THE ED SHOW
September 20, 2013
Guest: John Fugelsang, Barry Lynn, Richard Wolffe, Holland Cooke, Jack
Rice, Joel Heitkamp, Stephanie Miller
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 10, 10 Commandments.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just talked with Moses and he`s not in support
of this legislation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is dignity in work.
ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: You know, what it used to be the people`s
house, not anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To introduce the blessing of work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes Lord.
SCHULTZ: It`s the house of the 1 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesus who had some concern about the rich people,
they were trying to get in heaven.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reforms made by this bill will put people on
the path to self sufficiency and independence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then he told them to go to hell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Oh if you are a Republican it`s going to be just a fabulous
moment in church on Sunday isn`t it? Dear Lord, thank you I`m a
Republican. Thank you for giving me the strength to take away from the
poor and deny the sick. Just give me Jesus. Give me a break, who are
these people? You know, it`s Friday it`s almost cocktail hour and these
people have got to be worn out already. The Republican Party loves to play
the religious card. Anyway they possibly can, I think it`s a guilt thing
actually. They love to align themselves with the bible and they always
quoted as you saw at the opening but this couldn`t be further from the
truth.
In the last 24 hours, we have seen the true identity of this faith
based Christians. We have seen the true identity of just how faith based
they are across the board. They have taken away from the poor and they
have denied the sick, that`s who they are. If Jesus were around today he
certainly wouldn`t be a Republican. I don`t think I`ll burn in hell for
that I think I`m right. It`s not blasphemy. All right, last night,
Republicans voted to cut food stamps as we were getting of the air by $40
billion. Now let`s talk about the money for just a moment.
The President met with business round table leaders earlier this week
and he talked about all the positive things that were taking place in the
economy. But one thing he said that got no mention in any of the
conservative mainstream media was that he has reduced the deficit in half.
That`s right, the deficit is coming down. We`re not overspending on
anything, we`re not investing in infrastructure. We`re not rebuilding a
damn thing. Now that the stimulus package is gone, we`re just sitting here
with no Republican help and an economy that is just slowly moving along 41
months of private sector job growth. What`s the point in all of these?
The point is, is that we are loosing our moral compass as Americans. We`re
not overspending but we`re going to take away from the most vulnerable in
society and we`re going to deny.
You know, the last couple of days on the radio show I have gotten
calls from people who work in doctor`s offices that are saying, "No Ed this
is going to be fantastic for the consumer." You got to get out there and
tell them more, we`re not doing a good job of selling ObamaCare. I got a
call today from a lady, she works in an attorney`s office, her husband is
the attorney, she says, "It`s gut wrenching to have these people come in
and talk about, what are they going to do now that they`re bankrupt and
they live on fixed incomes and now their food stamps are gone?" They voted
to take food away from 3.8 million poor Americans. Shockingly one
Republican justified taking food away from poor people by using the bible.
(BEING VIDEO CLIP)
REP. STEVE SOUTHERLAND, (R), FLORIDA: My motivation is only been to
introduce the blessing of work to able bodied people. You know, madam
speaker from your chair you look down the center aisle and you can see one
or 23 faces that are off top of this room. The face you`re looking at is
the face of Moses, it was his work, the work of Moses that in the very
first chapter of Genesis, God created Adam placed him in the garden to work
it. Work is not a penalty, work is a blessing. What we have done in this
country is wrong. We have failed in introducing the blessing of work to
able bodied people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: So much for the separation of church and state, we got a
whole lot of gods sitting there on the House Floor and they`re taking away
from the poor. Twisted, twisted and more twisted thinking. Now thankfully
New York Congressman Charlie Rangel was there to set the record straight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHARLIE RANGEL, (D), NEW YORK: And I heard one of the
Republicans say that what Moses would want, he was talking about some
picture and I just came up to say that I just talked with Moses and he`s
not in support of this legislation. As a matter of fact, he referred me to
other biblical things about how do we treat the lesser of our brothers and
sisters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Yes then since taking food away from poor Americans is
horrible but, you know, what it gets worse. Today House Republicans passed
a bill funding the government but not ObamaCare. The bill won`t make the
Senate. President ain`t no way, there`s no way he`s ever going to sign
this. This is psycho talk on the part of the Republicans. But what they
are doing is effectively just trying to shut down the government.
Today Republicans voted to stop 30 million people from getting
lifesaving health care. They voted against people with pre-existing
conditions. They voted against young people getting under 26 years old,
getting on their parents health care plan. They voted against free
preventive care, and again Republicans are using the bible to justify
taking health care away from 30 million Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, (R), MINNESOTA: Let`s repeal this failure
before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens,
let`s not do that. Let`s love people, as people of faith, I`m a Born Again
believer in Jesus Christ and I believe it is part of my duty as a believer
in Christ and what he has done for me that we should do for the least of
those who are in our midst, that`s my personal belief and my personal
conviction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: And that`s how she votes right? Wrong. As a Christian
Michele Bachmann should be ashamed of herself. The party who loves to play
the religious card certainly isn`t living up to the teachings of the bible.
Nancy Pelosi explained this on Thursday as she was fighting against the
food stamp cuts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D), CALIFORNIA: A couple of weeks ago I was in
Houston, Texas visiting my grandchildren and we were at mass, in the sermon
the priest said something that I think we should consider, as we consider
out vote here today. He said, "You just can`t come to church and pray on
Sunday and go out and pray on people the rest of the week." This
legislation is preying, P-R-E-Y-I-N-G on people, on children, on veterans,
on seniors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Did Nancy Pelosi say that when she was in church she was at
mass? You mean Democrats actually go to church too? I had no idea, over
the last 24 hours the Republicans voted to take food away from 4 million
poor Americans. They also voted to prevent 30 million Americans from
getting health care, all from the heart isn`t it? And this guy couldn`t be
happier, Speaker John Boehner. Don`t you just feel the love Johnny? He`s
so happy about denying 30 million Americans lifesaving health care he could
hardly hold back the tears of joy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R), OHIO, SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES: We have victory today for the American people. And
frankly we also had a victory for common sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Victory for common sense. Well, I have a suggestion and I
am going to do this, this weekend. Ask your guider of faith, your pastor,
your rabbi. Talk about his in church with your friends. If you do that on
the weekend, if you do that on Sunday just open up the discussion, what do
you think of what`s happening in America that we are a country that`s
supposed to have a moral compass and we`re supposed to be faith based but
we have no problem taking food stamps away from the most vulnerable and
denying health care from the sickest of us? Is that a good discussion to
have with your pastor, for clarification? Get justification for what is
happening? I think that would be a heck of a conversation and I think you
might be surprised.
Get your cell phones out, I want to know what you think. Tonight`s
question, "Are you sick of Republicans wrapping themselves up in religion?"
Text A for yes, text B for no to 67622. You can always go to our blog at
ed.msnbc.com we`ll bring you the results later on in the show. For more
let me bring in liberal commentator John Fugelsang and also the Reverend
Barry Lynn of Americans United for the separation of church and state.
Gentlemen great to have you with us tonight.
John, you first, what do you think about Republicans using the bible
to justify food stamp cuts?
JOHN FUGELSANG, LIBERAL COMMENTATOR: Well Ed I spent the day at a
soup kitchen here in Hartford, Connecticut where I`m shooting a film. It
was filled with lots of people, men and women of all different races and
backgrounds who would love to be working right now and paying taxes in
contributing to society but where are the jobs? And we hear this refrain
all the time from the Republicans, they want to equate poor with lazy.
That is the crown jewel in their anti-Christ kingdom. They want you to
think people are poor because they`re lazy and they have two arguments they
use loosely from the Bible, Ed.
Number one, they`ll say, "The Bible says, if you don`t work; you don`t
eat, Benghazi." And that`s misinterpreting what`s in Paul`s second letter
to Thessalonians, it`s not God or Jesus who said that, it was Paul in the
past tense about guys who weren`t working because they thought the end of
the world was coming. And the biggest argument you`ll hear from your right
wing Christian friends, I actually call them CHINOs because they`re
Christians-in-name-only, you know, like, "Some Chinos are brown, some are
white, most are gray (ph), many are wrinkled, they`re highly irregular."
But the argument you`ll hear is Jesus said, "Yeah, help the poor but
he never said the government should pick my pocket and do it." right? You
hear that all the time. What they never say is that Jesus didn`t have
democracy, we do. So, if you believe in a government based on Christian
values, then, you go to Matthew chapter 25. And you want a government that
helps the poor, helps the sick, and it`s kind to those in prison. If you
don`t want that that`s fine, but stop saying you want a government based on
Christian values because you do not.
SCHULTZ: Yes. Reverend, is there any religious case to be made for
taking healthcare away from millions of Americans to deny them and to put
them in a vulnerable position?
REV. BARRY LYNN, AMERICANS UNITED: There is no case that I have ever
heard about of any religious tradition or out of the humanist tradition
that suggest that that is the right kind of vote. It is always a disaster
when the Congress starts to have Bible quoting contest on the floor at the
House of the Senate. That`s not the way we do business, it`s not the way
we make policy in America.
What we do is look at the commonly shared values of Americans. Some
of those values are right in the Constitution and we have a history. A
history where we`ve always cared about other people .
SCHULTZ: Yes.
LYNN: . and as John said, you know, one of the things that I always
argue with conservatives about, they say, "Well, I went to church and they
said, help the poor so I should help the poor." But then when they become
the people`s representative in the House of Representatives all of a sudden
something changes. They vote against the poor, and they say this because
frankly they hate the government and as enough they lose sight of the goal
which is not to have people starving on the streets of America. And
instead, they just hate the government so much that they won`t let it do
what needs to do.
SCHULTZ: And Reverend, in reference saying the Congressman from
Florida Mr. Southerland who got up on the floor. He used his faith as a
battle cry to justify a vote of denial and take away. I mean, how
(scoreless) is this?
LYNN: No, it`s absolutely astonishing that people continue to do
this. You`re right. Every time I`ve been on this show for years, there`s
been a reference to something that one Party is doing usually the
Republican Party to cloak itself not just in the flag, it`s been doing that
even longer, but now in religion. And they`ve been doing that in earnest
since the 1970s.
We are not supposed to be making policy based on scriptural
traditions, we are not supposed to have these Bible quotes that win or lose
the debate. And frankly, this debate on these grounds has led to some
awful outcomes. I don`t know if people remember this, but meals on wheels
which we unfortunately already .
SCHULTZ: Yes.
LYNN: . cutback during the sequester that started in church
basements. The reason the government got involved is because people were
so hungry in so many places that it swamped the capacity of the church
itself to do the work. That`s when government said, "You know, it`s not a
bad idea to provide a hot lunch to people who can`t get out of their
house." But that`s already been cut .
SCHULTZ: Yes.
LYNN: . food stamps cut yesterday, and the healthcare essential to be
able to live long enough to eat cut today.
SCHULTZ: John Fugelsang, it was George McGovern who got together with
-- I believe it was Mr. Dole from Kansas, a long time serving Senator.
They came up with a concept of the food stamp it was -- the food stamp
program, it was bipartisan. George McGovern was moved by saying, "Poor
people not being able to go to school on a full stomach to have a chance to
learn." That`s where it all and it helped out rural America.
FUGELSANG: Indeed.
SCHULTZ: Isn`t this an attack on farmers? Isn`t this an attack on
rural America and the economic structure in many senses of food security in
this country?
FUGELSANG: You`re right. And not just that, it`s everybody is stupid
and counterproductive to our Republican friends as Governor Romney making
the 47 percent comment last year .
SCHULTZ: Yes.
FUGELSANG: . because a lot of those folks are in your base, you know,
and, you know, these are the same guys saying, "Well, this is America where
you can climb the economic ladder." Well struggling folks can`t climb the
ladder if you just took out the first 20 rungs and that`s why they`re not
patriots, they`re not Christian, and they`re not even really capitalist.
And the worst part about it, Ed, and I had a guys say this to me in a
homeless shelter earlier today was, "People know it`s all a big load of
bunk .
SCHULTZ: Yes.
FUGELSANG: . they know this is never going to pass and it`s pure
theater although unlike actual theater, the theater creates jobs not like
Republicans. But the fact is the worst part about it is that the
Republicans and the House are assuming that the very Republicans
(inaudible) as mean as them.
SCHULTZ: Yes, they`re assuming they`re doing the people`s work by
doing this. John Fugelsang, Reverend Barry Lynn, great to have you on the
Ed Show. Thanks so much. Remember to answer tonight`s question there at
the bottom of the screen. Share your thoughts with us on Twitter on this
one at Ed Show and on Facebook. We always love to know what you think.
Now, next story -- I have been accused of a rant and a tirade too and
against the President of the United States. The man who wrote the book is
here and we`re going to go face to face and straighten this thing out.
Stay with us. It`s right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Time now for the Trenders. The Ed Show social media right
here. Here is where it`s all done. You have decided and we are reporting.
Here today`s top Trenders voted on by you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE CARELL, AMERICAN ACTOR, COMEDIAN, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER,
VOICE ARTIST: I would like to extend to you an invitation to the Pants
Party.
SCHULTZ: The number 3 trender, leg up.
GRETCHEN CARLSON, CO-HOST, FOX AND FRIENDS: Nobody is going to
recognize me because not only am I dressed casually. I have on pants, OK?
Now pants were not allowed on Fox and Friends, remember?
BRIAN KILMEADE, CO-HOST, FOX AND FRIENDS: Yes, what happened with
that?
SCHULTZ: The Kirby Couch alum gets revealing.
CARLSON: This is something that you always said on Fox and Friends.
You always liked to be shirtless.
KILMEADE: Right.
CARLSON: Yes, and sometimes you actually suggested that for me.
KILMEADE: Right which is interesting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I`m trying to eat a lunch here.
SCHULTZ: Our number 2 trender, Sean Duffy gets real.
CONG. SEAN DUFFY, (R), WISCONSIN: We`ve kept a lead on our anger in
the House as with a punching bag and bullied by some of these Senate
conservatives.
SCHULTZ: The congressman stops being polite with Ted Cruz.
DUFFY: You`ve had conservatives in the Senate who have been talking
loud and drawing a crowd asking for a fight on ObamaCare.
Well, what I see happen now is people coming out and calling them out
for the hypocrisy of these big top conservatives who know how to fight, but
will never get in the ring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you out the .
SCHULTZ: In today`s Top Trender. Rant and wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A new book is giving readers, an inside look at
President Obama`s 2012 Campaign. But the details, the President`s many
complains with some of his supporters during the campaign including
enduring a tirade from political commentator Ed Schultz about his
leadership.
CARELL: Loud noises.
SCHULTZ: I`m setting the record straight on my chat with the
President.
I`ve had several meetings with the President of the United States, but
they have always been of a very professional demeanor.
I`ve never gone off on the President. I never ranted at him. I`ve
always had a professional demeanor with the President. I respect him
immensely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Joining me now is the author Richard Wolffe, Executive Editor of
MSNBC.com and author of The Message: The reselling of President Obama.
Boy, did you create a stir. Thanks a lot.
I have had no tirade against the President
RICHARD WOLFFE, MSNBC.COM EXECUTIVE EDITOR: What happened here? You
know, I never used the word tirade .
SCHULTZ: You didn`t.
WOLFFE: . in an Australian or British accent, never used the word
rant. You know, I know there are a lot of people out there who want to
mess with, mess with me, mess with the President. But we can have a
ceremonial reading from my book here.
SCHULTZ: Let`s do that. Let`s have a ceremonial reading.
WOLFFE: Because those words do no exist and that`s not my
characterization either. So here we go.
SCHULTZ I think I know how we got to this point. But you go ahead
and read the Ed part here.
WOLFFE: So, let`s just set the scene here, President`s gone though a
bad patch, debt ceiling crisis and he`s trying to repair the damage with
leading progressive voices, people like you .
SCHULTZ: Yes.
WOLFFE: . brings them into the White House, and the White House also
wants to hear from you not just because they want to win you over, but
because they want to put a better steel, a better fight back in the
President.
SCHULTZ: This is in December of 2011 before the campaign kicked in.
WOLFFE: Right. Exactly, and this is part of the rebuild and part of
gearing up for that. So people go around the table, you sit quietly, I
say, "Ed Schultz," here it is, "Ed Schultz sat listening to other opine
before ripping into an impassioned plea for the President to stand up and
fight. The 44th President of the United States listened calmly and nodded
his head, surprising his aides with a meek appearance that successfully
masked how little patience he had for such criticism."
No rant, no tirade, you had passion, you brought heart to the
conversation, and that was noticeable for the people in the room who
confirmed what you said at the time and what they felt that you spoke with
a heart as you do every night.
SCHULTZ: OK. See, my mother was a high school English teacher, let`s
breakdown this .
WOLFFE: Oh, here we go.
SCHULTZ: . let`s graph out this sentence here. Anytime you put Ed
Schultz and ripping .
WOLFFE: Yes.
SCHULTZ: . in the same sentence, I`m going to have to tell you what,
it`s a whole ocean right there.
WOLFFE: OK. OK. Yes.
SCHULTZ: I meant that`s just it.
WOLFFE: So I didn`t say you were ripping the President or whatever
people want to vote. I said you ripped into the plea, a plea. Now, I had
to stand that my language which opened this up so for that I apologize to
the people I`m messing with this, and twisting it, and that`s not what I
laid out. I said that you went out and told him, you told him to stand up
and fight. Did you do that?
SCHULTZ: I did. I did, but I didn`t rip into him. So -- but you`re
exactly right, you did not write -- use the word tirade as some
commentators did and I think that`s irresponsible. That was a
mischaracterization not only in the New York Times but on the Washington
Post. I guess this is how you get people to read The Message: The
reselling of President Obama. This is when unintended consequence on your
part.
WOLFFE: Well, maybe I need to control my own message about that.
SCHULTZ: Oh, yes you could. All right. This is a story about the
campaign, there was a tremendous amount of friction. What do we take from
it?
WOLFFE: Look, this campaigning teach extraordinary things. They had
huge challenges against them, a terrible economy, electorate that was ready
for change, the Republicans who are going to outspent them no matter what.
What I discovered in going back into the campaign to try and report out
this book was they had another set of problems as well, which was the
tensions between the Washington and Chicago, the clashes of egos inside
Chicago.
Now, I look at that and say, "You overcame the economy, you overcame
the Republican machine, and you overcame the internal politics that`s a
hell of a story." Some people want to glove on to a piece of it, they want
to it a tirade or a rant or in fighting. That`s up to them but the book
tells the story of how did they it and for me that`s what you got to do as
a reporter. You got to be honest.
SCHULTZ: And loose. Stephanie Cutter who is out on the talking heads
a lot. Was she causing a problem because of her style and the way she was
presenting the campaign?
WOLFFE: She is famous for having sharp elbows, you want her on your
team, she`s incredibly effective, people in the campaign said she was very
good for us. But there was friction because she clashed with people, there
was friction because people said, "You`re only talking to Democrats and we
need to reach independence as well."
SCHULTZ: Yes. She was out ripping Republicans, you know.
WOLFFE: She was. It`s true.
SCHULTZ: Richard Wolffe, great to have you with us tonight.
Congratulations on the book. Thanks so much.
All right. Still ahead, as Republicans waste time freaking out over
ObamaCare, President Obama tells Congress to get to work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Just do your job.
Don`t be the other guy.
UINDENTIFIED MALE: Who the fuck are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m a guy who does his job. You must be the other
guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: But next I`m taking your questions. Ask Ed Live is just
ahead. Stay tuned. You`re watching the Ed Show at MSNBC.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Right, our Friday edition. Welcome back to the Ed Show. We
love hearing from our viewers all these questions. This is my favorite
segment, Ask Ed Live. First question is from an avid Ed Show fan, Jimmy
Bear. Jimmy, what`s up? Well, he says, "How do Republicans get Americans
to vote against their own best interest?"
Well, let me just say this. They got it down to a science. There`s
no question about that it ought to be studied in every political science
class in the country at every university. This is really the lynch pin.
This is how they win elections is they somehow get people to vote against
their own best interest. Heck of a question. I don`t have all the answers
but they are masters at it.
Our next question is from Richard Fritz. He wants to know, "Ed, are
the Tea Party Republicans really as stupid as they act?" I`m not trying to
get to the weekend any faster than anybody else but the short answer is
yes. Stick around. Rapid Response Panel is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: The debate that`s going on in Congress,
they`re not focused on you. They`re focused on politics. They`re focused
on trying to mess with me. They`re not focused on you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to The Ed Show. We are just 11 days away from
ObamaCare exchanges taking effect on October 1st. I`m fired up and ready
to go. And today, we should really celebrate. Millions of Americans will
finally have better, more affordable access. And that is the key access to
health care. It will be denied. Instead, Republican legislators have
threatened to shut down our government in order to defund the law. And the
Right Wing noise machine is on full blast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The law of the land, ObamaCare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, this is the party that all they seem to talk
about was when Gore gets in the gear as president. So, it`s the law of the
land, right? Well, let`s see. What else at one time was the law of the
land? Slavery.
UNIDENTIFIE MALE: Here`s my thesis. ObamaCare causes cancer.
TOM SULLIVAN: Doctors are going to be required to ask you about your
sex life. Have you ever had your doctor ask you?
MARK LEVIN: Obama is blackmailing -- not the Republicans, we the
people. And he`s insisting that what that 2010 Congress did,
illegitimately passing ObamaCare -- remember the sleight of hand that they
used to get it passed? He`s insisting that the Republicans in this
Congress go along with it. And he`s got a number of them who are absolute
cowards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Joining me now is our (inaudible) response panel. Talk
Radio consultant, Holland Cooke, Stephanie Miller, host of The Stephanie
Miller Show, and former CIA agent, and radio talk show host, Jack Rice,
great to have you with us.
Holland, you first, I once had a radio owner tell me that it takes
zero talent to be against something. Is this story perfect for Right Wing
Talkers?
HOLLAND COOKE, TALK RADIO CONSULTANT: Stop the presses because I have
new news tonight that you and Jack and Stephanie are going to love because
you do radio shows. I speak to you today from Orlando, where just this
afternoon, we wrapped up the radio show, that big annual radio convention.
Broadcasters from all over the country come here.
And while the guy in the studio is (ramping) against ObamaCare, the
boss in the corner office has a very different view. Several speakers at
the radio show here in Orlando were alluding to what is now being called a
new long-term revenue stream in ObamaCare.
Over 500 broadcasters signed up for a webinar and they expect that
this will be a multiyear revenue stream. And the irony being that the Talk
Radio right, these are always ramping about the free market. And yet, now,
the insurance cartel will be forced to wait for it, compete. Who knows?
SCHULTZ: Yes, this is just too good to be true. You know, Jack, they
got 450 Right Wing Talkers across America right now, they`re all flipping
out on ObamaCare. Is this really why 44 percent of the people in this
country don`t believe in it and don`t want it? How much of an impact did
they have?
JACK RICE, FORMER CIA AGENT, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, this is
actually quite astounding. And yet, at the same time, we realized, if you
really looked at this, we have a lot of listeners who are all over the
board, left, right, center. And what I`m seeing is they`re coming across -
- the Right Wing is coming across as petulant and pointless.
And I think, at the end of the day, what they`re going to do is
they`re actually turning off, not just moderate Republicans, but centrist.
And I think down the road, this may work for some who are jumping up and
down and (ramping) about it, whether they believe it or not. But I think,
at the end of the day, this is going to hurt the Republicans because they
come across as well, less than what I thought they were before, which
wasn`t that much.
SCHULTZ: It`s not just Right Wing Radio either. I mean the folks
over at Media Matters have pointed out that Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Elisabeth
Hasselbeck spent her first week over at Fox News spreading lies. Here it
is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, TALK SHOW HOST: And now you`re insure, maybe
one of the many that dump individual health coverage in your state, so what
does it mean for you, your family, and your wallet?
Certainly, (something) is kind of scary. Sounds like Obama scared me
and then ObamaCare.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Medicaid is a terrible program. It
absolutely means to be reformed. People do worst on Medicaid than they do
being uninsured.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The real people that this is going to hurt is
the middle income. Those folks are barely making it anyways but we are
making it. Those are the ones that are going to hurt. This is not
actually -- there`s nothing affordable about the Affordable Health Care
Act.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First of all, on the ObamaCare exchanges, it`s
like going to a food court that only sells hotdogs or in supermarkets that
only sells cereal. You`re going to have one choice, the basic benefit
package.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Stephanie, your response to all of that?
STEPHANIE MILLER, HOST, THE STEPHANIE MILLER SHOW: Wow, this is like
a whole episode out of really bad analogies. I`m still winded from (Rush)
saying the Affordable Care Act is just like slavery. I think we can all
agree on that, Ed. What? With the enslaving millions of people is exactly
like getting 30 million people health care. Sure, that`s exactly right.
And what is those thing that keeps saying, Ed, about unconstitutional?
I think Mark Levine thinks that the person who gets up and has a drink of
water is unconstitutional.
SCHULTZ: Yeah, yeah.
MILLER: What is unconstitutional about a law that has been passed by
the Congress, upheld by the Supreme Court, and he`s won a decision twice
and two landslides.
SCHULTZ: It`s all scared tactics and misinformation, no doubt about
it. Is that the best shot, Holland, that they have in convincing the
Americans? I mean when you go around the country and you listen to radio
owners and -- I mean this is the focal point in many respects for a lot of
these local guys who I think have had an impact on how some people think.
COOKE: Yeah, repetition has hurt explaining ObamaCare. But this
whole week has been phony baloney. It`s a distraction. You know why Talk
Radio writings are obsessed with these this week? Because they don`t want
to talk about guns.
SCHULTZ: Yes, that`s right. That`s not a good subject for Ms.
Stephanie.
MILLER: No, I mean -- I think that`s exactly right, Ed. And here`s
the other thing that I think you and I know is this stir cannot be a better
example of how far right this Republican Party has gone that they are
threatening to shut down the United States Government, bring this country
to its knees. To defund the law, that`s a Republican idea. It`s Bob
Dole`s health plan. It`s the Heritage Plan`s health plan, mixed in with
Romney Care. It does not have a public option. It is not a government-run
program, and they`re going to shut down the United States Government,
defund it. They have gone off-the-rail.
SCHULTZ: Jack, what sense do you get from your callers that they know
ObamaCare, that they know what`s happening, that they`re aware of what`s
going on?
RICE: I think that they`re totally amazed about this. I mean people
are confounded by it. But I think you said it yourself that it`s far
easier to be against something than actually before something. What this
really shows is avoiding where the Republicans are, not on just this issue,
but a whole series of things with so many things that need to be addressed
in the country, and we can all acknowledge that. They`re willingness to
come back again and again, and let`s remember, I`m in Minnesota right now.
This is Bachmann territory. We know crazy up here.
SCHULTZ: Holland Cooke, when you -- if you were counseling right now
a Right Wing Talker to get off this subject and he doesn`t want to do it,
how would you do it?
COOKE: It`s going nowhere because it`s going to croak in the Senate.
And even if it didn`t, it would get vetoed. And it sounds like you`re
doing the same show day after day. It`s the Groundhog Day effect.
SCHULTZ: It`s the Groundhog Day. Have you experienced that
Stephanie, the Groundhog Day effect, as of late?
MILLER: It -- you know, it really is. I mean it`s like you hear the
same Cher song everyday and then they go into their (inaudible). ObamaCare
is just like filling a horrible blank here. But they`re getting desperate,
Ed, because they know this is going to work. And ultimately, it will be
like Medicare and Social Security, and they`re desperate because, you know,
the clock is running out.
SCHULTZ: Jack Rice, what is the best play as a conservative talker to
convince your audience that taking food stamps away from people is the
right thing to do?
RICE: Well, you were talking about it earlier in the program. You
wrapped yourself in God and the American flag. I mean if you`re the
conservative trying to convince your own listeners and that you`re right,
you say, "Well, somehow, God is on my side and he doesn`t like people to
eat. They`ll just convince them to want to eat more."
SCHULTZ: Is that the argument you make?
RICE: No, I don`t even know if it works for me.
SCHULTZ: I`ll tell you what, they have sold this anti-ObamaCare so
well. I was listening to a sports station, Holland Cooke. Even the sports
guys are anti-ObamaCare. I mean it`s even bleeding over into balls and
strengths of America.
COOKE: Not if you`re in St. Louis or Pittsburgh, you know, Pirates,
Cards, come on.
SCHULTZ: Holland Cooke, Stephanie Miller, Jack Rice, great to have
you with us tonight. Thanks so much. Up next, a flood of hypocrisy brings
us tonight`s Pretenders.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And the Pretenders tonight. They walk in shame. They call
them the Colorado Four. Following the devastating floods in Colorado,
President Obama received a bipartisan letter requesting emergency aid.
Four interesting names were attached to the letter, Colorado Republican`s,
Mike Coffman, Cory Gardner, Doug Lamborn and Scott Tipton.
These are all Congressmen who voted against Sandy relief. They
requested the emergency aid due to the massive amounts of rainfall. The
evacuation of the people is very expensive. The destruction of homes was
costly, and of course, Search and Rescue Operations were highly cost
effect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least 48 deaths have been confirmed. Damage
estimates have now ballooned to $50 billion. The ships and their crew will
assist in rescue and recovery efforts.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS ANCHOR: Hurricane Sandy destroyed so
many homes and so many lives. Storm victims are hoping the long wait for
federal assistance is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Sounds pretty familiar, doesn`t it? The people devastated
by Colorado`s floods deserve government aid, no doubt, and fast. What they
don`t deserve are lawmakers this disgraceful. If Colorado -- if the
Colorado Four thinks it`s going to be able to go unnoticed with their
hypocrisy, they could just keep on pretending.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Progressives? So let`s get back to work. America needs to
pay attention and stay vocal. So here`s a look at the top three stories
ahead next week in Fast Forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK DONAGHY, CHARACTER IN THE SITCOM 30 ROCK: Boston is the greatest
city in the world. Boston Tea Party, Boston Cream Pie, Boston Rob Mariano.
SCHULTZ: At number three, Boat Boston.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What can Boston`s future look like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For over twenty years, Mayor Tom Menino has led
the transformation of Boston.
THOMAS MENINO, MAYOR BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: (inaudible) that I love.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, Boston elects a new leader. 12 candidates
seeking to write the next chapter.
DAN CONLEY, CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF BOSTON: Easy promises won`t cut
it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know much but I know that.
SCHULTZ: On Tuesday, the Beans hit the ballot box.
NANCY DONOVAN, CHARACTER IN THE SITCOM 30 ROCK: Down in New York,
people are like, ``Let`s get divorced. You marry the butler and I`ll be a
gay Octomom.`` It`s different here.
MENINO: Massachusetts takes over everything, let me just tell you
all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you like -- yes.
SCHULTZ: Fast forward to number two, (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The President is going to the United Nations
General Assembly on Monday and Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you reached out personally with their
president?
OBAMA: I have and he`s reached out to me.
ANDREA MITCHELL, NBC NEWS REPORTER: And both of them are at the U.N.,
the same time, the same place.
SCHULTZ: The White House plays coy on Tuesday`s visit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also rumors that they might meet at the U.N.,
could you comment on that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said he hasn`t ruled out a meeting with
President Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The meeting or some kind of contact.
MITCHELL: They`re going to look for an opportunity to see each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the president have any plans to meet with the
Iranian president during the United Nations meetings in New York?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I would just say that, in general, it`s
possible.
SCHULTZ: And our number one, GameDay in Fargo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re going to the home of the two-time defending
national champs, the number one team in the country, The Bison.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown, North Dakota State.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s going to be unbelievable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s go, Bison.
SCHULTZ: On Saturday, ESPN is catching up to Big Eddie. I`ve covered
six National Championship football games as the voice of the thundering
herd. Pay close attention to the skinny guy with the red hair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there any questions that you were going to
play the football game on Saturday because it was a total blizzard, it was
hard to see the field right from the press flags?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown, North Dakota State. When the locusts
come, they eat everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s go, Bison.
SCHULTZ: Do what you got to do and just win, baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Way too much information there on the career. That`s for
sure. OK, here is the story. ESPN GameDay is going to Fargo, North Dakota
because the Bison are hot. They used to be Division 2 then they`ve moved
up. They won a Cup at the National Championships. They`ve beaten
Minnesota. They`ve beaten Colorado State. They beat Kansas State this
year.
So, ESPN GameDay is going to Fargo but they`re not going to the Dome.
They`re going to downtown Fargo, quite a stir going on. Joining me live
from downtown Fargo is host of News & Views, host Joel Heitkamp. Joel,
what`s going on with this? What`s the big stir? How -- why are people all
upset? I mean the big show is coming to Fargo.
JOEL HEITKAMP, HOST OF NEWS & VIEWS: They`re over it, Ed. I think it
was a vocal, vocal minority, and a bunch of people that were too lazy to
get their butts downtown and take part of this ESPN GameDay.
The town`s abuzz. It`s wild. It`s just like you remembered only take
it times 10. When they beat Kansas State, it even notched up a little bit,
Ed. It`s going to be wild here tomorrow.
SCHULTZ: Well, there`s a lot of places ESPN GameDay could go. This
is a big deal for the River City, isn`t it?
HEITKAMP: Very huge. Imagine, first off, if you`re in Fargo, North
Dakota, you want this type of attention. They brought the wood chipper
down here. That movie, Fargo, Ed, I mean that`s how dedicated they are to
making sure we get a lasting image.
So, I understand that this is publicity you can`t pay for. This is
the kind of stuff that North Dakota State University is looking for. And
the people, they were the nay sayers, you can`t go downtown. They are the
ones that just want to swagger from their tailgate, have a better, watch a
little while, then go back and eat a (brat).
Those folks lost. ESPN knows what they`re doing. They`re downtown
Fargo looking at that beautiful Fargo market (ph) laid in the background
here.
SCHULTZ: Well, this is real positive, that no matter how good the
Bison are in football, the city is just never going to get rid of the
movie, are they?
HEITKAMP: Ed, No. You know when it`s time to embrace the movie. I
told somebody, "We don`t talk like the movie." And he said, "Yeah, you
do." And, you know what, I think he`s right.
SCHULTZ: OK. What are your callers saying about this? I mean how
big are the Bison? I want to bring this in too, the state coffers, I mean
the budget surplus in North Dakota is in the billions right now because of
the oil fine and the extraction tax. Is there a chance that maybe someday
the state is going to kick in and build a 60,000-seat open-air stadium and
the Bison really go big time then you can really make a movie?
HEITKAMP: I think the state is all conservative, Ed, with our
legislature, that when they go to the bathroom, they save some. They don`t
do anything. They don`t do anything. They just sit on the 6-billion and
they get re-elected by saying, "Look at the 6-billion we got." I heard
your previous people talk about, "We`re from crazy land. We got Michele
Bachmann," there`s times I wonder about our legislature that same way.
You know, this institution has brought more notoriety to our state
through this football team that a lot of people have. Embrace it. And you
know what, that UND Hockey Team up North, same thing. They bring that type
of notoriety. So understand this, days like these, with GameDay coming,
we`ll take them any day.
SCHULTZ: How many people actually live in North Dakota?
HEITKAMP: Well, right now, it`s being disputed. A lot of times,
they`ll say 700,000. I think if you take the oil boom in Western, North
Dakota, you could make the case for 700,000. But a lot of those, Ed,
aren`t going to say they`re North Dakotans. They`re not going to give up
their hunting license in Ohio or Montana or Wyoming.
SCHULTZ: Yeah. Well, it`s clean living up on the prairie but this --
I had to settle this dust up here. I got to make sure everybody is OK with
the big time coming to Fargo. This is the most exposure that North Dakota
State`s ever had and they just keep on going. A lot of people are saying
they should go really big time. You think that`s ever going to happen?
HEITKAMP: Well, I know (inaudible) note that very same thing, friend
of yours and mine. I don`t think it`s going to happen. I don`t think,
like you said, it`s about the stadium. I think the two universities would
almost have to combine their football programs to make it happen, probably
do a stadium in Hillsboro, North Dakota, something like that that can
60,000 people.
SCHULTZ: What would cable TV do without Fargo on Friday? Probably
nothing. Joel, good to have you with us tonight, thanks so much.
And that is The Ed Show. I`m Ed Schultz. Politics Nation with
Reverend Al Sharpton starts right now. Rev.?
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 Friday, September 20th, 2013
Read the transcript to the Friday show