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The Ed Show for Friday, October 28, 2011

Read the transcript to the Friday show

Guests: Bernie Sanders, Virg Bernero, Ken Knight, Casey Helbling, Juanita
Martinez, Wendi Smith

ED SCHULTZ, HOST: Good evening, Americans. And welcome to THE ED
SHOW tonight from New York.

Americans are out in the street and corporate America has never had it
better. Tonight, a classic story of corporate greed that I think America
needs to see.

This is THE ED SHOW -- let`s get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NARRATOR: Whirlpool presents a powerful way to clean.

SCHULTZ (voice-over): Tonight, the Whirlpool disaster -- 5,000 middle
classers are out of a job because of corporate greed and a lack of effort
by Republicans in Washington.

I`ll talk to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on the latest kick in the
teeth for the American middle class.

POLICE OFFICER: Leave now or you are subject to arrest.

SCHULTZ: The 99 percent movement is getting bigger. Tonight, there
are more protests and more arrests. We`ll ask Michael Eric Dyson where the
movement is headed.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You are from, what part
of Indiana?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s southern Indiana. It`s the first --

OBAMA: Is that?

SCHULTZ: And four Obama campaign donors want a chance for dinner with
Barack. Last night, they ate with the president. Tonight, they`ll tell me
what he said. You won`t want to miss it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ: Great to have you with us tonight on this Friday night.
Tomorrow, I will be in Newton, Iowa. I will explain.

Because this is a story that nobody`s talking about. A classic
American company is about to fire thousands of Americans and ship their
jobs overseas. We hear it all the time. I want to bring it to you
tonight.

Whirlpool is about to celebrate its 100th year in business in America.
The company was founded in November of 1911 in the city of Benton Harbor,
Michigan.

Today, Whirlpool is the biggest, did I say the biggest? Yes, I did.
The biggest appliance maker in the world.

Today, Whirlpool announced plans to cut 5,000 jobs in North America
and Europe. The cuts include 1,200 salaried positions in the closing of
the Ft. Smith, Arkansas, plant. Guess I have to go there, too.

In May of 2010, Whirlpool shut down a plant in Evanston, Indiana, and
shipped 1,100 jobs to Mexico. That, of course, happened after Whirlpool
took $19.3 million in federal stimulus money.

Did you catch that, taxpayers? You Tea Partiers out there?
Whirlpool`s chairman, CEO Jeff Fettig said the company had to make the
moves because of the recession. Fettig said, "Our results were negatively
impacted by recessionary demand levels in developed countries, a slowdown
in emerging markets and high levels of inflation in material costs."

That`s corporate speak for we need bigger profits to boost our stock
price.

Keep in mind, Whirlpool`s third quarter net income more than doubled
this year to $177 million, but Whirlpool revenue only went up 2 percent, to
$4.63 billion, short of the $4.74 billion they were projecting. You got to
hit the numbers, don`t you?

Jeff Fettig cut 1,200 middle class jobs in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, to pad
his numbers, and almost $15 million annual compensation. That`s what he
gets.

This is a classic, classic corporate greed story at the expense of the
American worker. The average salary at the plant Fettig shut down in
Evanston, Indiana, was only $17 an hour.

This is class warfare, don`t you think? I`ll call it that. And the
wealthy right now seem to be undefeated.

Earlier this year in March, Fettig gave a speech at the Detroit
Economic Club. At the time, the CEO said Whirlpool was investing $1
billion in its U.S. footprint, 1,200 families in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, feel
that foot on their necks tonight.

Those middle class Americans will have to look their kids in the eye
and tell them that Christmas won`t be as bright this year. It`s going to
be a little different around the tree.

Here comes the spin. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tried to
pin it on President Obama today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE, FOX NEWS: There`s going to be a total of about 1,100
families out of the Ft. Smith, Arkansas, area, that are going to lose those
jobs. Those are good jobs, very good jobs for that area -- very good jobs
for Arkansas. That plant had a big expansion a few years ago. All those
jobs are going to disappear.

Those families aren`t going to be looking for a Web site. They`re
going to be looking for a job. And I`m not against websites, but I think
that the kind of economic realities that we`re facing now demand a great
deal more than an executive order and a Web site and hopefully at some
point the president may look at his own policies and recognize they`re not
working.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: President Obama has tried to get money into the hands of
teachers, firefighters and police officers. You know, when middle class
Americans have a stable job, they buy things like washers and
refrigerators. Millions of Americans don`t even have enough money or
enough food to put in their fridge these days.

Huckabee is a complete fraud on the issue. Let`s check the record.
Come do an interview with me, Mike, because Arkansas lost 86,000
manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2009. How`s that Website looking for you
now, former governor of Arkansas?

Mike Huckabee was the governor for seven of those years. Wonder if
anybody over on FOX will ask him that question. How was it going for you?
For manufacturing in Arkansas when you had the pen in your hand?

See, this is how they play the game. Tax cuts for millionaires, don`t
save those jobs. Race to the bottom line.

Republican economics have put America in a ditch. If the Republicans
take back the Senate and the White House next year, things will only get
worse. President Obama nailed it on Wednesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One thing that we
absolutely know for sure is that if we don`t work even harder than we did
in 2008, then we`re going to have a government that tells the America
people, you are on your own. If you get sick, you`re on your own. If you
can`t afford college, you`re on your own. If you don`t like that some
corporation is polluting your air, or the air that your child breathes,
then you`re on your own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: You know, folks, this is real simple. This is a Maytag
refrigerator. They used to be made in Newton, Iowa.

What happened? Whirlpool bought Maytag back in 2006. By 2007,
Whirlpool shut down the factory and shipped about 1,800 middle class union
jobs, non-union plants, to non-union plants. Whirlpool canceled all the
health care benefits for the Maytag retirees.

There will come a day when you can`t buy a washer and a dryer that
says made in America. Those days are coming.

You see? It`s all about the stock price. And the guy that the top
who`s making $15 million.

Now, if you check the Internet and see a salary, it`s a little over $1
million, but he`s got all those beanies in there so he doesn`t have to pay
taxes, you see. But a total package of compensation is about $15 million.

I`m going to go to the plant that they shut down. I`m going to go
there tomorrow. At about noon, I`m going to be walking down and downtown
Newton, Iowa, and I`m going to go into a caf‚.

I`m not going to have any big MSNBC cameras with me. Just my wife and
I will go down there and go in and talk to the folks and see what those
1,800 people are doing now.

Maybe I`ll run into a few of them. And I`ll take a couple of pictures
and I`ll report back to you. I`ll talk to them in a very -- not a very
intrusive manner, if you know what I mean, because folks in Iowa are
sometimes kind of private people, you know? Midwesteners view the media
differently.

I thought if I sneak in there and go talk to them, maybe I can find
out what they really think, because I believe this story right here is one
of the reasons why all these Wall Street occupiers are occupying the
streets damn near everywhere now.

This is one of these stories where it all goes to the top. And the
guy at the top is saying, well, you know, we`ve got emerging markets that
are a little bit slow. You know what`s slow tonight? The good emotion of
the people in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The plant down there that they`re going
to shut down is 1.5 million square feet that will be empty when Whirlpool
says, let`s get the hell out of here.

You see? In Indiana, they shipped those jobs to Mexico. These jobs
are going to go across the ocean to Europe. Why? Well, I guess they were
paying the employees too much. I guess they wanted to make more money at
the top.

And what pisses me off is we have people like Boehner and Cantor and
McConnell who want to give guys who made the decision to get rid of this
factory, wants to give him a tax cut because he thinks they`re going to go
out and create more jobs. But you know what really bothers me? Is that
this company got $19 million in stimulus money. Your tax dollars went to
the guy who made a decision to get rid of these jobs.

And we have a Congress that sits there and blames it on one man, the
president, and we sit idle. We don`t do anything about it.

But now, people are in the streets. I do think it`s stories like this
that has put people in the streets. I don`t think they`re going away.

And I think the numbers are going to grow and grow and grow. And keep
growing. I was a young kid 10, 1, 12, 13 years old. When I grew up in
Norfolk, Virginia, and the Vietnam War was raging.

And the protests, they started out real slow. And then they got
bigger and then they got bigger and bigger and bigger.

And that`s what`s going to happen right now in 2011 and 2012. It`s
decades later, but it`s the same thing. People want change.

And I don`t know if we have the political system that is going to
offer that change. So I don`t know where this is going. Do you know where
this is going? Can you tell me tonight that you know exactly where these
protests are going? Because these folks, they`re not going away.

In fact, they`re going to grow in number. The teachers, the
firefighters, the police officers, the nurses, the librarians, the
engineers, the middle classers of America, OK, they`re going to join those
grungy kids.

Guess what? I remember seeing grungy kids at Old Dominion University
when the Vietnam protests were taking place and those kids forced some
change. We got the hell out of Vietnam -- eventually.

So, it gives me hope because I`ve seen it that maybe these people in
the street because of stories like this, maybe they can force change. How
are we going to turn this economy around? If we keep having Maytag and
Whirlpool stories?

Five thousand here, 4,000 here, 10,000 here, profits go on the top.
How are we going to stop this recession? How are we going to turn this
around?

I`ll be back with you on Monday and I`ll give you a report on what
it`s like in Newton, Iowa, now that that plant is all gone. I`ll try to
run into some of the retirees who had their health care benefits taken away
from them after Whirlpool came in and bought Maytag -- those Maytag folks.

Oh, by the way, that went to court, but the retirees lost that battle.
That happened this year.

Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think. Tonight`s
question: is corporate greed running this country? Text "A" for yes, "B"
for no to 622639. Our blog is Ed.MSNBC.com. We`ll bring you the results
later in the show.

Joining me now is Bernie Sanders. I love having this man on this
program because he tells it like it is. I think he knows the answer to all
the questions I asked you tonight in this commentary. But I`ll have to ask
him again.

How can we turn this around, Senator? How are we going to do it?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: First of all, I`m going to text you
right away, Ed, and tell you, yes, corporate greed is running this country.
Corporate greed is destroying the middle class. And corporate greed is
destroying the dreams and aspirations of millions of American people.

I think what these Wall Street occupation effort is all about, and the
reason that it is hitting a nerve, is that people are catching on that
there is something profoundly wrong when the top 1 percent today earns more
income than the bottom 50 percent and when the wealthiest 400 people own
more wealth than the bottom half of America, 150 million people.

Ed, in a recent 25-year period, 80 percent of all new income went to
the top 1 percent which is why the 99ers are getting a little bit upset.
Now, you`re asking me, how do we move this country forward economically?

First of all, we have to understand there has to be a sense of urgency
about the economic crisis that`s out there. Unemployment is not 9 percent.
It`s truly 16 percent -- 25 million people unemployed or under-employed.

I don`t think it`s terribly hard to come up with the ideas as to how
you put our people back to work. We have an infrastructure which is
crumbling. That`s our roads, our bridges, water systems, waste water
plants. What about rebuilding those, that information, putting people back
to work? We`re on the verge of a revolution in energy which we desperately
need if we`re going to combat global warming.

What about the radical idea of making sure that our homes and our
factories and our buildings are weatherized? Put people to work doing
that. And how about building solar paneling and wind turbines right here
in the United States?

SCHULTZ: Well, I`m going to do this story next week because China is
eating our lunch in both those categories while we sit idle with
politicians bickering at one another in Washington. Some of you really
want to do something, but we know who the obstructionists are.

Mike Huckabee is blaming the Democrats. Let`s take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUCKABEE: If the president wants to pass it, he can pass it in the
Senate. Why doesn`t he? Because he doesn`t have enough Democrat votes in
the Senate to pass it.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS: He failed it in its existing form.

HUCKABEE: That`s exactly right. I think that`s total nonsense. He
keeps blaming the Republicans. But the Republicans can`t stop it in the
Senate.

And the fact is if he`s serious about it, lay it on the table, get
Harry Reid to put it out there on the Senate floor, let the Republicans and
Democrats all be on record. Let it go to the House. I think John Boehner
would let it go up for a vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: What`s your response to that, Senator?

SANDERS: I`m not quite sure what Huckabee is talking about. We need
-- because of the Republican filibuster, we need 60 votes to pass a jobs
bill. To the best of my memory, we haven`t gotten one Republican vote yet
to put our teachers, our cops, our firemen back to work. We`re going to
come up with another plan to put money in infrastructure, I hope will get
some Republican support, but at this point, we haven`t.

So, Mr. Huckabee should understand how the Senate works. And that is
you need 60 votes because of consistent Republican obstructionism.

SCHULTZ: And I want to point out, correct me if I`m wrong, it wasn`t
long ago that there was a bill coming out of the Senate that would have
given tax breaks to companies if they brought jobs back to America, just
like the story I was talking about tonight, and the Republicans were
against that as well. Were they not?

SANDERS: Yes, the Republicans have been against virtually every
effort to create the millions of jobs we desperately need.

SCHULTZ: Senator Bernie Sanders, great to have you with us tonight.
We could go on for hours. I appreciate it so much. Thank you.

Remember to answer tonight`s question there at the bottom of the
screen and share your thoughts on Twitter @EdShow. We want to know what
you think.

Coming up: President Obama is using his power to bypass Congress and
get the ball rolling on job creation. How Speaker John Boehner says the
president`s move is laughable.

And later, it`s happening all over America -- people are taking to the
streets to make their voices heard. Michael Eric Dyson is here to discuss
the 99 percent movement.

We`re back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Republicans are working hard to sell their new attack
strategy against President Obama. Congressman Paul Ryan is the point man
blaming the president for dividing the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: Instead of appealing to the hope and
optimism that were the hallmarks to his first campaign, he has launched his
second campaign by preying on the emotions of fear, envy and resentment.
This has the potential to be just as damaging as his misguided policies.
Sowing social unrest and class resentment makes America weaker not
stronger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Ryan thinks the attack works so well that he`s trying to
raise money off of it. But check out what he wrote in a-raising letter to
supporters, "America is at a tipping point. The safety net for the poor is
coming apart at the seams and no one in Washington seems to care."

Paul Ryan is now the defender of the poor? Keep in mind, this is the
guy that wants abolish Medicare and replace it with a voucher system. The
safety net is in danger and it`s Ryan who poses the biggest threat.

Coming up, the latest on Scott Olsen, the new face of the 99 percent
movement.

And next, the president isn`t waiting for Congress. He`s making jobs
programs happen on his own.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.

Today, because Republicans won`t do anything about jobs, President
Obama issued executive orders to boost private business growth. The orders
shorten federal wait times on business projects and create new online
resources for companies. It makes sense for the president to do this.
Americans are demanding some action, any action on jobs. But the speaker
of the house went on far right wing radio and implied the president may be
violating the law by trying to help American businesses.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This idea that you`re
just going to go around to the Congress is just -- it`s almost laughable.
And so we`re keeping a very close eye on the administration to make sure
that they are following the law and following the Constitution.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Speaker Boehner, instead of keeping on eye on the president,
how about keeping an eye on the millions of people out of work in this
country? Why don`t you go to Newton, Iowa, and ask them what the hell`s
going on?

They need help and your party is standing in the way at every turn.
If the president does something to help the country, it`s bad for
Republicans.

Here`s what their obstruction leads to. The state of Michigan is
facing thousands of layoffs in public school system. Under President
Obama`s plan, Michigan would have received $945 million to support nearly
12,000 education jobs.

But as you know, by now, Republicans killed this portion of the bill
last week. With millions out of work, Republicans will add to the ranks of
the unemployed because it helps them politically. This is why Americans
are in the streets.

Joining me now is the mayor of Lansing, Michigan, Virg Bernero, on a
number of different subjects.

Mayor, good to have you with us tonight.

MAYOR VIRG BERNERO (D), LANSING, MICHIGAN: Good to be here, Ed.

SCHULTZ: I appreciate your time.

I want to talk about, first, the people that are in the street across
this country. This seems to be a real issue with mayors now on how to
handle it. Do you have a philosophy? Do you have a working plan if these
protests continue to get bigger in your city?

BERNERO: Well, let me say, I welcome Democratic participation, both
big "D" and little "D" Democratic participation. It`s what we do. We`re
the town square.

Lansing is the capital of Michigan. We`re right across the street
from the state capitol. The protests are not new to us. We`re used to
helping protest and to helping out the state police in terms of keeping
order. And we`ll do that.

But we`ve reached out to the protesters and said, we want to work with
you. They`re occupying a park in the city of Lansing. And instead of
spending money on massive police shields and helmets, we put a couple port-
a-potties down there. We helped them get a special permit to use the park,
legally. And we`re accommodating it.

You know, there`s nobody in the park anyway. It`s getting chilly.
They set up tents which we usually don`t allow overnight parking, but we`ve
given them a special permit.

Look, this is America. I mean, maybe in communist China, in Russia --
Soviet Russia, kind of still a Soviet there, maybe you use batons and
stuff. We`re trying to accommodate public protest. It happens, of course,
I agree with them -- you know how I feel about Wall Street.

But look, this is part of being in the town square. This is the state
capital. This is city hall. They have a right to protest. We want them
to be heard.

SCHULTZ: Everything is so connected. I mean, these folks across
America are out in the street because they`re seeing firefighters and
teachers and people being laid off. This is all part of the problem. It
all connects.

So, is Lansing at risk of teacher and first responders being let go?

BERNERO: Oh, no question. No question. I had to lay off 36 police
officers and 11 firefighters and close three fire stations.

I didn`t want to do that. This is happening all across the state.
There`s no question. We`re in dire straits. People are hurting in every
walk of life.

SCHULTZ: So, what would the jobs bill do for Michigan?

BERNERO: Well, it would be a certainly shot in the arm. It will
certainly help us out. It would be a big help.

Any help at this time would be appreciated. Instead we`re getting
nothing. So, we appreciate the president`s efforts. People are hurting
all over.

I think that`s why, Ed, this movement is taking off, that`s why I
think, this movement does have legs -- there used to be a compact in this
country.

You know, my dad came here from Italy, the American Dream. And we
knew -- look, not everybody is going to get rich, but if you worked hard
and you did the right thing and were responsible and took care of your
family, you could have a decent life in this country. It was almost a
guarantee that if you worked darn hard, worked your butt off you would be
rewarded.

But Wall Street has taken that away. And that`s what people are upset
about. And I don`t care if you`re a businessperson or a worker, Main
Street and Wall Street are different. Wall Street doesn`t give a damn
about Main Street -- whether you`re a business person or worker, they don`t
care.

They outsourced the jobs. They`ve offshored the American Dream. And
something`s got to give. That`s what people are saying.

SCHULTZ: And national polls, Virg, are showing the president has
support for his jobs policy.

So, how do you think the Republicans expect to win states like
Michigan if they oppose stuff he puts on the table?

BERNERO: I don`t know how you beat something with nothing. The
president has something. He saved the auto industry. Without him, we
wouldn`t have that.

At least in here in Michigan, we got G.M., Chrysler and Ford going
strong. And G.M. and Chrysler might very well not have been around if not
for the president`s action. Now, he`s offering more action which we
vitally need.

As you mentioned, our public services, our roads are crumbling, our
bridges, our schools. The president offers help for that. The Republicans
offered nothing.

SCHULTZ: Yes. And do you think -- some Democrats suggested the
president should forget working with the jokers and ignore them and turn to
the campaign completely. What do you think?

BERNERO: You know, it`s a tough call. But he has a job to do as
president, just like I have a job as mayor. I can`t just walk away from
the city council if I disagree with them. I don`t believe he can afford to
simply walk away. He has to continue to work in them, continue to try to
engage them.

At the same time, he`s the great communicator, he is the chief
communicator and he`s got to go out and use the bully pulpit. Hopefully,
Americans will put pressure on this do-nothing Congress to get them into
action and get them to do something to stimulate the economy in a real way
and create real jobs and stop jobs from going overseas. How about we
incentivize companies, Ed, to invest here? You talk --

SCHULTZ: Well, we tried to do that. Republicans are against it.

BERNERO: Well, there you go.

SCHULTZ: I mean, there are some people in Washington -- I mean, the
total Congress isn`t broken. You bring up a good point. But the Democrats
try to get the Republicans to do that and they were against that, too.

Virg, it`s good to see you fired up on a Friday night. You have a
great weekend.

BERNERO: Always a pressure. Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Keep working my friend.

Coming up: FOX News host Martha MacCallum says anyone who doesn`t
believe her network is fair and balanced has been brainwashed. I`ll show
you some examples and let you decide if she`s right. That`s next.

If you haven`t seen enough of Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich in free
debates on TV, you can pay to see one in Texas. Tickets start at $200.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in "Psycho Talk" tonight, FOX News anchor Martha
MacCallum defends her network`s "fair and balanced" slogan. She went on
Don Imus` show and claimed FOX daytime programming is unbiased.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS: I think a lot of people are sort of
brainwashed into believing that line of thinking. You know, that we`re not
fair and balanced and everybody else is. During the daytime, you know, we
try to shoot as straight as we possibly can. Everybody`s a human being.
There`s going to be times when your feelings about something enter into a
discussion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Of course, the reality is FOX News bias goes much deeper
than feelings. The network`s managing editor in Washington ordered
reporters to slant to the right on various issues. And it`s no secret
conservative bias goes all the way to the tom of the News Corp. food chain.
The only people who are brainwashed are the ones who still insist FOX News
is fair and balanced, despite the evidence suggesting otherwise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

MACCALLUM: Four hundred and forty-seven billion dollars in new money
to stimulate the economy, on top of $800 billion in the original stimulus
plan that didn`t work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should have little symbols, those pens, just
say no to more spending, right?

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS: Government regulation. What many see as
overregulation, too many rules, too little common sense.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: How much trouble is Obama-care in now?

MACCALLUM: Obamacare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obamacare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s called the Independent Payment Advisory
Board, the IPAB. It kind of sounds a little scary, doesn`t it?

ED HENRY, FOX NEWS REPORTER: What specific steps will you take to
hold Iran accountable, especially when Mitt Romney charged last week,
quote, "If you done want America to be the strongest nation on earth, I am
not your president. You have that president today."?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I didn`t know
that you were the spokesperson for Mitt Romney.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

SCHULTZ: All of those clips were from so-called straight news anchors
and reporters. So, for Martha MacCallum to say people are brainwashed into
thinking FOX News is unbiased is delusional "Psycho Talk."

Dinner with the president of the United States, four lucky raffle
winners sat down with President Obama last night and they`re here to tell
us all about it on THE ED SHOW tonight.

Iraq injured -- injured Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen has become the
face of the 99 percent movement. And last night, over a thousand turned
out in support of him. Where does the movement go next? Michael Eric
Dyson joins me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.

I`m going to be in Newton, Iowa, tomorrow. My wife and I are going to
have lunch in Newton, Iowa. Tweet me @EdShow. Tell us where to go.

From New York to Los Angeles, Oakland to Atlanta, it`s happening all
over America. People are taking to the street, making their voices heard
and willing to get arrested for the cause.

This is what happens when corporate America takes over the government.
The people rise up.

In New York, protesters are preparing for a cold weekend even after
the fire department confiscated generators citing safety concerns. Over 50
protesters were arrested in San Diego after police removed tents and
canopies.

And tonight, more questions are raised regarding the decision making
behind Tuesday`s raid in Oakland, California. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan
first authorized the use of force on streets then told police to stand
down.

Protesters are now reoccupying the plaza they were forcibly evicted
from. Quan says she wants to hear from them.

The problems are this: they don`t want to hear from her. Quan
attempted to address the group Thursday but was booed off the stage. Quan
says she accepted responsibility for the incident but is dodging questions
from the media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mayor Quan, Mayor Quan, can we speak with you before you
leave? Can you roll your window -- can you lower your window?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Mayor Quan did visit 24-year-old Iraqi veteran Scott Olsen
in the hospital where he`s suffering from a fractured skull. Olsen was hit
in the head with a tear gas canister during Tuesday night`s chaos. He`s
since regained consciousness and is communicating through written messages.
Doctors expect him to regain his speech.

Last night, over a thousand people attended a vigil for the injured
Marine. Hospital officials say Olsen is amazed at the public`s reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VINTAGE FOSTER, HIGHLAND HOSPITAL SPOKESMAN: He is surprised at the
interest when we share with him that the world is watching.

(END VIDO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Let`s bring in Michael Eric Dyson, MSNBC political analyst,
and professor of sociology at Georgetown University and the author of the
book, "Can You Hear Me Now?"

Professor, good it have you with us tonight. Thanks so much for
joining us.

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Thank you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Did Scott Olsen in a sense change this movement? What do
you think?

DYSON: I think he did. Here`s a man who has given his life to
defending his country, to making sure democracy could be shared here at
home, and now, he returns home, engages in an act of civil protest and
civil disobedience, a gesture of profound identification with the great
values of democracy, and he`s hit in the head with a canister of tear gas.

I mean, he becomes the symbol of what it means for Americans to gird
up their loins, to galvanize and rally their protest and say, as you said,
Ed, when the government is overtaken by corporate interest, when it`s
undermined by business elites who don`t have the best interest of America
at heart, it`s time for the people to rise up.

And I think Mr. Olson represents the best of that democratic value,
that democratic vision.

SCHULTZ: People are willing to get arrested for this movement. What
does that mean?

DYSON: Well, it means that people are tired, Ed. They`re tired of
being shunted to the periphery. They`re tired of being told that we`ll
take care of it the next time around. They`re tired of seeing politicians
play footsie with their destiny, talking about budget cuts, cutting
entitlements, really going against the very basic values of supporting
those who are vulnerable.

And in this economic downturn, this profound recession that continues
to extend, people around this country are tired of having politicians not
listen to them. They want to be heard. They want to amplify their voices.
And even though they`ve taken away the means of that amplification,
technically, they have not removed the deep and profound commitment to
having their voices heard. That`s why they`re out there.

SCHULTZ: You know, the root of this is the folks that are out there,
they want the government to change, they want the country to change. In
that sense, I see a parallel between what`s happening now and the civil
rights movement and also the anti-war protests that took place during the
Vietnam War.

I mean, what am I missing here? Am I -- I mean, I think it`s the same
thing.

DYSON: You`re on it, Ed. I mean, the reality is, think about it, in
Resurrection City, where Reverend Jesse Jackson occupied for some two
months Washington, D.C., with the poor people`s campaign, when the Vietnam
War was at its height and people around this country and, indeed, around
the globe, identified with the vulnerable and the victimized and suggested
that America has to change, this is an extension of that same willingness
to march, to drum up support, to rally, to galvanize, to exercise our
franchise and to tell the truth as Americans. That`s our right and that`s
what they`re doing here.

SCHULTZ: `Media Matters" compiled a list of names the right wing
media has been calling the protesters -- anti-American, communism, sex
addict, morons, parasites. It`s just to name a few.

What do you make of that?

DYSON: Ed, ad hominem (INAUDIBLE) -- when you don`t have an argument,
toss at people. When you don`t have a substantive engagement with the
issues, then try to berate the people. We have been victimized that.

Those of who us who have identified with the vulnerable, spoken in
their behalf, those of us who raised the banner of American loyalty says
real patriotism is not denying the legitimate problems with the country but
willing to come forward and say let`s do something about it.

James Baldwin said, I love America above any other country. I
therefore reserve the right to criticize her perpetually.

Those of us who are willing to tell the truth about America are making
it better, not right wing zealots and the lunatic fringe which is incapable
of telling the truth about America, and also identifying those areas that
need to be dealt with, that need to be enhanced and need it be embraced as
a way of saying, this is the truth of American democracy. Those who are
willing to pay the price for it are those who are willing to see it
extended.

SCHULTZ: Great friend, Michael Eric Dyson -- great to have you with
us tonight. I appreciate it.

DYSON: Thank you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: If you want the best seat in the house to a debate between
Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain, oh, it`s going to cost you a thousand bucks.
I`ll tell you about that next. I wonder if I should buy one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Coming up, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich want a debate like
Lincoln/Douglass, and charge up to a thousand bucks a ticket.

And last night, dinner with the president was on the house. Four
campaign donors got a chance to chow down with Barack Obama. I`ll ask them
what they asked the president.

That`s going to be on THE ED SHOW, all four of them coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Playbook tonight, two Republican candidates who have seen
the best gains in the polls recently are Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich.
Now, Gingrich and Cain are scheduled to debate each other next month,
Lincoln/Douglass style. People who want to see the conservative darlings
go at it have to pay 200 bucks for the bleacher seats, $500 a ticket to get
you the better seats and access to an after party. I`m sure that exciting.
For a cool $1,000, you get front row seats and a picture with the
candidates. All the money goes to the group Texas Tea Party Patriots.

But Gingrich and Cain -- they are no strangers to using presidential
campaigns as stepping stones for getting lots of cash. Cain has used
campaign funds to buy his autobiography from his own company. Very
convenient. And Gingrich`s foundation raised millions while he raised his
profile through political campaigns.

High poll numbers may be nice, but for candidates like Cain and
Gingrich, the cash coming from the poll numbers is a whole lot nicer, don`t
you think?

Last night the president had dinner with four lucky campaign donors.
They got to ask him whatever they wanted.

Now, they`re here on THE ED SHOW tonight and I`m going to ask them how
it went.

Stay with us.

(COMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: OK. I think I got this Newton, Iowa, thing figured out.
Place is called the Smokin` Mississippi Queen, a food trough. It`s on the
east end of First Avenue. I hear they have got great barbecues and I`ll be
there at noon tomorrow. And it`s owned by a former Maytag employee.

Tonight, in the survey, I asked you: is corporate greed running this
country? Ninety-six percent of you say yes, 4 percent of you say no.

Coming up, if the president invited you to dinner, what would you ask
him? Our guests had that opportunity last night. There they are. We`ll
talk to them when we come back on THE ED SHOW.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And finally, tonight, last night four lucky Americans had
dinner with the president of the United States -- a retired school teacher,
a small business owner, U.S. postal worker, and a retired college
professor. The big dinner was at Liberty Tavern in Arlington, Virginia,
and it lasted about an hour.

The Obama campaign had taken entries for dinner with Barack. For
three months the raffle was open to all supporters. The Obama campaign
paid for one night in a hotel and the flights from Arizona, Colorado,
Indiana and Minnesota.

And after dinner, President Obama tweeted, "This dinner is important
because I`m only president, thanks to the work of millions of Americans
just like the four I just met."

All four of these lucky raffle winners join us tonight here on THE ED
SHOW.

Let`s bring in Minnesota small business owner, Casey Helbling; U.S.
postal service letter carrier, Kenneth Knight; retired public
schoolteacher, Juanita Martinez; and retired college professor, Wendi
Smith.

Great to have all of you with us tonight.

I`ve had lunch with the president once. And it`s kind of goofy going
in there. You`re kind of, you`re a little bit nervous -- wondering how is
this thing going to work out? I imagine that`s what all of you felt last
night.

Casey, let me ask you first. What did you want to ask the president?
What kind of questions, what kind of conversation did you have with him?

CASEY HELBLING, OBAMA CAMPAIGN DONOR: Sure, yes, we were very
nervous. As soon as we sat down, he completely put everybody at ease and
was really easy to talk to. We actually had about an hour and 15 minutes
for dinner, and at the end of dinner he offered us dessert. We turned him
down surprisingly. I can`t believe we did that.

Yes, we had so much time to talk with him. I asked him about his day,
what does a normal day look like, Kind of the most surprising thing to me
was when he talked about the end of the day at 6:30, when he gets to go
upstairs and hang out with Michelle and the kids. From like 6:30 to 8:30,
he gets to have dinner and unwind and do homework and get to have a little
family time. That was really striking.

SCHULTZ: It was pretty personal then, wasn`t it? Sounds like it.

HELBLING: We had a lot of time. So, we covered a lot of different
issues, but yeah, we did get to get into the personal things, too.

SCHULTZ: All right. Ken, what was on your mind visiting with the
president?

KEN KNIGHT, OBAMA SUPPORTER: Well, first of all, I thanked him for
his service to our country for the last three years and I asked -- I
actually asked him, what negative effects not having a father in his life
played, or had on him as he grew up? And he -- I thought he was real
honest. He first said that you don`t know what you don`t have, and as he
grew up he find out that other kids had something that he didn`t have.

And then he kind of brought it all together and said that, you know,
if -- the way he thought of it was that if his father wasn`t there, he
wouldn`t have ever gone to a jazz concert, and he got him his first
basketball. But he said his father also had some issues and he felt that
that just made him think better about being a better father for his kids.

SCHULTZ: Juanita, you`re a public schoolteacher. I`m anxious to know
what kind of conversation you had with the president. Juanita, what did
you ask him?

JUANITA MARTINEZ, OBAMA CAMPAIGN DONOR: You know, it wasn`t so much a
question and answer period. It was more like having dinner with a nice
next door neighbor you like or a cousin or someone.

But I did talk to him about education. I`m a retired teacher. But I
still have lots of friends that are teachers. And a couple of my sons are
in education and just the need -- the need for more funding. We just need
to educate our youth.

SCHULTZ: Did you get a --

MARTINEZ: So he was concerned about that.

SCHULTZ: Yes. Juanita, did you get a sense -- he was pretty
frustrated not being able to help out teachers right now?

MARTINEZ: I think a little bit, but he`s also so upbeat and I think
he wants us to be encouraged and he wants us to go back to our states and
encourage other people. I don`t think he`s the kind of person that dwells
too much on being, or at least showing his disappointment. He just wants
to keep going and making things better.

SCHULTZ: Wendi --

MARTINEZ: I got to tell you --

SCHULTZ: Go ahead.

MARTINEZ: I got to tell you that I just want to reiterate what Casey
said. We were nervous wrecks after they showed us the table where we were
going to sit. But then he walks in the back door and said, "Hello,
everybody." And he walked over to us like he couldn`t wait to meet us.

And he shook our hands and called us by our first names and we sat
down and just ate dinner and talked.

SCHULTZ: Wendi --

MARTINEZ: It was amazing.

SCHULTZ: -- what kind of sense did you get from the dinner last
night, Wendi?

WENDI SMITH, OBAMA CAMPAIGN DONOR: Oh, he was just a gracious really
wonderful person. And the person that I worked for in the 2008 campaign
that I volunteered for, he was everything -- he was all that.

SCHULTZ: How much politics was in the conversation in the night?

SMITH: We did a little bit. We sort of dissed some people, but he
kept it on the up and up. He`s such a good guy. We wanted to kind of get
down, but he didn`t.

So, the thing that I asked him about was higher education and college
loans. And he has this sort of approach and I felt real confident that
he`s got a handle on it. In fact, there was nothing we asked him last
night that he didn`t have a handle on. He`s quite an amazing fellow.

SCHULTZ: Juanita, was he the same guy you voted for?

MARTINEZ: Yes. He sure was.

SCHULTZ: Wendi, what do you think? Same guy you voted for?

SMITH: Absolutely. Absolutely.

SCHULTZ: Casey, what, politically, did you have anything that you
really wanted to ask him that maybe you didn`t get to?

HELBLING: Not really. We got to spend some time talking about health
care and the economy and his big point was that we have to take care of the
housing market and what`s going on there first. So that actually hit home.

I completely agree with that. And so, I was just like, that was
awesome that he -- just have these frank conversations with him and tell
you straight out, number one thing we have to take care of is this, number
two is this. So --

SCHULTZ: Did he talk about the re-election campaign at all?

HELBLING: W briefly touched on it. It was sort of in passing and
part of another conversation I think.

SCHULTZ: Ken, your expectations, having dinner with the president.
Were they met?

KNIGHT: Oh, they were more than met. They -- he was -- as everybody
said, he was really gracious. He was funny. He asked me about my mom when
I first walked in -- obviously, the people that he talked to had prepped
him on our lives a little bit. That`s the first thing he asked about is my
mom and the fact that she lives in Sedona, Arizona, and she`s had some
health problems.

But, you know, like everybody said, he was just a really -- it was
really amazing, sit down with a regular guy.

SCHULTZ: That`s great. Ken Knight, Casey Helbling, Juanita Martinez
and Wendi Smith -- great to have you on THE ED SHOW and it had to fund.

SMITH: Thank you for having us, Ed.

SCHULTZ: You bet.

Finally, before we go, I want to show you a picture on my radio show`s
Facebook page. One of my producers put this together. It`s a protest that
I want Rachel to see. It`s a protest that Republicans could get behind.
Occupy the golf course. For guys like Cantor and Boehner, this is what
democracy looks like.

That`s THE ED SHOW. I`m Ed Schultz.

Rachel Maddow starts right now. Good evening, Rachel.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY
BE UPDATED.
END

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