it is not good for the country to be so frozen and reflexively anti-obama. >> steve kornacki, and ari melber. >>> coming up, steve colbert's sister is running for congress in south carolina. and in the rewrite tonight, the most memorable, quotable state-of-the-union address in history. and just how it affected me. that is coming up. >>> i loved president obama's first inaugural address and his second, i was on the capitol grounds for both of those speeches. but as i sit here right now, i can't quote a single line from either of them. but i can quote an inaugural address from 50 years ago. and so can you. and there is a stunning new version now of president kennedy's inaugural address. we're going to show it to you later. you have to see this re-worked, reinterpreted version of this. it is an amazing new video coming up. [ female announcer ] switch to swiffer wetjet, and you'll dump your old mop. but don't worry, he'll find someone else. ♪ who's that lady? ♪ who's that lady? ♪ sexy lady ♪ who's that lady? [ female announcer ] used mops can grow bacteria. swiffer wetjet starts with a cl

it is not good for the country to be so frozen and reflexively anti-obama. >> steve kornacki, and ari melber. >>> coming up, steve colbert's sister is running for congress in south carolina. and in the rewrite tonight, the most memorable, quotable state-of-the-union address in history. and just how it affected me. that is coming up. at tyco integrated security, we consider ourselves business optimizers. how? by building custom security solutions that integrate video, access control, fire and intrusion protection. all backed up with world-class monitoring centers, thousands of qualified technicians, and a personal passion to help protect your business. when your business is optimized like that, there's no stopping you. we are tyco integrated security. and we are sharper. to prove febreze can keep this car fresh, we loaded it with fast food, sweaty hockey gear, and a smelly dog cage. and parked it at a mall. in texas. for two days. then put a febreze car vent clip on the dash and let in real people. it smells good. like laundry fresh out of like the dryer. yeah. a man fresh out of the s

joining me now are steve kornacki and krystal ball. >> thank you, ezra. >> steve, who are you wearing? >> sorry. >> this was a $12,000 sweater that nbc has generously provided. >> this is actually new, it was deemed unacceptable -- >> you do have a stylist. >> we're trying, we're trying. >> so to give you a real question here, steve, there is cognitive dissonance, people are -- they don't like government in theory, but they like it in practice. and this creates a certain amount of incoherence when we try to deal with the sequester. >> the only way i can put it, what is the overall top, the way they're dealing with congress. i think they tend to conflate the idea of the deficit as a problem with the idea of the economy as a problem. that is why as a coincidence, three times in the last 30 years, the deficit scored as the top priority. early '90s under bush, the start of the clinton presidency, and late 2008 to the president day, they have coincided with economic downturns. and there is a classic moment, i don't think it has been made enough of. bush, perot, clinton, in a town hall deba

steve kornacki, the host of msnbc's "the cycle", senior writer for salon. thanks a lot.for being here. >>> best thing in the world, an improbably sweet lbj valentine's day edition, coming up. >>> in the 1964 state of the union address, just weeks after president john f. kennedy was assassinated, the new president, lyndon johnson prepared an unconditional war on poverty in america. in 1941, as world war ii raged overseas, but for us pearl harbor was still months away, franklin roosevelt proclaimed in the state of the union that year the four essential human freedoms -- freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. in 1996, after his party's shellacking in the midterm elections, but before his landslide reelection victory, bill clinton proclaimed in the state of the union that the era of big government was over. we're too close in time now to know if any of the state-of-the-union addresses by our current presidents will be remembered as highlights in the history of that presidential obligation. but if we were to pick from all the modern s

>>> i'm steve kornacki. game cover.epealing the sequester something both sides can get on both with? >> i'm krystal ball. there's a push to spend more. it's an effort to get the economy moving. figuratively and literally. >>> i know how obama can end all this washington gridlock. tell republicans that if they don't shape up, he'll send them in to the octagon! >> all of her body weight and power and leverage. >> no, no, no. >> problem solved! >>> we are t-minus four days and counting until $85 billion in cuts move from the federal budget, cuts the way a blind butcher would do it. washington still locked on the sequester standoff. some say it's like armageddon with the apocalypse on the doorstep and that is bad but critics say it's like chicken little. not that bad. either way, i'm sure someone somewhere is working on a countdown clock that we can debut before the end of the week. maybe some nice nbc animator. in washington, the house and senate finally back from a ten-day vacation and offering partisan plans to replace t

i'm joined by steve kornacki, my colleague, ven vogel is the chief investigative reporter at politicolor is an msnbc contributor. welcome to all of you. steve, i want to talk about this piece in "the new republic." it's called why the gop is and will continue to be the party of white people. and it provides real historical context. i know you have seen it, too. how does a party which has traditionally at least over the last four years showns indifference, often times hostility towards minorities, suddenly change itself. >> i don't see the path. i couldn't sit here right now and tell you if they do this, if they nominate this person and if they change this policy, problem solved, but there is a huge problem here. the 2012 elections pointed to it. the republican coalition as it exists right now is only going to continue to shrink unless they can make inroads with this sort of rising majority that president obama tapped into last year. the one cautionary note i would throw into all this is rick pearlsteen who wrote about the '60s and '70s, nixon, goldwater, the rise of the right, he had

. >> i believe steve kornacki started to push that term on this program. >> that's right.ou heard it here first. right? so now finally maybe it will get the day in the sun. you should try again and see if that sticks this time. i was chatting with a colleague of mine about how sequester, that's not a catchy word. >> you know a democrat came up with sequester. republicans would have come up with something way better than that. >> the big ax. >> democrats might have gone for the meat ax or cleaver that president obama -- >> that's what republicans would come up with. >> absolutely. >> well, i do want to go on record. i came up with the big ax of 2013. >> which is a great title. >> this republican. >> i take -- >> the big ax is -- >> the big ax. >> one of those college football rivalry games. minnesota and wisconsin. >> a hashtag and all set. >> rachel, i want to bring up sort of a funny point. there's a list of things that cost the same as the sequester. one of them is the aig bail youth. the sequester about $10 billion less than what we spent on beer in 2011. 17% of what we

thank you, steve kornacki. thank you, susan milligan. it's nice to have you here. return, allow me to finish with the case for drones. it all comes down to keeping americans safe. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. ♪ i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios >>> let me finish tonight with this. the debate over whether to use deadly force against an american who is on foreign soil and tied to al qaeda. that sounds like a hypothetical straight out of my constitutional law class in my first year of law school. i can just picture us going back and forth over whether killing an american in these circumstances violated the fourth amendment's protection against unlawful seizure or the fifth amendment's due process clause. but this is no academic exercise. this is hardball on a world stage. and the safety of americans is at stake. i read the 16-page undated and unsigned justice department whit

. >> steve kornacki and professor bob shrum, a democrat ink strategist and a columnist for the daily day you wrote the republican panic stems from the fact they believed scott brown was their best hope. the boston herald reports tagg is considering a run, ann romney is a popular figure. has it really come down to this for the republicans in massachusetts? >> well, i mean, it really has. to put it in context, when scott brown won in the 2010 special election, previous to that for three of the four previous senate elections before 2010, the republican party basically took off in massachusetts. that's how -- 13% of the electorate is republican in the state. they basically gave john kerry two free passes and ted kennedy is free pass, too. in 2010 scott brown came out of nowhere and wins the seat. you're looking ahead to the special election and you say you have something here that's rare in massachusetts, a republican with statewide name recognition with broad personal popularity. fe takes his name out of the mix, romney is a name in massachusetts but it's not a popular name personally or

thank you, steve kornacki. thank you, susan milligan. it's nice to have you here.eturn, allow me to finish with the case for drones. it all comes down to keeping americans safe. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. i'm lorenzo. i work for 47 different companies. well, technically i work for one. that company, the united states postal service®, works for thousands of home businesses. because at usps.com®, you can pay, print and have your packages picked up for free. i can even drop off free boxes. i wear a lot of hats. well, technically i wear one. the u.s. postal service®, no business too small. well, technically i wear one. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. but, dad, you've got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident.

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had has gender equality hit a -- >> and i'm steve kornacki. that in your pipe and smoke it. >> oh, twitter pics of steve catching a quick siesta in the office before we air are always a hit. >> yeah. >> here's one from this morning. >> catching a few zs. >> this is a habit. >> is this is the pot segment -- >> yes, it is. >> this one happens to be my favorite. that was from a month or so ago when i caught him slumped down in his chair. you'll notice a couch right behind him. >> yeah, i'm raising six kids, right? >> that couch is really uncomfortable. i have tried it before. >> the chair's not comfortable either. >> steve, you're our inspiration for today's wheel of misfortune. we're going with sequester siesta. the cuts kick in a week from next friday. congress is in recess until monday. remember, the sequester started as a white house proposal. and republicans voted for it. but now, both sides seem more focused on avoiding taking the rap for it than they are trying to stop it. president obama is back from his siesta and back in the bully pulpit

we're joined by ken vogel, chief investigative reporter from politico and our very own steve kornackie cycle." steve, mitt romney is back. he's going to sit down for his first televised interview alongside his wife, ann. i bet in a month of sundays you couldn't get which television network has scored that interview. >> it couldn't be fox, could it? >> there is a very strong possible that you are correct. what can we expect from the great mr. romney? >> i wouldn't xm much. i would expect this is the first interview, it will be one of his last high profeel intile interv. the bigger issue there is i think the problem of the republican party is we can make all the comments we want about what a lousy candidate he was, he had difficulty connecting with people but he was tied down by republican orthodoxy that made it impossible for him from a policy standpoint to market himself to the middle, to market himself to swing voters. he was just stuck to all these tea party positions that the base insisted he take or he couldn't have the nomination or -- >> you give him a beat of a break. >> i don'

>>> i'm steve kornacki in philadelphia today. it's oscar weekend and we have the inside track of winning your office tactic. >>> i know a new segue. ef "silver linings playbook." you have to watch. >> zing. >>> the accused made a case to be released on bail. >> yes! >> some are happy but many still can't believe oscar pistorius is out on bail, even though he admits he shot and killed his girlfriend on valentine's day. bail was set at 1 million rand, $113,000. with only $11,000 due up front. that's a pittance for a murder trial here in the u.s. the judge ruled he is not a flight risk and not a doing tore the public. but he said the state's case isn't water tight and blamed former lead detective of possibly contaminating the crime scene. both sides will be back in court june 4th. we start with nbc's michelle kosinski who was inside the courtroom. >> reporter: this is an emotional week with the world watching, culminating finally in the ruling being read and seeing oscar pistorius break down, sobbing, shaking and his family hugging

krystal ball and steve kornacki, thank you for joining us. coming up, now it takes two, two, to respond to president obama's state-of-the-union address. but really, what can rand paul say that will be so different from what marco rubio would say? richard wolff will join me on that, and karen finney will join us, and later, the oscar nominated actor of "silver linings playbook" and in the rewrite, what does george clooney have in common with sarah silverman and maya angelou. we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of tim and laura. it's amazing how appreciative people are when you tell them they could save a lot of money on their car insurance by switching to geico...they may even make you their best man. may i have the rings please? ah, helzberg diamonds. nice choice, mate. ...and now in the presence of these guests we join this loving couple. oh dear... geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. >>> what does drew barrymore have in common with matt damon and art garfunkel? the one hint i can give you is the answ

. >>> still ahead, steve kornacki on the inkocharacter who shocke america into change. >> this containsictive. if i had my way i would say it is just as addictive as heroin or cocaine. we got nothing. we just bought our first house, we're on a budget. we're not ready for spring. well let's get you ready. very nice. you see these various colors. we got workshops every saturday. yes, maybe a little bit over here. this spring, take on more lawn for less. not bad for our first spring. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get ready for spring with this ryobi 18-volt trimmer, just ninety- nine bucks. i've always had to keep my eye on her... but, i didn't always watch out for myself. with so much noise about health care... i tuned it all out. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks. so i'm doing fine... but she's still going to give me a heart attack. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in number

>>> i'm steve kornacki. game cover.ster something both sides can get on both with? >> i'm krystal ball.

. >>> i'm steve kornacki. is football worth dying for?e league if itself. >>> i'm kristal ball. >> my plea to beyonce. maybe i'll sing it. watch and find out. >>> one of the ben filths of having the worldwide resources of nbc news behind you is that you get exclusives like this. the doj memo that explains why it believes it's perfectly legal for the president to kill any american overseas who's a suspected senior terror leader. according to the 16-page memo, the executive branch doesn't have to answer to anyone, not the courts, not congress. no one. it lays out a three-part kill list criteria, step one, informed high level u.s. official has determined the target poses a, quote, iminnocent threat of violent attack and clear evidence of an attack is not required. step two, capture must be, qu

. >>> i'm steve kornacki. is football worth dying for? former players take on the nfl trying to save the league if itself. >>> i'm kristal ball. >> my plea to beyonce. maybe i'll sing it. watch and find out. >>> one of the ben filths of having the worldwide resources of nbc news behind you is that you get exclusives like this. the doj memo that explains why it believes it's perfectly legal for the president to kill any american overseas who's a suspected senior terror leader. according to the 16-page memo, the executive branch doesn't have to answer to anyone, not the courts, not congress. no one. it lays out a three-part kill list criteria, step one, informed high level u.s. official has determined the target poses a, quote, iminnocent threat of violent attack and clear evidence of an attack is not required. step two, capture must be, quote, infeasible. and step three, the strike must be conducted according to, quote, laws of war principles. but this isn't a just in case guideline. the targeted killings of u.s. citizens have already happ

. >>> i'm steve kornacki. president obama has tossed out the old olive branch.a man who himself helped write four state of the union addresses explains who us how it takes shape. >>> i'm krysa tal. should the president go big by thinking small? it's monday and you're in "the cycle."

. >>> i'm steve kornacki. who will be the biggest loser? >> not me.tails out of south africa about the oscar pistorius murder case. is this really their o.j. strtr? >>> i'm s.e. cupp. the film critic dropping true bombs. >>> talk about a truth bomb, i'll lay out my case for why we need the gop. double boom. >> oh!

krystal ball and steve kornacki, thank you for joining us. coming up, now it takes two, two, to respond to president obama's state-of-the-union address. but really, what can rand paul say that will be so different from what marco rubio would say? richard wolff will join me on that, and karen finney will join us, and later, the oscar nominated actor of "silver linings playbook" and in the rewrite, what does george clooney have in common with sarah singlverman and mayaangel. the boys used double miles from their capital one venture card to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello. mother. mother! traveling is easy with the venture card because you can fly any airline anytime. two words. double miles! this guy can act. wanna play dodge rock? oh, you guys! and with double miles you can actually use, you never miss the fun. beard growing contest and go! ♪ i win! what's in your wallet? the words are going this way-there's no way. oh, the lights came on. isn't technology supposed to make life easier? at chase we're pion

. >> well, and professor, steve kornacki was telling me that also nixon's daughter was set to marry ike's nixon thought this is finally going to seal the deal. we're going to be this one big happy family and he's finally going to get the approval that he wanted from eisenhower. did that work? >> no, julie nixon's younger daughter and david eisenhower's son were going to clem and they fell in love. when they were 20 they got married. nixon never thought it was going to seal the deal and eisenhower thought it was going to derail david's career. he thought david should be thinking more about being a lawyer and doctor and not getting married at age 20 which, in fact, they did. >> jeffrey frank, thank you for joining us. >>> up next, the supreme court case on the docket this week that could change elections forever. [ coughs ] [ breathes deeply, wind blows ] in fact, they did. [ male announcer ] halls. let the cool in. in fact, they did. i remember the day my doctor said i had diabetes. there's a lot i had to do... watch my diet. stay active. start insulin... today, i learned there's something

>>> i'm steve kornacki in philadelphia today.g your office tactic. >>> i know a new segue. ef "silver linings playbook." you have to watch. >> zing.

with me steve kornacki focusing? >> how is she doing him a favor?now he's fat? he knows he's fat. he has a mirror. i'm sure he has a scale. again, i don't think this has anything to do with health. i think this has to do with the idea that people think that people overweight are lazy. and anyone that's seen the governor know that's not the case. i don't know why people think it's okay about making comments about people this size. >> totally inappropriate for her to reference the possibility of him dying in office. who among us, i know i certainly have, have thought i hope he's well. that's a lot of weight to carry on that frame. >> it's obvious to anybody who looks at him. it's one of the first things anybody is going to notice. it's going to be on everyone's mind. the risk for this doctor, his political opponents, the risk of drawing attention to it is it's just always going to backfire on you. when he jokes about it himself, he's coming across as self dep ri kating. when anybody else draws attention to it, it always looks like a coy or a sneaky wa

joining us now is steve kornacki, the co-host of msnbc's "the cycle."e is a senior writer for salon.com. good to see you. >> good to see you too. >> so i was trying to make the case there in the previous segment that the volume of political action to keep gun reform in the news and viable shows that they are cognizant, that reformers are cognizant of the way it's petered out in the past. they're trying to do something qualitatively different. do you think it's qualitatively different? >> i think it's quantitatively different, too. if you look at mentions of gun control in news articles, what you see in the pass is after mass shooting tragedy, after a week, two weeks, it's gone. still more than 50% more than a month of this, that's different than in the past. if you look at tracking social media, tweets involving gun control, second amendment, nra, things like, there they actually have been spiking weeks out from sandy hook. january 9th when obama announced the task force, january 16th. these terms are trending now. that suggests there's engagement here

. >>> i'm steve kornacki. who will be the biggest loser? >> not me.prising details out of south africa about the oscar pistorius murder case. is this really their o.j. strtr? >>> i'm s.e. cupp. the film critic dropping true bombs. >>> talk about a truth bomb, i'll lay out my case for why we need the gop. double boom. >> oh! >>> in breaking news today, it's february. >> what? >> and one of the largest winter storms of the season is slamming the nation's mid section right now with blizzard-like conditions. two traffic deaths so far are blamed on the weather and all of this snow is now blowing east. close to a thousand flights canceled nationwide. let's get the latest of nbc meteologist dylan d reyer. >> i show up and everybody knows there's a storm going on. this is in the plains, big storm. spreading eastward and will weaken. so by the time making the way in to northeast it shouldn't be bringing that widespread snowfall. new england will start to see some snow going in to saturday and sunday. right now, though, you can see the snow is continuing to pou

. >>> i'm steve kornacki. president obama has tossed out the old olive branch. coming up, a man who himself helped write four state of the union addresses explains who us how it takes shape. >>> i'm krysa tal. should the president go big by thinking small? it's monday and you're in "the cycle." >>> after having repeatedly examined my conscience before god, i have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the petrine ministry and the pope abdicated with only eight years on st. peter's throne shocking the 1 billion catholic faithful around the world. the's not a papal abdication in more than 700 years and surprised the close est adviser today. he's a theological conservative with strong positions against homosexuality, women priests and the use of contraceptives. the last day in the vatican is february 28th. the college of cardinals meets in conclave mid-march to elect a successor. the pope will not participate. there's you are surgency to hav pope seated before the holy week. we start with claud