. >> rich? >> the navy seals who dispatched osama bin laden with lethal efficiency and did us all proud. >> i will give it to newt gingrich, john, if that surprises you. he went from loser to winner most effectively this year. i am not going to say what happens next year. >> thank you very much. the envelope. what am i doing? >> let's hear it from jay carson. >> johnny carson. remember him? the biggest winner of 2011 as pointed out the arabs. 2011 was the year when arab street rose unpassed from tunisia to egypt, from yemen to libya. the arab street brought to life the arab spring. so the arab street, the biggest winner of 2011. okay. biggest loser, pat? >> penn state and joe paterno, sadly. >> republican brand. presidents vulnerable that can't get their act together. >> john corzine who is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the political and financial elite. it's one thing to lose $1.2 billion in the market. it's another thing to lose it and not know where it went. >> how can you trace t

people, because rich people know rich people, that they can run for office with impunity and take chances on losing. they can come back year after year, until they finally win. >> yeah, i think that's exactly right, chris. politics is about what you have, what you need, and what you know, just like you said. so what we see with the explosion of the price of campaigns is that you either have to have a lot going in, you can be a self-funder, or you need a lot, which means that the people who may not be billionaires, they may not be mike bloomberg, the people who have high net worth and know a lot of people, their social graph is rich and it's a lot easier to raise this money. because we've talked a lot about the grassroots, small donor revolution, but that doesn't help you. >> george mcgovern, who was teaching at the university of south carolina, or gale mcgee, out of wyoming, another professor. the day when a good political science or history professor who didn't even have a law degree could actually become a senator are over. >> i think that's right. and i think what you see, you basicall

soak the rich, the same old stuff. the old obama of 2008 is gone. >> don't take it so personally, pat. stagnant thinker, grover norquist who drafted his no new taxes in the heyday of the 80s needs updating. >> thomas freeman happens so much on his envy for china style planning. >> what's left of the birther movement. they are still hanging in out there. >> most stagnant thinkers, israelis and palestinians. another years of ups and downs, commings and going, highs and lows. in the end no solution to the 70-year-old conflict. most stagnant thinkers. okay. enough already. >> warren buffett. my secretary pays a higher tax. cut it out, warn. pay the woman some more money. >> go, warren, go. enough already, the republican debate and the kardashians. maybe they can all get together on the stage. >> rich? >> joe biden. his scott hartnell glorifycation are occasionally amusing but always tiring. >> donald trump and sarah palin. >> enough already. enough whining about political partisanship. america is in crisis. the nation's fu

on the poor and that liberty is pure which is to go to all and not to the few or the rich alone and i am not among those who fear the people they and not the rich are our dependence for continued freedom and those seeking profits where they given total freedom would not be the ones to trust to keep government pure and our right secure indeed it has always been those seeking wealth who are the source of corruption in government jefferson even warned us that we should never never ever in his words quote be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow sufferers and quote people for some reason think the constitution said that only rich white male landowners could vote but none of those things are anywhere in the constitution while our new country was far from perfect in many of the states in our early years women voted blacks voted and even people who lived in the poor houses the george washington appropriated federal money to pay for voted although over time most of the states individually took away a many of those rights the way scot

some of us argue for taxes on rich rich people in this country but this is not happening any time soon more than half of the members of congress are million earth so they're very wealthy people and when all their campaigns are funded by big corporations by the wealthy you know all that if they want to get reelected they're going to have to be good to the people who are giving money to their campaign this leaves behind those in need are those who in fifty dollars. with nothing left but to hope for a miracle this holiday season. and. and for more on all this here with me now is writer and activist jesse let greg i'm going to various i'm going to introduce you talk more to him and just a moment. but first i want to show him. and show you to take a look at some more of these examples of this great american divide take a look at this it's an airman as a diamond crocodile skin bag with a retail value of one hundred forty thousand dollars and if that doesn't satisfy your need to spend exorbitant amounts of money and how about this a d k n y per fuel bottle with a one and a whole bunch of zero

just keep the rich rich, i guess, instead of taking care of the people who really need it. >> that'sust wrong. there is no middle class no more. you're either poor or you're rich. >> reporter: millionaires also received $89 million to preserve their ranches and estates. $75million in residential energy credits. and $9 billion in retirement checks. all together, $30 billion in tax giveaways for millionaires, according to this report. >> this is the worst of corny capitalism. we see taxpayer dollars being given to those who really don't need it. and this is something that we think that the tea party organizations and the "occupy wall street" people could agree on. >> reporter: tax fighters and the "occupy wall street" crowd are indeed in rare agreement on this issue. >> it's unfair. why should i have to take a student loan it go to school and people that already have stable career and lifestyle are getting money just handed to them? >> nearly 1500 millionaires paid no federal taxes in 2009 according to the subsidies of the rich and famous. >>> it is getting chilly around the bay area!

give some of that back that's why some of us argue for taxes on rich rich people in this country but this is not happening any time soon more than half of the members of congress are millionaires so they're very wealthy people and all their campaigns are funded by big corporations by the wealthy they know that if they want to get reelected they're going to have to be good to the people who are giving money to their campaign this leaves behind those in need. but nothing left but to hope for a miracle this holiday season. and it's our duty. to remember that you can always find more stories comments and analysis on our website let's have a look that right now twenty four seven a click away you can find i can such as ground control to the i assess and other russian satellites source to the stars all string communications between space travelers. and a new war for south korea plans to install tree shaped steel towers along a much militarized border with its agitated northern neighbor. what you got to straight to our breaking news here a russian billionaire and a businessman that mikhail p

rich people have money. >> eric: smart people from berkeley really rich?. we're not all poor people. people who give money, a lot of them are rich. you just said more compassion. you are confusing me! now you're saying it's not important. kimberly? >> kimberly: can i tell you where you went wrong with this? >> greg: what? >> kimberly: berkeley. my are you giving this study credibility whatsoever. i agree with you in the introthis is ridiculous. this is what they come up with berkeley because they have so much money and so much time. >> greg: i did the story because it practically writes itself. >> andrea: i don't like these. we are taking the bait. every time the left gets the right to talk about who is better, rich or poor people. the left jumps up and down and they win. this is a false debate. this is ridiculous quantitative. >> honestly, i think it's common sense. poor people identify with people who are down and out because they are poor, they have been poor. rich people have not. >> andrea: that is the biggest line you ever heard. look at someone like

that's why some of us argue for taxes on rich rich people in this country but this is not happening any time soon more than half of the members of congress are millionaires so they're very wealthy people and when all their campaigns are funded by big corporations by the wealthy you know that if they want to get reelected they're going to have to be good to the people who have given money to their campaigns this leaves behind those in need are those who in fifty dollars are still the but nothing left but to hope for a miracle this holiday season. and especially. and to talk more about this i spoke to activist and writer jesselyn greca as we just saw some americans seem to be living in this dichotomy between the haves and the have nots so i asked jesse what does this deep divide say about the economic state of the u.s. today here is his take. i believe that our state of economic strength is crippled in a large sense because if there are millions upon millions of americans who go without health care without access to affordable education without me literally on food stamps and losing their

not rich, but others.rals don't care about religion, we don't care about our faith. president obama is a man of tremendous faith. because he doesn't go to church every five minutes and talk about his relationship with god doesn't mean he doesn't care. >> i don't disagree with a single syllable you just said, but issue has been that you can't say christmas tree. you can't have a manger on public property. that's the kind of thing that gets i think -- >> that's what the courts have decide. >>> if you want to see the whole hour, and i know you do, rich. >> i do. >> friday night on our sister network, tnt, p.m., you will watch it and see if this president has a war on relinlon and war on christmas. >> i love christmas, hanukkah. >> cnn has a war on republicans is the issue. >> well you be here. do you have a year on you? >> old stereo types. >> there you go. give peace a chance. >> thanks very much. >> republican presidential front-runner newt gingrich is stepping up efforts to reach the evangelical right. can

i'm just asking that, going by your principle. >> well t tax cuts for the rich -- the rich 1% pay over7%. they are taxed enough. they creigh yait the jobs. that's not why you brought me on here. >> i just want to see if your principles are consistent or not. they cut the tax rates for the rich. 39% would have the clinton tax cuts back again. your party, if it is the republican party opposed restoring the same tax rates we had during the economically excellent 1990s. your party is protecting the rich. >> wasn't president obama, today, patting himself on the back that $40 is going to help every american family? if americans need $40 a pay period, what is going on. i'll buy 12 gallons of gas rather than 35 when he took office. we want boehner and the democrats to do, all of them, to drastically change the way washington does business. borrowing and spending is a nightmare disaster. it's about to happen to us like europe and greece. >> it's good for a protester. you are a protester. you get paid a salary, staff, you get staff salaries to be participating in governing the united states. tha

the movies have had very heroic rich people. batman, there's a billionaire.e fights crime. >> oh, oh, i see. so it's okay for me to be rich as long as i wear a mask and risk my life fighting criminals without superpowers, mind you, just gadgets that i have to pay for myself. well, guess what, i already tried that. as the untouchable hedgehog. >> jon: i remember that. all you did is curl into a ball at the first sign of trouble. [laughter] >> yeah, my fighting technique has to reflect my animal persona. duh. >> if it bothers you, why don't you make your own damn movies about how great rich people are. >> why make movies when i can simply remake old movies and remove their anti-wealth bice. it's a matter of editing. take it's a wonderful life, for example >> jon: holiday classic. >> classic left wing propaganda piece. with a little trimming, it can have a happy ending. >> i suppose it's better if i had never been born at all. ♪ alud lang syne [laughter] jon your happy ending is jimmy stewart committing suicide? >> yes. obviously. did you see this movie? jimmy s

and essentially poor money in the rich people in the form of tax benefits and tax cuts and increasing wages the jobs will squirt out the other side and obviously that's not true if it was true given the tremendous increase in inequality of the last thirty years and the tremendous decrease in the effective tax rate on the wealthiest americans if there was a shred of truth to that argument we would be awash in chops but if you understand the economy as complex adaptive system as an ecosystem which is what it really is and which is the essentially the argument of this new book that we just published you instantly recognize that jobs are a consequence of a feedback loop between consumers and businesses and in that very real sense it is the demand that middle class consumers create that is the thing that creates jobs not not entrepreneurs and certainly not rich people so that's definitely not the argument that you ever hear coming from capitol hill specifically not from the republicans but why then is that just taken as fact is you know if as you explained it makes sense that people need t

you said it i read it and the common are going to washington these days is that you can't tax the rich because they're the job creators over this thing to a one percenter after the break who says that that is a flat lot. into only military mechanisms. to bring justice or accountability. i have every right to know what my government should do if you want to know why i pay taxes. i would characterize obama as a charismatic version of american exceptionalism. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so silly you think you understand it and then you. hear or see some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't know. welcome to the big picture. if. i'm laurie mr. don't believe the repetition of. what a test nobody seems to know. never a pepper sprayed the face but part of the argument that they're being overly dramatic. our guys time for you said it i read it right take time to respond to my brilliance and engaging viewer comments from facebook twitter and you tube because when you've got something to say i listen now first on responded to commenters the wa

everyone in the one percent supports the republicans agenda of protecting the interests of the super rich at the expense of the ninety nine percent. you know this it looks like civil unrest and economic destruction are about to be exported from greece to italy the new banks to run government formed in the wake of silvio berlusconi's resignation has approved a new austerity package that will raise the retirement age of all italians and let the inflation destroy their pensions the austerity measures also target government spending and dissolve several several other government programs the spending cuts are so painful at the minister of labor and welfare also for narrow broke down in tears while she was announcing them during a press conference. next week to see when the he spat. mckinney's moon leaches minutes eleven and you wouldn't get. it least of. if this if it is that if you took a movie think of the. new prime minister and former bank's third mario monti said austerity was needed to save italy but as we've seen in greece us dirty has only pushed that nation closer to bankruptcy and br

that's not soaking the rich, is it? >> well, it depends on your perspective.pared to zero, which is what these people paid just a few years before, it's a substantial burden. certainly, it was perceived as such. >> reporter: was there a big political movement to try to reverse this? >> there was a huge movement to try to reverse that, president harding advocated return to normalcy after the end of the first world war, and his treasury secretary andrew mellon was instrumental in reversing that... that trend. >> reporter: banker and industrialist andrew mellon, whose foundation is on the upper east side of manhattan, served republican presidents throughout the 1920s. >> andrew mellon was one of the richest men in america, and he had a plan for repaying the wartime debt and stimulating economic growth, and his plan was to cut down the tax rates dramatically. and that's what republicans proceeded to do. the top marginal rate came down from 77% all the way down to 25%. >> reporter: and stayed down. for evidence of tax cut effectiveness, proponents like arthur laffe

that was all part of life's rich tapestry. i meet someone like you and i think i've missed out here. you've lived a life of total serenity. >> we all have challenges. the scripture calls it fighting the good fight of faith. that's when you know god's in control. i used to get frustrated when things weren't happening the way i wanted to. i had everything worked out, and my plans didn't go the way i wanted it to. now i've learned to say, god, here's my plans for today. i'm going to do my best. if it doesn't work out i believe you're in control. you're opening the right doors. what we don't hear a lot is sometimes god closes a door on purpose. i used to think, oh, god, that was a good opportunity. why didn't it work out? i've learned now just to trust. god knows what's best for each one of us. >> we had the tenth anniversary of 9/11 recently. it was extraordinary being, you know, in america. i was in new york city. after it happened, i came back here. it's very hard to tell god fearing people who've prayed all their lives, it's v

i love when a born rich guy tries to explain how he's not really rich. howard, should he just shut up about this and accept being a rich guy in the campaign? is there any other way to play this? >> no, a couple points. first, that's called a generation skipping trust, trust in estates. so yeah. they engineered that nicely. what struck me, though, lawrence, is that mitt romney who until a few days ago was so aloof from the media that he wouldn't even give time magazine an interview for a cover story they were doing is showing up everywhere except on the step of the penny saver in concorde, new hampshire. he was at the boston herald, who hate him. he was at "the new york times" which he disdained for months. gave an interview to "the washington post." the new i'm behind everywhere but new hampshire mitt romney, and i made the $10,000 bet mitt romney, is suddenly making himself available on the theory that his quote sober reasonable, nonzany behavior when contrasted with knew the will somehow lead to the rehabilitation of mitt romney. i don't see any eviden

. >> i think i have met more unhappy rich people. i went to soweto township, they're living in poverty and their spirits were alive with happiness i. couldn't understand it. i don't understand it. but it was a fact. i saw it with my own eyes. why is that? you must have been in many of the places over the years. why can poverty stricken people sometimes find joy in their lives? >> i think there's not so many distractions, they have their priorities where they love their family, they're with their family, they don't have a million things getting them off course. they take every day for what it is. getting up and enjoying family time and not fighting a lot of the battles. >> does he ever get angry? is he always this content, happy chap? >> angry, no. is he happy? yes. i'm sure there are things that -- >> what gets him to flip out? >> i don't think he flips out, but he likes things to be right. you know, i have watched him when things aren't right and he chooses to see the best in the situation. he's great about finding what is right. yo

give some of that back that's why some of us argue for taxes on rich rich people in this gun. but this is not happening anytime soon more than half of the members of congress are millionaires so they're very wealthy people and when all their campaigns are funded by big corporations but i do well be you know that if they want to get reelected they're going to have to be good to the people who have given money to their campaigns this leaves behind those in need are doing for it to . be with nothing left but to hope for a miracle this holiday season. and especially if you're going to party. and found the roads and squalor of new york to add debt ridden bureaucracy the troika to bureaucrats had to athens just days after leaders failed to push through a deeply unpopular economic union which is already tearing the block apart more and ahead. russia's president dmitry medvedev has ordered a probe into all a geisha is a fraud during the parliamentary election just over a week ago sow's of opposition protesters across russia held rallies over the claims calling for a complete rewrite o

anyone want to tell rich he was wrong? don't tell bill he was wrong. >> i will tell rich was right and bill as well. i had dinner with my long- suffering bright a couple of years ago with somebody who had been very high in the lindsay administration, but of course, swamped the william f. buckley forces in 1965. and he had been keeping score over the years as the mayor turned over from dinkins to guiliani to bloomberg and all of the rest. in the campaign of 1965, bill had recommended 22 specific proposals, all of them brinded extremist by the "the new york times", every single one of them in serial fashion. they had all been adopted in subsequent years but one. and i was dying to find out which one it was. maybe it was the elevated buckley byway. so, even though we have 13.8%, we won. and that is a message for all conservatives, especially young people at yale. i know you feel like you are facing a chinese army, but they are going to run out of food. think of it that way. [laughter] >> yes? >> short question. pardon my -- p