The Ed Show for Thursday, September 19th, 2013

ED SHOW
September 19, 2013

Guest: Jan Schakowsky, Jennifer Granholm, John Nichols, Joan Walsh,
Annette Taddeo, Larry Cohen

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROSA DELAURO (D), CONNECTICUT: They want to gauge deeply into
our nation`s most important successful anti-hunger program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama`s policies have resulted a lot more people
being on food stamps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Double the number of people on food stamps.

BILL O`REILY, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Its encouraging parasites.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before (inaudible) suffer more in this president
than any president might have been.

NEWT GINGRINCH, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is the most effective
food stamp president in American history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can`t you see that this is viewed at a minimum as
in something to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans.

GINGRINCH: No, I don`t see that.

DELAURO: They want to take food out of the mouths of hungry men,
women, and children all over America.

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), VIRGINIA: I understand people`s frustration. I
really do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Don`t you forget about me.

My goal on this program tonight is to reach out, and hopefully touch
you in your living room, and appeal to your very best sensibilities and
your compassion.

We, as Americans, were pretty much a compassionate country,
compassionate society. Something bad happens to your next door neighbor,
you`re there in a conversation in some way you feel, "Oh, God. I can`t
believe that happened to Charlie." that kind of attitude.

But you know what? In Congress, they don`t have that attitude.
They`re not like your next door neighbor vice versa. This is a live
picture right now on the House floor. There is a very serious debate
taking place. At this hour, you`re elected representatives are debating to
cut a food stamp bill known as SNAP by whapping $40 billion over the next
10 years. For the Republicans, this is their best issue.

They`re expected to vote within the next hour. We`ll bring it to you
live here on the Ed Show because I want everybody who watches this program
to make sure they can consume exactly what the Republicans are focused on.

Now, if this bill passes. It will cut out $4 billion a year out of
the food stamp program, the most vulnerable Americans. If Republicans go
along with these cuts of 3.8 million Americans would lose their food
assistance. Assistance. Not gravy train. Just assistance. A little bit.

Democrats went to the firewall on the House floor today. They had no
problem calling out Republicans on their heartless cuts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELAURO: And it makes no economic sense either to cut $40 billion
from food stamps for the poor while preserving $90 billion in corrupt
insurance for the wealthy.

REP. GEORGE MILLER (D), CALIFORNIA: It`s just an unconscionable that
they would think that somehow this is the road to prosperity. Did she get
to the road by prosperity by attacking the most vulnerable in our society?

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D), TEXAS: The absolute insult of a state
like Texas that is prosperous. You give them the instruction to cut people
off of food stamps and then give them a bonus, a bonus for hurting people .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentleman from Texas.

LEE: . and taking their life away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ms. Speaker.

LEE: This is a state protest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just take (inaudible) your place.

LEE: Vote down this fool and this bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlelady`s time is expired.

LEE: I yield back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Let`s be fair. Both sides of the story here. Uncut tape.
Meanwhile, Republicans say, cutting food stamps leads to self reliance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANTOR: There is dignity in work. And I`m supporting this bill today
because I want to see, as I know all of us do more success stories like
Sherry`s (ph). And the reforms made by this bill will put people on the
path to self sufficiency and independence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Oh yes. We don`t have any jobs for you, but we just know
you`re going to be on the path to self sufficiency.

Let me give you the numbers. In order to qualify for food stamps, do
you know what the numbers are? Do you know how low the numbers are? As an
individual, we`re talking $14 grand a year or less. Now, if you take
$14,532 and you divide into 40-hour a week 2,080 hours a year, that comes
to a whapping $6.73 an hour.

The Republicans think that if you are a single mom, making $6.73 an
hour, you`re making too damn much and you should see your assistance cut.
Meanwhile, members of the Congress who are voting on these cuts, you know
what they make? They make $174,000 a year, and this is the disconnect.
They are out of touch with how a lot of Americans live, and they don`t give
a damn.

The average net wealth of a member of the United States Congress is
over $900,000. Put that kind of money in the market and see what kind of
return you get. These are the people who are deciding if the poor people
can eat. Isn`t it really unbelievable the selfishness in America right
now? But wait a minute, I`ve said at the top of the broadcast that we`re
on compassion company -- country. A compassionate family of American
citizens that love to reach out and touch one another.

Members of Congress are pretty well off. Seldom do you ever hear them
complaining about money. And well, they can vote themselves a raise. They
can increase their pension. They can increase their health care benefit.
Can you do that?

But not this guy. He`s -- He doesn`t take -- he doesn`t think he
makes enough. I`m talking about good old Phil Gingrey from the State of
Georgia. He`s jealous of the people who make more than he does. And he`s
not happy with the $172,000 a year. He recently said on Capitol Hill that
age on Capitol Hill may be 33 years old but not making a lot of money. But
in a few years, they can just go down the street -- to K Street, and they
can make over $500 grand a year. Meanwhile, he`s stuck here making
$172,000 a year.

Now was that a twisted sister mindset or what. Cry me a river Mr.
Gingrey. A lot of people in America, I think would really love to have
these guys check every two weeks. The average individual income in this
country is $40,000 a year. So, if you make $20 bucks an hour, and you make
$40 grand a year, you`re pretty normal. That`s the start of the middle
class right there.

Gingrey`s individual income puts him in the 98 percentile of
individual income in this country. He`s our top 2 percenter. And he don`t
think he has it good enough. Now overall, Phil Gingrey we are told us
worth between $3 million and $7 million dollars. This guy is totally
unbelievable and he is a microcosm of what the Republican Party is all
about. He is your typical anti-ObamaCare hating machine. He wants the
food stamps cut.

In fact, earlier this year, he was the only member of the Georgia
delegation to vote against the Farm Bill because the food stamp cuts, you
know what, they didn`t even go far enough. We`ll see how this poor
billionaire votes on taking food away from the poor people later tonight.
It`s supposed to happen in our hour.

Gingrey is just one example of just how callous and how out of touch
the members of Congress are with the American people. It`s a symptom of a
greater sickness. The first thing is, we are talking about a select
society. They can vote themselves a raise. They can increase their
pension. They can increase their health care benefit. You cannot do that
unless you own the company.

So, we have a society that can protect their turf. You know what? It
used to be the people`s House, not anymore. It`s the House of the 1
percent. And you know what they do as they are doing in that building
right now, they are voting to take away from the most vulnerable Americans,
and you know what, they don`t think they make enough. You want to know why
this country is screwed up and why there`s so much negativity in why we
can`t get anything done, because the realism isn`t there anymore. We have
a true disconnect between the select society making all the laws and the
people who have to live with them. The 1 percent is picking on the most
vulnerable.

But, they`re all Christians, aren`t they? They love to talk about God
coming into their life. I mean, if you listen to Michele Bachmann just a
few weeks ago, she`s guided by the Lord. In fact, there`s a bunch of
Christian coalition outfits that make sure that the Republicans have plenty
of money in their next election cycle. Is it Christian to do this?

And you know what this mindset? This type of activity brings us?
This. What I talk about all the time. The vulture chart. These kinds of
votes right here bring us to a country like this. Do you think that`s
fair? Do you think it`s fair? That people who are making less than
$14,000 a year should have their assistance cut? Is that the sensibility I
was asking about at the top of the show? Is that as good as we can be as
Americans?

This vulture chart represents not only an income gap. It represents a
mindset in the United States Congress by the select society that can
protect their ass in their backside. And today`s vote, to go after people
on food stamps is exactly exemplifying what this chart is all about.

I`m ashamed. We need to speak up. This is wrong. This is morally
wrong. Christians don`t do this. And the only reason why I throw faith
into this is because there are so many conservative lawmakers that love to
play the faith card. They love to talk about morality. What`s moral about
this vote?

Get your cellphones out. I want to know what you think. Tonight`s
question. Do Republicans have any idea how average American lives? Text A
for Yes, text B for No to 67622. You can go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com.
And light up the Twitter world if you think I`m wrong.

Ed, you really are based. Come on, give it to me. Tell me I`m a
wrong on this. I`m not. I`m 100 percent right. I am with conviction spot
on on this story. It should be the lead story everywhere in my opinion if
we give a damn about income inequality in this country, if we are the
compassionate country that we claim to be, this is story number one.

And I think story number two is out twisted. Eric Cantor is because
it was Eric Cantor who stood up in a Town Hall meeting when a woman had a
story about health care, he told her to go get charity. I remember that.
Well, there`s a lot of charitable organizations that you can go to if
you`re sick. Show me some charity tonight. Vote no on this. And you as a
citizen don`t forget how they vote on it.

For more, let`s bring in Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and
former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. Great to have both of you with
us tonight.

FMR. GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM, (D) MICHIGAN: Thank you Ed.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman, you first. Please respond to Eric Cantor`s
claim this bill will lead to self-reliance. He just on the floor -- a few
moments said that.

REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY, (D) ILLINOIS: It`s so painful even to respond to
that kind of demonizing of people who need some help over a hump. You
know, most people, the average is less than a year on the SNAP program. I
don`t understand Eric Cantor be willing to take food out of the mouth of
hungry children. Almost half of the SNAP recipients are children. Are
they supposed to go to work, are the mothers of an infant supposed to go to
work, and by the way, there are strict work requirements already built into
the program. And I have to tell you, Ed I did the SNAP program for a week,
lived on $4.50 a day. It`s not easy to do.

And I`ll tell you. Eric Cantor, all of my colleagues who do go to
church on Sunday or synagogue on Saturday or to the mosque on Friday, all
the religions and you`ve brought it up are urging a no vote to cut the SNAP
program. They`re urging the members of Congress to vote, yes because this
is a moral issue. This is a compassionate country. And one more thing,
for every dollar for the SNAP program, generates about $1.70 in economic
activity. So, even from an economic point of view, this is a really good
program.

SCHULTZ: Jennifer Granholm, you`re the former governor of Michigan,
what will this do to people in metropolitan areas who are struggling.

GRANHOLM: I mean, there is no question about what it would do, Ed.
And I just want to give you a standing O for starting this program so
strong. I think that we should be on this program challenging every single
Republican member of the House who votes yes to cut this, to go on that
food stamp challenge, to try to live on $4.50 a day.

You raised the issue of morality. Well, in 25th chapter of Matthew,
the Lord says, "Whatsoever you do unto the least of this, you do unto me."
I`d like to see these Republicans looking at their pastor or at their, you
know, their house of worship on Friday, on Sunday and say, "Yes, I served
the Lord by cutting poor people off." Ask this new pope who`s been all
about serving the poor. This is -- It`s more than an outrage. This is a
moral issue. Who are we as a nation? The richest nation on the phase of
the earth to cut 4 to 6 million people, the most vulnerable off of food,
shame on us.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman, what do you make to Phil Gingrey`s comments,
does he exemplify a mindset in Congress. Do most people in Congress using
your judgment here and your opinion, do they really think their underpaid
when the rest of the country is struggling in many respects?

SCHAKOWSKY: Isn`t that stunning? A $174,000 a year and Phil Gingrey
thinks he needs to make more money.

SCHULTZ: That`s a tough for a senator complaining about his income.

SCHAKOWSKY: You know, Phil Gingrey is a doctor and children who can`t
get the nutrition, seniors who can`t eat properly and by the way 7 percent
of those who are in SNAP program are military veterans. This is not
healthy for our country.

SCHULTZ: I thought we support the troops.

SCHAKOWSKY: No, not always.

SCHULTZ: Jennifer Granholm, looking down the road, is this going to
be the Republican shooting themselves in the foot. This is just, you know,
the war on women, the attack on labor and now picking on the poor and
that`s exactly what this is. This is picking on the most vulnerable in our
society and -- but let`s keep in mind politically speaking, this is the
least powerful group in America too.

GRANHOLM: Well it is but think about this, Ed 48 percent of household
headed by women, 48 percent of single mothers who have young children at
home are now living in poverty in America, 48 percent.

So if you don`t think this is part of our vital (ph), think this is
part of a war on women and on children, they got something else coming, but
I can tell you those single moms are not interested in the arguments over
Keynes versus Hayek, Ian Ren (ph) versus Paul Krugman. They want to put
food on their table.

This is a pragmatic issue for people who just want to survive and
anybody who thinks that cutting food stamps is going to create jobs and
cost people to be more self-sufficient when there`s only one job for every
three people who are looking has got something else coming. This is the
wrong way to attack growth in the economy. Invest in job creation. Don`t
just cut people off when they need it most.

SCHULTZ: All right. We will follow this vote and bring it to you
when it comes down in this hour. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and former
Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm, great to have you with us tonight
and I think there`s a real parallel between the 40 somewhat votes to strike
down ObamaCare in the House and what the House is doing right now and we
all know how the votes going to turn out. They`re going to cut $40 billion
out of food stamps, that`s what they want to do. Just think if we didn`t
have a Democratic Senate or a Democrat in the White House.

Up next, John Boehner gets emotional again? This time envy rears its
ugly head and later a union alert. I`ll tell you about a push for new
trade law that will impact every worker in America and I don`t think it`s a
good deal. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BACK)

SCHULTZ: What`s hot? What`s not? Time now for the Trenders. Here`s
where you can connect through this in the social world, I appreciate you
doing that. The social media from the Ed team, well you have decided and
now we`re reporting. Here are today`s top Trenders voted on by you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number 3 trender, million dollar mumbo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spin or solve?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m going to solve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, corner, curio, cabinet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A tongue twister cost this wheeler big bucks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s one of those -- it`s just the thing that come
out the one you intended it to it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number 2 trender, textbook tussle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Around the books, around the books, all into one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Social conservative and science teachers are
again scoring over standard after state capitol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The courts have consistently ruled creationism
cannot be taught as fact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Creationist battle over biology.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what you have is folks appointed to the
official review teams will have an ideological perspective.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Given the facts, why don`t they give the facts of
evolution?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to be sure that our kids are getting a
21st century education.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While gun lovers want to rewrite history books.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Local school district taking flock from gun rights
advocates from all over the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because the people have the right to keep in
bare arms in a state militia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s incorrect because it implies that the second
amendment is restricted to in a state militia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The district is now getting complaints from
people demanding it be removed from school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s not fair. That`s not fair.

SCHULTZ: And today`s top trender, don`t speak.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We presented
our budget. I`ve told them and I told the country what I think we need to
do. What I haven`t been willing to negotiate and I will not negotiate is
on the debt ceiling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House Speaker can`t handle a taste of his own
medicine.

OBAMA: And I will not negotiate is on the debt ceiling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was certainly needed with.

OBAMA: I will discuss this with President Putin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says no more one-on-one negotiations with the
President.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Speaker said, "I`m sorry, the deal is
off. I can only negotiate now with the Senate".

OBAMA: It is hard to understand why Speaker Boehner would walk away.

JOHN BOEHNER, HOUSE SPEAKER, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, right
now I would say we`re nowhere, period. We`re nowhere.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Let`s turn to Eugene Robinson, columnist for the Washington
Post and MSNBC political analyst. Well both sides, Gene have part their
camps, OK they`re all there, they`re all camped out totally separate
different worlds, can`t communicate.

Now we`re into the pin the blame game. You got Boehner taken out a
commercial saying that the President will work Putin, but it won`t work
with us. You have Rubio saying that , well the President has to, you know,
stop threatening to shut down the government. When they into the pin the
blame game, what does that tell us?

EUGENE ROBINSON, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, number one, you hear
the Republicans yelling that they got a losing hand. I mean this is the
stupidest sort of brinkmanship episode that we`ve had yet and that`s saying
a lot because the Republicans don`t want to do this. The smart Republicans
don`t want to cause the government shutdown. They certainly don`t want to
cause the government to fall yet they`re doing it anyhow and they can`t
stop themselves. It`s just crazy.

SCHULTZ: Are we out of touch with reality to think that Bob Dole and
Tom Daschle voices from the past can bring in some reason?

ROBINSON: Hell no. All right, Ed. I hope so. Let`s get Ban Ki-moon from
the UN to come in and mediate too. Anything would help at this point
because the Republican Party is just and on the verge of a nervous
breakdown. It just can`t function right now.

SCHULTZ: It is their caucus no doubt the hard right not giving
Boehner what he really wants to do so he`s forced to take a lead in public
that is against his will?

ROBINSON: Well, it`s against his will but, you know, ironically the
kindest thing President Obama could do for John Boehner is to stand firm,
and to say no, and to show the crazies the limits of their power.

So we may have to go through this ritual of the House voting
essentially for a shutdown in the Senate saying, "You guys are out of your
minds." And the President saying, "You guys are out of your minds." And
then maybe it comes back to the House and they`ve learned something that`s
the whole .

SCHULTZ: So is it different this time around with President Obama
because he`s not running for re-election? I mean is that calculus in
there? Or has he learned a lesson before you just got to hold the line on
this?

ROBINSON: Well I, you know, I think both. It`s that he`s been
through this so many times before, and has learned lessons it`s that he
doesn`t have to run for re-election .

SCHULTZ: He can`t move, can he?

ROBINSON: No, we can`t move, Ed. And the other thing, it`s
ObamaCare. It`s his signature legislation. Something that he`s not only
very proud of that not only forms a big part of his legacy, but that he
really believes in very deeply. He spent a lot of his personal time the
last few months on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

SCHULTZ: You`re instinct, are we headed for a shutdown?

ROBINSON: My instinct is that it`s yes, and I think it`ll probably
brief.

SCHULTZ: And you think it`ll be brief?

ROBINSON: It might be brief, yes.

SCHULTZ: Well, that was my next question because I was going to ask
you, do you think it could be different from the Gingrich shutdown because
these Rightists are far more radical today than it were back then.

ROBINSON: Well, they are. I mean, so who knows exactly how long
it`ll last? Maybe that`s by wishful thinking.

SCHULTZ: Yes. Yes.

ROBINSON: You know, the bottom line is .

SCHULTZ: But is it the makeup of their mindset different this time
around in this shutdown?

ROBINSON: It`s the makeup of the mindset is different, but they`ve
really got no place to go this time. I mean, you know, because at soonest
as they pass something that goes to the Senate that`s going to get bounced
back to them, and the ball really be -- will be in their court. And once
there is a shutdown, once they are clearly responsible for closing the
national park for cutting off the social security checks, for doing all the
things that are going to happen, or .

SCHULTZ: Yes.

ROBINSON: . eventually could happen. It might not last that long
Boehner may find a way then.

SCHULTZ: Eugene Robinson, great to have you with us.

ROBINSON: Great to be here, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Great to have you in New York first (ph), and thank you so
much.

Up next. The tip of the melting iceberg and Republican lives are
about climate change. Plus, a moment of temporary sanity, yes, I said
sanity from our old buddy Ted Cruz.

But next, I`m taking your questions on Ask Ed Live just ahead. Stay
with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And we are back at the Ed Show, Ask Ed segment. I love it.
We love hearing from you. We love your questions.

First one tonight comes from Allan, and he wants to know. Do you
think the insurance companies will defeat ObamaCare?

No. The insurance companies are going to have 30 million new
customers. They love this stuff. There`s more people that are going to be
accessing what they`re selling. This isn`t coming from the insurance
companies, OK. This is all coming from elected officials who do not want
to see this shift to a progressive format of health care delivery system in
this country because they are for-profit.

So the insurance companies as I see it are caught between a rock and a
hard spot. Number one, they got these new customers coming in, but they
have to adjust to the exchanges and change their rate for a little bit. So
there`s going to be some more to be trade off, but believe me, these guys
are going to make their money.

Our next question is from Brandon Harris. Why don`t conservatives
complain about corporate welfare?

Well, because they`re the ones that hand it out and it`s the
corporations to get these conservatives elected. That`s what Citizens
United is all about. Unlimited corporate contributions to whatever cause
they want, and they hide behind freedom of speech. So you won`t have
conservatives at all complaining about corporate welfare. Hell, that keeps
them in that seat that I was talking to you about that select 1 percent
society.

Stick around, Rapid Response Panel coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator Cruz, just yesterday a senior House
Republican aide said, "It`s disappointing to see that Wendy Davis has more
guts than Ted Cruz". Now, he used a different word than guts but other
Republicans have called you a phony and a joke, how do you respond to that?

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) TEXAS: Well, I`m always impressed with the courage
of anonymous Congressional aides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Welcome to the Ed Show. America`s favorite Canadian Tea
Party Senator Ted Cruz isn`t making any friends as of late. After picking
the fight against ObamaCare, he`s been accused by House Republicans as
walking away when it matters the most. And as you just heard, Republicans
had some harsh words for Cruz as Republicans have laid out their latest
plan to sink ObamaCare.

They want to tie it to a measure to defund the law to the continuing
resolution that keeps our government running and paying the bills around
the world. In other words, they`re ready and willing to play another game
of check in with our economy.

Now Ted Cruz has been at the forefront of all of these and at the
forefront of this fight against ObamaCare since he came into the Senate.
You may have seen the informercial ads, Cruz has been running. And Cruz
hasn`t been shy about calling out members of his own Party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUZ: You know, I`ve been astonished that how many Republicans in
Washington want a sick leave. They want to vote that they can say, "Look,
see I did the right thing". But they don`t actually want to succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: So Ted Cruz got what he wanted. The House is going ahead
with the plan. What is his response? "Harry Reid will no doubt try to
strip the defund language from the continuing resolution, and right now he
likely has the votes to do so. At this point, House Republicans must stand
firm, hold their ground and continue to listen to the American people."

Well after all the talk, Cruz is admitting defeat before the fight
even begins. To be fair, Cruz did leave the door open for a filibuster.
Where do you find you`ll think -- where do you think you`ll find the -- our
votes for that? Well, to borrow a Texas saying, "He`s all hat and no
cattle".

Folks, this is all about self-preservation. He`s just saying what the
rest of the Republican Party refuses to. This plan, it ain`t going to
work. Sure it ain`t going to work. The House will pass a continuing
resolution that defunds ObamaCare. It will never pass in the Senate. It
will never be signed by the President of the United Sates. This is the
perfect illustration of just how fractured the Republican Party really is.

Joining me now for our Rapid Response Panel, John Nichols, Washington
correspondent of The Nation magazine, Joan Walsh of Salon.com and Annette
Taddeo, Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic County -- Party. Great to have
all of you with us tonight.

John Nichols, you first, sort out this mess for us.

JOHN NICHOLS, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE NATION: The Congressional
mess is really rooted in the fact that the Republican Party is divided
between two camps. There is one camp that actually believes what Ted Cruz
says, now what he does and they have bought into a fantasy that somehow
they can so destabilize government and they`ll get what they want. The
trouble is that this is a profoundly unpopular initiative.

The American people overwhelmingly believed, polling shows us that
doing this will harm the economy, harm society, do a lot of bad. And so
Ted Cruz who is supremely ambitious, wants to be the next President of the
United States knows that he can`t at this point being the forefront of this
yet he`s got his minions out there in the House of Representatives pushing
basically toward the cliff. This is very damaging to the Republican Party.

SCHULTZ: How damaging Joan Walsh? I mean, could this be really the
beginning of a big split in the GOP, I mean to the point where there might
be another faction out there that would try to go off on their own?

JOAN WALSH, EDITOR AT LARGE, SALON.COM: Well, the wheels are
definitely coming off the clown car. That`s all we can say right now, Ed.
And I don`t think we`ve ever seen anybody in Congress becomes so unpopular
so quickly as Ted Cruz. So that`s established. That`s one thing that I
think Republicans and Democrats -- there`s not much we agree on but
increasingly we agree that we don`t like Ted Cruz.

So that`s something. But in terms of -- as anyone showing real
leadership on this, I`m not seeing it. They`re angry at Ted Cruz for
leading them off a cliff but no one -- you know, John Boehner is making
ridiculous comments about complaining that the President will, you know,
try to negotiate to avert war with Vladimir Putin but won`t negotiate with
him even though Boehner`s the one who walked away from negotiations and he
used to brag about the fact that he wouldn`t bother talking to this
president.

So I don`t see a movement towards something good, or reasonable, or
sane but I think we are seeing a movement away from something crazy and
that`s Ted Cruz.

SCHULTZ: Annette Taddeo, how does this play on the Latino community?
There`s going to be a big fight in the midterms and in 2016 for the Latino
community. How do you -- Give us a pulse on exactly who the winners and
the losers are here.

ANNETTE TADDEO, CHAIR OF MIAMI-DADE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Well, both Ted
Cruz and Marco Rubio are the losers. In Florida they have this competition
to see which one more is like the Tea Party and more in love with the Tea
Party and saying all the things that the Tea party wants to hear. The
problem is the voters don`t want to hear any of that. And Latino voters
specifically, I mean we don`t want to hear about the shutting down of the
government, we don`t want to hear about senior citizens. Many of them
right here in our community in Miami, many of them voters of Rubio who are
very upset about the fact that they may not get that social security check
that they depend on for their meals.

SCHULTZ: John Nichols, what about the blame game? Rubio is down
there saying that the President`s got to quit using the shutdown and quit
threatening to do it. I mean if this isn`t a falsehood, I don`t know what
is. I mean this is the manufacturing of a story.

NICHOLS: Well, I mean the incredible thing is, here you got somebody
who really went out and stirred up these sentiments along with Ted Cruz and
along with a number of other folks created the fantasy that this was such a
big crisis coming that had to happen. We had to do something to stop
ObamaCare. And then when you actually get to the critical moment is
accusing the President of creating a crisis. It really is one of those
situations where I do believe that a number of senators, and I think Rubio
is one of them and I think some people in the House like Paul Ryan, they
talked and talked and talked about this stuff.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

NICHOLS: I think they actually convinced some of their fellow
Republicans of it. And now, they realized that there`s no way they`re
going to sell the fantasy that Barack Obama created this crisis.

SCHULTZ: Joan Walsh, the President says he`s holding the line. Can
we believe him? I mean we`ve seen this stance before and it didn`t sound
very good, you know, in the summer of 2011.

WALSH: Right.

SCHULTZ: How do the Democrats handle this? And I`ve been told that
the Democratic Caucus is much behind President Obama on this than on any
issue that they`d have to deal with.

WALSH: They are. And you know, I think the Republicans -- there is
reporting out there now that Republicans are counting on the President to
cape. I don`t expect that, Ed. I think he knows what he`s up against.
And I think he also knows, even Republicans, every single poll we`ve seen
shows us that even Republicans think it`s not to shut down the government,
to defund ObamaCare even voters who don`t like ObamaCare. And I also think
that the end game here is they want to sop ObamaCare because they know when
it takes effect, it is going to be popular.

On October 1st when people start being able to use these exchanges
when subsidies start kicking and more than half of all people who have to
buy insurance will get some sort of subsidies. People will be very happy.

SCHULTZ: It is the propulsion of the generational shift. No doubt.

WALSH: Yes.

SCHULTZ: John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Annette Taddeo, thanks for joining
us tonight. Appreciate it.

Up next, get your tin foil hats ready. Tonight`s pretender is a
whopper of a conspiracy theory for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in Pretenders tonight. The king of denial Congressman
David McKinley. Listen to this.

During the House climate change policy hearing. The West Virginia
congressman took a facts and research free approach to the conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONG. DAVID MCKINLEY, (R) WEST VIRGINIA: Here`s the reality of
temperature changes over the last 40 years. Actually, we can say over 40
years, there`s been almost no increase in temperature, very slight. Most
experts believe by 20, 83 and 70 years, the benefits of climate change will
still outweigh the harm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Twist and turn, twist and turn. Folks, there are countless
studies proving temperature has gone up at alarming rates. A brigade of
tin foil hatters sat behind EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to underscore
the congressman acts of attempt to shield his own brain from science, but
no one put it better than Congressman Henry Waxman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONG. HENRY WAXMAN, (D) CALIFORNIA: I think this illustrates why we
need a committee where we bring in the scientist. I just thought the
statements that the gentleman from West Virginia read to us were incredibly
inaccurate and contrary to everything else, everybody in the scientific
community has to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Scientists are needed at these panels or maybe just people
who can read the report. If Congressman David McKinley thinks he can keep
science out of the energy policy he can just keep on pretending.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)\

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. This is the story for the
folks who take a shower after work, the workers of America. This week
President Obama met with big business leaders in a round table about the
path forward in the country`s economic recovery. The President highlighted
some major accomplishments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: And we`ve created now 7.5 million new jobs. The housing
market has begun to recover. Exports are at record highest. We are
producing more energy than we ever had before and that`s strengthened our
manufacturing based here. The deficits have been coming down at the
fastest rate since World War II. The deficits have been cut in half since
I came into office.

Health care costs which were and continue to be a major source of
concern are increasing at the slowest rate in 50 years, employer-based
health care plans had gone up at about a third of what they were going up
when I first took office. There`s a lot of bright spots in the economy.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I`ll say, there`s your commercial Democrats right there, but
wait a minute, he said something that is very troubling to labor. And here
it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We`ve still got a lot of work to do. We know that we can do
even more when it comes to exports which is why I`m out there negotiating
the Trans-Pacific Partnership and now a Trans-Atlantic Trade Partnership
that will allow us to create a high standard enforceable, meaningful and
trade agreement with essentially two-thirds of the world markets which is
going to be incredibly powerful for American companies who up until this
point have often been left up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: All right. Joining me now is Larry Cohen, President of
Communications Workers of America. Larry, good to have you with us
tonight.

What do wage earners and middle class Americans need to know about
this deal, the Trans-Atlantic Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Trade
Agreement. What is it?

LARRY COHEN, PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA: First
thing we need to know is that it`s secret. And so, you have a real problem
when we talk about American corporations and we don`t talk about the 130
million Americans who go to work everyday. And even members of Congress
had no idea what`s been involved in two years of negotiations. The biggest
fear is the State Department drives most to this.

So for every other nation, we start out with jobs, they start out with
jobs in their economy and we start out with what I would call a 20th
Century view of national security. Now, many would disagree with that but
let`s take this TPP -- Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The minimum wage in Vietnam is $0.25 an hour. They had no rights
whatsoever beyond that. The idea that that is a good way to equalize
trade, let`s talk about jobs and we`re not just talking about -- it`s
ridiculous. Service sector jobs, IT jobs, are being exported out of this
country. Tech support jobs because we have no floor. We have no floor at
all. But the biggest thing, Ed, is secrecy and fast track must be stopped.
Fast track means that for all the things that never get through Congress,
trade deals get an up or down vote before you bat your eye.

SCHULTZ: So this is another.

COHEN: We need to know what`s.

SCHULTZ: This is another NAFTA disaster waiting to happen?

COHEN: Yeah. This is 20 years of trade deals that mean our jobs
leave and the jobs we create all too often are at minimum wage and fast
food, et cetera. And that`s not the future for my daughters and I know
that`s not what Americans want for their future either.

SCHULTZ: I`m told that China is going to see some jobs, leave their
country and go to Vietnam and Cambodia on this deal and they`re going to
end up cutting a deal with some of the countries that are going to be
involved in this Trans-Pacific Trade which would even undercut the American
market, the American worker even more.

COHEN: Yeah. If we don`t get a floor in these deals that we all
participate in citizen groups participate in, then we need to say the
Congress no fast track. Today, no citizen groups have been involved to any
extent in this Trans-Pacific Partnership. It`s a race to the bottom. We
need a race to the top. And that`s .

SCHULTZ: It`s a.

COHEN: . where we stay.

SCHULTZ: It sounds like a super highway to outsourcing to me. Can
labor stop this? I mean obviously the AFL-CIO had a convention out in Los
Angeles. They made a statement on this. The President`s for it. What do
you make of it?

COHEN: I think to stop it, we need to build the coalition we have
already that includes greens, that includes all kinds of citizen and
democracy groups, civil rights groups, et cetera. People who say, "We need
economic policy, we need trade policy for American workers just as the
Vietnamese will push in their own interest." And we do not have much in
common with them and we need to look out.

SCHULTZ: All right. We`re going to spend more time on this on the Ed
Show, find out what the devil in the details are as we move forward. Larry
Cohen in CWA, thanks for joining us tonight. Appreciate it.

In the next few moments, the House will vote on a bill that could cut
$40 billion out of food stamps. Keep it on MSNBC for the latest. We`ll
have more on this story tomorrow.

That`s the Ed Show, I`m Ed Schultz. Politics Nation with Reverend Al
Sharpton starts right now. Good evening, Rev.

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

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