PoliticsNation, Monday, June 16th, 2014

POLITICS NATION
June 16, 2014

Guest: Susan Milligan; Aisha Moodie-Mills, Wes Moore, Dana Milbank, Greg
Cappelli

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, MSNBC ANCHOR: With less than five months before the
2014 midterm elections, the Republican party is falling apart. Need proof?
Just ask soon to be former Congressman Eric Cantor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: I`m hopeful that I will be
able to do something about bridging this divide. There is a divide within
our party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Admitting there is a problem, it`s a good first step. But check
out what RNC chairman Reince Priebus had to say just about a half hour
later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eric Cantor got beat. Lindsey Graham won. How divided
is the Republican party right now?

REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Yes. I don`t
think it`s divided at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: It`s not divided at all? Wait. I thought the whole problem was
you guys are divided. Let`s listen to those two again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANTOR: There is a divide within our party.

PRIEBUS: Yes. I don`t think it`s divided at all.

CANTOR: There is a divide within our party.

PRIEBUS: Yes, I don`t think it`s divided at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: They`re even divided on whether or not they`re divided. And
outside Washington, things aren`t looking so good either. The new Gallup
poll shows only 16 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is
doing. That`s the lowest congressional approval rating in any midterm
election since Gallup started keeping track in the `70s.

This is a party in serious need of some help. They need a leader, someone
who can show them how to win again. Someone like this guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: I think our party is
becoming stronger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you be a candidate in 2016, if you are drafted?
If the conditions were right, would you consider another run?

ROMNEY: David, I`m not running for president. I said that so many times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: That`s the right. Willard Mitt Romney is back. He organized a
retreat out in Utah and a who`s who of the Republican 2016 hopefuls
attended with Rand Paul, Chris Christie, and Paul Ryan, all meeting with
potential donors.

One former Romney fundraiser told "The New York Times," quote, "this is the
place where with I believe the future of the party is really going to come
out of."

The future of the GOP is going to come from an event put on by Mr. 47
percent? This party isn`t just divided. It`s completely stuck in the
past.

Joining me now is former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Susan
Milligan.

Thank you both for being here.

ED RENDELL (D), FORMER GOVERNOR, PENNSYLVANIA: Our pleasure.

SHARPTON: Governor, the GOP has got some serious issues right now. But
how bad is it when the party is divided on whether it is even divided?

RENDELL: Well, it`s a party in disarray, Rev. There is no question about
that. And they would be headed for catastrophe were it not for the fact
that there are certain things that occurred that give them an advantage
going into the fall legislation. But it is an advantage that they can
blow. There is no question about it. And they are well on their way to
snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

SHARPTON: Now, certain things that gave them an advantage like what?

RENDELL: Well, like initial reaction of the country against the affordable
health care act which I think has begun to turn. President Obama`s low
ratings in the opinion polls. Those are things as you go into the fall, if
the president is not doing well in the public opinion polls in an off-year
election, that usually means the other party is going to do well. But I
think that worm is turning. And I think we have discussed on your show how
the affordable care act is turning a little bit. And I think by the time
November rolls around, GOP is going to make a big mistake if it campaigns
for appeal. If that`s their message, I think that`s a message that will
fail miserably.

SHARPTON: You know, Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador wants to replace
Cantor as majority leader. But he ran a state GOP convention this weekend,
Labrador did, Susan, that descended into are real chaos. He said, quote,
"this is as low as the party can go. We have hit bottom. I think the
party has no choice but to go up from here."

I mean, they have hit rock bottom. How can Democrats capitalize on this,
Susan?

SUSAN MILLIGAN, U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: Well, they can. I mean, I
think they are more likely to capitalize that in 2016. As the governor
pointed out, the Republicans have structural advantages going into the
fall. The redistricting keeps the house seats pretty safe. And on the
Senate side, there is just simply more Democratic-held seats up and they
are up in red states.

But that being said, the party is still very divided. I think a lot of
people wrote this story, you know, about a month ago that the tea party had
been reigned in or was dying off because of the more quote-unquote
"establishment candidates" had won primaries.

But what people forget is that those candidates moved far to the right to
win those primaries and are going to have to defend that in a general
election. And you know, again, they are reasonably well positioned for
that in the fall. But that will be a big problem in 2016.

They don`t have anybody to rally around. And think that this is where the
attraction to Mitt Romney comes from. They want to unify the party, they
want to get behind one person the way the Democrats are. And they`ve got
nobody who can do that right now.

SHARPTON: You know, Governor, one California congressman said that they
are eager to get the new house leadership in place, and I`m quoting him.
He says, "we`ve got to get the races behind us and start to look like a
governing party. There are people in our conference looking to inflict
political pain, but most of us want to get back to work," end of quote.

I mean, the least productive Congress ever wants to get back to work? I
mean, they can`t wait to get back the to do at nothing?

RENDELL: That`s like Eric Cantor being called by his tea party opponent a
friend of Barack Obama`s. Eric Cantor was the biggest obstructionist of
Barack Obama`s program, would never bring any of his jobs programs to a
vote in the Congress itself. It is ludicrous.

And you know, I agree with Susan about an overall point. But I do think it
is going to crop up and hurt them in the some of the state-run elections.

Like take Colorado, for instance, Rev. Mark Udall is in a tough fight.
And the polls say it`s a toss- up. But the immigration debate that is
causing the republican party to split asunder, that is going to hurt them
in Colorado. Because Colorado has a significant amount of Hispanic voters
and they are going to make themselves known in Colorado.

I think Mark Udall is going to get reelected for no other reason. I think
he has been a good senator, but I think he`ll be reelected because the
Republicans are literally disassembling over the immigration issue, one of
many.

SHARPTON: You know, Susan, radio host who`s very right wing, Laura
Ingraham played a pretty big role in Eric Cantor`s loss. And there was
still a lot of animosity this weekend. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANTOR: Listen, I`m not into blaming anybody. But I will say that
suggestion that I should have been traded to the Taliban for sergeant
Bergdahl really is not a serious contribution to a public policy debate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was a win for grassroots activists on the ground
for Virginia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He can`t take a joke. Prisoner swap. He has no
sense of humor. That`s why he lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: I mean, this kind of back and forth play only helps the
Democrats and it doesn`t seem to be dissipating in anyway.

MILLIGAN: No. I think that that`s the case. And I think Eric Cantor is
right in a way about the immigration thing in that. But I think that his
problem wasn`t that he was too pro immigration, certainly Nancy Pelosi
doesn`t think he was a big help on immigration. But then, he did defines
his position on it very well. It seems to contradict himself. But the
reason he was doing that is that he was so, I think, nervous about the
reaction from people in his district about any thought of any kind of
immigration reform. And that is going to give candidates problems this
fall. I think Republicans, I think the governor is right. I think it is
going to give them a lot more problems in 2016.

And look. You have states like Georgia that are basically red states. But
they are changing quite a lot. I think it I something like two-thirds of
the new residents coming in to Georgia in the past couple of decades have
come from outside the south, not even from just outside Georgia.

SHARPTON: That`s right.

MILLIGAN: That state is on track to be North Carolina and Virginia, not in
2016 but maybe 2020. Texas is the same way. They have to start addressing
immigration or they will never win another presidential campaign.

SHARPTON: Governor, let me ask you this because you certainly know
elections better than most people I know. And how much of what we are
seeing now is driven by these right wing talk show hosts? I mean, how much
of what we are seeing in terms of what Laura referred Ingraham refer to as
this grass mobilization in the tea party, how much of this is driven by the
talkers?

RENDELL: A good deal. I mean, it`s in both good and bad for the
Republicans. It is good because it will increase turnout. It`s bad
because it turns off independent voters. The independent voter including
some moderate Republican. Take a look at this and say that party is
whacko. We can`t possibly vote for them.

I mean, like some of the things they are saying I may not like President
Obama and what he is doing. But I can`t possibly vote for that party.

And you know, there is no question. That`s right. Susan make as great
point about Georgia, Rev. As you know, there is a Senate race there which
the Democrats, nobody thought we could win a Senate seat in Georgia. But
Ms. Nunn has a real chance to win that.

And the fastest growing voting bloc in Georgia is Hispanic. So they are
playing with fire. Look. They still might wind up winning the midterm
election. They still might wind up taking the Senate back because they do
have some structural advantages.

But what they are doing right now is to do nothing but giving the Democrats
real hope for victory in places where we never would have hoped for victory
in the past.

SHARPTON: Well, we`re going to leave it there.

Former governor Ed Rendell and Susan Milligan. Thank you both for your
time tonight.

MILLIGAN: Thank you.

SHARPTON: Still ahead, gridlock got you down? Don`t worry. President
Obama`s got a plan to move ahead and get things done with or without
Congress.

And they`re back! The best and the brightest from the Bush era have
returned to give advice about the mess they created in Iraq.

And outrage over a little girl maimed by pitbulls and told to leave a KFC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They just told us, they said, we have to ask you to
leave because her face is disrupting our customers. She`s three. And
she`s embarrassed. She worried about what she looks like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: This move was heartless and cruel. And now it`s time to make it
right.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: The architects of the Iraq war are coming out of the woodwork
the to give their two cents on the current crisis. And it gives us our
question of the day. How should we to Iraq advice from Bush administration
figures? Take them seriously? Ignore them? Or listen and then ignore
them?

The poll is live on our facebook page and on twitter. So vote now and be
sure to leave a comment about what you would do. We`ll have your answers
later in the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America does not stand
still, and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps
without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families,
that`s what I`m going to do.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: President Obama at the state of the union this year, vowing to
use his power if a do-nothing Congress failed to act. And post Cantor
collapse, we are hearing forecasts of gridlock on steroids.

But today the president is taking action. He`ll sign an executive order
that protects LGBT federal contractors from discrimination in the
workplace. Right now, there is no federal law banning employers from
firing employees if they`re gay or even if they think the employees are
gay.

Who could be against this? Who could possibly be against this? This guy,
Speaker Boehner. He refused to vote on the employment nondiscrimination
act after it passed in the Senate, saying people are already protected in
the workplace.

But today, after a long fight and years of lobbying from gay rights
activists, President Obama is taking a major step forward. It comes after
a flurry of executive actions. Over 20 this year on climate change, on
student loan debt, and on raising the minimum wage for federal employees.
But as the news came out today, here`s what a house Republican said about
it on radio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a president that`s taken this to a new level
and it`s put us in a real position where he`s just absolutely ignoring the
constitution and ignoring the laws and ignoring the checks and balances.
You know, the problem is, you know, what do you do for those that say
impeach him for breaking the laws or bypassing the laws? You know, could
that pass in the house? It probably could. Is the majority of American
people in favor of impeaching the president? I`m not sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Here is what I am sure about. While Republicans are talking
about impeachment and searching endlessly for scandals, things are getting
done.

Joining me now is Aishia Moodie-Mills, a senior fellow at the Center for
American Progress, and Maria Teresa Kumar. Thank you both for being here.

Aisha, this executive order is limited. The president can enforce it for
those that work with federal government. What message does it send today?

AISHIA MOODIE-MILLS, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Well,
it`s limited, sure, but it`s actually huge. This is unprecedented. In
fact, this executive order is the largest expansion of rights and
protections for LGBT workers this country has seen. So, it is actually a
really huge deal. In fact, this is going to go as far as to protect one in
five LGBT workers, which is about a million people.

So I`m so thankful that you teed this up though, Rev., talking about the
fact that we`ve actually got to get end it done. I mean, this only covers
a million people, sure. And Congress has to do its job and pass
legislation that is going to protect us all.

SHARPTON: You know, the fact is Americans think in large part that LGBT
Americans are protected against employment discrimination. A survey shows
75 percent thinks it`s illegal to fire or refuse to hire someone because
they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Let me ask you, Maria, it`s actually legal in 32 states.

MARIA TERESA KUMAR, PRESIDENT, CEO, VOTO LATINO: Not only is it legal, but
it actually provides a loophole for employers to discriminate. What the
president has done is basically aligned the position of the majority of the
American people and aligned with the rest of the federal government when
they provided an equal pay wage for minimum wage for the rest of the
federal workers. And it basically says, look, we are moving forward.

And I think we should take a step back and also recognize what the
president is doing is, yes, in the last year he`s signed over 20 executive
orders because Congress is at a standstill. And despite the fact he signed
20 to date, he is well behind the rest of the presidents in -- whether
you`re talking about Reagan, Clinton or even Nixon.

So, he`s doing it step by step. He is being very strategic. He is talking
about climate change. He is talking about creating an opportunity even
perhaps on when it comes to immigration reform.

So I think what we are seeing is a president who is tired basically seeing
Congress sit on its hands. And says we have a lot to do. And if you`re
not going to do it, I`m actually going to take pen to paper and get it
done.

SHARPTON: Aishia, you know, we played a sound clip of a congressman
talking about impeachment today. But the, quote, "lawless king line" is a
big trend on the right for months now. Listen to this.

BLIP

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: There is the pattern of lawlessness in this
administration. Ignoring law after law after law. If this president
doesn`t agree with the law, he refuses to enforce it.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: We have a lawless
presidency.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: The president has changed the constitution,
decided it`s optional and he`ll obey when he feels like it.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: What he doesn`t have is the
constitutional power to run this country like a dictator.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have never had a president with that level of
audacity and contempt for the office.

LIMBAUGH: This is Stalinism. This is sheer brazen lawlessness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has the earmarks of a ma Marxist dictator. He does.
He doesn`t like anybody to challenge him.

PAUL: I`m afraid that President Obama has a king complex sort of
developing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: So, I mean, this is a big line all the way through the right.

MOODIE-MILLS: It`s a big line. It is also a big lie. Look, I mean,
here`s the thing.

Congress is not doing anything. They are talking about lawlessness. They
are not actually passing any laws. They are not actually legislating
anything. They are not trying to work with the president on anything. And
so, I think that it`s really disingenuous of them to suggest that he`s out
there going against, for example, laws that Congress is passing because
they are not passing anything for him to work with in the first place.

SHARPTON: Maria, let me ask you something. After the Cantor loss,
everyone was talking about immigration being done. President Obama doesn`t
buy it. He said, quote, "it is interesting to listen to the pundits and
the analysts and some of the conventional wisdom talks about how the
politics of immigration reform seem impossible now. I fundamentally reject
that. I will tell the speaker of the house that he needs to reject that."

I mean, is this just hope, Maria, or can we get something done? Is it
anything the president can do alone about immigration?

KUMAR: Well, two things. I think the fact that they have chosen McCarthy
seems to be the one that is going to succeed Cantor in his new position is
actually a very good sign for immigration advocates because McCarthy has
been one of the few that`s been very much behind closed doors championing
the cause on the Republican side. So that actually tells me that there is
a possibility that there is hope alive.

Now, the president promised that he`s going to wait until August recess to
actually reform some of the immigration laws that are currently on the
books. And by doing it through executive order and by revisiting them,
what he is going to look is what he can do with the executive order that
allows, for example, the immediate relief of immediate deportation.

Right now, anybody can be deported if they have any sort of criminal
record. And that includes being stopped because you have a broken
taillight. He`s saying, let`s actually look at -- make priorities here.
Let`s actually make it sensible. And let`s make sure that we are not
separating families needlessly. But he`s giving the Republican leadership
the opportunity to pass immigration reform. And they are going to need it
for the midterm elections and definitely for 2016.

SHARPTON: I will have to leave it there.

Aisha Moodie-Mills and Maria Teresa Kumar, thank you both for your time.

MOODIE-MILLS: Thank you, Reverend.

SHARPTON: Coming up, with a crisis unfolding in Iraq, the old Bush team is
offering up expert advice, seriously! It`s like an arsonist talking about
how to put out a fire.

But first, Governor Jan "papers please" Brewer is trying to raise money.
But you won`t believe how. We got you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: There is a major humanitarian situation unfolding at the
southern border of the United States. Over the last eight months, nearly
50,000 children have crossed the border illegally without grown-ups. Many
are escaping drug-related violence in their home countries. And children
are seen here temporarily housed in this Arizona warehouse until relatives
take them to immigration hearings.

These pictures are striking. And so is the political power play happening
in Arizona. It involves Arizona`s governor Jan Brewer. She signed the
controversial "papers please" law in 2010. The law required police to ask
for immigration papers from anyone who they have a reasonable suspicion of.
I call that profiling. And it sparked a huge national backlash and
protest. And she also made this bizarre justification for that very bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: It`s a good bill and it`s another tool for
us to use in order to get our borders under control. We cannot afford all
this illegal immigration. And everything that comes with it from the crime
to the drugs and kidnappings and extortion and beheadings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Yes. That headless body claim was with debunked. She later
admitted to being wrong. Now we have a new one. She`s fund-raising off
the current kids` crisis. Her PAC sent out an e-mail titled "abandoned in
Arizona" saying she`s quote "disturbed and outraged over the situation."
But then comes this. She`s asking for contributions, $25, $500.

There shouldn`t be a price tag on this crisis. These are children`s lives.
They shouldn`t be used as political props or fund-raising tools. Did you
think we wouldn`t notice you`re crossing the line? Nice try. But here`s
my paper. We got you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Breaking news out of Iraq. Late today, President Obama formally
notified Congress that he`s deploying 275 U.S. troops to Baghdad to
reinforce the embassy. And a big development. Word that U.S. officials
today discussed the situation in Iraq with Iran. It comes amid growing
chaos. The Islamic militant group ISIS is now claiming it`s executed about
1700 captured Iraqi soldiers. NBC News has not authenticated those
numbers. But Baghdad government tells NBC it believes some kind of
massacre took place.

President Obama is reviewing options, including talks with Iran. There are
no easy answers on what to do but we do know that we shouldn`t be listening
to Bush-era leaders who got us into this mess. Starting with Paul
Wolfowitz, he is Bush`s number two at the Pentagon. He claimed Iraqi`s oil
revenue would help pay for the war and he mocked warnings that 120,000 U.S.
troops would be need as, quote, "wildly off the mark." Now he`s calling
for action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WOLFOWITZ, FORMER PRESIDENT, WORLD BANK: This is more than just an
obscure Shiite Sunni conflict. This is Al Qaeda. And Al Qaeda is not on
the road to defeat, Al Qaeda is on the march.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: The Shia/Sunni split is obscure? He`s disqualifying himself
from the discussion all over again. But it`s not just Wolfowitz, Paul
Bremer, who`s Bush`s envoy to Iraq. In 2003, he signed the disastrous
order to disband the Iraqi army. In 2006 he admitted, quote, "We really
didn`t see the insurgency coming." Today he said, the U.S. needs boots
back on the ground again in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, AMERICAN DIPLOMAT: I`m not in favor of sending combat forces
into Iraq at the moment. But I can well imagine that we would have to have
some troops on the ground. A big mistake we made was pulling our troops
out in 2011. Because it took away our political influence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: No, the big mistake we made was going into Iraq in the first
place. An even bigger mistake would be listening to Bush`s old team like
Andy Card, Bush`s former chief of staff. In 2002, he set up the White
House Iraq group to sell the war to the American public. He`s also blaming
the chaos on President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes, President Bush did anticipate this being likely
outcome if we didn`t do some things right. And President Obama and his
team has not done some things right. We need adult leadership and we need
people paying attention to what is happening diplomatically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: We have heard this kind of talk before. And we paid for it.
Dearly. We can`t afford to listen to it again. Perhaps President Bush
said it best.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH (R), UNITED STATES: Fool me once, shame on --
shame on you. Fool me -- you can`t get fooled again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Joining me now is retired U.S. Army Captain Wes Moore and
Washington Post`s Dana Milbank. Thank you both for being here.

DANA MILBANK, WASHINGTON POST: Hi, Reverend.

SHARPTON: Captain Moore, what goes through your mind when you see the Bush
Iraq team is back and giving advice on Iraq? I mean, do they really think
we`ll get fooled again?

CAPTAIN WES MOORE (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Well, I`m glad they are engaged in
the conversation. It would just be nice if there was historical context in
their thoughts. Because the truth is, is that you can`t understand the
situation that we are in right now without also understanding that there
was no post Saddam Hussein plan for Iraq that was built out. Because there
was no anticipation of sectarian violence. There was no plan about what
Iraq would look like once we actually made the decision to not to allow the
Baathists which is a Sunni dominated party to be involved at all. Which we
really had helped it created a lot of the anger that`s existing right now.

There was no plan, you know, when we talk about the President not allowing
for U.S. forces on the ground in Iraq right now about the fact that it had
nothing to do with any political decisions but everything to do with the
status of forces agreement. So, the engagement is great. It would just be
great if the engagement was actually met by facts that should accompany
them as well.

SHARPTON: Now Dana, the troops that the President announced and notified
Congress of late today is just to protect the embassy.

MILBANK: Mm-hmm.

SHARPTON: But GOP Senator Lindsey Graham warns another 9/11 awaits if we
don`t act. It`s the same tone calling for invasion in 2003. Listen to him
then and now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I believe that Saddam Hussein is giving aid and comfort,
training assistance to Al Qaeda murderers that he has weapons of mass
destruction, he`s lying when he says he doesn`t.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Iraq and Syria combined are going to be the staging area
for the next 9/11 if we don`t do something about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: If Baghdad falls, if the central government falls, a
disaster awaits us of monumental proportions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: There is no doubt the U.S. has an interest in seeing a stable
Iraq. But haven`t we learned to distrust this kind of hysterical fear
mongering, Dana?

MILBANK: Yes, Reverend, not since Baghdad Bob was still on the job have we
heard quite such an outlandish thing about Iraq being uttered here.
Because let`s set aside views on the war and all that. Why were these
troops withdrawn from Iraq? It wasn`t because of President Obama. It was
because of the agreement that President Bush signed in 2008 requiring them
to be taken out by 2011 at which point the Iraqi government said we want
them out. We are not negotiating anything to keep him here.

And President Bush was all about bringing democracy to Iraq. Well, he
brought democracy to Iraq. And this was the result of it. Now there is,
by all accounts, an awful situation there. And no good solution to be
achieved by it. Lindsey Graham actually called for evacuating the U.S.
Embassy. So, the fact that it is being fortified should please him,
although it is doubtful that anything that this president could possibly
will please Lindsey Graham at this point.

SHARPTON: Do you know what`s interesting, Wes Moore, is that the right
wingers is trotting out an old attack that the President is too busy
playing golf. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: This is a crisis. It calls for a response other than
going to Palm Springs for a fundraiser.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: There is been a lot of criticism of the President
taking this four-day holiday for Father`s Day golfing and then doing fund-
raising.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: And this as the President golfs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: They want to talk about golfing. Where was the right wing
outrage after the infamous moment from President Bush in 2002? Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these
terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Now, isn`t that the point that they are trying to just act as
though all of the outrageous stuff that happened during Bush`s involvement
with Iraq didn`t happen?

MOORE: Well, I mean, it goes back to, frankly, a pretty tired argument.
You know, just about how the President is somehow, you know, not on the
ball, the President is not paying attention. It is an absurd argument.
This is incredibly important first and foremost in the President`s mind.
As any commander in chief, as you know, you can make a very clear argument.
Just as President Bush was in prior, President Obama is right now. There
is nothing more important than the safety and security of not just the
American people but of American interests.

And so, the argument that he`s somehow not involved and not engaged is not
only offensive but it actually takes away from a much larger point that the
President is going to need their support going forward and how we think
about solving this crisis and problems. If they want to continue playing
games with optics, it shows just a lack of seriousness about really getting
and supporting the administration or country in terms of solving the issue.

SHARPTON: But Dana, let me ask you this. How much of this is really about
the Republicans trying to regain the National Security argument and trying
the to change this perception of what they did and now get back ahead in
the foreign affairs and the National Security debate in the country?

MILBANK: Well, I think that may be a piece of it, Reverend. But I think
more of what`s going on here is this is just sort of a reflexive position.
Whatever is happening bad in the world, it`s Obama`s fault. Whatever this
President has done, it`s wrong. So basically there`s been a lot of
criticism of what President Obama has done here. But there is no
suggestion of what he should be doing instead. You know, even viceroy
Jerry Bremer you saw moment ago isn`t saying, we want boots on the ground.
Nobody is really having an argument over the policy which everybody agrees
we are fairly hamstrung on. It`s all a question of just reflexively saying
Obama did it, it`s wrong.

SHARPTON: Captain Wes Moore and Dana Milbank. Thank you both for your
time tonight.

MILBANK: Thanks, Rev.

MOORE: Thank you very much.

SHARPTON: Still the ahead, President Obama has helped create over nine
million jobs over the last 51 months. But there`s more work to be done.
Up next, how you can deal with the skills you need to get ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: The employment picture is getting better. But nearly 10 million
Americans are still unemployed. So why are four and a half million jobs
unfilled right now? There are many factors, but the big one is the skills
gap. People don`t have the skills to fill those jobs. In China and all
over the world, companies are struggling to hire workers. But here in the
United States, more than half of the companies can`t fill positions. We
can and must do a better job at training for jobs.

Tonight in our "Advancing the Dream" series, we are looking for solutions.
According to a study, 80 percent of middle skills jobs require just one
year of training or less. So it can be done. And it can be done fast.
Now is the time to change our future.

Joining me now is Greg Cappelli, chairman and CEO of Apollo Group, the
owner and operator of the University of Phoenix, the nation`s largest
accredited for-profit college. In full disclosure, the Apollo Group is a
sponsor of this series. Greg, thanks for coming on the show tonight.

GREG CAPPELLI, CEO, APOLLO GROUP: Thanks for having me back, Reverend Al.
I appreciate it.

SHARPTON: Greg, you wrote a report focusing on these problems, on the
skills gap. What did you find out?

CAPPELLI: You know, it`s interesting. You brought some really important
points which we have this economy where we know we got to 17 trillion plus
dollars by educating the rest of the world for about a hundred years. And
we got to this point in the `80s where things kind of stand there and we
stopped doing that. And we can learn from some of the examples of the
past. Now we look at corporate America today and the employment situation.
And as you pointed out, ten million people unemployed. Thirty million
people probably on the side lines who would like to be back in.

And yet, here are four million jobs, they are being advertised and
employers are not hiring our people to do these jobs. So, there is a
disconnect there. Frankly, they are not seeing the potential in all cases
of what the American worker has to offer and I think there is a disconnect
when it comes to the level of skill that`s out there versus what we can do
to train people in this country to close that gap. If we do that, that`s
two and a half trillion dollars to the U.S. GDP that can be added. We can
lower the unemployment rate by up to 40 percent and create a much better
situation for people in this country.

SHARPTON: If we do that. Let me push you on that. Because I mentioned in
the intro that 80 percent of middle skilled jobs require just one year of
training or less. Now breaking that down, take a look at this. Seven
percent of jobs require no training. A full 44 percent only require up to
three months of training. Fourteen percent of those jobs would take three
to six months of training. And 15 percent would require six to 12 months.
I mean, there is not a lot of time to invest to get a decent job. Are
people not getting the training for these positions?

CAPPELLI: I think people are scared and they think in order to get back in
and get a job today that they`re going to have to go back to school for
four years. That`s a daunting task that`s going to cost a lot of money.
But the reality is, as you point out in the report is that in many, many
cases with these four million jobs, you`re talking about between three
months and a year of direct training. You train to the skill that`s
necessary to get the job done. And there are lots of those opportunities
for the viewers of this program out there and other Americans to take
advantage of that.

SHARPTON: Give me some examples of those opportunities that are available.

CAPPELLI: Let`s look at what Siemens is doing with the incorporations in
the world. It is investing in a program that allows people to be an
apprentice for an example. They opened up a new plant in I believe it was
in North Carolina. And not only can you be hired but you can be an
apprentice for, you know, what you`re eventually looking to do with your
career. They pay for it. They will train you. And, you know, two, three
years down the road you`re making significant income and you`re also doing
the job that you want to do, as an example.

SHARPTON: Now, there is some good news here, Greg, the bureau of Labor
Statistics predicts there`s going to be a huge amount of job growth over
the next decade. Everything from health care jobs to construction to
personnel care and services to computer science positions. How do we go
about getting people the skills they need for these jobs?

CAPPELLI: Yes. And there are many categories that show between 10 and 20
percent growth in certain careers. They are in areas you would think which
is in health care, I.T., and business, and other categories as well. But
what we did is we went coast to coast and interviewed CEOs and senior
executive teams and asked them that same question. What needs to be with
done to get people this information?

SHARPTON: Did they give you any ideas or any ways that they felt that we
can address the skills gap?

CAPPELLI: Yes. There are companies that are beginning to realize that
they need to invest more heavily, number one, into the work force and the
future work force of this country. And number two, when they do that, they
can see significant returns for their employees, their stake holders within
their organizations. And Reverend, one of the most important things that I
think is being realized is this is a globally competitive labor force now.
They have to compete if they want to fulfill their needs to grow their own
organizations going forward, they have to have skilled employees to get it
done. And if it takes training for three, six, nine months to get it done,
there are ways to do that. And it`s investing in their own work force
programs as well as relying on the college and university system in the
country as well.

SHARPTON: Well, this is a very important subject. We`re going to stay on
it. Thank you for being here when you can. Greg Cappelli, thank you again
for being on tonight.

CAPPELLI: Thank you for having me.

SHARPTON: Coming up, a bucket of outrage. A three-year-old girl told to
leave Kentucky fried chicken, allegedly because of the way she looked.

And the amazing story of triumph out of tragedy. How the NBA`s
championship MVP overcame the odds is inspirational and is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: We`re back with a tragic story out of Mississippi. Three-year-
old Victoria Wilcher was attacked by three pit-bulls last April. She lost
her right eye, and the right side of her face is paralyzed. She`s normally
on feeding tubes. But last week wanted to try some mashed potatoes. So
grandmother took her to lunch at a KFC Restaurant. And then a KFC worker
allegedly told them to leave because of the way Victoria looked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: They just told us -- they said, we have to ask you to
leave because her face is disrupting our customers. She`s three. And
she`s embarrassed. She`s worried about what she looks like. She`s
embarrassed. And I hate it because she shouldn`t be. It ain`t her fault.
The rest of her life there`s going to be people like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Afterwards, Victoria`s family went on Facebook and posted this
picture with the quote, "Does this face look scary to you?" The story
spread and so did the outrage. Finally KFC announced they were
investigating the incident. And they issued a statement saying, quote,
"This kind of hurtful and disrespectful action would not be tolerated by
KFC. We have apologized to Victoria`s family and are committed to
assisting them." KFC is giving $30,000 to help with Victoria`s medical
bills. This poor little girl has a long road ahead. We`ll be watching,
KFC, to make sure they do right by her. And we`ll be praying for little
Victoria.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Finally tonight, creating triumph out of tragedy. Every single
day in this country, an average of 32 people are murdered using guns. Each
victims leaves behind shattered family members who have to somehow find the
strength to go on. One of those is the NBA`s newest star, 22-year-old
Spurs player Kawhi Leonard. Six years ago when he was still in high
school. His father was gunned down while working at the family`s car wash
in L.A. Leonard was left alone with his mother.

But Leonard didn`t let his loss keep him back. He went to college, then
the NBA. And six years after his father`s death, Leonard made it all the
way to the finals, winning the most valuable player award. From the
streets of Compton to basketball`s biggest stage, to make the moment even
more bittersweet, Leonard won the trophy last night on Father`s Day.

Finally tonight, the results from our question of the day. How should we
react to Iraq and fight for Bush administration figures? Just four percent
say, we should take them serious. Sixty eight percent say, ignore them.
Twenty eight percent said, listen, but then ignore them. Thanks to all who
voted.

And thanks for watching. I`m Al Sharpton. "HARDBALL" starts right now.

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

Transcription Copyright 2014 ASC LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is
granted to the user of this material other than for research. User may not
reproduce or redistribute the material except for user`s personal or
internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall
user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may
infringe upon MSNBC and ASC LLC`s copyright or other proprietary rights or
interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of
litigation.>