THE ED SHOW
March 31, 2014
Guests: Michael Hiltzik, Bernie Sanders, Raul Grijalva
ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good evening Americans and welcome to the Ed Show
live from New York. Let`s get to work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s going to be hard to signup.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, especially since today is the deadline.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The deadlines for open enrollment under the
Affordable Care Act.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People pack to healthcare signup centers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Healthcare.gov website has been flooded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t it means anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More than six million people had enrolled.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO, (R) WYOMING: I think they`re cooking the books on
this.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People actually are looking
for Affordable Health Care.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get health coverage, do it for mom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Younger people not surprisingly are the last people to
signup.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After we`re through, everybody`s going to be saying I
can have healthcare.
JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: What the hell is this? A joke?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it is the law.
BOEHNER: I want to repeal the law of the land, is that clear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it is the law and that maybe is why people are
signing up, they want to be good citizens and everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Good to have you with us tonight folks. Thanks for watching.
Gosh, and today a celebration I think. We should be taking a victory lap
today. Actually, this week is our fifth anniversary here on MSNBC, the Ed
Team, the Ed Show.
Let`s see, we`ve done the six, the 10, the eight, the weekend and now the 5
o`clock. That`s a lot of partying by the end of the week. I`m going to
need Obamacare, don`t you think?
Look, this is a great story, it`s a great day for America and all the
Republicans are still lying about everything. March 31st is here and at
midnight tonight. Bingo, the open enrollment period for Obamacare
officially ends. I kind of think he might extend it again, which would be
a good thing.
Now, however, as long as you start the process before midnight, you got
until April 15th to signup and pick a plan and get after it.
So what does that tell you? It`s working. And by the way, here is the
number that you can call right now, it`s 1-800-318-2596. You dial right
in. I dialed in today on my radio show. It was a pleasant who lady
answered the phone, "Let`s get started." I said, "OK."
Now tonight this is a success story. And tonight we reported the latest
number released on Thursday, of course over six million people have signed
up for Obamacare. And I believe before the night is over with, we`re going
to be -- heck, we`re going to be pushing seven million people before this
whole thing is over with. This is what Kathleen Sebelius said, you know,
remember Kathleen Sebelius? She`s the secretary that everybody wanted
fired. Here`s what she had to say back in September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: I think success
looks like at least seven million people having signed up by the end of
March 2014.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHUTLZ: How in the world did they know that that was going to be the
number? And as you can see from this chart right here, if Keith Jackson
was doing play by play he`d be saying, "Look at that, we`re coming on down
the field, right." We sure are. That`s called skyrocketing over the past
few months. And is if this trend keeps up over the next 15 days, it`s
going to be very possible for Obamacare to hit that seven million mark by
the middle of April, wouldn`t that be something?
This would be a great victory for the Affordable Care Act considering what
happened the first month. 8.7 million people have visited healthcare.gov
in the past week. Over two million people over the weekend, that`s 380,000
phone calls to that 1-800 number that I just gave you a moment ago, that`s
a very good sign if we`re talking about hitting seven million people.
By 2015, Obamacare, hey projected a cover over 13 million Americans. By
2016, the number could be roughly 22 million Americans. Now, would that be
considered a good start? The nonprofit Rand Corporation has a study that
shows that nine and a half million people had gained health insurance from
Obamacare. This number includes Medicaid enrollment, which not every state
has taken. Other estimates reveal that 13 million people had gained
healthcare. If you factor in the young people, under 26, stay in on their
parents policy.
Now the Affordable Care Act has created, no question about it, the largest
expansion of coverage in healthcare in this country in a half a century, go
back to the days of Lyndon Johnson and Medicare.
Now, as America gets healthier, the cost of healthcare is going to start to
come down. We`ll have better outcomes.
Meanwhile, all of Obamacare`s recent success as Republicans just scrambling
on defense, Canadian Senator Ted Cruz of Texas came out and said that, "The
number of people without health insurance is going up."
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) TEXAS: What we know right now, is a result of
Obamacare, millions of people have lost their jobs, have been forced into
part time work, have lost their health insurance and are seeing their
premiums skyrocket. More people have lost their health insurance because
of Obamacare than have gotten it.
SCHULTZ: What`s your source, Senator? Nothing could be further from the
truth. But this is the MO right now for the Republicans. None of these
Republicans ever quote their source or say, you know, "You can turn to this
report or that report." or "You can get this source to tell you exactly
what`s happening." No. He`s lying. That`s what he`s doing. He`s lying.
We`ve shown you the numbers. Millions of Americans have gain health
insurance through this Affordable Care Act, the Obamacare, and it`s not
just Cruz.
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso said, "The Obama Administration is cooking
the books."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Barrasso given that how much is a six million
number actually mean?
BARRASSO: I don`t think it means anything, Chris. I think they`re cooking
the books on this. People want to know the answers to that. What we also
want to know is once this is all said and done what kind of insurance will
those people actually have?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: I`d love to debate you. C`mon Mr. Barrasso, let`s do it right
here on the Ed Show. Now, it`s interesting. I just said that we`re having
our fifth anniversary here.
Back when I first started, Senator Barrasso was willing to come on the Ed
Show. He has no source. He has no source. Millions of people are losing
their jobs. Millions of people are losing their policies. Well, that`s
because we don`t have junk insurance anymore. We actually have standards.
Republicans are getting desperate. That`s how we can read this. Their
worst fears are coming true. But let`s roll it back the good old highlight
tape of October 2013 and let`s take a listen to how Fox News was handling
it in October.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve had many voices such as yours describing of the
trouble I had. How many millions of people have been cancelled so far?
And whatever number it is, it`s going to multiply by 10 or 20 in the next
year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said recently that you think Obamacare is the
worst thing that`s happened in this nation since slavery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs have been lost, part-time jobs are increasing, the
train wreck in terms of the inability of people to actually get on the
website nothing short of a disaster, $624 million -- billion disaster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obamacare is a cancer on the healthcare system and on
our economy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re going to have longer wait times. You`re going
to be paying for a phone call to your doctor. You`re going to then have to
look at your child with a fever. For the first time, I mean since the
Great Depression, look at your child and think, "Should I wait until
tomorrow to go into the doctor when my second child might catch this?
Because then at least I can make more on my money."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: They should be playing that tape right there at the next National
Republican Convention because they have no faith, they have no vision and
they have no belief in what Americans can do. They have totally misread
this across the board.
Bottom line here folks is that this has been a remarkable turnaround.
President Obama said it was going to happen and it did. And keep in mind
there`s no number that the conservatives would be happy with. There isn`t
a number out there anywhere. They don`t want this. They want for-profit.
They know that this is just incrementally taking us down the road to
universal healthcare. We`ll take a little bit of the time.
And this is the argument that Democrats have got to talk about on the road.
Bill Clinton`s got it right. Don`t run away from Obamacare, let`s go to
round two. This is all -- round two is going to make it even better.
Don`t talk about fixes, talk about round two. And that`s the thing the
Conservatives are real scared about round two, because round two could be a
real public option, round three could be universal healthcare because
that`s exactly what the American people want. And it all is going to be
good when we go to the polls in November.
What`s it going to be like in November? Gosh, where we were in October and
where we are today, this guy, he wasn`t afraid to say that. And so now
we`ve got a 1-800 number you can call. This is almost like a FEMA number
isn`t it? 318-2596. You dial it up before midnight tonight, get your name
on the list and you were going to be able to get Obamacare. You cannot be
kicked off the rolls, you cannot be denied. That is change that we all
voted for. Not once but twice.
Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think tonight`s
question. "After six million sign ups, were Republicans wrong about
Obamacare?" Text A for yes, text B for No to 67622, you can always go to
our blog at ed.msnbc.com and we`ll you the results later on in the show.
I want to bring in a couple of people tonight. First, let`s go to Michael
Hiltzik, he`s a Columnist for the L.A. Times who has covered healthcare and
written about it quite a bit. Michael, good to have you with us tonight.
MICHAEL HILTZIK, LOS ANGELES TIMES: I`m happy to be back with you, Ed.
SCHULTZ: You bet. Cooking the books. What`s the source on that? Doesn`t
that make a journalist very curious because there`s nothing better than
somebody lying in the media business and you catch them? What`s he talking
about, Senator Barrasso?
HILTZIK: Well, you know, Ed, I think he used the right word and was
desperation.
First of all, it`s a ridiculous, factious assertion to make because the
fact of the matter is that a lot of these figures cannot from the federal
government not from the White House, they come from the individual states,
15 or 16 states and the district of Columbia that have their own signups,
their own websites. They`re producing figures on a weekly or monthly basis
and those figures are coming in and a lot of these states really, really
strong right now.
The fact of the matter is if you look at the figures that are coming from
the federal website, they`re pretty low. So if the Obama Administration is
cooking the books, it`s cooking them down rather than up. But we`re seeing
figures from everywhere that they`re showing that there`s a real surge
going on.
SCHULTZ: They`re easily verifiable too. The insurance industry can`t put
out phony numbers. They have to be upfront about how many customers they
have because they`ve got stockholders.
Now, considering where we were and where we are right now. How would you
capsulize it?
HILTZIK: Well, I think we are amazingly exactly where we thought we would
be. You heard Kathleen Sebelius talking the CBO had the same figure. The
CBO ratcheted its figure back and said, "Maybe it won`t be seven million on
the exchanges by March 31st. Maybe it`ll be six million because we had
four to six weeks in which the federal website was completely down." But
we are going to -- I agree with you. I think we`re going to be at seven
million by the end of the day and then it`ll be seven million certainly by
mid-April when all those applications have to be completed. Then you add
in the qualified health plans that are signed up for off the exchanges, all
of the other factors. I think we`re going to end up with 13, maybe 15, or
16 --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
HILTZIK: -- million people who have health insurance in 2014 because of
the Affordable Care Act. That`s a real victory.
SCHULTZ: So what we`re seeing now is the Republicans and their last throws
to thwart this.
HILTZIK: Yeah.
SCHULTZ: Cooking the books is the term they`re using. Millions of people
are losing their jobs although we`ve had 48 months of private sector job
growth. We`ve had eight million jobs added since actually Obamacare was
talked about back in the spring of 2009 when the economy was bad, we`ve
done nothing but add jobs all the way along. So they`re out of material at
this point, aren`t they?
HILTZIK: Well, they are and, you know, the funny thing is I think they`re
going to be cursing at the tide for a while. But I put out a tweet just
last night. My Twitter account which I said -- I asked, "What`s the over
under on how long it`s going to be before you start hearing Republicans
trying to take credit --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
HILTZIK: -- for this bill and you`re going to start hearing them talk
about how well the individual mandate. That was a Conservative idea to
begin with and they`re ultimately going to discover that millions of
Americans actually like this law.
You know, Ted Cruz put out a poll on his Facebook page a week or two ago in
which he said, "Are you better off now with healthcare than you were four
years ago when Obamacare was inactive?" He got inundated with people
saying, "Yes, we are better. We`re much better off -- we had pre-existing
conditions, we couldn`t get coverage, now we can coverage, it`s cheaper."
So he`s surprised.
SCHULTZ: Columnist of the L.A. Times Michael Hiltzik good to have you with
us tonight. Thank you so much.
HILTZIK: My pleasure.
SCHULTZ: Now, let`s bring in Senator Bernie Sanders who has been an
absolute fighter for the working folk of America. Senator, this really a
day of celebration. I mean, when you think about all the heated
discussions that took place in committee for several years the votes, the
back and forth and the anti, the -- and the millions of dollars that were
thrown at this, isn`t rather amazing we`re at this point?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Ed, try tens of millions of dollars
thrown against us.
Look, here`s the point, the point is that our Republican friends are
desperate during the eight years of the Bush Administration, they did
nothing to address the crises of healthcare. In the last several years,
their healthcare efforts have been to cut Medicare, to cut Medicaid, to cut
disease prevention programs, and now they are faced with the reality that
tens of millions of people desperately need health insurance and they`re
signing up for Obamacare.
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
SANDERS: And the other very important point to be made is we have finally
got rid of this obscenity called pre-existing conditions. A colleague of
mine was talking to a person in his state, she has a kid with diabetes, she
was rejected 34 times for insurance because her kid has diabetes. That`s
finished. That`s gone with.
So we`re making progress. Republicans are now on the defensive but clearly
we have got to go further. We cannot be the only nation in the
industrialized world that doesn`t guarantee healthcare to all people as a
right.
SCHULTZ: Senator, your response to the accusation from someone on the
other isle, Senator Barrasso, who says that the administration is cooking
the books.
SANDERS: Look, I think they don`t like the results that they are seeing.
They don`t like the fact that we`re seeing more and more people signing up
that in fact Obamacare is working for many, many millions of people. The
real issue that my friend Senator Barrasso should be asking is how does it
happen, Ed, that in over 20 states in this country run by Republicans they
are denying people Medicaid despite the fact that 100 percent of the cost
for the next three years will be paid for by the federal government.
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
SANDERS: What does that say to you about the Republican Party?
SCHULTZ: Well, they are just ideologically opposed to any kind of changes
in healthcare. They are for profit, that`s all they want. And --
SANDERS: That is --
SCHULTZ: -- it has to be pointed out that during the Bush years it was
double digit increases on premiums. Those have slowed down quite a bit.
That doesn`t mean that premiums aren`t going to go up but outcomes are
going to be better. Senator, how do the Democrats run on Obamacare in the
midterms? How do you see it?
SANDERS: Well , I think you talked with pride about the fact that more and
more people are getting health insurance. I think you talked about the
fact that Obamacare has played a role in cutting back on the escalating
cost of healthcare. I think you turn the tables on them. And you ask what
kind of party would deny working families the need, the ability to get
healthcare when in fact some of them are going to die because they don`t
get to a doctor when they should. I think it`s time to turn the tables on
them.
SCHULTZ: So they want to cut education. They want to cut social security.
They don`t want to do minimum wage, they want to abolish that. They want
to do bad trade deals. They want to get rid healthcare. They actually
want to take money away from American workers, because Obamacare has saved
a lot of people money. I hear it everyday. It`s all over that place.
SANDERS: Right.
SCHULTZ: They simply are on the wrong side of history.
SANDERS: Well, Ed, at the time when we have so much income and wealth and
equality, it very clear that the Republican Party is hooked up to Sheldon
Adelson, to the Cope brothers. Their job is to deliver for the
millionaires and billionaires and in the process big time they`re turning
their backs on working families and low income people. It is beyond
comprehension that governors -- Republican governors would deny working
people the opportunity, in some cases for the first time in their lives --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
SANDERS: -- to have health insurance because of their ideological
nature.
SCHULTZ: It is a high five day for the Democrats and the Progressive
movement, no doubt. Senator Bernie Sanders, good to have you on. Thanks
so much for joining us tonight.
Remember to answer tonight`s question there at the bottom of the screen.
Share your thoughts on Twitter at Ed Show and on Facebook, we always want
to know what you think.
Coming up, Republican presidential hopefuls, what do they do? Well, they
flock to Las Vegas this weekend in hopes of wooing billionaire mega donor
Sheldon Adelson. The Rapid Response Panel weights in on the winners and
losers.
But first, the Rosebud Sioux nation stands up against the Keystone XL,
exclusive footage from my visit to South Dakota over the weekend to the
Sioux spiritual encampment on the proposed pipeline route next.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: What`s hot, what`s not? Time for the Trenders Social Media.
Lots of activity over the weekend because of my trip to South Dakota.
Thanks for retweeting. Facebook.com/edshow is where you get after it.
Twitter@Edshow and Ed.msnbc.com, that`s where you could find us. And on
the radio we`re going to be on Sirius XM Channel 127, Monday through Friday
noon to three. You can get my radio podcast on my website at wegoted.com.
Ed Show Social Media Nation has decided. We are reporting.
Here are today`s top Trenders voted on by you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take me to the microphone.
SCHULTZ: The number three Trender, mixed signals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You had quite surprised for watching --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn`t really like surprises.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rogers is trading Capital Hill for a radio talk show.
SCHULTZ: Mike Rogers kiss his radio career might be short-lived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ronald Reagan back in 1980 used his platform as a radio
commentator to run for president, is that a consideration for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
REP. MIKE ROGERS (R) MICHIGAN: Ronald Reagan used his platform on radio to
run for the president of the United States. I have no idea, Chris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for the tip.
ROGERS: I`m going to take it where it goes. This is a very unique
opportunity
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is exited, huh?
SCHULTZ: The number two Trender, eight is enough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And everybody thought it was bad shot until it went it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing but net (ph).
SCHULTZ: The University of Kentucky continues its wild ride into the final
four.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had the by far the hardest road to get to the
final four.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The final four match ups, Florida will UConn and
Wisconsin will face Kentucky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Third time in four years the Kentucky is on its way to
the final four.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I told you it was going to happen. And everyone around
the world is talking about you right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The final four.
SCHULTZ: And today`s top Trender, last stand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we come together as a great Sioux nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won`t let the Keystone XL Pipeline come through
here. For 100 of years, we`ve been forced to fight, always forced to
fight. But we are warriors.
SCHULTZ: The South Dakota Sioux reservation stands up against the Keystone
Pipeline.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We told them this ain`t going to go on. I don`t think
they believe this, but today we`re here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re not going to ruin our water. They`re not going
to start Armageddon. We`re not going to let it happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is going to be a tough struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will stand. I will die if I have too. I`m not
afraid, we`re not afraid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Joining me tonight Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Vice
Chair of the House Native American Caucus. Congressman, great to have you
with us tonight.
I was really struck by the passion of the people in South Dakota, the Sioux
Native Americans out there. They do not want this pipeline coming through.
How important is their voice going to be in all of this?
REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D), ARIZONA: Well, it`s huge. The Sioux nation and
the first Americans has been historically and in the present time
consistently for the protection of the earth and protection of land and
water. They see that those as more than industrial commodity that you use
and discard. They see it as part of a whole. And I think their opposition
and it brings into the whole equation another dimension. A dimension that
is both spiritual, it goes back millenniums and represents quite frankly
the best traditions of this nation. And more importantly, it`s the first
Americans. And for them to say this is going against what we believe and
what our belief system is, and then it`ll do harm to the people --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
GRIJALVA: -- I think it is going to force people to pay much closer
attention if they weren`t paying attention already.
SCHULTZ: Well, Congressman, speaking of dimensions, there is a legal
dimension here. These Native Americans were telling me over the weekend,
stating case, stating treaty, stating section, all of it. They say that
President Obama, if he approves this, he is breaking two treaties. Can you
tell us anything about that? Are these Native American correct when they
speak like that?
GRIJALVA: I think when one believes in the sovereignty that is legally and
constitutionally represented for native nations in this country. Their
sovereignty is important. The keeping up and preserving and protecting and
enforcing the treaties that this nation signed with sovereign nations, I
think those are important. And their legal resistance to it is going to be
a very important fact. You just don`t trample over to your rights, you
just don`t trample over sovereignty and the right of a nation to make
decisions that are proper and self determined for their people, the best
interest and the best for them. You have to respect that legally.
And I believe that if that is a legal challenge that is part of the
Keystone opposition, it`s going to be a very big one. We have tribe, the
awesome people here in Southern Arizona that did not want a fence put on
the parts of their reservation that touched the border with Mexico.
They`re a sovereign nation. And that right is protected because that is
the right --
SCHULTZ: Well --
GRIJALVA: -- that they have under law and constitution and treaty.
SCHULTZ: Well and this is going to put -- if the president goes along with
it, he`s going to have to answer to that, illegally. And no one knows that
better than a --
GRIJALVA: Yeah.
SCHULTZ: -- constitutional lawyer. They say that they have -- there are
minimal rights issues, there are land issues, there a cultural issues
because this pipeline would be going over culturally sensitive areas. Said
they haven`t been consulted properly. What`s the resolution here?
GRIJALVA: The resolution has been from the start, this whole -- the whole
pipeline, the route, the process to get where we`re at, where Secretary
Kerry has a very important decision to make very soon as to whether or not
it`s in the national interest. I would suggest that the opposition by the
Sioux nation is not -- would verify that it`s not in the national interest.
And what`s at stake here is not -- if the opposition to the pipeline is
strong, it cuts across all sectors of this country. And now, with Indian
country and the Sioux nation in opposition, you have now added a dimension
that brings legal issues that were not thought of before and raises I think
to a constitutional level if not the -- if the United States and this
administration are going to ensure to treaty --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
GRIJALVA: -- agreements and more importantly to the sovereignty of that
nation.
SCHULTZ: Well, there will be other encampments along the way, that`s what
they were telling me on Saturday. Also they`re going to Washington D.C. to
set up camp later on this month or next month in April, tomorrow is April
1st. So this is a long way from over with.
They want to meet with President Obama face-to-face. They want to meet
with Secretary of State John Kerry. I don`t know if that`s going to happen
or not, but that`s what they want. They say that they have not been
properly consulted and they have the law, the treaty on their sides. We`ll
see how it goes. Congressman Raul Grijalva --
GRIJALVA: And President Obama has been good about respecting native
issues, and native treaties and sovereignty --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
GRIJALVA: -- and if anything I think that he will extend the courtesy to
the leadership of the Sioux nation.
SCHULTZ: I hope he does. He met with these folks, these Americans back
when he was campaigning in 2008 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In fact they
gave him a Lakota name, a Man of the People. And one of the tribes even
said to me this weekend, we`ll find out.
Congressman Raul Grijalva, great to have you with us tonight. Thank you so
much.
Coming up, the results of the Adelson primary are in and the winner is not
Chris Christie. Rapid Response Panel weighs in.
And later, Anti-Union groups are blowing smoke of the National Labor
Relations Board decision to grad student and athletes labor rights. Former
Minnesota Viking and Oakland Raider punter Chris Kluwe, joins us to talk
about is.
But next, I`m taking your questions, Ask Ed Live coming up here on the Ed
Show on MSNBC. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: All right. Let`s talk it up. Love getting the questions from
our viewers tonight in our Ask Ed Live.
Our first question comes from Judith. "Why do Democrats back away from
defending what they believe in?"
Well, it may seem like that, but basically, big money talks so they don`t
want to become a target, especially a target too early. But a disturbing
story with this brings to mind something that`s unfolding in Wisconsin.
The Koch Brothers, people that are supporting organizations, they are now
into the county level.
I`ll have that story tomorrow here on the on the Ed Show.
Our next question is from Ray, he wants to know, "Do you really think that
big collage money will allow players to unionize?"
I do. I think 17,000 players are a member of CAPA. It`s not about the
players getting paid. The mainstream media, a lot of them have got it
wrong. This is all about healthcare. And this is all about them being
ruled as employees and they have certain rights.
I`ll have more about this later on the show. Stick around Rapid Response
Panel coming up.
COURTNEY REAGAN, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: And I`m Courtney Reagan with your
CNBC Market Wrap.
Well, comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen helped push stocks higher.
The Dow drops a 134 points. The S and P up 14. The NASDAQ at 43.
In a speech, Yellen said the fed`s low rate policy and bond buying program
are still needed and would be for some time.
General Motors announces another recall impacting more than a million
vehicles for power stirring issues. GM CEO Mary Barra testified before
lawmakers tomorrow about a separate recall affecting more than 2 million
vehicles.
That`s it from CNBC. We`re first in business worldwide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed show. Well, let the games begin. The
Sheldon Adelson primary kicked off this weekend in Las Vegas. GOP
presidential Hopefuls gathered to speak at the Republican Jewish coalitions
annual spring meeting. Some of the party`s biggest names were in
attendance. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Ohio Governor John Kasich,
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.
They`re all hoping to get the blessing in fortune of casino mobile Sheldon
Adelson.
You might remember, Adelson, is the guy who dropped almost $93 million in
2012 in election cycle back in folks like Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.
This year, Adelson is looking for what he says is a more electable
candidate. These guys have to go kiss the ring and if they want Adelson to
bankroll any future campaigns, that`s just the game they play. Now, it`s
time to start taking bets.
Adelson sat in the front row for Chris Christie speech, but many believed
the table is a little cold for the governor from New Jersey for he`s
presidential ambitions in light of the Bridgegate`s scandal. Adelson was a
no show for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker`s speech. Kasich made it seem
like, oh, you know, him and Sheldon, they just go back a long way. They
we`re just having a great one on one chat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) NEW JERSEY: Sheldon and I were kind of talking
about his background. Say Sheldon and I owned a restaurant together. In
Ohio, we`re no longer fly over Sheldon. We want you to come, we want you
to invest. So hey, listen, Sheldon. Thanks for inviting me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Big winner of the weekend didn`t even give a public speech.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was the featured speaker at an exclusive
VIP dinner on Thursday hosted by Adelson at his company`s private airplane
hanger. According to the Republican insiders, a vast majority to the party
sat (ph) 100 donors are quietly trying to draft the younger Bush into the
2016 presidential race calling him quote, "The most desired candidate out
there." Really?
Joining me now with our Rapid Response Panel is Zerlina Maxwell and Goldie
Taylor both of thegrio.com.
Goldie, you first tonight. Thanks for joining us ladies. You know, is
Adelson going to be had bigger player in 2016 that they have to do this in
`14 that he is just part of the vetting process? What do you make of this?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, THEGRIO.COM: Well, Sheldon Adelson is going to be a big
deal in terms of how much money he can pour into a primary, you know, on
behalf of any given candidate. But he`s going to be a bigger deal now as
he sort of lights the way for the entire donor class to get behind a single
candidate. And so, that will absolutely make a difference. But in the end
of the day, those $5, $10, $25 donors, they`re going to have their say too,
because when they give their money, that means they`re get out and work,
that`s mean they`re get out and vote, that`s mean they`re going to recruit
their neighbors and their friends.
And so, you know, don`t discount the small dollars either. But, you know,
the real story here is that Jeb Bush is getting, you know, more and more
confidence from the donor class, confidence that Chris Christie used to
have, you know, pre Bridgegate, you know, prior to sort of these
investigations coming to go.
But, you know, I`m one of those people who never really believed, and said
it on this air, never really believed that Chris Christie was going to be
president and could actually win a Republican primary. And so, you know,
we`re watching the political capitalists (ph) here. It`s going to be
interesting to see how this plays out. But if I we`re to be a betting
woman, I`m going to say that Chris Christie is not going to come away with
this, but you`re going to see someone like Jeb Bush --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
TAYLOR: -- someone for having (inaudible) like John Kasich out of
Illinois. Come away with an Adelson endorsement.
SCHULTZ: Even Matthew Dowd, a former George W. Bush strategist finds the
party`s relationships with Adelson troubling (ph). Take and listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW DOWD, POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I think it`s ridiculous that these
candidates reach for president, tramping out to Las Vegas to go kiss the
ring of a billionaire casino owner. And they think that somehow going to
help them be get elected president. They would be -- money is going to
help them. Well, I think money matters so much less than if your own
capacity is a candidate. Your own -- what is your message, what`s your
vision for the country. They`d be much better off than in time back in
where they lived instead of flying to Las Vegas and figuring out, what`s
their message, what`s their vision, and how they`re going to convey that to
American public?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Zerlina, what do you make of this?
ZERLINA MAXWELL, THEGRIO.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think that he`s right on
one point. They definitely do have to focus on their message. But his
wrong on the part about the money, because we`re in this post Citizens
United world in which men like Adelson and a fictional character like
Raymond Tusk on House of Cards have control over our politics in a much
bigger way and much more substantial way than before Citizens United.
SCHULTZ: We saw Adelson keep the Newt`s campaign going (inaudible) --
MAXWELL: Exactly right.
SCHULTZ: -- probably should --
MAXWELL: One person keeping an entire presidential campaign alive
throughout a very long primary process.
SCHULTZ: So, do you think Adelson is sitting there and thinking "If I
picked the right guy and he`s a front runner, I can really make a
difference?"
MAXWELL: Yes, that`s what he is thinking. I mean, because in the last
cycle, he wasted a lot of money, he was not successful. I think he learned
from that as well.
SCHULTZ: Goldie, isn`t there a certain amount of embarrassment that goes
with these that you have to go out there and do this with a casino owner?
It just -- where`s the integrity here?
TAYLOR: Well, you know, you remember they all marched over to Trump Tyler
--
MAXWELL: Yeah.
TAYLOR: -- to save one Donald Trump. And so, I`m not sure there is a
bar too low for them just get me (ph) under. You know, in terms going out
to see Sheldon Adelson, that`s just part of course. I mean, they are all -
- they have always been political king makers. But there haven`t always
been cameras there. They haven`t -- there wasn`t always Twitter or
Facebook to talk about these kinds of, you know, closed-door meeting.
And so, this is just now out in the open. And we`re seeing that politics
that really always took place. Only this time there are more cameras and
there are (inaudible) more money at stake. And so, I don`t blame them for
going necessarily. But they really are, as Zerlina said --
SCHUTLZ: Yeah.
TAYLOR: -- going to have to go back home, check their messaging and make
sure that, you know, they`re the kind of candidate vessel, you know, that`s
worthy of this kind of investment.
SCHULTZ: Well, I just get this feeling, Goldie that they just have come to
the conclusion, it`s going to take a Bush to beat a Clinton.
TAYLOR: You know, I think they may have come to that conclusion. But
remind yourself that Jeb Bush has not been an elected office since 2006.
And by the time 2016 rolls around, we`re talking about nearly a decade, you
know, not having his name on a ballot. And the name Bush doesn`t always
all go well. I mean, they don`t even talk about the George W. Bush
presidency much anymore because, you know, frankly, a lot of Republicans
are shamed of it. And so, I think that, you know, Barbara Bush may have a
point here. The country maybe tired of Bush`s already.
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
TAYLOR: I think that Jeb is a little hesitant to get in --
SCHULTZ: Well --
TAYLOR: -- frankly because his last name is Bush.
SCHULTZ: I don`t think they be tired of winning Florida.
MAXWELL: Right, right.
SCHULTZ: You know, I mean --
MAXWELL: Yeah.
SCHULTZ: -- I think there`s a calculation there too.
MAXWELL: No, no absolutely, electorally --
TAYLOR: Absolutely.
MAXWELL: -- it helps them to throw Jeb in the -- into the race. But, I
don`t think he can win the primary and that`s the problem. He doesn`t have
grassroots support, he had some donor class for sure.
TAYLOR: That`s right.
MAXWELL: We definitely confirmed that. He does not have the grassroots`
tea party support. Maybe they would get behind him because he could do
better in a general, but maybe not.
SCHULTZ: But -- OK. Now, this meeting over the weekend was about a strong
connection to Israel.
MAXWELL: Right, right.
SCHULTZ: They`re trying to out Israel, President Obama and this is all
about a hardline approach.
MAXWELL: Right.
SCHULTZ: So, who wins that?
MAXWELL: Well, I mean, it`s clearly not Chris Christie because he dropped
occupied territories which really angered everyone and --
SCHULTZ: And he need to apologies --
MAXWELL: -- he might need to apologies.
MAXWELL: So, I think that certainly, it`s just pandering and it`s ugly
pandering. And they`re, you know, essentially were allowing a billionaire
to buy our president and that is not OK. They really need to get away from
just going to Vegas and kissing the ring. What`s next? They`re going go
to Atlantic City the day after Miss America?
SCHULTZ: Let me tell me you what`s going to happen here. We`ll know if
Jeb Bush is serious when he`s starts talking about Obamacare.
MAXWELL: Right, yeah.
SCHULTZ: When he start talking about that then we know that Jeb is doing a
little bit more than going out and kissing babies and shaking hands and all
that kind of stuff.
Zerlina Maxwell, Goldie Taylor, great to have you with us tonight, thank
you.
Still ahead --
MAXWELL: Thank you.
SCHULTZ: -- former Minnesota Viking punter Chris Kluwe joins us to
discuss the Northwestern University ruling and the future of college
athletics when it comes to money on the table.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And in Pretenders tonight, wrong again Bill Kristol. The
conservative is back with another week prediction. Kristol says running on
Obamacare is a losing strategy for the midterm elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL KRISTOL, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No actual Democratic senator running
for reelection sounds like David Plouffe. They are not saying this law is.
They`re saying, "Oh, my God, we can fix it. Here`s some new proposals."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Here is one senator up for reelection who disagrees with
Kristol`s outlook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN, (D) ILLINOIS: We are seeing a decline in the growth
of the cost of healthcare, exactly our goal in passing this original
legislation. I`m finding people as I go across Illinois, who for the first
time in their lives have an opportunity for affordable health insurance for
their families. Now, there are many Republicans who are wishing that this
fails, hoping they can find any shred of evidence against it. But we are
at a bad rollout. Let`s concede that point. Since then, we are gaining
esteem. And I think ultimately we`re gonna find -- you can`t go back.
We`ll be a better nation for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: The Affordable Care Act is working according to Dick Durbin. I
think he`s going to run on it. Saving lives. No question about it.
Healthcare.gov was flooded with activity again today because the law is
popular. If Bill Kristol believes saving lives isn`t a platform to stand
on, he can keep on pretending.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. This is the story for the folks who
take a shower after work. Well, here we go. Anti-Union groups are trying
to confuse the public about the benefits of last week`s ruling for
Northwestern University football players` legal right to unionize. Where
do you think the front office is going to be?
NCAA President Mark Emmert is also on the wrong side of the issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK EMMERT, NCAA PRESIDENT: I don`t think that unionizing the student
athletes and turning them into unionized employees of universities is a way
to improve their success. If they drop a ball, do they get fired? How do
you recruit them? Do you hire them? Do you trade them? I mean, what does
that relationship look like is anyone`s guess now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: You mean to tell me that coaches don`t make personal changes now
Mr. Emmert? Give me a break. The National Labor Relations Board in
Chicago ruled in favor to football players at Northwestern University last
week, saying that they are employees. Yes, they do they do lose their
precisions, they get fired. It`s unprecedented victory for college
athletes.
Here`s how I see it. Smart athletic directors are going to embrace this.
So they should jump on it right away to use it for recruiting tool. We`ll
protect your son Mrs. Johnson. Anti-Union groups say that student athletes
are looking to be compensated or paid to play. They got it all dead wrong,
that is not what this is about. The National Collegiate Players
Association has long champion for the rights of college athletes.
The group helped Northwestern football players in the right -- in their
fight to unionize. But the players have legitimate concerns which they
need to address. So this ruling will give them the protection they
deserve. It`s going to be interesting and this is going to be a firestorm.
There`s going to be other colleges that are going to be coming on board to
this. 17,000 players are signed up with CAPA.
CAPA is been in existence since 1997. And they wouldn`t even give -- the
NCAA wouldn`t even give CAPA an audience to address certain issues, such as
healthcare, such as long term entry, such as expenses, such as scholarships
and also concussions.
Chris Kluwe is a retired punter for the Minnesota Vikings. He joins us
tonight. Chris, good to have with us.
CHRIS KLUWE, RETIRED PUNTER, MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Yeah. Thanks for having
me on.
SCHULTZ: Your impressions of how this could snowball through college
athletics. What do think an end game here could be?
KLUWE: Well hopefully, the end game is the dissolution of the sham that is
the NCAA. I mean, you look at the NCAA and this is an origination playing
in billions of dollars a year. You have coaches who were making millions
of dollars a year. And you have athletes who don`t see any of that and are
pushed into degrees that aren`t going to help them and all its doing is
trying to keep them eligible so they can play and make the university and
the NCAA more money.
SCHULTZ: Leaders from Northwestern University have an opportunity to be on
the side, the correct side, I think, of labor on this. What do you think
about their move to appeal the ruling? I mean, they`re making a stand
early on, they`re saying that they`re going to appeal this before April
9th.
KLUWE: Yeah. Well, I think this is something that inevitable, especially
as more and more people become aware to the fact that football and other
sports are very much health issues. The fact that these kids are playing
these games and 99 percent of them won`t go pro, but they`ll still have to
deal with these injuries that they`ve suffered later in lives. So, if they
make their university, if they make the NCAA, you know, a huge amount of
money, why can`t they see some of that to take care of themselves later on?
SCHULTZ: It isn`t about, you know, money, it`s not like these major
college football players want to make, you know, half a million dollars a
year in their senior year, that none of that, that`s not it and it`s not
about union do`s. It`s about being --
KLUWE: No, they just want to be protected.
SCHULTZ: That is really what it`s all about. Do you know players who have
had debilitating injuries that have bother them the rest of their careers
and that have to have surgeries?
KLUWE: Yeah, I mean, I`ve played with tons of guys who`ve had a torn ACLs,
they`ve had dislocated shoulders, they`ve had, you know, back spasms, back
strains. And it takes its toll. And the thing is that when you`re young,
you bounce back from that pretty quickly, but as you get older, you know,
when you get in your 40s and 50s then that really starts adding up on your
body. And at that point, how are you going to back to the university and
say, "Hey, I did this for you guys, can you take care of me now?" Right
now, there`s no system in place for that.
SCHULTZ: What about the athletic directors embracing this and say "You
know what? This might be the right way to go." Are they afraid of the
money of what it could snowball too or why do you think they`re against it?
KLUWE: Well, I think they`re against it because the NCAA is against it.
And the NCAA wields a lot of power over schools. They can threat them with
sanctions. But really, what the school should be doing and saying, "Look
we don`t need the NCAA anymore. We don`t need this organization anymore."
Because clearly, it`s not working, it`s not in the players favor.
Yeah, it`s making the NCAA in schools a lot of money, but at the end of the
day, society is going to look at it and say, "This is not what we want to
stand for."
SCHULTZ: I mean, this now puts parents into the mix, that when a college
recruiter`s in the living room, the parents are going to be able to say,
"What do you going to do for my son if he gets injured?" And this is now
going to be a recruiting tool as I see it, I mean, what college is willing
to step up and make the commitment for the long haul? What about that?
KLUWE: Right, exactly. And that`s a huge recruiting tool because right
now there are players who are recruited who -- they can have their
scholarships revoked for absolutely no reason. If the coach decides that
he wants a different player or if the coach decides that the player got
injured and he`s like, "OK, well you`re not going to help the team anymore,
so tough luck. You know, better luck next time, hope you got an
education." And really that doesn`t happen.
SCHULTZ: Yeah. What do you think? You think it`s going to end up in the
Supreme Court? That`s for the NCAA is saying. They`re willing to fight
this all the way.
KLUWE: I think it will end up in the Supreme Court and I think the Supreme
Court will come down on the side of the athletes, because they`re going to
look at it and say, "You know, these kids had a right to unionize." They
have a right to protect --
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
KLUWE: -- themselves. They have a right to the value of their
appearance, which means, you know, other people can`t profit of it without
them being able to do the same.
SCHULTZ: There`s one other issue here and that`s graduation rates. That
CAPA once addressed, that a lot of these athletes when they get done with
their eligibility, they get kicked to the side of the road like road kill
and none of the universities are going to stay with them. You know, and
they want the graduation rates to be increased and they say there`s plenty
of money to do that.
Chris Kluwe, great to have you with us tonight, thanks so much.
That`s THE ED SHOW. I`m Ed Schultz.
POLITICS NATION with Reverend Al Sharpton starts right now. Good evening,
Rev.
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The Ed Show for Monday, March 31, 2014
Read the transcript to the Monday show