan showing it when the occasion called for it. let's watch reagan in action. >> is this on? >> yes. >> mr. green, you asked me -- i am paying for this microphone, mr. green. you know, i wasn't going to say this at all, but i can't help it. there you go again. they are in violation of the law, and if they do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated. there are cities in michigan -- oh, shut up. [ cheers and applause ] >> you know, firing those air traffic controllers, i'm pro union, was what sent the word to moscow this guy was real. >> yeah. >> i absolutely know that as a fact. it got over there. they said, he has steel in his spine, look out. i think when i met reagan one time, i was working for speaker o'neill and weren't exactly in friendly territory. i felt i was meeting jimmy cagney, not jimmy stewart. i think that jimmy cagney, don't touch the gutter, little tough guy from the street, you've got it. it's what people like

now the republicans not only seem to be having a problem but also the republican leadership seems unhappyh the field. >> that bill krystal article you mentioned gets to the idea that they look at the president and they see somebody who is so vulnerable, they say, you know, this is our shot. we've got nobody up there who can do it. so mr. krystal was asking for chris christie the governor of new jersey to come jump in the race. that's a bit of a pipe dream. they're in the business of pipe dreams because they look at the candidates out there. they've got a problem with each of them. this is a fight in the republican party between the candidates who might be electable beating barack obama and those who are true believers and the party is sorting itself out. who they're going to pick. >> schieffer: you know, i don't know if chris christie is or isn't going to run. but i am sure hearing a lot of republicans saying we wish he would run. would he be a tough candidate for the president, nora? >> i think so. i think they're most worried still about mitt romney because mitt romney as a general elec

big republican wins in the 2010 midterms. republicans take the house. then what does the republican majority in congress do with their big new majority? what do they do almost right away? >> it is a night for anger and recrimination in washington and around the country as the clock ticks down to a shutdown of the u.s. government. >> shut her down! just three months after the republican majority house gets sworn in under john boehner, they put the country up against the wall for the first near-government shutdown. that was just the first one. >> in washington, meantime, the threat of a much larger federal shutdown and what the white house describes as a potential financial catastrophe looms tonight. >> shut her down! again. that was government shutdown attempt number two. a few months later, that time over raising the nation's debt ceiling. that was just the second one. >> even as the campaign rages, so does another partisan fight over government spending here in washington. the latest deadline to come to an agreement and avert a government shutdown, fri

he became a republican as soon as there was a republican party.er since, i assure you he has been very conservative. and there's a lot of people who will say that, you know, perry makes george bush look like george mcgovern. so proving his conservative bona fideus is not going to be an issue. >> apparently he will have to prove them to michele bachmann, who is violated to our delight that you don't fire at other republicans, you just go after the democrats. i learned something that i did not know in bachmann's ad there about rick perry doubling spending in 10 years and also that he is running a deficit now. i haven't been reading, you know, the texas press every day, so i'm not that up on it. and this is exactly what reagan feared, is that information like that and attacks like that will actually inform the democrats about how to attack republicans. >> well, listen, i think you have mentioned ray sullivan's response, and i read it. and i think it was a pretty credible response. of course there's more spending now than there was. they have a better

>> the republican snub may be historic, but republican obsti-nance is not.ç >> of those seeking work have found it. >> it's deja vu all over again. >> imagine congress telling lbj, no, you're not going to give a speech here. >> let me warn you -- >> same thing with reagan, same with fdr. >> cross our hearts and hope to die, we believe in work for the unemployed. >> but the ideas of the republican candidates are historic. >> every idea being advanced by every republican candidate -- >> career politicians -- >> has been tried ieed. >> and i have a record, and i've got a record i'm proud of. >> mitt romney or governor perry or congresswoman bachmann. >> both ronald reagan and margaret thatcher. >> under president reagan, our country is prouder and stronger. >> cross our hearts and hope to die. >>> the one-day controversy known as speechgate is over. the president has accepted an invitation to speak to a joint session of congress about job creation next thursday at 7:00 p.m. eastern. that's the day after the first republican presidential debate that will includ

>> for the republicans, it's part of the plan. >>> republican presidential primary voters are as confusedrding to a new poll -- >> mitt romney has regained his lead.

we all know they are not republican. they are overwhelmingly not republicans. they represent 18% of the vote in 2008. they are anticipated to be as much of a quarter of the election in 2012. they voted in 2010 -- in 2008 overwhelmingly for barack obama, 66% voted for barack obama. 32% for john mccain. the reason this is urgent is part of the identity takes on the characteristics over time. it starts off after they clear certain barriers, begins to solidify. after a three presidential election cycles their partisan identity solidifies. they voted for john kerry in 2004. they voted for barack obama in 2008. this means republicans have 16 months to make inroads into this generation before we lose them for the rest of their lives. this is troubling to me. not just because i am republican but i believe the ideas of the conservative movement and ideas of the republican party actually have offered better solutions to the issues that are most important to this generation and the issues that affect them most directly. the title "american exceptionalism" is a reference t

over three quarters of republican -- of self identified republicans now call themselves conservativesnoted the energy in the party is with the tea party voters. very militantly anti-government vote wloerz surged into the party. n. 2010. the electorate is getting older, more blue collar, more conservative. i think you see this had in a diminished flexibility for the candidates to take position that's might reach out to the middle while alienating that base. the fact that they're so harshly pummelling perry for support of instate tuition for illegal immigrants is an indication of how difficult they will find it in some areas to reach out to hispanics. the fact that perry and romney are battering each other over who is less committed to social security is something that democrats probably will watch with some anticipation. none of that doesn't change the fundamental reality this is primarily a referendum on president obama's performance. you can see in those kind of audience reactions the pressures that are moving these republican candidates pretty much to the right although romney and p

i hope that he really puts it to the republicans. are you going to support initiatives to create jobs in america? we cannot cut our way out of this trouble? >> mr. king, good to have you with us tonight. >> great to be here. >> tonight in our survey, i asked, do you -- do republicans care about creating jobs for the unemployed? 7% of you say yes, 93% of you say no. that's the >>> there is no way obama can lose, no way, and tonight we're going to prove it, we really are. >> the white house dropping a political bomb shell. >> this is the right time to do it. >> president obama brings the fight for jobs directly to congress. >> asking speaker boehner, senate majority leader harry reid, for time to address a joint session of congress. >> that's exactly when the republican debate is scheduled to air on this network. >> the nbc news politico debate. >> at practically the same time. >> we picked a pretty good time to have a debate, what do you think? >> no doubt. >> john boehner, speaker of the house, can reject this request. >> republicans

you and i both know there are republicans in the senate. there are republican experts outside. businesspeople who would agree that you have to have a balanced plan. that has to include revenues on the most well off together with spending cuts. i think what he's done is speak to the mainstream of america. he has spoken his values. i think by putting out something that's balanced, i think it is going to cause a convergence and i think there will have to be those who come and work with this president because we have 9.1% unemployment, 14 million americans out of work. are they really going to say they're going to oppose the president's plan to cut payroll taxes for every worker and every small business? are they really going to say that laying off hundreds of thousands of teachers in our schools right now is not a problem? i really think that when they hear from the american people, you're going to see them come toward the president and we will have a chance to get some meaningful progress this year. >> well, gene, you're also -- the president is in a re-election campaign. it seem

but you're a republican. open your heart. would obama be better off getting a little tougher and grittier and stop being mr. nice guy? >> i think one of the problems he has right now is, i think he's fundamentally overexposed, number one. and secondly, i think he's in a bit of a conundrum. it's important for him to point out the seriousness of the problems that he inherited when he came into office, but he's been in office for three years and you, i think you just eviscerate yourself from a leadership perspective when you're constantly blaming, you know, other people for the problems that were around. so i just think he's in a difficult situation. people are angry. i think he should be less political. i think, you know, he should be out there, focusing on the duties of being president. and that's always the best path for recovery. >> you agree with that? he shouldn't point out the fact that he walked into an auto industry that was dead, a banking industry that was sick, a group of american consumers who were scared to death a

or more radical, something a traditional republican would hear as alien? here's what i'm asking, ask a modern republican to choose between bachmann and obama. bachmann and obama, again, obama. ask her to choose between obama and rick perry, and she'll start to think. that's where we are politically in this country this week, that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us, i'm glad to be back from vacation. "the last word with lawrence o'donnell" starts right now. >>> nbc pollsters have found one thing that republicans and detecti democrats agree on, nobody likes congress. >> not going to see a magic unicorn jump out of that bag. >> the president is ready to fight for jobs, and americans want him to win. >> his disapproval number is 51%. he needs it to be lowest. >> lowest ever job rating. >> i'm going to propose ways to put jobs first. >> jobs first, jobs first, jobs first. >> we're going to see if congressional republicans put country before party. >> will the ones stopping the president from winning also losing? >> this one specifically looks, it ap

which you'll remember was a huge year for republicans and republican turnout. didn't vote in that election and haven't answered a follow-up postcard from the county, the republican secretary of state in colorado is suing to keep denver from mailing you a ballot to vote this time around. so it's a lot harder for you to participate in the next election. we have been reporting on this all year long on this broad and sustained effort by republicans in the states to make it harder to vote. the question has been whether there would be any kind of response by national democrats. today there is one. it comes in the great state of ohio. where new republican governor john kasich signed a bill this year that would cut the time for early voting in half and cut absentee voting by almost as much. today the re-election campaign for president obama announced it would join the fight for a citizens repeal of john kasich's make it harder to vote bill. the obama re-election national field director sending out an e-mail saying "at a time when we should be expanding the number of pe

republican standard bearer. tea party officials say a lot of their voters won't turn out if romney is the republican nominee. rick perry is number one in the polling of republicans, and republican leaning independents. also, pier, 31%. romney, 24%. ron paul 13%. the rest of the g.o.p. candidates for the republican nomination are below 10%. from highest to lowest, michele bachmann, newt gingrich, her man cain, rick santorum, jon huntsman. so, rick perry today is the most likely g.o.p. nominee to challenge barack obama for the u.s. presidency in 13 short months. but, romney does better than perry against obama in general election polling of registered voters. romney versus obama. romney wins, 49% to obama's 47%. okay. now perry. perry versus obama, obama wins with 50%. perry, 45%. question, does this strike you as cheeky? for governor perry who late in live converted from democratic party to the republican party, to question romney's political conviction? i ask you, tim. >> i think that romney care is a huge diffi

i am a republican. i just want to bring your attention to something someone has already brought to your attention is that fool that called in from detroit or wherever else there in michigan and makes up the name and doesn't respect the 30-day rule. host: ok. we've got that, and we're working on that. thanks for bringing that up. now, what do you have to say about the president's comment regarding the republican vision of government crippling america? caller: are you there? host: i'm still here. go ahead. caller: clearly the president is going to say and anything he can at this point to stay in office for re-election. what that he says doesn't seem to matter anymore as much to even his liberal followers. they're kind of tired of his talk as well. thank you very much. host: asheville, north carolina. william, you're on the "washington journal." caller: yes, i'm a republican. and i would like to say to obama's statement concerning the republicans would cripple america, he's already got it on life support,

republicans republican up by six points, 75% democratic district.reporter, "new york post", good article, democrats trying to spin in. they want the democrat to lose. they want the republican to win. that will wake up obama. do you buy that? >> i don't buy that. i know fred dicker, great reporter that is just spin from democrats in new york who are panicked and democrats across the country who should be. he has to worry about bellwether states like florida, ohio. not very jewish districts that haven't gone republican since nine -- 1923. if this turns this is the biggest indicator this president is in grave trouble. >> the best way to wake up barack obama is beat him in november '12. >> sean: you sent me an e-mail today link to national review in the corner -- you've talked about, written about voter fraud. you're concerned in this district because it has a long history of voter fraud. >> democratic district attorney elizabeth holtzman uncovered amazing fraud. >> sean: this was in the late 70s, early 80s. >> yes, but i'm saying right now you have a l

what are the republicans going to do? very brief period, a few weeks, a couple of weeks, perry's here, finally we have our guy. >> they did. we've seen this movie before. the movie we're seeing now, it's like -- christie, please, we need christie. they were doing that about perry a few weeks ago. perry gets in the race and all of a sudden he is, frankly, let's just say it, it's a huge disappointment right now certainly to the republican professional political establishment that thinks he's going to get eaten alive on the campaign trail and in debates by president obama. they see an opportunity to take the white house this time with the right candidate, and they don't think they got it. >> it's too much fun reading these republican reviews, gene. i'm going to give you one more. erick erickson from conservative blog "red state," he writes today, rick perry stands on the precipice. another performance like last night could push him off the edge of support of people who want an anti-romney alternative but really want to beat

was that republicans laughing at that? >> that was scornful laughter from the republicans. here's the logic of it. what they say is if warren buffett thinks he should pay more taxes, he can do it voluntarily. of course that's not a policy the republicans follow. they would cut medicare. many of them would cut social security. they would cut a lot of other programs. they don't voluntarily refuse to do it. i haven't heard paul ryan say, you know what? under my plan if you're not yet 55, you'll never have made care. i haven't heard paul ryan promise he'll never use medicare and he'll go with one of his own vouchers. that was the reason for laughter of the republicans at the notion there would be wealthy people thinking it would be a better idea to pay higher taxes. >> congressman, this bill will move through a handful of committees at minimum and what are prospects in the house of representatives for this bill? >> i'm afraid they're not very good. as i'm standing hear i hear one of the younger republicans proclaim loudly the government can't do anything. these are people who d

support from some republicans. it is useful to keep in mind that the infrastructure bank is a proposal that was developed by the u.s. chamber of commerce, which is a great friend of republicans. also supportive of the afl-cio, a great friend of democrats. it has a lot of strength behind it in terms of lobbying and those who would advocate for it. but it does require spending that would be offset later, which is something the republicans are highly skeptical about, and rightly so. >> the president did not abuse the majesty of this venue, and my predecessors who called us about weapons of mass destruction in iraq and the purchase of enriched uranium, which did not exist. it was a difference in style in a sense that it was not given -- it was a far more energized -- it was the president on caffeine. we have seen a big decaffeinated barack obama the last several years. >> talking about $250 billion of tax cuts. republicans like tax cuts. why would not -- what do they vote for that? >> it is fascinating to watch them wh

re-election chances, and the elevation of republican sainthood of ronald reagan. >> among the republicantes this year is someone who volunteered for your presidential campaign, michele bachmann. >> i know. and i appreciate that she helped me out. >> she's -- i would love to overhear you two getting the chance to talk now. given how her politics have evolved. but i was thinking about that in reading in the paperback edition of the diary that's just out, you talk about teaching sunday school while you were serving as president. and your christian faith was one of the main things that america knew about you when they were introduced to you as the governor of georgia when you were running. >> sure. >> and now the profession of faith in politics is something that democrats sometimes try to do, but it has essentially become almost a republican marker with this rise of the religious right. how did the evangelical christian world, from which you come from, turn into the religious right? >> they turned against me when i was in office. >> yeah. >> you know, and the so-called moral majority and so