one true, one false, more debunks, i can tell in good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" tonight live from chicago. across the nation the 99% are organizing and protesting. republicans are bashing the protesters and complaining about the media coverage. i come to you from the windy city tonight with the truth. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> i'm here to protest corporate greed and have them do what's right for our country. >> the middle class movement is raging in chicago and all over america. and the republicans want it to end now. >> i for one am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs. >> they will come for you and drag you into the streets and kill you. >> it's really important for us not to be giving any legitimacy in the streets. >> you'll hear from them tonight. >> i don't believe racism in this country today holds anybody

back in a big way. >> michael eric dyson will address herman cain's allegation. >> it's a theological cult. >> rick perry backers are dropping the mormon bomb on mitt romney. james moore is here. and tonight, an "ed show" exclusive. news on the scott walker recall effort. great to have you with us tonight. i'm coming to you live from chicago this evening where many came for the 99% to date. 7500 protesters gathered at the art institute of chicago to push for issues like fully funding schools and of course jobs. the group calls itself stand up chicago and has been working for months on this protest. occupy chicago, an offshoot group of the occupy wall street,

was part of the movement. this is growing across america. the protests have captured the attention of the world. and republicans on capitol hill, what are they doing? they're vilifying the effort of the american people in the streets. here is house majority leader eric cantor at the value voters summit this weekend. >> i for one am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying wall street and the other cities across the country. and believe it or not, some in this town have actually condoned the pitting of americans against americans. >> eric cantor is and has been a mouthpiece for the tea party who doesn't have the guts to face the pain his policies have inflicted on the middle class in this country. cantor's words i think insulted the great americans that i met with today here in the windy city. >> we're not a mob. if you call us a mob, it's a mob

for something positive. not negative. >> i pay my taxes. i'd pay more if i had to. i'm more about people who are hurting. my folks are losing their house. they lost their jobs. they got disabled and after financial crisis hit, it wiped out all their savings. >> we need to change and get money out of the political system so that the people can actually have a voice back again. >> i believe they shouldn't get special privilege. the banks, wall street, that they deserve to get taxed. if democracy is supposed to be by the people and for the people, why do they get these loopholes? and why do you have to be a millionaire to be a senator. >> so you would be out here today if there was an occupy wall street or not. >> yes. i think people are finally waking up and realizing if they don't do something, the corporations will take over. >> what are your expectations of all of this? >> well, i hope people wake up. vote. that's the important thing.

everybody gets out there and vote. democracy works. >> what i believe is that everyone that got bailed out in their time of need, they need to give back. they need to bail us out on the grass roots effort. it's a shame that million, billion dollar industries got bailed out. and people trying to decide if they going to eat or pay they rent, we're struggling. >> you described it the best when you said the postal service was a government agency that worked incredibly well with so many employees and managed to make payroll. and if we didn't have to prefund our retirement, we would be making a profit. >> i'm a librarian and school teacher proud to be one. they're cutting libraries all across the country. especially here in illinois. >> we need to put america back to work and get our country back up and going so everyone in this country can have a job and live the american dream. >> if this a mob, if you want to call it that, of concerned middle class people who are concerned about the way this

country is going. young people, old people, middle aged people like me. if we're a mob, i'm glad to be part of it. it's fantastic. >> the middle class mob i saw was filled with hard working americans who just want a level playing field with the top 1%. nancy pelosi hammered cantor for his stupid remark. >> i didn't hear him say anything when the tea party was out demonstrating actually spitting on members of congress right here in the capitol and he and his colleagues were putting signs in the windows encouraging them. but let's not get to that. >> pelosi is spot on. she is the first democrat to call out the republicans for smearing and mischaracterizing this movement, these protests. but hold it there, folks. it gets worse. congressman peter king of new york made this outrageous comment about demanding how the media quit covering the 99% movement. not to be giving any legitimacy to these people in the streets.

i'm old enough to remember what happened in the 1960s when he left wing takes to the street and somehow the media glorified them and it ends up shaping policy. we can't allow that to happen. >> can't allow that to happen. isn't it amazing how all of the right wingers are against freedom of speech all of a sudden. they were for it when the tea partiers were out there. now they can't let them go out there and give them legitimacy or coverage for that matter because they might end up shaping policy. i am absolutely amazed that peter king is getting a pass by the media for saying what he said on friday on laura ingram's radio show. let's just get into this a bit more. he says, i remember what happened in the 60s when the left wing took to the streets and somehow the media glorified them and end up shaping policy. we can't allow that to happen. well, i'm old enough to remember the '60s as well, congressman.

and those protests were about stopping a war in vietnam that eventually took 56,000 american lives. that was a period in this country when we were fighting for civil rights. so black folks could go fight. to go vote. i mean, is that what you're for? so i ask mr. king tonight, do you agree with trent lott in 2002 if we voted for strom thurman we wouldn't have these other problems. those two comments what peter king said on ingram's radio show and what lott said in december of 2002, there's no difference. it's a mind-set of the republican party. if they don't hear what they want to hear, they want everyone else to shut up. but it's also that dirty little secret of the republican party, they got a real issue with race. and they just don't want folks out there in the street telling it like it is, what they want. the 99%. they're being vilified and portrayed by republicans as some

fringe outrageous group that doesn't represent the masses in america. that simply is not the case. peter king, that's about the lowest thing you have ever said. you want to control the coverage? you don't have a line to this reporter. you don't have a line to this anchor. i will continue to cover this. i am in the middle of the country tonight. i am here in chicago because i wanted to see if the people in chicago were going to be saying the same things that i heard down at wall street in new york just a few days ago. you ought to take that road trip, mr. king. it's remarkable what the american people are saying about how screwed up our government is and how it all goes to the top 1%. what they're saying in chicago is exactly what they're saying in new york. and i'd venture to say it's the same thing all over the country. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. are republicans afraid of the 99% movement? text a for yes, b for no to 622639.

you can always go to our blog on msnbc.com. we'll bring you results later on in the show. joining me now a robert greenwald. he's the producer of the documentary "rethink afghanistan." i appreciate your time. >> sure. >> why do you think republicans want the media to quit covering this movement? >> well, i think that they're terrified, ed. because what we're seeing is a real social movement. and social movements sweep politicians out of their way. the civil rights movement, the women's movement, the labor movement. none stood still for hack politicians. they talked about what they needed to talk about. they talked about moral issues and went after it strongly and firmly. and politicians damn well better run. because when the people's anger is unleashed on the right targets which is the 1%, then we see social change.

>> are you thinking the republicans are more concerned about the protesters or the message that continually is getting the coverage? >> well, i think it's the message. because it's brilliant messaging, right? 99%. what are these politicians going to do? they say we want 1% to elect us? that's our constituency? in fact tomorrow in new york there's going to be a march on murdoch's home and the cope brothers' home and others' homes. to identify who are these 1%, who are the people the millionaires and billionaires who are trying to control the rest of our country. and what we're seeing, ed, really is pure, beautiful democracy at work. >> herman cain slammed the protesters on sunday. here's what he had to say. let's watch it. >> it's not american because to protest wall street and the bankers is basically saying that

you're anti-capitalism. the free market system and capitalism are two things that have allowed this nation and this economy to become the biggest in the world. even though we have our challenges, i believe the protests are more anti-capitalism and anti-free market than anything else. >> what's your response to that sound bite? >> well, i think the more slams there are the better there is. the more the social movement grows. sticks and stones can break my bones, you know? all those childish slanderings are an indication that this is really catching on. it's really getting people's attention. there's real concern. and there's real fear which means that the 99 percenters are going the right thing and doing it in the right way. >> do you think the 99% could be more of a political force than what we saw the tea party -- i mean, the tea party obviously had an influence on the midterms

last november 2010. and we're a year away. are these voters, the people that are going to engage in the process, and do you think that this could be a greater political force than the tea party? >> well, i think what's important again is remember this is a social movement. it's not about narrow partisan divisions. it's really about changing the way people of all political persuasions think about issues, work on issues, and talk about issues. from that point of view they hit the sweet spot of our country talking about the fact why so many people lost their homes, have no jobs, are spending trillion dollars on a war when 1% of this country has billions and millions of dollars and their greed will never stop. the bankers' greed doesn't stop. wall street greed doesn't stop. today wall street is expecting bigger bonuses than ever this year while tens of thousands of

people are losing their homes. that's a profound issue and that's a social movement which exceeds, if you will, any kind of narrow political way of looking at it. and that's why some of these politicians are absolutely terrified. and they should be. >> robert greenwald, always a pleasure. good to have you with us. thanks for your views. let's go to karen lewis now. part of one of the groups that participated in the rally today. why did you take part in the rally? >> we've been vigorously attacked. we don't have superintendents in our school system. we have ceos which ought to tell you what they're thinking about. and they came to us by saying we're not going to fund your raise. we had a contractual raise for 4%. that was snatched. then they said by the way, we want to lengthen your school day

90 minutes and two weeks. so we want you to work 30% more but we don't want to pay you for it. and when the union said no, the leadership said no because that's what our members told us, then they started a direct deal program and going to our members and saying why don't you take this deal? so we filed an unfair labor practice. we did a bunch of things. but our members are irate about what's been going on lately. >> and do you think what is happening here in chicago is just a microcosm of what's going on around the country with public education? >> oh, absolutely. i mean, we're the home of artie duncan and mayoral control. study just came out on school research. one of the things they came out with is we've had 20 years of school reform that has been a dismal failure and more p.r. spend than anything else. and along the way, teachers have been vilified.

but it's not just in chicago. it's a nationwide attack. >> where is your mayor rahm emanuel? where is the former chief of staff of the obama administration? where is rahm emanuel on this? is he anti-teacher? >> absolutely. he's been clearly anti-teacher from the beginning. he came in, he went to springfield to try to take our collective bargaining rights away. he made it so that it would be 75%. it would take our union to strike. he was adamant about us not being able to strike. yesterday he goes on "meet the press" and says we're going to have performance pay. it's hard to have performance pay when you haven't bothered to negotiate with the people doing the work. so, i mean, this mayor -- >> how can you -- i'm curious. how can you have performance pay in low income neighborhoods that don't get the resources that other school districts get? i mean, i'm just amazed at that one. i've got to ask you, finally do you have the public on your

side? i guess we lost that live shot. but i want to thank karen lewis for joining us tonight. thanks so much. as you can see, this just isn't about a certain group of people. and these teachers here in chicago have been fighting with rahm emanuel and trying to keep what they've got for a long time. this protest has been in the works for some time. it just coincides with the occupy wall street group. remember to answer the question on the screen and share your thoughts on twitter @edshow. breaking news out of the state of wisconsin tonight. we'll have it exclusively. rick perry is using "the ed show" to attack mitt romney and herman cain thinks racism in america is over? this is "the ed show." stay with us. even ragu users chose prego. prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made?

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welcome back to "the ed show." since the occupy wall street process began 24 days ago, similar demonstrations have

broken out around the united states. this map shows 140 different locations with protests ongoing or planned in the coming week. there have been protests in boston, atlanta, portland, oregon where i loved it because the cops were protesting with the protesters. then right here in chicago, of course, there's going to be a series of protests. in the coming days there are protests planned in austin, texas, nashville, tennessee, and richmond, virginia to name a few. the occupy ohio began saturday. in des moines iowa, more than 30 protesters were arrested in the occupy iowa movement. most of them for trespassing. in washington, d.c., protesters marched over the weekend but the space and air museum was closed when close the machine wanted to protest. the protest movement has drawn a wide array of groups, but the

central message is still coing to together. fox and friends makes a return trip to psycho talk tonight. when we come back, an "ed show" exclusive on the effort to recall walker.

welcome back to "the ed show." we have breaking news in the effort to recall governor scott walker of wisconsin. organizers are now prepared to take the next crucial step. and it's fitting this is

happening at a time when the country is watching the evolution of a nationwide protest movement. it was just eight months ago when 100,000 people protested the anti-union budget of governor scott walker in wisconsin. those protests led to the recall of state senators. now the move to recall the governor of wisconsin is official. let's bring in the chairman of the democratic party of wisconsin mike tate. mike, good to have you with us tonight. what can you tell us? what is the next critical step? and where are we tonight? what is the breaking news? what are you doing? >> well, thanks for having me on and for everything you've done to keep wisconsin at the forefront of everything that's happened in this country. the democratic party has been working with grass roots activists from around the state. groups like united wisconsin and the many other groups that have sprung up to figure out what is the next step we can take to stop scott walker's radical agenda. we have come through several meetings to the conclusion we

need to recall him from office. and we are going to officially recall to file him from office on november 15th. that'll begin the process to collect the signatures we need to recall him from office and people can go to the recallwalkerhg.com to learn more about it. it's a very serious thing to take on. we think it's important for the state of wisconsin. >> so november 15th is the big day. and then you've got 60 days to get over a half a million signatures, is that correct? >> that is correct. we need 540,206 valid signatures. obviously we're going to shoot to collect over 600,000 signatures. but we are putting together the resources, the team, the staff, the volunteers that we need to collect signatures from every single corner of wisconsin. and this is going to be a grass roots effort. and we are prepared and ready to take this effort on. >> can you get the -- can you get half a million signatures?

>> i think we can. we saw people of ohio get about a million signatures for a initiative there last month. we've done the math. we've done the numbers. we're well prepared. we're asking people if they're in wisconsin they help us out with signatures. if not they contribute $5 to our effort. we believe we can do this. we believe it's too important to wait. wisconsin can't wait. we cannot afford any more days of scott walker as our governor. >> so mike tate, tell us. when will the recall election take place if you get the 540,206 signatures within the 60 day window, you submit them, they're legitimate. i would imagine the secretary of state would play a role in making sure they're legitimate. when would the re-election likely be held? >> it's actually not the secretary of state. we have a supposedly non-partisan board that will

review the signatures. we're thinking -- no one can predict with certainty. but we're thinking likely around in may or sometime in the early spring there will be an effort. it likely won't be on the state's republican primary which is april 3rd. sometime likely after that. we are in uncharted territory. this has never happened in wisconsin. it's only happened successfully once in american history. so we are going to make history here in wisconsin. we will take it as it comes and get the signatures and recall our governor. >> do you think he'll be recalled? i mean, where is walker with the people of wisconsin this night? >> we released a polling number today of research we did in the last month that shows that scott walker is universally unpopular. if voters had an operation to recall him from office today they would recall him. well over 50% of the voters said so. scott walker lied to the people of wisconsin during this campaign for governor. he never talked about the divisive things he has pushed through. he never talked about how to

govern for the few. he never talked about removing collective bargaining rights for our state's workers. the people of wisconsin feel duped by scott walker who has governed this runaway freight train and we need to stop him. the best way is gather signatures november 15th. >> it's going to take thousands signatures per day. do you have enough boots on the ground to get this done? >> i can tell you there are people in every corner of this state that are excited and ready and mobilized. groups like united wisconsin and others have been working these grass roots. we've had over 200,000 people sign up on the website alone to say they will sign on and recall the governor walker. if you go to recallwalkerhq.com you can find out more about that. i am confident we can get these signatures. waging this campaign, we think walker can put together $70 million in corporate fueled

money. this is going to be tough. this is not a cake walk. as universally unpopular as he is, we need to be ready for a big fight. it's too important to wait. i think we will prevail at the end of the day. >> so the recall effort on governor scott walker in wisconsin is officially underway. that is our news tonight. thanks, mike. appreciate your time. mike tate, the chairman of the democratic party in wisconsin. the kids on fox and friends are trying to smear the middle class movement that is sweeping across the country by letting a few select examples speak for the entire movement. their attacks are sending them in the zone. the unemployment rate for the african-american community is at 16% across america. yet herman cain says there is a level playing field in this country? michael eric dyson will join me on that one. stay with us. tle emotional hetlretl?tl

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and in psycho talk tonight, well the kids on fox and friends are doing everything they can to undermine the occupy wall street movement. today they used an article from rupert murdoch's new york post to smear the protesters. >> we wanted to give you a flavor of some of the people down at this particular location here on wall street. this guy here is apparently a fugitive. he's wanted for burglary. warrants are out for his arrest but he says that he found out that hiding out at this protest would be a great place to not be found.

so this is kind of the life for people who are wanted on burglary charges. just hide out at occupy wall street. >> apparently there's plenty of drugs down there. a reporter was offered heroin for ten bucks. >> fox and friends, no doubt using a couple of examples to intentionally broad brush the entire movement across the country. i went down to wall street last week and spent several hours talking to the protesters. they want the government to work for everyone in america, not just the top 1%. they want jobs for the middle class and a better future for their kids. but the folks on fox are doing everything they can to portray them in the worst possible light. of course, a year ago when the tea party was getting criticized for holding up racist signs, fox and friends went out of their way to defend the movement. >> speaking of the tea party, the movement has been under attack since it started. liberal members of the media and politicians have come out calling it racist. a grad student at ucla just completed a study on the tea

party and the signs that are carried at the rallies and she came up with a much different conclusion. >> only about 6% of the signs were controversial in nature. you can't generalize everybody that's there by a couple signs. >> i find it actually amazing that nobody else has done what you chose to do. so hat's off to you. >> so you can't generalize the fox-approved tea party with just a few examples? but gretchen carlson has no problem doing that with the 99 percenters. using a couple of murdoch approved examples to broaden it is slimy psycho talk. a radical pastor says he's not rick perry's reverend. more on cult gate next. the president's jobs bill faces face s a face key vote tomorrow. you're watching "the ed show." stay with us. i come in peace.

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do we prefer somebody who is truly a believer in jesus christ? or somebody who is a good moral person but is part of a cult? it's not politically correct to say but it's true. mormonism is a cult. >> that was pastor robert jeffress after endorsing rick perry at the value voters summit over the weekend. the perry come pain responded with a statement saying the governor does not believe mormonism is a cult. but the statement certainly didn't stop jeffress from a whirlwind media tour. appearing with john king on friday. then later that night with anderson cooper. then here on msnbc saturday afternoon. then it was back to cnn. then over to fox and friends on sunday. and back on fox news this morning. the talking points were the same ones he shared.

>> i was not talking about a cult like jim jones. i'm talking about a theological cult. by that definition, it is a theological cult. i was talking about a theological cult. >> something tells me the conservative voters in the south aren't going to care about the differences between cults. they care about a pastor endorsing rick perry who tells them mitt romney is a cult member. i think that's the message they want out there. joining me tonight is huffington post contributor jim moore. also author of "adios mofo." good to have you with us tonight. if the perry campaign is out there rejecting to jeffress saying mormonism is a cult, why didn't they discourage the media appearances where he made that claim time and time again. >> here's the important thing to note about that, ed.

simply what he isn't saying is more critical than what he is saying. he has not said he believes mormonism is a part of christiandom. he did defend mitt romney and say it's not a cult. but he has not embraced it as part of christian theology. frankly i think it's clearly obvious to me and a number of other observers that reverent jeffress is acting as a surrogate on perry's behalf. he's raising a discussion they want to make sure every evangelical in the south will hear. that he's a mormon. this isn't happening by accident. nothing happens by accident at this point in a campaign. >> if mitt romney does get the nomination, do guys like jeffress hold their nose and vote for him or do they stay home? and how will the christian conservatives respond if it is mitt romney getting the

nomination? >> i don't think they vote for him. i think they stay home. they stay away in droves. you know, it's the whole sten gel of people don't want to come to the ballpark, they will not come out. and for a republican to win the white house, they have to have a strong southern turnout all across dixie. and they have to do very well in that part of the united states. this is going to have an effect. i think there was a poll in 2007 that said mormonism is not part of christianism. they will have a difficult time voting for are romney. >> here's jeffress on fox news today. check it out. >> you know, there are people who would like to try to make me the jeremiah wright of the right or rick perry's jeremiah wright. perry has never been a member of my church.

we are just acquaintances. >> so will jeffress be a liability for perry? or is he actually an asset? >> i think he's acting as a political asset. when he did that introduction for him at that event with the value voters, perry knew what he was going to say. and perry knows how reverend jeffress feels about these things. the pastor wasn't speaking extemporaneously. they knew he was going to be approached by reporters and going to be asked these questions. this isn't an accident. rick perry doesn't have to distance himself. perry doesn't have to say anything. he just lets pastor jeffress keep saying the same thing over and over again and it helps rick perry. >> candidate jon huntsman who's not doing well, he is also a mormon. he called jeffress a moron today. but other candidates like michele bachmann and herman cain, they pretty much are dodging the question. what do you make of that? >> i think that the problem is

if michele bachmann or herman cain or rick perry or any one of those came out and said mitt romney's religion is not a cult. mitt romney is part of christiandom, then they would lose votes in the south and the tea party voters. and it would hurt them. they're parsing their language very carefully. they're being careful to defend him and say it's not a cult. that's the careful step they're taking. >> perry released this campaign ad today. let's look at it. >> if it's good for massachusetts and working in massachusetts why wouldn't you apply it to the rest of the country? >> i would. >> romney has flip-flopped on so many issues. >> i didn't change my mind. >> we'll end up with a nation that's taking a mandate approach. >> there's a lot of reasons not to elect me. >> he's right. >> well, yes, that is my voice that they used in there.

i don't think i get any rights fee for it though. how effective is the strategy to label mitt romney as not a true conservative? i mean, is he -- it seems like he's doing the marathon. he's not doing the sprint and he is ahead in new hampshire. he's going to get an early primary victory. is that strategy by the perry camp going to work? >> it's an essential strategy for them. they have to go after him on things like gay marriage, abortion, global warming and things in his home state. rick perry has lost voters and support, he's got to go back to those issues so he can beat them up on those. and the immigration thing becomes less relevant. >> you're coming to us tonight from new hampshire where there is going to be a big debate tomorrow night. quickly, do you think this is a crucial time for rick perry? does he have to show well tomorrow night? >> absolutely. he's got to do were vel. he's got to be poised.

he's got to talk about how well he's protected the border. and he's going to talk a lot about jobs. those are the only answers he's going to give all night regardless of the question. and if he doesn't do well tomorrow night, he comes out of here very wounded for the future. >> all right. jim moore, great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. coming up, herman cain doesn't believe that racism holds anybody back. michael eric dyson is going to be weighing in on that. you're watching the dz "ed show" on msnbc. natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us.

well, the folks in ohio, they got a lot of deal with. crumbling infrastructure, a union busting governor, and a tanned and teary eyed speaker of the house. and now to top it all off, the state could end up with joe the plumber in congress. that's right. of course you know joe. he rocketed to fame when he asked candidate obama a question about taxes in john mccain's

example of a real american. even though his name's not joe and is not a plumber. now he has filed to run in one of ohio's newly drawn districts. get ready to hear more of great lines like these. >> i don't think journalists should be allowed in war. i think media should be abolished from reporting. >> i obviously don't want my son seeing men kissing each other. it throws me off. so it's just not a big deal. let me rephrase that. it's just not something i want around my family. >> social security, i've never believed in. don't like it. hate that it's forced on me. >> joe says his pick for president in 2012 in herman cain because the pizza man doesn't want muslims in his cabinet. we'll have more on herman cain coming up. he's saying racism doesn't really exist anymore. michael eric dyson will weigh in next. you won't want to miss it. stay with us. [ snoring ]

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welcome back to "the ed show." in my playbook tonight after claiming african-american voters have been brainwashed by democrats, hopeful herman cain is now making another big new assertion on race. >> i don't believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way. >> well, pretty bold statement considering the unemployment rate in the african-american community in this country is at 16%, almost twice the national average. cain blames a gap in education and geographic conditions for the discrepancy and says those less fortunate are still entitled to an opportunity to achieve the american dream. >> everybody's definition of the american dream is different. you owe the opportunity for a level playing field. >> and do blacks have a level playing field right now with whites? >> many of them do.

many of them do have a level playing field. i absolutely believe that. >> cain cited his own experiences in corporate america to back up his claims. as for those who find themselves as an economic disadvantage, well, herman cain believes they only have themselves to blame. >> people sometimes hold themselves back because they want to use racism as an excuse for them not being able to achieve what they want to achieve. >> joining me now is msnbc political analyst professor at georgetown university and author of the book "can you hear me now?" michael eric dyson. great to have you with us tonight. i appreciate your time. >> great to be here. >> i have never heard a candidate talk about race like this. what do you make of these comments? >> well, he's clearly pandering to his base. he doesn't want to offend republicans. i'd rather have a republican like colin powell who took his fellow white republicans to task in a bold and strategic way.

i'd rather republicans acknowledge that there are structural impediments and inequalities that persist. we talk about health care despairty, economic inequality, the fact that the wages of black people fell post-recession and the median income by 9.2%. the unemployment is 16.7%. one out of two black men in new york cannot get a job right now. and the disproportionate concentration of african-americans in the prison system. we can talk about the persistence of structural inequiies as well as cultural bigotry that -- and that keep them down. there's no question that he's a loosery. he's in delusion. >> professor, is herman cain doing his race is disservice by saying there's a level played field after what you just pointed out how many inequities

and problems there are in america right now for minorities? >> well, not only is he doing his race a disservice and the truth a disservice. the tragedy is herman cain is using the truth as a piece of fodder for the great machinery of self-promotion. i think that's tragic. look, i have no gripe with him trying to make an argument for his place within the republican fold. but to argue that there's a playing field that's level for african-american people when it's so manifestly clear that there is inequity, inequality, social injustice, the persistence of obstacles and barriers that prevent people from even getting skills to allow them to compete in this economy. when you put that stuff on the table, it's really tremendously difficult to acknowledge he's telling the truth. on the other hand he'd do well to read perry's book. "more terrible and more beautiful" where she talks about unintentional racism.

nonetheless there are severe consequences to how we organize society. so whether it's intentional or not, the persistence of inequity certainly has a negative effect on african-american people. how can cain look at any of the african-american life and deny that is beyond me? >> is he missing an opportunity to address race in a meaningful way? >> absolutely. >> you think about white republicans out there who don't like black folks. it's almost as if this guy is trying to warm up to them. >> if the price of admission is the denial of your body or your brain or your blood, then what you're doing is sacrificing the history and tradition of who you are for the sake of getting into a field that really doesn't take you seriously. yes, he's missing a great opportunity to inform his fellow republicans about some of these inequities and to challenge them, to address them, and

therefore pull more african-american and latino and other poor and working class people into the fold. if it looked like the republicans were willing to acknowledge some of the persistent obstacles that prevail, it seems to me more people of color will give them a look. short of that is reinforce stereotypes. >> political analyst, professor michael eric dyson. always a pleasure. great to have you on the program. coming up, some democrats are turning their backs on job creation in this country. i'll try to talk them off the cliff here and make sense out of it. next. is team of guinea pigs to row this tiny boat. guinea pig: row...row. they generate electricity, which lets me surf the web all day. guinea pig: row...row. took me 6 months to train each one, 8 months to get the guinea pig: row...row. little chubby one to yell row! guinea pig: row...row. that's kind of strange. guinea pig: row...row. such a simple word... row. anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online.

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why wait? ask your doctor about latisse® from allergan, a company with 60 years of eye care expertise. welcome back to "the ed show." tonight in our survey i asked you are republicans afraid of the 99% movement? 97% of you said yes. 3% of you said no. coming up, the senate is preparing to vote on the american jobs act. why the democrats need to come together and stand up for the middle class and stand with the president. that's next. . see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups.

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finally tonight, it's put up or shut up time for senators who care about jobs in this country. for weeks president obama has been trying to drum up support for the american jobs act. it's a plan that includes spending on education, transportation, infrastructure and of course veterans. we support the veterans, don't we? a payroll tax cut for workers and small businesses. republicans supported that in the past. a tax increase on the wealth nest americans. isn't it about time? tomorrow it is scheduled for a vote in the senate and it may very well fail. we all know the republicans don't want the economy to get any better under this president. they want him out. that's their stated goal. they don't care about the middle classers are. they don't care about the unemployed. the republicans are unified in their opposition to this plan. that leaves us with the democrats.

and as always, there are a few democrats who are more concerned about keeping their own job rather than creating new jobs for the american people. like senator ben nelson of nebraska. it's always been a pretty good turncoat to the democrats. he says he'll vote against efforts to move the vote forward. jon tester of montana really strikes me. he told his local newspaper, quote, there are things i like in this proposal but they are outweighed by the things i just can't accept right now. senator, it's not about you. it's about folks in your state. and i find it hard to believe that the people of montana don't want a job. you know that -- i just can't accept that. i just -- you know what, i just can't accept right now is guys like jon tester and ben nelson and joe manchin and all the other democrats calculating what is best for them instead of standing up for what is right.