Guests: R.T. Rybak, Tarryl Clark, Phil Smith, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Todd
Webster, Heidi Harris, Matt Snyder, Jon Soltz.
HOST: Good evening, Americans. Welcome to “The Ed
Show” tonight from New York. These stories are hitting my hot buttons
tonight. Minnesota became ground zero for “Psycho Talk” today when Sarah
Palin came to campaign for Michele Bachmann. Don‘t they make a pair? I‘ll
talk to the mayor of Minneapolis and the Democrat running against Michele
Bachmann in just a moment.
This just in. Virginia‘s Republican governor reverses course on
Confederate History Month. He says he‘s sorry he forgot about slavery.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson will join me at the half hour for his reaction.
And the horrific tragedy at West Virginia mines may have been
preventable. The mining company is known for union busting and had
thousands of safety violations. I have got a commentary on this one
tonight. That story has me fired up. When are we just going to admit that
what has happened in West Virginia has everything to do with the attack on
labor in this country? We‘ll get to that a little bit later on in the
program.
This story has got me fired up as well. You know, it must be spring.
This is when the loons fly back to Minnesota this time of year. Sarah
Palin landed in the Twin Cities this afternoon to support fellow psycho
talker Michele Bachmann. Let‘s get the record straight. No two people
have done more to distort the truth about the president of the United
States with flat-out lies and also distort the truth about health care
reform in this country. Bachmann gave us this prediction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN ®, MINNESOTA: The new normal will be when
Speaker Pelosi loses her gavel. And the new normal is when Harry Reid
joins the unemployment line. And two years from now, President Obama will
be a one-term president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: All right. So predictable. After that she went on to tell
a long World War II story and told the audience just to keep fighting.
Then came the main event. Sarah Palin came back to the state that really
made her famous during the 2008 Republican National Convention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While the left was
writing Obama-care, that bill in secret behind closed doors striking some
sweetheart deals, Representative Michele Bachmann, she opened the doors to
the people‘s house. She shed light on what is in that bill. And folks,
every day as you discover more and more about what is in this bill, the
more ticked off you‘re going to be and the more support for Michele you‘re
going to feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Yeah. I live in Minnesota. At least we try to when we‘re
not working in New York. And I can tell you, the people in Minnesota,
they‘re just really ticked off about getting rid of discrimination. Like
the pre-existing condition. I mean, these are psycho sisters, are they
not? The Minnesota GOP handed out 10,000 free tickets to the rally.
Tickets to the private afternoon fund-raiser only cost $500. Middle-class
Americans just flocked to that, didn‘t they? Minnesotans also had the
opportunity to just shell out ten grand for a picture with the twisted
sisters? Palin and Bachmann. You see, folks, they are the conservative
think tank right now. That‘s their idea of moving the country forward.
They spew out all this nonsense and hate and lies and, of course, the Tea
Partyers, they just eat it up. Former Bush speechwriter David Frum is
right on the money. FOX News and conservative talk radio run, organize,
program, direct the Republican Party in this country. Just listen to what
Bachmann said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: As Sean Hannity says, let not your heart be troubled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: She couldn‘t wait 30 seconds to get the words “Sean Hannity”
out of her mouth. It‘s almost like worship, isn‘t it? The good news is,
neither Palin nor Bachmann talked about death panels or indoctrination
today, they spent most the time talking about freedom and liberty, just
like Sean does. But just say no, you know, no one is ever going to forget
how they have handled up a of this. And of course, the DNC isn‘t going to
let anybody forget because they sent out their greatest hits this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BACHMANN: I‘m a foreign correspondent on enemy lines. I want people
in Minnesota armed and dangerous. Someone‘s 13-year-old daughter could
walk into a sex clinic.
PALIN: Something‘s not quite right when Fidel Castro comes out and
says he likes Obama-care.
BACHMANN: Pedophile, someone who considers themselves gay.
PALIN: I agree with Rush Limbaugh.
BACHMANN: I find it interesting it was in the 1970s the swine flu
broke out then under another Democrat President Jimmy Carter.
PALIN: It‘s not a time to retreat. It‘s a time to reload.
BACHMANN: Death panels are the bureaucracies that President Obama is
establishing.
PALIN: In honor of the American soldier, you quit making things up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHULTZ: Well, you see, folks, this kind of hate sells when you‘re
dealing with FOX viewers who are informationally challenged, OK? It really
sells on the right.
Now, their game plan is to be reckless as possible and often as
possible. Palin and Bachmann, well they‘re kind of masters at it. Palin
and Bachmann have no idea whatsoever how to save the economy, how to create
jobs. Just remember, they‘re all about big oil, they‘re all about big
insurance, they‘re all about confrontation and war.
The country rejected all of that stuff in the last election. They
yell about freedom and liberty, but there‘s really no meat on the bone, is
there? The Republican Party really, to this day, still has an identity
crisis on what they want to do for America. They got a lot of hat. They
haven‘t got any cattle. Get your cell phones out, folks. I guess you
could say we could have some fun with this one tonight. Tonight‘s text
survey question is, who do you think is a more dangerous psycho talker?
Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann? Text “A” for Palin, text “B” for Bachmann
to 622639. We‘ll bring you the results later on in the show.
Now joining me now from Minneapolis is Mayor R.T. Rybak. He is also a
Democratic candidate for the governorship in the great state of Minnesota.
R.T., good to have you on tonight. I guess you could say that Minnesota is
ground zero now. This is now a national race. How do you think
Minnesotans are going to respond to Sarah Palin getting 10,000 people to
show up and spew out all the crazy stuff that they‘ve done all along? How
are they going to respond to this?
R.T. RYBAK, MAYOR OF MINNEAPOLIS: Ed, we‘re the happiest people in
America right now because every time Sarah Palin comes to town, she drops
more money here. Remember all that money she spent at Neiman Marcus during
the convention? She‘s back in town at a good union hotel getting people in
there. And the fact of the matter is, Minnesota is an entertainment hub.
Prince, Bob Dylan, Garrison Keeler, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, they are
great theater. So we‘re loving it. But the fact of the matter is Michele
Bachmann represents the part of Minnesota that has the highest
unemployment, the highest foreclosures and people suffering out there—
SCHULTZ: We have to grab that, R.T. You‘re saying that Michele
Bachmann‘s district has higher foreclosures and higher unemployment than
any other district in Minnesota? Is that right?
RYBAK: It sure does. And having traveled that area quite a bit, you
hear one story after the other of people suffering deeply from health care
and who are deeply relieved that they finally are going to be able to get
coverage.
SCHULTZ: This people, this crew, tandem, they have reported lies
about the death panels, indoctrination camps, they tried to get the
American people disfocused about the census. Doesn‘t this make the case
for the Democrats in Minnesota to put it to the firewall and go after them?
There is a clear difference between the Democratic Party, the progressives
in Minnesota. I mean, they‘re setting the table for you, R.T.
RYBAK: Well completely. But you know, they‘re not in the political
realm anymore. This is entertainment. You‘re going to hear from Tarryl
Clark, a phenomenal person running for Congress. I‘m running for governor.
And Democrats in Minnesota are about getting results.
People are out of work. They need people to stop doing the theater
and start putting people to work to get health care, to get jobs, to stop
foreclosures. This is what Democrats are about. You know, our poor
governor, you know, he hasn‘t been in the state in months. I‘m so glad
Sarah came here to bring Governor Pawlenty back home. Meanwhile, where all
these Republicans are running around doing the theater, we‘re trying to put
people to work. And I don‘t think anybody is going to be more interested
than anything more than who is going to put Minnesotans to work and create
jobs. That‘s what Barack Obama is doing. That‘s what Democrats will do
when we represent Michele‘s district in Congress and we take over the
governorship.
SCHULTZ: R.T. Rybak, good to have you with us tonight. Thanks so
much.
RYBAK: Always good to be on.
SCHULTZ: For more, let me turn to a Democrat trying to oust Michele
Bachmann, Tarryl Clark. She‘s the frontrunner to be the Democratic nominee
in Minnesota‘s sixth congressional district. You just heard the mayor of
Minneapolis say it‘s entertainment. Do you agree with that, Tarryl?
TARRYL CLARK (D), MINNESOTA 6TH DISTRICT CANDIDATE: Well Ed, it‘s
great to be back with you. And the bottom line is, let‘s face it,
Washington still isn‘t working for Minnesotans or Americans and
Congresswoman Bachmann certainly isn‘t. This is just more the same. What
they‘re doing today is not going to help one more person get a job or stay
in their homes.
SCHULTZ: But this is now a national race. There‘s a lot of people
around this country, a lot of liberals that would love to see Michele
Bachmann out of the Congress. Are you going to be aggressive? What kind of
campaign are you going to run and how do you see Sarah Palin having an
effect on this race?
CLARK: Well first off, we‘re running the biggest grassroots campaign
the sixth district has ever seen. That‘s how we‘ve won in central
Minnesota. And the bottom line is, it‘s frankly, people of all political
persuasions think it‘s time to send Michele Bachmann onto her next job.
And it‘s not just people who are liberal or progressive. It‘s people who
are moderate and conservative. They want someone who can actually fight
for them.
SCHULTZ: Tarryl Clark, what is your response to some of the things
that Michele Bachmann has said, talking about indoctrination camps, talking
about death panels. What‘s your response to that?
CLARK: Well, Bob Linas (ph), both her son and mine were AmeriCorps
Vista volunteers. AmeriCorps, her son did Teach for America and my son was
a Vista volunteer. I‘m proud of the work my son‘s done. And we should be
helping our young people to be engaged and giving back to our communities
just like so many of us have. And frankly, people in the sixth district
are frustrated and mad that they don‘t have someone out there fighting for
them. And that‘s what I‘m going to do. That‘s what I‘ve done every day of
my life.
SCHULTZ: Would you have voted for the health care bill? Yes or no.
CLARK: Bottom line, while it‘s not perfect, yes. We can‘t afford the
status quo. That‘s what we can‘t afford. Small businesses, seniors,
families can‘t afford it. This is a step in the right direction and
frankly it‘s going to be good for Minnesotans.
SCHULTZ: Do you need a lot of national help to win this race?
CLARK: We‘re going to need help from all hands on deck, particularly
people in the sixth district. If your viewers are interested in helping us
out go to tarrylclark.com. We just had the biggest quarter of any
congressional candidate challenger in history in Minnesota. We‘re going to
need all the help we can get. But unlike Michele Bachmann, who I‘m really
focused on is the people of the sixth district.
SCHULTZ: OK. And just to be sure, the sixth district has more
foreclosures than anywhere else in Minnesota, right?
CLARK: And the highest unemployment rate. And Michele Bachmann
consistently votes against the people of our district who are needing their
help.
SCHULTZ: OK. Tarryl Clark, good to have you with us. It‘s a race
we‘re going to follow for sure, thank you.
CLARK: Thanks a lot, Ed.
SCHULTZ: You bet. Coming up, the Beckster‘s bible-beating rant on
people who need health care has qualified him for major time in the
confessional and, of course, in the zone.
Virginia‘s Republican governor has outdone himself. He thinks now
would be the perfect time to honor the confederacy. The Reverend Jesse
Jackson will rip on that at the bottom of the hour.
Plus, Hannity and the huskies make a cameo appearance in the
“Playbook” section of “The Ed Show.” Stay with us. We‘re right back here
on MSNBC.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: It‘s going to take a miracle for rescuers to get to the four
trapped West Virginia miners and get them out alive. That mining company
had thousands of safety violations over the years. This has me convinced
that we need an investigation into criminal negligence. I‘ve got a
commentary next here on MSNBC.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Rescue crews were not able to rescue and resume the search.
Methane gas levels underground are still too high. Crews continue to drill
holes to ventilate the area and hopefully restart the search. Meanwhile,
the Labor Department is launching a special investigation into safety
conditions at the mine, and they should.
“The Charleston Daily Mail” reports that the mine has had 3,000 safety
violations in the past 15 years. It was cited as recently as last month
for improper ventilation. Last night United Steelworkers President Leo
Gerard told me the mine would have been much safer if workers had been
unionized.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEO GERARD, PRESIDENT, UNITED STEELWORKERS: The CEO of Massey
promotes himself as a union buster. He promotes himself as having a record
of fighting unions wherever they show up in his workplace. If he spent as
much time helping the workers get a union, helping us then clean up his
workplaces, we wouldn‘t have these fatalities and he wouldn‘t have these
fines.
SCHULTZ: Mr. Gerard, are you willing to say tonight that if these
workers had been members of a union, this would not have happened?
GERARD: I can absolutely say that if these members had been member of
a union, they would have had the right to refuse unsafe work in our
collective agreements and they would have been able to refuse that work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: And I have to tell it like it is tonight, folks. This is
all about the man, the man in the front office who took home over $19
million in income in 2008. This is about the man having his foot right on
the neck of the middle class, having his foot right on the neck of those
mine workers.
In an economically depressed area of West Virginia where there is no
economic development, this is what they do. And in the midst of all of
that, without regulation, they‘re allowed to abuse workers. You see,
because if they don‘t go down in that hole they lose their job. And all
these right wingers in this country who are attacking the middle class and
attacking labor in this country, you need to go to these funerals because
there‘s going to be 25 of them and maybe more. We don‘t know what‘s going
to happen to the other four. It doesn‘t look real good at this hour.
But here‘s the point. Unions not only—this is just—I can‘t
believe we‘re having this discussion in this country as if we have to
vilify collective bargaining, where a family can be protected from dangers
in the workplace and there won‘t be the man on the neck of that worker, the
neck of that family and those kids who are now missing a loved one.
Criminal negligence, homicide, you name it. The Congress has to get into
this once and for all. President Obama, you need to get involved in this.
This is what the Employee Free Choice Act is all about. Where there‘s
not going to be intimidation, where there‘s not going to be retribution
against employees who just think about organizing in the workplace because
they‘d like to go down into a workplace where they‘re not going to lose
their lives. Where it will just increase the safety in their area. Is
that asking too much? Is it all for the dollar bill in America? This is
morally wrong. There is absolutely no difference between what these guys
did in the front office at this Massey Energy Company than what these guys
did down the street on Wall Street to folks who were ripped off.
This is a matter of life and death. That‘s what this is. And you
know what we‘re going to do right now as Americans? We‘re all going to sit
at the dinner tables tonight and we‘re going to ask ourselves, what are we
going to do about it? And so when I see these rallies out there with Sarah
Palin and Michele Bachmann and they claim to be for the working folk of
America, show me.
Have the guts to stand up for these families that are now in tragic
loss. Show me, you Republicans, show me you care. Show Americans that you
have a heart and you have a soul and that you don‘t despise American
workers who just want a fair shake in the workplace. I‘m really biting my
tongue right now.
Sometimes I wish I was on HBO, but this is where I belong, and I
started this show a year ago to fight for the middle class and now we have
some dead people on our hands. And now we have Republicans who are saying
that, well, the Employee Free Choice Act is not the right thing to do. We
have the United States Chamber of Commerce throwing lobbyists and millions
of dollars against those families who would like to have a chance to get
some protection in the workplace.
Do you believe that this company was genuinely addressing the safety
violations? No. I could go on for hours, but this is where we stand in
America. It‘s an ideological divide. Some people care about the working
folk of America. And some people flat-out don‘t give a damn. I don‘t
think Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, I don‘t think they give a damn. I
couldn‘t support a Republican right now if you cremated me with them. I
couldn‘t warm up to a Republican if you cremated me with them right now.
They are against the middle class in this country.
Joining me now is Phil Smith, he is the United Mine Workers of America
representative. Mr. Smith, good to have you with us tonight.
PHIL SMITH, UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA: It‘s good to be with you.
SCHULTZ: I had to say it. I had to say it. Because if I‘m not
speaking—if I‘m not speaking the truth you need to correct me tonight,
Mr. Smith. I‘ll put that burden on your shoulders right now.
SMITH: OK. I think you are speaking the truth. I think what we‘ve
seen in the coal fields over the last several years is, quite frankly, the
creation of a climate of fear and intimidation when it comes to organizing
coal mines. Miners are confronted with not shall we have a union or not
but shall we have a job or not? When you‘re confronted with situations like
that, these are the best jobs around and it‘s difficult to ask people to
take this step to join the union and support the union and end up voting
for the union when they‘re confronted with a choice like that.
SCHULTZ: You know, I‘m not here tonight saying that unions would have
prevented death, but it would have given those workers an opportunity to
make an educated decision based on union training whether they were in a
good environment. There was an interview on this network today, Norah
O‘Donnell interviewed a mine worker. Mr. Smith, that worker admitted on
this network that he didn‘t know about the safety violations. What is
going on here?
SMITH: You know, I don‘t know. That certainly would not have
happened at a mine where the workers were represented by a union. We have
local union safety committees that make sure that issues like high methane
levels, coal dust accumulations, ventilation problems, if something like
that‘s going on at a union-represented mine like it was going on at this
mine, likelihood is we would have withdrawn from work.
SCHULTZ: What‘s the next move? What can come out of this
investigation?
SMITH: Well, I think we need to—the first and foremost find out
exactly what happened here. Find out exactly what caused this explosion.
What events that came up through the timeline led to this thing. Were any
of the violations that Massey was cited for, did any of those lead to this
we need to know the answer to those questions.
SCHULTZ: Yes, we do. Go ahead.
SMITH: And then we need to move forward. I agree with you, Congress
needs to get involved. The Obama administration needs to get involved.
And we need to move forward and find some solutions, not just to this
problem but to the overall problem of safety in the mines. We‘ve made some
progress in the last year or so. Clearly the results of this week are it‘s
not enough.
SCHULTZ: Mr. Smith, good to have you with us tonight. We‘ll stay on
this story. It‘s a tough time to talk about how to correct all of this
because there are families that are hurting, but this is how a democracy
works and to keep the American people focused on this, this is the only way
we‘re going to get anything done. Thanks for joining us tonight.
SMITH: My pleasure. Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Coming up, the Beckster has found a way to use scripture to
beat down Americans who desperately need jobs. The twisted talk lands him
deep in the “zone” next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And in “Psycho Talk” tonight, it‘s the Beckster and he‘s
armed with the bible this time. On his radio show today, Glenn Beck was
hollering about big government as usual. Then his sidekick, this guy named
Stu, who‘s a real piece of work, he broke out the scripture allowing Beck
to make a highly insensitive and truly psycho point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK, TALK SHOW HOST: In second Thessalonians 3, verse 10, it
says for even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any
would not work, neither should he eat. I mean, I love that. If you‘re not
that‘s the point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is. We are meant to work.
BECK: That is the point. That is everybody‘s problem with government
handouts. Get a damn job. That‘s the problem with government welfare and
everything else. Get a damn job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: So did you hear that, America? Glenn Beck thinks you‘re
lazy. The 9.7 percent of you who are unemployed, eh, you‘re just not
working hard enough. You‘re not looking hard enough. You‘re falling back
on the government assistant. You‘re just not trying hard enough.
Never mind that the average unemployment check is only 270 dollars a
week. According to the Beckster, that‘s 270 bucks—that‘s an incentive
for you to just slack off. Now he‘s using scripture to support his
argument? Glenn, using the Bible to demean struggling Americans is
repulsive psycho talk.
Coming up, whoever believes Virginia is for lovers had better keep an
eye on the governor. He wants to devote the entire month of April to the
celebration of the Confederacy. The Reverend Jesse Jackson will be here
with his reaction in just a moment.
And the righty psychos, well, they‘re running amuck. The FBI just
arrested a California man for harassing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And as
we learn disturbing new details about the man dolling out explicit death
threats to Senator Patty Murray. All that and much more coming up right
here on THE ED SHOW, on MSNBC. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Thanks for watching tonight.
If you live in the state of Virginia, April is officially Confederate
History Month. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell reinstated the
controversial proclamation yesterday. McDonnell originally didn‘t include
any language condemning slavery which previous Republican governors had
done.
People were outraged. And just a short time ago, McDonnell, well, he
put out this statement, quote, “the failure to include any reference to
slavery was a mistake and I apologize for that. The abomination of slavery
divided our nation, deprived people of their God given, in alienable rights
and led to civil war. Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice
which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the
soul of the state and nation.”
Joining me now is the Reverend Jesse Jackson, president of the Rainbow
Push Coalition. Reverend, good to have you on tonight.
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION PRESIDENT: Very well, Ed.
SCHULTZ: What do you make of this statement? I mean, that‘s an
awfully strong apology having missed it the first time. How do you respond
to first of all the proclamation and then the apology?
JACKSON: The Confederate flag represents secession, division,
humiliation and an attempt to overthrow our government, and it failed. Now
we have the United States, which we should be honored for. I can
understand two parties, but one nation and one flag.
Congressman Jackson just filed appropriate legislation urging that we
honor the Sesquicentennial celebration of the Civil War, to have
appropriate celebrations for the Civil War and its relics. But it seems it
would be awful painful today, with young men and women fighting in
Afghanistan and Iraq, fighting for the Unite—supposed to be a throwback
in time.
SCHULTZ: This was the man who gave the response to the State of the
Union. This is a man who‘s being touted by the Republican party as
possible future candidate to run for presidency. Do you accept this
mistake?
JACKSON: No, this is hardly calculated, unfortunately. You know, I
say more than 1,200,000 Virginians have no health insurance at all, yet
they file a law suit against health insurance policy. People in that state
who are poor, who live in Appalachia, who live in Tidewater -- 1,200,000
Virginians have no health insurance, yet they would, again, challenge the
federal government‘s right to insure all Americans, including those who are
the most disabled.
This is a states‘ right, ideological statement, that‘s high political
calculation.
SCHULTZ: Well, he still wants to honor the Confederacy. Do you go
along with that?
JACKSON: Well, I do not. That‘s why Congressman Jackson‘s
legislation is seeking an appropriate commemoration of the Sesquicentennial
of the Civil War. The president can appoint a bipartisan commission,
determine what‘s appropriate. But to fly the Confederate flag over a
United States flag, or even at the same level, itself, it undermines the
integrity of our nation.
SCHULTZ: Do you think that apology went far enough?
JACKSON: No, I do not. Nor do I think it‘s sincere. The whole
states‘ rights versus the federal government, the fact that they‘re
fighting the health care plan because of the states‘ right to determine
health care—that is a very pronounced statement about states‘ rights.
And, of course, with states‘ rights and national disunity, slavery is a by-
product of that.
So the governor knew what he was doing and now I think that a kind of
light-hearted apology does not at all address the fact that he still wants
to honor the Confederacy this month. An appropriation might be to withdraw
this as an appropriate celebration.
This is Virginia, a state with many military bases and soldiers in
uniform in the great Tidewater area. And for those soldiers in the
Tidewater who have to look at an interstate where they are flying the
confederate flag, honoring that month, is un-American, unfair,
secessionist, divisionary. We deserve better.
SCHULTZ: Do you think that the governor should rescind the
proclamation?
JACKSON: He should rescind the proclamation and should vow to the
commit himself to the United States of America. Again, we can have
divisions on positions. There should be no more division on the unity of
our nation. One nation, one flag, under God.
These are the same people who want to go to a ball game and say “one
nation under God,” yet one nation, two flags. It does not stand to reason.
SCHULTZ: Reverend Jackson, I want to switch stories on you, if I may,
for a moment. I want you to comment on the tragedy that has taken place
with the mine workers in West Virginia. There‘s a lot of folks out there
hurting tonight. But it also really cuts to the chase about workers‘
rights in this country, the Employee Free-Choice Act. We‘ve had some labor
leaders on this program and on my radio show saying that this could have
been prevented.
In light of that, should President Obama get involved? Is this a time
to address how we value workers in this country? Your thoughts?
JACKSON: It‘s a great moment to revive the war on poverty. A coal
miner dies in Appalachia every six hours. This happened to be a rather—
a rather—a big act, 25-plus people were killed. But a coal miner dies
from sucking up that coal dust, black lung disease, asthma every day. So
this is a time I think to look at—given expanding base of poverty in our
country, this is a time to address the issues of workers right, workers
options, and, in a real sense, to put America back to work.
I think we‘ve done a bit by reviving the bankers. We‘ve bailed out
the bankers top down. What a great time to revive the war on poverty, and,
if you will, Great Society Part II, bottom up.
SCHULTZ: Reverend Jackson, always a pleasure. Thanks for the time
tonight.
JACKSON: Thank you, sir.
SCHULTZ: Now let‘s get some rapid fire response from our panel on
these stories. Embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says if the
midterm elections were held today, he‘d win, although every poll in the
state of Nevada says the opposite.
At a recent town hall meeting, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn criticized
Fox News and defended Nancy Pelosi. Holy smokes. Is it different when you
go home? It didn‘t go over very well with a room full of angry
Republicans, I might add.
The man charged with threatening to kill Democratic Senator Patty
Murray of Washington may have taken part in a Tea Party rally outside her
office.
With us tonight is Todd Webster, Democratic strategist, and Heidi
Harris, radio talk show host out of Las Vegas tonight.
All right, Heidi, what to you make of this story that the guy was
arrested, may have participated in a Tea Party event? What does that say?
And should the Tea Party leaders, if there are some, tone this rhetoric
down? What do you think?
HEIDI HARRIS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Oh, come on. What rhetoric? We
don‘t need to tone anything down. There were about 20,000 people in
Searchlight. We talked about that last week. There was not violent
episode. You‘re going to have wackos no matter what. Remember the guy who
got his finger bit off by somebody who was actually supporting Obama‘s
health care plan? It was bitten off by that guy, not the guy who was
opposed to Obama‘s plan. What about them? I never heard anybody denounce
him.
SCHULTZ: OK. Todd Webster, your thoughts on threatening the life of
a United States senator and also being in the Tea Party crowd.
TODD WEBSTER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I don‘t want to condemn
all the Tea Partiers. I think, as the president pointed out, there are
some who have got some legitimate concerns. But I think you are seeing—
with the news about Nancy Pelosi being threatened today, Patty Murray last
week, other Democrats being threatened, there is a time and a place for
vigorous debate and disagreement, on the floor of the House, on the floor
of the Senate.
If you want to debate of the health care bill, whether we ought to
hold insurance companies accountable, whether students ought to be able to
stay on their parent‘s health care until they‘re 26, then let‘s have this
debate. I think the rhetoric from conservatives, conservative media, from
some Republican political leaders, the Sarah Palins and the Michele
Bachmanns—
SCHULTZ: It‘s over the top.
WEBSTER: -- is unfortunately making these crazy people go over the
edge.
SCHULTZ: It certainly is.
WEBSTER: They need to dial it back.
SCHULTZ: They need to dial it back and be responsible for it. OK,
Heidi, Harry Reid, he claims, even though he trails in the polls—and
we‘ll show them to you. Lowden, Tarkanian and Angel all lead Harry Reid.
Although he says if the election were held today, he‘d win. What do you
think?
HARRIS: Talk about fuzzy math. Are you kidding? You know what he
said. He basically said he‘s not running against just the republican.
He‘s going to be running against the republican, independent, a Tea Party
candidate, and under that basis, he wins. Is he kidding? Seriously, he‘s
delusional.
He has no idea what‘s going on in Nevada. He has no idea how unliked
he is in Nevada. Now he‘s on a bus, this stupid throw Nevada under the bus
tour he‘s taking? For a couple of days, he think that‘s going to make up
for all the time he hasn‘t been in Nevada or cared what we thought? He‘s
out of his mind. He‘s nuts. I appreciate that because it‘s going to help
us beat him in November.
SCHULTZ: Todd Webster, your thoughts on where Harry Reid is
politically right now?
WEBSTER: Look, Harry Reid is a fighter. He knows how to win
elections. He‘s been a Capital Hill police officer. He was a golden
gloves boxer. This guy is a very, very effective leader for Nevada. He‘s
the most powerful thing to come out of Nevada since the Hoover Dam was
built. He will be re-elected.
I think a lot of Republicans talk at how this might be similar to
Senator Tom Daschle, who unfortunately was not elected in 2004. But it‘s a
significantly different state. Nevada is much more culturally diverse,
obviously, than South Dakota.
SCHULTZ: Todd, what do you make of Tom Coburn? He didn‘t say this in
Washington, but he said it back in the state of Oklahoma, said nice things
about Nancy Pelosi, and also took a shot at Fox News.
WEBSTER: Give Tom Coburn credit, frankly. You know, he has—he is
leaving the politics in Washington. I give him credit for having that, and
for having that grace. There was a great and very telling study that came
out by the Pew Center a couple years ago that found that Fox viewers are
actually less well informed than other Americans. And not that it actually
reduces your IQ, but the amount of misinformation and disinformation that
they found in this Pew study, the fact that 75 percent or 80 percent of Fox
viewers believe that Saddam Hussein, not Osama bin Laden, was responsible
for 9/11, speaks to what can happen when you watch too much Fox.
SCHULTZ: Heidi, is this a turn by the Republican party that they
might be a little more realistic about their colleagues in Washington?
HARRIS: No, I don‘t think so. I mean, Nancy Pelosi may have some
good qualities. She might be a good grandmother or something. You‘re a
nice guy, Ed, but I disagree with everything you say. I don‘t see why you
have to be vicious about it.
SCHULTZ: I‘m not being vicious about it at all. I just wish—I
wish Tom Coburn would say this in Washington. I commend him for saying it,
because I think we have to reduce the rhetoric in this country. I think
what you say at home and what you say in Washington, apparently, are two
different things.
Heidi Harris, Todd Webster, good to have you with us tonight.
Coming up, Caribou Barbie has got a sweet new nickname for her psycho
sister Michele Bachmann, the Pink Elephant. They‘ll both stampede their
way past Sean Hannity next in the playbook. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: In my playbook tonight, more than 10,000 people showed up
today to watch Sarah Palin pal around with Michele Bachmann at a rally in
Minneapolis. Palin has one thing going for her. She knows how to play to
a right wing Minnesota crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FMR. GOVERNOR OF ALASKA: It is really good to be here in
the land of 10,000 Lakes with patriots—patriots who love your country,
who are so proud to be Americans, and you who love your good hunting and
fishing. And some of you proudly clinging to your guns and religion, like
the rest of us. I really love Minnesota. I love being here because you
all sound just like me or I sound just like you, vice versa.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: I tell you, it‘s deep, isn‘t it? Joining me now for more on
this is Matt Snyder, reporter for the liberal newspaper, “The Minneapolis
City Pages.” Matt, is this going to have a big effect on Democrats? Would
they be motivated to come out against these two?
MATT SNYDER, “THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY PAGES”: It‘s looking like it, if
you go by fund-raising. Tarryl Clark, your first guest, she set a
Minnesota state record for fund-raising in the first three quarters of the
election year. She raised about 505,000 dollars. That set a Minnesota
record. So judging by fund-raising, yes, it looks like Democrats are
energized in Minnesota.
SCHULTZ: Now, this wasn‘t even held in Bachmann‘s district. This was
in Keith Ellison‘s district, correct?
SNYDER: Yes, Minneapolis, which she would conclude is not part of the
real America. It was interesting that she chose to house it in
Minneapolis. Again, they had to have a lot of room for all these people,
so they had to go this route.
SCHULTZ: What do you make of these two? Are they breaking out as the
leaders of the Republican party?
SNYDER: I think what the GOP is doing, and what they‘re doing
personally is they‘re channeling this ground—the swelling of concern
about big government. And instead of it being a grassroots, outside of the
two-party system, what the GOP is trying to do is to channel that, redirect
it to help the GOP and to help them personally.
So I don‘t know if they‘re the new face, but they‘re certainly taking
advantage of some real disenchantment out there.
SCHULTZ: Matt Snyder, good to have you with us tonight. Thanks so
much.
One final question I do want to ask you. Was this the “People
Magazine” crowd? Or do you think these were serious political folks out
there that want to make a difference?
SNYDER: I think they are genuine people getting bamboozled by a
couple front-men for the GOP establishment.
SCHULTZ: There you go. Good to have you on, Matt. Thank you.
Tiger Woods starts his comeback on the golf course tomorrow when he
tees off at the Masters. He‘s also working on his personal reputation with
a brand new Nike commercial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to
promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to
find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: The voice of his dad.
Coming up, uh-oh, President Karzai has found himself on our frenemies
list. More on that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back. Finally tonight on THE ED SHOW, in the past
week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has berated the United States for
interfering. He also reportedly threatened to join the Taliban, although
his spokesman is now denying that. The Obama administration is becoming
increasingly frustrated. Here‘s Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the
subject.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I would say that the
remarks he‘s made—I can‘t imagine anybody in this country found them
anything other than troubling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Gibbs also hinted that the White House may consider
canceling Karzai‘s scheduled May 12th visit to Washington. Joining me now,
Jon Soltz, an Iraq War veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org.
Jon, is it important from a soldier‘s standpoint for Hamid Karzai to
be crystal clear on where he stands with the United States? What do you
think?
JON SOLTZ, VOTEVETS.ORG: It‘s absolutely important in this situation.
When the president made the decision to send 30,000, 40,000 more troops
into Afghanistan, it can only be successful with a partner in that counter-
insurgency operation. That here is Hamid Karzai. And it‘s why, you know,
organizations like ours did not endorse the president‘s plan.
And, you know, to be honest, I don‘t have a whole lot of sympathy
right now for the administration on this issue, just because, you know,
there were people inside the administration, like the vice president, who
tried to explain to them, look, you can put the troops in there, they‘re
going to quell violence, but that‘s 100 percent chance that we‘ll be
successful at 25 percent of the operation. They didn‘t look at the full
spectrum of the picture. Hamid Karzai is one of those.
SCHULTZ: Do you think Karzai is telling the truth? He has made some
moves in his administration. He fired Afghanistan‘s top two election
officials. And, of course, they‘re recanting the statement. What do you
think?
SOLTZ: I mean, telling the truth, not telling the truth. There are
all kinds of reports out there all over the place about Hamid Karzai. If
you‘re a guy in Helmand Province right now, and you‘re fighting for your
life and you‘re fighting to secure a piece of terrain, do you have
confidence in the inter-agency process of our federal government to come in
there and help do the humanitarian role? Do you really have confidence
that you‘re not fighting against the perception that this guy is corrupt to
the Afghan people, in a society that‘s basically has the technology that we
had, you know, almost a century or two ago?
So it‘s very complicated, and the troops deserve better than that.
There‘s no question. They deserve better than Hamid Karzai‘s statements.
SCHULTZ: Quickly, your organization has taken a poll, and polled a
lot of veterans on what this is all about. Quickly, it‘s about oil, OK?
Seventy three percent favor it, 22 percent are opposed among Afghan—
Iraq/Afghan war veterans when it comes to supporting clean-energy
legislation. This is quite a statement, isn‘t it?
SOLTZ: Absolutely. I mean, 40 percent of that poll was Republican,
20 percent was Democrat. As we look at the legislation we‘re going to see
coming out of the Senate, where you have Lindsey Graham and John Kerry and
Joe Lieberman together as the sponsors of the climate legislation, there‘s
a reason why the military is so against it. Basically, we‘re keeping the
value of oil up in the open market. You have states like Iran who are
earning money off our demand and passing that to terrorist organizations
that we end up fighting across the Middle East.
So there‘s overwhelming support in the veterans community for lowering
our dependence on foreign oil.
SCHULTZ: Jon, good to have you with us tonight. Thanks so much.
Tonight, our text survey question was—I asked who‘s more dangerous
psycho talker? Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann? Fifty two percent say
Palin; 48 percent Say Bachmann.
That‘s THE ED SHOW. I‘m Ed Schultz. We‘ll see you tomorrow night.
“HARDBALL” with Chris Matthews is next.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY
BE UPDATED.
END
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