The Ed Show for Monday, December 30th, 2013

THE ED SHOW
December 30, 2013

Guests: Jan Schakowsky, Mike Papantonio, Peter DeFazio

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: UPS, FedEx, missed Christmas day deadlines, sparking
outrage from customers online.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: UPS stands for undelivered parcel shipment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you tell a 6-year-old she`s not going to get
her present for Christmas?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s tough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That these are the nature of private sectors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC ANCHOR, THE ED SHOW: Good to have you with us tonight,
folks. Thanks for watching.

Republican House oversight committee chairman, Darrell Issa, has made a
complete fool of himself again in his latest witch hunt. Issa is the most
outspoken critic of the White House`s handling of the 2012 attack on the
American consulate in Benghazi. A "New York Times" report concluded that
the raid was, by local militants, not by al-Qaeda or by any other
international terrorist group.

On Sunday, Congress and Issa stuck by his claim that al-Qaeda was involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Al-Qaeda is
not decimated, and there was a group there that was involve hat is linked
to al-Qaeda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Darrell Issa consistently wrong, again and again and again. His
arguments are never based in facts, yet he never gets called on it by the
conservative media. Issa is strictly agenda-driven. Case in point.

This weekend`s biggest story through the holidays. UPS and FedEx`s failure
to deliver. It`s the private sector. What`s the matter? Millions of
Americans got burned by private industry. UPS and FedEx did not deliver
Christmas presents on time. The main reason is because UPS and FedEx
grossly underestimated a surge in demand from online retail sales.

Proof positive, well, that privatization is not always the answer. People
have trusted the United States postal service for two centuries. The
postal service has been responsible for delivering Christmas packages and
letters for more than 200 years. Republicans like Congressman Darrell Issa
have been trying to take down the postal service, do some good old American
union-busting for a long time. Well, Congressman Issa wants to end the
postal service as we know it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISSA: I`m concerned about the post office. It`s going to lose $10
billion, a lot of Washingtonian think tanks saying we`ll just do a bailout,
fudge the figures. And we can`t keep doing that. This is an organization
that can be profitable, that can meet all of its responsibilities, because
it`s going to have to right size its work force if it`s going to do it.
We`re not talking about pay cuts but talking about people being retired no
longer needed because you and I are e-mailing far more than paper mailing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: No, no, no. You`ve got it all wrong, Mr. Issa. And nobody is
talking about a postal service bailout. What they`re talking about is
getting Congress out of way of the postal service. The Republican religion
is to not trust the government. And they preach privatization time and
time again. The financial pitch, let remind our viewers again, and the
Congress, the financial pinch the United States postal service is under
comes from the postal accountability and enhancement act, passed by
Congress in the lame duck session back in 2006. The law forces the postal
service to prepay retiree health care for 75 years into the future and do
it within a ten-year window.

Now, you don`t see the private industry being forced to prepay retiree
health care. How come UPS and FedEx aren`t doing that? Republicans want
to run the post office right into the ground, force it to go bankrupt and
take it to private when the operators know this is what they really want to
do.

As an independent government agency, the post office, if they were left
alone, they would be able to easily compete against the private sector.
The post office receives zero tax dollars for operations. Postal employees
are civil servant servants. It`s the only institution in America that is
forced to prefund a 75-year pension and health care plan within a ten-year
window.

Know what that means, folks? This puts $5.5 billion annual, line item in
their budget. Who can shoulder that? The postal service would have a $1.5
billion surplus in 2012 without this law. But thanks to Congress, this is
what they`re dealing with.

Now, let`s get back to the Christmas delivery catastrophe for just a
moment. The free market made an online driven promise that it couldn`t
keep. These private sector shipping companies blamed a system overload due
to increased online demands. They didn`t anticipate it. This must sound
familiar to a lot of those folks out there who hate Obamacare. Nobody is
calling for congressional hearing into the way this system overloaded of
online orders that in the way they were handled. Finger-wagging by the
private sector, the cheerleaders like Darrell Issa, it`s all wrong.

And yes, President Obama`s administration knew for several years, October
1st would be the drop-dead date for having healthcare.gov up and running
online. But wait a minute. By the same token, private commerce and
private sector, I think they know that Christmas is on December 25th every
single year. So what do we have here?

We have a perfect example laid out in front of the American people that the
private sector may have some up side. But it`s not the catch-all. And the
infrastructure that is offered by the United States postal service to every
address in this country is still very, very valid at a very important time
of year.

Did you know that 35 percent of what UPS and FedEx delivered to the
American people is done by the postal service? That no tax dollars are
used to run the postal service? That if they didn`t have to shoulder this
law that was put on them, which was set up to bust the unions back in 2006,
that they would be running a surplus.

Interesting how we never hear Darrell Issa talk about that prefund of
health care in pension. It is wrong, but they`re trying to kill it. And
we have seen perfectly during this holiday season that there is no reason
to harness the postal service with this kind of government intervention and
that is exactly what it is.

So they cry about a government takeover when it comes to health care, but
they never cry about a government takeover when it comes to the postal
service, and by the way, did your packages get there on time? You can`t
blame the postal service on this one.

Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think. Tonight`s
question. If Darrell Issa`s committee wants to hold hearings on
healthcare.gov, should it also hold hearings on UPS and FedEx for missing
the deadline? Text A or yes, text B for no to 67622. You can always go to
our blog at ed.MSNBC.com. We`ll bring the results later on in the show.

Joining me tonight, congressman Peter DeFazio of Oregon.

Congressman, great to have you with us tonight. I don`t think that we
could have a more classic example of how the Republicans are wrong when
they come to the conclusion that privatization is the answer to everything.
About 80 percent of the post office`s financial losses since 2007 are due
to this congressional mandate to prefund 75 years of future retiree
benefits over a ten-year period.

Congressman, what can be done about this. What`s your take on this, and
what should Congress do at this point in the wake of what we have seen
happen in the private sector over the holidays?

REP. PETER DEFAZIO, OREGON: Well, Ed, the post office has already prepaid
more for health care than any other entity in the world. Any other
government, any other private sector entity. It should stop. As you
pointed out, they would have made money this last year, if they hadn`t had
to prepay health care. And people can`t even understand what it means.

They are prepaying health care for people who haven`t been born yet, who
might someday go to work for the postal service, work there their entire
life and then retire. That`s what they`re being made to do. I mean,
imagine if we impose that requirement on anything or anybody else. They
couldn`t do it. They would scream bloody murder. They turned a profit
without that. Despite the interference of Congress. Despite the fact that
Darrell Issa, the postmaster general and others, are trying to degrade
their service. They want to degrade the service to the point where it will
take longer to deliver a first-class letter than it did during the
continental Congress.

Now they know that will cause a virtual collapse of the system. That`s
going to drive more and more people away. But there`s no substitute for a
universal postal system. The private sector can`t fill that gap.

SCHULTZ: The private sector cannot fill that gap. And what`s interesting
about this is that this money is going into the treasury. Now, we`re
supposed to trust government, and we`re supposed to trust that this money
is going to be there. On one handled, the conservatives say you can`t
trust government. But they`re willing to rob, and that`s what they`re
doing. Legislatively, they are robbing the operational procedures of the
postal service, because nobody else in this country runs their outfit the
way the postal service is being forced to do it.

Can we guarantee to these employees for years to come that this money is
going to definitely be earmarked in their favor?

DEFAZIO: No. In fact, there is no special segregated account that
Congress can`t put its hands on. It`s just like Social Security. It`s all
gone to the treasury. There is an account there that says this money is on
account for the postal service, just like Social Security is on account for
all of us who paid into it. But it`s the full faith and credit of the
federal government that backs that.

There is no special account. This is a nonsensical requirement. There was
slipped into the dead of night in a lame duck Congress of Republicans when
they lost control in 2006, and nobody knew it was in that bill. It was
voice voted in the House. It sent to the Senate as a relatively
noncontroversial bill. Some staffer or somebody stuck this in there, no
one knew it was in there, no one knew what it meant until it started making
the postal service look really bad and then the Republicans started
screaming time to do away with the postal service. They`re losing so much
money.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, where is the outrage on the post office? There`s
always outrage on the post office, but never any outrage on UPS and FedEx
or DHL. I mean, is this just the way it`s going to be? Or is there
something some regulation that can be put in on some of these private
sector people that would level the playing field? What do you think?

DEFAZIO: Well, look, I`m not going to ding UPS. In fact, UPS is a great
partner for the postal service. They work together. They deliver packages
to areas where UPS couldn`t profitably do it. It`s profitable for the
postal service, it`s profitable for UPS and provides better service. So,
you know, what I want to do is solve the problem of the post office.

I`ve got a bill, got 174 cosponsors, wouldn`t cost the taxpayer a dime.
Would, in fact, improve the service, the postal service, make I into a 21st
century institution. I think we`ve got to get rid of the guy who is the
postmaster general and the other political hacks on their board. And give
them a professional board that looks at new markets, new opportunities and
way to make this into a viable institution.

We can`t do without it. People in rural America in particular, people in
small business, are dependent upon those one size, one cost packages that
UPS and FedEx can`t do. These are services that we have to maintain. And
you know, when you look at it, this is yet another attack on small
business, and rural America. And the Republicans are, you know, always
carrying on about how small business and rural Americans, well, they`re
about to stick it to them if they dismantle the postal service, let me tell
you.

SCHULTZ: And Congressman, does your legislation deal with this prefund at
all?

DEFAZIO: Absolutely. It just says they`ve already prepaid more than
enough. When that ends, we work out a settlement on their overpayment for
retirement. This would make them quite solvent for a number of years, give
them the money they need to transition to -- into new lines of business,
give them authority to get into new lines of business. In Europe, some of
the postal systems will say, hey, you`ve got junk mail, you can sign up for
subscription, they`ll scan it, they`ll send it to you as e-mail. You can
look and say, recycle it or you can say open it or you can say deliver it.

The postal service saves money, because they don`t have to carry it around.
I mean, let them do some new and innovative things. But you`ve got to keep
the six-day delivery. You know, that would be a death knell.

I mean, look, is amazon.com looking to slow down their packages? No,
they`re talking about delivering things with drones, because we`re in a
just-in-time delivery era. And what Darrell Issa is talking about is let`s
say up to five days for a first-class letter. Now, that`s crazy and he
knows it will kill them.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Peter DeFazio, Oregon, great to have you with us
tonight on "the Ed Show." Appreciate your time so much. Thank you.

We are following breaking news from the north country. Castleton, North
Dakota, about 20 miles outside of Fargo, North Dakota, emergency and
firefighting crews are responding to a train derailment involving a cargo
train carrying crude oil. Local reports say the train was 106 cars long,
many of those cars have caught fire in a series of explosions. A thick,
black cloud of smoke is visible from nearly 20 miles away. Officials say
right now the wind is blowing. The toxic smoke away from nearby towns. Of
course, that could change at any moment.

We`ll bring you the, of course, the latest on this developing story. And,
of course, in this part of the country, the pipeline, the Excel pipeline is
a big conversation. People who are against the pipeline say this is the
safest way to transport oil. I`m sure this will be a conversation piece.
We`ll bring you more on this as it develops.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to "the Ed Show."

This year has been a tale of two parties. Democrats have spent 2013
working for the folks and I think it shows. Thanks to the affordable care
act, over 1 million Americans will have a happy and healthier new year.

The program saw a surge in enrollment this month. What in the world is FOX
News going to do? 975,000 people signing up through healthcare.gov. I
guess the Web site is working. They`ll be covered starting January 1st.
Merry Christmas.

But on the other side of the aisle, the Republican party has done its best
to stop progress, really at every turn. Republicans blame President Obama
for not doing enough to fix the economy. But they`ve left the unemployed
by the side of the road again. Unemployment insurance benefits for 1.3
million Americans were cut off over the weekend after Congress failed to
pass an extension before the holidays. The Republican party is in denial
about this economy. They complain on one hand, but can`t have it both
ways.

Extending unemployment insurance isn`t going to change anyone`s lifestyle.
Nobody is after your wallet. It`s only going to help people. And it`s not
going to break the bank. We can do this. In fact, the congressional
budget office says extending unemployment insurance helps the economy by
increasing demand for goods and services, and workers.

Extending unemployment benefits through 2014 would create 200,000 jobs.
Now, this is according to the congressional budget office. This country is
at a moral crossroads, as I see it. Bottom line, we can do better. We
shouldn`t even be having this discussion. But because of the Republicans,
we are.

Joining me now is Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.

Congresswoman, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time.

REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Thank you so much.

SCHULTZ: I appreciate -- you bet. And I appreciate your work on the part
of American workers in your advocacy. I think that has to be stated at
this time of year as we go into 2014.

I want to know, what is the Republican plan to help 1.3 million Americans
who are trying to get back into the economy?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, if you want to know the truth, Ed, I think if the bill
were called, if John Boehner would actually call the bill, I think we might
be able to extend those benefits. Certainly in the Senate we`ve got some
bipartisan support, and I think in the house too.

So really, if democracy were allowed to work and the majority were allowed
to rule, I think we could actually do some good. But we`ve got John
Boehner seeming -- yet again to be in control of the tea party, and that
faction. But, you know, we`ll see. There`s a lot of pressure being put on
both houses now, to extend those benefits.

SCHULTZ: Well, you know, in John Boehner`s district, I was told by Louise
Slaughter (ph) today that there is a poll out there that says it is 63
percent of the people in Boehner`s district, they want to extend
unemployment benefits to these Americans who are now in a sense destitute
and wondering what`s going to happen to them.

Does the poll really matter? Do the people matter here? I mean, the
corporations have such a tremendous grab on the Republican party. I mean,
right now, from what I understand, from the Democrats, is that you`re
hoping that public pressure back home on elected officials in a possible
vote in the Senate to do this is going to reverse the thinking and Boehner
is going to bring it to the floor for a vote. I mean, that`s what is being
told to me from a number of different sources. Is that going to happen, in
your opinion?

SCHAKOWSKY: I think there`s a good chance that it will. We certainly want
your audience and Americans around the country. The vast majority of whom
do support extending those benefits. And by the way, also support in
overwhelming numbers raising the minimum wage. That John Boehner will
understand that his party, his party is better off by doing these kinds of
things that the American people want.

SCHULTZ: Well, and the question of how much political capital can the
Democrats spend on this. Harry Reid says that it`s a top priority when we
start the new year. Do you think it will be a priority for John Boehner in
the House?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, it certainly is a priority in the Senate. And
therefore, there`s going to be a lot of pressure put on Boehner to do it.

Look, every month that it isn`t done, 72,000 more people lose their
benefits. This isn`t just a one-time deal. And as you pointed out, it`s
really good for the economy. And the other side of that is it`s really bad
for the economy if we don`t extend those benefits.

We could be talking about 250,000 jobs lost. So, if the Republicans hope
to barely make the case that they really are for jobs in this country, then
they`re going to extend those unemployment insurance benefits.

SCHULTZ: Well, I want to talk health care for just a moment.

SCHAKOWSKY: Sure.

SCHULTZ: Back in the Bush years when we were talking about a surge, we
were talking about war. Now when we`re talking about surge, we`re talking
about health care for more Americans. I mean, these enrollment numbers,
before the deadline for the month of December, I believe, are very
impressive. We`re now closing in on two million people who are going to be
affected by this law.

What does this mean? Deadlines are good, people have responded to it.
What do you have to do to, in the new year, to keep these numbers coming?
I mean, enrollment in the health care exchange is surging. What`s your
reaction to these new numbers?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, now we`re actually on track of what we thought we were
going to be when October 1st rolled around. And so I think these numbers
bode really well. We are seeing a surge, 1.1 million Americans now signed
up through the exchanges. That is through the federal exchange. We think
it`s about -- it`s been estimated maybe 850,000 more, closer to a million,
through the state exchanges. And then there`s 3.9 million Americans who
are now on Medicaid or the chip program that weren`t on before.

So, we`re talking about nearly five million people who have been affected
now. And I think those numbers are going to continue to roll.

Ed, think of this. Two days from now, no American will be denied health
care, because they have a preexisting condition.

SCHULTZ: It is pretty amazing.

SCHAKOWSKY: There won`t be any lifetime or annual caps. Women won`t be
discriminated against in rates. There will be a cap on how much you have
to pay out of pocket so people won`t go bankrupt. This is a blessing for
our country. But instead the Republicans have said merry Christmas, and
we`re, you know, going to cut you off of unemployment, and we`re going to
keep trashing affordable care act. It`s not going to work for them.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, you have been a great advocate for
health care. And I just want to -- you just said something there in the
Senate that said I think we need to really underscore.

Women in the United States of America are now going to be paying the same
rates for health care as men. Because of health care costs, in my opinion,
they are discriminated against. They were made to pay higher rates through
the private sector. That isn`t going to happen anymore. And I think this
is a big thing when it comes to the war on women. I hope the president
really takes up the gavel and goes strong in the state of the union
address, because these stories are only going to get better for the
country, and I think it`s the best shot the Democrats have got to take in
over the House. And they`ve got a great record to run on from the
standpoint that the other guys voted over 40 times to get rid of what you
and I have just talked about. I think that`s on the wrong side of history.

SCHAKOWSKY: They made --

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman, good to have you with us tonight.

SCHAKOWSKY: Thank you. Healthy, happy new year to you, Ed, and your
family.

SCHULTZ: Thank you, Congresswoman. Appreciate it.

Jan Schakowsky of Illinois with us here on "the Ed Show."

America`s favorite reality show gets its racist homophobe back in time for
the new year. More on "Duck Dynasty" America to come.

And America`s favorite Canadian senator from Texas is about to renounce the
great white north. Don`t miss our pretender of the year.

But next, I`m taking your questions. "Ask Ed live" coming occupy on "the
Ed Show" on MSNBC. We are right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to "the Ed Show."

Love hearing from our viewers. Love the questions. Tonight in our "Ask Ed
live" segment, our first question comes from Debby Roy. What do you think
of the Packers winning against the Bears yesterday?

Well, I think there`s a lesson to be learned here by all NFL franchises.
That if you actually pay somebody as good as Aaron Rodgers is, it`s amazing
what quality people will do. The Packers have not done this on the cheap.
And the Packers certainly managed his injury extremely well, brought him
back at the right time, fourth down and seven. It`s a touchdown. Packers
in the playoffs. The Bears go home. But I must say that Marc Tristan
(ph), I think, had a great first year and the Bears are only going to get
better.

Our next question is from Liz. Do you think the right wing will finally
shut up about Benghazi and be satisfied with the "New York Times"
investigation?

No, I don`t think they`ll shut up about Benghazi. I think what they`re
going to start doing is trashing the "New York Times," trashing their
credibility and the report. So this offers up I think a real opportunity
for the "New York Times" to get aggressive and go after any critic that
takes down their report on Benghazi. That would be fun to see.

Stick around, "Rapid Response Panel" coming up next. We`re right back from
the north country on the "the Ed Show."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN BRENNAN, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Morgan Brennan with your CNBC
business wrap. The Dow rises 25 points to yet another all-time high. The
S&P falls a fraction and the Nasdaq is down two points.

Ford says its sales are up 15 percent this year through November. The
company also expects to hang on to its title as the top-selling brand in
north America.

Meanwhile, on the housing front, pending home sales ticked higher in
November, the first gain in five months. But the reading still weaker than
expected.

That`s it from CNBC, first in business worldwide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to "the Ed Show."

This is a story about two Americas. Two Americas are ripping the country
apart. We`re seeing the division as the "Duck Dynasty" scandal unfolds.
One portion of America looks at Phil Robertson with disgust. People can`t
believe Robertson can show his face in the sunlight after spewing out
hateful remarks about gay people and minorities in this country.

Now, the other side of America holds Robertson`s warped ideals closer. His
values are their values because they are scared of the other side. The
hate and bigotry disguised as traditional values are being diminished by
the other America, a progressive America. And I think they`re afraid of
that.

A&E network has made a business decision and lifted Phil Robertson`s
suspension, offering up a lame public service announcement as atonement.
The network issued a statement, saying they will launch a campaign
promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people. A message
which supports the core values of the company, and the values found in
"Duck Dynasty."

Well, for A&E, values apparently don`t matter. The almighty sure as hell
does, the dollar matters. Standing strong against bigotry has a price for
A&E networks. They made a calculations is what they did. African-
Americans and gay people, well, they probably don`t matter, but to that
network, because they don`t watch that show. So where is the harm?

"Duck Dynasty," it`s niche programming for those who think alike. And
there is no down side for letting bigotry run part of their entertainment.
It is really a cultural call that has been made by A&E. And I think it`s
one that could haunt them for a long time to come. They are now a marked
network. They`ll do anything for a dollar.

Joining me now, rapid response panel, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson with us
tonight, Georgetown University professor and MSNBC political analyst. And
also with us tonight, Mike Papantonio, "Ring of Fire" radio host.

Gentlemen, great to have you with us tonight.

Michael, you first. What is A&E network saying here, what statement are
they making by reversing this decision?

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, as you brilliantly
articulated Ed, what they are saying is that black people and gay people
don`t count. They don`t matter to the bottom line. They don`t figure in
our calculations about what we think is offensive. And as a result of the
cracker barrel crowd, that crowd that said, look, we are disgusted with you
for removing the items of Phil Robertson and "Duck Dynasty." We are
moreover disgusted with the fact that African-American and Latino and other
ethnic minorities, along with gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people
have come together to say this is an outrage. And as a result of that,
they have turned this into a matter of free speech.

The irony, of course, is that they don`t want more speech to counteract
their negative, vicious offensive and (INAUDIBLE) speech. So they`re mad
at the fact we are challenging what they are saying and we don`t have the
right to free speech.

A&E has made the calculation that African-American people and gay people
don`t matter, not only to their bottom line, but won`t raise as hard a
ruckus as the right wing will, and those who are very supportive of the
"Duck Dynasty" are the very people who need that insight.

And by the way, Ed, what is interesting, the right wing has said, look, the
grandson of Mr. Robertson happens to be an adopted biracial child. What
difference does that make? The man who plunged a plunger deep into the
behind of Abner Luima (ph) was himself dating a black woman when he did
that heinous act. So there is no one-to-one correlation between particular
domestic intimacy with a black person or person of color and the behavior
that you manifest that is either just or unjust. So all of this stuff is
being brought up as a result of this.

SCHULTZ: Mike, this is just a big calculation on their part, wasn`t it or
do you see it differently? I mean, the only color they see right now is
green.

MIKE PAPANTONIO, HOST, RING OF FIRE RADIO: Yes, daddy duck and all the
little ducks, first of all, are not actually reality in Duckville. They`re
highly produced, highly promoted brands that created by A&E. And despite
the holy mouth apologies we hear from their multimillion-dollar executives,
they want this 50 shades of crazy, this moon bat talk unleashed on the
screen, because, yes, it does divide America. But Ed, it divides America
in a way to where they can still make money from that part that they`re
going after.

The only people who believe that daddy duck`s oddball behavior is all
spontaneous are the same people who believe that world wrestling is real.
It`s simply a highly profitable brand, it`s a commodity that producers and
directors help invent. And the very fact that daddy duck has made
statements suggesting that gays hate God, that Shinto Japanese are Nazis or
that African-Americans were simply attending a big happy lollapalooza party
when they were slaves, all that is exactly the kind of low-life -- the low-
life trash talk that A&E producers have been cultivating for years.
They`re the ones who help set up the scenes, Ed. They create this low
trash gutter talk. And that`s what they want. It sells more time on
television.

SCHULTZ: And Mike Dyson, doesn`t this somewhat signal that there`s a
portion of America that is never going to accept diversity, that there is a
portion of America that`s always going to have a jaded view?

Also Robertson, I understand recently said in an interview that 15-year-old
girls should have a bible in their hand and they should just stay home and
have children. I mean, I just -- Well, yes. This is part of their sell
point, isn`t it?

DYSON: Well, it is retrograde. It`s retroactive. And what they are
trying to do is to keep a number of people in their places, a number of
genders in their places. This is a real what they call mannequin (ph)
division. That is a big word to suggest. There is us versus them. It`s
the rest of the world versus them. And their belief system is rooted in
and deeply entrenched in a belief that says that people should adhere to
narrow prevention understandings of religion.

To suggest that gay and lesbian people are somehow bestialities, engaging
in bestial performances and that black people were happy during slavery is
to ignore the vicious indifference and black people and gay people. And it
is also to perpetuate the legacy that as long as black people shut up and
accept their plight and predicament in America, everything is fine.

The moment they begin to stand up for themselves and to speak out against
the kind of bigotry that`s here, then all of a sudden they become problem
makers and are divisive against the unity of America.

SCHULTZ: And the danger here is that the people that follow this kind of
talk don`t understand the division that they are creating in America and
the insensitivity that is out there. But now, if you have enough people
behind you, you have a license to do it in each programming to influence
even more people, which I think is dangerous.

But Mike, is this a win for the conservative media? I mean, I`ll tell you
what. They circled the folks on top of the hill and they charged fast on
this one.

PAPANTONIO: Well, they showed they could get it done when they focused.
They showed they really don`t care really -- they don`t care about the
public opinion in a broad sense, Ed. I mean, the division, for example,
that you`re talking -- this is a division in America that`s developed
beyond simple politics. And they don`t really care about it. It also
shows a division that`s developed in our religion, in our churches. Daddy
duck`s divisive view of his religion takes a big, black, magic marker and
crosses out, erases everything that`s good and important about segments
like Matthew in our bible.

SCHULTZ: All right, Michael Eric Dyson, Mike Papantonio, great to have you
with us on "the Ed Show." Thanks for the work you have done this year.
Have a great holiday and we`re back to you in 2014. Great to have you guys
on.

DYSON: Happy new year.

SCHULTZ: Our pretender of the year is next. And stick around for the
trenders of 2013. You don`t want to miss this one. We`re right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in pretenders tonight, some big news from the biggest
pretender of the year, Ted Cruz. The senator from Texas, by way of
Alberta, now says he is giving up his Canadian citizenship. I wonder why.
Let`s ask this year`s second-biggest pretender, Sean Hannity, for his
thoughts -- Sean?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: For those that may like to see you as next
president, there have been questions raised about the issue of are you
eligible to run for president. You were born in Canada.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Well, Sean, I`ll leave those questions to others
to worry about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, Ted, the real question is, what qualifies you to lead this
country?

Cruz showed some great theatrical skills in his fake filibuster which led
to a government shutdown. So Senator Cruz is a pretty decent actor of the
just like the Gipper. And the tortilla coast secret meeting had a Nixonian
feel to it, don`t you think?

Plus, Cruz moved to Texas and sought political stardom, just like
Connecticut cowboy, George W. Bush. Teddy boy is a rerun of the worst of
the GOP, all in one freshman senator. If Ted Cruz thinks being born in
Canada is the only thing holding him back from the White House, he can keep
on pretending.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Time now for the Trenders. We love hearing from our viewers on
social media. And every day we bring you the stories you`re talking about.

All year long own twitter, facebook, and our blog, we bring it to you. You
have decided and we are reporting. Here are this year`s top Trenders voted
on by you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ (voice-over): Washington wizards.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the wizard of oz, there is a great lion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a feeling we`re not in Kansas anymore.

SCHULTZ: So (INAUDIBLE) with the blizzard of oz comments at today`s
hearing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, madam secretary, while you`re from Kansas, you`re
not in Kansas anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`ll get you, my pretty. And your little dog too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People went to see the wizard because of the wonderful
things he did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The great oz has spoken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some might actually say we`re in the wizard of oz land
given the parallel universes we appear to be has been at a timing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be gone. Before somebody drops a house on you.

SCHULTZ: For the win

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s Carlos danger. Danger.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you still feel you can pull this out? What are
you chances of winning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re good. My intention is to win tomorrow.

SCHULTZ: The mayoral candidate doesn`t think voters will leave him
hanging.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have had a lot of head wings in this campaign. I was
the underdog from the moment I got in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you have this fascination about making this a
soap opera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But for citizens of the city of New York, a lot of them
wanted this to be about the issues of the campaign in order to get to
decide in these things.

SCHULTZ: It`s a girl.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We also got a very good look at her cub. And I`m
happy to report she is beautiful. It`s got a fat little belly. It`s very
active. It`s very vocal.

SCHULTZ: The D.C. zoo has more details about its newest member.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: I am standing in front of Tin-Tin (ph), one
of two pandas who could be the father.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that this father is Tian-Tian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are the father!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford stunned the city. The
mayor, did, indeed smoke crack cocaine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crack, ice, boom, pow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Calls for him to step aside and take a leave of
absence grew louder.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crack is whack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that the mayor should step aside.

SCHULTZ: The mayor of Toronto won`t crack under pressure to resign.

MAYOR ROB FORD, TORONTO: I embarrassed everyone in the city and I will be
forever sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re going to end up eating a steady diet of
government cheese and living in a van down by the river.

FORD: I know what I did is wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can we get back on the right track?

FORD: For the sake of the taxpayers of this great city, we must get back
to work.

SCHULTZ: Sharknado strikes.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS ANCHOR: Sharknado as in what happens when
you combine sharks with a tornado.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re going to knee a bigger vote.

SCHULTZ: Social media jumped on the bandwagon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Facebook with moral with it, 5,000 tweets a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve created a sharknado Moment.

SCHULTZ: Now it`s headed for the big apple. Pork politics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check out the latest in the dustup in the republican
rubble between Chris Christie and Rand Pauley.

SCHULTZ: Two GOP favorites squeal over spending.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dear me.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Senator Paul wants to start looking
at where he is going to cut spending to afford defense? Maybe he should
start looking cutting the pork barrel spending that he brings home to
Kentucky because most Washington politicians only care about bringing home
the bacon.

PAUL: This is the king of bacon talking about bacon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unexplained bacon.

PAUL: It`s not true. I don`t go t o bring home any bacon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never feel le get enough bacon.

SCHULTZ: Will cooler heads prevail over a few cool ones?

PAUL: If we can sit down, I`m inviting him for a beer.

CHRISTIE: I don`t really have time for that at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dear me.

SCHULTZ: More trash talk.

HANNITY: Eddie Schultz is back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m back.

SCHULTZ: The fact Republicans want to use the debt limit to take away your
health care is downright dangerous.

HANNITY: He`s frothing at the mouth against treasonist John Boehner.

SCHULTZ: Hannity targets me over treason. The word is treason. The
treasonist John Boehner. They will shut down the government and they will
not pay the bills to get their way.

HANNITY: I wonder what Williams and Brokaw and Lauer think of this knuckle
head.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What he is saying is that if you believe in
privatization that`s treason. I got to tell you this, Sean. That is what
call must believe.

SCHULTZ: Going solo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We live in a country where if you want to drink out
of a red solo cup or you want to drink out of a crystal stem, you have the
opportunity to do that.

SCHULTZ: Marsha Blackburn`s cup run it over with scare tactics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s the next thing going to be? You can`t buy
that solo cup?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only you, red, will do for this fellow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can`t buy an inexpensive blouse?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did you get those clothes? At the toilet story?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can`t buy a pair of shoes that cost less than
another pair?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These shoes are $300. Let`s get them. Come on. This
is absolutely ridiculous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: End zone.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: As I look at the end times
scripture, this says to me that the leaf is on the fig tree.

SCHULTZ: Michele Bachmann lies about Syria.

BACHMANN: President Obama waived a ban on arming terrorists in order to
allow weapons to go to the Syrian opposition. U.S. taxpayers are now
paying to give arms to terrorists including al-Qaeda.

SCHULTZ: And predicts apocalypse.

BACHMANN: And we are to understand the signs of the times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That the city is headed for a disaster of biblical
proportions.

BACHMANN: We need to rejoice. Come Lord Jesus. His day is at hand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Old testament, Mr. Mayor. Real wrath of god type
stuff.

BACHMANN: When we see up is down and right is called wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together. Mass
hysteria!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ: And that is "the Ed Show" for 2013. I`m Ed Schultz.

We`ll see you back here on Thursday night when we get back to work at 2014.
Want to thank the Ed team for all their work in 2013. We`re going to have
a great year coming up in 2014.

You have a happy and safe new year. We`ll see you on Thursday night.

The names of the people that make it happen on "the Ed Show," right there
on the left of your screen. A great crew. I`m proud to work with them.
The best in the business. We love being here Monday through Friday, 5:00
eastern for you, for the working folk of America. Have a great one.

We`ll see you Thursday night.

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

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