The Ed Show for Thursday, April 10th, 2014

THE ED SHOW
April 10, 2014

Guests: Steve Beshear, EJ Dionne, Phil Williams, Michael Eric Dyson

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good evening Americans and welcome to the Ed Show
live from Las Vegas. I`m ready to go. Let`s get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OH) HOUSE SPEAKER: The American people work hard and
they`ve got a right to expect their elected representatives to do the same.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seriously?

BOEHNER: Not our top political priority.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Legislation end up installing congress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s to try (inaudible) before (ph).

BOEHNER: Not our top political priority.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 40 percent of the uninsured will be reduced in
Kentucky, thanks to Obamacare.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) MINORITY LEADER: It`s a chaos all across
America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, even Mitch McConnell disputes (ph) these
figures.

MCCONNELL: Being able to log on not mind up permission success (ph) .

BOEHNER: Not our top political priority.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Maybe I should say I
oppose raising the minimum wage.

BOEHNER: Not our top political priority

OBAMA: They`d be for it.

MCCONNELL: Deny President Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Good to have you with us tonight folks. Thanks for watching.
I`m here in Las Vegas and I have the great opportunity today to introduce
Joe Namath in front of the lawyer`s association here in Las Vegas. And Joe
got up and he started talking about hard work and dedication and you will
get out what you put in.

What about Congress? You know what has happened in the last 24 hours?
Actually, it`s a microcosm of what we have seen this group do since
President Obama put his hand up to take the oath of office. We are living
in the age of obstruction, that`s what the history books are going to say
years from now.

Republicans of Congress have blocked virtually all legislations supported
by the president of the United States. Before the 2012 election, you know
it, Mitch McConnell made the Republican mission very clear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCONNELL: Our top political priority over the next two years should be to
deny President Obama a second term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: It`s still there and he`s not running again. Republicans fail to
make President Obama a one-term president. They fail a lot of fronts.
They are now blocking all the president`s legislation just out of spite.
Now, on Wednesday, it unfolded. Senate Republicans voted down the equal
pay act for women, who`s against that?

Who is against that? Republicans. I mean, this clearly pulls on the
majority. This is what Americans want. So, at a fund raiser on Wednesday
night, President Obama slammed Republicans on their blatant obstruction.
This is what he said behind closed doors to folks. He said, "You would
think, at this point it would be a controversial proposition, and yet
Republicans in the Senate uniformly decide to say no."

The president went on to say, "You`ve got a Congress right now that is
solely focused on obstruction because they think it`s a good political
strategy." It`s about power, folks, I`ve told you that all along. The
president is exactly right. Republican obstruction is a uniform political
strategy right now. They don`t have any plans to lead up. This is the way
2014 is going to be. Let`s do more.

In a committee meeting on Wednesday, over on the House side, House
Republicans against -- voted against considering bills on minimum wage.
Majority of Americans want that. Mine safety reform, worker`s rights,
worker protection, Republicans are against that. And they also voted down
for the discrimination protections for gay Americans, they just won`t
quite, will they?

You know, only Republicans would vote against bills to keep workers paid
and safe. Now, keep in mind, those four bills were blocked on Wednesday
alone. Now, if you look back further, the record is very clear on
obstruction. I think it`s obscene. This chart, this chart of bills
recorded in the Congress, Congress has passed -- this is how many bills
since 1947, there is the chart.

The last three blue lines on the right are Congresses under President
Obama. Since Republicans took control of the House, the number of bills
passed has dropped to the floor. In 2013, Boehner and his obstruction,
well, they did nothing. It was the do-nothing Congress. They passed a
whopping 58 bills. 2013 was the least productive year in Congress since
Clark`s started keeping records. That chart is proved President Obama is
the -- not one of, the most obstructive president in the history of the
United States.

Meanwhile, the one major bill President Obama did get passed, of course,
Republicans want to repeal that, Obamacare, doesn`t matter of it`s on a
roll. They have nothing better to offer. They still want to get rid of
it. 7.1 million Americans now have healthcare because of Obamacare. There
are no preexisting conditions and no lifetime limits on coverage, even if
you stop right there, it`s great.

Now, people like this law. It`s here to stay. But the Republicans
continue to run our fear. No one wants to take away your healthcare more
than this guy right here. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been
talking about repeal from day one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCONNELL: I had my way about it. We`d repeal Obamacare and start all
over and get it right.

There`s only one escape patch that will fully help those trapped by this
law and that`s full repeal.

It`s time for Democrats to stop trying to defend the indefensible and join
Republicans in wiping this colossal legislative mistake clear off the
books.

We are hoping to have a chance to vote on repealing Obamacare again and we
believe it`s appropriate to have that vote again and we`ll be working to
get that kind of vote in the near future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The man is in a complete state of denial. We did vote. It was
called the 2012 election. But if you look in his backyard, the State of
Kentucky tells a very great story. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has
embraced Obamacare. I think this gentleman has set really the stage. He
set up the state exchange and the latest numbers from his State of Kentucky
show that 402,000 people having rolled in Obamacare. That`s not a small
number. That`s a huge number for a relatively rural state.

So what are we dealing with here? First of all, the Republicans are
showing us their playbook. There`s no secrets here. You know what, if
they get power, this is how they`re going to run the country. There should
be a wake up call. But what I find very interesting is everywhere I go and
we showed you chart where the Ed Show has been the first three months of
2014, I keep hearing people talk about turn out. I keep hearing it on the
radio.

Here it is April of 2014 and Democrats are talking about what`s in front of
them. They`re talking about the obstruction. They`re talking about the
middle class more now than ever before. The political conversation is
about we got to get out there in November because this isn`t the America we
want. I`ve never heard people talk about turn out around the country as
much as they`re talking about right now. We had the mid summer yet. I
find it encouraging.

Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think tonight`s
question. "Do Republicans care more about obstruction or Americans?" Text
A for Obstruction, text B for Americans to 67622, you can always go to our
blog at ed.msnbc.com. We`ll bring you the results later on in the show.

This is a man who can tell a totally different story from Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell. Let`s go to the governor of Kentucky Steve
Beshear. Governor, good to have you with us tonight. First of all, let`s
get this basketball thing out of the way. Congratulations on a great year.
I know you win the championship, but Kentucky had a lot of fun this year.
You got a young group of players there. You`re going to have a lot of fun
for years to come. Congratulations on your team, governor.

I want to ask you right at the top.

GOV. STEVE BESHEAR, (D) KENTUCKY: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: You bet. How important are these latest enrollment numbers and
how important is it for the country, the story that Kentucky has to tell,
402,000.

BESHEAR: Ed, it`s been an overwhelming success here and this is Mid
America. This is really where the rubber meets the road. We`re out here
in the middle of the country. We`re not wrapped up and all the Washington,
D.C. staff that goes on everyday, people are just out here working, making
a living. And we`ve got 402,000 people who come out on the woodworks since
October 1 and signed up for affordable health insurance.

I mean, there`s a craving out here for affordable healthcare. Families are
looking to finally be able to take their kids in and to let them see a
doctor. You know, we`ve had people for years getting up everyday, going to
work, and just hoping and praying they don`t get sick because they know
they`re one bad diagnosis away from bankruptcy, and now, we`ve got 402,000
of them who don`t ever have to have that worry again.

SCHULTZ: This is one big opportunity for America and it`s going to take
time, but I think that this has been a great six months for the country.
How does it make you feel, governor, when you hear Mitch McConnell say
things totally different from you from the same state?

BESHEAR: Ed, I think that he and Rand Paul get in the room by themselves
and talk to each other and then they go out and announce that they`ve been
talking to the people in Kentucky and they don`t like this. Well, the
numbers tell a different story. And we -- 402,000 people apparently like
this and they -- we signed up 30,000 just in the last seven days.

So, you know, it`s a different story. It`s working here. People want it.
These folks, you know, they`re boarding on this issue and that`s all
they`ve got .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BESHEAR: . and they know that. And so, they`re going to try to make it as
big as they can. But, I`ll tell you, the issue that`s going to beat Mitch
McConnell this fall. It`s going to be just what you talked about, Ed, the
obstructionism. And people here are sick and tired of it in Washington,
D.C.

The latest poll that came out, you know, the president`s not very popular
here, 34 percent. Well, guess who`s at 32 percent, Mitch McConnell.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BESHEAR: I mean, people are sick and tired of him and they`re sick and
tired of this ranked partisanship that has Washington in his grips.

SCHULTZ: Alison Grimes is running on fixing Obamacare. Now, you could fix
any law in Washington. Is there enough good in Obamacare in the state
exchange for her to be able to be successful to defeat Mitch McConnell?

BESHEAR: I sure think so, Ed. I mean, let`s face it. People here are
liking what they`re funding when they go on our exchange, when they go on
our telephone toll free line and sign up. I mean, people come up to me
everyday, many of them with tears in their eyes to say "Thank you. Thank
you for finally letting me get affordable healthcare for myself and my
family." The first time they`ve ever had it.

You know, in the generation here, Ed, it`s going to make a huge difference
for our people. We`ve got horrible health statistics right now and they`ve
been horrible ever since they started keeping health statistics. Finally,
this tool is going to let us transform the history of Kentucky in terms of
health care.

SCHULTZ: Governor Steve Beshear, great work. You`re leading the country.
There`s no question about it. I appreciate your time here on the program
tonight, thanks so much. We`ll do it again.

Let me bring in E.J. Dionne, columnist for the Washington Post and MSNBC
contributor. E.J., let`s talk about obstruction. Now, I want to re-quote
from President Obama from last night, he said, "Obstruction may actually be
a good political strategy for Republicans if Democrats don`t vote in the
midterms.

How, I mean, the president is now openly saying, "Hey, I`m the most
obstructive president in the history of the country." Is that going to
wake people up, what do you think?

E.J. DIONNE, WASHINGTON POST: Well, I think what you said earlier is
really important which is I can`t remember in election cycle in which
people were talking about turn out so early in the cycle. And I think what
matters about that is that you`ve got a lot of Democrats who might not vote
so much, you know, a few years, realizing that there are big states in this
particular election. The Senate is on the line.

I also thought it was really good you had Governor Beshear on who has done
an extraordinary thing down in Kentucky. And when we talk about
obstruction, we`re not just talking about Congress. We`re talking about
all the governors, mostly Republicans, who refuse to help on Obamacare. If
you would had every governor in the country saying, "Well, I may not have
like this or I didn`t like it, but this is a real opportunity for the
people of our state, let`s put our shoulder to the wheel here."

You would have many more sign ups or four or five million people who will
be eligible for Medicaid if 20 plus governors hadn`t a refuge to take the
Medicaid expansion. So there is a lot to talk about here, but turn out is
the issue. The Democrats loss big in 2010 .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DIONNE: . because the other side was energized, mobilized and angry, and
the Democratic side wasn`t ready to fight. And the real question this year
is if they will do something a little bit differently than they did in
2010.

SCHULTZ: E.J., historically, not the date you have covered politics for a
long time. There has never .

DIONNE: OK, I`m used to it, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Yeah, OK. There`s never been this level of obstruction. And I
think that, you know, if representatives on the Republican side vote for
minimum wage, it`s not going to hurt them. If they vote for equal pay for
women, they can go home and make a case that there is no war on women.

If they vote for long term unemployment, it`s affecting everybody`s
district. These are issues of that poll, well, everywhere. So why would
they take this level -- take the obstruction to the level that it`s at
right now at a historic proportion, put a perspective for us.

DIONNE: Well, you know, it`s interesting. I was talking to former
Republican congressman earlier today who made the point that, at this point
in the party`s history, because of the way district lines are drawn and
because of where most of the Republican representatives come from, there
were very few of them from mixed districts, from suburbanish, you know,
middle of the road districts. A lot of those representatives might like to
vote for minimum wage or would vote for a minimum wage and some of these
other measures, if given the opportunity, but the power in that Republican
caucus say shifted to the right. Well, to the right of where it was when
Newt Gingrich was speaker. Think about that.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DIONNE: And so, you`ve got a House caucus that does not want to bring any
of this on the floor because it`s true that if minimum wage came up, it
would win. I think either a lot of these other measures that if they could
get to the floor, there would be enough Republicans joining Democrats to
pass them.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DIONNE: The immigration reform is another one. But the power (inaudible)
just keeps obstruction going.

SCHULTZ: It does. That to the Tea Party, they`re quarterbacking this
whole thing, there`s no question about it. OK. Does the president keep
talking about this? I mean, everybody knows he`s not going to be whining.
They may call him the "whiner-in-chief" because of -- they`re not going
along with his legislation, but I do think that this does aggravate people,
this obstruction. And it`s -- it becomes a fairness issue. Is this fair
to the people who voted for President Obama? Is this fair to Americans
when we elect and reelect? Is this is going to be a motivating factor?

DIONNE: Well, I think that Democrats need to not only talk about the
obstruction, but really present a compact but clear program to try to lift
up the middle class and to .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DIONNE: . try to stop the wage stagnation. I think they need to go
aggressively. So not only did people want to vote against the other side,
but they have a sense that with minimum wage and some other things, and I
think they need other things, they`ll say I want to vote to make my life
better. And I don`t think we`re there yet in terms of hearing that kind of
argument. And I think healthcare should be linked to that. Rather than
running away from healthcare, the Affordable Care Act should be linked to -
- as the part of a way of saying, "here are the things we`re going to do to
ease the economic insecurities of middle class people". And I think if
they make a part of a larger argument, they can win the argument.

SCHULTZ: E.J. Dionne, great to have you with us tonight. I appreciate
your time. I think Americans are pretty frustrated with what`s going on in
Washington. They just can`t block everything, or could they?

Remember to answer tonight`s question there at the bottom of the screen.
Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @EdShow. We always want to know
what you think. And of course, like us on Facebook, thanks so much.

Coming up, now, this plays into the election, our exclusive ride along with
State Senator Nina Turner of Ohio. We`ll show you how difficult
Conservatives have made it to vote in Ohio. We`re going to Hamilton
County.

But first, Bob Corker, he gets served. The latest in the fight for
Volkswagen workers to unionize, Trenders is next. Stick around. We`re
right back on the Ed Show on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: What`s hot, what`s not? Time now for the Trenders social media
action. This is where you check us out. Hey, thanks for the follow on
Twitter @Edshow. And on the radio, I`m back with you tomorrow, SiriusXM
Channel 127, Monday through Friday, noon to 3:00 p.m.

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: Brains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number three trender, brain teaser.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`ve already said no woman has been as significant
original thinker at any of the world`s greatest philosophical tradition.
Do you still (inaudible)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re just a one with a small brain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of Greg Abbott`s advisers could give him a headache
with woman voters.

CHARLES MURRAY, AMERICAN LIBERTARIAN POLITICAL SCIENTIST: Well, tell me
what you had in mind?

That statement is based on the called "Human Accomplishment."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just think you`re so smart because you can read.

MURRAY: In philosophy, you have Hypatia. She was not a significant
original thinker. Until somebody gives me evidence to the contrary, I`ll
stick to the statement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number two trender, equality eruption.

SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI, (D) MARYLAND: We can`t even get to a majority vote
when how to make sure women get equal pay for equal work. Then when I hear
all of these phony reasons, I do get emotional. I get angry, I get
outraged, I get volcanic.

MILHOUSE VAN HOUTEN, "THE SIMPSONS" CHARACTER: I feel like I`m going to
explode here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barbara Mikulski says the fair pay debate sparks her
emotions.

MIKULSKI: Well, I`ll tell you what I`m tired of hearing. That somehow or
another, we`re too emotional when we talk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just have a lot of feelings.

MIKULSKI: And the way I want to challenge my emotions is by helping
everything that we can do to be able to pass this bill. We want change,
and we want change today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And today`s top trender, shifting gears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The United Auto Workers has served about 20 subpoenas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s more than a 100 pages in all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The union seeks testimony from Governor Bill Haslam,
Sen. Bob Corker, and other officials.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you suckers got served.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The UAW makes a big move to fight for workers rights in
Tennessee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The UAW is also seeking communications and documents of
anything relating to VW with the UAW and government incentives for the
plant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was an abuse of power to tie incentives to a union
vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there`s no secret at all that -- when we had an
opinion about what should happen there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s wrong for political leaders to try to interfere
with workers` rights to decide if they want representation or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Joining us tonight, Phil Williams, chief investigative reporter
for WTVF in Nashville, Tennessee. Phil, good to have you back with us
tonight, great reporting on this as always. Tell our audience, what is the
significance of these subpoenas? I mean, I think it`s unprecedented that a
governor and a sitting United States senator are being subpoenaed to talk
about a vote in front of the National Labor Relations Board. Take us down
that road, how significant is this?

PHIL WILLIAMS, WTVF CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yeah. I don`t think
there`s any doubt that regardless of how this turns out, this could be a
landmark case. You know, from my perspective as a journalist favoring
political transparency, this could be very interesting to watch. For
example, there have been a lot of questions about who was behind the effort
to oppose the UAW in Chattanooga. There are rumors about, you know, the
Koch brothers for example.

So, we held a real possibility here that not only could we have political
officials. The governor, the U.S. senator, but also people like Grover
Norquist sitting down under of -- having to answer questions about who is
providing the money and why? So, that and then of itself could be
interesting to watch.

SCHULTZ: Now, could this evolve to an investigation that would do maybe
even some forensic to see exactly what`s on everybody`s computer? I mean,
how do we know that everybody is going to be forthcoming with this
documents because they are trying to connect the dots on exactly what kind
of activity and what kind of deals were cut before the vote, what about
that?

WILLIAMS: Well, there`s certainly no hunt of any sort of forensic
examination that come -- that could come into play. But certainly, you
have the power of a subpoena. You have people being called to testify.
You have the power of a subpoena saying, "We want you to produce these
documents." For example, that $300 million offer that Tennessee Governor
Bill Haslam`s administration made to Volkswagen. In exchange, they wanted
to stay in Volkswagen`s relations with the UAW.

We got that information because of a document that was leaked to us. There
is no doubt in my mind that there are lots of other documents out there
that would really shed a lot of light into exactly what happened. And so,
there is at least the chance, let`s say the power of subpoena, we might
find out a little bit more about what`s was going on.

SCHULTZ: Do you think we`ll get detailed and are you expecting detailed
communication on Senator Corker`s involvement?

WILLIAMS: Well, certainly, we have been able to obtain just a limited
amount of communication that indicated that Senator Corker`s office was
communicating with the activist who had been brought in to oppose the UAW.
Again, there is no doubt in my mind that there are even more communications
that we did not received. We received those through state agency. Senator
Corker`s office would have other communications that I believe probably do
exist, you know, that they may make the case - UAW, they actually, you
know, there`s a possibility that it could make the opposite case. So, we
don`t know until we see them. The question is will Senator Corker, will
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam produce those documents in response to the
subpoena.

SCHULTZ: Are we going to see the governor and the senator testify under
oath?

WILLIAMS: Well, that`s certainly what the UAW would like. Indications
are, right now, even though no one has said this per se, there is every
reason to believe that they probably will fight the subpoenas. I mean, we
have a real class -- clash of ideologies here.

SCHULTZ: Sure.

WILLIAMS: That you have, you know, some people who believe that strongly
as you do, and then there are people on the other side who believe just as
strongly. I don`t think that anyone is going to unilterally disarm here.
So, I think there is going to be a real fight before we even get to that
stage before we find out.

SCHULTZ: Do we know if Grover Norquist has been served with subpoenas? I
mean, his involvement on this from an activist stand point.

WILLIAMS: Absolutely. He is on the list of 20 people or organizations who
have received subpoenas. I reached out to him through Twitter today and
asked if he had any comment and have not heard back from him yet. But
certainly, the UAW lawyers would love to get Grover Norquist on the stand
and be able to question him about why he was involved.

SCHULTZ: All right. Phil Williams, investigative reporter, WTVF in
Nashville, great to have you with us tonight, appreciate it.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Thank you. Still ahead, voting rights under attack at the State
of Ohio. We`re going to take on an exclusive ride along. This is what
it`s like. And after 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act,
the battle for racial equality continues.

Michael Eric Dyson, professor, joins us to discuss more. I`m taking your
questions next. Ask Ed Live coming up on the Ed Show on MSNBC right after
this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Appreciate all the questions. Love
hearing from our viewers tonight in our Ask Ed Live segment.

Our first question comes from Ray, "Who`s the biggest joke: Louie Gohmert
or Darrell Issa?"

You know, the timing of this question is very, very interesting because
we`ve had a big discussion about equality and inequality when it comes to
pay. Let me tell you between those two when it comes to being a joke,
there is no inequality.

Our next question comes from Mike, "Have you ever tried fishing in the
Florida Keys?"

Quite honestly, no, have not. I have fished around the (inaudible) area.
I got a nice sail fish one time but I have never fished down in the Florida
Keys.

Let`s get to work. I`m working all the time. I don`t have the time to go
all the way down there. Maybe someday I will.

A lot more coming up on the Ed Show, stay with us, we`ll be right back.

SEEMA MODY, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Seema Mody with your CNBC Market Wrap.

Stocks sliding, the Dow plummets 266 points, it`s the biggest decline in
two months, the S and P 500 falling 39 more than two percent, the Nasdaq is
down triple digits, it`s worse day since November 2011.

A better than expected report on jobless claims fail to inspire any buying.
Filings fell by 32,000 to 300,000 last week, the lowest in nearly seven
years.

And Walmart is teaming up with Wild Oats on a new line of organic foods,
price 25 percent below similar offerings.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed show.

Republicans know they`re in the minority on key issues that matter most to
Americans. They are ideologically bent against this country. And at this
point, they know the only way to secure victory is to gerrymander some more
and certainly suppress the vote.

The story we`re going to show tonight I think takes the cake. Who would
have ever thought voting in America would be this hard?

Here`s the story from Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: When Republicans on Ohio ramped up their efforts to restrict
access to the polls, State Senator Nina Turner wasn`t afraid to speak up.
But Nina Turner isn`t just mad; she`s trying to get elected. Turner is
running against Jon Husted for Secretary of State in Ohio. I sat down with
Nina and asked what motivated her to run an all or nothing campaign.

STATE SEN. NINA TURNER, (D) OHIO: Well, in Hamilton County for example,
there was a vote to move the board of election from a centrally located
place in downtown Cincinnati to a suburban area that some folks estimate,
that if somebody had to catch the bus so they could take them up to two
hours one way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Husted cast the deciding vote this afternoon. Local
Democrats have been opposed to this move because they say it limits the
number of people who can take advantage of early voting.

TURNER: Two hours one way and then even when they got off the bus they
will still have to walk quite some distance.

SCHULTZ: We took the trip with Senator Turner to see just how long it
would take.

TURNER: We are -- and their taking us about an hour and 10 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 10:19 right now.

TURNER: And we got on the bus at 9:09, that bus didn`t leave until 9:19
and here we are about and hour and 15 minutes later. Just getting off the
bus and now walking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Half a mile.

TURNER: Walking to the -- to the poll in place. So this is the entrance
to where the place will be. But you`ll still -- we still got to walk all
the way back there. Now, where are the sidewalks though for us to walk on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are no side walks here.

TURNER: No, no sidewalks.

YVETTE SIMPSON, CINCINNATI CITY COUNCIL: This is reprehensible. I mean,
we simulated the best of all situations, right? The weather is perfect,
right? Our bus was on time. We didn`t have any major challenges. Imagine
the reality in October, November. I have a stroller, I have a wheelchair,
I`m trying to cart things, my bus is not on time so I miss my transfer.
And so even in the best scenario, we got here in an hour and a half hour 45
minutes. That is just -- and for what? I mean, I can go back to -- for
what? To save a couple of dollars?

STATE REP. DENISE DRIEHAUS, (D) OHIO: There are thousands of people that
go down and vote early downtown. And those are the folks we`re here to
represent today. You know, I`ve got a car. You know, I can get here.
This isn`t about me. This is about the people that I represent that don`t
have access to transportation and can`t get to the polling place on
election day, which I think is sometimes for people that -- that, you know,
aren`t exposed to working more than one job. That don`t have, you know, or
a single parent and talking care, you know, all these disadvantages. They
really don`t really understand what the big deal is. This is the big deal.

TIM BURKE, CHAIR, HAMILTON COUNTY DEM PARTY: We`ve got 400,000 households
in Hamilton County that don`t have cars. That` speaks to need for mass
transit to be able to get people to early voting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

BURKE: That doesn`t happen here.

DARLENE WEAVER, OHIO VOTER: And I`m glad I got to experience this because,
you know, it seemed like they`re trying to push us back and found many
people die for us to be able to vote and it ashamed that they trying to do
this. I have (inaudible) that was a long walk, you know? My knees hurt
bad but, you know, I`m a determined person I will go to the ends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ride was such a long ride. I thought I was going
on a vacation. I didn`t realize how long it was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere. So what we`ve got to do is we`ve got to be able to step up,
stand up, speak out and be very vocal about this because the people who
this is going to affect, they don`t have a voice. They can`t come out here
and make the statements that we`re making today. We have to represent them
on their behalf and step up and show exactly what this is doing to our
communities.

TURNER: This journey was very important that we highlight in a real sense
what it takes for somebody to come and vote. Voting shouldn`t take all day
and you shouldn`t have to jump over hoops and hurdles just to exercise your
right to vote. Unfortunately, in the State of Ohio this has become the pre
civil rights remix. And it`s not a good one and this is not right. And so
to put ourselves today, what we were able to do is to try just for a while
to put ourselves in the shoes of somebody who would have to make this
journey just to vote in person.

This is unconscionable as undemocratic, it is un-American. And so we stand
here both elected and non-elected to say that this is not right. And as
one reporter asked us, you know, whether or not this starts today or two
years from now, it doesn`t matter. The house is burning. It is on fire
and we are sounding the alarm that nobody should have to go through this to
vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I think it`s disgusting absolutely disgusting. But John Kasich
that`s your backyard. John Kasich, that`s your America, that`s your State
Ohio that`s what you think your citizen should have to go through to vote
in the great state of Ohio where Democracy reigns. It`s just a little bit
harder there, isn`t it? It is unconscionable for any sitting governor to
allow this happen.

Now, you might be saying, "OK. What are we going to do?" I am inviting
every progressive and every liberal website in this country to take that
story and put it on your website. We need to get that story out. That`s
America. That`s the bread basket of America. That`s Ohio. Every liberal
should see that story, that what`s happening, that`s the result of voter
suppression, gerrymandering and Republican power. They don`t want those
black votes to vote.

They don`t want those elderly or economically depressed folks to get out
there and vote. Why? Because they might be Democrats. It is un-American.
Think about that, an hour and 10 minutes to travel to go vote? What are we
doing? Going back to the colonial days on horse back? It`s outrageous.
Kasich, I was asked earlier in this broadcast who`s a bigger joke, Darrell
Issa or Louie Gohmert? I`m sorry. You`re the biggest damn joke in America
when it comes to being a governor.

Coming up, Rush Limbaugh says Letterman`s replacement will be bad joke on
America.

Pretenders is next. Stick around we`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in Pretenders tonight, comedy critic, Rush Limbaugh.

The Conservative radio host freaked out over CBS`s announcement that
Stephen Colbert will take over as the host of the Late Show when David
Letterman retires.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: CBS has just declared
war on the heartland of the America. There is a -- here`s -- no longer is
comedy going to be a covert assault on traditional American values,
Conservatives, now it`s just wide out in the open. There isn`t -- what
this hire means is a redefinition of what is funny and redefinition of what
is comedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, Colbert will reportedly break out of his fake conservative
character for the hosting gig on CBS.

But Limbaugh is quick to rush to judgment about what comedy is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIMBAUGH: By the way did you hear about Joe Biden? Joe Biden was
mystified how Bobby Jindal got a shift off at 7-Eleven that night to make
the speech. I`m glad this happened. I`m glad this happened. You think I
just made a joke, an ethnic joke about Bobby Jindal, don`t you? I didn`t.
I made a joke about the bigotry of the Vice President of the United States,
Joe Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: If Rush Limbaugh thinks he can define funny, he can keep on
pretending.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome to the Ed Show. This is the story for the folks who take
a shower after work.

The United States is still battling over racial equality 50 years after the
Civil Rights Act was passed.

A short time ago, President Obama gave remarks at the Civil Rights Summit
at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: LBJ was nothing if not a realist. He was well aware that the law
alone isn`t enough to change hearts and minds. A full century after
Lincoln`s time, he said, "Until justice is blind to color, until education
is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of
men`s skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but not a fact." He
understood laws couldn`t accomplish everything. But he also knew that only
the law could anchor change, and set hearts and minds on a different
course.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: 10 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, baseball Hall of
Famer Hank Aaron was hot on the heels of Babe Ruth`s homerun record back in
1974. Hank Aaron says President Obama`s opponents and the Republican Party
are abusing him the same way the people who threaten Hank Aaron decades
ago. The baseball great told USA. Today, he kept the hate-filled racist
letters he received while playing.

He also said, "Sure, this country has a black president but when you look
at a black president, President Obama is left with his foot stuck in the
mud from all of the Republicans with the way he`s treated. We have moved
in the right direction and there have been improvements, but we still have
a long way to go in the country."

Hank Aaron took his comparison of the Republican Party further by saying
this "Back then they had hoods, now they have neckties and starched
shirts."

Michael Eric Dyson Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University and
Political Analyst here on MSNBC joins us tonight. Professor, good to have
you with us.

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Great to be here, Ed.

SCHULTZ: And, you know, when I first read this story I thought, you know,
Hank Aaron God bless you it`s about time. The president is now talking
about how he is the most obstructed president in American history. What is
your reaction to Hank Aaron comparing the Republican Party basically to the
Ku Klux Klan?

DYSON: Look, Hank Aaron has earned every right to speak his mind. This
man, 80 years old, the 4th anniversary of his historic feat of vesting Babe
Ruth to which he was, you know, and he was subjected to all kinds of
acrimony and racist assault for simply trying to prove that he was the best
and to show excellence on the field.

So Hank Aaron has earned his right to speak up and speak out. And if
that`s his perception, we have to acknowledge that. He is a remarkable
athletic genius but he`s also been a forthright social activist in
defensive vulnerable people. And he is seeing the comparisons and he knows
what he`s talking about between the detrimental ways that he was treated
and the detrimental ways that President Obama is treated.

And he`s talked about a shift in the dress from, you know, extroverted and
external forms of racism, and explicit forms of racism and now the more
sophisticated ones. He`s earned the right to say that and we have to take
him seriously and I don`t think we should cast dispersions at them, Mr.
Aaron, we should listen to what he`s saying.

SCHULTZ: How important is this event when you have four living presidents
coming together to speak?

DYSON: It`s remarkably important. When you have LBJ, in my opinion one of
the two greatest presidents at least for African-American people in this
nation. First there was Lincoln and then there was LBJ. LBJ, the Civil
Rights bill, the Voting Rights Act and then in the aftermath of Dr. King`s
death, the Fair Housing Act.

This is the holy trinity of social, political and policy transformation in
America. LBJ didn`t get the kind of remarkable sophistication in terms of
his reputation that John F. Kennedy did but he did the hard work. He went
into the Senate trenches, he forced those Dixie crass (ph) to come to the
table and he forced the old (ph) senators and Congress to pass this
legislation. He was a remarkable legislative genius in that sense .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DYSON: . and he was a guy who made a great impact on our country and it`s
great that these four living presidents came together to celebrate his
legacy.

SCHULTZ: Well, not only is President Obama being obstructed. It goes
further than that. On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder .

DYSON: Right.

SCHULTZ: . and Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert had a pretty tense
exchange. Eric Holder reacted. Here`s what he had to say about that.
Here is it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I`m pleased to note that the last five
years have been defined by significant strides and by lasting reforms even
in the face, even in the face of unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly and
divisive adversity. If you all believe that, you look at the way and
forget about me, forget about me.

You look at the way the attorney general of the United States was treated
yesterday by a House Committee? It had nothing to do with me. Forget
that. What attorney generals` ever had to deal with that kind of
treatment? What president has ever had to deal with that kind of
treatment?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Professor, what`s your reaction to that?

DYSON: Amen. Right on. About time. Look, Eric Holder and Barack Obama,
President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder are two of the coolest
customers under difficult circumstances. These men can hardly be accused
of being over emotive, of being reactionary, or even being "angry black
men".

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DYSON: So when Eric Holder stands up to tell the truth about the
obstruction against the president of the United States of America and the
disrespect that that president has received .

SCHULTZ: That`s the key.

DYSON: . as well as the attorney general, he`s right on the mark.

SCHULTZ: Disrespect is the perfect word. In the headline of course today
in the Washington Free Beacon is that Eric Holder plays the race cart.
What do you make of it?

DYSON: That`s ridiculous. If he`s playing the race cart, he`s dealing
from the deck that`s been handed to him. Race is not a cart, it`s a
condition. It`s an ongoing exploration of difference and similarity and
it`s a situation in America that we have to contest. We cannot reduce it
to -- every time a Progressive person or a Democrat responds to a vicious
vehement treatment, that person is saying when he defends or she defends on
him or herself seen to playing the race cart. They don`t talk about the
precipitating events.

Here is Louie Gohmert and others, Darrell Issa and others in the past who
have done disrespectful things to attorney general and as well as to our
friend Congressman Cummings .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DYSON: . these kinds of things have been acknowledged. You lied, sir.
But what president has been subject to that?

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DYSON: What attorney general has been subject to that? We got to tell the
truth.

SCHULTZ: And there`s a pattern of behavior. There`s no doubt about it.
Michael Eric Dyson, great to have you with us tonight, professor.

DYSON: Thank you, sir.

SCHULTZ: I appreciate your time.

We end with some breaking news from here in the city in Las Vegas. A woman
has been detained after throwing a shoe at Former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton during a speech at the Mandalay Bay Casino. Clinton wasn`t
hurt and reportedly joked about the incident. We don`t know who the woman
is or why she threw the shoe at Hillary Clinton.

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

Politics Nation with Reverend Al Sharpton starts right now. Good evening,
Rev.

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

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