The Ed Show for Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

THE ED SHOW with ED SCHULTZ
October 24, 2012

Guests: Terry O`Neill, James Hoffa, Larry Cohen, Leo Gerard


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

Thirteen days until the 2012 election, another wake-up call to women
voters. Republicans want to force rape victims to deal with God`s will?

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REPORTER: Do you believe that if the pregnancy results from rape,
that God intended for that pregnancy to take place?

RICHARD MOURDOCK (R), INDIANA SENATE NOMINEE: You know, that`s a call
above my pay grade.

SCHULTZ (voice-over): Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the Republicans
have a brand-new problem. His name is Richard Mourdock.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This fall, I`m supporting
Richard Mourdock for Senate.

SCHULTZ: Tonight, NOW president Terry O`Neill on Romney`s favorite
Indiana candidate.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: Governor Mitt Romney`s strong showing during
the debates has put the Obama campaign in full panic mode. The desperate
left, they`ll say anything to rebound, and once again, they are playing the
race card.

SCHULTZ: Less than two weeks before the election, the crazies are
coming out of the woodwork.

DONALD TRUMP, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: President Obama is the least
transparent president in the history of this country.

SCHULTZ: Tonight, Michael Eric Dyson on Trump, Coulter, and Palin`s
dive off the deep end.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If the question is
what is best for low-income Ohioans, shouldn`t we let Ohioans make that
call?

SCHULTZ: It`s all about the ground game in the Buckeye State. Larry
Cohen and James Hoffa lay out the game plan to deliver Ohio for President
Obama.

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don`t blame that
baby for crying. She just realized what it means if Romney gets elected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ: Good to have you with us tonight, folks. Thanks for
watching.

A Republican Senate candidate out of the state of Indiana showed
voters, especially women, exactly what is at stake in this election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOURDOCK: You know, this is that issue that every candidate for
federal or even state office faces. And I, too, certainly stand for life.
I know there are some who disagree and I respect their point of view, but I
believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have for, to
have an abortion, is in that case of the life of the mother.

I just, I struggled with it myself for a long time. But I came to
realize life is that gift from God, and I think even when life begins in
that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to
happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Richard Mourdock is fighting in one of the most hotly
contested Senate seats in the country. Mourdock was compelled to answer
reporters` questions today about his comments on rape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOURDOCK: I believe life is precious. I believe that, to the mirror
of my votes. I am a much more humble person this morning, because so many
people mistook, twisted, came to misunderstand the points that I was trying
to make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Mourdock was asked to explain his words. He claimed
ignorance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Do you believe that if the pregnancy results from rape,
that God intended for that pregnancy to take place?

RICHARD MOURDOCK (R), INDIANA SENATE NOMINEE: You know, that`s a call
above my pay grade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Out of the mainstream? What do you think? If you`re
wondering how a loose cannon like Mourdock wound up in a pivotal Senate
race, you can thank the Tea Party. Millions of dollars from the outside
funded Mourdock`s primary campaign against establishment Republican Dick
Lugar of some 30 years in the Senate.

The Republican Party is facing another tight Senate race, just like
the one in Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TODD AKIN (R), MISSOURI: If it`s a legitimate rape, the female
body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let`s assume that
maybe that didn`t work or something. You know, I think there should be
some punishment, but the punishment ought to be in the rapist and not
attacking the child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Todd Akin`s "legitimate rape" comments were just the warning
shot. He might as well have said, you know, there`s more where that came
from. Now, Republicans are forced to defend high-profile candidates with
views way outside the mainstream in this country. In fact, 83 percent of
Americans believe there should be abortion exceptions in the case of rape
and incest, 76 percent of Republicans agree.

The most recent comprehensive study of pregnancies resulting from rape
show more than 32,000 over the course of a year. No one is telling Richard
Mourdock or any other candidate what they can or cannot personally believe,
but even the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, has given Mourdock thumbs up
and says Mourdock will legislate on major health care initiatives.

Mitt Romney filmed a television ad for Mourdock. It was released on
Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: This fall, I`m supporting Richard Mourdock for senate. As
Senator, Richard will be the 51st vote to repeal and replace government-run
health care. Richard will help stop the liberal Reid/Pelosi agenda.

With so much at stake, I hope you`ll join me in supporting Richard
Mourdock for U.S. Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: In light of Mourdock`s comments, the Romney camp says,
"Governor Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock and Mr. Mourdock`s
comments do not reflect Governor Romney`s views. We disagree on the
process for regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support
him."

Democrats unveiled their own video, to make sure no one forgets Mitt
Romney`s support for Richard Mourdock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: This is a man who I want to see in Washington to make sure
that we cannot just talk about changing things, but actually have the votes
to get things changed.

MOURDOCK: Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape,
that it is something that God intended to happen.

ROMNEY: We`ve got to get this guy elected in the U.S. Senate.

MOURDOCK: It is something that God intended to happen.

ROMNEY: With so much at stake, I hope you`ll join me in supporting
Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: For the record, Richard Mourdock is not an exception to the
rule for the Romney campaign. Romney`s running mate, Paul Ryan, co-
sponsored legislation to change the definition of rape in abortion cases.
The Republican National Convention included language in the party platform,
identical to Mourdock`s definition. "We support a human life amendment to
the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth
Amendments protections apply to unborn children."

There`s also Romney`s own words. In an op-ed called "My Pro-Life
Pledge," Romney called Roe versus Wade bad law and bad medicine and a
misguided ruling. Romney told Mike Huckabee he wants the ruling overturned
and wants the constitution changed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE, FOX NEWS: Would you have supported the constitutional
amendment that would have established the definition of life at conception?

ROMNEY: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Take the Republican Party at its word. They say they will
legislate their morality and their faith on the American people, if they
have the chance. I think you ought to believe them.

Compare this with the position articulated by the vice president of
the United States, Joe Biden, during his recent debate with Paul Ryan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: My religion defines who I am. And I`ve been a practicing
Catholic my whole life. And it has particularly informed my social
doctrine. I accept my church`s position on abortion as what we call de
fide doctrine -- life begins at conception. That`s the church`s judgment.
I accept it in my personal life.

But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and
Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Elections have consequences. I hope people who care about
women`s rights in this country realize how stunning the consequences of a
2012 election -- what they really are, if this crowd gets elected.

Now, keep in mind, there`s a big discussion in America about whether
there`s a war on women. FOX News says there isn`t.

What does it mean when the majority of the people in this country
don`t see it their way? What do you call that? The mainstream? I think
not.

Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think. Tonight`s
question: does Richard Mourdock speak for the Republican Party? Text "A"
for yes, text "B" for no to 622639. You can always go to our blog at
Ed.MSNBC.com. We`ll bring you the results later on in the show.

I`m joined tonight by Terry O`Neill, president of the National
Organization for Women.

Terry, great to have you with us tonight.

Thirteen days out from the election. This is a blockbuster story for
women in this country and women`s rights. Does this elevate the
conversation at a very important time for women?

TERRY O`NEILL, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN: Yes, Ed, I think that
it makes very, very clear to women where Mitt Romney and his soul mates,
Paul Ryan, Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock, actually stand on women`s rights.

Look, we put out a statement saying that Richard Mourdock is Mitt
Romney unmasked. And what we mean by that is Mitt Romney, when the cameras
were not on him, back when he was a lay bishop in the Mormon Church, he
actually pressured a woman whose blood clots were making her pregnancy life
threatening to her, what he said to her was this -- why should you get off
so easy? Other women don`t get off that easy. And he wanted her to
continue the pregnancy, even though it was threatening her life.

Her parents were frantic. Her father actually threw Romney out of the
house and said, don`t you ever come back and talk to my daughter that way.
They actually cared about women`s lives, that woman`s life, in a way that
Mitt Romney doesn`t even conceive of caring for women`s lives.

So let`s be very clear. Richard Mourdock told the truth about what
the Republican Party now wants to do to women. It is a terrible shame for
the Republican Party.

The Republican Party used to be run by people who were responsible. I
didn`t agree with them much of the time, but right now, what we have is a
radical fringe in control of the Republican Party and the policies. And
Mitt Romney is right in the thick and the middle of that fringe, and very
unpopular with the American people.

SCHULTZ: So your message to women tonight, across the country, who
may be undecided, is that this could be a benchmark election when it comes
to women`s rights, and you are convinced -- I don`t want to put words in
your mouth -- that this crowd, if they have the power, they will overturn
Roe v. Wade?

O`NEILL: There`s no question in my mind, Ed. I think that`s
absolutely right. They will do everything they can to overturn Roe versus
Wade. Mitt Romney does -- will support personhood amendment that
criminalizes all abortion, in all cases.

Look, I think you mentioned earlier, over 32,000 pregnancies in the
United States every year result from rape. Another statistic that a lot of
people don`t know is that 31 states actually still give rapists father`s
rights. So access to the child, that was a product of rape, and therefore
access to the rape survivor. We are working very hard to change these
state level laws, but they do exist.

And so this makes it all the more important that rape survivors have
complete control over their own futures, over that pregnancy, to prevent
the pregnancy, they need E.C., emergency contraception, and if a woman
becomes pregnant through rape, she must have the absolute decision making
power as to whether to continue that pregnancy or not. It cannot be up to
men like Richard Mourdock and Paul Ryan.

SCHULTZ: Do you think this will affect women? The clock is ticking.
Less than two weeks. Can it an impact on the election?

O`NEILL: You know, I think it can. And I think what is a real
problem is that women voters and many other people, I think opinion
leaders, have a very hard time wrapping their brain around the reality of
the danger to women that is posed by these men. I don`t blame them for
having a hard time wrapping their brains around this.

This is way outside the norm. It is something that you want to say,
that can`t possibly be true. The sad reality, it is all too true. And
these men are that close to taking power and to imposing the most
draconian, truly misogynistic, truly women-hating policies on this country.

And you know, my organization and women`s organizations all around the
country we`re partnering with, we`re doing everything we can to defeat
these men. And I think we will. But it is hard for people to really,
really grasp how dire this threat is.

SCHULTZ: Well, they`re crystal clear on where they stand on the
issues, no doubt.

Terry O`Neill, thank you for joining us tonight on THE ED SHOW.

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

Coming up, when is enough enough? Will Richard Mourdock`s comments be
a real wake-up call to Republican moderates? Susan del Percio and Krystal
ball weigh in with commentary and more discussion when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Coming up, the GOP`s extreme views on abortion are now out
in the open and it`s a wake-up call for women voters. Will it matter?
Will it affect the election? Susan del Percio and Krystal Ball join me
next.

Then, the right-wing rhetoric turns ugly. Michael Eric Dyson will
weigh in on Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter`s comments and Donald Trump`s
latest stunt.

And Bain Capital, this is a story we covered last Friday, it has
intensified. Bain Capital plans to close the Sensata plant ahead of
schedule if workers continue protesting the company`s outsourcing plans.
We`ll have the latest from Freeport, Illinois.

Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and on Twitter using #EdShow.

We are coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Thanks for watching tonight.

Well, Republicans say that there is no war on women, yet every time
they open their mouths on abortion, on health care, on pay equity, they
prove that they don`t have women`s best interests in mind.

Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock`s remarks on rape should be
a real wake-up call to women. His comments should also be a real wake-up
call to Republican moderates, if there`s any left. Right-wing extremists
have taken over the party.

Mitt Romney says he supports abortion in cases of rape, incest, or
when the life of the mother is in danger. His running mate says he
supports Romney`s views, but Paul Ryan`s record tells us differently. He
introduced the term "forcible rape" in congressional legislation.

As a young congressman, Ryan attacked legislation that allowed an
exception to save a woman`s life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: The health exception is a loophole wide enough to drive a Mack
truck through it. The health exception would render this ban virtually
meaningless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Ryan`s PAC gave Mourdock`s campaign a $5,000 boost during
this election cycle. So far, Romney and Ryan are ignoring the Mourdock
controversy.

But some Republicans are running away from Mourdock. Senator Scott
Brown of Massachusetts is disavowing Mourdock`s comments. Senator Kelly
Ayotte of New Hampshire canceled, canceled plans to campaign with Mourdock
just today.

Yet the GOP leadership -- well, they continue to embrace Mourdock and
his controversial stance. Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial
Committee, John Cornyn, called the outrage over Mourdock`s comments
"irresponsible and ridiculous".

While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed Democrats, "We`re
at the end of an election season here, and I understand each side is
looking to make hay out of every comment, but sharing the views of millions
of Americans that life begins at conception is Richard`s deeply held
personal belief that shouldn`t be misconstrued by partisans to imply
something it does not."

That`s at the heart of the issue.

Let`s bring in Krystal ball, co-host of "THE CYCLE" here on MSNBC and
Susan del Percio, Republican strategist and MSNBC contributor.

Great to have both of you with us tonight.

KRYSTAL BALL, "THE CYCLE" CO-HOST: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Mitch McConnell`s comment cuts to the heart of it here.
Republicans, do they want to legislate their personal beliefs on the
American people, no matter where the majority of people stand?

Susan, you`re somewhat of a moderate on this issue. Will this make a
difference, if they push this issue?

SUSAN DE PERCIO, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: It absolutely will. There has to
be room for different opinions within the Republican Party on this issue.
There`s no doubt about it. You have to allow for that.

Look at Scott Brown. (INAUDIBLE) He happens to be pro-choice.

We heard from Christie Todd Whitman saying how she -- you know, the
life of the Republican Party is on the line if we don`t start expanding it
to include. And we did see leadership like Kelly Ayotte take a stand and
decide not to campaign.

But it is also -- I was listening to your introduction, it is also
worth noting that the person running against Mourdock is also pro-life, who
signed on to the forcible rape amendment as well. So while it`s, yes,
mostly a problem for the Republicans --

SCHULTZ: But that`s not the position of the party.

DEL PERCIO: No, I understand.

SCHULTZ: And that`s a big difference. And I think the difference
here is that here you have Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn, who are really
in the leadership positions, are saying that, yes, we want this man in the
Senate and they`re standing behind him.

DEL PERCIO: I`m just saying that we did -- it did come up in your
introduction, and there are people within the Democratic Party who have
certain beliefs as well that would be deemed conservative and somewhat
extreme, even by their own party.

SCHULTZ: But they want to overturn Roe v. Wade. They`re on the
record saying that. The Democratic Party does not want to do that.

Krystal, where does this take the election?

BALL: Well, I think that`s absolutely right. And this reminds voters
too, that Romney may well have, if he is president, one or two Supreme
Court nominations. And there is no question that he would nominate Supreme
Court justices who were opposed to Roe v. Wade. And that could very well
spell the end of Roe v. Wade.

You see how deeply uncomfortable women are with how far to the right
the Republican Party has moved on this. It is -- it is not just Richard
Mourdock here. He is not an outlier. Their platform is no abortions, no
exceptions, including rape and health of the mother.

So they have totally gone off the rails with this issue. And it`s
already damaged them electorally.

SCHULTZ: What`s it do to suburban women?

BALL: Well, I think it really makes them uncomfortable. And frankly,
between that and the hard-line stance on immigration, I think those are the
two things that are really keeping Romney from actually being in a position
to win this race, because women, they may feel like the economy isn`t where
they want it to be, they may feel like they`d maybe like to try something
different, but they`re so uncomfortable with the extremism on this issue.

SCHULTZ: Susan, how can this be a winner for the Republicans at this
point? Thirteen days out, this is a story that Mitt Romney didn`t need.

DEL PERCIO: It`s horrible! It`s not a winner at all. It`s a
horrible situation for the Republican Party right now, both at the
presidential level and down ballot races. There`s no doubt about it.

That`s why you saw Scott Brown come out so quickly saying, you know,
Mourdock`s comments were appalling.

So this is not what Republicans wanted right now, by a long shot.

SCHULTZ: So, is this going to really affect Ohio? I mean, Ohio, as
the whole map breaks down, how is this going to play out? And could it
turn a state or a swing state really against Mitt Romney?

DEL PERCIO: It depends on how you look at the numbers. If you
believe that the gap is an eight-point gap with Romney and the president,
which I think it`s probably greater, it`s probably in the double digits,
will it be the final straw? I don`t think so. I don`t think that`s what`s
going to cause the election to turn towards Obama.

SCHULTZ: Pretty damaging tape there, that Mitt Romney is standing up
emphatically, supporting Mourdock. In fact, he is the only Senate
candidate that Romney has done that. A self-inflicted wound? How does he
-- and they can`t back away from it, they`re caught.

BALL: Right. They`re caught. It`s the only Senate candidate that
Mitt Romney has cut an ad for. So he is on tape saying, vote for Richard
Mourdock. It`s a major problem.

And I`ve lived in both Ohio and Virginia, and I actually think more of
Virginia, where the polls are as tight as they can be right now. I think
suburban, northern Virginia women are going to be reminded of Todd Akin,
reminded of the Supreme Court nominees, and very uncomfortable.

SCHULTZ: So, Susan, doesn`t this play into the hands of the Obama
campaign? Because all along, they have said that this is an election about
choice. You know, priority -- I mean, I`m serious. Where do you stand on
taxes, where do you stand on health care?

And here, ironically, we`re talking about just that in almost the 11th
hour.

DEL PERCIO: This is a self-inflicted wound. Make no mistake about
it. It wasn`t that the Obama campaign played it so well.

I mean, this has become a national story that is going to hurt
Republicans. There`s no doubt about it.

SCHULTZ: OK, Krystal Ball, Susan del Percio, great to have to have
you with us tonight. Thanks so much.

BALL: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: The race card in this election is unfortunately alive and
well. Michael Eric Dyson will join me.

And then find out why cars are becoming so critical in the final
stretch to the White House.

Stay tuned. We`re right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s a -- he`s an Arab. He is not --

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: No, ma`am. No, ma`am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No?

MCCAIN: No, ma`am. No, ma`am. He`s a -- he`s a decent family man,
citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental
issues. And that`s what this campaign is all about. He`s not. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: And we are back here on THE ED SHOW tonight. That was
Senator John McCain in 2008, responding to a supporter who said Barack
Obama was an Arab. Since then, we`ve suffered through four years of people
trying to paint President Obama as "the other."

And it has sometimes come from Republican office holders or Tea
Partiers. And much of it is racist. Whether you like it or not, it is.

With two weeks until the election, here`s the latest run: Sarah Palin
offered an opinion about the Benghazi embassy attack. In a Facebook post,
she said, "Obama`s shuck and jive ends with Benghazi lies."

And Ann Coulter reacted to the third presidential debate tweeting, "I
highly approve of Romney`s decision to be kind and gentle to the retard."
Coulter didn`t back down. She used Obama`s joke about Romnesia as an
excuse to do it again. She tweeted, "Obama, stage 3 Romnesia, because
cancer references are hilarious. If he`s the smartest guy in the room, it
must be one of the retarded room."

Then there`s birther in chief, Donald Trump, who has been
appropriating his big game-changing announcement for days. Trump`s big
announcement was an offer to give $5 million to President Obama`s favorite
charity if the president would release all of his college and passport
records. The announcement was so lame an online gambling firm refunded
$500 in bets. Donald Trump has recently appeared at two more fund-raisers
for the Romney campaign.

Let`s turn to MSNBC political analyst, Michael Eric Dyson, professor
of sociology at Georgetown University.

Professor, good to have you with us tonight.

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Referring to the president, using the term "shuck and jive".
Break it down for us. What is it?

DYSON: Well, you know, back in the days of slavery, when slaves were
shucking corn, they were also engaging in certain forms of hilarity,
frivolity, laying, exaggeration, and teasing.

SCHULTZ: To keep their attitudes good.

DYSON: To keep their attitudes good, to keep them from killing the
people who were oppressing them. So they were shucking corn and jiving,
having fun. This is an unmistakable racial reference.

And plus, notice the rhyme scheme of Miss Palin as well. So she`s not
only shucking and jiving, Benghazi lies, shuck and jive. So now she`s
trying to have a rhyme scheme that really is a direct assault upon Barack
Obama as a black man.

SCHULTZ: Ann Coulter, obviously, offended special needs people with
her Tweets. But is there more to it when she applies it to an African-
American president? Particularly in a campaign season where John Sununu
has called President Obama "lazy."

DYSON: Right. And that`s a very careful distinction you made there.
You know, on its face, of course it isn`t. But in the context -- and I`m
very surprised at Ann Coulter. Even though I disagree with her vigorously,
she and I have had many conversations where her intelligence and her point
of view have been presented and she hasn`t descended into this valley of
name calling.

But this is ridiculous. We can`t help but see a racial element here,
because, again, it`s about his intelligence. African-American
intelligence, suspect. This is the era of the bell curve, not 15, 20 years
ago. So the suspicion about black intelligence prevails. To call Barack
Obama a retard in the context of John Sununu`s statements is to continue a
trajectory of questioning black intelligence.

SCHULTZ: Questioning black intelligence? That`s how you take that?

DYSON: Oh, well, obviously it`s an assault upon black intelligence.
When you say "retard," first of all, you`ve insulted the special needs
family. And then beyond that, what you have tried to imply is that Barack
Obama lacks the mental skills and the capacities to exercise his job. It`s
an insult in a double way.

SCHULTZ: Back to the shuck and jive, do you think Sarah Palin knew
the reference and the historical perspective that you just put on it?

DYSON: Absolutely not. What she understand -- she understood the
racial signification. She didn`t understand the intellectual justification
for it.

SCHULTZ: What about Donald Trump? He says if President Obama
releases his college records, it will end the question and the anger of
many Americans. Is he race baiting by saying that?

DYSON: Absolutely. Again, this is a question about black
intelligence, also black performance. And it`s the implication of
affirmative action here. This guy got a handout he didn`t deserve to get
into Harvard. He didn`t deserve to get into Columbia, so we don`t trust
him, we don`t believe him, so we need more people. We need more records.
We need to show that he indeed did as well as his teachers said he did.
And of course being the editor of the Harvard Law Review doesn`t suffice
for Mr. Trump. It`s just ridiculous.

SCHULTZ: But there`s a relationship here between the higher-ups in
the Republican party, even the nominee, and these visible Republicans who
are going around saying and doing this kind of stuff. In fact, Trump just
recently held fund-raisers for Romney, and then he comes up with this
nonsense.

SCHULTZ: Oh, of course. Look, if you`re being silent and you`re not
saying about Donald Trump and these other people, look, they`re wrong, they
don`t represent our views, these are reprehensible expressions of an
intolerable racial viewpoint that we find outmoded, but you haven`t heard
that -- you`ve heard silence.

SCHULTZ: Does this motivate the base to get out and vote?

DYSON: Well, their base, of course. It`s the kind of race baiting
going on there -- again, what you`ve brilliantly done consistently on this
show, you`ve shown that they`ve tried to portray Barack Obama as the other.
This is the last-ditch effort to show that he is the ultimate un-American,
therefore we`ve got to put him out of office.

SCHULTZ: Michael Eric Dyson, great to have you with us tonight.
Thanks so much.

There`s a lot more coming up in the next half hour of THE ED SHOW.
Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I`m a son of Detroit. I was born in Detroit. My dad was
head of a car company. I like American cars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Mitt Romney really loves cars. Next, I`ll show you how Mitt
Romney might have personally profited from the auto loan rescue.

In Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin releases a new commercial hammering Tommy
Thompson for profiting off 9/11.

And American workers who are about to have their jobs shipped to China
are fighting for free speech tonight. Leo Gerard with the latest on Mitt
Romney`s dark vision for America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: My dad was head of a car company. I like American cars. And
I would do nothing to hurt the U.S. auto industry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, we`ll see about that. Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.
One thing is becoming crystal clear in this election. The candidate who
wins Ohio will probably win the election. Now, if you want to win Ohio,
you need to prove yourself on the side of the automobile industry; 850,000
jobs depend on the automobile industry in Ohio.

In fact, one out of every eight jobs in the state is linked to the
automobile industry in some way. But cars are becoming a real problem for
Mitt Romney. During Monday night`s debate, Romney claimed he never opposed
the automobile rescue. But he did. In 2008, he wrote an op-ed of "the New
York Times," saying that the government should let Detroit go bankrupt.

Romney now insists he wanted a managed bankruptcy. Instead -- by the
way, Romney`s not talking about the automobile industry on the campaign
trail lately, but President Obama is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If you sit on stage in a nationally televised debate saying
how much you love cars -- you`re a car guy, except you wrote an article
titled, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," then you almost certainly have Romnesia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Romney not only opposed the policy which saved the
automobile industry and more than a million jobs, he actually -- listen to
this, folks -- profited off of it. That`s right. "The Nation" magazine
reports that Romney, he had invested in Delphi. It`s a major supplier of
General Motors. And it was in serious financial trouble back in 2009.

Delphi ended up getting, what? Billions of taxpayer dollars to get
out of debt. It cut pensions for salaried workers and gutted their health
care. It shut down 25 plants in the United States and shipped the jobs
overseas. And in the end, Romney reportedly earned at least 15 million
dollars from the Delphi deal.

Now Romney is trying to convince workers in Ohio that, you know what,
he`s got your back, he`s all about the middle class. Four new polls have
come out in the last few days. And tonight, President Obama has a two-
point lead. Romney might be having car trouble.

Joining us tonight here on THE ED SHOW, I`m joined by James Hoffa,
general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Also with
us tonight Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America.
Gentlemen, great to have you with us.

Mr. Hoffa, you first. Is Romney in his personal life the kind of
president he would be? Is he a threat to jobs?

JAMES HOFFA, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL TEAMSTERS UNION: He is a threat
to jobs, because he actually believes this stuff. He actually believes
that tax cuts for the rich will help rebuild the economy. He actually
believes this, we should get rid of the minimum wage, we should get rid of
unions. He basically thinks that workers are the problem.

He went to China and he said, that`s what we need, basically coolie
labor. And that`s what he believes. He is a threat. And if he ever gets
in there, he would basically implement this, from national right to work to
all these different of things.

So he`s a threat. So he goes on there and he`s trying to back pedal
right now about this thing about the cars. He came to Detroit and said, I
love cars. I`ve got two Cadillacs. That didn`t play very well. And in
Detroit, with the auto capital where I`m from, he comes in and says -- you
know, he basically tries to back away from this idea that he said, Let
Detroit Go Bankrupt. That didn`t sell too well in Detroit.

SCHULTZ: I brought that subject up today on my radio show with Bob
King, who`s the head of the United Auto Workers, and asked him if it`s
correct, that Mitt Romney had the solution for the car industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB KING, UNITED AUTO WORKERS PRESIDENT: All the unions have got a
great ground effort. There`s all kinds of phone banking going on. There`s
door knocking going on. There`s rallies at workplaces. Everybody really
stressing how tremendously important it is that people get out and vote
early, people make sure they vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: And of course, Bob King was telling us that there`s no doubt
that Mitt Romney had nothing to do with the automobile recovery and he did
not have the correct model for it. As for the ground game, Mr. Cohen, how
intense is it in Ohio?

LARRY COHEN, PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA: It`s
intense. Between the Sherrod Brown campaign and the Obama campaign, 5,000
volunteers not just knocking on doors and phone banks, but at work, folks
on break rooms, talking up this election. Three years ago, Ohio had 10
percent unemployment. Now it`s seven percent. Between the auto -- the
auto bailout work that the president supported and Sherrod Brown supported
and the attacks on jobs moving to China, there is rising employment in
Ohio. It is related to the car industry.

But everybody, whether they`re in telecom or manufacturing, understand
the difference between going backwards into fairy tale capitalism, as you
just described it, and Jim did, from the 19th century, with everything
deregulated, and workers just become another unit of production, or going
forward in this 21st century, where we need partnerships between working
Americans and government and management, to figure out how we keep and
build jobs in America and build plants in America, and invest in America,
so that we can bring back a higher standard of living.

And that`s what`s going on in Ohio today.

SCHULTZ: And that simply is not Mitt Romney`s economic model. Mr.
Hoffa, when you look at this, how can you lose Ohio? I mean, how can this
message not get to lunch bucket Democrats who are going to make a big
difference in that state?

HOFFA: Well, we`re making sure it`s delivered. All of labor is
crisscrossing Ohio. I`ve had rallies. Other unions have had rallies.

SCHULTZ: What are they saying on the ground?

HOFFA: Basically they`re out saying they`re all out there for Obama.
We`ve got to make sure we get people to the polls. We`re using early
voting, which is a great thing in Ohio. We`re getting more and more people
-- I think at least one third or half the people have already voted. I go
to rallies, I say, raise your hand if you`ve already voted. Half the
people raise their hands.

That`s a good sign. And they`re also out there because they realize
that he`s a threat to their livelihood. He`s a threat to their unions that
are basically the things that are saving them right now and putting them in
the middle class.

SCHULTZ: Mr. Cohen, are you concerned about the integrity of the
vote? We know that there have been shenanigans in the past in Ohio.
You`ve got boots on the ground. Both you gentlemen do. How intense is it
from that standpoint, paying attention to the integrity of the vote?

COHEN: All the volunteers as of election day, thousands will shift to
that. And obviously, the other side has constantly tried to suppress
voting in Ohio by passing laws, et cetera. But, again, I think the
enthusiasm will overcome the cynicism. And the thousands of volunteers
will overcome the 50 million dollars that Mandel is spending alone, and
that we will see Sherrod Brown, Barack Obama win on election day by
significant margins in Ohio, because working Americans won`t be fooled,
know the difference. Nobody`s going to keep them from voting, and those
votes will count.

Every vote will count. We need that enthusiasm going into election
day.

SCHULTZ: All right, James Hoffa and Larry Cohen, great to have you
with us on THE ED SHOW tonight. Thanks so much.

Coming up, 9/11 takes center stage in the Senate race in Wisconsin.
I`ve got the latest ad in the ugly battle between Congresswoman Tammy
Baldwin and former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Now the Wisconsin Senate race
is one of the most expensive in the state`s history. It is the most
expensive, excuse me. And it`s probably the ugliest as well. Last night,
I refused to air the deciding attack ad put out by the former Republican
governor, Tommy Thompson. It`s pretty gross, which accuses Congresswoman
Tammy Baldwin of voting against honoring the victims of 9/11.

Today, the Baldwin campaign fired back with its own ad. And I want
you to see this one. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tommy Thompson`s ad is a disgrace. The truth:
time and again, Tammy Baldwin has supported honoring victims of 9/11. And
Tommy Thompson, he got a government contract to provide health care to 9/11
first responders. But Tommy took advantage, leaving them without the care
they were promised. Tommy Thompson personally made over three million
dollars off the deal.

Tommy Thompson should be ashamed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Let`s break it down. Tommy Thompson served as the health
and human services secretary under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. So it
raised a few eyebrows when in June of 2008, Thompson`s company, Logistics
Health Incorporated, won an 11 million dollar contract from the federal
government to treat 9/11 responders living outside the New York area. The
company was criticized for its handling of the contract, with some patients
complaining it took months to receive care.

Despite all that, Thompson did eventually profit. Thompson`s
financial disclosure shows that he made over three million dollars in the
sale of Logistics Health. Profiting and politicizing, a perfect example of
Bush cronyism. And Thompson had the nerve to claim Tammy Baldwin doesn`t
support victims of 9/11?

Today Baldwin sat down with the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" and had a
chance to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TAMMY BALDWIN (D), CANDIDATE FOR SENATE: You know, I was in
Washington on 9/11. And I joined my colleagues on the steps of the Capitol
that night, bipartisan basis, holding hands and singing "God Bless
America." And the idea that anybody would question my commitment to going
after the terrorists, honoring the victims and their families, supporting
the first responders is outrageous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: And of course, the great thing about all of this is that
you, the voter, get to be the judge. People of Wisconsin, be sure to vote.
The race is in your hands.

Tonight in our survey, I asked does Richard Mourdock speak for the
Republican party? Ninety seven percent of you say yes; three percent of
you say no.

Coming up, an unbelievable story. Executives at Bain Capital, they
are not happy with the protests at Bainport. You won`t believe what
they`re doing to try to silence these workers. Leo Gerard of the
Steelworkers will tell us when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in the big finish tonight, the situation is reaching
fever pitch at the Sensata Factory in Freeport, Illinois. Not only is Bain
Capital shipping these jobs to China, now they`re trying to crush the
workers` First Amendment rights, their voice.

Bain Capital is threatening to close the plant immediately if workers
continue to protest their jobs being outsourced. Right now, the plant is
slated to be closed in December. Top Bain Capital executives came to
Freeport themselves on Tuesday and made the threat to the mayor of the
city.

They didn`t have the guts to tell the workers to their face. When
workers were informed of the threat, they immediately filed charges against
Sensata with the National Labor Relations Board. The filing accuses the
company of illegally punishing employees engaged in legal protests. The
threats from Bain Capital have only strengthened the workers.

Bainport is still up and running at this hour. And earlier today, 14
protesters, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, were arrested at the
Sensata factory for demanding just to meet with management. It`s important
to remember Mitt Romney`s role in all of this and what would happen if the
country is directed by this man, Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney created Bain Capital and the model it uses today. He
believes in outsourcing. And he`s done nothing to help the workers of
Freeport. Romney also has eight million dollars worth of Bain funds, so
when Bain profits off of outsourcing, so does Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, Sensata has released their third quarter financial
statement, not the second. Now the third quarter statement is out. We
told you about the second quarter on Friday night. Well now the third
quarter shows they`re doing just fine. Sensata made more than 470 million
dollars in net revenue during the third quarter of this year, 2012.

Unfortunately, this number isn`t good enough for the vultures over at
Bain Capital. They`re still shipping the Sensata jobs to China, to the
folks who will make maybe about a dollar an hour.

Joining me tonight is Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers
International. Mr. Gerard, good to have you with us tonight.

The threats that are being made by the management of Bain, they
actually came from the east coast and went to Freeport, Illinois, and met
with the mayor and the police department and told them, this is the law of
the land, is the way we see it. Is this crossing the line?

LEO GERARD, UNITED STEELWORKERS PRESIDENT: It absolutely is crossing
the line. But let`s not remember -- let`s not forget, this isn`t the Bain
model. This is the Mitt Romney model, to try to bully people, to put your
hand up and say, let me finish, to try to have their own way. The bunch of
people that got arrested today, some of them are our members. One of them
is our retiree who wanted to go in and meet with the company and say, what
can you do to save our jobs?

Instead they got arrested. The company has made the threat that
they`re going to close the plant instantly if that happens. So far, they
haven`t done it, which also looks like Mitt Romney, say one thing, do
another. The reality is, Ed, that Mitt Romney is making all kinds of money
off of government support in Delphi, as you mentioned earlier, and of
moving workers offshore to other plants.

We`re talking about now about Sensata, as we should. But let`s not
forget that he has 10 other investments. And I want to make one other
point. When he was running against Ted Kennedy back in the `90s, he said,
oh, the blind trust, that`s just an old ruse. You can still direct your
blind trust to do whatever you want it to do.

So I`m challenging Mitt Romney to tell his blind trust not to move
that plant to China. I`m challenging Mitt Romney to tell his blind trust
not to make any other investments in China. Prove that you care about
American workers. Make your blind trust invest in America. And I don`t
think he`ll do that.

SCHULTZ: Is there a moral component here? A company that makes 470
million dollars net profit in a quarter, still feels compelled to take the
jobs out of an American community and put them in China?

GERARD: Absolutely, there`s a moral component when they`re showing
that the ultimate greed -- they`re showing -- again, this is the Bain
model. This is the Mitt Romney model. When he says he`s a job creator,
he`s not. He`s been a wealth manipulator. He`s made all kinds of wealth
by destroying jobs and moving jobs offshore.

I came to remind you that he started a company with his own money in
1998 in China, learned how to run that company in China for three years.
And then he came back and Bain Capital consulted, explaining to other
companies how to move their plants to China. The guy is a hypocrite.

SCHULTZ: And Mr. Gerard, what do we know about the severance packages
for the workers at Freeport, Illinois?

GERARD: Right now, the severance packages, quite frankly, are meager.
They`re not going to take care of people`s health care. The people are
going to lose their jobs. Mitt Romney doesn`t give a darn that when you
lose your job in America, you lose your health care. So he says he is also
going to oppose Obamacare. Well, if you had Obamacare, those workers would
be able to get health care.

He`s going to destroy their jobs. Some of them will lose their homes.
They`ll lose their health care. Some of their kids won`t go to college.
And again, he doesn`t give a darn. The reality is, this is pure and simple
greed. Mitt Romney has eight million dollars invested in this. And
Sensata is 51 percent owned by Bain Capital.

So he said a blind trust is just a ruse. He said that. I didn`t say
it. And he said it in the Ted Kennedy debate. So now he ought to step up
and do the right thing. And we ought to make sure every American knows
this is what to expect if Mitt Romney was to become the president,
unfortunately.

SCHULTZ: Mr. Gerard, United Steelworkers International president,
good to have you with us tonight on this story. Thanks so much.

That`s THE ED SHOW. I`m Ed Schultz. "THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW" starts
right now. Good evening, Rachel.

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