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The Ed Show for Friday, October 26th, 2012

Read the transcript to the Friday show

THE ED SHOW with ED SCHULTZ
October 26, 2012

Guests: Ted Strickland, Tim Ryan, Lawrence Wilkerson, Michael Eric Dyson,
Terri O`Neill, Mike McCready

ED SCHULTZ, HOST: Good evening, Americans. Welcome to THE ED SHOW,
live from Minneapolis tonight.

Eleven days until the 2012 election. Mitt Romney tells his biggest
lie to date. You won`t believe this one.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I saw a story today that one
of the great manufacturers of this state, Jeep -- now owned by the Italians
-- is thinking of moving all production to China.

SCHULTZ (voice-over): Mitt Romney unleashes a perfect storm of lies
trying to fool Buckeye State voters.

Former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Congressman Tim Ryan are here
with the truth.

JOHN SUNUNU, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: When you take a look at Colin Powell,
you have to wonder whether that`s an endorsement based on issues or whether
he`s got a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama.

SCHULTZ: The Romney campaign`s resident racist goes after Colin
Powell. Tonight, Colin Powell`s former chief of staff, Lawrence Wilkerson,
on Sununu`s charge.

And Michael Eric Dyson on racism as a campaign tactic in the year
2012.

Plus, righties are freaking out, calling the Obama campaign satanic
over this ad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Super uncool to be out and about and someone
says, "Did you vote?" and you, "No, I didn`t. I wasn`t ready."

SCHULTZ: And lives hang in the balance if Obamacare gets repealed.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is standing up for people with
preexisting conditions and he joins THE ED SHOW tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHULTZ: Good to have you tonight, folks. Thanks for watching. All
eyes are on Ohio in the final weeks of the 2012 election. And the Romney
campaign hit a sour note last night at a rally in the Buckeye State.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

SCHULTZ: Actually, the note Mitt Romney hit was a heck of a lot worse
than that. The Republican nominee out of nowhere told a crowd of
supporters some unexpected information about auto jobs in nearby Toledo,
Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I saw a story today that one of the great manufacturers of
this state, Jeep -- now owned by the Italians -- is thinking of moving all
production to China. I will fight for every good job in America and I`m
going to fight to make sure trade is fair. And if it`s fair, America will
win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Moving all production to China. Folks, this is a gigantic
lie.

Earlier this week, Chrysler`s parent company announced that it`s in
talks to increase operations throughout the entire world. Now, as
"Bloomberg News" reported, Chrysler referred to adding Jeep production
sites rather than shifting output from North America to China.
Translation, Chrysler is so flushed with cash they are looking to expand
operations to other countries, including the world`s largest customer, and
that would be China.

Now, Chrysler`s success is no smokescreen whatsoever. Today, the
company announced 1,100 new jobs at its Jeep assembly plant in Detroit,
Michigan.

But wait a minute, Mitt Romney he didn`t say anything about that. You
see Mitt Romney would be talking about job creation then and that`s
something he says that Barack Obama doesn`t know anything about. Chrysler
responded to this controversy.

I want you to pay close attention to what a corporation said about
what Mitt Romney said. First they start out saying, "Let`s set the record
straight. Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models
out of North America to China. It`s simply reviewing the opportunities to
return Jeep output to China for the world`s largest auto market. U.S. Jeep
assembly lines will continue to stay in operation, a careful and unbiased
reading of the Bloomberg take would have saved unnecessary fantasies and
extravagant comments."

You know what, folks? I don`t think the Obama campaign could have
written that release any better. But that came from Chrysler ripping on
Mitt Romney. In fact, Mitt Romney`s entire campaign is about unnecessary
fantasies and extravagant comments.

His lie about Chrysler was not only dishonest, it was irresponsible.
Romney said hundreds of jobs were at stake with no facts whatsoever to
support his claim.

Where does he get his information? What kind of president is this guy
going to be? It`s like shouting fire in a crowded theater, don`t you
think?

Romney is also a hypocrite. As President Obama points out, Mitt
Romney`s plan for the auto workers of Ohio would have actually sent jobs to
China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He`s hoping you all
remember that his economic plan is more likely to create jobs in China than
here in Ohio because it rewards companies that ship overseas instead of
companies that create jobs right here in Ohio, right here in the United
States of America. If Mitt Romney had been president when the auto
industry was on the verge of collapse, we might not have an American
automobile industry today. We`d be buying cars from China instead of
selling cars to China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: So, here`s where we are -- Mitt Romney`s path to the
presidency is impossible without Ohio`s 18 electoral votes. Right now,
winning Ohio is not looking good for Romney. Six Ohio polls were released
this week. Five of them have President Obama leading. One is tied.

President Obama`s average lead in Ohio is 2.3 points. That`s a big
lead, seriously.

Now, families in northern Ohio have not forgotten what the rescue of
the automobile industry did for their state. One in eight Ohio jobs are
about the automobile industry.

This is why Mitt Romney is doing everything he possibly can to
downplay the impact of the auto rescue. His political director says the
Obama campaign dropped the auto bailout on us, but there`s only so long you
can ride that one-trick pony.

Let me ask you this, folks, you think getting a paycheck is a one-
trick pony?

Romney is also trying to project strength in Ohio. His campaign
called last night`s event a victory rally.

Today, Romney gave a standard stump speech in Iowa, but his campaign
called it a victory event.

So, you know, if you believe Mitt Romney, heck, he`s already won the
election. The auto rescue was really no big deal and Ohio jobs are getting
shipped over to China. You can`t believe a word this guy says.

One no knows this isn`t true is Senator Rob Portman. Now, he is one
of Mitt Romney`s top surrogates. Portman knows Romney is toast without
Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R), OHIO: If we don`t win Ohio, it`s stuff to see
us winning the election nationally. It`s possible, but it`s very
difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Along with all of that, we have said that Mitt Romney is a
candidate who is really lacking in e detail on every subject. Now, his
electoral chances boil down to one state. The biggest deal in the state of
Ohio is the economy. Ohio`s economy would be in dire straits without
rescue of the automobile. And Mitt Romney flat out opposed the rescue,
although he`s tried to reinvent that time and time again.

It`s not surprising he would lie about car manufacturing jobs going to
China. If he admits the truth, he`s going to be finished in that state.
So he`s out there actually creating a story, telling people that a plant is
going to be shut down by Chrysler and the jobs are going overseas. Nothing
could be further from the truth.

I mean, this is just falling right into the hands of the Obama
campaign. You can`t make this stuff up. But you see if he were to talk
about the 1,100 jobs that Chrysler added in Detroit, then of course, that
would be complimenting the president on job creation and saving the
automobile industry.

It`s a tight spot for Romney and his surrogates, no doubt about it.

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

Tonight`s question: is lying the only way Mitt Romney can win Ohio?
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 results later on in the program.

Now, I am joined tonight by a couple of sources who know all about
automobile rescue. And that is former Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio and
an Obama 2012 campaign co-chair. And also with us tonight is Congressman
Tim Ryan of Ohio.

Gentlemen, great to have you with us.

Governor, you first. I mean, I can only think that this is a complete
disservice to the people of Ohio to go out in front of a crowd and
erroneously put out information that cuts right to the fabric of what this
election is all about and that`s jobs. What`s your reaction to this,
Governor?

TED STRICKLAND (D), FORMER OHIO GOVERNOR: Well, my reaction is that
Mitt Romney is a desperate man. He knows he`s losing Ohio. If he loses
Ohio, he`s losing the election.

But for him to do what he did is despicable. Think of the angst that
those workers felt when they heard him say that. And, obviously, it showed
a lack of judgment and a lack of truthfulness. This man is not ready to be
the president of the United States of America.

He is -- as Jon huntsman said during the primary season, he is like a
well-oiled weather vane. You never know where Mitt Romney is going to be
on any issue on any day. And this is just but the latest example of his
desperation in trying to reach the Ohio voter. But Ohioans have figured
this guy out, they know who`s on their side and it`s Barack Obama and Joe
Biden.

And that`s why I am convinced to my death that Ohio is going to do the
right thing and the president is going to be reelected with Ohio`s support.

SCHULTZ: OK.

Congressman Ryan, accuracy is important in your business. To stand up
in front of people and say something that`s flat out false, doesn`t this
speak to the character of Mitt Romney to play with people`s emotions like
this?

REP. TIM RYAN (D), OHIO: I don`t think, Ed, there`s any doubt about
it. It does show the kind of coldness that we saw with him at Bain
Capital, the kind of detachment when he talks about these issues. That he
did not even consider, as Governor Strickland just said, the families that
would have been affected in northwest Ohio by his comments.

They have had enough problems dealing with the Romney policies, the
Bush economic policies, the way they have handled things. But he`s not
happy with that. He comes in and continues to try to scare people.

This is a consistent pattern, though, Ed. This is the same kind of
business these Republicans do. They troll around on the Internet. They
find one story that`s made up and they use it. Whether it`s Todd Akin
using it like his science that he has for legitimate rape or the goofy
stuff they come up with climate change.

And now, he finds an article about China. God knows where it`s come
from. But he peddles it as the truth in Ohio. But the reality on the
ground is so much different. People are working because of Obama so the
nonsense doesn`t work.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, what about the 1,100 jobs that Chrysler is
adding in Detroit? Why didn`t Mitt Romney say that?

RYAN: Well, of course, any good news. I`m sure he didn`t talk about
the growth he`s had. He didn`t talk about any of the positive things
happening. He didn`t want to bring it up because, quite frankly, there`s a
lot of people in northwest Ohio that would work in those plants or that
would expand because they are part of a supply chain out there. And he
certainly doesn`t want to give Obama any credit.

I`m telling you, people here in Ohio are enthusiastic about what`s
happening in this election and Romney is trying to throw water on the fire.

But what`s actually happening, Ed, is with all of Obama coming in
here, Clinton coming in here, we`ve got -- we`re throwing gas on the fire
and Ohio is going to deliver and they`re going to prevent Mitt Romney from
becoming president.

SCHULTZ: Governor, isn`t this a perfect example that Mitt Romney will
say anything, anywhere to try to get a vote? The truth just simply doesn`t
matter?

STRICKLAND: Absolutely, Ed. But Ohioans, they figured this guy out.
A Swiss bank account, investments in the Cayman Islands, saying he likes to
fire people, cars with elevators -- I mean, homes with elevators for his
cars.

And then we saw him in that videotape talking in such a disparaging,
disrespectful way about so many Americans and many of those people are
Ohioans. This guy doesn`t understand regular working people. He`s so out
of touch.

And so, it may be easy for him to come into a community and talk as he
did --

SCHULTZ: Yes.

STRICKLAND: -- and say he`s going to lose all these jobs. Not
thinking about what it means for all those people, and how it hurt them.
You just have to listen to that --

SCHULTZ: Yes.

STRICKLAND: -- kind of dire forecast.

SCHULTZ: Here`s what I take out of the story. This guy wants to be
president of the United States. He takes a morsel of information off the
Internet. It`s totally not checked out. Not resourced. And he`s willing
to use it in front of people.

This is the most reckless example we have seen of how he would
operate.

STRICKLAND: Yes.

SCHULTZ: He simply is not qualified to have the responsibility of the
presidency and to operate in the Oval Office.

Gentlemen, great to have you with us. Former Governor Ted Strickland
of Ohio and also, Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan with us. Thank you so much.

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

Coming up, the war of words. Find out why a big endorsement is
driving the Republicans absolutely crazy tonight. I`ll share their
shocking reactions with you when we come back.

Take us to break, Meatloaf.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Coming up, John Sununu plays the race card and claims that
General Colin Powell`s endorsement of President Obama is based on his skin
color. I`ll have reaction from former Powell chief of staff Lawrence
Wilkerson and we`ll talk with Michael Eric Dyson about the role of race in
the 2012 election.

And a rock star shares his story of living with a preexisting
condition and why the Affordable Healthcare Act is important to him and
millions of Americans. Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready will join me
later on the program.

Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and on Twitter using #EdShow.

We are coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

It is big news when one of the most prominent Republicans of the Bush
administration endorses a Democrat for president. Tonight, the reaction to
the endorsement is making headlines as well. Colin Powell, a he former
general, carefully laid out his case in support of reelecting President
Obama on national television yesterday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think generally we have
come out of the dive and starting to gain altitude. I also saw the
president get us out of one war and start to get us out of a second war and
did not into any new wars.

I`m more comfortable with President Obama and his administration when
it comes to issues like what are we going to do about climate, what are we
going to do about immigration, what are we going to do about education. I
think we ought to keep on the track that we are on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The former secretary of state ruffled some Republican
feathers. The Romney campaign deployed former Governor John Sununu to
respond. That`s when things got ugly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUNUNU: When you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to wonder
whether that`s an endorsement based on issues or whether he`s got a
slightly different reason for preferring President Obama.

PIERS MORGAN, CNN: What reason would that be?

SUNUNU: Well, I think when you have somebody of your own race that
you`re proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for
standing with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Did you catch the first line from Sununu? Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUNUNU: When you take a look at Colin Powell --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: He said, "When you take a look at Colin Powell," as if it`s
obvious why Powell would endorse a black president because, you see, he`s a
black guy too, right? This is outrageous.

This morning, radio host Michael Smerconish had an interview with the
president and asked the president of the United States if he was offended
by Sununu`s remarks.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OBAMA: Any suggestion that General Powell would make such a profound
statement in such an important election based on anything than what he
thought was what`s going to be best for America I think, doesn`t make much
sense.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, here comes the mop up. Sununu has now issued a
statement calling General Powell a friend and says that he respects the
endorsement. He says, "I do not doubt that it was based on anything but
his support for the president`s policies."

It`s not exactly an apology, is it, folks? Sununu clearly stated that
he thought Powell`s decision was influenced by race. It`s certainly not
about race. It is about policy and the performance of the president of the
United States over the last four years.

General Powell doesn`t think Romney is ready for the job. As for
Sununu, he`s just coming off as an angry old white guy who doesn`t like
diversity.

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

Colonel, great to have you with us tonight.

Right to the point -- what do you think of John Sununu`s assessment of
General Powell?

LAWRENCE WILKERSON, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT: I
have respect for John Sununu as a Republican, as a member of my party, but
I don`t have any respect for the integrity of the position that he seemed
to codify.

Look at me, Ed, I`m white. I`m not black. Colin Powell picked me
because of the content of my character and my competence, as he did every
Asian, Hispanic, white person, black person, who worked for him when he was
chairman and he was secretary of state. To say that Colin Powell would
endorse President Obama because of his skin color is like saying Mother
Theresa worked for profit.

SCHULTZ: Now, do you agree with General Powell`s endorsement? He is
endorsing the president of the United States and he very clearly stated
why. Would you go along with that? Do you agree with that?

WILKERSON: I won`t speak for him, but I will say that I thought he
was rather forthright in the way he characterized it. I agree basically
with the way he characterized it.

President Obama inherited a catastrophe, a failing housing market, a
collapsing automobile industry, a huge debt, 800,000 jobs lost. He
inherited what George W. Bush and Dick Cheney gave him.

And in the four years roughly that he`s been president, he`s made
steady improvement. He stabilized the financial system. He saved the
automobile industry. He needs another four years in order to make more
improvements because there`s still lots of improvements that need to be
made, including more jobs.

So, let`s give him four years rather than go to a man who is so slick
that we don`t even know from the primaries to now what he stands for.

SCHULTZ: Colonel Wilkerson, in the comment he made, he said, when you
look at Colin Powell, there may be other reasons he would support President
Obama. What does this say about the Republican Party? Isn`t this getting
to be somewhat of a brand of the Republican Party?

WILKERSON: Well, in Governor Sununu`s part, I think it was an
unfortunate slip of words, but you`re insinuating something and you are
insinuating that is absolutely accurate. My party, unfortunately, is the
bastion of those people, not all of them but most of them, who are still
basing their decision on race.

Let me just be candid. My party is full of racists. And the real
reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the
White House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to
do with his competence as commander-in-chief and president, and everything
to do with the color of his skin. And that`s despicable.

SCHULTZ: What does it say about Mitt Romney to allow John Sununu to
slip away with this without repercussion whatsoever?

WILKERSON: I think it says that Mitt Romney will use any tactic
whatsoever to win the White House.

SCHULTZ: Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, great to have you with us
tonight on THE ED SHOW. I appreciate your candor so much. And thank you
for visiting with us tonight.

This isn`t the first time that John Sununu has engaged in race-
baiting. So, why does the Romney campaign keep using this guy as a
surrogate? Michael Eric Dyson will weigh in, next.

And then, Mitt Romney has no plans to cut ties with Richard Mourdock.
What kind of message does that send to American women? I`ll ask Terry
O`Neill. Stay tuned. We are right back on THE ED SHOW.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUNUNU: When you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to wonder
whether that`s an endorsement based on issues or whether he`s got a
slightly different reason for preferring President Obama.

MORGAN: What reason would that be?

SUNUNU: Well, I think when you have somebody of your own race that
you`re proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for
standing with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: That was former New Hampshire governor and top Mitt Romney
surrogate, John Sununu, accusing former Secretary of State Colin Powell of
issuing a racially-motivated endorsement of President Obama.

Sununu has an active role in the Romney campaign. And this isn`t the
first time that Sununu has race-baited while advocating for the Republican
nominee. And yet, the Romney campaign just keeps putting him out there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SUNUNU: The president clearly demonstrated that he has absolutely no
idea how the American economy functions. I wish this president would learn
how to be an American.

He has no idea how the American system functions. And we shouldn`t be
surprised about that because he spent his early years in Hawaii smoking
something.

People saw last night I think was a president that revealed his
incompetence, how lazy and detached he is.

ANDREA MITCHELL, MSNBC ANCHOR: I want to give you a chance to maybe
take it back. Did you really mean to call Barack Obama, the president of
the United States, lazy?

SUNUNU: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Joining me now is Michael Eric Dyson, MSNBC political
analyst and professor of sociology at Georgetown University. Michael,
great to have you with us again tonight. Let`s see, he hopes that Barack
Obama learns something. He accuses him of smoking something. And by the
way, he`s lazy.

And now this most recent thing, when you look at Colin Powell, why
hasn`t the Romney campaign stopped using this guy on television or at least
tried to reel him in of sorts? Your thoughts?

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Apparently the Romney
administration, if you will, the Romney campaign is quite comfortable with
presenting John Sununu as its face when it comes to make arguments that are
race baiting about Barack Obama, about the president of the United States
of America.

All of the vicious stereotypes that have circulated about black men at
one point or another congregate around the rhetoric that John Sununu uses
and directs towards Barack Obama. President Obama is lazy. He`s ill
prepared. He`s disengaged. He`s not a true American. This is the
repetition of an untruth that they believe if said often enough and
repeated often enough will become true, at least stick to a few people`s
minds. Not the masses of Americans, but enough people to make a
difference.

That`s a difference understanding of the swing vote. And they are
hoping that that will stick. There`s no other explanation for why a guy
who continues to insult the president in unprincipled fashion continues to
be the voice or at least the face of the Romney campaign when it comes to
these issues.

SCHULTZ: And of course, the candidate himself has yet to make any
kind of comment that he thinks that maybe Mr. Sununu may have been over the
line. He continues to support him, does not demand any kind of
clarification. In fact, the statement he put out was anything but an
apology. What does this say about Romney`s leadership, professor?

DYSON: Well, it says that Mr. Romney is ill equipped to deal directly
with issues that are uncomfortable, that he has no social responsibility
when it comes to arguing with his own representatives about how they should
appropriately represent him, or it suggest that he is implicitly at least
in agreement with the vicious attitudes of Mr. Sununu.

That would be quite dangerous. That would be quite striking. And
fundamentally, that would be an extension of the beliefs of a campaign
that`s not been very sensitive around the issues of race. When you couple
that insensitivity with the exacerbatory effect of these remarks, all you
can conclude, Ed, is that this is what the man believes, and he allows this
attack dog to go out and say things that he can`t directly say.

SCHULTZ: Professor, we just had Lawrence Wilkerson on, former chief
of staff for Colin Powell. And he made this comment just a few moments
ago. And I want you to respond to it. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILKERSON: My party is full of racists. And the real reason a
considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the White
House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to do
with his competence as commander in chief and president, and everything to
do with the color of his skin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Professor Dyson, your response to that.

DYSON: There it is. The truth has not -- not been more clearly
spoken than when he expressed that. Here`s the presupposition of so many
people in the Republican party, in the far right wing, who want to find any
excuse to get Barack Obama out of office. Isn`t it interesting that John
Sununu says that the only reason that Colin Powell supported him is because
he`s black? Does that mean that any time a white politician is supported
by a white people, in an exclusively white campaign, that there is a racial
element there, that they are proud of that white person?

How ridiculous? How ludicrous is that? So African-American people
are held to a different standard, are not seen as American, are lazy. By
projecting all of these stereotypes onto Barack Obama, it`s not simply the
president of the United States who is being insulted, his character being
besmirched. It`s the entirety of African-American people.

That`s why this insult rings so powerfully. That`s why the viewpoints
of John Sununu are dangerous. And that`s why I think Mitt Romney is a
coward for not standing up and stepping up and speaking out against the
vitriol that his surrogate is spewing.

SCHULTZ: It has been a terrible week for the Romney campaign. You`ve
got a bad debate on Monday night. You`ve got the Mourdock explosion in the
war on women. You`ve got him lying to the people in Ohio last night about
shipping jobs overseas. And now you`ve got his top surrogate out there
saying, you know, when you look at Colin Powell, there might be another
reason why Colin Powell is supporting Barack Obama.

I mean, I don`t know how much more of a disastrous week the Romney
camp could have had. Professor Michael Eric Dyson, great to have you with
us tonight.

There`s a lot more coming up in the next half hour of THE ED SHOW.
Stay right with us. We`re coming back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: There`s so much at stake. I hope you`ll join me in
supporting Richard Mourdock.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The Romney campaign now says they have no control over their
ad endorsing Richard Mourdock. There`s more fallout from those rape
remarks. Terri O`Neill is next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your first time shouldn`t be with just anybody.
You want to do it with a great guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Righties freak out over the Obama campaign`s Lenah Dunham
ad. Wait until you hear what Ronald Reagan has to say about it.

And Pearl Jam takes on preexisting conditions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a preexisting condition. I feel like I
have some hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Tonight, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready on why the
country needs to vote to keep Obamacare.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Thanks for watching tonight.
It`s been 72 hours and Mitt Romney remains silent on Indiana Senate
Candidate Richard Mourdock. Mourdock said at a debate earlier this week
that pregnancies that result from rape are a gift from God. And Mitt
Romney has publicly shown he has no intention of cutting ties with the
extremist candidate.

Romney has repeatedly ignored reporters questions on the matter on the
campaign trail. Instead, Romney`s campaign issued a weak statement of
support for Mourdock. Then there`s Mitt Romney`s TV ad endorsing Mourdock,
made just one day before Mourdock made this offending comment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: This fall I`m supporting Richard Mourdock for Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: That ad has not been taken down. In fact, today Romney`s
senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told the Associated Press Romney would not
interfere with Mourdock`s advertising. "That`s his decision," Fehrnstrom
said, when asked whether the campaign wants Mourdock to remove the ads. He
added that "Romney feels that he`s addressed the matter and doesn`t plan to
discuss it further."

This is an issue of leadership and of character, no question about it.
Vice President Biden spoke about that on the campaign trail earlier, tying
both Mourdock and Todd Akin to the Republican ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They have made it
very, very clear, made it very clear that they do not believe a woman has a
right to control her own body.

(BOOING)

BIDEN: They can`t even -- they can`t even get up the gumption to
condemn the statements made by two of their candidates for the United
States Senate. It`s not enough to tell me you don`t agree. It`s have the
moral courage to stand up and say what they said was wrong, simply wrong.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I`m joined by Terri O`Neill, president of the National
Organization For Women. Terri, great to have you with us. You know, the
ad has not been taken down. Governor Romney says that, you know, he`s
properly addressed all of this. Does it matter at this it point? Hasn`t
the damage been done that they are not going to be able to reverse any of
this within the next ten days?

TERRI O`NEILL, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN: I don`t think they
want to reverse it. I don`t think they are going to be able to reverse it,
even if they want to. I think Romney believes that abortion should be
criminal in all cases. He has a personal history of trying to stop a woman
from having an abortion when her very life was being threatened by the
pregnancy. Her father was so upset at Romney`s efforts to stop her from
exercising this choice, he threw Romney out of his home. And he was
recently interviewed and is still angry about it.

Mitt Romney I think can`t rinse off Richard Mourdock`s comments.
Mourdock and Romney and Paul Ryan and Todd Akin, these men are pursuing
policies that are extremely dangerous for women. I think that women are
going to know it. And I think that the tide is now going to turn very
sharply against Romney among women.

SCHULTZ: It`s not just Mourdock and Akin. There`s a collection of
these people. In fact, they are just one of 13 Republican Senate
candidates who do not support abortion in cases of rape. I mean this crowd
is growing. What`s it say for the future of women`s rights and health care
in America?

O`NEILL: Ed, you know, so many people are having a hard time, I
think, wrapping their minds around what`s going on in the Republican party.
And you`re absolutely right. This is not just those four men. What`s
happening is since Citizens United, which led then to the 2010 elections
with Tea Party extremists coming in, the control of the Republican party
has shifted to the most extreme elements in that party.

The Republican party is notorious for once you get the levers of
power, you hold total control. You know, it`s not just happening in Senate
races, although it`s there too. In the states -- Florida is a classic
example. Voters are being asked to approve a ballot amendment that would
selectively undo the right of privacy just for women, just for purposes of
abortion.

And another ballot amendment that would allow public funding for
religion. So defund and block women`s basic health at the same time that
you provide lots of public funding for religion. This is going on at both
the state and federal level.

And -- and my only concern is that people will not wake up to it soon
enough. But I think women are waking up to it soon enough. And I think
that this is why we`re going to win.

SCHULTZ: It`s been 72 hours since the Mourdock story has been
unearthed nationally. Do you see a change? Do you see this really
affecting the election? Do you really see that women are waking up to this
agenda?

O`NEILL: I can tell you that we have volunteers in swing states like
Virginia and Ohio and Wisconsin. And what I`m seeing is more energy, more
energy on our side, more people calling and saying, we want to get on the
phones with you, we want to go door to door with your NOW Chapter
activists. I am seeing that.

SCHULTZ: Yes. Terri O`Neill, great to have you with us tonight. I
appreciate your time.

Coming up, conservatives are clutching their pearls over an Obama
campaign ad that recycles a joke made by one of their idols over 30 years
ago. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Twenty six-year-old Lena Dunham, creator and star of the
boundary pushing HBO series "Girls," has become one of the most divisive
voices of Generation Y, but a powerful voice nonetheless. So when she
coordinated with the Obama campaign for an ad, it was bound to make some
waves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUNHAM: Your first time shouldn`t be with just anybody. You want to
do it with a great guy. It should be with a guy with beautiful -- someone
who really cares about and understands women. A guy who cares whether you
get health insurance, and specifically whether you get birth control.

The consequences are huge. My first time voting was amazing. It was
this line in the sand. Before I was a girl, now I was a woman. I went to
the polling station. I pulled back the curtain. I voted for Barack Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Conservatives are outraged. Think about this, the party
that cannot stop redefining rape is up in arms over a suggestive ad meant
to encourage young people to vote. Rush Limbaugh was certainly showing no
sense of irony here, called the ad insulting to women. Kelly Fenton, the
deputy chair of the Minnesota Republican party, has since deleted a Tweet
which said the ad shows President Obama is advised by Satan.

Eric Erickson called it "further proof we live in a fallen world
destined for hellfire." Now that`s just a sampling. Conservatives
focusing on the innuendo simply are missing the point. There is really
nothing explicit here. Humor is used to make serious points about policies
affecting the audience Dunham is speaking to and empowering them and
getting them to go out and vote.

Listen, if Republicans want to know who is responsible for the joke
comparing voting to sex, well they should take a look at their own party.
Let`s go back to 1980.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know what
it`s like the first time you pull that Republican lever, because I used to
be a Democrat myself. I can tell you, it only hurts for a minute. And
then you`ll feel just great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

SCHULTZ: Get a life, Republicans.

Tonight in our survey, I asked you, is lying the only way Mitt Romney
can win in Ohio? Ninety eight percent of you said yes; two percent of you
said no.

Coming up, Mitt Romney has promised if he`s elected, he will repeal
Obamacare on day one. If this happens, people with preexisting conditions,
well, they are going to go back to square one.

Up next, guitarist Pearl Jam Mike McCready on why the country needs to
vote to keep Obamacare. We`re right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I will repeal Obamacare on day one, with all the energy I can
muster.

Look, when we get elected, we`re going to repeal Obamacare.

Repeal and stall Obamacare.

We`ll repeal Obamacare.

We`re going to repeal Obamacare.

I will repeal Obamacare.

Well, we do provide care for people who don`t have insurance, people -
- if someone has a heart attack, they don`t sit in their apartment and die.
We pick them up in an ambulance and take them to the hospital and give them
care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: And in the Big Finish tonight, as you can see, the stakes
are so high in this election, people`s lives literally depend on the
outcome. Mitt Romney has said many times if she`s elected, he will repeal
Obamacare on day one. If Romney gets his way, it`s back to business as
usual for health insurance companies in this country.

They`ll be back to imposing lifetime limits on coverage. If you`re
under 26, you can say good-bye to your parent`s health care plan. You
can`t be on it. You can say good-bye to free checkups, which of course
will help all Americans. And most importantly, if you have a preexisting
condition, you can be denied health coverage in America under the old
system.

Now our guest tonight is the lead guitar player for the legendary
American rock band Pearl Jam. Mike McCready knows all about being denied
coverage for having a preexisting condition. He`s a big advocate of
Obamacare and put out this video supporting the Affordable Care Act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE MCCREADY, PEARL JAM: Life is a preexisting condition. Whether
it`s Crohn`s or diabetes, whether it`s asthma, arthritis or cancer, a
disease that keeps reoccurring. If you can just get the insurance or
whatever you need for that, your life will be better.

It`s very hard to do it, to have Crohn`s and go on the road. There`s
been times when I`d have to run off stage, you know, while we`re playing a
show or right before we`re playing a show. But it`s equally as hard to
have that and have to drive to a nine to five job.

Because of President Obama`s Affordable Care Act, we`re about to have
health care for everyone. I have a preexisting condition and I feel like I
have some hope. Anybody that doesn`t have the means that I have will have
it too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: We are joined tonight on THE ED SHOW, Mike McCready, lead
guitarist for the Grammy Award winning rock band Pearl Jam. Mike, great to
have you with us tonight. And thank you for speaking up. I had not seen
that little clip until right now. It`s very effective. Give us some
background on your situation and why you`re supporting the Affordable Care
Act.

MCCREADY: Well, thank you, Ed. Thank you for having me on. I`m
supporting the Affordable Care Act because I myself have a preexisting
condition called Crohn`s Disease. I have been denied twice by insurance
companies and felt the sting of that, and in a pretty successful rock band.
And it was -- it made me realize that I`m pretty fortunate and the people
that are less fortunate than me, teachers, kids in school, truck drivers,
anybody around America that maybe are not in a place that I`m at, if they
are having a preexisting condition or any kind of troubles with disease and
can`t get health care, they`re -- I don`t know what they go through other
than terrible suffering and terrible pain.

And that makes me crazy. I don`t believe that they should have to.

SCHULTZ: Mike, with what you`ve been through, do you feel like
America is not treating you fairly, and that there`s just a real sense of
unfairness throughout all this, that we`re just a better country than this?
What about that?

MCCREADY: I don`t necessarily feel that America is treating me
unfairly. I feel like America is a land of opportunity, the land of milk
and honey, all of the cliches that I grew up learning. But I really
believe it is a land of opportunity where anything possible can happen.
And it did for me because of where I live.

And I think that we`re better than not allowing our people to not have
insurance. I think we`re a better country than that. And I think we can
be a beacon of hope and light in terms of health care for around the world.

SCHULTZ: What do you make of Mitt Romney`s emergency room comment?
How does that strike you?

MCCREADY: You`ll have to restate it because I don`t recall what it
was.

SCHULTZ: He said in interview that if people get sick, they can just
go to the emergency room, that that would be a solution.

MCCREADY: Yeah. I know that it`s a lot more expensive than just
that. And in terms of -- in terms of thinking about the middle class or
the lower class -- the poorer people, not the lower class. I didn`t mean
to say that. But when you just go into an emergency room, you`re going to
end up spending a lot of money.

Just an example of a 10 dollar aspirin and multiply that times by
whatever else you have to take. There`s certain drugs that are out there
you have to take, 1,000 dollars a shot. And that just seems ridiculous to
me. So I don`t think it`s that easy, just about going into an emergency
room. You may have to mortgage your house. You may have to lose a lot of
things to actually take care of your sick child. That`s not --

SCHULTZ: Yes, well, I commend you for coming out and doing this
advocacy work. I think it`s very important to the young people that follow
your work.

I have to ask you, before you guy, your favorite song your group has
ever recorded? I would be remised if I didn`t ask you that.

MCCREADY: Wow, that`s a good question. There`s so many. I really
like -- there`s a song called "In Hiding" that Stone wrote. It was a demo
originally called "Morning Song." It just seemed like such a beautiful
thing when I heard it in the demo. I`d have to say that one is probably up
there.

SCHULTZ: Mike McCready, great to have you on THE ED SHOW. Thanks so
much for joining us tonight.

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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