0 i have a feeling there are more americans with strong feelings about those first graders up in connecticut than they do for their wild bunch out there worried about the black helicopter sweeping down on their front lawns. we've seen the horror of crazed killers with semi-automatic weapons armed with big-capacity clips. we still haven't caught site of those darn helicopters. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politics nation" with al sharpton starts right now. >> thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead? a day of history on gun safety. and an ugly reaction from the right wing. today, president obama proposed the boldest, most sweeping changes in gun laws since the assassinations of martin luther king and robert kennedy. 23 executive actions now signed and are called for a new law that would include universal background checks and a ban on the bullies in our society so as to protect the innocent and the vauler inble. >> now, you said must come from the bottom up, congressman, what do you mean by that? >> well, what i mean is there are 300 of my colleagues in the house who have an a rating from the nra. i think most of them are, frankly, intimidated by the nra because they know that the nra responds not so much to its membership, but to the manufacturers, the people who pay the executive's salaries. and the reason they're intimidated is that the nra has shown that it will spend unlimited amounts of money in their district, whether to defeat them in a primary or a general election, it will come from the outside and they will send out what oftentimes is sal she lived. and the life that lay ahead of her. and, most of all, i think about how when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable among us, we must act now. for grace. >> see, i think newtown and i think the reaction of these kids, really, is what will energize a bottom-up movement, as you referred to, congressman. but even beyond that, when i look at the fact that the president came with some executive orders today that he doesn't need congress for. he's strengthened background checks, new tracking on guns used in crimes, new research on gun violence. national safe gun ownership campaign. these he did with executive orders that he does not have to depend on your colleagues, congressman moran. >> that's right. and he's absolutely right to do those things. and i trust that he's going to, you know, to push the previous areas of resis tense tance as fe can. he's committed to this. i do worry. i'd love to think joan is right. clearly we had a very successful election in november. i worry a bit, though, about 2014 when we don't have the president at the top of the ticket. we have a disproportionately higher number of older white guys and, frankly, being one of those types, we're the most insecure component of our society. as far as i'm concerned, we're much the problem with these kinds of things. but, you know, we can overcome this. this is a democracy. and he's going to -- i think he's going to mobilize his base. he's going to ask everyone who worked so hard to get him elected now to pass the legislation that is most important for our children and our future and given the fact that he is as committed as he is, you know, it's entirely possible that democracy will succeed, that we'll get this kind of legislation through or at least to feed a sufficient number of members who have shown the fact that they're sbim dated by the n rerks a. . >> well, let me say this, joe, also, a lot of it is the ugliness that we are seeing from the other side. i think that, clearly, the over-reaching, the over-stepping and the insensitivity has, frankly, offended and insulted a lot of americans. >> absolutely, reverend al. and i just want to say to congressman moran, there are a lot of terrific older white guys out there. you're one of them. the vice president is another one. you know, we'll be there for you. and i think every time we talk, reverend al, i know that practically every show you're going to bring up how important it is for people to turn up in 2014 the way they did in 2012 because it's true. when we have the electorate that turned out in november our issues win because, as you said before on gun violence, on everything, the american people are with us. we've just got to get the turnout there. >> everybody's got to come out. >> everybody's got to vote. and that's really true on this issue. >> i'm going to have to leave it there, congressman jim moran and joan walsh, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you, al. >> coming up, the nra's offensive video. could it be the tipping point in the gun debate? we'll talk with congressman keith ellison about that. plus, the gop's big plan to fix the party. they're holding classes on how to talk to women and minorities. i'm not kidding. >> and as the president gears up for his inauguration, new details today about his first term. behind the scenes, the key moments, the big surprises. we're peeling back the curtains in the oval office. you'll want to hear this. you're watching "politics nation" on msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] this is karen and jeremiah. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some retirement people who are paid on salary, not commission. they'll get straightforward guidance and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.