The Ed Show for Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Guests: Joe Watkins, Goldie Taylor, Richard Durbin, Joan Walsh, Mike Papantonio, Robert Greenwald, Jesse Lagreca

ED SCHULTZ, HOST: Good evening, Americans. And welcome to THE ED
SHOW tonight from New York.

The woman alleging an affair with Herman Cain comes out with more
details and Cain thinks he`s uncovered the grand plan schemed up by the
Democrats to take both him and Newt Gingrich out of the race for the GOP
nomination.

This is THE ED SHOW -- let`s get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I talked to a lot of people
61 times.

SCHULTZ (voice-over): Herman Cain`s deranged soap opera continues.

CAIN: A week from now, I will have made a final decision.

SCHULTZ: His new conspiracy theory involves Newt Gingrich and the
Democrats.

CAIN: That`s just a hypothesis.

SCHULTZ: Goldie Taylor and Republican strategist Joe Watkins are
here.

Republicans put out their plan to extend the payroll tax. Fire
200,000 federal workers? Senate minority whip Dick Durbin is here to
respond.

Do you regret going out there?

SCOTT OLSEN: Not at all.

SCHULTZ: Will you do it again?

OLSEN: Yes.

SCHULTZ: Injured Iraq veteran Scott Olsen has inspired the 99 percent
movement like never before.

Tonight, reaction to my interview with Robert Greenwald of Brave New
Films and occupy activist Jesse LaGreca.

And millions of workers in England are out on strike. This righty has
a plan to deal with them.

JEREMY CLARKSON, BBC: Have them all shot. I would take them outside
and execute them in front of their families.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

Herman Cain continues to go on the offensive no matter what comes out
about him. The GOP has been silent up until now. A lone Tea Party
Republican congressman, Allen West from Florida, has finally stepped up and
said something I think many have said before -- should have, anyway.

In a radio interview, West said, "Beyond reassessing his campaign, he
probably needs to understand he is a distracter for what`s going on right
now and we should move on. That would be my advice to him, if I had an
opportunity and he asked me."

But later, the congressman tweeted, "I`m not telling Cain to step
down. That`s his decision."

Today, Herman Cain said he respected West, but it was his own
decision. And he launched into his broadest, craziest defense yet of
allegations that have been placed against him. He said the Democrats had a
two-step plan to take him out along with newt Gingrich.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: Maybe the Democrats want newt Gingrich to win the nomination so
they can then go after his personal life, but they need to knock me out
now. That`s just the hypothesis. My star was shining and rising too fast.
They wanted to take some of that shine off.

They couldn`t attack my ideas. They couldn`t make it stick when they
went off my 999 plan. The only option was try and attack his character
with accusations relative to some of people that I have met in the past,
and some of them I didn`t even know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: He is a strong talker, and he is just unbelievable the way
he continues to go on the offensive. He admitted he`s helped Ginger White
financially, but he had an explanation for that, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: She was someone that I considered a friend, although it`s
apparently she`s not, that I was helping because she was having financial
troubles. And it was over an extended -- it was over 2 1/2 years that I
was able -- that I was doing this because of the job market.

And so, this -- she`s not the only person that I have helped. I have
helped a lot of people. The only thing about this particular one is, yes,
she happened to be female.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: So how close was this relationship? There is the problem of
all those text messages, especially the ones that came in at 4:00 in the
morning.

But the pizza man was undeterred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: If she were texting me at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning, wanting
to know if I could help her with her rent or help her with her car note,
that doesn`t mean that I was calling her, and the other thing about those
phone calls, which we have requested that we be given access to them, my
attorney and I, is what really was the pattern of those? All it says was
61 calls. I talk to a lot of people 61 times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Sixty-one times? That`s a heck of a lot of communication,
isn`t it?

Ginger White had her own explanation of all those calls and text
messages and she said the communication continued even after the first
harassment allegations against Cain went public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGER WHITE, CAIN`S ALLEGED MISTRESS: Just up until last week, that
was my last contact with Mr. Cain, and, you know, the thing is, I can`t
imagine waking up one morning and deciding to come out with this if this
was not true. This has been a very difficult situation for myself, for my
family, and it`s nothing that I am proud of.

It was a very casual affair that Herman flew me to -- on several
trips. I went on several trips with Herman. We, one particular trip, was
the Mike Tyson-Holyfield fight in Las Vegas. You now, I can`t make this
stuff up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: But back to Herman Cain who was asked if this was the end of
the accusations against him. And if he was confident nothing else would
come up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: I was in business for over 40 years. I have worked with and
helped a lot of people, male and female. There is no way for me to say
unequivocally that somebody else may not come up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: But Herman Cain did concede he is reassessing whether to
stay in the race. He claimed he`s getting plenty of positive feedback from
supporters and the money was still coming in. But his family is his number
one priority.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: This is about trying to bring down Herman Cain, but if they`re
going to bring down Herman Cain at a heavy price on my family, I`m going to
-- I am in the process of reassessing that.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS: A week from now --

CAIN: Yes?

CAVUTO: -- do you think in your gut you will still be a presidential
candidate? A week from now?

CAIN: A week from now, I will have made a final decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, Herman, let me tell you something, buddy, there`s no
conspiracy theory here that`s going to work with the public. I should
endorse you tonight. Heck, we want you to stay in the race. Why in the
world would the Democrats get behind closed doors and say, you know what,
we`re really nervous about Herman Cain and his 999 plan? What do you say
we cook up some folks and get them in front of the cameras and make sure
that they just -- are part of this plan to take them down, and after we get
Cain, we`re going to go after Newt, we`re going to do it that way?

I mean, you know what? This is what you get with the Tea Party. You
really get nothing but a bunch of lies and innuendoes and this is the kind
of politics that the Tea Party has offered up to this country, a bunch of
obstruction.

They can`t deal with the truth. They have no policy. They have no
plan. They`re just a bunch of radical Tea Partiers -- and this is the
perfect candidate for the Republicans. It`s too bad he won`t get it.

No, the Democrats have not come up with any grand plan to deep six
Herman Cain politically or Newt Gingrich for that matter. With the
policies that they throw out there and the conversations that they have
with the American people, I don`t think they`re going to be hard to beat.

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

Tonight`s question, should I, Ed Schultz, endorse Herman Cain for the
Republican nomination? Text "A" for yes, text "B" for no to 622639. You
can always go to our blog at Ed.MSNBC.com. We`ll bring you the results
later on in the show.

Now, joining me now is Joe Watkins, MSNBC political analyst and
Republican strategist who is already texting "A" on that.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHULTZ: And also, Goldie Taylor with us tonight, columnist for
TheGrio.com and the managing editor of the Goldie Taylor Project.

Great to have both of you with us tonight.

Joe, let me ask you first.

JOE WATKINS, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.

SCHULTZ: Where`s the reaction? One congressional member who happens
to be a Tea Partier comes out and says, you know, this is a distraction, he
ought to step aside. Where`s the party? Where`s the party of family
values on this? Why can`t they put an end to this political misery? What
do you think?

WATKINS: Well, you know, this is not really a party issue. You have
a candidate that`s running for the presidency who happens to be Republican.
And, really, the matter is up to him to decide, to make a decision as to
whether or not his candidacy is so damaged that he can`t continue on.

I mean, whether he is innocent or guilty of these charges is a matter
for others to decide. He certainly has said that he`s innocent and the
women who are accusing him who have to be considered, of course, because if
it`s true, it`s very hurtful. But if they`re right, then, obviously that`s
a big problem for Herman Cain.

But when you`re a candidate for the presidency, this is not what you
want to be talking about 30 some odd days before the Iowa caucuses.

SCHULTZ: But I think this is a party issue, too. I mean, the party
that stands for family values, the party that says they`re all about life,
liberty and everything else, what do they stand for? This guy is being
tarnished big-time. He`s bringing the Republican brand down in my opinion.

Goldie, the latest allegation involves a consensual affair but it
comes after numerous accusations of harassment. How much more can one
candidate withstand? What do you think?

GOLDIE TAYLOR, THEGRIO.COM: I think the only place that the Cain
train is still rolling is inside of Herman Cain`s head. I think his
campaign is over. He`s got to call it over on a time and date of his own
choosing.

But at the end of the day, there were just too many women and too much
credibility behind them.

You know, if my husband got 61 phone calls back and forth with a woman
that I did not know --

WATKINS: He`d be a dead man. He`d be a dead man.

TAYLOR: I got to tell you, his stuff would be on the curb and he`d
have trouble walking. I tell you, at the end of the day, this is one of
those things that is just too credible. And he`s really got to reassess
himself.

You can`t get out and talk about the sanctity of marriage, and then
not have sanctimony in your own marriage. I mean, that`s -- you know,
that`s what we`re really talking about here, is how credible Herman Cain
can be going forward.

Now, his real duty here is, of course, to his family. But he also has
a duty to his supporters. He has a duty to release them to candidates that
they can get behind and passionately work for who have a real path to
victory in 2012.

WATKINS: The other side, Goldie, there are always two sides to every
story. And so, you got some women coming out saying this is what happened
and you got Herman Cain on the other hand saying --

(CROSSTALK)

TAYLOR: Call my husband at 4:30 in the morning, I tell you what kind
of side of the story there is.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHULTZ: You know, this is what the Republican Party has to deal
with. What if Herman Cain does well in Iowa and picks up steam and keeps
going? Who knows where this could go? I mean, I think his candidacy is
over with, but the way this political season has gone, who the heck knows?

But what about the conspiracy theory he`s come up with, Joe? What on
earth is he cooking up now?

WATKINS: Well, I can imagine how he feels, given all that`s come at
him. I mean, he was doing very, very well in the polls. Remember, for
weeks on end, he was leading in the polls among the Republican candidates
for the presidency, for the nomination, that is. And so, this is a very,
very hurtful thing to be derailed, not by policy, but to be derailed by
accusations of infidelity.

And, again, he`s innocent until proven guilty. And I don`t know if
it`s going to go that way. But for him to deal with these kinds of issues
at this point in the campaign, of course, is a death knell.

SCHULTZ: Well, I just don`t think you have to have a jury trial to be
judged -- for the people of this country to render judgment on what kind of
lifestyle this guy has.

Goldie, I found this comment from Ginger White particularly
interesting. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITE: The funny thing about Herman Cain is never in a million years
did he probably think that I would speak out on this. And honestly
speaking, I never wanted to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: That tells me that they were pretty close after 13 years.
Goldie, how do you read that?

TAYLOR: It sounds to me like they probably were pretty close, if you
listen, you know, really to her words, and in Herman Cain`s words. He
regarded her as a friend. You know, he said he questioned that friendship
now that she`s come out with these allegations, but, you know, from both of
them, it says they had some sort of very close friendship, and I got to
tell you that my husband just doesn`t have friends who are women that I
don`t know.

WATKINS: What happens in Las Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas.
They say that what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas.

TAYLOR: Well, you know, a lot of husbands went to Las Vegas for that
fight and in Atlanta we called it the Atlanta way. The wives did not take
that trip. I will tell you now.

SCHULTZ: Joe, Herman Cain says the American people are on his side.
Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: The first day that that story broke, contribution dropped way
off. Guess what? They`re moving back up, because I happen to think a lot
of the American people are starting to see through this whole character
assassination on me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Character assassination is what he calls it? Doesn`t he
have some friends that would step up and say, buddy, you know, you`re
really hurting your family and hurting yourself? I mean, where are his
friends? What do you think, Joe?

WATKINS: Well, he has lots of friends. And I think there are lots of
people still who like his ideas. I was just talking to one of my Democrat
friends today who told me, yes, he likes a lot of Herman Cain`s ideas as a
business person. He thinks he`s got some great ideas to put Americans back
to work.

SCHULTZ: Enough to think he can get away from this or get around
this?

WATKINS: No, I don`t think so. I think this is a hard one to get
over, to get passed. I think that as long as this is the conversation and
people see you in this light, it becomes very, very hard to talk about your
999 plan or anything else you might do to put Americans back to work.

SCHULTZ: Joe Watkins and Goldie Taylor, great to have you with us
tonight. Thanks so much for your insight on this.

Remember to answer tonight`s question there at the bottom of the
screen and share your thoughts on Twitter using #EdShow. I want to know
and we want to know what you think. We appreciate your comments.

Coming up, Republicans have cooked up a lame proposal to weasel their
way out of raising taxes on millions of Americans. Senator Dick Durbin is
here to respond to that. Every Republican candidate gets at least a day in
the sun, but new polls show Newt Gingrich may not be a flash in the pan.
And Mitt Romney isn`t handling any of this very well at all.

Joan Walsh and Mike Papantonio will be back to talk about that on the
top of the Republican ticket.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Coming up on THE ED SHOW:

The Senate plans to vote on the payroll tax this week and once again
the Republicans are throwing out a bad deal that will slash jobs. Senator
Dick Durbin of Illinois, on the Democratic leadership team, is here next.

A British broadcaster is in "The Zone" for his comments about striking
public workers in England.

Scott Walker says he`s looking forward to the recall. Really? Is he
helping with the signature drive?

And police raided the occupy camps in Philadelphia and Los Angeles
overnight, but the movement fights on. Robert Greenwald and activist Jesse
LaGreca join me later in the show.

And, of course, we want to know what you think about tonight`s program
and all the topics. Tweet us here on the program using the #EdShow and
we`ll feature your messages throughout the show at the bottom of the
screen.

This is THE ED SHOW. Stay with us. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.

The battle for the payroll tax cut continues in Washington and we can
go right back to the most important chart in America, my chart.

The red line -- this is where the income has gone over the last 30
years for the top 1 percent and 2 percent wage earners in America. And the
rest of us, we`re down there right there at the blue line.

Now, if you`re a blue liner, the Republicans want to raise your taxes
next year. That would be in a little over a month. If you`re a red liner,
you have nothing to worry about. Business as usual, right?

Mitch McConnell and his cronies in the Senate refuse to extend the
middle class tax cuts unless the top 0.2 percent get off scot-free. That
would be the red liners.

Now, a Senate vote is set for Friday. If it fails, your taxes will go
up on the first paycheck of 2012. President Obama put it like this today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If that happens, if
Congress doesn`t act to extend this tax cut, then most of you, the typical
middle class family, is going to see your taxes go up by $1,000 at the
worst possible time. They said no to cutting taxes for small business
owners and working families. What happened? Republicans said they`re the
party of tax cuts. That`s what they said.

How is it they can break their oath when it comes to raising your
taxes but not break their oath when it comes to raising taxes for wealthy
people?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Now, hang on a second. During the lame duck session of the
Congress last year, weren`t we told you can`t raise taxes on the job
creators?

The Democrats are coming back and saying, you can`t raise taxes on
middle class Americans. The Democrats want to cut the payroll taxes by 3.1
percent for individuals and most small businesses. I mean, it`s common
sense. They want to offset that by taxing the income of people who make
over $1 million. So, you could be a red liner in here and still not pay
taxes.

Today, Republicans came up with what I think is a very weak
counteroffer. They want to keep the 2 percent tax cut for one year, but
they want a three-year pay freeze on federal workers. They want to cut the
federal government workforce by another 10 percent or by 200,000 employees
and they want no tax increases.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ: Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois joins us tonight on THE ED
SHOW.

Senator, good to have you with us. I appreciate your time on this
issue.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: You know, the Republicans are still holding the line on tax
increases, all the way to the point where they are going to protect the 0.2
percent. They won`t go any revenue component whatsoever. They want to get
rid of 200,000 federal workers and they want a pay freeze for another three
years for federal workers.

What`s your reaction to this? How hard-line is this, in your opinion?

DURBIN: You know, the extent that they`ll go to, the extremes they`ll
go to, to protect the highest income Americans, are almost unimaginable. I
was on a debate on another network with Jon Kyl, the Republican leader last
Sunday, in which I said clearly the Republicans have to agree with us, we
don`t want the payroll taxes on working families to go up on January 1st.
These families are struggling paycheck to paycheck, and we ought to pay for
it by having the wealthiest of our country pay a little bit more.

Jon Kyl rejected it. He said, no. There`s no way we`re going to
impose any taxes on the wealthy people in this country.

Well, they got the message over the last 48 hours, Ed. They`ve
decided that being for an increase on the payroll tax for working families
is not a good idea. Now, they came back with this idea where they`re going
freeze the federal workforce.

Think about this for a second -- if you lose three prosecuting
attorneys in the Department of Justice going after terrorists or those
accused of drug crimes, whatever it might be, they say you can replace one
of them. So, what happens when we need people working in the federal
government to keep America safe? They just don`t take that in their
calculation.

SCHULTZ: So, Senator, is that a deal breaker? Is that a nonstarter
for the Democrats?

DURBIN: I think it`s trouble. It`s a real problem.

Let me just say, we`re just getting some hints about what they`re
going to do. We haven`t seen it -- we may not see it until tomorrow. But
there`s an easy way to do this, supported by Democrats, Republicans, even
Tea Party Republicans -- a small surtax on the wealthiest people in
America. People making over $1.5 million a year, a small surtax will
generate enough money to give a payroll tax cut to thousands, millions of
working families.

SCHULTZ: Well, if they`re going to protect the 0.2 percent of the
income earners in this country, it seems to me that you`re not going to get
any revenue component out of this. Is that a deal breaker? Do you have to
have revenue from their side to make something happen to extend the payroll
tax cut?

DURBIN: If they`re going to pay for it. If the decision is made not
to pay for it, to add it to the deficit, and not have compensating either
increases in revenue or cuts in spending, so be it.

But the bottom line is, we cannot leave for Christmas, Ed. We cannot
leave for the holiday season without making sure this payroll tax cut
continues for working families and also to make sure that the unemployment
benefits are extended to the millions of folks across America still looking
for a job.

SCHULTZ: Would you go for any federal cuts whatsoever?

DURBIN: Well, I`ll look at them. I`ll be honest with you; I`ll keep
an open mind on it. But the ones they proposed are almost laughable.

Here`s one of them. This may not be exactly what we`re going to get,
but here`s what we`ve heard. Anybody making over $750,000 a year, the
Republicans say they can`t have food stamps. Now, that`s a big savings.
How many people do you think are in that category? I don`t know what
they`re trying to say with that. It`s a pretty confusing situation with
the Republicans at this moment.

SCHULTZ: In your opinion, how critical is it to extend this payroll
tax cut? I mean, we`ve been down the road before with a higher rate. Are
you saying that the economy, you know, just cannot maintain its momentum
unless we do that?

DURBIN: They say it`s worth about 1 percent in terms of GDP growth, 1
percent.

SCHULTZ: And do you believe that?

DURBIN: I believe it. And I tell you why I believe it. For the
average family, working family in Illinois, their average income is $50,000
a year. Two percent equals between $125 and $150 a month, maybe $1,500 a
year, just in the roughest terms -- $1,500 a year more being spent by that
family to fill the gas tank, to make sure the utilities are paid for, to
make sure the rent`s paid and the kids have clothes to go to school. It`s
money that`s going into the economy. Demand for goods and services that
creates jobs.

SCHULTZ: And, Senator, I got to ask you, is there any scenario that
you see on the table that would force the Democrats to extend the Bush tax
cuts again to get a deal with the Republicans?

DURBIN: I tell you, that would be a disastrous decision. If you look
at the impact of those tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans, and what it
does to our long-term deficit, we`ll be slashing and cutting in every
direction to pay for a tax cut for the wealthiest people in this country.
For goodness sakes, we should never let that happen again.

SCHULTZ: So, it sounds like it`s going to be tough sledding when it
comes to trying to extend the unemployment benefits.

DURBIN: It could be.

SCHULTZ: That`s going to be the battle royale it seems like because
that`s -- it seems like that`s the only thing Republicans are going to
agree to is the extension of the Bush tax cuts.

DURBIN: I can tell you that I`ve been through this battle before it
other Republican senators, one of whom has retired and they just basically
said they don`t care. If the unemployment benefits are cut off for the
families across America, they don`t care.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

DURBIN: I`ve met these families and you have, too. They`re
struggling to find work and struggling to keep their families together in a
very difficult time. We have never politicized unemployment benefits until
this modern era. We shouldn`t do it now.

SCHULTZ: Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois -- good to have you with us
tonight on the program. Thanks so much.

DURBIN: Thanks, Ed. Good to be with you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ: A few moments ago, Nancy Pelosi released this statement:
"Republicans felt the heat from Democrats to extend the payroll tax cut.
However, the Republican proposal does less to spur economic growth for job
creation than President Obama`s plan. Unbelievably, it cuts hundreds of
thousands of jobs and offers less relief to the middle class."

Coming up, an international edition of "Psycho Talk." BBC television
personality Jeremy Clarkson thinks public employees who go on strike should
be put to death.

And Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wants the people in his state to
know the facts. Well, we`ve got some facts about Walker`s policies
everyone needs to know.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in Psycho Talk tonight, I guess you could say we have an
international edition on the program with Jeremy Clarkson, the star of the
hit BBC show "Top Gear." Clarkson`s good buddies with Rebekah Brooks, the
woman in charge of Rupert Murdoch`s News International and arrested this
summer in connection with the company`s phone hacking scandal.

Today, Clarkson kicked it into low gear when he launched a verbal
tirade at the two million public sector workers who were currently striking
in the United Kingdom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY CLARKSON, "TOP GEAR": I`d have them all shot. I would take
them outside and execute them in front of their families. I mean, how dare
they go on strike when they have got these guilt edged pensions that are
going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Really? Jeremy Clarkson thinks working for a living means
riding around in expensive cars and crashing them when he`s done? He
should try cleaning the streets, educating the children or caring for
somebody who`s sick. That`s what real work is.

But his talk about guilt-edged pensions sounds pretty familiar. The
reason the Brits are out in the streets is no different from why people are
in the streets in this country. The British government wants them to work
longer and for less pay and, of course, a smaller pension. The people in
power want to balance the budget on the backs of the workers instead of
making guys like Jeremy Clarkson contribute some of his millions.

Oh, by the way, Clarkson, himself, is busy raking in public money. He
gets over 1.5 million dollars a year from fees people pay to the BBC. So
for Jeremy Clarkson to say public employees should be executed for striking
is arrogant, ignorant Psycho Talk.

Newt Gingrich is dominating two new polls. And the pressure is
mounting on the Mittster, Mitt Romney. Can he keep cool in the face of the
Newt`s surge?

And later, two of the country`s biggest Occupy camps have been
dismantled. But the protesters vow to keep coming back. What`s next for
the movement? Jesse Lagreca and Robert Greenwald weigh in. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Newt Gingrich isn`t slowing
down as the Republican front-runner at all. And Mitt Romney, he isn`t
handling this thing very well either. Gingrich has a massive 30-point lead
over Mitt Romney in a new Florida poll, 47 to 17 percent.

He only had a 10 percent back in September, when Romney had 30.
Another Florida poll looks the same, Gingrich with 41 percent, Romney with
17 percent. Newt Gingrich is surging despite multiple new reports about
his multi-million dollar lobbying services.

Mitt Romney is feeling the pressure. He was awkward and testy during
an interview on Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: How can voters trust what they hear from
you today is what you will believe if you win the White House?

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, Bret, your list is
just not accurate. So one, we`re going to have to be better informed about
my views on issues.

BAIER: Do you think a mandate -- mandating people to buy insurance is
the right tool?

ROMNEY: Brett, I don`t know how many hundred times I`ve said this,
too. This is an unusual interview. All right, let`s do it again.

BAIER: At times you thought it would be a model for the nation.

ROMNEY: You`re wrong, Bret. Bret, Bret -- no, the tape out there --
continue to read the tape. And the tape goes on to say, for each state to
be able to be able to look at it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: You know, we`ve kind of seen this before, haven`t we? Mitt
Romney has got a habit of getting snippy when things really don`t go his
way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSS TALK)]

ROMNEY: Rick, you had your chance. Let me speak. Rick, you had your
chance. Let me speak.

I`m speaking. I`m speaking.

(CROSS TALK)

ROMNEY: You get 30 seconds. This is the way the rules work here.
Number two -- number two, let me finish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He still has time. Let him finish.

ROMNEY: I get a little time here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Let`s turn to Joan Walsh, editor at large, Salon.com, and
Mike Papantonio, host of "The Ring of Fire" radio show. Great to have both
of you with us tonight.

Mike, you know, look, what`s happening here with Newt Gingrich, first?
Why is he doing so well down in Florida?

MIKE PAPANTONIO, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: The only reason he`s surging
in the polls, he`s another one of those candidates that anybody but Mitt
Romney candidate. That`s why he`s surging. He has a problem, Ed. He
can`t overcome the problem.

Mitt needs to relax. Look, Newt Gingrich is a ready-made story. He`s
already a package. He`s a media frenzy already made up. He`s a train
wreck. Even the least capable reporting organizations are going to know
the stories about him being hammered 84 times for ethics violations, having
to pay 300,000 dollars for lying, for complete fraud.

And you know who made him pay the money? His own pals in Congress.
They heard him lie about the fact that he was taking money that was
supposed to go to inter-city disadvantaged children and using it for his
own purpose. Mitt needs to just let him burn down.

SCHULTZ: So Joan, why don`t people in Florida get what Mike was just
saying? I mean, have they forgiven Newt Gingrich for all of the past sins?

JOAN WALSH, SALON.COM: I think people -- it`s going to take some time
for those things to be resurfaced, rehashed, and I think for this lobbying,
this issue of how many millions of dollars he`s taken from corporate
interests to essentially lobby for them.

And you know, Mitt had a terrible day, no doubt about it. That was
just an awful interview. And he`s just so condescending. You know, he
just can`t help himself. He`s the rich guy. But, you know, I saw Newt
today talking about how -- well, I didn`t lobby because I get 60,000
dollars a speech. And it`s like, boy, you are a pompous gas-bag.

Do you think voters are going to, like, warm up to you because you`re
boasting about getting 60,000 dollars a speech? And if you didn`t get
that, maybe you would have lobbied? I mean, it was sort of non sequitur,
but it was all puffery, self-puffery.

SCHULTZ: Other Republicans are already taking shots at Gingrich.
Here`s a new web ad from Ron Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: There are now reports about controversial
ties to the health care industry.

SCHULTZ: The think tank founded by Newt Gingrich collected at least
37 million dollars from major health care companies. The group supports
individual mandate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Newt Gingrich renewed his support for an
individual mandate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I don`t know about you, Joan, but I didn`t get a talent fee
for that ad. But whatever. We recognize two of the people in there. How
can Gingrich overcome his past? I mean, that really is -- I mean, he`s the
flavor of the month right now. And he`s going up in the polls. Is he
going to be able to maintain this, Mike?

PAPANTONIO: His new talking point is that I`m not Jesus. I don`t
know if you`ve seen this.

SCHULTZ: I have.

PAPANTONIO: You can`t hold me to the same standards of Jesus. Look,
here`s the problem he has. His stories are what I call low-hanging fruit
stories, Ed. Like the 500,000 dollars interest-free loan, interest-free
credit line that he got from Tiffany Jewelers. He got that and we found
out that it was because of some kind of putrid political deal that he made
on their behalf.

So the low-hanging fruit, easy stories about not paying child support
for years, or leaving his wife while she`s being operated on for cancer, or
coming out of Congress as a multi-millionaire when he goes into Congress on
a teacher`s salary. So these stories are easy to deliver.

It`s very, very tough for him to overcome it. Mitt needs to relax and
understand that.

SCHULTZ: This whole thing is really tough on the social
conservatives. They don`t know which way to turn. This is Tony Perkins,
head of the Family Research Council, on MSNBC earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY PERKINS, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: I think when you look at
Newt`s positions, that`s somewhat problematic for him. If you look at his
new Contract For America he put out, it`s void of social issues. Mitt
Romney, who has a great personal life when you look at him from a character
standpoint, he`s someone everybody should attracted to. But when you look
at his policy issues of the past, his record as a policymaker, as the
governor of Massachusetts, it`s problematic for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Joan, do the social conservatives have a dog in this fight
right now? Or are they all getting weeded out? Are they going to sit this
one out?

WALSH: No, I don`t think they do. It`s interesting, though, because
Tony Perkins -- obviously being a Mormon is a problem for Romney. It`s not
just his positions. There is -- that issue dogs him. And it`s funny
because Newt converted to Catholicism.

Catholicism isn`t totally popular with that right wing Evangelical
set. So Newt might have picked the wrong Christian religion there. But,
you know, they`re also going to have a hard time dealing with his marriages
and his adultery and his do as I say, not as I do.

SCHULTZ: Joan Walsh, Mike Papantonio, we`ll follow the story. Thanks
for joining us tonight. Appreciate it.

Next, Scott Walker says he`s looking forward to a recall election
because he gets to talk to voters. I`ll help him get a head start by
showing you what his policies have done to the state of Wisconsin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is desperately trying to
stay ahead of the curve -- should I say stay ahead of the looming recall
election. On Monday, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate came on
this show to announce that they had already collected more than 300,000
signatures for the Walker recall. They`re more than half way there.

This morning, Governor Walker showed up on CNBC saying that he really
couldn`t wait for the recall election. If that`s the case, why doesn`t he
go out and help get signatures?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: I look forward to that. I`d love
to have the chance to talk to the voters of Wisconsin again.

I think if voters hear the facts, every week -- every day, every week,
every month that goes by, our numbers get better because our story gets out
and people see the positive impact of our results.

The facts I think ultimately trump all the attacks. If you see that
the schools are the same or better, and that our governments are doing
well, and in the end, our taxes are going down, people want to hear that.
And I think the results will trump everything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: People want to hear that. Did he just say in that sound
bite, our numbers get better? Really? Scott Walker wants the people to
know the facts? Well, I`m going to help him out here. Wisconsin leads the
nation in cuts to education with 2.6 billion dollars in cuts this year,
alone.

Scott Walker is cutting more than a half billion dollars from
Medicaid, which could leave 65,000 people in the state without health care
coverage, including 30,000 kids. And Walker promised to create 250,000
jobs by 2015, but Wisconsin -- he says his numbers are getting better? My
friends, they lead the nation in job losses.

The state has lost jobs every month since Walker`s budget passed. In
October, alone, they lost 9,700 jobs. Those are just the facts. I would
really welcome Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, to sit right here
in the studio in New York at MSNBC. I know he`s been in New York before
because he almost camps out across the street. And tell me face to face
about these numbers, about -- what did he say? "Our numbers are getting
better."

Really? I think the people of Wisconsin would really love it, because
I`ve been to Madison and some other areas of Wisconsin numerous times and I
know they watch the show. Conservative radio talk show host Steve Daice
(ph) from Iowa came on the show last night and told me conservatives are
looking for leaders who will challenge liberals like me face to face.

So Governor Walker, dude, I`m inviting you. This is what
conservatives want. They want you to come in here and just smack down Big
Eddie. Let`s go. Come on the show any time. We`ll talk about the facts.
Because you said that your numbers are getting better. Our research shows
that you lost 9,700 jobs in the month of October, and you`ve lost jobs
every month since your grand plan has passed the legislature there in
Madison.

Last night, Occupy protester Scott Olsen told us he`s not giving up
the fight for the 99 percent. Robert Greenwald will weigh in on that. And
activist Jesse Lagreca will tell us what protesters -- what do they plan to
do next? Where`s it going? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Survey tonight on THE ED SHOW, I asked -- I need some help.
Should I endorse Herman Cain for the Republican nomination? Sixty one
percent of you said yes; 39 percent of you say no, Eddie, keep your powder
dry.

Coming up, Occupy camps were broken up on both coasts last night. But
protesters aren`t giving up the fight. That`s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSS TALK)

CROWD: Occupy Philly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: That was the scene out of Philadelphia last night, following
the dismantling of one of the nation`s biggest Occupy encampments. Police
forcing protesters to vacate camps in Philadelphia and also Los Angeles.
And despite hundreds of arrests, the 99 Percenters, well, they remain
mostly peaceful and vowed to keep going.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever the police do, no one can beat me as hard
as my retirement fund has been beaten by Wall Street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we`re forced to fold up our tents, that does
not fold up our purpose. We have a long way to go. We are just getting
started. So we`re not going away. We`re going everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: "Just getting started." That`s rather odd, because if you
get your information from Bill O`Reilly, the movement no longer exists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL O`REILLY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: The more we saw and heard, the more
fair-minded Americans became to believe that the Occupiers were not
interested in legitimate issues.

So the Occupy Wall Street movement is dead, finished as a legitimate
political force in this country. And that`s a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, here`s proof that the movement isn`t dead. Last
night, I had the privilege of interviewing a true American hero, a 24-year-
old man from Wisconsin who was just standing up for what`s right. Scott
Olsen survived two tours of duty in Iraq only to be hit with a projectile
while protesting in the streets of Oakland.

He is still recovering from a head injury, which makes it difficult
for him to speak. But he`s a fighter. And that doesn`t take away from his
incredibly powerful message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Do you regret going out there?

SCOTT OLSEN, OCCUPY PROTESTER AND IRAQ WAR VETERAN: Not at all.

SCHULTZ: Will you do it again?

OLSEN: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: And why are you out there?

OLSEN: I`m there protecting the rights that we have. When I took the
enlistment oath when I joined the Marines, I swore to uphold and defend the
Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. And I`m continuing to do
that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Joining me now, Robert Greenwald, the founder and president
of Brave New Films. Robert has launched a campaign called Who Are the One
Percent? Also with me tonight is Jesse Lagreca, Occupy Wall Street
protester and activist and freelance journalist.

Gentlemen, thank you for your time tonight. You know, that`s powerful
stuff. This is a guy who was hurt through no fault of his own. In fact,
he was on his text messaging somebody on the cell phone, gets hit in the
head, loses his speech.

Comes back, he`s poised. He remains opt mystic and vows to keep up
the fight. Mr. Greenwald, what does this say about the 99 Percent
movement?

ROBERT GREENWALD, BRAVE NEW FILMS: Well, I think it`s a wonderful
example of the heroism of the 99 Percenters, the integrity, their belief in
nonviolence. And ultimately, Ed, this is a profound movement of people who
believe in democracy and are trying to take it back.

We know there`s a one percent of those who are stepping on the backs
of the other 99. And Mr. Olsen has, I think, inspired people. And every
social movement needs and has heroes and heroines, women`s movement, peace
movement, civil rights movement. And we`re seeing it again now.

SCHULTZ: Jesse, how inspiring is Scott Olsen?

JESSE LAGRECA, FREELANCE JOURNALIST: I consider the man a hero. He
literally did all the things that they told us we should do: serve our
country, make the sacrifices that are going to help strengthen it. Then
when he comes back to America and sees the economy in shambles after being
in the theater of war, what happens to the guy?

I`d rather stand with Scott Olsen than Bank of America. I think most
of us in our right minds would agree with me.

SCHULTZ: I want to play another clip of the interview I had with him.
I asked Scott Olsen about the state of the movement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Where do you think the movement is now, Scott?

OLSEN: It`s tough to say. It`s been changing a lot, but I don`t
think it`s going anywhere any time soon. I think it`s -- the only place I
think it`s going is up, gaining interest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Jesse, your thoughts on that?

LAGRECA: I totally agree with Scott. You know, I heard there`s a new
chant in Philly after the raid last night: "Phase 2 Coming Soon." And I
think that we need to change laws in this country. I think that`s the
first, you know, real step, as far as finance reform, re-regulating Wall
Street, bringing back Glass Steagall, a number of different issues.

But I think Scott hit the nail on the head. You know, we`re not going
away. This isn`t going away. The movement is just going to go forward.
And we`re going to change things for the better.

SCHULTZ: Robert, whether this young man wants to or not, he`s now a
folk hero to a lot of Americans who are right in line with the thinking of
the 99 Percenters out there and what their mission is and what they want to
do. Oftentimes movements like this have benchmark moments. Is that one of
those moments, his recovery?

GREENWALD: His being attacked I think and his recovery, and the
students at UC Davis, and the police overreaction all are indicative of a
building and growing and important social movement. You know, it`s only
going to get stronger and stronger, Ed.

Four hundred thousand veterans are coming back from Iraq. Where are
the jobs for them? The 99 Percenters are going to need to speak up for
them.

SCHULTZ: Now, the Occupy Wall Street are promising a day of action
that`s going to be focusing on the foreclosure crisis. Jesse, what about
this? Is this the next big move?

LAGRECA: There`s a couple big moves coming up. There`s going to be a
large march here in New York City tomorrow. I believe December 6th is
going to be the nationwide foreclosure movement. Then you have Occupy
Congress coming up all next week.

We`ve got stuff planned for next year. Our problems are not going
away. So neither are we.

SCHULTZ: Guys, is this the way it`s going to be for 2012? What do
you think, Robert?

GREENWALD: Yes, no question about it. The profound inequities in our
country, the structural problems, the fact that the one percent have so
exploited the other 99 percent, we`ve got huge issues. Thank goodness for
the heroes and heroines of the Occupy movement and their standing up. And
they`re forcing everybody in this country to have a discussion I was
beginning to worry we would never have.

SCHULTZ: Robert Greenwald, Jesse Lagreca, great to have you with us
tonight.

That`s THE ED SHOW. I`m Ed Schultz. You can catch my radio show on
Sirius XM channel 127, Monday through Friday, noon to 3:00. And Twitter,
of course, you can follow me @EdShow and @WeGotEd.

"THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW" starts right now. Good evening, Rachel.

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

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