The Ed Show for Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

THE ED SHOW
April 22, 2014

Guests: Marc Caputo, Mitch Ceasar, Lori Wallach, Julia Trigg Crawford, Aldo
Seoane, Terry O`Neill

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good evening Americans and welcome to the Ed Show
live from Miami, Florida. I`m ready to go. Let`s get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Voters going to the polls to pick their GNP candidate
to replace Former Congressman Trey Radel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Florida`s 19th district, a fight in 19th.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, Republican voters will decide between these
four candidates. After the fight over who`s more conservative, all that
money spent and those nasty ads it all comes down to today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m looking to pull off a victory in this nasty and
expensive campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So much money has been spent in a relatively short
amount of time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: A handful of billionaire pumping
hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars into campaign.

STACEY DEFFENBAUGH, NBC-2 NEWS ANCHOR: Liz Beth Benaquisto and Curt
Clawson have the most cash in these last final days leading up to the big
election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Working it hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

Well, some would call it a political dandy going on down here in Florida.
It`s the new world, it`s the new political, it`s the new America. But it`s
basically a mixture of cocaine and massive amounts of cash. They are
making up for a heated special election here in the state of Florida.

Now, today primary voters will decide which Republican will succeed the
cocaine Congressman Trey Radel. In case you missed it, it was back in
Florida, the Florida Congressman Trey Radel resigned in January after
pleading guilty to cocaine possession. There are four Republicans vying
for the seat. Three of them are spending massive amounts of money for a
chance to help John Boehner do one thing and that`s obstruct President
Obama`s agenda. I can obstruct better than you can.

Florida`s 19th Congressional district votes Republican. You can count on
it. I mean it`s more than enough bill battle for the Democrats down here.
You see, Mitt Romney won this district with over 60 percent of the vote.
And whoever wins today`s primary will likely be the next Congressional
member from Florida. Now, hopefully they`ll have better luck than the last
guy.

But let`s take a look at today`s candidates and their bank accounts,
because this is the new America.

First up, we got Former Florida Representative Paige Kreegel. Now, Kreegel
has raised $327,000 for his campaign. However he`s said super PACs toss in
$1.3 million in support.

Up next, we have State Senator Liz Beth Benacquisto. Benecquisto has
raised over a million dollar. She`s also gotten $700,000 in support from
super PACs. And more importantly, Benacquisto has been endorsed by Sarah
Palin, although the endorsement isn`t exactly doing her too much good at
this point.

Finally, we have the front runner of this race and no surprise he`s got the
biggest bank account of them all. Tea Party candidate and, I don`t know if
he`s a millionaire or billionaire, he`s close to billionaire, businessman
Curt Clawson.

He has never held public office. Hold that thought. He`s never been
there, never done that. He`s never had a desire to public service in his
life until he got a fat bank account. And if you have millions of dollars,
it`s clear you can buy a Congressional seat, it`s the land of purchasing
when it comes to public service, just like Rick Scott did it.

Now, this guy is leading in the polls with 38 percent of the vote. This
guy has spent $3.4 million of his own money on the race. He`s got money to
burn. He spent over $2.2 million on TV and internet ads alone.

Now, Clawson has gotten what? Some might jokingly say, "Prestigious
endorsements from Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and also Senator Rand
Paul.

His Youtube page posts 19 commercials, including this ad Clawson ran during
this year`s Super Bowl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURT CLAWSON, BUSINESSMAN: I`m Curt Clawson. I`m challenging President
Obama to a three-point contest. I want to take on Obama in Congress, so
why not start on the court.

In college, I hit game winning shots. I win a big 10 championship. And
Obama, he`s been missing a lot of shots lately, not just in basketball.

I`m Curt Clawson and I approve this message, because Mr. President, I know
you`re going to see this. My house or yours?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: It is the perfect commercial, this guy is a winner, it`s a
perfect commercial. Republicans think this is nothing but a big game.

There is enough obstruction going on already in Washington. President
Obama is the most obstructed president in American history.

Now, hold it, we`ve been talking a lot about, when are the Democrats going
to run on, will the Democrats, they`re not sure if they`re going to run on
healthcare or not, they`re not sure if they`re going to run on the economy
or not. You know what these guys are doing? They`re just spending a butt
load of money and they`re running against Obama, it never changes.

The total spending numbers in this race are absolutely staggering. There
was over $2 million in outside spending and over $3.5 million dollars in
self-funding. That`s got to going to make the butcher, the baker, the
candle stick maker feel like they`re really far to the process. $5.5
million is being spent on one Republican primary for a House seat. Welcome
to Golden Age of citizens United.

The bottom line here folks is this. We are witnessing the transformation
of our government. This is a government for the wealthy, by the wealthy,
controlled by the wealthy, squashing voices. Rich people fund, rich
people`s campaigns who will only help rich people in the long run when it
comes to getting to Washington.

As Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has warned and he has said, "It`s an
oligarchy."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: A handful of billionaires pumping hundreds of millions, if not
billions of dollars into campaigns, having candidates come before them and
getting the litmus test that they will support the billionaire agenda.
That`s where we are in America. Either we`re strengthening democracy or an
oligarchy or I vote for democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The Senator has been right on this issue for years. Citizens
United and since this law, a shrinking number of super rich people have
been buying elections around this country. In today`s elections, special
election here in Florida is really a microcosm of a much bigger problem.
Because what does it say to the folks that really have public service in
their heart and want to do something? You better get connected early in
your career and that would be not only connected to some people just the
wealthy.

Because as I said the butcher, the baker and the candle stick maker their
voices are being squashed, the working folk of America, the only thing they
have left is unions that can organize, that can socially put pressure to
get candidates to run and also support them. That`s the only
infrastructure the Democrats have left right now.

Obama for America? That was an anomaly. Who`s going to be able to do
that? The bottom line here folks is that what does this say to young
people across America? What does it say to people that, "Hey, my vote
counts." It really makes, I don`t think, people think, "I don`t know if my
vote counts." Look at all these wealthy people making all these decisions.
If I don`t have money, I can`t be part of the process. This is the danger
to democracy.

The political landscape, the political process is being purchased and it`s
mentally disenfranchising a lot of people think that they can`t make a
difference. So it`s happened with Rick Scott, he purchased the governor`s
chair. Now, we`re saying that the purchasing of a primary seat, which of
course is probably going to go to the Republicans and the Democrats are
just going to say, "This is one we`re not going to compete in." This was
slowly knocked down the dominos. What stops it? What`s stops it? I don`t
have that answer.

2014 is a transformational year in American politics, because we are going
to see money in this midterm like we`ve never seen before, and it is
cutthroat. These Republicans down here are at each other throats and
whoever has the biggest bank accounts is raising their hands saying, "I can
obstruct better than any of the rest of you. Boehner, I`m ready to work
for you." That`s where the Republican Party is right now, because the only
thing they care about is something that Democrats have never understood.
It`s about power. It`s about political power. And you can`t fight for the
middle class anymore unless you have the power.

Get your cell phones out, I don`t know what you think tonight`s question.
"What`s getting modern day politicians elected; their bank accounts or
their ideas?" Text A for bank accounts, text B for ideas to 67622. You
can always go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. We appreciate you leaving a
comment there.

For more, I want to bring in a political writer for the Miami Herald, Marc
Caputo.

Marc, good to have you with us tonight, I appreciate your time. Is this
something that we haven`t seen in a primary in Florida before? And is this
really the template of the way it`s going to be?

MARC CAPUTO, THE MIAMI HERALD: I don`t remember seeing a GOP primary like
this in Florida before. But this district hasn`t been like any other
district and you had an incumbent congressman who got busted for cocaine,
said he had an alcohol problem and then resign.

But the idea that lots of money is new to politics was not quite the case,
for we`re certainly seeing more and more cash coming in. And suddenly you
did reference Rick Scott earlier, there`s a need to tie between Rick Scott
and his district.

This is his congressman, Trey Radel, was his Congressman. And either Curt
Clawson or Liz Beth Benacquisto depending on how the vote breaks out is
going to likely be his congressperson in 2014.

SCHULTZ: As an objective reporter covering the political scene here, what
credentials does Mr. Clawson have when it comes to the public arena and
public service?

CAPUTO: Well, Clawson`s basically running the Rick Scott campaign Rick
small. Rick Scott came out of nowhere and never had any political
experience, used lots of money, good team and a good message and rode his
business credentials in large part, as well as a very hefty advertising
campaign to the governor`s office.

Curt Clawson`s kind of doing the same thing. He came out of nowhere.
Parlaying his business experience and producing a variety of very good and
persuasive ads for the district. And it seems to be paying off. The polls
do show him leading.

In the end, though, he has stumbled along the way. The Naples` daily news
kind of expose his business record, showing that as the business he ran did
worse and worse, and was in bankruptcy. Curt Clawson kept making lots of
money. There`s even a worker who`d died in the factory fire and the -- or
there`s a man who died in factory fire and his sister is now is now safe
advocate, doesn`t quite like Curt Clawson.

And then the Fox affiliate for Myers had reported that, there were some
bazaar tie between him and a pedophile, who apparently he knew for a few
years, apparently he didn`t know that the man was pedophile. They had some
sort business relationship, a rental agreement. Curt Clawson had a house
in Utah that he rented to this man and that cost a measure of
embarrassment. There`s and interesting case where the three other
candidates got up to denounce him and he kind of hijacked their press
conference. So it`s certainly made for good TV and the Fort Myers Naples
media market media market where this congress -- congressional seat is
based.

SCHULTZ: So, my impression of this basketball ad is this guy, he has
confrontation with the President. So he wants to challenge the president
to a basketball, you know, it`s a different way of showing, "I`m going to
be in competition with the president." But it also -- everybody loves
basketball. Heck, Florida had a very good basketball team. What kind of
response has he gotten from running an ad like this and also playing on his
experience as a former athlete?

CAPUTO: Well, he`s ahead on the polls and he decided to lead off with this
ad for a reason. It was eye-catching. John Yavis`s (ph) media consultant,
he`s working a few other campaigns including the infamous one in Michigan,
the Debbie Spend it Now ad. But you haven`t seen those gaps out of the
campaign this time rather John Yavis (ph) and his consulting team.

Certainly, you look at both polls, the public polls that were taken, its
benefited Curt Clawson quite well. Understand the Naples Fort Myers area,
especially Naples is home to a lot of wintering CEOs. The message of, "Hey
--

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CAPUTO: -- I`ve got private business experience. Hey, I know how to
manage money." That goes a long way there. I wouldn`t yet count out Liza
Beth Benacquisto, you know. Probably 60 percent of the votes has already
happen. There`s been about 38,000, maybe almost 40,000 absentee ballots
returned that is votes by mail. There`s an interesting thing if you look
at the data, about 74 percent of those ballots that have been cast already,
were cast within her state senate district. It`s a possibility that her
team might pull out a miracle here, but we`ll have to wait until after 7:00
p.m. to (inaudible).

SCHULTZ: Interesting. Great information. Marc Caputo, reporting for
Miami Herald. Great to have you with us tonight.

CAPUTIO: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Thanks to your time. Let me bring -- let me bring in Mitch
Ceasar, Chairman of the Broward County, Democratic Party.

Mitch, what does this say to the Democrats? Stay out of this district and
is this the way it`s going to be all over Florida? Whoever has the money
is the guy that`s going to have beat, does it matter about experience.
Your take on this.

MITCH CEASAR, BROWARD CO. DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Well, obviously Florida
Democrats don`t believe that, because otherwise we wouldn`t be fighting
against Rick Scott who has self funded his campaign to some $73 million
dollars or so money last time. But I see this congressional race actually
as a Democratic opportunity. Because untold millions have been spent on TV
alone and they`re chopping each other up really, really, really well. What
I see here as an opportunity. Yes, it`s a Democratic seed as you said,
correctly Mitt Romney won with over 60 percent.

Democrats really can have tough time in this district. There are other
ways to spend their money wherever much competitive. But I think because
it`s so acidic, so divisive and it`s really a fight for the soul of the
Republican Party. This is the establishment Republican Benacquisto versus
Clawson, the Tea Party favorite, the self fund or the outsider. I think
it`s going to be so horrible with all those candidates spending millions of
dollars that you are going to have folks. I predict sit home in November.
Because remember, only one person can win this election and then run for
reelection. That means all the other big funded folks that are running are
out, they`re gone, they lost.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CEASAR: They`re not going to be motivated as much and I think that will
help us defeat Rick Scott, because turn out in this Republican
Congressional District will be lower than it should be.

SCHULTZ: Who is this Curt Clawson? And what makes him fit for public
office other than his money?

CEASAR: Well, he`s s perfect fit with Michele Bachmann, you know,
supporting him, he`s a perfect fit. He went in saying "I`m an outsider."
As you correctly pointed out, he`s very, very rich. He fits the playbook
of the Tea Party. That`s why it`s a fight for the soul of the Tea Party.
And I smell a whiff of Boehner, more than a whiff with Boehner in this
because he has a majority in the House but it`s not a working majority.
Perhaps if --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CEASAR: -- he involves himself as I suspect he`s doing, if he can pull
this off with the established Republican who is not favored to win, he
makes his point. He doesn`t have to win every race. He just has to win
one or two to make his point and to try to pull people in away from the Tea
Party, but they seem to be doing just fine on their own and obstructing
everything.

SCHULTZ: So the Liberals, Progressives, Democrats in the State of Florida
here are on that -- going to have to somewhat angered that their government
is being stolen and directed by only the wealthy, quarterbacked by the
wealthy, directed by the wealthy, wealthy issues, middle class being
squeezed again, all of these. And the question is, is that going to
motivate people in the very important State of Florida? By the way, if you
hadn`t noticed the Ed Team is going to be camping out a lot in Florida
because this is where the action is.

I mean it`s got everything. It`s got diversity. It`s got money. It`s got
the middle class. I mean this is the political hotbed for 2014 as I see it
and this gubernatorial race. But this is the tea leaves, if this is the
way it`s going to be, how will people respond to this kind of government
being purchased? Your take on that.

CEASAR: I think specifically, this race has national importance to
Democrats. Because as I`ve said, I think it will be so over the top after
tonight that you`ll have Independents, Republicans, it might lean
Republican from that congressional district Collier County end up sitting
home.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CEASAR: Because they thoroughly discussed it and their county didn`t win.
This will help us run for governor. This is going to help us in the CDs.
It is out of the Rick Scott playbook. Be wealthy, do nothing for
government in the past, do nothing for society in the past other than make
money which is fine.

SCHULTZ: OK.

CEASAR: But, you know, you`re supposed to throw a little bit into the
water ones in a while.

SCHULTZ: All right, Mitch Ceasar, great to have you with us. We`ll
certainly do it again, thank you so much.

Remember to answer tonight`s question there at the bottom of the screen.
Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @EdShow and on Facebook, we like it
when you like us there. We want to know what you think.

Coming up, Republicans are celebrating Earth Day by ramping up a tax on the
state department over delaying the decision on the Keystone XL.

And of course, the Cowboy and Indian Alliance is fighting back this week of
action. That`s what it is, against the pipeline kicks off today in
Washington D.C.

But first, President Obama heads to Asia to revive the TPP negotiations are
staggering right now.

Trenders next, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: What`s hot, what`s not? Time now for the Trenders on Social
Media, you can check us out on Twitter @EdDhow. And on the radio, SiriusXM
Channel 127, the Progress Channel, I`m back with you tomorrow from New
York, everyday, Monday through Friday, noon to 3:00 PM.

And the Ed Show Social media nation has decided. And we are reporting
tonight.

Here are today`s top Trenders voted on by you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay tuned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number three Trender, add hot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mitch McConnell, he`s not a show horse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of horse is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mitch is genuine Kentucky work horse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop horsing around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mitch McConnell`s new ad tells Conservative
credentials.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last year he saved 99 percent of Kentuckians from an
income tax increase. And he`s leading the fight against Obamacare. Mitch
McConnell fights for our values, our future, and our jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No thanks, I`m a horse not a guinea pig.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number two Trender, on the fly.

MATT ROSENDALE, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I`m Matt Rosendale and this is
how I`d look from a government drone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody look like ants.

ROSENDALE: And this is what I think about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A House hopeful in Montana takes a shot at government
surveillance.

ROSENDALE: Spying on our citizens, that`s just wrong.

ROZ, "MONSTERS INC." CHARACTER: I`m watching you Wazowski, always
watching.

ROSENDALE: I`m ready to stand tall for freedom and get Washington out of
our lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And today`s top Trender, talking trade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Barack Obama begins a four nation tour of
Asia on Wednesday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Trans Pacific Partnership on the agenda for
President Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s an important time for TPP negotiations.

SCHULTZ: The TPP is just as bad, if not worse in past agreements including
NAFTA.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama`s trip to Asia reignites talk of the
TPP.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a really complicated negotiation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. is facing opposition not just among the TPP
nations but also within the U.S. itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of anything new like progress on the trade
agreement, I couldn`t be less optimistic about that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be almost impossible for him to negotiate a
deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Joining me tonight, Lori Wallach, Director of Public Citizen`s
Global Trade Watch.

Great to have you with us tonight Ms. Wallach, you know, the president is
going overseas. He doesn`t have his party`s support on this. Does this
put him in a tight spot? I mean, how much push back is there from Congress
and does it matter at this point?

LORI WALLACH, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC CITIZEN`S GLOBAL TRADE WATCH: I just got
back from Japan last night and one of the things I was telling the
parliamentarians there was that the U.S. Congress has actually not given
President Obama trade authority for the TPP. Because in Japan, the public
just like here as they`ve learned what that agreement really is about and
what it could do, all the new corporate powers oppositions growing.

So it seems important that people there knew that, here as well even if
President Obama is trying to push it that Congress doesn`t -- hadn`t given
him the authority to actually make a deal.

SCHULTZ: So how critical is this trip for the President to close this
deal? Could he close this deal and do the final round of negotiations as
opposed to his trade negotiators? Is President Obama going overseas
thinking that this is it?

WALLACH: Well, here is the story if you ask me. Folks like you and the
other countries and you have gotten a word out on TPP and it`s gotten very
controversial, a lot of people are against it, it`s gotten stuck. And a
lot of the issues you`ve raised, rolling back financial regulations, unsafe
food imports, bans on by America, the corporate tribunals that can attack
our laws, raising medicine prices, offshoring jobs, all of that stuff has
got the TPP in a knot.

And so President Obama, yes, he intends to go to Japan and to try and break
what is now really a jam between the U.S. and Japan, which he thinks would
then smooth the way for the rest of the deal. And the thing is, it`s
dangerous, because we could see this sort of Kabuki dance deal between the
U.S. and Japan, that`s not really a deal but it kind of changes the
psychology --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

WALLACH: -- and then we slide into this --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

WALLACH: -- God awful deal.

SCHULTZ: Well, I think the White House has failed to make the case as to
how this is going to help rebuild the American middle class. And they`re
just not going to pull the wall over our eyes on this. I`m going to do
this story again tomorrow.

We were in, of course Lorain, Ohio at a steel mill. And the president on
this trip is going to be going to South Korea. Now, the Korean trade
agreement and they`re dumping steel on our market, now the question is, do
you think the president is going over to Korea to say, "Hey, knock off the
dumping." or is he going to say "Keep bringing it on, it`s not hurting us a
bit." I mean this is a major problem.

These are the very people that put President Obama in office. This is a
very economic class that he says has to drive our economic engine in this
country, the American middle class, and yet he`s going on Asian trip and
what is he going to say to the South Koreans when it comes to their dumping
steel on this market? What`s your call on that?

WALLACH: Well, this is going to make you unhappy but one of the things
he`s doing is he`s inviting them to join TPP. And now, China --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

WALLACH: -- has indicated interest in joining TPP. But you are spot on.
The data on what`s happening two years to that Korea agreement,
catastrophic. Not only did our imports increase as you pointed out, but
our exports actually declined 11 percent.


So that`s meant the trade deficit has increased 47 percent which equates to
about 60,000 more U.S. jobs gone. And the notion now that the president
would be trying to do more of the same with TPP, it`s so outrageous.

So, the good news, the public basically and the U.S. has woken up to this
and they`re saying no and if don`t want to have TPP, make sure you remember
a Congress there`s no trade authority. But the President`s --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

WALLACH: -- new ploy and this might be something to check in tomorrow
is, well, whatever you think about the economics, this is really important
for national security. That`s always the last --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

WALLACH: -- resort when the jobs arguments fail is, "Oh we better do
this for national security". And ladies and gentleman this about our job,
it has nothing to do with national security. Do not take the bait.

SCHULTZ: This is all about jobs. Lori Wallach, great to have your with us
to night. I appreciate your time. Thank you. We`ll have more on this
tomorrow on the Ed Show.

Still ahead, Native Americans, ranchers and environmentalist are bonding
together in Washington today to oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline. The
Cowboy and Indian Alliance is what they call it, they join us live from the
National Mall next.

And later, the Senate race in Michigan is interesting, it is heating up.
Terri Lynn Land, her latest ad mocks critics who say her policies are anti-
woman. President of the National Organization for Women, Terry O`Neill
weighs in.

But next, your questions, Ask Ed Live coming up on the Ed Show on MSNBC,
we`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Love hearing from our viewers,
appreciate the questions tonight in our Ask Ed Live segment.

Our first question comes from Brian Keith. He wants to know, "Have you
ever thought of running for a senate seat in Minnesota?"

State office, no, federal office, it`s a non-issue. The United State
Senate is in good hands with Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Al Franken,
both very popular, reelected, and will get reelected again. Good for them.
But if they ever stepped out --


Our next question is from Allen. "Wouldn`t today, Earth Day, be the
perfect day for President Obama to say no the Keystone XL Pipeline?"

OK, theoretically yeah. It would coordinate really well. But I want the
president to be consistent as he has been throughout this entire process
and he`s getting no credit for it, whatsoever. The constitutional lawyer
who sits in the oval office knows that the legal process can`t be
circumvented by the executive.

This is a state`s rights issue. It`s in the state constitution of
Nebraska. It`s about eminent domain. It`s about property rights and it`s
going to the state Supreme Court for it to get permitted. And what the
Republicans don`t get about that is amazing. I saw Karl Rove again today.
I mean, I think Karl Rove got his legal knowledge out of a Cracker Jack
Box. Dude, the president isn`t going to speed this up by saying yes
tonight to the Keystone XL Pipeline. There`s still has to be a state
permitting process if this is going to work. But they`re using it to beat
up the president. And that`s how clever they can get. And that`s the end
of the road for them.

This is playing out to be great for both sides. Debate is wonderful, isn`t
it? Let`s keep debating the issues and the risk that it poses our aquifer.
And then the public will decide whether it`s right or wrong. The numbers
are coming around. Rove loves to talk about 61 percent of the people in a
Pew Poll. They want the Keystone XL Pipeline. Really? 90 percent of the
people in this country wanted background checks for firearms after Sandy
Hook and we didn`t get that.

Stick around, Rapid Response Panel is next.

BERTHA COOMBS, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Bertha Coombs with your CNBC Market
Wrap.

Optimism about earnings lifting stocks. The Dow finishing up 65 points.
The S and P adding 7, capping up a six-day winning streaks. The Nasdaq
rises just over 39.

McDonald`s was not one of today`s winners. McDonald`s rejoins (ph)
earnings misestimates. U.S. sales also slipped along with customer visit.

And existing home sales fell last month to their lowest level in nearly 10
years as prices went higher. However, the decline in sales was less than
expected.

That`s it from CNBC. We`re first in business worldwide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Thanks for watching us tonight.

Conservatives are attacking the State Department`s delayed decision on the
Keystone XL Pipeline. Now, they are playing up the union reaction by one
leader. One labor leader reduced it to a cheap shot on the President of
the United State and of course Karl Rove jumped in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL ROVE, FMR. WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: The leader of the
Labors International Union Terry O`Sullivan has got a vast, which is this
is a question of jobs and prosperity for America and administration is
playing politics with it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s pretty outstanding what he said. He called it
quote "gut list and a low blow." And Karl, you`re talking about a labor
supporter of the Administration not a critic.

Here`s what else Terry O`Sullivan said, "It`s not the oil that`s dirty,
it`s the politics. Once again, the Administration is making a political
calculation instead of doing what is right for the country. This certainly
is no example of profiles in courage," of course, echoing President John F.
Kennedy." Do you think he`s got it right or he is off base?

ROVE: I think he`s absolutely right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: He is way off base. Terry O`Sullivan, that`s embarrassing.
Maybe Terry, you can tell us what the Republican Party or any Republican
representative has done for jobs in this country. And for you to buy into
this narrative that it`s going to create millions of jobs is simply not
true. It`s the risk. Go green dude.

It won`t help create sustainable jobs. There will be short term jobs,
short term return. It will have major impacts on the land, on water, on
people`s livelihoods, all these folks across the Midwest, irreversible
damage. What union member would be in favor of that? Family farmers and
Native Americans have traveled from the bread basket of America to the
nation`s capital to express their concerns.

They`re calling themselves the Cowboy and Indian alliance. They`ve set up
camp on the National Mall and are holding events all week. Just a short
time ago, the group held its opening ceremony.

Joining me tonight on our Response Panel, Aldo Seoane is joining us tonight
from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. And also Julia Trigg Crawford, a rancher
from Texas, joins us.

Ms. Crawford, you first, why are you in this fight? Is there an
environmental impact that could adversely affect Texas in this?

JULIA TRIGG CRAWFORD, TEXAS RANCHER: Well, I hope, you know, Ed, this
pipeline is already been built across Texas, so yes. And we`re just
waiting for that environmental catastrophe to happen. And it`s -- the oil
is dirty. So I`m here to support those whose land has not yet been taken
because those of us in Texas and Oklahoma, they`ll pray to eminent domain
gone bad.

SCHULTZ: So, and this pipeline, I know it`s been built a majority of it.
There`s a 75-mile run in Nebraska that the big fight is all over and also
the permitting in South Dakota. But Julia, your land has this pipeline on
it. What happened?

CRAWFORD: Well, we told TransCanada in 2008, we didn`t want thing coming
across our place. And ultimately in 2011, they said, if you don`t take
this final offer of $21,000, we`re going to take your land anyway. So, we
stood up and we said we don`t want to hand over our land no matter what
price. And I`m currently at the Texas Supreme Court. And yes, it is a
state rights issue. And we`re saying, a foreign corporation building, a
for-profit pipeline doesn`t have the right of eminent domain to take an
Americans land.

SCHULTZ: Are you satisfied Ms. Crawford with the way the president has
handled this and not circumvented the legal process?

CRAWFORD: I`m not happy when someone doesn`t own up to promises he made.
So, no, I`m not happy about it. And the delay gives --

SCHULTZ: OK.

CRAWFORD: -- assault (ph) tactic.

SCHULTZ: Aldo, we got a labor leader out there, and Terry O`Sullivan, he
is saying that this is going to create all kinds of jobs and it sets (ph) a
pretty derogatory things about the president. What kind of jobs will it
create for Native Americans in the long haul? What about that?

ALDO SEOANE, ROSEBUD SIOUX TRIBE. None. That`s just the honest truth, Ed.
You know what, they came on our reservation about four years ago, and it
wasn`t through official channels, we had some guy come in. And he said,
"Hey, we want to go ahead and offer you jobs. There might be 30, there
might be 40 jobs. We want to go ahead and offer it." We look at them and
we said, no, we don`t want anything to do with that. One, it`s just bad
for us. We don`t want you on our land. And there`s no economic benefit.
And anybody who`s saying that they`re trying to create jobs, it`s just not
true.

SCHULTZ: Well, at this point, what are the treaty violations? You and I
have visited about this in the past. What`s your message there in this
T.P. camp at the National Mall? What are you trying to get across the
American people?

SEOANE: As you said, that I got emotional right now, Ed. And the reason
why I`m getting emotional is because when you say, you know, what is that?
I`d ask you what is it like to be a second class citizen in this country
when all you did was open your home to people that needed a place to stay,
that needed food. We did that for this nation. We created an opportunity
for people to thrive and survive. And we gave rights to this country about
how they would use this land. And this is what they do with it. They turn
their backs on us and they have time and time again.

In 1851, 1868, you know, we came into some agreements. We came with an
understanding of peace because we didn`t want war. And then the government
turned their back and broke all of those treaties. Even the presidential
policy on consultation was broken. Even that the NHRA, the National
Historic for Reservation Act. Section 106 was violated. You know, we
talked about this pipeline. We`re not just fighting for our water or our
land.

We`re fighting for our children. We`re fighting for their futures. You
know, Ed, you know, this is really hard because a farmer and rancher, God
love them. They made us -- this country great. They provide food on the
table. And they come and they say, "Make sure you take as much money as
you can, because when something happens, you might need to move." Ed, I
ask you, where do we go? Mr. President, where do we go? This has been our
land since time and memorial. So where do we go when something happens?
Where do we go when our land is poisoned?

SCHULTZ: And that`s a very profound question. Aldo, let me ask you this
now about the permitting process in South Dakota. The permit expires on
June 20th. Have people changed their attitudes in South Dakota? Is the
permitting process going to be harder this time around?

SEOANE: You know what, with all the misinformation that`s being pumped out
by TransCanada, a lot of people aren`t aware of what`s going on. Everybody
thinks, all of these tar sands, we`re going to make gasoline. We`re going
to get secured. No, it`s not. You can`t make a gasoline from it.

People just don`t know what the facts are. They don`t realize that putting
that pipeline so close to our production once for water for agriculture to
make the food that we all eat, there`s a corner (ph) depression. Our
hydrologist talked to us about that. It will draw a spill toward because
that saturated soil creates a vacuum. So, I don`t think people understand
that. They really don`t know the facts.

SCHULTZ: Well, that`s why we`ll keep covering the story. Aldo, thank you
for joining us tonight. Julia Trigg Crawford, thank you so much for being
on and we will do this again.

CRAWFORD: You bet.

SCHULTZ: Coming up -- you bet. Pat Robertson says we`re all doomed again.
I can`t wait. Pretenders is next. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in Pretenders tonight, apocalypse nut, Pat Robertson. In
honor of Earth Day, Pat Robertson is predicting its destruction. That`s
right. The televangelist has predicted death by asteroid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT ROBERTSON, FMR. SOUTHERN BAPTIST MINISTER: I don`t see anything else
that fulfills the prophetic words of Jesus Christ other than an asteroid
strike. That`s just a big old hunk (ph) of space rock. It ain`t anything
sophisticated. So, hey, just get ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I have to tell you that this isn`t the first time that preacher
Pat Robertson wanted to become a Doctor Doom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Are we really coming to the last days? I think so. The moon
turned to blood and the sun is obscured and all the rest of it. There are
things happening in our world that give us a clue. There will be no flesh
remaining on earth. There`ll be nobody alive. So that`s --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s an encouragement in this --

ROBERTSON: Are you encouraged? Sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m encouraged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Pat Robertson doesn`t have enough accuracy to hit the broad side
of a barn. Much less predict the apocalypse. Pat Robertson has been
saying the world is going to end since 1980. Let`s get some breaking news
on Pat Robertson, we`re still here. If Pat Robertson believes his
Armageddon scare is anything but hot air, he can 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. Earlier this year, the Republican Party began
holding some much needed training sessions on how to speak to women. They
discussed what not to say and how not to say it. It wasn`t just Republican
men who needed a refresher course.

In January, it was reported that Terri Lynn Land, a leading Republican
candidate for the Senate seat in Michigan, was among those urged by
officials to attend the sessions. And it might have something to do with
some of the statements like this that she made back in 2010.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRI LYNN LAND, SECRETARY OF STATE, MICHIGAN: But, we all like to be paid
more and that`s great. But the reality is that women have a different
lifestyle. They have kid, they have taken to get, you know, dentist
appointments, doctor`s appointments, all those kinds of things, and they`re
more interested in flexibility in a job to be paid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Talk about bad timing. Those comments went viral on this year`s
equal pay day. Land is currently locked in a tight race against
Congressman Gary Peters in Michigan in the swing state that is so important
to the Democrats. So Terri Lynn Land responded with this ad released
today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAND: I`m Terri Lynn Land. Congressman Gary Peters and his buddies want
you to believe I`m waging a war on women. Really? Think about that for a
moment.

I`m Terri Lynn Land and I approve this message because, as a woman, I might
know a little bit more about women than Gary Peters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, Ms. Land took that on right out of the Republican play
book. If he can`t win on the issue, down play it, mock the issue, do
everything he can to be negative. I guess the saying goes as it is. "If
you don`t have anything nice to say, don`t say nothing at all," not with
her.

Joining me now is Terry O`Neill, president of the National Organization for
Women. Terry, great to have you with us tonight. What is your response as
one of the leading activist in this country and a professional woman to
Land`s latest ad?

TERRY O`NEILL, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN: You know, Ed, I just think
it`s so telling that she says nothing, nothing to women about the issues
that women really care about. That is exactly why she`s the wrong person
to serve in the United States Senate. You know, she also has a record of
supporting some of the most extremist anti-woman policies that the
extremist in this country have ever come up with.

She supports a personhood amendment that would declare a fertilized egg to
be a human being and that would prevent women from some of the most common
and affective forms of birth control. And may I say that if you`re opposed
to allowing women access to birth control, you don`t get the call yourself
pro-life. Unintended pregnancy is highly correlated with infant mortality
and maternal mortality and domestic violence homicides. No birth control,
you`re not pro-life.

SCHULTZ: She is making the case that she would be a better candidate and a
better United States senator because she is a woman. I want your response
to that.

O`NEILL: And that just completely wrong. In fact, the National
Organization for Woman has historically supported those candidates male or
female that support our issues. I have gone to Connecticut to campaign for
Chris Murphy who is running it against a female candidate who was wrong on
our issues.

You know, if a woman is not with women`s rights, then our job as NOW
leaders, and my job as a NOW president, ends to defeat her. And that`s
what I`m going to be working to do. She`s wrong for women. And for her to
suggest that just because she is a woman, somehow, she`s therefore exempt
from examination of her record --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

O`NEILL: -- and what she actually stands for is preposterous.

SCHULTZ: Well, her thoughts on equal pay are rather strange, as I see it.
She says that women have a different lifestyle. Wait a minute. In the
workplace, women and men produce. Why should men get paid more than women?
And I think it`s that cut and drive. Your thoughts.

O`NEILL: I agree with you Ed. It`s completely that cut and drive. And
frankly, she`s speaking like a millionaire who inherited her wealth and
inherited a corporate -- really anti-worker corporate values along with the
millions that she inherited. The reality is that women who work are
entitled to both flexibility and fair pay. That`s not either or itself.

SCHULTZ: Yes. Well, she sounds like she didn`t work for it. It sounds
like she did inherit it.

Terry O`Neill, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time.

That`s the Ed Show. I`m Ed Schultz.

Politics Nation with Reverend Al Sharpton starts right now. Good evening,
Rev.




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