and republicans did not stop thi the repuicans have had a feeble effort. it is the cb the president said we will expand coverage and t costs. a 9-year-old will ll you that that is a contradiction. th cboas shown it is a ntradiction in numbers, and th is killing it. >> the democrats in coress wt to risk bringing down as president -- if they do, inot onlyrings down his luster d mission and number but it also brings down in them. if they think they cago into 20 with a failed heal care and a president who is limping and wounded, and still prevail, they are kidding themselves. >> you went to a focus gro last night. what did you learn abouthat, abou how americanseel about th president? >> debbie will hours of 12 independent voters inowson, mayor -- two hours ofalled indepeent voters in towson, maryland read a piecof convenonal wisdom washington was totally exploded. that theresident is or exposed. people love e fact that the presidentis out there, that he is explaing, and they love to see him and hr from him. that includes mccain voterss well. but there is a nse

and many of hisstands enraged republicans as whenhe opposed conservave judicial appointments of repuican appointees. >> the ameran people deserve better. hey deserve competency nd th deserve thefacts. in baeball, it's tee strikes, you're ou. what is it for the sect tear of defse? -- for thesecretary of defense? gwen: no matter whih side o the dividene occupied there was little questn the senior setor from massachusetts was a consequential lmaker. david brer, you first met him in the springof 1960. so you get to star by telli us over time, what kin of legislator d ted kennedy become? >>e was 28 years ld in beckl west viginia, campaigning for his bi brother. an mobile handsome. -- and possibly hadsome. an he as not very preposseing. he didn'know a lot at that poi. he was a chamer and talked wonderfully well wth the fols that he et. t he didn't have a ot to say. as time went on, he scholed himself and becameone of the great legislators i tink of o time. gwen: he waalso one of the eat legislators who dealt wi some of the great setcks that would have killed another career. one of them of ours

otheise, if he is a repuican, there will be a special election than they do not haveo change the law >> [laughter] >> i do not tnk that will be a problem. >> i think the people of massachusetts wod think is a great idea tousinberre like that. -- to do something like that. >> i do not thi that they wa to be without a senor for five nths. it justaw what happened in minnesota. >> why did they changit? >> they changed it for political reasons. they will change it back for purely politicaleasons. hypocrisyeads to schear icketcrookedness >> in 19 between 196and this pas week, there has been e senate vacancy in massachusetts, in 1984 when john kerry was elted. politians milk -- mdle age and beyond have beenlanning theisenate campaigns. i think people need to take a long and surging personal ok at this race because its a no lose. you do t have to give up your current officeo run, so why not? >> can youive me some names? >> massachetts never elect a woman to the senate, as governor despite its liberal aditions. a democrat member congress fr somervill steve lyncha democric member of coerce --

. > onon the subject ohealth cacare, presidenobama ha harsh words today forr congrgression repuicans. after nthsf ininsisting nted a a bipartisann heahh care reform bill, the president acaccused republicans ofof a coornated effort to d defeat his top prioioty. jake tappeper is ae whihite house.jake? >> reporter:r: good evening, charlilie.e. for the first timepresidident obama said thaharerepuican ngional l leleaders are opposi heah care re f f demoats might go it t alone. crats thisfter, of f loyal president ama a said his partyt would papass healt refeform with or wiout republicans. >> i i havno control over what thother si decess ththeir politicacastragy. and my obligation tohe american peoplsasays we' going otr.et ts done, onone y or t the >>eporter: elier, the leaders of tryg kill healthn reasons.orm folitica >> i t think, early , cision adershipip t thasaid, "look,k, lenot give thehem a vivictor maybe wewe canave a a replay o 1993-94 4 whlilinton came inin he wantsts bipartisanbill, a forr now, b bipartisan negottios inhe s senate ntin. t one e those repubcan negotiatorors s prac

. >> reporter: actually, senator grassley is one of the few repuicans working with the administration on health care. as for town hall the president has two more this week, one in colorado, one in montana. brian. >> savannah guthrie at the white house to start us off tonight. thanks. >>> a lot of the emotion we are seeing at the townhalls concerns what the administration has been calling the public option. opponents like to call it a government takeover of health care. the basic question remains -- what does the obama administration really mean by this term "public option." tonight we launch an effort aimed at making sense of it all. our report from nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> this is not health reform -- >> reporter: in the health care debate, two words evoke a strong reaction. public option. >> why will be forced into the public option -- >> reporter: heard again today at a townhall meeting in maryland. >> i would like you to address how the public option -- decreases or increases our choices in health care. t. nothing has been decided to democrats want the federal government to creat

. >> as excted, the senate apoves sonia sotomayor for the supremcourt with the help of few repuicans. >>i do not believe that the constitutionells me i should refuse to pporter merely because i disagreewith her on some ces. >> congress comes up with another $2 blion to buy your cocker, but why sp there? >> why not a increase demand for boats, or how about rv's, or how aut refrigerators? captioned the nationalaptioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- happening a around the untry, congressional democra at town etings trying to sell the presint's health pla findinghemselves being shouted down. on the internet, there is docted video of the presidt appearing say that he will eliminate pvate health surance. the white house isighting back that. >> the people alws try to scar people when you bng them health insurce reform aret it again, and they a taking sentences and phrases out of context and cobing them together to lead a very false impression. >> linda dougls, the communications director ofhe white use office of health reform. e white house says its of vital isper cpaign under way to kill he

>>nd it needs to be said that there are legitite reasons why nservatives, be they repuicans or blue dogmocrats or any conservative, could be againsthis legislation. it's just not death nels or governnt takeover, but there are legitimate reasons ty could begainst it. the policy makerwho are tting this together are absolutely commied to doing this in a deficit neutral way. moyers: meaning? >> mning that they will pay foit through a combination of sangs measures and new revenues >> it ll not contribute to the ineased deficit? >> over e first ten years. >> but there's bit of a catch he. first, though, thas the ggest challenge they face. ofll the challenges they face, the toughest ones financing, financing, financing. it is coming up with that li of savings measures annew revenues. at really is the toughest nu to crack. and that's wt they're working away at. i think that you've got a real problem with co shifting this country. it's not as lae as the ministration has made it out to be. but when peoplcome into hospitals without insurae and they are hped in the process, as they should be,hat co

socialecurity wasone without a republican votes medicare didt have any repuican votes until the finalding of t bill when they didt dare vote against it. republicanare experts at guerrilla warfare when ty're the opposition and aren't as great at governing but they're terrific at rowing monkey wrenches in. the huge point ofetting a jority in theouse of senate and a democrati white house is we'd movehe countryorward again. thpresident made it clear he wants to move the untry. i think he wted a bipartisan cooperation. e american people would have liked that b the republicans have tak themselves out of it we're gointo have to do it on ourwn and the important thing is to get it done and get i done right. tavis: what i think doesn't matterround here with you as the est but let me add to this cversation that when we wereovering the campaign of president oba, senator oma at the time, there were a number of things we hear about what he wanted too on health care. you referred to it moment ago as the best heah care plan you'd ard of in 30 yea. we heard las summer in the campaign about sine payor,

so i thin he has been true to his campaignand the on question onhe repuican side is, is this go sow a genui winincere fort to get it right or a way o kill things? gwen: alexs? >> it is both. the party pparatus at large wants to go slow to stall o kill legislationthat they feel they can'tsupport that as the stamp of liberal left. but tse folks in the room in the coalition of the determined, those si, there arerepublicanswho are hor-bound to try to crate sometng out of the finance committee that can get partisan support and lso thr feeling is that's the last stop for sometng that might be truly biprtisan on the helth care. gwen: then ere are the distractions. we have -- sadly, his is oly water. there were othe beverages drunk inashington this week. >> amber. gwen: at least an aber glass, trying to imaginehere are suds here. what really was hat about other than a uge distraction fromthe prsident's genda? and ofourse i'm talking abo the beer summit a thewhite house beween henry luis gates jr. and sergeant james rowley ofthe cambrge police,the president and viceresident. >> i tnk it mostly

so we repuican andppreciated that serce in this program this evening.thank you for joing us.oi see you next time. e yo captioningponsored by roscommunications captioned by mediaccess group at wgbh access.wgbh.org narrator: it's anoer weekday morning, and the mad rush ion. but t for you. you are taking the day off. ♪ i'm so glad ♪'m so glad ♪ i'm glad, i'm glad, i'm glad ♪ in the next halfour, weta will show you where to go and what to do withour precious time. 's a quest for the unique-- over 15 mory-making ideas that will tu a day off into a day on. welcome to take the d off, the weta gde. ma we're going to head over toward that lake over the. narrator: rule number e for your much-deserveday off: ditch errands for adventure. n: just like in car, you justurn very gently to t right. narrat: expand your horizons, terally, with an introductory flig lesson. you can pilot a cessna 172, one of the most trusted small planes in the world. montgory aviation in gaithersbg offers affordable lf-hour discovery flht lessons, with nexperience necessary. it adventure f

. >> woodruff: in otherews oday, the lieutenant governo of south carolina aed embattled repuican governor ma sanford to resign. in june, sford admitted to ving an extramarital affair with an argentine man. tod, andre bauer reaffirmed s pledge not to run for the republican nonation in next ar's governor's race if sanford agrees to stepown. at the statehouse in columa, sanford had th to say to bauer'request. >> i not going to be railroad out of this office by political oppents or folk that were never fa of mine in the first place or who-- to put it a difrent way-- a lo of what is ing on now is pure politics, pla and simple. >> woodruff: sanford inot eligible to n for governor agn because he can only serve two terms under soh carolina law. new u.s. economic da out today showed better-thaexpected receries in the manufacturing nd housing sectors. the commerce deptment reported durable goods posted tir largest increase in two yes, with orders up nearly 5% in july. and there was a song gain in new home sas, up more than 5% last month. on wall street tay, stocks were only up ightly, in spite the

but oppositiofrom some repuican legislators who fear e release of dangerous criminals hasade that diicult e governor wants to give mor credit toward early releaseo inmat who complete education or dg programs; to deport non-violent illegal alis; and to release older, and inrm prisoners. and eve more controversial,-- says correions secretary cate -- to change nalties for some crimes. >> to reduceome crimes that can be prosecuted rit now with a prisosentence-- reduce those to a sdemeanor so that you serve your te in county jail. all told, we think that about 27,000 in the first year w won't necessarilye released, but we'll see that tal reduction in the system ove time. >> reporter: evyone agrees that if there arto be releases, pubc safety should beforemost. o inmate we talked to--servin a long sentence for muer--says inmates serving li sentences have the best odds staying lean on the outside. >> the men who wilbe released from prisonow, have a 75% recidivism rate in calornia. men who ve done life crimes, ho have the opportunity of being parole, we have a 0% recidism rate. we've worked on our

i think the repuicans made terrible mistake. the replicans have a serious problem this country.hey have lost suppo dramatilly, hemorrhaged support among yog voters, womennd latinos in particular. and they've got to figure out a way to getack. they lost wmen in the last five elections. they lo latinos better than 2 to -- the fastest growg ethnic group in the coury. th have lost young vote in the lt three presidentialelections by a 2 to 1 marvin -- margithis last time. >> woodruff: david tnks they votedgainst her ecause they think she's t liberal. >> 22 democts voted for hn roberts to confirm him and he was obviously conservative justic but i think that four the people whooted, that david mentionedoted are retiring, judy. senators greg bond a martinez and boyne very much sot is a dtressing thg. i think short-sighted on the part o the republican >> do the republins have a problem. >> i a minus butthat not w people will vo for or against t will be the bigger economiissues. mark is right they hav a problem but i don't tnk this wilbe a determining faor. >> woodruff:ll right, are y a d

. >> rose: is tony and colin powell the more repuican you identify with than say newt girich? >> well -- (laughter) >> let me put it thisway. let me put this wa. , i'm going to put this way. newt gingrich can win statewide eltions in georgia. colin powe can win statewide elections in coecticut. we don't have colin powells or tony zinnis in r party any more. ll, wve got a few, olympia snowee. >> rose: she wasery good this morning >> so good othe show but for evyone that wants to kick colin powell out ofhe party, i say d really think --. >> ros that is rush imbaugh, isn't it. >> well, it i a lot of people. i went out on my bok tour and i was ying to explain to peoe, if you want to be a naonal party aga, you got to win a seaor two in newngland. and let me te you sothing, people who lk ke me and talk like me from the uth, we're probably not going to do well in northeast harvard maine. colin powell wh. olympia snee will tony snow ll. >> i just thr that out there. i own northeast. i'm su it would be just le the book tour. vote for him. >> okay, if youay so, okay i will vot for him.

heicked bill ruckelshaus, a justice depament lawyer with a solid repuican pedigree, as s first administratornd ruckleshauquickly took charge. >> we had toelect some big visible polluters,oth industri and municipal, go afr them, make sure the public understoode were being responsive to eir concerns, anthat would energize the agency and get uin a position do things that needed to be done in order to addresshe proble >> smith: congress armed ruckelshauand the epa with a raft of neenvironmental laws, like the clean wat act, that imposestrict pollution limits and penalties for viators. the accalled for america'sóo>c6- wateays to be fishable and swimmable again by 13. it had strong bipartisan suprt in coness, but not, it turns 2x >> whewe finally passed the clean water t in the senate and the house, nixon vetd it. and for thfirst time in the nixon administrati, he had a veto overridden, substtially and signicantly. >> smith: and whatoes that say? nixon was out of step withhe conry? nixon didn't carabout the proble >> it was my ijysion-- and i'm a democrat so i'veot to be forgiven for that-but it w