back. remember, this that is a good word. i am bringing it back. remember, the sense stops here. sean:-- the spin stops here. sean: an effort to reach a compromise, and that move was precipitated by the announcement of joe lieberman yesterday on "face the nation." let's take a look. >> you have to take up the medicare buy-in, and you probably would have to take out the class acts, which is a whole new entitlement program which in future years would put us into the deficit. strengthening cost containment is something all of us favor. sean: meanwhile, the president is predicting the passage of the bill before the christmas holiday. here is what he said last night on "60 minutes." >> do you think is going to pass before christmas? >> i think is going to pass out of the senate. >> have you been involved in that process? >> i have been involved the whole time. sean: it now looks like it will not be the type of bill the president had in mind. he is summoning democrats to the white house tomorrow for a meeting on health care, and it looks like senator lieberman will join them. here is the minnesota congresswoman. congresswoman, welcome aboard. >> thank you very much, sean. thank you for the opportunity. sean: is health care dead? is it dead? with the ring on the vine? >> we can only hope that it is dying and withering on the vine. -- .withernwithering on the vin? i think the shows that the american people are getting it through. on the 34% are in favor, so i think it -- only 34% are in favor, so i think this is not the time. they have to be very clear with their members of congress, especially their senators, that this is a no go, a nonstarter. sean: now, he is going to have to have this meeting, and people are being summoned to the white house. it seems to me that the president at all costs is going to get a bill passed. does it matter in the end, that he is going to go out there and claim victory, as was on "60 minutes to speak last night? he graded himself a b-plus -- "60 minutes" last night. >> the more information the american people get -- for instance, if there is a marriage penalty contained in this bill, then it is major redistribution of wealth, that there is a ceiling on welfare, and if you are $58,000 or below, you get subsidized health care, but above that, you do not, and you are looking at having to pay for health care out of after-tax and come. people are waking up, that they will be scrambling for health care, that the costs will be -- pay for health care out of after-tax income. this is why the american people do not want this bill. sean: what democratic senators do you think will really oppose this bill? >> i think they will have problems with blanche lincoln and ben nelson. i think joe lieberman will be trouble for them, as well, and beyond that, i think it is tough to say how much further they will be able to go. i think our minnesota senator al franken is probably a lock, but beyond that, there are not many they can go to. sean: it is very powerful. they are going to bring the senators in one by one. we know there will be a lot of arm-twisting. we know that mary landrieu was bragging about the money she got in the early right up of the bill. when the president says, "i will campaign for you and raise money for you and take care of you," what are the chances that somebody will be able to resist that? >> i think people will very definitely be able to resist that, especially when they see the number is tanking in state after state for democrats. overwhelmingly, harry reid is in trouble. chris dodd is in trouble in his state. this is what democrats are getting across the country as they are looking at their polling data. the american public are rejecting not just the democratic health care but democratic cap and trade, the barney frank bill, bringing prisoners from gtmo into united states. i think the american people, again, they need to go to their senators, continue to melt the telephone lines because the american people have a much larger say on their senator then the president will have. sean: i have some issues, and portability is a one -- they will have a much larger say on their senator than the president will have. sean: i have some issues, and portability is one, as is toward reform. >> we have a very simple plan -- and tort reform is another. >> we have a very simple plan. they can do it all with their tax-free money. this cuts health care costs for 95% of american people. for those who truly through no fault of their road cannot purchase health care, we can take care of those people with vouchers and tax credits -- which we cannot afford it through no fault of their own. -- who cannot afford it. sean: you are there in the congress. have republicans even had an opportunity to present these plans and integrate these plans? >> not once. when you recall when president obama spoke to us at the joint session, he said, "if you have ideas, write to me." i did that, as did some of my colleagues, and we did not even get the courtesy of a reply. he said these debates would take place on c-span. not only that, they met behind locked doors. these people are not about transparency. they are complete and total frauds and hypocrites on this issue. we republicans are in there, ready, willing, and able. we want bipartisan reform. president obama's bill will mean 5.5 million jobs lost, and that is according to his own economists, christy romer. -- his own economist. sean: doesn't bother you all of the heat and criticism you have been taking -- does it bother you? >> speaker pelosi, i think about her number one target to defeat next year. this will be a very difficult campaign. but we are up for the challenge, and i am going to fight hard. schalk all right, congresswoman -- sean: all right, congresswoman, thank you. and here is a sneak peek as "hannity" continues. >> i did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on wall street. sean: a new report shows the actual fat cats are really in washington, d.c. mr. president, we have got your report card right here. >> this recession is over. >> this recession is not over. sean: mixed messages from the president's's economic team, and turning in the back on 9/11 families. and can tiger woods ever play golf again? all of that t t t sean: a new poll says 21% of democrats say they believe in ghosts, while only 11% of republicans say they exist, and 9% of republicans think fortune- teller's are the real deal, where as 22% of the democrats do -- think fortune- i have asthma. and when my symptoms-the coughing, wheezing, tightness in my chest came back- i knew i had to see my doctor. he told me i had choices in controller medicines. we chose symbicort. symbicort starts to improve my lung function within 15 minutes. that's important to me because i know the two medicines in symbicort are beginning to treat my symptoms and helping me take control of my asthma. and that makes symbicort a good choice for me. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler. within 15 minutes symbicort starts to improve my lung function and begins to treat my symptoms. that makes symbicort a good choice for me. you have choices. ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. (announcer) if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- sean: all right, in an appearance on "60 minutes" last night, the president took a dig at the financial sector. let's take a look. >> i did not do this to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on wall street. the bonuses, the ones that have paid back that tarp money. i think in some cases, that was motivation. sean: it has been a painful time for some in the banking industry. the federal government, not only is uncle sam the only industry to take on more workers during the recession, but the number of federal employees making six figures has also sky rocketed. that number has exploited during the recession. several employees taking salaries of $100,000 or more jumped to 19% during the recession's first 18 months, and that is before overtime pay and bonuses are even counted. federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time. is that true for any other industry in the nation? and if not, the president may want to direct his anger elsewhere. joining me is michael steele with the republican national convention. i have done every jobs since i was 12 years old, washing dishes. i was a busboy. i was a bartender. i was a waiter. i did every job there was. if they do not spend their money, is it the rich people that get hurt or all of the people with the jobs that are supported by rich people? who gets hurt more? >> well, it is certainly those in the middle class, and lower middle-class, they feel the brunt of that contraction of those who have wealth that then take that wealth and invest it in the economy. if they are an employe year in expanding their business and hiring more employees -- if they are an employe your -- employer and expanding their business. i think you are looking at and the administration that has a fundamentally flawed view of how the system works -- you are looking and an administration that has a fundamentally faulty view. the people who helped create the economic engine in this country ought to stimulate growth, but then, calling them into washington the next day or so and saying, "new look, we need to go back and do the same thing over again," that does not make much sense -- and saying, "look, we need you to go back and do the same thing over again." sean: why would the president be angry? why would he care? >> i think it really goes to how he ran the campaign and a lot of the things that the president said during the campaign. there is a fundamental effort to redistribute the wealth that is created in earned in this nation to government through whatever policies, whatever means that work. health care is just the first wave. cap and trade is another. card check is another way where they beholden people. this is a very different type of view, on how we create wealth in this country. sean: government jobs and never exploded accept during this recession, and we have this pork bill that was passed last week, and there were republicans against sticking past pork in these bills. mr. chairman, what will these republicans not live up to these conservative values themselves -- why will they not do that? >> this is a time where a lot of voters out there are watching. i said before that those elected officials will have to go back and accounted those voters on how those dollars are being spent. -- and act out -- and account to those voters. being spent in a way that we cannot afford right now, you are going to have to account for that, and that is whether you are a republican or a democrat. sean, i am with you. i cannot short circuit the process. i can jump up and down all day long about the behavior. sean: these guys are accepting these earmarks and yet preaching fiscal responsibility that they have heard from michael steele. >> mm-hmm this is a concern from a lot of our base, from a lot of conservatives around the country -- >> this is a concern. they have got to go back home and account for how they spend the nation's money at a time of recession. sean: -- how they spent the nation's money. sean: from my perspective, they have got the opportunity of a lifetime to literally distinguish themselves from a liberal socialist agenda, and then we see that they want to take their piece of the pie in make these backroom deals, it's sort of takes their credibility -- and make these sort of back room deals, it takes their credibility -- backroom deals. >> sean, i have been saying for a while but that is what we should do. i have heard it from the grassroots that we should support, you know, an effort to step away from earmarks, that reckless kind of spending, but again, you have members that will say, "well, if i do not, then the democrats will or someone else." again, and you are making a good point. this is where you can begin to distinguish yourself, and this is where i think you will find a lot of members distinguishing themselves in the coming months as people pay more attention. i am encouraging people to let congress know that they have to listen to them first, not the inner workings and washington, d.c., but what is going on around the country, people say, "do not spend my money the way you have been spending it, or that will be your last in congress." sean: they absolutely are entering the base like i have never seen, and that was an opportunity to show leadership, and they blew it -- they absolutely are angering the base. thank you. we have a take to play youññ?y @? sean: and tonight in "hannity's america," during the conversation, he was asked this. >> what grade would you give yourself for this year? >> a good, solid b plus. sean: really, mr. president? do you think that is a bit generous? according to the approval poll, the american people are not as easily fooled, so i thought i would give you a report of on how you have been performing so far. -- i would give you a report card. let's look at the double digit unemployment rate, which you said would not happen. job creation, f. giving general mcchrystal only three-quarters of the troops that he has asked for, that gives you an f. . an f for failing to keep your word. mr. president, there is some good news. i am going to give you an a, in fact, an a plus for your ability to read from a teleprompter. in separate television appearances yesterday, both larry summers and christina romer conflict with one another. first, let's see what the chair of the council of economic advisers had to say. >> so in your mind, this recession is not over? >> course not. four people on main street and elsewhere in the country, they are still suffering -- of course not. for people on main street and elsewhere in the country, they are still suffering. sean: what about larry summers? >> the recession is over. sean: that is pretty embarrassing. they may want to talk ensure notes before their next interviews. -- and share notes before their next interviews. even police said one of his principal goals of health-care reform -- and the president said one of its principal goals of health-care reform was to reduce costs -- one of his principal goals. he said it would reduce it by $234 billion. i do not know how the president is squares back with his commitment, but i have a feeling he is not to trouble -- i do not know how the president squares that with his commitment. i have a feeling he is not too troubled. and tonight's meltdown is brought to you by new york city mayor michael bloomberg, who has been praised for his ambitious environmental agenda, including his call for all new yorkers to painted their rooftops white, so as has been noted, he is one of the biggest polluters in office. emailer owns not just a helicopter, but he also owns two of these falcon jets. the mayor took off for copenhagen in one of those, and he will release about 37 times more carbon dioxide than if he flew commercial, but he is not likely to call on you -- he is likely to call on you to save the environment. just do not ask him to change his habits. and almost one dozen reporters are being sent to fat check sarah palin's sean: apparently, the associated press does not assign the same scrutiny to everybody. they study, all of the emails with people reading a and re- reading them. so let me get this right. 11 fact i have asthma. and when my symptoms-the coughing, wheezing, tightness in my chest came back- i knew i had to see my doctor. he told me i had choices in controller medicines. we chose symbicort. symbicort starts to improve my lung function within 15 minutes. that's important to me because i know the two medicines in symbicort are beginning to treat my symptoms and helping me take control of my asthma. and that makes symbicort a good choice for me. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler. within 15 minutes symbicort starts to improve my lung function and begins to treat my symptoms. that makes symbicort a good choice for me. you have choices. ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. 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"but i don't even live near the water." what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you. including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $119 a year. for an agent, call the number on your screen. >> if there is an issue with the marriage, that is why they hired tiger. they hired him to be a perfect spokesperson. they are not seeing what they hired him for. sean: every contract has a moral cause they're in some capacity. >> right. nike should be consistent with their brant and say they are not pulling out. but if they would have pulled out as well, i would have said, that is not which customarily do. sean: there been columns and commentaries about this. he weighed in on this with pretty strong statements and reaction and the fact that the tiger woods was dating white women. why do people know is this? >> in america, we notice that. in the black community, one of the things that black women continuously limit is that a lot of successful black men and a marrying white women. it is not that they have something against white women, but they say, what are we not good enough for these black men? i am not a black woman. i can understand where they are coming from. what they are saying is that, you were raised by black women. sean: what would they be called in this society? >> i do not know. i do not have a problem with it. sean: child today for mary and african-american, what would that be called in society? it would be called racism. is it racism what you are describing? >> i do not believe it is, because what you are talking about is a society that continuously feel that they are looked upon -- i do not want to say inferior. [unintelligible] you are trying to get me into a different subject. black women sit there and lament the fact that successful black men in that marrying someone other than them. >> i just hope that we are beyond this. we should be beyond the spirit it does not matter, white, black, hispanic, who cares? you want everyone to be treated equal. it should not be an issue. >> here is the problem. i do not have a problem with it. if i see a black man with a white woman, it does not affect me. what i am saying is that a black woman, if she is looking at a black man and wondering in questioning her value to him -- i am not a black woman. sean: what does that matter to anyone? you are telling me that people are reacting negatively. >> i am saying if you're a black woman in a black community, you are pointing to the fact that -- they are talking about how they feel. they are not good enough for that successful black man. >> i think they do not feel good enough. you have made so much in stride. you're saying the community says you are different. you're not different. it is just a woman. if we continue to talk separate, we are never going to be together. >> if you consider things from a historical perspective in terms of black people and the plight that we have had to overcome -- all i am trying to say is that a black woman sits around and you pound the pavement, you base that a black man. and all of the sudden, he gets with someone other than them, black women are going to feel insecure. it is not racism. sean: you are describing a situation where you are judging people by the color of their skin. >> you can debate it until the cows come home. black women everywhere feel that way. when they see a black man married to a white woman, they obviously have a problem with that. >> i hear what he is saying. i think it is unfortunate. in the year 2009, this is an issue. it is unfortunate. >> it is always been an issue. sean: you take heat for being on with me. >> by and large, the african- american community consists of a lot of liberals. there are conservative blacks that do not get a lot of air time. sean: my friends that are conservative in the african- american community are called every name in the book. >> i am one of those people. a registered independent. i get called a sellout. just for showing up in this building and for say that i agree with you. i get called a sellout for that. [unintelligible] mark levin is one of my favorite radio hosts. you are second in the category. the black community looks at the republican -- it is not your fault. the republican party has not done a great job -- up to them. sean: good to see you. thanks. we appreciate it. time to ejection withgre greta o find out what she has coming up shortly. greta: we will show the united states senate can be high school. you will not believe what is happening to a senator who dares to disagree with the democratic colleagues on the deficit. it is high school, maybe junior high. we will have that and much more back to you. sean: may be kindergarten. thanks. let not your heart be troubled. the great american panel is next. sean: and tonight on our great american panel, he is a fox news and jupiter and columnist for "usa today." bob beckel is here. -- he is a fox news contributor. she is a stand-up comedian, actress, ellen karis. and we have mr. thomas. roll the tape. >> what grade would you give yourself this year? >> a good, solid b plus. i think we have inherited the biggest set of challenges of any president since franklin delano roosevelt. sean: debt over yourself. what would you grade him? >-- get over yourself. >> what is all of that about? sean: beckel, do you want to grade him? >> i never got out of high school. remember, i played football. i would give him an a minus. of course you do not want to hear about it. i think the guy saved us from a great depression. he got us out of one more that we should not have been in, and that nobel peace prize -- sean: until he blew it, apologizing for america. it was not the worst economy. it was from jimmy carter, and ronald reagan inherited it. ronald reagan is the opposite of him, so what would expect opposite result. >> first of all, i love the grating. like ferris bueller, he never went to school, but he graded himself -- i love the grading. f. he is economically literate. sean: you said "incomplete." how would you grade his first year? >> i have never seen a president as a absorbed with himself in his lifetime, certainly not reagan, neither one of the bushes, and clinton was not the self-absorbed, and he was a narcissus. every statement begins with "i." -- he was a narcissist. he should keep up with humility. that is very attractive. >> it takes an intellect to be self-absorption. sean: you guys run a column together for "usa today," "com mon ground," and i think there is some common ground here. i would think that finally you guys would get it, but they do not get it. >> bob and i agree with this. when left in one place for too long, it emits a foul smell. you have heard about potomac fever. these guys are worse than h1n1. get them out. sean: they are not helping their cause for reelection in 2010 by doing something that stupid. >> on this tonight, sean hannity we discovered himself. for three years, -- sean hannity we discovered -- rediscovered himself. i am glad to see you taking on republicans, andy you know why? because a lot of republicans are dogs. -- and do you know why? because a lot of republicans are dogs. when will they ever learn? you are right. i give john mccain credit. he stood on the floor by himself and called it out. >> $5 million to get the smell of manure out of iowa? i do not understand. >> get the smell of manure out of washington. >> we need humor. even the income levels, even when obama talks about it, he thinks that the wealthy are people that make over $200,000. that would be great if you lived in peru. sean: it is politically stupid. that is what is really mind- boggling to me. if they want to stand up, the republican party, on a conservative republican principles, which cal an offer to agree on, we pledge to eliminate earmarks, -- which cal and i often agree on. >> say we are going to vote against this bill because it is full of pork. but if they had any sense going into election year -- the democrats dived in the polls during the election. normally, the other party goes up, and one of the reasons they do not -- sean: they have taken the opportunity of a lifetime. huge differences for the democrats, and they blew it. it was on a silver platter, and any republican who voted for that bill, you should be ashamed of yourself. you are not a conservative. do not send me lectures. i am not a republican. i am not a republican. about all the discounts we're offering. i've got some catchphrases that'll make these savings even more memorable. gecko: all right... gecko: good driver discounts. now that's the stuff...? 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online, over the phone... or in person at a branch. get a feel for their straightforward, objective approach. try out their tools, their research, their help. time for fresh thinking. time for td ameritrade. sean: and we continue now with our great, great american panel. sarah palin is still in the news, and this takes place on the conan o'brien show. >> it was still warm from the critter's head. kidd rock is very pro america and also has a very common-sense ideas. i always remind people from outside our state that there is plenty of room for all of alaska's animals, right next to the mashed potatoes. >> i attended my first "star trek" convention. half the money they offered me was, do i dare? yes, i do. out of this world. what made "t.j. hooker's" character is so important is because when someone robbed a bank, he got my nightstick." >> that is very funny. i think if they both got beans up, we would all be better off. -- beamed up. you promoter of the time. -- promote her all of the time. i will show her that afghanistan is near iraq. sean: the holocaust denier. why not talk to him? >> we had to bring him up. sean: alka-seltzer and water, and the bubbles and sizzles just at the name "palin" -- he bubbles and sizzles. >> in she was not a force of nature, if she did not sell so many books, what would you worry about her -- if she was not a force of nature? why would you worry about her? >> i love her. she is not going away. and if you were going to get somebody a map, get one for obama. did he not say 57 states? >> let me just say that i am scared to death. i am worried. i will not sleep tonight. i will contribute the first $1,000 for sarah palin to run for president. walter mondale. sean: did they not say the same thing about ronald reagan? >> they said the same thing about hillary clinton, too. sean: governor palin did a lot. her father, she went hunting before school, and he handed her moose eyes to hold. >> did you ask her why she quit being governor? sean: yes, i did. >> what did she say? >> she was spending all of for time and money dealing with these mean-spirited, vindictive ethics complaints from your democratic colleagues. i am not going to waste the taxpayers' money. i am not going to be a lame duck. >> it is ok to go on "the tonight show up." but she needs to do something now with intellectual substance -- on "tonight show." she needs to go against type now. i am talking about going to some interest cities. she is going to boost the d.c. voucher program, which the democratic program was going to -- >> i think the book was good because it cleared up a lot of misconceptions about her life. i think after she i done with this that she needs to go out and talk specifics, tax cuts, specifically about what she would do. sean: she has more impact with 1 facebook posting then you can have -- this is important. our 2010 freedom concert tickets are available. shows are planned for new york, new jersey, orlando, jacksonville, and dulles-fort worth, and other places. michael w. smith, lynyrd skyn yrd, the charlie daniels band, and this is the last time you can order and getting in time for the holidays. and you went to the show. >> the show is great. i would encourage you uy