POLITICS NATION
September 12, 2014
Guest: Dana Jacobson; William Rhodden; Martin Luther King III, Dana
Milbank, Angela Rye, Ernie Hudson
REVEREND AL SHARPTON, MSNBC ANCHOR: Good evening, Ed. And thanks to you
for tuning in.
Tonight`s lead, more fallout from the NFL in the beating scandal and why
this story is bigger than sports and affects all of us in this country.
Twenty years ago tomorrow, a landmark piece of legislation became law. The
violence against women act, President Bill Clinton signed it into law.
Senator Joe Biden wrote the law. It strengthened protections for victims
and toughened penalties against anyone who abused women. This week vice
president Biden spoke to MSNBC`s Tamron Hall about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I`m very proud of the
violence against women act that we passed a law. But that`s not what
change that. Societal change has taken place. It takes time. But I
really believe it is taking root and we have an obligation to just keep
pushing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Obligation to keep pushing it. Despite progress, domestic
violence is still a problem all over the country. And this video from TMZ
sports of Ray Rice and his then girlfriend really illustrated the problem
this week. And it touched a nerve across the country because we saw it.
And that`s why there`s a laser focus on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and
questions on the league`s handling of the controversy. And it`s why
senators are demanding a zero tolerance policy in the NFL and it`s why the
house Judiciary Committee is demanding transparency in the investigation.
Today, sources tell NBC that Rice says he told commissioner Goodell back in
June that he had punched his wife. If true, it could contradict Goodell`s
comments about what happened when he met with Rice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: When we met with Ray Rice and his
representatives, it was ambiguous about what actually happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Twenty years after the signing of the violence against women
act, America is still dealing with domestic violence as a problem. Today,
the NFL scandal has everyone paying attention to it.
Joining me now is William Rhodden, the sports columnist for "The New York
Times" and Dana Jacobson, host of CBS sports radio. Thank you for being
here.
WILLIAM RHODDEN, SPORTS COLUMNIST, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Thank you, Al.
DANA JACOBSON, HOST OF CBS SPORTS RADIO: Thank you.
SHARPTON: William, what do you make of this possible inconsistency with
sources saying Ray Rice told Goodell about the punch back in June?
RHODDEN: You know, number one, the NFL has just got terrible timing.
Terrible timing. The anniversary of the bill and then this and it`s
horrible. And if you`d have asked me a week ago would the commissioner of
the national football league arguably the most -- be getting ready on the
verge of being fired, I say no way. But the fact that there`s been one
kind of cover-up after another and almost sounds like the good old boys
club or we`re just going to take care of this, now they`re kind of throwing
Ray Rice under the bus. And Ray Rice, wait a minute, if I got to go,
everybody is going because I told you I punched her, you know. And it`s
just -- it`s just -- it`s just a terrible thing. But I think the good
thing about it for a lot of people of us who grew up in a household where
we didn`t really see this kind of stuff this is the face of domestic
violence.
SHARPTON: Because you`re looking at it, Dana. I mean, what do you think?
JACOBSON: Well, that videotape put a face to it. I mean, I kept asking
the other day when people were so shocked by what they saw. What do you
think domestic violence looks like because we knew back in July there were
reports of exactly what happened. That he hit her. That she fell back.
That she hit ray bar, that she passed out in the elevator. We saw the
external video from outside the elevator and people still seemed so
shocked. The callousness that he had in carrying her out of the elevator,
dragging her, not even carrying her, that should have been -- you would
think that should have been enough for --
SHARPTON: It was not in most people`s reality what domestic violence --
JACOBSON: Not at all.
SHARPTON: Really looks like.
JACOBSON: Right.
RHODDEN: I guess the problem -- the problem is that morality was nowhere
involved in this. It was protecting the corporate shield, protecting the
investors. If --
JACOBSON: But it was therefore the fans. Because as soon as that two-game
suspension came out there was at least this cry of this is ridiculous,
This isn`t enough. But everybody is sort of backed off. And they were
going to still watch the game.
(CROSSTALK)
SHARPTON: Let me bring that to you, William, because late today we learn
why the league banned Rice indefinitely. The quote is Roger Goodell
notified the NFL players association, Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely
because his version of his February altercation with the then fiancee was
starkly different than the one shown on the video that surfaced earlier
this week.
Now, there seems to be a real dispute over what happened in that meeting.
RHODDEN: Well, yes. But the end of it Rice is saying that I told him that
I slugged her. And I guess when I was talking about morality is that if
you were Roger Goodell or me or whatever a and we`re looking at that video
through the prism of a father or the prism of a brother or the --
SHARPTON: Or a son.
RHODDEN: If you`re looking at that prism, it`s over. You don`t have to
see anything else than seeing your mother, sister or your daughter being
dragged. But when you look at that through the prism of a corporate shield
who`s got to protect investors, the shield and all that, your morality is
suspended. And that`s why this is such an issue.
SHARPTON: Let me ask you this, Dana, because at the Ravens game yesterday.
I`ve been waiting to ask you this, a number of female fans wore Ray Rice
jerseys and said they supported him. Listen --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the Ray Rice being the sacrificial lamb. I`m
a little disappointed in that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it`s ridiculous. I think it`s a shame that his
college has taken down his accomplishments.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: BI feel they`re making an example out of Ray Rice.
He`s not the first and there`s domestic violence everywhere and I feel like
everybody deserves a second chance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other people who have done worse and done other
things and they`re all still playing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: What do you make of this?
JACOBSON: I`m feeling my father`s voice in my head just because everybody
else is jumping off a bridge doesn`t make it OK. Is Ray Rice a scapegoat?
No, Ray Rice did wrong. Ray Rice is being used as an example. You bet.
And finally it is about time that a pro sports league stepped up and didn`t
just say, you know, we`re not OK with domestic violence, actually something
is being done about it. They didn`t do enough with a two-game suspension,
didn`t go back once they handled out a new domestic violence policy and
changed it.
So at this point did they get to the right decision in the right way,
perhaps not the right way but it was the right decision. I`ve heard a lot
of women like that also who said the exact same thing. It`s sad to me. It
is sad to me that you`re looking at it more as football than as he
backhanded -- he hit his then fiancee now wife and dragged her --
RHODDEN: Then it`s not like --
JACOBSON: It`s amazing.
RHODDEN: There`s no compassion in any of this. A lot of times --, my God,
you know. It almost like -- he was like -- get up.
SHARPTON: Well, let me bring this one to you, Bill. The owner of the
California -- Caroliners tear up while talking about his commitment to
fighting domestic violence. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY RICHARDSON, OWNER, CAROLINA PANTHERS: My stance is not one of
indifference. I stand firmly against domestic violence plain and simple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: But a player on -- of the Panthers, Greg Hardy, was found guilty
of domestic violence over this summer. His ex-girlfriend testified he
dragged her by her hair, room to room. She said he was clutching her
throat and threatening to kill her.
RHODDEN: Yes, and meanwhile, he`s playing. So -- see, that`s why I`m
saying. You know, you got an owner, you know, he is tearing up while his
guy who gets five sacks is playing. And I think --
SHARPTON: But he`s also -- he`s appealing in fairness, Greg Hardy is
appealing the guilty verdict. But today we learned he`ll be in the lineup
for Sunday`s Panther game. I mean so despite the words and the tearing up
of the owner, Greg Hardy is still playing on Sunday. I mean does this
indicate the NFL still has a whole lot of work to do.
RHODDEN: You know, here`s the problem. You got Jerry Jones who`s facing a
sexual abuse case, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. You`ve got the
Indianapolis Colts owner who is in drug rehab. You have the Colt -- the
New England Patriots franchise that was busted to cheating and also they
hired a guy who is now in prison for murder and gave him all money until it
came --
So I`m saying, all this stuff starts from the top. This is the top is
doing what, winning ball games. We got to win ball games and the morality
is kind of over here. Morality is what happens at home but not here. Not
here. That`s the problem. There`s a complete moral and ethical --
SHARPTON: How do we break it up, Dana? In this teachable moment, do we
learn a lesson or is it just something that will go out with the next --
JACOBSON: I hope we learn a lesson that from two weeks from now we`re
still talking about it. You know, in Greg Hardy`s case, gust Bradley (ph),
the head coach there deactivated him. Don`t play him. Have some morals.
Let his legal process play out and let him get play. I don`t think the
owners will get rid of Goodell unless they find out he lied or --
RHODDEN: Or if Nike pulls out.
When you see Nike pull out or the big hertz -- when you see that pull out
he`s out. As long as this league is printing money he has a job --
JACOBSON: You`re right, morality is secondary.
SHARPTON: We will be watching. I assure of that. Dana Jacobson and
William Rhodden, thank you both for your time tonight. Have a good
weekend.
Coming up, President Obama`s battle plans for ISIS gets a key boost and
surprising support from Republicans.
And we`ll hear from Martin Luther King III about GOP efforts to roll back
his father`s legacy on voting rights including in his home state of
Georgia.
Also, we`ll tell you why President Obama and Clinton were together at the
White House and show you one girl`s hilarious reaction to the president`s
surprise visit to her school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did tell you somebody special was coming.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: : I really wanted it to be Beyonce.
OBAMA: I understand. Malia and Sasha would feel the same way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Did the first lady say next? That`s ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHARPTON: Can President Obama destroy ISIS while avoiding another long-
term war in the Middle East? Today, he got a big show of support from a
general that many Republicans had hoped would run for president. That`s
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHARPTON: Just two days after his prime time address to the nation,
President Obama`s moving full steam ahead with his plan to defeat the
terrorist group ISIS. He`s tapped the marine general who oversaw the war
in Afghanistan to lead the international effort. Secretary of state John
Kerry is in Turkey building global support for the new campaign. And two
more U.S. air strikes were launched against ISIS targets in northern Iraq
bringing the total number of strikes to 158. And now a big endorsement
from general David Petraeus who`s credited with defeating ISIS back when it
was known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Petraeus says the president`s plan of
attack is the right one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, FORMER MILITARY OFFICER: I thought that the president
made a very strong statement last night about the threat posed by ISIL, a
very compelling argument about the need to combat that threat and a good
point of departure for our strategy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
And the majority of Americans agree. Nearly two-thirds of Americans, 62
percent support military action against ISIS and 61 percent oppose boots on
the ground in Iraq.
Joining me now is E.J. Dionne. This week, he is writing about the new
politics of foreign policy. E.J., thank you, for being here.
E.J. DIONNE, COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Good to be with you,
Reverend.
SHARPTON: E.J., how important is that endorsement from General Petraeus?
DIONNE: Well, it`s a polite show so I won`t quote the full Joe Biden but
it`s a big deal. General Petraeus obviously has a lot of respect from a
lot of people who are usually critics of President Obama. But I think
there`s something he particularly understands. He made the surge work in
Iraq because he managed and at that time the Iraqis government managed to
win over Sunni Muslims who have since that time really been disrespected
and shut out by the Iraqis government but he brought them to the cause.
And one of the first components of President Obama`s policy was to say to
the Iraqis government, you need -- we need a more inclusive Iraqis
government. We need Sunni Muslims to have buy-in. It can`t just be a
Shiite Muslim-led regime. And so I think he has a basic sympathy, not just
with the particulars that President Obama laid out, but with his overall
approach and where he`s put his emphasis.
SHARPTON: Now, E.J., in your writings this week, I was reading about
several of your points, but here`s what struck me. When you talked about
the ISIS threat is impacting the president`s foreign policy legacy and read
the quote, "circumstances have presented Obama with both an opportunity and
an obligation to steer U.S. policy toward a middle course that acknowledges
a need for American leadership and the careful use of American power while
avoiding commitments that are beyond the country`s capacity to sustain. it
is the balance we have been seeking since an awful day in September shook
us to our core." Elaborate on that, E.J.
DIONNE: Well, I think since the awful events of 9/11, we have really been
off balance as a country and it`s understandable. We were very shaken by
that and we went from a period of if you will hyper-engagement. We fought
a war in Iraq that I think a majority of Americans now regret we went into
to a period where we were really saying to ourselves, we don`t really want
to have much to do out there at all.
And I think that the nature of the United States` role in the world now is,
yes, we do need to concentration on nation building at home as the
president likes to say, but we have an obligation to lead and to face up to
threats like ISIS.
And so I think what the president is trying to do is to say, we don`t have
to have a foreign policy based on a full invasion of Iraq, but we can hit
back against this enemy with a carefully calibrated policy and I think with
some Republicans starting to come along, you`re seeing the possibility of
the careful use of American power. And I was careful to use that word
"careful" because I think Americans are willing to use power, but they
don`t want to use it in ways we get.
SHARPTON: Now, let me go back to what you were making about Republicans
coming along, because as we mentioned, the American public is behind the
president and for the first time it sounds like Republicans in Congress are
supporting this too. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: Congress will work with the
administration to ensure our forces have the resources they need to carry
out these missions.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We stand ready to work
with the president to put in place a plan that would destroy and defeat
ISIL. Frankly, we have to give the president what he`s asking for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: E.J., when is the last time you heard John Boehner said we ought
to give the president what he`s asking for?
DIONNE: Well, you know, when I heard the two of them say what they said, I
only wished that we could attach a minimum wage increase and expanded pre-k
to a war resolution and then we`d really be talking about bipartisanship.
But I think they realize, you know, some Republicans, senator McCain among
them, Dick Cheney have criticized the president for not going far enough,
they question his strategy and there are some legitimate questions to be
asked. But I think Speaker Boehner and Senator McConnell know perfectly
well that President Obama`s gone about as far as Americans want to go.
Americans are willing to go, majorities are willing to go with forces on
the ground but they don`t want another war in Iraq with full combat
engagement by Americans. So I think they`re reading the same polls as the
president is and the rest of us are. I think there is going to be some
reluctance on the democratic side. I think there are Democrats who oppose
the Iraq war, who have some real questions about how much we want to get
re-engaged in Iraq. Nonetheless, I took that as a hopeful sign maybe we
can start rebuilding the foreign policy consensus we had before the Iraq
war.
SHARPTON: E.J. Dionne, thank you for your time this evening. Have a great
weekend.
DIONNE: Good to be with you, Reverend.
SHARPTON: Coming up, a rare joint appearance from two presidents who are
talking about the power of public service.
And President Obama`s had some great moments with kids over the years and
we`ve got another one tonight. What does Beyonce have to do with it? The
answer is ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHARPTON: Today at the White House, two presidents and a reminder of the
power of public service. President Obama was joined by president Clinton
to mark the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps. President Obama talked about
his own experiences as a community organizer, a young man who turned down
lucrative law firm jobs to help the less fortunate in Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: For those of you who know my story starting off as a community
organizer I would not be standing here if it were not for service to
others. And the purpose that service gave my own life. As it turned out,
the idea of making a difference in other people`s lives made a difference
in mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: We`ve heard some on the right denigrate public service but we
can`t let those voices discredit or discourage us. Just look at all those
young men and women at the White House today, volunteers willing to work
for the greater good. And we should always be proud to stand up and work
together for something greater than ourselves.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHARPTON: We have breaking news on voting rights. A federal court has
just ruled that Wisconsin`s voter I.D. law can be in effect for the midterm
elections less than two months away. Right now 300,000 voters in Wisconsin
don`t have the I.D. they need. That`s about nine percent of the state`s
voting population.
All across America, Republicans are getting more and more blatant in their
effort to support -- suppress the vote. Consider that races in Arkansas,
Georgia and North Carolina. Each of them is close.
Each of those states has a high African-American electorate particularly in
Georgia where 30 percent of the electorate is black and what do you know,
republicans in each of those states have enacted new voting restrictions on
new voter I.D. law, cuts in early voting and eliminating voting sites on
college campuses. These are brazen efforts to suppress democratic voters
and they`re exactly why the First Lady among many other democrats say we
need to be ready for November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: We have all of the votes we need right
now to win these races if --
(APPLAUSE)
If we get folks registered and if we get them out to vote in November. You
need to step up and get everyone you know out to vote this November.
That`s what`s at stake in these elections, the kind of country we want to
leave for our kids and our grandkids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Joining me now is Martin Luther King III, Martin, thanks for
being here.
MARTIN LUTHER KING III, HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Thank you, Reverend.
SHARPTON: A new voter I.D. law now in effect for the midterm elections.
What do you make of all these new restrictions in an election year?
KING III: Well, naturally, it is the politics at its worse. I mean we
really should always be creating opportunities for more people to vote
using all of the latest technology, not restricting. These are efforts
that are restricting people`s rights to vote and that`s a tragedy in 2014.
SHARPTON: Now, you and I were at the hearings around the voting rights act
at the Supreme Court where we basically saw the neutralizing of Section 5
but it opened the door to states to start changing laws and ground zero is
Georgia where your father and mother raised you and your sisters and
brother and where the civil rights movement caught fire right in Georgia.
We`re seeing, for example, the big voting news we saw in Georgia this week,
a republican state senator angry about a new voting location, State Senator
Fran Miller posted on Facebook, quote, "Now we are to have Sunday voting at
South DeKalb Mall just prior to the election. This location is dominated
by African-American shoppers and it is near several large African-American
mega churches. I would prefer more educated voters than a greater increase
in the number of voters." I mean, how do you react to an elected official
saying this?
KING III: Well, actually republicans and everyone needs to speak out
against that. I think there`s even a greater thing. There`s been a group
in Georgia that is registering, has registered nearly 100,000 new voters.
And maybe five or six or 12 of those applications there may be some
problems with, maybe, and so now the republican Attorney General is saying
that there is voter fraud and potentially. So there are a lot of efforts
that unfortunately republicans are working on. At the end of the day it`s
politics at its worse, not politics at its best. We must stand up and say
this is unacceptable and, again, I know that there are good men and women
in the Republican Party just as in the Democratic Party just as in the
independent party who are willing to stand up.
SHARPTON: You know, you mention that because the serious effort under way
in Georgia to register more voters that you mentioned, the group called the
New Georgia Project is the one you are referring to, I believe led by a
democratic state lawmaker has collected as you said almost 100,000 vote,
85,000 to be exact and now after all the success, the republican secretary
of state began investigating the group and here`s what he says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We`re just not going to put up with fraud. I mean, we
have zero tolerance for that in Georgia so we started an investigation and
served some subpoenas. At the end of the day this is not about politics,
this is about potential fraud which we think has happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Potential fraud, not about politics, but at the end of the day
it`s going after people registering voters that`s running parallel with
people like the state senator I quoted saying that they`re concerned about
African-American voters, shoppers, churches, I mean, it seems like a clear
strategy to suppress black votes.
KING III: There`s no question that it is. I mean because again even those
nearly 100,000 are registrants, not all of them but a large -- the
majority of them are African-Americans so this effort is very serious and,
again, I think the Georgians must stand up and say, look, we want to make
it easier for everyone to vote. Certainly we don`t want to see fraud and
we don`t believe that that is the case.
SHARPTON: Your father gave his life to democratize this country, bring
voting rights to others. Your mother continued that effort. As you sit
there as Martin Luther King III, how do you feel with this kind of threat
to what is happening in our country and to the legacy of your blood father
and mother?
KING III: Well, I certainly feel very sad initially that that is where we
are. We should be further along and I would say that we can and we must do
better. We are a better nation than the behavior that we`re exhibiting at
this particular time. We are much better nation than the behavior that
we`re exhibiting.
SHARPTON: Martin Luther King III, thank you for the time. Have a great
weekend.
KING III: All right, Rev. Thank you.
SHARPTON: Now let me bring in Dana Milbank and Angela Rye. First of all,
thank you both for being here.
DANA MILBANK, THE WASHINGTON POST: Hi, Reverend.
ANGELA RYE, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Thanks, Rev.
SHARPTON: Dana, has voter suppression now become part of the GOP election
strategy?
MILBANK: Well, it certainly is in the short term here and I think what you
see going on, Reverend, is they see what is basically a demographic tsunami
coming their way, the country is becoming less and less white and that is
if the republicans stay on the course they`re going to wipe out the
Republican Party, so what they`re trying to do is, you know, basically
build some sand castles on the beach to hold off that tsunami and try to
knock a few more voters off the roll. That may help them here and there
in a very close election in the current cycle, the next cycle. In the long
run, though, this is just a fool`s errand because they have to reach out to
all Americans rather than just try to protect this white male electorate as
electing republicans.
SHARPTON: Angela, we`ve been talking about Georgia, in voting in Georgia.
Here`s why registering voters there is such a big deal. In 2008 President
Obama lost Georgia by about 200,000 votes. In 2012 he lost the state by
300,000 votes. But Slate is reporting there are 700,000 unregistered black
voters in Georgia. Doesn`t that explain all these new voting restrictions?
RYE: It absolutely explains it, Rev. I think the bigger thing that we
have to look at is just last summer, you know, your organization and so
many others came together to commemorate the march on Washington. The
signing of the civil rights act, you know, this summer and the freedom
summer and the fact that none of these can really be celebrations because
we`re just reminded about why we have to continue to fight. Of course,
next year is the commemoration of the voting rights act and there`s a
voting rights amendment acts that before the House of Representatives that
can`t even get consideration so this isn`t about a new Georgia project.
The new face of Georgia, this is about the browning of America and the fact
that these folks in the Republican Party are so privileged, are so
entitled that they don`t have to fight fairly for the your right to -- or
for their right to earn your vote. They have to fight unfairly by keeping
you out of the polls, by cutting back early voting by ensuring that you
have to pay for an expensive identification that you can`t afford that in
Texas for example, you may have to drive 200 miles to go get. They`re not
fighting fairly Rev and we have to call them on the carpet on this. GOP
autopsy report or not, their tactics are dead and we need to call them on
why they don`t have a place in this country.
SHARPTON: Yes, it`s a very cynical strategy, but, Dana, in these Senate
races, can these strategies have a real impact on the results of the Senate
races and who will be in the majority of the Senate come November?
MILBANK: Of course they can and that`s what I`m saying in the long run is
this is what they`re doing as a fool`s errand. In the short run if an
election is going to be decided by a few thousand votes in a state and a
lot of these, you know, half dozen or so seats that will determine the
outcome of the Senate majority, a lot of those are razor thin margins so,
of course, this can affect it. That`s what`s occurring here in the short
run. The statistic you cited about the potential voters who haven`t
registered, it`s appalling and then there`s also all the registered voters
who don`t vote. If more people would be participating our system would not
be in the control of extremists as it is right now. That`s -- there
certainly wouldn`t be any sort of a republican wave going on in this
election and the whole politics of the country would be a lot better
because everybody in the middle which is where most Americans are would be
having a voice.
SHARPTON: And you know --
RYE: And you know, it`s not only the Senate races but the governor races.
I want to get to that quickly because we`re running out of time. You know,
we talked about the Senate races but the governor races, Angela, could have
a huge impact too. Democrats running for governor in five states, Florida,
Maine, Kansas, Wisconsin and Georgia say they expand Medicaid if they won.
That would cover 1.7 million more Americans. I mean, this election just
isn`t about Washington, isn`t that something democrats need to emphasize
more, Angela?
RYE: Yes, I think we saw this with, you know, folks trying to repeal
ObamaCare. This really shouldn`t be political at all. Access to health
care is a fundamental right for every American in this country and I think
that surprisingly around election time when you have to start, you know,
rallying your base and making the tent a little bigger, folks always seem
to remember that Rev, so absolutely, the answer of that is yes.
SHARPTON: Dana Milbank, Angela Rye, thank you both for your time. Have a
great weekend.
RYE: Thanks, Reverend.
MILBANK: You too, Reverend.
SHARPTON: Coming up, what President Obama told this little girl about him
not being Beyonce? But first who you`re going to call? Our interview with
the one and only Ernie Hudson from "Ghostbusters" on the legendary film`s
30th anniversary.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHARPTON: Who you going to call? Thirty years ago in the summer of 1984 a
quirky comedy horror movie answered that question for all of us.
"Ghostbusters." It was a blockbuster hit, a supernatural comedy about a
group of university parapsychologists who run a ghost removal service
starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson as the
four Ghostbusters protecting the city from paranormal monsters and sliming
disasters of biblical proportions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: What do you mean biblical.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: What do you mean is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor real wrath
of God type stuff? Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers
and seas boiling.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Forty years of darkness, earthquake, volcanoes.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The dead rising from the grave.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass
hysteria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: The finale involved a memorable battle with the terrifying 100-
foot-tall stay puff marshmallow man, the film was so popular it even
spawned a sequel five years later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Probably in one of the tunnels above us.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I don`t know. It sounds awfully close to me.
(SCREAMING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: It`s a classic that`s even more popular today than when it was
first released 30 years ago and now the movie is back in theaters for a
limited time in more than 700 locations with a new digitally restored
special anniversary Blu-ray out September 16th. Actor Ernie Hudson, the
fourth Ghostbuster came on the show and I asked him if he was surprised
"Ghostbusters" had become the cultural phenomenon it has.
ERNIE HUDSON, ACTOR, "GHOSTBUSTERS": You know, when I read the script I
knew it would be -- it was really special and when I met the guys I knew it
would be a hit so I wasn`t surprised by that. But after about ten years,
people were still loving the movie and 20 years and now 30 years people
have their jumpsuits and their backpacks, their turning the cars into
ectomobiles. That`s a surprise.
SHARPTON: You mentioned the guys. How was it working with Bill Murray and
Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.
HUDSON: You know, they had worked together in "Saturday Night Live" and
they had spent a lot of years together so they were kind of like family but
they were very inclusive. It was great working with them. I think I`d
laughed more doing "Ghostbusters" than any movie I made. I`ve been very
blessed to have a good career. But, yes, it was a lot of fun on the set.
SHARPTON: I want to play you some of the most memorable clips from
"Ghostbusters." Let`s watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: What happened? Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: He slimed me.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: That`s great.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Okay, who brought the dog?
(SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I think we better split up.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Good idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes, we can do more damage that way.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I got to tell you these things are real. Since I joined
these men, I have seen (bleep) that will turn you white.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Are you a god?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: No.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Then die!
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Ray, when someone asks you if you`re a god, you say yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: I mean what kind of response did you get after the movie came
out?
HUDSON: You know, the movie came out and it was huge. Ray Parker, Jr. who
is a good friend wrote the song and the song was playing everywhere so if
you didn`t see the movie you at least heard the song and it was just -- it
was a phenomena. It just became part of our culture.
SHARPTON: I heard that after the movie came out people started coming
knocking on your door which was totally unexpected by you.
HUDSON: I was like the local tourist attraction. If you stopped at the
corner grocery store to say, you know that actor Ernie, Ernie Hudson the
black guy, he lives at 1476 and people would knock on the door and go, oh,
my god, it`s really you, and so it just became overbearing. I used to tell
the joke I went to Hollywood to be rich and famous. I never realized you
could be poor and popular.
(LAUGHTER)
SHARPTON: You had some pretty memorable lines in both movies. Let me play
one of those. Watch this.
HUDSON: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Well, let`s say this Twinkie represents the normal
amount of psycho kinetic energy in the New York area. According to this
morning`s sample it would be a Twinkie 30 feet long weighing approximately
600 pounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: That`s a big Twinkie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUDSON: -- say quite a few lines, you make a movie, you say the words, you
hope somebody will hear it first and remember. The fact that they`re still
quoting it 30 years later that`s quite a compliment.
SHARPTON: Now you mentioned you`ve been acting 50 years.
HUDSON: Yes.
SHARPTON: What did "Ghostbusters" mean to you and your career?
HUDSON: Well, 30 years ago. You know, when the movie came out I was under
the impression that if you`re in a major movie that that changes your
career and "Ghostbusters" didn`t change my career in the way that I wanted
it to. But what it did, it sort of endeared me to the fans but Hollywood
and the fans are two separate things and so what I -- it forced me to do
was dig deeper and to keep working so I did a lot of television that, you
know, a lot of things I wouldn`t have normally done.
SHARPTON: He`s been on "Oz" now, modern family.
HUDSON: Yes. I`ve done 50 years of work but I was -- I am the working
actor.
SHARPTON: What about "Ghostbusters 3?" What do you think about it?
HUDSON: Well, the fans tell me all the rumors. I would love to see
another movie. The fans I believe want another movie. The studio for
whatever reason hasn`t been able to make it happen. I hope --
SHARPTON: -- about doing an all female cast.
HUDSON: Yes. Which doesn`t sound like a good idea to me. You know what
I`m saying.
SHARPTON: Well, I want you to know that you and "Ghostbusters" 30 years
later are still the hottest thing in many of our homes.
HUDSON: Well, thank you so much. I want to give you this Ghostbuster t-
shirt if you don`t already have one. To let you know that we love you, we
love what you do.
SHARPTON: I appreciate it.
HUDSON: And so on behalf of the Ghostbusters keep on busting.
SHARPTON: Yes -- and Ghostbuster. I`ll wear this the next time I see a
Tea Party rally.
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you, Ernie.
SHARPTON: Thank you so much.
HUDSON: Thank you Rev.
SHARPTON: Ernie Hudson, thank you for being on this show and joining us on
the 30th anniversary, screenings and Blu-ray release of "Ghostbusters"
movie is out September 16th.
Coming up, "Saturday Night Live" is making history again. We have some
real news about the fake news and it will make you laugh.
And we`ve seen the first family with Beyonce a few times over the years.
But now Beyonce`s coming up in a way we didn`t expect. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHARPTON: Live from New York, it`s Michael Che, yes, Michael Che is the
newest anchor for "Saturday Night Live`s Weekend Update." The former SNL
writer will sit alongside Collin jokes at the famous desk. And get ready
for some laughs. He is in his most recent role as correspondent for "The
Daily Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: For more we are joined by our new correspondent in
Syria, Michael Che. Michael Che, thanks for joining us.
MICHAEL CHE, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: And when you bring your gun to a
restaurant, don`t be black.
(LAUGHTER)
CHE: If you can god to sign that then everybody else well.
If I could get god to sign it I wouldn`t be here right now, I would be on
"America`s Got Talent."
As rainwater dripped down the window, Dick Cheney put his hand against the
pane as he whispered, what have I done?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: What?
(LAUGHTER)
CHE: No less safer for the black man than the infiniteness of outer space.
You got to be (bleep) kidding me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Through the years the update desk has been a launching pad for
the biggest stars in show business from Chevy Chase to Bill Murray to Jimmy
Fallon, to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to Seth Meyers, Michael Che will be the
first African-American to sit behind that update desk so it`s big news in
the world of fake funny news. Congratulations, Michael.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHARPTON: Finally tonight after a week of serious news at home and abroad,
here`s one story that is sure to bring a smile going into the weekend.
President Obama has had some funny interaction with kids over the years.
Just this week this photo of a boy face planting into a couch in the oval
office made the rounds. And we remember President Obama getting caught in
a three-year-old spider-man`s web just outside the oval office and who
could forget the time he made the baby stop crying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: Are you okay, baby?
Oh, no. Oh. Oh! Come on, baby. Come on. Ah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Or the classic marshmallow moment with the kid scientist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Yes, I think that`s good.
Oh!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: And no story about kids would be complete without that kid
president moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Nope.
OBAMA: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Those were all great moments but tonight we have a new inductee
into President Obama with kids` hall of fame. The President and First Lady
spent time at a school yesterday participating in the 9/11 day of service.
One sixth grader, Madison, even got to be partners with the president but
Madison didn`t exactly get the special guest she was hoping for. This cute
moment was so unexpected the camera almost didn`t catch it. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Mr. President.
OBAMA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: When I first heard that somebody special was coming.
OBAMA: Yes, you thought --
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I really wanted it to be Beyonce.
OBAMA: I understand.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yes?
OBAMA: Malia and Sasha would feel the same way.
(LAUGHTER)
MICHELLE OBAMA: Oh, you thought we were going to be Beyonce? It`s a
disappointment.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: But then I realized it was going to be you, that`s even
better.
OBAMA: Oh, see that. I appreciate you saying that in front of the press.
I know it`s not really true but that`s okay.
MICHELLE OBAMA: I`d rather see Beyonce.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: Yes, kids say the darnedest things and we love them for it.
Thanks for watching. I`m Al Sharpton. Have a great weekend. "HARDBALL"
starts right now.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY
BE UPDATED.
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PoliticsNation, Friday, September 12th, 2014
Read the transcript from the Friday show