The Ed Show for Friday, January 2nd, 2015

Show: THE ED SHOW
Date: January 2, 2015
Guest: Paul Douglas, Dr. Reese Halter, Howard Dean, Jan Schakowsky, Larry
Cohen, Bernie Sanders

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC ANCHOR: Good evening, Americans, and welcome to THE ED
SHOW. Live from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Let`s get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM INHOFE (R), OKLAHOMA: First of all, global warming is not taking
place. It`s kind of laughable right now with all the records that are
being sent.

LESTER HOLT, NBC NEWS: 2014 will go down as the warmest year around the
globe in recorded history.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: I do not believe that human activity is
causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are
portraying them.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), INCOMING MAJORITY LEADER: These carbon emissions
regulations are creating havoc in my state and other states.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Calling CO-2 a pollutant is doing a disservice
to the country. I think it`s doing a disservice to the world.

REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R), TENNESSEE: There is not agreement around the
fact of exactly what is causing this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This year`s record fuelled by the warming oceans with
seven consecutive months of new high temperatures.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: In the last 15 years there has been no recorded
warming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hot temperatures, low humidity and strong winds are
fueling a growing wildfire.

INHOFE: We have people with their lives tied up in trying to make this
hoax a reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Good to have you with us tonight, folks. Thanks for watching.

Well, let`s start out 2015 with a declaration here that I`m not a
scientist. And you probably aren`t either but you know what? You don`t
have to be a scientist to figure this out.

We start this year with a very important issue heading into 2015, climate
change. And we are just days away from Republicans calling all of the
shots on Capitol Hill. Their agenda, real basic -- Keystone, corporate tax
cuts, another bad trade deal in the TPP and let`s deregulate Wall Street.
That`s what they`re all about. Nothing`s changed.

Americans who care about climate change, well, you`re going to have to take
a rain check because I am convinced that there will be no legislative
effort to address the problem facing our globe.

2014 is set to be the warmest year globally in history. The final numbers
for December haven`t been officially released by NOAA. The first 11
months, though, of 2014 were the warmest on record. Last year, we saw
seven straight months of record high ocean temperatures from the month of
May to November.

Now are we to believe that, you know, this is just kind of freaky, it`s
really no big deal? You know, that`s the case that climate deniers in
Washington are going to make and they`re going to pay no attention to the
problem for the next two years. Elections have consequences.

What we`re going to hear most likely is a lot of stuff like this in 2015.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R), WISCONSIN: I live in Wisconsin. There were two -- I
think 200-foot thick glaciers in Wisconsin. How do you explain that --
it`s a --

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNSON: A poor man never had a carbon footprint. How do you explain that
--

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This statement that you just made is blatantly false.

BLACKBURN: What we have to look is the fact that you don`t make good laws,
sustainable laws when you`re making them on hypothesis or theories or
unproven science.

INHOFE: First of all, global warming is not taking place. It`s kind of
laughable right now with all the records that are being sent -- being set.

RUBIO: I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic
changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying them.

CRUZ: The problem with climate change is there`s never been a day in the
history of the world in which the climate is not changing.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So you don`t believe
that there is any manmade reason for global warming or climate change?

CRUZ: What I think is the data are not supporting what the advocates are
arguing. The last 15 years there has been no recorded warming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: And these are the folks who are in charge now. Science denying
Republicans, they`re dead wrong. It`s no coincidence.

Three of the warmest years on record have happened in the past decade --
2005, 2010, and most likely 2014. It`s not just warming temperatures.
America is witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of climate change.
This year, the state of California had its worst drought in over -- here`s
the number -- in over 1200 years. Even the recent rainfall the state
needs, 11 trillion gallons of water to recover.

Now over the summer we saw a water ban for 400,000 people in Toledo, Ohio.
Warmer temperatures and phosphorous runoff from farms caused algae blooms
in Lake Erie. The algae contaminated the city`s water supply with
dangerous bacteria.

This summer also brought record wildfires to the western portion of the
United States. Washington state, for example, experienced its largest
wildfire in state`s history. Roughly 400 square miles of land burned with
300 structures lost.

The list of climate change related events in 2014, it`s long. And it`s
disturbing. Unfortunately last year also brought disasters in the form of
oil spills. Back in March, 168,000 gallons of fuel oil spilled in
Galveston Bay, Texas, after an oil barge collided with another ship. The
spill affected wildlife and hurt the local economy which revolves around
fishing.

Now we saw this absurd scene in Los Angeles, California. Remember this? A
20-inch wide pipeline ruptured sending crude oil high into the air. Over
10,000 gallons of crude turning the streets of L.A. into a river of oil.

Let`s not forget Louisiana. The state of Louisiana saw one of the largest
pipeline spills this year. In October, the Mid Valley Pipeline ruptured
there. Mooringsport, Louisiana, over 4,000 barrels of crude were spilled.
Some of the oil entered a creek that feeds Cato Lake near Shreveport,
Louisiana.

Meanwhile, almost five years later, Louisiana is still suffering from the
2010 BP oil spill. They`ll tell you everything`s good. Not true. The
state just reopened closed fishing grounds near Grand Isle on December
10th. Seems like all good news, right? But if you talk to the local
fishermen, that`s just not the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN BLANCHARD, LOUISIANA SHRIMP BUYER: I was looking at my figures before
I came here. For the first 18 days of the month before BP in 2009, we did
2,666,000 million pounds and this year we did 129,000. We are down to
about 4 percent. And it`s a tough situation. It`s hard to just imagine
getting 4 percent of your check and see how good you`d be doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: None of the 2014 events will faze Republicans. They are going to
come forward and say well, we need more oil, got to have more coal and of
course we need less and much fewer EPA regulations. You know the drill.
Nothing`s going to change.

So what can we expect from the weather in 2015? And if we have disasters,
will a Republican Congress -- with all the power -- will they spend the
money to restore lives and damage? Are we going to get more storm Sandy
treatment the from this outfit.

Big questions but what I fear is the next couple of years they will not
address climate change. And the deniers will prevail.

Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think.

Tonight`s question, will Republicans do anything to help combat climate
change? Text A for yes, text B for no to 67622. Can leave a comment on
our blog at Ed.msnbc.com. We`ll bring the results later on the show.

We start this ED SHOW 2015 with climate change because I think it has to be
talked about. It is a mammoth story and it`s going to be worse if we do
nothing in the next two years. We`ll be losing more ground.

For more, let me bring in Paul Douglas, who was a senior meteorologist at
Media Logic Group in Minneapolis. Also with us tonight Reese Halter, a
conservation biologist with the Mule School. His upcoming book is
"Shepherding the Sea: The Race to Save Our Oceans."

Gentlemen, great to have you with us tonight.

Paul, you first, what are the chances of us having a similar year in 2015
to what we just had in the last 12 months? Your thoughts.

PAUL DOUGLAS, METEOROLOGIST: I think there`s a good chance, Ed, it`s
actually going to be warmer next year worldwide. 2014 will be the warmest
year on record according to the climate scientists I know and respect. In
terms of the NOAA database it`s a slam dunk, 2014 the warmest worldwide,
even though much of the eastern U.S. skewed a little bit cooler. The NASA
database are saying about a 60 to 70 percent probability that 2014 will be
the warmest year.

Fourteen of the last 15 years the warmest on record. You keep hearing
about, well, air temperatures have plateaud. There is some truth to that.
But the warmth is going into the oceans. We are conducting an experiment
on the world`s ocean. And as a meteorologist I`m seeing the symptoms of a
warmer, wetter, more volatile climate. Just like if someone is running a
fever of a couple of degrees you see the symptoms on that person.

They are running a fever. Maybe they have a rash or a blister, they`re
sneezing. You say two degrees. What`s two degrees? Well, two degrees can
be a big deal and we`re going to see more of those symptoms during 2015.

SCHULTZ: Amazing.

DOUGLAS: More jaw dropping examples of weather extremes, Ed, that is
probably in the pipeline for this year.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

Dr. Halter, it all revolves around the oceans and the great lakes. What
we`ve seen happen there. What signal is that bringing the world, you
think?

DR. REESE HALTER, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST, MUSE SCHOOL: Well, Ed, good
evening. Happy new year to you, Paul and Ed. What we -- what we are
really concerned with are these are the facts. Cancer is on the rise.
Heart disease is the number one disease in the United States. And one in
three people are in pain and take pain medications. How does this relate
to the oceans? Let me tell you. The coral reefs, the bio diversity hot
spots all around our planet, half of them are dead.

The strongest pain, cancer, and heart disease medicines come from these
reefs. We are -- we are fueling this. We`re killing our life support
system. This is an SOS. It`s a call to action. And it`s disgraceful that
the public officials are sneering at science.

SCHULTZ: Well, if the oceans continue to get warmer, what is this going to
do to the fishery? What is this going to do to the longevity of the
species that are out there? I mean, how much warmer can the oceans get
before it starts to take the toll -- take its toll?

HALTER: Well, right now we`re seeing the toll. Here are the other facts
nine out of the 10 surface fisheries are in decline. The bottom fisheries
are being smashed at 150 times what`s happening with clear cutting on the
lands. The whales are being poached by Japanese ocean killers. The
dolphins are being slaughtered. They`re the doctors of the sea. The shark
population over the last eight years, 660 million sharks are gone. Nine
out of 10 have been poached.

It`s a free for all and we know what`s ahead. So now we got to take
action. Worldwide. And by the way, the United States is the greatest
country in the world and we have to provide the leadership for China and
the other nations to follow, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Yes. Paul, are you concerned about the politics of all of this?
What -- and I ask both of you. Paul, you first. What if we do nothing?
What if we do -- what if we come back here two years from today and have
done nothing on climate change, we`ve taken no measures whatsoever?

I guess I`m not too confident that the people in power right now are paying
much attention to what`s happening on the globe. And if you look at the
people in power and then the Republicans, they have said some things about
conservation. They`ve made statements about caring about the planet. But
yet I just don`t see any action.

Paul, your thoughts?

DOUGLAS: Well, Ed, I`m a Christian. I`m also a moderate Republican. I`m
a scientist, I`m a meteorologist, I`m a businessman. And I`m going to
quote scripture on your show. Maybe for the last time. "Man has been
appointed as a steward for the management of God`s property. Ultimately he
will give account for his stewardship." That is Luke 16: 2.

How did the Republican Party go from reverence and respect for the
environment to let`s plunder the planet, let`s take our chances, let`s
treat the earth like a dirty ATM card. The Republican Party has a rich
tradition of stewardship. Starting with Teddy Roosevelt and the park
system. George H.W. Bush, of course, the Clean Air Act. President Nixon
launched the EPA.

And Ronald Reagan in 1984 said, I`m proud to have been one of the first to
recognize that states and the federal government have a duty to protect our
natural resources from the damaging effects of pollution than can accompany
industrial development.

How do we get from there to here? I tell people, who are incredulous, how
can people be denying evidence and data? And I say follow the money.
Trillions of dollars of carbon still in the ground. People, the richest
corporations that have ever been want to be able to harvest that carbon.
That is why we are having this debate about facts, about evidence, about
data.

SCHULTZ: Yes. Well put. You can quote scripture any time you want on
this show. I mean, I think it`s -- it parallels everything that we need to
pay attention to.

Dr. Halter, what if we do nothing the next two years? How far behind are
we going to be?

HALTER: Look, Ed, it will be a full-on disaster. You can expect higher
highs, lower lows. You can expect more intense tornados down tornado
alley. The droughts will deepen. The wildfires will worsen and everyone
on the street, by the way, will be paying more for the groceries. But you
know, here`s -- that`s what could be. But change is opportunity in
disguise. Entrepreneurs know this.

It`s time to future-proof America. It`s time to do our water systems over.
Weather-proof our buildings and spend dollars on main street in every
community. After all, isn`t that what the Republicans are about? The
people on the ground, Ed?

SCHULTZ: Well, they say they are.

HALTER: Hey, Ed?

SCHULTZ: We`ll find out. They`ll have control of the money. Yes, go
ahead, Paul.

DOUGLAS: Reese has a perfectly good point. It`s going to come down to
jobs. If we don`t come up with market-based solutions by putting a price
on carbon, those jobs are going to go to China and possibly Finland and who
knows where else. But ultimately we need to put a price on carbon so that
the market can come up with the solutions, the thousands of new businesses
that will create responsible energy.

We need the energy. That`s a given but there`s a way to create that
responsibly and the key is the markets. And --

(CROSSTALK)

DOUGLAS: At some point it`s going to come from the ground up.

HALTER: I would add one thing. In 2014, we found -- we found the -- the
bullet, supercritical steam from solar thermal energy in Australia is the
answer. Throughout the southwest, we can light up this nation with
innovation, innovation is our best friend and that -- those are millions of
long-term, clean, real jobs. There`s no problem here.

SCHULTZ: All right.

HALTER: It is time to roll up our sleeves.

SCHULTZ: Dr. Reese Halter, Paul Douglas, gentlemen, great a have you with
us tonight. It is a very important subject. We`re going to spend a lot of
time on it in 2015.

Are we going to be our brother`s keeper? And of course we`re going to have
disasters. We`re going to have tornados and hurricanes and big storms.
There will be damage. And what will be the conversation in Washington?
More offsets, more digging into retirement, more digging into pension, more
digging into Social Security, to pay for disasters that are coming because
we`re paying no attention to climate change?

Elections have consequences. Be prepared. We`ll do nothing on climate
change the next couple of years. The only person that can push it forward
at this point is probably the president. Maybe he can motivate the
Republicans to pay attention to facts.

One final note, we already have our first oil disaster of 2015. On New
Year`s Eve eight storage oil tanks near Williston, North Dakota, caught
fire. The tanks contained roughly 1,000 barrels of oil and officials say
that they were being allowed to burn themselves out today. An oil tanker
truck was unloading when the fire broke out. But the exact cause of the
blaze isn`t yet known.

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
appreciate the like. We always want to know what you think.

Coming up, celebrating the liberal legacy of former New York Governor Mario
Cuomo.

And later, another bad trade deal could be headed for the fast track.
We`re off to a good start in the New Year`s. We`re talking about the
threat of the TPP. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Larry Cohen of CWA
join us. Stay with us. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: He couldn`t be here physically today, my
father. But my father is in this room. He`s in the heart and mind of
every person who is here. He`s here and he`s here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Andrew Cuomo spoke about his father
Thursday morning as he was sworn in for his second term as governor of the
state of New York. It`s the seat his father held for 12 years.

A former governor, Mario Cuomo passed away last night at the age of 82 of
natural causes due to heart failure. He was a revered political voice and
fighter for social justice in the decades of public service.

NBC`s Harry Smith has more on the life and legacy of the liberal lion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY SMITH, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Mario Cuomo passed away on the same
day his son Andrew was sworn in for his second term as governor of New
York. Earlier his son spoke about his dying father.

CUOMO: His inspiration and his legacy and his experience is what has
brought this state to this point.

SMITH: Mario Cuomo was a son of the American dream. Born in Queens, New
York, to Italian immigrant parents who came through Ellis Island with
little more than the clothes on their backs. Always active in politics,
Cuomo became New York`s Secretary of State in 1975. Two years later he ran
against Ed Koch and lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for mayor of
New York.

Cuomo was elected New York`s lieutenant governor in 1978 and with the help
of his son Andrew as campaign manager, became governor in 1982.

MARIO CUOMO, FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR: We won because people -- people and
the passion and belief are still more important than money.

SMITH: Cuomo was a liberal lion who electrified the crowd when he
delivered the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1984.
His words aimed at President Ronald Reagan.

M. CUOMO: There is despair, Mr. President, in the faces that you don`t
see. In the places that you don`t visit in your shining city.

SMITH: The speech won him an instant following. Many a Democrat yearned
for a Cuomo presidential run.

TOM BROKAW, BROADCASTER: He`s kind of the Italian stallion of Democratic
Party politics at the moment.

SMITH: His reluctance to run earned him an unfortunate moniker, "Hamlet on
the Hudson." Two years later, seeking a fourth conservative term as
governor, Cuomo lost to George Pataki.

M. CUOMO: I`ve surely made mistakes as governor, but I`m as proud as I can
be of what we have accomplished together.

SMITH: After public office, Governor Cuomo joined a law firm and remained
a visible force in New York politics, including the support for son,
Andrew, who followed in his father`s footsteps to become governor as well.

Cuomo leaves behind his beloved wife of more than 50 years, Matilda, and
children Chris, Madeline, Margaret, Maria and Andrew.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ: Joining me now is Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont.

Governor Dean, great to have you with us tonight.

HOWARD DEAN (D), FORMER VERMONT GOVERNOR: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: It started and it ended with -- you bet. It started and ended
with character and integrity with this man. How will you remember and what
is the legacy of Mario Cuomo and what he leaves behind?

DEAN: Well, his legacy is incredible. Obviously the most famous part of
it is that speech at the 1984 convention. But he was actually a very good
governor. He`s my kind of liberal. He balanced the budgets. And New York
was in really bad financial shape at that time. And he increased the bond
rating of the state of New York, which is unheard of. So there`s little
known facts about Mario Cuomo.

The other thing which people do know about him is he was an intellectual
giant. He wasn`t just a great politician and had great feelings for
ordinary people. He was an incredibly principled guy and he was educated
at -- in Queens at a Catholic high school which I suspect must have been
run by the Jesuits because he is incredibly well educated and a smart guy.

You know, we didn`t -- we crossed paths for a short time as governors. I
got to -- no, actually during my own presidential race where he was not
taking sides but he was very helpful and kind and smart and gave me some
great advice.

SCHULTZ: Howard, is he a politician and servant of yesteryear that in the
age of big money it`s hard to find people like Mario Cuomo today?

DEAN: Well, we`ll see. You know, there are some terrific people in the
Democratic Party still in various offices around the country. I don`t
think that Mario Cuomo`s brand is dead at all. And you know, what -- the
thing that`s most important about Mario Cuomo was his principle. He was
against the death penalty. That was a very hard position to take. People
forget in the `80s and the `90s in New York City there was a huge crime
wave and lots of crime problems.

And it was unpopular for him to be against the death penalty but he did it
because he thought it was right. There are principled people in politics.
We just don`t hear much about them.

SCHULTZ: He was the liberal lion. That`s the term, of course, Ted Kennedy
had that line, that title to him as well. But Mario Cuomo seemed to be,
first of all, he was a man of tremendous character and integrity. I
interviewed him about a year ago. And very thoughtful man. He was not the
10-second, 15-second sound bite. This is a man who wanted to --

DEAN: Right.

SCHULTZ: -- get into the detail of issues. And I found him to be someone
who was very gentle yet very stern in his beliefs. And it was -- it was a
very interesting mix of the way this man presented himself to the American
people. Your thoughts?

DEAN: Well, he was very pragmatic. I mean, he was running one of the
largest states in the country. So you have to be pragmatic. And in order
to balance the budget you have to make some really tough choices especially
with what was going on back then when he took over. But his pragmatism was
always tempered by his principle. That was the thing that I thought was so
valuable. That`s the example he set -- he set.

Again, we all know him for that famous speech in 1984. But you know, lots
of people can give really good speeches. There are not a lot of people who
can govern the way Mario Cuomo governed. He never lost his concern for
ordinary working people. And I think that`s because of his own background.

The other thing is a little known fact, as he experienced tremendous
discrimination in 1956 when he got out of his law school, number one in his
class, and was turned down by 50 law firms, he thought and I think he`s
probably at the time, because he was Italian American. He never forgot
that. And I think we need to remember those things because when we see
this business about the anti-immigration and the racism and so forth and so
on, this thing has been going on for a long time.

Just a different cast of people are the victims now that were at that time.
And Mario Cuomo experienced discrimination and racism when he was a young
lawyer right out of law school.

SCHULTZ: Governor Dean, great to have you on THE ED SHOW tonight. I
appreciate your time, sir. Thank you so much.

Howard Dean with us here on THE ED SHOW. Thank you.

Still to come, the fast track to lost jobs. "Rapid Response" panel weighs
in on the last 90-day push for the TPP.

And the tide ebbs for Alabama. What happened? How about them Buckeyes?
They prevail in college football playoffs. I got my predictions. The two-
minute drill coming up. Your questions next on "Ask Ed Live." Stay with
us. We`re right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Appreciate all of your questions
from our viewers here tonight in our "Ask Ed Live" segment. Our first
question comes from good old Fred. Fred wants to know, what are you
looking forward to in 2015?

Well, besides catching a lot of fish, politically, I`m really anxious to
see what the Republicans do about the two things they`ve been complaining
about for a long time. Jobs and health care. OK? You got the power, show
me some game. Do something.

Our next question is from Sheila. She wants to know who is going to win
the NCAA national championships.

Based on what I saw yesterday I would have to go with Oregon. The Ducks
have got a heck of a supporting cast but the key here is going to be how
well they handle the defensive line of Ohio State but the early edge as
I`ve seen has got to go to Oregon.

Stick around. "Rapid Response" panel is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Thanks for watching tonight.

This is a story that could affect our economy for decades. 2015 is the
year for debate over U.S. trade policy. Where are we going. The
Transpacific Partnership or TPP as its own will take center stage very
soon. A decision on the TPP is set to be made within the next 90 days.
First quarter at 2015.

After years of delays we`re in the final chapter of this fight and it is a
fight for American workers. Unfortunately for progressives, President
Obama is on the wrong side of this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCONNELL: Most of his party is unenthusiastic about international trade.
We think it`s good for America. And so I`ve got a lot of members who
believe that international trade agreements are a winner for America and
the president and I discussed that right before I came over here. And I
think he is interested in moving forward. I said send us trade agreements.
We`re anxious to take a look at them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The day after the election that`s what they were talking about.
McConnell is right about one thing, most Democrats know the TPP is just
another disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interest of
corporations at the expense of American workers.

The TPP involves 12 countries adding up to nearly 40 percent of the global
economy. It`s going to have a big impact.

Take a look at the growing United States trade deficit. With TPP countries
from 1997 to 2014. Imagine what it`s going to look like if we actually go
ahead with this deal.

Just like past trade deals the TPP will make it profitable to outsource
production to countries using unfair trade practices. The TPP, what does
it do? Well, it threatens U.S. wages. The TPP would undermine our
environmental protections and food safety standards and the Buy American
Act could be gutted totally under TPP.

This deal would undermine Wall Street, reform by allowing corporations to
skirt regulations put in place to prevent another financial crisis.

What don`t we get about this? Bottom line, the TPP serves as a test. Our
elected officials have decided -- going to have to decide which side
they`re going to be on and who they are really looking out for.

Joining me tonight in our "Rapid Response" panel Congresswoman Jan
Schakowsky of Illinois. Also with us tonight, Larry Cohen, president of
the Communication Workers of America.

Great to have both of you with us tonight. Both of you have done yeoman`s
works --

REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Happy new year.

SCHULTZ: You bet. Happy new year to you, Congresswoman. Thank you.

Both of you have done yeoman`s work on trying to alert the American people
on this. But President Obama -- I mean, Congresswoman, why doesn`t -- what
does the president see in this that is so good or does he just want to do a
deal with Republicans for some reason? How do you see this?

SCHAKOWSKY: I think in part the president sees that having U.S. influence
in the Asian rim is a really good idea. And I, for one, would not be
against any old trade agreement. But this one doesn`t do what we need to
do.

You mentioned wages as the first thing that are at risk. Americans need a
raise. American workers, ordinary people have not seen their income go up
for three decades. And as the economy is beginning to take off, it would
be an absolute tragedy to pass a trade agreement that actually erode wages.
And all the other things that you mentioned, too.

But if this is going to lower American wages, encourage jobs to go overseas
and fail to actually bring the middle class any benefits, this deal is a
bad deal.

SCHULTZ: No trade agreements that we`ve been involved in over the last 30
years have done anything for American workers. It`s outsourced jobs, has
put downward pressure on wages. So I don`t -- I don`t think that the
president has explained to the American people what the upside is. He
talks about exports a lot. Well, but if you are importing a lot more, the
conservatives will tell you this is all about emerging markets.

Mr. Cohen, what`s your response to that?

LARRY COHEN, PRESIDENT, CWA: Well, first of all, any fifth grader knows
how to do subtraction as well as addition, and it`s very easy to measure
new jobs or new exports but it`s just as easy to measure jobs that are shut
down and lost and it`s just as easy to measure the effect on wages as the
congresswoman just said which has been devastating. It`s one of the two
major causes for wage inequality in the U.S. It`s been these rotten trade
deals for 20 years.

So there`s nothing good in the TPP, yet the president will say to us
directly, it`s better than nothing. It is not better than nothing because
the subtractions in it are much more important to the American people
regardless of where you are politically than the additions in it.

We know how to do subtraction, Mr. President, don`t just tell us about the
additions.

SCHULTZ: Mitch McConnell made it clear that this is going to be his top
priority in the new session.

Mr. Cohen, how do you stop it? And I`ll ask you that, too, as well,
Congresswoman. What`s the plan to stop it in the next 90 days, Larry?

COHEN: We are building the broadest coalition for fair trade that this
country has seen including in the NAFTA years when you heard Ross Perot
talk about the sucking sound. We are building a coalition in the key
congressional districts, the swing districts, that include conservatives,
environmentalists, students, human rights advocates as well as labor. This
will not be labor against trade. This will be the American people talking
about fair trade, united with people around the world who are talking about
fair trade, not corporate trade.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHULTZ: It seems to me the president has come around a little bit. Go
ahead. Go ahead, Congresswoman. Go ahead.

SCHAKOWSKY: I was just -- Larry is absolutely right. I think the American
people have had experience with trade agreements and it has not been good.
And so the more we can build a coalition. But let`s remember the first
step is fast track. That is to allow a clean up or down vote on a trade
agreement without any real input, without any amendments, without a full
debate of all those sectors that are really impacted, and I think there`s
going to be a lot of Republicans as well as Democrats that don`t want to
give this fast track authority for a bad trade deal for TPP.

SCHULTZ: Well, Jan, the president wants it. The president wants fast
track and he`s talked about that quite a bit.

SCHAKOWSKY: I know.

SCHULTZ: So if you`re sitting down with him, what do you say to him? I
mean, how are progressives going to tell the president this is a bad move
for America and get an answer out of him why it`s so good?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, I think if I were meeting with the president I would say
look, you`ve made some enormous progress in setting the economy on the
right track, don`t ruin it for middle class people now. Don`t ruin it for
people who are working every day and are expecting that they`re going to
see some benefit from increased wages. Let`s instead invest in
infrastructure. Let`s raise the minimum wage. Let`s make sure that there
are good jobs in America and this deal is not going to contribute to that.

Let`s go back to the drawing boards, Mr. President. Let people who have
been cut out from the secret process at the table to make suggestions so
that labor not only in the United States but around the world, is going to
benefit. That we don`t hurt the environment, that consumer standards are
maintained, the health standards are maintained. We can do better than
this, Mr. President.

That`s what I`d say.

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: I would just add.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman Jan --

COHEN: I would say to him, don`t pass Boehner trade. No Boehner trade.
That`s what you`re doing, Mr. President. You are deserting your own party.

SCHULTZ: Well, Mr. Cohen, you know, saying that you want to raise the
minimum wage and then signing off on TPP, isn`t that kind of a double
destruction there? If you raise wages on America --

COHEN: It`s at least a double -- it`s at least a double destruction.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

COHEN: Because you`re killing jobs and you`re depressing wages in the
tradeable sector. The wages -- the jobs that remain here that are
tradeable, those wages are depressed and as Congresswoman Schakowsky said
that`s one of the key factors in the last 30 years of wage stagnation. So
yes, it`s talking out of both sides of your mouth. Raise the minimum wage
and then do a trade deal that will depress wages across the country.

SCHULTZ: We will follow the story in 2015. It`s going to be big this
first quarter.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Larry Cohen, president of CWA, great to have
you with us tonight. Thanks so much.

2015 has just begun but all eyes are on the 2016 presidential field. I`ll
ask Senator Bernie Sanders what it`s going to take for him to throw his hat
in the race. We`ll get an answer. Stay with us. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in tonight`s two-minute drill, the national championship
game, it`s all set. The Oregon Ducks seemed unstoppable yesterday.
They`re going to face Ohio State, the Buckeyes, on January 12th at AT&T
stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The Ducks made Florida State look like a Division II team. To be honest
with you. Ended their 29-game winning streak, beating them 59-20. The
Seminoles to me in the second half looked like they quit. So that was in
the Rose Bowl.

Now the Buckeyes, you know, there`s a feeling amongst people across this
country that well, they`re Alabama, you can`t mess with them. Buckeyes
advance by beating the tide 42-35. In the Sugar Bowl, Alabama, when was
the last time this happened? They gave up 28 unanswered points. Well,
that`s the first time since September 2007.

You know, the irony of all of this, here we have Ohio State going to be in
the first ever playoff championship game. Looking back in the old days,
Woody Hayes, the icon football coach from Ohio State, never wanted a
playoff system. He wanted a lot of winners and a lot of bowl games.
Ironically his team going to play for the national championship.

Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, if this guy isn`t the first running
back taken in the draft, then I don`t know anything. OK? I mean, this guy
is a dude. 251 yards and three touchdowns. And beat Auburn 34-31
comeback. Great show is what it was.

All right, back to politics. Senator Bernie Sanders, is he going to run
for president? We want a straight answer. Lefties want an answer. That`s
coming up next, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.

The upcoming 2016 presidential election is looking like it could be a
match-up between Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush has resigned from
all of his corporate and non-profit board memberships. Bush will only
remain on the board of companies that he`s a partner in.

Here`s an interesting twist. Jeb Bush has declined Congressman Steve King
of Iowa`s invitation to speak at the Iowa Freedom Summit on January 24th.

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has not
indicated whether she`s going to run, but polls are indicating she`s a
shoe-in.

Senator Bernie Sanders has consistently outspoken progressive voice against
the Republican agenda. Liberals all over this country are asking him, are
you going to throw your hat in the ring? And if there was ever a time
where polls don`t mean anything, it`s probably right now. Because when you
get on stage and you start debating the issues, everything changes.

Senator Sanders joins us tonight here on THE ED SHOW.

Senator, good to have you with us. What is the thought process that you`re
going through right now when people ask you if you are going to run and
seek the nomination?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), VERMONT: Well, the thought process is, Ed, is
when you run the kind of campaign that I would run, which is to take on the
billionaire class, to fight to overturn Citizens United, to deal with
climate change, to reject treaties like the disastrous TPP trade agreement,
to call for a massive jobs program, that`s not easy stuff.

And what I have to ascertain is in fact whether there is a ground,
grassroots support for an anti-billionaire class campaign, which transforms
American politics, and it`s very easy to give a good speech and it`s easy
to talk about these issues, but it`s really harder to understand whether or
not you can run an effective campaign.

And by the way, if one runs an ineffective campaign, one doesn`t generate
the support, it`s probably better not to do that. So that`s what I`m
trying to figure out right now.

SCHULTZ: Senator, do you think that there`s a chance that the issues that
you just mentioned will not be debated and will not be clarified if you and
maybe some others don`t jump into this race? What about that?

SANDERS: Well, that`s -- that, Ed, is exactly what troubles me. It would
be a horrendous situation at a time when we came off of an election, this
midterm election, 63 percent of the people didn`t vote, and then you go
into another election where income and wealth inequality where the rich are
getting richer, while almost everybody else is getting poorer, the issue of
the dramatic need to deal with climate change, to create the millions of
jobs. We desperately need to make college education affordable.

If those issues -- the power of Wall Street, the power of the oil companies
-- were not addressed, it would be an absolute shame and that is one of the
motivating factors for me in thinking about running.

SCHULTZ: Senator, it sounds like you want to do it. It sounds like your
candidacy is needed by America. But there`s a sense of realism about the
way you`re approaching this, or am I missing that?

SANDERS: No. That`s it, exactly right. Look, I think there are millions
of people who understand that there`s something wrong in this country when
the middle class is disappearing and 95 percent of all new income goes to
the top 1 percent. People understand there`s something crazy about the
United States being the only major country on earth without a national
health care program, guarantying health care to all people. People
understand what a disaster Citizens United is.

It`s one thing to say these things, Ed, and to understand that in reality,
millions of people across the political spectrum understand there`s
something profoundly wrong about the current economic and political system
in America.

On the other hand, if one goes forward and doesn`t have the money, doesn`t
have the grassroots activism that you need, gets beaten badly, then, you
know what, it`s probably not worth doing. So I got to put all that stuff
together. But we certainly need voices out there representing a
disappearing working class. We need voices out there to stand up to the
Koch brothers and the billionaires. And say enough is enough.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

SANDERS: You can`t have the whole country.

SCHULTZ: Senator Bernie Sanders with us tonight on THE ED SHOW. 2015 is
going to be very interesting.

Senator, good to have you with us. Appreciate your time. Thank 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
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