And he responded by signing a sweeping stimulus. The action was just beginning while the country was reeling from the abuses of wall street, he passed the far reaching financial reform in history. And then a defining moment. Despite criticism, he decided to give auto makers a loan. A loan that would pay huge dividends. This picture would go down in the annals of american history. The president s gutsy call to carry out the Bin Laden Mission that changed the world forever. Tonight, i can report to the American People and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden, the leader of alqaida. The people of libya are liberated from kadhafis leadership. Our commander in chief has brought the last troops out of iraq for filling a promise we long to hear. A, i can say that our troops in iraq will definitely be home for the holidays. Home from iraq. And given a deadline for a wi withdrawal from afghanistan. He made sure that if youre willing to fight for this country, you should be allowed to serve openly in our military. We are not a nation that says dont ask, dont tell. We are a nation that says out of many, we are one. We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes all men are created equal. And that fight for equality has defined his presidency. He expanded the federal hate crimes law. He became the first president to publically support gay marriage. On womens rights, the first bill he signed into law, was the fair pay act. Hes appointed two women to the supreme court. On issue after issue, this president has fought for the average american. Approving pel grants for Higher Education and he fought for speedy compensation for victims of the Gulf Oil Spill and for the victims of this economy. Extending long term unemployment benefits, bringing about tax cuts for Small Businesses and the middle class. Hes had the americans peoples interest at heart. And we were reminded of that again today. If there is a step that we can take that will save even one child from what happened in newtown, we should take that step. That was earlier this week. In signing those executive actions on gun control, we were reminded that president obama doesnt shy away from a fight, no matter how difficult it may with. And theres no wonder, after all, this is a man whos Accomplished Health care reform a century in the making. We are a nation that does what is hard, what is necessary, what is right. We have now just enshrined, as soon as i sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care. Our president did all of that while facing a party whose number one goal was to defeat him with billionaires spending mountains of money against him. With being called a food stamp president. With people questioning the country of his birth. He simply got it done. Today, we got a sign that the gop might have finally learned his lesson. Maybe theyve seen the same president that i do. Someone whos fought for the American People for four years and who wont take no for an answer in his second term. I dont know about you, but im kind of looking forward to part two. Joining me now, Melissa Harris perry, host of the Melissa Harry perry show. Thanks for joining me tonight. Melissa, that aegs a long wlis of accomplishments. As we end the first term, we need the list because the critics dont get a credit for average americans, working class, middle class. Poor, if youre black, if youre latino, women, gays, across the board. Concrete things, not rhetoric. Concrete things. Concrete things. Now, theres a set of critics who were just saying as you pointed out with the gop, on the other side of the aisle that we just want to defeat the president. And those arent really criti e critiques to be taken seriously. Part of the problem is its not sufficiently radical or revolutionary in a way that makes change. But we have always been a country that moves incrementally towards change. When you look at the long list that you have provided, you realize how not incremental this is. How much enormous progress this has been. We are celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther king and, therefore, really celebrating the work of Martin Luther king, jr. I just want to remind people that he wrote the text after the passage of the 64 civil rights act. The two acts that we think within the civil rights agenda, at that moment, king, himself, only felt that he was half there. Maybe a third of the way to wra wra wards the goal. Theres no question about that, e. J. But when you look at the fact that there was record numbers of turn outs of voters. The people got it. A lot of people had been out cast. And a lot of people that never had any concrete addressing of their needs. When you deal with unploimt insurance and you deal with pell grants. These are both on the right and the left. But it meant a lot to people which is why people made sure they reelected him, e. J. There are two things, one is just as you say, the turnout was extraordinary. And you had a real test in this solution. Yes, president obama was wellfunded, but you had enormous sums on the other side trying to beat him. In democracy, showing no matter how poor you are, your vote counts equally with a wealthy guy down the streelt. And the one thing that can beat big money is numbers. People did it spontaneously because they were fighting voter suppression. Something else happened which i think president obama learned some things as hi term went on. I think after the debt ceiling fiasco of the summer of 2011, he learned he wasnt able to get anything done unless he was willing to go out there and fight against First Principles by the other side. I was disheartened by what he proposed. But it was a real change from before. In the past, he often tried to compromise in advance and tried to calculate what might i get through congress. This time, and i think it may be a model for the next four years, he said, look, this is what i want. This is the full program. Now, lets talk about it and see what we can get passed. And i think that has a lot more po ten rnl to get more stuff done. No doubt about it. When you look that the president has announced it is a nonprofit. Donations will be disclosed, it will be run by a small inner circle of Campaign Advisors and give our allies a way to rally behind an agenda. When you look at that, you can tell, melissa, it is interesting to me that some of my friends on the lecht, the left trying to say more radical. I mean, you usually support people that you always supported if theyre fulfilling the things they said they were going to do. When you look at the issues that they raised, that the president has raised, that is what he said he was going to do. He never told us he was going to do a lot of things that hes being painted without doing. You should listen before you endorse somebody. Like me make one point about the nonprofit. There are two potentially very fascinating things about that. I know you started with smiling obama with the greyer hair that just always comes with the presidency. Theyre going down a very long second act. And so theyre already beginning to think about how to take the political brand that is obama. Yes, theres strategy and yes, theres politics in office here. But theres a brand here. And how to turn that brand which is organizing for america but always has the obama undernooet it, turn it to something that is sustainable. There have been very few political leaders in the Democratic Party who have worked over the course of the past four decades to take something that is sustainable and grow it. Weve seen it on the right. But to see this happening on the left is incredibly important. Its the fact that michelle obama, the first lady, was the voice of presenting it . That makes me very excited. It makes me wonder if were going to see a very engaged first lady in the politics. I any youre right. You know what makes me excited, melissa and e. J. . Melissa says a man is still very young. Thanks for joining us. Have a great weekend to boet of you. And you, too. And catch melissas show, weekends at 10 00 eastern time, 10 00 a. M. Here on msnbc. Coming up, republicans new old call of states rights. Well talk with a lawmaker whos pushing a bill that claims he would make it illegal to enforce federal gun laws. Plus, back to school, americans are taking a class on how to talk to women and minorities. Well, folks, professor sharpton has a few tips for them. You definitely want to stick around. And the reverend dr. Martin luther king as youve never heard him. The great civil rights leader talking about his work, his fears and his sacrifices in the struggle. Youre watching politics nation on msnbc. [ male announcer ] house rule number 46. Whats good for the pot. Is even better for the cup. New single serve cafe collections from maxwell house. Now available for use in the keurig kcup brewer. Always good to the last drop. That make kids happy. And even fewer that make moms happy too. With wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. Have you joined the politics nation conversation on facebook yet . We hope you will. The president s new white house portrait. Joy says i love his smile, he looks so confident. We decided to do a poll to see which portrait our fans pref preferred. His first or his new one. And the portrait won in a landslide was the new portrait. 62 of fans liked this one the best. 6 preferred the old one. And 30 like them about the same. We want to hear from you. Come to our Facebook Page and cast your vote. Please head over to facebook and search politics nation and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after this show ends. Republicans are resorting to an old argument to fight a new battle. Trying states rights as they attack president obama on gun control. Law mamakers in six states have proposed a bill to make it illegal for the president to introduce his bill. Joining me now is Tennessee State representative joe caux who introduced a bill making it illegal to enforce any potential ban on assault weapons. He said, and im quoting, its our attempt to push back on the federal governments everincreasing encroachment. Not only on our personal liberties, but on our state sovereignty. Reverend sharpton, im glad to be here. Now, let me ask you, do you really think your state bill will Trump Federal law . Well, thats part of the point. What were trying to illustrate here is that the federal government has, systematically, over the years, been on full assault of the Second Amendment. When you assault the second amend. Its not just the Second Amendment, you assault the entire bill of rights. Thats the broader point that were trying to draw here is that for years, the bill of rights have been under attack from the federal government for no other reason than power and control. Now, let me ask you a question. Where in the Second Amendment does it give you the right to do the things that the president announced the other day were executive orders. The president said i was there that he supports the Second Amendment. He was not talking about guns. Hes talking about magazines that shoot a hundred rounds. The Second Amendment doesnt give you that right . The right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed, reverend sharpton. You know that, if not better than i do. So youre saying the right to bear any arms they choose . What im saying is that the Second Amendment was crafted by our Founding Fathers just like the other nine amendments. It was in response to king george and tyranny, which is why they declared their independence and why they wrote this constitution. Our founding document is the bill of rights. And all of those bill of rights, all ten amendments are predic e predicated on the notion of the declaration of independence that were endowed by our creator. Now, where in there does it say you can bear whatever arms you want . Why cant i have a hand grenade . Why cant i have rockets . If youre going to say arms and anyone can define what that means, then why cant i have what i want . A Nuclear Weapon under my bed. I think youre drawing an inaccurate conclusion to what were saying. It would be the same as walking into a theater and saying fire. The freedom of speech doesnt give you authority to do that. Why . Isnt that tyranny . No, its not tyranny. Oh, so you mean that all of these rights are not unlimited. No, nobody said unlimited. You said that. I know. Im trying to give you an explanation. The bill of rooigts were constructco constructed for maintaining civil rights. Everything is predicated on the notion of personal responsibility and the sovereignty of the states, which is why we had the tenth amendment. So any assault is an assault on all of the amendments in the bill of rights. So what were saying is that this governments assault on the Second Amendment is inappropriate and its overreaching. But if you agree, state representative carr, that you have to have limitations, you regulate it, i guess the real question is who regulates it . The federal government or the State Government . And weve had that argument over segregation. We even had it over slavery. Who decides where the rights end. And youre saying, basically, the states should have that right. Well, you make a very important point and i would concede that Martin Luther king even understood this. So i would ask you, reverend sharpton, do the states, then, have the same obligation when the federal government usurps the authority of the congress and the states to divest them of their sovereignty. Im glad you asked that question. Because what Martin Luther king did was he engaged in civil d o disobedience so the federal government could protect them from state laws. Youre saying in your bill, you should read it, that you want to have the right to arrest the federal government for enacting their own laws. Dr. King didnt arrest the state people, he was arrested by them. Youre saying the feds are illegal and we want the right to arrest them. That is unkinglike. Youre sounding a little bit like piers morgan screaming at me. Oh, well, let me say it more silently. Youre sounding unkinglife. The point im trying to make is understood, clearly, that the state and the federal government and the everincreasing authority. And that was unnecessary. And thats why you protested states rights. And what were saying is the states have a sovereign role here. And the sovereign role is this. If the president of the United States doesnt get it to empower himself with the Second Amendment says. The states have a role. Martin luther king said that he was protesting in his famous speech of 50 years ago that concluded with i have a dream. That he was protesting to governors whose lips were drifting with the words of nullification. Im glad youre using king as if model because it is the antithesis for what youre saying. Let me show you what gov nor wallace said. Unwelcomed, unwanted and forcing seclusion upon the campus of the university of alabama to live and offer a rightful example. So the governor said the soverei sovereignty of this state. And reverend sharpton, those were misapplications of what were talking ab. Youre drawing parallel and say dont exist. How is it different . If youll let me explain, ill tell you. We completely objected the notion of what governor wallace has said at that time. What i am telling you is that youre using sovereignty of the state. All you have to do is read the bill of rights and it talkings about the sovereign fi of the states. And more importantly, we all know that washington is broken, horrible by broken. And here we have a president leveraging little children on stage for no other reason nan to gin up fear to say were going to come and take the Second Amendmented. I think you said he was going to take your assault weapons an your magazine. The federal government does have the authority over states and i think that the sovereignty of the states is something that many of us faugt and continue to fight. We can agree to disagree. Thank you for vag me on, representative joe carr. Thank you for your time, well be right back. I gave birth to my daughter on may 18th, five days later, i had a massive heart attack. Bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. Now, im on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. Looks like youre in a pickle. Yeah. Can you get me out of it . Just so happens i know a chap. Book any flight and hotel together and get access to our free personal concierge service. Any need, any question, were on call 24 7. Im also a survivor of ovarian a writand uterine cancers. I even wrote a play about that. My symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. If you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. Ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. Symptoms are not the same for everyone. I got sick. 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