to vote as soon as they become citizens. to give you a sense of the kind of politics we're talking about, this is an image around election time or just after election time. it shows a saloon and polling place. if you wanted to vote, you can see the doorway all the way in the back, you had you to go in there to vote. >> this weekend on leake tours in history, from muncie, indiana, james conley examines immigration, voting and the roots of pluralism in the united states. saturday night at 8:00 eastern. part of american history tv this weekend on c-span 3. >> now, radio and tv talk show host ed schultz talks about the 2012 campaign, gay marriage and the recent trading losses at jpmorgan, from washington journal this is 45 minutes. >> ed schultz' radio and tv talk show host, is joining us today.

>> good evening it's nice to be here by way of las lasz. >> through pen. we want to talk to you about campaign 2012, the progressive vote, and where things are headed. let's start off about this new york times poll done on president obama's stafrns on gay marriage. a majority of americans think he was politically motivated. >> i think the climate is so toxic, it's easy to say that, it's easy to think it. the big measurement is going to be election day. if president obama wins re-election, he's going to be viewed as someone who took an historic and brave stance on marriage equality. if president obama loses, then the critics will be out and about saying they should have never gone down that road. it's about the election, but i think personally for president obama he has evolved. and i take him at his word.

i think that obviously the gay community in america is very influential. they're getting politically stronger all the time. in business they're very strong, and they can raise money. and so i think that president obama made a personal and moral choice on this. he's proven in the past he can raise money, i don't think he did it for the money, i think it's a beneficiary of it, no question about it, but the final judgment politically is going to be election day. all of that will be weighed into it, i think that when you look at what president obama campaigned on, don't ask/don't tell. he delivered. he didn't do it right away, but he did what he said he was going to do. said he was going to get us out of iraq, he did that, and that was no easy lift. and he told the gay community officer the years that society is changing, views are changing,

and this is a pivotal move i think for america, and it was the correct move to make. >> there's a story in the washington times this week, that he's planning to stay mum on the doma acts and whether or not that should be repealed. another piece if the wall street journal looks at how this might affect some contentious senate races. john tester supports civil unions isn't going as far as calling for gay marriage. some democrats are keeping their distance as the party tries to hold on to the senate chamber, do you think this will cost the president votes in swing states? >> it may. it may cost him some votes, there may be a political upside as well. so this discussion is going to go on all the way until election day. it's a courageous stand. and it's a stand that is not an easy one to take. and that's why a lot of rural senators don't do it. rural america sometimes comes around a little bit slower than

more of the highly populated areas of the country. but that doesn't mean they're not going to eventually get there. marriage equality is a big issue. it's a little issue as well. inequality in our country is something that is not going to be tolerated. i think that generationally speaking, as we evolve, it was the right move. every senator is going to have to make their own determination, are they going to do what the people want or they want. >> you've been heavily involved in the recall election in wisconsin doing broadcasts from there, following that issue closely. do you think this think this is bellwether moment for unions? and if governor scott walker, the republican, is able to retain his seat, what does it say about the political climate in america? >> you know, libby, this is really a test case for citizens united. i think that the country is watching wisconsin. and it's hard to watch a story

unfold for 16 months, but this is a state that has been through protests, been through recalls, nine recall elections. the democrats have won five. they have met every benchmark to get to this point. and walker has done what he has had to do. and he has developed a war chest to defend his office. and he has dunn it under the guise of citizens united. he has outspent the democrats 20-1. so we're going to find out if it's corporate money or the people who are going to win out. this is now a battle to get out the vote. and i think the democrats are a little frustrated right now about some national help that they could use, and that will all work itself out. but i really believe that this is a test case for citizens united. can money win over the people's choice? i mean, can money influence people to the point where a guy who is involved in a john doe investigation, a guy who has the

worst job record in the country, a guy who has seen six of his associates be brought up on charges. he's got a legal defense fund. there are a lot of things swirling around this governor. if it were any governor, i mean just any governor, any state being involved in these circumstances, it would be politically an untenable situation to be in. but the fact is the money that is pouring into wisconsin is helping save this governor. he leads in the polls by five percentage points. i think it's going to be important for the democrats not to lose their faith and to do what they have to do, and just realize that sometimes when there is so much money floating around, anybody can buy a pole. the democrats are -- and the independents are going to have to belief that change is going to be good for them. look, i just think that this election in wisconsin, this recall, it's only the third time in american history. there was a governor in the 1920s that was recalled in north dakota.

and of course gray davis in california. this is only the third time in american history. i think it's one for the archives. it has all the ingredients of the political twists that i think people are interested in. >> a story relating to the financing. wisconsin democrats are furious with the dnc for refusing to invest big money in the walker recall. >> well, we reported this story. the plum line got it. greg sergeant got it a few weeks ago. we put it on tv for two nights in a row, and now it seems to be in the mainstream media all over. it's a big story. wisconsin is a big state for president obama. and the one thing about the republicans, they're in it to win it. they have the republican governor's association. they have the super pacs working. they have the koch brothers working, adelson, a lot of outside influence coming into wisconsin because they view this as a benchmark issue to attack collective bargaining, go after

labor, and of course go after the public sector. and to reduce expensives. because the resources aren't coming to the states from the federal government because we've spent all our money on two wars, big pharma, and tax cuts. it's a fact. so this is -- this is a very pivotal moment. i think the democrats nationally are making a serious political miscalculation if they don't resource the effort. and a lot of people talk, well, this is about unions. well, it's a component. but it's not the issue. because mr. barrett, the mayor of milwaukee, did not have union support. kathleen falk from madison had the union support. and as soon as the primary was held last week, they quickly turned and said okay, we're going to support mr. barrett. the unions didn't get what they wanted. they didn't get the candidate that they wanted. but obviously they don't want scott walker. so we'll see how it all plays out. >> if you would like to talk

with ed schultz here, call. independent callers 202-628-0205. let's get to the calls and hear from roger, the democrats' line in waterloo, iowa. hi, roger. >> caller: good morning. >> good morning. >> caller: thank you for c-span. >> thank you for calling in. >> caller: mr. schultz, i've watched your show quite a bit. i'm a big fan. i've always wondered, during the bush years when they were putting all these unfunded money against these wars, i don't believe they paid a dime on any of it yet. who do you suppose the interest alone on all that adds up to? >> well, we're going to be paying for iraq and afghanistan for generations to come. but i think that the country needs to realize right now

whether it's president obama or whether it's someone else in the white house, the fact is that spending is down. the deficit is down, and taxes are lower. i mean, that's a fact. it just so happens that president obama is in the office, and this is what is happening. maybe his policies are working. 26 months of private sector job growth. under the issue of dealing with spending and the deficit, to my recollection, president obama said let's go big. he was willing to take the big three -- medicare, medicaid and social security and say okay, we'll rearrange it, but let's go big. and the republicans said, well, no, we're not going to do that. you can say that the president was politically called on his bluff. this president has tried to do something about the spending. the spending is down, the deficit is down and taxes are lower. wall street in march of 2009 was in the 6,000s. look where it is today.

so there are some good things that have happened. but whether it's president obama mopping it up or anybody else, the next president is going to have to deal with the war costs too. if mitt romney wins election in this country, the iraq expenses aren't going to go away. the afghanistan expenses aren't going to go away. the sequence of protecting this country isn't going to go away. so it comes down to an ideological bent on how exactly you want to pay for all of this stuff. so the president has been obstructed to a record amount, over 190 filibusters. that's a fact. that's a number. whether it's president obama or anybody else, that's what is happening in congress. it's been total obstruction. so this is what your tax dollars are going to. two parties that somehow just can't come together, and one president who has thrown -- if you look at it, president obama has thrown just about everything on the table. >> our host is ed schultz.

also on radio, the ed schultz show which is on 12:00 to 3:00 eastern time. he is a veteran of 30 years in broadcasting. paul is up next, a republican in petros, tennessee. good morning. >> caller: good morning. mr. schultz, i feel like i'm talking to the mouthpiece of harry reid here. i hope your host will give me a minute. i want to tell you about me and my family. we are all disabled coal miners. my daddy was a coal miner all of his life and ended up working for nothing. what we got in this office right now is a man who said he can fix this thing in one year. he knew what he had. he knew he could fix it in one year, okay. he said if he couldn't fix it in three years, it would be a one-term proposition. this guy is sitting here telling the world that spending is down when his party passes budget. the senate hasn't passed a budget in three years, running everything through

appropriations, spending out the yazoo, more than all the other presidents combined. and this guy sitting here telling us this guy is going to win the election. probably enough stupid people to vote for him again. and if they do, i hope they get a belly full. >> all right. let's get a response from the guest. >> well, it really wasn't a question there, it was a statement. and i understand his frustration. there is a lot of people in the country that feel frustrated. but we are making progress. i think that we need to realize from a historical perspective just how close we were to losing our entire financial system. president obama was handed something. the country was handed something that was historic. you would have to go back to the great depression to compare it. so it's going to take time. along the lines of healing, there is going to be some frustration. it's going to take time to do it. i go back to what i just said a moment ago.

when president obama got in, the republicans made a concerted effort as a strategy that they were not going to allow anything to proceed. they went along with constant obstruction. and so they have played that strategy out, and i don't think it's helped the country at all. i think the gentleman from tennessee who is a coal miner, who is a laborer, i think that you will see that there is one party, the democrats, who are in favor of labor, who are in favor of collective bargaining and worker protections and education and safety and all those kinds of things. and there is one party that has been lax on that. and the record speaks for itself. >> how do democratic strategists, how do labor union activists go out and motive people like our caller and channel some of that anger and frustration that he feels into your cause, into the progressive cause? >> well, first of all, labor didn't get everything it wanted with president obama. president obama did not do the

employee free choice act, and that was the number one issue that the labor in this country wanted. the president decided to go health care. and health care and jobs, in that order. so the unions were told, you know, you need to chill. you need to step back a little bit. we're not going to do employee free choice act. they were told early on that they didn't have the votes. so there were some broken noses there for a while. there were some people who felt they had everything to do with getting president obama into office, and they felt a little bit adrift. but again, they also looked at what the situation of the country was. and to generationally move health care with 50 million people in the country without health care, and the price is going up, and it's getting worse, they had to come up with a plan that was going to do more for people and bring the cost down. so it's not everything that people wanted, but it was a step forward. and of course the republicans on 26 states, they challenged it, and now it's in front of the supreme court.

in answer to your question about organized labor and, you know, what role they play in getting people like this gentleman from tennessee to think their way, look, he has to render his own personal judgment as to what is best for him. does he believe in collective bargaining? does he believe in workers' rights? does he believe in fair wages and health care and pension? all of those things to be protected, or does he want to be thrown to the wolfs of the private sector and be moved around like furniture in his career and have no security whatsoever after 30 years of hard work. it's a choice people have to wake. >> boston, massachusetts. tim, independent line. >> caller: good morning, libby. >> bomb. >> caller: morning, ed. >> good morning. >> i'm your biggest fan. i'd trade for a fishing week in minnesota with you. >> i appreciate that. >> caller: i love the walleye. listen.

i'm a wealth creating union machinist. everybody that i have ever worked for, i guarantee you, while they paid me a living wage, they walked away with millions, and that's a fact. and, you know, the lexicon has been hijacked and mauled by the frank luntzs of the world. you know, it just slays me when anything that the government does to benefit the middle class, the poor, the elderly, the weak, that's a government handout. but yet these same republicans and democrats -- i'm a ralph nader supporter -- they both go around asking these same people that they accuse of taking handouts, asking them to write a check. now what kind of nonsense is this? oh, there was one other thing that i wanted to comment on. oh, yeah. you mark my words. this is a prediction. i don't know when exactly the peak year is going to be when all the baby boomers, when the

vast majority of them are going to retire. what we've been sold this con job of how great these 401(k)s are and how much better it is than social security. i guarantee you, ed, there is going to be another recession. there is going to be another crash. and all these people that thought the 401(k)s, all that is just another big con. it's going to be the working people that put into this, and the money is going to be walked away with by wall street. >> well, he hit a lot on there. you know, wall street pretty much runs the senate right now. the banks run the senate. they can hold all the hearings in the world on what happened to jpmorgan, but the fact is dodd/frank didn't go far enough. all the rules haven't been written. it's going to take a tremendous amount of political courage to step forward and say this is what we need to do. obviously wall street doesn't want to be regulated. but the fact is that this country has changed dramatically.

when the investment banks and the commercial banks can get together and pretty much do what they want to do. and i think the gentleman is right. there will be another hit to the economy. it may not be during president obama's term. it may be another president. but there are no safeguards put in place to deal with the kind of casino gambling that is going on on wall street, and what these financial institutions, these banks are doing with people's investments. this is a huge campaign issue. i think president obama has to be very, very clear on. this i think the democrats have to, you know, talk openly about and advocating for reinstating glass-steagall. i think there needs to be conversation about breaking up the banks if they don't break them up. but this is all very hard to do when you have the fox guarding the hen house. it may be -- it may have gone too far.

the political system in this country may not be able to reel in wall street. this may be the way it is. and with citizens united and with the unbelievable amount of cash that can be thrown around campaigns right now, and the way politicians can be propped up and cash-whipped and campaigning purchased, it's pretty dangerous stuff, in my opinion as a liberal. that's how i view it. >> anna joins us from las vegas, nevada. democrats line. good morning, anna. >> caller: good morning. >> go right ahead. you're on with ed schultz. >> caller: hi, ed. >> hi there. >> caller: i'm one of your biggest fans. i look at you every day. i just want to say thank you so much for what you're trying to give the people, especially the union members out to vote, and to see what is going on, and for all the people that are not union members and they're talking about -- if it had not been for the union, if it still is not for the union, their wages, their benefits and things would go to poot.

if the republicans get their way and then they can go back, especially in the south, they barely want to pay above minimum wage. and another thing right quick. also on the stimulus, when they talked about the stimulus didn't help, but when those people like in texas got the stimulus package, those governors took that and used it towards balancing their budgets and then tried to turn around and make the president look bad. and another thing, for some reason or another, especially republicans, and in congress and all, they do not want to give this president the due sal utetation he is due. there is no harm saying president obama. i didn't like president bush, but i called him that. you have bachmann and all of them, they haller obama, barack obama. i mean palin and all them, it is ridiculous how less respect they show. but you never hear them say elizabeth. you hear them say queen, or

queen elizabeth. but because, like i said, i come from the south, i know in so many ways that way back they were always taugt taught that you do not respect a black, especially a man. and if he has any type of power like this president, you try to demean him as much as possible. but like i said, all you people, get out and vote. because if you think things are bad now, if you put romney in there and he is already said what he is going to do towards medicare and all of those things, and you think that you're harming the poor and the middle class, you would definitely see everything go completely backwards from what he has brought forward. >> let's move on. let's wrap that up, anna, and get to the points she made. she brought up the issue of race and how that's going to play out in the campaign, the way people talk about the president. and also stimulus money.

>> well, race is always going to be an issue in america. it's a constant conversation that we have to keep having. the disrespect that she is talking about towards the president, look, there was disrespect towards president bush. but i think it has been notched up quite a bit with president obama. i think the tea party has had a lot to do with that. i think the 24-hour news cycle has inflamed it quite a bit, which of course i'm a part of. but the fact is we as parents in this country have to teach our kids respect. that's where it starts. it starts at the home. yes, sir, no, sir, yes, ma'am, no, ma'am. i mean those, that is a value that this country i think is quickly getting way from in our political system, that there has to be respect. and i think that the political climate of the country is so volatile right now that in many respects, respect has left the building. but we as leaders and we as

parents have got an obligation to teach the younger generation that disrespect for the president is healthy. it's not healthy for the country. disrespect for leaders is not. and you know what? we all make mistakes. we all say things that we wish we could have back. but in the overriding tone of our communication with one another has to be one of respect. and i think the country has in a sense gotten away from that. >> how do you deal with that as a talk show host? you mentioned in your words, the 24-hour news cycle has contributed to the tone in the country. do you blame fox for setting a different tone than what we see on msnbc? do you bring to bear yourself a certain tone or tenor as you engage in debate on your show? >> i think the country is registering right now that anger is not going to work. i think the country is ready to

drill down and address the issues and reset the priority list of where we're going to take the country. as a cable host and as a talk show host, it's easy to get wrapped up in the moment, easy to get wrapped up in the emotion, because we're constantly pointing out what is at stake. and there is a lot at stake. and people get emotional about it. i think that -- you can advocate and be positive. you can be fair and be positive. and you can be critical if you have the facts. now i've never worked at fox. i probably never will work at fox. i don't know, you know, what their -- what their mantra is or their word coming down from up top on how they have to operate. but i can tell you where i work. i can have my opinion. i can say what i want. i can't libel the company,

obviously. but i can't have my own set of facts. i can't make stuff up. udon't make stuff up. i give my opinion. but if the deficit is what it, if spending is what it is, if taxes is it what it is, we have to report the facts. but i have never, you know, been told that i can't give an opinion on a certain subject. actually, there is quite a bit of freedom in cable. and the consumer has to be smart enough to understand what is fact and what is opinion. >> as part of c-span's social media outreach, we've been uting touts. a couple viewers touted in a question or two for ed schultz. let's listen to one of them. >> ed, so of everything discussed on your show, what would you say is the most important issue? and how will its outcome impact middle class society directly and indirectly?

>> i think he asked me what the most topic is right now. >> and how is it going to affect the middle class. >> well, i think it's the economy right now. there is no question about it. there is going to be an election that is going to be designed the economic future that people have, and how they feel about the country right now. are we moving in the direction that suits them the best? do they understand what the economic goals of the country are right now? president obama versus the challenger, mitt romney. where the republicans want to go, what the democrats want to defend and fight for, and how they believe. so i think income and equality is a huge issue right now there is no question about it. fairness in the workplace is a big issue right now. we have too many people in this country who are going broke because of health care. now what are we going to do about it? are we going to go to the supreme court and decide we're going to do something about it? is that political or is that the right thing for people? what do the people want?

in the ryan plan, they want to go after the institutions. they want to attack the entitlements is what they call them -- social security, medicare, medicaid, make cuts to programs that have been successful for decades in this country. where is the march? i'm looking at the capitol right now. i don't see anybody outside. where is the march for change? have we seen an uprising of the people across america saying hey, let's get rid of social security? have we seen an uprising across america of hey, we're taking care of old people. we don't like that anymore. they've worked all their lives. they bought into medicare. why do we want to take things away from people that they have earned? the fact is had we not gone into two wars, had we not done tax cuts and reduced it from the 39% and the 36, we would have more money in the treasury right now. we'd be able to do these things. and in my opinion, this is my opinion now, i believe that the republican goal, they think in

terms of generation. where are we generationally going to take the country. they've wanted to blow up the federal budget deficit to the point where they can pare back government and programs where they want them. they want less obligation. and they have made labor the boogie man. they have made government the boogie man. yet the people out there are satisfied with social security. the people out there are satisfied with medicare. is there fraud? yes, there is. there is a lot of fraud and abuse in iraq too. you're not going to have a perfect world. but what do the people want? the people in this country right now want the wealthiest americans to pay more. to pay little bit more. and the democrats, they don't want to raise your taxes further than what it is right now. they want to go back to the old rates. but the democrats gave the republicans what they wanted in the lame duck session of the congress. they extended the bush tax cuts. and so this is a very interesting political time in america. a huge election. we always say this one is the