The Ed Show for Friday, April 27, 2012

Guests: Richard Wolffe, Van Jones, Lawrence Wilkerson, Robert Reich, Robert Reich, Mahlon
Mitchell


ED SCHULTZ, HOST: Good evening, Americans. Welcome to THE ED SHOW
tonight from the nation`s capital.

Mitt Romney unleashed his college financial aid plan in Ohio today.
Just ask mommy and daddy to pick up the tab.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is the latest
plank in the so called war on women, entirely created by my colleagues
across the aisle for political gain.

SCHULTZ (voice-over): John Boehner is crying up a storm calling the
student loan fight bogus.

BOEHNER: And to pick this big political fight where there is no fight
is just silly.

SCHULTZ: Tonight, we prove the speaker wrong.

BOEHNER: Give me break.

SCHULTZ: Van Jones and Richard Wolffe will weigh in on Boehner`s dog
and pony show.

The Obama campaign is hammering Mitt Romney on national security.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Look, he knew what would happen.
Supposed the Navy SEALs had gone in there and I want hasn`t been bin Laden.

SCHULTZ: You`re not going to believe Mitt`s response. Colonel
Lawrence Wilkerson is here to set Romney straight.

Scott Walker is running scared. He`s mailing lies across America.
And now, he`s calling in the heavy artillery.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: You know, something may go down
tonight, but it ain`t going to be jobs, sweetheart.

Mahlon Mitchell is here with the latest.

And tomorrow is the White House correspondence dinner. Tonight, we`re
looking back at some of its greatest hits.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Paul Ryan couldn`t be
here tonight. His budget has no room for laughter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

Republicans are stuck between a rock and a hard place in the fight
over student loans. The GOP wanted interest rates on some student loans to
double in June. Well, today, they voted on a bill in the House to keep the
rates where they are.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi pointed out the president forced
the Republicans to act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), CALIFORNIA: The point is that on the floor of
this house, at this time on this day, the Republicans have folded, because
the president made the issue too hot to handle. That is why the bill is
coming to the floor today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: There`s only one problem. The bill in the House is a
complete sham and Republicans know it.

John Boehner reached the height of dishonesty on the House floor
today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOEHNER: Why do people insist that we have to have a political fight
on something where there is no fight? There`s absolutely no fight. People
want to politicize this because it`s an election year, but my God, do we
have to fight about everything?

This is beneath the dignity of this House and the dignity of the
public trust that we enjoy from our constituents. They expect us to come
here and be honest with each other, to work out the issues, and to pick
this big political fight where there is no fight is just silly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: We`re used to seeing the speaker throwing phony temper
tantrums. He was kicking and screaming about the Republican war on women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOEHNER: This is the latest plank in the so-called war on women
entirely created -- entirely created -- by my colleagues across the aisle
for political gain.

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: There`s a pattern here. Boehner blows a gasket when ever he
needs to express fake outrage about something he knows is false. Remember
the health care bill?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOEHNER: Can you say it was done openly?

AUDIENCE: No.

BOEHNER: With transparency and accountable?

AUDIENCE: No.

BOEHNER: Without backroom deals and closed doors, hidden from the
people? Hell no, you can`t!

(END VIDEO LCIP)

SCHULTZ: I mean, this is nothing but a dog and pony show for the
speaker. He claims there is no fight over student loan interest rates, but
the House bill keeps interest rates low by rating a health care fund which
provides cancer screenings. It`s an unworkable bill and the president says
he`ll veto it.

Now, Boehner says everyone is in agreement on student loans. Really?

Thirty members of his caucus voted against today`s bill and the
conservative Club for Growth, they`re not on board either.

In a statement, the Club for Growth said, "The federal government
should not be in the business of distorting the market for student loans.
We urge members of the Congress to oppose subsidized loans."

That is a 180 from where America is. Keep in mind -- the Club for
Growth helped elect 20 Republicans in Congress in 2010. Boehner says
there`s no reason to fight over student loans but there`s a fight within
his own party.

Republican budget architect Paul Ryan wants to lock in the higher
interest rate on these loans in his own budget. And they voted on it.

In the committees budget proposal, the Democrats are taken to task for
lowering the interest rates in 2007. The Ryan plan wants to roll back the
rate changes and return them to pre-2007 levels.

Now, the speaker is being totally dishonest when he claims there is no
fight. Republicans started the fight in the Ryan budget and the hard right
wing groups are keeping the fight going within the Republican Party.
Boehner knows he`s on the wrong side of the fight and so does Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney was in Ohio today trying to sound very concerned about
education. Instead, he sounded once again like he`s seriously out of
touch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This kind of divisiveness,
this attack of success is very different than what we have seen in our
country`s history. We have always encouraged young people -- take a shot,
go for it, take a risk, get the education, borrow money if you have to from
your parents, start a business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Someone needs to tell Mitt Romney not every kid in America
has parents who are millionaires. Now, was it just last week that in
Bethel, Pennsylvania, the Republican de facto nominee was sitting down with
middle classers talking about education?

These folks were telling him we`re concerned about our local schools.
We`re concerned about education. We`re concerned about our kids` futures.
There`s been a lot of budget cuts.

Why in the world did Mitt Romney he just say, you know what, you got
to suck it up. You got to send your kid to college. You got to just
borrow your kid some money.

Let me tell you something, this is about the dumbest thing Mitt Romney
has said on the campaign trial. This is proof positive that he has no clue
what middle class families are going through.

Look, I`ve been down that road before I came to work here. I can tell
you that. And I can tell you when people, when they get in their 40s and
their kids are thinking about going to college, they`re thinking, OK, I`m
going to help them out but they`re going to have to get a loan. I wonder
if I can get my house paid for. I want to get this truck paid for.

That`s where America is right now. Mitt Romney is out there saying,
hey, you`re the middle class, you`re the working poor, just loan your kids
some money.

For most young people, assistance comes from things like affordable
loan rates. Things that can be provided by the government, not hand outs,
loans. Not loans from mommy and daddy.

Mittster, not everybody was born with a silver spoon. One of those
guys is in the Oval Office right now and he knows all about what the middle
classers in this country are dealing with when it comes with student loans.

Just get it from your mom and dad. Give me break.

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

Tonight`s question: does Mitt Romney and John Boehner, do they have a
clue about how the middle class is struggling in America?

Tex A for yes, text B for no to 622639, or go to our blog at
Ed.MSNBC.com. We`ll bring you the results later on in the show.

I`m joined tonight by Van Jones, president of Rebuild the Dream, and
the author of the new book by the same name, "Rebuild the Dream."

Van, I`ll tell you what? This takes the cake, does it not? I mean,
Mitt Romney telling parents just foot the bill and telling kids, oh, go
borrow it from your mom and dad. How many Americans is he actually talking
to? What`s your reaction to this?

VAN JONES, REBUILD THE DREAM: I mean, I wish I had thought of that.
I forgot to borrow that money from my parents. It slipped my mind when I
had to go to college.

I mean, here`s what`s going on. Young people, every kid in America,
every parent of a kid who is graduating this spring, their kid is
graduating and looking down the barrel of 6.8 percent interest for federal
loans to go to school, 6.8. The banks are getting their money for less
than 1 percent. People started yelling and screaming, young people started
saying this is terrible.

The president listened. He steps forward.

Romney then follows the president`s leadership but he`s got to drag
his party behind him. Look at how they act. They step forward. They say,
well, you can just borrow the money from your mom and dad. They say, oh,
he`s what we`ll do, we`re raid a public health fund to help women get
mammograms -- so Americans can`t have tuition and mammograms at the same
time, you see. You got to take the money from the mammogram fund.

These people are completely out of touch with America. It`s almost
laughable.

SCHULTZ: So, how dishonest are the Republicans being? How dishonest
was John Boehner when we went screaming on the floor today?

JONES: Well, first of all, there is a real fight. But like you said,
it`s a fight in his party to figure out which Americans they`re going to
hurt in order to get out from under this theme. You got a bunch of angry
parents, and they`re concerned young people about this doubling of the
interest rate.

These young people are not asking for hand outs. They`re not asking
for freebies. They are saying, we`ll borrow the money. We just want to
pay it back at the 3.4 percent that everybody else is doing. Why should we
get hammered?

Now, to insult those people that say they want to pay fair loan,
that`s wrong. But look at how the Republicans are doing. How conservative
is it to raid the prevention fund.

Now, listen, seven out of 10 Americans die every year from preventable
diseases. Seventy-five percent of the money we spend on our health care is
preventable diseases. What did grandma say? Grandma says an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.

They go after the prevention fund. They go after the prevention fund.
That`s going to save money? No. It`s going to cost us more money on the
back end.

They can`t come up with a better way to fund young people going to
college than to raid the prevention fund and take mammograms away from
people. They got a war on students and a war on women, and they wonder why
they are falling in the polls.

SCHULTZ: Look, Mitt Romney is winging this thing. He has no concern
--

JONES: He`s making this up as he goes along.

SCHULTZ: Yes. He has no concern for public education. He has no
plan to alleviate the problem for young people when it comes to finances.

Van Jones, great work. Great to have you with us tonight. Appreciate
your being here on the program.

Joining us now is MSNBC political analyst Richard Wolffe.

Richard, I want to play this. This is the president today saying that
the Republicans are starting old fights. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Just look at some of the debates we`ve had this year. Instead
of putting forward serious plans to help more Americans back to work, a lot
of those folks in the other party have chose on the refight battles we
settled long ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Who is winning in this battle? Who is winning in the
political give and take here?

RICHARD WOLFFE, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the president normally
scores pretty well on issues of authenticity and honesty, right? That`s
why people say they like him. Whether or not they rate his performance on
the economy or not, it is a bit rich to coin a phrase to hear John Boehner
say this whole thing is contrived and phony.

Here is someone that took this country to the brink of default over an
entirely contrived argument about the national debt ceiling, a debate about
a budget they had already passed, a debt ceiling that`s going to be lifted
for decades to come under the Paul Ryan budget. It was entirely contrived.
They hurt the economy. They hurt themselves.

He knows something about contrived political debates. The president
has said all along, this is about real people. It`s not a game.

SCHULTZ: You know, I think this is real opportunity for young people
in this country who are in college and paying attention to their money,
paying attention to their future, paying attention to this fight to see
exactly how Washington works. Is President Obama coming out on their side
in their minds? Do you think he`s winning this?

WOLFFE: This is not an abstract thing, right? This is not about
raising standards for, you know, winning in the global economy. This is
what people are going to have to pay.

SCHULTZ: This is on the kitchen table.

WOLFFE: This is money out of their pockets and it`s happening now.
It`s not something that the president just cooked up. These rates will go
up.

Budgets are about choices. They are about choices in government. But
there are also moral choices. If the conservatives in this country like
the Club for Growth think the free market is more important than struggling
students, that`s a choice. That`s a value.

SCHULTZ: Has Romney said anything more out of touch than "go to your
mom and dad to get a loan"?

WOLFFE: Yes, every week. Couple of Cadillacs. You know, the car
elevator.

SCHULTZ: That`s true.

WOLFFE: He cannot help himself. This is the world he has lived in.

People again are going to have to decide whether the character they
see out there in these little slips is someone who is going to look after
their interests when he gets into the Oval Office if he gets there.

That`s the kind of decision voters have to make and that`s why these
moments are so telling, more telling I think than the policy speech.

SCHULTZ: He`s winging it. He doesn`t have plan. He is winging it
and that is going to haunt him throughout this entire campaign.

And I guarantee you, that comment does not very resonate very well
with the kid sitting in his dorm room wondering what the heck is going to
happen to his loans and they`ve got to get through the next semester. They
are doing the math on this stuff and they`re seeing who is on their side.

Richard Wolffe, great to have you with us tonight. Thanks so much.

Remember to answer tonight`s question at the bottom of the screen.
Share your thoughts on Twitter @EdShow. We want to know what you think.

Republicans say President Obama is using the killing of Osama bin
Laden to divide the country? Yes, you heard that right. Colonel Lawrence
Wilkerson will join me for the conversation.

And Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is getting out of state backup in
his recall election fight. Fellow radical New Jersey Governor Chris
Christie is heading to Wisconsin to do some campaigning. Somebody else
might be going there too.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Coming up, one year after the death of Osama bin Laden,
Republicans continue to claim the president is weak on national security.
Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson joins me next.

Mitt Romney attacks the president over the latest economic numbers.
Former labor secretary Robert Reich weighs in on the numbers and GOP
obstruction.

And tomorrow is the White House correspondents dinner. We`ll take a
look at the president`s takedown of Donald Trump a year ago and some other
great moments.

Share your thoughts on Twitter using the #EdShow.

We`re coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights, and the Pakistani
government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we
have to act and will them out. We will kill bin Laden, we will crush al
Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.

Candidate Barack Obama back in October of 2008 with plan. When he
game president he executed his plan and made the right call on Osama bin
Laden that night almost a year ago.

But Republican presidential candidates, including Mitt Romney have
relentlessly attacked the president saying that he is weak on national
security. Now, the Obama campaign has put out a video and here`s part of
it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: He took the harder and the more honorable path and the one
that produced, in my opinion, the best result.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: "It`s not worth moving heaven and earth,
spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person." He was
referring to the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: As you might expect the Romney camp can dish it out, but
they just can`t take it. A spokeswoman said it`s now sad to see the Obama
campaign seek to use an event that unified our country to once again divide
us. Wrong.

President Obama is banishing his national security credentials with
hard evidence. The president is also responding to months and months of
attacks by candidate Romney.

Joining me tonight is Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of
staff at the State Department during General Colin Powell`s term and
currently the Pamela Harriman visiting professor at the College of William
and Mary.

Colonel, good to have you with us tonight.

LAWRENCE WILKERSON, COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY: Good to be here, Ed.

SCHULTZ: You know, let`s do a "what if" for just a moment. I`ve
often thought that if they had not gotten Osama bin Laden on that night,
that it could have brought down the president`s presidency because the
Republicans love to run on national security. Your thoughts on that. How
big call was it?

WILKERSON: I think you`re probably right. I don`t think it would
have brought him down but it would have seriously hurt him. It was a big
call.

I teach this. I served three presidents, Herbert Walker Bush, and
George W. Bush. And the most intimate moment, the most difficult moment,
the most crushing moment, if you will, in terms of decision making is
making these fateful decisions that put young men and young women in harm`s
way.

And it`s not easy for anyone. And the tendency is to want to back up
from it and use some other option.

So, when you do put the hammer down, when you do make that decision,
when you`re Dwight Eisenhower trying to overthrow someone in Iran in `53 or
John Kennedy trying to do to do the Bay of Pigs or not, or the Cuban
missile crisis, this is real defining moment for a president. It is the
defining moment in my view. And when they make the right decision, they
should be applauded for it.

SCHULTZ: The political decision is the White House is going to remind
people of what this country has been through and that he did make the right
call and we got a successful conclusion, and he`s taken out more terrorists
in the last three and a half years than the last administration.

WILKERSON: And there`s something else. You have to realize, I think,
I`m hoping the American people are beginning to realize is, that all my
party has to attack people especially Democrats is national security.
That`s it. They don`t have any other ideas. They don`t have any other
domain in which they dwell. It`s all about national security.

SCHULTZ: Should President Obama play this card? Should he remind
America?

WILKERSON: I wish we didn`t have to play any card about killing
someone.

SCHULTZ: That`s just the political climate.

WILKERSON: That`s just the political climate of the country and if
he`s got to establish his bona fides on national security, this establishes
them.

SCHULTZ: Your credibility with many people in this country, and you
say you teach it. Looking at Mitt Romney, what national security
credentials does he have?

WILKERSON: I see none right now. I`m waiting to hear somebody of
substance from this candidate. Throughout the primaries, all I heard was
lunacy -- whether it was Santorum, Romney, Gingrich or whoever. The only
person I heard any sane remarks was Ron Paul.

So, as a Republican, wanting to come back in to his party and vote for
the Republican candidate, I have so far heard Mitt Romney say nothing of
substance, domestic or foreign.

SCHULTZ: Is it hard for the country to be on the same page when it
comes to national security now because we are so ideologically divided in
this country?

(CROSSTALK)

WILKERSON: That`s a fascinating question. Colin Powell and I used to
have this discussion. We talk about foreign policy and security policy
from World War II forward. There hasn`t been an iota difference between
presidents, Republican or Democratic, when it came to the brass tacks of
national security.

Sometimes there were difference on the surface matters, sometimes in
the way we portrayed it, but there hasn`t been much difference. You have
to come to George W. Bush to find some real significance difference. Now
we`re tracking back to the center where both parties understand U.S.
national security interests.

I`m waiting for the Republicans to articulate that understanding. The
Democrats have.

SCHULTZ: Would you like to hear Mitt Romney congratulate the
president for making the right call?

WILKERSON: I would. I would. I would have at the time.

SCHULTZ: Here is part of Senator John McCain`s statement on the Obama
video. Shame on Barack Obama for diminishing the memory of September 11th
and the killing of Osama bin Laden, turning it into a cheap political
attack ad. Your thoughts.

WILKERSON: My thought is that`s all my party has been doing since
George W. Bush in 2001 assumed the presidency. So, how dare John McCain
accuse the Democrats of doing something the Republicans have made their
raison d`etre, their reason for existence?

SCHULTZ: Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, always a pleasure. Great to
have you on THE ED SHOW.

WILKERSON: Thanks for having me.

SCHULTZ: Thanks so much.

Thirty-three months of conservative growth, but Mitt Romney says
President Obama is interested in slow-jamming the news. Robert Reich joins
me next.

Senator John McCain said the war on women is imaginary. President
Obama proved McCain wrong. You won`t want to miss this tape, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.

Today, we learned -- got more economic news -- we learned that the
economy grew for the 11th straight month. That`s 33 months of consecutive
growth in this country.

But growth for the first quarter of this year was slightly less than
predicted, 2.2 percent, because government spending fell. Hear that
conservatives -- government spending fell. Private sector growth was at
3.5 percent.

Cutting back on government spending dragged down the overall numbers.

This is exactly what Republicans want an austerity program during
Democratic presidencies. Mitt Romney said in a statement: "President
Obama`s stagnant government-centered economy has depressed growth and the
American spirit of natural optimism. President Obama spent the week slow-
jamming the news"?

Wrong again, Mittster.

Republicans have spent three years slow-jamming the president trying
to obstruct him at every turn.

Here is government spending during the last five presidents. The two
blue lines are President Clinton and President Obama, because Democratic
presidents are pressured into keeping spending low.

And if you want to know what happens under severe austerity, just look
across the Atlantic. England has fallen into a double dip recession.
Maybe if they had spent some money on a stimulus package, they wouldn`t be
there.

Let`s bring in Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under the
Clinton administration. Now, a professor at U.C. Berkeley and author of
the book, "Beyond Outrage: What Has Gone Wrong with Our Economy and Our
Democracy and How to Fix it."

I love the title. I`ll have to read the book. Mr. Reich, good to
have you with us tonight.

What do you make -- what do you make of these numbers? The numbers
tell a story. Private sector growth was 3.5 percent, but overall was 2.2
percent because of government spending.

ROBERT REICH, FMR. LABOR SECRETARY: Yes. The big news, Ed, is that
government cuts, that is cuts in spending, budget cuts, mostly at the state
and local level, but also a slow down in government spending at the federal
level, that is a drag on the economy. That should be no news.

We know that that`s happened in the past. It`s exactly what`s
happening in Europe. Europe has embraced austerity economics, as you said
a moment ago. And that austerity economics has pushed the continent --
Europe is now moving into recession. Britain is already in recession.
Spain is in recession.

When you cut government spending as much as they`re doing, when you
cut government spending even as much as is going at our state and local
levels, you are dragging the economy downward because you`re cutting total
economic demand. When you have a recession or a near recession or you`re
trying to get out of a big recessionary hole, like we`ve been trying to get
out of, when consumers can`t make up the difference, when businesses can`t
make up the difference, government cuts are simply crazy.

SCHULTZ: Yes. The news today on economic growth included, I think, a
real bright spot, the automobile industry in this country. This is a big
win Republicans just can`t take away from the president. Had we had not
done what we did with the automobile industry, and floated a loan which
they are paying back and now positioning themselves as real world
competitors, where would our economy be?

REICH: Ed, it`s very, very interesting. Had we not adopted even
larger versions of the policies that the president was pushing, we would be
in so much worse shape now than we are. If we had adopted policies that
were larger, that the president had actually been pushing but Republicans
said no all the way -- whether we`re talking about autos or we`re talking
about the stimulus that the president wanted, a much larger stimulus than
he finally got, or we`re talking about along the way, the economy would now
be charging forward.

All of the drags on the economy are as a result of Republicans
basically saying no, the nabobs of negativism.

SCHULTZ: How crucial, Mr. Reich, are the next months coming up to the
election? We all know that there`s not going to be anything done on the
economy here in Washington. The economy is going to have to flourish on
its own. It`s not going to get anymore stimulus. It`s not going to get
anymore bills passed that would float anything.

How crucial is this period of time for the Obama administration and
for the country, for that matter?

REICH: Well, number one, it`s very crucial for the country,
obviously, because people are still hurting. We`re still in the
gravitational pull of the great recession, caused by the policies of George
W. Bush. A lot of people out there are worried, and understandably worried
about where they are.

As we get close to the election -- and most of the data in most
elections shows that it`s critical period is three months before election
day. If the economy is still moving, no matter how slowly, if it`s still
moving in the right direction, if growth is still positive, if unemployment
is still declining, then the president is going to be in pretty good shape.

If the economy follows Europe into a slide, a double dip or even a
stall, then that gives Romney and the Republicans a much, much stronger
chance, even though, ironically, they`re the ones -- their policies that
brought all of this on to begin with.

SCHULTZ: Mr. Reich, finally, I want you to comment on what Mitt
Romney said today. You`re in education. You`re a professor at UC
Berkeley. You`ve been in that profession for a long time. This has been a
big economic pitch by the president to young people in trying to help them
out with student loan rates.

The fights taking place here in Washington. And Mitt Romney comes out
and says, you know, go borrow money from your mom and dad. What`s your
response to that?

REICH: Well, economically, it`s just -- it displays a certain
ignorance, because most of the kids who need student loans, most of the
kids who are hard up, are kids from relatively poorer families, working
class families, lower middle class families.

Obviously they took out the loans because their parents could not
afford it in most cases. So for Romney to say go talk to mom and dad
displays a kind of -- a kind of -- an ignorance about where Americans are
right now, a sense of being totally out of touch with the needs of most
Americans.

Beyond that, though, education is not just a personal or family
investment. It is a public good, higher education, K-12 education. I
don`t understand why these Republicans insist on cutting back student
loans, on cutting K-12 education, on cutting back Pell Grants.

You know, one of the big stories, Ed, is that in the Paul Ryan budget,
we`re going to have dramatic cuts in the ability of poor kids to go to
college. And you what does -- Romney says that`s a marvelous budget.
These guys -- these guys used to believe -- the old Republican party of the
1950s, early 1960s used to believe in equal opportunity, which meant
education. Now they don`t even believe in education.

REICH: I think I hit your hot button with this issue. Robert Reich,
great to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time.

REICH: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: You bet. There`s a lot more coming up in the next half hour
of THE ED SHOW. Stay with us.

Scott Walker is turning to the Garden State`s governor to help plant
lies. Mahlon Mitchell is here with reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There`s a vicious rumor
floating around that I think it could really hurt Mitt Romney. I heard he
passed universal health care when he was governor of Massachusetts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Later, we`re looking back at some of the hits from the White
House Correspondent`s dinner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, "THE COLBERT REPORT": The greatest thing about this
man is he`s steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing
Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Scott Walker has been running all over the country begging
for money to help him avoid getting kicked out of office on June 5th. He`s
been telling lies on the cables and sending lies through mail. Now he`s
bringing the biggest fabricator in America back home to Wisconsin to help
him out.

On May 1st, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will campaign with
Walker in Green Bay and Milwaukee. You know, this is so predictable. One
radical governor going to protect another radical governor. Walker
shouldn`t stop with Christie. Heck, go get John Kasich of Ohio. Make it a
threesome going out there across the Badger State.

Have Florida`s Rick Scott. Make it four guys out there. Scott, he
can come talk about how he got a 26 percent approval rating back in
December. But on Tuesday, Chris Christie will bring his Jersey style of
politics to Wisconsin.

Let me tell you about Jersey style politics and what it results.
Christie gave tax breaks to millionaires and slashed budgets, no doubt,
which of course meant thousands of jobs for teachers, cops and, of course,
firefighters. They all lost their jobs.

And last month, New Jersey lost 11,600 private sector jobs. New
Jersey`s unemployment rate is higher than Illinois`s, a state that Scott
Walker routinely criticizes for its economic policy. So I guess the old
saying is true, birds of a feather flock together. If you`re interested in
watching the radical governors flap their mouths on May 1st, you first have
to donate 20 dollars to Scott Walker`s campaign, then hope that your name
gets drawn out of a hat so you can go.

Now we know the Walker campaign strategy is what, they`re going to
raffle their way to victory. Sounds not real people friendly to me.

I`m joined my Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional
Firefighters of Wisconsin, who is running for the Democratic nomination to
challenge Walker`s lieutenant governor. Mahlon, good to have you back with
us tonight. It`s very clear.

MAHLON MITCHELL (D), CANDIDATE FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN:
Ed, good to be back. Thank you.

SCHULTZ: You bet. What Scott Walker is doing, he`s going around the
country. People in New Jersey and New York are getting mailers begging for
money. Now he is bringing in Christie. Is this going to work on
Wisconsinites?

MITCHELL: Well, you know what it shows, is that Walker`s latest
attempt to bring a ringer into our state -- shows really how basic and how
his campaign is failing. Walker, obviously, has been going around the
country, like you said, to raise millions of dollars for his failing
campaign.

Now he`s found a friend to bring home with him, a friend that he
criticized before. But both of these Tea Party governors have been
drinking their Koch Brother`s Kool-Aid. They both have attacks on workers`
rights, fire fighters, teachers. I mean, how do you attack teachers,
people that are shaping our future?

They both raised taxes on the middle class, gave corporations tax
breaks in the same breath. And then they both are allies in this
Republican attack -- war on women.

But I have three questions for Governor Christie when he comes here,
because our governor will not seem to answer these questions. My first
question is why will the governor not take responsibility for being number
one in the nation or last, the way you look at it, for having the most job
losses. We had 23,900 lost last year, the most in the nation.

My second question is why while he not take credit for having the
workers rights under attack and saying that it`s not about the budget, but
it`s about busting up the unions.

Another question I have is why will he not live us to his promise that
he broke of balancing our budget? Right now under Governor Walker`s
budget, we have a 250 percent more of a deficit than we had last year. So
I have simple questions and we can`t get them answered. That`s why our
governor has got to go.

SCHULTZ: Kind of interesting. I think the people of New Jersey would
like to ask Chris Christie those very same questions. It`s interesting how
the state is attracting guys that just can`t create jobs. But if Walker is
forced to go outside the state to get money, why doesn`t he just keep the
money in state?

I mean, there`s just -- I know it`s a national campaign, but he has
really tried to sell this on all the cables that this has wide
ramification, sweeping ramifications beyond Wisconsin`s borders. What`s
your response to that?

MITCHELL: Well, it`s proven that Governor Walker is not talking about
Wisconsin. He is working for a bigger agenda, a national agenda, not for a
Wisconsin values agenda. You can tell that when he speaks. Last year, he
was able to talk a call from the Koch brothers, or who he thought was one
of the Koch Brothers, but he can`t take a call from a constituent like
myself.

So there`s so many things that are happening in our state that are not
based on Wisconsin values. That`s why we had the recall election. Really
nobody likes recalls. It costs the state money. But this is an investment
in our future. And people are sick and tired of having this ALEC brewed
(ph), this Koch Brothers agenda, these billionaires from out of state
coming in and playing into our politics.

He`s bringing Washington into Wisconsin. And we just can`t have that.

SCHULTZ: Mahlon Mitchell, great to have you with us tonight. Thanks
for joining us on THE ED SHOW.

Earlier this evening, President Obama went on the offensive in the war
on women big time. We`ll show you the tape, next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Senator John McCain went to the well of the Senate yesterday
and ripped the Democrats for claiming that there is a war on women in this
country. Just moments ago, President Obama spoke to a Women`s Leadership
Forum here in Washington, countering McCain`s claims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We don`t need to read between the lines in terms of what
they`re saying. When folks talk about killing the health care reform that
we passed, part of what they`re saying is that women should pay more than
men for the same health care coverage.

They are saying we should stop protecting women with preexisting
conditions. They are saying we should no longer let that 25-year-old
daughter and more than a million other young women stay on their parents`
health care plans.

When you talk about how marvelous your party`s economic plan is, when
you break down the numbers, what you`re really saying is you want to pass
massive new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, pay for them by
gutting programs that, among other things, support low income women and
children and pregnant mothers and student aid for -- that
disproportionately helps young women.

When you say we should get rid of Planned Parenthood, you`re not just
talking about restricting a woman`s ability to make her own health care
decisions. You`re talking about denying the preventive care like cancer
screenings that millions of women rely on.

When something like the Violence Against Women`s Act is actually up
for debate, then we know something has gone haywire. That is something
that should be beyond politics. This is a bill that my vice president co-
authored when he was in the Senate. It`s a bill that once passed by wide
bipartisan margins.

It is a bill that we are going to renew. It`s the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: So, who do you believe, an archaic Republican party or
President Obama?

Up next, a look back at some of the best moments from the White House
Correspondents Dinner, from President Obama to Stephen Colbert. Stay
tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: ED SHOW survey tonight, I asked do Mitt Romney and John
Boehner have a clue about how the middle class is struggling? Three
percent of you said yes; 97 percent of you said no.

Coming up, tomorrow is the annual White House Correspondents Dinner.
We`ll take a look back at some of the events and greatest hits.

You can listen to my radio show at Sirius XM Radio channel 127, Monday
through Friday, noon to 3:00 pm, and on progressive talk stations around
the country. And follow me on Twitter @EdShow, and like THE ED SHOW on
Facebook. We`re right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And in the Big Finish tonight, well, tomorrow evening is the
Annual White House Correspondents` Dinner. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will M.C.
And in my opinion, he`s going to have some pretty big shoes to fill.

The dinner has produced plenty of laughs over the years, from
comedians to commander in chiefs.

Let`s go back to 2000. Bill Clinton was then a lame duck president,
had a little extra time on his hands. So Clinton starred in this video
that made its debut at the dinner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I wish I could be here more but
I really think Bill has everything under control.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:
Wait, wait. Wait. You forgot your lunch.

AL GORE, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I think his
legacy is going to be the natural environment, improving the green spaces
of our country.

I`ve urged him to spend more time on that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The president`s schedule is just as busy as
ever. He`s just doing different things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The Bush administration was a little short on humor, but
comedian Stephen Colbert targeted President Bush and his policies right to
the guy`s face. The jokes were hilarious, but the room wasn`t laughing.
Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLBERT: I believe the government that governs best is the government
that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous
government in Iraq.

Most of all, I believe in this president. Now I know there`s some
polls out there saying that this man has a 32 percent approval rating. But
guys like us, we don`t pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are
just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in
reality.

And reality has a well known liberal bias.

The greatest thing about this man is he is steady. You know where he
stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday,
no matter what happened Tuesday.

Events can change. This man`s beliefs never will. As -- as excited
as I am to be here with the president, I`m appalled to be surrounded by the
liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News.
Fox News gives you both sides of every story, the president`s side and the
vice president`s side.

But the rest of you, what are you thinking reporting on NSA
wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret
for a very important reason. They`re super depressing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Needless to say, impersonator Rich Little was asked to host
the following year. Now my favorite Correspondents` Dinner moment came
just last year. In the weeks leading up to the dinner, Donald Trump
repeatedly embarrassed himself by demanding that President Obama release
his long form birth certificate.

The Wednesday before the dinner, President Obama made big news by
releasing his birth certificate. It was President Obama who got the last
laugh, by delivering a pitch perfect roast of Donald Trump. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Now I know that he`s taken some flak lately, but no one is
happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest
than the Donald. That`s because he can finally get back to focusing on the
issues that matter, like did we fake the Moon landing? What really
happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: All kidding aside, obviously we all now about your credentials
and breadth of experience. For example, seriously, just recently in an
episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" at the steak house, the men`s cooking
team did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. There was a lot of
blame to go around.

But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of
leadership. Ultimately you didn`t blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf. You fired
Gary Busey. These are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at
night.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Trump didn`t like it. He complained to Fox News the next
morning. "I didn`t know that I`d be virtually the sole focus. Is there
anyone else they could talk about?"

Later that day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world
that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin
Laden, the leader of al Qaeda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: That announcement managed to interrupt the last few minutes
of "Celebrity Apprentice."

That`s THE ED SHOW. I`m Ed Schultz. "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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