Guests: Byron Dorgan, Elijah Cummings, Keith Ellison, Al Sharpton, Bill
Press, Michael Medved, Joan Walsh, Sheila Jackson Lee
ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC ANCHOR: Good evening, Americans, and welcome to THE ED SHOW tonight from New York.
Good to be back with you. I hope you had a great holiday.
These stories are hitting “My Hot Buttons” at this hour tonight.
Well, the clock is ticking. Millions of jobless Americans are about to lose their unemployment insurance. Congress has the power to save them, but Republicans, no, no, no. They don‘t give a damn and they‘re not going to help out these Americans.
Democrats, it‘s up to you to stand up and get it done.
Senator Byron Dorgan, Congressman Elijah Cummings will outline the battle plan on that coming up in a moment.
Racism pays if you‘re a righty talker. After using the N-word 11 times on an African-American color (ph), Dr. Laura just landed herself a new job so she can spread more hate, even maybe a bigger audience.
Reverend Al Sharpton takes her on in tonight‘s “Battleground” story.
And President Obama‘s got the righties coming to dinner tomorrow night. I want to know if they‘re going to be breaking bread or breaking heads. I‘d like number two if they did.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee will crank up the heat on the issues they should be discussing at dinner. That‘s coming up later on in the show.
But this is the story that has me fired up tonight.
Thanksgiving is over and the Republicans are still acting like a bunch of turkeys, aren‘t they? Millions of jobless Americans are about to get kicked to the side of the road by the Republicans.
If Congress doesn‘t get it in gear, when the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, unemployment benefits will start to run out. Just hours ago, the Senate‘s newest Republican senator, Mark Kirk out of Illinois, put his hand on the bible and swore to represent the people. Interesting, because just this morning he ran around town telling everybody that he wants to let the unemployed suffer in order to give the rich $700 billion in tax breaks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARK KIRK ®, ILLINOIS: We should extend the Bush tax cuts and make sure that we don‘t have a double-dip recession. And I have the honor to be the first of 95 new Republicans coming to the Congress, fiscal conservatives to help write our ship of state. These proposals to extend unemployment insurance by just adding it to the deficit are misguided.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Kirk is going to fit right in with the righty club, isn‘t he? He‘s probably over there playing cards right now. The heartless Republican millionaires in the Senate, he‘ll be right there with him.
Now, with Kirk, the Senate now has 42 Republicans, 56 Democrats, and two Independents. So Harry Reid has to hold his caucus together and get at least two Republicans that don‘t think like that guy to cross the aisle to vote for an unemployment benefit extension.
Now, the story should, in my opinion, lead just about every newscast in America because it affects every region, every town. And it should be the headline in every newspaper if we really care about people. But don‘t hold your breath. Republicans are just masters at changing the subject, aren‘t they?
They want you to focus on TSA agents feeling up grandma for the last two weeks. Now, over the holiday, less than one percent of air travelers got the pat-down, but 800,000 jobless Americans will lose their benefits tomorrow night. That number explodes to two million by the end of December, as we roll it to 2011.
Now, America, don‘t you think we‘re better than this? Maybe not.
Republicans should not be allowed to butcher the middle class. Ninety-eight percent of our people have sacrificed for the benefit of the top two percent, I think, long enough. Billionaire Warren Buffett hit the nail on the head.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN BUFFETT, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: If you look at Iraq, and now Afghanistan, there‘s been sacrifice. But I would doubt if you take the people on the Forbes 400 List, whether many of them have a child or a grandchildren that have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. And they come home in body bags to Nebraska, but they don‘t—they don‘t have to call up anybody up at the country club to notify them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: And how about sacrifice? You know, when it comes to rich Republicans, the word “sacrifice” just isn‘t in their vocabulary. They‘d rather sticking it to Americans who are holding on by a thread.
The numbers are: 14.8 Americans, they have no job at all. Forty-two percent of unemployed workers have been jobless for six months or more. And the average federal benefit check is a whopping 290 bucks a week. And we can‘t part with that?
Republicans, you see, they want you to believe that they can kick the unemployment to the curb, that they‘ll solve the national debt crisis. They couldn‘t be more wrong.
When jobless Americans get their check, they don‘t hide it, not in a foreign bank. They spend it right on Main Street in America. A Labor Department study shows that every dollar spent on federal unemployment benefits leads to $2 in economic activity.
Folks, this isn‘t a theory, this is a fact. This is what happens.
And I just can‘t let this story go at all. And I think President Obama needs to wake up. He needs to tell Boehner and McConnell that the working poor have sacrificed enough in this country. They‘ve got a lot to talk about at dinner tomorrow night.
The president showed that he is serious about sacrifice when it comes to pay increases for federal workers. He did it today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The hard truth is that getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifice, and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government.
Today, I‘m proposing a two-year pay freeze for all civilian federal workers. This would save $2 billion over the rest of this fiscal year and $28 billion in cumulative savings over the next five years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Keep in mind, these federal workers are not millionaires, and I think the president showed some guts. He showed some leadership by doing this. Hopefully he‘ll be able to do the same thing when he meets with Boehner and McConnell tomorrow night.
But it‘s a negotiating chip I‘m not really sure he had to give away right now. But again, he‘s taking the high road, showing Americans that we have to be fiscally responsible.
The unemployed don‘t have any time for olive branches or political posturing on the issue of survival. Congress needs to cut through the garbage, pass the extension, and end the suffering, and come up with a long-term plan for people who have been out of the economy for a long time and moving it forward, because the financial forecast, the fiscal forecast for this country is unemployment‘s going to be around 10 percent through the next election.
How curious are you about that time frame?
Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think on this issue tonight, folks.
Tonight‘s text survey question is: Do you have faith that Congress will have the heart to extend unemployment benefits? Text “A” for yes, text “ B” for no to 622639. We‘ll bring you the results later on in the show.
Joining me now is North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee.
Senator, good to have you with us tonight.
SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), NORTH DAKOTA: Hey, Ed. It‘s good to be with you.
SCHULTZ: Did the president do the right thing in freezing federal pay raise says for two years? And what message does this send?
And my other question—an my other question dealing with this, why do it now? He gave away a bargaining chip. What do you think of all of this?
DORGAN: Well, I think what he did was serious. And he said, I‘m willing to take some tough steps here. And I understand, you know, if you‘re a federal employee, you feel like you‘re the one who that‘s sacrificing, but the fact is that we‘ve got to get this debt and deficit situation under control.
And I heard your description. I mean, it is unbelievable to be here in the Congress and to watch the Republicans say, you know what? Our highest priority is to give tax cuts for those that are the wealthiest Americans. And by the way, to those that have lost their jobs and are hoping for an extension of unemployment, take a hike. We‘re going to bring blankets to the rich and say to the rest of the folks that are unemployed, go take a hike.
It‘s unbelievable to me.
SCHULTZ: Senator, what does President Obama have to do to get his mojo back? I mean, it just seems that the Republicans are hammering him at every corner. He can‘t get the uptake on any of the issues that have been out there.
Is it a messaging issue? What‘s your advice leaving the Senate? What does the president and his team have to do to get the mojo back?
DORGAN: I think just, you know, carve out this agenda and push hard. Today was a step to say, I want to be serious about this budget deficit situation. I want to put the country back on track.
He‘s also said, I‘m not interested in providing tax cuts for millionaires at a time when we‘re at war. He‘s saying exactly the right thing on those issues. And I understand the other side has a big cheering section with a lot of right-wing radio and television, but the fact is the president just has to continue to push and drive this message through.
There‘s a big difference between those who are warm-blooded and those who are cold-hearted. And just look at this policy and ask yourself, do the American people really want this?
We‘re at war and we‘re supposed to be giving tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, even as we tell those that are jobless that it doesn‘t matter, we‘re not going to extend their unemployment benefits? Most Americans don‘t support that nonsense.
SCHULTZ: Senator, in your opinion, is there any chance that unemployment benefits would get the 60 votes in the Senate?
DORGAN: I sure hope so. I mean, if—
SCHULTZ: But you don‘t feel that it‘s going to happen?
DORGAN: I just don‘t—it doesn‘t appear to me there‘s much cooperation on anything. And this is something that there ought to be cooperation on.
There‘s a good reason to stand on the floor of the Senate when you speak, and that is to stand up for something that‘s important. It is important to say to those that are down and out, out of their jobs and out of their homes, and, you know, out of luck, to say to them, you‘re not alone, this country wants to help you through this.
SCHULTZ: It‘s amazing to me, it really is.
Senator Dorgan, good to have you with us tonight. Thanks so much.
DORGAN: Thanks, a lot, Ed.
SCHULTZ: For more on this issue, let‘s turn to Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings, a member of the Joint Economic Committee.
Congressman, your thoughts on what should be discussed at dinner tomorrow night? It‘s been delayed from the middle of the month, now to the 30th. We all know what the issues are. It‘s tax cuts for the rich. But what about the unemployment benefits and these millions of Americans who are going to have nothing starting tomorrow night?
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D), MARYLAND: I think that first thing we need to address, Ed, is the unemployment benefits.
When you‘ve got two million Americans who will not be get anything check, that‘s a major, major problem. And I‘ve often said that our country has been judged in the past on—based on our moral authority, not so much our military might.
And our moral authority is, in large part, based on how we treat each other when we‘re in need. And we‘ve got a lot of people in need.
And at the same time, Ed, just think, today, the president has asked that federal employees not get a raise over the next two years. So they‘re going to have a sacrifice there.
In my state of Maryland, 99 percent of all of our state employees have taken furlough days over the last year or two, 10 days. That‘s a lot of money for somebody making $35,000, $40,000. So they‘re sacrificing.
SCHULTZ: Why would the president make this move when he‘s got to negotiate with the Party that wants to see him fail? Go ahead.
CUMMINGS: Well, I think, Ed—I think what—I can‘t tell you exactly how the president thinks, but I would imagine that what he was trying to do is walk into that meeting saying, look, I‘m very serious about this, it hurts me and it bothers me to have to do this, but all of us have got to sacrifice. And in a way, Ed, I think it really gives him a leg up.
I‘m sorry to see so many federal employees denied of their raises, because, you know, people make a big deal of people maybe making $150,000, but, Ed, there are a whole lot of—and probably the vast majority—
SCHULTZ: Absolutely.
CUMMINGS: -- of federal employees making less than $45,000.
SCHULTZ: No doubt about it.
CUMMINGS: So, the fact is, is that I think he has to go in there.
He‘s got to keep jobs on the agenda.
And we‘ve got to keep in mind, these unemployment benefits, Ed, for every dollar that we spend in unemployment benefits, $2 worth of economic activity is generated. And so what that means is that jobs are generated. And, of course, Zandi, who was McCain‘s number one adviser on economics, said that, you know, it‘s one of the fastest ways—that is unemployment benefits—
SCHULTZ: But the Republicans won‘t serve it up. They don‘t—I know exactly what you just said, and you‘re spot on, you‘re accurate. The economists on both sides have said that.
But this heartless group across the aisle from you will not serve it up. They are determined—and I‘ve never seen anything like it.
CUMMINGS: Well, I think the thing that the president has to go back to is the moral authority. He‘s got to talk about what is morally right.
And if these folks can sit around while eating they‘re their turkeys and whatever at Christmastime, while others are begging for a piece of bread because they don‘t have a check, and they can eat comfortably, you know, I‘ve got a major problem. And that‘s not what we should be all about. We‘re better that, as you said, and I agree with you.
SCHULTZ: No.
Congressman Cummings, great to have you on tonight. Thanks so much.
CUMMINGS: It‘s good to be with you, Ed.
SCHULTZ: Coming up, the Obama administration is getting it done on terror. Can we say that enough? The FBI thwarted a massive bombing, and the Muslim community is helping catch these thugs. Congressman Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, dishes out the straight talk next.
“The Drugster” proves every single day conservative talkers are—well, they‘re playing by a different set of rules. Now Dr. Laura gets to spread her racism on a new show. Reverend Al Sharpton sounds off on that in the “Battleground” story.
Plus, “Professor Beck” wants to rewrite history; “The Simpsons” rip into O‘Reilly; and I‘ll show you an NFL brawl in “The Playbook.”
You‘re watching THE ED SHOW on MSNBC. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW, and thanks for watching tonight.
While Republicans are screaming about pat-downs and pushing for racial profiling, President Obama, law enforcement officials, and vigilant American-Muslims are putting suspected terrorists behind bars and keeping this country safe.
A 19-year-old Somali-American man just got busted trying to set up a van full of explosives at a tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon. Thankfully, it was an FBI sting operation and agents filled the van with duds.
But this is another counterterrorism success story on President Obama‘s watch, and it‘s also a victory for American-Muslims. An Oregon newspaper reports the suspect‘s father alerted Homeland Security and the FBI about his son.
Joining me now is Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison. He is the only
he is one of two Muslims serving in the United States Congress.
Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.
REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: Hey, Ed. Always.
SCHULTZ: I‘m going right at this. I‘m going to go right at this.
If this was a white guy and he had turned his kid in, he would had been played up by the media as this guy is an American hero. But he‘s a Muslim. It‘s a Muslim family. And it seems to be a little different response by the media in this country.
Am I off base? What do you think?
ELLISON: Well, you know I want to tell you, Ed, that I‘m glad you‘re bringing out the full set of facts here. I mean, I think it‘s got to be emotionally wrenching when you have to tell law enforcement authorities that your child has gone that far of the mark, that you would need to report him. So this man summoned some great courage and will to do the right thing.
And I want to encourage people in his community to congratulate him for doing the right thing, although it couldn‘t have been easy. No parent could do it lightly. This young man must had really been off on the deep end.
But I think that also, you should know that it was a Muslim guy who helped report the Times Square bomber. In that case, when this fellow, Faisal Shahzad, was trying to set off a bomb there, that was reported and the citizens responded. One of them was a Muslim fellow.
So, the fact is, is that the Obama administration deserves a lot of credit. They are dealing with this issue of terrorism in a forthright way.
FBI agents are responding to tips they are receiving. They are taking them seriously. And I want to commend the men and women of the FBI for doing the right thing in the right way.
SCHULTZ: Congressman, the last two weeks, we have been pushing the fear button, one network especially—
ELLISON: Oh, yes.
SCHULTZ: -- saying that the TSA is patting Americans down. Less than one percent of Americans have been patted down through the holiday. And, of course, today we‘re back to traveling. I guess that story‘s all gone now and we shouldn‘t feel violated at all.
How do you feel about the hoodwinking that‘s taking place in this country about how we really should be focused on the work that this family did and what counterterrorism experts did, as opposed to what actually is not happening at airports?
ELLISON: Well, you know, I do invite the dialogue about the proper balance between personal safety and personal bodily integrity. I don‘t mind the conversation, but you‘re right.
The real deal here, families stepping up to help protect this country. Even when they need to report a member of their own family, they‘re doing the right thing. They are being forthright and courageous.
But I also want to commend the FBI for one more thing, Ed, and that is the fact that even—that after this incident occurred, there was a burning at an Islamic center that this young man was I think a part of. And the FBI came out and said, no vigilante justice, the rule of law will prevail, people who are law enforcement officers are going to protect everyone.
I really appreciated that, because we‘ve got to all be in this fight against terrorism together. And we don‘t want any branch of our community to feel that they‘re on the sideline or marginalized because they‘re outside of the protection of the law.
The FBI did the right thing not only by following up on this tip to protect Americans—and, of course, this young man thought that he was going to kill or maim about 10,000 people, so it is important. That‘s very critical. But even after the fact, the FBI said no vigilante justice, no one is outside the protection of the law.
So I think they stepped up in some good ways. And again, this is the Obama administration, the FBI, and law enforcement. And I think that we‘ve got to start giving credit where credit due, to this family and to law enforcement under the Obama administration.
SCHULTZ: And now in the aftermath of the holiday season, and now that we‘re all back to business travelers and going as normal, what do you expect the TSA to do? Same old stuff, or are they going to get heat? What should happen?
ELLISON: Well, I think that the TSA should endeavor to try to keep the public safe while we‘re flying and try to be as—
SCHULTZ: But it was a ginned-up story, was it not, Congressman?
ELLISON: Yes, I would say it was a story that ended up catching some wind there by one particular TV station in particular. But, you know, I don‘t—I credit the men and women of the TSA to try to find that right balance.
They‘re working on it. I trust that they will continue to do so.
But let‘s not flame this thing up. I mean, let‘s do what‘s right:
protect the public, try to protect people‘s integrity, and keep the hype out of it. It‘s too important. It‘s too important, Ed, you know, to try to politicize something like safety in the air.
SCHULTZ: And is it repulsive to think about racial profiling, in your opinion?
ELLISON: Absolutely. And not only is it repulsive, it‘s bad policing.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
ELLISON: As we know, people who want to do harm to others come in all colors, all cultures, all shapes, and you can‘t just look at somebody‘s dress or their appearance and figure out who‘s a bad guy. You‘ve got to look at their behavior. You‘ve got to focus to what they‘re doing, and you‘ve got to respond to tips like the FBI did in this situation that his father gave them.
SCHULTZ: Congressman, great to have you with us tonight. Thanks so much.
ELLISON: Always, Ed.
SCHULTZ: Keith Ellison from Minnesota, here on THE ED SHOW.
Coming up, “Professor Beck” really needs to step away from the chalkboard, doesn‘t he? Because that dust, folks, it‘s got to be getting in his nostrils and going up into his head and screwing things up.
You won‘t believe the latest idea he‘s got. We‘re going to teach him a lesson in “The Zone,” next.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And in “Psycho Talk” tonight, OK, in broadcasting we all have egos, but let‘s face it, “ The Beckster” is already taking his overblown ego I think to new heights. Not only does he think it‘s his divine responsibility to save America from evil progressives, now he thinks he should completely rewrite U.S. history.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GLENN BECK, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I was thinking about it this weekend. I was thinking about writing the definitive American history book and really getting together with the best American scholars that will tell you the truth and correct all of the history.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Hmm. Having the arrogance to claim that he can correct all of the history shows just how psycho this guy is. And he isn‘t waiting if a book deal to express his warped interpretation of American history, he‘s been doing that on his radio and TV show for years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Let me tell you the truth about the Statue of Liberty. It was actually a slap in the face to the old world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BECK: This is about McCarthy being right. He was right.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: What I‘m seeing here is fascistic. I think we‘ve been on this road since Teddy Roosevelt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BECK: We went after them for Pearl Harbor. You want to know why they bombed us? The progressives started it and then pretended it was a big surprise.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Obama‘s mom wasn‘t just a regular girl from Kansas, she was actually a little red girl, a communist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Well, I‘m going to be called a hate-monger for this, you know, conversation we have. Whatever. That‘s fine. They also called people like Benjamin Franklin a hate-mongerer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
SCHULTZ: After getting stuffed on turkey over the holidays, it‘s always good to come back to work to see some good “Psycho Talk,” isn‘t it?
Beck has no business acting like he‘s a historian. The nonsense that he spews belongs in the fiction section. For him to say his Tea Party version of U.S. history is the truth, is fraudulent “Psycho Talk.”
Coming up, Dr. Laura, well she‘s back in business. She‘s got a new job and a potential huge audience.
I‘m convinced conservative talkers can say and do anything without ever having to pay the ultimate price, “You‘re fired.” Reverend Al Sharpton, well he tears it up tonight in “The Battleground” story on freedom of speech. Where do you draw the line?
And “The Tan Man” and Mitch McConnell are the last people I‘d want to have dinner with, but they‘re headed over to the White House to break bread with the president.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee will have the lineup on exactly what they should be talking about.
Plus, “The Maverick” compares Palin to Reagan? And there was a bear-knuckle, helmet-ripping brawl in the NFL yesterday. I‘ll show you the tape in “The Playbook.”
You‘re watching THE ED SHOW on MSNBC.
Stay with us. We‘re right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. The “Battleground” story tonight, well, righty talkers prove once again that racism pays. I think there is truly a totally double standard here. Dr. Laura announced that she would end her longtime radio show after unloading on an African-American caller on the air back in the month of August. She was supposed to go off the air the next month. But it turns out, well, she just cut a deal, a new deal with Sirius Satellite Radio for a live three-hour call-in show that launches in January. Good for her. Well, to put that in perspective, Dr. Laura currently has about eight million listeners, Sirius has 20 million subscribers, do the Math, she‘ll have a big potential audience.
But let me get this straight, Dr. Laura went ballistic on an African-American color, used the “n” word 11 million times and basically said, people should not date outside of their race and all she gets is a potentially bigger audience than more pay? Today, Dr. Laura bragged about how she‘ll be able to say whatever she wants in her new venue. She said, quote, “I‘m so overjoyed to be in the arena where I can expand my format where it‘s uncensored, where they reward true free speech. Can you believe this? She uses the “n” word 11 times on a black caller, yet she‘s acting like she‘s the victim of prejudice. Where are the consequences? Well there aren‘t any. Where is the punishment, there will be none. All Dr. Laura is getting is a longer leash to spread her hate.
Joining me now is Reverend Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network. Is this the marketed work, Reverend? Good to have you with us tonight. What do you make of this?
REV. AL SHARPTON, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: Well, I think it‘s disgusting. I think when you deal with the fact, Ed, that people are now rewarded with no sense of shame by some of the media entities, let‘s face it, the claim to fame of Dr. Laura now is the using of the “n” word saying she‘s leaving radio. Now she comes, as you very aptly put it, like she was the victim. Let‘s forget about the people she offended that are black. Let‘s forget about the woman who she said in so many terms, oh you should be an interracial marriage. The victim here was Dr. Laura who was delivered by XM radio.
This is insulting to those Americans that believe we should not be rewarding this kind of ugliness. I also think you‘re right, it‘s a double standard. If anyone that is considered not even on the left but in the center says anything offensive, they‘re castigated, if they ever shook hands with the president, he‘s castigated. The right can say whatever they want and get multiyear contracts, a pat on the back, and a reward. I think it is something that undermines the credibility of this country‘s media establishment.
SCHULTZ: Reverend Sharpton, the people buy subscriptions to Satellite Radio. It‘s the marketplace reacting. That‘s what they‘re going to come back and say. It is unregulated territory. So, how do you deal with it?
SHARPTON: Well, I mean, they have the right to do it. It doesn‘t make them right do it.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
SHARPTON: And I deal with it the same way when we jumped on the rappers and the hip-hoppers. People have the right to do it. I said the hip-hoppers was wrong to use the “n” word, well guess what so is Ms. Laura. And I think that if the market drives it, it does not mean that we throw all of about values and standards aside because somebody will pay for it. Because then there‘s a lot of things people will pay for in this country that we find to be disgusting, and I think racism ought to be at the top of the mist.
SCHULTZ: And Reverend Sharpton, getting back to some of the racist things that Rush Limbaugh has said not only recently but over the years as a real pattern of behavior here, is there going to be some pushback, some coalition of groups getting together, making it well known that this should not be acceptable on regulated airwaves in America, what‘s happening there?
SHARPTON: Absolutely. I‘m in Washington tomorrow, we‘re beginning to have some meetings, as I said to you before, we‘re going to the FCC. We‘re not going to let this go. He‘s not on uncensored satellite. He‘s on regulated radio. There must be standards or the FCC must say, we no longer have standards in America. We‘re going to force this issue where we have one set of rules that apply for everyone, and Rush Limbaugh is not only on regulated television, he‘s a keynote speaker at republican conferences. He‘s celebrated in mainstream political circles. So is this the accepted behavior now? Tell us what the playing field is, let‘s have it even. But you‘re not going to get away with playing one way on one side and another way on another side. We‘re going to force the issue.
SCHULTZ: Reverend Sharpton, we will definitely follow the story.
Good to have you with us tonight.
SHARPTON: Thanks, Ed. Good to be with you.
SCHULTZ: You bet. Now, let‘s get some rapid-fire response on our panel on these stories. I‘ll get their take on Dr. Laura‘s new gig. And whatever righty talkers, why do they just get free rein of whatever they want to say on the air?
The latest Wikileak is a huge embarrassment for the State Department and a security bridge. The Obama administration is bound to prosecute and Republican Congressman Peter King wants to declare Wikileaks a foreign terrorist organization.
And the non-partisan Southern Poverty Law Center has classified the conservative Christian Family Research Council as a hate group for the anti-gay—for their anti-gay views.
For more go, let‘s go to Bill Press and also Michael Medved. Both syndicated, nationally syndicated radio talk show hosts. Gentlemen, good to have you with us tonight.
BILL PRESS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Dr. Laura, let‘s do the in-house business first. Bill Press, she gets a deal. What does this mean?
PRESS: Yes, Ed, you said it, Al Sharpton said it, look—there‘s—if you or I, Ed, either one of us, said something like that, we would have been fired in a New York second. There‘s a total double standard for the right wingers, the more racism, the uglier they are. The more jobs they get, the more contracts they get. As Al said, it‘s disgusting. I don‘t want to kick anybody off the radio. But—and she‘s got the free speech to say whatever she wants. She doesn‘t have the right to say that kind of ugly talk on the radio.
MICHAEL MEDVED, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: OK, she didn‘t—first of all she apologized for using the “n” word. If you actually listen to what she said, it was stupid, it was badly handled. She was talking to a woman who was married to a white guy, who felt very uncomfortable at some family gathering and she was trying to inquire what it was that made the woman feel uncomfortable.
SCHULTZ: But what can we expect in the future, Michael? She says, I‘m so overjoyed to be in an arena where I can expand my format, what‘s that mean?
MEDVED: Well, I think what she‘s talking about is the last time people were launched a Jihad against Dr. Laura which is when...
SCHULTZ: What?
PRESS: No, no, no, Michael, she was talking about this time, the “n” word, Michael. Come on, don‘t defend the “n” word.
MEDVED: She does not defend—she‘s not going to use the “n” word. And she didn‘t defend it. She apologized for it. Look, when Jesse Jackson.
PRESS: Eleven times? Michael, 11 times.
MEDVED: When Jesse Jackson used the term Hymietown, and I‘m going to get money from Hymie, he apologized and it was fine. I defended Jesse Jackson.
PRESS: Michael, come on.
MEDVED: Jesse Jackson is a more important public figure than Dr.
Laura.
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
PRESS: The point is it‘s not just Dr. Laura, it‘s also Rush Limbaugh.
I mean the racism you hear from these guys and they get away with it.
MEDVED: OK.
PRESS: It‘s total double standard.
MEDVED: So, when you say get away with it, do you believe that political speech should be censored, Bill? I assume you don‘t.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHULTZ: Well, there‘s a difference between hate speech and political speech.
PRESS: Listen.
MEDVED: The difference between hate speech and political speech, is hate speech is a speech that encourages violence against people. And Dr. Laura never engaged in that and Rush‘s never engaged in that.
PRESS: Michael, you would not use that language.
MEDVED: Absolutely not.
PRESS: I would not. Ed would not. There should be standards across the board for.
MEDVED: I agree.
SCHULTZ: Final question on this issue. Michael Medved, are you saying that you think that Dr. Laura will never use the “n” word on Satellite Radio?
MEDVED: Absolutely not.
SCHULTZ: OK.
MEDVED: She will never touch the “n” word.
SCHULTZ: OK.
PRESS: You know what, Michael.
MEDVED: And by the way, you can go nah, nah, nah, Medved, if she ever does.
PRESS: All right. You know, what? She brag today that she‘s glad to be on Satellite Radio, so she can say anything she wants.
SCHULTZ: Well, they reward true free speech here, you know. Well, I just think that there‘s a double standard. But of course she‘s going to be in an area where she can say—and she can use the “f” bomb if she wants to.
All right. The Wikileaks, a huge embarrassment for the State Department. Hillary Clinton‘s come out and made a statement, but probably one that was caught everybody‘s attention. This is a congressman from New York, Peter King. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETER KING ®, NEW YORK: If American lives are at risk and every top military officials have said that, then we have to be serious. We should go after him for violating the espionage act. And the reason I say foreign terrorist organization because they‘re engaged in terrorist activity. Their activity is enabling terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Bill Press, what do you think? Are they foreign terrorist organization?
PRESS: Look, you know, I have a different take on, this Ed. I mean they‘re not Al Qaeda. They‘re not a foreign terrorist organization, as far as I‘m concerned. You know what that means, Ed? That means, we can hunt them down and assassinate them anywhere in the world. That means we can send drones against them. We could waterboard them. Look, I‘ve yet to see, I read a lot of that stuff, yet to see any real damage done or any real harm to the United States. I think the American people have a right to know what our government is up to.
SCHULTZ: Mike?
MEDVED: I don‘t think that the American people have a right to private diplomatic channels. Look, any government to conduct diplomacy needs to have a fair assurance of privacy. Now, are they rightly classified as a terrorist organization? No. To me it cheapens the designation terrorist, which again should be reserved for people who are involved in.
SCHULTZ: So King is wrong?
MEDVED: Yes, King is wrong, of course he‘s wrong.
SCHULTZ: Aren‘t you gentlemen, as I am somewhat intrigued by we‘ve got all these countries around the world that think we ought to be taking care of the Iranians that, you know, we can‘t make anything in America anymore but we could sure be the police agent.
MEDVED: At least we found some areas of agreement between Israel and most of the Arab states.
PRESS: Even the Somalis want to bomb the Americans.
SCHULTZ: Why are daughters, why are kids, why are kids, why are daughters, you know?
MEDVED: Again, that‘s the agreement between Israel and the Arab states is recognizing that only the United States is powerful enough to do something and God-willing, it won‘t be military about the Iranian nuclear threat.
PRESS: You know, Ed. The only problem with these Wikileaks I think is that the State Department is embarrassed by some of the things that were said about Sarkozy or Angela Merkel or whatever and, yes, that‘s the way people gossip. Big deal.
SCHULTZ: So there‘s no security threat whatsoever? Agents being exposed and conversations, you lose your credibility in dealing in diplomacy, when you know you have a conversation with somebody, you know if it‘s going to end up?
MEDVED: What I would say is our security is directly threatened by Iran developing nuclear weapons and making those weapons available to terrorist organizations, like their clans Hezbollah and the Hamas. That is a very, very real security threat. And to the extent that the Wikileaks make it much more difficult to assemble a coalition against Iran, yes, it‘s a serious setback.
PRESS: I don‘t think it does make it more difficult. I think, listen, if we got into their cables, we find out that they were saying some pretty kind of uncomfortable thing that maybe about American leaders. So what people understand that?
SCHULTZ: Well, the conservatives have said everything they possibly can about President Obama, what else is new?
PRESS: You got it.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHULTZ: Bill Press and Michael Medved, good to have you guys with us tonight.
Coming up, Caribou Barbie is cracking under pressure, she‘s freaking out. At the media after she made a mistake. Maybe the stress of clubbing those fish is just getting to her. Joan Walsh, editor-at-large, Salon.com takes a whack at her in “Playbook” coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And it‘s not too late to let us know what you think. Tonight‘s text survey question is, do you have faith that Congress will have the heart to extend unemployment benefits? Text A for yes, text B for no to 622-639. We‘ve got the results coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And in my playbook tonight, Sarah Palin is lashing out after making this gaffe on the Beckster‘s radio show last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Obviously, got it stand with our North Korean allies. We‘re bound to by treaty.
GLENN BECK, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: South Korean, yes.
PALIN: Yes, and we‘re also bound by prudence to stand with our South Korean allies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Help her out there, Beckster, she needs it and of course Palin just couldn‘t admit she made a mistake and move on. She had to go on the offense and play the victim. She chose to fire right back on Facebook. Palin began with a list of President Obama‘s verbal gaffes. Then she took a swipe at Vice President Joe Biden, and she finished off with one of her trademark rants against the media. She wrote, “If the media had bothered to actually listen to all of my remarks on Glenn Beck‘s radio show, they would have noticed that I refer to South Korea as our ally throughout. That I corrected myself seconds after my slip-of-the-tongue. The media could have done due diligence and checked my previous statements on the subject which have always been consistent and in fact, even ahead of the curve.” Really? “But why let the facts get away in a good story?”
For more, let‘s bring in Joan Walsh, editor-at-large, Salon.com. Wow, does she have a thin skin all of a sudden? What do you make of this?
JOAN WALSH, EDITOR, SALON.COM: It was really funny. I mean, wasn‘t that also her Thanksgiving message, Ed? You know, Thanksgiving messages by politicians tend to be, I‘m grateful for my husband, my wife, the love of my children, you great—all of you terrific constituents and hers is composed with this intense vitriol and this intense desire for vengeance which really distinguishes her more than anything else on our political scene. I mean, she is just so—she can‘t let a slight go un-remark. She‘s just got the thinnest skin of any politician I‘ve ever seen. It was kind of hilarious.
SCHULTZ: Well, she‘s kind of reinventing herself with some people that were questioning her knowledge base, that well you know that was a long time ago and she‘s coming on better now and she‘s more schooled up. And of course as more Americans that are being exposed to her all the time, not every American knows who Sarah Palin is, not every American knows that she has more than a slip of the tongue on the facts.
WALSH: Right.
SCHULTZ: I find it paralleling the idea that she‘s definitely going to run and she‘s got to make sure that people knows that she believes—that she has people believing that she knows what she‘s talking about.
WALSH: Right and that she takes this stuff very seriously and she‘s become a student of global affairs. But you know, as she demonstrated in the Beck interview as well as in her little Facebook rant, it‘s talking points. It doesn‘t go any deeper than that. And look, I‘m not saying she‘s not intelligent. I think she‘s reasonably intelligent and if she put her mind to it and she decided that that what she was going to master in these two years, she could conceivably come a long way but instead, you know, she masters just enough to kind of fake her way through an interview and what she‘s really mastered is the art of political revenge. And that‘s what really obsesses her, that‘s what gets the juices flowing.
SCHULTZ: Joan Walsh, that is a dangerous word, fake, you know?
WALSH: Yes.
SCHULTZ: I mean, you don‘t that around. You don‘t want that around.
WALSH: No.
SCHULTZ: .if you‘re planning on being a leader.
WALSH: No, you don‘t. Never. But especially in this world where the president is just beset all around him by global crisis.
SCHULTZ: Is she gaining momentum? I mean, if she had a good month, post-election, she‘s been out there more than anybody, than more exposed than anybody else, and is she gaining, in your opinion?
WALSH: You know I think she‘s so exposed. She‘s got her television show. I did finally watch her clubbing.
SCHULTZ: What did you think?
WALSH: .the fish. I was actually really stunned by it. I was stunned by the extent to which they dwelled on the clubbing. And you know that that‘s obviously something that‘s very important to her.
SCHULTZ: Is she gaining, in your opinion?
WALSH: No, she‘s not gaining. She‘s peaked, I think she‘s going to be here for a while. It‘s going to be hard for others to reach her, but they‘re going to start taking her down and this is as far as she goes, in my opinion.
SCHULTZ: Joan, great to have you with us. Joan Walsh here on THE ED
SHOW.
WALSH: Thanks, Ed.
SCHULTZ: Thanks so much.
Coming up. Final pages in the “Playbook” tonight. “The Simpsons” took a shot at FOX News for the second week in a row after O‘Reilly complained of our last week cracked in this network, the cartoon. Put a new slogan on their FOX helicopter that said FOX News unsuitable for viewers under 75. Houston Texans‘ wide receiver Andre Johnson, the Titans‘ cornerback Cortland Finnegan. Well, they got into the football field big time yesterday, you don‘t see this too often. The players scuffled throughout the game. And eventually, well the punches started flying, both guys were ejected from the game and received $25,000 of fines from the NFL. But they will not be suspended.
And Wisconsin Congressman David Obey chose not to run for another term, and yesterday he let everyone know on his—of his retirement plans. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: And if you could fill in this short sentence for me, after I leave Congress, I am most looking forward to.
REP. DAVID OBEY (D), WISCONSIN: Playing more music and perhaps increasing my—my allotment of gin and tonics from time to time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Got to admit, gin and tonics are pretty nice out of the lake in the evening on the pantheon cruise. The guy has got his priorities straight after all those years in Congress, that sounds like a retirement plan in me.
And finally, President Barack Obama is back in action after getting 12 stitches in his lip over the holiday weekend. The president said today that that he had a clean bill of health on his cut lip. He played basketball again yesterday and this time with his daughters that he plans to get back on the court and keep up his workout schedule in the very near future. Well at least he didn‘t fall off a couch and hit his head.
Coming up, after dissing the president, Mitch McConnell and the tan man finally found sometime for that White House dinner. Doggone it, well, what do you say, miss, let‘s get on over there with a bottle of wine, huh? I don‘t want to see any olive branches served tomorrow. I want some straight-talk. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee will do that, next on THE ED SHOW. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHULTZ: And finally tonight on THE ED SHOW, almost a month after the election, republican leaders are finally heading over to the White House tomorrow, to supposedly try to find some common ground with President Obama on the issues but so far the Republicans have made it clear they‘re not interested in compromising on anything. I think it‘s time for the president to give up on the olive branches and start putting his foot down.
Joining me now is Congresswoman from Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee.
Congresswoman, good to have you with us tonight.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D), TEXAS: Well, good to be with you.
SCHULTZ: To a party that has said no to everything, what are your expectations tomorrow night?
LEE: Well, I think first of all, the president needs to be his own person and down in Texas, we say, we‘ve got to know when to hold and when to fold. The president has extended an olive branch. This morning, he said, he‘s looking forward to speaking with the Republicans on two issues, growing jobs and growing the economy. The question will be in tomorrow‘s Tetty Tetand (ph) and breaking of the bread and friendly talk, will he sense that the Republicans are interested more in the American people than the 2012 elections and the latest polling numbers? If that is the case, then he needs to hold.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
LEE: If it is not, then we can talk about compromises for the betterment of the American people. He‘s got to make a decision as we work with Democrats. You know, Ed, what I‘ve said, there has been an elections, the democratic process but Democrats are not dead and we have values to protect and we have to work with the president, and we have to know when to move on behalf of the American people.
SCHULTZ: Congresswoman, you can‘t talk about jobs in the economy without talking about the tight private credit markets and that‘s something that the Republicans just have not addressed every time this administration is brought it up. What do you think?
LEE: You are absolutely right. Every single constituent that I‘ve talked to, Ed, are absolutely appalled. And by the way, the stimulus was a stimulus. Some people believe a stimulus was more of a stimulus than tax cuts. But you can‘t get any credit from the banking institutions. Of course, they argue that it‘s overregulation. I don‘t believe it‘s any of that other than their own sentiment. That is something that has to be worked out to even move small businesses. And what needs to be noted is that it was the Democrats who gave small businesses 16 tax credits and $30 billion.
SCHULTZ: Yes, and quickly.
LEE: You‘re right, they‘ve got to stand up and stand up behalf of the assistant credit.
SCHULTZ: We‘ve got about a minute left, congresswoman. What about the pay freeze for federal employees? I mean the president took that step today. Isn‘t this a signal that he‘s serious and he ought to get something back for it from the righties, what do you think?
LEE: Well, you know, it‘s about a belt-tightening approach. Obviously, a lot of us are concerned about hardship cases. But you‘re right, he‘s made a step forward and that‘s what I‘m saying. Know when to hold and know when to fold. He‘s offered something positive that will cause about a $28 billion gain over five years. Let‘s see what the Republicans will do, but you know what, we can‘t stop on our values.
SCHULTZ: No.
LEE: I‘m prepared to work with the president as a democrat but the Republicans need to be looking at something other than the 2012 elections and the fall of President Obama. They need to be looking to the rise of the American people.
SCHULTZ: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, thanks so much for joining us tonight.
LEE: Thank you for having me.
SCHULTZ: You bet.
Tonight in our telephone survey or text survey I asked, do you have faith that Congress will have the heart to extend unemployment benefits? Twenty six percent of you said, yes. Seventy four percent of you said, no.
That‘s THE ED SHOW. I‘m Ed Schultz.
“HARDBALL” with Chris Matthews starts now. We‘ll see you tomorrow night.
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