Our attention turns tonight from the Presidential hopefuls to the man in the White House. President Obama takes the podium at 7 PM ET before a Joint Session of Congress to unveil his much-anticipated jobs plan—and we’ll bring it to you tonight on msnbc. But first, we’ll preview his speech with Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and author and political commentator Ron Reagan. Will Obama go bold, with a sweeping program reflecting the progressive agenda? Or will he appeal to independent voters, or attempt to compromise with Republicans? Tonight’s the night we find out.
Last night’s NBC/Politico Republican Debate at the Reagan Library had some telling moments for the GOP’s top tier. What did we learn about Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, and Michele Bachmann? Who’s stronger after last night’s showdown, and who’s weaker? We’ll ask the Huffington Post’s Howard Fineman and the Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson.
One hot issue off last night’s debate: Social Security. Is it a “Ponzi scheme,” like Rick Perry says? Is he against the idea of the Social Security program, or just the way it’s managed? And how will the idea of dismantling Social Security play with the snowbirds and seniors in Florida, an early voting state? We’ll ask The Hardball Strategists, Todd Harris and Steve McMahon, if Social Security will become a major issue in the 2012 race.
Mike Lofgren was a longtime Republican staffer on the Hill until he retired this summer. And boy, did he go out with a bang. His indictment of the Republican Party—including claims the GOP only cares about the rich, is trying to discredit the government, and manufactured the debt ceiling crisis—spread like wildfire on the Internet. He joins us tonight, with Newsweek/Daily Beast contributor Michael Tomasky.