PoliticsNation, Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

POLITICS NATION
October 29, 2014


Guest: Lisa Bloom, Abby Huntsman, Jimmy Williams, Tara Dowdell, Nina
Turner

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC ANCHOR, THE ED SHOW: Good evening, Rev.

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, MSNBC ANCHOR: Good evening, Ed. And thanks to you
for tuning in.

Tonight`s lead, less than one week to go. We`ve got just six days left
until Election Day. And Democrats have to everything they can to make
their voices heard. With headlines like this, Republicans want voters to
think they have this been all locked up.

Here`s the truth. They don`t. Races all across the country still
unbelievably close. A new analysis from Princeton University shows eight
different Senate races all within three points, and so are 12 governor
races.
\
We haven`t seen this many statewide races up in the air in years. And
that`s why President Obama is pushing voters to get everyone they know out
to the polls. Here he is in Wisconsin, campaigning for Mary Burke in a bid
to unseat governor Scott Walker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Grab your friends, grab your
co-workers, grab, you know, the lazy cousin who is sitting at home. Never
votes during the midterm elections. He is watching reruns of old packer
games. Just grab him up. Take all of them to cast their ballot and cast
their ballot for Mary Burke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: With things so tight, there`s no excuse not to vote. And
African-Americans could play a huge role in this election. With Democrats
counting on black voters to turn out and official in Georgia, Louisiana and
Arkansas reporting big increases in black voter registration. So the
president had one more message last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I am telling you, Wisconsin, America`s best days are still ahead.
I believe it. Mary Burke believes it. Now you have to believe it. Go out
there and vote and go vote for Mary Burke. God bless you. God bless
America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Get out there, we have just six days left.

Joining me now is MSNBC host Steve Kornacki who has been digging deep into
all these races.

Thanks for being here, Steve.

STEVE KORNACKI, MSNBC HOST, UP WITH STEVE KORNACKI: Sure, Reverend.

And what you`re saying is true about how many wide open races there really
are.

SHARPTON: But tell me, just how close are some of these Senate races?

KORNACKI: Sure. I pretty give you idea her. What we`ve done is we`ve
tried to narrow the battlefield. So what you have here, the red states,
blue states, states with the Senate races right now. Pretty clear you can
tell which party is going to win. But what`s the other color you see in
this map? Well, that is yellow. And there are ten of them. There are ten
Senate races right now that we look at and we say, you know, some of them,
maybe the Democrats are a little ahead. Some of them maybe the Republicans
are a little ahead. A lot of them is tough to tell who is ahead at all.
All right, of them, there is uncertainly. All right, of them has
volatility.

And as you say, it is very unusual to get this late in the cycle and have
this many states. And the thing to keep in mind here is, you have ten that
are up for grabs right now. If you look at the totals for each party,
remember there are two different numbers that are sort of at play here.
Republicans, their magic number is 51. They have to get that 51 if they
are going to control the senate. So that means six of these ten that are
up for grabs.

Democrats just need to get the 50 because Joe Biden at 50-50 Senate would
break the tie. So of these, of course, these two independents currently
caucus with Democrats so you can add those two. So Democrats really only
need five from these tally right here. That would get them the 50-50
Senate.

SHARPTON: What`s the closest race where Democrats are trying to hold on to
a seat?

KORNACKI: So, I would say take a look at Iowa. I think when we look a
little closer. So this Tom Harkin, the Democratic senator is retiring in
Iowa. It is an open seat. It is a Democratic seat. And this is one, Iowa
is a state that voted for President Obama twice. Bruce Braley is the
Democratic nominee, a Congressman. He is training. What you`re seeing
here, the number you`re seeing, these are the average of all the polls that
have been taken in Iowa. So he is trailing by about two points in the
average. But Joni Ernst has generated a lot of negative publicity. She
recently skip an editorial board meeting with the largest paper in the
state. She is vulnerable on quite a few issues.

This is the one where Democrats say, look, in a state like Iowa. They
think they are very well organized. It is an Obama state. They think she
is vulnerable. This is one where they think they can catch her at the
wire. But right now, she is ahead in the average of all polls.

SHARPTON: What`s the closest race that Republicans are trying to defend?

KORNACKI: So this is one that they didn`t think they would have to worry
about at all (INAUDIBLE). Take a look at the state of Georgia and take a
look at this.

SHARPTON: Yes, I was there last night.

KORNACKI: It`s amazing too. Because you think of Georgia as a red state.
You know, they voted for McCain. They voted for Romney. It is a state,
though, where the demographics are changing. It is becoming more and more
diverse.

Also though, David Perdue, the Republican nominee has really step on the
issue of outsourcing. He has a business background. He talked about how
he was proud of his outsourcing past. Since that came to life, Michelle
Nunn, the Democrat and the daughter of a former senator Sam Nunn, she has
zoomed basically into contention. She has caught him in some polls. Other
polls still have ahead. Again, you see the average here, four-tenths of
one percent, separate into the average. And again, the wild card here in
Georgia to keep in mind. If neither of them gets to 50 percent because
there`s a libertarian, it would also -- there would be a runoff in fact of
January.

SHARPTON: Now, we`ve seen black turnout deep in midterms if Democrats can
boost black turnout, how much of an impact would that have?

KORNACKI: Yes. And there are some states where it would be very
significant. I`m going to show you one in particular here. It is the
state of North Carolina. In the North Carolina, Kay Hagan, the Democratic
incumbent is defending her seat against Thom Tillis. Kay Hagan slightly
leads in the polls right now. But if we look closer at North Carolina, I
can show what Democrats are thinking. When you talk about African-American
turnout being key, you look right around here, and this is Charlotte, this
Mecklenburg county in North Carolina. And this is when President Obama was
on the ballot in 2008 and he won North Carolina. Remember, one of the --
the first time in a long time that Democrats did that. He got huge turnout
in Mecklenburg county.

He also got very big turnout there in 2012 in nearly won the state. In
between though, in 2010 when there was a Senate election, turnout dropped
significantly there. We are talking about 50 percent. So Democrats are
focusing intensely on getting African-American voters in particular right
there in North Carolina. And that could make a big difference.

SHARPTON: Steve, you`ve been great on election coverage. And you know,
we`re looking forward to watching you over the next six days.

And watch "Up" weekends at 8:00 a.m. eastern right here on MSNBC.

Now let`s bring in Joe Madison and Bill Press.

Joe, what are you hearing from people on the radio? Are they gearing up
for this election?

JOE MADISON, HOST, MORNINGS WITH MADISON: I`m hearing exactly that . And
not only are we hearing it, but we`re actually seeing it. And we`re seeing
it with early voter turnout. Almost every state that has early voting
turnout, there are increases in numbers.

Now, that`s a good indication because, you know, we have this reputation of
showing up late. But the reality is, we are showing up early here. And
most people believe that`s due to one thing and the Republicans made a big
mistake. And that is, their whole voter suppression move. Because, and
the president was, on may show, like he did a lot of black talk radio, he
made it very clear to people. When you try to keep us from something,
that`s when we really stand up and go after it.

SHARPTON: And he made it clear on may radio show about how we were talking
about policies. We don`t have to agree on everything. And everybody
doesn`t have to be campaigning with him. But on basic fundamental things,
we all in this country really want to see the same thing.

Bill, you know, one of the closest races this cycle that I`ve been watching
is the Wisconsin governor`s race. You know, I want to play part of a new
ad governor Scott Walker put out, starring Wisconsin`s lieutenant governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I find it so insulting that Mary Burke would say that
we`re trying to make it harder for women to get equal pay. Under Scott
Walker workplace discrimination will always be illegal for any reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: She is insulted by the accusation that he is not for equal pay.
But he repealed the equal pay law. I mean, if Walker can`t win over
voters, he is just trying to confuse them, Bill Press?

BILL PRESS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, absolutely. First of all, I just
have to say when President Obama was there for Mary Burke yesterday, he
also said Mary Burke will be the next governor of Wisconsin if folks turn
out to vote. He hammered that home. Voter turnout in everyone of these
races we`re talking about is key. And he is the best one to stir up people
to get out the vote. Which is why I have to say, Reverend Al, right at the
top, I think some of our democratic Senate candidates are making a huge
mistake in not having President Obama come in for a rally during this last
week of the campaign.

But back to Scott Walker in just a second. Yes, he vetoed that bill for
equal pay in Madison, Wisconsin. He promised he was going to create
250,000 jobs in his first term. He`s created basically zero jobs. He`s
shut down women`s clinics in Wisconsin and of course he took away the right
for collective bargaining from all public employees in Wisconsin. And
Scott Walker is afraid. He is afraid he is not going to be able to run for
president because he is going to lose for reelection. And I think he will.
So he is telling all these lies in a desperate attempt at the last minute
to save his job.

SHARPTON: Now, there is serious concerns, Joe, about a Republican Senate.
Majority leader Harry Reid put out a fundraising email today. Writing in
it, frankly, a Republican House and Senate could go beyond shutting down
the government. They could waste months of our lives on impeachment.
Impeachment. Is that really possible? And will that motivate voters, Joe
Madison?

MADISON: Well, you know, Reverend, your show was one of the first that
allowed no tell people, I believe it was over a year and a half ago, that
impeachment was on the table. And I know a lot of Democrats said all you
guys, it`s hyperbole. Well, it turned out to be a fact.

Yes, that`s exactly what they`re going to do. Look. They couldn`t stop
him the first term. They couldn`t stop him the second term. They couldn`t
stop him with Obamacare. And so, the bottom line is, OK, we can`t stop
you. But you know what we can do is embarrass you. We can embarrass you
and create your legacy. We impeach you.

And so, that means the next two years instead of fighting for equal pay for
women, minimum wage, maintaining the affordable care act, the president and
the White House will be preoccupied with trying to defend themselves in an
impeachment trial. That should be enough to get people out to vote.

(CROSSTALK)

SHARPTON: And it`s a real issue.

Bill, how did you weigh in on the possibility of impeachment if the
Republicans have the house and the Senate?

PRESS: There`s no doubt that`s their agenda. Joe is absolutely right.
And he has been saying this for a year. And I have been on with him when
he has been saying that. So I can vouch for.

But the other thing here. Any chance of getting anything done on, anything
we care about immigration reform or voting rights or imagine what they`ll
do with the key stone pipeline. Imagine what they will do with the
affordable care act if they are in-charge. It would be a disaster for the
Republicans who have take over.

But you can tell that impeachment is their agenda because you look across
the country. Democrats are running. Here`s what I want to do if I`m
elected senator or governor. Republicans are running on one thing. We
hate Barack Obama. My opponent is friend of barrack Obama`s so vote for
me. They stand for nothing. It is all just anti-Obama.

SHARPTON: One of the other things, quickly Joe, is these gubernatorial
races. Clearly, the Senate is important. But you`re talking about six
states that we can deal with Medicaid expansion affecting 2.2 million
people.

So you have a lot of reasons to come out and vote in the Senate races and
the gubernatorial races. Certainly not only the president`s agenda but
your own health care and expansion in some states that are being blocked
now. All the states that would be affected if the wrong person got in the
governor`s chair.

MADISON: And don`t try to put just a black face on it. Medicaid helps
basically three groups. One, children first. Two, the disabled, and
three, elderly. Whether you`re black, white, brown, Asian, whatever.
Those are the three main groups that Medicaid helps. And the problem is
you can even get a Democratic governor in there. But they gerrymandered
the state so that even a Republican governor who wants to include Medicaid
has to now fight his own party to take care of children --

SHARPTON: Which is why we have to emphasize in these last few days what it
is about. And like you said, that it`s elderly, it`s the disabled. That`s
why keep telling people -- and of course children. But I keep telling
people, I told them before, this is not about Obama. It is about your
mama. It is about the elderly in expanding Medicaid.

Joe Madison and Bill Press, thank you both for your time tonight.

Coming up, something you thought you would never hear from Sarah Palin,
again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: So hey, the more they`re pouring
on, the more I`m going to bug the crap out of them by being out there with
the voice, with the message, hopefully running for office in the future
too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: I never thought I would hear her say that again. Running for
office? What could that may not for her? And for the GOP?

Also, looking for answers in the death of Joan Rivers. Will a new wrongful
death lawsuit help solve the mystery?

Also, the cat calling video that`s gone viral, sparking new conversation
about how women are treated.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

SHARPTON: Why should America`s mothers, daughters and sisters have to put
one this kind of thing? We will talk about it in "conversation nation."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: President Obama repeated his message that America needs to
support those treating the Ebola outbreak in Africa again today. He said
the world owed them a debt of gratitude. Our social media community
responded.

Kay said President Obama nailed it. Anyone going to save lives and our
future lives on this planet deserves nothing less than our deepest respect.

Johnnie posted, he laid it out. America does not have time for fear.

We love when you chat with us online. So please keep the conversation
going on our facebook page or tweet us @politicsnation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: With six days to go before the election, Sarah Palin is stealing
the GOP headlines about a future election. Could she run for public office
again? Listen to what she is saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: Bless their hearts, those haters out there. They don`t understand
that it invigorates me and wants me to get out there and defend the
innocent. It makes me want to work so hard for justice in this country.
So hey, the more they`re pouring on, the more I`m going to bug the crap out
of them by being out there with a voice, with the message, hopefully
running for office in the future too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: What office might that be? And while some might dismiss Palin,
here`s why it has to be taken seriously. Whatever you think about her, she
has shown real political influence ever since 2009. She headlines big
Republican conferences with massive fanfare. And back in 2011, when she
launch a bus tour, the entire GOP field watched to see whether she would
officially run for president. The media followed her every move and
statement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: We saw where Paul revere hung out as a teenager which was something
new to learn. And, you know, he who warned the British that they weren`t
going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and making sure as
he is riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells,
that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: And then Palin didn`t campaign for president, but she did
campaign for a little known candidate in Texas running for Senate, Ted
Cruz. He is now a lot better known.

This past April Palin gave a boost to a GOP Senate hopeful in Iowa. Back
then, Joni Ernst was in a tight primary. Today she is the GOP nominee.
Last month with GOP senator Pat Roberts fighting for reelection, Palin gave
in, came to campaign for him and gave him a jolt. That`s why Sarah Palin
has to be taken seriously when she says things like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: Being out there with a voice, with the message, hopefully running
for office in the future, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: So what happens if she runs? And what effect will she have on
the GOP?

Joining me now is MSNBC`s Abby Huntsman. Thank you for joining me.

ABBY HUNTSMAN, MSNBC HOST, THE CYCLE: Thanks, Reverend. I always love
being here.

SHARPTON: Abby, Sarah Palin wants to run for office. I mean, what is
going on here?

HUNTSMAN: Look. You said it right. I mean, whatever you think about
Sarah Palin, she legitimized the tea party. She is the reason why they are
so powerful today. And she crowned herself queen of the tea party
movement. I think she deserves that.

One thing that`s great about this nation, you know this firsthand, is
almost anyone can run for president. And so, I would not be surprised at
all if she ends up doing that. But here`s the other problem with the
Republican party as it is today. This is why rational people don`t want to
go through this process. Because they see folks like Sarah Palin and like
Ted Cruz out on the debate stage with standing ovations and people all
excited about it and you have people that are more serious minded,
thoughtful compassionate about things like education or immigration. Like
my dad was like that in 2012 and there`s just silence because he doesn`t
have that hooray that they get. Jeb Bush is getting the same criticism.
Now, can he survive that? She will always be beloved by some people at the
party.

SHARPTON: Is at this time charisma or is it the policies or the substance
or combination of both? I`ve run for president and got a lot of claps.
But a lot of it was because people agreed with me and didn`t agree with the
other candidates. A lot of it, I`m sure, has to do with oratorical skills.
I mean, what is --?

HUNTSMAN: I`m not sure what the substance is to be honest. I think she
has the star power. And the worst mistake that John McCain made was
picking her for the vice presidential candidate. Because that forever
change the party. People saw her as someone had a stood her ground and
they loved that about her. Yet it is so extreme, though, that if she were
to ever run actually for president, it would be such a turnoff to the rest
of the Republican party.

I don`t see her as someone the establishment would ever get behind.

(CROSSTALK)

SHARPTON: But is she serious about this? Do you think about running for
office or running for national office?

HUNTSMAN: I think she probably is. I think that she got in the position
as vice presidential candidate where she was seen as a star and she loved
that. She fell in love with that feeling. And now that she is sort of
dying, we are seeing her out campaigning for a few races, people that need
her to help get out the vote. But really, her star power has faded from
even just a year ago.

So now, her way of coming back is saying I`m going to run. I don`t care
what you say about me. If anything reinvigorates me to want to get out
there and fight. So Rev., I would not be surprised at all of 2016 looks a
lot like 2012. If anything, it might even be more extreme.

SHARPTON: You know, in that interview, Sarah Palin also took aim at
Republican leaders for lacking, quote, "guts." Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: The leadership rate now, those who, at least, have the titles of
leaders in the GOP, they need more guts. They need to be empowered.
Instead of being so hesitant kind of going along to get along thinking,
that no, the media is going to say something mean about me if, you know, if
I exercise some of the leadership that we are creating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Is Sarah Palin a thorn in the side of the GOP and some of the
leader who want to move to center?

HUNTSMAN: She is. Like I said when John McCain picked her, the party was
changed forever. And they`re still trying to get back to the party that
once was under Reagan. Back to even the Lincoln days. No one even talks
about that party anymore because it doesn`t exist. If anything, I would
say courage is a Republican as willing to evolve on the issues. And if
anything, she is not that. So run for president Sarah Palin, but that`s
not the future of the party.

SHARPTON: Abby Huntsman, thank you for your time tonight. And we`ll see
you again later in this show.

HUNTSMAN: Of course.

SHARPTON: Coming up on the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy,
Governor Christie tells someone to sit down and shut up. Could his temper
hurt or help a potential run for president?

And the Joan Rivers death investigation. A new multimillion-dollar
wrongful death lawsuit might be coming. Why is being compared to the
Michael Jackson investigation? That`s coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Could Joan Rivers` death have been prevented? Her daughter
looks really to take legal action.

And Governor Chris Christie loses his temper, again. Could this hurt a
potential run for president? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: How did superstar comedian Joan Rivers die? Something went
wrong but what and why? The answer to those questions may come out in a
courtroom. As we`re learning today that Rivers` daughter looks ready to
take legal action. According to the e-network, Melissa Rivers who works
for E! is planning to file multimillion-dollar wrongful death lawsuit
against the clinic where Rivers was undergoing a procedure. A
representative for the firm saying, quote, "In order to fully determine all
the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of Joan Rivers, we
confirm that our firm has been engaged by Melissa Rivers and her family."

On August 28, Rivers went to a New York clinic for a throat procedure. But
while it was underway she stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.
She was rushed to the hospital and died a week later. Earlier this month
the New York City medical examiner ruled the comic died due to a lack of
oxygen to her brain during the medical procedure. According to the New
York daily news and other media reports, one source said the doctor,
Rivers` regular ear, nose and throat doctor, performed an unplanned biopsy
on Rivers that cut off her air supply. NBC has not verified this report.
But the source said that Rivers` doctor was not authorized to practice at
the clinic. The clinic denies a biopsy was performed and the doctor denies
performing any unauthorized procedure. But did someone or something cause
to happen? And if so, how do attorneys prove wrongful death?

Joining me now is Lisa Bloom. Attorney and legal analyst for Avvo.com,
thank you for being here.

LISA BLOOM, AVVO.COM LEGAL ANALYST: Nice to see you.

SHARPTON: So E! reports a wrongful death lawsuit is coming. How hard is
this for lawyer to prove beyond a reasonable doubt?

BLOOM: Well, what the attorneys for Melissa Rivers would have to show is
that the doctors committed negligence. And negligence is simply falling
below the standard of care for doctors in that area performing that type of
procedure. Right now, we don`t know the answer to that question. And I
think it is perfectly appropriate, I think Melissa is doing the right thing
to have attorneys, at least commence litigations so that there can be
discovery. So, that I can ask the questions. Get the doctors, get the
nurses, get all the personnel under oath. Ask them what happened. Line up
the medical documents and let`s see what happened. Because although Joan
Rivers was 81 years old, she was vibrant, she was working several TV shows
all at the same time. I mean, this was not her time to go. So, something
seems to have gone wrong in that doctor`s office.

SHARPTON: So her lawyers would have to establish what?

BLOOM: They would have to establish that the medical personnel fell below
the standard of care. And the only way that they can do that is by getting
the evidence from the doctors themselves and from that medical office.
Listen, I handle these kind of cases. I have a trial lawyer. People
criticize trail lawyers all the time but when a family is faced with an
incident like this where there is so many good questions and good questions
like the Propofol that was administered to her, the medication was it done
in the way that was proper, we`re all the safeguards in place, should this
procedure have been done since it was an 81-year-old woman in a hospital?
Why was not it done in a hospital? Did she sign up on everything?

SHARPTON: That is what we`re hearing. A sources, a biopsy like that
should only be done in a hospital setting. If she had been in a hospital
when it happened, she might have been okay.

BLOOM: Right.

SHARPTON: So, how do they go about proving whether the biopsy actually
happened? And whether it could have caused Rivers` death, Lisa?

BLOOM: Well, if this were my case, I would get everybody under oath, sworn
depositions. I would go detail by detail, moment by moment. Tell me
exactly what happened in that examination room. I would line up Joan
Rivers` consent form that she signed. Did she consent to each and every
procedure in there? And then you get expert witnesses to establish what`s
the standard of care is for example of Propofol, is it appropriate to do
that in a medical office versus a hospital? What anesthesiologist, and
what license is that anesthesiologist have? Who was there, what was
happening, what exactly went on? People might lie. That`s true. But when
you get everybody under oath, one by one in separate rooms and you get
those statements, you can match up and get to the truth and I think that`s
what Melissa Rivers is trying to do.

SHARPTON: Now, by doing this, it exposes a lot of what did and didn`t
happen possibly, but it also opens up to almost a circus kind of atmosphere
with the media on all aspects, of the life of Joan Rivers. And we saw this
happen with Michael Jackson.

BLOOM: That`s true. And he also dies from Propofol.

SHARPTON: Right.

BLOOM: So, it is certainly ironic from the lack of oxygen to his brain.
He was then rushed to the hospital, and he didn`t survived, he died from an
asphyxia. The same thing that Joan Rivers died off. An asphyxia is simply
a lack of oxygen to the brain. Now, she was having a procedure on her
throat. A minor procedure and endoscopy that should not have resulted in
her death. So, I`m not coming to any conclusions that the medical people
did anything wrong but I think there are certainly a lot of questions here.
And look, Joan Rivers opened up her life to everyone. I`ve read her books.
I`ve follow her all my life.

SHARPTON: Right.

BLOOM: She was pretty open about what was going on. And I really take my
hat off to Melissa for wanting to get to the bottom, and wanting to get
justice for what happened to her mother.

SHARPTON: And none of us have the answers but a lot of us know there`s
power in just raising the right questions.

BLOOM: Right. Exactly.

SHARPTON: Lisa Bloom, thank you always for your time.

BLOOM: Thank you, Rev.

SHARPTON: Still ahead, Governor Christie tells a protester to sit down and
shut up. Could his temper hurt or help a run for the White House?

Also, the cat calling video that`s gone viral. What it says about women
and the fight for equality. And respect. "Conversation Nation," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: We`re back with "Conversation Nation." Back with me tonight is
MSNBC`s Abby Huntsman. And joining us, our democratic strategist Jimmy
Williams and Tara Dowdell. Thank you all for being here tonight.

JIMMY WILLIAMS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you.

TARA DOWDELL, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thanks, Rev.

ABBY HUNTSMAN, MSNBC HOST: Thanks, Rev.

SHARPTON: First up, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie telling a protester
to, quote, "sit down and shut up." It happened at an event marking two
years since Hurricane Sandy. The heckler was critical of Christie`s
handling of the storm recovery. Well, here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I would be more than happy to have a
debate with any time you like guy. Because somebody like you doesn`t know
a damn thing about what you`re talking about except to stand up and show up
when the cameras are here. I`ve been here with the cameras aren`t here
buddy and done the work. I`ve been here when the cameras weren`t here and
did the work. So I`m glad you had your day to show off. But we`re the
ones here to actually do the work. So turn around, get your 15 minutes of
fame and then maybe take your jacket off, roll off your sleeves and do
something for the people of the state. It`s been 23 months since then,
when all you`ve been doing is flapping your mouth and not doing anything.
So, listen, you want to have the conversation later? I`m happy to have it,
buddy. But until that time, sit down and shut up.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

SHARPTON: Jimmy, here we go again. Does that help or hurt him
politically?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think it helps him in New Jersey. I would suggest that
if you`re running for president of the United States in South Carolina or
Utah or Southern Virginia, that don`t fly.

HUNTSMAN: You don`t think the Mormons would love Chris Christie?

WILLIAMS: Not so much. No.

SHARPTON: Why does it work in Jersey and not those places?

WILLIAMS: Look, I don`t think the country is homogeneous. I think
different parts of the country are different and I think if you`re in the
south, they`re not going to put up with that kind of stuff. I`ll tell you,
mother, she would look at that and she`d say, really? We don`t talk like
that down here.

HUNTSMAN: Well, I was just going to say, where he`s really going to get in
trouble with this kind of talk is with women.

WILLIAMS: Oh, yes.

HUNTSMAN: Specifically. I`ve been a huge fan of Chris Christie for a few
years.

WILLIAMS: No.

HUNTSMAN: I was. I really like the way that he was able to work with
democrats and he stood his ground and he seemed like a really strong, and,
you know, authentic politician that was sort of rare in politics today.
And since bridge gate, that change for a lot of people, including myself
where I started questioning things. And now whenever I hear him speak, I
honestly get a stomach ache.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

HUNTSMAN: And I can`t imagine President Obama with that tone. To Jimmy`s
point, this works in New Jersey, the minute you step out of there, I think
it`s a real turn off anywhere else in the country.

SHARPTON: Tara?

DOWDELL: Well, I think to Abby`s point, she raises a great point, he has
done this to women before. So that is really problematic, to teachers, how
he treated the nurse with the Ebola situation. So, he has done this not
just to men, but he`s gotten in women`s faces and yelled at them in a
threatening manner. And so, I think that this is going to hurt him.
Especially with women voters and especially outside of New Jersey.

SHARPTON: But this is his brand. What about those that feel that what did
you to get your recognition and notoriety, your brand, you should stay
loyal to. This was his brand. This is what we expected.

WILLIAMS: The brand may work in New Jersey, the brand may work in
Manhattan, the brand may work in The Bronx. But that brand is not going to
work in the -- that brand is not going to work in San Diego. That brand is
not going to work in the panhandle of Florida.

HUNTSMAN: Yes.

WILLIAMS: If you`re going to be a good politician, look at Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton could walk into pretty much any state and people were
levitating. Right? This guy grew up in a trailer in Arkansas. He doesn`t
have that.

HUNTSMAN: Right.

WILLIAMS: He is never going to have that. The bully on the playground is
the bully --

(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)

HUNTSMAN: They want you to be strong when you`re president of the United
States. They also want you to be kind. They want you to be compassionate.

SHARPTON: All right. Well, let me ask this. Does this mean you can
mentioned bridge gate, Abby? Does this mean he feels he`s past that? And
that he`s running?

HUNTSMAN: Well, here`s the thing.

SHARPTON: I mean, he`s gotten comfortable and looks like he`s back to --

HUNTSMAN: That changed a lot of people`s opinion about the governor. And
over the past few months, it seemed like people started talking about him
again on the national stage. He`s lost a lot of weight. He looks like
he`s wanting to get back into it.

SHARPTON: Why did you look at me when you said he lost --

(LAUGHTER)

I won that primary.

HUNTSMAN: But I do think every time he opens his mouth and speaks like
that, you will --

SHARPTON: Tara?

DOWDELL: Is Governor Christie running? Is water wet? Of course he`s
running. Everything he is doing right now is all about positioning himself
for 2016. I think where he`s going to have a problem with his temper in
particular is when he`s on the stage with a bunch of other republicans
whose egos are just as big. And when he loses his cool with them, I don`t
think it`s going to work well. Because people are going to come after him
on that stage and he`s used to being the boss. He used to being the main
guy.

SHARPTON: He could get lucky --

DOWDELL: And head bully in charge.

SHARPTON: He could get lucky, Jimmy. He could be up there with Mitt
Romney and he could be up there with Governor --

HUNTSMAN: But it doesn`t matter.

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: But think about -- but think about that big press conference he
did after bridge gate. That`s a very different tone to what we`re seeing
right now.

SHARPTON: Yes.

HUNTSMAN: It doesn`t matter because those sound bites live forever.

SHARPTON: All right. Let me move on to this dance punishment that has
gone viral. I really want to talk about this. Louisville father Kevin
Jones found out his 10-year-old daughter was lying about her age, and
dating boys much older than her. For punishment, he put her in an air
brushed shirt reading, I am 10 years old across the front of the shirt.
And fifth grader across the back. She was also forced to wear a cartoon
backpack and lots of barrettes in her hair making her appear younger.
Jones posted those photos, on his Facebook. Some people says, it is
appropriate punishment. Some say he is publicly shaming his daughter.
Abby, does the punishment fit the crime?

HUNTSMAN: I think it is public shaming, honestly. I have two sisters
around that age. And look, every child is different. And so you have to
handle them each differently. But this is almost like putting a scarlet
letter on her and making her feel terrible about it. I had a very open,
honest relationship with both of my parents. And so, I was able to talk to
them about things which makes it show, I hate to disappoint them. I always
want them to know if I have made a mistake. And they have opened the door
for me for that. So, if they were to have done that to me, if I had wanted
to date a 15-year-old, I probably would have reacted in a bad way and said,
I don`t want to tell them anything. And in fact, I want to sneak out and
just fight them.

WILLIAMS: My Allie (ph) has a dog and he`s never dated anyone that has
been age inappropriate. But I can tell you, if he, did I would do exactly
the same thing. She`s 10 years old! She has 80 years left of her life.
And now at 10 she is dating? Dating at 10? I don`t even know what that
means? How do you date at 10?

DOWDELL: I agree. What she did was actually dangerous. Because she was
on social media on secret accounts talking to people that were older than
her. She is 10 years old, she doesn`t know what the implications of that
are. But you have a lot of predators out there, a lot of people out there
that would be willing to take advantage. So, I think it is good. I think
he didn`t go overboard. It was a creative way and she is in fact ten years
old and she should be dress in my opinion like a 10-year-old.

SHARPTON: All right. I have to get to one more video here that`s getting
a lot of attention.

A hidden camera catching cat caller on the streets of New York City. One
woman walked across the city around for ten hours and faced over 100
instances of street harassment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: How are you doing today?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Smile!

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: What`s up, beautiful?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Hey, what`s up, girl? How are you doing? Somebody`s
acknowledging you for being beautiful. You should say thank you more.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: God bless you ma`am.

(Bleep)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Damn!

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Hey, baby.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Hey, beautiful!

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: How are you this morning?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Have a nice evening.

(Bleep)

Damn!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Tara, what do you think?

DOWDELL: I think if any woman in New York has been through that and knows
exactly what that`s like. And sometimes again, like I said, earlier,
sometimes it is dangerous. It`s not just people saying, smiling, saying,
hello. Someone followed her for five minutes and that`s threatening.

HUNTSMAN: Yes. And this totally --

SHARPTON: Jimmy?

HUNTSMAN: Go ahead, Jimmy. I love your take on this.

WILLIAMS: I`m a man. It would not occur to me to do something like that.
But let me ask this. I`m not condoning it. I think it is disrespectful to
women. But if a woman did that to me work, would we be having the same
conversation? If a gay man did that to me as a gay man, would I find that
offensive? Those are questions we have to ponder. Men are trained from
young boys up to do that kind of stuff to women. It is demeaning and it is
bad. She proves a point here.

SHARPTON: Abby?

HUNTSMAN: It goes against a theory that women ask for when they wear
revealing close, because look at her outfit. She is wearing just a regular
t-shirt, jeans, not a lot of make-up on. Welcome to being in New York City
as a woman. I`m sorry. But any time I`m walking on the street, Tara would
say the same thing. Honey, smile. What are you so sad about, baby? You
know, there`s nothing you can do about it though. Just keep walking.

SHARPTON: Well, got to go. But Abby, you and Tara come and ask me, what
color is my socks.

(LAUGHTER)

Tara, thank you for your time tonight. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: The Attorney General unplugged. Today Eric Holder was surprised
with a pop culture question at the end of an interview with Jonathan
Capehart from The Washington Post.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Who would you want to play you in the movie?

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: There`s only one person. Denzel.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Denzel Washington! Yes, I can see it. What do you think?
Genius casting or wishful thinking? Go to our Facebook page to let us know
what you think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: For a lot of people the mid-term elections has already started.
That includes over 475,000 early votes in Ohio where people are exercising
their rights, despite voter restrictions from GOP officials and right wing
judges. Just last month, conservatives on the Supreme Court ended Ohio`s
same day voter registration and upheld state cuts to early voting periods.
Including cuts to Sunday and week night voting.

Joining me now is Ohio State Senator Nina Turner who is running to replace
republican John Houston as secretary of state in Ohio. Thank you for being
here, Senator.

STATE SEN. NINA TURNER (D), OHIO: Good evening, Rev.

SHARPTON: Tell me what`s happening right now.

TURNER: Well, right now Rev, we are trying to get as many people as
possible to participate in the early voting days that we still have. As
you articulated, those days have been cut down. But we want to encourage
people and remind them that their voice does matter. A member of the house
of labor, I was just at a phone bank today with OCSCA, who have phone banks
all across this state trying to get member to member participation to
remind people that there is no such thing as an off year election.

SHARPTON: Now, the person you`re running against, John Houston, is not
just somebody there but he is advocated a lot of these voter moves. And in
fact, has been sued by both the Obama campaign and civil rights groups
around some of his voting decisions.

TURNER: Absolutely, Rev. And this last lawsuit that was argued by the
ACLU on behalf of the NAACP, African-American churches and the league of
women voters, a lower court judge -- economists from the Youngstown area
agreed with them, that what the current secretary of state has done in
terms of cutting hours, both weekday hours and evening days and the General
Assembly taking away golden week, violated the 14th amendment to the
constitution and section two of the voting rights act. But that did not
stop them and they continued to appeal all way to the United States Supreme
Court, was granted a stay 16 hours before early voting was supposed to
start, Rev. That creates voter confusion. He`s been doing it ever since
he`s been in office and I argue that voter confusion it is the 21st century
voter suppression.

SHARPTON: So, do you see your race really as symbolic as a showdown on
voting rights, as well as obviously you running to be secretary of state?

TURNER: Oh, absolutely, Rev. I think the voters of the state of Ohio, in
fact, I know that voters of the state of Ohio, regardless of their
political affiliation deserve a secretary of state that will expand and
protect that access to the ballot box because it is the greatest equalizer
that we have. One woman, one man, one vote. And that`s why. And it
doesn`t matter to me how people lean. I just want them to be able to vote.

SHARPTON: State Senator Nina Turner, thank you, for getting in tonight and
sharing this with us this evening and we will be talking.

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

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