THE ED SHOW
August 28, 2013
Guests: Jesse Jackson, Emanuel Cleaver, Richard Franklin, Tyler Jones
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let freedom ring this
march and that speech changed America.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: His words belong to the
ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I have a dream.
CLINTON: They open minds and opened hearts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We must be prepared and keep our eyes on the prize.
OBAMA: That was the spirit of young people like John Lewis brought to that
day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And America is that Promised Land for all of us.
OBAMA: In the face of violence, they stood up and sat in because they kept
marching, America changed. And, yes eventually the White House changed.
KING: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at
last.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good to have you with us tonight. Folks, thanks
for watching. I`m Ed Schultz, the Ed Show. We`re here Monday through
Friday, 5:00 Eastern. Thanks for joining us.
You know, today was a big day of emotion for this country. A day of
record. A day of reflection. To me, you know what , I am so -- feeling so
good about inside is because I think today was a day of learning for a lot
of Americans. There are a lot of Americans who weren`t alive 50 years ago
today. They kind of wondered what this was all about, and the neat thing
about it all is that you can`t change the film, it happened, it`s there.
This is what that generation went through. This is what it means to us,
our country and the future. The question is. Are we strong enough to pick
up the torch and carry it to the next generation?
You know, I believe that government has role in our lives. I`m a liberal,
but you can`t legislate how someone feels. You can`t legislate what
someone`s going to believe. You can`t in feeling peoples hearts that this
is the way it has to be.
So when I say, today is a day of learning. I mean, it is a day of great
opportunity for America for us to pass the torch, the moral torch of
information to young people who weren`t alive 50 years ago today. That we
are such a great country, and we have overcome so much.
And today was a great example for America. This is how you lead. 50 years
ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic, "I Have a Dream
Speech" from the steps of the Lincoln mall. It`s pretty awesome
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character. I have a dream today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Half a century later. An estimated hundred thousand people came
to the national mall in Washington D.C. to celebrate Dr. King`s legacy and
civil rights progress over the past 50 years. What do you think they`re
thinking right there? But most of these folks right there, there are under
50, they weren`t here back then. What are they thinking? I bet they`re
curious. I bet that they wanted to capture in -- wonder what it was like
being there.
Two former democratic presidents and President Obama. Were on hand who
address the American people on this historic day and how awesome they were.
Massive crowd, there with joy in their heart as the nations first black
president spoke from the same spot, Dr. King did 50 years ago today.
President Obama paid tribute to the civil rights activists who march for
changed in the face of adversity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: And because they kept marching, America change. Because they
marched, the civil rights law was passed. Because they marched a voting
rights law was signed. Because they marched doors of opportunity and
education swung open. So their daughters and sons could finally imagine a
life for themselves beyond washing somebody else`s laundry or shining
somebody else`s shoes. Because they marched city councils changed then,
state legislators changed, the Congress changed, then yes, eventually the
White House changed.
Because they marched, America became more free and more fair. Not just for
African-Americans, but for women and Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans,
or Catholics, Jews, and Muslims, for gays, for Americans with disability.
America changed for you and for me. And the entire world drew strength
from that example.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: President Obama highlighted the remarkable progress our country
has made because of those who marched 50 years ago. He not only gave
credit to politicians and leaders but Americans who fought the civil rights
battle right on the front lines. The President went on to say, "We must
continue to be vigilant in advancing Dr. King`s dream".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice but it
doesn`t bend on its own. To secure the gains this country has made
requires constant vigilance, not complacency whether by challenging those
who wreck new barriers to the boat or ensuring that the scales of justice
work equally for all in the criminal justice system and not simply a
pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails. It requires
vigilance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: President Obama also means no words when it came to focusing on
the problems ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: As already been noted black unemployment has remained almost twice
as high as white employment. Latino unemployment close behind. The gap in
wealth between races is not lessened it`s grown. And as President Clinton
indicated the position of all working Americans regardless of color has
eroded, making the dream Dr. King described even more elusive.
For over a decade, working Americans of all races have seen their wages and
income stagnate even as corporate profit soar, even as the pay of a portion
of few explodes, inequality has steadily risen over the decades.
Upward mobility has become harder and too many communities across this
country and cities and suburbs and rural hamlets, the shadow of poverty
cast a fall over our youth, their lives a fortress of substandard schools.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: And finally, the President made the rousing case. This country
can move mountains if we put our minds to it. The fight for equality
continues but country can overcome the greatest adversity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Within the face of impossible odds people who love their country
can change it. And when millions of Americans of every race and every
region, every faith and every station can join together in a spirit of
brotherhood then those mountains will be made low and those rough places
will be made plain and those crooked places be straightened out towards
grace and we will vindicate the faith of those who sacrifice so much and
live up to the true meaning of our creed as one nation under God
indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Truly spectacular speech by the President. He highlighted the
progress and the challenges ahead. Unfortunately as the President said
America still has a long way to go when it comes to addressing the issues
of income inequality which I think is the linchpin in all of this.
This was central in Dr. King`s message. We would be doing Dr. King a real
disservice if we didn`t point out the income inequality and the injustices
in our finances in this country. This weekend Americans marched for jobs
and justice just as they did 50 years ago. The theme of 50 years ago rings
strong to this day. You can not deny the facts as the President said black
unemployment is almost doubled the rate of white unemployment. Voting
rights obviously are under attack, public education is under attack,
disturbing stories about racism that just seems to be coming at us
everyday.
I think it`s fair to say our nation has moved forward a great deal but we
have been moving in the wrong direction on some issues as of late. The
combination of all of these, key provisions of the voting rights act were
overturned by the supreme court in June. There is virtual (ph) little
doubt as President Obama has become President elected in 2008 that racial
tension is on the rise in this country with radical groups that are out
there.
The birth of the Tea Party has played a major role in all of this and civil
rights leaders are taking notice. The Reverend Jessie Jackson recently
said, "The Tea Party is the resurrection of the confederacy. It`s the Fort
Sumter party".
At the beginning of this broadcast I said that we can`t legislate how
people feel but we can influence how Americans feel if we teach the moral
fiber of the country and what inclusiveness means.
I hope Americans were touched today. I hope the hearts of Americans were
touched today. We have a responsibility to pass the torch on of equality.
And I think we made some big steps forward today.
Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think.
Tonight`s question, are conservatives the new confederates?
Text A for yes, text B for no to 67622. You can always go to our blog at
ed.msnbc.com, we`re bringing the results later on in the show.
For more, let`s turn to Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Congressman Emanuel
Cleaver of Missouri, gentlemen great to have you with us tonight.
Reverend Jackson you first. You said the Tea Party is the resurrection of
the confederacy. Why do you think they are so dangerous? What motivated
you to say that Reverend?
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: Well, the fear mongering, the
anti-civil rights, anti-voting rights, anti-women rights, anti-labor, our
state rights that`s basically the confederate agenda.
Let me haste (ph) and say (ph), brother King said that you cannot legislate
attitude, you can legislate behaviors. So if you fight for Medicare and
Medicaid as Johnson did, if you fight for the right to vote, you cannot
change attitude but you can change behavior and attitude will soon follow.
I think that beyond the motivation that I thought President Obama, and
Carter, and Clinton took off for higher level looking into rugged mirror
(ph) of how far we`ve come from. Tonight is the time for the LBJ moment we
did with where we -- one of the cause to get us where we are going. That`s
where our corporation and legislation and enforcement of law comes in, the
LBJ moment.
SCHULTZ: Yes. Congressman Cleaver, it`s easy to say we`ve come a long way
in 50 years, but what has to be done at this point? The President talked
about some facts of what`s unfolded in society and what we have to do to
make this a better country. How do we get there?
REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER (D), MISSOURI: Well, first I think that we got to try
to create in this country some respect for this president. Unfortunately,
you cannot be Obama and write at the same time with a certain segment of
this population and it`s tragic.
The President has presented a jobs bill, it didn`t go any place. We can
get a transportation bill which creates more jobs than any other form of
federal spending. But right now, we can`t get anything through Congress.
We`ve got 22 bills approved, the lowest number in history of the republic.
It is embarrassing.
If we can get friends on the other side who would use what happened during
the past few days in terms of looking at the soul of America to say "Look,
we`re going to work with the President and Democrats to deal with the
voting rights act to make corrections in it --
SCHULTZ: Sure.
CLEAVER: -- and then move to create jobs. One final thing, you know,
this income gap I think is very dangerous. No nation can long lead the
world when 1 percent of that nation takes more than it needs and then
maligns the risk because of their needs. And that`s what we`re seeing
right now.
SCHULTZ: Congressman that is the Ed Show right there. That is in my
opinion the linchpin of this country. Everything changes in your life when
you have a job. The stability of the family changes, the stability of your
neighborhood, the education of your kids. Everything changes.
And we see this gap taking place in America. You`re not going to be able
to address it legislatively overnight, or a few years. It`s a generational
thing and we need to talk to young people about the severity of this.
Reverend Jackson you said --
JACKSON: May I say just --
SCHULTZ: Go ahead.
JACKSON: May I? Lyndon Johnson overlapped (ph) the War on Poverty in
Appalachia. He whiten the face of poverty and deracialized it. More poor
people not black or brown, the white female and young or whether the white
black or brown hung rehearse (ph) and so to revive the War on Poverty, a
constitutional right to vote, and keep investing in the South has a way of
neutralizing some of the fears and some of the ignorance (ph) and hatred
(ph) in that is now prevailing.
SCHULTZ: Yes. Congressman what is today mean to you? What -- did we take
a step forward today?
CLEAVER: We did in a sense that -- and you said it earlier, we`re sharing
the history of a great moment with a new generation. And as I have said to
young people as I have spoken to them, change is always been brought about
by young people.
Even my good friend the Reverend Jesse Jackson had no gray hairs when he
stepped out and became a part of SCLC and Operation Breadbasket. Napoleon,
if you look at Alexander the Great --
JACKSON: You let my hair alone. You let my hair alone.
SCHULTZ: Hey, you still got some. That`s the main thing Reverend, isn`t
it?
CLEAVER: Yes. But most -- I mean young people that led -- Martin Luther
King was 26 years old when he was drafted to be the president of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference. So, I think we`ve got to inspire
this generation. And what has happened Saturday through today, I think has
been inspirational.
SCHULTZ: Well, I hope it`s a wake up call to leaders in this country. Go
ahead reverend.
JACKSON: We have to continue (ph) this fight for each us all. For
example, student loan, debt forgiveness would inspire them.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
JACKSON: It would have been you can`t get in school and can`t stay or the
parent plus loan not too many out of the school, all of these -- some
appeal grants cut. So, we begin -- we were sitting in in 1960 to reason in
because we were immediately violated by the degradation and the racial
anarchy of that time. Just accomplice to those agenda, they either can`t
go to school, I get diploma and no job.
So, young Americans must be back home fighting to protect their right to
vote, fighting the problem (ph), fighting the student loan that will leave
us a major form of stimulus.
SCHULTZ: All right. Reverend Jessie Jackson, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver,
great to have you with us today here on the Ed Show. Appreciate your time.
Remember to answer tonight`s question at the bottom of the screen. Share
your thoughts with this one, Twitter at Ed Show, and of course in Facebook.
Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter at Ed Show and we got Ed.
Coming up. Dr. King`s fight for equal education opportunities continues in
the birth place of the Civil Rights Movement, Birmingham, Alabama. I`ll
have the details next.
Later is conservatives push for war in Syria. Will it back at Dr. King`s
message of peace? And a reminder; don`t forget to check out Hardball with
Chris Matthews. It`s new time 7PM Eastern live here on MSNBC. We`ll right
back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Time now for the trenders. The Ed Show`s social media nation has
decided. And we`re reporting.
Here are today`s top trenders voted on by you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody stop me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our number three trender, rodeo clown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama didn`t have to just stay there. Obama watch out
for those bulls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the hell was that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The rodeo clown war and Obama mask while others
taunted him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Announcer when no, and I mean people would like to see
Obama trampled by bull.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A racist rodeo act rolls into Texas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The mask of President Obama and other former
presidents to be appearing at the Mesquite Rodeo Championship weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Presidents will be making cameo appearances and they
will not be mocked at least not by us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number two trender, Nick Signals.
NICK SIGNALS: If I own 600 radio stations, Rush Limbaugh would be any of
them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rush Limbaugh reacts.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST: We completed our negotiations with
the Cumulus Broadcasting Company. I will continue to be on their radio
stations for the next three years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While Hannity makes a fool of himself again.
And today`s top trender, marching on.
SCHULTZ: For some reason, we have been stagnate after all the progress
that has been made right here in Alabama it took guts to do that then and
it`s going to take guts to finish the job now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fight for a fair education continues.
SCHULTZ: This is no time to be silent. This is no time to say, "Well, we
can`t overcome." Oh, yes, we can overcome.
Joining me now is Richard Franklin, President of the Birmingham American
Federation of Teachers. Richard, good to have you with us tonight. I
appreciate your time, certainly enjoyed working with you and your team down
in Birmingham for that Town Hall meeting which I thought was vitality
important and I was absolutely stunned that some of the things that I
heard.
Racism is alive and well in the South, and let`s talk public education in
Birmingham with the backdrop of Dr. King`s message. What he stood for.
What he advocated for. What he wanted this country to do today. What is
the state of public education in Birmingham, Alabama?
RICHARD FRANKLIN, PRESIDENT BIRMINGHAM AFT: You know, it`s really sad Ed.
I was going on in Birmingham, Alabama. We`re more divided that we`ve ever
been. And we just had a school board election here why only 21 percent of
the citizen of Birmingham came out to vote. The school system has been
taken over by the state of the cities that surround, the suburban cities
they`re failing lot of the students in their schools.
We need to have open conversation and not just in Alabama, but around this
country about what`s best for our kids. About reclaimed the promise (ph)
for our kids, and I think one of the reasons that we wanted to push for you
to come here is other media out they won`t have their conversation that you
would have.
And we really appreciate it that you invite us and we`re having a
conversation about our children. It`s really sad that we are divided in
communities right now and places like Philadelphia and Chicago, they`re
shutting down schools, but also we`ve shut down schools in Birmingham, and
it destroys communities. And I just think it`s really sad that we don`t
have those conversations.
SCHULTZ: Mr. Franklin, are we picking and choosing neighborhoods. Is it
an issue of resources just not going to some neighborhoods?
FRANKLIN: Yes. They`re picking neighborhoods. It`s really sad. No
matter where you`re located right now. We have a main (ph) spirited
legislator that actually just resigned, they`re passing accountability of
Alabama, and they talked about providing a proper education for poor kids
and say it for the bad (ph) at this legislator are actually in jail (ph)
and ex-labors resigned and he`s going around the state to start an
education reform group with one of our former state superintendents, Dr.
Joseph Morrin (ph).
And I think it`s just sad that we don`t have real conversations about
people that were in positions that could have changed the public education
for all kids in the State of Alabama, but they run around talking about
reform, and I think it`s there are just hypocritical of those two to run
around when they were in positions to make real change of all kids in
Alabama.
SCHULTZ: Why only 21 percent of the people coming out to vote if the
situation is bad? Did they feel in a sense hopeless?
FRANKLIN: Yes. A lot of people feel hopeless. That`s what -- I ask --
questions on Facebook last night about the citizens and I believe in
democracy. When the citizens vote, but is very disturbed and when you look
around the country and African-American communities especially we`re not
voting. We feel that our politicians don`t care about us.
And one of the reasons I`m glad that you have me on the show today is that
I inspired two of my former students today, and it just happened one of
them is white and one of them is black. When they have difficult family
situations, there are teachers and educations around the country deal with
everyday for some reason have adults.
We don`t choose to talk about situations in our communities and that some
of the situations that the key is to phase work (ph) and families are phase
work (ph) is a national crisis. Some of the crime, the poverty, the hunger
that`s going on in our communities, the other side that wants to demonize
public schools, they want to pick and choose who would say per se come to
charter schools or any school, but, we in public education, we know it. We
have to take the child. We have to nurture the child. And we have to
educate the child.
SCHULTZ: Open the doors, open every -- that when the door is open,
everybody comes in, and all problems, all issues come in, and the schools
get the front (ph) of it. And they`re libelous failures and of course the
lack or resources is the next thing that happens. Mr. Franklin, finally,
what do you think Dr. King would say about the educational situation in
Birmingham, Alabama today?
FRANKLIN: First, I think is, people forget that, you know, the I Have a
Dream speech in the beginning, he talked about the insufficient funds for
African-Americans. I think today, he would challenge us and say that
insufficient funds they will provide into our students, not just in
Birmingham but throughout the country right now.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
FRANKLIN: You see a lot of people pushing back and they`re talking about
cutting. Why would you cut in public education when it`s the equalizer for
every child in this country regardless of the economic and social and
racial background what they face were, it gives them hope and that`s why so
many people don`t have hope.
SCHULTZ: I believe as a cable host and radio talk show host, I would be
advocating my responsibilities as someone with this platform if I did not
tell the story about what is really happening. When we hear that we still
have a long way to go, this is one of those stories and I hope it wakes up
some folks to realize that every kid in this country deserves a chance to
live the dream to have that dream. Richard Franklin, great to have you
with us tonight. Thanks for joining us on the Ed Shows.
Still to come, war and peace, our panel joins me to discuss how Dr. King`s
message of peace still resonates as conservatives just can`t wait to hit
Syria.
And later, Republicans take a sharp right turn. We`ll look at the growing
divide within the GOP in South Carolina. But next, I`m taking your
questions on Ask Ed Live. Just stay with us, we`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to The Ed Show. We love hearing from our viewers.
You can follow us on Twitter at Ed Show and if we got Ed like us on
Facebook all that stuff and I love these. Our Ask Ed live segment tonight
first question comes from Steve Wallace and Steve Wallace says, "GOP
Congress has done nothing on jobs". Yes, I agree with that. We all know
that. "Where`s the outrage from the American people?"
You know outrage today is a little bit different from what outrage used to
be. Marchers were different back then because there was not the social
media that we have today. People get outraged right now they`ll tweet
something or they`re put something on Facebook or they`ll e-mail somebody
and then that`s the end of it. Their outrage is satisfied.
Here`s the outrage, Election Day. This is the only benchmark that is going
to change this Congress. This is the only action that we can take that
will turn this around. As Emanuel Cleaver, Congressman from Missouri said
earlier on this broadcast, President Obama has put forth a job`s package
and of course the Republicans don`t want anything to do with it. I hope on
Election Day you`re outraged.
Next question comes from Rockne Giannini. "Do you think the Republican
Party could benefit from sensitivity training?"
Absolutely but they`ll be fighting like hell as to who heck was going to
pay for it. That`s their problem. Sensitivity training is good for
everybody, I`d say even right-wing talkers if they`re able to bring
themselves to it. The Republican Party could benefit from a lot of things.
One of them is sensitivity training but as I said they`ll be fighting over
who the heck is going to pay for it.
A lot more coming up on The Ed Show. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARY THOMPSON, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Mary Thompson with your CNBC market
wrap. Here`s a look at how stocks dangle in into tomorrow the Dow have 48
points (ph). The SNP adding 4 points and the Nasdaq gaining 14 in today`s
session.
Aside the housing recovery is filling down pending home sales dropped for a
second straight month in July down 1.3 percent. Applications for home
loans also down 2.5 percent last week. This is average mortgage rates
moved higher.
Oil also hitting to high settling at $110 a barrel.
That`s it from CNBC first in business worldwide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
KING: I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or
energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam
continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive
suction tube.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Dr. King found the common link
between the Civil Rights Movement and the movement for peace during the
Vietnam War. He was vehemently against it.
Today, we find ourselves in an old too familiar position as our leaders
consider intervention in Syria. This brings America, I think, to a moral
crossroads, austerity at the expense of the poor in this country has been
the policy of the Republicans and the center piece of the conservative
movement as of late. Now, those same neocons are the ones banging the
drums of war claiming that we have a moral obligation to get involved in
Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL KRISTOL, FOUNDER, WEEKLY STANDARD: No one wants to start wars, but
you got to do and you got to do it. And it doesn`t really matter if a
public is 39 percent or 60 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Who`s going to vote against beside the loan?
SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENNESSEE: I hope the President and as soon as we get
back to Washington we`ll ask for authorization from Congress to do
something at a very surgical and proportional way.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: This is going to take many, many days of sustained
cruise missile attacks.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Where is our ability to influence them by
advancing the region? And I promise you that those who say we should stay
out of Syria do not understand that this is now a regional conflict.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: I don`t understand why we should be in Syria, Senator McCain.
The word surgical -- let me tell you something. If we do a strike, we`re
in it. OK? We don`t know what the response is going to be but let`s talk
about this moral obligation for a moment.
Do we have moral obligations here in America? Is it a moral thing to do to
vote 40 times to take health care away from Americans who desperately need
it? Is it the moral thing to do to shortchange Birmingham, Alabama when it
comes to schools, public schools?
How about that damn voting rights thing? What`s the moral obligation
making sure that every American has the opportune chance to vote in this
country.
Now, as far as Syria is concerned, I`m all out. And Mr. President, I hope
you don`t do this because the Syrians are a different breed of cat when it
comes to retaliation. Do we know what the response is going to be? Do we
know what the response, to the response, to the response is going to be?
Do we have an end game?
Don`t give me all these flick words that Senator Corker about, what I think
its surgical attack. There ain`t nothing surgical about hitting a country
in a civil war that has nothing to do with our security.
Why is it that some Democrats and liberals are getting roped in by this
conversation? Have we not learned anything in the Middle East? Are we
going to do another 10 years of war in another Middle Eastern country?
Give me a freaking break.
We used to have a segment on the show called Psycho Talk. I think I need
to bring it back for these jokers who think I will just hit here, hit here,
hit here and there. And the Russians, they won`t mind a bit. Look, this
is a civil war and it`s really sad that people are dying. But it does not
warrant the United States involvement in international intervention. We
have been down this road before and it didn`t work out real well. Cooler
heads need to prevail here.
Joining me now on our panel is Washington Post E.J. Dionne, MSNBC
contributor Michael Eric Dyson, and The Grio`s Joy Reid.
E.J., it seems to me that we have conflicting feelings when it comes to
moral obligations. How is this one more important than the other ones that
I mentioned?
E.J. DIONNE, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: First of all Ed, it`s great to have you
back on weekdays. A lot of people are cheering. And secondly, I`m really
glad you went after that word surgical because no matter how you feel about
Syria, I just don`t like the word surgical applied to war. It seems war is
kind of the opposite of surgical.
I think the President has a problem here. I think on the one hand, when he
talked about nation building begins at home, it was one of the most popular
things he said. Richard Haas of the Council on Foreign Relations who`s no
liberal wrote a book called Foreign Policy Begins at Home.
So I think we agree that that`s where our priority should be. But I think
the President kind of boxed himself in because he did draw a clear red line
and said that if they use chemical weapons then we got to act. And I do
think that democratic countries have to look at this and say, "There`s a
real problem when a dictator uses chemical weapon against his own people."
So, I`m very worried bout this the way you are. But I`m not sure the
President has a whole lot of choice given what he said, not what the
Neocons are saying.
SCHUTZ: Well, you know, I would say it this way, you know, we heard
mission accomplished. We heard that we were going to be greeted
liberators. We heard that Iraqi oil was going to pay of all of this stuff.
I mean there`s been a lot of mistalking going wrong. I`d like to give the
President one misstatement here. Forget that red line. I think that if we
hit Syria, we have no clue what we`re involved in. And we better be able
to finish the deal and who knows where that`s going to go.
Dr. Dyson and I want your take on moral obligation.
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: Well, obviously on this day that
celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dr. King`s, you know I Have a Dream
speech. We tend to focus on that speech to the exclusion of other things
he said. Like talking about the systemic character of racism in America,
like speaking about the vicious gap between the have gots and the have
nots, and about talking about the three triplets, poverty, racism and
militarism. And militarism is something that he spent a great deal of his
last three years talking about in resisting.
And I think here, I think E.J. Dionne is absolutely right. The kind of
moral paradox of on the one hand asserting the necessity for democracy and
making the basis of that democracy exporting our version and brand of it.
And then supporting the people who seem to agree with us and at the same
time talking about the domestic versus the foreign, how we pay attention as
you said Ed to what we have here. The resources that are needed here, guns
or butter. Can we take care of home without paying, you know, of this (ph)
and again to a war machinery that would again have us attack.
The conservatives don`t mind here Mr. Obama, you know, dropping a bomb in
Syria but don`t want to deploy diplomacy and don`t want to look at either
preventive measures that might be deployed before having to go to that
route.
SCHULTZ: Joy, what would Dr. Reid say about Syria today, can we speculate
on that?
JOY REID, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I mean you know what Ed, it`s
interesting some of the clips that you played because, you know, I`m here
at the arena of the commemoration of the March in Washington. And at that
time in the early 1950s, the inexorable momentum toward war was also
happening including in Congress at the same time. We were contemplating
civil rights and voting rights and all those other things. And you had a
pacifist and they are rested (ph) and organized this March on Washington.
And so, then we had going forward to 2003. Again, it`s an inexorable
momentum toward war. I think enthusiasm for war is always a bad idea
because you have in Congress in 2003 a majority just with rolling right
along and going ahead with case that was being made by the Bush
Administration.
So I am very weary of these kinds of entanglement and the unintended
consequences, you got Iran that`s linked to Syria. What if as you said
this strikes don`t produced the desired result. What is the desired
result?
I find myself associating with John Boehner skepticism in the letter he
wrote to the President.
SCHULTZ: Well, I just -- I believe that the Republicans will use anything
against the President and the chances of something going correctly for the
United States in Syria is slim and none.
E.J., the political -- I mean if the President strikes, makes the call and
strike Syria, where does that leave the liberals in this country who are
going to be perplexed by it?
DIONNE: Well, I think liberals would be divided and bless Joy for
mentioning my regress (ph) and a great man. You know I think that what
you`re looking at here is a possible know-in for the President because, on
the one hand he says he wants a very limited strike that sends a message
about how we feel about chemical warfare and kind of an -- and punishes the
Syrians in some way without getting us involved, you know, deeper way. But
if it`s that kind of limited strike Bashar Assad survives, he`s going to
say, "I stood up to the United states of America and survived."
So it is a very tricky thing.
SCHULTZ: Sure it is.
DIONNE: But I do -- I kind of empathize with the box he got himself in
because I do believe the use of chemical weapons is different from a lot of
other things. And we`re not talking about changing Syria fundamentally
we`re just talking about taking a stand against the use a chemical weapon.
SCHULTZ: Dr. Dyson quickly, how troubled is the President on this? You
know him, is this a gut-wrenching moment for him?
DYSON: Of course it is. Because it`s like, you know, E.J Dionne talking
about the metaphor of the surgery. The surgery was successful but the
patient died.
So with the reality here even if you have a serious surgical strike you
compromise the moral positioning of America vis-a-vis our understanding of
democracy and how much we`re going to intervene and when. And that`s a
call that ultimately the President has to make.
SCHULTZ: It`s a civil war of -- then I guess we got to go on Darfur too.
I mean we got a lot of work to do around the world --
DYSON: Absolutely.
SCHULTZ: -- if we`re going to do -- do this kind of stuff.
DYSON: If we`re going to be a moral cop.
SCHULTZ: That`s right. If we`re going to be a moral cop. E.J. Dionne,
Michael Eric Dyson, Joy Reid thank you for being with us tonight. Up next
right-wing talkers hit an all-time low with their reaction to the march on
Washington. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And the Pretenders tonight, the ring wing attacked on the march
on Washington. Thousands gathered to commemorate in advance Dr. Martin
Luther King`s dream. The conservative media response was less than
sincere, very ignorant and hateful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O`REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: How would Dr. King see the current racial
situation in America? Would he be pleased that nearly 75 percent of black
babies are born out of wedlock?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 50 years since 1963, since Martin Luther King`s speech.
You know, right now, let`s see where we are in the black community, in
socioeconomic with -- in the black community. Blacks are six times more
likely to be incarcerated than whites.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A friend of mine send me some excerpts, Martin Luther
King`s speech 50 years ago isn`t a rush When I read what King said, I am
reminded more of the things you say than things Obama says.
O`REILLY: It is the collapse of that traditional family that is wreaking
havoc in the African-American community. The other issues, well, someone
important are essentially a side show.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Lewis, of course is known as -- himself as
a trail blazing civil rights figure.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D) GEORGIA: We must say to the Congress, fix the voting
Rights Act. We must say to the Congress, pass comprehensive immigration
reform. It doesn`t make sense that million of our people --
INGRAHAM: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Countless civil rights leaders lost their lives fighting for
justice and in that clip you just heard, Congressman John Lewis` speech was
cut off with the sound of a gun shot? No, it pains me to say they are not
pretenders.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. This is the story for the folks who
take a shower after work. I like this one, the Republican Party. You know
they don`t care about your job. They won`t do anything with President
Obama on jobs, your education they want to cut it, healthcare they voted 40
times to get rid of it. Solid evidence from the state of South Carolina
shows that all conservative energy is now siding with the nut jobs.
Kicking off for a real action campaign for governor earlier this week,
Nikki Haley held a rally in Greenville South Carolina. She was flanked,
one of these heavy headers. Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, Scotty Walker.
Governor Perry took the opportunity to drum up some red state pride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: You have a governor who understands how to
deal with Republicans and Democrats alike in her legislature because it --
the core of this issue, it`s about how do you take care of your family.
How is the best way that you or allowing your family to grow, to prosper?
And those of us in red states believe the way that you do that is we leave
you with more of your money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Oh yeah, but those cheers came from a crowd of only about 60
people, a bigger group maybe showing up for your Labor Day barbecue in your
backyard this weekend. And speaking of barbecue, just a few miles away in
the neighboring City of Anderson, South Carolina our buddy Rand Paul
attended an event. At this event, they cooked up the crazy. More than 900
people showed up to support the campaign of Tea Party Congressman Jeff
Duncan.
Less than a week ago, Duncan went on Right Wing Radio on a program in
question President Obama`s quote, "validity." That`s right, 900 people
showed up to support a brother. The Republican Party isn`t getting better,
it`s getting worse in South Carolina and far more extreme.
Tyler Jones, Democratic strategist joins us now. Tyler what does this
signal? I mean you`ve covered South Carolina politics for a long time,
what does this signal to you?
TYLER JONES, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, it tells me the state of the
Republican Party is not getting any better, like you said. It`s getting
much worse. The American people sent the Republican Party a message in
2012 and the message was "Chill out. Moderate a little bit. Come back to
the middle. You`re getting a little bit too extreme for us." But instead
of listening to that message, they double down on the extremism and the
rhetoric.
In these days, the base of the Republican Party nationally, but especially
here in South Carolina, if you`re not certifiable then you`re not welcome
in the Republican Party.
SCHULTZ: So you got to be wacky to be a Republican in South Carolina, so
there`s three parties down there.
What has happened to Nikki Haley? I mean she got big crowds in 2010, big
rallies well they`ve just kind of fizzled as of late, haven`t they?
JONES: Well, you know if this is the way she throws a rally. You can kind
of imagine how she runs a state. That rally was an unmitigated disaster
and it`s just because Nikki Haley is very unpopular in South Carolina. Her
approval ratings have never been out of the 30s and 40s.
People forget she almost lost the 2010 election to Democratic State Senator
Vincent Sheheen which she`ll be facing again in 2014 and polls have shown
PP just came out with a poll that had her trailing, Senator Vincent Sheheen
in hypothetical match up for 2014 so it`s not a big shock of those of us in
South Carolina.
SCHULTZ: So are we to believe that Rand Paul will probably be the front
runner in South Carolina? I mean you got Scott Walker down there, Bobby
Jindal, Rick Perry they are all over there with Nikki Haley and the guy
down the street having a better barbecue has got nothing on her than people
with Rand Paul. Is that Rand Paul country South Carolina?
JONES: I think so. I would encourage any Republican who wants to run for
president in 2016 to, you know, turn the crazy up to 11 because if they
don`t they don`t have a shot here so.
SCHULTZ: All right. Tyler Jones, good to have you with us tonight,
interesting stuff. Thank you, that`s The Ed Show. I`m Ed Schultz.
POLITICS NATION starts right now with Reverend Al Sharpton live from
Washington D.C.
Rev, that had to be one heck of a day in American history to be a part of
that.
REV. AL SHARPTON, MSNBC HOST: No, I was very honored to be a part of it.
It was a exciting day, a great day and we`re going to talk about it on
Politics Nation Ed. And you did a great job Saturday at the march, we
really enjoyed you. You have a little preacher in you.
SCHULTZ: I do but I just haven`t unleashed it all yet, Rev.
SHARPTON: All right. All right.
SCHULTZ: Politics Nation starts right now here on MSNBC. Rev., take it
away.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY
BE UPDATED.
END
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The Ed Show for Wednesday, August 28th, 2013
Read the transcript to the Wednesday show