our guest, john avalon blogging right now. you wouldn't think we would be talking about this in 2009. when he we come back, we're going to address segregated prom. you're going to meet the teens who are fighting to end it.  >>> tonight we watched as the nation's first african-american president made a major speech to the naacp. it was a moment in history, of course. but before we all get carried away congratulate ourgselves, consider this, a high school in mississippi recently held its first prom at which both white and black students were welcomed, as in very recently. it was paid for by actor morgan freeman and documented in an hbo film called "prom night in mississippi" which premiers on monday night. >> we can't keep mud willing along in the most backward parts of your psyche, you know? you got to break free. these are shackles. these are still chains we have around our souls. >> that might be it. it might be the fear of your white with a black man. that might be the fear. that you're afraid of presenting coming out y

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every friday john avalon calls out someone on the right and the left who he says has taken political name calling to the extreme. he is author of "independent nation" and joins us this morning with new additions to his ring of dishonor. who did you select as this week's wingnut? >> busy week on the wingnut front. i went with eric ericsson, better known for being the managing editor of redstate.com and this week i noticed that he called former president jimmy carter one of the worst, the history's greatest monster is the quote. let's look at his full quote. does anybody really care, he wrote, that history's greatest monster the man who laid hands on, endorsed and applauded many of the most heinous regimes of the past part of the 20th century has left the southern baptist church? carter wants to be free and live as he wants to, not as god wants him to. >> he felt the southern baptist convention was not being fair to women. >> right. actually too, make the story even more sort of belated blog, it was nine years ago that jimmy carter had left the church, but he had reiterated his departu

. >>> now to politics in the weekly segment with our independent analyst john avalon calls out someone on the left and right that, according to john, tries to divide us rather than unite us. he calls them wingnuts. taking political name calling to the extreme. he joins us now. thank you for being with us this morning. who got your dubious honor on the left this week? >> influential california democratic cobman henry waxman who's been quarterbacking the cap on trade. according to some rhetoric we more recently heard on the right in recent years in an interview with npr. let's listen. >> it appears that the republican party leadership in the congress has made a decision that they want to try to deny president obama success. which means in my mind, they're rooting against a country as well. >> you're right. we have heard this. so if you're not -- if you don't agree politically, you're rooting against america. >> that's right. you want the country to fail. you're rooting against the country. that seems like wingnutty stuff to me. that's demonizing the option. the idea that the republicans

. >> in studio is john avalon columnist for the daily beast.com and author of independent nation. good to see you as well. >> good to see you. >> the president invested a lot in this debate. the latest polling by gallup shows 50% when asked disapprove of the president's handling on health care policy. what does he need to say tonight to win people back over? >> well, a lot of this is now in the packaging of it. because i think what's happened is the polling popularity and especially among independents who have a less vested interest than democrats in seeing this move forward, are starting to question it as it gets closer to reali reality. it's one thing to like the idea of health care, universal health care, and to believe in that idea. it's another to see the costs associated with it and to see the details. the devil is always in the details. as we get closer to the possibility of this, the president has to amp up his case. and he is smart to take it on in prime time, not to have harry reid or nancy pelosi deliver this message, particularly when congress is at odds over how to do