Transcripts For MSNBC PoliticsNation 20131105

Offices. And there are several big state referendums as well. But the biggest matchups are the governors races in virginia and new jersey. In virginia democrat Terry Mcauliffe leads in the polls against republican Ken Cuccinelli. In new jersey, gop governor Chris Christie is hoping for a big win by avoiding the tea party. Even embracing president obama and working with a democrat. Here in new york city, bill de blasio is thought to be the most progressive in decades. But the main event will be in the key bellwether state of virginia. It is where tea partiers like Ken Cuccinelli became a tea party star with comments like this. The ultimate goal which is to make abortion disappear in america. Homosexual acts are wrong and should not be accommodated in government policy. Someones going to have to come forward with nailed down testimony that he was born in place b, wherever that is. You know, the speculations kenya. And that doesnt seem beyond the realm of possibility. Birther jokes and attacks on women and gays. Thats not a winning message in the year of 2013. Cuccinelli also led a charge to shut down Womens Health centers and refused to say whether he supports equal pay measures. And a republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor is just as extreme. Planned parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the kkk ever was. And the Democrat Party and their black civil rights allies are partners in this genocide. That ws whats on the ballo in virginia. The state that becomes critical in national politics. And some brand new nbc exit polls show what voters there are thinking. The nbc news exit polls ask voters how they feel about the tea party movement. In virginia, 43 say they oppose the tea party. Just 30 say they support it. Were seeing even worse numbers in new jersey. 47 say they oppose the tea party. Just 19 support. Thats what americans are saying tonight about the right wing of the gop. And thats why the right wing is playing dirty. Heres a robocall that some virginia voters have been hearing over the last couple of days. Ken cuccinelli is a devout catholic and family man who supports a culture of life. Terry mccaul call live supports abortion on demand at any time for any reason paid for by virginia taxpayers. Abortion on demand . Its not true, and its a sign of just how desperate and out of touch the right wing has become. Joining me are former pennsylvania governor ed rendell and jess mcintosh. Thank you both for being here. Thanks for having me. Our pleasure. Jess, how important has the abortion issue been in the virginia race . Look, i think womens issues, women voters have been absolutely critical in virginia. Because they have a candidate who is literally the human embodiment of the republican war on women. We saw in 2012 historic gender gaps. More women turned out for democrats than ever before in history. And it was because they were rejecting a buffet of terrible policies that roll back the clocks on womens rights and opportunities. And Ken Cuccinelli has accepted every item on that menu. Thats why well see even more women turning out today. Governor rendell, its been a major problem with the gop, the gender gap. In 2012 the president bested mitt romney among women by 12 points, 5543. And today in virginia the gap is twice that. Cuccinelli trails by 24 points among women. When will they learn, governor . Its amazing. You would have thought 2012 would have taught them something. But they went and started passing personhood amendments and things that were really repugnant to ordinary women. What cuccinelli has done is hes made those issues the center of his campaign. If you juxtapose him to christie, hes prolife. But governor christie does not make that a talking point in his campaign. Theres a big difference. The difference is on emphasis. They havent learned that this may be a Winning Strategy for primaries, but it is a losing, losing strategy for general elections. The governor said something really important which is if republicans could learn their lesson they would have. If republicans had read 2012, we never would have had cuccinelli as a candidate right now. But they went out and picked the exact worst person to represent them in the state of virginia. And were seeing in 2014 the lineups in georgia, the lineups in north carolina. These guys make todd akin look moderate. So i would love to think that republicans were going to wake up and start trying to appeal to women, but it doesnt honestly seem theyve learned lessons at all. Jess, when you look at the record, i mean terrible record of Ken Cuccinelli, i agree with you that it probably was the worst candidate they could come with. He was the attorney general for governor ultrasound bob mcdonnell. He withheld support from the violence against women act. He opposed abortions even in cases of rape and incest. And he wrote legislation to defund planned parenthood. You couldnt have gotten a worse candidate for women after 2012. I dont know what they were looking at in terms of the results, governor. No, i absolutely agree with you. Its astonishing. Its just as astonishing when they say we need more in the Africanamerican Community and then they adopt policies or say things that are inept for africanamerican voters and latino voters. Its not the outreach. Its not the messenger. Its the things you say and what you believe in. They havent learned one wit. And notwithstanding the fact there are obviously problems on the democratic side, theyre headed towards, i think, a disaster in 14 and worse from their standpoint, a losing ticket in 16 because they havent learned. And the interesting thing, rev, is that there are republican examples out there, not just Chris Christie. But the midwest governors, kasich and snyder. Who do not actively go out and wage war against women. Thats true. They stand a good chance of getting reelected. You know, jess, what is an interesting fact is even in a state where republican governor Chris Christie is winning, new jersey voters still have an unfavorable opinion of the gop. 39 have a favorable opinion of the gop. 57 have an unfavorable view. So really christies doing well by distancing himself from the party. Well, the thing is christies got the same we know how to beat christie in 2016. He is cut from the same mold as Ken Cuccinelli. As soon as we Start Talking about the actual direction he wants to take this country, women and the issues you mentioned, those dont turn off just Democratic Women. Independent women, republican women. We do a lot of research into voters. And women on neither side of the aisle want to be disrespected. So if Chris Christie starts talking about the policies that he believes in and the agenda that he wants to take, women are going to flock to the democratic side as soon as they start hearing that. Isnt that the case, governor, because its a big win tonight for christie but isnt it the case that 2014, 2016 that people have said things that have core values that transcend their party differences. And as you mentioned if youre women, if youre gay, if youre an immigrant, if youre africanamerican, there are some things that has nothing to do with party labels. It has everything to do with the policies and values you believe in. Right. And i think she made a terrific point. I think Chris Christie is not only or his basic core values are extremely conservative, but hes making the same mistake mitt romney made. Hes trying to go further to the right. Hes changed his position on a couple of key issues to go further to the right to appease republican primary voters. And then if he does that, if he continues to go in that direction, its going to be impossible for him to get back and do well in the center in a general election. So were seeing no ones learning. Chris christie says im my own man, and yet you can see him creeping to the right and changing his position to appeal to republican primary voters. Well, thats not being your own man and it wont wash in a general. What races are you particularly watching tonight, governor . Well, interestingly, the one that im most interested in is the colorado referendum on education. Where voters are going to be asked to pay more taxes to fund education. And voters in colorado, the polls show, care very much about funding for education, but theres been a withering campaign on the other side. Thats an issue that talks to me about the central question of what type of america are we going to have . What are you going to be watching tonight, jess . Mayors. Mayors. We have amazing Democratic Women running all over the country. We have betsy hodges in minneapolis. We need more Democratic Women in these executive leadership seats. I think we might get a few tonight. Im going to have to hold it there. Jess, next time why dont you be a little specific. Thank you both for your time tonight. Its a big Election Night here on msnbc. Coming up, the chairman of the Republican National committee is blaming president obama for creating a, quote, culture of hatred. Yes, you heard that right. Plus rand pauls plagiarism problem just got worse. Now hes asking people to, quote, leave him the hell alone, end quote. And the coded language of the confederacy is back on the big republican stage. Well look at the ugly trend. And friend or foe, i want to know. Reply al is ahead. [ sniffles, coughs ] shhhh i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesnt treat that. It doesnt . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fastacting antihistamine. Oh what a relief it is plus has a fastacting antihistamine. Peace of mind is important when so we provide it services you bucan rely on. With centurylink as your trusted it partner, youll experience reliable uptime for the network and services you depend on. Multilayered Security Solutions keep your information safe, and secure. And responsive dedicated support meets your needs, and eases your mind. Centurylink. Your link to whats next. That music means its an Election Night, and msnbc will be covering it all. Right now were watching the polls in new jersey and virginia. And here are some other races to watch. New york city will elect a new mayor. Bill de blasio would be the first democratic mayor since 1989. Detroit will also get a new mayor. The city might see its first white mayor since 1974. In boston theyll elect a new mayor for the first time in 20 years. In the Seattle Suburb of seatac, theres a battle to raise minimum wage to 15 an hour. And in northern colorado, 11 counties are voting right now on whether to secede from the state and form their own. Want to know more about these Election Night stories . Please head over to facebook and search politicsnation and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. Road closed . Theres a guy. Excuse me . Glacier point . Follow me follow me keep up, keep up, keep up. Look hes right there follow me [ male announcer ] the nissan pathfinder. Wow follow me [ male announcer ] nissan. Innovation that excites. Now get a 279 per month lease on a 2014 nissan pathfinder. He was a matted messiley inder. In a small cage. Ng day. So that was our first task, was getting him to wellness. Without angies list, i dont know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. From contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers, you can find it all on angies list. We found riley at the shelter, and found everything he needed at angies list. Join today at angieslist. Com welcome back to Election Night on politicsnation. The polls in virginia close in less than 45 minutes. One Election Night a year ago, it was mitt romney who was coming. President obama ran away with the 2012 election. The Republican Party knew it had to change, and the Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus focused on avoiding extreme rhetoric. If you go around and say a lot of bilogically stupid things and create a caricature to become reality, it hurts your ability to win an election. Okay, great. Very good point. So to sum it up, what was the problem in 2012 . A lot of idiotic things said. Yeah. A lot of idiotic things said. But whats priebus saying now . Its the culture that the president s cultivated here. A culture of dishonesty, a culture of hatred. Is he kidding . President obama has cultivated a culture of hatred . He was blaming the president because two democrats compared tea partiers to members of the ku klux klan b. Lets be clear, those comparisons are inappropriate. But to accuse president obama of cultivating a culture of hatred when hes faced complete and total obstruction from the Republican Party since his first day in office. Those on the right regularly accuse him of being a kenyan born socialist dictator. Lets look at the culture in the gop. Virginias republican candidate opposes abortion even in the case of rape and incest. He once said gay people are destroying their souls. Then theres dean young, a congressional candidate in alabama. He thinks president obama was born in kenya. And once said that gays should leave alabama and, quote, go back to california or vermont or wherever they came from. What about ted cruz who once called president obama the most radical president ever . He gets his political philosophy from his father, rafael. Who recently who was recently caught on camera saying this. When you hear all these things about homosexual marriage, this has nothing to do with homosexual rights. Did you know that . The whole objective is the destruction of the traditional family. Has nothing to do with homosexuals. They could care less about homosexuals. They want to destroy the family. If priebus is worried about the culture of hatred, he better take a long, hard look at his own party. Joining me now are Goldie Taylor and niamalika henderson. They say the democrats have a culture of hatred. Is he just firing up the Republican Base . I think thats right. You saw mitt romney. When he ran, this was part of his sort of argument as well on a talking point he had being that president obama was one of the most divisive president s even. Marco rubio said the same thing. Nobody ever believed that. When you look at that growth and opportunity project, the autopsy of the Republican Party that Reince Priebus released after the campaign, it showed that people who were polled thought it was republicans who were too divisive. So you had this rebranding which in some ways has happened i think for a segment of the party. For another segment of the party, they very much rejected that. It might be the cruz wing. For folks like dean young, hes very much a different sort of strain of the Republican Party. I think the question now is where is that ceiling for the strain of the Republican Party. Where its sort of the tea party in some ways, but i think weve seen its maybe relegated to the south. Probably relegated to the house of representatives not clear if this guy is even going to get out of his primary fight. You know, goldie, weve heard a lot about how republicans are rebranding themselves this year. But heres Something Else that priebus said last night. Listen to this. Its the Democratic Party that has a shameful history. Its not the Republican Party. I think its about time that we also as republicans start recapturing the real history of the Republican Party and not let these guys rewrite the history of equality, freedom, and opportunity which is what this party is all about. The Republican Party was the party of equality. But were not in the 1950s anymore. I mean, is this the best they can do . I really do think that it is the best that they could do. Reince priebus put together what we called an autopsy. I think what this party needs is an inquest. They need to look at the body. Obviously they got it wrong on this socalled rebranding effort. The fact of the matter is republicans did for aery long time in this country represent the party of equal protection. Then we had the Civil Rights Act happen. And so now today youve got a Republican Party built out of the old dixiecrats. Certainly wouldnt want blacks or lbgts living in their community. So just to take a look at this party in the very shrinking tent it seems to be embracing really defies what we need in this country which is a strong twoparty system. Without that we dont get the best solutions. We dont get the best governing. What we get is this gridlock were seeing today. Niamalika, if were going to talk about a culture of hatred, lets address some of the things that elected republicans have said about the president. Take a listen. I think president obama is the most radical president weve ever seen. I dont know whether barack obama was born in the United States or not. I dont know. But i do know this, that in his heart, hes not an american. Hes just not an american. Im afraid that president obama may have this king complex sort of developing. The general consensus is that he has produced a birth certificate. The question is is it legitimate . Now, aside from this kind of ugly hatefilled kind of rhetoric that no one is really denouncing in the republican leadership, i really also want you to address the split in the party. Because it seems like some are so fixated on president obama, they will say and do the most outrageous things no matter what. And it has become politically an albatross of the party. It looks like cuccinelli is going to lose a race that republicans could have won if they had nominated a more moderate person. You have people like kasich who is the governor of ohio talking about the party in a different way. They are trying to figure out how to relate to normal people on the ground. And its working very much very well for somebody like Chris Christie who has this coalition of black people, of latinos, of women, of democrats. And he is going to romp in this race in new jersey. So that probably looks more like where the Republican Party will be nationally in 2016. And weve seen that before that when republicans run nationally, thigh try to be a little bit more moderate, kinder, gentler, that whole thing bush ran on in 2000. You know, when you look at it, it seems like a lot of this rhetoric comes directly from right wing talkers. And thats what we hear from them. Listen to this. Barack obama is trying to dismantle brick by brick the american dream. Last night america watched as the president of the United States actually argued something i believe is treason. You are destroying my childrens future. This is what we have as a president , a radical ideologue, ruthless politician who despises the country. Barack obama is a socialist. He believes in socialism in redistributing wealth, in confiscating hardearned dollars. Now, if in fact they lose virginia, if in fact a moderate governor who embraced the president wins in new jersey, if they take these big losses, will they start dropping some of the rhetoric and start echoing what a lot of the talkers are saying . In a word, no. The establishment isnt in charge anymore. There used to be a Strong National gop chairman who would call the parties in and say this is how its going to go. And the power has shifted. In large part payoff the right wing talkers. These two groups are largely selffun funded. There is no more accountability to d. C. These people are really waging their own worse. So will they drop this harsh right wing bigoted rhetoric . S no, they wont. They want to turn around and say things like president obama put together a pack and put in a fake libertarian. Theyre going to blame other things and not themselves. Chairman Rush Limbaugh among others. Goldie taylor, niamalika henderson, thank you both for your time. Thank you. Coming up, more coded language from the right wing. The gops partying like its 1860, and its not pretty. Youre watching a special Election Night edition of politicsnation. Less than 35 minutes until the polls close in virginia. Stay with us. Discover card. I asked my husband to pay our bill, and he forgot. You have the it card and its your first time missing a payment, so theres no late fee. Really . Yep so is your husband off the hook . No. He went out for milk last week and came back with a puppy. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. At discover, we treat you like youd treat you. Get the it card with late payment forgiveness. We are awaiting our first election results. Polls will close in virginia in less than half an hour. Will the Tea Party Candidate go down as polls suggest . Were coming back with our special coverage of Election Night 2013. Stay with us. Many cereals say theyre good for your heart, but did you know theres a cereal thats recommended by doctors . Its post shredded wheat. Recommended by nine out of ten doctors to help reduce the risk of heart disease. Post shredded wheat is made with only one ingredient one hundred percent whole grain wheat, with no added sugar or salt. Try adding fruit for more Health Benefits and more taste in your bowl. Its the ideal way to start your heart healthy day. Try post shredded wheat. This has been medifacts for post shredded wheat. Man [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. But they were some pretty good moves. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at my side. Its so much better that way. [ male announcer ] take the next step. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans, it helps pay expenses that medicare doesnt cover and lets you choose or keep any doctor who accepts medicare patients. Call or go online and request your free decision guide. Use this guide to help you choose from a range of aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plans. Have the right partner at your side. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan. Go long. I got this. [thinking] is it that time . The son picks up the check . [thinking] im still working. Hes retired. I hope hes saving. I hope he saved enough. Who matters most to you says the most about you. At massmutual were owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. Whether youre just starting your 401 k or you are ready for retirement, well help you get there. Welcome back to our special coverage of Election Night 2013. Voters all across the country still heading to the polls at this hour. These are live pictures from the election headquarters of Tea Party Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the gop governors candidate in virginia. Last night he trotted out former congressman ron paul at his final rally to try to drum up tea party support. And pauls rallying cry for Election Night 2013 was a talking point from the 1800s. Ive been working on the assumption that nullification is going to come. Its going to be a de facto nullification if its not legalized. Because pretty soon things are going to get so bad that were just going to ignore the feds and run our own lives and our own states. Nullification is going to come. The Closing Argument at cuccinellis final rally was a promise to ignore federal law and to embrace nullification, a concept once used to defend slavery. Its an extraordinary position to take, but its spreading in the gop. Today we learn the republican state senators in South Carolina are going to hold Public Meetings on their new plan to nullity obama care in the state. And in missouri, republicans are introducing a new measure to nullify federal gun laws. So the right wings big new idea is to embrace one of the oldest and ugliest ideas in our political history. Nullification. It dates back to the 1820s. South carolina politician john calhoun game up with nullification as a way to let slaveowning states ignore potential antislavery laws from washington. It was a terrible idea then, and its a terrible idea now. Critics have said the gop is stuck in the 50s, and theyre right. The 1850s. Joining me now are Michael Eric Dyson and dana milbank. Thanks for coming on the show. Hi, reverend. Michael, nullification surfaced at the final rally for a republican candidate last night. Whats your thought on this . Weve been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the march on washington and that speech that Martin Luther king jr. Made. Remember he said about those southern politicians whose lips were dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, this is what he was referring to. Interposition is close lly alli to nullification. The idea states have the right to push back on federal law. And nullification is not only to push back on it, but to really refuse to implement it on the local level. So here we have the harkening back as you give the History Lesson to those who are unaware of the uses of these principles to make unconstitutional any attempt of the federal government to impose justice on local municipalities and to have federal law recognize as it justly deserves to be. What happens here is cuccinelli and rand are making a last ditch effort to say that the Tea Party Really is stuck in the 1850s and refuses to acknowledge obama care, and theyll do anything to subvert the principle of the application of this law no matter what it takes. Even if its harkening back to very troubling and i would argue racist beliefs. Dana, when you look at a South Carolina state senator saying that state nullification laws may be necessary, and im quoting him. He says thwarts implementation of this socialist insurance che scheme in our state. So you think if you dont like a federal law, you ignore it. What are the politics of this though . Is this so extreme it will force moderates, independents, and some republicans to leave because even though they may disagree with obama cay or some other federal law . This is too extreme to deal with nullifying federal law or interposing state law as dr. Dyson referred to dr. Kings speech . Well, as a practical matter, the idea of nullification going anywhere is pretty much nil. I think this is really about the nutification of the Republican Party that theyre even talking about this sort of thing. Lets face it, nullification is really just a precursor of secession which weve also heard some in the party talking about. Maybe we should make this easier for them and just say why dont you guys just go ahead and you can form your Little Country without obama care down there in the deep south, and the blue states who are implementing obama care are actually the ones who put more in taxes into the country in the first place than they take out. It will be a much wealthier operation. Yeah, dr. Dyson, i see what danas talking about nutification. Its not just South Carolina. 11 states have enacted nullification laws. 11 conservative counties in colorado are voting on exactly that today. They want to create a 51st state. And a lot of right wing media pundits have been pushing the secession idea since president obama first was elected. Listen to this. Im not for secession, but i understand why people might be. In the end if youre going to jam all this stuff down our throats, then maybe it would be about secession. Some people would probably say, yeah, i think maybe its time to get out of this. This is a reasonable woman, shes talking about secession. Civil war. Shes not alone, folks. This is not the rantings of extreme kookism anymore. For two years the tea party has dominated and ran the party and has been the big guys of the gop. But tonight they may lose, they may get punched in the mouth in virginia tonight. Well, we hope so. This discourse of secessionism again is related ultimately to the civil war which is also related to the fact that this nation went through its bloodiest battle over the future of its nation and the destiny of this great nation which was about would we allow people to be enchained and entombed in slavery or to rise free and be able to maximize their potential as american citizens. So here these secessionists again are so willing to just gut the heart of american democracy and to reread the constitution through the narrow lens of their bigotry that they refuse to acknowledge as brother dana said, that this is nutty. Its not going to work, but the problem is its such a vicious, venomous assault upon president obama and those who look like him that i fear that this kind of divisive ret reck only portrays the feeling like the feels theyre promoting here does no good and only does harm to our nation. Were going to have to leave it there. Were out of time. Sorry to get back to you, dana, so you can talk about my beautiful History Lessons. But well see you next time. Thank you for your time tonight. Thanks. Coming up, actor hill hopper is best known for his work on screen, but his greatest role yet is happening off camera. Hell join me live on set next. My mantra . Family first. But with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive, i saw my doctor. A blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. We talked about axiron. The only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. Axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. Women especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. Report these symptoms to your doctor. Tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. Serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. Common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and increase in psa. Ask your doctor about axiron. To share with family. [ woman 2 ] to carry on traditions. [ woman 3 ] to come together even when were apart. [ male announcer ] in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and more, swanson makes holiday dishes delicious. Gravy and more, my dna. S me. Every piece is important. This part. Makes my eyes blue. I might have an increased risk of heart disease. Gallstones. Hemochromatosis. Ill look into that. The more you know about your dna, the more you know about yourself. Now i know. Know more about your health. Go to 23andme. Com and order your dna kit for only 99 dollars today. Learn hundreds of things about your health at 23andme. Com at this very moment, americans all over the country are heading to the polls, but millions will not be able to vote. And its not because of voter i. D. Laws as bad as they are. No. 5. 9 million americans have lost their Voting Rights sometimes for life because of crimes they once committed. In virginia alone, more than 300,000 citizens will be barred from the polls tonight. Including 20 of the states black population. The saying goes do the crime and pay by the time. But for many who committed a felony and served their sentences, theyre never really done paying. Its just another sign of our broken criminal justice system. Today we live in a nation with more prisoners than high school teachers. Thats a statistic that we should be ashamed of. And on Election Night, we should be talking about what happens after the election. What can we do to bring about change to millions trapped in this system . Actor, author, and humanitarian hill hopper is looking to do something about it. You know him from his roll on the hit tv drama csi new york and the cia bureau chief on the usa network spy drama covert affairs. But his latest role is as author of letters to an incourse rated brother. He offers encouragement and hope for inmates and their loved ones. Joining me now is actor, humanitarian, and author hill hopper. Thanks for coming on the show tonight. Thanks for having me, rev. You know, this is a very, very provocative subject but important. And among the many things, youre an awardwinning actor. What made you want to write about this . I didnt expect to dive into this issue, to be honest. What started to happen is it won the American Library Association Award for best book for young adults. And officer who is deal with juvenile justice and judges started assigning the book to young men who were being incarcerated. And they had to write a book report. And wardens would start sending me these book reports. I was like why am i getting book reports from prisons . Id continue to get more letters. As i got more letters, they were increasingly moving. You know what . I got to dive into this issue and start seeing whats going on. Then as i started to uncover more and more data, you know, you start to realize that in our country we lock up 6 to 10 times more people than any other industrialized nation in the world. For the past 30 years we had 300,000 incarcerated individuals. Its ballooned to 2. 4 million. Many on probation who have lost Voting Rights. This is a hyperincarceration crisis in our country. I wanted to write a book to shine a light on that and bring some humanity and sense to this issue. The book is really personal. Because you begin the book with a letter you received from a young man behind bars. Yes. And it says, quote, my name is brian and im 16 years old. Many young people dont have a role model. I didnt have one. Thats why im in jail. Exactly. When i got that letter, its the first letter that appears in the book. Tears came to my eyes. Because this young man, hes in prison, but hes so vulnerable. Then what you dont read is in the letter he says, you know, im not sure if youre ever going to get this letter because its sent to the publishing company. But if you do see it, please write me back. Please. And theres so many whether they be young people or adults who are incarcerated and forgotten. And then we start adding the statistics. There are so many things to talk about as a problem. We need to bring some solutions to bear. And whats interesting and role models shouldnt be underestimated. I write about it in rejected stone that role models are important. But an environment because one of the things you and i talk about when we have been together is you know the president very well. Both of yall went to harvard together. And a lot of it is your environment helps you to have people that aspire like you do or not aspire like you do or are lost like you may be. And people dont put that into the conversation. No, no, no, they dont. And they also dont put in the conversation, what are you doing with the people once you put them there. Are you actually, for instance, with privatization of prisons, we have a system that inse insentivizes people to come back to prison bap because the mode is filling the beds. One man i interviewed his correction officer would tell him every day that hes happy hes here because it gives him job security. The day he was getting out the correction officer said im sure youll be back because i need that job. Wow. So im not saying every c. O. Is like that, but i am saying that we have a system thats set up to create recidivism, to create incarceration for urban poor. Unless we start to look at this, we have bernard carrot talking about recently when he went to prison he found out the system was broken. And you lose Voting Rights. I have a brother that is passionate about this, works on it all the time. Restoring Voting Rights for excons. Only two states where exfelons can vote. And without question as close as many races are, if you had the reenstatement of Voting Rights for exfelons we would see different results. There are certain people in power that dont want that. And voting is a fundamental american right. I mean, thats the democratic ideal. And if youre caught doing something but for the grace of god there go i. Weve all made mistakes. And it should not have to follow you for the rest of your life in that way. You served your time. You did what you did. You paid your penalty. Now, let them get off. You got to follow the law, but you cant vote for those who make the laws. Exactly. Hill harper, thanks for coming on the show. The book again is letters to an incarcerated brother. A stunning admission is ahead from a big city mayor. Plus why was the president and first lady surprising visitors at the white house today . Ill explain. Twins. I didnt see them coming. I have obligations. Cute obligations, but obligations. I need to rethink the core of my portfolio. What i really need is sleep. Introducing the ishares core, Building Blocks for the heart of your portfolio. Find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. Ishares by blackrock. Call 1800ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Read and consider it carefully before investing. Risk includes possible loss of principal. A remarkable political confession today. Six months ago the toronto star first reported torontos conservative mayor rob ford was caught on tape using crack cocaine. Last week the Toronto Police chief said he had the video. Mayor ford always denied the charge, and he dared the chief to show it. But today he admitted the truth. I know what i did was wrong and admitting it was the most difficult and embarrassing thing i have ever had to do. Folks, i have nothing left to hide. Hes refusing to resign. But you know this isnt the first mayor to get caught doing drugs. In 1990 marion berry, the first africanamerican mayor of washington, d. C. Was caught on surveillance camera smoking crack cocaine. He was arrested by the fbi on drug charges and served six months in federal prison. But ultimately he won back the public trust. And won reelection as mayor in 1994. Well be right back. Its eb. Want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition . Its eb. Want to give them more vitamins, omega 3s, and less saturated fat . Its eb. Egglands best eggs. Ebs. The only eggs that make better taste and better nutrition. Easy. Egglands best eggs. Better taste. Better nutrition. Better eggs. Its eb. Better eggs. Im bethand im michelle. And we own the paper cottage. Its a stationery and gifts store. Anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. So you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the Game Changing app from ink. We didnt get into business to spend time managing receipts, thats why we have ink. We like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. So you have time to focus on the things you love. Ink from chase. So you can. Congestion, for the smog. But there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. And now that the buses are running on natural gas, they dont throw out as much pollution into the air. So i feel good. I feel like im doing my part to help out the environment. Shhhh i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesnt treat that. It doesnt . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fastacting antihistamine. Oh what a relief it is were less than two minutes away from the polls closing in virginia. Early returns today, we will see where it goes. Earlier today, though, at the white house after a sevenmonth break, tours reopened. And the first visitors got a big surprise. This wasnt part of the regular tour. The president , first lady, and dogs bo and sunny greeted families for more than 30 minutes as they entered this morning. And the first family had some fun with the guests. Good to see you. Excitement. Its terrific. Well, its good to have you guys here. Enjoy. October 2nd . You know, we were trying to get the government reopened. Otherwise i would have come. What a great day at the white house. Finally tonight, i hope to see everyone at my book signing tomorrow night in washington, d. C. Ill be talking about and discussing the elections and