The Ed Show for Tuesday, November 4th, 2014

THE ED SHOW
November 4, 2014

Guest: Bernie Sanders, Bob Shrum, Larry Cohen, James Hoffa, Lee Saunders,
Jennifer Epps-Addison

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good evening Americans and welcome to the Ed Show
Live from Tampa, Florida. Where it`s hot, it is too close to call.

Let`s get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are ensuring the integrity of the elections.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just think it`s a dumb idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big sprawling area of high pressure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... for Republicans to emphasize...

... if you`re voting early and say, "Oh this is how we`re going to win the
election."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the Republicans do capture the Senate, there`s no
more excuses about impeachment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vote, vote, vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to learn from history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to win an election.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This elections too
important to stay home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are embarrassed by a Democrat President in the White
House that has failed America.

OBAMA: Don`t boo by the way, I want you to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Good to have you with us tonight folks, thanks for watching. I
guess you could say, tonight the fate of the American middle class, well
it`s in the hands of the voters, and it`s going to be decided over the next
two years just where this country is going to for wage earners.

If Republicans take control of the Senate their obstruction will be
unprecedented. President Obama, look he`s not on the ballot. His policies
maybe but he`s not on the ballot. If you`re a wage earner, your job is on
the ballot tonight.

The economy is on the roll, who can argue with 55 straight months of
private sector job growth, with over 10 million jobs that have been
created? Unemployment rate is below 6 percent. The Dow Jones routinely
closes at record highs of over 17,000.

Now this progress could be all put on hold if Republicans get the Senate
tonight and drive home their agenda to get what they want. Republicans
have made clear that they are against a minimum wage increase. They do not
stand what worker`s rights in the workplace.

And here is Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN BICE, JOURNAL SENTINEL: What is your position on the minimum wage?
Should we have it?

GOV. SCOTT WALKER, (R) WISCONSIN: Well, I`m not going to repeal it but I
don`t think it serves a purpose because we`re debating then about what the
lowest levels are at. I want people to make, like I said the other night,
two or three times that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: So we have heard now for weeks that it`s going to be all about
turnout. Well the sources I have in Wisconsin tonight are telling me that
the election commission has had to bring in as many as 50 people in
Milwaukee to process the lines because the on-site registration has been so
strong. In some neighborhoods where they have less than 100 people vote
during the primary, there are over 500 people.

It is a stunning turn out in that portion of the state. We`ll have more on
that later on in our coverage tonight.

Now if Walker wins, it will be par for the course. The attack on labor and
workers will continue in Wisconsin.

Polls close in the Badger State at 9:00 Eastern time tonight. And we`ll
get our first glimpse of exactly what is happening.

The latest YouGov poll out of Wisconsin has Walker up on Mary Burke by just
two points. It is a close race and it`s going to go to the wire.

Now we have a similar situation unfolding right here in Florida. Rick
Scott is clueless about the minimum wage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you support the concept of a minimum wage?

GOV. RICK SCOTT, (R) FLORIDA: Sure, but -- What should it be? How would I
know -- I mean, the private sector decides wages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I just got off the phone with some folks over Broward County.
Here is the bottom line. The numbers are good. The turn out is good and
it is steady but they`re certain not ready to say, hey we`re going to win
this thing. This race is very close.

In Florida, it just got everything. We`ll explain all in our coverage
tonight here on MSNBC throughout the evening, a lot of interesting
developments in this race.

In latest Quinnipiac Poll has Charlie Crist up on Rick Scott by just 1
percentage point. It will start reporting returns out of Florida here
tonight at 8:00 P.M. Eastern time.

In North Carolina, Republicans State Speaker Thom Tillis is locked in a
close battle with incoming Senator Kay Hagan.

Speaker Tillis thinks the minimum wage is also a job killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE SPEAKER THOM TILLIS, (R-NC) SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: And this something
that I believe is best left to the state versus another regulatory
overreach. We need to understand the job killing consequences to these
sorts of policies. That it is not something that Kay Hagan going to
Washington should agree with Washington politicians about how we actually
deal with that issue in North Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Polls close in North Carolina at 7:30 Eastern time. The latest
PPP poll from North Carolina has Senator Kay Hagan up on Tillis by two
points.

I`ve been traveling around the country recently. The people on the ground
tell me that the minimum wage is a huge issue. Some states aren`t going to
wait for Congress to act on this.

For instance, Alaska, and South Dakota, and Nebraska and Arkansas all have
minimum wage increases on the ballot tonight.

And if these red states, if they raise the wage, I think it`s going to send
a message to the Republicans.

Meanwhile, it won`t do any good if Senator Mitch McConnell becomes the
majority leader. McConnell is against the minimum wage as well and wants
to repeal Obamacare.

The latest NBC News Marist Poll shows Mitch McConnell leading Alison
Lundergan Grimes by nine points.

MSNBC will start reporting returns out of Kentucky at 8:00 P.M. Eastern
time. Earlier today, Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth speculated on what
a McConnell-lead Senate would look like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN YARMUTH, (D) KENTUCKY: What Mitch has done is run the campaign
basically on two ideas. One is, President Obama`s bad, secondly, he wants
to be a majority leader and that will be good for Kentucky.

He`s refuse consistently to say what he would do if he were a majority
leader because he has no vision for the commonwealth or the country. And
that`s what I think the problem right now that Democrats are facing, is
we`re faced with attacks when Republicans who have no alternative agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid thinks Republican control could
come down to the race in Iowa.

Reid told that PCCC, "What Joni Ernst would mean coming to the United
States Senate is that Mitch McConnell would be the leader of the Senate is
someone who agrees with her on virtually everything."

I think that would mean to our -- if you think about what that would be to
our country.

The latest PPP poll out of Iowa has Joni Ernst with a three-point lead on
Congressman Bruce Braley. We`ll begin reporting returns out of Iowa
tonight at 10 P.M. Eastern time.

Joni Ernst wants the people of Iowa to think that she`s for all for farmers
but a record shows she`s not. She would have voted against the 2014 Farm
Bill. She wants to cut food stamps and repeal Obamacare.

All these issues affect and are affected by the Farm Bill and of course it
would affect Iowa farmers. She`s also against the wind energy tax credit
that helps thousands of jobs in Iowa.

Wind energy is also a huge issue in Colorado where Senator Mark Udall in a
close race with Republican Congressman Cory Gardner. The latest Quinnipiac
Poll has Gardner up by two points.

MSNBC will start reporting returns out of Colorado around 9:00 P.M. Eastern
time on our coverage.

Gardner has been running these misleading ads claiming that he`s all for
energy, green energy that is.

But the bottom line is when it comes down to it, the guy is a fraud, he`s
for the Keystone XL Pipeline. He supports big oil and tax breaks and he
wants to crush the Environmental Protection Agency.

So tonight, as I see it, there`s going to be a bunch of losers and a bunch
of winners somewhere. I don`t there`s going to be a mix bag here.

It`s going to be interesting to see the governors` races. How much of an
impact has their radical agenda had, number one on turn out and number two
on just how motivated people are to turn their states around, such as in
Michigan or in Ohio where I this Kasich has going to win easily. But also
when Wisconsin and in the Pennsylvania and of course down here in Florida.

For more, let me bring in Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Senator, good
to have you with us tonight.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Great to be with you Ed.

SCHULTZ: You bet. How will the middle class issues like the minimum wage
and income inequality as this day is unfolding? Do you think that these
issues have played into what we`ve seen so far as far turnout is concern
and some of these pockets that we`ve talked about around the country?

SANDERS: Well I hope so. And I think Ed what is very clear is that the
Republicans have refuse to really talk about their ideas and their agenda
if they gain control of the Congress.

And I will tell you exactly what that agenda is. It is more tax breaks to
billionaires and large corporations. They will cut social security,
Medicare, Medicaid, nutrition and education. They will expand and increase
military spending and they will refuse to acknowledge the reality of
climate change despite what virtually the entire scientific community is
telling us.

In terms of the minimum wage, you got more and more Republicans who not
only will not raise the minimum wage, they want to do away with the concept
of the minimum wage which means that in high unemployment areas, people can
work for four or five bucks an hour.

Look Ed, there is a reason why the Koch Brothers and other billionaires are
spending hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on this election.

They want a Congress that will work for the 1 percent and stick it to the
middle class and working families. And that`s what we got to make sure
this not happen.

SCHULTZ: On this issue we have some new exit polling data at this moment.

The NBC News exit polls ask voters in some key Senate races today whether
they favor raising the minimum wage. And in every case according to
preliminary data, solid majorities said yes. Sizable numbers of
Republicans are onboard with raising the minimum wage, 44 percent in
Louisiana, 37 percent in North Carolina, 39 percent in Iowa and 31 percent
in Georgia.

What`s your reaction to that Senator? Everything that you have talked
about is clearly in the majority and on the minds of voters when it comes
to wage earners in this country. That`s our polling data at this moment.

SANDERS: Ed, if you look at some major issues facing this country, raising
the minimum wage, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating
millions of decent-paying jobs, expanding social security. If you look at
the major issues facing on country, the American people whether they`re
progressive or conservative want to go forward. They reject the Republican
agenda.

What the Republicans have manage to do quite cleverly I must say, is the
deflect attention from their agenda and blame Barack Obama for every
problem that this country faces.

So I think when people understand what the Republicans really stand for --
because they don`t know very well but they have done a particular job in
disguising that.

SCHULTZ: We also ask the question in State of Wisconsin where the minimum
wage has been an issue in the governors` race. Incumbent Republican
Governor Scott Walker recently said that he didn`t think the minimum wage
serves a purpose, and President Obama campaign for Democratic challenger
Mary Burke last week in Milwaukee highlighting her support for the minimum
wage.

In our Wisconsin exit poll tonight, 65 percent favored an increase and that
according to our...

SANDERS: Right.

SCHULTZ: ... exit poll included 45 percent of Republicans, Governor Scott
Walker`s voters. What do you make of it?

SANDERS: What I make of that is the American people understand that the
federal minimum wage of $7.25 is a starvation wage. It is not a wage that
anybody can live on...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: ... with any shred of dignity. If we raise the minimum wage to
at least $10.10 an hour, over 25 million Americans get a pay raise. That
is what the American people want.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

Senator, these are my thoughts. If the Senate goes to the majority with
the Republicans, if they control, I think you`re going to see fast track
legislation. I don`t think you`re going to see the minimum wage on a
federal level be addressed. I think you`re going to see a push for the
corporate tax rate to be lowered because that`s what they`ve been talking
about a lot.

But the big question in all of these Senator, isn`t this going to put
pressure on President Obama to stand tall with progressives who solidly are
against the TPP, who are solidly in favor of the minimum wage? And most
progressives I think in polling want to make sure that the corporate tax
rates stays exactly where it is and in fact try to get corporations to pay
their fair share.

I mean, if the Senate is taken -- go ahead.

SANDERS: one out of four corporations today doesn`t pay a nickel in
federal income tax collectively, back in the 1950s they contributed over 30
percent of our federal tax revenue. Today it`s less than 10, no we don`t
need more tax breaks for large corporations.

And I think your point about the need for the President to stand tall and
do not just what progressives want but the vast majority the American
people want, and that is policy which represents the middle class and not
just the one percent.

So I hope, you know, that if the Republicans do gain control of the Senate,
President gets his veto pen out and the American people, I`m confident will
support him.

SCHULTZ: OK. Senator Bernie Sanders independent from Vermont, great to
have you with us tonight here on the Ed Show. I appreciate your time.
Thanks so much.

Coming up, the latest exit polling from key states, how Ebola, ISIS and the
President`s approval are playing in this election.

Keep it right here. We`ll be right back on the Ed Show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show coming to you live tonight from
Tampa, Florida. My assignment here on MSNBC will be the governors` race,
I`ll be camped out over at the Charlie Crist headquarters bringing results
to you from there.

It is a very close race here in Florida. And we`ll of course bring you all
the updates and returns as the information comes to us tonight.

You know, when you take a look at the news cycle and the way things have
unfolded the last several months before tonight`s midterm, we`ve seen a lot
to talk about terrorism, national security, dealing with ISIS, what to do,
what not to do, also Ebola. Just where are we on Ebola.

And, has there been just too much negativity about it, has had been too
much of a scare?

All of these stories have taken away I think from a lot of the conversation
when it comes to midterm elections. But it`s interesting in our exit
polling which we just brought to you moments ago about how strong the issue
of minimum wage is.

For more on that, let`s go to Bob Shrum, Democrats Strategist and also
Professor at Warschaw, Professor of Politics at USC, Bob good to have you
with us tonight.

A lot of talk about messaging leading into this day, November 4th and a
very crucial midterm for, you know, this country.

Are you surprised that the numbers on minimum wage -- it would make me
believe that actually the Democrats have done a good job of messaging.
Your thoughts?

BOB SHRUM, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, USC: Well, the minimum wage is always
been a strong issue. I`m not surprise that these numbers at all. I saw it
over the years.

Republicans have resisted an increase which by the way didn`t happen so
much in the past. And if the minimum wage have been raised it wouldn`t be
an issue there right now.

The biggest problem in the midterm I think, is that the real economic
story, and you alluded to this earlier about what`s happening in this
country is not out there. We`re having a very strong finally economic
recovery especially compared with the rest of the world.

It`s tough for the President to get that message out because the places
where the Senate is going to be determined are largely red states. He`s
unpopular there, he was unpopular there in 2012, he was unpopular there in
2010, 2008 so it`s been tough. But Democrats have done a very good job of
getting this minimum message out.

SCHULTZ: The get out to vote effort has been as strong as I`ve ever seen
it when it comes to a midterm election.

In Wisconsin as I reported earlier there is been a very good turnout to the
point where the Wisconsin election board has called in 50 more people to
help process some of this long lines.

Here in Florida there have been good numbers, steady numbers better numbers
than 2010. What do make of all of that?

SHRUM: I think the Republican efforts and voter suppression especially
with African-Americans have motivated African-Americans to come out. You
can see that in the early vote totals in Georgia where they represent a
very strong percentage of the vote. You can see that in the effort that`s
going on in North Carolina to turnout African-Americans.

And, you know, if you go all the way out to the end of the country, to
Alaska where polls are notoriously unreliably and there are some showing
Begich ahead, some showing his opponent ahead.

The Democrats have over a hundred people on the ground trying to turn out
that vote. Now we`re going to find out tonight whether that worked. But
it`s an effort that was certainly worth making. I`m a little skeptical of
these people who look up of range of races than say, "Well people are ahead
by two or three percent and therefore a 70 percent probability that the guy
who`s ahead is going to win", have they ever been in a campaign if there
coming to that conclusion because I`ve been in a lot where two or three
didn`t mean that much.

SCHULTZ: Let`s talk about the senate if we can for a moment, New Hampshire
North Carolina. If the Democrats hold those seats, what does that mean for
the Republicans for the rest of the night as you see it?

SHRUM: Well, it means that we`re going to go to a very long night in a
very close race. If Greg Orman wins, the independent wins in Kansas then
if the Democrats can hold two out of three of Iowa, Colorado and Alaska,
they`re going to end up with 50 senate seats even before you account for
Louisiana and Georgia. Now, a lot of folks say, "Well they can`t hold
those two out of three." I think we`re going to see some real impact from
the on the ground effort.

I don`t know whether it`s going to be enough. But I think over the last
few days this thing has began to turn and it`s began to turn in a more
Democratic direction. The question is whether or not that catches up with
the voting.

SCHULTZ: Do you think the Democrats have done a good job explaining to
their base and this is a base election.

SHRUM: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: Take Wisconsin for example. President Obama scored extremely
well in both 2008 and 2012 in Milwaukee. What he do? He went to
Milwaukee, say what you want about the President, he can get his people out
of the vote...

SHRUM: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: ... and look what we`re having right now. I was told today by
some folks on the ground that they believe that President Obama`s
appearance in Peach (ph), in Wisconsin, in Milwaukee has had big effect on
the turnout.

So, if it`s about the base turnout. Do you think the Democrats have done a
good enough job conveying to the people that are going to vote that if
Mitch McConnell does get control of the senate. It maybe real unattainable
position for the Democrats when it comes to any kind of policy measures
whatsoever?

SHRUM: Well, to be truthful some have better than others. The President
is very effective in a state like Wisconsin, he can really help there.
There other states like Arkansas and Georgia for example where there`s a
lot of resistance to him and where he can`t help. And there`s this general
tendency to say all these election results are going to reflect Obama`s
relative unpopularity in the country and his dip on popularity on the red
states.

The truth is, that folks like Charlie Cook right after the 2012 election,
Charlie`s had great election prognosticator said, "By the way Democrats are
probably going to lose the Senate in 2014, because of the structure of the
race because all these races are in red states."

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SHRUM: So I think blaming the President as short hand is bad idea. I
think he can be a very effective and has been very effective in a number of
places. And by the way Bill and Hillary Clinton had done a great job of
going out there and conveying the Democratic message.

SCHULTZ: I tell you what, Bill Clinton has done everything he can do, he
has been a power lifter, he was had a...

SHRUM: Yes.

SCHULTZ: ... big response last night down here in Orlando, no question
about that. The job he did on the ground in Kentucky of course was
yeoman`s work. But there`s one race and the midst of Citizen United Bob,
and all of these money floating around. It is interesting that candidates
do matter.

The state of Michigan, Gary Peters is looking very strong the Congressman
to fill that Senate seat in the state of Michigan against the candidate
that threw boatloads of money at it but just had not clue on how to message
anything. It came across -- I mean every inch -- she was kind of like the
Sharron Angle of 2014. Your thoughts on that race, I mean.

SHRUM: Well, you know, she destroy herself over that stupid ad where she
gone and said "Have you noticed I`m a woman?" and then she talks a little
bit about being a woman then she says "A war on woman, women would I be
part of that". And I think people -- they had assumed the voters were
dumb, voters are dumb. They look at that and they said, "That`s it, she`s
gone".

Now, in fairness Democrats have had some candidates have some mistake too.

SCHULTZ: Sure.

SHRUM: And, that`s going to have impact tonight. I mean Iowa is a place
where Bruce Braley should be running away with this race. He said
something about farmers that I don`t think he meant, he shouldn`t have
said, he thought it was a private meeting, by the way as Mitt Romney 47
percent illustrates (ph)...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SHRUM: There are no private meetings and that`s why their race is so
close.

SCHULTZ: Well also Alison Lundergan Grimes saying whether she voted for
President Obama or not. I mean I think the answer there would have been
well of course I did because I didn`t want Mitch -- I didn`t want, you
know, Mitt Romney, Mr. 47 percent to be President of United States.

SHRUM: And (ph)...

SCHULTZ: And certainly don`t want John -- I didn`t want John McCain back
in 2008. But, I think those two races as you mentioned are good examples
of how candidates can do self-inflicted wounds no doubt. Bob Shrum great
to have you with us tonight, I appreciate your time.

Coming up...

SHRUM: OK, thanks Ed.

SCHULTZ: ... you bet. Scott Walker tries to win his third election in
four years. The question is have working families had enough of this
radical governor?

Keep it right here. We`ll be right back at the Ed Show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Thanks for watching tonight. Just
a short time we`re going to find out whether Mitch McConnell will be
surviving, being one of the most reviled candidates in this country.

Polls close in Kentucky at 7:00 P.M. Eastern Time. And Republican Senator
Mitch McConnell has done nothing on the campaign trail except attack
President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) MINORITY LEADER: Kentucky Kynect is a
website. It was paid for by $200-and-some-odd million dollar grant from
the federal government. The website can continue but in my view the best
interest to the country would be achieved by pulling out Obamacare root and
branch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: McConnell opponent Alison Lundergan Grimes support for Kynect
could boost his success at the polls. More than 500,000 people in Kentucky
now have health insurance thanks to that program. Even in the conservative
strongholds of Northern Kentucky thousands of residents now have health
insurance because of the state`s program. It`s not clear how many of the
500,000 people in Kentucky who now have health coverage voted in 2008.

But what is clear McConnell`s argument carries no weight and had nothing to
do with the success of that program. But what if McConnell were the senate
majority leader?

Let`s talk to Larry Cohen tonight he is the President of the Communication
Workers of American. Mr. Cohen good to have you with us tonight, you and I
had have conversation about bad trade agreements in this country. If the
Republicans get the Senate would seem to me that McConnell would give the
green light and the fast track and put pressure on the President. How do
you see unfolding and is that one your biggest fears?

LARRY COHEN, CWA PRESIDENT: It is one of our biggest fears and in fact our
activist who are out working hard right at this minute across the country.
Next week will be mobilizing with millions of Americans against the TTP and
against fast track. Now regardless of who the majority leader is. But
obviously Mitch McConnell will sign off with the camber of commerce on any
trade deal, no matter what it means for working Americans. And yes were
quite concern about it.

SCHULTZ: How big is the ground effort been for your union, the
communication workers of America, where have you really put your capital
and how -- how do you think it`s worked?

COHEN: We focused in all of those swing -- senate races that you been
talking about tonight. And in fact our materials, our conversation are
about the Mitch McConnell takeover and what it means. And it`s not just an
election within the state it`s about electing McConnell as the majority
leader of the U.S. Senate. And what that means in terms of gutting the
national labor relation act, in terms passing the worst trade deal ever.

Those are the two issues that we have campaigned on particularly on those
seven or eight key Senate states. We have thousands of volunteers out
right now. We`ve made tens of thousands of phone calls particularly at our
members, work site meetings, more volunteers that we`ve ever had in a
midterm election.

SCHULTZ: More volunteers than you`ve ever had in a midterm election.
Couple that with the extra polling that we reported on just moments ago
here on the Ed Show. Minimum wage is almost in the slam dunk territory
with the American people, your response to that.

COHEN: I think the American people overwhelmingly believe that working
people need a better deal. Number one, the poorest among us, but number
two, you know, America needs a raise regardless of where we are on the
spectrum and candidates like McConnell or Joni Ernst in Iowa think that
what people are paid now is just fine. In fact we don`t need a minimum
wage or race at all. We should just take whatever the market pays us.

SCHULTZ: Larry Cohen President of the Communication Workers of America.
Good to have you with us tonight. All great work my friend, thanks so
much, I appreciate you time.

We have much more ahead on this Election Day. Stay with us we`ll be right
back on the Ed Show.

JOSH LIPTON, CNBC MARKET WRAP: I`m Josh Lipton with you CNBC Market Wrap.

Stocks end mixed this Election Day. The Dow at 17 points, the S&P falls 5,
the NASDAQ sheds 15.

Oil sliding again today, west Texas Intermediate crude dropping $1.59 to a
three-year low of $77.19 a barrel. The decline hitting energy stocks
Halliburton, Transocean and Chevron all finishing lower.

And Alibaba shares gaining more than 4 percent today, it`s after releasing
its first post IPO earnings report, profits jumps 16 percent revenue also B
(ph).

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Thanks for watching tonight.
Senate Republicans are already licking there chops overpower. Rob Portman
Senator from Ohio began an early victory lap for the GOP. He laid out the
framework for their first month in majority that happens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROB PORTMAN, (R) OHIO: Three things that`s going to be done the first
month.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

PORTMAN: Ready for this? First a comprehensive package on energy. Yes
Keystone XL Pipeline getting approved. Second, condition to energy tax
reforms, I mean the President talks about the fact that companies are
taking jobs overseas. We want to stop the too, but what the President is
proposing ain`t going to help, its going make it worst. The third thing
is, let`s do something on regulation I mean the regulatory burden in this
country continues to increase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: It`s pretty clear the Republicans are ready to be aggressive and
put the President on the defensive on the spot if they gain the majority.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCONNELL: I`d like to see a move to the middle and address issues that he
says, he wants to address like trade agreements. He`s not been confronted
with anything that made him uncomfortable. I don`t think there`s anything
wrong with sending a President a bill that makes him uncomfortable. He
doesn`t own the place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Mitch McConnell might have a point if you don`t take into account
the constant obstruction the President has face on just every issue from
the GOP. The Republican agenda is very clear, it is clear as a bill. Gut
the corporate tax code to favor big business, fast track the secretive TPP
deal, green light the destructive Keystone Pipeline and slash regulatory
protections.

Do the Republicans? Let me remind you folks they will never be in favor of
racing the minimum wage. Their agenda is about reforms, that what they
call it. I call it attack on workers. This clearly is an important
election for labor in this country.

So let me bring in two of the best tonight. Joining me now on a Rapid
Response Panel, James Hoffa, President of the International Brotherhood of
the Teamster, also with us tonight, Lee Saunders, President of AFSCME.
Gentlemen good to have with us.

I want to focus right in on what Mitch McConnell is talking about.
Basically he is saying the corporate tax rate is too high, there`s too much
regulation. And basically we are going to see a push for Keystone. Mr.
Hoffa what`s at stake for labor in this country if Republicans take over
the senate?

JAMES HOFFA, TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT: Well, they`ve been waiting all a long on
to get this done. To basically to attack and challenge -- to attack the
President and go after issues that are going to have the rich and the big
corporations. They`re after attacking anybody that wants to raise minimum
wage, there against that, there against equal pay for women, they want a
basically have trade agreements where they can send American jobs overseas.

So you can see what their objectives. It`s something that`s bad for
America and there just waiting to hope that they win this Senate race
that`s on right now. But I think we`ve got a chance here to win this. I
don`t think it`s over yet. It`s not about winning, but if we can keep the
majority here in the Senate we will be able to maintain this role we have
right now and make sure we maintain a fair America.

But the danger, you see what`s they`re talking about, they want to go into
trade agreements where they can start sending American jobs overseas.
That`s wrong.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

HOFFA: We`ve been fighting this and we`re going to keep on fighting.

SCHULTZ: Mr. Saunders it`s pretty clear that the Democrats, the
progressive movement, they`ve won the argument on minimum wage in this
country it seems like, but can you win elections on that issue. Your union
AFSCME has really been hit hard by Walker`s agenda in Wisconsin. How
important do you think it is? In fact you have called him public enemy
number one. How important is a victory there tonight and also where some
of these other radical governors are?

LEE SAUNDERS, AFSCME PRESIDENT: Well, I believe it`s extremely important
and there`s a clear choice that could be made between these extremist
governors who were elected in 2010, taking collective bargaining rights
away from public service workers, attacking all kinds of labor rights,
attacking voting rights, attacking the public education system in this
country, not supporting an increase on the minimum wage. They want to do a
way with the minimum wage quite honestly, not supporting equal pay for
equal work.

So there`s a clear choice that has to be made. And I believe and I`ve been
traveling across this country and I`m in Florida right now. And I believe
that people get it. They understand it. If you look at the polling sites
in Florida I was around on Sunday visiting the early voting sites and they
were lines of people, standing and waiting patiently to cast their vote.

People understand that this is an extremely important election and the
choices are very, very clear. We have got to vote out those individuals
who think like Scott Walker, those extremist governors vote and friends
(ph) who believe and support the issues of working families across this
country and that`s exactly what we`re going to be.

SCHULTZ: Well, I want to ask you about Florida because I`ve been down here
reporting the last few days as well. I think voter suppression has had a
lot to do with this turn out, and people understand what`s unfolding in
front them. I mean you can talk a minimum wage and talk Obamacare, you can
talk about wages all you want but people -- they`re upset that someone has
tried into invade their freedom when it comes to voting and this -- I think
this voter suppression has had a lot to do with it.

Have you sense that as well since you`ve been on the ground in Florida?

SAUNDERS: I think you`re exactly right Ed, I believe that people are
reacting to attempt to steal our voices, to steal our democracy, take it
away from us. People gave their lives for the right to vote and that`s why
it`s so important that we knock on those doors and that we make those phone
calls and talk to our coworkers and families and friends about the
importance of this election. This is a midterm election and we know that
historically midterm elections, a lot of folks don`t show up. But it`s
changing here.

You look at the early voting, the numbers are well above the 2010 levels.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SAUNDERS: The participation today looks great. So, we`re just continuing
to push our folks to get out to vote. They understand that they`re under
attack and working families were under attack and the way that they can
make their voices heard is through the voting process.

SCHULTZ: Mr. Hoffa, did you think within your group the Teamsters that
you`re going to reset mold -- reset the model for midterm turn out? I
mean, we are hearing that there are some very good turnout in pockets of
the country.

HOFFA: Well I think Michigan is doing extremely well as I saw before, you
know, so many states have, you know, multiple days of vote, where they can
vote and that`s important right now and you see a (inaudible) amount of
people getting out to vote right now. In Michigan, we`re having record
number of people voting and they are basically working families coming out
to vote right now.

So even though they have one day they`re swarming to the polls and I think
we`ve got a chance to make sure we win the whole thing.

SCHULTZ: OK. Well, it`s important for the Democrats to hang on to the
Senate if the progressive movement is going to have any kind of life in the
next couple of years. The obstruction that is taking place in Washington
has been unprecedented. And so, Mr. Saunders, let`s say the Democrats hang
on tonight, Lee, where do you think happens in the next two years? How
much fight is going to be against this obstruction? Are we going to see
more of the same?

SAUNDERS: Well, I think that they think twice about doing what Scott
Walker did in the State of Wisconsin. I think that if we`re successful in
electing folks who believe and supporting fairness...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SAUNDERS: ... who want to provide dignity and respect for those on the job
and if we`re successful in electing are those kinds of governors, those
kinds of senators this evening then, I think they`re going to have second
thoughts about it. But, I think they`re going to continue to try to attack
us in every way that they can and we`re always going to have to be
prepared.

We`re always going to have to organize and mobilize and educate our
communities. And we`re always going to have to be aggressive in fighting
back.

SCHULTZ: And 2016 starts tomorrow I guess, James Hoffa of the Teamsters,
Lee Saunders of AFSCME, great to have gentlemen with us tonight.

Stay with us. All right, coming up if Scott Walker is reelected tonight,
his next step might be the presidential candidacy. What this means for
Democrat is next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show, bring you up today poll in
Wisconsin, going to be closed at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time tonight.
Republican Governor Scott Walker has broken his job creation promise of
250,000 jobs although he has won two elections. Tonight might be the
third.

The question remains whether Wisconsin`s working families will turn out to
vote against him getting him -- to stop him from getting reelected again.

We`ll bring you the latest from the battleground state for labor in this
country. Keep it here, we`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Thanks for joining us here on the Ed Show tonight and, you know,
tonight really is a major test for Republican Governor Scott Walker. If he
wins in Wisconsin he is the big winner tonight. And if he wins he`s going
to be looking at a run in a couple of years to become president of United
States and go after the Republican nomination, no doubt.

All of Walker`s campaigns have been riddled with lies and broken promises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: 250,000 new jobs, that`s my goal, 250,000 new jobs by the end of
our first term in office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Not even close. Scott Walker carved out victories in 2010 and
2012 by winning among independents, older voters, rural votes, blue-collar
voters and men. Blue-collar voters and working families in Wisconsin need
to realize this guy has not been working for them at all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: We don`t have a jobs problem in this state. We have a work
problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: A work problem, OK, Democratic Challenger Mary Burke has an
uphill battle to block Walker`s three-peat. Burke went to Democratic
headquarters in Green Bay on Monday night to make a last minute push.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY BURKE, (D-WI) GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: This is the two-minute drill
here. It`s the last two minutes of the game. We know we have to drive
down the field, we have got to score, and we have to get over that goal
line and it is so close, it is within reach but we need to get people out
to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I mean when you`re in Packer Country, you talk about football,
don`t you?

Burke needs a big turn out from Democrats in two specific areas tonight and
maybe three obviously Milwaukee and of course Dane County around Madison,
but the Fox Valley which is 16 Counties around Green Bay is where a Walker
has been strong. If she can get women voters in that area, that could turn
the election.

In 2010, Democrats made up 47 percent of the voting age citizens in
Milwaukee, and 72 percent in November in 2012. But Democrats have seen
smaller turnouts and smaller Democratic margins in midterm elections in
Wisconsin. Wisconsin`s working voters need to turn out big time to stop
Walker if they want a future because he`s not going to do the minimum wage
or anything in the state level to help workers.

Joining me tonight, Jennifer Epps-Addison, Executive Director of Wisconsin
Jobs Now, also with us tonight James Hoffa stays with us, President of the
International Brotherhood of the Teamsters.

Jennifer you first. What are you seeing on the ground in Milwaukee? What
I`ve reported earlier in this broadcast was that the election commission in
Wisconsin had to bring in some 50 people to process the alliance because of
on-site registration being so big in Milwaukee. Did you see that? What
are you seeing?

JENNIFER EPPS-ADDISON, WISCONSIN JOBS NOW: Absolutely, what I`m hearing
and what I`m seeing on the ground is that this will probably be the highest
turn out for the midterm election our state has had an over 50 years.

People are excited, people are ready to vote and I was talking to a number
of chief inspectors today at various polling locations as we are polling
the results and they were seeing that, you know, these turn out numbers for
them are what they see during the presidential election. It`s unheard of
for them and most importantly they were saying that they are registering
dozens and dozens of young people.

At one location, just by itself had registered 200 new voters by 2:00 this
afternoon. So people are fired up particularly underpaid workers, the
working people of the state who under Scott Walker are getting poorer and
poorer while his rich campaign contributors are running away with the
economy in our state and running away with the free give away that Scott
Walker has been giving them.

SCHULTZ: Mr. Hoffa, that answer that you just heard, how encouraging is
that considering how your union and other unions have put such a social
media effort in getting the vote out?

HOFFA: Well, I think it`s very strong right now. I saw also when I was in
Wisconsin a tremendous amount of people angry of what Scott Walker has done
to the state. He wants to get people basically the shafting and I can see
a lot of people coming into the polls. I can see that Mary Burke is doing
a great job and it`s time for us to turn this state around and we really
have a good opportunity to do it. And with what he`s done to collective
bargaining it`s time to turn the state around and we can do it.

SCHULTZ: Jennifer, Mary Burke being a professional business person, a
woman, is that going to turn the female vote in Wisconsin at all?

EPPS-ADDISON: Well women don`t just vote for women because they`re women.
They vote for candidates who have the interest of themselves and their
families at heart. I think what`s you`re going to see is women are voting
because Scott Walker forced through Vaginal Ultrasound Bill that if
medically unnecessary and panned by the American Medical Association, I
think women are going to vote because two-thirds of minimum wage workers
are women and Scott Walker says the minimum wage serve no purpose.

Women are going to vote because their kids go to public school and Scott
Walker wants to use our tax dollars so that rich families can continue to
send their kids to private school. That`s why women are going out to vote
today. But, you know, regardless of what happens in this election, Ed, I
think it`s important to understand that we have to treat our democracy that
every single day that we have the opportunity to make our voice heard is
just as important as Election Day.

So regardless of what happens tomorrow, I hope people of our state wake up
as united as we are today to move our state forward, to build an economy
that works for everybody and to hold whoever wins the governorship
accountable to the working people of this community.

SCHULTZ: What did you see in Wisconsin as far as the angst of the voters,
Mr. Hoffa? What did you hear?

HOFFA: Well, I heard from people that they`re mad about what he`s done to
collective bargaining...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

HOFFA: ... and basically destroyed what people used to have and it`s lower
their wages. It scared them into losing their benefits right now and it`s
important that we turn this around and also...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

HOFFA: ... the fact that people want a safe place.

SCHULTZ: Yes, what he did back in 2011, they still remember in 2014. At
least we think they do. We`ll see. Results coming in later tonight.

James Hoffa, with us tonight, Jennifer Epps-Addison, thank you so much.

My assignment on our coverage tonight is here in Florida. I`ll be over at
Charlie Chris camp reporting here on MSNBC.

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

MSNBC`s election coverage starts right now.

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

Content and programming copyright 2014 MSNBC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Copyright 2014 Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by
United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed,
transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written
permission of Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark,
copyright or other notice from copies of the content.