they yearn for in their sleep. the destruction of a positive, hopeful progressive presidency that proves every day that the american dream is for everyone. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show." i'm michael eric dyson in for ed schultz. donald trump continues to attack anyone and everyone who disagrees with him. today's target, mitt romney who snubbed trump's debate. this is "the ed show." and as ed would say, let's get to work. >> i'm surprised that mitt romney said no. frankly, i surprised because he really wants my endorsement. i mean, he wants it very badly. >> donald trump is piling on mitt romney. the republican field is piling on mitt romney. >> you're afraid to show up with donald trump, and i think it strikes me as kind of a very weak position. >> and now mitt romney is shooting himself in the foot. >> i don't think i said "most."

oh, did i? did i make that? >> eugene robinson of "washington post" and democratic strategist krystal ball are here. yesterday was pearl harbor day number two. >> the deranged assessment continues. >> this is a smooth jazz liberation speech. >> odri hendricks of columbia university is here with reaction. rick perry's campaign is on life support. he's trying to revive it with bigotry against gays. >> today has been awesome, girl. bill o'reilly is cracking jokes about the obama administration's african-american outreach program. >> what does that entail? are they going to be on soul train? >> james peterson is here to let us know what bill o. was thinking. >> you know you're going to be on media matters for that one. there can be no more doubt. donald trump is intent on influencing the republican presidential race and some candidates are running scared.

so far, only two candidates have accepted an invitation to the controversial trump moderated debate at the end of the month. the candidates who rejected the debate felt trump's rath. today it was mitt romney's turn. >> frankly, i was surprised, because he really wants my endorsement. he wants it very badly. that doesn't affect it one way or another. he wants my announcement. he came up to trump towers. you covered it very well. i'm surprised he turned down that event. i'd say if you're down in the polls, which respectfully he's down in the polls substantially in a lot of ways, you'd want to be on a debate like this because it would be well covered. >> donald trump is implying those who attend his debate have a better shot at getting his endorsement? is that extortion? it's an endorsement republican front-runner newt gingrich says he covers. gingrich will be at the debate and mocked anyone who wouldn't. >> i think if you're afraid to

debate the donald trump, people are going to say, so you want me to believe you can debate barack obama, but you're afraid to show up with donald trump? and i think it strikes me as kind of a very weak position. i don't know why people would do that. >> yeah, gingrich has a reason to believe the trump debate will do him no warm. today's gallup poll gives gingrich a lead of 13 points over mitt romney. it's news that caps a very bad day for the former massachusetts governor. while romney spoke at the republican jewish coalition today, american bridge, released a web ad highlighting romney's flip-flops on the health care mandate including romney's own words from the last time he spoke to the republican jewish coalition. >> at times you thought it would be the model for the nation. >> you're wrong, bret. >> is that a good model for the nation in. >> i think so. that's how we're going to be successful nationwide. it's the best path. we'll end up with a nation that takes a mandate approach. my plan allows every citizen in

america to get health insurance. >> you know, romney ain't doing himself any favors. he continues to get flumaxed by interviews with conservative leaning news outlets. fresh off his disastrous fox news interview last week, romney couldn't avoid his own flip-flops with the "washington examiner." >> governor, on health care, you've often said the health care plan you created in massachusetts would be a good model for some other states. you said maybe not every state, but most. >> i don't think i said "most." >> on "meet the press." >> we know romney ran the olympics. who knew he was a verbal gymnast as well? with all of mitt romney's stumbles, it's no wonder donald trump is threatening to get into the presidential race. trump is once again taking shots at president obama. not about policy but about personal character. >> there is a certain arrogance that obama has that he shouldn't

have. that he shouldn't have. he really is not a person that seems to like people. >> isn't he the picture of humility? only a humble individual like donald trump can be so free of ego as to understand the true arrogance of president obama. >> but he's arrogant, and he's got no reason to be arrogant. >> i noticed when we were sitting here all the magazine covers. we know so much about your ideas and thoughts. i forgot all these magazine covers. >> lots of covers. >> lots of magazine covers. lots of trophies. >> lots of trophies. >> lots of big trophies. >> arrogant? pomposity without predication seems to donald's trump card. if the lavish backdrop wasn't enough, irony for donald trump is amazing. he climbed to the height of arrogance when he was asked if he ever met president obama. >> i've never met him. >> really?

>> i've never met him. i mean, here's the thing, me or others, you'd almost think, hey, call up the guy, you can see he's getting angry with the way he's running the country. call up trump. >> hold your breath and wait on that call. somehow i doubt president obama's advisers have spent a lot of time thinking about putting the leader of free world on the phone with donald trump to chitchat about the day's issues and about being an apprentice. i'm pretty sure we all know what president obama thinks about donald trump, that is to say, not much. it wasn't too long at the white house correspondents dinner that president obama made clear his opinion of donald trump. >> you, mr. trump, recognize that the real problem was a lack of leadership, and so ultimately you didn't blame little john or meatloaf. you fired gary busey. and these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. >> donald, you're fired. to people seriously interested in running the country, donald

trump is a joke. as that includes someone like mitt romney why he's not showing up at the debate. with the republican party unable to control a loose cannon like the donald, all the candidates will suffer under the crushing weight of his massive, bloated ego. get your cell phones out. we want to know what you think. tonight's question. will donald trump cost mitt romney the republican nomination? text "a" for yes, text "b" for no to 622639. or go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. i'll bring you the results later in the show. joining me now is eugene robinson, msnbc political analyst, as well as an associate editor and pulitzer prize winning columnist with the "washington post." also joining me is democratic strategist krystal ball. gene, let me turn to you first. is the party going to be able to purge donald trump from its ranks?

>> well, let's step back for a second. we're talking about donald trump here, okay? we're talking about a reality tv star, a reputed billionaire. a real estate developer. a clown. i mean, he is a clown in terms of politics. and republican primary voters, or at least those polled, judged him a clown earlier in the cycle. so i think the republican party, or what's left of the serious part of it may have already purged itself of donald trump. i don't think he brings with him legions of voters, perhaps he brings with him some ratings. but that's about it. so i'm not sure that this is going to cost romney the nomination. >> well, you know, notwithstanding the fact that he's a village idiot, krystal, now he's turned into the town crier. do you think mitt romney did the right thing by rejecting the debate? >> first, i want to push back on eugene a little bit. to call him a clown is frankly a bit unfair to clowns. i wanted to put that out there.

>> apologize to bozo. >> i do apologize to clowns. even the creepy ones. i apologize to them. >> in terms of mitt romney not accepting and newt gingrich accepting the debate, both of them from a purely political standpoint, i think it makes sense. newt gingrich is courting more of the far right and the tea party. mitt romney is trying to hold on to his moderates and create a contrast with newt gingrich. i think it makes sense in that regard. you know, honestly, donald trump as debate moderator really when you think about it makes perfect sense in the alternate universe the far right is living in now. they're living in the universe to hold on to their ideology that president obama is an idiot and herman cain is a genius, and a financial crisis caused by deregulation should be fixed by less regulation and the persecuted minority in our country are white, wealthy christians. it's in that alternate universe where they're living that donald

trump as elder statesman and republican king maker makes perfect sense. >> yeah. look, gene, he's not a wealthy white christian. he's a wealthy white mormon. the polls show his downward trajectory, do you think his religion is going to come into play here? is it the fact he was so associated with health care, the likes of which obama adopted, that will send him to his political grave? >> i think both are true. i think the reason we're seeing him kind of slide in the polls -- actually, you know, he's at his 23%. that's where he has been this entire cycle. it's just that most of the party would like to find another candidate. better looking. more solidly conservative. they don't trust him as a conservative. in answer to your first question, though, i do believe that ultimately when people start voting, my hunch is that his being a mormon is going to cost him some potential votes. i don't know if it's going to be decisive. it's early in the gingrich

cycle, though. we'll have to see where we are when we get to the end of the month. >> early in the cycle. we'll see what comes out in the wash. krystal, here's something else from mitt romney's meeting with "the washington examiner." let's take a listen here. >> is this his gone with the wind moment? i don't know anything about babies, i don't know anything about the economy. is that quote going to haunt him in an election that largely hinges on the economy? >> it's a bit of a strange thing

for someone who is supposedly the businessman and supposed to be the one to understand the economy and know how to get us back on track. it's kind of a strange thing to say. it's actually an unusually candid moment, i would say, for mitt romney who normally has his poll tested, focus group tested, stock answer ready to go right out of the briefing book. >> gene, it's true. when you look at that, candidates rarely put the candid in candidacy. why is he stumbling mostly with the conservative outlets which is an ill built strength and audience for him? >> he has a problem there, it's a weakness for him as a politician. he's not good with spontaneous questions and answers, even from the friendliest side. what he said there actually, it was just weird, because, in fact, he says, i don't know much about the economy. then he goes on to give a very good diagnosis of the problem. a common monetary policy and have desperate fiscal policies.

he understands fundamentally what's going on. yet, maybe he's trying to -- >> are you accusing him of modesty? is he being modest? >> he's trying to appeal to the anti-intellectual crowd and pretend he doesn't know nothing. >> i do think eugene is right in saying he struggles with that sort of intellectual nimbleness, not that that's a great word to use, but i can understand why people look at newt gingrich and see his performance. he's very quik on his feet in the debates. he's really give. glenn beck had a very tough interview with newt gingrich that i have to say he handled very well. contrast that to mitt romney's interview with bret baier and candidates are going, gingrich might be a great guy against president obama. >> they beat up against president obama all the time, he's a bag of wind, he's a rhetorical genius, but hey, beyond that there's no substance. are we going to see the same kind of pushback on newt gingrich come election time?

>> look, newt gingrich is very quick on his feet and sometimes to a fault. often to a fault. usually to a fault, in fact, because he will say everything eventually. and so -- >> so nothing can be untrue because he says it all. >> exactly. and so at some point he's going to say something that's just so outrageously crazy that he's going to get himself into trouble. then we'll see how he, if he can talk his way out of it. >> the question is not if but when. right? is it before the primary ends or is it in the general election? >> right. just a matter of timing. eugene robinson, krystal ball, thanks for your time tonight. >> thanks, michael. remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of your screen. don't forget to share thoughts on twitter using #edshow. we want to know what you think. the right wing freak-out over president obama's speech in kansas. that's next. bill o'reilly thinks president obama's african-american outreach program involves soul train? he better apologize.

coming up on "the ed show," righties go after president obama's speech yesterday. i'm joined with reaction. newt gingrich says he would appoint john bolton as secretary of state. more than a dozen states implemented laws that would block the vote for minorities, seniors and students. naacp's ben jealous on how his organization is fighting back. let us know what you think on twitter using #edshow. we'll feature your tweets throughout the show. @ápápáp:@:0"

welcome back to "the ed show."

in his speech in kansas yesterday, president obama may very well have laid out the most compelling argument for progressive values, fairness and economic progress of any modern president. all of those progressive who were upset with the president at least for a while have to be silent. let the games begin. because republican presidential candidate mitt romney was having none of that. he said president obama was aspousing an entitlement society. >> he is seeking to replace our merit-based society with an entitlement society. and in an entitlement society, everyone receives about the same rewards. regardless of the education they pursue, regardless of their effort, regardless of the willingness that they have to take risk. you see, they replace opportunity with certainty. certainty that everyone in the entitlement society will enjoy nearly the same rewards. but there's another certainty. they'll all be poor.

>> why is it that all the guys who get the genetic lottery one and get a handout talk about merit? and the right wing pundits had a field day criticizing this speech. >> president obama resorted to using some good old-fashioned class warfare rhetoric. >> it reminds me of a british socialist, frankly, from the 1940s, 1950s. >> yesterday was pearl harbor day number two. the attack on the country by the president of the united states in the speech in osawatamie, kst. >> to have this policy articulated by a president is stunning. >> really an easy listening occupy wall street. this was a smooth jazz liberation theology speech. >> president obama has a thousand words for class warfare. >> that was a 56-minute sugarcoated speech on class war fore. >> let's turn to obery hendricks, professor of biblical interpretation at the new york

theological seminary. author of the book "the university bends towards justice." welcome to the show tonight. >> good to be here. >> let's start where that sound bite ended. republicans love to accuse president obama of class warfare. it reminds me when you were a kid, you play the game when you saw somebody coming who was trying to borrow money from you, trying to hit you off for some dough. you're preemptive in your strike. ask him for money because you knew he'd ask you. isn't it patently unfair and they're engaging it in themselves? >> no doubt. the conservatives have it backward. one of the extraordinary things about the speech yesterday is president obama laid out a vision that is so consistent with the biblical, the most fundamental biblical values and ethics with regard to economic and distribution of goods and services. it was so consistent that it's

extraordinary. it shows -- and there are many complaints about it, and their attacks on it shows how hypocritical they are. they don't understand that the main concern of the bible is personal responsibility for each of us in society. rather, social responsibility. we are to look out for the least of these. we are supposed to make sure that all barriers are removed so that all folk can eat from the tree of life in equal measure. and they seem to have no understanding what the biblical witness is about. president obama, what we heard him was akin to love your neighbor as yourself. that responsibility of governing is to make sure that people have a way to have enough to eat. and have a decent life. and can stand against the rich and exploitations of the rich. >> look, you're a professor, a brilliant scholar of the new testament and the ancient scriptures. republicans try to, especially the evangelical right.

>> i talk about this in my book "universe leans toward justice." the president did important things. number one, he laid claim to the biblical tradition of justice. as the plum line. he didn't ask what is good for just us. or for the rich. or for a particular group. what he said is we must treat all people's needs as holy. we must make sure everyone can eat of the tree of life and at least have access to the tree of life in equal measure. that is very, very basic. secondly, he did something they just don't seem to understand. he held up the importance of regulatory protections. they spit on regulations, but these are protections of the poor and the weak from the rich. and, you know, we see these as early as the book of exodus and leviticus and deuterotomy and

must have power for those in power and the greedy. and last, he held up, as i mentioned earlier, the importance of responsibility to s does well. not just any particular group. >> well, that's a great point. let me say this. given your analysis here, a summary of what he did, isn't it amazing despite the fact he went to war for those who were the vulnerable, he was their goliath, so to speak. he was their david. he refused to get into the manichean us versus them mentality. that's a brilliant rhetorical move but says something about his moral substance. say something about that in a speech. >> it really showed he was concerned about the fundamental question of what is just, not just us, but what is just? and that is this word, justice, in the hebrew bible shows up hundreds of times.

the word sotica talks about putting it into action. these are fundamental things the religious right does not seem to understand. >> let's take a listen to how he refused to do the us versus him yesterday. let's take a listen, professor hendricks. >> i believe this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot. when everyone does their fair share. when everyone plays by the same rules. these aren't 1% values or 99% values. this isn't about class warfare. this is about the nation's welfare. >> you know, given your brilliant analysis here tonight, professor hendricks, isn't it kind of bizarre mitt romney's critique basically saying the president in many ways wants everyone to be poor and on the government dole? listen to romney as well. >> entitlement societies are praised in academic circles, far removed from the reality of a competitive world.

because in an entitlement society, the invigoing pursuit of happiness is replaced by the deadening reality that there's no prospect of a better tomorrow. >> you're an ideal guest. you worked on wall street, professor hendricks. then you went to princeton to get a ph.d. now you're teaching at the academy. you're in the real world and the academy. tell us about that remark. tell us about the response from mitt romney. >> that's cynical and full of lives and infuriating. it speaks to the moral impoverishment of their vision. they never talk about what's just, the policy from the conservatives or religious right that asks how do we help those who need help? all of their policies always are geared toward the richest. in fact, if you look at every policy in history of this country that has been geared toward helping the poorest and the weakest and protecting all americans, you see that conservatives fought against all

of them. if it up to conservatives we would not have social security, medicare, medicaid. we would not have those protections. we would not have child welfare laws. we wouldn't have medical holidays. we wouldn't have paid vacations. we wouldn't have 40 hour workweeks. it's just criminal. and it's insane. and we have to stand up and call these conservatives, these right wingers out for what they are. their vision is anti-biblical, it's anti-christian, and they do not have the moral high ground. we must reclaim it in the name of the god we believe in and let the world know that their vision is anti-biblical and anti-christian and that it is against the welfare of all god's people in the final analysis. >> well, you heard it from one of the great interpreters of the scriptures. professor obery hendricks. thank you for joining us here tonight. >> my pleasure. thank you. rick perry loves to show his bona fides by attacking gay marriage. what would a gingrich

cabinet look like? today the candidate offers a hint. stay tuned.

welcome back to "the ed show." yesterday president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton declared u.s. policy on ending human rights abuses against gays abroad. this includes attempts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality.

this prompted republican presidential candidate rick perry to say that the obama administration was, "investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many americans of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong. president obama has again mistaken america's tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles." perry also put out an ad about faith in america. neither president obama nor anyone else is attacking anyone's faith by extending equal rights to gay people. on the contrary, they're extending the historic trajectory of faith in this country of protecting the vulnerable. as for perry's anti-gay rhetoric, we thought we'd mix it up with his more fun loving moments for your consideration. >> you don't need to be in the pew every sunday to know that there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military. to expand your tax footprint. if you know what i mean. like 9% expansion.

as in the state of texas, a gay couple cannot adopt a child in the state of texas. i mean, like, my -- today has been awesome, girl. until there is a federal marriage amendment that clearly states that marriage is between one man and one woman. if they print anymore money over there in washington, the gold's going to be good. we believe in the sanctity of traditional marriage. i applaud the legislators in new hampshire working to defend marriage as an institution between one man and one woman, realizing that children need to be raised in a loving home by a mother and a father. who has that merry heart that loves what he does and the countenance of a cheerful man comes out. [ applause ]

today has been awesome, girl. >> i mean, wasn't it joe who said the thing i fear the most has come upon me? i don't know. you might be protesting too much there, brother perry. you go, boy. up next, bill o'reilly's white washed life is on full display, but he may have come up with a great idea for a reality show. presidential soul train. james peterson will be here. 14 states are attempting to block the vote in the 2012 elections. will they succeed? naacp ben jealous will join me very shortly. ever since that ol' broom dumped me here... oh, oh. oooh! will love ever come my way? oh my! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer sweeper's new, thicker cloths get deep into ridges picking up more dirt, dust and hair than a broom

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my man, bill o'reilly, likes to pretend america has moved past any racial problems into a post-racial nirvana, except kurt cobain's tones are nowhere to be heard. he was completely confused last night about the obama administration's outreach to

african-americans. >> there is an outreach, i don't even know what that means, by the obama administration to african-americans. i don't -- what does that entail? are they going to be on soul train? what's -- >> soul -- oh, you know you're going to be on media matters for that one right now. soul train? >> what's the vehicle -- soul train is a popular program. >> no, it's not. when, in 1964? >> isn't soul train still on? i must be watching reruns. >> i watch "soul train" and trust me, "soul train" has been off the air 5 1/2 years. it's no surprise bill o'reilly is hanging on to black stereotypes. here's what he had to say a few years ago after dining with the reverend al sharpton in harlem. >> i couldn't get over the fact there was no different between sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in new york city. it was exactly the same. even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship. there wasn't one person in

sylvia's screaming, m-fer, i want more iced tea. >> he's surprised a restaurant run by blacks is not an expletive riddled experience shows how small minded he is. when it comes to president obama going on "soul train" o'reilly might be on to something there. the president does have some moves. >> you're the best dancer, so far. >> it's a low bar. it is a low bar. i'm pretty, pretty sure i've got better moves than giuliani. >> go bama, it's your birthday, we're going to party like it's your birthday. here's what obama said during a 2008 debate when the moderator asked him about the tony morrison quote that bill clinton was the first black president. >> i would have to, you know, investigate more, you know, bill's dancing abilities.

you know, some of this other stuff before i accurately judged whether he was, in fact, a brother. >> so maybe our presidential "soul train" isn't a terrible idea after all. i wonder what that would look like. ♪ >> there comes a time in every soldier's life where he must -- ♪ him jumping up and down ready to hop ♪ ♪ >> oy vey. i've seen the enemy, and it's karl rove. for more, let's turn to dr. james peterson, drkter of after

director of africana studies. you spend your life trying to sparse the complicated interrelationships between what people say and do and what they're trying to signify. tell us what you make of bill o'reilly's assumption that african-american outreach means going on "soul train." >> well, this is just an attempt by mr. o'reilly to undermine the administration's efforts to reach out to the african-american community. he's well aware of the fact that this administration is senitive about these issues. they've been challenged and critiqued about not reaching out to the african-american community. obviously those folk on the right, their talking points are telling them to pounce on any time he does this to sort of force that anxiety within the administration. for appearing to be too neptistic which is insane, right? because the obama administration is not nepitistic. they have to reach out to the african-american community.

we're feeling some of the most direct pain in the unemployment era of the american economy. so the administration's doing what they're supposed to be doing. that's important. bill o'reilly is trying to make a joke out of this here. in poor taste. i feel for mark lamont hill. he understands in the very moment what mr. o'reilly is doing there. he's pandering to his base and viewers and trying to challenge this administration that's very delicately balancing a sort of full complement of issues they have to address with respect to our economy. >> don't they have a point, the moment they made outreach in a systemic fashion toward a vulnerable african-american people, they get hammered by the right with the clueless assaults rooted in racial stereotype? >> yes, a double-edged sword here. no disrespect to "soul train." i grew up on "soul train." it's an important vehicle for african-american folk, fashion and dance.

there's great documentary about it as well. it's an important piece of our culture and history. here it's being used as a political football to put the administration, at least in the eyes of their enemies and opponents as pandering to the african-american community. we all know nothing could be further from the truth. this administration has been fair and balanced across different demographics and different populations. the outreach to the black community here is warranted when you look at the numbers of unemployment as they stand right now. >> yeah, but when it comes to throwing the political football, bill o'reilly is basically aaron rodgers but trying to pretend he's tim tebow, right, that he's completely clueless when it comes to race relations in america. and last year he spoke at reverend al sharpton's national action network conference and had this to say. take a listen. >> it's a much more interesting country, america, if we stop with the race business, i think. i mean, i'm not black, so i don't know your struggle. and you don't know my struggle. all right? because you're not white. but after 9/11, we pretty much dropped that race stuff, did we

not? we pretty much were all americans there, right? all right. i hear yes, i hear no. but to me from my perch, there were blacks killed in that tower. all right? all right, look, if you don't think we dropped it, i do. >> i mean, maybe the guy needs to go to an ear, nose and throat doctor. i hear yes, i hear no. dude, they were booing you. what do you think of o'reilly's version of what he calls it, that race stuff? we elect a black man who occupies the white house, we're done with the issue of race? >> right, how limited is his sense of the race problem in america, right? if you talk to the folk in the middle eastern community or even folk who look middle eastern, there was a tremendous amount of racial profiling in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. so that seems ridiculous. what he's doing in this particular situation is he is aware of the fact that we have challenges around the issues of race, but he likes to pander to his base and pander to viewers. this is how he sells books and

commands the fees he commands in his speaking engagements. i've done mr. o'reilly's show. some of the stuff is distasteful, performing a radical right wing post race positionalty in order to sort of feed his base. >> all right. dr. james peterson, as always, thanks for your time. >> thank you for having me, sir. after the obama administration's continued foreign policy success, newt gingrich says he'd change all of that if he were president. wait until you see who he'd make secretary of state. can't wait. that's next.

coming up on "the ed show," less than a month until the iowa caucus, newt gingrich is already picking out the white horse -- the white house curtains and his cabinet. later, republicans say voting laws in more than a dozen states will prevent fraud. groups like the naacp say it will disenfranchise minorities. share your thoughts with us on twitter using #edshow.

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as president, newt gingrich says he'd lift those pesky child labor laws. hey, let's return to the time when dickens was at his height. today we're given another glimpse into a would-be gingrich administration. secretary of state john bolton. gingrich got a standing ovation from the crowd at a republican jewish coalition meeting after he vowed to appoint the fox news contributor to his cabinet. bolton, a bush campaign lawyer during the 2000 florida recount, was so beloved, dick cheney said he was deserving of any job he wanted. what he got was ambassador to the u.n. he was given that role despite comments he had made previously about the international body. "the secretariat building in new york has 38 stories. if it lost ten stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference." needless to say, president bush had to resest appoint bolton because senate democrats refused to confirm him.

bolton is best known for his fierce advocacy of bombing iran. >> mr. ambassador, what are our options regarding iran right now? what can we do? >> i think our options are very limited and i think that's unfortunate, but i think diplomacy has failed. i don't see prospect diplomacy will dissuade the iranians from pursuing nuclear options. we're down to regime and targeted use of military force against aspects of iran's nuclear weapons program. >> so what does mr. bolton have to say about newt's tantalizing offer? glad you asked. his spokesperson offered this statement. "mr. bolton has not endorsed any candidate for the republican presidential nomination. he has spoken to a number of those running and would be happy to discuss national security issues with anyone in the race." next, the assault on minority voting rights in this country. ben jealous, president of the naacp will join me. m@n@=@sñ

welcome back to "the ed show." tonight in our survey i asked you, will donald trump cost mitt romney the republican nomination? 31% say yes. 69% say no. coming up, ben jealous of the naacp on voter suppression and how the organization is standing for freedom. is my pat. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp...

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president johnson sends to congress a bill to reinforce the right to vote. with attorney general nicholas catsenbach, the president signs an accompanying letter to the legislators urging swift passage to the bill that would outlaw discriminatory practices. >> 46 years after the voting rights act was passed, a report from the naacp finds there is, quote, a coordinated and comprehensive assault on voting rights in this country. following unprecedented minority voter turnout in 2008, not to mention the election of our nation's first african-american president, 14 states have passed a series of measures making it tougher to vote. including limited early voting, requiring photo i.d. or proof of citizenship, imposing tougher absentee ballot requirements and residency requirements. these laws threaten to disenfranchise millions of

people. yet republicans claim it's all about eliminating voter fraud. florida state representative dennis baxley who sponsored a voting measure, signed into law by governor rick scott, told "politico" he is offended accusations are hurled by the naacp. here's what he said on msnbc earlier. >> it's going to be a better system, and we have a very successful system. >> i'm joined now by ben jealous, president and ceo of the naacp. ben, welcome to the show. >> thank you. >> going to be better? i mean, by what stretch of the imagination can one imagine that this update on kind of poll tax and literacy tests to determine the legitimacy of black citizenship is anything but what it does, which is wreak of tremendous racism? >> what else would he say? you know, when the league of women voters says we're no longer going to do voter registration in florida, because

your rules are too onerous, something's wrong. the league of women voters is like mom and apple pie. it is mom and apple pie. and they have literally -- that man has run them out of the state with his laws. you know, that's what we're dealing with. >> well, you know, obviously the 2008 presidential election had the most diverse voter participation in american history. do you believe that these laws are in direct response to those kind of statistics? the fact that there was such an outpouring of african-american and latino voters that really threatens the republican hierarchy and establishment? >> you know, let's stick on florida for a second, right? so florida, we go through bush v. gore. there's this kind of huge outpouring. folks are saying, you know, we need to expand, we need to be fair, and so bush and chris go ahead and say formally incourse rated people here can vote. they deserve a second chance. what happens? a couple years later, democrats win florida. the first black president is in the white house. the next republican governor comes in.

he says, you know what, we're putting those rules back into effect. you say, what are these rules? where did they come from? these ex-felon voting bans just pushed a half million people in florida off the rolls. they start to blossom after the civil war. when you look at the actual history of the legislation, the actual debates, they say to a word that they're intended to suppress the black vote. now, that was the intent then. that was the effect now. we know the effect now is the same. what the intent now is doesn't matter. you're using this old viral strain, if you will, that was put in place, created with racist intent that still has a huge disparate racial impact now. you pull it in off the bench when things don't go your way, you got to be accountable for that. >> so a rose is a rose by any other name so to speak. >> quacks like a duck, walks like a duck -- >> there it is. it's a quack duck. we have a florida legislation saying this is insulting nonsense. beyond the assault, is it

problematic or potentially illegal? >> yeah, the reality here is that he's a big boy, i'm a big bill. this isn't about my feelings or your feelings. this is about whether or not our neighbors can vote. whether or not regular folks can vote. this is about us having to deal with grandmothers who were born in mississippi 80 years ago. you know what, the county courthouse burned down and they've lost their birth certificate that was given to their mom. and now they can't register to vote. that -- in the state of -- either in mississippi, or this one case, this woman is from missouri. so this is about wisconsin, where 75% of young black men between 18 and 24 don't have a valid driver's license. why? because they're too poor to own a car or they rent and move so often that by the time that they