The Ed Show for Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

THE ED SHOW
September 9, 2014

Guest: Barbara Boxer, Tim Ryan, Richard Blumenthal, Mark Rosen, Judy
Kluger, Terry O`Neill, Nina Turner


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)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Our goal should
not be to think that we can occupy every county where there`s a terrorist
organization.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. military has carried out nearly 150 air strikes in
Iraq.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) TEXAS: Absolutely take congressional approval.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: ... partisan of the efforts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ISIS remains strong and savagely brutal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The President doesn`t need Congress. He should act
swiftly on his own.

JOHN KERRY, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: Eliminating the ISIL treat
and the evil that it represents.

OBAMA: The next phase is now to start going on some offense.

KERRY: Our coordinated global strategy against ISIL.

BOEHNER: Looking for a strategy from the President.

OBAMA: But I do think it`s important for Congress to understand what plan
is.

KERRY: Confront, degrade, and ultimately defeat ISIL.

OBAMA: Degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Good to have with us tonight folks, thanks for watching. Well,
to use an old term, this should be a slam dunk shouldn`t it? An absolute
slam dunk, now to follow what`s going on in Iraq you have to put it all in
perspective historically when it comes to politics in America. Because
everything we do when it comes to foreign policy involves us versus them,
in politics in America.

You see, we were told back in the day that you`re either with us or against
us. We were told back in the day that if you didn`t support the president,
we were emboldening the enemy. And when I say we, I`m talking about
liberals. President Obama right now is really focused on one thing as any
chief executive officer or president of the United States would be, and
that is the security of the country, nothing`s greater.

We`ve seen candidates run national campaigns on, "I`m going to do a better
job of protecting you that they will", in fact you can`t change horses in
midstream. I remember it all. Where are those Republicans tonight? Where
are those Republicans who are so critical of the Democrats back in the day
when we`re going into Iraq? Where are those Republicans right now helping
President Obama?

They should be coming out of the White House today saying, "We will do
whatever it takes to defeat ISIS and we are behind this President because
this isn`t taxes, this isn`t health care, this isn`t all the other stuff
that`s been out there, this is the security of the country and nothing is
more important than that".

Right now ISIS is a treat to this country, most Americans believe that.
The President is going layout his plan of action tomorrow night at 9:00
eastern, and the American people are going to respond to it, Congress will
respond to it. The President has been clear all along, he wants Congress
to weight in, get involved, be involved in the decision making process
against ISIS, because what we do not affects the next generation. Haven`t
we learned that?

House Republicans gave a press conference today which I found to be very,
very important. This is the crowd that has been so concern about national
security. Well, they laid out their plans for the week. They went home
and heard everything. ISIS wasn`t mentioned, ISIS was not on their radar.
Republicans did what they do best, they came out they just trash the
President of the United States and Obamacare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOEHNER: I can tell you with a renewed certainty that the American people
are still asking the question, "Where are the jobs."

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY, (R-CA) MAJORITY LEADER: Milk is at an all-time high
and the President`s approval rating is an all-time low at 38.

REP. FRED UPTON, (R) MICHIGAN: As I came back from Michigan this week, I
can`t tell you how many people came up to me and still are complaining
about the price of healthcare.

MCCARTHY: In the House this week, we`ll take up a number of bills. One,
that you will find -- if you like your healthcare you can keep it from
Congressman Cassidy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Interesting, interesting. Mr. McCarthy, the new majority leader
in the House must have gone home and heard a lot about high milk prices. I
don`t hear any rich people talking about high milk prices, I hear people
who have got their benefits on the verge of being cut -- talking about high
milk prices, must have been a mixed up in the copy. House Republicans did
not mention ISIS in their prepared remarks. Speaker Boehner did not talk
about the treat of ISIS until he was asked about it by a reporter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOEHNER: What I`m hoping to hear from the President today is the strategy
that goes after ISIS and destroys them. I`ve been calling for a strategy
to deal with the growing terrorist treat since January, when ISIS came
across the border in western Iraq. We have very serious problem and what
we need is strategy. And until there`s a strategy, there`s no reason to
talk about any of the specifics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: What`s wrong with just saying that there`s a lot of good targets
over there? Speaker Boehner did not rule out the possibility of U.S.
troops on the ground. Then here comes Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell also addressing the treat of ISIS today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) MINORITY LEADER: He needs to present us plan
to Congress and the American people. And where the President believes he
lacks authority to execute such strategy, he needs to explain to Congress
how additional authority for the use of force will protect America. The
treat from ISIL is real and it`s growing. It`s time for President Obama to
exercise some leadership and launching a response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: So all the leadership in country has to be in the shoulders of
one man, the President of the Untied States. No one in the Congress, no
leader in the Congress, and certainly not Mitch McConnell doesn`t feel --
it really within his job title to support the President on issue when it
comes to national security. He didn`t even give an inkling of confidence
that this country is going to do the right thing against ISIS.

Late this afternoon, President Obama meet with Congressional leaders on the
treat of ISIS in the Oval Office, trying to move everything forward. Both
McConnel and Boehner -- well, they were there meeting with the President.
Maybe they better take a page out of history and reset the table here as we
did on this program last night. Former Chair of the Senate Budget
Committee Kent Conrad who voted against action in Iraq some years ago said
Monday that, this is a very different vote, much different that the one
that George W. Bush -- his Iraq War was all about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRM. SEN. KENT CONRAD, (D) NORTH DAKOTA: In the case of Iraq, we were told
that we were going after them because of 9/11 and because Iraq had nothing
to do with 9/11. We were attacked by al-Qaeda lead by Osama bin Laden not
Iraq lead by Saddam Hussein. So, we were really sold that conflict in a
totally incorrect way.

In this circumstance, I think ISIS does represent a treat really to the
whole civilized world, because they`re extreme, they`re totalitarian.
We`ve seen this movie before. These people have to be stopped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Maybe they key word there was sold. Who do you think the
President has sell now? The American people agree with Senator Conrad.
Even our war-weary country thinks that we really should be doing more
against ISIS. The number is 76 percent favor additional air strikes
against ISIS. But 68 percent oppose boots on the ground. Gosh, we can`t
have it both ways. We got our own line in the sand here?

Why aren`t we going to do whatever it takes? We don`t know if that`s boots
on the ground. 70 percent of Americans think President Obama should seek
authority from Congress before he takes any military action, can we all get
on the same page this time? And 80 percent support Congress approving
military action. Now, we know where the America people stand on this and
tomorrow we`re going to find out what President Obama`s plan is for all of
these.

Then it`s time for Congress to act and actually do something that they
should be doing instead of criticizing the President for wearing a
different colored suit. Do you know how many people in Iraq right now that
have America uniforms on? 748. This President was elected to get us out
of conflict, not to get us into conflict. But he was also elected and his
responsibility is to protect the country.

And you would think that everyone in the United State Senate would think
the same way. In 2007 there were 166,000 Americans doing the job in Iraq.
So we`ve had quite a reduction, I would say we`re just about out, couldn`t
come to a forces agreement with Maliki because he of course wanted to make
sure that American soldiers did have immunity if they were get into a
shooting and somebody were to get shoot or killed or whatever then the
Iraqi could have said, "You know what? We`re going to hold you America
soldiers accountable".

The President of the United States, Barack Obama would not agree to that.
So, why is it -- is it even in this issue that we are so divided as a
country, we just can`t get a morsel of confidence out of the opposing
party, from the President to say, "We have the resources, we`re going to do
whatever we have to do to protect this country and we are one." I just
don`t hear it. "He`s got to come out with a plan". "He better do this.
He better do that."

Get your cellphones out. I want to know what you think. Tonight`s
question, "Should Congress have to vote on military action against ISIS?"
Text a for yes and text b for no to 67622, you can always go to our blog at
ed.msnbc.com and we`ll have the results for you later on in the show.

For more let me bring in Barbara Boxer of California who sits on the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. Senator, good to have you with us tonight.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER, (D) CALIFORNIA: Nice to be with you Ed.

SCHULTZ: How do you think we should be handling this crisis right now and
what are your expectations of the Congress at this point?

BOXER: The congress has to hold together and back the President on this.
I think the President has been working very hard to put together a
coalition to go against ISIS. Now, let`s -- you know, we forget sometimes
who ISIS is, and what they believe in. They believe, if you don`t see the
world as they do in terms of this very strict interpretation of Islam, OK?
That you either convert or they kill you, I mean this is an incredible
terrorist organization.

We`ve seen the way they act. The way they have treated people who are just
innocent, freelance journalist beheading, two Americans. Our President is
the commander-in-chief. ISIS is an imminent treat. We ought to be backing
the President. He has got nine nations now to help us. He`s got NATO to
help us. He`s going to the U.N. to get them to help us. The Arab league
has said we have to take actions.

So he`s pulling together the world -- you would think that the Republicans
would be heart of that world coalition because no one will be left -- faith
in this world if we don`t bear down on this group.

SCHULTZ: Yet, we don`t hear from the other side, work with the President
to protect this country. I don`t hear that.

BOXER: No, you`re right.

SCHULTZ: And that bothers me as an American tax payer that gaining
political points is far more important...

BOXER: Right.

SCHULTZ: ... than protecting the country right now. Now, at least the
attitude that the Republicans are showing out there, they`re pointing their
finger at the President is what they`re doing.

BOXER: Look Ed, they have said it. You have to see what people have said.
When Mitch McConnell said, I have one priority and that`s making this
President look bad.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BOXER: Trying to defeat him in his last election. That`s what they care
about and now, all they care about is taking back the Senate. That`s all
they care about.

So, if there`s one point in history -- and it`s coming tomorrow night, when
this President is going to go out to the American people and I can tell
you, he has worked hard to get the world united here. The people of this
country are going unite behind him, and frankly if they don`t act as if
they`re part of this fabric of this nation against ISIS I think they will
suffer. I hope they will suffer because this is a time for us to put aside
the D label, the R label, the I label, whatever label we hide behind and be
Americans who want to standup to this treat, but not do it the way we did
Iraq, with walking into the middle of the civil war. That`s not what we`re
doing Ed.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BOXER: You know, we`re going forward and we have combat boots on the
ground in Iraq that are not our combat boots. So, I think this President
knows what he`s doing. He is deliberative. You`re right he does wear a
tan suit once in a while. But let me tell you, he is decisive once he has
all the facts on his plate and I want a deliberative president.

We know what happens if you don`t look at all the unintended consequences.
We were in Iraq with losing 4,000, tens of thousands injured, some -- the
worst injuries imaginable and.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BOXER: ... to no end.

SCHULTZ: Senator, do you want to vote in the Senate on this?

BOXER: I don`t mind voting at all.

SCHULTZ: OK.

BOXER: But I want to make a point here.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BOXER: No president has ever had to have a vote when he`s just doing air
strikes.

SCHULTZ: OK.

BOXER: . in history, number one. Number two, we`ve never had a vote
unless the president asked for vote in history. So, those are two things
we have to remember.

SCHULTZ: OK.

BOXER: And the third thing I want to point out. I did vote to go after
the terrorist groups that are coming after us. I did -- I voted no when
the Iraq war

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BOXER: I voted yes to go after al-Qaeda.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BOXER: And this group ISIS or ISIL however you call them. They`re a
definite out-group of the al-Qaeda. So, I feel I have cast my vote but I
don`t mind voting at all. I know how it...

SCHULTZ: All right.

BOXER: ... feel about this. We`ve got to stop them with the world
coalition and that`s what the President is doing. It would be nice if the
Republicans joined our coalition.

SCHULTZ: Senator Barbara Boxer with us tonight here on the Ed Show, thanks
so much.

BOXER: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Let me bring in Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio. Congressman, great
to have you on -- this weekend, you said if John McCain were in charge we`d
be in seven different wars. Yet, we don`t get an attitude from the
Republicans right now that they`re going to do whatever it takes to get
after ISIS because President Obama seems to be connected to it. What do
you make all of this?

REP. TIM RYAN, (D) OHIO: Well, it really is stunning. I guess the old
phrase that politics stops at the water`s edge has been gone for a while
especially during this administration Ed. But I think the reality of it
is, you know, you have people here who will jump at any opportunity to want
to send boots on the ground to some hotspot around the globe, but the
President wants a deal with something and they`re upset that he doesn`t
deal with it quick enough.

And let me just reiterate what Senator Boxer said, don`t we all want a
President who thinks and he`s thoughtful about putting together a strategy
and the tactics that will be needed in order to address an issue? Or do we
want him operating from, you know, the reptilian part of his brain where
it`s just constant reaction? And we have a thoughtful president who`s
putting it together, and the Republicans clearly are going to fight him at
every turn.

SCHULTZ: So, the President is working on the coalition. He`s done some
diplomacy. He`s been cautious and patient. Would you support him if he
were to ask four troops on the ground? And he, you know, who knows where
this is all going to go? But if ISIS is a strong as some people say they
are and as connected as they are, and as resourceful as they are, isn`t it
going to be somewhat of a sale job to the American people that we could do
this without boots on the ground? Where are we on that?

RYAN: Well, it`s going to be a heck of a sales job to the American people
and to me quite frankly. I am not supportive of boots on the ground. I
think that -- the Kurds are there, there are other entities there that we
can train, we can supply with air support. I think we do have to take the
lead here. I think we do have to have a role here. I think we do have to
be supportive. We do have to supply and train on the ground but American
boots should not be on the ground in this situation Ed. I just don`t think
it`s appropriate.

SCHULTZ: And you want the President to be clear about that tomorrow night?

RYAN: I would love for him to be clear about it. Who knows and we`re
going to get a briefing tomorrow here in the House of Representatives.
We`re going to hear the President speak as well and we`ll more information
then, but at this point, you know, ISIS is a threat.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

RYAN: We got to be honest about it. It is and we`ve got to deal with it
and the American government should take the lead on it, but I do not think
that means boots on the ground. It`s ultimately the players in that region
who need to learn how to fight because this threat is not going to go away.
We need to train them and they need to fight their own battles but America
should be there to support them.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio. Good to have you with us tonight.
I appreciate your time.

RYAN: Always a pleasure Ed.

SCHULTZ: . Thanks so much. You bet.

Remember to answer tonight`s question there at the bottom of the screen.
Share your thoughts with us on twitter@edshow and on Facebook, we love your
comments.

And coming up, late this afternoon, Ray Rice, the running back who was cut
from the NFL, broke his silence. His wife has also made a comment. We
will have more on these stories coming up. But first, NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell is under fire, we`ll discuss the commissioner`s future, is it
in limbo?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: What`s hot, what`s not, what`s out there? Time now for Trenders.
Social media. Join our team, Facebook.com/edshow, Twitter.com/edshow and
ed.msnbc.com. My podcast is there for you daily, rawstory.com has it along
with wegoted.com, ringoffireradio.com and it`s on iTunes.

The Ed Show social media nation has decided. We`re reporting. Here are
today`s top trenders out there voted on by you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello!

SCHULTZ: The number three trender, call waiting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m waiting for the iPhone 6.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve been waiting here since Sunday night.

SCHULTZ: Apple makes a big announcement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bigger screens and a new material.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are going for it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Observers say this could be Apple`s best product
launch in 25 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You too (ph) is supposed to play. They built a
building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more thing...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A wearable device some have called, the iWatch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They keep making it smaller. Do you know why they`re
making this small? So you can lose them. Why? So you have to buy more
phones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve really gone through enough to call it a day.

SCHULTZ: The number two trender, fired up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fiery scene at a Southern California amusement
park.

The wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain erupted in flames.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colossus, it`s considered the grand daddy of its kind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the medic gets out and says, "Oh, my God"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Colossus Roller Coaster gets burned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the world`s fastest and tallest wooden roller
coaster when it opened way back in 1978.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The amusement park was closed when the fire broke out
and nobody was harmed.

SCHULTZ: And today`s top trender, bumble (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A video came out Monday showing Rice punching and
knocking out his future wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sacked by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended
indefinitely from the NFL.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is tough. It is hurtful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Big questions are still out there about how much the
NFL knew.

SCHULTZ: Roger Goodell faces sharp criticism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An NFL spokesman said, the league requested any and all
information about the incidents...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At best, the only thing you could say is they were
willfully ignorant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That video was not made available to us and no one in
our office has seen it until today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commissioner Goodell did see this video, released by
TMZ Sports in February.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone knows he watched it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether Roger Goodell think (ph) that she fainted...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Let me bring in tonight, Senator Richard Blumenthal of
Connecticut and then also with us tonight, award-winning journalist and
sports director at WCCO Television at Minneapolis, Mark Rosen great to have
both of you with us tonight.

Senator, you first, I mean all signs point to a lousy investigation,
certainly not thorough and even a joke. I have a one long-time journalist
tell me today on a podcast that he thinks the NFL is lying. Put this
together for us Senator, how do you see this?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, (D) CONNECTICUT: Far from a joke, Ed. Domestic
violence is a scourge. What Ray Rice did to his then fiancee, punching
her, knocking her out, dragging her out of an elevator is exactly the kind
of assault and abuse that I thought as attorney general for 20 years.
People are fighting today, advocates are working to stop and so, the
failure of Roger Goodell to demonstrate more leadership is really a glaring
gap and apparent, "See no evil, hear no evil", failure to see the tape and
then if they had it, to act on it, I think demonstrates the need for new
leadership.

If it`s from him, great. Stronger penalties for domestic violence going
forward. The six-game suspension, it`s absolutely unacceptable, not nearly
strict enough. And Roger Goodell is going to have to demonstrate that he
understands his position of public trust, his obligation to the fans...

SCHULTZ: Well...

BLUMENTHAL: ... it`s more than he has done.

SCHULTZ: The league says he didn`t see the tape, Senator. Do you believe
that?

BLUMENTHAL: I can`t say whether they saw the tape or not. They should
have seen the tape. That`s clear. They should have asked for the tape.

SCHULTZ: OK. So that`s what I meant. Is it the investigation was a joke,
if they didn`t see the tape and it certainly wasn`t very thorough in that
sits on Roger Goodell`s desk and is that going to acceptable for NFL
owners?

Mark Rosen, the NFL does not have a habit of changing commissioners. Since
1960 there have only been three NFL commissioners. There has been Pete
Rozelle, Paul Tagliabue and now, Roger Goodell. Put this into perspective
is this a pressure that maybe no commissioner has ever seen before?

MARK ROSEN, SPORTS DIR., WCCO: It probably is because of the outcry from
the public around the country and because of the number -- in particular
the number of women who are National Football League fans who are
completely outraged, everyone should be outraged. And they play to that
market. The National Football League and Roger Goodell like to be in
control of everything but they`ve been backpedaling on the story faster
than Deion Sanders and his prime from the get go.

When he held -- when Roger Goodell held that impromptu news conference
saying, "Well, we looked at all the tape and -- reason to get this two-
games suspension" then, later admitted, it wasn`t enough. Well, yeah it
wasn`t enough. Did you really need to see the TMZ tape that we all saw
yesterday to convince yourself that something happened out of the elevator,
when he was dragging an unconscious body out of that elevator?

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

ROSEN: If that wasn`t enough and if the TMZ tape hadn`t been released
yesterday, guess what? Ray Rice would have been activated on Friday
morning after the Thursday night game on CBS. So there it goes.

SCHULTZ: So Mark, do you think that NFL owners will be looking to replace
Goodell over this?

ROSEN: No, I don`t think so.

BLUMENTHAL: Yes, I don`t think...

ROSEN: This is a watershed moment for him. His image will be tarnished
and I think forever. I mean he`s got a lot of heavy lifting to do, to work
on an image, and the NFL is all about image and so is Roger Goodell. I
don`t see the owners right now are giving them to boot unless -- because
the NFL has acted. The Ravens have acted. Yes, it was kind of too late
but they have done their job and now...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

ROSEN: ... it`s up to Goodell -- in spin control fashion to really make
this work for him and right now, he`s got a lot of work to do over there
Park Avenue.

SCHULTZ: So Senator, what does the NFL have to do, to prove to the public
and to officials as yourself who certainly rendered judgment early on this.
You know exactly what it was when it all unfolded. What does the NFL have
to do?

BLUMENTHAL: The NFL has to do more than just talk. It has to act by
imposing stronger penalties, lifetime suspension for any player who engages
in domestic violence like Ray Rice did. It has to embark on education and
most fundamentally Ed, culture change. Talk about those owners. Look at
what the Ravens did with Janay, now, Rice -- Janay Rice, the victim in
effect blamed herself on a platform that the Ravens provided and in fact
staged manage.

Her apology was a travesty. It`s exactly what victims of domestic violence
should not be pressured to do, to apologize, to blame themselves and...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BLUMENTHAL: ... that`s what advocates -- and experts have been saying is
one of the great fault lines here. So, the owners have to change the
culture too and the NFL has a lot of acting to do to really reverse the
culture to impose really strict penalties.

SCHULTZ: Mark Rosen, I was told today by a journalist who`s been around
the league since the 70s, Terrence Moore. He thinks that Ray Rice will
play in the NFL again. What do you think?

ROSEN: I don`t think so. Maybe if Al Davis, the Oakland Raiders might
take a look at him down the road.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

ROSEN: You never say never. I think it`s going to take -- quite the owner
and quite the amount of work that Ray Rice has to do within the community.
And so -- his wife also blamed media today for exposing this tape. And
that`s something -- I understand the shock that she`s going through, but
one would hope that she will also become an advocate and talk to women
shelters around the country and understand that a lot of women who don`t
have a voice in this matter, who are too scared to go home, are afraid to
do this.

Look, if Ray Rice was a third string running back instead of being Ray
Rice, the Baltimore Ravens wouldn`t say good bye to him. He`d be serving
fries in the fast food restaurant by now.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

ROSEN: But because he`s Ray Rice, it would been a -- it`s a whole
different situation but I hope it`s a learning experience for all of us
because it isn`t about sport. It`s much more -- much bigger than that.
And the National Football League needs to get out itself off the sand and
realize they have a real issue at hand here.

SCHULTZ: Senator, there have been media people who have said things that
they have regretted and it`s cost them their careers. Advertisers have
left high profile personalities in this country for things they have said.
Do you find it interesting that not one sponsor, not one advertiser has
told the National Football League, "You better get your act together with
women in this country and you better prove it", what do you make on that
senator, finally?

BLUMENTHAL: I think they`re ought to be that kind of pressure and never
say never, I`m hopeful that some of those advertisers will still put
pressure on the NFL and the owners and make it clear that women fans
increasingly, heart of the fan base for the NFL will demand this kind of
action. Because, the NFL has a special position here, It has a special
position under our -- under trust laws or tax laws, our communications and
telecommunications laws. So it better fulfill it`s...

SCHULTZ: OK.

BLUMENTHAL: ... position on trust and advertisers especially.

SCHULTZ: Senator Richard Blumenthal with us tonight also Mark Rosen from
WCCO Television of Minneapolis, great to have you gentlemen with us. I
appreciate your time. Thanks so much for the conversation.

Coming up, Janay Rice speaks out a day after the release of the violent
video showing her being knocked unconscious by her then fiance Ray Rice.
Rapid Response Panel weighs in on that. Plus, North Dakota Congressman
Kevin Cramer thinks the President is waging a war on potatoes. He`s wild
theory lands him in Pretenders.

Your questions next, stay with us. We`ll be back on the Ed Show on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the ED Show. I appreciate the questions, tonight
in our Ask Ed Live segment. Our first question comes from Gary. He wants
to know, "Are you going to buy the new iPhone?" No, unlike every other
American, I`ve got this contract that says I can`t get out of it until I`m
90-years-old. So I`ll have to be stock with the one I have right now. I`m
a basic guy. I need e-mail, I need Twitter, I needs some new sources, you
know how it is. No, I don`t think I`m going to get the new phone but I
certainly like technology.

Next question is from Allen. He wants to know, "Do you think President
Obama should get out in public more and lay blame on the Republicans
leading Congress that are against immigration reform?" This is one thing
that I think the American people are on to. They know who the obstructers
are when it comes to immigration reform in this country and it`s not
President Obama. I don`t think he needs any help telling that story.

Stick around, Rapid Response Panel is next.

COURTNEY REAGAN, CNBC MARKET WRAP: I`m Courtney Regan with your CNBC
Market Wrap. Stocks end in the red, the Dow falling nearly 100 points.
S&P sheds 13, the NASDAQ losses 40.

Apple shares finished lower despite unveiling the highly anticipated
iPhones 6 and 6 Plus both with bigger screen. It also introduced the Apple
Watch which will retail for $349 when it hit stores early next year.

And then at Atlantic City, the casino industry suffered another blow with
bankruptcy filing of Trump Entertainment Resorts.

That`s it from CNBC. We`re first in business worldwide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. This morning Janay Rice made her
first public comments one day after husband Ray Rice was released from the
Baltimore Ravens. He`s suspended indefinitely by the NFL. Janay Rice
seemed to blame the media for her husband`s dismissal, following the
release of a graphic new video from inside the Atlantic City elevator in
which Ray Rice knocks his then fiancee unconscious.

In a statement posted on her private Instagram account, this morning Janay
Rice wrote, "I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible
nightmare, feeling like I`m mourning the death of my closest friend. But
to have to accept the fact that it`s reality is a nightmare in itself. No
one knows the pain that the media and unwanted options from the public have
caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret
everyday is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love
that he has worked for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. This
is our life, what don`t you all get?"

"If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take
all happiness away, you`ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will
continue to grow and show the world what real love is. Ravensnation we
love you."

After Ray Rice spoke with ESPN`s Josina Anderson earlier today, he handed
the phone to Janay who said, "I love my husband, I support him, I want
people to respect our privacy in this family matter."

Joining me tonight on the Rapid Response Panel, Judy Kluger, who is the
Executive Director of Sanctuary for Families and Terry O`Neill, President
of the National Organization for Women.

Judy, you spent 25 years on the bench here in New York. You dealt with a
lot of domestic violence. Based on what you have heard, what you have seen
of Janay, is she traumatize?

JUDY KLUGER, EXEC. DIR, SANCTUARY FOR FAMILIES: Of course she`s
traumatized and her reaction is absolutely not unusual for victims of
domestic violence. There are many reasons they support and want to stay
with their abuser, love, children, economics, threats, pressure, traumatic
bonding.

What I would like to see is to focus away from Janay and on to the issue
itself. What that tape shows, was very graphically what occurs behind
closed doors all over the country each day, and that`s the lesson we should
take from this.

SCHULTZ: Terry O`Neill, the NFL has come under tremendous scrutiny. How
does this speak to the experience of victims of domestic violence that
there is such a huge organization in America that has such an impact on our
society? That -- lack of a better term really boggled this investigation
and is now being question for not reviewing or not knowing that the tape
was out there. It was just a very -- it was a joke at best. The way it`s
all unfolding. What does this speak to our society on victims of domestic
violence?

TERRY O`NEILL, PRES. NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN: Yeah, you know Ed, I
think the way the NFL has mishandled this entire scandal has done enormous
damage to Janay Rice. You know, it is not unusual in situations of ongoing
abuse and violence. The victim will sometimes attach herself ever closer
to her abuser and create an external enemy so that "it`s you and me against
the world, babe" and that`s how she stays safe. As long as his rage and
his anger are directed outward, she can feel safe. And I think anyone can
understand that that makes it very much more difficult to extricate
yourself from that situation of violence.

Your viewers who were on Twitter, I strongly, strongly urge you to go to
the "#whyistayed". It has reason after reason after reason and it`s heart
breaking. And I`ll tell you, one of those reasons we need to take very
seriously, "I stayed because my pastor told me that God hates divorce."
That`s just an indication of the societal pressure on victims of domestic
violence to make it better, to hide the problem and to just taper (ph) it
over. That`s the kind of societal pressure that is thrown on victims,
that`s why it is so hard to get your self safe and get yourself free from
the violence.

SCHULTZ: Does this judge become an example of sorts? This is so high
profile and getting so much attention, what impact can it have on the
problem?

KLUGER: I think the only good that come out of this is that people
recognize how widespread domestic violence is. How victims will react and
we should not question that, we should support them in staying safe. I
also looked at "#whyistay" and it was heartbreaking to see the reasons, but
also it informs us as a society and as a nation on how we have to address
those issues with the victims and trying -- help them make the -- be safe,
have good choices, and know that there`s support out there.

SCHULTZ: This is Vice President Joe Biden. He spoke with today`s show
Tamron Hall and had this to say about domestic violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: It`s never, never, never the
woman`s fault. No man has a right to raise a hand on a woman. No means
no. This whole culture for so long has put the onus on the woman. What
were you wearing? What did you say? What did you do to provoke? That is
never the appropriate question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Terry O`Neill, your response to that?

O`NEILL: Yeah. Vice President Joe Biden has been such a champion to end
domestic violence and intimate partner violence and he`s absolutely right.
What the NFL needs to be doing and what actually others -- beyond the NFL,
but what specific the NFL needs to be doing is signaling, not just to Janay
Rice but perhaps more importantly, to other women, right? Who are in the
NFL community, who maybe exposed to intimate partner violence, 25 percent
of women will be exposed to that violence in their lifetime.

The NFL needs to be signaling, "We`re going to be here for you." And if
you want to really help victims of domestic violence, put that woman in
control of her fate. Violence takes all your control away from you. It
not helpful for the NFL to be telling Janay what to say, which maybe going
on, I have my doubts about that. Telling her that to support her husband,
telling her to claim that she`s partly responsible for what happen. All of
that stuff, that is the opposite of what the NFL should be doing.

SCHULTZ: Judy, is that part of the pattern?

KLUGER: Absolutely, absolutely. But, I think the larger question is what
will the NFL do with the other cases they have? How will they move forward
in actually implementing this policy, because I think that`s the big
question at this point.

SCHULTZ: This is a league that will not force the team to change its name
that is very offensive and that`s the Redskins. So who knows where this is
all going to go? I mean these are 32 owners who are billionaires. No one
tells them what to do. They call the shots. They`re a huge entity in our
society. They`re all about promotion just listen to the announcers.

There`s never any real critique or critical conversation out there. I
mean, they watch everything. And I`ve had journalist telling me that the
National Football League is very solid when it comes to knowing everything.
They find out all the secrets and it`s very clear at this point that they
were trying to shove this under the rug. How could this videotape had not
been part of an investigation?

And it wasn`t until that it was made public that they responded
appropriately. And I`ve had people tell me that they think that no doubt
that Ray Rice will be back in the NFL someday. We`ll see the story
unfolds. Judy Kluger and also Terry O`Neill good to have you with us
tonight.

KLUGER: Thank you.

O`NEILL: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Coming up, big news for an Ed Show favorite. Senator Nina Turner
joins me next to discuss her big endorsement. Stay with us, we`re right
back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in Pretenders tonight, half baked North Dakota Congressman
Kevin Cramer. Cramer thinks the President of the United States is waging a
war on potatoes?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN CRAMER, (R) NORTH DAKOTA: I`m sitting here at the Grand Forks
Republican headquarters celebrating UND Potato Bowl, eating a stuffed baked
potato and I call on all North Dakota Democrats to stand up against their
party`s war on the potato. Michelle Obama, Barrack Obama and Democrats
across the country hate the potato. And it`s time that Democrats to join
us and stand up against that war on potato and for the North Dakota potato
farmers. Enjoy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Oh, there`s so much action back home on the prairie, huh? I
think Cramer is referring to a New York Times op-ed by First Lady Michelle
Obama. In the piece, she criticized the Republican Bill mandating potatoes
be included on the list of foods women can purchase using WIC dollars.

She clarifies her stance by saying, "There is nothing wrong with potatoes.
The problem is that many women and children already consumed enough
potatoes and not enough of the nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables that
they need. That`s why the Institution of Medicine had said that potatoes
should not be part of the WIC program."

Well Michelle Obama is just trying to keep women and children healthy. She
clearly says there is nothing wrong with potatoes. If Congressman Kevin
Cramer thinks the Obama administration is waging war on potatoes, he could
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. In 55 days, Americans will be heading to the
polls to vote. The race for Ohio Secretary of the States is becoming one
of those hotly contestants and one the watch in this country. Democratic
candidate State Senator Nina Turner is getting some high profile help.

Former President Bill Clinton is going to be doing a direct mail piece for
the Secretary of the State hopeful. The Turner campaign confirmed that
piece a piece is in the works but did give any further details. Back in
June, during the Ohio Democratic Party dinner in Columbus, Ohio, Clinton
praise Turner and other statewide candidates. President Clinton knows how
important Ohio is for the Democratic Party in 2016 and somebody he knows is
pretty close to is thinking about running. So it makes sense, doesn`t it?

Joining me tonight is Ohio State Senator Nina Turner who is currently
running for that position in Ohio. Senator, good to have you with us
tonight...

SEN. NINA TURNER, (D) OHIO: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: What do you think Bill Clinton`s going to do for Nina Turner?

TURNER: Well, the letter that the President is writing to make sure they
were able to send out to voters in the State of Ohio, you know, voting is
important. The President has articulated that. And, Ed, as you know, when
the DNC launched their voter expansion project, it featured President Bill
Clinton. 20 years ago, he signed the Motor-Voter Law. So this is not the
President`s first time standing up and being an advocate for the voices of
the American people and making sure that folks have untethered access to
the ballot box.

SCHULTZ: Well, we all know that Howard Deans certainly is not low profile.
He`s been around politics a long time. So you are gathering a collection
of folks who are very important for people to take notice. Howard Dean
also endorsed you in June. What kind of -- what does this mean as far as
support in getting out the vote, because that really has been your focus,
if you get the vote out, you win, correct?

TURNER: Absolutely, Ed. And I really appreciate Governor Dean as well.
You know, what he said is that we need honest vote counter in Ohio and he
is absolutely right. To have people like President Clinton and Governor
Dean who had been crusaders for social justice and human rights in this
country to stand up and say that the greatest equalizer is access to the
ballot box means a lot. Not just in Ohio but all across the country Ed,
where we see attacks to folks` access to the ballot box at the hands of the
Republican Party. And it is more than unfortunate that that is happening
in the 21st century.

SCHULTZ: Now, if you get this position. I know that you`ll guard the
fort. I know that the election will be one of integrity in Ohio. If you
don`t win the seat, what does that say and are you concerned that Ohio
would be really up for grabs in 2016?

TURNER: Well Ed, you know, this is all bigger than me, it`s bigger than
President Clinton and it`s bigger than...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

TURNER: ... Governor Howard Dean. This is really about access to the
ballot box for all voters. And absolutely, Ohioans deserved a Secretary of
the State that will expand and protect that access to voters. There is
nothing more fundamental to that. So I am in this race. I`m going to win
this race. And Ohio voters deserved better than what they`re getting right
now.

SCHULTZ: Now, the organization that represents election officials in Ohio
have taken a position on the federal court`s recent ruling on changes to
election laws. What`s your response to that, quickly?

TURNER: I mean that that Judge Economus stood up for voters. He should
not have had to do that, but he had to do that and unfortunately across
this country, judges have to stand in the ready position to make sure that
voters are not denied access to the ballot box. Unfortunately, Jon Husted
is appealing that ruling by the judge...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

TURNER: ... but we`re going to continue to fight to make sure that
everybody, no matter how they want to vote, has that access to the ballot
box. It is the most fundamental thing that we have Ed, to this great
representative democracy of ours.

SCHULTZ: State Senator Nina Turner of Ohio, always great to visit. Thanks
so much. Congratulations on getting those folks behind you.

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

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